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The Crystal Rule	By : QueenDraggyofSwords Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Views: 956 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: chrystal Chronicles, any of its characters nor am I making any profit off of them.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter Twelve

The morning of the boys meeting with Spinosa was awkward to say the least. At least to Layle it was.
He sat at the table across from Keiss, picking at his food and questioning why he drank so much the night before. It was a stupid idea, and he regretted it with every passing second that went by. But the Selkie across from him seemed just fine. Too fine in fact.
"Why are you so…cheery?" Layle glared across the table. The lack of sleep and pounding headache was interfering with his ability to usually keep his expression calm. The red head just shrugged.
"It's a good day. You can't dispute that. Besides I had a good night too." He sipped his coffee with a smile. And Layle just sighed.
"How can you not be hung over?"
"Selkies are trained to have incredible tolerance. And not to mention," the mercenary reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small silver bottle. He added the contents to his coffee and then some to Layle's, "I can't be hung over if I am still drinking."
The Clavat took his coffee and eyed it, and then looked back at his partner, "I really hate you. I need you to know that." As he started to sip Keiss chuckled.
"That's not the impression I got last night."

By the time they reached Spinosa's office, Layle was feeling a little less sick. But by no means was he in a good mood. However that was fine as Keiss was in high enough spirits for the both of them. They sat in the waiting room of the Lieutenant's office. There was no reason to inspect the room and try to gather any info, as Keiss already knew more than he needed about Spinosa. He had been researching for a good year the best way to make it up ladder to work for the High Commander.
He had been playing games with the Lilty social elite for all that time: making contracts, breaking them, swiping deals, reinventing himself, turning over his personality, sneaking about and spinning a few lies on his background to work his way through nobles and officers just to get in this room.
"The High Commander oversees every aspect of the kingdom's advances. Whatever the King and the Council dictate must be done, he runs. In theory he holds more power than the King himself… But all of that work. One man can't do it. So his top officers take over projects and run them, and he gets the reports…Spinosa is his most trusted officer-"
"Where did you get that?" Layle was leaning back in his seat while Keiss paced around the room.
"A job I had four months ago. I found out Spinosa deals with the high priority projects. So I set my sights on him. We impress the Lieutenant, we get to work for the High Commander."
"…And the overall goal?" The Clavat sat up rubbing the side of his head, "If it's not the money, then why such high ambitions, Keiss?"
His partner opened his mouth to speak, Layle could tell by the smug look on his face it was a doozy of an answer. However, he wasn't going to get to hear it just yet. The door to the waiting room opened and the Lieutenant entered with Regal on his heels. Layle stood and Keiss stepped to the side to let them through the room to the office.
"Ah, you're already here." Spinosa nodded to them as he opened the door. "Come inside then."
Regal sneered at the two. He certainly did not hide how little he thought of them. The mercenary duo exchanged looks of disdain behind the rose haired Lilty's back as they entered the room. The lieutenant took a seat behind his desk and the three Mercenaries stood across from him, all ofthem waiting to hear what he had to say.
They stood there for what was probably the better part of five minutes, but to Layle it felt like it took forever. Finally, the man stopped shuffling through his papers and looked up at them. "I am happy to say, that the High Commander was quite pleased to learn Oides research and the military's own projects are no longer being hampered by train raiders." Keiss smirked and glanced at Layle out the corner of his eye. "And, he asked me to ensure that we keep the individuals responsible are on board for the rest of the project."
Layle inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Working for Spinosa meant not working for Oides. Which meant not being a possible candidate to test out his 'cure'. The further away he was from the stuff, the better.
"So, from this moment forward, Sir Regal," the Lieutenant motioned to Keiss and Layle, "These two will be working under you."
There was only a moment of silence before the room erupted into protest.
"Under! We don't need to be under anybody-"
"This must be a joke! You want me to take those two under my contracts? It's sick! Absolutely sick-"
"-He can't even do anything without us. We caught the thieves. He just got his ass-"
"-ey're nothing but a couple of delinquents I can handle it on m-"
"-handle it solo before I work with this ill-scented oni-"
"-andle the difficult missions and let him take the babysitting jobs!"
"SILENCE!" Everyone stopped shouting as the Lieutenant stood and crossed his arms in front of him. "Keiss, you want this job, correct?" The red head nodded. "And the same goes for your partner?" Layle just shrugged. The Lieutenant then turned his attention to Regal. "And Sir Regal, you want to stay on the military's contract, correct?" The mercenary nodded, but looked less than pleased. "Then you three will work together. Regal is in charge of the missions. Keiss and Layle, you follow his commands to the letter." The plum haired Lilty pushed a piece of blue paper across the desk. "Sign."
There was a moment of hesitation before Keiss leaned forward and reached for a pen on the desk, instantly Regal's hand shot out to take it from him. The two exchanged a dirty look, but the Lilty signed first. Then Keiss. Then Layle. "Excellent." The Lieutenant took the paper and looked over it smiling. "For your first mission… There is a mining operation taking place in the Eastern Wildlands," Spinosa reached into his desk, pulled out a file, and set it on the table. "Our current Crystal Research and Development team is out there mining for these."
Regal reached for the file, and this time Layle used his powers to yank it away right into Keiss' waiting hand. The boys smiled at him as they opened the folder and glanced at pictures inside.
"Those purple crystals are crystallized miasma. As it seeps into the ground and remains there, these crystals form. The development team is currently conducting research on miasma streams and need more samples."
Keiss thumbed through the folder before handing it back to Regal. "And how do we play into this?"
Regal snorted, "The equipment they use is military issued. Large drills that require a handful of people to operate." He pulled out a schematic of one of the drills and held it up. "I take it they need a new one?"
"Yes, the previous one has broken down. Regal you are to take a small crew and help them complete their mining expedition. Once it's done, bring the drill back. Be mindful of the monsters that lurk underground."
"Not a problem." He closed the file and smirked, "I'm sure my two new assistants are looking forward to clearing away the monsters."
Keiss and Layle looked at Regal, a bit annoyed before looking at each other and wondering if it was too late to back out.

By the end of the week the trio was well into their latest mission. Regal and a few soldiers operated the drill, that dug long wide tunnels into the earth and the cliff face's of the Wildlands. The Crystal Research crew would follow in their wake, collecting purple crystal bits and hammering away at the rock with smaller tools to collect samples. Their new director seemed a bit unorganized. According to Keiss Professor Piper had taken over when the former head of Crystal Research and Development stepped down, due to conflict of interest in the direction the military wanted to take the research. Though the man had experience and brains, he was all over the place. And so was his research team. It was quickly apparent why it was taking them so long to mine a few crystals.
And as for Keiss and Layle, as promised they were set on monster duty. However Layle found he could only rip apart a Skeleton so many ways before it became boring. "This sucks…" The Clavat bounced a former foe's skull over his head. Tossing it up and down, a few Killer Hounds watched in the distance waiting for him to drop it so they could eat.
"I know, it sucks…But look, today should be the last day." Keiss was sitting on a rock at the entrance to the new tunnel. They had started digging this one early in the morning, and the crew was now deep inside the mountain. According to Piper, there was a large deposit of crystals within this cliff. But every day the man changed where he thought the deposit was. "I mean surely…with all the tunnels they have drilled, they have to hit the mother load today." The red head took a knife from his pocket and aimed it at the skull. He let it fly from his hand knocking the bones from Layle's gravity field and into the waiting circle of hounds.
The Clavat sighed and joined him on the rock. "I hate Regal… monster duty… This is a sick joke."
"Come on, Layle," Keiss leaned over so his shoulder rested on his partner's; the Clavat moved away instantly, "He's only putting us out here because he's intimidated we'll show him up again…And are you going to keep doing that?"
"Doing what?"
Keiss shifted in his seat and leaned on Layle again. And again the other moved. He reached out to grab his arm and he stood up. "That! You've been doing that for three days."
"What? I like my personal space…"
Keiss glared at him and Layle just shrugged. He really did like his personal space. But he also knew he was purposely avoiding the Selkie's touch. Just as Keiss was about to protest again, the sound of a man calling to them came over the sand. They turned their heads to see a wagon coming up. In the passenger's seat was a lanky, disheveled Lilty in a lab coat and a straw hat. From under the hat blond hair poked out here and there, and if you were to yank it off, one would find a knot that looked similar to tiny cluster of peppers resting in the center.
The man stumbled off the wagon, not waiting for it to come to a stop before getting off. "Ah! Boys! Thank goodness someone is still out here…"
"Professor Piper!" Layle jumped on the conversation with the Lilty. Anything to not talk to Keiss. "Something amiss?"
The professor dusted off his coat and nodded, "Yes! Yes! I am afraid I gave Sir Regal the wrong coordinates…"
"…oh for Crystal's sake…" Keiss shook his head and muttered to himself. "…This job is going to take the rest of my life…"
"So you need us to send him the right way?" Layle helped the Lilty dust himself off.
"Ah, no, no, no…I sent them the right coordinates with to the drill's interface…but, it will take them some time to turn around. And I need some of the workers to prepare the rock…"
"We'll do it!" Keiss jumped from the rock. "Most of the ground workers are already poking around the tunnels. Layle and I can go to the location and start chipping away to get it cracked for the drill."
"Ah…oh…are you sure?"
"Yeah, Keiss, maybe I should go and you stay up here to guard for monsters."
"Nonsense! No monsters have come for hours…We can get there, gift a crack started, and be back to our post in no time. What do you say, Professor?"
"Well…If you are sure you can handle it. There are tools in the back of the wagon."

After grabbing up a shovel, a hammer, and a pickax, the duo set off down the tunnel. The Professor had provided them with a map so they would know which of the many tunnels to take and where to start digging. As they proceeded deeper and deeper into the rock, the dusty wind and bright light from the Wildlands faded away and was ultimately replaced with the dull purple glow of the coveted crystallized miasma.
"What do they want this stuff for anyway?" Layle asked as he kicked a small crystal down the path.
"Well, anything Spinosa is involved in is weapons research and development…Maybe they're making a weapon to get rid of miasma?" Keiss carried a lantern to light their way. Even though the purple light filled the tunnel, it was still a dull glow, no suitable to see very far. "I remember reading up on…some sort of machine that needs these crystals when I was researching what was being transported on the train."
"…You're nosy. You know that?"
"I could say the same to you, Crystal Bearer." Keiss stopped walking. "I believe this is it."
Layle pulled out the map, "Are you sure…I think we need to go down one more tunnel."
"No, he said six tunnels in, and then a quarter mile to right."
"But then he said five tunnels and to the left…but the map has the next one on the center marked off."
"Fuck it." Keiss set the lantern down and took the hammer from Layle, "We're starting here."
"What if we're wrong?"
"Then we are leaving this mission…four days of this. I've had enough," Keiss started to hammer away at the rock face.
Layle picked up the pickax and chuckled, "I think Sir Rosebush is just rubbing you the wrong way." He started to strike at the rock.
"Well! It wouldn't be so bad!" Keiss took a step back, "If someone would quit acting like I'm made of poison."
"What are you talking about?" Layle struck at the rock, and bits of it flew off.
"This whole trip you have kept a good two feet distance from me."
"Yeah well…" Layle struck the rock again, "We're working. And your mind usually isn't on work when you're that close to me."
"Is that what it is?" Keiss resumed hammering away, "Didn't peg you for a workaholic. I thought that was my job." Layle didn't say anything. He just kept focusing on the rock, watching it split and crack as they took turns striking at it. "What? Nothing to say?" Keiss watched as the Clavat took a step back and stared at the rock.
"…I think that's good. The crack runs all the way up…These rocks are surprisingly brittle…"
"…Avoidance again, huh?"
"Can we talk about it, back in Alfitaria?"
"Why not now!" Keiss swung his hammer at the rock, mostly out of frustration, "No one is here. If you're mad at me, you and I can have it out without worry of interference. OR if you want to tell me to just back off or keep at it, or what?"
Layle watched him hit the rock over and over again. And found he didn't have an answer yet. He was still back at that 'Now what?' point he was after the 'incident'. He turned his head to the side and absently scratched the skin around his crystal. 'So what is my answer?'
He turned back to Keiss when his brain alerted him to the fact the Selkie had stopped hitting the rock. Just as he turned his head he found Keiss was right next to his face. The red head was eying him suspiciously. It made him jump back, but he didn't get far. Keiss grabbed the sleeves of his jacket and pulled him forward into a kiss. It was a much shorter one than their previous lip locking session. As this time Layle responded by using his powers to knock Keiss back. Right into the rocky wall.
"Will you give me a second to breathe!" Keiss hit the wall and flinched. Layle had tossed him rather hard. "…Sorry."
"Oww! Damn, what was that for?"
"I didn't mean it…You startled me." Layle flexed his hand, "My powers react to how I'm feeling."
"Oh? Keiss leaned on the wall and smirked, "You threw me pretty hard…That's quite some feeling I cause in you."
"Ha-ha, very funny."
The Selkie shrugged and opened his mouth to say more, but as he did he felt the wall he was leaning against move. "W-what was that?"
"What was what?" Layle looked around.
"Didn't you just feel the earth moo-" Keiss' sentence dragged on as the wall behind the Selkie gave way and he tumbled backward. He could hear Layle shouting his name, in between feeling his body strike rock and skid along stone. He fell for a good ten seconds before he came to a halt just as suddenly as he had started falling. He landed on his side, and a few rocks continued to fall around him. Before he even opened his eyes, he could see a dull purple light piercing through his eyelids.
Slowly Keiss lifted his head, rubbing it and looking around. With his eyes open the purple light wasn't so dull. The Selkie slowly balanced himself and got to his feet. Laid out before him was a large cave, nearly every inch of it filled with purple crystals. They covered the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, creating a vibrant purple glow. He chuckled and rubbed his head.
"I knew I was right…"
"Keiss! Keiss! Answer me!" The Selkie turned around and looked up the way he came. He couldn't see Layle, but he could hear him.
"I'm alive!"
"Great! Don't go anywhere! I'll get help!"
"No, come down here…Don't worry it's like a slide. I found what we're looking for!" After a few moments of waiting, and worrying the Clavat hadn't listened to him, Keiss was greeted with the sight of Layle tumbling out onto the cave floor.
"Like a slide he says…" Layle got up frowning, but Keiss smiled at him. He watched as the Selkie waved his arm out over the room. "Well what do you know…"
Keiss turned from Layle and started to walk out among the crystals, "I'm sure with all this, they won't have to mine for a while."
"I sure hope not." Layle followed dusting himself off and looking at the large purple crystals. Some were as tall as he and Keiss, while overs were no bigger than his shoe. "I guess you were right about where to dig."
"I'm right all of the time."
"Most of the time." He stopped and leaned on a crystal, "So, we have to get Regal and make sure he comes here, or should we just take credit ourselves."
Keiss sat on a smaller one across from his partner, "Nah, we have better tell him were to dig… We can't get all this out on our own."
"Says who?" Layle turned and lifted a crystal with his powers. He rolled it in the air before flicking it loose. It flew across the room where it collided with another crystal and two broke apart into purple dust.
"Smooth…" The Clavat sat down next to him and looked him over. "What?"
"Making sure you're okay…that was a bit of a fall."
Keiss shrugged, "I've taken harder falls. Some you've been there for." The two sat in silence and Layle just nodded in agreement. They sat for a while, neither really sure why, just looking at the crystals and their reflections captured in them. Each wondering what the other was thinking about, and when they were going to get up and go find Regal. Finally Keiss slid off the rock.
"Come on…The faster this stuff is gathered, the faster we can go home." He looked over his shoulder at Layle, who did not get up. "Come on, Crystal Bearer…" Keiss turned around and tried to move forward only to find his body stopped. He tried to move again, but felt himself jerked backward. "H-hey!" he slid right back to the rock, and Layle, who wrapped his arms around him.
"…"
"…You usually hate when I do this kind of shit…"
"Yeah, but if I had accidentally…if something had happened to you…I was going to be really upset with myself."
Keiss chuckled, "Relax, Crystal Bearer. It's going to take more than that to kill me."
Layle smiled and nodded, before leaning forward and kissing his partner. This time Keiss was the one who was startled. So much so that he pulled back and looked confused. "What?"
"I think I have a concussion…"
"What!"
"You never move first. I must have hit my head…I'm actually bleeding back there on the ground, aren't I?"
"…Keiss, you asshole…" Layle pulled him forward again; this time the Selkie did mock him over the matter. Keiss put his hands on either side of the Clavat's face and kept their mouths pressed together. He could feel the Bearer's hands hanging onto his waist keeping their body's locked together too.
It started out simple. But much like everything else, Keiss could feel Layle taking over the kiss. He was fighting back against the other's tongue and lips refusing to submit. Partly because he was never one to let someone else take charge and the rest because he loved the challenge. And Layle was challenging. He leaned forward with his body weight trying to tip him off balance. He pushed forward and bit the other's lower lip. Layle's body leaned back slightly; but his hands continued to grab onto the Selkie pulling him back with him. Keiss broke the kiss when he tried to pull back to keep them standing upright. But found that his feet weren't touching anything.
"Hmn…huh?" He looked down and saw the top of the crystal he had been sitting on. "Whoa!" At once the ground was approaching, quickly, and he and Layle landed with a thud. Keiss looked up from the dirt to see Layle sitting up and rubbing his head smirking. "What was not funny!"
"…I didn't plan to do it…I told you…Emotions…Why do you think I keep them to myself?"
The Selkie sat up on his knees and frowned slightly. He pondered the situation for a moment and then smiled. He leaned forward and kissed the side of Layle's face, "That's okay. We'll just have to tie you down from now on."
Layle's expression faltered as Keiss pressed their lips together. This time, the Selkie felt the ground rumble beneath him and he pulled back with his hands up, "It was a joke!"
"That's not me…" Layle stood up. All around them the cave was shaking. Some of the crystals started to fall from the ceiling. He grabbed the Selkie's arm and pulled him up to stand with him as he made a shield to protect them from the falling rock. The rumbling continued for five minutes before finally, they could see the tip of the drill breaking through the opposite wall from where they slid in.
It continued in as the drill bit slowed down. Once the machinery stopped a few soldiers and Sir Regal came out from behind the drill. They looked around at the room pleased with themselves for locating it- before Regal set his eyes on Keiss and Layle standing in the middle.
"Hey there, Regal!" Keiss waved from inside Layle's gravity shield. "So nice of you to join us!"
"You two! Again! You're supposed to be at the entrance!"
"Yeah…" Layle shrugged, "Piper got tired of waiting so he sent us to get the job done." The boys started to laugh. Regal snorted and pointed to a solider.
"Be sure to include in the report how these two did not stay at their post!"
"Be sure to also include how we did in three hours what it's taken Regal three days to do. And that we still managed to clear the place of monsters." Regal sneered at them as he left, but Keiss and Layle continued to laugh.
Truth be told, Layle was a little upset Regal had arrived. He was starting to get used to the way Keiss tasted.
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The Crystal Rule