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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
- 57
- 58
- 59
Chapter Fifty-Eight

As Layle climbed the steps to the next floor he could tell Clockwork was right about him running into the guards. As soon as he stepped out onto the tile, he could hear the clanking of soldier's armor around the corner.
He waited for a moment listening, and after determining that they were coming around the hall towards him he started running.
The rooms on this floor were just like the previous ones. Locked up and closed off from the outside. There were more than likely other Crystal Bearers behind each one, but it would have to wait. He stopped at a crossroads in the hall and looked left and right before resolving to turn left. He took off down this corridor, it only had the locked door on one side and a long corkboard with notes posted up on the other.
If Keiss was here the Selkie would snag one and try to read it he was sure. Layle however didn't have time.
This path ended leading either left or right. He peeked down around the corners and saw a guard to the left. He had his back to him. Down to the right there was another stair entry.
"Right it is…" Layle eased out into the hall and slowly backed up, never taking his eyes off the guard. He did his best to move without his chainmail clanking and alerting the Lilty that there was someone else on the floor. He held his left hand back gently feeling about for when he was just in front of the door. As soon as his finger tips touched the metal surface, he turned around and opened it up. Layle slipped into the stairwell and used his magic to slowly ease the door shut without it slamming.
The Clavat took a look up, two sets of metal stairs and another door.
"The top must be where they take the Crystal Bearers…" He made his way up the stairs and using his magic again gently opened and shut the door.
The floor before him was like the last two, tiled floors, white walls, lights over head, the only difference was there were fewer doors. And these had little windows in them allowing anyone to look inside.
He approached the first one and looked through the door. The room on the other side reminded him of Oides lab back in Alfitaria. A few tables set up, with beakers and flasks on them. A large case filled with supplies, a whiteboard for notation.
"…But no Bearers…" Layle pulled away from the door and continued down the hall. Each room he looked into seemed to be for experiments, but he didn't see one that looked like it was where they would be treating the Bearers kept downstairs.
The gravity Bearer turned a corner down the hall and started walking. Perhaps something the next row over would more clues. Layle walked up the first door and looked inside. This one was a bit different. There were several large operating tables, and over head lights. And machines used for monitoring a person's vital signs were lining the walls. Not to mention a large tube filled with the Crystal Stasis fluid.
"Hello, an operating room." Layle put his hand on the door and pushed. It was locked of course. The Clavat shook his head and charged the door with a bit of his magic. He was ready to push it open by force when a noise caught his attention.
From the way he just came he could hear the distinctive clacking of armor.
"Great…" He backed away from the door and started quickly to move further down the hall. "I'll have to circle around." Layle turned down a hall and started running only to stop. At the end of the hall peeking out from around the corner he could see a shadow. And it was slowly getting larger. The Clavat took a step back and started to back track. He could duck across where the hall intersected and go back around the other path. He turned around and made it a few feet back to the bend in the hallway and glanced down it quickly.
The Lilty guard coming from that way had already entered the hall and was halfway to the turn. If he ran out he'd be seen.
Layle slid back along the hall and looked to his side. The solider that way was about to come around the corner.
Right across from where he was leaning on the wall there was a door with a window. Probably another lab room, but the lights were all out. Layle reached across the hall and put his magic to work right away, he wasn't going to wait and see if the door was locked, he was just going to open it the hard way. When the tumblers gave way, he pushed it open and slipped inside. Just managing to close the door as the two guards stopped at either ends of the hall.
He could hear them shouting to each other from one corner to the next, giving an all clear for their current walks. The Clavat slowly backed away from the door and out of sight from its window taking a deep breath.
"Alright…" He turned around looking the room over, "Where am I?"
The room he'd ducked into was much smaller than the others. There were no tables, no lab benches, no machines. Just large boxes with stickers on them indicating they were to be sent to an incinerator. He walked around them running his hands over the faces and looking about. The boxes were stacked as high as he was. What were they burning? Evidence of what went on here?
Layle took down a box and opened it. He expected a bunch of papers, or files, or plans for the doings of the research facility. Instead what came out was clothing. Piles of clothing, and purses, and shoes, and accessories. All of it personal items. Layle reached down and picked up a shirt opening up and holding it aloft. It was certainly of Clavat design and make.
"…Does this stuff belong to the patients?" He tossed the shirt aside and looked back at the boxes. There had to be at least two dozen of them. The Clavat used his magic to pick up the next one and flipped it over. As soon as it was empty he tossed the box. Layle picked through the clothing, his brow scrunched together and a slight frown on his face. "Nothing…" He grabbed the next box and dumped it as well. And then the next one. And the next one still.
He was ten boxes in, and growing more and more frustrated. "Nothing! Still nothing!"
The Clavat cursed at nothing and no one in particular before he stood up and waved his hand at the rest of the pile. Every box still sitting blew up into the air and clattered about scattering everything across the room.
The noise was so loud the guards patrolling the floor heard it and started racing toward the room.
Layle stood among the scatter clothing running his right hand through his hair and sighed. He scanned the piles of clothing, no longer angry, just exhausted. He knew he probably had to get out of that room quickly. There was no way the soldiers didn't hear him tossing that huge pile of boxes. He started to wade through the clothes when something caught his eye. Something in the room glistened. It was shinning out from a gap between two of the boxes he he'd thrown. The Clavat reached out with his magic and pulled it forward.
It whizzed through the air and into his hand.
A crystal shaped locket.
"…" Layle ran his thumb over the piece of jewelry. It was slightly cracked. And the chain for it was gone. He pulled open the hing and looked inside. On the left a man and a woman, with black hair and green eyes. And on the right two little girls with the same hair and eyes, nearly identical save for ones overly enthusiastic smile and one's reserved grin.
At the door the guards arrived shouting that for whomever was inside needed to come out and give themselves up. When Layle didn't move two of them kicked down the door and six men came running in, stepping on top of the clothes and kicking the boxes out of the way. They raised their guns and weapons at Layle shouting at him to drop the locket and give himself up.
The Clavat looked up at them from the photos in his hand. He slowly closed the locket while the guard in front continued to shout for him to stop moving. Layle tucked it into his jacket and looked them over.
"Any of you cast Silence?"
The guards looked at each other in confusion. The Lilty out front ordered Layle to quit stalling and put his hands up.
The Crystal Bearer smiled at them, narrowing his eyes as he did; He raised his hands, encasing them both in a gravity spell as he did so.
"Good."

Keiss made his way upstairs to catch up to Layle and Clockwork. Surely by now the Crystal Bearers had a good number of the patients freed and were about ready to get out of this place.
When he reached the housing floor, Keiss was greeted by several men and women all in plain white attire ready to pounce on him. They held up their hands ready to cast spells and send him flying.
"Whoa! Whoa!" He put up his hands, "Cool it, Crystal Bearers, I don't work here! I'm here to help!"
"Don't trust him!" One of the women spoke up, "She said to grab anyone that came through and lock them in a room!"
Two of the men started to approach Keiss and the Selkie pulled out his gun. "Do I look like a Lilty soldier to you! Back off!"
"Don't think you'll get the better of us with that weapon!" The men snarled at him. "Grab him and put him with the soldiers we caught!" The red head kept his eyes on them. They were going to try and rush him. There were about six bearers total in the hall. He could take them out easily. It would probably cause a bit of an argument later, but he wasn't about to be locked up while they waited for an explanation.
Keiss and the Crystal Bearers were ready to fire on each other when another voice called out, "You'd all better let him alone." The group turned their head to a Lilty man standing in the back. He shook his head at Keiss, "I've seen that Selkie take out more experienced fighters than you farm boys."
Keiss stared at the Lilty; had they met before?
"So he's not with them…"
"If he is," The Lilty raised his hand and turned up his palm, revealing it was the part of his body that was crystalized, "I sure hope they paid him more than that twenty-thousand gil he promised."
Keiss continued to stare at the Lilty confused, he did seem familiar, but he couldn't recall where. However he was grateful he called off the unnecessary fight. "Where's the Gravity Bearer and the Time Bearer?"
The Lilty jerked his thumb down the hall, "The lass is uphead, no clue where the other went."
"Thanks…" Keiss ran past them. As he rushed by the Lilty called out to him.
"When this is over, you ought to come back for another drink at the bar, Selkie. No brawling this time. I'll vouch for ya'!"
Keiss ran through the halls, past more Bearers patrolling the area making sure they got all the guards rounded up on their floor. The pirate lord's son found Clockwork up on the second floor helping the patients there seal up the guards in one of the hospital rooms.
"Clockwork! Where's Layle?"
She backed up from the door and the others to speak to him, "Did you get some decent info?"
"Will you answer me, woman!"
"You answer me first," She snapped, "Because that idiot is about to alert the rest of the guards that we're here."
"What do you mean he's about to-" Keiss' words were cut short by the sound of gunshots, shouting, and something causing the building to shake. Immediately after the alarms in the building went off. A loud siren filled the air and the emergency lights flashed red.
"You better get up to the top floor and help him!" She shouted over the alarm.
"And what about you!?" Keiss hissed at her, "What are you going to do!?"
"Someone has to lead these folks out of here, Keiss! Now that Layle has sped up the plan, I need to move them out!"
"While we stay and fight the guards… How convenient for you."
The lilac haired girl smirked at him. "You two always make it so easy for me."
The Selkie sneered at the woman before running on ahead. He should have known not to trust her. She'd get out with the prisoners while he and Layle were blamed for the whole thing. Of course.
"Of course!" He shoved open the stairwell door and looked up. Just as he started to run up the metal stairs the door to the top floor burst open and flew off its hinges. The door barreled down over the stairs and past the railing, followed by a large Lilty. The man toppeled head over heals down the steps, prompting Keiss to press his body against the wall and be well out of the soliders path. "Geez!" He looked up toward the door. Smoke was coming in from the hallway, there had to be a fire somewhere. "Layle… Hey, Layle, are you up there!"
He watched as the Clavat slowly made his way over the threshold of the door. He was looking strait ahead at the wall before him. Fist clenched at his side.
"Layle!" Keiss called to him again and the Clavat looked down at him. The Selkie felt his breath catch for a moment, the look on his face was grim. He wasn't sure if he was looking at him, or down the Lilty guard he'd just pelted, but the Clavat's slate colored eyes were narrowed as he glared down the steps. He looked like he could kill someone. Keiss shook his head, thinking he hand't gotten a look like that form the Clavat since his mother went missing. "Layle…" He didn't shout this time, "Layle, Clockwork and the others are ready to go…"
"Right." Layle grabbed the banister next to him and jumped over it. Keiss watched as he fell past him to the next floor and landed with the ease of his magic. The Clavat kicked open the door and without looking up and spoke back at his partner.
"Let's take this place apart, on our way out."
Keiss watched the Clavat move through the door and shook his head. Just what had he seen up there that had upset him so much? He jumped down the few steps he had climbed and ran out after his partner. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the guard. The man had landed upside down with his arms splayed out in front of him and his head to the side. He half wondered if he should check to see if the man was okay.
But then shook his head, landing like that, there probably wasn't a way to be okay.

Clockwork was already leading the Crystal Bearers in an assault against the guards. And by leading, that meant she was standing behind them shouting orders as they forced their way forward. She used her magic to cast Haste on the mob and Slow on the guards giving them a greater advantage.
She looked over her shoulder when Layle and Keiss arrived nodding, "You're here. Good. Once we're through these men, we'll down onto the next floor and-" Layle walked past her pushing through the mob of Crystal Bearers. She pressed her lips together in frustration before looking back at Keiss, "What is he doing? Did I not say we need to stay within the crowd to avoid detection?"
"I think its best if we just stay out of his way…"
Layle shouldered past the front row of Bearers using their magic to push the guards back. The men stared at him, but only for a moment before continuing their attempts to clear a path to the next floor. Once he was out front Layle took charge of the attack. He used his powers to start lifting and tossing the guards, throwing them back down the hallways and down the stairs that they came from. The men's shouts filled the hall as he slammed them into walls and each other knocking their weapons from their hands and their senses from their heads. He looked over his shoulder and told the others to cast their spells with him, and in tandem they started creating larger sets of magic.
Up and down the hallway, ice spells, fire spells, earth spells multiplied and grew until finally the last few remaining soldiers opted to retreat rather than fight Layle and the rest of the Crystal Bearers. The prisoners let out a cheer and started to move down to the next floor, with Layle leading the way.
The next series of halls were filled with soldiers set up to block them from escaping, and again the group started casting their magic, mixed with the gravity bearer's to push the guards back.
Clockwork and Keiss followed behind the group, they were sticking to the plan to do their best to remain hidden.
"He's going to get himself in trouble!" The Lilty scowled as they followed the angry mob through the floor.
"Yeah, but isn't he always in trouble?"
Layle continued to lead the assault by mixing his magic with the rescued Crystal Bearers'. Their combined magic created Blizzaga spells that froze over the entire hallway before them and the men within it. The Clavat prompted the group to keep charging forward toward the next set of stairs and down to the ground floor. The alarms were still going off over head.
"By the time we get outside there's going to be a ton of guards!" Clockwork turned to Keiss shaking her head. "Its going to be a bigger fight than I planned to get them all out of here."
"Ah well then," the red head smirked at her, "You better get up there to the front with Layle and fight with the rest of them!"
The lilac haired Lilty snorted, "Never."
As the group reached the ground floor the remaining guards were already falling back. They were firing as they retreated down the main hall of the facility and out the front door. From the hallway Layle could see bright lights outside and the shadows of backup arriving to deal with the Crystal Bearers. The Clavat held his arm out to the angry mob behind him making sure they stopped.
Keiss and Clockwork fought their way to the front and stood next to him looking outside.
"They'll start firing as soon as we hit those doors…" The Lilty crossed her arms.
"Layle can make a shield," Keiss looked to his partner, "Then their shots won't matter."
"Can you make one big enough to cover all of us?"
The Clavat had kept his gaze focused ahead. He reached into his pocket and pulled the broken locket slightly out, but never brought it up form his side. Layle ran his thumb over the crack and then looked back up at Clockwork.
"Without a doubt."
"Good!" She turned to the crowd and started shouting, "Listen up! We're going to have Layle stand in the middle! His powers will create a shield; I'll join him and make you all faster than you've ever been!" She pointed back towards the doors, "As soon as the spell is done, charge forward! Rush the doors with your bodies; use your magic without reservation! We're going to charge through their defenses and out into the city streets! From there scatter! Run and don't look back until you've fled the city understand!"
The captive Crystal Bearers all raised their hands and cheered.
"There's got to be at least five dozen of these prisoners, Clockwork… Aren't you worried some are going to be recaptured?"
"No," She shook her head, "Because we're not going to leave anything left. Come on." The Lilty started to push back through the group until she made her way to the center. Keiss and Layle followed, though the Selkie was uncertain on how she planned to take down this facility.
"Alright!" She raised her hands and pointed upward. "All Fire casters! I want you to cast your magic on the roof as you leave! All Earth casters! Use your spells on the ground, make this place shake!" She pointed ahead, "If you can cast Blizzard attack the fronts and sides! Freeze our enemy in place! Everyone else, attack the guards or fire at the building I don't care! Just level everything in your wake!"
As the groups cheered and the fire casters started to set the building ablaze.
"Wait," Keiss looked up at the fire starting to form over head. "Didn't you lock some guards up in the upper floors… And what about the ones Layle was fighting?"
"Sometimes," Layle spoke up without looking at Keiss, "You have to crush your enemy."
Keiss took a slight step back, just a bit terrified, but the Lilty laughed.
"Selkie, if you think of how many Bearers came into this facility and those men didn't think twice about what was being done to them, why should we think twice about what happens?" Villosie held out her hand to Layle. The Clavat took it and then held out his other hand to Keiss.
Keiss looked at his hand shaking his head. "Layle…" The Selkie grabbed his hand, squeezing hard. He didn't want to get swept up in the oncoming flash mob they were going to make.
Once he had their hands, Layle concentrated and let a gravity field spread out from around him. Clockwork added her own magic to the mix creating a Hastaga spell that took hold of everyone present. As soon as the edges of the barrier were past the edge of the mob, they started to charge forward. As instructed, the Crystal Bearers were blasting their powers forth without hesitation. The front doors of the facility blew off their hinges from ice spells blasting forward. The shots fired from the guards were deflected as they struck Layle's shield. The Lilties were frozen in place, or battered with wind magic, or flipped over from water spells. The building caught ablaze as a fire rapidly spread up from the bottom floor and its walls shook furiously as the ground rolled and split beneath it.
Crystal Bikes and military wagons were flipped on their sides and Chocobos were sent running as the mob charged forward attacking anything before it. Their magic froze, split and shattered the gate as they rushed forward; the trio remained firmly planted in the middle of the mob of white clothing and magic casting. As they tore down the street they encountered more guards and the Crystal Bearers continued to fight them off. However once they were past the gates, as the mob started to split up.
People ducked off from the group down alleys or ran down intersecting streets.
The further they ran from the facility the smaller and smaller the group's shield of bodies became.
"Alright boys!" Clockwork looked over at Layle, "Its time we part before we're caught!"
"Fine!" Layle nodded to her, "Were are we going?"
"You?" she smirked at him shaking her head, "I don't know!" The female Lilty abruptly stopped running and lifted her right leg. She swung it out at Layle to kick him in the side forcing him to release her hand. As soon as she let go her Hastaga spell over him was broken. "But me! Well, I'll see you around!"
"Clockwork!" Layle shouted at her as she backed up through the crowd. The Lilty cut through the dissipating mob and into an alley, leaving Layle and Keiss alone.
"She's getting away!" Keiss pointed down the direction she'd gone.
"You there!" The two turned back down the street, a few of the stragglers from the mob were running their way chased by a few guards. They were using their magic to slow them down.
"Aww, shit!" Keiss started running down the alley after Clockwork, but Layle held his ground. He used his magic to repell the guards chasing the last few Bearers and waited until they were past him and out of sight before he followed after his partner and Clockwork.
Layle ran through the dark and narrow alleys shouting Keiss' name. However the Selkie didn't respond. The Clavat found himself running into more soldiers or ducking out of sight form them as they raced about looking for the escaped Bearers.
"I've got to get off the streets…" The Clavat turned his attention to a fire escape on the side of one of the nearby buildings and used it to pull himself upward. Once on the roof the building he could see smoke rising up into the air from where the medical facility stood. There were still sirens filling the area, and he could see flashing lights here and there; alarms being tripped all over the city from the run away Bearers.
The Clavat ran his fingers through his hair, "What a mess…" Layle reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal locket. He looked out at the smoke rising up from the facility. If they had only come sooner. Thinking about it just made him feel like there was a knot being tied around his heart, trying to crush it.
He tucked it away and started running along the roof tops looking for his partner. But had no idea where Keiss had gone too. "He has to be making his way out of the city." Layle started to run out of the Military District hoping he'd catch sight of Keiss along the streets. He didn't but he did see more guards and Crystal Bearers fighting.
Occasionally he's stop and toss them into walls or trashcans giving the escappees the chance to flee.
It didn't take long for the guards to catch on that he was on the roof, and not long after his last stop, he discovered they were climbing up the ladders and sides of buildings to attempt to apprehend him.
"Haven't I already done a roof top getaway?" Layle resumed running with about half a dozen guards chasing him across the roof tops. At the end of the Military District there was a drop off in the height of the buildings. Ahead of Layle the rooftops dropped out of sight into open sky.
The next building was far across the street and three stories lower than the one he was on.
The Crystal Bearer flexed his hands as he approached the jump; he reached out his hand as he neared the end of the rooftop and extended his powers. Layle latched onto the side of the building and yanked. His magic held fast, pulling him at a downward angle across the main throughfare of the street.
From the below he heard a few guards shooting and they opened fire as he sailed over head. From across the way, the ones purusing him did the same.
The bullets tore through the air around him until he landed with a rolling fall onto the roof of a little merchant's building. He got up onto his knees and created a shield to divert the oncoming fire from the roofs across from him. Behind him the roof access to the building slowly opened and a guard crawled out. He raised his gun ready to shoot the Clavat in the back unexpectedly.
Layle only just caught the guard out the corner of his eye as he raised his gun to him. The Gravity Bearer turned raising one hand to knock the man off the roof when suddenly the guard dropped to his knees and was kicked over to the ground. Behind him Keiss stood panting and out of breath; his face slightly red from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.
"C-come on, Crystal Bearer!" He waved for Layle to get up and follow him. He didn't have to be told twice. Layle got up and ran after Keiss back down into the building he'd landed on. The redhead slid down the ladder leading from the roof and bolted across the floor to the stairs. His partner followed. The Selkie ran down the steps to the first floor jumping the last few; as Layle followed he turned his attention to the door to see it had been barricaded with a bookshelf tipped over on its side.
"This way!" Keiss ducked into a door leading out of the front room into the back the building. It was a decent sized kitchen, they were in some sort of restaurant. The Selkie burst out through the back door onto a side street, and before quickly looking about took off running. Layle followed him looking back over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.
The two ran on foot ducking and weaving through the market place back towards the eastern end of the city.
It was another fifteen minutes of dodging and hiding before they reached the walls of the city. Here the gate had already been stormed by a group of Crystal Bearers. The large gates of the city were ruined, one frozen into a solid block of ice with a guard half stuck in it, the other torn right off the wall and laying across the street. Under it there were a few men groaning and struggling to get free.
Keiss ran right over them, using the bars of the gate as stepping stones.
Layle stopped and looked down at them and then at the frozen blocks of ice around him. He remembered what Clockwork had said to him. What he had said to Keiss. It was obvious the other Crystal Bearers felt the same. They were mowing over whomever stood in their way. But didn't they have the right to? Look what the world had done to them. To Phelia.
"Come on!" Keiss stopped at the other end of the gate motioning for him to follow. His partner sighed and reluctantly followed him.
The two kept running until the gates of the city were out of sight. And each step they took made the weight on Layle's heart feel like he was being crushed just a little bit more.

Running for so long left Keiss feeling exhausted. Even for a Selkie it had been a long run. Or perhaps years of city life really were making him too soft?
The boys had run halfway back to the Rebena Te Ra ruins. And it was here along the side of the road that Keiss finally dropped to his knees panting. Layle came to a walk beside him and fell back to sit in the dirt.
Though the city was far behind them, even here they could still see smoke rising up into the sky.
Keiss pushed himself back to sit as well and turned his gaze upward. "H-hey… You don't think… All that smoke is one building do you?"
Layle looked back at the sign sky sighing, "Fire users, are not- not known- for their reservations." He shook his head.
"Oh, oh yeah?" Keiss tilted his head and rubbed the back of his neck, "And what- what about you? Uh? Back there at the facility?"
Layle shook his head again, "That- that was different."
"Different!" Keiss half chuckled as he reclined his body a bit more still trying to catch his breath, "Layle, you, you were tossing those guys, like you were trying to break their necks! And the guards you and Clockwork left trapped in a burning building!" The Selkie took a deep breath, "What made them so different? What makes you so- so different?"
The Crystal Bearer glared at him. He couldn't really think up a good answer, but he was ready to retort. Yet he would not get the chance.
"Sometimes!" A voice spoke to them from up the road, "You've got to use your anger, to crush your enemies!" The boys looked ahead; Layle sighed and Keiss groaned. "Isn't that right, Layle?"
"Clockwork!" The boys slowly pushed themselves to stand up as she sauntered down the road. "Damn you, woman. Don't you know when you're not wanted!" Keiss waved her off.
She smirked at the Selkie and held out her hand to him, "I had to come collect what information you'd gathered."
"Fuck off!" He turned away from her.
"Clockwork, why did you ditch us?" Layle crossed his arms.
"Come on now, boys, no hard feelings," she nodded to them, "You had to know, it would be too risky for all three of us to stick together."
"You stupid bitc-"
"Keiss," Layle cut his partner off, "Curse her later. Clockwork," The Clavat stared at her, "I want an explanation about that place. I want to know where Phelia is!"
"Fine," She nodded to Layle, "Follow me. The guards will more than likely be checking the roads. We'll talk back at the ruins." She turned and started walking up the road. No haste spell this time, not that Keiss or Layle felt they could handle another one.

Once they were back to the ruins, the boys were feeling like their breath finally caught up with them from running about the city streets. Though Clockwork didn't seem winded at all. This time rather than sitting and talking the woman continued to walk about the old buildings, seeming restless as she spoke.
"I'm sure by now you've both realized there are two versions of the cure being administered," they followed behind her as she weaved her way through an old courtyard. "One that does as Dr. Oides intended, and puts an end to a Crystal Bearer's powers. And one that the Militray has built upon behind his back."
"…But why?" Layle frowned at her back as she rounded a building, "What does it do? And what is it for?"
"It's a weapon, right?" Keiss spoke up. He was behind Layle and had come to a stop, "Piper had an office in that facility, but Oides had been removed. Piper is in charge of weapons development."
"Correct!" The boys turned their attention to where Clockwork was now standing, atop a ruined wall. "You've seen what Piper can do with Oides' stasis fluid didn't you? You saw it in Alfitaria in the basement and at Conall Curach..."
Keiss peered at the Lilty woman, "How did you know about the basement in Alfitari-"
"A weapon for what!?" Layle shouted at her, fed up.
Clockwork turned her back to them and looked up at the old temple looming over the grounds. "Tell me, boys, do you know why the Military stopped its research on weapons development years ago?"
"There was an accident," Keiss walked forward to stand next to Layle. "With an experimental reactor."
"Yes, that's right… Everything came to a halt that day. But even though research stopped officially, it has always continued." She jumped down from the wall and out of sight. The two mercenaries looked at each other before rounding the wall to follow her.
"That accident was the result of a very real and present danger to the Lilties' might! There is just not enough energy to go around!" The two looked around the area, there were several walls stretched out before them. Old buildings and homes that had long since fallen, but their walls made a structural graveyard maze. The time wielding Lilty's voice drifted through it.
"Even if everything came to a stop, new power sources must be found!"
"That's right… That was in Piper's report." Keiss walked forward looking around the walls, "Crystal Shards are depleting faster than they can be recharged."
"So what?" Layle followed his partner, "They want to use Crystal Bearers to recharge the shards?"
A loud noise filled the air. The sound of the Lilty shouting 'wrong' in response to Layle. She came into view sitting on another roof, "Don't be so hopeful. The Military doesn't think in terms of peaceful energy recover first. They think in terms of expansion." The Litly crossed her legs, right over left, with her right leg bobbing up and down. "Expansion and exploration, but in order to do that, you need the means to do so."
"You need a ship?" Layle asked.
"No, you need several ships," Keiss nodded. "You need more airships, more power, more weapons to explore the edges of the world."
The Lilty looked down at him and nodded, "But the edges might be too far…" She looked back at the temple, "Selkie you said this ground was sacred to your tribe. Even the boldest of criminal wouldn't dare loot here."
"That's right."
"Do you know of any place else, that is held to such high esteem, to the Selkies?" She waited for him to answer, but Keiss said nothing. "Let me tell you something, Selkie, Crystal Bearer, the Military used to believe there was another energy source out there… One that used to reside here in Rebena Te Ra. One that's written about in Selkie fairy tales and old fables. One that many believe is the same power written about in Caravan Chronicles that was used to pierce the strongest miasma streams. An unlimited power source, hidden out there in the world. And if the Military had it, then Crystal Shards and reactors would be a thing of the past."
"And that's why they want to expand. To counter the Kingdom's inevitable energy crisis?" Keiss crossed his arms.
Layle watched as Villosie stood up, "Yes, but, using Crystal Shards for Military expansion has been denied by the council and King. It has been since the accident. All projects involving Crystal Shards usage now is for civil and public works, strictly. Such as-"
"Such as making a cure for Crystal Bearers…" Layle frowned. "So what happens to them? Those that are 'cured'? Where are they sent, Clockwork!"
"Where does all of it go, Layle? Spinosa and the Generals are working on a demonstration for the High Commander, one to show they've found away to power and arm themselves without Crystal Shards. A demonstration the High Commander will show the King in time and they will pick right back up where they failed years ago. You want to find, Phelia and the rest… Then we go to where Dr. Oides' materials from the facility were sent to."
"Back to Kilanda?" Keiss shook his head, "I was up and down the island! There's nothing on there!"
"Did you go in the volcano?"
Keiss curled his nose at her sputtering.
The Lilty nodded with a smirk in return. "To Kilanda's Volcano. That's where we'll find the fruits of your labors for Spinosa."
"And Phelia?!" Layle shouted at her.
"…" Villosie turned her back to the two of them, "You know… Years ago during my studies, I tried to find it. That power that the Militray so wanted. And a Selkie stood in my way… There is not a day that goes by that I don't think that if I hadn't just crushed her, then they would have never turned to exploiting Crystal Bearers. Because of that failure, they sought other means to gain power. To expand the Kingdom…" The two watched as she jumped over the wall again and disappeared.
"If you want to find Phelia, Layle, then meet me back in Alfitaria! Just you! And you alone!"
Layle bolted around the wall and looked about. The Lilty was gone.
Keiss walked up beside him and put his hand on his partner's shoulder, "Come on, Layle, we've got work to do."
"…Where do we even go now? How do we get back into Kilanda?"
"We go see the doctors. Oides who made the cure, and Cid who made the reactor that failed all those years ago."
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The Crystal Rule