The Great Monster Troupe Chapter 9
Ruvelia....
By Limited Moon
"Ruvelia," came a female voice from nowhere.
"Who is it?" Ruvelia replied, all she could see was darkness.
"It's me, Ruvelia. It's your mother," the voice replied.
"Mom...is that really you?"
"Ruvelia," the voice became deeper.
"Mom, don't go!" Ruvelia yelled.
"Ruvelia," the voice replied.
"MOM!"
"hey, wake up!" the voice said.
Ruvelia opened her eyes, it was already daylight. Gerid was kneeling over her, with bread.
"You were out like a light, you must've been tired, princess," Gerid said.
"Yeah, I was," she replied, sitting up and yawning, "is that breakfast?"
"Yup, I know it's not much, but you'll have to live with it until we get to the hideout in Limberry," Gerid replied, handing her the bread.
"You're awfully prompt," Ruvelia said, munching on the bread.
"A lot of people say that, you're very observative princess," Gerid said, he looked at her closely and pointed at a locket around her neck, "say, whats that?"
"Oh, this?" Ruvelia said, "this is a bronzed locket my father had bought and customized for me, you see?"
She opened up the locket, and engraved in it's small niches was a Goblin, and a Chocobo.
"What do you have monsters engraved in your locket for, princess?" Gerid said, munching on his bread.
"They're my two pets, Boco and Pesos, I taught Pesos to talk," Ruvelia said, closing the locket.
"They must be close for pets," Gerid said.
"You have no idea," Ruvelia said, smiling, "when do we continue to Limberry?"
"Soon, I simply need to hunt a rabbit to keep us going before we head off, wanna come with?" Gerid said.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lesath couldn't sleep that night, all he could think about was the holy stone. He couldn't even sleep during the day, it was horrible for him, "why does such a small stone dominate my thoughts?" he said to himself.
"Count Lesath," came a familiar voice.
I couldn't be! he thought, "Forage, is that you?" he said, in wonder.
"Yes, Lesath, it is me, Forage," Forage returned, Lesath looked all over the room, but couldn't see anything, where was the voice coming from? he thought.
Suddenly, something materialized in front of the bed, it looked faintly like a horse to Lesath, but upon second look, he saw what it was, a centaur like creature with Forage's top-half as the human's part, it held an incredibly large crossbow.
"So," Forage said, "you thought you could just kill me off so you have someone to blame?!"
"I...what is this?!" Lesath said in disbelief, "GUARDS!" he yelled.
"Shh...hush Lesath, you wouldn't want those to be your last words," Forage said, smiling.
"You...you're differen't, both physically and mentally, what are you?" Lesath asked in fear.
"I'm Artemos, the Lucavi Saggitarius," Forage said, "now, do you wish to sell me your soul, or do you wish to die?"
"I...I will not!" Lesath said.
"Fine, I dont feel like bloodying my hands, or wasting an arrow," Forage said, snapping his fingers. The ninja that was sent to kill him appeared at his side.
"Yessss, masssster?" the ninja said, his voice completely differen't.
"Kill him, and make it clean," Forage said, "I want to absorb as much blood as possible."
"Ssssso be it!" the ninja said, taking out a dagger.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lesath screamed, before the ninja slit his throat.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Moronotaur! Get that fish, no thats a log!" Pesos yelled at the Sacred.
MD looked on, simply shaking his head, while Boco rested his legs by sitting down, he almost looked like a duck in the water.
"Uh....wheres the fish?" Moronotaur said, looking directly at the thing.
"Quick! Grab it!" Pesos said.
"And thus, ve place our very survival on the hands of a Sacred Minotaur voo doesen't even know he's a minotaur and a goblin who's almost as moronic, isn't this stupid Boco?" MD said.
"Wark," Boco said.
"Pesos, get Moronotaur out of the water, we already have 4 or 5 rabbits to keep us fed," Cidolfas said, looking up from the cooked rabbit.
"Uh, wheres the water?" Moronotaur said, scratching his head.
"Vell Boco, it's good to know vere the smart ones, eh?" MD said.
"Wark!" Boco replied.
"I vish I knew vat you're saying though," MD replied, flying off.
"Pesos, for the last time, get Moronotaur out of the water!" Cidolfas said.
"I'm trying, i'm trying!" Pesos said, yelling at the Sacred even more.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ruvelia and Gerid were nearing Poeskas lake, the point where they would turn south and head to Limberry across some light plains. Suddenly, thunder commenced, all the animals began to look for cover, and Ruvelia and Gerid followed, it was going to rain. After a little bit of looking, Ruvelia and Gerid found a cave where they could take cover. They hurried into it before the rain began to fall, an hour passed, and it was still raining. Gerid was practicing spells out of boredom and Ruvelia could only stare at the rain.
"Akmote-Saru-Cha!" Gerid yelled, but frowned when all that happened was a pigeon flying out of his hand, he shooed it away and tried the incantation again.
"Omdo-I mean Gerid, do you think i'm selfish?" Ruvelia asked him, without turning her head.
"Not from my experience, you're actually kind of nice to talk to, i've seen spoiled brats before, trust me," Gerid said, looking at his scrolls.
"Is that your honest opinion?" Ruvelia said, turning her head, "or are you lying?"
"Lying? Why would I lie to you, Princess," Gerid asked.
"Because...I AM a princess," Ruvelia said, "I was told by father that you could see your reflection in the rain."
"Reflection in the rain? What a joke," Gerid said, putting the scroll down.
"No, no, not like looking into a pond, I mean a true reflection, of your personality, your life, your past, and your feelings," Ruvelia said.
"What do you see in the rain, then?" Gerid said, walking over to her.
"I see discontentness, empty happiness, a lot of things," Ruvelia said, "this is my first time ever living my life, not as Princess Ruvelia Atkascha, but as "Ruvelia". Maybe that's why I liked Pesos, he didn't care that I was a princess, I was just "Ruv-e-lia", heh. He never was able to sound my name out right."
"You see all that just by staring in the rain?" Gerid asked.
"Yes," Ruvelia said, "Gerid, why don't you take a look, tell me what YOU see."
"Ok, i'll give it a try," Gerid said, sitting down.
"What do you see, Gerid?" Ruvelia asked.
"I see my mother, no it's not exactly directly seeing her, it's just what i'm reminded of," Gerid said.
"You're understanding the meaning behind this," Ruvelia said, "that's good, continue."
"Well, my mother, we were poor, and I had to work to help her get food...however, I couldn't work, it produced too little money in too long of a time, I had to steal to keep us alive..."
"That's....terrible," Ruvelia said.
"That's what it's really like out there Ruvelia, that's why the rebellions were taking place. The nobility took all the money, and made us work too much for too little," Gerid said, "this shallow thinking is what took my mother away, she died...she just starved.
"Gerid," Ruvelia said, he only turned his head away.
"My group, we don't think much of nobility, we only work for them if we're paid. I didn't really expect you to be such a nice person, although naive," Gerid said, "I expected a spoiled brat, who didn't care for the welfare of the 'commoners'."
"Gerid...I...."
"It's ok, Ruvelia, I....didn't mean to burst out like that."
"No, you don't have to be sorry," Ruvelia said.
"Thanks, Ruvelia, thanks," Gerid replied, hugging her. They continued to watch the rain silently through the rest of the storm, as if nothing else mattered to them at that moment.
.