Chapter 3

Rex sat at the desk in his office looking at the letter that he had gotten from his friend Eraqus. Somehow, the Keyblade Master had managed to get the letter into the regular mail system of Clestia and have it sent to Rex. Eraqus had been right about his pupils, they showed great promise but were still lacking real field experience. At the Keyblade Master's request, Rex had given Aqua and Terra two weapons from his personal collection. Being the leader of the world's most respected mercenary gang came with a few perks. One of those perks was ancient enchanted weapons that never dulled and could pierce almost any hide. Rather than have Eraqus' students use their Keyblades which granted them extra strength, both magical and physical, Rex had given them two weapons from his own personal stash. He kept all the enchanted weapons in a locked room that had only one entrance. The only way to get in was through Rex's office. A few of the mercenaries knew the fundamentals of magic and had reinforced the walls with magic to prevent people from breaking in.

It had taken some convincing to get both Keybearers to forgo their special weapons for a more normal blade; he didn't want too many people wondering where they got the Keyblades from, after all. When Rex had finally convinced them and let Aqua and Terra into the sealed room so that they could select their preferred weapon, Terra had instantly looked at one blade in particular. In the back of the room, a lone great sword was hung up. There was nothing else around it drawing the attention of whoever walked into the room towards the large blade. The blade was black, with tan edges, and a center strip of red lava made up the look of the blade. Unlike the other swords in the room, the blade wasn't flat and made out of pure metal. Instead the blade looked more like segmented scale plates layered atop one another. The handle was a thin shaft ending with a cone-shaped pommel. Amongst all the other weapons that hung on racks or lay on tables, that one blade stuck out like a sore thumb.

Seeing that Terra had spotted the hanging sword, Rex placed his hand on the teen's shoulder. "That's the one blade you can't use I'm afraid. It's my personal blade, the Akantor Kingsword. It's a memory from my homeworld."

"I see. Master Eraqus did say that you weren't native to Clestia," Terra thought aloud.

"If you don't mind us asking Sir Rex, how did you manage to get to Clestia?" Aqua asked as she picked up a short sword lying on a table, testing its weight before putting it back.

"Magic, and not my own. I met a woman back home who was quite the looker. I'd just come back from a mission and was celebrating with my team when I saw her. A few drinks later, we're heading back to my place." Rex looked uncomfortable even at leaving it open to what exactly had transpired that night. From the look on his face it was clear as a bell what he and the woman had done. It was always odd to tell the tale, more so when there was a woman in the room as he told it. They always judged him wrongly. "Come morning she's gone and I go to head out. I reach my door and this funny feeling comes over me. Next thing I know I'm barreling through space and make a rough landing here on Clestia." The entire time, Rex had been looking directly at the Kingsword. His eyes had glazed over as if he'd been taken back to that morning when his life had taken a dramatic turn.

"So why haven't you let Master Eraqus take you back home?" This time it was Terra who asked the question.

"I had already set up the Knights by the time I met Eraqus. Too many people here count on me to just up and leave," Rex said with a shrug. "You two picked out your weapons yet?"

"Yes," Aqua and Terra said in unison. Aqua had taken a blue-hilted katana with a matching blue sheath. Hidden within the sheath was a steel blade that looked like your average sword. Only one thing marked it as an enchanted blade: the green glow that clung to the steel. Terra had picked a simple looking great sword with no handguard, which could come and bite him if he wasn't careful. Like Aqua's katana, the blade had a faint green aura around it, the only thing making it stand out against normal swords.

"Perfect," Rex said, patting them both on the back. "Now for your mission, two of my mercenaries will accompany you so that you don't get lost. Clestia is a large world and there are a lot of things out there that think humans are food."

"But I thought the Master wanted us to fight against these monsters, why avoid them?" Terra questioned, not fully understanding why they were sent here if they weren't going to be fighting monsters.

"Because monsters make dens," Rex said matter of factly, "and some of them are smart enough to make traps at the entrance to their territories. It wouldn't do you much good if you were killed before you even got to the monsters."

"I see. I'm sorry Rex." Terra bowed as he apologized.

"Alright. Now off to the north, past the Boreas Mountains, there is a small village that has sent reports of a Fire Demon running around. These guys normally aren't much trouble if you can get to them when they're small. But that's not the case from the sounds of the scout's reports. It's a full fledge demon and it's looking to destroy the area. We've named this Demon, Ifrit," Rex explained, looking at both Keybearers as if trying to spot any weakness in them, weakness that might say they weren't ready for such a task.

"There anything we need to know about this Ifrit before we set off?" Aqua politely asked.

"One of the two I'm sending with you, Sol, has researched Demons. He'll know what to do once you guys get there. We should head out to the main entrance and wait for your escorts." Rex headed out of the vault of weapons, closing the door once Aqua and Terra were out. Taking a ring of keys off his belt, Rex locked the door with one of the many iron items. Producing another key from his pocket, Rex locked another keyhole above the first. One could never be too careful when protecting powerful weaponry.

-BotH-

"Did you say a FIRE DEMON?!" Luna shouted in surprise as Terra told her what they were going to be facing. Both Sol and Luna had the feeling that they weren't actually doing a simple escort mission. If Terra's draw with Luna yesterday was any indicator of their abilities, they didn't need protection.

"I can't believe Captain Rex didn't tell us before leaving," Sol reasoned, looking in his bag and taking a quick inventory of what was there. "We'll have to stop in the next town and stock up on the needed items."

All four travelers sat around a fire, letting it warm the cold morning air. They had set up camp a few yards away from the edge of the road so that anyone traveling past wouldn't disturb them. It was open field as far as the eye could see and it was slightly disheartening as when you traveled. The landscape didn't change enough, causing it to look like you hadn't moved a single step. Only a random gathering of bushes broke up the monotony of the scenery. Yesterday's rain had stopped during the night; dark clouds still hung in the sky looking ready to drop another load at any given moment. Gazing up at the clouds, Sol took a deep breath as he tried to recall all that he'd read about the elemental Demons. They came in three stages; Lesser, Normal, and Greater. Only when a Demon reached the Greater stage were they given a name. Ifrit was what Terra had said the monster was named, meaning that it was at the top of the list in strength. Greater Demons presented a challenge because they could only be defeated by a weapon enchanted with the Demon's elemental weakness or a spell of the opposing element. Sol only knew three spells and he'd yet to find a scroll or book with instructions for a water spell, which would be a Fire Demon's weakness. How did Rex expect them to best a Greater Demon without the proper magic?

"Aqua, Terra, can either of you use magic?" Sol asked them, hoping that his captain hadn't sent them out on a fool's quest.

"Yes," Aqua answered, "why do you ask?" Sol explained what he knew about Demons and what they were going to need in order to realistically stand a chance at defeating Ifrit. He listed a few potions and salves that'd be beneficial as Demons at that strength could exude a poisonous gas along with casting magic of their element. Few shops sold the items but if they looked in each town they passed through, they should be able to get what they needed before reaching the Boreas Mountains.

"What was the Captain thinking, sending us out like this? He should have lent us water blades so we'd actually be of some use," Luna complained, running her hand across the hilt of her simple sword.

"I think he did it on purpose," Terra said, trying to ease the tension that was starting to build between the two mercenaries. "Our Master sent us to the Knights to gain some real world experience. Maybe Rex didn't tell you about it so that me and Aqua would have to fight it alone."

"A Greater Demon isn't what I'd give you as your first 'real world' experience. Rex should have sent you to clean out a Flan's Den or something equally as simple," Sol told them as he stood up and picked up his cloak that he'd lain down as a barrier between him and the wet ground. Taking a deep breath, Sol concentrated and found the source of magic inside him that all living creatures possessed. Taking a hold of the power inside, Sol pulled on a small part of it and brought it out into the physical world. Once outside of his body, the power tried to take on a form of its own. Guiding the power, Sol willed it to turn into heat and flash-dry his cloak, creating a little steam in the process. "We need to get going if we're going to be of any use to that town the Demon is attacking."

Luna got up, nodding her agreement which confused Sol slightly. He hadn't expected that she would be the one backing him up on it. The only thing he could think of was that Luna knew the gravity of the situation; Demons weren't something that normal people would be sent to deal with. Rex and the town under attack were trusting both Sol and Luna to guide their charges safely across the mountains to their destination. It was a two week journey by foot to the base of the mountains. From there they would have to pick going through or going over the mountains. Summer would soon be changing to Autumn, causing the pass over the mountains to become dangerous. Going through would be filled with its own hazards. Orcs, trolls, and wyrms were just a few of the monsters that made their homes within the Boreas Mountains, and they'd be ready to pounce on any travelers that were seeking to use their caverns to go through the snow capped peaks.

Gathering up their belongings, the four started out on the road again, after making sure the fire was out of course. With the grey clouds still prominent in the sky, the travelers were a little weary about packing their cloaks up. Deciding that it'd be safe to for a while at least, they threw the items into their bags with just a little part of it sticking out so they could quickly retrieve it should a sudden downpour happen. Attaching his sword to his belt, Sol saw the white edge of the envelope containing the letter his sister had written sticking out of his pocket. He had meant to read it last night but the pouring rain had put a damper on that idea. Now with no rainfall he was tempted to open the envelope and see what had been so important for Mika to write that she couldn't have simply told him when she found him in the Knight's library. Knowing his sister, he assumed that it was something that she didn't feel comfortable discussing aloud. There were a few matters that fell into that category but Sol had a feeling it was something that he shouldn't read in the company of others. It'd have to wait until they got to the next town and stayed at the inn where he could possibly rent his own room.

Luna took the lead heading down the trail, quickly followed by Terra and Aqua with Sol bringing up the rear. Simply walking to the next town felt like a waste of time in Sol's opinion, so he reached into his bag and pulled out one of the books that he had stored within. Looking at the cover, he didn't remember packing the book he held. It had a dark grey binding with a flame painted onto the cover. Opening to the first page, Sol read a name that he was very familiar with: Avera. Her journals had been copied many times over the years for distribution to the mercenary groups, places of study, and noblemen's libraries. Not a single explorer had written more journals than Avera; she was a legend amongst aspiring travelers and would-be archeologists. Every single one of her entries had some information tucked away inside. She never wasted time describing something useless like how the glass panes still hung in the window of the temple she was visiting. While it might make reading the journals more interesting to the common folk, for mercenaries like Sol, who read the books for information, it was a godsend that she got right to the point.

Flipping through the worn pages, Sol tried to figure out where Avera had gone to when she had started writing this particular journal. Much of the text had faded and was hard to read, but a few entries into the twelfth page, Sol spotted a set of words he hadn't expected to read: Ignis et Glacies. Sol almost dropped the worn journal in shock. Avera had been to the forbidden temple. Flipping to the last legible entry he could find, Sol read as quickly as he could while still retaining the information written on the pages. Reading the faded and smudged handwriting was hard while walking, but from what Sol was able to pick out, Avera had made it farther into the temple than any of the others had. If he could sit down and go through the entire book and compare it with the others in his collection, he'd be able to traverse the majority of the traps in the temple and come close to the inner sanctum. The temple was supposed to guard a weapon of magnificent power that could put the enchanted swords they normally found to shame. It was said to hold enough power within that it could bring destruction to an army if the wielder was strong enough. Many people had tried to brave the temple after the weapon had been sealed away. So many died trying that it became forbidden to enter the temple and the location was lost to time, only lucky explores stumbling across it. If they made mention of it in their journals, they were executed to prevent the knowledge from leaking to the public. However, a few journals had slipped through the cracks, sometimes literally in the ruins where the owner met their untimely demise. These journals still held instructions on how to reach the Ignis et Glacies Temple. If Sol read all the books correctly, the temple was near the highest peak of the Boreas Mountains, not far off the path they'd have to take to get to the town being attacked by Ifrit.

-BotH-

Rin looked over the incomplete painting in front of her with a critical eye, trying to figure out where her next brush stroke needed to be placed. As she tried to figure out what to do, she tapped the wooden end of her paint brush on her leg in impatience at her own inability. Her leg was covered by an apron that had once been tan but now had splotches of various colors on it from mishaps and boredom. Looking at the cliché sunset painting that her rich client wanted for his foyer, Rin twirled her paint brush and dipped the tip into a clay jar filled halfway with an orange-yellow paint. The fine tipped brush dripped paint back into the jar as Rin held it overtop trying to see if there was a better spot for the stroke she was about to make. Not seeing anywhere else, Rin added another ray to the sun setting over a forest of trees with red and yellow leaves. Pleased with how it turned out Rin went back to looking over the painting, trying to figure out if there were any other touch-ups that needed to be done with the sun. However, she was interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Just a minute," Rin called out, placing her brush in a glass of water turned murky from all the excess paint that clung to the brush. I wonder if it's Mika, she should be getting back soon. Maybe I should make a move on her soon. As father always said "nothing ventured, nothing gained" he was talking about business but it applies elsewhere.

Not bothering to take her apron off, Rin walked across the room and opened the door to find it wasn't Mika. Instead, a short woman, a few inches shorter than herself, was standing in the doorway. She had light blue hair almost the same shade as Aqua's and amethyst eyes. While the woman wouldn't be considered portly she did look well fed. On her neck was a silver choker with sapphires set in it, a few dangling down over the woman's white blouse. She wore a tan ankle-length skirt and three rings on each hand each set with a different gem. Rin unconsciously gulped as she looked at the woman, a visit from her mother couldn't be a good sign.

"Rin," her mother said curtly, "are you going to invite your mother in or are you just going to stand there like some buffoon?"

"Sorry mother," Rin apologized as her wits came back to her, "please do come in." Rin moved out of her mother's way letting the "full figured" woman into her home. Closing the door once her mother was inside, Rin wondered just what she was doing here, now of all times. They hadn't spoken since Rin had left home to go and live on her own a few towns away from her family. She hadn't exactly left on good terms with her mother so it was quite a shock to have seen her on the other side of the door.

Rin watched with worry as her mother looked over the room as if trying to spot anything wrong with it. Her mother was a critical woman and had rarely spoken a kind word to either of her children. It was one of the many reasons that Rin had moved towns away rather than live near her family. Her mother squinted at the counter where a plate from Rin's lunch lay unwashed. One plate was all it could take to send her mother into a frenzy about what a pigsty the place was. Surprisingly enough, her mother didn't do anything more than look at the plate before she moved to one of the chairs around the dining table. Taking a seat, her mother motioned for Rin to sit down across from her. Acting like she owned any place she walked into was just another wonderful trait of the woman Rin was forced to call mother. Without a real reason to refuse, Rin took the seat her mother had pointed to.

"You keep a tidy place, daughter."

Rin just about fell out of her chair, there was no way in the world those words had just passed her mother's lips. "T- Thank you, mother."

"Have you found yourself a husband yet, daughter?" There was no emotion behind the question. It was as if her mother were asking her if she had seen the new dresses that the noblewomen wore.

"No I haven't. Is that why you've come here, to see if I have plans to get married?" Rin asked, slightly hurt that her mother could have possibly come for such a trivial reason.

"Of course. If you choose not to find one for yourself than your father and I must step in and see that you have someone to take care of you should something happen." Only years of dealing with her mother's uncaring nature softened the blow of the fact Rin had been right about her mother once more.

"But mother-" Rin started trying to get a defense started before her mother went on a rant.

"No buts Rin. You have spent far too long chasing women." Her mother spat the word "women" like saying it would somehow cause her to become ill. "It is high time you stopped messing around and started a family. Don't you want children of your own? You will never have that if you continue as you are."

"I want a family but I will not lie to myself, mother. I have told you and father before that my preference in bed partners is not a choice. Just as you find it unappealing to sleep with another woman I find it unappealing to sleep with a man, even if this means I'd have to forgo giving birth to my own child." Rin kept her calm throughout her speech, never once raising her voice to her mother, even if she did deserve it. Her mother, however, had started turning red with anger at the start of Rin's speech and had gone beyond tomato red by the time her daughter had finished.

"Thankfully, your brother agreed that you'd be far too stubborn to listen to reason. We have arranged your marriage to one of our business partners. You will come back with me to Voria to meet your husband."

"What does Siruis have to do with this?" Rin questioned, worried about how her brother was involved. It wasn't surprising that her mother had arranged for her to be married, many people had arranged marriages. While Siruis hadn't been exactly supportive of Rin's lifestyle he was the only one she had to talk to from her family. With their father frequently off on business and an emotionally distant mother, they had grown quite close when they were living together. Even now they still saw each other about every three months when he'd come to pick up a painting or request a new one.

"Siruis has agreed that if you don't agree to this marriage than he will stop selling your paintings."

Rin looked like she had been dealt a physical blow as she processed the information her mother had just given her. To learn her brother was siding with their mother on this brought tears to Rin's eyes. She had always thought that he would be there for her no matter what she ended up doing. Now he was turning his back on her in an attempt to get her to conform to a normal woman's role. It wasn't right that her family thought so little of her that they would be able to force her into something she clearly didn't want to do. Using the top of her apron, one of the small areas still clean, Rin dabbed away the streaks her tears had left on her face. As much as it hurt she couldn't afford to cry at the moment, she needed to be strong so her mother wouldn't prey upon her weakness.

"Then I'll have to find another merchant willing to sell my works," Rin said as firmly as she could muster given the situation. With a heavy heart, she looked over at the painting that she was finishing up for a client, a client that her brother had gotten her. "Should that fail my knowledge of herbs should be enough to get me by."

"With another herbalist in town? You'll be lucky if anyone comes to you," her mother scoffed.

A knock on the door stopped Rin from saying anything back to her mother. Choosing not to extend her mother the courtesy of excusing herself, Rin stood up from her chair and went to open the door. Mika stood in the door, one hand resting on her hip and the other holding the drawstrings of her bag that was tossed over her shoulder. Dirt coated her clothes from having been on the trail for days without a good wash. There was even a smudge of dirt on the blonde's cheek for proof of her travels. Finding Mika on the other end was both a good thing and a bad thing. Right now she didn't need another woman in the room, one that could easily cause Rin's mother to reveal her daughter's secret. There was little doubt in Rin's mind that her mother would jump to the conclusion that she and Mika were little more than acquaintances.

"Heya Rin. Hope you haven't forgotten that you promised me a job when I came back," Mika said jokingly.

Of course Rin hadn't forgotten that she had promised Mika a job when she got back from escorting Aqua and Terra to the headquarters of the Knights. While she was doing her daily chores, Rin had tried to think up something that she would need to hire a mercenary for. She had said she needed to gather more plants for paints but all of her supplies were well stocked. There was only one color she could really use more of and that was the blue from the flowers that she had already hired Mika for. Like a bolt of lightning, Rin was struck with an idea. Her painting supplies were well stocked but her herbs for tonics, potions, antidotes, and such were well below what she'd need if she was going to be transitioning to an herbalist rather than a painter.

"I hadn't forgotten Mika. Do you mind waiting at the inn? I have company over right now and she's not the most hospitable person out there," Rin informed the mercenary.

"Oh, who ya got over?" Mika asked as she tried to lean in and look past Rin into the house.

"My mother, not that you need to know," Rin said, her tone soft and reserved.

"You don't seem too happy about that," Mika observed. "Need someone to muscle her on out? I've had to remove a few unwanted people from homes before. Normally they're men sneaking into my room but I doubt your mother would be able to put up as much of a fight as they did." Rin couldn't decide if Mika was actually offering to throw her mother out or if the blonde was just joking. The smirk on the mercenary's face wasn't at all helpful in trying to figure it out. What was getting to Rin was how much she was actually debating about whether to take Mika up on her offer or not. It really scared her when she came to the realization that she really would enjoy the sight of Mika tossing her mother out of her home like a hired guard at a tavern.

"Would you please?" Rin whispered reluctantly as if saying it louder would make what was about to happen worse.

Mika's smirk turned into a full on grin, her white teeth showing. "I'll be as gentle as I can."

Moving out of Mika's way, Rin let the blonde mercenary into her home once again. As Mika walked over to the table where Rin's mother was sitting, she cracked her knuckles threateningly. Normally Mika walked like an average citizen, there was nothing special to her walk, but as she made her way across the room it was like she was a completely different person. She stood straight up, making the most of her abnormal height. Her stride carried purpose, the sound of her knuckles cracking and the menacing smile made her look downright scary. The Mika striding through the room was the kind of person that if you saw them walking down the street, you'd move to the other side in hopes they didn't spot you.

"Who are you?" Rin's mother questioned the approaching woman. Her voice didn't show any fear but her hands laying in her lap where shaking more and more the closer the mercenary got.

"Mika, mercenary for hire. You're kind daughter has asked me to escort you off the premises. It's all up to you how well this goes."

"I'll double what she's paying you to leave," Rin's mother said, her voice starting to gain a hint of the fear she was trying desperately to hide.

"So sorry, I have principles. You could offer ten times what she's paying and I'd still have to refuse you." By now Mika was standing across the table from the blue-haired woman. Golden eyes stared down into amethyst eyes as if daring the sitting woman to try something.

"Fine, I will take my leave of you. Maybe next time my daughter will have the courage to request me to leave rather than have some sellsword do it." Rin's mother stood up and walked over to the still open door where Rin was standing. Looking her daughter up and down, the merchant's wife let out a humph of disapproval and left the house. Mika, who had been right behind Rin's mother, slammed the door almost causing the doorknob to hit the woman on the outside of the house. Mika smacked her hands together like she was getting the dirt off of them.

"And good riddance to bad rubbish." Mika still had on her grin, only now it was softer and more welcoming rather than frightening.

"I just had my own mother thrown out of my house," Rin said, horrified at her actions.

"Uh Rin, I ain't gonna lie, I happened to overhear a bit of the conversation before I knocked on the door." Rin's eyes went wide with fear at the news. If Mika had overheard the beginning of the conversation, there was no telling what sort of conclusion she might draw from it. It would make things much easier in a way if Mika did happen to hear the entire conversation. "All I heard was that your brother was going to stop selling your paintings if you didn't marry some guy." Rin let out the breath she had been holding in, Mika didn't know about her preferences after all. "I'm not an expert when it comes to family, ask my brother if you ever meet him, but giving you a choice like that doesn't seem very 'family like'."

"Even still, she's my mother and I-I shouldn't have had you do that." Rin closed her eyes trying to hold back tears. She felt something soft touch her cheek making her open her eyes so she could find out what it was. A black cloth with a red K stitched into the corner was dabbing at her cheek, wiping up the tears. Looking up at Mika, Rin almost laughed at the sight. The blonde had her brow furrowed and her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, like cleaning tears was a great effort.

"There we go. No use in crying over what needed to be done. Now, about that job you needed me to do."

(C/N):

Rin: Aww Mika you have such a soft side

Mika: Keep it quite Rin. We can't have these people knowing that!

Sol: She's not all that sweet Rin. Remember she did stop all contact with me for THREE YEARS.

Luna: Oh come off it Sol. Be happy you have a sister. I'm a single child and I'd love to have a sister.

Sol: Want mine?

Jade: STOP IT ALL OF YOU! This is supposed to be an Author's Note not a Character Note. Rin, you're supposed to be the good one. What possessed you to take over?

Rin: Mika's been a wonderful influence.

Jade: Oy vey. Leave a review please. I bet only Tor and Herald will do it though.