Chapter 38: Worry
"Natalia!" The blonde's voice was drowned out by the light drizzle that was now falling steadily down on the city of craftsmen. "You know," Guy suddenly realized with a chuckle, "maybe I shouldn't be the one calling for her."
"Maybe," Luke replied. "But I don't think she's all that likely to answer to me either."
"She mad at you again?"
"Oh yeah."
"What happened this time?"
"It's a long story," Luke said with an exasperated sigh.
"Isn't it always?" Guy shrugged, pleased with the faint smile that tugged at his best friend's lips.
"I'm glad you're back, Guy."
"Thanks Luke, that means a lot." Guy really was glad to be back. It wasn't until he had been gone, did he realize just how much he had missed being around everyone. He still couldn't really process everything that had just happened. To be perfectly honest, he was utterly amazed that Asch had been willing to take him back so easily. It was clear as day that any and all trust that may have existed between the two of them before this mess was completely gone, but considering the circumstances, and just how much of a concession it was for the noble, he was grateful. Maybe there was hope for them yet. "I'm glad to be back too."
"You really scared me," Luke admitted hesitantly.
"I'm sorry Luke, I really am. I didn't mean for everything to happen that way, or for you to find out about me like that. I guess that's what happens when you keep secrets too long; they just sort of come out, and never in the way you want them to."
"I know what you mean," Luke replied remembering all too well how his and Asch's last secret had ended up out in the open. "That God-General, Cantabile… she was your friend right?"
"Yeah, we were pretty close as kids. I haven't seen her since Hod fell."
"And you were both from noble families?"
"That's right," Guy answered, a bit surprised at Luke's sudden interrogation. But he would give Luke as many answers as he needed. Guy owed him that much.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You've already been asking me things," Guy shot back teasingly, giving his best friend a pointed look.
"If you're a noble from Malkuth, you must have had somewhere else you could have gone," Luke continued undeterred by Guy's taunts. "Why did you come work as a servant in our house?"
"You really want an answer to that?" Guy inquired, his tone making it clear that the answer wasn't something pleasant. Luke nodded. "Honestly, I moved to Kimlasca because I was going to kill Asch. My status meant nothing to me, it was just an empty title. All I cared about back then was getting revenge."
"I'm kind of jealous," Luke said with a weak smile.
"What?" Guy asked incredulously.
"I mean, I know revenge isn't right and all, but I'm jealous of how easily you gave up everything to follow your goals. I don't think I could do that."
"You'd be surprised what you'd do for the people you care about," Guy answered simply. "Besides, it's different for you; you still have your parents and Asch which is why it seems like it would be so much harder to give it all up. I don't think you'd have any problems following your dreams, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
"Thanks Guy," Luke smiled. He'd forgotten how good Guy was at saying just the right thing to make him feel better. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Do you… I mean, you don't…"
"I don't want to kill Asch anymore," Guy provided easily guessing what had Luke so worried all of a sudden. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't resent what your father did, but I know that hurting you two won't solve a thing. Back then, all I really thought about was hurting your father as badly as I could, and Asch was an easy target. Maybe you could say I just didn't have the guts to go after your father, so I took it out on Asch."
"Is that why you two never got along?"
"Yeah… Asch has more than enough reason to hate me. I was pretty terrible to him before you came along. Of course, you know Asch, he isn't one to just take it, and I'm sure you can guess how things went from there. But I can honestly say that I was the one who started everything. Then… then I helped Van kidnap him." Guy fell silent and waited for Luke's reaction.
"Yeah," Luke said softly.
"Yeah? That's it?" Guy had expected a lot of different reactions from Luke at his latest revelation, but that certainly hadn't been one of them.
"I know, Asch told me."
"You knew? For how long?"
"Does it matter?"
"Then why did you trust me?"
"Well, it's like you said," Luke shrugged, "things are different now, right?"
"Yeah but…"
"Then that's what matters," Luke said definitively. Guy smiled.
"Shall we go find Natalia? Before Asch rakes us over?"
"Yeah, and when I find her, I'm going to give her an earful."
"Really?" Guy just couldn't picture Luke yelling at Natalia. It was usually the other way around.
"Yes. Asch has enough to worry about without having her taking off like that." Luke was determined, and there was a strength in his best friend that Guy hadn't seen before.
Just what had happened while he was gone?
--
Asch stood alone on the road leading up to the inn. Everyone had finally vanished in the distance, breaking into pairs to try and track down his errant fiancée. He had volunteered to search the places he thought she might go on his own, while everyone else covered the city. They knew she had been with them when they got to Sheridan, but no one had noticed when she slipped away. But why would she just take off like that without telling anyone? It wasn't like her at all. She wasn't that mad, was she?
No matter how mad she might be, Asch knew Natalia had more sense then to try and head back to Baticul on her own, especially with the world's current state of affairs. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. To be perfectly honest, he didn't really know what to think anymore; she hadn't been at all like herself for quite some time now. Everything was such a mess, it was getting to the point that he didn't even know where to start anymore. So much to deal with, no time to do it in, and without any of the information that he needed… Asch let out a frustrated sigh. If he got out of this one with all of his sanity intact he'd be highly surprised.
"Hey there, honey."
Asch could feel the pressure of the pink-haired bandit's shoulders as she leaned against his back. He didn't need to see her to know that her arms were crossed in front of her chest and a smug grin was spread across her face. Her pink hair hung messily in her eyes that were probably closed or staring intently at the ground. Her personality was evident in every aspect of her posture and every word from her mouth. Time and again she'd proven herself to be an invaluable ally, and Asch hadn't once regretted his decision to enlist their help.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on Guy for me," Asch stated.
"No problem. You sure pick troublesome jobs though, honey, we had to get pretty creative to keep him from catching us," Noir said, her voice laced with her favourite tone: a sweet way of talking that bordered on seductive. "And we didn't always succeed," she added after a moment's thought.
"That's alright."
"Pretty cruel of you there, sweetheart," Noir taunted as she circled around to meet his gaze.
"He couldn't touch you if he wanted to," Asch shot back. Noir smiled in defeat.
"So what's it this time?" The young bandit asked, quickly figuring out the reason for their encounter. It wasn't like it was that difficult to figure out. Her boss was cautious, played his cards very carefully, and meeting here and now was very risky for both of them. Whatever he needed must be urgent.
"It won't be easy," Asch replied.
"Honey, who do you think you're talking to?"
"It'll probably be dangerous."
"And when has that ever stopped you?" Noir grinned as she successfully elicited a chuckle from her boss. "Have we ever let you down before?"
"No, you've done well," Asch let out a sigh, his face growing very serious. He was worn out, tired by the multitude of troubles that he had to deal with. Even she could tell that much. Someone as young and handsome as him shouldn't have to look so grown up. But it wasn't like he had a choice. No…it wasn't like either of them had a choice, because she couldn't just abandon a sweetheart like him.
"Noir," Asch began. "I need you to find something out for me, and I need to know very soon."
--
The fire at the inn crackled as the flickering light it emitted chased away the cold the rain seemed to bring with it. Luke, Guy, Anise, Ion and Mieu were all seated strategically around the flames, taking in the warmth and waiting for their clothes to dry while Asch had begun pacing along the length of the fireplace. None of them had any luck in locating Natalia, and it was starting to get late. It would be dark soon, and if she didn't show up before nightfall, their chances of finding her later would be pretty slim.
'You're going to make a rut in the floor if you keep that up,' Luke commented.
'Go crawl under a rock,' Asch shot back.
'You realize your pacing is just making everyone more nervous, right? Besides, I think Anise is going to kick you into the fire the next time you pass by her.'
'I dare her to try it,' Asch stated in a bitter tone.
'Look Asch,' Luke interjected, annoyed by his brother's foul mood. Not that he could blame him, but still… 'We're all worried, but I'm sure wherever Natalia is, she's fine. Seriously, just sit down. You're going to drive us all crazy at this rate.'
But before Asch could come up with a sarcastic response, the door to the inn opened and Jade walked in with two figures trailing behind him: Tear and none other than the errant princess.
"Natalia!" Guy stood up excitedly, but backed off when he realized she hadn't been around earlier.
"Don't worry Guy," Jade cut in, "we filled her in on the details regarding our previous encounter."
"Thanks." Guy smiled almost apologetically.
"Where were you?" Ion inquired as Natalia stood in the entry way wringing the water out of her hair. "We searched everywhere for you."
"Yeah," Anise emphasized. "Why'd you take off like that without telling any of us?"
"I just took a wrong turn," Natalia said in an annoyed tone. Tear gently nudged the princess with her elbow and Natalia seemed to lighten up a bit.
"So…what took you so long to come back and find us?" Anise pried. There was a long silence before Natalia answered.
"Instead of wandering aimlessly around Sheridan searching for you, I simply used the opportunity to restock on some supplies I used up while we were at Shurrey Hill," Natalia eventually explained when it was clear everyone was waiting on an answer from her.
"You should have tried to find us right away rather than gone shopping," Asch scolded once Natalia had finished her explanation. "We were all really worried about you."
"That's a surprise since you don't seem to care about anything I think. Why bother having me around?" Natalia snapped back, angry at being scolded by her fiancée. But as soon as she saw the hurt look on his face, she regretted her words.
"That's not true!" Luke angrily cut in. "Asch was worried sick about you! He-"
"Luke!" Asch cut his sibling off.
"You shouldn't be going off on your own," Jade re-iterated, "especially with the God-Generals and Dorian General Grants around. You couldn't have known about the later, but the former is always a threat. Do try to keep that in mind."
"I- I'm sorry," Natalia managed. Now she felt terrible, here they were all genuinely worried about her and she was putting them down. "Asch… I'm sorry for what I said." Her fiancée gave her a weak smile and a nod in acknowledgement and acceptance of her apology.
"Look Natalia, about this whole Engeve thing," Asch began.
"No, it's alright," the princess cut him off. "I... I know you're right. I just don't like it. I don't like not being able to do anything for all those people. I can't just watch them die. If there's something I can do, I don't want to just sit back and do nothing!"
"None of us like it," Tear said softly.
"Tear's right," Ion agreed. "If given the choice, we'd all choose to save everyone. Unfortunately, something that convenient just doesn't exist in this situation. It's not possible to save everyone, so we just have to do what we can. Other than that, we'll just have to hope for the best."
Natalia listened to the Fon Master's words ‒and they sounded so right‒ but she still couldn't bring herself to accept them. Not with…. No. She just couldn't. It wasn't just Engeve. This wasn't the first time, and she knew if things continued the way they were, it wouldn't be the last. Something had to be done.
"Well fortunately this mess wasn't a complete waste," Jade said with a shrug.
"What makes you say that Colonel?" Ion inquired.
"Our young Princess just happened to run into a certain someone we were searching for while she was out," Jade shrugged.
"Jade!" Natalia protested the wording the Colonel had chosen to use, her cheeks flushing.
"I was pretty surprised to say the least," the familiar voice came from the back of the room.
"Ginji!" Anise jumped. They had all been so focused on Natalia that none of them had noticed him come in behind her. "Don't do that! You scared me!"
"Sorry, Anise," Ginji chuckled.
"It's nice to see you again," Asch spoke up. "How have you been?"
"I've been busy, but not half as busy as you from what I hear. So what brings you guys here anyway? I thought you were going to stop the war."
"Yeah, that kinda failed," Anise provided.
"We were actually wondering if we could ask for your help," Asch replied, the light from the fire giving his face a dark look.
"I was hoping you would say that," Ginji answered. "You know I'll help you. Anytime, anywhere! So what's the problem?"
"It's the people of Engeve," Luke provided. "They're in danger and we need to evacuate them as soon as we can. Noelle's too busy trying to evacuate St. Binah to be able to help in time."
"So you want to use the Albiore to get them out of there faster?"
"That was our intention, yes," Jade provided taking a spot by the fire so he could dry off properly.
"No problem," Ginji said with enthusiasm, trying to lift the unsettled mood that had fallen over the entire group. Things must really be bad for such a lively bunch to be so down. "The Albiore's repairs are done so we can get going anytime. But where are you planning to evacuate everyone to?"
"Normally, the obvious choice would be Grand Chokmah," Tear provided. "But since its defences will probably be active by the time we arrive in Engeve, it's not an option. We can't bring them into Kimlascan territory either."
"What about Chesedonia?" Ion asked. "It's an autonomous state that doesn't belong to either side, so I don't see why they wouldn't accept the citizens of Engeve."
"That may not be a bad idea," Jade pondered. "Chesedonia is a fairly rich city as well and the war is unlikely to have impacted its economy that greatly. It should be able to support the citizens once we get them there, at least for the time being. It will be up to the citizens themselves to decide what they want to do beyond that."
"That's a very good point," Asch agreed. "How soon do you think we can get going?"
"The Score says it'll be sunny tomorrow, so we can take off first thing," Ginji replied.
"Alright," Asch said with a nod. "Then let's call it a night and get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
--
It hadn't seemed like that long ago since he had stood at the entrance to Engeve with Tear at the very start of their journey, but as Luke thought back on it he realized just how much had happened since then. It also struck him just how much more work they had ahead of them. But for now, they just had to get the people of Engeve out of harm's way. Then they could worry about the future.
The journey to Engeve hadn't taken nearly as long as Luke had expected it would. Something about the engines involving a lot of complex terminology that only Guy could get that excited over. But if it meant they could move faster, and save more people doing it, then you wouldn't catch him complaining. Now if only he could remember the mayor's name…
Luke had met a lot of people during his last stay in the small farming town. He had explored almost every nook and cranny of the town, much to Tear's dismay, who had been looking for him at the time. But in the process he had met and had interesting conversations with a lot of the people here. He wondered if anyone remembered him.
"So where do we start?" Tear inquired. She watched the people of Engeve going about their business. Other than the atmosphere that was much more unsettled then the last time she was here, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was hard to believe all this land was in danger of falling into the Qliphoth.
"We should stop by Rose's house," Jade suggested. "She's the Mayor here, if anyone can help us get the town evacuated, she's the one."
"Well hello!" One of the villagers stopped in passing and greeted Luke.
"Hi there!" Luke cheerfully replied, recognizing the man as one of the men he had spoken with on his previous visit.
"I remember you! You were here back around harvesting time. You're the one who helped us with the cheagle thefts. Luke, right?"
"That's right," Luke confirmed excitedly. "But I wasn't the only one who helped with the cheagles, I really didn't do much."
"Nonsense," the man dismissed Luke's humbleness. "I heard you got rid of a nest of liger eggs up in the Cheagle woods. We hadn't even thought to watch for liger nests up there, we really owe you one!"
"Really, it wasn't that big of a deal."
"Of course it is! My house is over on the north eastern edge of the village. I don't know what would have happened if ligers attacked my family. If there's anything I can do to help you out, let me know."
"Well thank you," Luke finally answered when he realized the man wasn't going to let him dismiss what he had done. It left the young noble to wonder exactly how the villagers had found out about their endeavours, but at the moment he had more important matters to deal with. "Actually, could you point me in the direction of Rose's house?"
"Sure, it's the first house on your right. You can't miss it."
"Thanks!"
"Sure thing, and stop by later if you have the time, I enjoyed our conversation last time you were here."
"I don't know if I'll have time, but if I get the chance I definitely will."
"See you!" The man called back as he continued along his way.
"Who was that?" Asch inquired.
"Just someone I met when I was here last time. You know, when Tear and I were swept away from the manor."
"Still, I'm rather surprised he remembered you," Jade provided. "It has been quite some time since we've been here."
"Yeah, I guess," Luke shrugged.
"Well, we had best get working; we don't have much time after all." Ion knocked on the door of the house before them. Moments later, the door was opened by a woman who looked to be in her 40's and was rather well built. "Hello Rose," Ion greeted her.
"Fon Master Ion! And Colonel Curtiss!" Rose exclaimed noticing Jade standing behind the redheads. "It's a surprise to see you here, especially in these times. What in Auldrant brings you all the way to our small town?"
"I'm afraid it's not simply to visit," Jade explained. "May we come in?"
"Certainly! Come in, come in," Rose ushered them all inside. "My… your entourage has certainly grown in number since the last time you stopped by. I'm afraid I may not have enough chairs for all of you."
"Please, don't concern yourself," Ion spoke up. "I'm afraid we don't have much time to begin with."
"Goodness, what's so urgent? Does it have to do with the war?"
"You could say that," Jade stated. "The fact of the matter is, Engeve is in grave danger and it is urgent that you evacuate everyone as soon as possible. We're here to help as much as we can."
"That's going to be a problem," Rose replied solemnly.
"Why's that?" Luke asked worriedly.
"Well I've been concerned about the battlefronts being pushed back so I've been trying to prepare an escape route. But with the children and the elderly, there isn't any way to get everyone safely to refuge."
"That's where I can help," Ginji spoke up.
"That's right," Asch provided. "Ginji here can take the young and the elderly to Chesedonia on his flying ship. We can also transport anyone who's injured or weak that way as well. We won't have time to take everyone that way though, so some of us will still have to head by land."
"So you're suggesting that we split up and take half the villagers by land, and the other half stay to help with loading and evacuating with the Albiore?" Tear guessed.
"Precisely," Asch confirmed. "Luke, Guy and I will go by land with everyone who is able to make the trip. Everyone else please help with evacuating everyone else."
"I'll join you by land," Jade offered. "There shouldn't be anything here the girls and the Fon Master can't handle, and you're more likely to need the fighting strength passing through the battlefield."
"Thank you Jade," Luke smiled.
"Are you sure you don't want someone who can heal as well?" Tear offered. "I don't mind joining you."
"Though your skills would be welcome, they're going to need the extra help here," Jade provided. "Ideally we won't have to deal with anything beyond a few wild monsters. We have no intentions of trying to engage those in the battlefield."
"But what about the villagers? I doubt you'll be able to get to Chesedonia without anyone getting hurt," Tear protested.
"Don't you worry about that," Rose spoke up. "There are a few able healers here and I know a couple who will be more than able to make the trip by land."
"Now we just need to get the villagers organized," Ion pointed out.
"Leave that to me!" Rose stated. "We'll gather everyone in town square and work from there. Don't underestimate us; we stick together in this town. There's nothing we can't get done if we put our minds to it."
"That's good to hear," the young Fon Master replied.
"Then let's get to work, the faster we can get things going the better," Asch pointed out. "I highly doubt the battlefield will get any less intense."
"Well then, let's work on spreading the word and gathering everyone together in the town square," Luke suggested.
"That's a good idea," Asch agreed. "We should probably split into three groups. Jade can lead one group; he's from the military so you shouldn't have any problems, same with Ion since he's the Fon Master. Natalia, would you go with Jade? Anise and Guy can go with Ion, then Luke, Tear and I will manage somehow.
"You shouldn't have any trouble," Jade said in that mocking tone of his. "You have Luke with you."
Asch simply rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, sure. Now get going old man, or the war will be over before you get anything worthwhile done."
"One could only hope wars would resolve so quickly," Jade said simply.
"Oh, just go."
"Yes, your Majesty," Jade replied with a mock bow. Asch almost growled. If Rose wasn't still in the room he would have socked the man right then and there.
"Your Majesty?" Rose inquired confusedly. Asch's palm hit his forehead.
"It's a long story," Luke provided with a nervous smile. "We really should be going; we'll meet up with you later."
"Certainly, good luck to you!"
"Thanks, you too!"
--
Much to Asch's dismay, Jade had proven to be right after all. Though Asch wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. He hated that Jade had been right… but the fact of the matter remained that things were going much smoother than he had anticipated.
As it turned out, the man they had met at the entrance wasn't the only person who remembered Luke. It almost seemed like Luke had succeeded in meeting every villager in all of Engeve during that day he had run off on his own. It certainly made the evacuation efforts much easier. The fact that Luke and Tear were known to the villagers as the ones who had eliminated the liger nest certainly helped matters as well. Most of the villagers were more than willing to listen to what the three of them had to say and all too often Asch and Tear had to cut the younger noble's conversation off and shuffle him over to the next house only to repeat the entire process all over again.
"Just when did you meet all these people?" Asch whispered to Tear while Luke was engaged in another conversation.
"I honestly don't know," Tear replied dumbfounded. "I only lost him for half a day; I guess he met a lot of people in that time."
"Maybe, but still you were only here for a day." Asch eyed the melodist but Tear simply shrugged, she didn't have any more answers than he did.
"My my, and what are we up to over here?" Jade's voice came from between the two teenagers. Tear's heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she stumbled forward, away from the unexpected intruder. Rather than react as Tear did, Asch's fist instinctively found its way to Jade's face only to be caught at the last second by the devious Colonel. "Violent, aren't we?"
"Seems like your bad habits are rubbing off on the rest of us," Asch commented.
"What do you mean? I am completely opposed to unnecessary violence," Jade said in that sickeningly fake tone of his.
"Sure, and I'm Yulia's cousin."
"No, you're not doing anything productive," Jade shot back. "We can't have Luke doing all the work, now can we?"
"And what about you?" Asch shot back.
"We're done informing the citizens on the western side of town."
"This is the last house for us too," the redhead answered, getting somewhat defensive. Tear just shook her head. Since when was this a competition?
"Then shall we fetch your other half?" Jade suggested. "There's much more work to be done before we can leave, and I'm sure I don't need to remind you that we're working on a time limit."
--
Ion let out a huge sigh as he placed the last crate on the small wagon. They couldn't afford to bring very many wagons with them. Even though they planned to try and avoid the main battlefield, there would be a great deal of danger and the small caravans were difficult to conceal. But it was a risk they would have to take, after all, they still had to feed everyone for the week or so that they had anticipated the trip would take. He just hoped everyone would make it to Chesedonia safe and sound.
The young Fon Master pulled himself up onto the edge of the wagon and allowed himself to sit and rest for a bit. He just wasn't cut out for physical labour, but he wanted to help out as much as he could none-the-less. Anise had made him promise five times over that he would sit and rest when he needed it before she would even consider letting him help out. Though she had eventually conceded, Ion could still see her watching him from afar and could tell she disapproved of him hauling crates of food, even if they were the smaller, lighter ones. He would never hear the end of it if he wore himself right out, and it wasn't like a little rest wasn't welcome.
So in the meantime, Ion was content to simply watch everyone coming and going. Rose had been right, and it was quite the sight to see everyone in Engeve working so well together. It was nice to see everyone in their group working so hard as well. Even Natalia, who they all knew would rather be trying to put a stop to the war, was working her hardest at getting everyone ready. Luke in particular was doing really well. If he wasn't helping direct and organize people, he was helping to gather supplies and load the wagons. It was completely different from his attitude in Akzeriuth. He seemed so much more certain of his own abilities, a thought that made the young Fon Master smile.
"Hey Ion, how are you doing?" Luke asked as he set another crate of food into the cart the Fon Master was sitting on.
"I'm doing fine Luke, how are you?" Ion replied with a gentle smile.
"Good, Jade thinks we should be ready to leave by tomorrow morning."
"That's sooner than you expected, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I think Jade thought it would take longer to gather supplies," the young noble explained.
"That's true, but if there's one thing that's nice about Engeve, it's that they're almost never short on food."
"Yeah, no kidding," Luke replied with a chuckle.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Ion commented, noticing Luke's good spirits.
"I guess you could say that. It's not like I'm glad that the land is falling or anything, but it feels really good to be able to help out, you know?"
"I do, there's so much joy to be had in helping those in need."
"I better get back to work if we want to be ready by the morning," Luke said with a sigh as he glanced around the town square. There was still a lot left to do.
"I'll come too," Ion offered.
"That's okay, I know you just sat down. I've only got the last few crates to load then I'll be taking a break too."
"Okay, don't work yourself too hard."
"I won't!" Luke waved as he ran off to load the crates into the other wagon. It was such a shame he'd been confined to Baticul all his life. He obviously took so much pleasure in being able to help others; there were so many wonderful things he could have accomplished.
Regardless, it made Ion happy to see his friend in such good cheer. Ion froze at the thought. That's right, Luke was his friend, as was everyone else they'd travelled with. Seeing them happy made him happy, and it bothered him to see them upset. Without even realizing it, they had all become so important to him. The memories he shared with them were the most precious times he'd ever had in his short life, and he wished for nothing more than for those times to continue on forever.
Sadly, it didn't seem like things would stay that way for much longer unless something was done. There was something wrong. It had been lurking beneath the surface ever since the war had started, but no one would talk about it. Perhaps no one even knew what it was, but it was there. This war had everyone tense, himself included, and he could almost definitely say it was entirely Mohs' fault. Well that was something he was more than capable of handling, and that man had better have a very good explanation for his actions if intended to remain within a mile of Daath.
But above and beyond Mohs and his vexatious schemes, something seemed to be bothering everyone, Asch in particular. Perhaps it was simply the stress of dealing with everything going on at the moment that Ion had been noticing, but Asch looked worn, like he hadn't slept peacefully in days. Though he wouldn't say it, Ion suspected he blamed himself for the war. He had tried speaking to the redhead; Asch just wouldn't open up with him the way Luke would, and so he left Ion to wonder. He certainly hoped Asch had no intention of taking responsibility for Mohs' machinations, even if only to himself. He only wished there was something he could do.
The Fon Master hopped down off the wagon, the best thing they could do was to hurry and get everyone to safety. Then they could find a way to end this war, not to mention put Mohs in his place once and for all. Then there was Van, who still had to be dealt with. Why he sought such destruction was beyond Ion. For as long as he had known the man he seemed dedicated and strong-hearted; perhaps that was the reason he had to see his goals, whatever they were, to the end, regardless of the sacrifices along the way. But that just couldn't be allowed, no matter what the desired result may be. Ion only hoped they could end it in a way that wouldn't be devastating for Tear. Then, maybe then, they could all truly smile again.
--
'How's everyone doing up there?' Asch's voice echoed in Luke's mind.
'Fine up here, though I'm getting the feeling everyone's more than ready to call it a day,' Luke replied. 'How about back there?'
'About the same, we should try to keep going for a bit longer, at least until the sun sets. We don't want to waste any daylight. I know it's hard on everyone, but it's only going to be that much harder if we drag this out for an extra few days. Not to mention the longer we're out here, the better chance there is of us getting in trouble.'
'I'd say you excel at that no matter how long you stay out,' Luke couldn't resist the taunt.
'Look who's talking,' Asch shot back. 'Now pay attention to where you're walking, we can't have Engeve's hero walking into a tree.'
'Shut up!'
"Something the matter?" Jade asked the younger sibling.
"No nothing," Luke replied, eyeing Jade carefully. If this morning had been any indication, today was not a day to be crossing Jade. Not that there was ever a good day to cross Jade, but he seemed on top of his game, and Luke had no intention of testing just how good Jade Curtiss could be when on some sort of vendetta. Luke had no idea what Asch had done, but Jade had oh so cleverly trapped his older brother with Guy for a full 12 hours, bringing up the rear while he and said Colonel led the citizens around the edge of the battlefield. If the two of them were both still in one piece by the time they set up camp for the night, he'd be very surprised.
"What's on your mind?" Jade inquired casually.
"Nothing much," Luke shrugged, unsure of what Jade intended to pry out of him.
"Now, now, don't lie to me young man," the Colonel taunted. "I have more than ample resources to pry the truth out of you if need be, and rest assured, they aren't free of… shall we say...sensory stimulation." Luke slowly edged away from the Necromancer. He didn't even want to know.
"Really, I'm not thinking about much, just the future I guess."
"And what about the future has you thinking so hard?" Jade pried.
"I don't know, all sorts of things. Like, what do nobles really do for a living? I know my father is always busy, but I've never bothered to find out exactly what he does."
"Ah, I see."
"You see what?" Luke asked sceptically.
"Nothing in particular. To answer your question, it depends on many things. For the most part the nobility don't do terribly much. There are a few exceptions, of course, and I suspect your father is likely one of them, but they usually just oversee the Governors and Mayors in the regions they're in charge of. Duke Fabre, I believe, is in charge of the Belkend and Sheridan areas."
"Oh," Luke answered disappointedly.
"Not especially appealing?"
"No, not really," Luke answered.
"Can't say I blame you, I've always found that sort of thing dreadfully boring. It was more my sister's cup of tea."
"You have a sister?"
'Jade has a sister?!'
'Stop eavesdropping.' Luke punctuated his point with a mental shove.
"Yes, she still lives in my hometown," Jade provided.
"And where's that?" It was Luke's turn to pry.
"Ah, here." Jade stopped.
"Here?" Luke looked around. They had stopped in a small clearing, hidden from view by a stand of trees. "You lived here?"
'No you idiot.' Asch was laughing so hard, Luke could have sworn he could hear him all the way from the back.
"I think we'll stop here for the night," Jade stated. "Would you kindly go inform Asch and Guy?"
"Won't they-"
"We'd hate for them to get separated in the dark," Jade cut Luke off. The young noble realized it was probably safer not to try and convince Jade that it was completely pointless and that both Asch and Guy would catch up with them as the villagers stopped for the night. Jade was just downright scary.
--
"Hey there," Asch said quietly, announcing his presence before sitting down beside his startled little brother. "You're not a very good watch if you're startled by that."
"My turn's almost over anyways," Luke replied with a yawn. "I'm going to go get Jade pretty quick. What has you up at this hour?" Asch brought a finger to his lips. Luke put a hand over his mouth. He had forgotten everyone was sleeping nearby. Not to mention the fact that the last thing they wanted to do was draw attention. Luke looked at his brother curiously. What were those papers he was holding onto?
But before Luke could ask, a familiar head-splitting pain crashed over him. If he hadn't been fully awake before, he most certainly was now. Luke brought a hand up to his head and tried to massage his temples, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain. From the looks of things, Asch wasn't faring much better. Just what the hell was with these Score-forsaken headaches?
Awaken….same as…hear…voice……freed….must…hurry.
There it was, same as always, same senseless assortment of words. Whatever this voice was trying to say, the important stuff wasn't getting through. Luke almost wished he could just get the message, and then maybe the headaches would stop. Thankfully, just like always, once the voice had vanished, the pain went away.
"You okay?" Luke asked, remembering to keep his voice down this time.
"Yeah," Asch replied. "That was really weird, I wonder if-"
"I wish whoever the hell that was would just shut up," Luke grumbled, inadvertently cutting his sibling off.
"Actually, that's what I came here to talk to you about."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah," Asch confirmed, "I almost wonder if he was trying to interrupt us."
"Why, do you know who it is? Or better yet, how they're doing it?" Luke inquired.
"I think so, and that last part is really the key. I mean, whoever, or whatever is doing this is communicating with us through our fon slots, the same way we talk to each other."
"Yeah, but how is that possible?"
"It shouldn't be, unless it has the same fonon frequency as we do," Asch explained.
"But wait a second, isn't that impossible?" Luke just couldn't follow Asch's train of thought.
"It should be, but take a look at this." Asch placed the papers he had been hanging onto into the light. "These are the reports from the fon disk we found at Choral Castle, look here." Asch pointed to a specific line.
"That's a number," Luke said.
"I know it's a number you idiot," Asch playfully took a swing at Luke but Luke managed to duck just in time. "But it's not just a random number, it a fonon frequency."
"Well if it's a fonon frequency, and it's on the disk from Choral Castle, then it's our fonon frequency, right?"
"It should be, that's why it's bothering me. Do you remember what Jade said in Deo Pass?" Luke shook his head. Asch sighed and continued. "This is Lorelei's fonon frequency."
"Whoa, whoa, slow down. You think that Lorelei has the same fonon frequency we do? You think that the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon is trying to talk into our heads?"
"You don't have to say it like that," Asch grumbled. "That's just what I'm thinking right now. Jade could be right and extra Seventh Fonons during the replication process caused this number to be recorded, but I really don't think so. At the very least, there's a chance we may have the same fonon freqency that Lorelei does." Luke simply stared and slowly shook his head. "What?" Asch finally asked.
"When did you have time to think about all this?"
"Well it was a long and boring walk," Asch replied.
"You worry about things way too much." Luke rolled his eyes, but Asch grew solemn.
"There's a lot to worry about," Asch pointed out. Both boys fell silent for while.
"Say Asch, where did you get those papers?" Luke finally inquired, desperate for a new topic to lighten the mood.
"From Jade's pack," Asch provided. Luke simply stared.
"You are a dead man."
"Oh shut up," Asch said with a smirk before throwing said papers at his younger brother.
"You two are going to attract the entire Kimlascan army if you keep this up," a familiar voice came from the shadows.
"Jade!" Luke stated as loud as he dared before spinning around to face the man who had been standing behind him.
'How long-' Luke asked, his thoughts still in a panic.
'Don't worry, he didn't hear us before,' Asch lied. Though he had only seen the Colonel after he'd spoken, Asch didn't doubt at least some of their whispers had reached the Colonel's all too keen ears. It was a pity; he would have liked to ask Jade's opinion on the matter. But it would have to wait.
"I think it's time you two head off to bed," Jade suggested in a tone that made it clear that it wasn't simply a suggestion. "We'll be up at first light so be sure to get some rest."
"Sure," Asch replied as he began to pick up the papers.
"I can take care of that," Jade said simply, snatching the papers from Asch's hands. "Now off to sleep you two and I don't want to hear another peep out of you, have I made myself clear?"
"Perfectly," both boys answered in unison, before retreating into the darkness.
'That was close,' Luke said with a huge sigh. 'I'd watch your back tomorrow though.'
'Let him try it,' Asch replied somewhat defiantly.
'That was scary; I thought for sure he'd have overheard us talking.'
'Actually Luke, that's something else I wanted to talk to you about. How long do you plan on keeping it undercover that you're a replica?'
'As long as I have to! Since when-'
'Look, before you get mad, hear me out,' Asch cut Luke off. 'I know how Tear feels, and I know it's difficult. I don't blame you for not wanting to say anything, but think about it. Even once all this is over, it's not like you're never going to see Tear or the others again. Are you going to keep it a secret for the rest of your life?'
'I…' Luke was at a loss for words, but Asch could feel his raw desire to completely reject the idea where it stood. He just couldn't find the logic.
'The more you wait, the harder it's going to be, because you'll have been lying to them for that much longer. You can't keep it a secret forever. Promise me you'll at least think about it?'
'Fine,' Luke replied simply.
Asch rolled over and stared up at the stars. He was incredibly surprised he'd gotten out of that one without getting into a fight with Luke. Though he knew full well that while Luke may think about it, he was nowhere near ready to actually consider doing it; then again, the fact Luke had listened to reason was proof he had come a ways since the last time this topic had come up. Maybe once everything was over…
Asch sighed; when everything was over… the day when that happened wouldn't come fast enough. There was so much going on, on so many fronts. First and foremost there was Van, and whatever the hell he was planning, and why in all of Auldrant he seemed so desperate for Asch's cooperation. Was it his hyperresonance? No, if that was the case he could have easily gotten Luke's help back before his overt treachery in Akzeriuth. What could he possibly accomplish with a gigantic replica? He wasn't seriously trying to recreate Hod was he? At the cost of the entire world? He may trust Van about as far as he could throw the man, but he'd like to believe his former teacher wasn't a lunatic.
Then of course there was Mohs and the war. They had been so close to thwarting him on that front, if only someone hadn't revealed their presence in Baticul. Who had it been? Was it someone among them, or was it someone else altogether? There were so many unknown variables floating around, it made him uncomfortable. It wasn't Luke, but that was the only person he could know for sure. Ion, Jade, Anise, Tear? He had no idea. He doubted it was Natalia, she was far too avid when it came to her duties to her country. Nothing, and he meant nothing, up to and including Van Grants himself could get her to abandon Kimlasca when it needed her.
But then that was the problem now wasn't it. There were times when such things had to be set aside, and it was hard for her to accept that… or perhaps he simply accepted it far too easily. But either way, he was bothered by her actions lately. Asch could feel sleep beckoning him away from his troubled thoughts. The promise of some serenity was all too appealing, but at the same time, he just couldn't shake Natalia's strange moods from his mind. Natalia was dedicated; she had a kind heart, and was always willing to help those in need of it. So why she was acting so spiteful lately was completely beyond him. Did she feel they were ignoring her? Not considering what she wanted? It was true that most of their decisions lately had been opposite of what she had wanted, perhaps that was the problem. But finding a way to fix that wouldn't be easy.
Asch was no longer able to resist the world of dreams that was calling to him, and he quietly slipped into a restless slumber. He just didn't know what to do anymore, and that was a fact that he simply couldn't escape.
Luke lay under the stars, his eyes were closed, but he was a long way from any form of sleep. He could sense Asch's thoughts, racing on an endless wheel of problem after problem. Asch refused to share any of these problems, but that didn't stop Luke from worrying about him. His older brother was notorious for trying to handle everyone's issues and not letting anyone share in his problems. He would drive himself insane doing that one of these days.
As he lay there, he sensed a very familiar feeling. Asch's presence had curled up against his own. It reminded Luke of the days when they were little. Asch would sneak into his bed, for what Luke now knew must have been nightmares from the kidnapping. Asch had never once spoken of it, but it was something that stayed with him, even now. Luke smiled, he vaguely remembered doing the same thing for awhile. Though they were both far too old for such things, there was just something reassuring about having someone you trust at your side; it could chase away even the darkest fears.
Luke debated what to do. The last thing he wanted was Asch to find out about his nightmares concerning Akzeriuth. After all, Asch didn't need anything else to worry about… but the more Luke thought about it, the more he couldn't bring himself to close Asch out. He would just have to hope that Asch wouldn't notice, or if he did, that he wouldn't concern himself about it, though there was a fat chance of the latter ever happening. His older brother needed any and all the comfort he could get. He was already at his wits' end trying to figure out what Van was doing, trying to stop a war and a psychotic Grand Maestro, all the while worried sick about Natalia and why she was on some sort of vendetta against Luke. Luke wracked his brains, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what he did to set her off so bad. What was her problem? Couldn't she see how hard all of this was on Asch? She should be at his side trying to help him, not criticizing him every step of the way!
Luke calmed his thoughts before he woke his sibling. It wouldn't take much to disturb his fitful sleep and Luke could vouch for what sleep deprivation could do to a person. It was one thing to sleep, and it was completely separate thing to actually get some rest. He only wished there was more he could do.
But there was, Luke knew there was. Though it may not seem like much, it was something he could do, and it would give Asch one less thing to worry about. He may not be able to figure things out like Asch could, but he could still protect everyone. He would make sure that no one got hurt, and that every person here would get to Chesedonia safe and sound.
And unlike Akzeriuth, he would do it properly this time.