Chapter IX: Hostages

Odessa stopped at the foot of the stone-carved flight of stairs she stood before and gave the area behind her a hard glance. The others had gone ahead of her, clearing the way to the second floor where they would meet up with the others, Fated intrepidly leading the way. Where bravery ended and foolhardiness began, however, Odessa could not say, but she appreciated that the young Paladin, even in the face of so much over the past few days, retained his desire to prove himself to the group. Behind him, Atin and Esane, both of them with their enormous weapons at the ready, carefully followed him up the staircase. Eyeing Esane’s long-handled scythe and the length of the blade on Atin’s great katana, Odessa shuddered inwardly at the thought of being so close to the violence which came along with their line of work. She much preferred her magic to her mace.

A long and thorough search of the first floor had revealed nothing which gave them any clue as to what had happened to the Yagudo. As far as they could tell, the entire castle had been completely deserted. They had seen some weapon marks scarring the rocks in the walls around the serene ponds which they had been somewhat startled to discover within the castle grounds, and here and there a deep blue feather marked the passing of one of the birdmen, but they had not seen a single live Yagudo, or a corpse, for that matter. Where they had gone remained a mystery. Decay and Eig, the final two members of Odessa’s group, moved to the top of the stairs even as Atin and Esane fanned out to either side above them, Esane brandishing his scythe. Atin scanned the hall they had entered for a moment, and then slid his great katana into a defensive position, still not looking very relaxed.

“This looks clear as well.” Odessa heard Fated say as she entered the second floor. The exact size of Oztroja was unknown to all but the Yagudo, but it still felt like it had been forever in clearing even the small section of the first floor they had searched. The place was even more enormous inside than it appeared from without. “Should we move forward?”

“We haven’t heard anyone cry out,” Decay responded, “but for all we know that just means the Yags or the demons got to them before they even knew it.”

Atin fingered the hilt of his sword nervously at those words. “You think so, Decay?” He inquired pensively.

“How should I know?” The Hume countermanded. He sensed the atmosphere around him and relented in his harsh tone a bit to continue “I’m sure they’re fine. We would’ve heard something if they weren't”

The Samurai relaxed a little, but Odessa could still feel the tension in the air. No one knew exactly what was going on, and it had them all on edge, to say the least. Eig fingered the strings of her harp for a moment, producing a few random notes. Odessa felt none of the usual surge of magic through the air she knew the Bard was capable of producing through the instrument, and realized Eig was only strumming to keep her mind off of other things.

As for Odessa herself, the silver-haired Elvaan woman only clutched at the blooming sleeves of her white-and-red robes. She had certainly been fearful the past few days, but she had to ignore her own misgivings for now for the good of the group. Save for Decay, the people she had been charged with were unfamiliar to her, and she knew that a show of confidence from her could make all the difference in their morale. She had to keep it together, to try and focus on the future rather than what the last few days had ingrained in her memory. She would have plenty of time to break down after she had saved the lives of everyone else. That was her job, after all, protecting others.

Almost as if to drive the point home to herself, Odessa began lightly chanting the words to a spell which caused the air around those near her to shimmer and gleam as a ward of magic suddenly materialized. As she spoke the words, it became visible, but as soon as she had finished, it faded from sight as if it had never been there at all. Anyone attempting to reach them now, however, would find themselves confronted with a spell which breaching would be like pushing through a wall. She continued her spell, and soon a green aura blinked briefly into existence and then out again, accompanied by several very pronounced spheres of orange light. The protection spells laid out, Odessa raised her head, looking at her companions.

“Just a precaution,” she told them with a slight smile. They gave no immediate response, but a moment later the sound of music filled the air, and Odessa felt a rush within her as Eig’s magical melody replenished her strength. She had never been quite clear on how Bards turned sound into sorcery, but their usefulness could not be denied. Decay, however, stomped over to the Mithra and slapped the harp from her hands with an angry grunt.

“Shut that thing up,” he said in a frustrated tone. “Or do you want to announce where we are to anyone who might be listening?”

“I was just trying to – “ Eig began, but Decay cut her off.

“Just try to have a little sense about your surroundings, Bard.” Decay warned. “We still don’t know what will and won’t get us killed here. Just try to keep quiet, and – “

Decay spun around, as did they all, with a jump and a cry as a loud crash came from directly next to them. They gaped to see Atin, an expression of guilt on his face, standing next to a shattered Yagudo vase whose pieces now littered the ground at his feet.

“My bad.” The Samurai offered apologetically.

Decay stared at him for a moment blankly, and then advanced upon him, visage filling with more anger by the second, but then halted.

“Wait.” The Red Mage said. “Did anyone hear that?”

They all paused. Odessa’s pointed ears twitched, and she immediately knew what Decay was talking about. Somewhere from down the hall, there was the sound of claws scraping against stone. The dragging noise halted for a moment, as if it were aware it had been detected, and silence permeated for a long moment before it started up again, growing louder as it came closer to the six at the top of the stairs.

Eig’s fingers nervously reached for her dagger, and Odessa felt magic well up in the pit of her stomach like an instinct, ready to be called upon should it be needed. Fated raised his shield, fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, and Esane and Atin immediately took up position behind him. Whatever was coming their way had claws on its feet, and they had all seen plenty of times by now that clawed appendages were a signature characteristic of the demons which had invaded their land. The darkened hallway became the focus of all of their attention, and Odessa’s nerves stood on end as suddenly a figure emerged into the dim light they could perceive.

It was a Yagudo. Taller than average, the blue-feathered beastman entered into the light and sent a wave of confused emotions through the group. On the one hand, it was no demon. On the other, a Yagudo might not be much better. The dragging sound, they realized, was the echo of the birdman’s talons across the stone floors. Its leg was inured, but it gave no indication of caring. The Yagudo stopped where it was, cocking its head to one side as it looked at the group of Those Guys, features unreadable.

“You are no demons.” It said finally, words like a snarl coming from out of its beak.

The sentence gave them all pause, but after a series of exchanged looks, Odessa stepped forward – yet not so far forward that she was in front of Fated’s thick shield. “No,” she said to the Yagudo, “we aren’t. My name is Odessa, we have come to Oztroja seeking refuge from the demons. Did they attack here as well?”

The Yagudo regarded them all for a long moment, its avian eyes pausing over each one. Scraping its talons against the ground again, it responded. “I am called Mee Deggi. I am called the Punisher. I brought my claws to bear against the horrors from the nightmare world, but still many died before they were driven away. It was thought that they were a blight sent to us by Tarutaru.”

“No,” Odessa started to say, preparing to explain the situation, but Mee Deggi cut her off with a swift sweep of his blade through the air, the wings stretching forth from his arms flaring outwards.

“It was thought,” he continued, “and has yet to be disproved. Such is not for me to decide.”

“What?” the White Mage said, confused, but then she gasped as from the shadows behind Mee Deggi, Yagudo burst forth. The others yelled in panic and surprise, but the feathery cloud swarmed over them in an instant.


“Now then,” Danienne said sweetly, “what was your name again?”

The Yagudo pinned under the weight of the woman’s fearsome scythe gave a weak cry of protest, but then squawked out loud as Danienne applied more pressure. “Quu Domi!” it shouted out. “I am Quu Domi the Gallant.”

“Gallant,” Baeladar scoffed, very consciously running a gauntleted hand down the face of his armor. “Nothing very gallant about a sneak attack on a group of unprepared strangers, is there?”

Indeed, the Yagudo warriors who had assaulted them had appeared in the midst of a smokescreen in the dark, attempting to take the small group by surprise. They had been unprepared for the magic unleashed by their targets, however, and Baeladar had to admit he had been very impressed by how quick on their feet his charges had been. Liyah, Konstantine, and Darutaru had all been quite remarkable, and the swiftness at which Celeres had assaulted their attackers had been no small feat either. Groaning or unconscious all around them were their would-be-ambushers and the leader who had provided the ninjutsu stealth arts they used in the first place now occupied the ground beneath Danienne’s great weapon.

“This is the last one.” He heard Celeres say, and turned to see the monk’s fist giving a hearty jab to a still-stirring Yagudo, solidly sending it into a forced slumber. The others gathered around him and Danienne, forming a circle around the one who identified himself as Quu Domi.

“You would attack us; after all we have been through.” Quu Domi spat out disdainfully. “The treachery of man knows no bounds.”

“You attacked us, friend.” Baeladar responded threateningly, his mighty blade Durandal still at the ready. “We came to this place seeking asylum, we were more than prepared to talk, but we will defend ourselves as well.”

“Asylum?” barked the Yagudo in what appeared to be a laugh. “You think we would grant shelter to those who unleashed the nightmare world upon us?”

That gave them all reason to pause. The World of Nightmares was what Dynamis was called in the ancient legends.

“You were attacked?” Baeladar said cautiously.

“No one would be foolhardy enough to open the gate of the nightmare world save one of the children of Altana. You released the horror upon us.”

“Not us,” Baeladar replied, “but if you were attacked, then we’re in the same boat. We can help each other.”

“The Yagudo need no help from outsiders.” Quu Domi replied disdainfully.

“Baeladar,” Danienne said, turning her eyes on the Elvaan. “He wasn’t coming to kill us. He was defending Oztroja from more demons. There’s more going on here than we know.”

Baeladar nodded. “Get him up,” he ordered, and Celeres quickly grabbed one of Quu Domi’s feathered arms, lifting the Yagudo to his feet. “Our friends are here, too.” Baeladar said, looking the Yagudo in the eyes. “Could they have been attacked?”

“Most assuredly they have.” Quu Domi said. “It is possible they are alive, so that they might be brought to be questioned for their actions against the Yagudo.”

“Wonderful.” Baeladar muttered. He knew the methods for “questioning” used by other religious fanatics, and the Yagudo were no different. “You’re going to take us to wherever they would be taken, Quu Domi.” Baeladar said in terms that let it be known he was not asking.

“Very well,” Quu Domi said, surprisingly acquiescent. His beak curled into what could be construed as a smile. “I would have taken those of you who survived there myself anyway.”

“Then we’re in agreement,” Baeladar replied sardonically. Celeres turned Quu Domi around as Baeladar sheathed his sword, taking step next to their prisoner. “Tell me the name of the person we’ll be seeing.”

Quu Domi let out a chilling chuckle. Whatever he thought his situation to be, it would seem that he was not worried at all when armed with the knowledge that they willingly wished to see his master. “For issues of judgment pertaining to unnatural acts, only one may pass down sentence.” The Yagudo’s eyes narrowed as he walked forward, barely needing to be kept in check by Celeres’s hold. “Our supreme priestess, the divine might of the gods made flesh. Yes, children of Altana. Come with me, to see Tzee Xicu the Manifest.”