Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen Prayer ❯ Crystal Lake Deningrad ( Chapter 7 )

Stolen Prayer

Chapter Seven- - Crystal Lake Deningrad

"Listen," Nicholai told her when all was still. "You're not fond of me and I have no interest in keeping you hostage. Tomorrow when the rain stops, I'll take you to Furni. Someone you know is bound to be there. Understand that I am on a journey that does not revolve around the destruction of the world. I'm just merely trying to survive. That's all."

"I'm on a quest, pursuing my own ideals…" He had said that, she remembered. Wink bit her lip, inattentively realizing that she had snuggled closer to Nicholai.

"I…I don't care." She responded, her voice breaking. "You are the one liable for the catastrophe in Deningrad. I hereby proclaim to follow you around until you pay back your debt in full."

"…What?" Nicholai sharply glanced at the woman. "What did you just say?"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until you cleanse yourself of this."

Nicholai rolled his eyes. "Princess, don't make such ludicrous remarks. You'll only hinder me. Besides, it's not in the duty of a Princess to fight. You would only thwart the most inadequate of enemies."

"I can so fight!" She lifted her body, but he smoothly pushed her back against him.

"You'd better settle down or we aren't going anywhere tomorrow." She huffed and glared up at him.

"I can fight," Wink repeated. "Don't take me as an amateur."

Nicholai stifled a laugh. "Oh really? And what can you do?"

"I can use the staff and Miranda taught me the bow."

"An archer? Hmm…And how good are you at the staff?"

"Like I said," She said, her words getting absorbed into his shirt. "Don't take me as an amateur."

Nicholai could not withstand it any longer. He broke out into laughter that caused Wink to look up, disturbed.

"What's so funny!?" She demanded. "What!?"

"It's just you." He calmed himself.

Wink frowned. "Jerk."

"Now now," He patted her back. "Princess I'll tell you what. If you want to stay with me, it's going to be under one condition. If you show me your skills and manage to impress me, THEN I'll consider taking you under my wing."

It was not the response that Wink was eager for…but it was better than brushing her aside.

But her eyelids had grown heavy and all that had been spoken before had become a banal dialogue, foreign to her mind. Sleep that was long overdue sounded the most appetizing to her. Her breathing fell steady and for the first time in weeks, she slept soundly.

Nicholai was comforted when the sandman finally found Wink. He wasn't too zealous about taking on the extra baggage. He had seldom associated himself with anyone and everything he did he did autonomously. He had eschewed friendship, ever since he was little. He failed to see how this woman following him around was germane to the demolition of Deningrad. What would it fix anyhow? But such was her intransigent attitude. She would not change her mind.

He adjusted to the weight of the Sacred Sister, even in his cramped position. He steadied his arm around her as she slept upon his chest. He knew that he would be quite sore in the morning, but he did not dwell on the thought. He only desired to stay lukewarm, which was quite difficult in such excruciating weather.

"Lloyd…" The Sacred Sister murmured in her sleep.

Nicholai tensed, startled and then relaxed. 'It's just sleep talk,' He told himself as he began to rub her back soothingly. 'Whoever this 'Lloyd' guy was, she must've cared about him deeply.' He smiled slightly, amused at the thought. 'He was pretty lucky to have known her. She's not so bad…'

The arms wrapped around him tightened protectively.

'It's too bad I remind her so much of the guy. It's a pity to see her cry…' Nicholai leaned backwards against the brawny tree, closing his eyes. The rain rapping against the ground lulled him to sleep a short while later, his arms enveloping Wink.

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The storm came to pass the next morning, and the two awoke in each other's embrace. Wink stared groggily at Nicholai, who was intent on listening for the rain.

"I think it stopped," He said as he pushed his body forward, kicking down the teepee. The wooden sanctuary fell down all around them, introducing them to a new sign of life.

"It did stop," Wink agreed as she pulled out of Nicholai's embrace, the warmth rapidly dissipating. She stepped out into the open, her boots squishing in the mud beneath her. She turned back to Nicholai. "We have to go back to Deningrad."

"What?" He nearly yelled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Are you crazy Princess?"

"Would you stop calling me 'Princess'?"

He overlooked her remonstrations as he continued without disruption. "Faust is bound to have an army by the THOUSANDS patrolling the skies for us. You just THINK that I can take you all the way back to Deningrad? That wasn't apart of the deal, Princess."

She sighed. "You at LEAST owe that to me. I have to see if they're okay!"

He glared at her. "If they are, I'll take advantage of that and dump you off with them."

She remained taciturn even after he finished speaking, but looks spoke louder than words. He sighed, slapping his hands against his thighs, rolling his eyes. "All right!" He then tossed his arms up, as though he were throwing in the towel. "I'll take you there. But I hope you have enough energy left to walk, Princess because I refuse to take flight."

"I never asked you to chauffer me there," She replied just as icily. Then she stomped past him, the soles of her boots squeaking from the moist ground, until she was out of sight.

"You know she was a lot easier to get along with when she was sleeping." Nicholai grunted, making sure she couldn't hear. "I take back anything nice I ever said or thought about her."

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The heat of the sun touched Vellweb early morning, its radiance contouring the profile of the ruins, and gradually reallocating to the shadows that escaped the sun. The streets fell undisturbed as debris littered the deserted pathways and the wind ruffled the cliff sides hesitantly, as though the very thought of passing through Vellweb was enough to alarm the air stream into vanishing. It was a halcyon city once in its own time. But it was no longer.

Footsteps were traced to the fortress in the heart of the city. It was the only thing that had not declined to its inevitable slumber, such as its counterparts which had already succumbed to their demise. But life stirred from within the tower as the cobblestone quivered in their sheltered settings. Whatever it was that had inhabited the isolated city, it had petrified Vellweb, down to the very last shadow, etched behind the walls.

A man had once sat upon the throne in the halls of the grand fortress, lined in gold. He had once caressed the limestone of his throne- - his power and illusory of grandeur. He was a histrionic, living in the past and yearning for a lost paradise, stolen from him. His myopic beliefs caused the deaths of many a man and played others as zombies with his broken promises.

But now another man had stepped up as a foreign hand took to embracing the rich colors of the throne. He turned, causing his striking platinum hair to sway with his movements. It curved down his back, looming over his ample robes, and the propriety of his posture gave him unlimited effectiveness of unadulterated supremacy.

With designing eyes and an iniquitous smile, he observed his subordinate and spoke in a sonorous voice. "It feels good to be back above ground."

The demon before him bowed low. "It has been many years, but at long last, you will have your rightful title to the throne." He barely glanced up. "Master Faust…"

"The throne of Endiness," Faust mused, running the words over in his head. "How appetizing."

The demon extended to his feet. "We are regrouping for the next attack upon the humans. The great city of Deningrad has been overrun, just as ordered."

Faust nodded, giving credence to his second-in-command. "That Wingly…did you find him?"

The demon fell quiet. "…No. He fled the city with a human female. We have occupied the skies and are hunting for him even as we speak."

"I care nothing for the defeat of the other cities- - even the Dragoons, just yet," Faust gave the soldier a severe look. "For now, I only want him…alive."

His underling did not question him further, for he knew better than to interrogate his Master. Instead, he replied with coverage that he knew would please Faust. "In Deningrad, Milord, we were able to take a human female hostage."

"Does she have any relevance to me?"

"I think…much so…" The demon ran his tongue over his lips, his eyes flashing.

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Nicholai made a thorough reconnaissance of the clearing before pulling him and Wink out into the open. "It's fine," He told her. "But I feel their presence. Keep your guard up. We cannot dissemble ourselves out in the open."

Wink was not timid. She knew that she had to take chances, especially if she desired to rescue her loved ones.

"I feel as though we have exhumed something better left unnoticed," Nicholai grumbled as he took Wink's hand and began to tread forward. The castle was not in sight.

"Ugh," Wink remarked as she halted, startling her Wingly companion.

"What?" He asked, testily. "Why did you stop?"

"I feel as though we are in a marshland," She told him, lifting up her leg to see the sole of her black boot.

"It's not surprising." He told her, tugging her arm after him. She lost hold of her balance and stumbled after him. "Deningrad is on a lower elevation than the rest of Mille Seseau. It's like a bathtub. With no release, the water rises higher and higher. I highly doubt that your city could withstand a massive rainfall such as that. It might even have flooded it."

"Please don't say such an ill-omened thing," Wink begged as she held her free hand up to her chest, allowing herself to be drug along behind him. "I couldn't bear the thought of everyone falling to the war and then drowning."

"Well don't let the thought escape you either," He muttered. "It will do you no good to be naïve." He halted, giving her a second's notice to stop as well. "And the Heavens shall reap upon the sinners…" He whispered.

"What?" Wink asked, stepping around him. She immediately faltered, her hands raising to her face, clasping her cheeks. "Soa…" She murmured as she stared upon the wreckage of her homeland. "What nefarious force could've done this?"

"The Primordial Beast," Nicholai answered, following her gaze. "The very man who is after me."

Wink spun towards him, her hardened face burning into him. "Don't take all the credit!" She spat. "It's not the first time Deningrad has been attacked!"

"I am aware of that," Nicholai nodded. "However, don't take this with an unwonted spirit. Deep down, you knew that this was to be their fate."

Wink said nothing. She merely turned back to the city below them, submerged within the water. The water swelled within its new home, like a lake sweeping across the horizon.

"It is like the rumored city of Aglis," Wink finally spoke. "If not for the reflection of the ruined castle walls, no one would ever suspect the great city of Deningrad to be dormant here." She fought back tears as her vision fell blurry. She would have toppled over and fallen into the swamp beneath her, had it not been for Nicholai, who could only comfort her with an arm around her shoulder. He drew her near him.

"I'm sorry," He spoke softly.

"I don't want to hear that anymore," She told him scornfully. "There's nothing that can be done." He gazed at her, ruefully. In return, Wink calmed herself and stammered, "D-Do you think anyone survived?"

"If your people are as witty as you say they are, they wouldn't have wasted a moment evacuating the city." He turned back to the verdant forest. "I think we would've seen them in the Evergreen Forest though…"

Wink tensed. "Please don't say that…"

"That doesn't mean that they didn't survive. There are many routes through the forest." He diverted his attention back to Wink. "Any idea where they went?"

"None. I know Neet is around here…somewhere…Luanna is a survivor of its disaster eighteen years ago."

"But you don't know where it is?"

"Even still, I doubt they'd go there. And Furni wouldn't give sanction to refugees of Deningrad. They choose to keep out of our affairs."

"What about the Wingly Village in the forest?" Nicholai suggested.

Wink paused. "I am almost certain that no Wingly would open their doors to humans…" She replied, thoughts of the Wingly named Bardel who had attacked her in the forest flooding back to her. Then she remembered Lloyd and fell silent.

"True," He agreed. "I hear that they're old fashioned anyway." He stared at the younger woman, who had grown melancholy. "Cheer up," He said, patting her arm. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Then he paused, as the slightest resonance of a hum caught his ears. "They're coming…" He whispered and sharply gazed towards the immersed city. "There is no time to give eulogies for the departed," His arm slid off her shoulder and Nicholai latched his hand around her slender wrist. "I told you it was a bad idea to come here." He scuttled across the plains, Wink finding it hard to keep up with him.

Several times she fell off balance, slowing them greatly.

"I'm sorry," Her voice cracked as she reeled off to the side, catching herself just in time.

Nicholai did not hear her apologize. His muscles constricted apprehensively as the sky darkened sinisterly.

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A Foresight Into Episode Eight:

"Bale is upon us," One of the three knights looked yonder over the crag. He turned back to his companions. "Grant me leave to find his Majesty Albert. He'll know what to do."

The second knight nodded. "I would not deny it. For the ubiquitous eye of the demon who attacked Deningrad is upon us. We have no time for argument." He calmed his startled steed. "Carry on. The two of us shall ride to Seles to meet with Master Dart." He acknowledged the third knight. "Do not leave until King Albert is with you. We must reunite the Dragoons!"

The first knight bid his comrades farewell before speeding down the hill towards Bale.

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Kat