"We've been running all day!" puffed Byhaps. "C-can't we please rest for a bit??" Empathy looked at the teen with warmth and concern.
"We have been going a while...surely we can rest, for a little bit." she reasoned, giving them an excuse to stop. She sat daintily on a rock, and Byhaps flopped on the ground. Fitcher propped himself up against a tree, and Magnolia settled herself on the grass. They were all tired, of course, but looking at the panting teen's face, Fitcher thought that Byhaps looked almost...ill. He was, if possible, more pale than usual, and his breaths were shallow and quick. Empathy voiced his thoughts.
"Are you all right, dear? You don't look well..." she said. Byhaps nervously shook his head.
"I'm just tired." he said, looking interested at something in the grass suddenly. Empathy shook her head, obviously not believing a word he said, but not pressing it further.
"So...Empathy..." Fitcher said. He knew so little of this woman to whom he owed his life. "What made you come...all the way to Gregminster?" Empathy smiled.
"You, of course. Once I realized that woman had deceived you all, I couldn't just sit there. With the good doctor recovering from his wound, there was nothing for me to do but follow you and try to warn you." Her cheerful manner dimmed for but a moment. "I was too late to warn you, I'm afraid, but I still saved you, and that's what counts." She brightened once more. One thing about her statement still bothered Fitcher, though.
"Did you say, 'good doctor'? If you haven't noticed, Badnooz has tried to kill me and my colleagues on multiple occasions. What's good about that??" Fitcher said with a frown.
"He...his practices...I...I might not condone everything he does, but...he has been good to me. He's...not as bad as you think." Empathy said. Fitcher gave her a look. "All right, he's evil. But like I said, he has helped me out, and it means the world to me." Her face became somewhat downcast, as if she was reliving some terrible memory.
"It's...it's all right, Empathy." Fitcher attempted. "I understand...I think." Truthfully, Fitcher had a very hard time imagining Badnooz doing anything beneficial to anyone, but if Empathy seemed so sure about it, there must have been some truth to it.
"Fitcher...?" Byhaps said, startling him. That kid was so quiet, Fitcher always forgot he was there!
"Yeah?"
"...How come you have a gun? Are you from the Howling Guild?" the teen asked in wonder.
"No. No, no, no." Fitcher said emphatically. "It was an accident. I shouldn't even have this thing, but I'm stuck with it for now, so...that's that." Byhaps nodded.
"Well, Lady Magnolia?" Empathy prompted. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? We know so little..." Magnolia smiled.
"I hate the Empire, and that's that." she said. "So much of what they do these days is wrong. So I do my part."
"That's a wonderful thing to do!" Empathy praised. Magnolia did not return the cheerful smile, however. Her face looked grave suddenly, for some reason. "Is that all?" Empathy asked.
"I think you're about to be busy..." she said evenly, gesturing behind Fitcher quickly and urgently. He whirled and saw what she meant---Ghira Blackwell, fanatic of the Howling Voice Guild, had followed them.
"You puzzle me," Ghira spoke to Fitcher, and him alone. "What is it inside of you that makes you defy such a great and honorable power such as the Howling Voice Guild, with such...ferocity?" Fitcher jumped up from where he was sitting, his hand going to Bill immediately. Byhaps looked ready to jump into combat, although he really looked in no condition to do so. Empathy covered her mouth with her hands in worry. Magnolia hadn't moved.
"How about staying alive, have you ever considered that?" Fitcher asked sourly. "I already told you, I can't part with this gun even if I wanted to." Ghira shot him a look, with the hint of a smirk flitting about her lips.
"I assure you, you can part with it. You just may not enjoy the condition in which you do so." she said icily. Fitcher backed away a step, slowly and deliberately.
"What about you? Why are you so bloody obsessed with getting this one stupid firearm back?! Surely the future of your 'great' Guild doesn't rest on whether or not you retrieve this!" Fitcher spat back. "I mean, you've been chasing me for weeks. Does the Howling Voice Guild even care? Do they even know you're GONE?" Ghira reddened, enraged.
"How dare you!! How dare you! I have tolerated your blasphemous insults long enough!" she screamed. She had her rifle in the firing position in an instant. Fitcher anticipated this and rolled to the left. Byhaps was already in action, bludgeoning the irate Voicer with the butt of his pitchfork. She fell face-first into the grass. The others scattered into the thick fog, hoping they might lose her. Unfortunately, she got right back to her feet, perhaps owing to her 'mighty Balance Rune', and pursued them into the fog. She held up her hand, waving her rifle with the other.
"Bless me, Oh True Rune of the Sky! Strike judgement down upon these nonbelievers!!" she cried.
"Fitcher?!" Byhaps gasped, glimpsing him through the darkness. "Did you know she had a True Rune?!"
"Hah!" Fitcher laughed. "Mental problems is all she's got! There is no such rune! We're completely--" A bullet pierced the tree trunk next to where Fitcher had paused. "...Safe." They began to run again. Fitcher pointed his pistol blindly back through the mist. He could vaguely hear the Voicer's angry ranting, but couldn't see her. Besides, he couldn't risk hitting Empathy or Magnolia. The wind was starting to pick up, little by little. Fitcher had a feeling that Mother Nature wasn't going to make this easy on him.
"Fitcher! Where are you??" Empathy cried from somewhere.
"Over...here?" he supplied dully, trying to find where she was. Another gunshot rang out from behind him. He veered to the right, and nearly bowled over Empathy. He knew Byhaps was farther ahead than he was, although he honestly couldn't say about Magnolia. But he had to risk it, or he wasn't going to escape this terror. He pointed Bill, and fired back. Nothing.
"Where is she, Fitcher??" Empathy asked nervously.
"I don't know!" he replied. "This damn fog...!"
"There, look out!" Byhaps cried. Ghira flew out of the fog like a death angel, a hate in her eyes Fitcher had never seen before, though he had admittedly seen her just about as angry as he thought she could get. Fitcher and the others knew, somehow, that no amount of running would help them now. Ghira positioned Filibuster, fire burning in her eyes.
"Fitcher," she announced. "You have repeatedly shown your defiance and contempt of the Guild, and three times you have laughed in my face and departed without returning that which you have stolen! I have given you more than enough warning. Still you run. My soul burns for your blood! I cannot go any longer without spilling it, for it is what the True Sky Rune has decreed! Nonbelievers must perish." Byhaps had a look of confusion (as well as sickness) on his face. Empathy looked utterly horrified, and yet, still concerned as usual. Fitcher's jaw dropped. There was something seriously wrong with this woman.
"Listen, Ghira..." Fitcher said gently. "Why don't we get you some help?"
"Burn in hell, heathen!" Ghira lashed out, pulling the trigger. She had scarcely moved her finger, however, before a ball of light arced through the mists and knocked the rifle clear out of her grip.
"What...?!" she raged. Fitcher heard footfalls in the grass, and wondered what on earth was going on.
A man burst through the wall of fog. He was very large, with a thick neck and bulging muscles. He looked like a wrestler, or soldier. However, he was dressed in a far-too-tight, misfitting green robe that he kept tripping over, along with a staff that looked like it had been glued back together after being broken. He had sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and a ridiculously small hat on his head to top off his odd look.
"Gosh, I hope I hit the right person!" he wheezed, having ran the entire way, most likely.
"Uh, well, as far as we're concerned, you did..." Fitcher offered. In a moment, he discovered--whoever this guy was, he wasn't alone. The next through the mist was a woman. And she had a look about her that made you think she was born in this place, among the fog. She had brown hair, tied into a long, loose braid down her back. Her violet eyes twinkled with untold secrets, and her face had a look of great wisdom, not to mention beauty. She was clad in shimmering blue robes that flowed about her form like water, and she was adorned with a ring on almost every finger, as well as bracelets, earrings, and necklaces that twinkled and were in the shape of rune symbols. She scanned the scene swiftly, her eyes stopping on every figure. She seemed concerned with Byhaps, who was now wheezing and coughing. She gazed at Fitcher.
"I presume you are the 'Flaming Duck'?" she asked in a very misty voice. Fitcher blinked. How on earth did she know that?!
"Uh, I...you...what..." he stammered.
"I shall explain later." she said simply. She gestured to the overgrown man. "Darryl, take care of this pesky woman." The man nodded, and raised his left hand, upon which glowed the symbol of a Thunder Rune.
"All right, madam...Ball of Li---" he spoke, but he was interrupted as Ghira, for some reason, decided she would rather not sit there and be hit with another lightning bolt, and lunged at him. Caught off guard, the man fell on his rear. Ghira screeched in absolute fury.
"YOU DEMONS! JUSTICE IS MINE!!!" she surprised Fitcher by backflipping to her feet and kicking his gun out of his hand in one fell swoop. It landed somewhere off in the fog. She grabbed greedily for her own firearm, and backed up to get a good shot at them.
"Fitcher!!" Empathy screamed, covering her eyes. Ghira's finger again tapped the trigger, but she screamed and fired straight up as something jumped into her face.
It was a toad.
"Is that...?" Fitcher wondered aloud. He didn't have time to dwell on it further, because Byhaps had found Bill. The knight-in-training scrambled up and gave Fitcher his gun just in time, for the toad had just been kicked as far as Ghira could muster.
As if the fog wasn't enough, Mother Nature decided to spice it up with a little spontaneous rainstorm. Gods, Fitcher hated the Empire and its damned weather patterns. The wind whipped Fitcher's already not-very-well-looking hair around. He struggled to see despite the wind, rain, and fog. Ghira was seething with rage, as usual. She could barely hold her rifle straight. But she had no trouble targeting Fitcher's poor, unprotected head. This time, the overgrown man, Darryl, took advantage of the situation and shot a Ball of Lightning spell at the nearest tree. It wasn't a very thick tree, and so the spell neatly severed the trunk. It toppled over on top of Ghira Blackwell. But a shot rang out, and pain lanced into Fitcher's arm. He was hit! He had been shot!
"Hahaha...victory..." Ghira chuckled from beneath the tree. She had a gash on her forehead, and blood dripped down it into her eyes. "Ah! What is this...? No, no! The True Sky cannot have turned against me!" she gasped in anguish. "But I cannot see! Oh, my sight...forgive me, Brogan. I promised I never would again..."
Fitcher was busy clutching his arm in agony, but he still noticed the prominent blue flash from Ghira Blackwell's forehead. The woman in blue robes' eyes widened considerably.
"Shelter yourselves! That is a dangerous spell!!" she cried. Fitcher felt someone's body, Empathy's from the weight of it, push him to the ground.
"Oh, Brogan..." Ghira murmured. "Empty World..." A portal blacker than death itself formed on the ground, and a great unholy beast emerged from within. With a screeching roar that made Fitcher's blood curdle, it blasted the entire area with an energy beam that shook the ground. It lanced through the fog like a knife through butter. The incessant devilish howl that accompanied the blast would've sent a chill up Fitcher's spine, had he not been clutching the ground with one hand, trying to keep from getting blown away by the spell, as well as the storm. He could feel Empathy's arms tightly wrapped around his middle, and could only wonder where the others were. His eyes were tightly shut. It seemed like it lasted an eternity.
Somehow, the howling and terror ceased. Fitcher opened his eyes. It was like a different world. Trees lay broken in half like matchsticks. Underbrush had been ripped up by its roots and tossed around like a salad. The fog and wind were gone, all that remained was a gentle rain, a cleansing rain. Fitcher's gun was sitting nearby. Darryl had his hands over his head, crouched behind a boulder, eyes still closed. The woman with him appeared to have protected herself with some kind of magic barrier, and was merely brushing herself off. Byhaps was sprawled on the ground, and appeared to be unconscious. All that remained to be seen of Ghira Blackwell was a few tattered pieces of her cloak and her rifle, Filibuster. Fitcher got slowly to his feet, and Empathy, sensing this, let go of him.
"Is it over?" she asked quietly.
"I think so..." he said. He winced in pain, still clutching his bleeding arm.
"Oh my god!" she cried. "You...you got shot!! Oh, Fitcher!"
"It's...just...not too bad...I'm really just..." he started. Oh, who was he kidding. "It HURTS!!" Empathy knelt down beside him.
"Let me see it...!" she urged. He shook his head. The woman in blue robes walked over, after checking Byhaps to make sure he was still alive.
"I can help." she said gently, moving his hand off the wound. "Ah, yes...you will have to have this looked at when we return, but for now, a quick fix will do..." She rummaged in her robes, produced a long bandage, wrapped it around his arm, and whispered, "Healing Wind!" A gentle, soothing breeze whisked across Fitcher's body. He didn't see how that would help, but the pain in his arm dulled afterwards.
"What do you mean, 'when we return'?" he asked. "Who are you, anyway?" She smiled.
"My name is Saxanne. We haven't met, but I know of you through the others--Nora, Nok-Nok, and Clinker are the ones you know. I am the resident runemaster at MSSA. Darryl, here, is my apprentice." she explained. Darryl nodded.
"Oh! You're from MSSA, too? Great!" Fitcher said. "I need to get back there..." Saxanne smiled.
"I had heard a great deal of ruckus in Gregminster about a foreign spy. I was there with Darryl, restocking my magical supplies. I had been informed that you would be in the area, so I had a feeling it might be you. And I was right."
"Fitcher, what is she talking about? MSSA...oh! That's the thing the doctor was talking about, right?" Empathy inquired.
"Yeah, Empathy...it's who I work for." he replied. Saxanne looked at Empathy suspiciously.
"She knows of MSSA? Have you been telling her things?" she asked.
"No...she works...er, worked for, I should say, an enemy of MSSA. She can...uh, maybe provide some information about him. Right, Empathy?" Fitcher said. Empathy looked reluctant, but knew better than to say no.
"Y-yes." she agreed. Saxanne nodded.
"Very well. So...you, this girl, and the boy, go back with us?" she inquired.
"Yeah, that's right." he affirmed.
"Byhaps...will he be all right?" Empathy asked, concerned.
"He's fine. He's just exhausted, I think..." Darryl chimed in. "That spell was too much for him."
Suddenly, Fitcher heard someone calling his name from behind him.
"Fitcher! Fitcher...heavens, what happened here?" Magnolia gasped, making her way through the wreckage.
"You know, I was wondering the same thing." Fitcher remarked, looking at Saxanne. "What in the hell was that thing?"
"A Blue Gate Rune." Saxanne said gravely. "It summons beasts from the underworld, and other terrible places. I had only read about it before, but I do know that Empty World is the most powerful thing a Blue Gate Rune can do. Luckily for you, they are exceedingly rare."
"How in the world did Ghira Blackwell get her hands on one?" Fitcher wondered aloud. Saxanne shrugged.
"Heaven only knows. She did seem a bit...unbalanced." the runemaster remarked.
"That woman--she used a Blue Gate Rune??" Magnolia said. "Amazing! I thought she was just a mental case! Well...I'm glad everything turned out all right for you, Fitcher. I think my work here is done." She turned to go.
"Thanks for everything, Magnolia." Fitcher called after her. She gave him a warm smile, nodded, and continued on her way, towards Mount Seifu. Darryl walked over and hefted the prone form of Byhaps into his arms.
"All right, now. Everyone stand together." Saxanne said. They made a small circle. Fitcher made sure to grab his gun.
"What about Filibuster...?" he asked.
"Take it. She won't be needing it anymore." Saxanne said. Fitcher grabbed the fallen rifle, and rejoined the circle. Saxanne raised her hand.
"Muse!" she said, and in a flash they were gone. Fitcher had only one thought as he clutched both his and the fanatical Voicer's gun.
I'd swear on my soul that that toad was Leknaat's!
