A.N: And here we are! Hope you enjoy
Disclaimer: Characters obviously not mine
Chapter 8
It was dark—not that that was surprising. What was surprising was that they were all still alive and relatively undamaged. Granted, no one was about to complain about that. Still, that wasn't to say it was comfortable either.
"Ow! Ge your foo ou o uy mou!"
"Someone's stepping on my hand nyah!"
"Fshuu!"
"Yuck! That was disgusting!"
"Liking having saliva all over my boot isn't?"
"Ryoma! That's not—ow! Watch where you're swinging your arm will you?"
"I can't see a thing nyah!"
"I—is anyone hurt?"
"No damage in this department. However, that may not be a sustainable condition if we continue in this manner."
Grunting, Ryoma pulled himself forcibly from the tangled mass ov limbs and rolled over—eliciting a yelp from someone whose limb he had probably squashed in the process. Once clear of the yelping, flailing lot, he pushed himself to his knees and looked up. High above them, so small that it was almost impossible to believe that it was the hole they had fallen through, was a patch of faint light. They must have fallen farther than he had originally thought.
That could be a bit of a problem…
He frowned. Something didn't seem right… It was obvious that someone had disguised that cave to hide something…but what? And was that a hint of a staircase he could see just below the rim of the hole in the ceiling?
A shadow blotted out the light suddenly before dropping through it a moment later, followed after a few minutes by a second silhouette. He could hear the light voice of the one called Fuji calling down to them curiously. The brunette had apparently missed the existence of the staircase and was using a levitation spell.
X
Triad flicked his ear in surprise as he swung his head around to look through the ferns screening the cave entrance. He could have sworn the humans were all in there a moment ago… Trading looks with Finiko he nudged his muzzle through the vegetation and gazed at the cave with its conspicuously lacking floor.
Beside him the mare whickered softly, tail swishing.
Nodding in agreement, Triad turned back to his formerly abandoned grazing.
They had certainly picked strange riders. He hoped they would get back soon. He could really use a good run.
X
"Would you think we were dead if we didn't answer?" Momo asked sourly as the two sorcerers alighted beside them, simultaneously summoning mage lights that hung above the group, painting a small circle of radiance around them. He still couldn't get the taste of dirt covered boot soles out of his mouth and it wasn't putting him in anything resembling a good mood.
"No," Fuji replied cheerfully, "but we would probably have assumed from all the squealing that you would require some piecing back together."
"We weren't squealing!"
Fuji only chuckled, but before he could say anything a sudden shout rang out from the darkness behind them.
"You filthy traitors! Don't think you can just come here and finish the job—you'll have to get through us and trust me, that ain't gonna be easy!"
The shout was all the warning they had as a flash of brilliant light flashed over their heads and exploded with a violent roar.
Momo and Eiji yelped in unison and the snake-eyed youth hissed but as all three attempted to leap up in different directions their tangled state brought them all crashing back down again, along with a panicking Oishi and surprised Inui.
They weren't going to be useful, Ryoma thought distractedly as an invisible force slammed into him from behind. Stumbling forward, he twisted his body around and lashed out with a whip of orange flames. He caught the briefest of glimpses of a black, hooded figure with upraised arms before yet another explosion flattened him against the ground, momentarily blinding him with a burst of electric green light.
He hissed angrily.
x
Fuji threw up a shield as a torrent of fire swept over them. But it wasn't normal fire—it ate into his barrier as though using his energy for fuel. Blue eyes slid open into narrow slits. He couldn't withdraw the shield or the tangle of struggling limbs behind him would be burned, but holding it would mean having his energy depleted at an astonishing rate.
A sudden flood of power swept through the cavern and the flames seemed to freeze in place. Then they writhed twisted back, shooting back towards the two hooded figures that had cast them in a rain of arrow-shaped flames.
Turning his head to the side, he wasn't entirely surprised to find Tezuka with his left hand outstretched, a faint, golden glow coloring the air around him. The other sorcerer glanced at him momentarily, glasses glinting, and nodded slightly. Lifting one eyebrow slightly, Fuji grinned and dropped his shield. Then he lunged forward.
Raising his left hand across his body he brought it sweeping down in a swift, cutting motion. A flash of blue light lashed through the air, slamming into the chests of their two, startled opponents and slamming them against the rough, cavern wall. Then he thrust his right hand forward, fingers snapping open. In an instant the two were completely immobilized as their bodies were encased in a thick block of ice that trapped them where they were still flat against the wall.
x
Springing nimbly to his feet, Ryoma struck out blindly in the direction from which he could still sense the residual traces of whatever spell had caused the explosion. Lightning flew from his fingertips and he heard a cry of pain. Blinking rapidly to clear his still blurry vision, he wove a net of yellow strands through his fingers then tossed it over the prone finger who was clutching at a bleeding shoulder, disabling him. Taking another step forward he was intercepted as yet another cloaked figure dropped down from the darkness to land between him and the one he had netted.
This new assailant slammed a fist into the cavern floor and the ground splintered, shards of stone flying up around the young sorcerer. He threw up a hand, calling up a barrier just in time to avoid being impaled by the hailstorm of stone. Muttering a quick chant, he traced a symbol in the air with his left hand and glared over his upraised right arm at the figure who still had a fist in the ground.
There was a flare of power and the man froze, unable to move as he was caught by the stasis spell.
Silence fell like an executioner's blade. Even the pile of tangled limbs had stopped moving.
When someone did finally speak it was one of the two, cloaked figures still frozen to the cavern wall. The voice was that of the original shout, though now it was laced thickly with bitterness.
"Kill us then, why don't you? We can't stop you."
"We have no intention of killing you," Tezuka's calm voice flooded through the cavern, firm and indisputable. "However, we would appreciate an explanation as to why you attacked us."
None of the four said anything for a moment, trading glances that—though hidden by their deep hoods—gave the distinct impression that they were surprised.
"Then…why are you here?" the one under the shimmering net of light asked uncertainly. "If not to kill us, I mean."
"Ch, you guys are just weird," Momo grumbled, finally pulling himself free of the tangled heap and twisting to check his sword. "People can't just drop in without knowing you're here? Why would we want to kill you anyway? It's not like we've ever even met before."
"Exactly nyah!" Eiji exclaimed, sitting up groggily and rubbing the back of his head, wincing when he felt a bump there. "You scared us half to death with that stunt! Appearing out of nowhere and all nyah."
"Who are you anyway?" Ryoma added, staring hard at the four. They were obviously magic wielders…but whose?
"We're—" the second speaker started, then stopped abruptly, trading looks with his companions. "I…well…"
"From your wariness and assumption of our hostility I assume that you would be fugitives of some kind," Inui stated, rising to his feet and straightening his square spectacles, "most likely from the Empire. Am I correct?"
Those of the four who could move shifted their weight nervously and the Observer nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, we too are not what you would define as on friendly terms with the Empire, and it has already been proven that you are—like some of our companions—sorcerers. Thus we are now on equal footing."
"Not quite," the one who was still paralyzed by the stasis spell muttered, barely able to form the words.
Ryoma studied him a moment longer then snapped his fingers, freeing the man before gesturing at the net to dispel it. The two stood up slowly, stretching stiffened limbs. One of them was still clutching his shoulder.
"Here," Oishi pushed himself up and hurried to the injured man, "let me help you with that. I'm a healer."
On the other side of the cavern Fuji waved his hand at the ice and it melted away into mist before disappearing altogether. The two immediately began to rub their hands together and one began to jump up and down in an attempt to warm up. The actions struck Eiji as rather comical for people who had originally seemed so sinister and he hid a giggle behind his hand. Beside him the Snake hissed and crossed his arms, looking a bit uncomfortable.
Luckily, none of the four seemed inclined to take offense.
The first speaker pushed back his hood finally and bowed slightly, "I am Tatsumori Mori. My companions here are Kyousuke Uchimura, Tetsu Ishida, and Masaya Sakurai."
The others introduced themselves quickly, having gotten quite adept at the task over the past few days. The problem was that no one was quite sure where to go from there. Thankfully, they were saved from the awkwardness that was bound to come by an exclamation from the one called Sakurai.
"The pain's completely gone! It's like my arm was never injured!"
"That's what healers do nyah!" Eiji laughed.
Sakurai turned to Oishi, a look of astonishment on his face, "You mean you're really a healer? I thought you just meant…you know…like the usual doctors and all."
Oishi just laughed, a little embarrassed by the awed look on the other's face, "There aren't many who actually have healing magic anymore, I guess. But yes, I am."
Sakurai dropped suddenly into a deep bow, accompanied by his companions, "Could we please ask a favor of you?"
Flustered and surprised, Oishi glanced back at his own accomplices—only to find they were equally shocked, "I—I…of course…if I can help… What…"
"It's our captain, he is severely injured. We have been treating his wounds but we don't have the skill or the power to actually heal him—we were sure he was going to die. But now…"
Understanding dawning in his green eyes, Oishi nodded, "Where is he?"
The four straightened and Ishida turned, "This way."
The others trailed a few feet behind Oishi and the four, cloaked men. They exchanged looks before Momo voiced what they were all thinking.
"Captain? Like in army?"
X
The injured man had been placed carefully on a spread cloak in an alcove that was attached to a wider cavern that showed the signs of having been used as living quarters. His face was pale and his breathing shallow and someone had wrapped his midriff, right arm, and right leg in bandages, but dark stains could be seen on the bandaging and there were traces of fading cuts and bruises all over the other arm and face—that and lingering patches of dried blood.
"We did our best," Uchimura said quietly, "but the bleeding never stopped completely."
"How did this happen?" the healer asked, frowning.
"We were part of the Imperial Guard," Mori replied darkly, "but they turned on us when they found out that we were magic wielders and that at least three of us were strong ones. We refused to accept the terms and become part of the Elite, so they tried to kill us. Captain Tachibana was severely injured covering our retreat and we still lost Kamio and Shinji. Heaven only knows what they did to 'em, the bastards."
Nodding, Oishi knelt down beside the injured man and started extracting items from the pouch he always carried.
x-X-x
"So, you guys were the ones who created that cave thing we fell from, right?" Momo asked, his voice echoing strangely from the cavern walls.
"Yep," Mori nodded, "looks like we didn't make the floor well enough though eh?"
"Does that mean you dug all the way down here?" Fuji asked in wonder.
"No," Sakurai laughed, "the staircase and everything were all already here. That cave up top was actually once a very small shrine of some kind. We came across it purely by luck."
"We think it might be connected to the tunnel network that used to link the major cities," Ishida added. "You know, the ones that were created before the Empire to make it easier for the Alliance officials and messengers to get from the capital to other important settlements in case of emergency."
"I've heard about those," Ryoma said thoughtfully. "I wonder if they still work…"
Mori shrugged, "We aren't exactly eager to get back to the capital, so we didn't look much farther than this. It mostly seems clear though. By the way, you've heard our story, how came you to our humble hideout?"
"We fell nyah!"
"Other than that, I mean."
"That would be a long story," Inui replied, "however, it basically boils down to escaping from guards and the Elite."
All four former guards straightened up abruptly, "The Elite? They're here?"
"Some of them are," Tezuka said shortly.
"But we burned down their camp nyah," the redheaded Speaker grinned broadly. "They won't be following us for a few days if they haven't already."
"But that means we have to move soon," Mori frowned, looking rather less than pleased. "Where to go though…"
Ryoma smirked slightly, "I have a suggestion. And I even have directions, once Oishi gets your friend over there into a stable condition."
And we thought we wouldn't find that many loose mages, he thought smugly, leaning back against a particularly large stalagmite and crossing his arms behind his head. Boy is Master Sumire going to be surprised. I should probably send them a different way from ours though…fewer targets in one place the fewer problems we should attract. And in the meantime we can rest a bit.
He sighed, letting his eyes drift slowly shut. For some reason the rest of their little congregation had shifted to talking about recent developments in the Empire—something he didn't find the least bit interesting in any way, shape, or form. It was just something about an uproar starting somewhere towards the Southwest due to the alleged poisoning of some Lord Yukimura who had been representing the people when he objected to how much power the Elite were gaining………
Glancing over, Momo realized that Ryoma had fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, he picked up his cloak from where he had folded it and tucked it carefully behind his friend's head as a cushion from the stone.
TBC
Notes:
Mori: I think this is the last name, but I am not entirely sure, so for now I am using it as such. However, if I'm wrong, please let me know!
A.N: Questions, comments, and suggestions welcome. I'm still collecting my thoughts, and thinking about background pieces, but this kind of just popped to mind… Anyways, I hope you guys liked it