Destruction Preventer: Lunar Salvation

Destruction Preventer: Lunar Salvation
Chapter 16 – Troian Beauty

~

"He slew Cagnazzo. You know what to do, Kain."

Golbez' voice still spoke directly to him, despite the miles that separated them.

"Meet them in the sky. They must be kept alive until they are done, and we have our hands on the last crystal. Explain to them exactly what they must do."

Kain looked up to the skies. "That we will trade Rosa for the Earth Crystal."

"Good boy. Do not fail me."

The voice sent chill down his spine. He knew better than to fail.

~

"I did not imagine an airship would be that large."

Yang rose his head up high. The flying ship was huge. He extended his arm to touch the wood, as if to make sure it was real. "Simply amazing."

"It is, isn't it?!" Cid puffed out his chest proudly and patted the ship as well. "This is my new baby: the Enterprise! It'll safely fly us to... ... ..." He turned to Cecil. "Where are we headed next, boy?"

Cecil stopped in his tracks.

Having a destination would indeed prove useful.

The knight quirked his brows and turned to face Cid. "I... I have no idea. We could always head to Troia, though I fear Golbez has another trap in store for us. Either ways we need to move. Idling here will not get us anywhere."

Tellah set an unsure foot on the access ramp. Sturdy or not, he didn't feel safe. "So you tell me this ship can sail the skies..."

"Hell yeah it can!" Cid gave the sage a firm forward push. Tellah yelped and, once he regained his lost balance, smacked the engineer with his cane.

He would have felt safer on the deck... if only Cid hadn't started the engine. Immediately, Tellah reached for the railing and clung to it for his dear life, while Yang leaned on it. As for Cid and Cecil, flying was a second nature – Cid stood at the wheel and controlled the ship, while Cecil casually laid his back on the mast, clearly unfazed by the craft's jerky movements.

Above them, the dock's hatch opened. Tellah, who had previously closed his eyes in an attempt at blocking this strange feeling of flying, found himself in a similar position to Yang's – bent over the rail, staring right at the ground, eyes wide open.

"C'mon baby, let's show him, eh?" Cid gave the wheel a well-deserved pat as they went up, past the upper ground... the castle's stone flooring...

The airship hadn't even made it into the skies, when a strange object drew Cecil's attention.

"Wait!"

The order took Cid by surprise – he jerked the leverage throttle up to slow down their ascent. "What is it, boy?"

Yang's reddish brown eyes went from the ground, to the skies. "That's-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Tellah did it for him.

"-A white flag?!"

Cecil mumbled absentmindedly. "A white flag..." Who in the world had access to another airship-

"Golbez." He reached for his sword handle and unsheathed the sharp blade. "I say we pay them a visit, Cid."

The engineer nodded, and manoeuvred his ship in the other's direction. "Roger that, boy!"

As the enemy ship grew closer and closer, Cecil became nervous. His breath hitched up a notch as he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor, sapphire eyes locked on the craft. He needed to be on his toes. Golbez most likely had monsters on board, or worse – another of his fiends.

Or Kain.

He could see the spiky dark blue armor, the blond hair flying in the wind, his father's lance... but nothing else remained of his best friend.

It pained him. Cecil swallowed hard and loosened his grip on the blade. 'Why do I have to be weak to him? He's my enemy, yet I cannot hate him...'

A bridge lowered between both crafts. Kain gracefully strode forward, unaffected by the height. There was an odd amount of pride in his behaviour; puffed shoulders and chest, long strides, head up high...

And still, Cecil could feel hatred oozing from him.

The first words spat by Kain didn't help.

"Nice paladin drag, Cecil..."

Humiliated, Cecil's gaze drifted away for a few seconds. He balled his fists – lightly – and closed his eyes. He settled a few feet away from Kain, making sure to stay out of his spear's range.

He wanted to say something – anything. Yet words clogged in his throat. He was left utterly speechless.

"Kain, boy, what's gotten into you?!"

He barely registered Cid rushing to his left. The man's usual smirk had faded, replaced with a concerned frown.

Cecil swallowed again and blinked a few times before finally speaking up. "Where is Rosa?" He nearly slapped his own forehead for that question. She wasn't even his main concern, and he was sure he'd pay for it soon enough.

There was a slight change of expression on Kain's lips. Cecil couldn't tell if it was a disgusted sneer, or an evil smirk. "If you wish to see her alive, you'll fetch the Earth Crystal for me."

Sapphire eyes went wide. Surely he couldn't require that...

Then again, Kain's orders probably came off Golbez. He couldn't put it past the warlock.

"Such a foul play..."

Cecil's eyes remained on Kain's frame, searching for a sign this might indeed be foul play. Or bluff.

The dragoon brought his spear down and leaned on it. "If you value your life, as well as your companions', you'd best hurry. I'll make contact."

Panic took over Cecil's very soul. Kain was not bluffing. His arms shook, and his knuckles soon turned white from clutching his sword. His breath hitched again. Hyperventilating, he fought to keep on both feet.

Not out of anger, but out of pain.

"How dare you!" Even though Yang now stood to his right, his voice was distant.

"This meeting is over." In one swift movement, Kain had turned his back on Cecil, leaving the man with mouth agape and devastated.

'I can't be weak. I have to fight...'

Before the bridge was withdrawn, Cecil took a step foward and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Open your eyes, Kain! Look at what you're doing!"

The dragoon didn't turn back.

Cecil scoffed in disbelief and turned around, at a loss for words.

'Get over it,' he begged to himself. 'He doesn't care for you anymore. Why should you?'

'Because I love him...'

'Stop Golbez first. Then you can think about being in love with a man who wants you dead.'

Ignoring his own feelings, and determined to put an end to this, he sheathed his blade. "Cid, we go for Troia. Set us a course for the northwest."

~

The trip to Troia had lasted a few hours. Cecil spent most of these mentally arguing with himself over his feelings for Kain; the others, he made futile attempts at resting or eating. His only consolation was that he had been left alone during the trip, thus didn't deal with giving an explanation to the other men.

But once he set a foot in the city of Troia... all his worries dissipated into thin air.

Large, pearly white buildings made the city twice as bright as any other. Men and women – mostly women – busied themselves, carrying bags, food, colorful clothing, and even sported weapons. Still, the atmosphere was definitely more laid-back than Baron City's.

Cecil's sapphire eyes fluttered everywhere, unable to stay focused on anything for more than two or three seconds. He had been here a few times, and every single time, it had been the same.

Except now, he got salutes from the soldiers.

Considering Troia's entire army corps was female...

"Ain't that funny, boy? These gals think you're one of them!"

Cecil threw an annoyed glare at Cid, who bore his trademark grin. If Kain had been around, he would have never lived this down.

"I'll try to find an apothecary. We're running low on rations," Tellah stated, after checking his item pouch.

Cecil nodded towards the wizard. They needed to stock up. "Sounds good to me. But don't take too long. We'd best hurry, as Kain said." This statement left a sour taste in his mouth.

Yang stepped forward, also showing desire to explore on his own. "Then allow me to check for weapons."

Cecil's shoulders dropped. There was no arguing with the others. After all, he could use some time on his own as well. "Meet back at the central square in an hour," he warned, before heading off.

~

"Psssst."

Cecil turned his head left and right.

Nothing.

"Hey, pretty boy. Over here!"

He turned back...

... And froze in place.

He took on a very puzzled expression, directed at the lady standing in front of him.

She was maybe around his age – in her early twenties, maybe even younger – and also around his height. Her long pink hair was braided into pigtails with large red ribbons, which fell over her thin shoulders. She wore close to nothing: a two-piece swimming suit or underwear, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her full breasts jiggled with every move... and boy did she move.

Why most men were attracted to women, he had no. Fucking. Idea.

"... Yes?"

She grinned and slithered to him, hips swaying left and right. She shoved her breasts in his face in the process. "Bet you like what you see."

"Errr..."

The girl put a single finger to his lips and curled against his frame. Shocked, he couldn't think about backing up. He simply remained idle, at a complete loss.

"Don't say it! I can tell in your eyes."

Mixed signals: was he sending them, or receiving them?

"You want to see me dance." Big purple eyes looked him over. The gal grinned even more.

"Actually I'm in a hur-..."

But she never gave him a chance to finish. She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to a back alley, then pushed him against a white wall.

'Dear heavens... save me...'

She pulled away from him and swayed her hips around. She was graceful in every move; she spun around on her legs.

Cecil could only stare at her as she performed, often getting awkwardly close to him. He had his share of maidens getting close to him, but he had never felt comfortable with the opposite sex – and to some extent, the same sex as well.

The moment she struck her final pose, he made the mistake of substituting the woman for Kain.

Out of everything he could picture, or couldn't rather, it was Kain dancing in that raunchy, sexy way.

His cheeks flushed red. He gave her a silly, embarrassed smile and bowed in respect, then extended his arms in defense. "It's been fun and all, but I really, really have to go now. Thank you."

As he ran away, the dancer quirked a brow.

"Too bad, he was kinda cute..."

~

Cecil stumbled out of the back alley. His cheeks were still tainted with red. His messy silver-white hair clung to his face, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. A few passerbys had stopped to stare at him, puzzled brows knitting.

He leaned on a wall and took a deep breath, glad the ordeal was over.

Or so he thought.

With the exception of two men, the small crowd had moved along. Now, he was faced with Yang and Cid, who were nearly doubling over in laughter. Annoyed, he slapped his palm on his forehead. "You two won't let me live this one down, will you...?"

Cid's hearty chuckle rose to his ears. "Come on boy! I have to admit it was funny, seeing you bothered like that. I won't tell Rosa."

Cecil gave the engineer a death stare. Here it came, once again.

"Good."

"By the way," Yang cut off, "shouldn't we get going to the weapon shop?  Why don't you come with us?"

The knight took a moment to mull the suggestion over. "I'll accompany you for a little while, then I'll see exactly how we can get a hold of the last Crystal. Someone in this town surely knows where it is. Though the answer may lie at the castle."

"There's a pub by the shop. Maybe you could head there and check," Cid suggested as they walked down the street. "Y'know how pubs are."

Cecil nodded. Rumors flowed as much as liquor did – it wouldn't take too long before he'd gather information. Or so he hoped.

~

Cecil Harvey had never been a tavern guy. Or a pub guy. Or anything involving major alcohol consumption. A beer every now and then didn't hurt, but he was sure "every now and then" didn't apply to a weekday morning.

As he reached for the doorknob, something tugged at his cape. He turned around. If it was that dancer from earlier...

He lowered his gaze. Sapphire eyes widened as he assessed the figure in front of him. Pudgy little frame, rabbit hears, red cape and hood... and a pair of huge, pleading blue eyes. Cecil cocked his head and quirked a brow, thoroughly confused.

"Sir Knight, I need your help!"

Well, whatever this thing was... had gotten his gender right. Good start. Cecil let go of the doorknob. "So how may I help you?"

"Follow me. We can't talk here." The rabbit-like creature skittered to the nearest back alley, and motioned Cecil to come over. Still confused, the paladin obeyed. He soon found himself crouching in front of the... ... ... what was that thing anyways?

"You see... I've got a bit of a problem right now. I asked two beautiful ladies on dates... except I've scheduled both dates at the same time."

Cecil nodded. It hadn't been the smartest move he had ever heard of.

"And you look like you could help me out. Could you go inside the tavern and distract the barmaid, while I take the other lady for a nice walk? I won't be gone too long!"

Well, if said barmaid had information to give him, he'd gladly pretend to show interest. Killing two birds with one stone. "Okay. I'll do it."

The creature smiled and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, knight, thank you! I'll meet you at the tavern after I'm done." With this, it skipped back out from the alley, leaving Cecil on his own. The paladin sighed and exited the alley as well.

'Kain was right. I'm too nice.'

He took a deep breath and proceeded inside the tavern.

For a weekday morning, the area was quite crowded. He made his way to the counter and took a seat beside a burly man. The barmaid barely noticed him, and he waited a good minute before calling her over.

"I'm sorry, but could I trouble you for some milk?"

Said barmaid walked to up him. She gave him a highly dubious stare; what kind of man orders a glass of milk at a tavern?

On second thought, maybe it hadn't been a good idea.

The lady didn't ignore his request. She went in the next room. She came back with a glass of fresh milk, then handed it to him. "Anything else?"

He gave the lady a shy smile, and opened his mouth to say 'no thanks.' However, his brain took over; he had to keep her busy after all. "Say... do you know anything about a crystal in this city?"

Her pretty face lit up. "Oh! The one at the castle! Apparently well-guarded by the army. Some sort of national treasure from what I hear. The knights that come here say it looks real pretty too."

There would be no sneaking in for his little team. They'd have to go through the Epopts – the eight female regents of Troia – and make sure to gain their trust.

"It shines a soft blue, they say," she continued. "But that's about all I know. With all the conversations going around, I get lost easily. Is it what brings you here?"

Cecil shook his head. "No. My friends and I decided to travel around the world. We were interested in its lore, considering Fabul has one also." He had a tough time keeping his cool, and he was afraid to crack if she kept talking. "One of my friends is native of Fabul."

But he had to keep her entertained. So he played along.

"I noticed the armor... is that why you don't drink alcohol?"

No, not at all. He simply didn't want to deal with the after-effects of alcohol so early in the day. "Yes. Even here, I'm still a knight. I must do my best in representing the kingdom of Baron," he lied. His cheeks took a light red tint.

"I wish I was a knight," she admitted. "But my father has me working here instead."

Cecil nodded. Women here had a different mentality. Baron women were into magic and protecting their lovers with it. Very few wielded swords, in fact, Cecil didn't even know a single female knight in Baron. He had found records, which dated years before his birth, and that was about it.

He was about to mention those records, when something red came into his vision. The red-hooded little creature was back from his first date.

"Ah, my dear lady! Sorry to be late, something important came up. I'm free right now," he said with a wink.

The knight nodded in their direction, and eclipsed from the scene.

Right into a young man.

"Stella!"

He couldn't even say a word before the man literally threw himself in his arms.

"Stella! I love you..."

Baffled, Cecil stared at the man in front of him.

"Stella, my dear..."

He remained stunned and speechless. The man hugged him tight. Was alcohol involved or was he just that pretty?

A pair of gray eyes rose to him, scanning him from head to toe. "Let's go somewhere more priv-..." The gray eyes narrowed as he furrowed his brows. "Wait..."

Cecil's wide eyes narrowed as well.

"You're not really a woman, are you?" The man's cheeks turned to a deep shade red as he cowered. "I'm so sorry sir..." Cecil was finally let go of, and he scurried away from the creep.

Same-sex interactions weren't any easier than opposite-sex ones...

He came out right in time for Yang and Cid to join him. Both men carried weapons for the whole party.

"How was your search for information?" Cid asked as he handed the knight a brand new sword. "Hope you figured something out..."

"I did. Let's meet up with Tellah at the inn. I'll explain everything."

~ To be continued... ~