This Chapter will be told from Kael's Point of View.
We don't even know his name, and yet we are following the Alchemist's son through a myriad of destroyed buildings and towers. I don't know what he's trying to find, as I no longer sense any Spirit activity in the area. That doesn't seem to matter much, though. At least not to him. He's absolutely certain there is something here, and we just have to find it.
I'm a bit skeptical of his explanation for what we're doing. According to him, a Spirit Lord around here was released by none other than Merava. If that's true, we won't be able to kill the Spirit Lord. Wouldn't it have to make a pact with us?
Actually…maybe not. The lower level Spirit Lords shouldn't be invincible like Merava is. This must be one of those situations.
"Hey! Alchemist kid," I hear Kavella say. "What are we doing?"
The Alchemist's son turns to her and takes a deep sigh. "I told you already," he points behind him. "There's a Spirit Lord in the shape of an antelope prancing around here, summoning familiars. My job for the past four years has been to keep the Spirits here cleared out. I don't need your help, so if you're going to keep distracting me, get the hell out of here."
"Why are you so moody?" Kavella growls.
"Because…" he pauses. "Wait. There it is."
I walk up to Kavella and the Alchemist's son to see what he's pointing at. There is a large Spirit standing in the center of the ruins. It has horns that must have at least ten spikes each, and the beast is towering. Spirit Lords are both sensitive and able to use Animus techniques. This might be a potentially bad situation.
Before I can discuss tactics with Kavella and the Alchemist's son, he goes charging off in the direction of the Spirit Lord. I run up after him, eager to help, but I find that the Alchemist's son doesn't need any help to take out the Spirit Lord.
The Alchemist's son uses two swords to fight, and they both seem identical to one other. As I watch him hacking and slashing at the Spirit Lord, I see that they have different properties. The blade in his left hand is able to strike much faster than the one in his right. The one in his right hand, however, seems to hit much harder. Also, I notice it is corrosive to the antelope's flesh. Every time the right blade strikes the Spirit, I see a stream of smoke as the Spirit's wound seems to worsen. After about twenty strikes total, I see the Spirit Lord is finally weakened to the point of death. I'm amazed at how much damage it took to bring the Spirit Lord to his knees. Most normal Spirits can go down after one good hit. The Alchemist's son dealt a deadly blow with every swing of his swords.
As fast as the action began, it came to a close. The Alchemist's son is standing in the smoke that is oozing out of the Spirit's fallen body. Soon, the Spirit Lord will turn into nothing more than dust. He turns to us, and I see a flash of green in his eyes. There is a smile on his face, which is something I never thought I'd see. He looks absolutely overjoyed…and kind of cute.
"Mission accomplished." The Alchemist's son puts away his two swords. He wears them on a belt around his waist. It's unlike Sigmund and myself, we wear our swords on our backs.
The Alchemist's son lightly jogs up to us and gives us a genuine smile. "Thanks for the help, you two. I'd still be stuck up in that tree if you two didn't come out."
His sudden personality change has startled me, but I think it's best if I don't mention it. I don't want him to snap and turn evil again.
"You can call me Fox," the Alchemist's son says.
That reminds me. Franco, the Alchemist, had the middle name of Lion. Fox must be this guy's middle name as well.
"Oh look," Kavella says. "He speaks. My name is Kavella, nice to meet you."
I don't want Kavella to cause Fox to shut down on us again, so I try to change the subject. "Should we head back to your house, then?" I suggest.
"That'd be lovely," Fox says sarcastically. "Let's go." I'm not sure how I feel about the name 'Fox', but that's nothing to worry about. I wasn't the one in charge of naming him, after all.
We begin our walk back, with Fox leading us. We've weaved around the ruins so much, neither Kavella nor I actually know what direction to travel in. Fox seems to have an excellent sense of navigation. In no time at all, we're on the proper trail and I can see the hill ahead of me. The only thing that stands between us and the Alchemist's house is that hill, now.
I look up at the hill and I see there is a carriage stopped there. It starts to travel away, and it drops off a young woman dressed in red. Unfortunately, I recognize this woman. She's the one who was talking about Demon Possession in the library. What is she doing here, though?
I turn to Kavella and I see she is clutching her chest. "Are you okay, Kav?" I say quickly. She's breathing heavily, and she looks visibly distressed. Is she freaking out because she recognizes the woman on the hill too?
That woman's name is Olivia, and she's starting to walk toward us. She must be exceptionally brave, because she's approaching all three of us, looking eager for a fight. It shouldn't be too hard for us to constrain her. Three against one is good odds.
"Is that your friend?"
"Enemy," I correct Fox.
"What's wrong with her?"
I turn to Kavella and I see she's now on her knees, gasping for air. I lean down next to her and place my hand on her back.
"Kavella, what's wrong!?"
"Spirit Possession," Olivia calls out. "When we had lunch the other day, I took advantage of her. She has love in her heart, and she's repressing it. A Spirit of Love was a perfect fit for her."
"What!?" I call back. "What do you mean?"
"She's been stuck with a little friend," Olivia shouts. "Not much you can do to help her now that I'm here! That Spirit will take control of her body and she'll be done for!"
I look up at the path up on top of the hill and I notice another carriage has arrived. Two people jump out of the back and they are rapidly approaching. I see Olivia turn her head and curse loudly. While she's distracted, I try to pull off an Animus technique to bind her in place.
I get the technique off and she is bound in place, but she knows a counter Animus technique to get herself out of it. Damn, why does she have to be so crafty?
She's about to get another technique off when the two people charging down the hill reach her. It is a man with a broadsword and a woman. The woman is unarmed, but I can see she knows how to use Animus techniques. She knocks Olivia to the ground using a technique that I've never seen before, and Olivia is knocked unconscious. I take a deep breath. That could have gone better.
Fox-boy is standing off to the side, looking confused as ever. Hell, I'm confused too. What's going on here?
The woman walks over to Olivia and calls her partner over. The partner, a man with a broadsword, grabs a rope from his belt and binds Olivia's arms and legs together.
I return to Kavella and see how she is doing when the woman approaches me. "Spirit Possession?" the woman asks me. I don't know what to say. If I say that Kavella is possessed, will the woman attack and try to kill her? If I say no, will I be denying Kavella critical help?
"I can save her," the woman says.
"Yes, she is!" I blurt out.
The woman leans next to Kavella and puts a hand on her back. She readies some sort of Animus technique, and Kavella's body is engulfed in a soft green light. After a moment, Kavella loses consciousness and her breathing evens out. Well, that's a relief…
"She was possessed by a Spirit of Love, the poor thing." The woman cradles Kavella's head in her arms and looks down on her. "I saw this woman in the church of Pearl City. Our Deacon recognized that an evil Spirit had latched onto her soul, but she fled the church before we could help her. I'm relieved that I made it here in time."
"Thank you," I say. "For saving her."
The woman turns to her accomplice and says something quickly. "Throw the criminal Olivia in the back of the carriage. We'll get going soon!"
"Yes ma'am!"
The woman turns to me and holds out a hand. Her skin is milky white and smooth like porcelain. I notice this as I shake her hand. "My name is Laela, dear child."
"Kael," I nod. "It's nice to meet you."
"And I know you as well, don't I?" Laela stands up and looks to Fox. "You're Franco's son, Noah."
Now I'm not sure what to call him. "Noah Fox Rhyse," he says. "Although I don't like to tell people my first name. It takes some of the mystery out of it."
Laela smiles and looks back at Kavella. Kavella's eyes are just opening up, and she looks up at Laela.
"Where…am I?"
As Laela explains the situation to Kavella, I walk up to Noah to properly introduce myself. I remembered that earlier, I never told him my name.
"I'm Kael," I say as I hold out a hand. Noah gives me a high-five and walks away from me.
"What are you doing out this way, Laela?" he questions the woman who is sitting by Kavella. "You normally don't come until winter."
"I'm here for that witch," Laela points up at the top of the hill. Her partner is loading an unconscious Olivia into the back of his carriage. "She's been terrorizing Pearl City residents, and we finally caught up with her. That Animus technique I put on her will ensure she's out for another three hours. That's more than enough time to get her back to Pearl City and locked up so she can't hurt anyone else ever again."
"So you're leaving already?" Noah sighs. "Don't you want to stop in for a while? It gets so lonelyyyy here."
Laela looks up to her partner. I assume they are both with the church. "Porter!" she belts out over the valley. "I have some business to take care of in Whitewind. You bring Olivia back with you, and I'll be back in Pearl City soon!"
The knight, Porter, gives a thumbs up and gets into the carriage. It does an awkward turnaround on the narrow hill and then starts to proceed back toward Pearl City.
"I have time to stop in and say hello," she smiles.
With that, the four of us make our way back to Franco's house. I try to talk to Kavella on the way back, but she doesn't seem too responsive. I don't know what happened with her, other than she was possessed by some 'Spirit of Love'. It must have been scary and painful for her to go through that, but at least the issue was settled quickly.
Noah and Laela are chatting it up, and walking slightly ahead of us. Apparently Laela is an old friend of Franco's, just like Cabel. That makes me wonder. Do Laela and Cabel know each other as well?
When we arrive back at Franco's house, Noah holes himself up in his room and I notice that Sigmund, Natalia, and Portia are all gone. When I ask Cabel about this, he explains to me that the three of them are gathering some extra herbs for Franco to help out.
"Franco finished analyzing my Spirit Blade and Sigmund's pendant," Cabel tells me. "He's made us a few rings. He's certain that if we wear those rings, we'll have the power to kill the two Spirit Lords with ease."
"Speaking of Spirit Lords, Franco," I say as I turn to the Alchemist, "Did you know there was a Spirit Lord sealed out in the ruins on the other side of the road?"
"Why, yes," Franco replies. "What about it?"
"Apparently the Spirit we were chasing released it," I say. "But your son was able to kill that Spirit Lord all by himself."
"Ah, yes," Franco nods. "I made Noah's swords with a special type of Alchemy, just like your rings. He can kill any Spirit with those blades of his. Those took me many months to finish, though."
I pick up one of the rings Franco made for us. There's ten in all, and I wonder why he made so many. There's only six of us going out. Maybe the rest are just for emergencies, or in case we find new allies on the way. Regardless, I'm glad we have them.
The ring doesn't fit on my slim fingers, but it seems to adjust itself automatically to fit me. That must be the power of Alchemy at its finest.
"Well, I should gather up the group," I say. "We shouldn't stay too much longer. If Merava has already passed through here, that means we need to quicken up our pace. We can't let her get to the Spirit King before we do."
Cabel nods. "I agree. We'll pack up and get going as soon as everyone returns here."
Franco points to the kitchen. "I've made a few packs for you all to bring with you. You'll need some food for the road; Whitewind is still a long hike away."
Cabel ends up going out to fetch the rest of the group, while I am left in the living room with Kavella. Laela is in the kitchen discussing something with Franco, and Noah is still in his room.
"That Spirit of Love caught on to me," Kavella says, "Because I have a weak heart."
"What do you mean?" I ask. I'm surprised Kavella is suddenly opening up to me.
"I think I'm in love with Sigmund," she states calmly. The way she says it doesn't sound very loving at all. I've heard people talk more passionately about bread.
"But I've been repressing my feelings," she continues. "That's why the Spirit clung on to me. I just…I figured someone should know."
"Why not tell Sigmund?" I say. As I speak, I hear the door to Noah's room open.
"He wouldn't understand," Kavella replies. "Or he'd take it the wrong way. I don't want a relationship with him, so he does not need to know."
Noah struts over and worms his way awkwardly between Kavella and I, plopping himself down on the couch and putting an arm around each of us. He looks at Kavella and then to me. "So you guys are professional Spirit hunters? Spiritguards?"
"Yes," I say.
"You're hunting a Spirit Lord?" Noah goes on. He eyes one of the rings from the table. "Spirit Lords so strong you need special rings to kill them?"
"Yeah."
"Can I go with you, then?" Noah's eyes light up. "You two are good, but you have to admit I'm much better. Plus, I've already got one of these rings, so why not?" He slides his arm back from behind me to pick up a ring and slide it on his finger. He's wearing it on the same finger one would wear a wedding ring. I wonder if he even knows that.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Kavella says. "We've got more than enough people for our job already."
"Come on," he pleads. "You all helped me out when I was stuck in the tree. Can't I help you out?"
I can see where he's coming from, and personally I think it is a good idea. I decide to overrule Kavella in this situation and put in my own opinion.
"I think it would be a good idea," I say. Kavella shoots me a look, but she subsides her anger. "We do have extra rings, and if you want to help, you have every right. We're tailing those Spirits in an attempt to stop another Spirit War from breaking out. Every citizen in this country who can fight deserves the chance to fight. It's not up to Kavella or me to decide who gets to battle for their country."
Noah doesn't seem to be listening. Once I said 'good idea', he started tuning me out and smiling. I don't think he cares about any of what I said. He's just excited at the prospect of killing newer, more powerful Spirits. It would seem this guy's favorite hobby is killing Spirits. He'd get along well with Sigmund.
Laela pokes her head into the living room from the kitchen. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you as well," she says. "Franco informed me of the situation. Merava, is it? It is my job to quell Spirits. If what you say is true, this could be catastrophic. You could use my help.
"The more the merrier!" I laugh. Having eight people along isn't that many. It certainly improves our odds. If we fight Merava and Andrakias together, we'll have four people dedicated to battling each Spirit. Our odds of success and survival are skyrocketing.
It's been a crazy day, from the swarm of Antelope Spirits, to watching Noah take on the Spirit Lord, to hearing Kavella's confession about her love for Sigmund. It's been even crazier when you take into account that today we've added two more people to our group. They both seem competent, though. Laela knows some Animus techniques that even Kavella and I have never seen before, and we can both vouch for Noah's combat excellence.
I think back to what Kavella said, about her being in love with Sigmund, and I wonder if it's really true. I also wonder if Sigmund feels the same way.
I consider telling him, but I see him walking out of the kitchen with Portia, sharing a laugh. Apparently, those two have grown a bit closer since Kavella and I left. I'll have to talk to him about it later. What's important now is that we all get our stuff together and head out toward Whitewind. It will be a long journey, and we don't know what we'll find when we get there.
Natalia drags herself over to me and sits herself down on the couch. "They don't have Vitarine elixirs here," she groans. "I'm so thirsty."
"Can't you drink water?" I offer.
"No, I can't drink water, are you batshit crazy!? I need a Vitarine elixir, damn it, I'm low on energy!"
You don't seem very low on energy. That's what I want to say, but I know Natalia has a bit of an addiction to Vitarine elixirs. I feel bad that none of us packed any, but there's nothing we can do. Just as I'm thinking that, Kavella withdraws one and hands it to Natalia.
"It's my only one, so drink it slowly. They don't sell them in Whitewind," Kavella advises, knowing full well that Natalia has no restraint whatsoever. Now that Natalia's situation is taken care of, maybe we'll be able to head out on the road soon. I see Noah talking to his father, informing him that he's going to be leaving alongside Cabel and Laela. His father looks a bit sad, but understanding. All that's left is to talk to Sigmund, and we'll be on our way.