• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 5: Damsel in Distress


    The days progressed fairly quickly as Tsuki and Lynette made their way down the dirt path towards Briswater from Crescentia. It has been a full day since they had left Crescentia. If they continued the pace that they were going, they would reach the forest that surrounds Briswater in no time. They still had quite a long ways ahead of them though. Before they knew it, it was already early in the evening on their first day away from Crescentia. The journey has been fairly easy thanks to Lynette's healing abilities so he doesn't have to stop and patch up wounds every now and then.

    Since it was starting to get late, they decided to set up camp for the night. They found a suitable camping spot next to the main road and used something called a Camping Set that was given to them by the villagers before they left. Camping Sets are essential for travelers that are always on the road. Camping Sets not only have enough materials for two different tents, it comes with a unique device that prevents monsters from entering the campsite, although the range on the device is limited to a very short range. As Lynette started to set up the camp, Tsuki took out the device that was in the Camping Set and started to set it up. The device was called a Barrier. It is the structure of a weather vane but for a completely different use. Once it's powered by Artes, it generates a barrier that repels monsters from attacking people as they slept. Tsuki was familiar with the device after having to use it multiple times while he was on duty so setting up wasn't a problem. There are two drawbacks to the Barrier, however. The range for it's effectiveness is severely limited to about ten meters so because of that, people would have to share tents or sleep outside. Luckily, the tents are fairly big as they can hold three people at a time. The other drawback is that the Barrier has a cooldown timer. The Barrier can only remain active for ten hours before it has a cooldown period of another ten hours. Once he finished setting up the device, he went out to collect some wood for a fire. After he was gone for several minutes, he returned with a stack of wood. He set the wood down in front of the tent that Lynette had set up and started a fire as it was starting to get dark. He then went over to the device and activated the Barrier and watched as a barrier formed around the campsite. Due to the danger of the wilderness in the evening hours, the Barrier is crucial for Camping Sets.

    A few hours had passed since they set up the camp and activated the Barrier. They've had to go out and collect more wood so the fire wouldn't go out. Besides having to fight off a few monsters walking around while gathering materials, the plains were quiet and peaceful. They enjoyed how quiet it was because they could hear the whistling of the wind and the owls in the forest nearby. It was a good time to bond and get to know each other more to pass the time since this was the first time they got to relax and talk since they left Crescentia.

    Lynette was sitting by the fire, trying to warm up. Since it was getting close to the winter months, the temperature was starting to drop to the low 60s in the evening hours. As she was trying to warm up, she noticed that Tsuki was sorting through things in their tent. "Hey Tsuki. Why don't you take a break and come warm up? I'd like to know more about yourself. With everything that happened before, we didn't really have time to have a real talk" she said. She really only knew a little bit about his past and what he currently does to make a living.

    Tsuki dropped what he was doing and turned his head to her. He could use a chance to relax once in a while. He wasn't sure what to say to her though. "What would you like to know?" he asked. There are only a few people he's opened up to. Those people include the royal family and the Eight.

    Lynette held a finger to her chin in thought. She had so many questions to ask him but where should she start? "Like, what are your goals? Your desires? Stuff like that" she said. What she really wanted to know what he thinks about working for the royal family. "Also, if you're able to answer, I'm curious to know what it's like to serve with the Eight and under the royal family. You don't have to if you don't want to" she said. She wouldn't want him telling her about things that he wasn't suppose to.

    Tsuki stood up and grabbed a blanket. He then walked outside and set the blanket down over her shoulders so she would stay warm and sat down next to her. "My goals and desires, huh? Hmm...well, to be honest, I don't really have any. I just want to do what I can protect the royal family for all that they've done for me" he said. He took a moment to answer her next question. Unlike Setzu, whom he still hasn't seen since he returned to Crescentia with the Moonlight Flower, he trusted her so he didn't have a problem telling her about the Eight and the royal family. "The Eight are good company to be around with. Each person is from different backgrounds with different stories to tell. Some of them can be difficult to deal with but they're exceptional fighters that I can trust with my life" he said. He took a deep breath before talking about the royal family. There was so much to tell but he wanted to make sure not to talk about anything private that shouldn't be public knowledge. "The royal family...where do I start and what can I say? They're like a switch on a wall; one minute, they can be a normal, everyday family and then, with a flip of a switch, they can be a family who rules over an entire Kingdom. King Taichi is a strong leader who would do anything to help people in the Kingdom. He excels in close-combat with his spear while he lacks in magical Artes. He doesn't take in foreign outsiders well though. He has a grudge against the other Kingdoms for what they've caused to our lands. If those countries hadn't started the War of Mana, then the Four Great Spirits wouldn't of had to leave such an imprint on our land. Queen Emma is a little bit different though. She is a kind-hearted woman who thinks of other people's well-being before her own. She's even donated quite a bit of Gald to shelters and even sponsored a build for a condo for people who don't have anywhere to go to live in. Her people are very important to her and thinks of everyone as her own child. Unlike Taichi, she excels in her magical Artes rather than close-combat" he explained. He had to stop and take a moment to think about what else he could say without revealing too much information.

    Lynette took the blanket he gave her and covered herself up and felt the added warmth. She looked at him as she listened to his story as he talked about the Eight and the royal family. She already knew about the stuff he said about the royal family but just hearing him explain it and to see his facial expressions tells her that they are very important to him. The Eight and the royal family was just like what people already know; they're good, strong people who care for their citizens. "It must be a great honor to serve under them. What about the Princess?" she asked. Out of all the members of the Eight and the King and Queen, she was most curious about his relationship with the Princess as she's heard talks and rumors about them.

    Tsuki nodded at her. "It is. I couldn't ask for a better job. As for the Princess..." he said. There was so many things he could say about the Princess. She's not only the Princess of Cayhill, but she's also his childhood friend. "She's a joy to be with. She's cheerful, hyper, a little bit on the weird side and is well-loved by everyone. She has a tendency to drown herself with worry though especially when it concerns my safety. I can just imagine her right now, looking out her window and worrying about how I'm doing. She has Queen Emma's kindness and King Taichi's strength so she's quite the fighter. She's also very important to me on a more personal level rather than occupational wise" he said. He then looked up in the night sky, in the direction where Eresseas was. He couldn't see Eresseas but he knows that she's looking out for him, waiting to hear word from him.

    Lynette tilted her head as she saw him stare off into the sky. "Personal level? Were you guys lovers?" she asked bluntly. She had heard rumors that the Princess was close to one of the knights that serve under her family. How close they were was all rumors and speculation though. She doesn't even know that they were childhood friends as the more outrageous rumors seem to overlay what was actually true.

    Tsuki wasn't surprised that she would ask that. With all the different rumors about them floating around all over Cayhill, he's used to being asked questions like those. He shook his head at her. "No, we're not lovers. We're childhood friends. Due to our relationship and how we act with each other in public, I can't blame people for coming up with such rumors. I'll be honest though, even though the rumors about us being lovers aren't true, it's actually good morale for the citizens because that builds up hope among the people about having a new King and Queen. I'm not one for becoming royalty though" he said. He didn't mind if people thought that they were lovers. As long as the people were happy or were hopeful that they would become the next in line for the thrown, he didn't care.

    Lynette rubbed her chin with interest. She had no idea that they had such a close relationship. "I see...I guess the rumors of you and her being the next King and Queen are false then" she said. A part of her wished the rumors were true, but the rest of her didn't. It would be nice to know who was going to be next in line as King that will serve alongside the Princess she turns Queen.

    Tsuki nodded. "Yes, they're all false. Sorry to break it to you" he said. He scratched the back of his head and then looked at Lynette. She asked to know more about him and now it was time for her to tell him about herself. "Enough about me. What about you? Tell me about yourself" he said.

    Lynette swayed to the sides as she thought for a moment. Unlike Tsuki, she didn't really lead an exciting like him. "Well, I was born into a simple life in a village on the other side of Cayhill. My family are caring folk along with everyone else in the village. I discovered my healing abilities when I was around the age of seven" sje said. She stared off into the fire, recalling her past briefly.

    Tsuki yawned a little bit as Lynette started to tell her story. He was starting to fall asleep but forced himself to stay awake. There was still so many things to talk about. "If you lived on the other side of Cayhill, why are you living in Crescentia now? Did you move out?" he asked.

    Lynette shook her head as she continued to stare off into the fire. "Not exactly. When I turned eighteen, I wanted to see the other parts of Cayhill. So, I set out on my own journey to see what there's to see and I ended up in Crescentia where I stayed for about a year. It reminded me of home and I loved the villagers so I couldn't bear to leave" she said.

    Tsuki yawned a bit more, falling asleep even more and stood up. He then stretched and walked over to the tent behind him. He stopped before entering and turned his head to her. "There's a lot more questions I want to ask you but lets leave those for another time. Let's get some rest. If we make enough progress, we'll be another day's walk away from Briswater's outer forest" he said.

    Lynette turned her head to Tsuki and nodded. "Alright. You go first. I'll be going to sleep shortly. I need some time to collect my thoughts a little bit more" she said. She wasn't ready to sleep just yet. If she wasn't even the slightest bit tired, then she wouldn't be going to sleep any time soon.

    Tsuki nodded and walked into the tent. "Alright then. Good night. Don't stay up too late, you hear?" he said as he closed the tent. He then crawled into one of the sleeping bags and fell asleep after several minutes.

    After several minutes since Tsuki went to sleep, Lynette doused the fire with some water that was in a bucket and followed him inside the tent and went to sleep. In the morning, they washed up in the nearby river, had something to eat for breakfast and packed up their campsite. Once everything was back in order, they continued their journey once more. Just like the day before, as they walked, they fought off monsters, thugs and bandits of all kind. It was no different than the day before. As they fought, they felt as if they were getting stronger with each passing fight.

    Around early in the afternoon, they decided to take a short break to rest their feet and regain their energy. They decided to sit by a small pond with a massive tree standing next to it. Also, they were near a mountain forest. They didn't bother setting up a campsite because there would be no point. Not only that, the Barrier was still on a cooldown and won't be usable until later in the afternoon. Tsuki went out to gather some wood and materials for food. He eventually brought back a decent size log and a handful of mushrooms and herbs. He then used the bucket of water and went over to the same nearby river that they were still near and scooped up some fresh water and walked back to the pond. He set the water down and then gathered some twigs and made another fire. He used a knife that was strapped to his ankle and carved two makeshift bowls out of the log he brought back. He used the rest to suspend the bucket of water over the fire and used the materials that gathered along with whatever was left over from when they left Crescentia and dumped them into the boiling water. After several minutes had passed, he had made a bucket of Miso Soup.

    Tsuki took the bowls that he carved out of wood and scooped some soup into them. He then took out some plastic spoons and handed a bowl and spoon to Lynette. "It's not exactly the ideal lunch but this is what we have for now" he said.

    Lynette shook her head as she tookt he bowl and spoon. She smiled at him and was happy to get some food in her stomach. "No, it's alright. We are pretty low in supplies, after all" she said. She took a sniff of the soup and it smelled delicious. She blew on it a few times and then ate some. It was hot but it was good. "Mmm...this isn't half bad. What else can you cook?" she asked.

    Tsuki sat down with his soup and looked at her. "I can cook a few things. We don't have the ingredients for them though so we'll have to restock on ingredients when we reach Briswater" he said. He was aware that they weren't going to make much progress if they had no food or water to keep their energy up. He didn't anticipate having to make a side trip to Briswater just to reach Basilwell, so he didn't have the necessary preparations ready to go. He then took a sip of his soup and was impressed of himself for making the soup out of mostly naturally grown ingredients and still turn out this good.

    Lynette continued to eat her soup until her bowl was empty. She had three more servings of it because it was so good. When she was done eating, she set her bwol down and looked at the mountain forest that was running along side the road . As she looked up at how high the mountains reached, she saw something through the trees. She then pointed to what she was seeing. "Hey, you see that up in the mountain? It looks like some sort of tower" she said.

    Tsuki looked up to where Lynette was pointing to. He ha to look very carefully but he saw it as well. It does indeed look like a tower. "I don't know...let's see if it's on the map" he said. He took out the map and opened it up. He found where they were at on the map then looked for some sort of structure in the mountain area. Soon, he found it. "It's called...Prophet Castle. Something about that name seems familiar" he said. He heard that name from somewhere but he's not sure where.

    Lynette thought about it for a minute. She soon realized what it was. "Wait, I remember...it's a castle with a chapel in the center of it. It used to be a prestigous castle that overlooked the plains of Cayhill about three hundreed years ago. Now, it's a ruined castle that was forgotten with the times. Hardly anyone knows about it now except for scholars and travelers that were brave enough to climb all the way up the mountain to reach it. The castle isn't totally abandoned, however. There are rumors that a cult that praises the fallen Archdemon, Albatros and practices human sacrifice. Back in the day, I've heard that villages from all over Cayhill were attacked and, in some cases, completely wiped out by these cults. For a village to be completely wiped out, these cultists are a pretty big deal. Rumor has it, the last village to have suffered a terrible fate was Tomoha. It was completely wiped from the map with no signs of any survivors even to this day. Some believe that it was the cultists' doing" she said. There was a lot of bad reputation with the castle among the people that know of it and an even worse reputation associated with the cult.

    Tsuki listened to her story about the castle. He had no idea that there was such a cult until now. He then went into total shock when she brought up the village called Tomoha. His hometown was Tomoha! He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Tomoha...no way. So, that's what happened back then..." he said to himself. He never found out who attacked his village or what happened to it's villagers. Now, he finally has a lead. He had to investigate the castle now. There was no other way. He quickly finished up the rest of the Miso Soup then took the bowls and bucket to the river to wash them out. Once he was done, he walked back to the pond and started to pack up his things and then looked over to Lynette. "I'm going to investigate that castle. You're welcome to come with me if you want" he told her.

    Lynette tilted her head and looked at him. She noticed that his demeanor had completely changed all of a sudden. Was it something she said? "Why? Shouldn't we hurry on to Briswater?" she asked. He wouldn't let himself get distracted from his mission by simple curiosity. Something happened to him while they talked.

    Tsuki shook his head. "Let's just say, it's a personal problem and I need answers" he said. He then heard a girl's scream and cries for help coming out of nowhere. "What the hell?" he said. He looked around to find out where the scream came from and soon saw a girl run out of the tree line of the mountain forest. Was she being chased by monsters? In fact, what was a girl doing in the forest? She didn't appear to look like a fighter. Then again, he couldn't get a good view of her due to the distance between them. Upon looking closer, he saw three people in black robes dash out of the tree line. They appeared to be chasing her. Before he could do anything, he saw the girl go down. One of the people picked up her body and then they all returned into the forest.

    Lynette looked confused when he said it was a personal problem. That's when she realized that it was something that she had said to him. She didn't want to ask what it was though. That was when she also heard the screaming. She looked in the direction that Tsuki was looking in and saw what he was watching. She recognized the black robes almost immediately. She stood up and tried to follow the direction they were walking in. There was only one place they could go to in the mountains: Prophet Castle. "That's part of the cult! They must be doing a human sacrifice with that girl!" she shouted.

    Tsuki quickly finished putting his things together and looked at Lynette once more. "We can't let this go on. Come on, we're putting an end to that cult! You with me?" he asked. If he was going to take down a cult that can wipe out an entire village, he was going to need backup and there was only one source to where he can request for reinforcements from.

    Lynette nodded at him and stood up. "Yes, of course! Human sacrifice needs to stop! What can we do though? These guys have wiped out villages before which means they won't be easy to take down, even for you" she said. No one's stopped the cult because no one knew where they were hiding. All she knows is that when human sacrifice occurs, the cult gathers at the castle.

    Tsuki nodded and then whistled. "I got that problem covered" he said. Moments later, a bird came and landed on his shoulder. He then took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a short letter. It involved the matter of Briswater occupying Basilwell and to request reinforcements be sent to Prophet Castle along with the reason why. He then folded up the letter and tied it to the bird's leg. "Get this to the King and Queen as soon as possible" he told the bird. He then launched the bird off his shoulder and watched it fly off in the direction of Eresseas.

    Lynette watched Tsuki and tilted her head. "Oh, I get it now. You're requesting reinforcements from the Kingdom" she said. She knew that there was no other place he could turn to for reinforcements.

    Tsuki looked at Lynette and nodded. "Yes. It's a letter to the royal family. I asked about Briswater's occupation and for them to send a platoon of knights to Prophet Castle. Even I realize that we can't take down an entire cult capable of wiping out villages" he said. He put the pen away then looked towards the mountains. "Come on, let's get going. Hopefully, they'll send reinforcements by the time we reach the castle" he said. He then rushed towards the tree line and began to push through the trees and bushes so he could make his climb to the castle.

    Lynette nodded. "Right behind you. Let's hurry" she said. She gathered her things and then followed Tsuki into the mountain forest. It was going to be a tough climb as the castle was at the very top of the mountain. She wondered how the knights would reach the castle if they were deployed as backup.

    The mountain forest harbors a handful of different monster species along with the cult members. They were either going to force their way in or do it quietly and sneak in, They didn't know if there were more people in danger nor knew what to expect once they reach the castle. They didn't care as long as they save whoever was captured. They do know one thing for sure, however. They had at least one person in captivity and they had to save her no matter what.

    To be continued...