Short chapter... But quite a fun one! Chrono Trigger isn't mine
They spent the night under Marie's ragged blankets, sleeping back to back. In the morning, each ate a little of the food they had on them, and shared a bucket of water Lyn drew from the well. Lyn led the way when they left, returning to a melancholy silence, but not the utter unresponsiveness of the day before.
The day passed quickly, and finally the pair stood before a cliff wall. Janus shot Lyn a curious look, and she shrugged. The cave ought to be here, but she couldn't find it. "It was here. I know it was," Lyn insisted.
"It is," Janus agreed affably. "Sir Slash has mentioned it a couple of times. Now shut up, I need to concentrate."
Lyn nodded and watched as Janus… did nothing. He closed his eyes and stood there, facing the stone wall with the setting sun behind it. Every now and again he would mutter something, too low for her to make out, and occasionally he would motion slightly, but for the most part he was silent and still.
Finally the cliff split with a low rumble, one half slowly parting from the other. "Go!" Janus gasped, trembling a little. Lyn didn't let herself think twice, running past the blue-haired youth into the cave. Janus followed, the cave beginning to close as soon as he started moving.
"It's dark," Lyn said, feeling dazed and stupid. Janus answered with a chant, and a familiar magical glow lit his hand. Looking around, he found some wood that would do for a torch, but he didn't light it yet.
"How long is this tunnel?"
"A day, from here to the end, and most of a day from there to the coast," Lyn said.
Extinguishing his spell, Janus sat down. "Then we'll sleep now."
The cave echoed as Lyn moved, laying down. "What will happen, when we get back?"
"I told you, idiot," Janus answered, no real rancor in his voice. "I'll take my place as a Mazoku, and you can too."
"Won't we be in trouble?"
"What for, surviving hostile lands and returning home safely?" Janus snorted.
"But it's our own fault for not getting back to the ship," Lyn protested.
"Heh, our fault? If you want to blame someone, blame the Lardon-damned soldiers. They're the ones who cut us off and chased us through that swamp."
Lyn had no response to that, and in time the two slept. Upon waking, they finished what food they had, lit the makeshift torch, and continued traveling. At no place in particular, Lyn stopped.
"Tobias died here. He was trying to rebel." Lyn looked at nothing, watching her memories. "Now the girl he loved is Sir Slash's bed slave," she added, no real regret in her voice.
Janus didn't know how to react to this random revelation, and so he said nothing. After a moment, Lyn shook her head and offered him a small smile. Janus accepted the smile with a slow nod, and they kept walking.
The salted lands were next, and Lyn went slower, unsure of her direction. She knew now that the exhaustion she had felt had been magical exhaustion. She had over-used her tech, the night after Tobias' rebellion. She thanked Magician that Esaku had stopped her when he had; she had nearly burned herself out.
"Lavos is under this land," Janus said, in much the same manner that Lyn had been offering her disclosures.
"What is Lavos?" Lyn asked, glancing at the horizon.
"A monster," Janus answered. Mazoku didn't use the word monster lightly; it was applied to them too often by Humans to be casually tossed about. "It destroyed my home and sent me here. Maou Ozzie found me shortly after, and claimed me, brought me to the castle."
"Is that why you don't know Zenese?"
One side of Janus' mouth bent in a grim smile. "You noticed?"
"If you understood the names I'd called you, you would have responded worse," Lyn said, referring to their many fights.
"And maybe you'd have fought better if you knew what I called you in Zealian," Janus taunted.
"I'll teach you," Lyn promised.
Janus nodded. "I'll teach you," he likewise promised.
The sun was maybe a hands breath from the horizon when they finally reached the Mazoku port town. "Leave the talking to me," Janus instructed, heading for the docks.
After a bit of searching, a bit of haggling, and showing papers quite a lot, Janus found them passage on a ship. The voyage went quickly, though that was probably in part because Lyn and Janus were working too hard to feel bored. When they were let off at the end of the voyage, Janus took the lead, finally back on familiar ground.
This time, Lyn was able to enjoy the scenery as she approached the castle. The dark, almost black, barked trees were actually a brown and huelin, a detail she hadn't noticed on her previous forays. Looking at the well-crafted pile of stone that was Maou Castle, an odd sense of homecoming swept over Lyn.
They entered the castle unopposed, finally stopping before the Great Escape. "Choose to follow me," Janus whispered, a strange intensity to his voice.
"Where ever you lead," Lyn murmured back, not even considering what she was promising.
No more words were spoken. The pair separated, each returning to their respective owner.
And what is Janus planning...? Please review!