Chapter Text
"What's going on?!" Yuri demanded. "Mist, what are you talking about?!"
"Her real name's Hope, maro?" Marumaro asked, glancing up at Shu.
"Hey, don't ask me," Shu replied.
Kluke blinked a few times before speaking up. "What do you mean your real name is Hope? Isn't it Mist?"
"Her name was short for Mystery," Conrad replied. "She lost her family at a young age and couldn't remember her own name. So that's what the people around her took to calling her. She didn't like the name, but didn't know what else to call herself, so she just shortened the name to Mist."
"So... what up with suddenly remembering your real name?" Karol asked. Hope went on to explain her dream last night. When she finished, she was awarded with awkward stares.
"Okay, that sounds a little ridiculous. Are you sure you didn't have too much to drink last night?" Yuri asked. Hope glared at him from across the table.
"Hey, is it just me, or does it look like she's about to kill someone, tora?" Marutora asked nervously. Yuri's eyes suddenly widened.
"Are you playing footsie with me?"
"No, just feeling for your shin," Hope replied.
"Why would you- -OW!" Yuri screamed, reaching for his right leg.
"That's why," Hope said, sitting back with a satisfied grin.
"So are we supposed to call you Hope now?" Kluke asked. "Or is it still gonna be Mist?"
"I honestly hated the nickname Mystery. Hope is better," Hope replied, crossing her arms. "Besides, it's my real name."
"Do you remember what your parents look like?" Estelle asked.
"No. In my dreams, it's like I'm looking at them through some dense fog. I can't make out any facial features," Hope said.
"Your memory of them may come back with time," Flynn said. "For now, we need to focus on tracking down Fusrodah. Judith, has Ba'ul found anything new about this matter?"
"Unfortunately, no," Judith replied. "He believes Volt may have some answers, though,"
"Why's that?" Yuri asked.
"One Entelexeia told Ba'ul that Fusrodah passed through Keiv Moc some time ago. He may have encountered Volt," Judith said.
"So you believe Volt has some clue as to Fusrodah's current location, then," Flynn said. Judith nodded.
"So Keiv Moc should be our first destination then," Shu said.
"Can I opt out?" Karol asked, raising his hand.
"Why would you ever opt out, Captain?" Yuri asked with a knowing grin.
"Umm... because...uhh..."
"Don't be a wuss," Rita said, smaking Karol on the head.
"Why, what's the problem?" Kluke asked, leaning forward in her seat.
"You'll see when we get there," Raven replied with a smirk.
"At least we have a new ship now," Yuri said.
"We do?" Hope asked.
"Yeah, Tokunaga informed us earlier," Yuri replied.
"Good. Once we're ready, we'll head out," Flynn said.
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In Keiv Moc:
"Get us outta here!" Karol, Kluke, and Bouquet all screamed. A beetle monster had flown overhead.
"That's why," Raven said, smiling. Andropov and Jiro sighed.
"This forest is huge," Conrad said, staring upward, trying to spot the tops of the trees.
"An overproduction of aer at the aer krene caused the plants and trees to grow oversized," Rita told him. Everyone froze when a scream sounded through the forest. It was getting closer and closer.
"Wh-what is that?" Karol asked, his legs shaking.
"Don't go wetting yourself now," Jiro grumbled. A beetle carrying a blonde haired girl wearing a pirate outfit suddenly flew into the clearing the group was in. Raven whipped out his bow, shooting the monster and causing it to drop the girl. Yuri rushed forward, catching her just in time.
"Nice catch!" the girl exclaimed, staring up at Yuri with large, bright blue eyes. Yuri dropped her and turned around and walked away, leaving Estelle to rush over to the little girl.
"Yuri! Be nice!" Estelle scolded, then turned to the girl. She looked no older than ten years old. Her blonde hair was in two braids and she didn't look the slightest bit happy. "Are you okay? Did that monster hurt you?"
"I'm fine!" the girl pouted.
"What's your name? Mine's Estellise, but you can call me Estelle."
"Patty Fleur[1]," Patty replied.
"Why are you way out here in Keiv Moc?" Hope asked. "Did you get lost?"
"I'm not lost!" Patty exclaimed indignantly. "I was looking for treasure when that big bug grabbed me!"
"I think we've got another weird one on our hands," Jiro said.
"Do you need us to show you the way out?" Kluke asked, bending down.
"Why are you all treating me like a little kid?!" Patty demanded.
"Because that's what you are," Rita replied.
"I'll have you know I'm fourteen!" Patty snapped.
"She's older than us!" Shu and Kluke exclaimed.
"You sure don't look it," Jiro pointed out. Patty huffed and turned to Yuri.
"So, Mr. Handsome, what's your name?" Patty asked, making Hope, Flynn, and Rita gag.
"She's fallen for Yuri?!" the three exclaimed.
"Do you three have something you want to say to me?" Yuri growled.
"So it's Yuri then, huh?" Patty chimed. She turned to Judith, who was standing by watching the whole scene. "You and him had better not be lovers, you hear me?!"
"And now she's picking a fight with Judith..." Hope, Flynn, and Rita sighed.
"I think we're wastin' time here," Raven interrupted. "Volt's just up ahead."
"Yeah, we'd better get going," Shu agreed. The group began to head out again when Patty blocked their path.
"I'm going with you all!" she proclaimed, her hands on her hips.
"Why?!" the group exclaimed in unison.
"Heh heh! Watch this!" Patty pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Karol.
"Wh-whoa! W-watch where you're p-pointing that thing!" Karol stuttered, waving his hands wildly around. Patty pulled the trigger and a thud sounded behind Karol, who ducked, covering his head. He peeked behind him and gasped. A Grasshopper had been sneaking up behind him, up until Patty shot it.
Patty put her pistol back, beaming smugly. "How's that?"
"W-wow..." Estelle gasped.
"Now can I come with all of you?"
"That's a great idea!" Hope agreed, smiling mischievously at Yuri. Yuri groaned.
"Yeah, sounds good to me," Rita added, understanding what Hope was thinking. "It should make our trip much more lively if the rest of you catch my meaning."
"Oh no..." Yuri groaned.
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The whole way to the aer krene where Volt resided was filled with Patty's stories on all the treasure she's found. By the time they reached the aer krene, all of them were ready to leave her behind in the forest.
"I never knew pirates could be this obnoxious..." Shu moaned, covering his ears.
"For the first time, I agree," Jiro added, his patience about to snap. Patty was still yammering on and on and on.
"We're here!" Rita exclaimed, relief in her voice. Estelle walked over to the aer krene.
"Volt? Are you here?" she asked. A moment later, lightning flashed and the Spirit of Lightning appeared.
"What do you need?" Volt asked.
"Wow! Is that a spirit?!" Patty exclaimed, her eyes glittering with excitement.
"Yes it's a spirit," Rita grumbled. Judith approached Volt, who was staring at Patty curiously.
"Volt, we want to know if you'd seen an Entelexeia by the name of Fusrodah."
"Ah, him," Volt nodded. "How could I forget that grump? He passed through here and gave me an earful of just how much more he has seen in this world than me."
"Do you know where he was headed?" Judith asked.
"He grumbled something about a nice place near the top of a waterfall to the east of here," Volt replied. "To be honest, I'm glad he's gone. I didn't know him and he got on my nerves at an astonishing speed. Fusrodah seems more likely to fight than to talk. But he's got gray hairs on his muzzle, so he's probably more bark than bite now."
"A place at the top of a waterfall to the east," Rita murmured. "The only place that fits that description are the top of the cliffs near Caer Bocram."
"Thank you for your help, Volt," Judith said.
"Yes. Just be careful when you meet him," Volt replied.
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"It's starting to get late, you guys," Yuri said. "We should land for the night and pick up on our trip in the morning."
"The ship's so crowded," Hope noted. There were eighteen people total on the ship, including Tokunaga.
"Yeah. A lot of us are gonna have to sleep outside," Flynn agreed. He kissed Hope on the forehead and whispered, "Come on. Let's find a place to sleep."
"Yuri and I will sleep together!" Patty exclaimed.
"Like hell you will!" Yuri snapped. "I'd rather sleep with Raven!"
"Aw! Yer so sweet, Yuri!" Raven chimed. Yuri sighed.
"Forget it."
"I'll sleep with Bouquet!" Marumaro exclaimed, a perverted grin on his face as he leaped on Bouquet, shoving his face in her cleavage. Bouquet screamed and Kluke and Andropov dashed over, wrenching the Devee off of her.
"I will never sleep next to you!" Bouquet shouted. She turned to Shu. "Darling! I'll find a comfortable spot for us!"
"For the millionth time, I'm not your 'Darling' or 'fianceé'!" Shu exclaimed.
"Oh, stop being like that, Shu. Come on, Andropov," Kluke said, taking Andropov's arm and walking him over to the cabin, the two laying down next to it. Jiro winced slightly and Kluke noticed this.
"Do you want to rest here with us Jiro?" Kluke asked. Jiro glanced away.
"No thanks. I'm fine." Jiro grumbled, walking to the other end of the ship.
"Boy, someone's a little jealous," Rita commented, making Jiro turn to her. She, Estelle, Marumira, and Judith were settling down next to each other, a reluctant Patty joining them. Jiro glared at them before joining Yuri, Raven, Karol, Marutora, Marumaro, and Conrad. Tokunaga headed into the cabin.
"It's such a beautiful night tonight," Hope murmured, snuggling closer to Flynn, her head reating on his chest and listening to his heartbeats.
"Yeah, it is," Flynn agreed. He glanced down at her. "Are you gonna be okay to sleep tonight?"
"What do you mean?" Hope asked, turning her golden eyes upward to his.
"Well, you've been having those dreams..."
"Oh, that. Well, they could help me remember my past," Hope replied. She yawned. "I dunno about you, but I need some serious shut-eye."
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"Come on, Jiro! We all know you have a major crush on Kluke, maro!"
Jiro blushed, snapping his attention to Marumaro, who was grinning ear to ear. "Sh-shut up!"
"No use denying it, Jiro," Shu added.
"You too?! Why don't you guys shut up and go to sleep already?!"
"We can't go to sleep until to confess to Kluke how you really feel about her, maro," Marumaro replied.
"For the last time, I have no special feelings for her!" Jiro snapped.
"Then why are you blushing, Jiro?" Shu asked smugly.
"Because of what you guys are saying!"
"Shut up and go to sleep already!" Yuri growled sleepily. His tone suggested that if the three didn't do as they were told in the next three seconds, he would throw them over the edge of the ship.
"Sorry..." the boys muttered. As the three began settling down to sleep again, Shu faced Jiro.
"Jiro, even I think you deserve a little happiness in life."
"Are you saying I'm not happy now?" Jiro growled.
"I'm saying why not give it a shot. I mean, just look how happy Flynn and Hope are."
"She's got Andropov," Jiro pointed out.
"Just looking at Kluke, I can see that Andropov isn't the one for her. Just give it a try sometime."
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"We're here!" Tokunaga announced the next day. Ahead of the ship were the large cliffs overlooking Caer Bocram.
"So where do we begin- -" Rita began, but was cut off by Karol.
"Hey look! Is that Fusrodah?!" Everyone rushed over to the side of the ship to spot what Karol saw. Lumbering over to the river spilling over the cliff was a large white tiger-like creature. Four black horns sprouted from its head and long silver fur from the tips of its black ears cascaded to the ground. Its long bushy tail swept the ground as the creature bent down to drink from the river.
"That must be him," Judith agreed. She looked up. "Ba'ul, take us down!"
Ba'ul howled an agreement and began descending, landing a safe distance from the Entelexeia. Once everyone got off and headed over, the Entelexeia whipped his head around, his red eyes staring uncertainly at Ba'ul. The group were within a few yards of the Entelexeia when he crouched, hissing.
"What do you want?! Are you here for Jennuir? You can tell him I am never coming back!" he growled.
"Don't worry. We aren't here to bring you back to Jennuir," Judith reassured him. "Do you happen to be Fusrodah?"
"I am," Fusrodah replied, still uneasy. His teeth were still bared, but he seemed to have calmed down a little. "Why are you bothering me?"
"We just want your assistance in the fight against Jennuir," Flynn replied. Fusrodah barked with laughter.
"Are you all fools?! No one, not even Alrodoh, could hope to kill Jennuir!"
"We won't know unless we try!" Shu retorted. Fusrodah stopped laughing and fixed his gaze on the group.
"There if no one, human, Krityan, or Entelexeia, who can kill Jennuir. Not when he has his nine loyal subordinates with him," Fusrodah explained.
"Nine subordinates? Do you mean Shukaku and Kurama?" Yuri asked. Fusrodah nodded.
"The one-tailed raccoon is Sukaku. The two-tailed phantom jaguar is Matatabi. The three-tailed tortoise is Isobu. The four-tailed ape is Son Goku. The five-tailed mountain goat is Kokuo. The six-tailed slug is Saiken. The seven-tailed dragonfly is Chomei. The eight-tailed octopus-bull is Gyuki. And the nine-tailed fox is Kurama," Fusrodah replied. "Each one of them has astonishing power and are the most powerful Entelexeia in Jennuir's army. They have been nicknamed the Tailed Beasts."
"If we fight together with all the other Entelexeia opposing Jennuir, then we can win!" Hope protested.
"They've already tried that once and the best they could manage was to put us in hibernation!" Fusrodah roared. His shoulders sagged. "I am too old now to be fighting. I am older than Jennuir himself. I still remember our king before him, Ysmiru, and how kind and benevolent he was. There are many, many times when I wished Ysmiru had not passed away."
"That was then. This is now," Yuri argued. "We have the spirits to assist us now, as well as many, many humans and Krityans. I believe we stand a chance now."
"That is a fool's idea," Fusrodah growled, his fur bristling. "I've told you over and over: no one can hope to kill Jennuir!"
"If you can't assist us in fighting, perhaps you could offer us some intel on Jennuir himself," Flynn offered.
"No amount of information I give you will help to end Jennuir once and for all," Fusrodah snarled. "Just leave me in peace! I want nothing more to do with any living thing!" The Entelexeia roared the last part, raising one massive paw and bringing it down on the Knight. Flynn managed to sidestep just as the paw shattered the ground where he had been atanding before.
Fusrodah curled his lips back in a ferocious snarl, revealing long, sharp, yellowed teeth. He opened his mouth and roared, pouncing at the group, claws outstretched.
"Dammit! Looks like we have to fight him now!" Jiro grumbled as he and the other Shadow Wielders summoned their Shadows.
"Fusrodah..." Judith murmured sadly, watching the Entelexeia's face twist in pure fury.
"It's either we put him down, or he puts us down," Yuri reminded the Krityan. Judith glanced at him and nodded sadly, taking out Brionac and charging at Fusrodah, performing New Moon Blade. For how old the Entelexeia was, he was still quick in reflexes. He swatted the Krityan away and leapt back to avoid Cerberus' Moon Roar, the three soundwaves obliterating the ground where Fusrodah was.
"Indignation!" Rita shouted, the Mystic Arte hitting Fusrodah, leaving him open of Kirin's Rending Saber. The attack sent him stumbling back close to the edge of the cliff, but he leapt back to where he was before to avoid Yuri's Azure Storm and Flynn's Demonic Chaos.
"Fireball!" Hope shouted after charging three fireballs, launching them at the Entelexeia. Fusrodah managed to avoid the first two, but the third hit him in the face, blinding him temporarly, enough time for Shu to hit him with Blue Explosion. Fusrodah staggered right into Saber-Tiger's, combined with Hippo, Blitz Claw, slamming into his flank. Minotaur brought his fists down on Fusrodah's back, collapsing the tiger to the ground.
Patty used Variable Trigger, shooting three times at Fusrodah while Karol used his Mystic Arte, Overlord Reign Impact. The Entelexeia swiped wildly, managing to score his claws across Conrad's stomach as he charged at the tiger to deliver a sword strike.
"Air Divide!" Estelle shouted, shooting out at Fusrodah and striking him before shooting back and stirking him a second time.
"Double Impact!" Marutora and Marumira shouted, Kraken and Cerberus going high up before shooting downward toward the Entelexeia, the impact driving him further into the ground.
"Blast Heart!" Raven shouted, expelling massive energy from his blastia heart to damage Fusrodah.
"It's time to finish this," Yuri said, leaping at Fusrodah. In a last-ditch effort to defend himself, the Entelexeia threw himself at Yuri, sending the swordman tumbling over the edge of the cliff. Flynn, who was the nearest, grabbed Yuri's hand just in time, Yuri dangling over the edge with Flynn struggling to pull his friend back up.
Fusrodah staggered up to them, raising a paw and bringing it down. "Die!"
"Flynn! Watch out!" Shu shouted. The paw collided with Flynn, crumbling the edge he was on and making both him and Yuri fall countless feet to the earth below.