Fantasia
Arc2: The Quest
Chapter8: Ramirez
They had only one day left to the tower of Grimoires, Juan and his fellows set a camp for a peaceful night that was interrupted by an annoyingly naïve forest girl named Nimmy but they wished that it has stopped here, because they felt a threatening aura in the air heading straightly toward them.
It was a disgusting feeling of dizziness that the young ones felt, the moment that creepy magic mist was casted over them, Nimmy said: "The monster is here!" with a tone filled with despair, while Tsukiname took her four legged beast stance readying to toss herself directly to danger, but Juan scolded her: "Tsuki! Take hold of yourself!"
These words brought her back to sense, but this won't prevent this dangerous creature from attacking them, she felt responsible for those who are younger, she had nothing but to say: "Juan…everyone! Back off!" before raising her third navel arm and biting the thumb of her free left hand drawing some blood.
Back off? Despite it was a dangerous situation, despite his previous failure to act against such threats, and despite he has no experience fighting mages, Dean felt that he has to be the hero of this battle, he leaned a bit and pulled two broad short swords and crossed them in front of his face grinning, making fun of his fears!
On the other hand, albeit he swore not to think like this again, Juan felt an immense fear, he squeezed his fist, hoping for something to happen; he hoped that his cowardly calm mind of his to be gone and be covered in that raged cloud of worry like what happened when he was trying to save the princess earlier.
He swung his arm, luckily it turned rubbery like before, he smiled knowing that at least this can give him a little confidence, now what rested is to protect the girls, he looked back to check on them, he saw Cecilia carrying her dagger, but she was obviously scared…but wait! Where's Nimmy? The silly naïve forest nymph had disappeared! She ran way! That somehow relieved him.
However this brief silence was cut by the sound of the land cracking under Tsuki's feet who disappeared in a flash, yes! She pushed herself toward the unknown, he stepped ahead and shortly his armored companion.
Unlike what they thought, the imp didn't rush to the danger, on the contrary, her mind was very clear when she did this; in the mere moment that separated her from colliding with the source of this heavy dark aura, she felt it; in reality this is no threatening magic! It's something way more distorted, closer to a chaotic spreading, she took her hurt thumb and used its bloody tip to write on her navel arm an oriental styled spell.
All of this happened in a moment, but to those who she left behind it felt like an eternal torment, and now it came to an end, for the creepy atmosphere is simply lifted, and the three young ones could've breath properly.
"Tsuki!" Juan and Cecilia shouted in the same time, before they rush into her, followed by Dean who was held by his late notice about Nimmy's disappearance, they ran between the withered trees who were just a minute ago pulsing with life, then they halted to see something unexpected; Tsuki, in her adult form, supporting a man with her shoulder, she raised her head toward Juan smirking: "See? I protected you" was the only perception to that expression.
Juan dropped his body sitting on the ground and released a long groan wiping his forehead of the thick soak of sweat that tainted it, while the princess approached her trying to help that man as well, Dean was the last to arrive with an exclamation expression on his face demanding answers.
After moments Juan checked that man; he was thirty or maybe forty years old, he couldn't tell because his facial hair was very thick and messy, he seemed like a farmer, or at least what his tall big body and miserably shredded clothes told him, his hair was short and black tainted by mud and small twigs, his face was rectangular and skinny driving pity in the mind of any person who might see him, he was staring at the kids in amazement with his tired sky blue eyes without saying a word:
"Hi my name's Juan, who might you be?" the shepherd asked politely.
The man squeezed his head, and gasped, then he looked to the others to answer: "I don't…I don't know…" giving the impression that he lost his memory.
"So what happened?" Dean asked Tsuki for an explanation.
"Well to start, what we felt back there wasn't a threatening aura, but more like an anarchically spread magic shroud, any dangerous mage would give me the same feeling, but not you kids, you and Juan aren't trained with magic, and yet you felt it, so this led me to conclude that his magic wasn't to attack us, but he just released pointlessly in a very novice way, and there where I thought that I could hold it with this…" the imp finished her explanation showing the seal she drew earlier on her arm.
Tsuki then gazed at the withered trees: "But even so, it was just a shroud, yet he managed to kill life in his path like this, I believe he's amnesic, because this is the only explanation to his previous deed, but whoever he was before this, he for sure was dangerous." she told herself in worry.
"I think we should name him." Cecilia suggested while giving the man some apples and a jug of water.
"Huh? Why?" Dean asked.
"I think it'd be nice, the man seems so miserable, and he doesn't remember his name, so it'd be nice to befriend him" the princess answered.
"Meh, beats me, do whatever you want." The knight boasted before covering himself in a blanket trying to sleep.
The princess pulled her tongue out insulting him, then she gazed to the bearded man and eureka! She found it:
"How about Ramirez?" She said with an innocent tone.
"Rami…rez" the man said like he was trying to remember something.
Haha…I think you liked it!"
Then the princess jumped to bring him a pillow and a coverlet, what made distorted memories flew to his mind, about a cute looking dark haired young girl in a princess dress dancing in front of him in wide green plains, and the name "Lucy" flashed in his mind, but he couldn't say anything, because the kind girl was sleeping next to him, so he didn't want to bother her.
The night had passed, Juan went to look for Nimmy, the three humans went in deep sleep, but Tsukiname stayed awake; mainly because imps sleep less than humans, but importantly because she still feel threat from "Ramirez", her wild extinct and her vows to protect Juan led her even to put assassinating the new man in consideration, her claws got unsheathed, and her tongue played between her canines.
Feeling nostalgia to blood, she tried to hold herself for an hour, two, three, it was like purgatory for her blood craving soul, in the end she shamefully gave up and jumped at him with her lids shaking, and her sharpened nails racing her…but it was the holy game of fate that made a thread of light whipped her from the newly rising sun, driving her to run into the shades, looking for her hat.
She put it quickly and returned to him but alas, everyone else woke up, Juan stood behind her and called her by her name summoning her attention, but she didn't actually care about what he said, instead she jumped and stuck herself in his back.
The young shepherd didn't care, he thought that she's just tired and wanted to sleep, so he ignored her and went helping Dean packing up the camp equipment to set for the last station in their quest; the seaside town: Falbay.
-Falbay: A small human-only town by the northern shores of the main continent, their inhabitant's life depends mainly on sailing, but rumors has it that people started abandoning this small town, since the position is very dangerous, as the horizon carries the legendary tower of Grimoires, with some rogue mages spread their evil from time to time, scaring the helpless citizens away-
"Here we are Falbay!" Dean shouted, making Juan stand immediately, witnessing the cluster of houses spread on the peaceful shore, whilst Tsukiname was looking at the horizon, to a shadowy pillar piercing the ethereal rift between the sea and the sky, there, there where would Juan's tiring quest end.
However, they should spend a day in Falbay, at least they can hire a boat in order to reach the mysterious tower, by the entrance of the town, Dean took their horse and wagon to the stables, Cecilia suggested that they should take Ramirez to a doctor and buy him new gear, rather than his ripped rags, Juan wanted to take this mission and asked Tsuki to accompany the princess but she "seemed" asleep, so they didn't bother her.
They've purchased some sailor clothing -Hence Ramirez' big body couldn't fit in normal clothing-, and then they headed to a doctor in hope to heal the poor man's memory.
They've waited for their turn in the clinic, at this moment, the imp felt another threat but it was from a faraway place, her hands slowly squeezed her holder's shoulders, Juan noted that and put his hand gently on her: "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Um…what? Oh nothing! I just felt dizzy, can we go out to get some fresh air?" she said.
And so Juan apologized from the princess to go out, of course this all was a plan kneaded by the midget's suspecting mind in order to precise this threat, they walked few steps in this simple town, but yet she couldn't tell how many and how much are these scary forces.
Meanwhile, at the clinic the doctor examined his amnesic patient:
"Hmm…it seems that he really lost his memory, his eyes aren't responding very well with his surrounding, which means he's still suffering from a strong trauma, the head isn't injured so probably this was caused purely by a mental shock, my daughter, I believe that you should be looking for his family, maybe a familiar person; a wife, a son or a daughter, it's the only way for him to remember"
"So doctor, this is the only solution, I guess I'll look around the town for anyone who knows him…thanks, let's go Ramirez" the princess said with a sad voice.
"Lu…cy…Lucy!" Ramirez said.
"Lucy?" the princess asked.
"Hmm, it's very good! He remembered someone, Mister Ramirez, could you tell us who Lucy is?" the doctor said.
The amnesic man couldn't answer because piercing heat boiled his head, he cried of pain screaming the name: "Lucy! Lucy!", the doctor had nothing but to sting him with a needle in the neck causing him to pass out, calming the miserable man down.
Pitying him, Cecilia decided to stay with Ramirez until he wakes up, as she promised the poor man that she'll help him until he finds his family.
However, Dean was in a local bar, there he was looking for a sailor to hire in order to reach the tower of Grimoires, he noticed a bulletin board by the wall, he thought that checking it for future missions would be a good idea, but he saw something that made him shred a paper from that wall and rush out of the bar shouting for Juan in anger.
In response to that Juan ran to meet with his friend in the town square:
"The old man! Where's the damned old man?!" the knight asked Juan violently.
"The princess took him to a doctor." Juan answered questioning the reason behind the question.
"That man! Here! See this picture!" Dean said showing his friend the paper he got earlier.
At first Juan didn't get the point, because the picture seemed identical to Ramirez albeit his beard and mustache are shaved, but the moment he tilted his eyes down to read the description, he charged to the clinic in fear leading the knight:
"Juan! What's going on? Who's that guy?!" the imp asked in worry.
"This is bad! This is bad! Cecilia might be in danger!" he answered the question.
"But who's he?!"
"He's…He's the fearsome!...Ramirez is in reality Vergil! Vergil of the dark heavens!" the shepherd said unaware that his running made him drop the imp who was caught by Dean, he was worried; that's right! This explains what they felt in the forest, it is clear now, but this has no importance! If Ramirez, no! Vergil restored his memory, not only Cecilia but the whole Falbay will be doomed!
At that moment Tsuki noted two things; Juan isn't like he was before, somehow his worries make him reckless, blind, and mindless, if he didn't control himself, he might kill himself! But more importantly! The threat she felt earlier is now there at that clinic! And it's not Ramirez' because she sealed his magic earlier! This means that the princess is in menace, and this so called Vergil isn't responsible for that.
But then she looked up to the knight's face, his pupils seemed smaller, and his brows rammed each others, he wasn't worry, but he was angry!
To be continued