Chapter 8

"I think we lost a day in the mines," Richter said as he squinted at the sun that was apparently rising when it had been much later in the afternoon when they had gone into the Temple of Earth. He had collapsed to sit in the scrubby grass at the top of a dune overlooking a rocky beach. The three of them had walked for an hour before getting to the shore and now Emil was staring hopelessly at this new barrier between him and Marta.

Looking back at Richter, Emil found that Aster was seated in the sand, leaning against the redhead's shoulder, eyes closed and likely asleep.

"That would explain why I'm so tired," Emil agreed and stared out at the ocean. He wished he could swim to Palmacosta, but that wasn't going to happen. "We're going to have to rest here."

"May not have a choice," Richter agreed.

"Tenebrae is here," Ratatosk told him. "Luin has been destroyed. He found Marta in the Tower of Mana."

Emil's knees gave out.

"She remembers us."

"Are you okay?" Richter asked and leaned forward slightly. Aster's head slipped off the redhead's shoulder and he jerked awake, rubbing his face with a hand.

Smiling, Emil turned to look back at them as he wiped his eyes. "Marta is okay. Tenebrae found her. But Luin has been destroyed and she went to the Tower of Mana."

"Why would she go there?" Aster asked.

"Probably to go find Lumen's core," Richter said. "Which means she remembers you."

Emil nodded.

"It seems, though, that Alice is a demon as well and is out to kill her. She doesn't have sufficient backup."

"You're not thinking of going there, are you?" Emil asked.

"What other choice do we have? You rest where you are. I'll see to Marta's safety."

Shaking his head, Emil closed his eyes. "Back to implying that I'm useless again?"

"You are just as strong as I am," Ratatosk said. "However, you are limited by the fact that you are in a human body and I am not."

Deciding to take the statement for what it was, Emil pushed to his feet and dusted off. "Alice is a demon as well. Ratatosk has gone to help Marta."

"Leaving the Ginnungagap unattended," Richter said distastefully.

"You and I had trouble with just Decus," Emil said. "Marta is alone." Moving to the dune, he collapsed into the sand next to Aster and breathed deeply.

"So the good news is that you won't have to romance her again," Aster said and smiled tiredly. "Are we going to swim or try to find some land route to take?"

Emil couldn't help but smile again.

Richter leaned against Aster with an exhausted sigh. "It wouldn't do us any good to push onwards in the condition we're in. We'll nap for a bit and figure something out when we're rested."

Fading into view, Aqua swayed her fish tail in the air. "I'll keep watch," she said.

"Thank you," Emil said and fell backwards in the sand, squinting up at the bright blue sky for a moment.

Aster collapsed onto his side, head pillowed on an arm. Emil only heard Richter lay down and didn't care to see what position he had taken. Closing his eyes he threw the trailing tail of his scarf over his face and focused on his breathing, trying to relax. However, he was all too aware that Ratatosk was having to fight harder than anticipated; a fact that didn't sit well with him. "If Alice is this strong..."

"She's retreated," Ratatosk said. "Marta is in one piece."

Emil sighed in relief.

"I've told her to go to Luin."

"I still have no idea how to even get to Palmacosta," Emil pointed out.

"How successful would Tenebrae be at keeping her from running off again?" Richter asked, startling Emil.

"Probably not very."

A draft of cold air wafted across his shoulders as the scarf was lifted off his face. Opening his eyes, Emil looked up to find a mirror image frowning down at him. "Well," Ratatosk said in irritation. "I don't have all day."

Richter sat up and squinted. "What are you doing here?"

Aster was apparently so tired he didn't even stir until Richter shook his shoulder.

"I checked the seal. Its still in place," Ratatosk said. "I can transport you to Lumen's altar, now that Lumen has been awakened. That's as close as I can get you, however."

"Why didn't you offer to do that earlier?" Aster asked, yawning.

"The world has been torn apart and remade since the last time I was out in it. I don't have a clear idea of where things are until after I've been there. Or been led there by a Centurion. Now quit wasting time," Ratatosk turned away and thrust his hand out, a dark portal opening in the air. Cold air drifted from it.

Emil offered his hand down to Aster even as the young man stared in awe at Ratatosk. Keeping hold of Aster's hand, Emil pulled him through the portal, followed by Richter. It closed behind them, leaving the trio standing in a dimly lit room atop an altar.

"Where did Ratatosk go?"

"Back to the Ginnungagap," Emil said and hopped down off the altar. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with Marta."

"Where are we?"

"The Tower of Mana," Richter said and took the lead, heading out the door.

Aster yawned broadly again. "I don't even know how you two have so much energy..." he mumbled and trailed behind.

Looking back occasionally as he ranged ahead, Emil checked to see that Aster was keeping up. The young man was barely stumbling along, though it wasn't for lack of interest in keeping up. Emil was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other and only the thought of getting to see Marta again kept him going. "Why didn't you tell Marta to stay in Lumen's altar room?"

"She wouldn't have stayed after I told her about Luin anyway."

Knowing Ratatosk was right, Emil quit uselessly questioning his other self and focused on walking.

"Don't kill yourself with exhaustion. Marta would be very angry at me."

A smile curved his lips and Emil snorted. "You'd get her all to yourself then."

"I prefer it this way," Ratatosk said haughtily, his moment of concern for his human appendage fading as he turned his attention elsewhere.

"If we're going to be honest with each other, if anything happens you can't handle, come join me," Emil said. "Just as a backup plan."

Ratatosk remained silent, letting Emil know just what he thought of that idea. It made Emil smile again. The thought that Marta was maybe an hour away gave him a boost of energy he hadn't realized he had.

"Hey," Aster said.

Emil stopped and looked back to find Richter and Aster trailing some distance behind. "I'm sorry..." He stopped.

"No, I was about to say go on ahead. We're slow but we'll get there eventually. I saw a filifolia nearby; those don't normally stick around places with stronger monsters, so Richter and I will be okay as long as Aqua is with us for support." The pair had caught up with him by that time.

"Go on," Richter agreed and patted Emil's shoulder.

Looking from the half-elf to Aster, Emil finally nodded. "Thanks. Send Aqua if you get into any trouble you can't handle."

"Of course," Aster agreed with a tired nod and smile.

Relieved, Emil turned and started jogging, heading down the trail at a much faster pace than Richter or Aster could perform at the moment. "Well, it gives them time to catch up without me there making it awkward."

"Keep your inane chatter to yourself, would you?"

...

Almost as soon as they got out of the temple ruins, Marta could see a column of smoke rising from the direction of Luin. The closer she and her companions had gotten, the more convinced she was that no one had survived. She was glad to be proven wrong as they got to the stone bridge and found movement among what was left of the buildings. Jogging ahead, Marta left Hawk and Castagnier and went to the first person lying on the ground in view. After checking that they were, in fact, still alive, she cast a healing spell long enough to stabilize them, then moved on to find someone else to help.

"What're you doing?" Castagnier asked.

Looking up from the third person she had managed to find, Marta frowned at him. "Go find Hawk. Ask him how you can help," she said.

"What about you?"

She took a breath and wrinkled her nose at the various scents lingering in the air. She recognized the smell of recent death and burnt human and it brought back memories she would have rather forgotten entirely. "I'm doing what I can. Go tell Hawk that I want a hospital area set up for those who are only slightly wounded."

Castagnier wrinkled his nose at her and turned to dash off. Glad that he had gotten the hint that she didn't want him around, Marta turned her attention back to healing people. Even though she was exhausting herself, she knew that every person she found and healed now would survive the night. It was better than doing nothing. Finished healing the woman lying on the ground outside of what was left of the inn, Marta wiped her brow with a hand. It was exceptionally hot and the sun beat down on the back of her head relentlessly.

"My... baby..." the woman whimpered as she propped herself on one elbow.

Looking down, Marta took the woman's hand as she reached towards the fallen building. "I think I hear something. I'll go look," she said. "You stay here."

The woman could do little else but lay where she was as Marta released her hand and went towards the wreckage. Faintly, she could hear the whimpering of a child. A charred timber broke even as she took the first step on the shifting rubble.

"Lady Marta," Tenebrae said softly from where he was invisible still. "This isn't a good idea."

"There's a child in trouble," she said. "Either help me or go away."

The Centurion sighed and she felt cool air drift past. Wisps of black fog moved through the shadows of the wreckage. "She's over here," Tenebrae's voice said from beneath a piece of wall that had collapsed sideways, forming a pocket between the floor and stairs. The hole within was small, but apparently not big enough for the child to get out on her own.

Marta crept across the rubble carefully and crouched. "Hey," she said gently. "Can you reach out to me?"

"Momma?" a tiny voice asked.

"Your mommy is out here," Marta said as she leaned down into the hole, trying to see the child. "I'll take you to her. Give me your hand, okay? Come here. It's all right." Crawling closer, she laid on her belly and felt around, finally placing a hand on what felt like a knee, or maybe an elbow. "Come on, sweety," she said reassuringly. "I'll help you out of here. I know it's scary. Are you hurt?"

She felt the rubble beneath her settle suddenly and the wall above cracked, beginning to topple down across her back.

"Marta!"

Her heart caught in her throat as she recognized the voice and footsteps pounded across the debris. A familiar pair of feet straddled her and the weight lifted from her, high enough to see beneath the rubble and find a toddler, huddled in the back corner, bruised and dirty, but apparently unharmed otherwise.

Snatching the toddler despite the child's terror, Marta squirmed back and dashed for safety as the child screamed and tried to break free. She scooted backwards out of the hole, Emil's coat brushing against her head as she sat up. He dropped the piece of wall once she was clear and they both hurried back to the road as the remainder of the building collapsed behind them, releasing a cloud of ash that choked the air.

Emil staggered back and dropped to sit on the ground, wiping a sooty hand across his forehead. "Why don't you ever wait for help, Marta?"

"Emil!" she cried and belatedly remembered to return the child to her mother before dashing back to the blond man. Dropping to her knees, she wrapped her arms around him.

Holding her tightly, Emil buried his face against her neck. She could feel that he wanted to chastise her, but remained silent as she curled in the gap between his legs, fingers combing through his hair, wrecking the tail he'd had it tied back in.

"I'm all right," she said and kissed his temple. "I'm all right."

Emil drew back to look at her face and sighed. "You scared me," he admonished and pushed her bangs back from her face. He shook his head. "Let's get these two out of here. There's a med station set up near the fountain."

"Okay." Marta reluctantly stood and looked down at him with a frown. "You look exhausted."

"Yeah. Haven't had any chance to rest since... yesterday morning," Emil shook his head and let her help him up with a hand. Going to the woman where she was sitting up cradling her child, Emil crouched beside her and offered his hand. "Here, we'll help you get there."

The woman squinted at him. "Do I... know you?" she asked, then shook her head and allowed him to help her up and support her as Marta went to her other side and took the child again, though she had trouble holding the toddler who wanted her mother. Together, they made their way to the fountain where Hawk had set up a station. Richter was there, casting healing spells on people, able bodied people were collecting supplies or bringing in wounded.

Marta swallowed her surprise as a young man moved past, carrying a heavy box full of supplies over to Richter.

"Here," the blond said and wiped his forehead before turning around to face her. "Emil, are they all right?"

Emil nodded and helped the woman sit down. "Have Richter look at the child. We're going back out to look for more survivors," he said.

"Wait, is that-?" the young man who looked exactly like Emil had when Marta first met him pointed.

"Marta, this is Aster," Emil said.

Looking from one to the other, Marta sighed and shook her head. "Well, I guess whatever happened was messed up already." She smiled at Aster. "I'm glad you survived this time."

"Me too. Though seems a lot of other people aren't..." Aster looked around regretfully.

"I'm not so sure about that," Emil said as he looked around with a frown. "We'll talk more about it later," he said.

Marta nodded once in agreement and headed back out into Luin to find more wounded. Emil caught up with her, his hand slipping into hers as they walked.

...

Aster opened his eyes and squinted at the sun. Lifting his hand, he shaded his face and peered around. When he had sat down, he had been in the shade and the courtyard had been quite a bit more barren. Now there were piles of supplies and boats had been brought in and tied together as a sort of floating temporary town. People were moving things onto it as the boats bobbed in the low lake. Pushing off the wall, Aster rubbed his face and looked around again, spotting Richter nearby. Getting to his feet, he approached the half-elf and knelt.

"Why did you let me fall asleep like that?" he asked as he watched Richter sort through the box of items, tossing aside anything that was broken and useless and resorting what was left. Reaching into another box, Aster started helping, having quickly figured out Richter's organization.

"There wasn't much you could do at the time," Richter said.

"I could've been doing this."

"You were exhausted."

"And you aren't?" Aster asked and wrinkled his nose. "Go lay down. I've got this. You might be needed later."

Richter smiled thinly.

"Where are Emil and Marta?"

"Still out looking for people, helping pick up. Hawk left healing to me and has been organizing getting supplies pulled out of the wreckage and organized." Richter licked his lips. "Aster, be careful around these people. Hawk gave me an... odd look. Like he recognized me. He accepted leaving me in charge of things too easily. Called me Sir. They didn't much like Emil back then."

Aster nodded. "I'll be careful." He quickly pieced Richter's reasoning together and nodded again. "Go rest. I'll take over here."

Staggering to his feet, Richter made his way over to the fountain where Aster had been resting and leaned his back against the wall.

Rolling his shoulders and neck to loosen the kink he was beginning to feel, Aster rubbed his eyes again. He wished he hadn't had that unexpected nap, but it had helped. He could at least think clearly now and his hands weren't shaking as he scooped up the remains of the good items and put them in a box, which he moved over to where the people were loading them before finding another box of assorted goods.

"Emil," a man said as he came up behind Aster. When the man dropped a hand on his shoulder, Aster looked back with a startled expression. The man withdrew his hand and blinked. "I'm sorry, I thought..."

Aster smiled briefly. "No, its okay. My brother's name is Emil, we look a lot alike. I'm Aster. Something you needed?"

The man looked over at Richter and bit his lower lip before looking back at Aster. "Mayor Pietro," he introduced, "We've searched through every home. Gotten everything of use. Just wanted to tell Richter he could rest."

Nodding, Aster rubbed his hands on his coat. "Yeah," he agreed awkwardly and looked away. "How many?"

"Fewer than I'd expected," the man said, "Given the damage. We appreciate the Vanguard coming to help so quickly..." He shook his head and moved to sit on one of the crates, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "This kind of thing just keeps happening, it seems. Get Luin rebuilt and someone burns it down again."

Aster pushed his hair back from his face. "How many times?"

"This would be the third in my memory... or... second? I'm not sure."

Rubbing his chin, Aster leaned closer. "Fascinating."

"Are you bugging him, Aster?" Emil asked as he approached, carrying a box, Marta walking beside him. He put down his box in the stack of things that hadn't been sorted and straightened, his gaze going to the other man. Aster caught the look of recognition that crossed Emil's face before he averted his eyes.

"Would I do a thing like that?" Aster put on an innocent grin.

The brunet girl set down her box and gave him a long look. "Sorry we didn't get the chance to talk earlier."

"That's all right, everyone had other, slightly more important things to do at the time. Nice to finally meet you," Aster held his hand out and bowed over it, then wrinkled his nose at his own stink as he was reminded once again that he had been skunked. "Sorry I'm not in better shape to greet you."

She giggled and elbowed Emil's side. "Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him?"

Aster glanced over to find him flushing in embarrassment. "Go easy on him, Lady Marta. You know he's doing the best he can with what he's got."

Marta hugged Emil's arm. "I know." She smiled brightly though he could tell she was exhausted.

Leaning closer, Aster tipped his head and reached out a finger to lift the hair on her forehead. "Is that a core?"

"Of a sort," Marta said, touching her hand to her forehead.

Taking that as a hint that she didn't feel like explaining at the moment, Aster straightened and smiled again. "Go get some rest, I guess. I'll see what I can do to help, since I got a nap earlier."

Mayor Pietro looked from Emil to Aster and Marta, a look of slight frustration pulling his brows together. "I could swear I know you. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"I don't know. Emil and I are orphans. We don't know where the rest of our family is from," Aster said quickly, drawing the man's attention.

"Richter mentioned you three were from Sybak," Pietro said.

Aster nodded. "Richter and I are researchers, Emil's our hired muscle."

Emil flushed and scratched the back of his neck with a dirty hand as he looked away.

"We were out investigating the source of the weird weather patterns and such. Hopefully our solution will take effect soon," Aster said.

"Solution?" Pietro asked, leaning forward.

"The Mana of the world is out of balance," Aster said confidently. "We were working on helping to correct it. Unfortunately, looks like that will be a little harder than anticipated." He glanced at what remained of Luin. "Sudden mass deaths happening in one location tends to upset things." Putting his hands on his hips, Aster turned back to Pietro. "You see, all living things are alive because of mana, especially people. When a person dies, they release their mana back to the flow, but with the Kharlan tree gone, there's a disruption in the channeling of that flow."

"I heard that Lloyd Irving and the Chosen of Regeneration planted a new one," Pietro said, shaking his head slightly.

"Yes, but it's not been connected to the flow properly," Aster said and glanced over when he suddenly realized that Emil and Marta had disappeared. He spotted them sitting on the ground near Richter, Marta leaning against Emil's side, his arm around her. Turning back to Pietro, Aster continued with his explanation, "However, other mechanisms for controlling the mana flow have been disrupted as well. We're out fixing those. The one in charge, Summon Spirit Ratatosk will take care of the rest."

Pietro blinked at him several times. "So you're working for a Summon Spirit?"

"Yes sir!"

"No wonder you came in so exhausted."

Aster snorted. "Just because Ratatosk doesn't need sleep, he thinks we don't either. That and misfortune preventing us from getting where we need to go and setting us back constantly."

"I'm glad you stopped by to help us, then," Pietro said. "Though I'd think fixing the mana flow would be slightly more important than this small town..."

Shaking his head, Aster closed his eyes. "And just keep walking by when there's something we can do to help? ...Even if I'm slightly less useful in this situation than Richter and Emil." He rolled his eyes. "If we could get a really big pot set up, I'll see if I can make some stew, since everyone else is busy?"

"That sounds great," Pietro said and stood, patting Aster on the shoulder. "You're a good kid. I'll go find the supplies for you."

Glad that he had deflected Pietro's concerns about vaguely knowing Emil, Aster nodded and got back to sorting things from the boxes until a pair of young men approached. Aster looked up just in time to see them cringe as they met his gaze, then turned and headed off quickly. 'That was odd... I wonder what kind of relationship Emil had with them previously?' Shaking his head, Aster turned back to his work.