"He sure is taking his time down there," Q grumbled as he took a bite out of a cherryappa. The juices jumped out of the fruit as he chewed loudly. Even though this world lacks most of the technology of my birthworld, I gotta give them props. The food hybrids here are insane. Naming conventions though? Not so much. Miki was hunched over the wound Q inflicted on the Ennobled. She was attempting to patch it up with the supplies Jack's crew gave them. Finally getting annoyed Miki yelled at Q.
"I thought you came up here to help me?" Q squatted down holding his cherryappa loosely. His shit eating grin only furthered Miki's frustration with him in the moment.
"If you want someone to help you that knows zilch about magical beasts and basic first aid, then yeah, I'm your guy."
Miki sighed. Ah right. He was subpar at best with healing and taming beasts before he lost his memories. Of course he'd be dead weight in this situation. Shrugging, Miki playfully took a jab at Q. "Still as useful as a ladle with holes in it I see."
Q stared at her for a moment before grabbing his gut laughing. Oh my. This world doesn't have any slotted ladles either? Weaaaaak! Rubbing a tear out of his eye Q decided to confront Miki. I still have so many questions for her but those can wait. Q made a motion with his hands that looked like he was moving a box horizontally.
"That aside…" Miki mimicked his movements tilting her head sideways. He always does the strangest of things. The thought of him still being a weird dude made her smile.
"Yes?"
Clearing his throat Q blushed a little bit as he continued, "...That aside. How did you know the Ennobled was alive?"
"Oh that? Well, Ifrit told me of course!" Q's face went pale and his jaw fell slack. Wait Ifrit? Like Ifrit of the Eternal Flame? The Aeon Ifrit? Oh yeah, I'm basically one of this world's Gods. I'm going to communicate freely with this cute girl just to let her know some beast with intelligence is alive. Right, yeah, ok. Q pulling himself back together waved his hand at Miki as he spoke.
"Ha ha, very funny. Other than that Deity, how did you actually know?" Now pouting, Miki turned away from Q and went back to work on the Ennobled. Its breathing had become more steady since she started working on it.
"Don't make me waste my breath answering your questions if you aren't going to believe me! Hmph"
"Okay but…" Q started. Miki folded her arms and cut Q off yet again. "I said hmph. So stop talking!"
He began to open his mouth to speak again before deciding it was wiser to remain silent. He instead watched Miki as she continued to treat the Ennobled, occasionally handing her something when she asked him to. He couldn't help but lose himself in her beauty. It's crazy how someone like her can be so terrifying. I wonder if she was always this strong or if being alone all that time made her like this? Q thought to himself as he looked back down to where her duel had taken place. Actually, what's crazy is how the moonlight here on Gaea makes it so easy to see even in the middle of the night. Back on Earth I'd be fumbling around but I guess that's the perks of living in a magical fantasy world. Shrugging, Q stood back up to stretch his legs. Getting sick of the silence he started talking to Miki again. "So, Ifrit talks to you, huh?"
"Yes but not in the traditional sense."
He raised his eyebrow at Miki. Well that doesn't make any sense. He thought to himself. Unless Aeon communicate in a way similar to how Emma can understand what people say, that shouldn't be possible. Miki, understanding the confusion written on his face, continued to speak.
"Ifrit will sometimes appear in my dreams. When he does he will show me an event that is likely to happen. It's one part of my burden Quincy. I've inherited Ifrit's will."
Q's next words shocked him more than the absurd claim Miki had made. "I know. That's why I wasn't strong enough to protect you on my own." Instinctually Q looked away as an overwhelming amount of guilt washed over him. Why did I say that? Why am I not more surprised by her ability to use Aeon magic so freely or her relationship with Ifrit? What does inheriting an Aeon's will even mean? Every time we talk I wind up having more questions and I never get a chance to have them answered. Crouching down to Miki's level, Q tried speaking quickly.
"Miki what exactly…" but before Q was able to finish speaking, Ganon came running to them with a worried look on his face. In the distance Jack's party was bustling around getting ready to depart. Ganon walked past Q and over to the Ennobled. He bent down to hoist the massive beast up onto the carriage. After a quick incantation multiple layers of earth held the beast in place.
"We will be meeting with the Baron tomorrow afternoon in place of Jack's crew. When we do we can finish our contract from The Fool's Errand and get this Ennobled registered for protection. Then as soon as we can we need to head back to Newhaven to find Emma."
"I can understand handing over the Ennobled. We won't have to worry about it going berserk with all the high ranked magicians there. Why the sudden change in plans though? I thought we were going to hang out in Terminus for a couple days." Q knew he wouldn't like the answer but to be fair he wasn't liking much of what had happened to him lately. Ganon continued getting the wagon ready as he spoke.
"Jack and Gwynne had been contracted by Lord Ignis to investigate the Barons of Leroy's Cradle. Jack was instructed to gain the trust of all the Barons he could. Once he did he was to comply with whatever orders they gave him and his crew. The only exception would be treason, murder, or anything like that."
Miki had already caught on to where this was going so she began getting Gambit ready for travel. As Ganon continued to speak he pulled out some parchment to imbue it with his mana. "I guess everything was going well but Gwynne stumbled across some really dark stuff. That same day they felt someone following them everywhere they went. They continued to act on the Baron's orders but assassins started to come for them regularly. After that happened, he ordered them to hunt down a new Ennobled. The Baron's only condition was to bring back the Ennobled for inspection. Jack knew then that they weren't being paranoid and they actually had been found out. He contracted us to deliver this Ennobled and then give Emma the details on this scroll I'm making. Also, Gwynne wanted to apologize. She was torn between trying to play her role and wanting to make amends."
Q nodded. Right because killing an Ennobled outright without going through the proper procedure is illegal. I doubt I'd ever make amends with that woman anyways. Also, the fact that Jack and Gwynne are strong enough to repel hired killers daily is wild. Q, feeling bewildered, looked at Miki. If she can beat Gwynne in a one on one without taking any damage, how strong is she really? How do her abilities even work? Unable to focus on the task at hand Q broke down to ask questions.
"Just how strong are you Miki? I just don't get how you dispatched Gwynne with such ease. I mean I know I'm nowhere near Emma's level but I'm no pushover. I can use some pretty silly magic too and I still might have lost against her. If you're this strong, why did you travel with me? Why was I the one helping you with whatever your burden is?"
Miki was getting in the coach as Q was speaking. She turned around to sit on its wooden floor boards resting her feet on one of the steps processing everything Q said. She took a few seconds before she responded, "There is truly much we still need to talk about. I know you've had questions for several days now. I know the more you find out the more questions you will continue to have. I am not foolish enough to believe that you aren't struggling right now. I can't help you find many of the answers you are looking for but I will try my best."
"That's all I need."
"I'm strong enough to have been bestowed a title by what you would call The Lord of Zetsu's Cradle. As the Princess of Zetshu's Cradle, I can use innate, pact, imitation and Aeon magic. Origin magic seems to be the only one I could never get down no matter how hard The Queen drilled it into me. As you can see I have a natural affinity for fire magic. My burden is directly responsible for that fact. I can't really explain it right now, but I can tell you this; Initially I didn't want you to accompany me, you came with me on your own accord. After time went on I fell for you and it wasn't until that point that I asked you to help carry my burden. By then you had long since accepted me for who I was. To be honest you were always much stronger than me. So you could imagine my surprise when I learned of your capture here."
"About that. What was I like back then?"
Looking away from Q, Miki hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Well… For starters you looked different. Your hair was slicked back and black. You had more muscle on you and your skin wasn't so pale. Your eyes were a beautiful emerald, but beneath that I could see your pain. You used to wake up in cold sweats from nightmares. I did my best to comfort you but unfortunately it wasn't enough. To be honest, losing your memories after everything that you've been through might have been a blessing."
"Oh, ok. I meant more along the lines of how strong I was, but that's uhm… great, I guess."
Miki looked back at Q and giggled softly. "Of course. Silly me. Your strength was undeniable. You may not have had the most finesse in the world but your abilities were unlike anything I've ever seen. You often told me about the war you fought back on your homeworld and how you fought there wasn't much different than here. You said the biggest difference was here you learned how to use water magic much more effectively. I once watched you form multiple layers of discs made of water in front of you before firing a beam of light through them. I thought maybe you were going to shield yourself from an incoming fire attack but instead that beam was so strong it cut straight through the flames. The discs seemed to make your beam several times stronger than the initial mana you used would have suggested. It was really something."
After hearing this, Q spaced out thinking to himself. Why would I do that? Wait a second… The sound of Miki's voice slowly became quieter as he became lost in thought. Being able to amplify my power with my natural affinities makes sense. Ganon does it regularly, allowing him to outlast opponents of equal or greater skill in fights. Emma makes up for her shortcomings with augmented gear. When she does, she is the strongest fighter I know. I don't use any augmentation or origin magic myself. I rarely touch Aeon and pact magic. If Miki can boast about me after the showing she just had I must have been pretty badass. Miki pushed Q lightly, breaking his focus. He quickly apologized to her for ignoring her.
"Sorry about that Miki, I totally zoned out." Miki smiled delicately as she leaned back, relaxing her head against the wall. She spent a few moments in silence before sighing. When she began to speak her eyes trailed to the ceiling of the coach.
"If I'm being honest, it's actually comforting. When we used to travel together there were many times in which you became lost in thought. Much like now we would talk about a great deal of things: contracts, your old home, our wishes and we would go on for hours. Whenever something weighed heavily on your shoulders you would get that exact same look you had moments ago. It's just nice knowing that even though you are living a different life now, some of the Quincy I knew is still in there."
"I… I don't know what to say."
"There is no need for words, just know that I am delighted that I found you again. Even without all your memories you're still my Quincy. Let us make a deal. Once we finish this delivery and return to Newhaven, I will answer any questions you have for me. In return I want you to help me free Koko from her imprisonment."
"That's right I completely forgot about her!"
"I'll be sure to tell her that after we release her."
"I wish you wouldn't. You did mention something about Terminus back then though. How is going to Terminus supposed to help us?"
"Well as you know here in Leroy's Cradle, Ennobled are treated as sentient beings and have laws protecting them. If one is sealed away, you simply cannot unseal it lawfully without proper approval."
Groaning Q slumped down in his seat. Fully knowing that this meant he would have to get approval from the very Baron they were about to meet. Even if he is into some dark shit like Jack said, this Baron still needs to maintain a public image. We are simply adventurer's who are fulfilling the contract The Baron submitted to The Fool's Errand. I'm sure if we ask him about the procedure to unseal an Ennobled it wouldn't raise any red flags. That's just business as usual for someone in his position of power, right? The idea of meeting with this Baron was becoming more of a nuisance to Q. The anxiety of not knowing what he was walking into continued to eat at him.
"That's true, The Baron of Terminus is responsible for Newhaven. This is sort of off topic Miki. What if we were to be walking into a trap meant for Jack's crew? After dueling with Gwynne, I'm sure you have a decent grasp on what kind of group would be able to assassinate them right?"
"Yes, I think I might. The biggest variable would be Jack's overall strength. If he is as strong as Gwynne they would need to amass a very powerful group of fighters. They could always surprise attack Jack's group but if they don't inflict a fatal wound on those two immediately it would be pointless. If I were to lay the trap, I would need someone strong enough to subdue both Jack and Gwynne quickly and quietly. To do that, their strength or abilities would have to be extraordinary."
"Fantastic."
Q's wry laugh was his way of masking his unease. Thoughts of returning to Newhaven before completing the quest crossed his mind. However, he knew deep down that Ganon would never agree. Even if he did, I can't ignore the amount of money this job will payout. Plus, if I want Miki to uphold her end of the deal, I need to face The Baron anyway. I'll just come up with an exit strategy for us in case things go south.
Q subconsciously reached for Miki's hand as he fretted over their future. He felt Miki's fingers clasp around his, sending a jolt down his spine. The feeling of her hand in his felt so natural it was borderline unnerving. Regardless, it was a beautiful night and with the moon's light illuminating both of their faces they gazed into each other's eyes. Not a word was spoken between them as they continued moving towards their destination. Ganon had been listening in to the conversations that were had the whole time. As he directed Gambit onward he began to hum an old lullaby. Slowly mana sprites began to gather floating around the carriage. Their precious wings glowing the elemental colors. A gentle breeze kissed the party's cheeks lulling them into a sense of security. With the fatigue finally setting in, Miki leaned against Q before she began to doze off. Shortly after, Q himself, too comfortable to continue pondering, followed suit. Ganon smiled like a proud father when he heard Q snore a little bit. I've still got it! Ain't song magic something? After what seemed like countless adventures together Ganon loved Q like a brother. Unfortunately that meant Ganon could always feel some kind of emptiness within Q and that pained him, but it seemed to him Miki might have been exactly what Q needed. Now he was absolutely confident in one thing.
No matter what future awaited those two, they would always be together.
***
VOLUME II IS NOW OUT ON AMAZON!!!
Keep in mind some of my formatting did not transfer from the original document to WebNovel. So it doesn't represent the final product.
Thank you for reading this chapter of my Light Novel "Alldust: Chronos!" you can find the full version for purchase on Amazon by searching its name or Eon Tempest. I will upload chapters of my work from time to time but I'd appreciate you supporting my work with a review! Thank you!