• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 4: The Next Destination


    Twenty-four hours have passed since Tsuki returned to Crescentia with the Moonlight Flower and saving Lynette's life from the Winchester Disease. As he remained in the village, waiting for Lynette to awake from recovery, he's been going around the village and helping the villagers with various tasks. The tasks he's done were monster exterminating, resource gathering from the plains outside of the village and deliveries. Apparently, there was something going to happen later on in the evening but he wasn't sure what. He assumed it was a celebration of some kind due to people building and setting up stalls around the village. He hasn't made any progress in his mission and won't until he sees Lynette awake again. He would never abandon his mission but he sees that civilians were in trouble, he'll put his mission on temporary hold. He's at full leisure as well because the royal family instructed Basilwell authorities to hold off the government ceremony and ball until he arrives. If he isn't interrupted again, he'll be in Basilwell in about three days.

    The next day, Tsuki had finished with all the tasks that were available. It was exhausting but rewarding work. As a knight, he didn't expect any kind of reward. Just helping those in need was rewarding enough. As he finished with the last villager's request, he was informed that Lynette was finally awake. Knowing this, he immediately headed over to the mayor's house to check up on her condition.

    When Tsuki walked into the mayor's house, he headed into the guest bedroom where Lynette was resting in. He opened the door and saw that she was sitting up in bed with the doctor checking up on her. She looked a lot better than before. The color had returned to her face and she seemed more cheerful. It was amazing seeing such a huge improvement in her health from a simple flower. He walked over to the bed and sat down in a chair next to it. "Hey, how you holding up?" he asked with concern.

    Lynette didn't know that Tsuki was the one that had saved her. The mayor and doctor had to explain everything that happened while she was out. She looked at Tsuki with a confused expression. She felt bad when she heard what Tsuki did for her. She was extremely grateful that he had saved her but she felt that she derailed him from his mission. "Tsuki...yes, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me. I'm in your debt for what you did" she said. She then looked down at the bed sheets. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused. I didn't mean to distract you from your mission" she apologized. She felt like a burden.

    Tsuki shook his head. He didn't care that he had gone off the rails of his mission. "Don't be. I couldn't just abandon someone in a time of need and pretend it didn't happen. I'm just glad that you're okay" he told her. He was relieved to see her well again. Now, he could continue on with his mission without concern.

    The mayor looked over to Tsuki and bowed at him. "Thank you so much for saving Lyn. On behalf of Crescentia, we ask that you stay one more day. It isn't much to repay you for what you did for us, but we're holding our annual festival tonight and everyone would like you to attend for your valiant actions" she told him. She didn't want to postpone him from his mission any further but she had to try and repay him for everything he's done.

    Tsuki thought about it for a minute. He wanted to leave and get on with his mission, but he couldn't turn her down with every single villager backing the mayor up in her request. He shrugged and looked at the mayor. "Alright, I'll stay one more night. Another night couldn't hurt, right?" he said.

    The mayor clasped her hands in joy. "Great! We're still in preparations and thanks to your help around the village, things are going smoothly. It'll be a while longer before we can kick off the festival though" she said. They still needed to get food prepared, mini-games set up and so forth.

    Lynette was thrilled that Tsuki decided to stay one more night. It gives her more time to think of a way to repay him for his efforts to save her. "I guess I'll just rest up until the festival then" she said. There wasn't anything else she could do. Her immune system was left weakened due to her ordeal. She still needed a little more rest.

    Tsuki nodded at the mayor. "Alright. I'll go do something to occupy my time then until the festival starts then" he said. He looked over to Lynette after she said she was going to rest a bit longer. "That's a good idea. I guess we'll be seeing each other tonight then" he told her. He then turned around and left the mayor's house.

    Over the next few hours, Tsuki decided to train himself out in the fields by fighting against monsters. By the time he returned to the village, it was already dusk. He felt as if he got a bit stronger from all the monsters he had fought in the plains. Upon returning, he saw various kinds of stalls and decorations that were set up all around the village. For a small village, they work fast. Everyone were in formal clothing, specifically Kimonos.

    Tsuki walked up to the fountain where the mayor and Lynette were waiting. He saw that they too were dressed up. Lynette also had a staff on her back but he thought it was for ritual use so he didn't question why she had it. He still haven't seen Setzu since he mysteriously disappeared when he returned. His first thoughts were that he returned to Celestial Hills to hunt. She decided that he didn't need to concern himself with him. As he approached the mayor and Lynette, he waved at them. "The villagers sure work fast. There was hardly anything set up when I left" he said.

    The mayor chuckled a bit. "Yeah. We do a lot of festivals so it's almost second nature for us to be quick builders" she said. She looked around at the different decorations that were put up around the village. This wasn't their biggest festival that they hold annually but it's still impressive work.

    Lynette twiddled her thumbs a bit before looking at Tsuki. She looked like as if she wanted to say something. She also appeared to be quite nervous about it too. "Um...Tsuki, allow me to show you around. This is your last night here, after all" she said, avoiding her real question. She wasn't sure how to ask her question and wasn't sure if he would agree to it.

    The mayor looked at Lynette and smiled at her. She knew what she was going to ask because after Tsuki left her house when she woke up, they continued to talk. That's when Lynette informed her on the plan. She then looked at Tsuki and nodded. "Go with her, Tsuki. She has something she wants to ask" she said.

    Tsuki looked at Lynette and tilted his head before looking at the mayor. He then nodded at them. "Alright. That's fine with me" he said. He was curious to know that Lynette wanted to ask.

    The mayor looked at Lynette and then pushed her towards Tsuki. "Don't be afraid to ask him. We all support you in your decision. I'm sure he'll understand" she whispered to her. She couldn't stop her even if she wanted to. Whatever choices she makes are her own responsibilities. All she could do was offer support.

    Lynette was pushed towards Tsuki by the mayor, She turned her head to her once she whispered something to her and nodded. She then put her focus on Tsuki and pointed towards the festival. "Let's go then" she said. She then headed towards the stalls.

    Tsuki nodded and followed her into the festival. As he walked through the stalls, he saw different kinds of foods, games and shops. when they spent about thirty minutes, he decided that it was time to ask what Lynette wanted to ask. "So, what did you want to ask me?" he asked.

    Lynette stopped walking and was silent for a moment to gather her thoughts. She took a deep breath before speaking. "You've done so much for my sake. You risked your life and fought off numerous monsters to help me fight off the Winchester Disease. I would like to repay you, if you would allow me" she said. She had to think of the right words to say. She didn't want to say the wrong thing.

    Tsuki tilted his head. "What did you have in mind? You don't have to be shy, just say it" he told her. He didn't want her beating around the bush. Although, he wasn't expecting anything in return for his actions. He couldn't refuse someone if they wanted to repay him though.

    Lynette took a deep breath once more. "I know you're on a mission assigned to you by the royal family, but if you would allow me, I would like to accompany you on your mission" she said. Tsuki had helped her village with so much and on top of that, he had saved her life. She couldn't let that go very easily.

    Tsuki was surprised that she had asked to accompany him. "Accompany me? Why would you want to do that?" he asked. He wanted to know why she wanted to go with him. She would be putting herself in more life-threatening situations. He wanted to be sure this was something she really wanted to do.

    Lynette looked at him after twiddling her thumbs a bit more. "Well, you've done so much for us. You also saved my life. I can't repay you with something simple after all of that. I know there will be danger. Besides..." she said, taking the staff off her back. "I'm a healer, I could be of great help to you" she said.

    Tsuki rubbed the back of his head and sighed. After a few moments of thinking, he made a decision. He then looked at her and nodded. "Alright. If you are certain that this is what you want, you can come with me" he told her.

    Lynette's eyes sparkled with happiness. She was thrilled and excited that he allowed her to come with him. "Really? Thank you! I promise, I won't let you down!" she said with excitement. Part of the reason she wants to go is because she wants to experience the outside world. The rest was because she wants to support Tsuki in his endeavor.

    Tsuki smiled a bit after seeing her excitement. Apparently, she really wanted to go with him. "We're leaving first thing in the morning. Only pack what's needed. Don't weigh yourself down with trinkets" he instructed her. There wasn't any point in packing things that were unnecessary. They would constantly be on the move.

    Lynette nodded. "Got it. I don't have many things anyway. For now, let's enjoy the festival while we still can!" she said, taking hold of his hand. She then dragged him further into the festive crowds.

    Tsuki was pulled along with Lynette as she lured him deeper into the festival. Since this was the last night in the village, he decided to make the best of it. This was also the night before the day that Lynette would be leaving her home for quite a while. He wanted to make sure she enjoys whatever time she has left in her home.

    For the remainder of the evening, everyone in the village enjoyed the festival into the late hours. Around midnight, the festival started to die down and everyone started to head home to sleep for the night. The next morning, the villagers were clearing out the festival in the very early hours. Tsuki and Lynette also helped with the clean-up. When it was about noon, most of the stalls had been cleared out. When it hit one in the afternoon, it was time for Tsuki and Lynette to leave. Tsuki and Lynette were standing by the village gate with the villagers seeing them off.

    The mayor walked through the crowd up to Tsuki with an old looking piece of paper. She then handed it to him. "Take this. It's a World Map. Use it to plot out your routes so you don't end up walking in circles" she said. It was the very least she could do for him.

    Tsuki looked at the paper then at the mayor as he took it from her. He then bowed to her. "Thank you. I'll make sure to take good care of it. It looks quite old so I''ll be careful" he said. The map was indeed very old. It was a bit outdated but it had all of the more important landmarks.

    The mayor smiled and walked over to Lynette. She reached into her pocket and held out a gold, old-looking necklace. It appeared to be as old as the map. "Take this with you, my dear. It'll serve you well" she said. The necklace had an extremely rare, light-blue gem attached to it called Marquis. The nature behind it was a mystery as you could only find Marquis deep underground. All that was known about it was that once the wearer enters combat, the gem reacts and improves the fighting skills of the wearer.

    Lynette took the necklace and examined it. She felt power coming from it but it puzzled her. Unlike the mayor, she doesn't know what the necklace was for or what kind of effect it has on the wearer. "Is there something special about this necklace?" she asked. She was curious and hoped that the mayor could fill in the blanks.

    The mayor patted Lynette on her head. "That, my dear, is something for you to discover for yourself" she said. She knew that Lynette wanted to experience new things so she kept what the necklace does to herself. It would ruin the fun if she told her without her discovering it for herself.

    Something about the gem struck Tsuki as odd. There was something familiar about it but he couldn't figure it out. He knew what Marquis was but there was something about this particular gem that didn't appear to be what the mayor believes it is. He shook his head and passed it off as unimportant. He had more important things to think about. "Okay, our next stop is Basilwell. If we follow the path southwest, we'll reach the Cavern of Solace and then Basilwell" he said, pointing to the map.

    Before they left, the doctor from before approached them. "If you're going to Basilwell, I'm afraid that you're going to have to take a side trip to Briswater. Basilwell is under Briswater's control while they are having their government business. You're going to need the approval of Major Maxwell if you want to get in" she informed him.

    Tsuki didn't know this bit of information. Why wasn't he informed about this before he left Eresseas? Something must of happened after he had left. It was a good thing the doctor stopped him to tell him this. "Okay. Thank you for letting me know" he said.

    Lynette put a finger to her chin. "Briswater is northeast of here. It's in the opposite direction of where we need to go" she said. It seems that Tsuki is once again thrown off from his mission once again. What else can go wrong?

    Tsuki sighed heavily. Briswater is one of his favorite cities because not only is it a city surrounded by a thick forest and it's known for it's river streets, it's also located where the Four Great Spirits put a stop to the War of Mana. Even though a part of him was thrilled to go there, he wanted to get back on his mission. This was already taking up too much time. He should of been in Basilwell by now. "I'll have to send an update to the King and Queen and hopefully, they'll have an answer on why Briswater is occupying Basilwell" he said. He then looked at Lynette. "You ready to go? We have a long journey ahead of us" he informed her.

    Lynette put the necklace the mayor gave her around her neck and looked at Tsuki. "Of course. I look forward to what's ahead" she said. She looked at the villagers and waved at them one last time. "Goodbye everyone! I hope to see you all again soon!" she shouted at them.

    The mayor smiled at Lynette. "We look forward for your return. Stay safe, my dear and trust in your abilities" she said to her. She then looked at Tsuki. "Please take good care of Lyn for us. Best of luck to you on your journey" she told him.

    Tsuki nodded and looked at the villagers one last time. "I will. I promise. Thank you for all of your hospitality" he said to the villagers. He then looked at Lynette. "Let's get a move on, Lyn. We have a long walk ahead of us" he said. He turned around and soon walked out into the plains.

    Lynette bowed to the villagers and gave them one last smile. "Keep each other safe during the Winter season. I want a village to return to" she said. She then turned around and followed Tsuki as they left Crescentia.

    Tsuki and Lynette started to head northeast towards a massive forest in the far distance that looked like a small speck to their eyes. Judging from the distance, they had about a three day walk until they reached the outer edge of the forest that surrounds Briswater. As they walked along the path, two people dressed in strange armor and clothing were watching them from a hill. The armor and clothing were colored in black and red and there was a black shield with a red Phoenix in front of it etched and sewn into the armor and clothing.

    One of the people that were watching Tsuki and Lynette was a male. He had an appearance of a very skilled swordsman. "So, that boy is Tsuki Himura, one of the Eight personal guards of the royal family. It appears that his intel was spot-on" the man said in a tough, deep and menacing tone.

    The other person appeared to be a female. She had a more elegant appearance to that of a mage. She looked over to the man and nodded. "Yes. He's been dispatched by the royal family to oversee the events that are soon to be taken place in Basilwell" she said in a sassy tone. She looked back at Tsuki and Lynette as they were disappearing off into the distance. "Is it safe to let him roam freely?" she asked.

    The man shook his head. "Leave the young knight be for now. He isn't a threat to us nor does he know about our plans. For now, we'll keep tabs on him while we continue to operate in the shadows. It's not time for us to reveal ourselves yet" the man said. He had a dark expression on his face. Clearly, he wasn't a normal fighter.

    The female nodded then turned around. "As you wish, Your Majesty" the female said. She then started to walk back down the hill. She didn't care if they took action against Tsuki. After all, one knight can't stop them.

    The man soon followed the female after watching Tsuki and Lynette a bit more. Soon, they had disappeared from sight. Just as fast as they appeared, they disappeared just like that. Just who were the two figures and what plans were they talking about? What kind of King was this unknown male? Only time will tell.

    To be continued...