Chapter 23 "Ruffians in the Badlands"

With the Pentelas region behind them, Noah and Mio set their sights towards Keves Castle. The path was wiry and unpredictable, taking them two days to traverse the gradually withering turf. The lush forests and ruins gave way to a series of canyons whose cracks were filled by dust and shriveled shrubs. The cool mist had likewise been replaced with a mostly rainless storm which kept the air buzzing and the surface sporadically illuminated. Although the land widened around the castle, annihilation events were evident from every crater and jagged edge visible through the black fog. Even to the locals, it was a hazardous place to be. For the two deserters, however, it was a more sensible option to take than the active war zones of the Cent-Omnia region.

"We're getting closer," Noah stated the obvious as a caution for the Agnian near Kevesi territory.

"I can see that," Mio peered exhaustedly around the rocky wall on which she was leaning. They'd been hiking for hours today, perhaps encouraged by the path's easing descent since their previous rest stop.

"You should probably change into your disguise while we still have obstructive terrain around us," the ponytailed soldier advised her.

"I suppose I should," her gaze dropped onto her usual, white and gray uniform next. "Somehow, this day arrived sooner than I'd thought."

"We made good progress once we got out of Pentelas," his hand loosely latched onto the strap of his crossbody bag. Unlike Mio, Noah had no need to disguise himself. "Anyway, let's find a spot with more privacy."

"Hold on," the zephyr suddenly stiffened in place.

"Hmm?" he noticed her ears twitching. "You heard something?"

"I… thought I did," she soon relaxed her stance.

"We need to be careful out here," Noah began scanning the immediate area, growing nervous. "We'll be in a bind if we're discovered before we even make it to the castle grounds."

"Right," his running mate stayed between him and the nearby wall. "Then, as you said, let's find a better spot."

Ducking off the main path, Noah and Mio entered what was essentially a sedimentary maze. Although their options were plentiful, they realized that most of these alcoves were dead-ends which could entrap them if someone were to approach from behind. Regardless, a suitable spot was found where she prepared to finally dress herself up.

"I'll stand guard," the pacifist announced, turning around.

"Thanks," she retrieved her disguise from her backpack. As the conversation subsided, the rolling thunder reminded them of the storm's foreboding presence above. It was hardly the ideal environment for changing clothes, though Mio made no such complaints.

The first things to go were her boots and shin guards, the whiteness of which had already been diminished by a layer of dust. Although her pants were primarily gray, Mio didn't want to risk it and promptly replaced them with the black Kevesi pair. Her new footwear felt less protective and durable than her originals, but the agile Agnian was glad that her toes had sufficient wiggle room.

With everything now swapped from the waist down, the next thing for Mio to replace was her outer shirt. The new Kevesi threads of gray and black fit well, offering her a style that was unsurprisingly different but no less palatable for her taste. However, one quick check upon herself revealed a small hole in their plans.

"Hey, um…" the older soldier got the younger one's attention.

"Hmm?" he briefly peered over his shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Not quite," she fidgeted in place. "The shirt doesn't cover me completely."

"Your gem, I see," it took him no time at all to ascertain the issue. "If anyone sees that, they'll know you're Agnian."

"I'd inspected everything multiple times already," Mio attempted to keep her exasperation to a minimum. "I'm not sure why I never considered that the collar would dip too low."

"It's my fault for not picking a different kit back at Colony 5," her travel partner habitually lamented.

"Let's not lay blame here," the moonblades-wielder waved her hands in front of her, palms out. "We need to think of a solution."

"You're right," Noah nodded before focusing on the problematic gap below her neck. "Hmm…"

"Have you an idea?" she read the deliberations in his eyes.

"I do, but…" his hesitation became apparent.

"But what?" the tenth-termer slightly tilted her head, swallowing her impatience.

"Would you… be willing to wear my undershirt?" the swordfighter asked upon removing his crossbody bag.

"You mean the one you're wearing now?" the cat-eared Agnian seemed rather bewildered.

"N-no," he returned a similar expression, "I packed another one from Colony 25."

"Oh," her tone elicited no emotion, perhaps on purpose. "If you don't mind, then I accept."

"Here," the courteous Kevesi fetched it for her. "It should fit you since they're a bit small for me."

"I've noticed," the zephyr draped the vertically-striped garment on her arm while she pulled the gray and black outer shirt back off.

"Yeah," he started to turn before the implication of her response halted him. "Er, what?"

"Forget it," Mio fended off a smirk while her fingers tugged at her camisole straps. Waiting until Noah resumed standing guard of their alcove, she removed the last of her Agnian clothing and proceeded to put on his replacement. However, it proved to be more of a hassle than expected. "Urfff! How do you… put this… on?"

"It's supposed to flex," the owner of the garment in question informed her with one slightly concerned brow raised. Turning around again, Noah found her with it stuck on her head in an unflattering but undeniably humorous way. "Do you, um, need assistance?"

"Yes," came her muffled answer.

"R-right," his hands gently stretched the opening at the top. "I think your ears got stuck."

"Kevesis with wings must have it worse," the abashed Agnian remarked through the cloth that'd contoured to her face.

"You'd be surprised," Noah continued to be careful with her. A few fumbling seconds later, Mio's head was free once more.

"Thank you." Her ears twitched involuntarily before she refitted herself with the gray and black outer shirt. Noah's solution appeared to do the trick, her gem now hidden. "Guess I should cut some of the padding out of the helmet next."

"Is that what you did with your Agnian one?" he inquired, still standing within breathing distance of her.

"I… didn't need to," she took a moment to admire his cobalt eyes. "Mine was already…"

"Already… what?" the ninth-termer watched her gaze drift past his shoulder. Pivoting to see what'd caught Mio's attention, Noah spotted two armed Agnian soldiers who appeared to have halted a tiptoed approach a few metri away. "Huh? When did…?"

"Spark! We've been made!" Speaking first was Alyss, a strawberry-blonde girl with short, pink horns and a pair of katanas.

"Doesn't matter. We finally caught up to the Kevesi." The other invader was Kane, a boy with lavender skin and a staff.

"You two…" the moonblades-wielder recognized them instantly. "Your commander warned that you might follow us."

"Ah, good ol' Taion," the male aggressor sneered. "What a joke he is."

"Looks like I was wrong about not having to worry about them out here," the ponytailed soldier sensed yet another confrontation looming.

"Mio," the other girl noticed her incomplete disguise. "Why are you wearing…?"

"Going full traitor now, eh?" Kane staked his weapon in the ground, shaking his head. "Your fall from grace is staggering."

"You made a similar remark back at Colony Phi," Mio stood defensively but made no attempt to summon her Blade. "Besides, you're being hypocritical. You were a team captain, yet you've brought someone to the last place on Aionios that an Agnian should be."

"So, why are you here, then?" he asked with a face full of contempt. "We're well past Colony Rho, after all."

"I needn't answer to someone who's shown nothing but disrespect," her response was intentionally empty. "It's not like you've got a mind to believe anything I say, anyway."

"Oh, do try me," the lavender-skinned boy dared her, grinning. "I insist."

"Yeah!" his horned teammate added to the pressure. "We'll listen, we promise!"

"Hmph…" Now it was the cat-eared Agnian's turn to be doubtful as she turned to confer with her Kevesi counterpart. "Should we tell them about the City?"

"Uh…" Noah's eyes darted back and forth between her and his former harassers. "How well do you know them?"

"Not very," her voice was low. "We weren't on the same team."

"I think we're better off just convincing them to turn back." His sights eventually settled on the Agnian pair, particularly their predominantly white uniforms. "They won't be able to follow us through the castle lands without getting caught, or worse."

"One would think," Mio muttered before returning to them. "Look, he and I have a place to be which requires us to pass by Keves Castle."

"Oh?" the staff-wielder acted mildly curious. "And what sort of place are we talking about?"

"A place for soldiers like us who wish to fight no longer," the pacifist responded for her while she quickly stuffed her Agnian gear in her backpack.

"Why would you ever want to stop fighting?" Alyss appeared baffled by the notion.

"Do you enjoy it?" he shot a swift question back at her.

"Um, kind of…?" she looked at her partner who merely shrugged.

"Neither Mio nor I ever wanted to participate in this war. Therefore, we've abandoned it." Yet again, Noah found himself being the negotiator in hopes of preventing unnecessary violence. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"You're right," Kane was no longer smiling, "I don't understand."

"It must be some kind of Kevesi tactic," the duoblade-wielder became suspicious, "to confuse us."

"I'm trying to diffuse this situation," the swordfighter told them outright. "We wish for no further disputes."

"No further…? You talk as if we've clashed before!" There was an obvious lack of sincerity in the lavender-skinned boy's words. Noah couldn't contain an aggrieved sigh which only fed Kane's arrogance. "Oh! You mean that one time…"

"Please drop the act," the zephyr groaned similarly. "You know exactly what you did."

"We were just helping him," Alyss claimed falsely in reference to her and Kane's hazing of Noah in Colony Phi's bathhouse. "He, er, wasn't washing himself properly."

"You said I was thirsty," the lone Kevesi recalled her ruse.

"Oh yeah," she started giggling unsympathetically. "That's a lot cleverer, huh?"

"I find no humor in it," dreariness coated his words. The awful memory of being forced to take a cold shower stream to the face wasn't something that Noah wanted to dig up again. "A-anyway, now that we've explained ourselves, will you leave us alone?"

"What? But we slogged all this way to find you!" The horned Agnian's complaining was painfully superficial to the two deserters.

"Was it really worth risking your lives just to do that?" Mio crossed her Kevesi-sleeved arms, her patience dwindling.

"What else do we have, now?" Kane's response was surprisingly more serious than his teammate's. "We weren't appreciated at Colony Phi anymore."

"You can relocate to Colony Rho," the moonblades-wielder suggested instead. "You had to have passed it on your way here."

"Moraine, the Agnian healer who'd traveled with us is their commander now," the ponytailed soldier took her cue. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking you in."

"Yeah, and there's a new Nopon chef as well," she continued to run with this new idea. "Docca did well to keep us from going hungry."

"A Nopon chef?" the male aggressor appeared to loosen up. "Is the food any good?"

"I liked it," the cat-eared Agnian was encouraged by his seemingly genuine curiosity. "He somehow managed to make ordinary oatmeal sweet and tasty."

"I'm not so much into breakfast, but I enjoyed every meal there," Noah expressed his own opinion, likewise cognizant of the sudden change in mood.

"What do you think, Alyss?" Kane pulled back to confer with her like how Mio had done with Noah.

"Tempting, but… it sounds too good to be true," the strawberry-blonde gave into her suspicions again.

"Right, how do we know there's actually a good Nopon chef in Colony Rho?" her teammate reassumed his standoffish stance.

"He packed us food for our journey," the pacifist reached for his crossbody bag and frantically searched for a satisfactory example. "We even received, uh, chunkypon brownies."

"You guys got brownies?" the staff-wielder completely dropped his guard, his weapon no longer active.

"Y-yeah, um, see?" the lone Kevesi presented them with the supposedly delectable treat.

"Kane, look at the cute wrapping!" Alyss withdrew her duoblade to examine the brownie closely. "Can we sample this?"

"I-I suppose," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "though I don't actually know if it's good." Ignoring his warning, the two accosting Agnians split the dessert and popped their halves in their apparently famished mouths.

"Snuffin' bits, man!" Kane exclaimed for both of them. "It is good!"

"Oh, I'm… glad," the ponytailed soldier shared a look of bemusement with Mio. It was becoming clear to them that their stalkers hadn't eaten much lately.

"We hardly got to snag goodies like this in Colony Phi," the lavender-skinned boy explained their trifling plight, "what with all the personnel there."

"Taion did mention it was a hub for Agnus," Mio calmly reentered the conversation, helmet in hand. "So, will you leave us alone and head back to Pentelas? None of us need to be dawdling here."

"Hmph!" The softness of his expression disappeared upon considering her request. A spell of uneasy silence ensued while Kane and Alyss stared at each other contemplatively. Once a decision appeared to have been made, he turned to face Mio with his brows still low and rigid. "I'll probably lose sleep over this, but fine. Have it your way."

"Do you mean it?" her hands came together over her concealed gem.

"Unfortunately, yes," he snarled at her. "Your logic is… annoying."

"But you agree it makes sense, right?" the zephyr hoped after interpreting his additional comment.

"You lost your status at Colony Phi due to our altercation, so you sought me out for revenge," Noah pieced together his understanding of their situation in an unprovoking tone. "But now you have the chance to start anew. Colony Rho is rebuilding itself, after all."

"Shut up, Kevesi!" Kane snapped at him regardless. "I don't need you to spell it out for me."

"Thanks for the brownie, though!" the duoblade-wielder acknowledged with a very brief but seemingly genuine grin.

"Don't talk nice to the enemy," his hand slowly spun her around by her shoulder. "Come on, we're out of here." With nothing left to say, Kane and Alyss hotfooted away from the alcove at last. Noah and Mio didn't move a muscle, waiting until his former harassers had disappeared from view to share a sigh of relief.

"They came and went without fighting us," the pacifist was glad to say. "Well done, Mio."

"You were tactful yourself," his running mate returned the praise, "as usual."

"We make a pretty good team," he nodded, displaying an exhausted smile.

"Well, I've learned a thing or two from you along the way," her gaze lingered on him before drifting down to what she was holding. "Now then, about this helmet…"

"The final piece of your disguise," the younger soldier ogled it as well.

"You wouldn't happen to have a pocket knife, would you?" Mio inquired while her fingers lightly dug into the helmet's padding.

"There's one with my first-aid kit," Noah reached into his crossbody bag again for the tiny tool. "It's meant to cut bandages, but maybe it'll be sufficient for what you need?"

"I'll manage," she received it from him, "thanks again."

Flipping the pocket knife open, the assiduous Agnian began making the necessary modifications. It was far from perfect, but soon Mio's helmet was ready. As Noah watched her put it on and adjust to its confines, he remembered how difficult it'd been for her to show her face to him the first time. Mio herself was likewise aware of this, however, she knew the difference between hiding out of distress back then and hiding out of necessity now.

"You look good," he voiced his approval, hands on hips.

"Do I really, though?" the tenth-termer questioned, unable to critique her new, temporary appearance.

"I mean, I prefer to see your face," his eyes instinctively tried to find hers through her visor like from their earliest days, "but it should be good enough to fool everyone moving forward."

"Golden," she equipped her backpack full of her Agnian gear. "That's all I'll need."

"Actually, perhaps that's not all," a qualm arose for the ponytailed soldier. "Your accent… it may give you away."

"My accent?" Mio hadn't expected him to mention that of all things. "You think how I talk might…?" The rest of her sentence fizzled upon hearing it for herself.

"It doesn't exist within Kevesi speech," he asserted, having spent time with soldiers from both sides by now. "If you don't mind, I'll do the talking until we're in the clear."

"Fair enough," she adjusted the collar of his undershirt against her neck. "Anything else?"

"The salute," Noah noted upon seeing her fiddle for comfort. "If we have to salute, your right hand should move like this." To demonstrate the proper gesture, he upturned his fist which she duly copied.

"I got it." A clap of thunder kept the air noisy as the conversation paused and the moonblades-wielder mentally prepared herself for the task ahead. "Are you ready, then?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," the ninth-termer scooted closer, having strapped his crossbody bag back on himself. "Very well, let's go."

The two deserters had nearly forgotten how deep into the labyrinth they'd strayed, but they nonetheless navigated through it undeterred. It was only a matter of retracing their steps, a task for which he took point. Noah knew that Mio was likely still adjusting to her now full-bodied disguise, occasionally checking to ensure that she was keeping up.

The sky above wasn't any friendlier now than it was before, the incessant lightning subtly brightening the canyon around them. In fact, the illumination from an ensuing strike somewhere behind them seemed to take an unnaturally long time to diminish. Just as he noticed this, something hot and powerful struck him in the back just above his crossbody bag. Within seconds, Noah was on the ground with all senses numbed from both impacts.

"Wha…?!" Mio panicked in her indecision of whether to wrap her arms around him or to activate her Blade and block any further projectiles. Eventually picking the former, she strained to spot the source of what'd hit him through her protective but visibly impeding visor.

"You got him, Kane!" The chipper voice of Alyss rang from atop a short shelf of the canyon.

"Spark yeah!" her partner in crime raised his staff triumphantly. "The Kevesi scum is down!"

"Why you…?!" the zephyr growled, though her anger couldn't be seen by them. "How could you do this, after what we discussed?!"

"Mmm, yeah, I wasn't really paying attention," he peered down his nose at her. "You're quite gullible, y'know?"

"Wait a minute," the strawberry-blonde shook his shoulder and pointed outward. "How come he hasn't become a husk?"

"Huh?" Kane leaned forward so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. "He's still alive?! But I didn't miss!"

"M-Mio…" Noah stirred in the quivering but soft embrace that was dulling the burning pain, "what's… going on?"

"Hey," the cat-eared Agnian hushed for him, "hang in there, okay?"

"Blast it!" the male aggressor stomped, unintentionally kicking up dust. "Come on, Alyss, we need to finish what we started."

"I'm with you," his teammate drew her two katanas as they descended to their target's level.

"They're coming," Mio inhaled sharply through her teeth. "Can you move?"

"Yeah," her travel partner climbed to his knee before being assisted the rest of the way up. "Looks like we'll have to fight, this time."

"I'll do my best to protect you." The moonblades-wielder stood in front of him, both deserters now armed and ready to deal with ruffians in the badlands.

"Take the lead," Kane directed, likewise positioned behind his female counterpart. "I'll buff you up something fierce."

"Goody!" Alyss cheered while he formed a glowing orange circle around her. "That means I get to be the one who kills him!" Powered up and ready to tussle, she dashed ahead with her katanas crossed in front of her maliciously grinning face.

"Oh no you won't!" Unafraid, the zephyr met her opening attack with a diagonal, deflecting slice which sent a few sparks splattering on the nearest wall.

"Stop it, Mio!" the horned Agnian tried to sidestep her. "You're keeping me from performing my sworn duty!"

"Shove the traitor out of the way, Alyss!" the staff-wielder's hostile shout echoed across the limited space.

"Give me more juice!" she responded with an order of her own, unable to move past Mio and reach the injured, stationary Noah.

"I'll give you all I've got!" Gripping his supportive weapon with both hands, Kane increased the size and intensity of the enhancement circle for his partner. "There! Do it!"

"I will!" Boosted to the maximum and practically glowing herself, Alyss finally rammed Mio to the ground and set her sights on the prize.

"Gah!" Inhibited by the pain, Noah held his sword laterally to block as many swipes from the pair of lethal katanas as he could.

"Back off!" his running mate tossed one of her ring swords at Alyss. It was a direct hit to the wrist, but the female aggressor hardly flinched and resumed her onslaught. Kane's enhancements were proving to be insurmountable as she slashed at Noah who continued to retreat. Submitting to desperation, Mio instead pivoted towards the supporting Agnian and flung her other weapon at his chest.

"Eh?" Suddenly, Alyss felt her body weaken back to normal which gave her target the opportunity to flee. Turning around, she witnessed Kane fall backward in a plume of dust and red motes. "Kane?!"

"Y-you left me no choice…" Mio approached her slowly, intimidatingly, having pulled the fatal ring sword from the lavender-skinned boy. "S-spark you."

"You killed him…" the remaining antagonist started dragging her feet towards the fresh husk. "Y-you killed… a-an Agnian… wha… what are you?!"

"For the last time, leave us alone," the moonblades-wielder circled around her to stand by Noah and retrieve the other piece of her Blade. Thinking that the fight was over, the two deserters put away their weapons.

"I-I'll get you both!" Deranged by anguish, Alyss sprinted at them with her katanas flailing recklessly.

"We've got an opening," the pacifist noted breathlessly, already backstepping.

"Good," the Kevesi-dressed Agnian grabbed his hand and ran with him for the canyon's exit. They'd barely turned the corner when a piloted Equites Levnis rolled up, nearly running them over. Wasting no time, the wheeled machine fired a beam above their heads and shot their assailant in one fell swoop. Once the dust cleared, there was nothing but another fresh husk in the dirt.

"I thought I'd detected some activity this way," the cockpit opened to reveal an unfamiliar, male Kevesi. "Are you guys alright?"

"N-not really…" the solemn swordsman answered for both of them.

"If you need medical attention, we've got healers at Colony 11," the pilot started to rotate his Levnis. "Follow me. I'll escort you to base." Ready or not, Noah and Mio hobbled along the wheel tracks of their incidental rescuer into Penshia Portal, the outskirts of Keves Castle territory.

"I feel sick," she muttered quietly, disgusted by her actions.

"I'm sorry Mio," her travel partner ignored his pain and wrapped an arm behind her back. Considering their current states, Noah couldn't help but wonder if choosing this route to the City was still the right decision.