Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.
Chapter 20: Calamity
"Sorry about all this," Daryl sighed, glancing
over the side of Mina's bed to see her friend unrolling a straw bed roll before
covering it in a blanket.
"Would you stop saying that already?!" Celine
grunted from across the room on her own bed.
"We've already told you.
Tonight, you're family, so loosen up."
"It's not that big a deal, Daryl," Mina said,
laying down on the bedroll, "Besides, you need rest after a day like
this."
"I...I just..." Daryl bit her lip.
"Would you quit worrying?" Celine said, sitting
up and glaring at her, "The old man said it was fine. Morak's told your mom and Angelo what
happened and when you're ready, you can go back. If tonight's not enough, you can use a spare
room," Celine shrugged, "Kano
won't mind."
"Hmmm..." Daryl hummed, laying back down. "I owe you."
"Damn straight, you do," Celine snickered.
"Celi..." Mina groaned, shooting her friend a
frown.
"Haha, it's okay...once a vagabond, always a
vagabond," Daryl managed a laugh, despite having to wipe at her bloodshot
eyes.
"Considering we saved a princess, maybe you should
call me a knight," Celine smirked.
"Sure...lady knightess," Daryl laid back in
bed.
"I am never going to let you forget that."
"Celi, quit teasing her," Mina snorted.
"No...it's alright.
I feel better now," Daryl let out a short giggle. "So...was the dinner shift awkward,
considering...?"
"Nope. It was pretty quiet, actually. The priests made themselves scarce after
Morak had it out with Angelo and your mom," Celine murmured, "Though
the border guards kept an eye on the doors, just in case."
"Relax..."
Mina sighed when she saw Daryl sit up, "Your mom said it was okay to be
here and Angelo can just deal with things.
Nothing else really happened.
Didn't even get an outburst from Yuka.
Nivtenc bought her a drink and they hit it off, but that's about
it."
"I'm glad
I didn't cause any more trouble for you..." Daryl mumbled.
"I swear
if she keeps doin that, I'm gonna hit her," Celine hissed at Mina. "Ya make it sound like everything is
your fault. It's not, ya know? Sure as heck wasn't your fault I almost
drowned today. Couldn't have been, seein
as you weren't even there," she smirked.
"WHAT?!"
Daryl sat bolt upright, her eyes wide, staring straight at Celine.
"Long
story..." Mina groaned, slapping her forehead. "Don't worry, we're fine. We-" Mina stopped for a moment when
something tickled the back of her ear.
"Hmmm?" She scratched
her ear and put her hand around it.
"Is
that... " Celine muttered, cupping her hands around her own ears, "Do
either of you hear someone singing?"
"Yeah..."
Daryl mumbled, rubbing her eyes and suppressing a yawn. "What...what's causing...it?" she
stammered, slumping back against her pillows.
A soft chorus
of many voices, raised in wordless song, crept through the outside window and
swept over Mina. As she listened, her
body grew sluggish and her eyes began to feel heavy. Yawning loudly, Mina pulled back the blanket
of her bedroll and crawled underneath it.
Hours passed like minutes with the singing ever present in her ears.
"Hey!"
Celine barked, her voice barely registering through the music. Mina lazily opened a single eyelid and saw
her friend sitting bolt upright without a trace of weariness in her eyes. Beneath the haze of song coming from outside,
Mina heard the floorboards let out a cacophony of creaks downstairs while the
sound of wood lightly smacking against wood wound its way up to them. "You guys heard that, right? Someone's awake downstairs!"
"Probably
jus Kano
getting a drink'r something..." Daryl let out a groggy moan and turned
over in Mina's bed.
Mina tried to
prick up her ears, but she was soon swallowed up by the singing again, which
seemed to overpower all five of her senses.
It was like an ancient lullaby that seeped into her very bones, as quiet
as it was loud and so soothing that she closed her eyes immediately and drifted
into a doze.
"Mina! Daryl!
WAKE UP!" Before she could fade completely into slumber, Mina heard
a tiny voice in the back of her mind.
She twisted in bed and felt something grab her shoulder, jolting her out
of her reverie. Though her eyes were
still heavy, Mina managed to open them and saw Celine kneeling over her, a mask
of panic adorning her face.
"Something's wrong! That
singing is...it's doing something! Look
outside!"
Mina tried to
rise, but her body refused to listen.
She closed her eyes without thinking, letting the song wash over her
once again. Then, as suddenly as it
started, the singing seemed to stop, replaced by an explosion outside. Despite the inn shaking and the timbers
overhead rustling, Mina had to struggle to open her eyes.
"Wha...what
was..." she yawned, as the song began to creep into her ears once again. Biting her lip to keep herself awake, Mina
stumbled to her feet. Celine was shaking
Daryl hard and managed to get the purple haired girl to sit up.
"It's
happening again!" Celine was yelling at the top of her lungs and pointing
at the window, "It's happening again!"
Pinching
herself to keep from falling asleep on her feet, Mina glanced outside and her
eyes widened, any trace of her stupor vanishing immediately. Below them, there was a sea of apocra,
sweeping through the town like a great wave.
Creatures with long, serpentine bodies, but with the upper torsos of men
and women had their voices raised in song around each of the houses while
countless creatures Mina remembered seeing in the forests of Acacia passed them
by, bearing unconscious people on their backs or in their arms. Overhead, a thin blue film had formed over
the town, shielding it from countless fireballs which rained down on it,
exploding in the air as they crashed into the shield. In the distance, the Keval mountain range
glowed orange and a silvery mist wafted over the tops of the peaks. It almost looked as if it were on fire.
"Goddess..."
next to her, she heard Daryl whimper and saw her friend's eyes widen as
well. "They...they've
returned! We're being attacked!"
"Something's
not right though," Celine mumbled, trying to calm her rapid
breathing. "I know some of those
apocra. They're with Dakon and
Echidna. And that shield...I think
they're trying to protect us."
"AGGGGHHH!!!" Below them, a pained scream shook the
floorboards.
The three
girls exchanged panicked glances before bolting downstairs. They slowed to a crawl when they reached the
first floor and huddled together near the kitchen, peering through the entrance
to the tavern. In front of them, the
tavern was wrecked, with tables being upended and chairs thrown all over the
floor to make a crude pathway towards the back.
However, a sickly bluish substance covered the floor. Following it with their eyes, the three girls
saw one of the serpentine creatures with the torso of a woman cringing in the
corner of the tavern, clinging to her shoulder which was awash in cerulean blood. Next to her was the unconscious form of Kano, snoring away as if
nothing was the matter.
Between the
girls and the wounded apocra was another creature. Though it stood on two legs, it was covered
in black fur and had a streak of green flames running up its back. Instead of feet it had paws and long nails
grew from its hands. Apathetically, the
creature turned away from Kano
and the apocra, revealing that it had bright red eyes and a second set of jaws
that hung under the first, while two thin, whip-like tails jutted down between
its legs. Effortlessly, it dug through
debris, as if it were searching for something.
"That's
not one of Echidna's," Mina mumbled, her heart racing as she looked at the
hideous creature.
"No, but
the one with Kano
is," Celine hissed.
"That's a
garm!" Daryl stammered, trying to keep her voice low, "I've seen them
in my books...highly aggressive and almost always hungry...they're strong
enough to take down full grown cyclops'!"
"Is
he...looking for something?" Mina grunted, trembling as she spoke.
The garm's
ears twitched and it jerked its head around.
Saliva formed under its second jaw and it barked at the apocra next to Kano. The creature curled her body around Kano, like a protective
shell, but the garm strode over to her and flung her aside. Reaching down, it grabbed the innkeeper by
his throat and began to sniff him. It's
claws found their way to a jingling satchel attached to Kano's trousers by a string and it began to
pull.
"Dammit..."
Celine swallowed hard and crept forward.
"Stay here! I'll try and draw
it away from the old man!"
"But
Celi-!"
"Don't
worry...I've outrun worse apocra than him," Celine winked at her and
barreled into the tavern. Grabbing a
severed table leg, she raised it over her head and was about to bring it down
on the garm's skull when his claw released the satchel, whipped around, and
caught Celine by the wrist.
The beast
almost seemed to smirk at Celine and his chest heaved back and forth as if he
were chuckling. Dropping Kano, it held the tan
skinned girl up by her wrist. She
grunted and dropped the piece of wood as he twisted her arm. The beast let out a feral roar at her, which
sent her into a wave of shivers.
"Wh...what
do you mean, 'the rest?!'" she grunted, sweat forming on her skin, "I
don't know what you're asking!"
With one quick
flick of its wrist, the garm slammed Celine into the ground, knocking the wind
out of her. "Celi!" Mina
squealed, charging into the tavern with Daryl right behind her. Before they were even halfway towards Celine,
the serpentine apocra threw herself between the girl and the garm. The garm's claws raked over her scaly hide
and the female apocra rolled to the side, barely breathing.
"Leave
them alone!" Mina shrieked, feeling anger well up in her stomach, burning
hotter than an inferno. She threw her
hands forward and guided energy from her belly to her finger tips, which
ignited with flames. A plume of fire
shot out of her palms and licked at the garm's left eye.
The creature
let out a howl and grasped its eye. It
flailed at the girls, but Mina managed to pull Celine away while Daryl tended
to the apocra.
"Come
on...wake up!" Daryl hissed, running her hands over the creature's wound,
her fingers glowing with silvery light. "Call for help! We can't take this thing on alone!"
The garm shook
itself and removed its hand from its eye, revealing a patch of burnt fur. Turning to the three girls huddled around the
apocra, the garm let out a scream and charged towards them.
Mina threw up
both hands and pushed a miniature whirlwind out of each palm. Though it send debris flying towards the back
wall, it barely slowed the garm down. It
skidded to a halt in front of them and Daryl raised a hand to form a protective
barrier around the three girls, but it shattered the instant the garm sliced
into it with its claws. Reaching down,
it grabbed Mina by the scruff of her night gown and lifted her into the air. Raising one hand, Mina tried to push flames
out of her palm, but the creature caught her hand with its free arm and held
her fast. It snarled both mouths at
Mina, dribbling saliva onto her as it prepared to bite down.
"Hold yar
breath!" a voice from the stairs called.
Without
thinking, Mina took a deep breath as a tiny sphere flew towards the garm's
head. The apocra had only enough time to
turn before the sphere burst open, shedding thick white powder over the
creature and Mina. Mina felt her eyes
water and her nose twitched uncontrollably within the white cloud. Feeling her lungs begin to burn, she guided
energy from her stomach to her mouth and exhaled, spouting a fierce gale that
pushed the white powder down the garm's throat.
The garm
dropped Mina in a fit of coughing and sneezing before clawing at its eyes,
nose, and mouth. Celine helped Mina to
her feet as the emerald haired girl began coughing and dripping snot out of her
nose. She wiped at her eyes, which were
awash with tears, and saw Yuka charge forward, garbed only in her burlap pants,
a tunic with a pouch tied to her belt, and her spinning saw blade on her
wrist. She slashed at the garm and
managed to spill some red blood from its arm.
The creature leapt back, still scratching at its tear streaked eyes and
wiping at its nose, seemingly unaware that it had been cut.
Sprinting
forward, Yuka slid between the garm's legs.
Yuka twisted her foot around and knocked the garm's leg out from under
it, sending it crashing to the ground.
Rising to her feet, Yuka planted her knee in the garm's stomach before
holding her saw blade to its throat.
"Ya oughtta be able ta speak our language! Now, what's goin on?! Who are ya an what are ya here for?!"
Before the
creature could reply, Yuka pulled another sphere out of her pouch. "I've gotta another seta cryin powder if
ya wanna play tough!"
Rearing back,
the garm bit Yuka's saw blade with its lower jaw. Blood welled up in its mouth, but the saw
blade slowed to a stop and the garm managed to wrap his claws around Yuka's
hand, preventing her from throwing the white sphere. Yuka's muscles bulged out as she tried to
pull free of the garm's grasp, but she bit her lip and grimaced as the garm
twisted her arm back and she dropped the sphere.
"Agh...AGH!"
she screamed, as the garm slammed her against the floor, before dragging her
along the ground like a rag doll and throwing her into a table. Holding her side, Yuka reached into her bag
and pulled out a tiny sphere with a wick in it.
She clasped her fingers together, but there was no spark. "Dammit!" she hissed, dropping the
sphere and pulling on the cord attached to her arm to start her saw blade
spinning. As the garm pounced, she
raised her weapon, only to have a table crash into the garm from across the
room.
Mina and the
others turned to see Nivtenc in his sand strewn white cloak standing at the
entrance, his hand raised in their direction.
The garm shook itself free of debris, but before it could counter
attack, Nivtenc bridged the distance between them in an instant, the flat of
his serrated blade crashing against the creature's bleeding lower jaw. It tried to bite him with its upper jaw, but
he pulled the sword's sheath from his belt and jammed it in the garm's upper mouth.
"You work
for Agni, don't you?" Nivtenc growled.
"Agni?"
Mina felt her heart momentarily stop and the other girls looked from her, to
Nivtenc, who, despite the size of the garm, was holding it down with only his
knee planted against its stomach.
"What is
he looking for? Why has he chosen now to
return to this town?!" Nivtenc shouted.
"Molten...Zombie...enemy..."
the garm managed to choke out.
"Don't
play us for fools!" Nivtenc said, the folds of his cloak rippling before a
bestial head shot out of his arm and bit into the garm's shoulder, "Agni
has been burning border towns in search of something! We managed to stop him once, but if he were
going to return, why now? Why wait so
long? What is it he's looking for?! Tell me!"
The garm flailed
at Nivtenc, who pulled back just as the creature's claws dug into the white
clothe swaddling his face. A few drops
of blood and stray bits of cloth fell from the garm's nails as he leapt backwards,
winded and panting hard. The black fur
was stained red by the blood dripping from its jaws and arm, while the green
flames along its backside began to pulse.
Opening its upper jaw, the garm turned towards Mina and the others. Green light formed in the creature's throat
and it let out a roar as the light shot forth.
Nivtenc appeared in front of them, like a phantom, and batted the blast
of light aside it one hand. While the
garm stood dumbfounded, Nivtenc charged it, reeling backwards before slamming
his open palm into the creature's chest.
The savage apocra was catapulted backwards, crashing through the
tavern's wall before springing back to its feet and disappearing into the night.
"Nivtenc..."
Mina stammered, feeling her heart resume beating as the Aridian stood with his
eyes fixed on the hole in the wall.
"Hey...you're
injured," Daryl mumbled, shakily rising to her feet. "Let me-" her voice died when
Nivtenc turned to face them and the last of the white cloth covering his face
fell away. The three girls inhaled
sharply as Nivtenc pulled back the hood of his cloak. Underneath the hood of his cloak and the
strips of cloth that had covered his face, Nivtenc had a pale complexion, with
bright red eyes and silver bangs which poked out from under a white bandana
that was tied around his head.
"Vincent?!"
Celine exclaimed.
The teythen
offered the girls a curt nod before turning towards Yuka, who was on her
knees. "Yuka, are you-"
Vincent held his hand out to the neeg.
"Tch...I'm
fine. Didn need yar help, either. Coulda taken it myself, ya know..." she
muttered, blushing slightly as she took his hand and let him pull her up.
Looking from
Yuka to the three girls, Vincent shook his head. "I had hoped this would go a bit
smoother," he murmured, rubbing his gloved fingers across two cuts that
had formed just below his eyes. His
clothing rippled and a pair of rodents scurried off his hands and passed through
the hole the garm had made, into the sea of apocra outside. Within seconds, a large, scaly beast held up on
many segmented legs stuck its head through the hole and howled at Vincent. He was followed by two more of the serpentine
apocra with the upper torsos of men.
"This one
has been injured. Have Lazu carry her
and the innkeeper to the others. I want
you to let Dakon and Echidna know that we have a feral garm on the loose who
may be working for Agni as well. I hurt
him, but he may return, so keep a watch for him yourselves, understand?"
The two
serpentine apocra nodded and bowed to Vincent before slithering over to the
downed apocra that Mina, Celine, and Daryl had been looking after. With great care, they lifted her up and
managed to sling her unconscious body over the scaly creature with the
segmented legs who appeared to be named Lazu.
Another reached for Kano,
but Mina called out. "No! Don't touch him!" Leaping to her feet she put herself between
the sleeping innkeeper and the apocra.
"Mina!"
Yuka barked, stumbling to her feet and rubbing her shoulder, "Ya know
better than that...let 'em take him. If
my guess's right then..." she turned to Vincent who nodded. Reluctantly, Mina stepped aside and let the
apocra lift Kano
onto Lazu's back. The serpentine apocra
headed back outside, while Lazu remained, waiting patiently for Vincent's
order.
"The four
of you should follow Lazu as well. Ride
with Kano if
you want. But get out of Gesthal,"
he said, his voice so stern and commanding that it sent shivers down Mina's
spine.
"How...how
can you talk like that?!" Mina snapped, "Are we just supposed to
ignore the fact that you've been spying on us this whole time and pretending to
be our friend?!"
"There's
no time!" Vincent turned on Mina, his gaze boring into her own, "Yes,
I lied to you about my identity, but right now, we need to get this place
evacuated! The Molten Zombie is on his
way here as we speak!"
Immediately,
Mina fell silent. Her eyes grew wide and
her mouth hung open. Her heart began to
pound louder and louder until it rang in her ears, but she could not move. She merely stared at Vincent's stern visage,
which did not hold a single trace of doubt.
"We...we saw
the fireballs in the sky, just like before," Celine grunted, shuffling to
her feet and staring the teythen down, "But this is different, isn't it?
"You
should have been asleep," Vincent wrinkled his nose. "It would be better if you didn't know
about this," he sighed and ran his gloved fingers over his bandana.
"Wh-why? What's going on?" Daryl stammered.
Vincent paused
for a moment before bowing his head.
"I wish I knew," he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose
before turning to Yuka. "Three
hours ago, some mystic wards Aeon set up in the Keval range were triggered and
alerted us of a small force coming our way.
It gave us a brief glimpse of those coming towards us and..." the
teythen narrowed his eyes. "One of
them was wreathed in flames."
Mina turned to
see that Yuka's eyes were just as wide as hers.
Another explosion ripped through the air overhead and Mina felt her body
tremble as Yuka swallowed hard and put her hand to her chest. "He...he's comin himself. I...I guess that'd explain the
evacuation," she nodded, her voice shaking as she spoke, "S-so...is
help on the way?"
"Deminos
has gone to find the Blind Sage, but for now, we're on our own," Vincent
replied, wiping the garm's blood from his sword before sheathing it. "We managed to get everyone organized
and the townsfolk asleep before the fireballs started raining down, and Gadius
is shielding the village. Nerise is
patrolling the skies and keeping the fire from spreading, but as it stands,
we're fighting for time."
"Is...is
he really coming back?" Mina stammered, her body trembling so hard that
she found it hard to stay upright.
"You
don't need to be scared," Vincent said, walking over to Mina and placing a
hand on her shoulder. His stern visage
melted into a smile and he nodded at her.
"I promise Agni won't get to you.
Aeon and I will see to that."
"So...you
were just going to whisk us away in our sleep?" Celine murmured, ambling
over to the hole in the wall and gazing out at the hundred of apocra making
their way through the streets, carrying Gesthal's unconscious citizens with
them. "You were going to fight Agni
and in the morning we'd be none the wiser?"
"But..."
Daryl stuttered, looking from Vincent to Yuka to Celine, "But we should
alert the clergy! And the templar! They can help you! This isn't something you have to do
alone!"
"Can't..."
Yuka grunted, her eyes wide and her hands trembling as she ran them over her
braided pony tail, "By the time anyone with the power ta stop Agni'd get
here, the town'd already be ashes. It's
just us..." the rest of her words died in her throat and she looked at her
fingers, bare of the rings Canak had given her.
"Besides,"
Vincent said, ambling over to the hole, "If anyone knew Agni was here, it
could start a war." He hesitated
for a moment before floating into the air, his clothes rippling as he ascended,
"Right now, we're the only ones who can do this."
Mina felt her
heart thud in her chest at his words.
Wiping the tears and snot from her face, she looked up at Vincent, who
was floating out over the gradually thinning apocra. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she
could, Yuka ran forward and grabbed Vincent's cloak.
"Vincent,
wait!" The teythen turned to face
her, his eyes cold and red, glowing like rubies amidst the explosions which
still littered the air. "Ya won't
win! Even tagether...even with Aeon's
gift, ya ain't strong enough ta take down Agni without the council!"
"We
know," Vincent said, pulling free of Yuka's grasp and floating higher into
the air. "But if we don't do this,
no one will...and all of you will die."
As he spoke, fresh mountains, made of ice, seemed to rise from the glowing
sections of the Keval range. Nodding his
head, Vincent turned back to the four girls, "I know that Aeon and I have
betrayed your trust and I am sorry...but please, put that aside and evacuate. We'll explain everything once this is all
over."
Mina watched
him slowly rise into the air, his sand strewn cloak flapping in the
breeze. Her thoughts drifted to the many
times she'd spent talking with him in the tavern and before she knew it, her
feet began to move. Stepping outside
into the warm night air, Mina called out to him before he vanished from
sight "Nivtenc!" She swallowed hard when the teythen turned and
looked down at her. "Please come
back, okay?! You're...you're still my
friend!"
Vincent gave
her a nod and smiled before he took off through the air. The teythen's white form was like a silvery
streak, passing over the road and up into the Keval mountains, where he
vanished from sight.
The girls
stood for a few seconds and watched as the apocra dwindled around them until
only Lazu and only a few strays remained.
Overhead, the fireballs increased in number, crashing overhead in great
displays of orange light. Daryl cast her
eyes about the few remaining apocra while the shadow of Lazu, the scaly blue
apocra who held Kano
and the apocra who'd saved him, fell over them.
"Do you
think my mom is safe?" Daryl whispered.
"She
is," Yuka nodded, without turning back.
"T-then
we should go," Mina stammered, patting Lazu's neck, "We'll be in
danger if we stay here."
"Go
then," Yuka grunted, "But I ain't goin with ya."
"This
isn't the time to be stubborn!" Celine snapped, grabbing Yuka's shoulder
and turning her around. She let go when
the three girls saw that Yuka's eyes had tears in them. "H-hey...what's wrong?" Celine
mumbled.
"We
planned fer this, ya know," Yuka sniffled and wiped at her eyes, "Way
back when we first came. The other
membersa the Telnumbran council'd back up whoever found Agni...but...but they
ain't comin this time. Even if Dem can
find em, it'll take too long ta organize everyone. Vincent an Aeon're...they're goin ta their
deaths."
Mina felt like
a chunk of ice had been dropped into the pit of her stomach. Despite the tepid air outside, she felt her
blood run cold and her heartbeat slowed.
Gritting her teeth, she stomped her foot down and furiously shook her
head. "Do...don't say that!"
she snapped.
The other
girls turned to her, Celine and Daryl's eyes filled with worry, while Yuka's
were full of pity. "Ya've seen Agni
up close too, aintcha? Ya know I'm
right," Yuka sighed and shook her head.
"Then we
should leave!" Daryl yelled, "If they can't stop him, then-"
"They're
doin this ta keep the peace, ya know," she mused, "Just like...just
like in the Shokudo mountains."
Mina felt the
blood drain from her face and she saw Celine's body tense up as well. "Yuka, we need to go. I know how ya feel, but-" Celine started
to say, but Yuka cut her off.
"I'm goin
ta where Aeon is," Yuka said, running her hand over the serrated saw blade
on her arm. "Bastard an me've come
this far together...may as well see just how far necessity goes, eh?" she
tried to smile, but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. She trembled as she spoke, but nonetheless,
Yuka took a few shaky steps forward before breaking into a run.
"Don't
go!" Mina reached out towards Yuka and screamed, her voice cracking as a
sob welled up from within her.
"You'll...you'll..." her yell died in her throat and she let
her arm drop.
Behind her,
the apocra, Lazu, wailed and lowered its head, rubbing its scaly nose against
Celine's shoulder. Celine turned and
patted Lazu's head. "You want to go
after her?"
Lazu let out a
piteous cry. "No," Mina
grunted, balling her hands into fists and shaking her head. "You can't. You've got to protect my uncle and your
friend."
Seconds ticked
by and Yuka soon vanished into the night. Fireballs fell over the path she'd taken and
blocked the way as the girls stood in silence.
After a few minutes had passed, Daryl spoke up. "So...what do we do?" she mumbled, fidgeting
with the sleeves of her night gown.
"Should we go to where Dakon and Echidna are?"
"We have
to bring her back," Mina said, swallowing hard. "Agni's...he's not invincible. I've seen him run before," She trembled
as if each word were an effort, "I...I believe Aeon can win. But Yuka..."
"Damned
fool," Celine spat.
"Hey," she ran her hand over Lazu's long neck, "You've
got a job to do, but do you have any friends who can carry us through all this?"
she gestured towards the fireballs. The
creature tilted its head in confusion.
"Look, I know this is asking a lot, but we don't exactly have a lot
of options," she sighed.
Lazu looked
from Celine, to Mina, to Daryl and nodded.
Raising it's head, it let out something akin to a growl, but less
vicious and more urgent. The sound was
repeated down the line of apocra making their way out of Gesthal for a few
moments before another growl answered it.
Lazu lowered its head and nodded at Celine. Overhead, a single griffon winged its way
down and landed in front of them. It was
the size of small barn and lowered it's feathered head and wings, as if
inviting the girls onto it's furry back.
"Thank
you," Mina whispered, giving Lazu's neck a hug before climbing onto the
griffon and wrapping her hands around the creature's neck.
"Now get
going," Celine muttered, "Look after the old man, alright?" Lazu
stared into Celine's eyes for a moment before nodding and turning to leave.
Without a
word, Daryl climbed on after Mina and put her arms around Mina's waist. "Hey," she whispered, "Are
you...are you sure about this?"
"Ya
scared, princess?" Celine managed a smirk before climbing on behind her,
clinging to Daryl's waist as the griffon flapped its wings and began to ascend.
"We all
are, vaga..." Daryl stopped herself and sighed, "Celine. But it's not like I can just walk away."
"I have to do this," Mina gritted her
teeth, burying her head in the griffon's feathers as the creature sped off,
ducking and weaving around the fireballs which fell like rain around them,
"The last time someone said they'd go face Agni...I never saw him
again."
Clinging close
to Mina, Daryl and Celine exchanged worried glances. "Mina-"
"I won't
let it happen again," Mina hissed, narrowing her eyes. She felt her trembling decrease and managed
to catch her breath as the griffon zoomed closer to the ground. "There'll be time for talk later. For now, keep an eye out for Yuka," she
barked at her friends.
Wordlessly,
Daryl and Celine nodded, looking out beyond the griffon's wingspan and scanning
the road. Much of the ground below them
was aflame, however a few undead huddled around the edges of the fires. Skeletons seemed to be chucking things into
the fire, which would explode seconds later in a spray of water. With great effort, they managed to keep the
fires from spreading to the woods south of Gesthal.
After a few minutes
of fruitless searching, the road ended and the girls found themselves scanning
the path leading into the Keval range for Yuka.
The pathway was lined with ice, some shards as big as houses, with
humans, apocra, or undead horrors within.
Mina spied one that held a gigantic, vaguely humanoid mass of
flesh. She swallowed hard, but said
nothing.
Near the top
of the mountain path was a small fort.
Though the walls were caked with ice, it was still standing, a barrier
to any who would seek to invade Lucaria on foot. The griffon circled around the top and the
girls saw below them a figure swathed in black garb touch another figure and
encase it in ice. Next to the black
figure was a woman with leathery wings, who clawed at the ice with long, violet
nails, slashing it to bits.
"There's
Aeon, but I don't see Agni," Mina mumbled, the relief in her voice almost
palpable.
"Down
there!" Daryl exclaimed, pointing towards the mountain path leading up to
the fort.
"Agni?!"
Mina felt her heart jump into her throat.
"No, it's
Yuka!" Celine growled. "Take
us down in front of her!" she added, patting the griffon's haunches.
The creature
let out a short squawk and wheeled its way down, alighting on the ground in
front of Yuka. The neeg's face was
covered in sweat and soot, a testament to how far she'd run and the flames
she's passed through, but her eyes lit up and grew wide when she saw the three
girls in front of her. Before she could
make a move, Mina leapt down and tackled Yuka's legs.
"Agh! Get off me!" Yuka snarled, grabbing
Mina's hair, only to have Celine and Daryl wrench her fingers from Mina and
twist both of her arms behind her back.
"We're
leaving and you're coming with us!" Mina panted, struggling to keep hold of
Yuka's legs.
"Mind
ya're own business!" Yuka spat, trying to pull free of Celine and nicking
the girl's arm with her saw blade. They
let out a grimace and Yuka momentarily stopped flailing. "A-are ya-"
"I'll
live...but what were you thinking?!" Celine snorted, "You heard
Vincent! Aeon's doing this for us! That includes you!"
"Don't
you think he'll be sad if you get hurt because of this stunt?!" Daryl
added.
"I...even
after all I said ta him...if he's gonna die, then I just-"
"He won't
die," Mina snapped, "I know Agni's strong! The sight of him has been burned into my
memory for almost nine years! But that's
not all that's been burned into my memory!
He's not invincible! I've seen
him run from the Blind Sage, Dezolis...and even if Aeon's not as strong as him,
I still think he'll win!"
"Ya're a
fool..." Yuka snorted.
"Maybe..."
Mina averted her gaze from Yuka for a moment, "But I don't want to see
anyone else I care about die because of Agni.
Aeon's no saint...he's no Bishop Charas..." she muttered under her
breath, "but I know he won't let Agni through. So let's trust in him and get out of
here!"
"Ya..."
Yuka growled, only to have a few stray tears streak down her face, turning
black as they mingled with the soot on her cheeks, "Ya're right," she
mumbled, laying back on the rocky path.
"Phew..."
Celine wiped her brow and released Yuka.
"Okay. Let's get out of
here," she said, helping Yuka up while Daryl helped Mina to her feet. She turned her head towards the fort once
Yuka was on her feet and the griffon did the same. A wall of flame rose up from the top of the
fortifications. It did not pass through
the fort, but a figure clad in a hooded cloak of red leapt through it, over the
top of the fort. No sooner had the
figure touched the ground than it turned towards the four girls and the griffon
and ran headfirst at them.
"I ain't
got time for this!" he snarled, raising a hand and shooting a fireball at
them.
Mina raised
her hands, but before she could form any wind, the griffon leapt in front of them
and shielded the girls with its body.
"No!"
Celine cried, running over to the griffon's side and spying that its wing was
badly charred. The creature let out a
groan before struggling upright.
"Want
some more?!" the figure in red skidded to a halt and clapped his hands
together before pulling them apart, revealing a set of what appeared to be five
flaming marbles. Casually, he flicked
one behind the girls and it exploded, momentarily deafening them and causing rubble
to crumble over the path behind them.
Holding one
hand to her ear, Mina saw the figure pull back the hood of his cloak to reveal
a teenage boy their age with a shaved head and red marks around his eyes. He juggled the flaming marbles as if they
were nothing and sneered at them.
Cupping both
hands together, Mina envisioned wind twisting together into a tornado in her
hand and guided more and more energy from her stomach into her arms. She breathed in deeply, feeling fresh Leyline
energy flow through her as she felt the twister growing inside her hands.
"Welp,
time for you to die," the man smirked and tossed a flaming marble directly
at them.
Raising her
cupped hands, Mina centered the twister in her right palm and thrust
forward. The cyclone caught the marble
in it's swirling wind currents and threw it back at the man in red, knocking
him off his feet and slamming the marble into his shoulder, which exploded in a
flash of fire.
"AGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!"
The man screamed, writhing on the ground while still clutching the remaining
three marbles in his hand.
"You...you..." he glared at Mina, who was panting hard and
would have fallen over if not for Daryl holding her up. "I'll kill-!" the man raised his
hand, but it stopped in midair, as if caught in an invisible vice.
Floating over
the top of the fort, Vincent slowly descended to the ground, staring stared dispassionately
at the teenager in red as he did so.
"Let...me...go..."
he trembled, as if each word was an effort.
Vincent
reached into his palm, took the flaming marbles and threw them out into the
sky, where they exploded harmlessly.
Turning back to the teen he grabbed him by the throat and bit into his
neck.
Mina, Celine,
and Daryl watched, wide eyed, as the teythen drank from the young man until he
was nothing but a shriveled up corpse.
Only Yuka seemed unmoved by his actions.
Vincent was about to turn away from them, but the griffon let out a cry
and drew his gaze to Mina and the others.
For an
instant, Vincent froze, his eyes widening as he saw Yuka, Mina, Celine, and
Daryl huddled around the wounded griffon.
"What are-" his voice was drowned out as another set of icy
pillars shot out of the ground behind the fort and shattered.
Composing
himself, Vincent made his way over to them, looking from the girls' shocked
expressions, to Yuka, who averted her eyes, to the griffon, which raised its
head only slightly at his approach.
"You're
Feo, right?" Vincent whispered, kneeling down next to him. The griffon nodded. Running his hands along the griffon's charred
feathers, he examined the wing. "I
think you'll fly again, but not tonight.
You'll need treatment from Dakon and Gadius." Getting back to his feet, he scowled at the
four girls. "You idiots!" he
growled. "I told you to go with
Lazu! Dakon and Echidna would have kept
you safe!"
"Oi!"
Yuka leapt over the downed griffon and stood eye to eye with Vincent, "It
wasn't their fault, aright? It's...it's
mine," she bowed her head, but still glared at the teythen. "I...I thought I ought to be with ya at
the end an they tried ta take me back."
Vincent's
expression softened somewhat, but he ran his hand over his face and shook his
head. "Well, you won't be flying
back on Feo, that's for sure." Raising his head, he saw the path behind
them blocked by rubble. "And even
if you could get down, I wouldn't trust you on the ground without someone to
protect you. By the Goetian
hells..." he ground his teeth together before turning to the fort. "Can you walk, Feo?" Vincent asked
the griffon.
The creature
nodded its head and slowly rose from the ground, wincing as it did. Daryl touched Feo's wing and white light
poured out of her hand. "Is that
better?" she whispered. The griffon
nodded and let out a cooing sound.
"Goddess
help me, I'm going to regret this," Vincent sighed. "Come on. Right now, the safest place for you is inside
the fort."
He led the
four girls and Feo over to the fort's door.
It was large enough to allow a seven foot tall person entry, but the
griffon would never fit inside. Vincent
held out both hands and the wall around the door cracked in a semi circle
before he stepped back and pulled the wall free. Setting it aside, he ushered the girls and
the griffon inside.
The fort was
deserted and only a tiny lantern lit the dark room. Weapons lined the walls and a few tables were
set out in what looked to Mina like a smaller version of her tavern's dining
area. There were stairs to the far right
of them, one set leading up and one set leading down, but Vincent paid them no
mind. With a flick of his hand he
upended the tables and pressed them against the walls, just below a few windows
which peered out over the mountain road leading into Telnumbra.
Feo collapsed
on the stone floor where the tables had been and the girls gathered around him,
while Vincent looked out through the windows.
"Hey...are
you sure this is the safest place?
Aren't we right in the line of fire?" Celine muttered while
stroking the griffon's head.
"After we
evacuated the border guards, Aeon reinforced the outside with ice. We want it to look like nothing's happened,
remember?" Vincent said without turning to look at them, "Besides, it
makes a good barrier against Agni's foot soldiers."
"Hey...Vincent,
I..." Yuka stammered, getting to her feet.
"You
don't need to say anything, Yuka," Vincent sighed and shook his head. He turned to face her and his face was drawn
with worry, though a hint of a smile hung on his lips. "Your uncle always said you were an
'idjit.'" Yuka blushed at that and
nodded.
"Shhhh,"
Daryl patted Feo's wing as he began to wail, "It'll be alright. Let me know if the hurting starts again,
okay?" she mumbled, running her glowing fingers over his wing.
While she and
Celine tendedd to the griffon, Mina got to her feet and gazed through one of
the fort's windows. Aeon and Kinana were
outside, closer than she'd expected them to be.
Pillars of ice, both standing and shattered, littered the narrow pathway
through the Keval range. They seemed to
be waiting for something.
"He's not
here yet," Mina murmured.
"No, he's
not" Vincent said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Personally, I hope he doesn't
show. We'd all be very happy if this was
just a false alarm."
"It's not
though," Mina shook her head and swallowed hard. "This is how Agni does things. He lets his cronies do the work...and if they
fail, he'll kill them on the spot. He
doesn't show his own face until he has to...or until it amuses him," she
gritted her teeth and clutched her thumping heart.
Vincent was
silent for a moment before squeezing her shoulder. "Mina...you don't have to watch this. I know about what's happened."
Mina looked up
at Vincent, with a mix of sadness and anger in her eyes before shaking her head
and turning back to the window. Through
the glass, she heard voices, though they were somewhat muffled.
"I'm
worried," she saw Kinana turn to Aeon, their hands interlocked, "I
know Dakon and Echidna can handle them, but-"
"If you
wish, you can go check on Mina and the others," Aeon said, nodding to the
succubus. Mina felt her heart leap in
her chest at the mention of her name. "I..."
Aeon hesitated for a moment before bowing his head, "I would feel better
if you were out of danger."
Kinana smirked
and planted a kiss on Aeon's skull.
"You're such a fool sometimes.
I'm under contract. I don't need
to worry about dying here."
"That
does not mean I want to see you hurt," Aeon said.
Kinana
embraced him briefly and the lich put his skeletal arms around her as
well. "I won't let you face this
alone. Even if it's just a few seconds,
I'll help buy you the time you need.
We'll do this together. Just like
back then, remember?"
"Haha,"
the green flames in Aeon's eye sockets lit up and he let out a warm laugh,
"Still can't let that go, can you?" he chortled and squeezed Kinana's
hand. With his free hand, Aeon swept it
across the road and Mina saw ice spread out from it.
Four men
appeared at the end of the road and catapulted towards them, carried by flames
that shot from their feet, however no sooner had they flown over the icy patch
than the flames in their feet died and frost formed on their bodies. Aeon floated forward as three of the four
became encased in ice, which transformed into jagged pillars. The last man's head remained unfrozen and
Aeon grabbed hold of it.
"Where is
Agni?" Aeon said loud enough that even Mina could hear through the glass.
The man looked
as if he were about to speak, but a fiery bolt pierced through his frozen body,
shattering it in an instant. The last
expression on the man's face as he died was one of abject terror.
"There's
no need to look, Frozen Shade. I'm right
here."
Mina felt her
heart threaten to explode out of her chest as the ground several yards in front
of Aeon bubbled up with lava. The stone
pathway melted as the lava expanded, dragging the frozen men into the pool of
flaming rock and vaporizing them almost immediately. Out of the bubbling stew, a figure rose. He had a cloak of crimson with a golden clasp
at the left shoulder, the cloth itself aflame as he stepped out of the mess. The creature's upper body was that of a man’s
skeleton, though the hands had long, curved talons instead of fingers. His skull, however, didn’t look anything like
that of a human. It was elongated, had
only one eye socket in the center of it, a bright blue flame flickering within,
and its mouth was full of razor sharp teeth.
Below his waist, four, spindly, segmented legs made of bone jutted out
from the bottom of his spine. Folding
his monstrous hands behind his back, the creature let out a laugh and shot Aeon
a wicked looking smirk.
"It's
been too long, Aeon."
