AN: I did mention geography wasn't my strongest subject, right? Also, its been a while since I've written exciting and unrealistic battle scenes. I'll get back into the swing of things eventually.
Chapter 5
Getting to the Earth Temple had been easy. Getting in was a whole other story. Just as Emil remembered, there were Tethe'alla soldiers blocking the door.
"I'm afraid we can't let anyone in," one of the men said as he looked at Richter and Aster. "That permit from Sybak won't work right now. If you had been here two weeks ago, we could have let you in, but the whole structure has become unstable."
"But that's why we're here! To see if we can fix it!" Aster objected.
The soldier looked at the paper he had been handed, adjusting his helmet nervously as he carefully read over the permit again. "Not sure what a couple of researchers can do..." He looked up again. "Though, this says two researchers..."
"The monsters in the temples have become stronger lately," Richter said, pushing his glasses up. "We're employing Aster's elder brother as extra muscle."
Aster looked back at Emil with a grin that warmed his heart.
Regretfully the soldiers all shared a nod amongst each other. "Makes sense," the guard captain said. "We're still not supposed to let anyone in. You'll need to petition the king to get access."
"And in the meantime, the earthquakes are allowed to get worse," Aster pointed out. "We have information that might stop them altogether."
"You'll still need to go speak with the king about getting in," the soldier captain said and handed Richter the paper. "Orders are orders."
Richter sighed and tucked the paper away again. Putting a hand on Aster's shoulder, he turned the young man away and guided him away. Emil fell in behind them and kept his peace until they got out of immediate hearing of the guards.
"Well now what?" Aster sighed.
"There's another way in from the Toize Valley Mines," Emil put in.
"But I'd heard that the mines were caved in by the Lezareno Company," Aster said. "To stop mining of Exspheres."
"They were," Emil said and nodded. "There are other entrances though."
Richter rested his weight on one hip. "I'm assuming you know where one of those is?"
Emil nodded, then glanced back towards the entrance to the temple just as the earth began to shake beneath them. Aster yelped and grabbed hold of Richter for balance. Emil bent his knees to absorb the motion and straightened when it was over.
"Wow. You're so cool," Aster breathed as he gazed at Emil with wide eyes. "You just rode that out like it was nothing! Like oh earthquakes, psht! Doesn't even phase me!" He waved a hand dismissively.
"Uhm..." Emil stared at him. "Thanks...?" He caught Richter rolling his eyes. "I don't like the idea of going all the way to the king or to Toize to get into the temple."
"Just kill them and walk past their corpses."
Pressing his hand to his forehead, Emil turned away from Aster and Richter with a sigh. "Have you learned nothing?" he muttered.
"They impede your progress and you don't have the time to fool with this."
"I assume Ratatosk said something distasteful?" Richter asked.
"Does anyone else have a better idea of how to get past the guards here?" Emil asked.
Aster bit his lower lip. "Well... There was this comic I read once..."
Richter turned to stare at him. "No."
Intrigued due to Richter's automatic rejection, Emil tipped his head. "What were you thinking?"
"Well... These three thieves wear masks and use distractions and smoke bombs to escape getting caught," Aster said.
The half-elf had his face covered with a hand. "We are not imitating the Dark Wings."
Emil shifted his weight. "Well... if we could come up with some weapon that would just knock them out we could walk past them... I don't want to hurt those people. They're just doing their jobs, after all."
"And we're doing ours. Perhaps in this case Ratatosk is right?" Richter said.
"I want to avoid killing anyone," Emil insisted.
Slapping his fist into his palm, Aster exclaimed, "Richter, you remember that powdered mushroom that I tried cooking with once?"
Richter shook his head.
"The one that made our eyes water and itch so bad we couldn't see for almost a half hour?"
"Oh," Richter cringed, then straightened. "That might actually work if we can avoid contaminating ourselves with it too."
"If one of Emil's monsters ran in there with it all in its fur and shook..." Aster considered. "He could get in there and get out before the knights attacked him."
"Do you have any more of that stuff with you?" Emil asked.
"No, but I saw some growing just down the path to here."
Richter pushed his glasses up. "Sounds like we have a plan then. Aster, you're in charge of handling the stuff. Emil and I might need to be available to fight."
Grumbling, Aster reluctantly nodded. "All right. Let's go." The young blond led the way back down the path and towards the thick trees just off the side of the road. "When I pick them, you're going to want to stay back," he warned and proceeded to dig through his pack until he found his pillow, took the case off it, and ripped parts off to hand to each of them.
"You sure about this?" Emil asked.
"Yeah, I'll get a new one next time we're in town." Aster tied one strip around his own nose and mouth, then went thrashing straight into the bushes.
Emil reached out to catch him. "Aster wait!" but it was too late.
Aster yelped and came charging from the underbrush, hiking his knees high as he tried not to step on the black and white creature chasing behind him.
Eyes watering from the horrible smell, Emil covered his nose and mouth with the cloth Aster had given him and backed away. "That's a skunk, Aster, not a mushroom!"
"Martel's Blessed-" Aster cussed, holding his hands out from his sides in disgust. "I know what a skunk looks like, I just didn't see it! Today's just rotten."
"If you think you're going to ride me smelling like that, you're dreadfully mistaken," Tenebrae said as he faded in. Cringing, he covered his nose as well. "In fact, I'm just going to... go."
"No, wait, Tenebrae," Emil said. "Uhg. Go to Marta then. Go keep her out of trouble."
"As best I can, Lord Emil."
"What? But he was our transportation?" Aster complained.
"Once we awaken Solum, we can take a boat," Richter said.
"Too bad we can't get any rheairds," Emil lamented as Aster went back into the bushes. A puff of black powder exploded into the air and Aster came stumbling out holding the remains of his pillow case at arm's length, eyes leaking a continuous stream of tears as he staggered towards them.
Calling a wolf to himself, Emil carefully took the bag from Aster, then backed away, eyes watering from the skunk stench. "Take this, throw it at the guards in there," he told the wolf.
The wolf whimpered slightly then reached out to take the bag in its mouth and sedately padded up the trail back towards the Earth Temple, tail swaying behind it.
Aster shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. "This is awful!" he sobbed. "I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I've made for this team."
Richter was some distance away, bent over with his hands on his knees, trying his hardest not to laugh out loud.
Emil sidled closer to Aster and patted the top of the young man's head with the tips of his fingers. "It'll wash off... I think."
"Quit laughing at me Richter!" Aster shouted and stomped. "How am I supposed to get up the path like this?"
"I'll lead you," Emil said. "Here, take my hand. Just, uhm, try to be quiet when we go past the guards." He looked up the path to see the wolf high-tailing it back towards them. "Looks like our present was delivered. Come on, Aster, let's get moving." Gently tugging the boy's hand, Emil began leading Aster up the path. The wolf looked incredibly unhappy and pawed desperately at its face, rolling around in the dirt. Emil dismissed it so it could recover.
Richter took the lead, wiping his own eyes and trying to hide his grin, even though Aster couldn't see it. In the entrance of the temple, the three guards who had been blocking the way were wiping their blurry eyes and stumbling into each other.
"What happened? I can't see anything!" they cried. "What's that stench? Did a skunk show up too?"
Moving silently past them, Richter entered the temple. Emil held his breath and pulled Aster closer to more accurately guide him through the moving obstacles. Aster wore as brave a face as he could and soldiered through it to the other side.
Emil wheezed and left the boy next to a wall so he could move far enough away to breathe. "We're going to have to take turns at that, Richter," he said.
"Okay, okay," the half-elf sniggered and took a breath, moving closer to Aster to take the young man and guide him further down the path.
...
"Are you all right Lady Marta?" Hawk asked again. She had lost count in the seemingly endless hours of bouncing and swaying, even though it had only been four. She couldn't even open the window for fresh air because of the dust from the road. It was with great relief she opened the door and staggered out when the carriage came to a stop. Leaning heavily on the back of the carriage, Marta pressed a hand to her stomach as she focused on breathing. Hawk leaned closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you were that sick, you could have asked to stop..."
"And drag out this wretched ride longer?" Marta pushed herself upright and clenched a fist before turning to look at Hawk. While Brute had said the carriage would leave first thing in the morning, delays kept happening. It wasn't until late afternoon that they had finally gotten packed up and out of Palmacosta. Marta understood that the delays were due to circumstances beyond anyone's real control - from a broken wheel, a horse that was apparently sick and had to be replaced, and then Hawk and Marta getting called to attend a Vanguard meeting with Mrs. Door and Reysol that had been a complete waste of time since they had been discussing relief efforts but lacked the resources available to send anyone. Marta had accepted all this, but her traveling companion, Castagnier, had been irritable and fussy, constantly picking at her and distracting her during the meeting, and then generally being a pest while she had been sick in the carriage. She shook her head. "No. It's already late and I have things I need to do in the morning."
"What are you going to do?"
"Well, I was thinking you could work with Emil on some sword training while I went shopping." She put on her brightest smile, despite her queasy stomach.
Hawk stared down at her. "Why do I think you're up to something?"
Flushing, she lifted both hands to Hawk's chest. "No! I'm not planning anything!" thinking quickly, she looked away. "Okay, so maybe I am, a little, but it's a surprise!"
The older man looked down at her with a soft sigh. "Usually your surprises don't end well," he pointed out.
"Uh!" Marta stomped a foot. "I can't believe you! I'm planning something for Daddy's birthday!"
Hawk looked relieved. "And you don't want me ruining the surprise."
She nodded firmly.
"Just don't fill up the carriage entirely," Hawk said, though he still sounded like he was having doubts about letting her go off by herself. "When can I expect you back at the inn?"
"Late," Marta said. "I'll be all right. I promise! Consider this a short vacation from dealing with Vanguard stuff. You don't need to babysit me at all." Unfortunately that looked like the wrong thing to say. Hawk narrowed his eyes at her. "Can we just get to the inn for now?" she asked.
"Of course, Lady Marta." He turned to grab their bags from the carriage.
Stepping around the side, Marta came nose to nose with Castagnier's son.
"I'm not going to help you if you don't take me with you," he said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Marta said firmly. "I'm here to go shopping."
The boy gave her a smirk and turned away. "I'll see you outside the inn in the morning, Mister Hawk. I'm looking forward to getting some sword lessons. Dad never let me touch those kinds of things." He waved and headed off, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket as he did so. Marta watched him go for a moment before going to help Hawk with the packs.
"I'll be going out first thing in the morning, so don't wait around for me, okay?" Marta said as they entered the inn. "I want to make sure to get there bright and early!"
"And why?" Hawk asked.
"For the best deals, of course!" Marta said brightly. "There's a market in the morning that I heard about. I'm hoping I'll find the perfect gift for Daddy there. Unless you want to trail around behind me all day, carrying my bags." She trailed off with a wicked smile. "Just means I can buy more things."
Hawk's face went white. "N-no thanks!" He hurried to the counter and returned a moment later with a key, which he offered to her. "Room two," he said. "I've got room three. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
"Okay. Thank you Hawk." She took her key and smiled brightly at him as she went for her room. Locking her door behind her she set the bag down on the bed and sighed. Putting her hand on her stomach again, she burped sickly and cringed at the taste in her mouth. "I hate carriages," she muttered. 'So now that Hawk is dealt with, I'll get a few hours of sleep and then head out before dawn. I'll take my pack and stuff just in case I end up having to spend the night. Always good to prepare for the unexpected.' Her thoughts went back to Castagnier's son and his wicked smirk just before he left. 'I hope I'm not going to have to give him the slip too. But he doesn't know where I'm going.' Shaking her head, she went to get washed up before going to bed, setting the alarm clock for just a few hours before laying down.
Instead of falling asleep immediately, she stared at the dark ceiling, fingers clutching the blankets as she thought back to those nights on the road when she would put her sleeping mat beside Emil's and hold his hand as they fell asleep.
Rolling onto her side, she curled into a miserable ball. "I hope I can get him back," she whispered into the pillow.
...
Silently closing her window from the outside, Marta picked up her pack and made her way towards the street just as the sun was painting the sky pink. Marta had pondered for nearly half an hour about whether she should make her escape on the second day to lull Hawk into a false sense of security or make her break on the first morning. After she had eaten a sandwich for breakfast, she decided she couldn't wait and had climbed out the window. She jogged quickly for the bridge that would lead to the main road and turned north onto the much-less worn track that would lead to the Tower of Mana. Originally she had hoped to get into Lumen's altar via the cave, but after seeing the height of the lake, she realized the cave would have been under water entirely. It had been disappointing.
"I just have to figure out how to hatch Lumen's core without Tenebrae. Maybe if I try to channel light mana into it and call for Ratatosk's help he'll hear me?" It was an idea at any rate, better than nothing, but she really just wanted to see a Centurion core, just to make sure she wasn't insane. "I already know things that I shouldn't. Like acing that final exam... Man, Raine was tough but I'm kind of glad she took an interest in me. I never would have remembered all that stuff otherwise."
Striding confidently along the path, she kept her eyes active, looking for monsters that might attack. When the bushes shuffled, she immediately dropped her pack and stepped into a fighting stance as a filifolia shuffled out of the bushes. "Oh, easy!" she said cheerfully and launched into her attack, slashing with her spinner, then bounding back when the monster swung its leafy tendrils in a wide arc.
Marta blocked the attack even though she was out of reach, then leapt back in to slash. She didn't feel like the mana was responding to her calls in order to cast, so she was stuck with physical.
The filifolia reeled back from the attack, then wilted as she slashed it again. It collapsed and returned to mana, fading away.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed and pumped her fist. "Though I need to ask Ratatosk for my magic back."
She snagged her bag from the ground and jogged onwards, though soon had to slow down as her breath started coming in ragged pants. "Oh this is so annoying! I need to work on my stamina. It sucks having a fourteen year old body again." What sucked more was traveling by herself. She didn't even have Tenebrae to talk to, which made her feel incredibly lonely all over again.
"Even Tenebrae's awful puns and teasing were better than this," she said to the ground as she slogged onwards. It was going to be a very quiet couple hours to the Tower of Mana. Then there was the trip through the ruins themselves, which would undoubtedly be even more dangerous than just walking through the woods by herself.
It reminded her of a story about a little girl going to her grandmothers and a shady fellow who was following the girl. Deciding it was best to make her trek as quick as she could by avoiding monsters. She wanted to get back to town before dark so she could at least meet with Hawk and make up some story about being unable to get through all the shops and that was why she hadn't bought anything. Though it did occur to her that she needed to find something for her father's birthday as it was coming up and she couldn't remember what she had gotten him, or if she had gotten anything yet or had procrastinated again.
Looking up at the sky, she wiped a sleeve across her brow. "At this pace, it'll be two hours before I get there," she thought aloud and upped her walking speed. She wanted to try for an hour and a half.