Well, at long last, I have an update. I apologize to any that happened to be waiting for this update, a ship's underway schedule is never, ever, stable and we've had quite a few exercises to complete this year. Anyway, I hope to be updating semi-regularly and have taken the winter break as an opportunity to get a lot of writing done then edit later. Anyways, enjoy!
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Chapter 11: Unknown Affections
"Schala…" Lana mumbled as she struggled from the reins of sleep, her mind half filled with dreams and half filled with the returning sensation of her body. She struggled to remember where she was, why she was surrounded by trees, and where her sister was at. After all, Lana wouldn't have made a trip to the surface without her sister and neither would Schala have let her go. The older magic user always did worry too much. After spending several moments trying to collect herself, Lana let out a tired groan as she realized whose sister she was looking for.
"Why do I keep thinking about his sister?" she sighed to herself, "Didn't Fnorm say this was suppose to stop anyways?"
Her only answer was the soft chirps of the evening, splashed with the dimming golden radiance of the sun. The golden speckles amongst the trees and clouds traced her mind back to memories of Zeal. Of the sea of orange fire that appeared every sunset. Of playing with the Nu's, of receiving a warm hug from Schala, or of simply watching the Guru's argue amongst themselves.
"What's wrong with you?!" Exclaimed Lana as she pinched herself to wake from the day dream of someone else's memories.
"Milady?" croaked Frog behind her, apparently up and listening, and Lana almost let out an "eep" at being caught scolding herself.
"It's nothing," she quickly said before stretching out of her ball-like position. Standing and stretching, Lana felt good-as-new and was amazed that the effects of the slurp were still with her. Going over her wound once, she could feel the scabs that had formed but could trace the wound without feeling any pain what so ever.
"Whatever's in your saliva, its' potent stuff," stated Lana as she sat down next to Glenn, "You should think about selling it in bottles."
The small joke made Glenn smile, an odd expression for a reptile to assume, and he croaked something that Lana assumed was approval, "Tiss satisfying to see that you feel well."
"What about you? Doing any better?" asked Lana as she sized the frog-man up, noting he seemed slightly greener than before. Not sure whether frogs turned greener when healthy or if maybe it just happened at random, she didn't mention it.
"I still hath not croaked," stated Glenn, catching Lana off guard with the joke, and she smiled slightly at the pun.
"Do I detect a hint of humor there?" asked Lana as she smiled, "I didn't think knights were allowed to make jokes."
"Only bad jokes milady, helps to keep the lasses at bay," Glenn replied straight faced, a hint of a smile played behind his serious mask, "And mine health seems to be on the improve. I again thank thee for thine assistants."
"Well, lets get some food in you then," stated the mage-hunter while rummaging through the jars of berries and jerky. Pulling out their remaining supplies, she noted that they'd already gone through one jar of food and only two jars remained. Maybe enough to last two more days, noted Lana, but they'd need to secure an alternate food source fast; who knew how long they'd be here? As she handed out the food between the two she concluded that their must be a bush that the berries originated from and at least one or two small animals scampering about to cook.
"Thank thee milady," said Glenn as he took his share of berries and meat, with weak and shaky arms, and began slowly eating them.
"No problem," responded Lana while she too ate her fill of the food. While the meager rations could have been eaten in three of four bites both endeavored to make the meal last as long as they could, nibbling on the pieces of jerky and slowly chewing the berries. Both sat silent as they ate their meal and watched the sun continue its' descent. Finally the hiatus in conversation was broken by Glenn as the last tendrils of orange faded from the skies, his food apparently finished before the sunset.
"Your thoughts milady?" at first Lana didn't respond, instead staring at the clouds still, and Glenn gave a worried croak.
"Just thinking," replied Lana at last as she ripped her gaze from the vanishing sunset, "Why do you ask?"
"One doth not stare into yon sunset in quiet monologue least a great burden doth rest on thine shoulders," stated Glenn as he continued to trace the sun's descent with his eyes.
"And what about you?" asked Lana, the irony that Glenn too was staring off into the sunset was not lost on her.
"I doth ponder as well," stated Glenn, "Of things long left in the past."
"You don't say…," Lana distractedly responded. She left the rest of it hang as she rose to walk across the clearing and grab her water-skin before returning to Glenn's sitting spot and giving him a drink.
"Have you ever heard of a place called Zeal?" asked Lana after Glenn was done and she'd resumed sitting.
"Nay," replied Glenn.
"It's not really a real place," Mused Lana, "More like a story book kingdom. It was supposed to have once existed in the clouds long, long ago."
"A castle in the sky, an enviable position," stated Glenn as he craned his head skyward.
"All the people there used magic in everyday life, it was as common to them as riding as horse is to us. It wasn't just a castle either, they had city's that were made of white marble and laced with gold. No one went hungry, no one went cold, and everyone was happy. It was a land of dreams."
"I keep …imagining… what it must have been like to look out across the clouds during sunset. To see a sea of rolling orange that stretched to the horizon. To live in a place where everyday you looked out your window and saw such a sight…."
To Glenn it seemed her voice took on a quality of someone who'd seen such things, someone who'd witnessed these marvels first hand. It was a voice steeped in experience that made him fully visualize just what it might have been like, "Tiss indeed a fae place. What became of such grandeur?"
"They kept wanting more and more magic, until their greed ended up awakening a monster that destroyed their kingdom." It was said in such a drool tone, lacking the amazement that her earlier descriptions gave, and he hardly felt sympathy at the kingdom's destruction.
"A valuable lesson," nodded Glenn, "Greed hath laid low most of those that have taken its' mantle as their own."
"I think it would have been a nice place to have lived in though," sighed Lana at last, returning her gaze to the now shady clouds as the darkness of night came.
"Indeed, but thou canst live in a land made of dreams," stated Glenn in all seriousness.
"You right," agreed Lana with a grunt as she rose, grabbing her sword in the process, "Eventually you wake up."
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"Should be just up ahead," claimed the confident Nu as it walked forward, ungainly arms wagging back and forth with its' strides. Behind the ancient source of wisdom was Spekkio, following the Nu and looking a tad lest confident than his current leader. They'd stopped conversing awhile ago, neither having anything else to say, and the cheery conversation that had occurred at their first meeting earlier that day seemed foreign to the two of them now. The sun had set recently but they'd been walking all day and Spekkio was just starting to wonder whether he'd been correct in picking this guide.
"That's what you've been saying for the past hour," sourly stated Spekkio, "Just admit when you're lost."
"I am not lost," huffed the Nu as it simply increased its' pace. Spekkio trotted to keep up with it.
"I'm just saying, maybe you got mixed around," stated the shape-shifter as he trotted after the Nu, "Lost might be too strong of a word for it. I mean, these trees all look alike so it'd be easy to get turned around."
"I am NOT lost!" Exclaimed the Nu as it turned around, red faced, to face Spekkio, almost causing a collision between the two, "I'll have you know that I am the care taker of this forest, and implying that I am lost in my own forest is insulting; simply insulting!"
The Nu turned back around but did not start his relentless pace up again. "I know exactly where I'm going. I know every tree and rock here…. I just don't know where your mage hunter is," admitted the Nu at last as Spekkio put on his deadpan expression before responding.
"Well, I suppose in that case you aren't lost," agreed Spekkio, "Just stupid."
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"Why can't forests have convenience stores," mumbled Lana as she cleared a path through the woods. It was all good and well that the amphibious knight was feeling better, but she almost wished he hadn't gotten his appetite back. After he asked for seconds a little later she hadn't the heart to deny someone food after they'd almost died. So here she was, walking through the woods, trying to find something to eat, and trying to erase thoughts of someone else's memories from her mind.
"Damn you Janus," continued Lana's mumbling as she chopped an overhanging branch that had gotten in her path. "What was so horrible about Zeal that you got all dark and moody!" She chopped another offending branch out of the way, the work of using her katana helping to ease her mind ever more.
Supposing there were small forest creatures around here to eat, Lana thought, I should probably be a bit quieter if I hope to catch one. Although I'd rather not have to skin anything at the moment, she squirmed inwardly; just something vegetarian would be nice for now.
She was so concentrated on self thought that she almost missed the two loud voices arguing with one another as she walked about the forest. One sounded high-pitched and sing-song, almost like the recording of a Nu she'd heard in the history video, and the other sounded very, very familiar. It was the voice of Spekkio yelling, or more precisely, mocking something. Having been one of his personnel projects, she'd heard his mocking voice more than once. Although what her combat teacher was doing in this time period was a question to her.
Running swiftly, and abandoning all hopes of stealth, she hoped to reach the argument before it became something more. Spekkio always did have a way to push people's buttons.
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"I'm stupid!" yelled the Nu in disbelief.
"It's good to see you can admit it!" commented the shape-shifter in congratulations-you-are-having-a-baby kind of voice.
"You…. You… you…," fumed the Nu without finding the other words he was searching for.
"Me?" questioned Spekkio with an innocent tone in his voice.
"Yes you!" angrily exclaimed the Nu, "You are a scoundrel! A scoundrel I say!"
"Ya? Well you're still stupid!" laughed Spekkio, shape-shifting into an exact duplicate of the Nu and grabbing the nearest rock.
"Dur dur dur, look at me cleaning with a rock," mocked Spekkio as he repeatedly hit the ground with a rock. The Nu was frozen in mute shock, his expression between disbelief and insulted. Not only was he being mocked, but that scoundrel was using the cleaning rock the wrong way!
"WHAAAAA," it screamed, yanking on its' little stubs of hair, "How did you know I was cleaning before you arrived!" Spekkio simply continued saying "Dur dur dur" as he repeatedly hit the ground with his rock.
"And stop mocking me!" The Nu stopped around in a little circle. "I am the wisdom of Zeal! The Wisdom of Zeal!" the shape-shifter still continued his Nu mock-up, much to the further distress of the Nu.
"I'm the great wisdom of Zeal, dur dur dur, now scratch my back," commented Spekkio.
"Alright, that's it!" Screamed the Nu as it ran forward, its' head preparing to immediately smack something. Instead of attacking his mocking partner, it again impacted the soft earth as the Nu, again, found that rocks were out to become his undoing. Spekkio, perhaps in another attempt to mock the Nu, also impacted his face into the ground.
"Dur dur dur"
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Lana at last reached the source of the voices, one that now simply kept saying "Dur dur dur", and readied her weapon just-in-case. Stepping out from behind the overhanging branches and tall bushes, she happened upon two Nus with their faces slammed, very forcefully looking, into the ground. One was the source of the constant "dur dur dur" and the other seemed to be so angry its' whole body was turning a slight red.
"Spekkio?" asked Lana as she walked closer to her unlikely find. It was a good probability that the "dur dur dur" Nu was the one and only annoying shape-shifter. He had that unreadable aura that puzzled Lana more than she'd care to admit. Almost immediately upon hearing his name Spekkio was up and out of the whole, back in his default form.
"Lana!" laughed the shape-shifter. "We finally found you!" He ran up and gave her a great big hug as he turned into a larger version of his default form. She was about to protest that she had instead found them but the bear hug took the air from her lungs and so she simply gasped a greeting out. After a moment of crushing hugs he stepped back and reverted into his smaller form, pacing around his mage-hunter and studying her with an appreciative eye.
"Well, you don't look too bad…," started Spekkio, before being interrupted by the forgotten Nu.
"Apologize!" demanded the Nu, arms folded across his chest, and dirt still stuck to various places of his large face.
"I'm sorry you're stupid," said Spekkio with a straight face.
"You're forgiven," said the Nu as it nodded its' head as if in sagely understanding, before Spekkio's words sunk further in. "Hey wait a…"
"Enough with the past," exclaimed Spekkio as it patted the Nu on the shoulders, you found what we were looking for so good job!"
"Yes, I did do a good job didn't I?!" thought the Nu aloud, Spekkio's previous comments forgotten.
"But I found you guys…," started Lana again before Spekkio interrupted her with an exclamation of his own.
"Why bicker about the details!" loudly stated the shape-shifter, again patting the Nu on the shoulder, or where Lana guessed a Nu might have shoulders. "Simply thank the Nu for his skilled tracking."
"Ummm, thanks…I guess," said Lana, more because Spekkio had asked her too than anything else. He usually had a good idea what was going on so she had to trust him.
"So, how have you been?" asked Spekkio, cutting of the Nu's chance to respond and at the same time walking back to stand with his student.
"I've got so many questions right now..," sighed Lana as she ran her right hand through her short and soiled hair, "Right now though I really need to find some food for Glenn. I can hold of my questions till then, how about you?"
Spekkio nodded understanding and walked back to stand with the Nu. "So, buddy, know of any places to find some food? This is YOUR forest after all."
"Yes!" beamed the Nu proudly, "Yes it is!"
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"What a waste of an army," murmured Slash as he watched his formations march forward at a hurried pace, "To send an entire army to defeat one frog."
Spurring his warhorse forward, the general rode to the head of his army to ensure that his front ranks of Henchmen weren't tossing the Imps around again. The general really didn't like riding the horse, it was uncomfortable and smelly, but it was a reminded the soldiers who was in power; Slash. Since mystics had never been large on cavalry, probably due to the variety of forms that they took, having a horse of any kind was something reserved only to those of high rank. They did have a unit of Roly riding imps; however they were more shock troops than anything else.
"We could be sacking Dorino this very moment," Slash continued his aloud monologue, "Instead we are wasting resources because Ozzie screwed up. Damn you, you green lard-ball."
"Sir?" Asked one of the armored Goblins, seeming to think the green lard-ball comment had been reserved for him.
"Nothing Soldier, just keep marching," replied Slash as he whipped his horse further along, surveying his troops. They had a battalion of Imps, two battalions of Henchmen, another battalion of armored Goblins, and a platoon to man the catapults. Yet here they were, marching off to kill one, small, amphibian. It was enough to make the battle tested general question Magus' leadership. In fact it did make the general question his lord's strategy, every pace they took he questioned it, and Slash was done wondering why the great Magus would order something so stupid. If he wanted any say at all in how to organize, and deploy, their troops then he'd have to take steps to prove his way was better. Today Slash was not going to waste a brigade of troops against one person.
"COMPANY, HALT!" shouted Slash, immediately the formations halted as each officer carried the order to their company.
"GORT, FRONT AND CENTER!" shouted Slash again. Sprinting as fast as his muscular legs could carry him, the armored goblin named Gort appeared next to Slash almost immediately after the call had been sent out for him. Gort was second in command, the leader of the army if Slash was ever taken out of the picture. While he was a goblin, not his fault reminded Slash to himself, he was deadly in battle and loyal without a question. He just wasn't exactly all that smart.
"Gort reporting sir!" called out Gort, standing straight at attention next to Slash and his steed. The goblin was covered neck to toe in bright shining plate, out of place next to most of the dented and grimly mails that made up the stock of the mystic army. Strapped across his back was a large steel hammer, also shining brightly, and his head was covered with a spiky dark metal helmet that made the Goblin look partially demonic.
"Change in plans Gort. I'm taking a patrol of our best fighters and continuing to the Cursed Woods. Take the rest of the unit and sack Dorino," instructed Slash.
"Sir, Yes Sir."
"Assault with catapults first, then send in the shock troops with armored Goblins to break apart any frontal defense that is left. Kill all those that would raise a weapon against you, but leave the human civilians alone. They need new slaves at the castle, Magus seems to go through the castle staff almost weekly."
"Sir, Yes Sir."
"And Gort," said Slash.
"Yes Sir?" responded the Goblin colonel.
"Make sure the catapults cease firing before you send in our troops. We don't want a repeat of Porre now do we?"
"No sir, cease catapult firing before sending in own troops. Order acknowledged," Gort saluted smartly, as smart as a Goblin can while trying to avoid the spikes on his helmet, and began shouting orders, louder than even Slash was capable of, to the formations.
The general wasn't a stranger to going on squad missions; in fact he liked that even more than commanding an army, and always had His Four ready for such a situation. Shitaki, skilled Outlaw swords bird, Asrar, master Naga sorceress, Bjarni, champion Gargoyle pit fighter, and Bob, the sneakiest Imp Slash had ever seen. These were the general's champions, the closest thing he had to friends and the deadliest that the mystics had to offer.
"Those four, plus seven or eight goblins should be enough to handle the job." Slash thought to himself, "I'll be there in any case, should be easy. It's only that pitiful Frog after all."
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"What do you mean I can't come?" asked the Nu as he looked forlornly at the small fire burning at the mouth of Lana's cave. So warm yet so far away, alas cruel fates! Spekkio only sighed, putting on an exasperated act by putting his hands on his hip.
"You might freak out the frog, your not suppose to technically exist, right?" argued the shape-shifter.
"Well he doesn't know that!" argued the Nu back, "What about you anyways, how come you can go?"
"Because he's going to shape-shift into a Guardia squire before he goes anywhere," stated Lana, "and I can make a valid excuse for why he's with me. You on the other hand…"
"Are weird!" added Spekkio with a pointed finger in the air. The Nu looked crushed, staring abjectly at the ground in a child-like manner that reminded the shape-shifter of a Janus from so long ago.
"Actually it's because we have another job for you!" spoke up Spekkio, "We need you to guard the camp from any mysterious characters. You're the only one strong enough for us to trust this to."
"Really!?" asked the Nu.
"Of course!" Spekkio proclaimed as he patted the Nu on the back, "Would I lie to you?"
"Well…," thought the Nu, "Ok, I'll do it!"
"Awesome, go forth and patrol brave defender!" encouraged Spekkio as he faced the Nu away from the camp and gave him a hearty push. The Nu stumbled at first but took up a march and a tune as he went about patrolling, seemingly content at its task.
"Remember, we parted ways to look for Glenn and I found him first. We happened to run into each-other while I was out gathering food so I thought it best to bring you back," reminded Lana to Spekkio as she collected firewood in her arms.
"Yes Ma'am," mock saluted Spekkio as his form began to flow upwards until it was the perfect replica of a young lad with bright blue eyes, light, curly, blonde hair, and a Guardia Squire uniform covering his lanky frame. "There how do I look?"
"Like a cliché," joked Lana, "What should I call you?"
"Just call me Spek, short for Spekkio," instructed the shape-shifter as he adjusted the voice, giving it just a bit of in-the-middle-of-puberty squeak to it.
"How original, but it's your name," sighed the mage-hunter, "Once Glenn falls asleep I promise to explain things the best I can." Spekkio could feel a lot of mixed feelings in her words, but chief among them was helplessness.
"It'll be okay," smiled Spek, "I'll try to explain some things as well. Things aren't as out of control as you think they are."
"If you say so," sighed Lana again as she walked into the clearing and towards Glenn who stood as an alert, yet immobile, sentry.
"Hail Lana, I am gladden by your return. Who be the lad that accompanies thee?" greeted Glenn as Lana dumped the pile of firewood in the back of the cave so that it was far away from the already burning pit. Spek simply waved nervously, while smiling nervously, and approached the camp site timidly. A good actor thought Lana, though what else did I expect from a shape-shifter.
"He's my companion, Spek. We split ways when we first arrived, trying to find you, and I happened to run into him while looking for food," explained Lana, "Spek, this is Glenn, Glenn this is Spek."
"It's a umm… a great honor to meet you Sir Glenn," said Spek as he nervously bowed before the frog knight.
"Thine respects be appreciated but not fit for one in such a form as my own," said Glenn with sadness in his eyes, a sadness that seemed to fade slightly as he shook the hands of the nervous squire, "Though I am gladden to meet a companion of Lana's. Well met Spek."
"Thank you Sir."
"Ah a squire, what knight doth thou squire under?" asked Glenn once he recognized the uniform that Spek wore.
"Sir Crono," replied Spek, noting the look that Lana threw his way.
"I admit I do not recall any knowledge about a Sir Crono, mayhap I have been absent too long," admitted Glenn with something Spek found akin to shame in his voice.
"He's a brave warrior, and good friend," stated Spek, "I gladly serve under him." Spek took some time to stop squirming under Glenn's gaze and steadied his posture before speaking again. "He requested I give you greetings in his name and to thank you for the many deeds you have done, and have yet to do, for the kingdom."
"To inspire such words," said Glenn formally with respect in his voice, "Sir Crono must truly be a fine knight. I am honored to receive such thanks and relay to him that mine heart is warmed to have the kingdom in hands such as his."
"In any case," Lana interrupted before Spek role-played even more to the scene, "We managed to find some berries and Spek caught two hares." The lanky squire held up the appropriate small woodland creatures in response to Lana's words.
"Would you umm…mind skinning those Spek, I want to practice with my sword for a bit?" Lana asked. She didn't want to admit that skinning dead animals, or doing anything with dead animals, made her squirm. After all, here she was supposed to be some great swords-woman, in Glenn's eyes anyway, and fretting over a rabbit seemed kind of ridiculous.
"As you request, Sir Crono put me under your command until we return to Guardia," said Spek as he took out a small carving knife and went about skinning the critters next to the camp fire. Lana only groaned and rubbed her head in frustration.
"Would thou mind if I watched milady?" asked Glenn, adjusting his sitting position to face her way.
"I'm not that good but feel free to," shrugged Lana, not sure if having one of the greatest swordsmen in history watching her would make her nervous. Instead of focusing on that she tightened the straps on the legs of her shorts and went to tie her hair up, before realizing it was still short from the accident. Annoyed, but not angered, she closed her eyes for a quick moment, centering as she called it, and moved her body into the first stance.
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One would think that in the future, the use of martial weapons would have become obsolete. After all, they had guns of all sorts and varieties; guns that would not only kill you, but disintegrate your body. For most of the world that still held true, martial weapons were relegated to sports or movies; holding more entertainment value than use in combat.
However, perhaps because the founder of the Chronopolis had existed before the advent of firearms, guns were a secondary weapon. All Observers were trained in martial weapons, not only because you weren't allowed to bring guns into a time period not familiar with them, but because it was also a good way to maintain an Observer's physical, and emotional, state. Weapon practice became not a chore, but something that you did everyday to calm down and take a break from the rest of the world. By the time they were full fledged agents, they were experts in their weapons.
This held true even for those applying to become Observers, held true for even Lana Asimari. For she had to contend against magic with her sword, had only that slim piece of metal for use against her enemies. This reliance forced her to not only become an expert at her weapon, but to become her weapon. She was the blade as it cleaved flesh, as it cut air as easily as it could cut opponents, and as it worked around in her stances and forms.
She could be a deadly tornado of blades, a precise strike of piercing metal, a beautiful weaving of steel, a torrent of slashes, or a flowing defense. Neither did she open her eyes, letting her body use its' memory to keep her moving. She didn't need her eyes to tell here where her blade was at, what angle it sat, how close it might have come to striking her own flesh. Lana already knew all those things, had honed her stances and forms into perfection, and her stances and forms switched between one another smoothy.
Glenn watched in silence, enraptured by the complexity of the maneuvers, as Lana danced. He couldn't come to call it fighting, for fighting is not beautiful, is not inspiring, to the frog swordsman; only a cruel necessity. But watching her wakes up a foreign sensation in Glenn, a feeling long held muted by the transformation induced by Magus. All this time there was something about Lana that attracted his attention, his eye, and now he finally realized what it was. She gave him hope again, hope for another day, and hope that things would get better. Glenn didn't know how to categorize the feeling, because the exceptional swordsman had never before fallen in love.