Chapter 8
Understanding
It was a nightmare all over again. From the moment they entered the shrine from the Sacred Cavern, they encountered damage and several dead bodies. Runologists had been kicked aside to clear the way for the Vendeeni. Nel could only glance at the large holes their explosives caused in the walls with a hollow expression. She hoped the traps would stop them, but as Maria warned, they had ‘scanners’ to help them avoid them. Almost all of the traps had been decimated by the time they reached them.
And if that wasn’t enough, she also had to worry about the blue haired girl as well. There were some beasts still left alive and they had to fight them. Maria was slow, but she had a powerful weapon that shot light, much like the light from the Vendeeni ships. Nel discovered that it was called a ‘blaster’ and had to acknowledge that the girl was a good fighter and a great asset in the party so far. …But the spy always caught the girl holding her blaster up after battles. It took her a while to realize that Maria was always facing Fayt as she did so.
The girl had a serious look on her face as she squinted one eye and looked like she wanted to shoot the boy. But then she would shake her head, sigh, and then put away her weapon. Maria once caught her staring and tried to explain it off as ‘checking her weapon’ and claimed that it needed adjustments after every battle to keep it in top form. Had the spy known anything about blasters, she probably could’ve believed her, but the fact remained that Maria was always facing Fayt as she did so. And not once did the boy ever see the killer intent in Maria’s eyes.
But the girl was clearly no assassin. Nel was an assassin by trade and she knew better than to hesitate to kill someone when they were vulnerable. She could agree that the blue-haired girl had something against Fayt, but she was controlling herself from acting on her grievances. That still didn’t mean Fayt was safe though. He was safe for the moment since she was certain Maria wouldn’t act while in the middle of a task. This left the spy to focus a little more on finding the Vendeeni than on the younger duo.
Nel had been to the shrine once before when she was younger. She came with her father back when he was a personal guard to the last queen before Romeria and they all traveled to see the Orb. She barely remembered how to get to the room, but it didn’t seem to matter if she did. The Vendeeni made sure to destroy everything and break as many doors and switches as they could. She could barely recognize some rooms because they were so damaged.
The only room she was able to recognize was the room that led to the Sacred Orb. In her last visit, she had to wait here with her father while the queen went inside on her own. She never did get to see the Orb before.
“This is the place. The Orb should be inside,” the spy announced as she leaned close to the door to listen in. She could hear noises that indicated that someone was inside. She nodded to the others before she opened the door. Fayt and the others rushed in first before she followed after them.
Nel was surprised with what she saw. When she first heard about the Vendeeni, she imagined grotesque beasts with the ability to shoot light out of their bodies. But they were not much different than her or the others. They had human-like bodies and could speak clearly. The only thing strange about them was their heads. She couldn’t tell if the white faces were really theirs or if they were some kind of mask they wore, but she didn’t see any mouths and had no clue how they could talk otherwise. She could also see what she assumed were eyes through the holes in the middle area of the face.
“Get away from the Orb!” Fayt demanded as one of them was about to touch the sacred treasure. Nel assumed that was the leader since he was the only one not carrying one of those disruptor rifles Maria told her about. The weapons resembled Maria’s blaster a little, but they were much longer and had to be supported on their bodies with straps.
The Vendeeni weren’t that concerned to see them. They had, after all, effortlessly destroyed all obstacles and slain all runologists to get there so they figured that there was no one on the planet who could defeat them. But they did seem surprised to see Fayt there.
“Huh? Isn’t that the Leingod boy?” One of them asked as he faced his companions.
“I think it is. How lucky for us- and we thought we were taking a detour to check out this OPA. We got us two birds with one stone.”
…And Nel thought
Maria sounded cocky. Though the spy had to admit that she never really gave the girl a chance. She had long since realized that Maria wasn’t as snobbish as she initially thought. In fact, Maria had a short talk with her about supplies and how to face the enemy without making the spy feel stupid or beneath her. Nel decided that she had simply misjudged the girl since she appeared during a stressful time.
“Get your hands off our most sacred treasure!” Nel shouted when she noticed the leader try to reach for it again.
“That is not an option. Did you really think we’d abandon an OPA of this power so easily? The OPA and the boy are ours!”
“Not gonna happen!” Cliff barked as he moved to stand in front of Fayt in a protective gesture.
Maria also took on a defensive stance as she replied, “You got a little too greedy! Let’s get ‘em!”
Cliff and Fayt charged into battle as Maria chose to remain at a distance for her attacks. Nel had to make sure to stay behind one of her companions during the entire battle. She didn’t fully understand it, but apparently the off-worlders had some kind of invisible armor that protected them from the strange light the Vendeeni shot out of their rifles. It didn’t completely make them immune, as they could get some damage out of it, but it did prevent them from sustaining life threatening injuries unless they were hit multiple times.
Still, the spy had no such armor and knew she could end up like her fellow runologists if she wasn’t careful. So she chose to follow their orders and simply cast runology from behind Maria. Her spells weren’t as effective as they could be, but they were enough to slow the enemy down for one of the others to attack.
Suddenly, Nel noticed one of the soldiers off to the side with his guard down. He was seemingly surprised to find that they were starting to lose the battle and was trying to reevaluate the situation. He was unnoticed by her allies and could prove to be a problem. The spy decided that she could take him on if she made sure to stay out of his firing range.
She unsheathed her daggers just as he was about to turn and face her. Before he could react, she decapitated him and cut off the arm that was reaching for the rifle with her other dagger. The Vendeeni soldier then fell over and proved to the Aquarian that they were not immortal and could die. She was almost surprised how easy it was, but then realized that he was most likely a lower rank soldier. His only advantage was his disruptor rifle and he didn’t have any special close ranged fighting techniques. In a way, he was no better than an average knight in the Dragon Brigade.
Nel had to curse when she realized that she was out in the open. The leader of the pack quickly noticed it and began aiming for her. The spy rushed back to Maria to make use of her ‘invisible armor’, but couldn’t avoid getting hit. Luckily, her reflexes made her dodge most of the blow to where it only scraped her upper left arm, near her shoulder. She held back a cry of pain as she clutched her new wound and continued to run. She only relaxed once she was safely behind the blue haired girl.
Fayt had seen the entire thing and called out her name when she was hit. When Cliff realized what happened, he let out a growl and unleashed his Sphere of Might upon the leader. Maria then had the final blow as she killed the enemy with her Aiming Device. When the battle was over, Nel allowed herself to fall to her knees before she inspected her wound.
It was a searing and burning pain that seemed to make all of her nerves react to it. It throbbed some and felt like it was causing her to have a headache and a nauseous stomach. She immediately lifted her sleeve to see the extent of the damage and found an angry red line just above her runes. It was a deep gash and she was bleeding badly, but she didn’t think it was severe enough to kill her. It hurt like hell, but she could live with it. Nel tried casting a healing spell on herself, but that proved to be fruitless. It failed just like when she tried to cast it on Dion.
“Don’t waste your energy. Disruptor rifles are designed to nullify healing symbology,” Maria informed her as she knelt down to the spy’s level. She then reached into her belt behind her and pulled out strange gadgets the Aquarian had never seen before. “We’ll have to rely on old fashioned medical science on this, but first I need to run a scan on you to make sure you can handle our medicines.”
Fayt and Cliff didn’t hesitate to rush over to them and hovered over the ladies as Maria pulled out a small square device with a white, flat protrusion sticking out of the top. She then held the thin stick up to Nel’s shoulder to collect some of the blood and read the results.
“Interesting…” she muttered as she put away the device.
“What is it? Is Nel going to be okay?” Fayt wondered as she held up yet another object that was oddly shaped.
“Come on, she’ll be fine,” Cliff said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I bet this is nothing compared to that time we ran into air dragons in Bequerel.”
Nel tried very hard not to correct him.
This was
nothing like the fiery breath of air dragons and even then she could cure herself with runology. But she wasn’t one to complain about injuries and remained silent. She didn’t want Fayt to worry about her more than he already was.
“It seems Elicoorians have similar blood types and chemical compounds in the body as Earthlings so our medicine shouldn’t have any adverse effects on her,” Maria replied, responding to Fayt’s concern.
“Yeah I kinda noticed that too. I think the only difference between the two races is the runology thing,” Cliff added, making Nel wonder what they were talking about.
Fayt crossed his arms and tried to hide a grin, “Nice try.
Mirage was the one who noticed that. You’re just repeating what she said.”
Cliff smiled back as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and muttered how rude Fayt was. Nel was surprised enough to discover that there were other worlds with other people living on them, but she didn’t expect that the races would be that different from her. She was under the assumption that if they looked like her, then they
were like her. So if her people were like Earthlings, did that mean Klausians were completely different?
But she didn’t have time to reflect or ask about it as Maria warned her that the device was going to sting her. She also told her that it would only hurt for a moment and then her pain would go away. Nel braced herself and tried not to jump when the object hissed and injected something into her. As promised, the sting and the pain in her shoulder faded away and she felt much better.
“…The pain is gone!” she announced in shock.
Maria smiled a little as she gathered up Nel’s blood with a white piece of fluff. “Good. It might wear off in a few hours, but I can give you another shot if the pain is unbearable.”
The spy could only watch on in fascination as the blue haired girl applied other medicine to her gash before she wrapped her shoulder with sterile cloth. She didn’t expect Maria to be able to dress wounds let alone display knowledge of the medical field like an expert physician.
“It should close up in a few days so be sure to change the bandages until then. I’m afraid it’s going to leave a permanent scar, but at least you’re not going to lose your arm,” she added in good cheer when she was done.
Nel shook her head before she moved to pull her sleeve back down, covering her new bandages. She really had misjudged Maria… The girl
warned her to stay behind the others and yet she didn’t berate her for not listening. She just aided her and made sure she was okay. Maria wasn’t a bad person at all.
“It’s okay. A few scars won’t kill me. Thank you,” the spy replied gratefully. Maria nodded before she got up and turned her attention to the Sacred Orb. Cliff trailed after her to oversee the readings as the girl began scanning it with her ‘quad scanner’ as she called it. Fayt helped Nel to stand and stayed by her side until he was sure she was all right.
Nel didn’t like how they got too close to the Orb, but she held her tongue and just watched them. She
did trust Fayt and Cliff so now it was time for her to see if Maria was trustworthy. The Klausian and the girl discussed the readings and confirmed that it was an ‘OPA’. …Then they turned away from it and headed back towards the exit. While she didn’t understand what all they were saying, she
knew they acknowledged the Orb’s power and yet they were willing to leave it where it was.
So, Maria was only interested in the Orb just for the knowledge and the chance to see it up close. She wasn’t after power, nor was she some corrupt individual. That decided it for Nel. Maria was also worthy of her trust…for now. She still had to get to know the girl before she could give more.
***************
When they reported back to the queen, relief was visible on her and Lasselle’s faces. But their recent victory was short lived as Maria and Cliff reminded them that the Vendeeni now had another reason to attack. Should another ship come to capture Fayt, they would undoubtedly pick up the Orb on their sensors and set out to steal it. It seemed they had no choice now: Aquaria had to obtain the means to fight back against the Vendeeni. All they had was the Thunder Arrow, but there were still a few problems. Completing it wouldn’t be a problem, but there was no point in a weapon that couldn’t hit its target.
The queen thought long and hard as they discussed the issues. But soon she had a solution to the problem. It was a rather shocking suggestion. “We shall request cooperation from Airyglyph.”
“I beg your pardon? Y-Your Majesty!” Lasselle sputtered in shock. For once Nel shared his sentiment. She never once thought Airyglyph would have something of use to her country let alone having something they would need their cooperation for.
“If you had the means to carry the weapon into the sky, range would no longer be an issue, correct? Airyglyph has this ability. …All we need is to borrow it,” Romeria explained regally.
“A means for carrying… The air dragons!” Nel exclaimed as it came to her. It wasn’t until then that she realized that she hadn’t thought about Albel ever since the Vendeeni came back. She had to wonder what he was thinking about this new enemy and if he was willing to cooperate with her country to get rid of them.
“Correct.” The queen nodded before Lasselle sputtered out a reasonable protest.
“Yes, but will they cooperate? Even if they agree to our request, how are we to be sure that they will not betray us?” the magistrate wondered, making Nel cringe. This was indeed a rare moment for him. Never before had Lasselle ever bothered to really think about a problem and offer reasonable advice or concerns. She prayed to Apris that this wasn’t a sign of the end of Aquaria.
“He has a good point…” Fayt muttered as he closed his eyes and shook his head.
“We do not believe that this will happen,” the queen said before she relayed her beliefs on the situation. Airyglyph had just as many deaths as they did and they were also probably worried about another attack from the Vendeeni. And…as Nel reported long ago, Vox was the one who supported the war more than anyone else. Now that he was gone, the king would more likely to be open for peace talks.
…But as far as the spy knew, Woltar and Albel were still alive. While they were not known to have supported the war, they still fought her people without hesitation. Would they agree to a truce and convince the king to accept it? Of course she had other worries as well. What did Albel intend to do now that the war was technically over? Was he going to make good on the promise he wrote on the letter to claim her again? What if he revealed their marriage and would only agree to support the truce if she would stay in Airyglyph with him? She wasn’t sure if she was willing to make such a sacrifice…
“Let us appeal to Airyglyph for their assistance. I shall prepare a personal letter and send a messenger immediately.” The queen’s gaze fell to Nel, “Can I count on your help?”
For a moment, the spy hesitated. She had no problems acting as an official messenger for the queen, but that would mean she would have to personally travel to Airyglyph and risk running into Albel in public. She had wanted to talk to the Wicked One, but she wanted to do so by her own terms and in private. However, seeking a truce was far more important than her personal problems. Furthermore, she was one of the few who had a better chance in coming back alive. All because they weren’t fighting didn’t mean Airyglyph soldiers would just
let an Aquarian messenger through. They were probably too scared to be reasonable at the moment.
“Your Majesty,” Nel replied with a bow. There was no way she could refuse without revealing the Dragon’s Bride rune anyway. She was just going to have to hope that Albel would keep his mouth shut until they had a chance to talk.
“I’ll go, too,” Cliff announced as he walked up to stand beside her. “Don’t you think he’ll trust me more? I don’t think a person from Aquaria could explain the whole picture, anyway.”
“That may be true, but… You realize this is dangerous?” Nel warned as he shrugged.
“Yeah, so? A little danger doesn’t worry me,” he replied casually. To be honest, she expected no less from him. It was probably better to go with him than alone. Maybe his presence would distract Albel from doing anything that could potentially bring up the subject of their marriage. They both seemed to want to fight one another… Of course that could be a very
bad thing given the situation.
“Very well. You shall accompany her,” the queen agreed with a nod.
“Leave it to us,” he replied in a confident tone before he and Nel started to head out. They only walked out of hearing range so they could discuss plans while the queen made additional orders to the others.
“We’ll wait until Her Majesty writes the letter and then set off on lum tonight. Let’s try to make it to Arias as soon as we can and then leave for Kirlsa at first light,” Nel suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Cliff agreed with a nod.
She was about to tell him where to meet up and then go make the preparations, but the queen had dismissed everyone. She could hear Maria approach Fayt and ask to speak with him alone.
“Okay…” he agreed before he followed her out of the throne room. They passed by Cliff and Nel and were soon out of their sight.
“Something wrong, Nelly?” Cliff wondered when he noticed the spy frowning.
“It’s nothing…” she started to say before she relented and decided to tell him, “I just don’t feel comfortable leaving the two of them alone…”
“Oh…” he muttered before a knowing grin came to his face, “You really care about Fayt, huh?”
The red haired woman raised an eyebrow and instantly regretted saying anything to the Klausian. How could he confuse her concerns for love?
But Cliff soon appeared a little guilty before he added, “I don’t know how to break it to you, but Fayt’s-”
“Interested in men?” she guessed, earning a shocked look from him, “I knew that, but I’m a little surprised
you figured that out.”
She smirked as Cliff gave her an indignant look. Of course
she hadn’t really confirmed her suspicions until he gave her that look. But it was hard not to poke fun at his sometimes oblivious nature.
“Hey! I knew it from the moment he met Mirage. He only mentioned that she was beautiful and that was it. No interest what-so-ever,” he explained before he closed his eyes and shook his head, “Boy ain’t right. …But I guess I can’t complain. Not like I wanted him to hit on my…uh never mind. So what is the real reason for your concern?”
Nel was almost tempted to ask him to finish his sentence but she had a feeling she already knew what he was about to say. It was a little obvious he was in some kind of a relationship with Mirage. “It’s Maria. I do trust her, but I’m worried about the animosity she has towards Fayt. I understand she’s upset with his father, but would she really take it out on him?”
Cliff’s mood sobered instantly when he figured out what the spy was talking about. “Oh…you mean
that. So you’ve noticed, huh? Don’t worry about her. She’s not really the ‘cold-blooded murderer’ type. In fact, she doesn’t really want to kill the professor unless he happens to be playing god on other living beings.
“Are you sure? It sounds like her hatred runs fairly deep.”
“I’ll admit she has a few issues, but I can assure you that Fayt is in good hands,” he reassured her. Nel could only accept that since there was nothing she could do. She had to leave to fulfill her mission and she trusted that Cliff knew what he was talking about. After all, he
did know Maria far longer than the spy had.
“Still don’t believe me?” he wondered when the worried look wouldn’t leave her face, “I’ve known Maria since she was twelve so I can vouch for her character.”
“…I believe you. But it’s harder for me to accept since I don’t know her that well. We’ve only just met this morning,” she replied as she crossed her arms. Cliff considered it and tilted his head some.
“I guess you have a point… Well, like I’ve been tellin’ Fayt: there’s no point in worrying about it.”
“I know.” She let out a resigned sigh before she tried to forget about it and continue on. “We should prepare for the journey. I’ll meet you at the castle entrance in an hour.”
*****************
They were making good time. They made the lum gallop until they were past Peterny and then decided to let them walk at a slower pace. It cut their travel time by several hours, but they would still be arriving at Arias late at night. It was well past sunset and the stars were out. They shone brightly in the dark sky and Nel had to admire them. Maria had told her that each one of those stars was either a planet or a sun and that there was several that had other life on them.
It humbled her to discover that. There were already thousands of stars dotting the sky and she couldn’t tell how many of them had creatures like her on them. But at the same time, that knowledge scared her. How many other planets had creatures like the Vendeeni? How many other races out there would also desire the Sacred Orb? How long would it be before Elicoor could obtain the ability to properly defend against celestial aliens or be able to travel out there in the dark ocean of stars?
Cliff noticed where she was looking and decided to break the silence. “You know, things aren’t all that different out there. We have wars just the same as you do now, but we have bigger and better ‘toys’ to destroy each other with.”
It took her a moment to realize that he was talking about life out there beyond her world. She glanced at him for brief moment to prove that she was listening before her gaze went back to the sky.
“But,” Cliff continued with a façade that was mix annoyance and sympathy, “…unlike you guys, our wars aren’t between different countries. They’re between different planets and species. You’re only considered a ‘developed’ planet if your species is united as one nation and you have the ability to travel in space.”
United as one… Nel almost scoffed. That would never happen on this planet. Uniting would entail Aquaria joining forces with Airyglyph and Greeton. And while she didn’t think that was a bad thing, she knew neither kingdom would agree to it. …But would the threat of invasion from another planet change their minds? At this rate, all three kingdoms would have to swallow their pride and join forces unless they wanted to be decimated. Perhaps the appearance of the Vendeeni was actually a blessing in disguise. Now that they had a common enemy, Airyglyph and Aquaria could really work together to drive them back- the only challenge would be in maintaining that partnership once the invaders were gone.
“So I take it there is a war going on already? Against the Vendeeni?” Nel guessed as she pieced together his information. She could tell he was trying to make a point…or he was trying to tell her something important that was related to it.
“Well…yes and no. The Vendeeni just showed up recently and I still have no clue why they’re after Fayt. The war is currently between the planets under the Pangalactic Federation and Aldian. I won’t go into much detail about it, but seven years ago, Aldian attacked an Earthling settlement and Maria was the only survivor in her family- That’s how I first met her. Mirage and I rescued her when we found her escape pod floating in space,” he explained, revealing the intent behind his story. He was trying to inform Nel of how he knew Maria and why she was the way she was.
Nel had no clue what an ‘escape pod’ was, but decided that it wasn’t important. She understood that Maria was a young victim of war and that she lost her parents in it. It was something she understood all too well…
She listened to Cliff’s story as he retold Maria’s early years with him. The girl was only twelve when the tragedy happened so the responsibility to raise her pretty much fell into Cliff and Mirage’s hands. Nel could see some of Cliff’s characteristics being emulated in the girl during battles, so it made a little sense.
She learned more about Quark and it’s role as mediator between the Federation (which they were against) and neutral planets being pressured to join them. She also discovered that somehow Cliff was once the leader of it. Finding
that out was a bit of a shock to the Aquarian, but then she had to agree that the Klausian did have some leadership qualities and he had a rather productive idea to carry out.
“…I don’t understand,” Nel said once he was done telling her how Maria took over as leader of his organization. He had a hard time trying to make the story make sense to the red haired woman, but he got the point across that Maria used the powers she obtained from the forbidden research to destroy an enemy that would’ve killed them. “Why would she hate Fayt’s father if her powers were responsible for saving lives?”
“It’s not so much the powers that she’s upset with, but the people behind the research. You see, Maria found out that she was adopted and was told her real parents were still around…”
He told her how Maria wanted to find where she came from and searched through all the information available to find a trace of them. It was because of that research that she was able to uncover Professor Leingod’s work. She suspected that perhaps the professor and his wife could be her parents but… there was an order listed in the computers for her to be disposed of. After Cliff explained that that meant, Nel had to wonder what was going on with Fayt’s parents. If Maria was truly their daughter, how could they abandon her like that? Furthermore, they kept Fayt and seemed to have raised him lovingly.
“I have my theory, but I hope it isn’t true,” Cliff admitted before he took a deep breath, “You’ve noticed how she and Fayt have the same hair and eye color, but their faces are way too different to look related. …I think Maria might be a clone of Fayt’s mother. It would explain the coloring and why they don’t look similar.”
“Clone? What’s that?” Nel wondered, reminding him that she was of a primitive culture.
He scratched his head for a moment as he tried to think of an easy way to explain it. “Cloning is a way for people to make copies of themselves with genetic samples like hair or blood. It’s only legal if it’s done for reproductive purposes- like a parent that wants to have a kid, but can’t. Even though a clone is a copy, it doesn’t inherit the memories or traits of the original so it’s like having a child that isn’t born from the womb.”
Unbelievable! They had ways of creating babies outside of the womb? And just from taking something from one person? But as incredible as it sounded, Nel thought that was a little sad. Her religion taught her that men and women were important because together they could create new life. The technology the offworlders possessed was like a slap in the face. It diminished the need for men and women and brought about the possibility for a person to conceive and raise children without needing a partner. It was too strange for Nel to accept and she thought the concept was a little disgusting.
“…But cloning for experimentations is highly illegal and I suspect that was why Maria was scheduled for disposal. They probably didn’t know they were having Fayt at the time and couldn’t keep her as an excuse that they couldn’t have children on their own. But luckily, Maria’s mother was able to rescue her and made her existence legal again,” he finished with a saddened look.
“That…That’s terrible! Why would she be punished because of the nature of her birth?” She found herself yelling in indignation before she could stop herself. It was a good thing Maria’s adoptive mother was there to rescue her, but it was wrong that her life was decided by what was considered ‘right or ‘wrong’ in terms of an unnatural birth. She was still a living being regardless!
“I know! The Federation likes to make unfair laws like that. They don’t care about the little people they hurt,” he muttered in scorn before his tone saddened again, “…But I hope I’m wrong about the cloning thing. Maria wants nothing more than to find her real parents and it would crush her if she found out she was just a test tube baby made for a scientific experiment. Though, I suppose the other alternative isn’t much better…”
So
that was why Maria hated the professor. Either she was created for the sole purpose of an experiment, or she was an unwanted child for whatever reason. If Nel were in her position, she would hate him too. …But where did Fayt fit in all of this? He still lived with his parents and he knew nothing about the research or of Maria. Why should she hate him, too, when he was just as victimized as she was?
When she inquired this to Cliff he replied with, “That’s the thing: Only the professor knows why he did the research and Maria wants to know why. He might actually have good intentions behind his actions …or he was just someone playing god. That’s why she wants to rescue and ask him. As for Fayt… Well that depends. If the professor is a corrupt man and Fayt still takes his side, then Maria would turn on him and kill him too.”
If that were the case, Nel would imagine that he would only side with his father out of love. She couldn’t fathom anyone truly hating their father after all of the time they spent together. …But then again, Maria could potentially be his daughter and she had rather good reasons for wanting to turn against him. Regardless of what he did to his children, he still played with lives. If the professor were truly a bad person, then it would have to be Maria and Fayt’s duty to stop him. Maria couldn’t afford to let Fayt stop her if he decided to spare him.
“…Thank you for telling me this. I think I understand Maria a little better,” she replied as she glanced over at her companion.
“Not a problem. I don’t mean to drag you into her problems, but since we’ll be working together, it’s better to have an understanding,” he said before he gestured ahead with a nod, “Looks like we’ve made it to Arias.”
Nel also noticed the twinkling lights up ahead and nodded. The talk she had with Cliff made the trip seem shorter, but she knew it was still late at night. They needed to get to sleep soon so that they would be well rested for the morning.
****************
Even though she needed to go to bed, Nel couldn’t sit still. Tomorrow she was going to Airyglyph. It was going to be the first time seeing Albel since she had slept with him at the Bequerel Mines. Was she really ready to face him yet? Was he even there? The last report she got from Airyglyph said that he was missing. She had given the order to the others to continue observing from afar, but she hadn’t heard any reports. For the most part, Airyglyph had been quiet.
She needed to stop thinking about it. But since there was nothing else to distract her, she had no choice
but to think. The spy let out a sigh before she decided to see if Clair was still awake. When she had arrived in town, Farleen informed her that Clair retired early that evening because she had to go through some family ritual with her father. Nel guessed that Adray finally decided to tell Clair about her family line and its traditions. Perhaps that talk Nel had with the aged runologist fueled his motivation to tell her.
When Nel reached her friend’s chamber, she knocked gently until she heard a noise that told her Clair was awake.
“It’s me, Nel,” the spy announced when she asked.
“Come in…”
Nel frowned at the softness of her tone. Had she been asleep? She opened the door and found that the lamps were still on, leaving a dim light about the room that was enough to see. Almost immediately, she noticed the bottle of wine on the table, but she couldn’t see her friend anywhere.
“I didn’t know you were back. When did you arrive?”
Nel quickly turned towards the bed when she realized that was where the voice was coming from. She raised an eyebrow at the state her friend was in. The tactician was lying face down on her bed. She was topless and had a flushed face. Her eyes were almost glazed over, but retained some clarity as she glanced over at Nel. The spy shook her head before she inspected the bottle of wine. Half it was gone and it was one of the more potent brews. Just what happened that made her want to drink?
“I arrived an hour ago with Cliff. I’m on a mission to deliver a message to the King of Airyglyph,” the red head replied before she grabbed a chair to pull by her friend’s bedside. Once the spy was settled, she then noticed the angry red lines all over Clair’s back. They were swollen and seemed to have bled, but they appeared to be nothing more than scratches.
Clair noticed where she was looking and quickly put her at ease, “Don’t worry, I’m not injured. I just inherited a family rune, but unlike regular runes, my skin had to be cut and bleed a little. I’ll be better by tomorrow.”
So that’s why she had the wine. She just wanted something to numb the pain. Clair was still coherent for the most part so the spy had to assume that she only drank enough to work up a good buzz. Upon further inspection, Nel could see the faint outlines of the new rune starting to form on her back around the cuts. It was taking on the same dragon shape that graced Adray’s massive form.
…Come to think of it, her rune was placed on her the same way. Albel was biting down on her to the point where she was bleeding. Then the bite mark slowly faded and morphed into the rune that was permanently etched on her shoulder. It was more proof that Albel really was a descendant of Edyglyph…
“Aren’t you going to ask about it?” Clair wondered idly, not used to Nel’s silent musings.
“I already know about some of your traditions. I found out by accident because Albel is apparently a distant cousin of yours.” Nel wasn’t sure
why she decided to tell her that. But then, she already learned her lesson about hiding things from her friend. Clair could easily catch a lie even in her mildly drunken state, but the spy could always hope that she wouldn’t remember this conversation come morning.
“I guess that means we’re cousins too,” the tactician said, earning a shocked look from her. “Father told me that you came to him to ask about the Dragon’s Bride rune. He might be a little dense, but I’m not. Albel marked you, didn’t he?”
Nel refused to answer. But the fact that she was blushing gave Clair the answer she needed. The grey haired woman let out a light laugh before she turned her head and rested her chin on her pillow. “You are in
so much trouble…”
The spy blinked for a moment as she tried to figure out what she was getting at. Clair could be very capricious in the state she was in and Nel knew better than to take her words as a threat.
“What do you mean? You’re not going to report me to the queen are you?” She paused as an even more horrid thought came to her and she had to ask, “You’re not going to tell
Adray, are you?”
“No, it’s not my place to tell. I was talking about you and him. You thought it was meaningless sex, but he wanted you permanently. Now you’re part of the family as his wife.” She wasn't being scornful, nor was she berating her. Clair thought the entire thing was funny and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her face. Nel shook her head slowly. She must've drank more wine than she initially thought…
“This isn’t something to celebrate over. I need a way to get out of this marriage,” Nel snapped irritably before she softened her tone, “Is there any advice you have?”
The tactician sobered up a little and gave her friend a sympathetic glance, “I’m sorry Nel, but there’s nothing you can do. From what I’ve read from ancient texts that Father gave me, my family mates for life and there is no taking back the bridal rune. You have to kill Albel if you really want out.”
…So there really was no other way? But was she really comfortable with the thought of having to kill him? She didn’t have the skill or strength to take him on in battle and she didn’t want to betray any trust he had in her to catch him at a vulnerable moment. But at the same time, she just couldn’t accept the union. Something had to be done.
“…Nel, you should give him a chance. He might not be as heartless as we’re led to believe.”
“So you’re saying I should just give up and accept him?” the spy nearly shouted incredulously, “He belongs to the enemy kingdom. Even if he isn’t the man we think he is, I can’t abandon Aquaria for him!”
Clair shook her head a little. “So you’re saying you
can kill him? I know you’re skilled, but so is he. You might not survive if you turn your blade on him. And besides, the war is over and we have had more than enough deaths. This might be the chance to strike a peace treaty and ensure that we don’t go to war again.”
She had a point… All because Albel was willing to trust her didn’t mean that she would be able to strike him down. He could easily fight her off and end her life if he wanted to. …But Nel refused to be the sacrificial lamb. Yes, she wanted a peace treaty between the kingdoms, but she wasn’t suited for the task of marrying for it. She was meant to be a warrior that protected the masses and the queen’s most trusted eyes and ears of the court.
“Well…if
you don’t want marry for peace, then I guess
I could infiltrate Airyglyph and mark a mate for myself. It worked for Albel apparently,” Clair muttered with a darkened gleam in her eyes and a smirk on her face. Nel stared down at her blankly.
“Clair…” the spy started calmly before she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder and leaned in close to her face, “…you’re drunk.”
“Clearly,” she snorted back with a silly half grin. “But I need to do something. Father doesn’t understand. If I am to marry, then it will be by my terms and with whom
I want. I have no interest in anyone in Aquaria, otherwise I would’ve found my mate already. I should look to Airyglyph… at least then my marriage could prevent more deaths.”
“Clair…” Nel said softly before she sighed. Clair was willing to bring peace at any cost. If anything, the spy should be doing the same. It wasn’t too long ago when she willingly placed herself in danger and risked dying for her country. Why couldn’t she attempt to bring peace for her country as well? …Well besides the obvious fact that her groom was none other than Albel the Wicked…
“You shouldn’t force yourself to find love in Airyglyph. For all you know, the one you love could be in Greeton. I’ll… I’ll give Albel a chance,” Nel replied as she closed her eyes, “I can’t promise to love him, but I won’t try to kill him unless he deserves it.”
“…He probably does deserve it…” the grey haired woman uttered derisively, earning a grin from the spy. But soon her tone turned regretful as she added, “I…I shouldn’t have said all that. You shouldn’t force yourself either. …But you do need to take responsibility for your actions. You’re married to him whether you like it or not. It doesn’t have to be public knowledge and you don’t have to love him, but you do need to talk to him and straighten things out.”
Nel was silent for a while before she agreed. “…I know. But how can I? He’s in Airyglyph and I heard that he’s still missing. I might not talk to him for a long while.”
Clair contemplated her words as she rested her chin back on the pillow. “I can’t be sure if it’ll work, but… there
is a method to communicate with your mate through your subconscious. I don’t really understand the process, but the runes- the dragon and the bridal runes are connected somehow. All you have to do is think about him before sleeping and he’ll come to you in your dreams. As far as I can tell, it’s only something that works when you’re far away from one another.”
“He’ll come…in my dreams?” she echoed slowly as cold dread filled her. That time when she… No, he couldn’t possibly… That dream she had of him
had to be just a dream!
“I don’t know much of the details, but yes. It’ll seem like it’s real, but he isn’t really there,” the grey haired woman trailed off when she noticed how still and silent Nel had suddenly gotten, “…Are you okay? I had never seen that much red on your face before. Have you contacted Albel before without knowing it?”
Oh Apris… she
had thought about him that night before the battle! So he was really there in her dream? He…heard
everything she said? That…That BASTARD! He intruded on her private dreams and seduced her in her mind! Suddenly everything he said in that dream made sense. He told her that she couldn’t escape him and he would always be ‘lurking in the back of her mind’. …And those things she said…she told him she would be his, thinking it was just a fantasy.
He was going to take it seriously.
“Nel? You’re starting to get pale…” Clair pointed how when the spy wouldn’t answer.
“I…I should go. It’s getting late,” she responded hastily as she stood up and rushed out of the room. Clair tried to call her back, worried about her sudden change in demeanor, but Nel was out of the room before she could stop her.
****************
The spy paced back and forth in her room nervously. Her eyes were wide in shock and she was rubbing her arms as if she was trying to warm herself. She was embarrassed with the things she thought up in that dream. He was more than happy to act them out with her. And he got her to… UGH!
Of everything in that dream, Nel couldn’t believe that she willingly pledged her freedom to him. She didn’t mean it and she doubted he was going to let her take it back. Fantasy or not, he warned her and she foolishly gave him what he wanted in exchange for pleasure.
And worst of all, she couldn’t get him out of her mind again. That meant he was almost guaranteed to visit her again tonight. She definitely
didn’t want to see him now. He was most likely going to remind her of what she did last time and seduce her again. …But what was the point in avoiding him now? They already slept together before and he already seen all of her body.
Maybe she could convince him to just talk with her. They didn’t
have to have sex…even though there wasn’t much either one could do since they weren’t physically together. This was probably her only chance to speak with him in private before running into him in Airyglyph. Plus, she needed sleep. Might as well get the visit over with…
With a long sigh, she went about removing her armor and climbing into bed. She decided to sleep in her uniform in hopes that it would deter him from trying anything funny. A sleeping robe was much too open and easy to get out of. She made sure all of the lamps were extinguished before she rolled to her side and closed her eyes. She summoned an image on him in her mind, this time fully clothed, and waited to see if he would come.
“Still alive, woman?” She almost jumped as her eyes shot open. In actuality, she was still asleep, but her mind was seeing her room and she was still in the same position in her bed. The only difference was the fact that she wasn’t alone in the bed. She could see his arm wrapped around her waist and one of his legs tossed over hers. She couldn’t see him exactly, but she knew he was pressed against her back and his mouth was hovering over her ear. She couldn’t feel a thing-no breath, no pressure, and no sense of another person’s presence. But she
knew he was there because of his voice.
“So it’s true, you
are here in a sense…” she muttered to herself, earning a chuckle from him.
“Ah, so you know about the connection we share?” “I know your relatives in Aquaria. I found out through them,” she replied as a glare came across her features, “Why didn’t you say anything the last time?”
Albel was obviously aware that she didn’t know anything about his culture until recently and she felt that he took full advantage of that knowledge. He probably had a sick pleasure in tormenting her in her mind.
She could tell he was smirking as she watched his hand trail up to cup one of her breasts. That time she
did feel something and it was causing that warm feeling to gather in her lower stomach. She guessed that her body was mimicking his movements so she could pretend it was real. Why was she doing that anyway? She didn’t
want to have another intimate moment with him.
“I could have, but I felt that it was more important to tend to your needs. You were going into battle then and I wanted to give you the comfort of a release.” He let out a deeper chuckle before he added,
“It was pure torture to see you wanting me so badly- and I couldn’t even give myself release. But don’t fret, my dear, I will
come for you in the real world and make you scream for me once again.” Arrogant bastard! He shouldn’t assume that
he was the one she wanted! …But unfortunately, she couldn’t prove otherwise. It was his name she cried out as she came and she knew he heard every word she screamed. She shuddered some at the tone of his voice before her body temperature rose dramatically. Why did his heated promises make her so weak? Nel had entered this strange dream world, determined
not to fall for his seduction and yet her body was eagerly responding to his phantom touches.
“Are you…controlling my body?” she inquired in a furious and incredulous tone as she felt a tickling sensation trailing down her belly. She could see his hand making the movement, but she knew it was her own hand creating the sensation. There was no way she was doing this by her own free will!
“Don’t be stupid. I have no such power. I am merely responding to your body’s desires. You want to be touched and I’m only helping you along,” he replied with a twinge of amusement.
“…Stop resisting. You were much more open to me when you thought it was a dream.” His leg moved so that she could bend her knee and lift her top thigh out of the way as their hands slowly traveled down to her covered nether regions. She bit back a moan as she felt pressure and a slow rubbing sensation through her panties.
She was the one who wanted this? Albel
had to have been lying! …But then why was she receiving the attention and not him? She cursed silently to herself before she shook her head and tried to concentrate on why she wanted to see him.
“I didn’t call you here for this! I just want to ask questions,” she growled, fighting the urge to moan as her inner muscles began to tighten in response to her arousal.
“I figured you didn’t want me for this since you summoned me with clothes on,” he replied with a laugh before he settled his head against hers,
“But your body couldn’t resist taking advantage of me when I arrived. Better ask your questions now. Your orgasm will awaken you and break our connection.” He was such an ass! Nel gritted her teeth and resisted using her limited time to curse him out. She couldn’t believe that she wanted release so badly that she couldn’t wait for it…
“Fine… Where are you? My reports say that you’re missing,” she began as her hips began to move against the hand that was rubbing.
“Missing?” He sounded genuinely shocked to hear it, but she could also pick up a hint of anger behind his voice.
“I’m in Airyglyph and I hadn’t been able to move since then. What? Are your worthless maggots refusing to infiltrate the castle now?” She couldn’t answer immediately because her fingers managed to shove aside the crotch of her underwear and slip into her moist folds. She let out a hiss of pleasure as she made contact with the hardened nub hidden within.
Nel shook her head and tried to clear her mind, “I told them to stand down when your countrymen began to prepare for the invasion. No one has been spying near the castle since…”
“
I see…” he muttered,
“If you want to know what happened, then you’ll have to come find me and see for yourself.” “But-!” she started to protest, but she was cut off when her fingers started sliding inside her. This time she couldn’t stop the moan that bubbled up.
“Damnit! I want to be inside you, but I can’t feel a thing!” He growled in frustration before he leaned closer to her,
“Listen up, Nel. If you want me to answer your questions, then you’ll have to find me in Airyglyph. If not, then I’ll come to you when I get out of this mess.” Mess? What was he talking about? Was he really in some kind of trouble? There was something wrong going on and it was enough to make her ignore the pressure of her approaching orgasm. Before she could stop herself, her body jerked and her dream-self managed to sit up and glance back at him.
“What mess? Where
are you?” she shouted. The motion was enough to awaken her and the dream quickly faded, but not before she was able to see his face. Albel looked so worn and tired that the spy almost thought he was someone else. Just what happened to him?
Nel found herself alone in her bed and with her fingers exploring her inner depths. She was far from sated and she knew she was going to have to finish herself off. Frustration overrode her humiliation and she quickly found release while desperately trying not to think about him or say his name.
When she was done, she tried to regain her sense and ponder the meaning of what Albel said to her. Was he injured and confined to a bed? Did he get into some kind trouble and was removed from active duty? But above all, she had to wonder why she even cared. Why did seeing him like that worry her so?
Nel had no choice but to follow his advice. She needed to see him in Airyglyph and then all would be made clear.
**********
Albel smirked slightly as he imagined his frustrated woman having to pleasure herself without him. It was just as tortuous as the first time she had called him, but he was getting used to the pain. Thinking about her was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment. He was still chained to the wall in the dungeons and had no knowledge of what was happening in the outside world. He momentarily lamented the fact that he couldn’t glean any more information out of her to figure out what was going on.
Vox never came back to continue his interrogation, but Albel couldn’t care less about the man. All he did know was that Woltar took over command of the dungeons and gave the prisoners back their rights. Maids came down three times a day to feed him and clean his wounds. He detested the fact that he had to be fed and pampered, but there wasn’t much he could do with his hands chained to the wall.
No one was allowed to speak with him so he couldn’t inquire about the war or about who was winning. It seemed that he was truly left there to rot. …But he knew better than to believe that. Woltar was up to something. That much he suspected. He knew that if the old man could take charge of the dungeons, then he could easily have Albel unchained or moved to a cell. But no, he remained where he was and the old man refused to visit him.
There had to be a reason behind it. But until it made itself clear, he had no choice but to wait patiently for the day he could walk free and destroy that abominable Vox for imprisoning him. Then…he was going to Aquaria to abduct his bride and ravish her in his bed until they both couldn’t move anymore.
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Note: Hopefully that's enough AlNel to satisfy you guys until he joins the party. I do apologize for all of the game re-capping and I'm trying to summarize some of the scenes, but this story is mostly about Albel and Nel's thoughts and feelings (more Nel than Albel) about it all. Unfortunately, the game didn't really expand much on poor Nel after Fayt and the others left Elicoor II (they even stopped giving her PAs) and I'm trying to capture how she felt when the Vendeeni attacked her home, how she could've reacted to Dion and Ameena's deaths, and eventually how she could come to realize that her religion might just be nothing but folklore. This is all character development on her part so that I can establish how she could possibly accept and eventually come to love Albel in the future.
