A/N: Warning…things get more gory and violent from here on out. Also had a few days' delay because of some very bad weather and the refusal to risk my electronics. Good tiiiimes. There's a lot less introspection going on among the characters and a lot more focus on the journey itself…I'll get to a character-building chapter soon. For now it's just a nice change of pace to write battle scenes :)
Chapter Five
The grinding of metal against metal woke Rydia with a start. She had developed a habit of snapping to attention at a moment's notice, and the first sight her eyes locked onto was Cecil standing directly in front of her with his sword drawn. He was shaking Rosa awake as Yang bounded out of the trench in which they had made camp. Rydia's mind immediately went to her routine. She grabbed her whip, a small pouch from within her pack, and pulled herself out of the trench as well.
The moment she emerged, she steeled her emotions, and drew from her years of training. Kain was standing some distance away, holding his ground against several rodents of extraordinarily unusual size while moths the stature of full grown men hovered above the ground.
"Yang! The right flank!" Cecil shouted.
Rydia had barely drawn near the battle when Yang sprinted off with claws in an offensive position. It had been a long time since she'd seen the martial art of the Monk, and she'd forgotten how powerful and deliberate each of his moves had been. He charged the right side, keeping his claws close to his chest—close enough for defense; close enough to lash out at a moment's notice. He leapt into the air with tremendous strength and lashed at the wings of one of the moths. He struck true, but the moth had the advantage of altitude and swept higher into the air before any real damage could occur.
Cecil covered Yang's retreat to the battle line, while Kain rushed forward with his spear. He leveled the long weapon against the rodents, whose hides were covered in stone or metal, Rydia couldn't tell which. They had the appearance of porcupines, but these had learned to survive in the heat and protect themselves from who knows what kinds of predators. They also had the advantage of speed. Kain's spear struck empty air as one of the rodents dodged and wheeled backwards, releasing a barrage of sharp spines in all directions.
There were too many to dodge, and Rydia braced herself for the stinging pain, only to find that by the time the spines reached her, they had been slowed to an ineffectual speed by a glowing green barrier. She glanced to her left and saw Rosa standing on the line, chanting the words to the Protection Charm. Words she had once known. Words she had forgotten. The sudden shock of that realization lost her a moment's concentration.
"Rydia, keep them busy!" Rosa shouted back, as if she had read the Summoner's mind.
Rydia's attention returned to the task at hand. She may not know the Protection Charm, but she had other skills… She quickly analyzed their opponents and made a decision. Blizzara would be her ally for this battle. Creatures that were prepared to deal with heat wouldn't fare well against winter's chill. She began the incantation, ignoring the slashing and hacking of blades directly before her. She released the spell, blanketing the entire area with a layer of ice.
"SHATTER!" she shouted, raising a hand. The ice of the spell rose up, mimicking her hand, and engulfed everything on the battlefield in a crystalline coffin before shattering and sending frozen shrapnel through the air.
All of the creatures shuddered and fell to the ground. None of them were dead, but several were critically wounded. The moths especially, as their wings were tattered and torn by the ice. Yang made quick work of them, but the rodents took more effort. The twang of a bow string resonated, followed by the dull thud as an arrow shaft embedded itself into the body of one of them, ending its life. Kain finished one of the last with a quick jump into the air and a plunge of his spear through the rodent's body. In the end, seven foes lay dead on the ground.
Cecil wiped blood off of his blade as Kain retrieved his spear from the corpse of his last kill. It was in the aftermath of the battle that Rydia realized how efficient everyone had become at the art of battle. There was no hesitation, there were no second-guesses. All that existed in the face of a new threat was stead-fast resolve.
"Let me see your arm," Rosa was saying to Cecil, prying at his armguard where blood had seeped through.
"Must have found a hole in the plating," Cecil muttered, wincing as Rosa's deft fingers found a gash in his forearm.
Rosa chanted the Cure Spell and a healing light spread from her fingertips into the wound, knitting the flesh back together.
"Kain!" the white mage called out, turning in his direction. "I know you were hit. How badly are you injured?"
"It's just a scratch," he called back gruffly, "go see about the others."
Rosa's eyes lingered on the dragoon for a moment before she turned her attention to Yang and Rydia. Fortunately for all of them, injuries had been few.
"They finally made their move," Rydia said with hands on her hips.
"They wanted to catch us off-guard. I don't think they'll be holding back any longer," Cecil agreed.
"I had thought the road to Golbez's fortress was too quiet for comfort," Yang added, wiping gore from his claws. "At least we know what to expect from here out."
Rosa sighed, wiping sweat from her brow. "The question is whether or not we can withstand the journey. If we can't rest, we'll succumb to exhaustion long before battle claims us."
"I'm surprised none of you have voiced the question as to why the Dwarf's forces advanced and left us to walk behind them. Surely they could have stowed us aboard one of their tanks," Kain said darkly, walking past them on his way to the trench.
Cecil sheathed his sword and followed his friend. "I'm under the impression that this is a test. To prove that we're as trustworthy as we claim."
"I still think it's foolishness," Kain countered. "All this walking in the heat just to prove our worthiness? Do you think Golbez will wait long enough for us to make demonstrations of loyalty to every nation on the Earth?"
Rydia glared at the back of the Dragoon, wondering if she was seeing his true nature spilling over.
"If what you said about the Dark Crystals was true, it will take Golbez some time to find the last. In the meantime, we have a task to perform, and all we can do is bear with it," Cecil said resolutely.
"Do we continue moving?" Yang asked.
"The scent of death will draw others to this place," Rosa pointed out. "We don't have much choice."
"Gather the gear," Cecil instructed. "We'll keep moving until we reach the plateaus."
Rydia did as she was told, rolling her bedding, and re-packing her equipment. She was still tired, but the adrenaline of battle had given her a renewed interest in moving onward. That, and the threat she had perceived, the eyes that she'd felt on them for some time, hadn't left. Something was still lurking in the magma plains that she couldn't see, and it was still waiting for its chance to strike.
When everyone had gathered their supplies, the journey resumed. There was an urgency to their footsteps now that had been lacking before. The heat was as stifling as ever, but Cecil had set a course, and they would reach it as quickly as possible.
Rydia filled canteens again and again, and she even became more creative with the Blizzara spell, casting it upon the ground in front of them so that for even a few minutes, they could walk across a cold surface before it melted into hot steam.
They had walked for many "furlongs", or what Rydia estimated to be several miles, when Yang halted and held up one hand. The rest of them halted as well, gazing at the Monk expectantly. No one spoke. Then Yang pointed left and unbuckled the claws from his belt, sliding the metal contraptions onto his hands. Cecil drew his sword, Rosa, her bow, and Kain, unstrapped his spear from his pack. They formed a line, and Rosa began chanting the Protection Charm in anticipation of any attacks that might come. Rydia scanned the uneven landscape for signs of what Yang had discovered, but there were too many uneven places on the ground, and mirages kept her from seeing things true.
All of a sudden, the ground began to shift and move, and stones were hurled in the direction of the group. Rydia squinted, but still couldn't find the enemy. Where are they? She thought with frustration.
Then they appeared—a dozen impish creatures. They resembled their Upperworld kin, but for the tanned hides and enormous teeth. In their hands they wielded crude curved blades and they wore the skins of other creatures as clothing. They charged, weapons raised. They were fast!
Rosa fired an arrow but missed, and her arrow skittered across stone. Rydia snapped her whip, and managed to graze one of them on the leg before it charged headlong toward Cecil's sword. The imp's life ended in a shower of blood and limp limbs, filling her with both disgust and dismay. The imps gave no thought to strategy, to self-preservation, they simply wished to overwhelm by sheer numbers. Cecil hacked and stabbed and Rosa sought to keep the imps away from her with the frame of her bow, but the creatures flailed their weapons in all directions. Like insect bites they were easy to ignore one or two at a time, but insufferable when multiplied. Cecil and Kain's armor was sufficient to block most of the blows, but everyone else was not similarly armed. Only agility and distance offered any protection. Yang kicked several of them back, and Rydia took a quick chance, chanting the Thunder spell. She released a small burst of lightning into the crowd of creatures. It was enough to startle them and immobilize them for a moment.
"Fall back!" Rydia shouted. The entire group heeded her suggested and gained some ground before the imps regained their senses.
Out of them all, only Yang's skills were truly suited for this rabble. With a few feet added distance, Cecil was finally able to swing his sword with any efficiency, and Kain employed his spear like a skewer, driving into the enemy and striking several at a time; but it was Yang who did the most damage. His claws tore into the small human-like beings with deadly efficiency. He wasn't hindered by close-combat and he didn't require much space between himself and his enemy to execute a few jabs and slashes. The imps screamed furiously, but Rydia put an end to that as well. She released a Thundara spell, channeling the energy through the fiend's weapons and delivering a life-ending charge of electricity. The imps fell to the ground as char.
The added heat from her spell sizzled on the air for a few minutes as the group gasped for breath. Rosa immediately set about curing wounds, the green glow she cast nearly filling Rydia's vision entirely.
"That…did not go smoothly," Cecil rasped.
"Mindless," Kain intoned, dropping to one knee and removing his helmet.
Rydia looked at the dragoon, at his long blonde hair dripping with sweat. He looked fatigued, and troubled by more than just the journey. Again he threw off Rosa's offer of healing, and the Mage instead focused on Rydia's wounds which consisted mostly of deep scratches and bruises.
"We have to take them by surprise," Yang was saying on the fringes of Rydia's hearing. "If they get too close, most of our weapons are of no use for defense or offense."
"And something's still out there," Rydia said at last, looking at Cecil when she spoke.
His helmet was also off and his gray eyes met hers.
"We're almost to the plateau," he began tiredly. "If we can last until then, we should set up a proper camp and use the protection wards of a tent."
"That will take some time," Rosa argued. "I thought we were avoiding the preparing of wards until we had no choice."
"We can't last much longer," Cecil pointed out.
"It would be helpful to seek the protection of wards and not keep a guard," Yang suggested. "I'm not sure how much more of this heat I can endure without proper sleep."
"To the plateau, then," Kain said, standing up. Rydia noticed him grimace before slipping his helmet back on and hiding his face from them.
She sighed. She was beginning to see this journey as futile as well. How much time could they have saved by going with the Dwarven forces? By the time they reached the Tower of Bab-il, there was no telling if Golbez would be two or even three steps ahead of them.
Their march continued. The hours dragged on. Heat exhaustion was beginning to take its toll. Cecil and Kain felt it first in their heavy armor, then all the rest. When they finally reached the plateau Cecil had marked on the map, they collapsed. It took all of Cecil's coaxing to get anyone off the ground and setting up the wards of protection around their campsite. There were wards that came with tents, and lasted for up to twelve hours, but it took some preparation to set them up. It was this preparation time that Rosa and Cecil had originally wanted to avoid, but none of them would be much use to anyone without a decent bout of sleep.
When all was prepared and the tent put up, all of them threw down their bedrolls and took off much of their armor and other gear. Rydia noted that the wards of protection also kept the air within the tent comfortably cool. Brilliant inventions, these.
Rydia had just closed her eyes when she heard Rosa talking and decided to listen in. "Take heart, Kain. Golbez was in a sorry state the last we saw him. I find it hard to believe he wouldn't spend at least some time licking his wounds and planning his next moves."
"He isn't like normal humans, Rosa. He'll have made a move already," Kain countered.
"But he won't be expecting an attack on his base, not while there's another Crystal at large. He would expect us to go for the last Crystal."
"I still think this plan was entirely ill-conceived. King Giott is hot for revenge against his lands and people. How much does he really know about the lore surrounding the Crystals? In his eyes they might just be stones of immense power, but he might not realize the significance of all of the Crystals acting in concert. We should have thought this through more carefully," Kain continued, becoming more heated with each word.
"Have we thought any of this through?" Cecil asked. "We've done nothing but play into his hands since the beginning. Why not plan something as unexpected as this?"
"The closer to danger, the farther from harm?" Kain asked, doubtful. "The Dark Knight I once knew would never have ascribed to that—sneaking through the backdoor when he could take anything by force through the front."
"Times have changed," Cecil stated flatly. "My old training has done nothing but hinder me. It's time I took a different approach. I made up my mind on Mount Ordeals that I would be rid of that life and that mentality. Golbez has his mind on the completion of his single mission—I wonder how many other avenues of thought he's covered as far as defense is concerned."
"He has enough back-up plans to be troublesome," Kain warned.
"But how many will be in place when we enter the Tower? Tell me that he didn't attack each kingdom without expecting each to fall after the first wave. He's used large-scale invasion without much planning for sabotage from the inside. His arrogance will prove his undoing…"
A nudge on Rydia's shoulder made her stop paying attention to the discussion underway. Yang was beside her, and he handed her a piece of the unleavened bread they had carried with them.
"Sometimes I feel as though I don't exist when they get into arguments like these," he confided in her quietly.
Rydia regarded him carefully. "They argue like this often?"
He munched on his bread thoughtfully and then took a swig of water from his canteen. "Often enough."
She looked at her companions on the other side of the tent. "They have each other, it's true."
"I often wonder how it was that Baron became the mightiest of all kingdoms. What was it that made that kingdom's forces so vulnerable to manipulation?"
"I don't know," Rydia admitted, "but three people of Baron are with us now. Maybe they can explain it."
"Sometimes I think it's dangerous that the three of them are so close," Yang said eventually.
"What do you mean?"
"Childhood friends, but perhaps more. It's made us vulnerable in the past…hopefully it doesn't pose a problem in the future."
"What are you saying, exactly?"
"It's hard to see the truth when you're too close to it," Yang explained. "We have to remain clear-headed, Rydia. You and I have to see things as they truly are before danger comes to our group from within."
She looked into the Monk's clear brown eyes. They were thinking the exact same thing. "I'll be watchful," she said.
"We might not have our own kin with us as they do, but we have each other," Yang assured her. "We must hold together until the end."
"Until the end," Rydia agreed.
Yang scooted over to his own bedroll and laid down. Rydia reclined on her own bedding, staring up at the ceiling of the tent and catching bits and pieces of the debate among the three friends on the other side of the tent. They were the lucky ones. They had known each other all their lives and not one of them had lost each other. There was a trust between them that Rydia didn't understand. A trust she disliked. Were they blind when it came to Kain's misgivings? She had sensed on more than one occasion some kind of turmoil going on behind his mask. Why didn't Cecil and Rosa see it?
Maybe part of it was jealousy. Maybe part of it was her own insecurity. She closed her eyes and sighed, and for the first time since she returned, she wished she was back in the Feymarch among her own "kin"...in her own home, where things made sense.