Chapter 6

Judith approached the barrier blastia discreetly, still favoring her right leg. She'd found a scrap of cloth and wrapped it around her injured left shin to stop the bleeding but it still hurt when she put pressure on it. She was hoping to catch whoever was messing with the blastia by surprise.

Peering around the corner of the street the blastia was on, Judith saw what was starting to become a very familiar scene. Huddled around the barrier blastia was the five-member group she'd run into so many times in the past week. The red-haired mage was fiddling with the blastia formula; Judith watched as the barrier blastia rings appeared in the sky once again and the girl heaved a sigh of relief. The mysterious pink-haired girl was there as well, along with the man in black, the young boy, and the strange dog.

It seems like wherever I go, these people follow. Judith could hear the cheers of the townspeople as they noticed the barrier was back up. And something strange happens every time.

Then Judith noticed the bodies of five men in red jumpsuits on the street below the blastia body. So those are the ones responsible. Well, I'd have liked to gotten a chance to do it myself, but...

A shift in the shadows on the roof of one of the buildings opposite her caught Judith's eye. It was very slight so she thought she might have been imagining things. Still, she continued to watch the spot, and was quickly rewarded by a flash of red glass: someone was up there.

After observing the figures for short while, Judith was able to identify at least three sets of blood-red tinted goggles in the darkness of the shadows, quietly huddling out of view of the group below. She was trying to discern if there were a fourth when her scrutiny was interrupted by the clanging sound of armor coming up behind her. Not wanting to take her eyes from the shadowed spot on the rooftops, Judith pressed against a nearby building and tried to look inconspicuous as a troop of Imperial Knights marched down the street toward the blastia, led by a young blonde swordsman.

They abandoned their comrades below to pull attention away from themselves and escape, Judith practically spat as the mysterious figures on the roof began to slip away. She carefully followed after them, asking Ba'ul to meet her in the forest beyond the barrier. I'll have to teach them a lesson.

After reuniting with Ba'ul, Judith spared a few minutes to properly dress her leg wound and eat a gel before she grabbed her spear. The sun dipped below the horizon as Judith mounted Ba'ul, a beautiful crescent moon rising into the sky as the pair took flight.

"They headed west into the forest," Judith told her partner. "The moon's bright enough that I should be able to track them from up here, so try to stay out of sight. I'm interested to see where they're going." She admittedly knew very little about the countryside surrounding Dahngrest, but to the best of her knowledge there weren't any other towns nearby. Where could they possibly be going...?

The moon was well into the sky before Judith finally spotted the group of men below. Dressed all in black as they were it had been hard to discern their movements from those of the trees blowing in the wind, but in the end it was the red-tinted glass of their strange goggles that gave them away as the moonlight reflected off them.

"There they are," she pointed out to Ba'ul. "Now let's see if we can figure out where they're going."

They shadowed the figures silently for at least another hour before Ba'ul noticed a strange shape on the horizon. After flying a bit closer, Judith discovered that it was a large mansion, built on the highest point of the plateau overlooking Dahngrest. Judging from the direction of the men below, it was definitely their destination. She motioned for Ba'ul to fly back over their quarry.

"I think it's time finish this," Judith said to Ba'ul.

You are injured. Are you sure you can handle all four of them alone?

"Just make sure none of them try to run away," she responded grimly. Then she threw her right leg over and rolled off Ba'ul's back, falling toward the assassins below.

The four men moved quickly but quietly through the forested countryside, trying to reach the safety of the mansion before dawn broke. The mission to deactivate the barrier blastia had been a success, but they had unfortunately underestimated the responsiveness of the town's defenses. They had hoped to keep the barrier down for several hours rather than several minutes. It was important that they return to the Manor and report.

They travelled in single file, keeping several feet apart. The man leading the column was no one in particular, he merely happened to be the first one out of the city. He kept a careful eye on his surroundings for any surprises. Unfortunately, he did not pay much attention to the sky above him, so he didn't notice the figure rapidly falling toward him until it was too late.

Judith's right foot connected squarely with the man's face as she fell from the sky, using the man's body to break her fall. Not that falling long distances posed a threat to her - she'd long ago discovered the trick to landing safely from any height, provided she wasn't distracted. She heard a crunch as the man's skull caved in, sending a splatter of blood across her leg. She quickly stood and readied her spear as the remaining three assassins approached, weapons drawn.

Judith regarded them coolly. "You're the ones who made the barrier malfunction, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

The now-leading man quickly evaluated the situation: one single woman wielding a spear, her left leg wrapped in a bandage, against three trained assassins. A Krityan woman, no less! The Kritya weren't exactly known for their fighting prowess. Now that she no longer had the element of surprise, the man was sure that she would pose no obstacle. Glancing quickly to his comrades, he saw them nod - they had reached the same conclusion. In silent agreement, the three men attacked.

Together, the three attackers planned to come at the woman from three different angles simultaneously. There was no way she'd be able to escape all of their attacks at once. It was a pretty predictable maneuver, but there was no way a Krityan woman would know anything about fighting.

Judith steadfastly held her ground as the three men approached. The men grinned as they closed in for the kill. What a stupid woman - this was too easy.

Just as they began to swing their weapons for killing blows, Judith suddenly vanished. All three of the assassins struggled to stop their attacks mid-swing, lest they cut their one of their companions in half. All three of men looked around for signs of the mysterious woman, but there was no sign of her.

Reappearing a brief second later in the air above the trio of attackers, Judith executed the second stage of her attack. Drawing power from the aer surrounding her, Judith focused it into the tip of her spear. By chance, one of the men glanced upward just in time to see Judith, framed by the full moon in the sky behind her as she hurled her spear toward the ground. The man hopped backward and covered his face just as the spear connected with the ground beside the other two, releasing a powerful blast of aer that sent his companions flying.

Judith landed and smoothly pulled her spear from the ground, then wasted no time in rushing the one who had avoided her attack. Their strength is in their pack tactics. If I can keep them separated I should be able to take them down quickly.

The assassin was ready for her initial assault, parrying her overhand thrust and backhand slash attacks. However, with all of his attention on keeping the spear away from himself, the man neglected to notice Judith's foot as she kicked at the man's knees. The blow connected, knocking him off balance. Before he could bring his blades around to parry another attack, Judith did a swift backflip, bringing the heel of her foot up into the man's chin. Her opponent flew backward with a crunch of broken teeth, landing on the ground in a heap.

Sensing a shift in the air behind her with her antennae, Judith quickly spun around to meet the other two assassins as they leapt at her from behind. Judith evaded with a nimble jump backward. She rebounded off a nearby tree, pushing off the trunk as hard as she could with her legs. She flew back at the two men as they landed where she'd been just a moment ago, moving so quickly she seemed like a blur. It was all one of the two could do to raise his weapons to block Judith's attack as she swept at him like a bird of prey.

Judith only touched the ground for the briefest moment before pushing herself skyward again, her spear locked with the blades of one of her two opponents. Caught completely off guard by the maneuver, the man was helpless as Judith pushed him into the air in front of her.

After the two were a few feet above the ground again, Judith abruptly halted her forward momentum, disentangling her spear from the assassin's blades. She then focused another burst of aer into her spear, releasing it in a powerful horizontal slash. A transparent blade of energy extended from the tip of her spear as she swung it around towards the helpless assassin, who threw his weapons up in a futile attempt to parry the attack. The aer-charged spear cleaved cleanly through the slim blades before biting into the man's side, inflicting a mortal wound.

Judith spun in the air from the momentum of her attack, coming to a stop facing the last of the three attackers as he leapt at her from below. Blocking his slashing attack from below with her spear, she swiftly slammed her right knee into the man's face, followed immediately after by her left. Dazed, the man crashed to the ground, lying prone on his back.

Judith landed neatly on the ground a few feet from her final opponent. As he tried to regain his senses, Judith casually walked up beside him and struck the ground beside the man's head with her spear, burying it several inches deep in the dirt. She leaned over the man and smiled.

"How does it feel?" She said nonchalantly, pushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "How does it feel to be powerless in the face of death?"

The man's eyes darted in panic as he tried to figure out how to escape with his life. Judith pulled her spear from the ground beside his head and leveled it at his neck to get his attention back.

"A lot of people died because of what you did today," Judith hissed, quickly losing her temper. "Because of you, that poor little girl is going to grow up without the love of her father," Then she smiled again, "But of course, what would someone like you, who sells their soul for money, know about love?"

As she raised her spear for a killing blow, Judith heard a whistle of air behind her. She just barely managed to throw herself backward in time to avoid the arrow that hissed through the air where she'd just been standing. She nimbly dodged around two more arrows as they zipped through the air toward her.

Seeing his opportunity, the man at Judith's feet slashed wildly at her legs with his blades. Already distracted and off balance, Judith desperately hopped backward. She avoided most of the man's assault, but just as she danced out of his range his final attack grazed her injured left leg. As she gritted her teeth against the pain, she was distracted enough that she failed to completely avoid the next arrow, which grazed along in the left side of her chest.

Judith's left leg collapsed as a burning feeling spread from the arrow wound. She fell to one knee as the man in front of her jumped to his feet, ready to take full advantage of his reversal of fortune.

Grabbing her spear with both hands, Judith grit her teeth against the stitching pain in her side as she brought it up in a vicious arcing slash. In a single stroke she cleaved the man in front of her in two from crotch to shoulder, a shocked look on his face. She then turned to find the source of the arrows.

She saw the first of the men she'd attacked a short distance away just as he finished reloading his small crossbow. She'd mistakenly thought he'd been knocked unconscious - a mistake which had almost cost her life. As Judith dashed toward him he unleashed another volley of bolts in her direction. Favoring her right leg, Judith nimbly dodged around the projectiles without too much trouble, knocking one away with her spear that was too close to avoid.

Seeing his attacks were ineffective, the assassin tossed his bow aside. Before he could draw his swords, however, Judith surged forward with a sudden burst of speed and impaled the man on the tip of her spear. He feebly groped at the object in his chest a few times before his body went limp, a surprised look frozen on his face in death.

The fight was over. Brief but fierce, Judith cursed herself for allowing her anger to make her careless. Her side burned from the arrow wound she'd received. She tested her left leg and found she was able to limp on it, but only just - any prolonged pressure caused a searing pain to shoot up her entire leg.

Unable to land in the dense forest, Ba'ul circled in the sky above. Judith sent him a mental message that she would meet him in a nearby clearing.

Are you injured? Ba'ul asked.

Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix, Judith replied as she took an apple-flavored gel from the pouch at her waist and popped it in her mouth. She could feel its healing properties take effect almost immediately as the pain in her leg and side lessened. By the time she found Ba'ul in the clearing the arrow cut had stopped bleeding and she could almost walk on her leg again.

She waved to Ba'ul as he descended. She could tell he was worried about her, so she smiled brightly to try and dispel his fear. It didn't work.

There is blood on you, Ba'ul said. Most of it is yours. Are you sure you're all right?

"Yes Ba'ul, I'm fine. I just got a little careless and got a couple of little cuts. One gel and a night in a bed and I'll be fine." Then she frowned as she took a good look at herself. Small bloodstains covered most of her skin and clothing, as well as a healthy amount of dust and dirt remained from her flight through the streets of Dahngrest. "I certainly am filthy though." She inspected her two wounds carefully, relieved to see that neither of them were very deep. "I certainly hope neither of them scar," she said to herself aloud, "it would look quite unladylike."

Maybe you should have listened to me and gone to get your armor.

"There was no time, I didn't want them to get away," Judith brushed off the suggestion. "However, I don't think that inn I was staying at has a shower..." Judith was suddenly struck by a wave of dizziness, stumbling into Ba'ul's side.

You are exhausted, Ba'ul scolded. You need to rest before you collapse.

"You're right," Judith reluctantly agreed. Then she smiled as a wonderful idea popped into her head. "I think I know how to solve both problems," she said cheerfully, pulling herself up into her usual seat on Ba'ul's back, a task which seemed to require a lot more effort than usual. She really did need to get some rest, and she knew the perfect place.

Sunlight creeping through closed window shutters woke Judith. She opened her eyes, raising one hand to block out the sun's rays. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Judith looked around the room, trying to remember where she was.

She was lying in a small, simple bed with a single sheet covering her. It was obviously meant for a child; if Judith had stretched herself out her knees would be falling off the end of the bed. Luckily Judith had become accustomed to curling up for warmth while she was sleeping - it helped her stay warm on cold nights in the countryside.

The rest of the room was furnished with the kinds of things a child would own: dolls, toys, pictures. One of the pictures had three people in it: a man, his wife, and their daughter. Recognizing Meredith and Yvonne, Judith finally remembered where she was.

I guess I made it here after all, Judith thought to herself. Ba'ul had dropped her off at the edge of Dahngrest and she'd walked into town on her own, completely exhausted. She could barely recall reaching the house she thought Yvonne had said was hers and knocking on the door; everything after that was a blur.

Well, that answers one question. Now... Judith lifted the covers and looked at herself. Why aren't I wearing any clothes? Before she could investigate further there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in!"

A smiling Yvonne entered the room, Judith's clothes held in her arms. "Ah, you're awake. That's good, I was afraid I'd disturb you."

"Disturb me? Yvonne, this is your house. I'm the one disturbing you, really." She motioned at the woman's arms. "Thank you so much for washing those, you really didn't have to do that."

Yvonne chuckled. "Honestly, I just couldn't help myself. After taking care of my husband and daughter for so many years, picking up after them has become something of a second nature, I guess. I just saw them lying there on the floor and thought you might like some clean clothes."

Judith blinked. "Lying on the floor?"

Yvonne nodded. "Yes, don't you remember?" Judith shook her head. "Oh, well, you did seem a little out of sorts when you arrived. Once I showed you where Meredith's bed was - she stayed with me for the night - you took them all off before climbing in. I think you said something about it being a shame to get such a nice bed dirty."

"I don't remember that," Judith said thoughtfully. "It certainly does seem like something I would say though. I got pretty dirty fighting off those monsters, and those four strange men fiddling with the blastia certainly did make a mess when I-" Judith abruptly cut off her self-narrative as she remembered who she was talking to.

"I...saw the blood on your clothes," Yvonne said nervously. It was obvious she was afraid to ask questions, but she needed to know the answers. "It wasn't all yours, was it?" Judith shook her head. "You said...there were men tampering with the barrier blastia. Then...what happened yesterday...wasn't an accident." Judith nodded. Yvonne took a deep breath before looking straight into Judith's eyes and asking, "Did you get them?"

When Judith nodded again, Yvonne let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it's good to know that they won't be around to cause any more problems. And...I'm sure that wherever Frederick is now, he'd rest easier knowing that the ones responsible for all of this have been brought to justice." At the mention of her husband's name Yvonne looked over at the picture on the nightstand, her expression a mix of love and sadness.

Judith allowed the woman a brief moment of reflection before she pulled herself back to the present. "Well, I suppose you're hungry. I've some fresh bread downstairs, if you'd like to come join us for lunch."

"Oh, no, that's all right, I wouldn't want to impose on you any...did you say lunch?"

Yvonne chuckled again. "Yes, you must have been very tired, you slept soundly all morning. But I won't have any of this 'imposing' nonsense, I insist that you eat with us. I've had my hands full trying to keep Meredith from disturbing you all day, she's been asking about you non-stop. It would really mean a lot to her if you'd stay," she finished with a smile.

"Well how can I say no to an offer like that?" Judith replied as she smiled back. "I'll be down as soon as I get changed into my wonderfully clean clothes."

Yvonne nodded and set the clothes down on a nearby chair. "I'll see you shortly, then," she said, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door handle clicked Judith swept away the blanket covering her and stood, stretching her arms over her head. She could feel a small tightness in her side from the wound she'd received the previous evening, but her leg felt as good as new. After carefully inspecting her closing wounds she happily decided that they would definitely not leave any marks after they were completely healed.

She casually strode across the room and picked up her clothing. Everything had been thoroughly cleaned and carefully folded to prevent any seams from appearing in the fabric. As she dressed she felt disappointed that she hadn't gotten a chance to take a shower before putting on clean clothes - she still felt dirty. I'll ask Yvonne what I can do about that when I see her, she decided.

When she was finished dressing Judith turned to grab her spear from where she'd left it leaning against the wall. Grasping the weapon with both hands, she was immediately reminded of Ba'ul.

Ba'ul! I forgot about him. He's probably worrying about me, like he always does. She reached out mentally with her nageeg. Ba'ul, are you there?

It is about time you woke up, her friend replied. You slept much longer than usual today. Are you feeling better now? You looked horrible when I dropped you off last night.

Yes Ba'ul, I feel much better now that I've had some rest. I'm about to eat lunch with the people who I'm staying with, then I'm going to see what I can do about getting a shower. I hope you don't mind keeping yourself occupied for a while longer?

Of course not. I found a group of bandits that have decided to set up a camp near the highway to Heliord. They are fun to play with.

Judith chuckled at her friend's idea of entertainment - though it truthfully wasn't too far from her own. Did you hear anything from Phaeroh while I was out?

Yes. He said he will be here tomorrow evening. He also said again that we should stay away from the girl. There is definitely something about her that is upsetting him. He sounded angry. I did not feel brave enough to ask why.
I don't blame you, Judith agreed. Phaeroh always sounded disgruntled to begin with - she really wouldn't want to upset him when he was truly angry. I'm going to stay in Dahngrest for a while. I'll let you know if I need anything.

Very well. I will stay nearby in case you need anything. Now if you will excuse me, my entertainment is running away. I must go and catch it.

All right Ba'ul, good hunting, Judith replied with a mental laugh as she carefully hefted her spear and headed downstairs.

Judith spent the next hour eating a delicious lunch and chatting leisurely with Yvonne, while Meredith was bursting with questions for the world-traveled Krityan that she had suddenly decided to admire, who she now referred to as "Judy". Judith was more than happy to answer most of her questions, as most of them were just her asking what far-away places were like. Not many humans travelled outside the barriers these days due to the monsters, so to Meredith, Judith's knowledge was like a window into the wonders waiting outside of her reach.

At one point, Judith managed to ask Yvonne if there were any place nearby where she could clean herself off.

"Of course! There's public baths just down the street, near the river. Not much sense in having a shower installed in this old shack when there's a free bath just a five minute walk from here."

"That's understandable," Judith said with a nod, then stood up. "Thank you for everything, Yvonne," she said with a bow, "I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I really must be going, a friend of mine is getting impatient waiting for me. I'm sorry for imposing on you."

"Think nothing of it. As I said before, I owe you for saving my daughter's life. You'll always be welcome in my home." The two women briefly exchanged smiles of appreciation before Meredith ran up and hugged Judith's leg.

"Come back soon, okay Judy?" The little girl turned her big pair of blue, irresistible eyes up at Judith. "Your stories are better than mom's," she whispered.

"Of course," Judith replied, gently patting the girl on the head. "I'd be happy to tell you more stories, you're the most wonderful audience I've ever had." The only audience, actually...

The girl smiled happily. "Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I just remembered! Stay here." Then she scurried up the stairs and out of sight.

Yvonne looked at Judith and shrugged. "I've no idea what that's all about. Why don't I show you to the door?"

The two women went out the front door, Yvonne pointing Judith in the direction of the baths and giving her a few final directions as they waited for Meredith to return. It was only a few moments later when they heard the little girl thumping down the stairs inside.

"Judy! Judy! Wait, don't leave yet!" She cried in a panic when she saw her mother's figure standing in the doorway with Judith nowhere to found.

"Relax Meredith, she's still here waiting for you. Now hurry up, there are other people in the world who need to see Judith too, and you're keeping her away from meeting them."

That's...definitely putting things in a positive light, Judith reflected.

"Here!" Meredith said, holding up a strange doll in both hands. "This is for you! Take it!"

Judith picked the toy up and turned it over in her hands, examining it. It was hard to describe in words; she'd never really seen anything like it before. It looked sort of like Ba'ul, if he'd been born with light blue scales. And was a fish.

"Mom bought that from a lady on the street with pointy ears like yours," the little explained. "She said it was an ant...ant a loo...um..."

"Entelexeia," Judith filled in.

The girl nodded excitedly. "That's it! It's my favorite one. I want you to have it. So you don't forget to come visit me."

"Well thank you, Meredith. Now it's my favorite too." Not that it has a whole lot of competition. Now, where am I going to put this...? She noticed that the doll's two front flippers - that's what they looked like, anyway - had velcro on the ends. Seeing an easy solution, Judith turned her head sideways and grabbed hold of one of her antennae. She expertly threaded the two flippers through the strands of hair, then connected them again on the far side, effectively clamping the doll in place. She let the antennae fall back into place, then shook her head several times to make sure the doll wouldn't fall out again. "There. A perfect fit," she said to Meredith. "It's wonderful. Thank you very much."

After a final round of goodbyes and promises to return Judith was finally on her way, her spirits high despite the fact that she hated public baths. For some reason all the other women in the bath had a habit of glaring at her whenever she went in one.

I thought you liked it when people stared, Ba'ul remarked. You said it was fun.

Staring, yes, Judith informed him, not glaring. There's a difference. It's not my fault I was born like this.

No, but that does not mean you should feel the need to show it off all the time.

Going into a public bath is hardly 'showing off'.

It is when you purposely walk into the wrong side.

Judith couldn't suppress the guilty smile that snuck onto her face. We ran out of towels on our side and I didn't feel like getting dressed again. Come on, I was just having a little fun.

I rest my case.

...Shut up, Ba'ul.

Author's Note:

I'm not quite dead! I've just been updating other things. I actually wrote this chapter a really long while ago (four months or so?) and just never got around to editing and posting it. The final sections with Yvonne were planned out but not written until just a little bit ago.

All of the moves Judith pulls out during the fight in this chapter are from the game. In case anyone's curious, here's the list in order of appearance:

Luna Havoc
Moonbeam
Crescent Moon
Dawn Moon
Luna Rondo
Moonlight Blast
Moonlight Talon
New Moon Blade

See if you can spot them all! Also, a lot of the normal attacks she uses are also styled after the game's B-button attacks, particularly her 4-part attack on the guy that ends with her knee in his jaw. It's forward-back-down-up in the game. I know the physics of this fight don't really make sense, but they don't make sense in the game either, so I'm just going with it.

The doll Meredith gives Judith is the "Tiny Dragon" attachment part. It's incredibly hard to describe exactly what that thing looks like O.o. Hopefully everyone got the reference. I know it's in a treasure chest on the mountain, but I thought that was kind of lame, myself. It's the part I usually have on so I wanted to work it into the story somewhere. I'm also not sure if they've invented velcro in Terca Lumer-whatsit, but I honestly can't think of any other way that thing stays in her hair.

The end is just me being a little goofy. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. But based on how she acts at Jumanju, you have to admit it's totally something she'd do.

I feel kind of bad that I'm putting up such a short chapter after so long, but oh well. Better than nothing, I suppose. I do intend on finishing this eventually, though it probably won't be more than 3 or 4 more chapters to reach the point I want. I don't plan on covering the entire game, only up until Ba'ul evolves, with maybe a scene or two after that.

People keep reading this thing and giving it favorites even though I haven't updated in forever, so...thanks! :D Anything and everything is always appreciated. :)