Chapter VIII: A New Dwelling, A New Plan
My name...is Tidus.
Tidus...
Yuna followed her newly acquainted Slasher to the other end of the stairway. They reached it and stopped upon a massive artistically carved double-door made completely out of mahogany. The door gleamed of a pale bluish color.
He opened the door which never emitted a creak at all. The confused White Mage, at loss for words, simply followed Tidus across an enchanted hallway which somehow alleviated her despair. Like the door, the hallway radiated a calming sense of blue hues. The floors, which shone their clear reflections, were made completely out of sapphire. Yuna could see her vertical self staring back at her. The windows, which lined themselves neatly and also as tall as the ceiling, were beautifully draped by long cerulean glittery curtains. They appeared to be dancing to the night breeze's tune.
It was such a grand and heavenly corridor that it seemed not to be part of this gothic, dire bastion. On the side parallel to the lofty windows were statues of the winged Aeon Valefor, each made completely out of turquoise. Like the Zu statues in the previous hallway, the Valefor statues each held a lucid blue flame within their encircled wings.
"Is this…a dream?" Yuna contemplated. She completely forgot she was being held captive by a homicidal Slasher within his sepulchral fortress.
They finally stopped at the end of the hallway at a door similar to the pale bluish one they've entered through. Tidus pushed the door open and to Yuna's surprise, held the door open for her.
"Inside." He said bluntly.
Yuna quietly obeyed. As she stepped inside, it was assumingly the most beautiful chamber she'll ever see in her life. It seemed as though the whole room was sparkling an azure aura. In a corner stood a grand four-poster bed complemented with blue silky curtains. Upon a wall stood an immense wardrobe which Yuna guessed was kept with gowns and fancy dresses. In another stood a hefty book shelf on the basics, depth and even the history of White and Black magic. The ceiling glittered wonderfully as if you were looking at the starry night sky. Opposite the door stood another set of double-doors made of clear crystal which led to a veranda. It is apparent they're at the eastern tower.
"This is where you'll reside from now on." Tidus said, breaking Yuna's reverie in amazement of the chamber. "If you are in need of anything, my servants will attend to you. Summon them if you wish."
He stepped out of the room, pulled the door close yet left a small gap, leaving it ajar. "You are to have dinner with me tonight. And you are not to refuse."
And with that he finally sealed the door. Yuna heard a hissing sound from the knob. A lock must have magically reappeared just like what happened back at the dungeon.
It felt as though she was imprisoned all over again. Unable to suppress another wave of tears, Yuna undressed herself of her cloak, flung herself to the four-poster bed, buried her face in a pillow and poured out all her misery away.
"Have you seen her? Was she really that pretty?" Rikku piped, badgering Lulu for answers.
"I told you already," replied Lulu as she wordlessly set the oven on fire, "I never even had a glimpse of her face. I was at the western tower clearing up some of our master's possessions when I heard the entrance creak open."
"But…" Rikku said, looking round the room for someone to provide answers. "What about Wakka? Or Sir Auron?"
"Sir Auron was giving Lu a hand, ya?" replied Wakka who spoke with an outmoded accent. "And I got to stay here in the kitchen polishing these damn pots. Oh man. When I'd rather be out hunting for Dingo meat, ya?"
The kitchen doors swung open to reveal a bulky man wearing a red trench coat and carrying a cumbersome eastern blade.
"It's confirmed." Auron said as he strode past them and placed his blade on the long genteel table at the center. "She's currently at the eastern tower."
"Yes!" Rikku jumped with ecstasy and ran around in circles. "I'm going there right now and-"
"And you are not to disturb her, Rikku." Auron cut in as he sat down, placed his booted feet on the table and heaved a sake jug to his lips. "And Rikku, what were you doing on your cleaning duties?"
The young blonde looked apprehensive, played around with her fingers and stared at her knee. "Um, I was already done with that hallway under the west one, but after I heard someone enter the bastion – she was wearing this long white cloak!" she chirped as she mimed wearing a hood. "She already got into that western hallway! I tried to follow her but next thing I knew, Ti-, I mean, our master was suddenly right behind me. Well, I felt the tip of his sword poke my back, and I ran for it…"
Lulu sighed as she levitated a whole turkey and had it place itself inside the oven. "At least there's hope now… For all of us. But…I'm not that eager in putting our salvation on it. It sounds oxymoronic but we're at something we should call a hopeless hope."
"You were never the optimist huh, Lu?" replied Wakka as he now placed the pots back in the shelf. "I kinda agree with you though with young master acting like a bloodthirsty maniac who has just broken out of-"
Everyone in the kitchen suddenly fell silent as the doors swung open once more.
"Finish what you're saying, Wakka. I'm listening," came a deep impassive voice which sounded dangerous.
Yet Wakka said nothing. Tidus strode past all of them and sat himself opposite to Auron. Rikku automatically brought a tray with a kettle and a teacup and placed it upon the table. She almost fumbled the teacup as she poured her master tea. Auron merely took another sip of sake while Lulu simply continued with her chores acting like nothing happened.
"As you all know, we have a new prisoner in this bastion." His servants were not looking at him but they were all listening. "So naturally I have special assignments for each of you."
Rikku seized this opportunity. "Um, master? Is it alright if I…go see the prisoner? I…just thought I'd…talk to her about the…rules of this place and-"
Tidus quickly grabbed one of the knives on the table and hurled it towards Rikku's head. It struck the wall just a hair's width from her ear.
"Did I ask you to talk?" was Tidus' cold reply. All the color from Rikku's face drained until she was pale white. She simply stood there shaking like a statue about to collapse. Tidus, ignoring Rikku's reaction, then faced his other subordinates.
"Auron. Inform the Crusaders of the prisoner's arrival. Tell them to work towards the restoration of the bastion. Wakka. You are to watch over the western tower and make sure the prisoner doesn't even come within range. Lulu. Your task is to look after the prisoner and attend to her every command. That includes cleaning her chamber every night. And Rikku…"
Rikku let out a faint whimper, trying to avoid her master's eyes.
"You are to assist Lulu with her task." He stood up and loudly slammed the teacup onto the long table. "And your tea is too mild. It's pathetic. Brew a new batch and bring it to her. I will not tolerate any form mistreatment on the prisoner. If I hear any word about it, I happen to have a few more knives to toss."
He finally walked past the double doors and slammed them shut. Rikku seemed to partly regain her composure and walked uneasily towards the table. She collapsed and fell into Lulu's arms. Rikku couldn't hold it back anymore and sobbed on Lulu's shoulder.
"There, there, Rikku." Lulu whispered as she stroke her hair. "At least we'll get to see her now."
"I'm going to the western tower now, ya?" Wakka said as he stood up. "I just don't understand why he always has to give it all out on Rikku." He sighed, took his finely spiked ball from a corner and went out the kitchen.
Auron too stood up and sheathed his Masamune. Without a word he headed out, faithful to his duties.
"I-I'm gonna go brew some tea now." Rikku sniffed. "I-I just hope she can save us. I…I can't take this anymore, Lulu..."
Night has fallen over the village. None of the residents even wonder about the sudden disappearance of 'crazy old Braska and his nutty daughter.'
"This is a disgrace." Seymour said as he pounded his fist on the table. The bottles of ale placed on it shook and almost tipped off the table. "Twice she rejected my proposal and twice she easily fled from me!"
"Aw, lighten up, boss." Giera said as he placed another tray of ale bottles. "At least she got some help the second time around."
Seymour returned a dangerous stare to his subordinate. "Giera, you simple little fool. She escaped with the help of a midget! It all would have been tolerable had you not failed. And it was only a matter of handling a wench who can't even light a fire with a twig."
"Just give me another chance, boss!" Giera replied as he finished a bottle of ale in one swig. "Just give Zazi and me a chance then we'll go kidnap the girl and bring her right here to you!"
They were inside a pub at the outskirts of town. The moon was not present in the starless sky. Seymour and Giera were not alone in the pub as they conspired theories. Rin the bartender was behind the counter polishing glasses. At another table was a motley crew of men who all wore black cloaks. Like Giera, they all had long spider-like fingers, long eleven ears and pale gray skin. Apparently, Giera and those men were among the Guados, a race of demi-humans who lived at the far north of the continent.
There were a total of seven of the Guados: Giera, Auda, Navara, Noy, Pah, Zazi and an older one called Tromell.
The Guados were quite notorious for their devious disposition. With the exception of Giera, Guados are hardly sociable and were secretive. They are adept practitioners of all sorts of Magic yet for some reason they could never equal Seymour's prowess. They also serve as mercenaries accomplished in acts of stealth and secrecy. Ultimately they're known as Seymour's personal 'pack of hounds.'
"And you're actually considering even suffocating the girl and wrapping her in a sack. Am I right, Giera?" Zazi retorted coolly as he too drank some ale. "Surely I'd never expect anything sophisticated from you."
"Correct," followed Rin the bartender. "That's why it surprises me however that buffoon even became Seymour's right-hand man."
Everyone but Seymour and Giera burst into roars of laughter. The slamming of fists and mugs on the table added to the cacophony. Giera looked like he wanted to punch the person nearest to him whilst Seymour remained irritable and impassive.
"Shut up you morons!" Giera yelled as his hands began to inflame. "See if you all can even do half of what I can do!"
"Like what? Getting kicked by a kid on the crotch?" said Auda and the rest roared even louder. Noy and Navara imitated Giera clutching the area between his legs where Eiko kicked him previously. Pah and Tromell simply laughed.
"Or how about combusting yourself with your 'signature Fira spell?'"
"Shut up! SHUT UP!!" bellowed Giera who was now throwing tantrums on the spot. "Stop making me the butt of your jokes! My spying and info skills are topnotch and the boss believes it! I bet none you knew that Braska and his daughter have disappeared here in the-!"
"WHAT!?"
Seymour roared as he rapidly stood up. The cacophony of howling laughs and smashing bottles abruptly came to an end. All the Guados were immobilized in their seats. Rin suddenly went back to polishing glasses. So strong was the silence that the sound of creaking glass from Rin could be heard.
"Where did you say did Yuna go, Giera?" Seymour treacherously said as he approached his subordinate, his steps slow yet solid.
Giera trembled as his master' shadow began to swathe him. He already knew the tastes of Seymour's Thundaga. He could never imagine what would happen next. Silence conquered the pub for quite a moment. To everyone's surprise, Seymour slowly drew a malicious grin on his face.
The door to the pub slowly opened as it emitted a long creak and it caught the attention of everyone inside. Braska came stumbling inside the pub, desperate for warmth and rest. He was so pale that there was only little blood left in his face. He limped as he struggled to make his way towards the feared Mage with cerulean hair.
"Seymour… You have…to help…me…" Braska heaved as he struggled towards Seymour's robes and clutched them tightly. "My…daughter…is being…held…captive…by the…Slasher…"
"The Slasher?! Ha!" Giera derided. "Not only are you a loony but you're also psychotic! Everyone knows that Slasher watchamacallit is just a dumb rumor! Who the hell's gonna believe that pile of crap you're coming up wi-"
Seymour effortlessly silenced him simply by raising a palm. He then looked down on Braska who was begging on bended knees. He had never seen a more defeated-looking person. He raised his foot and delivered a hard blow on Braska's mid-section. Braska howled in pain as he curled up on the wooden floor, clutching his stomach.
"Excellent…"
Miraculously the tears finally stopped coming. Yuna just realized her pillow was half-soaked in tears. She wiped off the remaining streaks off her face with a blanket. Now that she was, as Tidus said, in her new home, she might as well adapt and make herself comfortable.
The hefty bookshelf caught her attention first. She walked towards it and took a book entitled Fundamentals of White Magic. The other books bore titles such as Into the Abyss: A Guide to Black Magic,Magical History and Conjecture and Casting the Spells of Unknown. She sat back down on the bed and began to read.
"Magic has been known to exist since the childhood of human civilization. It is believed to originate innately from special individuals. It was first discovered when a 10th century warlock named Maechen, desperate for survival from the harsh winter, unknowingly created a blazing fire out of a bundle of twigs. He was among the first mages of time…"
A knock on the door interrupted before Yuna could finish the paragraph. She quickly closed the book, got up from the bed and walked warily towards the door. Then she remembered she was locked in and that the Slasher preferred not to knock but kick doors open.
"Come in." Yuna replied as she held her hands close to her chest. There came the hissing sound again and the door gently opened. She was greeted by two women, one with long black braided hair and stern ruby eyes, the other having blonde pony-tailed hair with bright green eyes carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.
"Greetings, my lady." said the one with braided hair and bowed deeply. "My name is Lulu and this is my companion, Rikku. We are pleased to be at your service. Our master has assigned us to your bidding. What may we address you?"
Yuna didn't know how to react. This was the first time she was treated like royalty. "M-My name is Yuna, and…" she didn't know how to describe herself.
"Wow! Nice to meet you Lady Yuna!" Rikku piped out, forgetting her second near-death experience with Tidus. "Here, I brought you some tea. I just brewed them!" she placed the tray on one of the bedside tables and poured Yuna a cup. "Careful. It's hot."
Yuna gratefully took the cup from Rikku and sipped it. Both Lulu and Rikku then made themselves comfortable and sat themselves on either side of the bed. Yuna sat down beside Rikku as she enjoyed her warm tea.
"Hey Yuna? I wanna ask something." Rikku paused for a while then continued." Are you…Uncle Braska's daughter?"
"Rikku!" cried Lulu.
Yuna suddenly stopped sipping and lowered down her teacup. She felt another wave of tears pushing through her eyes. Not only her eyes hurt. She could feel the pain in her throat again.
"I… Yes, I am his…daughter." Yuna couldn't speak well. Her voice sounded hoarse.
"Rikku!" Lulu berated as she stood up. "That was so tactless of you."
Rikku jumped to her feet too and looked defensively apologetic. "It's not that! I never meant to make Lady Yuna cry. I was only asking about this. I just thought of returning it to its right owner."
She rummaged through her pockets and took out a diamond vial containing sky blue-colored liquid. She held it close to her heart then handed it to Yuna who was still looking down. "Uncle Braska left it here. I just thought I should return it to his daughter."
"Thank you…" whispered Yuna as she took the Vitalixir from Rikku. She lowered her head down and as miraculously as the tears disappeared before, another dam of tears came crashing out of her eyes. She held the vial close to her heart and cried away once more.
Lulu remained silent and simply looked away. Rikku put her arms around the White Mage and leaned on her shoulder.
"Everything's gonna be alright, Yuna…"
Everything…
"Excellent…" repeated Seymour. "Simply astounding…"
Tromell slowly stood up from his seat. "Master Seymour? Is something the matter? What are you so ecstatic about?"
"The trap has been conveniently set for us, my loyal minions. And the bait has been so gracious enough to come here even without our bidding."
Just the sight of Braska suffering on the floor made the Guados uneasy. They suddenly lost the desire to ridicule the man who lay on the floor. They all remained silent. Half of them stared at Braska, some impassive, some disgusted. The other half focused their eyes on their master as they anticipated what he must be coming up with.
Seymour strode across the pub to the fireplace, leaving Braska crumpled on the floor. He stared at the steady flame within the fireplace. "Rin, bring out your finest wine. I assume now is the time to begin a celebration of…unison."
The Guados looked at each other with puzzled expressions, wondering what else their master can pull out of the hat. They watched their master take a wine glass from the counter after Rin poured it plum-colored liquid. Seymour took a sip and raised his wine glass in the air. The Guados decided it was best to copy their master and they too raised their mugs of ale.
"To Master Seymour." Tromell pronounced as he raised his glass higher.
"Master Seymour!" echoed the remaining Guados as they emptied their mugs.
Seymour finally returned his eyes to the twitching figure of Braska.
"You…You monster…" It took the greatest effort just for Braska to speak. "My…daughter was…right about you…… You…You will…pay for this…"
Seymour laughed malevolently. "So the simpleton wants a form of payment from me. Fair enough. I reckon I should be kind enough to my bride-to-be's father. It is after all in recognition to him that the plan has fallen into place. Very well then. Our dear friend seems to be so somnolent. I shall grant him rest…"
He raised his hand. A black swirl of matter, neither liquid nor gas, erupted from his right hand. It then materialized into a form of a hooded man holding a long and lethal scythe blade.
"Death awaits you."
Author's Notes: There! Eight months later and another chapter added! I know it's lame to give excuses of why I wasn't writing (and I'd even have the cajones to call myself a writer) but I've really been VERY busy. College has taken its toll now that I have majors and I also have to look after my two little sisters. Once again I won't make any promises of sooner updates but I will find as much time as I can to write. I've finally regained my resolve.
Oh yes. I've also updated my profile. Please care to read it.
