No, I don't own Chrono Trigger. Also, it's hard figuring out relative distances from the game...
Esaku sighed a little as he walked through the ravaged town. The news was not as good as he had hoped. True, they had captured the majority of the villagers, not that there were that many to begin with, but the price had been steeper then expected. Two of the elite Hench had fallen, and who could have expected that? Perhaps if there had been soldiers around, but to fall to a simple villager... Esaku cawed sorrowfully, then looked at the terrified captives.
The soft, inhuman noise drew Lyn's attention, and she looked at the mamono in a distracted sort of way. He wore a leather shirt, with a white hood casting the face into darkness, with only red eyes and a yellow beak showing. A part of her mind registered that this mamono looked like a white version of the darker bird-men who'd confronted her outside of town, but that train of thought lead her back to Doan's death. Around her, the other captives noticed the white-clad bird.
When the bird spoke, Lyn was the least surprised, though that was likely only shock. "So, humans. You are now prisoners of the great Mazoku Army. You will have the privilege of serving us as our slaves."
Gasps and a few soft cries arose from that, the peoples' silencing terror momentarily overcome by anger. Esaku let them murmur for a moment, knowing it would be best to let them get it out of their system. Just as he opened his beak to enforce order, a young man stepped out of the crowd.
"You filthy mamono!" Tobias screamed, sandy brown hair dark with sweat. "How dare you! Make us slaves and call it 'privilege'!?"
Neither he nor the other villagers noticed the feathered man's reaction at the word 'mamono'. It was hard to miss the anger in the clipped words that Esaku used to respond, however. "It is always the privilege of the weak to serve the strong," the answer came.
Vaguely, Lyn noticed an orange and white feline creature circling the captives to stand at the bird's left side, and the fat humanoid coming from the other direction. She was, however, much more concerned for Tobias at the moment. "Don't be an idiot," Lyn mouthed, voice dying less than a pace from her.
Tobias growled at Esaku, for a moment seeming no more Human than the mamono he faced. "I'll show you weak!" The boy leapt at the warrior monster, his face a mask of rage.
The mamono's response distinctly shocked Lyn, even in her state. The bird seemed to sigh before smoothly stepping out of the way, seeming to draw his sword as he did so. A clawed hand lifted, and then fell, but there was no flash of metal. The sheathed blade connected with Tobias' skull with an audible thwack, and the Human boy fell to the ground.
"Anyone else wish to have a go, or will you concede to reason?" the mamono said, thrusting his sheathed weapon back through his belt. When there was no response, he nodded to himself. "For what it matters, and to save time in the future, I am the Battle Captain Esaku, and I am the one in charge. I will assume you have enough wit to tell Mazoku apart from your own pitiful race, so all that remains now is for you to accept your place. The sooner you admit you are under our command, the easier you will find it goes for you." He stopped there, looking over the captives once more. They seemed to understand him. In a slightly quieter tone, meant as a direct command to the Humans nearest him, Esaku added, "One of you take this young fool in hand. The next time any of you try to defy your betters in such a manner, I will not be as merciful."
The initial orientation finished, Esaku gave the order to move out, trusting Ethrurrion and Blanim to see that it was obeyed. There were a few more terse commands, and then the enlarged group left, flames beginning to rise from the dead town they left.
For Lyn, the day passed in a haze. Like the rest of the villagers, she'd been hobbled, and her hands bound. The rope around her legs would stop her from running, but she could walk well enough. The mamono didn't seem to care if their captives spoke, but they never allowed the Humans to converse for long, often driving them apart with whips if the warning glares didn't work.
Lyn had found Tobias, held upright by Maris and Sera, both of whom had their hands unbound so they could help him. Lyn was glad to see Luke, currently walking next to his mother, looking dazed. She didn't tell Sera about Doan, somehow knowing that this was not the right time. Even though Tobias was bound, this knot of people was watched very closely by the large purple mamono, and Lyn found herself driven away with no warning, the whip nicking her arm.
Looking at the cut the whip had opened, Lyn sighed, trying to weigh the value of healing herself over the energy it would cost her. She quickly decided that it was better to be tired than to risk the injury festering, and came to a halt, praying to the Lady that she'd have the few moments needed to use her tech. She didn't see the slave driver raising his whip to drive her forward again, or Esaku's quick headshake. The cool power of her healing tingled around the cut, and the flesh was soon whole again, much to her relief.
Thinking that no one had objected to her momentary pause, Lyn started looking around for her mother. She'd been sure Shanda was right behind her as she left the house, but then that... mamono had slaughtered poor Widow Marie, and... Lyn shook her head. She couldn't afford to deal with that right now.
It didn't take Lyn all that long to find Shanda. Her mother was unharmed, purple hair stuck to her plump face by sweat and tears. For a long moment, the older woman didn't seem to notice Lyn, and when she did there were more tears, and desperate, brief words of comfort. Once again, the mamono didn't allow them to talk long, though Lyn was able to stay longer than she had with Sera.
Esaku was setting a fast pace, and soon any attempts at conversation died from sheer exhaustion. Mahew might have been able to guess where they were going, but nobody had seen him since before the attack. Tobias or Maris, if they had thought, would have known as well, but each mostly had the other on their minds, and so it was that nobody understood the importance of the cave when they reached it at sunset.
The group stopped just inside the cave, and most of the captives simply collapsed onto the damp stone, asleep almost before they were prone. Only a few had the energy to remain awake, or to wonder at the low rumbling that briefly filled the cave. A few braziers were lit, and the mamono settled down, a few of the feline ones taking up what appeared to be guard posts.
Please, leave a review! I'm getting a little desperate here... --;