"Katrin…?" Colin blinked when he saw them arrive. "Lucy?!"
They were both panting and Lucy looked like she had been crying. "C-Colin…"
"What's the matter?" Colin asked, and the entire party paused as the Forest Wilds inspected the two girls.
Katrin was marked by the Forest Princess. The insignia of the crown and the tree showed clearly on her badge and would not fade. Lucy had a shield and a tree insignia instead; she was marked for safe passage, but there was a time limit.
"We bumped into each other on the way here." Katrin said, looking around the clearing at the Forester's Hut. "She seems desperate to see you."
"What happened?" Colin asked.
"Sora! He's been captured…" Lucy panted. "By my father."
"Oh, scrap…" Colin groaned.
"What? Who's Sora?" Katrin asked Lucy. "Someone important to you?"
"Very important." She whispered softly.
Katrin's eyes went wide. "Oh!"
"He's the Scion of House Melody." Colin grimaced. "A friend of Satrox's. He's very important, all right – to the Republic! If the Protectorate's put him in jail…"
"Not good?" Katrin guessed.
"The whole civil war might blow up in our faces again." Colin said gloomily.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Katrin demanded. "Attack the Protectorate, save Sora, and keep the war from erupting! Save the world by playing the bad guy again! It's what you're good at, isn't it?"
"You can't be serious!" Colin protested. "If I attack more towns now, the whole forest will be in danger! Especially since I openly declared my support of the Protectorate!"
{I came here to get away from the Green Men, not get involved in a civil war!}
"You said you'd support whatever side I was on!" Lucy shivered. "If I join the Republic…"
"Then the Forest will side the Republic and war against the Protectorate, if necessary, but I'd really be mad at you." Colin stated. "I'm supposed to protect the forest! You want me to get it in trouble because of politics and romance?!"
"Colin!" Katrin protested. "Have a heart! Can't you see she's really upset?"
Colin growled. "Time out! We need to think this through. I'm going to call Satrox."
"Not yet." Katrin poked him. "You're still angry yourself. You need to cool down too."
Kyubia, leader of the mischievous Streak Foxes, helpfully tossed a sphere of cold water right onto Colin's head.
"HEY!" Colin spluttered, as all the foxes in the place burst out into laughter. He growled, dripping water from his face. "Thanks a lot."
Kyubia nuzzled him fondly, and wrapped him in her warm tails. She barked softly. [What troubles you?]
"I don't want to get the Forest in trouble, that's what!" Colin said. "We've already caused so much fuss, if we cause any more, it's never going to end!"
She barked some more. [Your friends need you, don't they? They seek your aid.]
"They want the power of the forest, that's what!" Colin growled.
Kyubia added a few more barks. [Do they? They came calling for Colin, not for the Forester.]
Colin stared. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Kyubia grinned.
Lucy and Katrin noted the conversation and exchanged wild glances. They both knew about his ability to talk to the Forest Wilds, but they still seemed surprised when he did it.
"Fine." Colin said. He turned to Lucy. "I'll help you however I can, but the Forest stays out of this."
"What?" Lucy stared. "You mean…?"
"I'll help you out as a common Traveler." Colin answered. "I'll help you as Colin Rivers, not the Forester. I won't call on the Forest Wilds unless it's to protect the Forest."
"But my father's one of the three leaders of the Protectorate! He commands one third of the strongest military on this Continent! How are you going up against him without the Forest at your back?" Lucy protested.
"I don't know." Colin admitted. "That's why I'm calling Satrox."
***
"He did WHAT?!" Satrox exploded over the comms.
"Did you know about him and Lucy?" Colin asked.
"Sora's an old friend. Of course I knew." Satrox stormed. "But how did Silvero capture him?"
Colin turned to Lucy.
"He didn't put up a fight. He thought he could talk to my father and convince him…" Lucy trailed off.
"That's Sora, all right." Satrox growled. "Idiot."
"So, how do we rescue him?" Colin asked. "We can't let the Republic start attacking the Protectorate over this!"
"It's going to be tricky." Satrox agreed. "Colin, are you sure you want to get involved in this?"
"Lucy's my friend, Satrox, and Katrin looks ready to kill me if I don't help out." Colin explained. "She's already looking for another cliff to kick me off."
Katrin poked him in the ribs for that.
Colin replied with slapping four Transfer plates onto the ground. He grabbed Katrin's foot and stamped all four with it. Katrin gasped. "What…?! Colin! What did you just…!"
Colin pointed wordlessly. That should keep her occupied for a while.
Satrox, meanwhile, was giving answers. "I can't get the Order of Justice involved either, Colin. Not for something like this. It's got to be a purely personal matter."
"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel." Colin agreed.
Katrin was looking over Blackswirl, Cour, Ardent and Glide, the four Comrades who had (according to her summary) just been transferred to her. The four were just starting to feel the shock of the transfer. It would take anything from three to six nights for them to recover fully, depending on how much attention she gave them, and the environment in which they recovered.
{Sorry, guys… but Lynn had been very specific. The Leafy Cougar, and the Forktail Swallow had to go. I'm adding Cour to the list because he's a Red Panther, like Fireheart, except he's male while she's female. They'd make a great pair. I'm adding Blackswirl to give Katrin some serious power. I wanted to keep him, but…}
{Kat… you said it yourself. You're going to take Comrades only from me. You won't Tame any more Wilds or buy any more Tames from the Comrade Homes. If you're really going to stick around to help me out, you need enough power to deal with the stuff I deal with. You need Blackswirl.}
On the other side of the gathering, Shiro howled.
{Sorry, Shiro. I know you never want to give Comrades away. I just… }
{Sorry.}
Satrox, on the comms, was talking about mercenaries, giving Colin a price estimate and saying he'd handle all of it, so Colin shouldn't worry. "Just meet me at Lamico Town in two hours, and bring some cash; we won't be able to use our real names or our credit accounts."
Shiro howled again. He went to Blackswirl and Cour, then sat down beside them, whining softly. He and the others, Colin remembered, had chosen those two out of a crowd of a hundred, and only those two.
"One last thing, Colin." Satrox said.
"What is it?" Colin asked, already feeling terrible about what he did.
"Don't bring Comrades people can recognize as yours."
***
Two hours later, Colin walked into Lamico Town with two hooded girls and what appeared to be two Sonic Wolves. He himself wore his black Lina Visor, covering his face, but none of the armor issued to him while he had been a J-Knight.
"Here." Satrox's voice said before he could tap his watch.
"S-Satrox?!" Colin gaped.
Satrox had gone farther than a mask or a hood. He'd changed completely.
Since the first day Colin had seen him, Satrox was blue all over. Blue hair, blue eyes, blue clothes, everything was blue.
Now, however, his hair was black. His eyes were green. He'd given up his long coat for a black leather vest, pants and boots with a chain belt and black metal gauntlets. His face now appeared to have a forked scar over the left side.
"Definitely mercenary…" Lucy sounded impressed.
"You really went all out, Satrox." Colin managed.
"Call me Forkscar." Satrox told them. "You guys need an overhaul."
"S-… I mean, Forkscar…" Katrin said. "Why, oh why did you choose my hair and eye color?!"
Satrox put a hand to his head. "Never mind. Come with me."
He brought them to a house in the middle of a block on the east side of the town that used to be a city. He knocked once, twice, and then four times in a row, and a plain looking woman opened the door.
"Aunt Ivy," Satrox said, gesturing to his three friends. "I've brought the others."
Aunt Ivy got to work immediately, with just a few short whispers exchanged between her and Satrox. She used ink and dyes and laser coloring. She brought out costumes and all sorts of disguise tools. She even used some sort of scent-sprays on them to change their smells.
When she was done, Colin couldn't recognize his friends at all. "Whoa!"
On the left was a girl with long blue hair tied high in a tail, deep purple eyes, twin tattoos of crescent moons on her cheeks, matching gold crescent earrings, and a completely white suit; t-shirt, short coat and long pants.
On the right was an older girl wearing a narrow visor that didn't quite cover her eyes completely, much less her face. Green streaks of paint decorated her face, two lines diagonally upwards on either cheek. Her hair was tied in a bun, and seemed to be black streaked with white. She wore a gown of dark green silk, green crocodile skin boots, a cloak colored like leopard skin and a long silver bow on her back.
"Who's who…?" Colin stared.
The girl on the left giggled with Katrin's voice, and the girl on the right sighed just like Lucy. {Oh. So Katrin's the blue-haired dancer, and Lucy's the visored huntress…}
Satrox pointed to Katrin. "This is Luna." He pointed to Lucy. "And this is Huntress."
"And who am I?" Colin asked turning to a mirror. "GAH!!"
{What happened to my hair?! And my eyebrows?!}
"I'm bald!" Colin gasped. "And what's with the suit?! It looks like…"
"Colin's the Prayerman!" Katrin laughed. "Preach to us!"
"That's not funny!" Colin protested. "I don't have a clue how to act like a Prayerman!"
"You're not." Satrox said. "You're a mercenary called 'Last Rites'."
"Last Rites?" Colin spluttered. "What kind of name is that?"
"A nickname." Satrox said. "The point is, you're supposed to go around giving people last rites because you kill those who get in your way."
"No, I don't." Colin growled. "Isn't there some better disguise for me?"
"We have an ostrich costume." Aunt Ivy offered.
Satrox asked. "What's wrong with a Prayerman's clothes?"
Colin paused. "Nothing, it's just…"
"Just what?"
{The night I disappeared for a few hours and can't remember what happened, I was running past the Prayerman… he was coming to visit the family and I wanted to go play with my friends… the Gate opened right in front of me… and I…}
{I went through it. That's the last thing I remember of that night. That event is the only reason I can think of for the Green Men to be after me. Assuming that they ARE after me, anyway. I don't see why they'd be after Katrin or Phillip, and they've already caught and released the others of the Eight.}
"Never mind." Colin turned away. "What do I do with my staff?"
"Bring it." Satrox said.
"But without armor, I won't get the Import Link benefits."
"Yes, you will." Satrox told him. "That suit you're wearing is an Adventura Import. Besides, all you need is the weapon."
"Really?" Colin blinked.
"It's a costume with little protection, but it helps. Same goes for everything the rest of us are wearing. That's why our choices are so limited."
"I meant about just having the weapon."
"That?" Satrox shook his head. "Most people don't know it, but I've tested it myself. Just having an Adventura Weapon is enough to activate the Import Link rules."
"Why exactly are we limiting our clothes to this… what do you call it? Adventura?" Katrin asked.
"It's an Import Link." Satrox explained. "When we use weapons, we use a limited form of the rules in the Adventura Dreamworld. In other words, we have HP and MP too, and have our own attack techniques. It's a way for J-Knights to take part in battles with their Comrades."
"But I thought Colin was kicked out of the J-Knights." Katrin pointed out.
"He's still licensed for the Import Link." Satrox said. "I don't have an Adventura Scanner, so I don't know how strong he really is, but let's just say that he and I won't die from getting smacked by a small mouse."
"And us?" Katrin asked, including Lucy.
"I'm licensed." Lucy told her. "Not as a Knight, so my options of weapons are different. That's why I picked the bow. I've got some techniques with it."
Katrin gulped. "Then… I'm the only one left out…"
"I'll handle your licensing." Aunt Ivy stepped in. "Come with me."
Lucy turned to Satrox as Aunt Ivy brought Katrin to another room. "What's our plan?"
"First, we need to know what we're dealing with." Satrox said. "That means getting in to Silvero's castle. The easiest way is to be hired as mercenaries. You can handle that, can't you?"
"Sure. I'll hire us." Lucy rolled her eyes. "We'll need to include a few other names that people recognize. If we come in as a group with faces my House already knows, they will guess our average strengths at a glance and assign us without testing or questioning."
"We're looking for something low profile that gets us near to our target." Satrox said. "Dungeon guards would be splendid. Especially if they put us in charge of him."
"That would be great." Lucy agreed. "So we basically need to join up with someone weak and famous."
"That sounded really odd." Colin mentioned.
"Yellow Badge champions." Satrox decided. "Sandy's got two such contacts. You should remember them, Colin. Tony Karas and Ginny Terlon."
"First and second place for Yellow Badge ranking at the Windy Plains Tournament." Colin remembered them only vaguely. "But they're yellow. We're… well…"
"Two Purples and two Blues." Lucy finished for him.
"I said comparable strength, not ranking." Satrox said. "You should know the difference. Remember what I was like as a Yellow Badge? Tony and Ginny are much stronger. They've been deliberately squeezing as much power as they could into their Comrades while staying at Yellow ranking. If we brought them back to the Crescent Continent, they could probably win Blue Badge tournaments if they bothered."
"Then Lucy…" Colin trailed off.
"She could win the Purple Badge tournaments over there. But on this mission, she's stuck." Satrox told him. "She can't use any of her best Comrades, or she'd be recognized."
"I have a pair of strong ones I can call on." Lucy said.
"I'll have to do without my strongest Comrades too." Satrox said. "I'm left with my falcons and the Ashen Owl, all of whom I picked up only recently in the Dark Forest."
"Whew." Colin said. "I'm glad Sonia hadn't been with me earlier. She's one of my strongest, and it's good to have her back."
"I didn't know you had two Sonic Wolves though." Satrox mentioned. "Who's the other one?"
The 'other' Sonic Wolf barked a laugh and with a small puff of smoke, abruptly turned into a walking ice-cream cone.
Lucy burst out laughing. "That's not a Sonic Wolf! That's…"
"Foxie." Colin grinned. "The Streak Fox. She's disguised herself."
"At any rate, Katrin's the only one of us able to use her full range of Comrades." Satrox said. "And our mercenary friends, of course, who are going to be double-hired."
"They won't use their strongest either." Lucy said. "Yellow Badge, remember? If any of their Comrades go over level 90, they become Green Badge. Unless they really need to, they'll only use the weaker ones, those they want to train up. They'll save the rest for the Tournaments."
"Great. We can use that excuse too." Satrox said.
"They'll see our badges." Colin pointed out. "Even if we're wearing coats, once we touch them to use their functions…"
"We can cover them up." Satrox answered. "Use a patch or something. It's a common mercenary practice. It won't hinder our Badges' powers in any way. You'll still be able to warp in your Comrades, although doing that will give you away as someone who's reached Purple Badge."
{In other words, don't do it except as a last resort.}
Katrin came back with Aunt Ivy. She was carrying an extendable club.
"I tried her with a whip, or a razor ring, but…" Aunt Ivy shook her head. "She's safer with something simple."
"She's new to this sort of thing." Satrox said.
Katrin looked a bit disappointed, but Lucy perked up. "You have a whip? What kind?"
"Single lash, seven feet." Aunt Ivy said. "Leather."
Lucy's eyes widened. She grinned. "How's the tension?"
"See, now she should use a whip." Satrox said.
Katrin went to sit next to Colin. "I feel like an idiot."
"Huh?" Colin blinked.
"Aunt Ivy is awesome." Katrin said softly. "She really knows how to handle weapons."
Colin nodded. "Sandy was pretty good. I've never seen Satrox using weapons, though."
"I just hope I don't make a fool out of myself in front of everybody." Katrin mentioned.
Colin saw Aunt Ivy hand Lucy the whip. Lucy flexed it expertly, then let it coil around her shoulder with utmost familiarity. He gulped.
"Me too."