AUTHOR'S NOTE (Date: March 1st, 2009):
*sighs tiredly* Guys, I couldn't even begin to express how sorry I am. I had this chapter all ready last week. But someone *glares at site managers* was messing with the login data, so I had no way of updating, or even letting you know it was going to be late.
*grumbles* bastards..
I hope you can forgive this authoress. The site had pissed me off so bad, that I decided to cool off for a few days and kinda.. well, stay away too long *sweat drops* Please R&R!
Chapter Six- Escapades and Reunions
" Urgh! Why is it so hot?!"
I paused in my surveying of the area and turned my head to my right, were Lloyd's whine had come from. He and Genis had stopped walking, and were currently collapsed to the sandy ground; Lloyd on his butt while leaning back on his hands, while Genis was on his knees and leaning forward on his own hands.
I huffed out a small sigh and set Azra down (I had started carrying her before we entered the desert, since she was still young and most likely couldn't keep up with our long legs in the sand.) Before crossing over to the two exhausted boys.
" Come on, again?" I asked tiredly, planting my hands on my hips while pinning my companions with
a look. " You guys, if you keep collapsing we'll never catch to Colette and the others this way!"
I knew I really shouldn't be the one to talk, being tired myself. But I grew up in California, the Golden State part of my childhood, and people who lived in such a place learned how to deal with it. It was all the walking I wasn't accustomed to. Despite all the walks I took with Mom back home.
" This desert is said to be the area were the Summon Spirit Efreet went out of control." Genis recited wearily in answer to Lloyd's earlier question. " That's probably the cause of this abnormal heat."
Tugging at my cloak caught my attention; tilting my head, I looked down at Azra with a curious expression. She looked up at me with an equally distressed one, her free hand pointing in another direction frantically. Raising an eyebrow, I follow her finger and eventually caught sight of the problem.
' Just great..' I grumbled to myself while instinctively reaching for Akiva. ' Giant Scorpions.' It was just as it's name implied, the monster was a much larger former of my world's version of a desert scorpion, and just as lethal.
But on a lighter note, Giant Scorpions weren't as fast as it's cousins were. So I had no trouble taking my time aiming at the annoying pests.
" Good lord.." I rubbed my temple against an incoming headache and shouldered my bow for what seemed like the hundredth time. " Lloyd, Genis, we need to get moving. Staying in one place makes us siting targets for the monsters around her, and I'm almost out of arrows." True, my heavy quiver now felt seemingly (and alarmingly) lighter then when I left the village. Not a good sign for me if we couldn't reach Triet soon.
With a long, drawn out groan Genis managed to get to his feet, shortly followed by Lloyd who used me as a crutch to get up.
I reached down and easily lifted Azra into my arms, her own limbs circling around my neck for support. Surprising Azra was very light for her age, not feeling much heavier then my 7-year-old cat whenever I picked him up.
" Let's move."
*~*
Thankfully enough, it didn't take to much longer until we drew within sight of Triet, exciting the boys to the point were the summoned energy out of nowhere and made a dash for the desert town, leaving an amused me to follow at a slightly slower pace.
But by the time I had managed to catch up with my friends at the entrance of the town, they were trying to hide themselves behind a nervous and confused Noishe as much as possible, shoulders tensed.
Following the game's plot by heart, I knew what was problem and lowered myself into a crouch, using my free hand to balance myself while my other held Azra securely to my chest. ' It's no good, we'll draw their attention of we stay here..' Mouth set in a grim line, I motioned to Genis to move quickly, indicating to the pin a few feet away from us.
" This is an order from Lord Forcystus! A human named Lloyd is on the run with an exsphere." One desian announced to his companions, unaware of the trio of humans and a strange creature sneaking past. " His identification code is unknown. Form a cordon in all areas immediately."
" What does this Lloyd look like?"
" His likeness and description is on the wanted posters. We're counting on you."
" Yes sir!"
And with that, the group of desians dispersed into different directions, while the one who had originally spoke strode over to the wall of the inn near the our corral. The half elf unrolled a scroll of paper and tacked it to the board, then headed of to start a search of his own.
" Man.. Wanted posters and search parties–" Lloyd sighed in aggravation. "-They're serious."
" We need to hurry and find Colette." Genis urged as he turned to his friend, as if there was no other alternave.
This statement made the duo swordsman frown as he glanced in the mage's direction. " Hey, I thought we were looking for Colette to protect her.." Lloyd started. " This is more like we're looking for her to get help."
I turned away from the bickering boys with a sigh, knowing this could go on for awhile and looked down at Azra out of habit; the little girl was nervous, one of her hands gripping my cloak tightly, but other then that she seemed fine as she surveyed the passing people with curiousity.
I couldn't help but smile widely at Azra's shy actions. She reminded me of myself when I was a child, always hiding behind my parents whenever we went out together and gazed on at the passing people as if they were monsters just waiting for the chance to jump at me the moment I let my guard down.
Did I also mention that I absolutely loved little children? Back at home I would always squeal at the sight of them, on Tv or in real life, it didn't matter. I thought they were just adorable, and had planned on working with them when I graduated.
Realizing that I was drifting off in thought again, I managed to snap myself back into reality and turned back to Lloyd and Genis, who had both calmed down by now and was eyeing the poster in interest.
" We should split up again." I suggested, catching their attention. " I know it's not safe walking around town with all the desians around, but it's not any safer staying in one place either." Without looking I bent down slightly and easily scooped Azra into my arms. " I'll take Azra and go buy the supplies. Why don't you go look for clues on Colette?"
" Sounds good." The small elf agreed, while Lloyd nodded beside him. " Let's meet back here at Noishe's pin after we have everything taken care of."
And with that, the boys pulled up the hoods of the their cloaks and headed up to the northern part of town (where the fortune-teller is). I watched after them until I could hardly make them out in the distance, then stepped out from the shelter of the corral and back into the blazing heat, pulling Azra's hood over her head as I went.
Thankfully the item merchant was exactly were he was in the game, just a few feet away from the corral. The man seemed to brighten when I approached him.
" Good afternoon, miss." The merchant greeted me politely with a smile as I came to a stop in front of
his stand. " What can I help you with?"
" I'm just here to buy a few supplies." I answered in a polite and cheerful manner. Knowing full well I had to be prepared for the events coming up, I proceeded to choose 10 apple gels, 10 orange gels, as well as a handful of
magic lenses. " How much?"
" 6, 150 gald." The merchant said after pausing to count the cost. He handed me the items in three separate bags after I handed him the money. I smiled in gratitude at the man before I turned and strode away, further down the line of stands. Now I only needed to buy my arrows and then I could go meet up with Lloyd and Genis again...
" You there, miss!"
A shout to my right brought my attention away from my thoughts (see a pattern here?). Slowing to a stop, I glanced in the direction the shout had come from and spotted a man in his early to mid thirties waving to me frantically. Not wanting to be rude, I shifted my feet and headed over to him.
" Were you talking to me?" I asked politely.
" Yes. Can I have a moment of your time?"
I tilted my head out of habit as I brooded for the answer to the question; should I hear the man out? But I really needed to get back to Lloyd and Genis as soon as possible...
A loud ringing sound that could only be described as a mini explosion going off decided for me. Not wasting any time, I boosted Azra so she wasn't sliding down and made a dash for the direction the noise had come from, weaving in and out of crowds of people running away from the commotion.
' Already..?!' Was the on thought that came to mind when I rounded the corner and spotted a trio of desians confronting the duo swordsman and his mage partner.
" Damn..!" I hissed under my breath and set down the precious bundle on the sandy ground. " Go and hide Azra!"
Having a vague feeling that she would listen to me, I wasted no time in making a straight beeline for the boys just as one of the desians tried a sneak attack on Lloyd.
" Oh no, you don't!" Lloyd turned to look behind him, and was shocked to find his female companion latched onto the man who had attempted to attack from behind, one leg curled firmly around the attacker's throat while the other leg pressed harshly into his back.
The half-elf let out a chocked cry and dropped his weapon (a cross bow) in favor of trying to free himself. Angered that a human had managed to get the jump on their companion, the two remaining desian guards let out cries of rage and charged.
Watching the men as they approached rapidly out of the corner of my eye then jumped, landing gracefully in front of a gawking Lloyd and a surprised Genis as the man I used as a spring-board was sent spinning to the ground, knocking into his companions so all three of them were sent to the ground with a harsh thud.
" Wow.." The duo swordsman managed to pull himself together and threw a friendly arm over my shoulders, giving me a tight squeeze. " That.. Was awesome! Where did you learn that?"
" It's nothing special." I retorted with a grin after I distangled myself from his grip. " Anyone could do that." It was true. Anyone could learn that, if they were willing to try. It was other simple move that Sam had taught me to disarm an attacker long enough for me to get away.
" We should hurry and get going." The mage said after recovering his voice. " We've drawn enough attention as it is."
But Lloyd, being who he was, ignored Genis as he stared down at the group of unconscious desians with an expression of total satisfaction. " Heh.. All talk."
Genis, annoyed with his best friend's laid back attitude, turned to the swordsman with somewhat of a disapproving scowl. " Lloyd, you shouldn't let your guard down. Or you'll regret it."
The teen snorted. " I'm not letting my guard down. It's just that they were so pitiful..."
No sooner had those words left his mouth, the shifting of the sand had me turning to look behind me with a hand reaching for Akiva, but I moved a second to late. To my shock, the ball of electricity that had originally been intended for Lloyd, hit me as well. Striking me right in the stomach and instantly sent several shots of pain through my system.
Next to me I heard Lloyd let out a cry of surprise the same time I let out a scream of pain, collapsing onto his back with a solid thud while I felt my legs give out and I landed on my stomach, hands spread out in a bent angle in front of me.
Even though I had no energy to resist the man who moved to pick me up, I at least managed to raise my head a couple inches. I struggled to keep my eyes open even as my vision threatened to give out, gritting my teeth and mentally preparing myself as an unfamiliar pair of feet walked over to my collapsed body. But in the end I lost the battle as my vision faded and surrendered to the greedy darkness...
*~*
" Lloyd, Bev!" Genis cried in alarm as his two best friends collapsed to the ground. He hurried over to Lloyd, but kept his eyes as the group of strangers approached from behind.
Knowing he couldn't do anything to prevent what the attackers (who were dressed in clothing similar to the desians) had planned much less protect himself, the small elf backed away from the trio of men, holding his hands up in surrender.
A young man who looked no older then Lloyd stepped into view; he, like most men his age, retained a height of over six-feet. He wore similar, yet different clothes to his companions (anyone ever play Dragon Fable? The clothes he's wearing right now are the clothes a person who's in the Rouge class wears. His shirt his a deep mahogany shade, his pants are a light brown leather, and his shoulder, elbow, and knee guards are a dark grey.)
With his light brown hair, which grew out just past his shoulders, was tied back with a piece of leather down to the tip. The top of his hair seemed to spike out slightly, giving him the look that the ponytail was just a hair attachment. And the eyes..
Genis couldn't help but shudder when those cold eyes flicked a glance his direction before turning his attention to Genis's companions. Motioning for two of the guards to pick up Lloyd, the young man crouched down on his knees and swiftly scooped up the unconscious form of the female archer before nimbly getting to his feet again and strode away, never saying a word. The two guards supported Lloyd in between themselves as they followed their leader, while the remaining desian grabbed the mage's arm in a vice grip and pulled him along.
But as the group departed no one noticed the little girl and her dog-like companion peeking around the corner. Noishe let out what sounded out an angry growl, the sound rumbling deep from within his throat. Azra's crimson orbs locked onto one departing figure in particular.
As always the young girl never said a word. Instead she lowered her head until her bangs obscured her eyes from view, tiny fists clenching and unclenching. Finally Azra snapped her head up, startling the poor protozoan who had leaned to get a better view of the tiny human. Her crimson eyes were no longer shy and innocent. Instead, they had a bright seemingly demonic red, reptilian pupils thin and dilating.
After sparing the shaking dog-creature a glance, the little girl took off across the hot sand faster then any human possibly could achieve. Noishe seemed to hesitate for a split moment, then took off after the young being.
*~*
The first thing I felt the moment my conscious emerged from the heavy darkness, was unbelievable soreness of my muscles as well as small twinges of pain as I automatically rolled onto my side.
I let out muttered out every curse word I knew (which, compared to my best friends, wasn't very much) and forced myself onto my back again, holding my stomach tightly to try and lessen the pain. Dammnit, this was worse then my monthly cramps!
Once the pain had faded away (for now) I loosened my arms and stared up listlessly at the ceiling.
Wait a moment– ceiling?!
Startled by the change in my surroundings, I scrambled into a sitting position (without thinking of the consequences) and let out a hiss as pain reared it's ugly little head again.
' Where the hell am I?' Was the first thing that came to my head. I could only remember bits and pieces, and none of them really told me very much. Blinking several times to clear my hazy vision, I let my eyes wander around the tiny room. Or could it even be called a room? No, it was more like–
' A cell?!' This booted my mind into complete awareness. Wrapping an arm around my stomach, I used the other to support myself against the wall after forcing my protesting body to stand. Every part of my body throbbed in protest, and my legs were already beginning to quake due to the lack of strength. I guess the electric shock was more then my body could handle.
Turning my thoughts back to the situation at hand, I peer around the outside of the prison as best as I could with my limited vision.
' Just as I expected.' I thought grimly. ' The Renegade's Base.'
I hastily drew myself away from the iron bars after hearing the sounds of footsteps echoing as someone walked down the hall towards my cell and climbed back on the stiff bed, leaning against the wall in a sitting position instead of laying back down. I didn't want to invoke anymore pain then I already had.
The footsteps paused outside of my cell, and I knew that whoever was standing outside was observing. But that didn't stop my heart from beating nervously.
" Lord Ryu, the girl is awake." Called the one that stood in front of the prison. The name that came from the man's mouth alone sent up a warning. But before I had a chance to contemplate it, footsteps that were more heavier then the first pair quickly made their way down the short hall. I literally felt my breath catch itself when the new stranger came to a stop in front of the iron bar entrance of my cell.
Next second later, I heard the groan of the gears as the cell door lifted to allow entrance to the men outside.
Feeling alarmed, I allowed my eyes to fly open and snapped my head up, like an animal scenting danger. Standing in front of me was a young man around my age, his height was an average six foot like most boys at our age, and seemed to carry himself with an air of authority.
His hair was a light brown itself, with different volumes through his long strands that stopped at his mid-back and was tied back with a piece of leather to the tip. His eyes though, sent shivers down my spin. Who wouldn't when you had golden, reptilian eyes watching your every move?
I felt my limbs start to shake slightly, but I forced myself to keep my gaze steady with his, to let him know I wasn't going to be easy to push around.
And he seemed to understand, for the line of his mouth curled itself into an amused, yet lazy smirk.
" Looks like we've got a defiant one on our hands, boys." The baritone, yet not quite matured voice drawled out, enticing my lips to twinge into a frown/scowl. Was this jerk referring to me as an animal?
" Aww, look we got her mad." I felt my eyebrow twitch, but bit my tounge when the young man took ahold of my chin firmly between his thumb and index finger.
Now that our eyes connected properly, I felt something inside me rise and let out a growl, unaware that I had let it out phyiscally. Those golden eyes flashed, as if recongnizing something important.
" You–!"
" Lord Ryu, Lord Yuan requests to speak with you." A new voice joined in. Breaking eye contact with Ryu, I glanced to the side for a split moment. And with a sinking feeling realized that the new man on the scene was Botta, Yuan's right hand man. " Bring the girl as well."
Well, there goes my chance of escape.
I made a face as " Ryu" switched his grip to my upper arm and led (more like dragged) me down the halls, the two desian guards flanked us on either side, just in case I would attempt an escape.
Heh, not like I could. If it wasn't for the hand on my arm, I was pretty sure I would've collapsed to the ground. That shock had left my body weak and deprived of any strength. I wasn't going anywhere for awhile.
The hiss of the electric doors sliding open brought me back to the current situation at hand.
' Well, shit.' I thought as Ryu pulled me into the room and roughly pushed me into a chair in front of the desk that sat on the other side of the room, away from the door. ' I really need to stop getting myself in these kinds of situations. It's going to kill me one of these days.'
Ryu stood beside me even as the other guards left the room to continue their other duties. After what seemed like several minutes passed, behind me on my right another electric door across from the first one slid open. I had a pretty rough idea who it was, so I didn't even bother looking up even as the young man turned to meet his leader.
I tapped my foot against my other leg as I waited; no doubt the low murmuring had something to do with me.
Moments later I heard Ryu let out a loud and distinctive hiss of frustration and stormed away and out the left door. The quiet rustle of clothing recaptured my attention, and I turned around to face the desk once more as a man around his late twenties sat behind it with a tired sigh.
This new man had light blue, turquoise tinted hair that was a inch or two below his mid-back, his bangs swept to the left (or right depending on how you looked at him) of his face so it almost completely covered his left eye that was a nice blue shade.
This stranger before me, was Yuan. One of the four ancient heros of the Kharlan Wars. I couldn't help but shudder at the raw power that seemed to radiate off of him.
For awhile we both just sat there while silence hung overhead. The half-elf had his elbows on the desk while resting his chin on his folded hands, looking at me dead on with a frown that seemed to reflect in his crystal blue eyes as well.
I, on the other hand, just sat there trying very so hard not to fidget. What was wrong with these people? Did I really look that different from all the other humans here?
" What a strange creature you are." Yuan finally spoke, but in a quiet manner. " I hardly sense any mana within your body, yet you seem to be functioning just fine." He never looked away as he spoke, keeping those piercing eyes trained on me. " Most people, whether it be human or elf, would be bed-ridden right now just trying to stay alive."
I made a face at his observation, but otherwise had yet to say anything. The Renegade Leader seemed to catch this however, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
" Girl, give me your hand."
I gave a start at the sudden request and eyed the man warily, first at his hand then up to his face. Yuan noticed this as well, and the corners of his mouth twitched into somewhat of a ghost of a smile. " I won't hurt you. Just give me your hand."
Never taking my eyes off of the man's face, I slowly lifted my hand off my lap and began to extend it to the half-elf's out-stretched limb. Once my hand reached his, the renegade grasped it in a firm yet gentle grip, as if not wanting to scare me, and for some reason or another allowed his eyes to drift shut.
I only had to wait a few seconds to see what he was up to; a faint colored light emitted from our clasped hands. But instead of the warmth one would feel from the light rays, I ripped my hand away as if I had directly touched a hot stove, pain and all.
But when I stood up to move away from the elf, immediately my vision swam and my head began to spin.
' Son of a–!'
I stumbled but was able to catch the edge of the chair I had been sitting in as support. Keeping a tight grip on the arm of the chair, I used my other to clutch my head in a desperate attempt to stop it from spinning.
Distantly I heard the scrapping of a chair and the quiet whisper of cloth. Next moment later I felt warm limbs grasp my head firmly, and heard the slight mutter under their breath.
Whatever the half-elf did had done to ease my dizzy spell, I'll never know. But I couldn't help but feel grateful as that feeling that someone was spinning my brain like a top began to gradually fade away.
And for awhile we just stood there; Yuan with his hands cupping my head and his own lowered to the point where his nose brushed against the crown of my hair. I just stood there, eyes half open and heavy with, not sleep, but contentment.
I couldn't really describe why I felt this way. Maybe it was because he was handling me with such care?
Unfortunately, I did not have the time to properly figure it out. For reasons unknown to me, Yuan abruptly
broke away from me, leaving me to stand there in a daze as he strode over to the electric door in the back of the room.
" And just who the hell are you?"
Yuan's cold tone cut right through the clouds that hindered my senses like a knife. Recognizing the familiar line, I told myself what to anticipate and turned to watch the scene: Lloyd, with both hands at a ready position (to grab his swords), was glaring up defiance at the stranger, with the half-elf glowering back with just as much loathing, his left hand gripping a ball of pure electricity.
Suddenly, as if the half-elf wasn't such of a threat as he thought, the duo swordsman relaxed his body and grinned up at the unknown stranger as he challanged, " Give me your name, and I shall give you mine."
I heard somewhat of a dark chuckle exit from the back of Yuan's throat. " I'm afraid I don't see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you." I rolled my eyes and cradled my head with a sigh.
It didn't matter whether they were human or half-elf. They were still both mean with a lot of pride and egos that were the size of Mt. Fuji.
" Well, what a concidence." The duo swordsman snorted. " Cause I don't see the need to introduce myself either to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."
Was it just me, or did seem that Lloyd's starting to run his mouth off?
Any trace of amusement Yuan might of felt there vanished, and only to be replaced by fury that was ampilfied by his present hatred for humans. " Why you little–!"
After hearing the degree of anger within the half-elf's voice, I couldn't take it anymore. Recent events have proved that this world didn't follow the dialogue of it's game counter-part. So for all I knew, Lloyd could seriously get hurt before Yuan had a chance to recognize him.
" Lloyd!!" I yelped in alarm before I could stop myself. It was more then enough to gain the Renegade Leader's attention. As the older man glanced over his shoulder at me in mild surprise, my swordsman friend took that chance to attempt a sonic-thrust at the half-elf.
But it looked like it was going to take more then a distraction for Lloyd to touch him, for the half-elf easily dodged the assault with his eyes still trained on me.
Lloyd quickly recovered from the miss (as he put too much power behind the attack) and swung around to face Yuan while at the same time, placing his body in front of mine.
But as the brunette had moved to place some distance, the light from overhead bounced off of the smooth surface of Lloyd's exsphere-equipped hand.
The light reflection caught the renegade's eye. It didn't even take second for him to register it before his crystal eyes flashed in recognition.
" An Exsphere!" Yuan exclaimed, surprise showing in his voice. " You're.. Lloyd?!"
This made the duo swordsman pause. I guess he wasn't expecting a stranger like Yuan to know his name. " And if I am?" He answered in a careful tone with a question of his own. The teen soon stiffened again when the blue-haired elf took a step closer to us with an unreadable expression.
" Hmm. I see the resemblance." Yuan murmured off-handily, more to himself then to us.
Lloyd and I exchanged glances, but before the swordsman had a chance to ask his question, an alarm went off overhead. Making the room flash red for brief moments.
This snapped Lloyd into whatever stupor he was in, and easily slid into the position of a trained warrior; his right hand gripping his sword (I swear, they look like huge cutting knifes!) While his other hovered over the handle of his shealthed one. The swordsman and half-elf regarded each other with cool expressions, as if sizing the other up.
Thankfully, nothing had a chance to happen. For Botta and his men came into the room in a rush, seemingly out of breath.
" Sir!" The brunette elf gasped. " We've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated this facility!"
Well, with a genius like Raine in the group, and muscle to back her up like Kratos, it shouldn't have been
very hard.
In front of me a silent gasp that exited from Lloyd's mouth caught my attention. " You.. You're the desian that attacked Iselia!" He accused. Looks like Lloyd had a good memory after all.
Botta glanced over at the young human from the corner of his eye, a half smirk forming on his face. " So you're Lloyd." He sweeped a glance over at me as well, and that smirk seemed to grow. " Now this is amusing."
" Botta! I'm leaving for now." Yuan interrupted abruptly. " Our plans are ruined if he sees me."
The older half-elf transferred his attention back to his boss. " What of the Chosen?"
" I'll leave that to you." Yuan looked over to where Lloyd and I stood. " Lloyd. The next time we meet, you and your little friend are mine." Somewhat of a cruel smirk bloomed on his lips when Lloyd threw him a glare. " Just you wait."
And with that last threat said, the Renegade Leader spun on his heel and quickly made his exit out of the room through the door behind him. Botta took that cue and started to advance on Lloyd and I, my friend backing us up until they cornered us against a table.
" Keep behind me, Bev." Lloyd murmured to me over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the current threat in front of us while spreading a protective arm in front of me. Knowing I was helpless (and a nuisance) without Akiva, I had no choice but to agree and accept what little protection he could offer me. If the worst came to worst, I would have to use what knowledge I have of self-defense to back Lloyd up.
That was why I never felt more relieved in my life when I heard the electric doors hiss and allowed entry to some new comers.
" Lloyd! Are you alright?" I heard Genis's frantic voice. I couldn't really see him from where I stood, since he was so damn short and Lloyd's tall frame kind of blocked my view.
Colette was next to come into the room, halting beside the elf. " Are you all right? Are you hurt?" The blond asked with equal concern, eyes scanning for any signs of injury as she spoke.
" He looks fine." A certain auburn-haired mercenary sighed, as he came to a stood behind Colette. Despite the fact that he sounded irritated for making a detour to rescue Lloyd, I had a deep feeling he was, if not a tiny bit worried after hearing the younger man's situation.
I stepped out from behind Lloyd and did a quick scan of the group, searching for one individual in particular and frowning when I did not find her.
" Genis," I raised my voice to gain the mage's attention. " Where's Azra?"
Genis folded his arms and frowned himself, unable to come up with an answer. " Honestly, I don't know. I haven't seen her since before you and Lloyd were captured."
That worried me. It worried me greatly. Where on earth had that little girl gone? Did she attempt to run after us but got attacked by some monster? Or did some desian capture her?
My train of thought was soon interrupted when Kratos tossed something in my direction; I caught it out of reflex, and looked down to see it was the enchanted bow Akiva, along with my sliver-trimmed quiver.
I looked back up at the mercenary, opening my mouth to give my thanks–--
" Keep better track of your weapons."
–But closed it abruptly when I heard his remark. I mentally wrestled with myself from scowling at the cynical man, and settled on a frown.
Never did like Kratos. Well, his high-and-mighty attitude anyway.
" You guys all came for us?" Lloyd asked with slight disbelief, but the happiness that was added in his tone of voice overrode that.
" Perfect timing." Botta sneered, reaching behind his back for his weapon. His men did the same. " I'll take care of everyone at once!"
This exclamation seemed to set everyone in the room on guard, Genis and Colette stiffening like boards while Kratos slid his body into attack position, hand gripping the handle of his double-edged sword. " Get ready." The auburn-haired man warned.
That's when everything seemed to happen at once.
The two desian guards that had flanked Botta immediately charged right at us with their sharp broad-swords raised, one heading towards Lloyd and I, while the other dashed for Genis and Colette. Kratos and Botta just seemed to stand there at first, eyeing each other as if daring one another to attack first.
I quickly turned my attention back to the battle, and just in time too; Lloyd raised his swords so that they formed an
'X' shape and easily blocked the enemy's blade. Taking this chance, I swung the quiver over my shoulder before running around Lloyd and over to Colette and Genis, who seemed to be having a hard time.
The desian who was fighting against him was fast; the most the blond Chosen could do at moment was block and defend herself from her foe's quick parries. And when Genis tried to cast a spell to help Colette out, the desian would swing around and slash at the elf.
Currently Colette was in a stalemate with the half-elf, holding of his sword with both of her chakrams but was beginning to loose the fight. I could tell by the way her arms shook from the effort to keep him back.
Not wasting anytime, I skidded to a stop (with a carpeted floor it wasn't very hard) and used that momentum to lash out at the desian with a round-house kick. The desian guard moved to defend himself from the pain, but was unable to move fast enough and ended up crashing into the wall behind Genis.
The Chosen let out a sigh of relief after seeing the man slump to the ground, placing a hand on my shoulder while she recovered her breath. " T-Thanks." She panted, smiling up at me with a energetic smile despite her exhaustion.
I couldn't help be grin back. Colette's smiles were contagious.
But our happy moment was shortly interrupted by a cry of alarm from the genius mage; but before either of us had a chance to register anything, I found myself pushing Colette out of the way of a sharp-pointed blade before barely jumping out of the way as it was swung in my direction.
I hit the floor with a dodge roll (think of Link from Orcarina of Time) and managed to get to my feet just in time to duck out of the way of another dangerous swipe of a sword. I took a couple of steps back before looking up to meet the angry face of the desian guard, a small stream of blood running down his temple from the blow he had taken when he hit the wall.
I repressed the urge to gulp at the dangerous expression on the man's face, raising Akiva at attention while reaching behind me for an arrow.
Yep, no doubt about it. This guy was pissed– no, scratch that. He was absolutely livid.
Enraged, the desian let out a battle cry as he charged at his opponent, an inferior being. Startled at the burst of energy, I was hopeless as I could do nothing but dodge his wild swings; this guy certainly wasn't going to take any chances.
" Ray Thrust!"
The battle disk slammed into the enemy with powerful momentum, causing him to stagger and giving me the opportunity I needed. Quickly I grabbed at least two arrows and notched them back on Akiva, taking the few precious seconds I had before the desian recovered.
Just like the time I had faced the giant prymantis, a single name echoed within my head, the voice sounding very much like my own, but with a more empty tone to it.
' Archer's Fury...'
I watched on in speechless silence as the arrows glowed and multiplied themselves until there was a least around fifty of them (I'm just making a rough estimate.). All of which embedded themselves in the body of the desian that had tried to do harm to their owner.
I felt the rush of relief begin to flood over my body, but it was dampened when the guard managed to stay on his feet.
Gaah! What are with these guys?!
Acting fast, I shouldered Akiva and used that same movement to land a bunch on the wounded desian, nailing him so hard in the stomach that it had the man doubling over from the new rush of pain. Grabbing one of the desian's arms, I pulled it out until I had the guard exposing his venerable back to me, and brought my free hand down so it made contact with the weak point of his neck (it's a certain area on your neck that can knock you out).
The desian guard let out a weak gasp of pain and slumped in my hold. Not at all too eager to keep my hold on the unconscious man, I hastily released him and moved away.
Knowing the half-elf was no longer a threat to me (for the moment), I took a few moments to regain my stolen breath which I had lost in the short battle and looked around the room; the desian guard Lloyd had been fighting was already done for the count, slumped against the wall a few feet away.
' Two down...' I mused, running a hand through my messy hair while looking up and locking my eyes on the battle going on in front of me. ' One more to go...'
From the looks of it though, Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Kratos seemed to be handling Botta just fine. If I jumped in now, I could cause problems for them. And I'm sure a certain mercenary wouldn't be very happy with me if I did. So instead, I opted for leaning against the wall behind me and continued to survey the fight from where I stood.
' Mistress..!'
I felt my body jerk in surprise. Although the voice had clearly come my mind, it sounded like it had been shouted through the intercom overhead. But the ongoing battle assured me that was not the case.
' Mistress! Where..?'
' There it is again!' I leaned my entire weight until I was almost full out slumping against the wall that supported me, hand to my forehead as if bracing for an oncoming headache. What on earth was..?
'..Where are you?'
For the third time, the strange yet seemingly familiar voice echoed throughout my mind. And, odd enough, I felt compelled to answer them. I hesitated for a split second, not knowing what consequnces would bring if I replied.
' I am here..' I cooed finally in a comforting tone. ' Tell me.. Who are you? Where are you?'
A moment of silence. Then–
' Mistress, you're alright!' It was the sound of a young child's voice, delighted and eager. ' I was sooo worried!'
Then I heard the child giggle, the sound similar to that of bells. ' Follow my voice, Mistress! You can do it!"
And with that, the connection was broken. How did I know? Whatever presence had been in my mind had retreated, leaving only the usual silence.
For the second time I hesitated, turning my attention back to the fight for a spare moment. Like I had said before, the others seemed to be handling themselves just fine without my interference. No, that's not what I was worried about. It's just– how would they react when I wasn't with them?
' Hurry, Mistress!' The reprimand that came was all serious, no humor or laughter what so ever.
Banishing any second thoughts from mind, I adjusted Akiva so that she hugged my shoulder comfortably and would present no problems should I need to flee, before spinning on my heel and hurried out through the electric doors, which slid open even before I reached them.
Outside of the room, I easily recognized which hall I was in. But the real question was, which way did I go now?
' Follow my voice, huh..' I huffed out a sigh and crossed my arms. ' Easier said then done...'
Nonetheless, I began to make my way down the hall, pausing for a brief moment to decide which way to turn (the hall kind of splits off in two directions. Up (left from where I stood) and down (to the right) before resuming my walk. As I continued on, all of my surroundings looked familiar enough, so I guess it was safe to assume I wasn't lost yet.
In the game while you play as Lloyd while trying to escape (before he encounters Yuan), the halls are always teeming with guards and defensive machines. But at the moment, it was oddly deserted. Although I felt slightly relieved I would not have to fight, I could also not help feeling very apprehensive. Empty halls did not bode well in my book.
This made me cautious enough to slow my gait as I made me way along, always stopping when I reached a corner to cautiously peer around first. Hey, it doesn't hurt to be too cautious.
The next turn off I reached was the moment I took to look around my surroundings, to keep track and keep myself from getting lost. ' Hmm... The Rehaird hanger is just down that staircase...' I mused to myself as I peered around the corner.
It was the sound of an electric whirl that brought back to my senses; Alarmed, I snapped my head up like a deer scenting danger. And not a moment to soon.
Heading right towards me at an incredible speed was a pure bullet of electric mana. But it was too close for me to dodge. That, and I felt rooted in my place due to my shock and fear.
Out of nowhere, a hand roughly seized me around my bicep and yanked me to the ground. The mana bullet, with no target now, uselessly slammed into the wall which had been behind me when I had stood with an angry buzz.
Stunned at the sudden turn of events, I just sat in the position I was currently in while blankly staring at the white wall. That is, until the limb that had saved me from frying to death yanked me to face it's owner–
" What are you thinking..?!"
–The angry face of Kratos Aurion.
Shit.
*~*~*
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Konbawa, minna-san! I hope you all enjoyed the lastest installment of Eternal Bonds!
Anyways..
Lately there's been a nasty bout of colds going around the school district. Especially at my school, which is really, really small compared to the others. Why, just last Friday there was only two other students in one of my classes besides me. Normally, there's at least fifteen of them. Shocker, huh?
*scratches head and sighs* most of my family has it too. My older sister Amanda, as well as my two younger brothers Colen and Drake. Only my mother and I are safe. For now. *sweatdrops*
Please read and review! I would reeeaaally appreciate to hear your opinions!