Your favorite french writer (or not...) is back!
But first, let's make some advertising...
French readers (if I have french readers...), do you love ToV? Do you love Okami (and Okamiden too)? Then... this story is made for you! Written by the skilled and talentful Peachounette78, an AU fanfiction with an unusual romance between a goddess and a simple human, ... Featuring ToV characters, maybe some Okami characters... Already two chapters!
In French now!
Chers lecteurs français (si y'en qui lisent cette histoire :s), êtes-vous fans de ToV? Etes-vous fans de Okami? Alors cette histoire est faite pour vous! Ecrite par la grande et talentueuse Peachounette78 (lecteurs: un peu mégalo celle-là...), c'est l'histoire romantique d'une déesse et d'un simple humain, mettant en scène quelques personnages de ToV et de Okami... Déjà 2 chapitres postés!
.net/s/7335177/1/Le_conte_de_la_Deesse_Amoureuse
(if you can't get to the adress then don't worry, you'll find it on my profile)
In short... PLEASE my fellow compatriots... or those who can read french... (and for those who don't if you have french friends then DON'T HESITATE)... COME READ! *prostate herself*
Ahem. Now let's get serious.
06. The adventure begins
"AZURE EDGE!"
He swung his sword, executing the arte as he was always used to do. And to his great surprise, a blue wave of aer appeared from the blade and hit the Leader creature in the chest.
Losing his balance, the creature was thrown on his subordinates like a bowling ball. All of them hit hardly the wall of the house just behind them, making it to collapse.
Yuri managed to calm himself and realized what had just happened. This time, his arte worked.
He looked at his sword, trying to figure out how he succeed in executing his trademark arte. Numerous questions were now bumping into his mind, and a moan of pain coming from the rubbles get him out from his thoughts.
A few creatures barely came out from the rubbles, moving away the rocks of the wall standing formely there. The Leader was still alive too; he furiously got out, screaming in anger and frustation. His clothes were covered in dust and his wings, once impressive and frightening, were now missing a few feathers.
"How dare you? I'm gonna crush you..."
Yuri stepped back. Now was not the time trying to understand how he managed to do Azure Edge. Estelle was still in their grip, and the creature was now really angry. And there was also Karol to protect...
"Yuri..." the swordman heard behind him, confirming that Karol was still there and alive. "What happened...?"
"No time to think about that," Yuri interrupted, "we need to save Estelle from them. And that won't be very easy, I think I made them really mad..."
The swordsman stared carefully at his opponent, as he was nervously freeing himself from the rubbles. They were aerial and fast attackers, so Karol's heavy attacks won't work against them. Chaining combos of attacks and artes would be the best solution, and not giving the opponent the time to counter-attack...
The wings.
Yuri wondered why he hadn't thought about that before. Those creatures seemed to count heavily on their wings. So if he manages to make them useless, the rest will be easy. Then Karol and Repede can finish them off.
Without thinking, Yuri rushed on his opponent, sword ready. He easily dodged all the furious attack of the winged creature; in an instant, he was already behind. He climbed on the wall's remnants, using it as a ladder: the wings were now easy to reach for him. He took his momentum and jump, and before the creature could realize the plan he had in head, her wings were already falling, properly separated from the back. Jets of blood spilled, and the leader felt heavily on the ground under the eyes of his subordinates, crying in pain.
"Karol!" Yuri shouted, after he landed on his feet, "it's up to you know!"
"Hum... hum..." the boy was shaking, holding tightly his hammer. He was looking at Repede finishing the leader with its dagger and its claws.
"Hey boss, I can't do it without you!" The swordsman was now heading toward the imprisonned Estelle and her confused jailer. By killing the boss, Yuri knew he could destabilize the others – at least for a while – and use this moment to save Estelle.
A new power was spreading through his body. The same when he used Azure Edge. He didn't know what was it, but for now, it was allowing him to move around easily and faster. He turned around the subordinate and, once behind, made a quarter of a pirouette and slashed, first the left wing. He continued with a second attack in diagonal, ripping the remaining wing. The creature screamed in pain, instinctively let Estelle go, and felt back. Estelle felt on her kneels, panting.
"Estelle, you okay?"
"Yes... I'm fine..."
Behind them, the creature was writhing in pain. Yuri was right after all; their wings seem to be vital for them. After a few minutes, the creature stopped moving. Yuri helped Estelle to get up, both witnessing at the scene happening in front of them.
The remaining creatures were now surrounded by tornados of bright-colored flowers. The sharp petals were ripping and plucking their wings. The wind was so strong that Estelle, Yuri and Karol were forced to kneel and to protect themselves with their arms. Repede had digged his own claws into the ground and, growling furiously, was facing courageously the wind.
The flower attack ended as fast as it began. It finished with a strong gust of wind and, when everything came back to normal, the creatures had vanished. Only flowers, black feathers, pieces of ripped clothes and blood tides were lying on the dusted ground.
It took Estelle and Karol a long moment to get their spirit back.
"What... what was that?" Estelle said, cleaning her clothes from the dirt and dust, while Karol was looking stupidly at the place, now transformed into a field of ruin.
"I... don't know..." Yuri whispered. He was sincere. What was the strange power that animated his body just a while ago? He had never fought like that before. And he was also able to do an Arte without a bodhi blastia...
But thinking too much about that made his head hurt. Tiredness was now slowly paralyzing his body, as if the fight had drained all his energy from him.
He heard Estelle's distant voice ringing behind him. "Yuri, are you all right?"
He shaked his head, as it wasn't the time for him to collapse here, right in the middle of this mess.
"Yeah, I'm okay..."
He heard someone running behind him. It was Hanks, running with difficulty because of his age. He stopped next to Yuri, bent forward and put his hands on his kneels, panting.
"Hey, Yuri!... Everything okay?"
"Hanks!"
"Well, I saw monsters with wings coming over there..." Hanks's eyes settled on Yuri's sword. "I see you fought them..."
"Yeah, but everything is over now."
"… you made quite a mess."
"Do you really think I'm the one who blasted that wall? And by the way, where is the customer?"
"Oh, that!" Hanks shouted. "Well, she disappeared right after you left. I looked for her everywhere! She's nowhere to be seen!"
Yuri sighed. "Maybe she's at the inn..."
"Hope you're right... But first, let's clean all this mess! I'm gonna get some help..."
Yuri stayed silent as Hanks left the place. He knelt down and picked up one of the flowers. The delicate flower felt so fragile and soft in the palm of his hand, and he decided to put it on his pocket... for further investigation.
Yuri, along with Karol and Repede, helped the people in repairing and cleaning the Lower Quarter. Just by looking at the great damages caused by the creatures, Yuri realized those monsters were really something. As for Estelle, she went around the city healing injured people, even if Yuri and Karol eagerly disapproved her actions, knowing it will be bad for her health. But of course she insisted, and Yuri knows perfectly well there is no point in trying to change her mind, so the only thing they could do was to tell her not to overdo it.
At nightfall, they finally decided to go back to the inn and meet with everyone as planned. But when they entered in the building, nobody was there yet.
Especially Eolie. Hanks and the others searched for her, but the old man then claimed she was nowhere to be seen, so Yuri thought she might be at the inn...; which wasn't obviously the case. While Karol took a seat, he even asked the innkeeper, but she said nobody corresponding to the description he gave her came here.
Great, he didn't even began to work and it was already a mess...
"Yuri, were are you going?"
"Gonna get some fresh air... I'll stay around, don't worry." Yes, here is his usual excuse, he thought. Actually, he was just going to search for Eolie, and he was hoping it won't take him all the night...
Even Repede prefered to let him alone and stayed asleep under the table.
Once he reached the lifeless fountain, Yuri let out a heavy sigh and raised his head, letting his eyes wandering between the brilliant stars and the black color of the night.
For the first time, he felt himself completely lost, facing a situation even him couldn't handle. A lot of things happened in such a short time, and a lot of questions was filling his mind. He thought he will leave a peaceful life of jobs and guild matters after the Adephagos incident, but Fate decided otherwise. The swordsman remained the old times with the knights chasing him back before the Aquae blastia incident; it was only for "minor" crimes he committed for helping the Lower Quarter. But now, inhuman ruffians are hunting him down for whatever reason.
Worse than Zagi. At least, with that psychopath, Yuri knew it was only to kill him because he was apparently the only one who managed to hurt that hot-headed guy back in Zaphias. But now... Yuri had absolutely no idea about why the creatures wanted him so badly.
What worries him so much is that they apparently want him alive. And they are ready to do anything to obtain what they want. Like they did with Estelle and Karol...
"I knew I could find you here."
"Got a night permission, Commandant?"
"Well, kind of. But I can't stay longer, so I'll get directly to the point."
Yuri finally left the beauty and the mystery of the skies and, with a smirk, turned over to look at his friend. He was already used to see Flynn with his new Commandant uniform: a cape with red tones colours with a sturd armor made of shining silver.
Everybody in the city said he was looking like the former Commandant Alexei... but right now Yuri, while staring at his friend, could only disagree with that. Flynn wasn't like Alexei. Absolutely not.
"So? What do you want?"
"Are you okay?"
Yuri was destabilized by this sudden question. "Huh? I'm perfectly okay. Those creatures gave us a hard time though."
"Yes, I imagine it. Me and my troops were having difficulties in driving them back. I'm glad you made it out without a scratch, but it's not what I'm talking about. I mean, you were acting strangely this morning."
"Really? Must have been your imagination then."
Flynn smiled. "Always avoiding the question, don't you? No, seriously Yuri, you're my best friend, and I think I know you better than anyone."
Yuri didn't replied and instead prefered to remained silent, allowing his friend to continue.
"You can tell me everything, you know..."
"… thanks for worrying about me, but there's nothing. Really."
"Is it related to the creatures who attacked us today?"
The swordsman was startled and gave at Flynn a surprised look mixed with horror, which Flynn didn't missed. He wasn't expecting that.
"Ah, looks like I found out."
"Mind your business, commandant..." Yuri finally left the side of the fountain and walked toward the street. Flynn was really skilled at seeing through him, and that makes him really pissed off.
"Yuri, you shouldn't keep everything for yourself. As your friend, it's my role to help you if you have troubles!"
Yuri was standing in the middle of street, meditating his words. "My friend, huh... This is also why it's better for you not to know..." he whispered for himself.
"You said something?"
"Hum? Oh no, nothing. Besides that, you have something else to say?"
He heard Flynn sigh behind him.
"Hum, you're really stubborned, as expected from you. So let's try that."
This time, Yuri turned and faced his friend, giving him a curious look. He wanted further explanations.
"Actually, I found out this when we were fighting against those monsters. They were apparently searching for something..."
Yuri was now surprised. Oh dammit, he immediately thought...
"… so me and my men managed to catch one of them with a giant cage. It wasn't easy, if you ask, that creature was keeping on fidgeting. Most of my men were injured. We managed to keep it locked during a few minutes on the cage... and guess what he said?"
"No," Yuri simply replied, but fearing the worst.
"It said it must catch, at any cost, a long and black haired human."
"So... you think it's me?"
"Probably."
"Hey, you know, I'm not the only one with long hair... It only said human, so it might be a woman as well."
"That's why I asked it to give us more informations... well, I tried, because this is precisely when he managed to escape."
"Ah. Maybe you'll get more lucky next time."
"Yuri, this is serious! I immediately thought about you... and my fears were confirmed. One of the Lower Quarter people saw you attacked by an entire flock of them."
"Dammit..." Yuri whispered, lowering his head so Flynn won't see his face. Of course, why he hadn't thought about that earlier... they were attacked right in the middle of the Lower Quarter. There was every chance that a lost citizen saw them.
"So I was right, after all. But why?..."
"Don't ask me," Yuri said coldly, leaving the place. "I don't know either."
Flynn took a few steps closer to his friend. "Were you attacked like that before? Hey, Yuri, don't leave like that! Tell me!"
Yuri stopped a last time. "The conversation is over. Just... just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Stay out of it."
"Yuri..."
"If you don't, you'll certainly end up hurt."
And, without further explanations, he left a a confused Flynn.
~.o.O.o.~
When Yuri came back to the inn, his researches was revealed to be totally fruitless, it was almost empty. Without a word, he leaned against a wall and let his mind wandering in his thoughts. Of course he wanted his friend's support, but... who knows what those monsters are able of. Using Estelle was already something, but they can also be able of killing if they want. That's something Yuri wished to avoid...
"Oh, I finally found you!"
Yuri immediately recognized the voice. A gentle, sweet and quiet tone... A quick look at the newcomer confirmed it. Eolie the masked woman was now standing at the door and seemed reluctant to enter or not.
"Wow, you really took your time to come here. What happened?" Yuri said sarcastically, without leaving his wall.
"I am deeply sorry," Eolie replied quietly, bowing, "but see, me and your friend were separated right after you left. Some of the people here allowed me to hide in their house and, when the situation came back to normal, I helped them in cleaning and repairing. They thanked me by driving me to the inn. Please, forgive me if my sudden disappearance caused you troubles..."
"No need to worry. At least you made it out without a scratch."
"Hum, Yuri... who is she? You know her?"
"Ah, yeah," Yuri said, finally leaving the wall and walking toward Eolie, "you haven't met her before, Karol. Here is my new customer. Her name's Eolie. Right?"
Eolie simply nodded.
"Wow, you have a new job, Yuri?"
"Yep, just some escorting, as usual."
Karol gave Eolie a confident look. "You're in good hands, Miss! Yuri is the best of our guild. He helped us in defeating the Adephagos!"
"Of course. This is why I asked him. Oh, and you must be the young leader of this guild, correct?"
"Yeah! I'm Karol Capel."
"Nice to meet you," Eolie greeted him with... a bow, again.
"You really like to bend your back, do you?" Yuri noticed. "I think you'll get along very well with a certain princess..."
"Yes?"
"Nah, never mind, forget it."
Repede finally decided to leave the table where he was sleeping under and greeted the newcomer by sniffing the bottom of her dress. Eolie immediately noticed it and bend her back so she can reach the dog's muzzle with her hand.
Much to Yuri's surprise, Repede didn't turned away his head immediately, as he always does when strangers try to pet him; instead he timidly sniffed the thin and delicate fingers of the woman, and finally let her scratch his head behind his ears, closing his eyes as a sign of satisfaction.
"Wow, that's impressive..."
"Oh, why?"
"Repede don't get along easily with strangers."
"Estelle will be really angry if she sees that..." Karol said. Yuri was thinking the same way, and was perfectly imagining the scene. While looking at Eolie, he wondered how long will she stay at the door without getting in...
"Hey, get in, or you'll catch a cold... though, with your clothes, the risk is low..."
"Hum? Oh yes, you're right..."
She finished scratching Repede's head and stepped inside, Karol leading her to the nearest table. After that, he gave Yuri a worried look.
"The others are late..."
Yuri placed his hand on his hip. "Yeah... maybe I should go and check on them. You guys stay here and wait, okay?"
Karol was thinking for a few moments, then contested. "No, I will go instead!"
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah! I'm the boss after all, so I should be one ensuring the security of all the members! You stay here with Miss Eolie, it's your job after all!"
"Okay then. Don't get lost."
Karol thumbed up to Yuri before rushing out of the inn.
"It's a real energetic young leader you have there." Eolie noticed while looking at Yuri.
"Yeah," Yuri said, lolling on a chair facing her, "but he's a good one."
"If you say so, I trust you. After all, your guild is well known for being the savior of this world."
"Huh... looks like Karol was a bit too overjoyed while spreading that..."
"He's young, it's normal he's acting like that."
"Yeah..."
They then remained silent for a few minutes. Yuri crossed his arms and his legs, letting his mind deeping again in his thoughts. Now that he's alone with Eolie (and also Repede sleeping under the table), he was wondering if he had made the right choice by accepting the woman's request. First of all, the others simply won't let him work alone, given the dangerous situation he's in. Allowing them to come with him is also dangerous, as who knows what those wrecked monsters are able of (thinking about what they did to Estelle – twice, moreover – was enough to makes him shiver), and going alone with Eolie wasn't a good idea too as she might getting hurt...
"Ya' know... maybe we should reconsider things about the job."
"Mmh? Why so?"
"I mean, you should go and ask someone else to do it."
Eolie stared at him but, because of the mask, Yuri couldn't tell how her face was looking like.
"In your opinion, why did I went through all the trouble in order to find you? You know, the people here helped me in confirming the opinion I have from you: a skilled warrior striving for justice and who can't ignore those in need."
"Huh? Who tell you that?"
"I met again with your old friend before coming here. He told me this: I did right in calling for you. And your young boss said that too, right? They trust you. So I trust you too."
Yuri facepalmed. That was quick, she defeated him with only a few words. Now there's no way he could deceive her. "Okay, okay, you got me... we're leaving tomorrow morning, is that okay for you?"
Eolie happily nodded. "Yes, of course, Mister Yuri Lowell..."
"Hey, quit the honorofics already! I'm not a noble, you know. Just call me Yuri."
After another couple of minutes, Karol finally came back with everybody. Judith, Estelle and Rita seemed to be fine, much to Yuri's relief. Estelle immediately excuse herself and explained to him the reasons of their late: the creatures had caused damages far more important than they thought, as a lot of people were injured, and even at this time of the night they are still people missing. She also explained that people who had lost their house will be staying at the inn and the castle. Judith then continued the explanations, saying that Bau'L was injured during the fight and forced to leave for a quiet place in order to heal his wounds. As for Rita, she was simply standing next to them, arms crossed, confirming with a nod or interrupting her friends by giving much detailed explanations.
"So for the moment, we're in a complicated situation...", Karol said. "Bau'L left, we don't have the Fierta... travel will be hard..."
"Oh, don't worry, Bau'L is strong, he will come back to us quickly." Judith reassured him. "For now, we must concentrate on how to get to Aspio first."
"Ah yeah, that's right, we must accompany Rita... and Yuri has his new job too!"
"Huh?" Rita said, giving him an odd look. "What do you mean?"
Eolie got up from her chair and greeted them with her usual bowing. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduced myself. I am Eolie, and I asked this young man to help me."
Rita was the first to react. It was apparently only now that she noticed the masked woman. She stared at her with her eyes widely opened under the effect of surprise.
"Hey, wait a minute... Are you...? Hum... no, actually no. The mask isn't the same."
"What is it?"
"Do you happen," Rita asked, nearly bending over Eolie, "by any chance, to know a certain Mystery Waterflow?"
"No... why?"
Rita straightened and crossed her arms again. "Hum... no never mind. It's just... she was wearing the same kind of mask."
"Oh, you are talking about Mystery?" Judith asked.
Yuri looked at them, confused by this odd conversation. "Hum... mind to explain to us what are you talking about?"
"Oh yes Yuri, you haven't met her," the Krytian said. "We were talking about Mystery Waterflow, Estelle's assistant during the festival. As Rita said, she was wearing a similar mask. But..."
"It's definitely not her," the young mage concluded. "They haven't got the same voice."
"Yeah, and I confirm it, she's really kind!" Karol nearly shouted. "But the one we met at Halure was really scary..."
Yuri sighed. Trying to understand what they're saying will just give him another headache, so he decided to change the subject. "So boss, what's the plan?"
"Hum... as Judy said, we must first concentrate on getting to Aspio. Let's say how our travel will turn, as we won't simply fight with monsters, but also with... yokais. Maybe we'll find all sorts of yokais on our way, it might be a good chance for us to get used to them..."
"Yokais?" Eolie asked.
"This is the name of the monsters who attacked us today." Judith explained. "I have a limited knowledge about them though..."
"It doesn't matter Judy, I'm sure it will be of a great help for us. Ah, and one more thing."
Everybody remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Come to think of it, I don't think we can let Yuri do this job alone. I mean... under normal circumstances it would have been okay, but now..."
Yuri straightened on his chair. "Huh?"
"I agree with you," Judith immediately said. "I think we should join too."
"Ah, I swear... I'm not in this guild, but oh well... I don't mind giving a little hand."
"Guys..."
"So, Miss Eolie, are you okay with that?"
"Of course, leader of Brave Vesperia. If it can help Yuri, then do it. I have to get to Yumanju quickly, but I don't mind waiting a little more if you have things you have to intend to.
"This is really kind of you." Judith said with a voice full of gratitude.
"So first destination, Aspio! We're leaving tomorrow morning, everyone!"
~.o.O.o.~
Yuri didn't know which hour of the night it was, but he was sure it was very late. After climbing up the stairs, he was ready to go back to his room when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Hum, Yuri? Can I talk with you?"
"What is it, Estelle?"
The young princess was a bit out of breath. She had certainly climbed up the stairs running in order to catch with him.
"You... you're leaving tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, it's the young boss's decision. And you? What will you do?"
"I... hum..."
She lowered her head. That's right, Yuri thought, her only goal was to go quickly to Zaphias in order to warn Flynn.
"Will you go back to Halure?"
"That's what I thought first. But..."
She was hesitant. Yuri was used to it, and he patiently waited for her to continue.
"You know, about what happened this morning... with the creatures... I thought about it during all the day and... I think I will come and help you."
"You're not obliged to."
"No, I have to. As a guild member."
"Huh... what?"
At first, Yuri thought his ears were playing him a trick. He gave to Estelle an odd look mixing surprise and fear together.
"A guild member...?"
"I... asked Karol to join the guild, after the incident of this morning..."
Yuri regained his composure and gently smiled to her. "Well, welcome to Brave Vesperia."
"It's not official..."
"But is it really okay for you? I mean, you're still a princess. I don't think the Council will appreciate it."
"Yes, I'm aware of that. But you know, I'm worry about you, Yuri. So I don't care what the Council may think of that, I joined the guild because I want to help you. I will repay you for everything you've done for me. Let me join you for the job!"
Yuri stared at her, quite surprised by her words. He was right: she had really changed. At the first time they met in the Imperial Castle, she would have been totally undecided. But right now, she had made this choice on her own, without hesitating, and she was even standing again the Council itself.
"Huh... well, even if I say I absolutely don't want you to come, you won't listen to me, right?"
Estelle was standing in front of him with eyes full of determination, which was enough as an answer. She won't give up. Yuri heavily sighed before smiling again to her.
"Okay, do as you want. But I'll be frank: this time will be different. I don't know what's waiting for us and how the travel will turn. I'm not even sure I can guarantee your safety."
"No, you won't have to do it. I'll do everything I can so you won't have to worry about me."
"Well then... what a stubborn princess we have there... anyway, you should go and have some sleep. Tomorrow will be a tough day."
"Yes!"
After that, they each say good night to the other, before leaving each other.
~.o.O.o.~
Yuri had slept for only a few hours, but when he finally opened his eyes, he was feeling like he hadn't slept at all. Staying here and sleep a little more was really tempting, but he just couldn't afford to be late and make little Karol worry about him. He woke up from his bed with difficulty. He was ready to wake Repede, who was lying on the sofa, but the dog had already sensed his movements. The dog sat up and, in a jump, landed softly on the floor and got to his master. The swordsman greet him with a pat in the head, took his sheathed sword leaning against the wall and together they left the room in silence.
As he came down by the downstairs, Yuri could see that he was the last one and that everybody was actually waiting for him.
"Yuri, you're late!" Karol moaned, looking angrily at him.
"Oh sorry, boss. I did my best in waking up earlier you know."
As expected, everyone was there: Karol, who was rather nervous, Judith and her legendary composure, Estelle and her bright smile, Rita with her gloomy face... and Eolie still with her mask and heavy cloak despite the heat. Besides, Yuri was wondering if she sleeps with her mask even the night...
"Is everybody ready?" Karol asked.
Everyone claimed a determinated "Yes!" at the same time (although for Repede it was rather a determinated "Woof!"). This is it, a new journey was about to begin, with its lots of monsters, mysteries, adventures and... yokais.
As they crossed the city in order to reach the road leading to Deidon Hold...
"Yuri, wait!"
Ah. Of course he had forgotten about him. Estelle's shout confirmed the identity of the newcomer. "Flynn!"
The group came to an halt, allowing Flynn to catch up with them. Yuri noticed he wasn't alone and sighed when he recognized the second person who was accompanying him: Sodia, Flynn's right-hand woman... what, she's still there? She gave him an odd look, as usual, yet less distrutful than before.
"I see everybody is fine. You didn't had trouble yesterday, didn't you?"
"You mean the attack?" Estelle asked.
"Yes. None of you have been hurt, right?"
Yuri was half-listening, as he knows they'll only talk about yesterday's events. Right now, only yokais were filling his mind. A lot of questions came to him: what exactly happened at Halure, why do they want him, how did he managed to use artes, and what's the link with the flower still in his pocket? Yuri knew he had to clear this mess quickly, but there are too much mysteries in this story to take care of. So proceeding little by little was the best option he could foresee.
And logically, the first mystery he had to shed light on, was why the yokais want him so badly... They even threatened his own friends for that.
They will meet yokais on their way, Yuri was sure of that... and it will be the occasion for him to make a little interrogatory...
"Okay then, I won't keep you any longer. I'm also planning on leaving tonight and investigate Halure, so we might be able to meet again. Please, take care."
While saying those last words, Flynn was obviously looking at Yuri who simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Thank you, Flynn. Please take care of yourself too." Estelle said.
Walking to Deidon Hold will take them a few hours and, as Karol planned, they should be there at nightfall if no problems occur on the road. A ride with Bau'l should have taken of course much less time, but they don't have the choice now. Karol was leading the party while Yuri and Repede were covering their back. Estelle and Rita were chatting with Eolie about Estelle's first job inside the guild, and Judith was staying away from the party, lost in her thoughts... or rather communicating with Bau'l maybe.
They were now walking for more than two hours, and still no major problems – excluding some usual fights with the local monsters – and, most importantly, no signs of yokais. Yuri found that rather weird and worrying at the same time. He came closer to Judith, thinking she might get an idea.
"Hey, is it me or they didn't showed up? I don't think the usual monsters we fought were disguised yokais..."
"Mmh... then maybe they're planning something big behind the scenes."
"Like what, you think?"
"Sincerely, I don't know... maybe they are waiting for us to be off-guards and take the opportunity to attack us. Yokais love to attack by surprise people in a state of weakness."
"That's... creepy."
Judith nodded. "We're all together. We should be fine, don't worry..."
"Guys... guys! Look at that!"
Alerted by the frightened tone in Karol's voice, Judith and Yuri had to stop their conversation and followed the young boy's finger... He was pointing, before them, a black and purple mass, staining the immaculated blue sky.
"Wha... what is this?" Estelle asked.
"Something bad..." Judith said. "I've got the intuition we have to avoid this thing..."
"But," Estelle continued, "Deidon Hold is right away... Maybe people are in danger!"
"I know how you feel, but..."
"Maybe we should go and see what's happening," Eolie suggested calmly. "If it's really dangerous, then we can turn back and see if we can pass through the Quoi Woods."
"Oh, that's right, there is also a way through the Quoi Woods..." Yuri said. "But what you've suggested will make us lost precious time... I mean, are you okay with that?"
"Avoiding danger as much as possible is worth loosing some time."
"Huh... you've got a point there. So, boss, what's the plan?" Yuri asked impatiently.
"Hum... let's first head to Deidon Hold as planned. We'll see after that."
They all nodded silently and resumed the travel. It was no different from before: they occasionnaly met with common monsters, but still no signs of exotic yokais. Judith might be right after all: they were up to something, observing them in the shadows. There's no way they could forget about Yuri like that if they want him so badly!
The last fight before they reached Deidon Hold took them longer than usual. A whole bunch of hungry wolves. The problem weren't their strentgh, even Yuri could easily handle them while keeping an eye on Eolie who, for each battle, was quietly standing back from the party. No, the problem was just the considerable amount of beasts; once Yuri thought they had beaten all of them, a new herd just popped out from nowhere and attacked them at once, not giving them the time to take a break. Without bodhi blastia it was quite difficult. Plus Yuri had no idea about how he managed to use his artes in Zaphias, so while trying to reproduce them now, it didn't worked of course and he only earned some odd looks from the others...
This is why, on the last miles, Yuri was only thinking of a good bed. He supposed the others was thinking the same way, as nobody talked for the rest of the travel. But once they reached their destination...
"So... this is the black mass we saw this morning?" Estelle said, raising her head.
"Oh, you gotta kiddin' me...", Yuri said, not believing what's happening in front of him.
They couldn't recognize the place at all. The entire hold was covered by a black-purplish thick smoke, but the most strange was certainly that the smoke seemed to be confined in the hold itself, as if limitated by invisible walls.
"I've never seen something like that," Rita claimed. "Do you think it's related to Yokais?"
"Might be." Yuri said with disdain. "So? What should we do?"
"Maybe we should ask them. We're not the only ones here apparently." Judith noticed.
She was right. In front of them was a military camp with white tents and some knights to guard it. She approached a knight who was apparently keeping the camp's main entrance.
"Excuse me, we are travelers," Judith said to them, and Yuri saw she wasn't hesitating in using her charming smile and manners to do so. "Do you know what happened here?"
The magic of her charm was quite effective, as he immediately replied to her with a stammering voice. "Hum... I'm... I'm sorry, young miss, but we don't know either what happened here. Our squad has been sent here for the security of the civilians but, when we arrived, that smoke appeared from nowhere... some of us managed to escape, but there are still people trapped inside..."
"So why are you stayin' there? Why don't you go and save them?" Yuri asked as he stepped forward, placing himself next to Judith.
"Actually..."
"… we already did it. We sent some of our men, but they never returned."
"Ca... Captain Ludiart!"
The knight immediately standed at attention as a tall man past next to him. He was walking with grace and elegance, his feet barely trampling the ground, with the knight cape and his long chocolate-coloured hair floating behind and around him. If Yuri had seen him from afar, he could have easily mistaken him for a woman because of his frailed-looking body and his tall and slender legs.
The knight was standing in front of them, his grey eyes shaped like almonds staring gently at them. Thanks to the armor he was wearing, Yuri could clearly say he was the captain of the squad.
"May I help you?", he asked with his suave voice.
"Sorry for the trouble," Yuri replied, "but we need to get through the hold. Can you let us pass?"
"Well, you can pass, but... Do you wish on having the same fate as the men I sent there?"
Yuri said nothing. Even from there, the air was heavy and sick, maybe caused by that black smoke. What the hell was that thing?
"You said your men never returned?" Estelle asked, worried.
The man opened his eyes wide, surprised. "You..." He seemed to have recognized Estelle, but stopped his sentence and instead replied politely to her question. "Yes, it is correct, young lady. We sent them yesterday morning... not even one came back. We tried to come back into the hold, but the gate is now locked. However, during the night, we can hear strange sounds, and even screams."
"Ss... huh... strange... sounds?" Rita stammered in horror. "No... no way... maybe it's the people trapped inside?"
"I don't think so... the sounds were everything but human."
Rita shivered, horrified. Yuri get closer to the gate, but Ludiart was right, it was tightly closed.
"So, what should we do?" Yuri asked once again to the others as he came back, not paying attention to Rita's apparent fear.
"We still can take the road by the Quoi Woods," Judith replied, "but it's already night."
"But he said there are people still trapped inside!" Estelle claimed.
"You're right, but I don't know what we can do..."
"Sorry to disappoint you," the man interrupted, "but I already thought about the possibility to passing through the Quoi Woods... and we met the same problem."
"You mean... the smoke?"
"Absolutely, charming lady."
"Oh no, what should we do then?" Karol said, panicked.
"Let's rest first." Yuri suggested. "'cause one thing for sure: It sounds we're sticked there."
"If I remember correctly, we still have a spare tent... if you want it, I don't mind" the man said.
"No... no way I'm staying here!" Rita said, her legs shaking and her arms surrounded around her.
Yuri smirked and speaked to the man. "Okay, we'll accept. Thank you."
"What the...? Yuri!"
"Well, it's that or you'll go back alone."
Rita poutted, saying nothing.
The man, who introduced himself as the Captain Georges Ludiart, show them their tent. The tent was small (well, they were seven altogether, but Repede didn't minded sleeping outside), the interior wasn't really comfortable with what is strictly necessary, but Yuri really didn't mind, it's just a military tent for sleeping. As everybody settled itself for the night, while Judith and Estelle were taking care of the dinner, Karol took advantage of the situation to set up a little impromptu meeting.
"Hey, everybody, what do you think of that?"
"Of what?" Yuri asked as he didn't understood immediately what Karol was meaning.
"That smoke... we can't pass through Deidon Hold nor the Quoi Woods."
"If it's the yokais... It's like they wanted to lock us and prevent us from moving," Judith tried to explain, "so they can attack us at night."
"Yeah, you're probably right..." Yuri said, agreeing with her. "So that's why we haven't seen them during all day."
"Hum... actually, I heard something about that... a yokai who can create demonic smoke. But I don't remember its name."
Everybody remained silent, unhappy with the few information they have about the situation.
"First, let's have some rest." Yuri said as he tried to ensconce himself in his chair. Actually, there were only four beds in the tent, so Judith and Yuri decided to let them to Eolie, Estelle, Karol and Rita.
~.o.O.o.~
Yuri wasn't really sleeping, so he was startled when he heard a strange sound coming from outside. It was faint but, because of the camp being so silent, he could clearly hear it.
And he wasn't the only one. He saw, in what seems to be Rita's bed, a small shadow straightening all of a sudden. The young mage wasn't sleeping at all, certainly still marked by the captain's words.
"You heard that too, Rita?"
"Yu... Yuri? What was that?"
"Dunno..."
A second sound, louder this time, reached their ears.
"Oh no, no, no, I don't like this..."
Other sounds came up, louder and louder. Alerted, Yuri left his chair and grabbed his sword. The others woke up one by one.
"What is that?" said a confused and still sleeping Judith.
"Is... is this the sounds... the captain was talking about?" Karol stammered with a shaking voice.
Repede was barking loudly and aggressively outside. Something dangerous was happening there. Yuri rushed out of the tent and noticed the usual blue colour of the night sky had turned to a black-purplish colour.
"Huh?"
"It seems the smoke is spreading..." Judith said as she left the tent, soon followed by the others. "… and... the gate is opened?"
Yuri came closer to the gate and saw Judith was right. The gate was now widely opened, from which massive quantities of smoke was escaping. Still, the smoke was so thick so it was impossible to distinguish something inside the hold.
The knights were running through all the place in panick while Ludiart, standing in the middle of this mess, was shouting orders and making wide movements with his arms. So none of them seemed to notice the gate opened.
Suddenly, an ethereal sound came up from the smoke.
"Come in, young human. I was waiting for you."
Pheww... okay, this one is done.
Reviews, reviews!