Lydia held her breath. She held Alon in her thin arms. Her eyes are trying to make out everything in the darkness. Her ears strained but it only made her head hurt. All she could do was follow Akka and Eva. It proved a little difficult as she began to slip and fall a few times due to the ashy ground. She even had to pick up Ishtar because the little pig began to leave a grassy trail behind her. Lydia nearly yelped when she saw Brinnia stop and turn around. She jumped to the nearest rock to hide. Nearly bumping into Eva in the process.

"Shhh!" Eva hissed. She peered over the rock. Brinnia soon continued to walk on to her unknown destination. "Ok."

Akka soon joined them from his hiding place. He pulled out his weapon. His steps filled with caution. Barely making any sound. He continued to stay in a crouched position. Then, he raised his hand to stop the girls. "I think we're here." He pointed to a small clearing that was slightly surrounded by a few pillars. Akka led the girls to the nearest

Brinnia simply stood there. Her white form turned ivory in the moonlight. Her red hair turned copper at the touch. She was staring out at a patch of darkness that the moon can't shine. "Sorry I took so long. I had to wait until everyone's asleep. There's three strangers that just came here today. They were asking about the Crogs around here."

Footsteps were soon heard. They were large. Heavy. An air of tension surrounded the area. A pair of yellow eyes glowed out of the darkness. A large figure loomed over Brinnia like black ink taking on a physical form. He wore an average Crog grunt uniform, but had a pair of goggles. The same kind that the Byrian elder described. It was Saggitarius. "It can't be helped, my dear. I just received a message about an incident back at Kraam. If you describe these visitors to me, I wouldn't be too surprised who they are."

"She wouldn't sell us out!" Lydia said in a hushed whisper. She turned to Eva. "Would she?" The group watched as Brinnia described them to Sagittarius. They all groaned quietly.

"She would…." Eva said.

Akka stared at them with puzzled confusion. He rubbed his chin. "It doesn't make sense...All the Byrians hate the Crogs for what they did. Even Brinnia seemed to be joyful when Ishtar got some trees growing."

They watched closely as Saggitarius raised his hand. It was open. His movements made him look like he was about to strike her. Eva readied her fists. Akka gripped his weapon tighter. Lydia held on to her creatures. To their shock, he only placed it on top of her head. "You must be more careful with yourself if you plan on seeing me this recklessly." His golden eyes gazed over to the spot they were hiding. "Come out now. Best not do anything foolish."

Lydia gulped. Her heart raced. Is he serious? She thought. Before she could do anything, Alon floated out of her hands and went over to the two giants. Even Ishtar squeaked at this strange sight. Lydia followed behind. She held Ishtar in case anything happened. Before long, Akka and Eva slowly came out with her. Lydia looked closely at Brinnia's face. Wait...Is Brinnia...Blushing?!

Akka raised his weapon. "What do you want with us, Sagittarius?"

"Calm yourself, Prince Akka." Sagittarius said. "I simply wanted to have a peaceful afternoon with my…'friend'." Something about the way he said friend was a little shaky. Like he wasn't sure where to put Brinnia. There was a small sparkle in his eye as he looked at her. "Besides, I know that you only came here out of simple curiosity. I'm not the one to give commands since I'm a grunt mind you. So I wouldn't lead you all to an ambush. It's quite droll if you think about it."

Lydia gaped. Her mouth formed a small "o". Her eyes nearly fell out of her sockets. "Wow!" She said before she could stop herself. "You're very sophisticated for someone who's a low ranking soldier." Lydia smacked her mouth closed. Her cheeks turned bright red. Rarely does she say these sorts of things, but when she does it means trouble.

Brinnia let out a loud laugh. Her face still had that tint of red. "You're probably the first person to say that aside from me."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?!" Eva said.

"L-love…"

Everyone turned to the little seahorse that floated a few feet above Sagittarius. Alon curled his tail around the Crog's ear. His eyes focused on him. "M-misstress. T-this Crog seems to like the Byrian a certain way."

Brinnia turned an even deeper shade of red at this remark. Sagittarius cleared his throat. However, the gleam in his eyes showed that Alon might be right on to something.

Lydia braved herself for the next question. "So...How did you two meet? Um...I mean...it must've been hard to get along."

Sagittarius walked over to Akka. "Of course." He snagged something that could be barely seen in his large hand. "But first I'm going to have to remove a device on your suits." Before anyone could protest, he began to grab the others and remove the hidden devices with ease. He opened his hands. In his palm were small metallic cubes. They glittered in the moonlight. Sagittarius looked up. A small laugh escaped him. "Judging by those looks on your faces, I guess you didn't know that your superiors booby trapped your suits."

Eva stared. "W-wha? Huh?"

"What's going on here?!" Ishtar huffed.

Sagittarius pulled out some tools and began to tinker with the small objects. "I heard a strange hum. It's low so it can't be heard at a normal frequency range. Recently, I became suspicious of foul play the moment I heard that some of the Crogs back home suddenly went ill the moment they intercepted you."

Lydia gaped as she remembered something. "The Emperor! Is he ok?"

Sagittarius tilted his head while Eva and Akka stared in shock. "That's new. No one would ever ask that question out of genuine concern. I know that many warriors would've been chomping at the bit to see one of us expire."

Lydia fiddled with her fingers. "Well...He did strike me. However, I don't think it's right to think like that. I don't know too much about Crogs or Kraam. I wish I could…." She looked him square in the eye. "We are supposed to be on a diplomatic mission. We shouldn't have anything on us that causes extreme harm."

"A modest soul…" Sagittarius muttered. "No. His armor is thicker. The Crogs who were inflicted were low-level grunts such as myself." He lowered his goggles and pulled out a tool. It looked a little similar to a screwdriver. The Crog sat down on the nearest rock. He settled the metal items down on a cloth. He began to spark it. Soon, the items began to let out a pale green dust. "Interesting."

Akka stared at the dust in curiosity. He was about to reach out when Sagittarius stopped him. "What is the meaning of this?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Everyone jumped and turned to see Rush. The Byrian crossed his arms. His lips in a firm line. His chainsaw pickaxe strapped on his back. "I thought you were acting strange Brinnia. I thought you were still grieving over the loss of your little brother, but this-'' He pointed at Sagittarius. "Is the last thing I would expect."

"Little brother?" Lydia asked. She was about to ask when Alon hovered over to her. The little seahorse weeping in her arms.

Brinnia's dark eyes began to mist. "I'll tell you. Please...Just don't fight."

-(Flashback to a few months ago)-

Brinnia cried over a small tombstone. A foriegn writing scrawled over the name of a child and the year they died. "I'm sorry…" She sobbed. "If only I could've done better." Then, she looked at her weapon that laid beside her. The battle with the Crogs ended in failure. It was thanks to pollution that her brother drank poisoned water and died a month later. "It's their fault that you're gone." She gripped the ground hard. The dirt between her fingers. "I'll make every single last one of them pay! I may not take on a horde, but sabotage and a taking down a few grunts should start."

A few days later, Brinnia found the hideout of a few Crogs that were stationed on Byrus to prevent another uprising. She hid in the outcropping of rock. Silent like a shadow. Her heart was tight against her chest. It was reckless. A fool's errand. But she nearly lost all of her family due to illness and famine. Even Askn tried to talk her out of it to no avail. She saw a few Tridents stand before her. Brinnia readied her weapon. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, Brinnia launched an assault on the ships.

Each strike was audible. The swings are fierce. The metal hulls were torn apart. Mechanical parts flew high in the air. Her voice roared with all her fury. How she wanted a Crog to come in. Brinnia was about to move to the next machine when she saw some movement. She whirled around. Empty air only met her. Suddenly, she felt something hit the back of her head. Brinnia cried out and swung again. This time her weapon was stopped by a large hand. A dark figure loomed over her slightly. Yellow eyes staring at her.

"How vulgar." The Crog grunt said. It was easy to see that from his clothes and ears. "A Byrian being this bold to actually do this." He punched Brinnia's stomach. As she dropped to her knees, he tossed pale purple dust into her face. He knelt in front of her. "Why don't you settle down?" He held her as she fell over. Her dark eyes soon closed. In a matter of minutes, he picked her up with ease.

A few hours later, Brinnia regained consciousness. She laid on a firm bed that only had a few sheets underneath. Her vision blurred a bit before she could register what was going on. Brinnia tried moving her arms only to find that she couldn't untie them. She looked down to see that rope was tied to her side. She tried to move her body but her legs and head couldn't move. She growled and grunted. She huffed. "What in the Ram's Horn is the meaning of this?!"

A yawn erupted. The Crog grunt got up from his spot. His goggles lay crooked on his head. One ear flopped downward. Giving him the appearance of a puppy. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm surprised you're that responsive considering the amount of sleeping agents I put on you." He yawned again. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to drag you here, fix the machines before the others came back and hide you?"

"Don't care! Untie me Crog scum!"

"That's...not going to happen any time soon." He got up from his spot and walked over to a bag. He rummaged into it. His eyes focused on his task. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled it out and walked back toward her. He knelt down. "Here. I believe you haven't eaten anything in a while." He opened a strange bundle to reveal several strange fruits. Dark red and soft. Before Brinnia could do anything, he popped one into her mouth with ease.

Brinnia instinctively chewed. She cringed a little. The fruit was bitter. The texture frail. She had to swallow the fruit. However, she had more fruit crammed into her mouth. Her heart burned with anger as she heard the Crog laugh. As the last of the fruit was gone, Brinnia tried to bite one of his fingers. Then, she stuck her tongue out.

The Crog laughed again. "That's really adorable. Who knew that barbaric creatures like you could be so interesting."

"Funny. I think a Crog is the most barbaric thing in the universe even with your fancy gizmos." Brinnia smiled as the grunt glared at her. "Let's see who wins the battle of wills."

For weeks this "battle" went on. Brinnia would spit fruit out at her face. Sometimes bite him. In turn, he would drag her around or shove her in spaces that would make her a little claustrophobic. Even keep Brinnia awake with his tinkering. It seemed to reach a breaking point until the Crog grunt made a careless mistake.

One day, the grunt was running late. He had to shove a weapon he was working on along with Brinnia. Brinnia sat alone in the dark for a while. She leaned against an object. She flinched. Something about this object felt way too familiar. Her hand groped against the metal. To her excitement, she immediately recognized her weapon. She rubbed the ropes to the blade. Once they snapped, Brinnia moved it around and used it for her legs. Her mind began to think of a plan to get back at him.

The Crog grunt returned from his work. He sighed. "That Emperor will be the death of me. Next to Captain Leo." He walked toward his closet where Brinnia is hiding. "Sorry, my dear. My shift took-" He did a double take as he saw an empty space. The weapon he previously worked on was missing. His ears drooped. Eyes wide. "Oh no…" An explosion of pain erupted in his head. Knocking him over.

Brinnia loomed over him. Her eyes filled with fury. On one hand, she held her axe-like weapon. It was modified with extended blades. In her other hand was the sleeping agent that the grunt used on her. "Now it's your turn." She shoved the agent on his face. Brinnia held on to him with all of her might. She waited until he started to go limp. His breathing evened. She sighed. "Now...for the hard part." Brinnia looked at her weapon. She found two buttons on the handle. She nervously pressed one. To her surprise, it shrunk down to a small rod. "What the-" Brinnia had no time to register what happened as noise began to fill down below. She grabbed him and made for the fastest exit she could find.

Brinnia dragged him to a spot that he wanted him to see. A scenario that kept repeating in her head. Her rage boiled in her. Once she reached her spot, she gingerly set him down and sat at a nearby rock. Her eyes focused on the unconscious form.

The grunt groaned loudly. "OOOOOOOWWWW! My word...I had never-" He stopped his sentence. His eyes laid on a small grave. "Wha-What is this?" He tried to move but found he could only do a little. "Curses! This isn't funny, Byrian!"

"Of course it isn't." Brinnia said in a menacing tone. "THAT is something that we would agree on. Look at that grave. There's someone I want you to meet." She pulled on his ear, ignoring his cry. "This is my younger brother. He was the sun of this planet. He loved making friends. He would play games among the rocks. Every single day he would tell jokes that would've split anyone's side! He was poisoned by the waters your people polluted. Not that you care. All you seem to enjoy is torturing me!" She punched him hard. As she talked, she kept punching him. "You laugh at our misery! You look down on my people like we're your playthings! The Crog Empire is a scourge that should've died long ago!" She grabbed her weapon. Her arms raised above her head to receive the final blow.

"WAAAAAAIIIT!" The grunt let out a fearful wail. "I-I didn't mean to make you feel that way! I really do find you and your people interesting."

"Lies!"

"N-no…" He said. Something about his voice wavered. Almost as if he was ready to cry. "I saw your weaponry. It was impressive, especially the fact that it can cut through a triton engine with dull blades. I thought it was a tune up. Some parts had to be replaced. Felt it could improve your combat repertoire. You...Byrians...are a colorful lot. More colorful than we are."

Brinnia lowered her weapon. Slowly, she allowed herself to look at his face. To her surprise, she saw genuine fear. She knew Crogs were remorseless monsters. They never showed weakness toward an enemy, let alone their superior. Seeing tears out of his eyes was something Brinnia wasn't expecting. He's...not lying, She thought. Brinnia looked at her reflection in the blade of her axe. She could see she wasn't herself anymore. Her eyes held bags. Her cheeks sunken. It felt like she was staring at a monster. The very monster that she wanted to destroy. "What am I doing?" She sat down. Tears sprang from her eyes. Her rage fizzled into sorrow. Brinnia cried. Her voice turned into a mournful wail. She tried wiping them away but they continued to flow down. Suddenly, she felt something warm wrap around her. She looked up to see the Crog had hugged her. At that point, she didn't care. She continued to cry.

"I'm terribly sorry that my behavior upset you." The Crog grunt said. "I guess the best thing to do at the moment is to do introductions. My name's Sagittarius. What's yours?"

-(End of Flashback)-

Lydia and the others stared blankly at the tale. It was hard to believe that something started harsh and cruel became a strange friendship. "Wow…" Lydia breathed. "I never imagined that anything good would come out of that." She looked at Sagittarius. "Or encounter a Crog like you. I'm sure it was hard to keep your passion a secret."

"Quite. I'm always fascinated with the mechanics of other civilizations and compare it to the history of our people." Sagittarius sighed. His ears drooped. "However, that sort of thing is frowned upon by the Empire. Also, Brinnia is the only one who hears me out most of the time." He looked at Rush, Eva and Akka with an annoyed look. "Until now. To make matters worse, Leo has been making it harder for me to meet Brinnia. It will be a matter of time before he finds us. Besides, I do find swinging weapons a total bore. I'd rather give logical diplomacy a try."

Suddenly, a loud boom radiated in the far distance. Everyone got up from their spot and ran to the direction of the noise. Sagittarius doing great care in putting the powder and metal away. When they arrived, they all gaped in horror. The Byrian village was ablaze. The yellow eyes of Crogs seen among the flames.

That's it for this chapter. Sagittarius is going to be an interesting Crog to work on. I thought of a socially awkward Crog that strays away from the war-like nature of Crogs. Review.