Kelleo
Secret Sword of Justice
- Joined
- May 2, 2011
- Messages
- 4,066
- Reaction score
- 266
- Thread starter
- #21
Alrighty, I think I'll get the second part up now before I forget. xP
Chapter 19: A Second Plot
Part 2
Part 2
Completely unaware of the events in Cilae, Azura and company had finally made their way back to Castle Eraghoa after only barely managing to make it to shore on a rickety, storm-beaten ship. Faline, Skye and Leona had been furious when Azura decided they couldn’t afford the time to search for the still missing Bryan and Marc; not if they were going to save Ike. A few tense moments and more than a few unpleasant words later, Faline, Skye and Leona had conceded the point. And, though nobody wanted to admit it, they doubted their missing friends were still alive. The group knew that the ship would soon have nothing left to give and since the storm, its hull was creaking ominously as if it would soon shatter, which it did. Not long after the group reached Eraghoa’s coast, they were forced to abandon the ship as the vessel literally fell to pieces. When they reached the castle, however, they found it eerily quiet and Rothgar was nowhere to be found. They had even split up into groups to cover more ground, but the wolf king still made no appearance. Azura and Ranulf were about to give up and seek out their companions when a man with black wings protruding from his back approached them. He was no doubt a raven messenger.
“Lady Azura, correct?” he inquired, his tone rushed and nervous.
“Yes?” Azura replied.
“I-I’m afraid I have bad news. I was sent here from Talgria and found that Sir Ike has died,” the raven reported. “I am very sorry.”
“W-What?!” Azura protested. “No! NO! That cannot be!”
“He passed away yesterday afternoon,” the raven went on, his jaw twitching and his quiet breathing going short and hard. “Lady Elincia has agreed to send the body back to Tellius for a proper burial, and she said she’s going to return to Tellius to rebuild the Greil Mercenaries.”
A shocked silence hovered over the group; Ranulf, who’d known Ike longer than the others, was especially struck that his friend was dead when such a happy future lay so close within reach. Some more words were exchanged but Ranulf, holding back tears, didn’t hear them.
“Again, I am sorry.” The raven then bolted off.
Azura simply dropped to her knees, tears dropping to the floor, a very upset grimace on her face.
“No… How could we have failed?” she sobbed. “How could everything we did to save him be for nothing?!”
No one answered, no one could answer. Ike was dead and, with him, their best hope of victory with Melora was lost. Unable to hold back any longer, Ranulf buried his face in his hands and began to sob. Idle chatter drifted to his ears about the group proceeding to Talgria for further orders but then he heard something strange that silenced his crying and shook him back to attention.
“I should be the one to break the news to Ike’s mother,” Azura spoke up. “I was leading the mission, so it’s my fault we failed.”
“Wait, what?” Ranulf blurted confusedly.
“Before the raven left, he said Elincia wanted us to find Ike’s mother in the Merchant District of Melior in Crimea to...to tell her that her son loves her,” Azura explained, her tone heavy with sorrow.
“What?! Ike’s mother doesn’t live in Melior!” Ranulf spoke up. “She died when Ike was a kid!”
“Does Elincia know that?”
“Yeah, Ike told her back during the Mad King’s War,” Ranulf answered. “Elincia wouldn’t make a mistake like that; and that means—”
“Ike isn’t dead, but he is in trouble,” Azura interrupted. “She must’ve added in that part so we’d realize something was up! Come on, we’ve got to find King Rothgar!”
“Azura, Ranulf! Thank goodness!” a voice interrupted seconds later. It was Raela, followed by Lily. Fearful, yet desperate expressions were strewn upon their faces.
“Did you find him?” Azura quickly inquired.
“We sure did!” Lily replied. “King Rothgar somehow got locked up in one of his own castle dungeon cells!”
“Are you serious?!” Azura exclaimed.
“It’s true. We have to get him out,” Raela insisted. “He doesn’t look well at all. There’s a noticeable lump on his head and a bloody gash on his side.”
“Maybe he knows what happened here,” Ranulf decided. “Let’s go!”
It took little time for the group to rush down a stone staircase and reach Rothgar’s prison cell in the castle’s basement where the dungeon was located. The wolf king appeared exactly as Raela described him. He was slumped on the floor against the wall in chains while blood poured onto the stone floor from his gash. Rothgar slowly sat up, relief washing over his face once his eyes spotted Azura and company.
“Oh! You’ve returned! I’m so sorry all of you had to see this!” he pleaded. “I have blundered terribly and proven myself unfit to rule…”
“No you haven’t, your majesty,” Azura protested. “We’re going to get you out of here and find some help.”
“Yes, I have…” Rothgar insisted. “I haven’t been king for very long, you see, and I’m still not used to my duties. Already I’ve made several horrible mistakes. A laguz king shouldn’t be so easy to defeat!”
“Maybe so, but everyone makes mistakes,” Azura pointed out as she sliced the lock off of the dungeon cell’s door. “Over time, you’ll improve and see what a great ruler you really are.”
“Th-Thank you, Azura.”
Rothgar then explained what had happened to him. All he could recall was being hit in the head from behind and then waking up inside one of his own dungeon cells, shackled to the wall and with a severe headache. Ranulf added the encounter with the strange raven messenger upstairs. Rothgar fully agreed that Ike still had to be alive and Elincia’s message was a call for help as he hoisted himself up and endured the pain of his injury as he did so. Before anyone could begin brainstorming for solutions, however, Kiel and Sara appeared racing down the corridor, looking just as worried as Raela and Lily had been.
“Oh, you found him! Your majesty, I’m so relieved you’re alright!” Sara cried with a smile. “…Ah! You’re hurt badly!”
“Indeed. But there’s no time to explain,” Rothgar replied. “We have to get upstairs. …Kiel, what’s that in your hand?”
“I was just about to bring that up. You won’t believe what we discovered in Ike’s room,” Kiel said and held up a parchment letter that appeared to have been written by Elincia. It told much the same story that the raven did, including that request to find Ike’s mother that gave away the message’s true meaning.
“Ike and Elincia’s belongings are gone and the room has been tossed,” Kiel went on. “There’s no sign of either of them in the castle.”
“It seems your surmise was correct,” Rothgar declared. “They were probably abducted and their possessions removed to make the message seem true.”
“Ugh! I bet you anything the Red Claw is behind this one!” Azura decided. “It’s just like them to pull such a terrible stunt!”
“But where did they take Ike and Elincia?” Ranulf inquired. “And how are we supposed to find them?”
“Hmm… They haven’t been gone very long so, unless they’re still on the move, they must’ve stopped somewhere close by. My best guess is Fort Hector, which isn’t far across the Cilaen border north of the castle,” Rothgar replied. “It’s old, run-down, and hasn’t been used in years. I’d say it’s the perfect place for the enemy to keep prisoners.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go!” Azura decided. “Come on, let’s find the others and get out of here!”
“Much though I’d like to slice the Red Claw to ribbons, I’d only slow you down in this condition. I hope you find our friends soon,” Rothgar added. “And speaking of friends, I wonder what Derien’s been doing all this time. I’ll have to look into this as well. Good luck!”
Azura nodded and led her companions back to the first floor. Ranulf offered to seek out the rest of their companions and meet the others outside later. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the entire group had begun the journey to Fort Hector. Everyone had been filled in on the details they’d missed along the way with gasps and grunts escaping many mouths in reaction. Leona, Faline, and Skye in particular were upset, as this further delayed searching for the still missing Marc and Bryan. That is, if the two had even survived. Still, even if they had, who knows how long it would take them to find their companions now. No one was sure what to be more concerned about.
A mere few hours had passed when the group crossed the border again and spotted a building in the distance not long after. It wasn’t very large, but closer inspection revealed it was built mostly of stone, although a few areas seemed to bear wood as well. As Rothgar had described, it did indeed look old and decrepit, as a lot of the stone was chipped, or even crumpling from long neglect, while many weeds surrounded the perimeter and climbed vines embracing the walls. Before anyone could begin exploring it, however, a fairly large group of Red Claw bandits approached the fort from the west and soon took note of Azura’s group snooping around the fort grounds. Several of them carried axes as usual, but lancers, cavalry, and a few mages and archers were among them as well. The Red Claw was still growing ever stronger, more intelligent, and deadly.
“Blarg! How did they discover we were here?!” one of the axe wielders exclaimed.
“Who cares?! Just attack them before they mess things up!” another replied. With that, the bandits spread out in front of the fort to block their opponent’s path.
“Oh wow, we even get a welcoming committee! How nice of you all to drop by!” Ranulf joked with a smile.
“Shut your trap!” the first Red Claw member shot back and turned to Azura. “You’ve been a thorn in our sides long enough, girl! This ends here!”
“Ha, you wish,” Azura commented with a glare and gripped Ettardios once more. On that note, the battle commenced. By now, Azura had fully gotten the hang of swinging a sword as heavy as Ettardios with both hands. She was glad of it, as it was the perfect way to teach the Red Claw a lesson on Ike’s behalf, whether he died or not. While Azura, Morris, and Leona confronted their enemies head on, Skye and Lily rushed for the ledges near the main entrance of the fort to bombard their foes with spells and arrows. Kiel, Sara, and Ranulf carefully avoided the mages and let the others face them while they leapt at the cavalry, spooking the horses and sending their riders out of the saddles, and right into their waiting claws. Faline swooped around to the rear of the enemy and ran them through before they even saw her coming. Enemy reinforcements arrived twice during the battle, but due to the strength Skye, Morris, and Leona had gathered after promotion, the enemy’s numbers dwindled quickly.
Azura, followed by Skye and Ranulf, had approached the main entrance by the time the enemy appeared to be nearly wiped out. Kiel had downed the final enemy minutes later with the remainder of the group rushing up the stairs immediately after. However, just as Raela and Norman had begun tending to injuries, a pair of hidden foes suddenly came bolting from the eastern end of the building, right into Faline and Leona’s paths. Before anyone could make a move, however, a hand axe suddenly soared into the nearest bandit’s neck. Leona and Faline worked together to quickly down the second.
“Need a hand?” a familiar voice spoke up just after the attack. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Bryan, leaning against the wall with his feet crossed and arms folded. Marc was next to him and caught the hand axe as it returned to him. Faline gasped instantly.
“Bryan! Oh, Bryan!” she cried, tears trailing from her eyes as she dismounted, raced towards the man she loved, and threw herself into him, her arms gripped around his neck. “You’re alive!”
“Marc!” Leona gasped and raced towards Marc. “You both survived!”
“Yep, and we’re all in one piece,” Bryan added, returning Faline’s hug tightly.
“I-I thought I’d lost you forever...” Faline sobbed, burying her face in front of Bryan’s chest.
“I thought both of you were goners,” Leona admitted, throwing her arms around Marc’s neck, tears trailing down her face as well.
“Leona, I’m sorry,” Marc replied, shakily returning Leona’s hug. “I know we had everyone really worried, but we were more worried about all of you. I was worried about you most of all. Like I said, I’m sorry!”
“Sorry for what? Marc, if this is about our relationship, I think we’ve been teased quite enough, thanks,” Leona retorted, letting Marc go.
“No, it has nothing to do with that,” Marc denied. “Well, maybe it does in a way. I’m sorry for a lot of things. Sorry for what happened on the ship, sorry for messing things up in the past during our missions, and sorry for having such a bad memory that I can’t even remember my own parents!”
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Leona protested, bringing her hands to her hips. “But look, we’ll discuss this later. I’m just glad you and Bryan are alright.”
“Yeah, how did you two make it back?” Azura wondered, just as surprised as she was glad to see both men safe and sound. “The ship managed to get us to shore right before it collapsed.”
“It’s a long story,” Bryan explained. “You see, we were—wait, the ship is history now?”
“Unfortunately,” Azura confirmed. “But go ahead with your story.”
“Oh, right. We were miraculously washed up on one of the Perais islands,” Bryan began. Then both he and Marc explained every detail of what had happened on the island and their return to their companions. Queen Lilah had sent one of her messengers to Cilae in hopes they would send a ship to rescue Bryan and Marc. Since Talgria and Cilae were allies, Cilae was glad to be of assistance and transported them back to the mainland. After they reached Castle Eraghoa once more, they found Rothgar bedridden and badly wounded.
“He looked awful,” Marc described. “Still, he managed to give us the story about Ike and Elincia being kidnapped and General Derien mysteriously disappearing.”
“Yeah. And then he said although he didn’t know for sure where they’d been taken, he could tell us where you went. Did you find any of our missing allies?”
“Not yet. King Rothgar said this place was his best guess, though,” Azura replied. “I just hope he was correct or else we might lose more than just Ike’s life!”
“Then there’s no time to waste,” Bryan added. “Come on!” The group instantly continued scouting the old fort for any signs of their missing allies once they were inside the building. Bryan had suggested they split up in order to cover the whole fort faster and save time. However, before anyone could go any further, another familiar voice interrupted them.
“Hey, are you the lady Azura?” the masculine voice inquired. Standing at the base of a staircase was the same Dracoknight Bryan had attacked at the Cilaean laboratory. Azura was surprised, but answered the man’s question anyway.
“I am, but—”
“YOU!” Bryan exploded, rushing towards the man and grabbing him by the shoulders. Azura thought she heard something heavy thumb to the floor behind him followed by a gasp, but was so struck by Bryan’s actions that she could not be certain.
“Augh!” the man bellowed as he was slammed against the wall next to him.
“What do you think you’re doing here?!” Bryan demanded. “And after what you tried to do at the lab?!”
“Uggh… Listen to me! I mean no harm!” the man pleaded.
“Do you expect us to believe that, you heartless dirtbag?!” Bryan roared, drawing back one fist and ramming it into Lartz’s side. Lartz let out a scream of agony that turned into a choking gargle as his ribs, damaged in the battle at the lab, re-broke and blood began to froth at his mouth.
“Yeah, what do you want with us?!” Azura added.
Choking on his own blood, Lartz could only gargle and point. Bryan followed his captive’s finger to see Ike sprawled on the floor with Elincia frantically compressing his chest to keep his heart beating.
“Oh my Goddess...” Bryan blurted, horrified. “Raela! Norman! OVER HERE!”
The two healers raced up a moment later, Raela tending to Lartz while Norman used his Mend Staff to stabilize Ike. Bryan, still stunned about what had happened, and what would’ve happened had Ike been a little closer to the stairway, stood in shocked silence.
“What happened?” he asked no one in particular.
“Lartz rescued us!” Elincia cried out, the glare she fixed on Bryan verging on homicidal. It was easy to tell she had been crying. Her face was red, her hair was slightly unruly, and she sniffled practically every ten seconds. Tears were still forming in her eyes as well. Her once queenly armor and surcoat had also become rather dented, tattered, and dirty, most likely from her capture. Elincia’s breathing had become a bit heavy as she regarded Bryan with brooding anger.
“He’s one of the enemy! Why would he help you?!” Bryan shot back, his own expression darkening as well.
“I don’t know, but he did,” Elincia retorted. “Red Claw members suddenly barged in on us at the castle in Eraghoa and attacked. Poor Ike was completely unconscious at the time and I was forced to write a fake letter claiming that Ike was dead and that I’d gone back to Tellius.”
Elincia went on to say that during the attack, neither Rothgar nor Derien were anywhere to be found and the other wolf laguz had been distracted by a Red Claw attack. They had not noticed Elincia and Ike being escorted away. She described the entire experience of being locked up in the old fort until a cloaked Lartz had come to the rescue.
“We’re alive by the skin of our teeth...again,” Azura quipped. “No time for hugs though. We’d better see to Ike and Lartz.”
Ike remained where he had fallen; the cot which had been used to carry him lying a foot away on its side. It had been a near miss when Bryan had unwittingly wrenched Lartz away from carrying his end; a few inches was all that separated Ike from toppling down the stairway and breaking his neck, which would have killed him just as surely as the poison. His skin had begun to grow pale with the exception of his rosy cheeks, indicating that his fever was still intact. He barely moved, if at all. Every now and then, Ike would slightly twitch his fingers or grimace. His eyes had been closed, but they soon fluttered open.
“Oh, Ike!” Azura cried, easily noticing how much worse his condition had become since she last saw him.
“Azura…” Ike replied quietly, almost in a whisper. “You’re…back…”
“Yes! Just hang in there, Ike! We have the medicine that will hopefully save you!” Azura assured and produced the tiny bottle containing what everyone hoped was truly the antidote. Beforehand, Norman had told her since Ike had taken in a lot of poison, he should drink the whole bottle quickly.
“Guys, help me sit him up!” Azura begged. Bryan, Marc, and Morris made no hesitation to hoist Ike up by his back enough to where he wouldn’t spill any of the liquid in the bottle. Elincia approached as she watched her lover drink it and prayed it would cure him.
“We shouldn’t move him,” Elincia warned. “The Red Claw had their way with him, many of his bones are broken.”
“That’s not the half of it, you’d think those villains had a herd of cattle run over him,” Norman assessed. “I feel breaks in the fingers, the hands, the wrists, the arms, the legs and several ribs. His shoulders are dislocated and his rotator cuffs, along with several other muscles, have been torn. He has terrible bruises along the neck and face as well. I can heal those injuries, but that could take hours and he won’t be able to fight for at least a few days.”
“Well, all we can do now is wait,” Azura replied after Ike finished the entire bottle. “Norman here gave us the medicine and said it may take up to a couple days to completely destroy the poison.”
“Alright, as long as Ike feels better soon,” Elincia hoped, watching the boys carefully lay Ike back onto the floor. “What about Lartz? Is he okay?”
The group turned to where Raela was tending the wounded Dracoknight. Raela’s heal staff had been enough to heal Lartz’s ribs and internal injuries and now she was applying pressure below his sternum to expel the blood that had flooded his lungs and throat. And, expelled it was, erupting out of his mouth like spurts of red dye.
“That is just nasty,” Ranulf commented, promptly clamping his mouth shut.
“I doubt anyone’s hungry right now,” Elincia obliquely agreed. “But Lartz mentioned that our captors were storing food here. That’ll help if we have to stay a while.”
“Yeah. It’s in the kitchen, where you’d expect it to be,” Lartz added, his voice weak and raspy from coughing. “Typical of the Red Claw to use a place like this as a secret hideout. In fact, I think they used it just for holding Ike and Elincia and roughing them up when they could.”
“Don’t think for a minute that I trust you,” Bryan warned with a glare, but this time Lartz matched his stare.
“The feeling is mutual, you Goddess-damned lunatic!” the Dracoknight hoarsely retorted. “You almost killed the man you came to rescue!”
Bryan saw red, and he wanted Lartz dead. He drew back his lance for a killing stroke when he felt someone seize his arm.
“Damn it, Bryan, stop being a freaking dolt already and give him a chance!” Skye cut in. “You said you’d drop this behavior!”
“This is different, Skye! For all we know, everything this man is saying could be a big fat lie!” Bryan pointed out. “What better way to get a spy on our good side than to help us save Ike?”
“I think he’s telling the truth!” Faline cried, jumping between Bryan and Lartz. “Let him speak. Please.”
“But Faline, I—”
“No. This isn’t like you, Bryan,” Faline insisted. “You nearly killed him and almost killed Ike. Would the man I love really act so villainously towards someone trying to help? For all you know, he might have the information you’re looking for.” Bryan looked into Faline’s worried eyes and grimaced.
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Bryan admitted and turned away from Lartz and Faline. “I don’t know what I was thinking. And now I’ve made a bad impression on you, Faline. I meant it when I told you I loved you, but now I regret it. You deserve better than me.”
“Bryan, no. Don’t think such things,” Faline protested as she stood in front of Bryan once more and cupped his cheek in her hand. “You’re the only man I’ve ever loved and will ever love. One mistake isn’t going to drive me away from you.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes, and I can prove it.”
With that, Faline once again met her lips with Bryan’s. Bryan gladly returned the gesture as his hands navigated around her waistline. Faline slid her hand away from Bryan’s cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck again. As Marc watched the pair, he began to feel bits of sweat trickle down the sides of his head. He glanced at Leona, who was standing near the door, thankful she hadn’t noticed. Elincia was the first to speak up and break the short silence.
“Aw, they look cute together, don’t they?”
“They certainly do,” Azura agreed with a smile and told Elincia about the events on the ship involving the pair as well as how they met.
“That’s so sweet,” Elincia complimented and then sighed. “Still, they’re definitely lucky right now. I’ve lost count of how many times I’d come close to losing Ike since he fell ill, and he still has a long way to go before he’s well again.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Azura assured. Just after she had spoken, Bryan and Faline slowly pulled away from one another. Bryan held Faline’s hand and turned his attention to Lartz.
“Alright, Lartz. Tell us what you know,” Bryan insisted and then leveled an accusing finger. “But I’m warning you, if anything you say turns out to be a lie, you’ll regret ever meeting me.”
“I already do,” Lartz muttered under his breath, suddenly wondering if throwing in his lot with these people had been wise after all, then he continued. “I give you my word that I will be truthful. Anyway, the information I have should be very helpful, to you in particular.”
Bryan raised one eyebrow before replying.
“Go on.”
“Very well. First, I have to explain the incident at the lab. You see, I was forced to attack it,” Lartz admitted. “My superior is, or was, a man named Shigo. He’s one of Melora’s most powerful generals. In fact, his power is so overwhelming that I’m not sure even Ike could defeat him at his full strength. Those who displease Shigo rarely live long enough to regret it.”
“And that’s why you had no choice but to try to stop us,” Azura guessed. “He’d have done something awful to you if you disobeyed him.”
“Almost. You see, when I attacked, I wasn’t actually trying to defeat you,” Lartz corrected. “I had made my decision to defect by then, and was acting upon it as best I could without being discovered. Did you notice how I remained stationed in front of that door on the second floor? I had a hunch the Venoxic antidote was being kept in there. I was really trying to protect it for you in case Shigo had secretly ordered his goons to grab it before you did. I always had a feeling he suspected I might turn against him.”
“Is that what you were trying to tell me when you shouted for me to wait?” Bryan inquired.
“Correct. However, there’s a more important matter I need to discuss with you about General Shigo,” Lartz continued. “He wants to keep you alive, Bryan. He issued standing orders that you were not to be killed, only subdued. For awhile, I was unsure why, but the information I found while I was ‘missing’ gave me the answer. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but… He killed your mother.”
“WHAT?!” Bryan exploded, fighting the urge to grab Lartz and knock him around again. “No! I demand to know more!”
“And I do know more.”
Lartz went on, somewhat frantically, to explain that his research led him to discover that Shigo was not only directly responsible for murdering Bryan’s mother during the war Rothgar had spoken of, but that he had also seen her fleeing with her baby boy. Lartz saw a Meloran soldier comment on Bryan’s appearance during the battle on the stolen Cilaean ships, and much to his regret, he reported it to Shigo. Bryan’s description told the general that he had to be the baby that he failed to get a hold of all those years before and wanted Bryan alive until he could face him himself.
“And now he’s headed to Astryn with a powerful army,” Lartz finished. “The reason may be painfully obvious.”
Bryan didn’t immediately reply, but his eyes widened and a gasp escaped his mouth within seconds.
“No… Father!! He’s after my father, isn’t he?!”
“I believe so,” Lartz replied. “I’m not sure of this, but I also think he intends to use him to get to you. I still don’t know why; Shigo is an abrasive man, to put it mildly, but he doesn’t pursue vendettas unless he stands to gain something by winning. I just don’t know what that ‘something’ might be. I wish I could tell you the rest of what I know, but that’s for your father to reveal to you. Besides, he can probably discern Shigo’s motives better than I.”
“For once, I agree,” Bryan commented. “If what you say is true, Astryn is our next stop! I must avenge my mother!”
“Lady Azura, correct?” he inquired, his tone rushed and nervous.
“Yes?” Azura replied.
“I-I’m afraid I have bad news. I was sent here from Talgria and found that Sir Ike has died,” the raven reported. “I am very sorry.”
“W-What?!” Azura protested. “No! NO! That cannot be!”
“He passed away yesterday afternoon,” the raven went on, his jaw twitching and his quiet breathing going short and hard. “Lady Elincia has agreed to send the body back to Tellius for a proper burial, and she said she’s going to return to Tellius to rebuild the Greil Mercenaries.”
A shocked silence hovered over the group; Ranulf, who’d known Ike longer than the others, was especially struck that his friend was dead when such a happy future lay so close within reach. Some more words were exchanged but Ranulf, holding back tears, didn’t hear them.
“Again, I am sorry.” The raven then bolted off.
Azura simply dropped to her knees, tears dropping to the floor, a very upset grimace on her face.
“No… How could we have failed?” she sobbed. “How could everything we did to save him be for nothing?!”
No one answered, no one could answer. Ike was dead and, with him, their best hope of victory with Melora was lost. Unable to hold back any longer, Ranulf buried his face in his hands and began to sob. Idle chatter drifted to his ears about the group proceeding to Talgria for further orders but then he heard something strange that silenced his crying and shook him back to attention.
“I should be the one to break the news to Ike’s mother,” Azura spoke up. “I was leading the mission, so it’s my fault we failed.”
“Wait, what?” Ranulf blurted confusedly.
“Before the raven left, he said Elincia wanted us to find Ike’s mother in the Merchant District of Melior in Crimea to...to tell her that her son loves her,” Azura explained, her tone heavy with sorrow.
“What?! Ike’s mother doesn’t live in Melior!” Ranulf spoke up. “She died when Ike was a kid!”
“Does Elincia know that?”
“Yeah, Ike told her back during the Mad King’s War,” Ranulf answered. “Elincia wouldn’t make a mistake like that; and that means—”
“Ike isn’t dead, but he is in trouble,” Azura interrupted. “She must’ve added in that part so we’d realize something was up! Come on, we’ve got to find King Rothgar!”
“Azura, Ranulf! Thank goodness!” a voice interrupted seconds later. It was Raela, followed by Lily. Fearful, yet desperate expressions were strewn upon their faces.
“Did you find him?” Azura quickly inquired.
“We sure did!” Lily replied. “King Rothgar somehow got locked up in one of his own castle dungeon cells!”
“Are you serious?!” Azura exclaimed.
“It’s true. We have to get him out,” Raela insisted. “He doesn’t look well at all. There’s a noticeable lump on his head and a bloody gash on his side.”
“Maybe he knows what happened here,” Ranulf decided. “Let’s go!”
It took little time for the group to rush down a stone staircase and reach Rothgar’s prison cell in the castle’s basement where the dungeon was located. The wolf king appeared exactly as Raela described him. He was slumped on the floor against the wall in chains while blood poured onto the stone floor from his gash. Rothgar slowly sat up, relief washing over his face once his eyes spotted Azura and company.
“Oh! You’ve returned! I’m so sorry all of you had to see this!” he pleaded. “I have blundered terribly and proven myself unfit to rule…”
“No you haven’t, your majesty,” Azura protested. “We’re going to get you out of here and find some help.”
“Yes, I have…” Rothgar insisted. “I haven’t been king for very long, you see, and I’m still not used to my duties. Already I’ve made several horrible mistakes. A laguz king shouldn’t be so easy to defeat!”
“Maybe so, but everyone makes mistakes,” Azura pointed out as she sliced the lock off of the dungeon cell’s door. “Over time, you’ll improve and see what a great ruler you really are.”
“Th-Thank you, Azura.”
Rothgar then explained what had happened to him. All he could recall was being hit in the head from behind and then waking up inside one of his own dungeon cells, shackled to the wall and with a severe headache. Ranulf added the encounter with the strange raven messenger upstairs. Rothgar fully agreed that Ike still had to be alive and Elincia’s message was a call for help as he hoisted himself up and endured the pain of his injury as he did so. Before anyone could begin brainstorming for solutions, however, Kiel and Sara appeared racing down the corridor, looking just as worried as Raela and Lily had been.
“Oh, you found him! Your majesty, I’m so relieved you’re alright!” Sara cried with a smile. “…Ah! You’re hurt badly!”
“Indeed. But there’s no time to explain,” Rothgar replied. “We have to get upstairs. …Kiel, what’s that in your hand?”
“I was just about to bring that up. You won’t believe what we discovered in Ike’s room,” Kiel said and held up a parchment letter that appeared to have been written by Elincia. It told much the same story that the raven did, including that request to find Ike’s mother that gave away the message’s true meaning.
“Ike and Elincia’s belongings are gone and the room has been tossed,” Kiel went on. “There’s no sign of either of them in the castle.”
“It seems your surmise was correct,” Rothgar declared. “They were probably abducted and their possessions removed to make the message seem true.”
“Ugh! I bet you anything the Red Claw is behind this one!” Azura decided. “It’s just like them to pull such a terrible stunt!”
“But where did they take Ike and Elincia?” Ranulf inquired. “And how are we supposed to find them?”
“Hmm… They haven’t been gone very long so, unless they’re still on the move, they must’ve stopped somewhere close by. My best guess is Fort Hector, which isn’t far across the Cilaen border north of the castle,” Rothgar replied. “It’s old, run-down, and hasn’t been used in years. I’d say it’s the perfect place for the enemy to keep prisoners.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go!” Azura decided. “Come on, let’s find the others and get out of here!”
“Much though I’d like to slice the Red Claw to ribbons, I’d only slow you down in this condition. I hope you find our friends soon,” Rothgar added. “And speaking of friends, I wonder what Derien’s been doing all this time. I’ll have to look into this as well. Good luck!”
Azura nodded and led her companions back to the first floor. Ranulf offered to seek out the rest of their companions and meet the others outside later. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the entire group had begun the journey to Fort Hector. Everyone had been filled in on the details they’d missed along the way with gasps and grunts escaping many mouths in reaction. Leona, Faline, and Skye in particular were upset, as this further delayed searching for the still missing Marc and Bryan. That is, if the two had even survived. Still, even if they had, who knows how long it would take them to find their companions now. No one was sure what to be more concerned about.
A mere few hours had passed when the group crossed the border again and spotted a building in the distance not long after. It wasn’t very large, but closer inspection revealed it was built mostly of stone, although a few areas seemed to bear wood as well. As Rothgar had described, it did indeed look old and decrepit, as a lot of the stone was chipped, or even crumpling from long neglect, while many weeds surrounded the perimeter and climbed vines embracing the walls. Before anyone could begin exploring it, however, a fairly large group of Red Claw bandits approached the fort from the west and soon took note of Azura’s group snooping around the fort grounds. Several of them carried axes as usual, but lancers, cavalry, and a few mages and archers were among them as well. The Red Claw was still growing ever stronger, more intelligent, and deadly.
“Blarg! How did they discover we were here?!” one of the axe wielders exclaimed.
“Who cares?! Just attack them before they mess things up!” another replied. With that, the bandits spread out in front of the fort to block their opponent’s path.
“Oh wow, we even get a welcoming committee! How nice of you all to drop by!” Ranulf joked with a smile.
“Shut your trap!” the first Red Claw member shot back and turned to Azura. “You’ve been a thorn in our sides long enough, girl! This ends here!”
“Ha, you wish,” Azura commented with a glare and gripped Ettardios once more. On that note, the battle commenced. By now, Azura had fully gotten the hang of swinging a sword as heavy as Ettardios with both hands. She was glad of it, as it was the perfect way to teach the Red Claw a lesson on Ike’s behalf, whether he died or not. While Azura, Morris, and Leona confronted their enemies head on, Skye and Lily rushed for the ledges near the main entrance of the fort to bombard their foes with spells and arrows. Kiel, Sara, and Ranulf carefully avoided the mages and let the others face them while they leapt at the cavalry, spooking the horses and sending their riders out of the saddles, and right into their waiting claws. Faline swooped around to the rear of the enemy and ran them through before they even saw her coming. Enemy reinforcements arrived twice during the battle, but due to the strength Skye, Morris, and Leona had gathered after promotion, the enemy’s numbers dwindled quickly.
Azura, followed by Skye and Ranulf, had approached the main entrance by the time the enemy appeared to be nearly wiped out. Kiel had downed the final enemy minutes later with the remainder of the group rushing up the stairs immediately after. However, just as Raela and Norman had begun tending to injuries, a pair of hidden foes suddenly came bolting from the eastern end of the building, right into Faline and Leona’s paths. Before anyone could make a move, however, a hand axe suddenly soared into the nearest bandit’s neck. Leona and Faline worked together to quickly down the second.
“Need a hand?” a familiar voice spoke up just after the attack. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Bryan, leaning against the wall with his feet crossed and arms folded. Marc was next to him and caught the hand axe as it returned to him. Faline gasped instantly.
“Bryan! Oh, Bryan!” she cried, tears trailing from her eyes as she dismounted, raced towards the man she loved, and threw herself into him, her arms gripped around his neck. “You’re alive!”
“Marc!” Leona gasped and raced towards Marc. “You both survived!”
“Yep, and we’re all in one piece,” Bryan added, returning Faline’s hug tightly.
“I-I thought I’d lost you forever...” Faline sobbed, burying her face in front of Bryan’s chest.
“I thought both of you were goners,” Leona admitted, throwing her arms around Marc’s neck, tears trailing down her face as well.
“Leona, I’m sorry,” Marc replied, shakily returning Leona’s hug. “I know we had everyone really worried, but we were more worried about all of you. I was worried about you most of all. Like I said, I’m sorry!”
“Sorry for what? Marc, if this is about our relationship, I think we’ve been teased quite enough, thanks,” Leona retorted, letting Marc go.
“No, it has nothing to do with that,” Marc denied. “Well, maybe it does in a way. I’m sorry for a lot of things. Sorry for what happened on the ship, sorry for messing things up in the past during our missions, and sorry for having such a bad memory that I can’t even remember my own parents!”
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Leona protested, bringing her hands to her hips. “But look, we’ll discuss this later. I’m just glad you and Bryan are alright.”
“Yeah, how did you two make it back?” Azura wondered, just as surprised as she was glad to see both men safe and sound. “The ship managed to get us to shore right before it collapsed.”
“It’s a long story,” Bryan explained. “You see, we were—wait, the ship is history now?”
“Unfortunately,” Azura confirmed. “But go ahead with your story.”
“Oh, right. We were miraculously washed up on one of the Perais islands,” Bryan began. Then both he and Marc explained every detail of what had happened on the island and their return to their companions. Queen Lilah had sent one of her messengers to Cilae in hopes they would send a ship to rescue Bryan and Marc. Since Talgria and Cilae were allies, Cilae was glad to be of assistance and transported them back to the mainland. After they reached Castle Eraghoa once more, they found Rothgar bedridden and badly wounded.
“He looked awful,” Marc described. “Still, he managed to give us the story about Ike and Elincia being kidnapped and General Derien mysteriously disappearing.”
“Yeah. And then he said although he didn’t know for sure where they’d been taken, he could tell us where you went. Did you find any of our missing allies?”
“Not yet. King Rothgar said this place was his best guess, though,” Azura replied. “I just hope he was correct or else we might lose more than just Ike’s life!”
“Then there’s no time to waste,” Bryan added. “Come on!” The group instantly continued scouting the old fort for any signs of their missing allies once they were inside the building. Bryan had suggested they split up in order to cover the whole fort faster and save time. However, before anyone could go any further, another familiar voice interrupted them.
“Hey, are you the lady Azura?” the masculine voice inquired. Standing at the base of a staircase was the same Dracoknight Bryan had attacked at the Cilaean laboratory. Azura was surprised, but answered the man’s question anyway.
“I am, but—”
“YOU!” Bryan exploded, rushing towards the man and grabbing him by the shoulders. Azura thought she heard something heavy thumb to the floor behind him followed by a gasp, but was so struck by Bryan’s actions that she could not be certain.
“Augh!” the man bellowed as he was slammed against the wall next to him.
“What do you think you’re doing here?!” Bryan demanded. “And after what you tried to do at the lab?!”
“Uggh… Listen to me! I mean no harm!” the man pleaded.
“Do you expect us to believe that, you heartless dirtbag?!” Bryan roared, drawing back one fist and ramming it into Lartz’s side. Lartz let out a scream of agony that turned into a choking gargle as his ribs, damaged in the battle at the lab, re-broke and blood began to froth at his mouth.
“Yeah, what do you want with us?!” Azura added.
Choking on his own blood, Lartz could only gargle and point. Bryan followed his captive’s finger to see Ike sprawled on the floor with Elincia frantically compressing his chest to keep his heart beating.
“Oh my Goddess...” Bryan blurted, horrified. “Raela! Norman! OVER HERE!”
The two healers raced up a moment later, Raela tending to Lartz while Norman used his Mend Staff to stabilize Ike. Bryan, still stunned about what had happened, and what would’ve happened had Ike been a little closer to the stairway, stood in shocked silence.
“What happened?” he asked no one in particular.
“Lartz rescued us!” Elincia cried out, the glare she fixed on Bryan verging on homicidal. It was easy to tell she had been crying. Her face was red, her hair was slightly unruly, and she sniffled practically every ten seconds. Tears were still forming in her eyes as well. Her once queenly armor and surcoat had also become rather dented, tattered, and dirty, most likely from her capture. Elincia’s breathing had become a bit heavy as she regarded Bryan with brooding anger.
“He’s one of the enemy! Why would he help you?!” Bryan shot back, his own expression darkening as well.
“I don’t know, but he did,” Elincia retorted. “Red Claw members suddenly barged in on us at the castle in Eraghoa and attacked. Poor Ike was completely unconscious at the time and I was forced to write a fake letter claiming that Ike was dead and that I’d gone back to Tellius.”
Elincia went on to say that during the attack, neither Rothgar nor Derien were anywhere to be found and the other wolf laguz had been distracted by a Red Claw attack. They had not noticed Elincia and Ike being escorted away. She described the entire experience of being locked up in the old fort until a cloaked Lartz had come to the rescue.
“We’re alive by the skin of our teeth...again,” Azura quipped. “No time for hugs though. We’d better see to Ike and Lartz.”
Ike remained where he had fallen; the cot which had been used to carry him lying a foot away on its side. It had been a near miss when Bryan had unwittingly wrenched Lartz away from carrying his end; a few inches was all that separated Ike from toppling down the stairway and breaking his neck, which would have killed him just as surely as the poison. His skin had begun to grow pale with the exception of his rosy cheeks, indicating that his fever was still intact. He barely moved, if at all. Every now and then, Ike would slightly twitch his fingers or grimace. His eyes had been closed, but they soon fluttered open.
“Oh, Ike!” Azura cried, easily noticing how much worse his condition had become since she last saw him.
“Azura…” Ike replied quietly, almost in a whisper. “You’re…back…”
“Yes! Just hang in there, Ike! We have the medicine that will hopefully save you!” Azura assured and produced the tiny bottle containing what everyone hoped was truly the antidote. Beforehand, Norman had told her since Ike had taken in a lot of poison, he should drink the whole bottle quickly.
“Guys, help me sit him up!” Azura begged. Bryan, Marc, and Morris made no hesitation to hoist Ike up by his back enough to where he wouldn’t spill any of the liquid in the bottle. Elincia approached as she watched her lover drink it and prayed it would cure him.
“We shouldn’t move him,” Elincia warned. “The Red Claw had their way with him, many of his bones are broken.”
“That’s not the half of it, you’d think those villains had a herd of cattle run over him,” Norman assessed. “I feel breaks in the fingers, the hands, the wrists, the arms, the legs and several ribs. His shoulders are dislocated and his rotator cuffs, along with several other muscles, have been torn. He has terrible bruises along the neck and face as well. I can heal those injuries, but that could take hours and he won’t be able to fight for at least a few days.”
“Well, all we can do now is wait,” Azura replied after Ike finished the entire bottle. “Norman here gave us the medicine and said it may take up to a couple days to completely destroy the poison.”
“Alright, as long as Ike feels better soon,” Elincia hoped, watching the boys carefully lay Ike back onto the floor. “What about Lartz? Is he okay?”
The group turned to where Raela was tending the wounded Dracoknight. Raela’s heal staff had been enough to heal Lartz’s ribs and internal injuries and now she was applying pressure below his sternum to expel the blood that had flooded his lungs and throat. And, expelled it was, erupting out of his mouth like spurts of red dye.
“That is just nasty,” Ranulf commented, promptly clamping his mouth shut.
“I doubt anyone’s hungry right now,” Elincia obliquely agreed. “But Lartz mentioned that our captors were storing food here. That’ll help if we have to stay a while.”
“Yeah. It’s in the kitchen, where you’d expect it to be,” Lartz added, his voice weak and raspy from coughing. “Typical of the Red Claw to use a place like this as a secret hideout. In fact, I think they used it just for holding Ike and Elincia and roughing them up when they could.”
“Don’t think for a minute that I trust you,” Bryan warned with a glare, but this time Lartz matched his stare.
“The feeling is mutual, you Goddess-damned lunatic!” the Dracoknight hoarsely retorted. “You almost killed the man you came to rescue!”
Bryan saw red, and he wanted Lartz dead. He drew back his lance for a killing stroke when he felt someone seize his arm.
“Damn it, Bryan, stop being a freaking dolt already and give him a chance!” Skye cut in. “You said you’d drop this behavior!”
“This is different, Skye! For all we know, everything this man is saying could be a big fat lie!” Bryan pointed out. “What better way to get a spy on our good side than to help us save Ike?”
“I think he’s telling the truth!” Faline cried, jumping between Bryan and Lartz. “Let him speak. Please.”
“But Faline, I—”
“No. This isn’t like you, Bryan,” Faline insisted. “You nearly killed him and almost killed Ike. Would the man I love really act so villainously towards someone trying to help? For all you know, he might have the information you’re looking for.” Bryan looked into Faline’s worried eyes and grimaced.
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Bryan admitted and turned away from Lartz and Faline. “I don’t know what I was thinking. And now I’ve made a bad impression on you, Faline. I meant it when I told you I loved you, but now I regret it. You deserve better than me.”
“Bryan, no. Don’t think such things,” Faline protested as she stood in front of Bryan once more and cupped his cheek in her hand. “You’re the only man I’ve ever loved and will ever love. One mistake isn’t going to drive me away from you.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes, and I can prove it.”
With that, Faline once again met her lips with Bryan’s. Bryan gladly returned the gesture as his hands navigated around her waistline. Faline slid her hand away from Bryan’s cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck again. As Marc watched the pair, he began to feel bits of sweat trickle down the sides of his head. He glanced at Leona, who was standing near the door, thankful she hadn’t noticed. Elincia was the first to speak up and break the short silence.
“Aw, they look cute together, don’t they?”
“They certainly do,” Azura agreed with a smile and told Elincia about the events on the ship involving the pair as well as how they met.
“That’s so sweet,” Elincia complimented and then sighed. “Still, they’re definitely lucky right now. I’ve lost count of how many times I’d come close to losing Ike since he fell ill, and he still has a long way to go before he’s well again.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Azura assured. Just after she had spoken, Bryan and Faline slowly pulled away from one another. Bryan held Faline’s hand and turned his attention to Lartz.
“Alright, Lartz. Tell us what you know,” Bryan insisted and then leveled an accusing finger. “But I’m warning you, if anything you say turns out to be a lie, you’ll regret ever meeting me.”
“I already do,” Lartz muttered under his breath, suddenly wondering if throwing in his lot with these people had been wise after all, then he continued. “I give you my word that I will be truthful. Anyway, the information I have should be very helpful, to you in particular.”
Bryan raised one eyebrow before replying.
“Go on.”
“Very well. First, I have to explain the incident at the lab. You see, I was forced to attack it,” Lartz admitted. “My superior is, or was, a man named Shigo. He’s one of Melora’s most powerful generals. In fact, his power is so overwhelming that I’m not sure even Ike could defeat him at his full strength. Those who displease Shigo rarely live long enough to regret it.”
“And that’s why you had no choice but to try to stop us,” Azura guessed. “He’d have done something awful to you if you disobeyed him.”
“Almost. You see, when I attacked, I wasn’t actually trying to defeat you,” Lartz corrected. “I had made my decision to defect by then, and was acting upon it as best I could without being discovered. Did you notice how I remained stationed in front of that door on the second floor? I had a hunch the Venoxic antidote was being kept in there. I was really trying to protect it for you in case Shigo had secretly ordered his goons to grab it before you did. I always had a feeling he suspected I might turn against him.”
“Is that what you were trying to tell me when you shouted for me to wait?” Bryan inquired.
“Correct. However, there’s a more important matter I need to discuss with you about General Shigo,” Lartz continued. “He wants to keep you alive, Bryan. He issued standing orders that you were not to be killed, only subdued. For awhile, I was unsure why, but the information I found while I was ‘missing’ gave me the answer. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but… He killed your mother.”
“WHAT?!” Bryan exploded, fighting the urge to grab Lartz and knock him around again. “No! I demand to know more!”
“And I do know more.”
Lartz went on, somewhat frantically, to explain that his research led him to discover that Shigo was not only directly responsible for murdering Bryan’s mother during the war Rothgar had spoken of, but that he had also seen her fleeing with her baby boy. Lartz saw a Meloran soldier comment on Bryan’s appearance during the battle on the stolen Cilaean ships, and much to his regret, he reported it to Shigo. Bryan’s description told the general that he had to be the baby that he failed to get a hold of all those years before and wanted Bryan alive until he could face him himself.
“And now he’s headed to Astryn with a powerful army,” Lartz finished. “The reason may be painfully obvious.”
Bryan didn’t immediately reply, but his eyes widened and a gasp escaped his mouth within seconds.
“No… Father!! He’s after my father, isn’t he?!”
“I believe so,” Lartz replied. “I’m not sure of this, but I also think he intends to use him to get to you. I still don’t know why; Shigo is an abrasive man, to put it mildly, but he doesn’t pursue vendettas unless he stands to gain something by winning. I just don’t know what that ‘something’ might be. I wish I could tell you the rest of what I know, but that’s for your father to reveal to you. Besides, he can probably discern Shigo’s motives better than I.”
“For once, I agree,” Bryan commented. “If what you say is true, Astryn is our next stop! I must avenge my mother!”
