Destruction Preventer: Lunar Salvation

Author's Notes: I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded earlier! I'll be honest, I hit a major bout of laziness and procrastination, but it's all gone now. I think. I'll also be uploading chapter 8.

So sit back, enjoy the ride, and please leave feedback! ^^


Destruction Preventer – Lunar Salvation
Chapter 7 – Fabul

~

He loved to toy with Kain. Barely five minutes after his little speech, Golbez was naked and laid on the bed, knuckle-deep within the young man. Kain's legs were spread on his side, propped up slightly to give Golbez better access. He carefully listened to the blond's breathing, moans and whispers as he fucked him with his fingers.

Clearly satisfied, Golbez withdrew his fingers and roughly grabbed Kain's thighs in order to bring him closer. He pushed in. Tight, but not too tight. Just perfect. Kain gasped. His breath hitched up a notch from the quick penetration, but the pain didn't last.

Golbez freed his hands from Kain's thighs and slid them up on the blond's chest. He paid great attention to the soft skin, the firm muscles under it... but most importantly, how easy Kain was to control. It was like rewarding a child with candy for good behavior; except the child was a young man and the candy was sex.

Kain wrapped his legs around Golbez's waist. Lips parted, he let out a feverish moan. He bucked his hips against the older man's. He wanted more. Faster. Harder.

It seemed his prayers were heard. Golbez accelerated his thrusts. His nails dug in Kain's flesh, but the boy didn't even try to pry the hands away; his back arched under the pain. The warlock bent over slightly and kissed  his neck. His warm tongue ran over the sensitive flesh, drawing a loud moan out of Kain.

He gave a few more thrusts, then withdrew. On his knees, he motioned Kain to sit up in the bed and took a hold of his wrist, directing the man's hand toward his cock. Kain took it with a lustful, obedient gaze. His strokes were slow at first, but he quickly picked up the pace.

Golbez' vision proved to be right. He reached climax within moments. His entire body stiffened as Kain  jerked him off, and came with a few loud grunts. He watched as he erupted over his stomach, a satisfied grin to his lips.

~

They took little time to reach the hovercraft. Having seen similar technology with airships, Rosa found the craft relatively normal. She had boarded airships several times as well and she adapted to the hover's speed without any problems.

Cecil was at the wheel when Edward came to him, and leaned on a nearby empty shelf.

"How do you do it?" the bard asked, on the verge of disbelief.

"Do what?"

Edward looked at him with his big green eyes. There was something about his behavior Cecil couldn't grasp. "Not being afraid of anything.."

Cecil quirked a brow. "Courage isn't the lack of fear... it's the will to fight despite it. I was scared in that cave, but staying back wouldn't have done any good. Between being idle and dying, or trying to fight and living through, I'll take the latter."

Edward's emerald eyes went down. "I... I freeze. It seems there's nothing I can do, that I'm doomed either way. I wasn't born a fighter. And I felt so... so pathetic when Baron attacked us."

The more Cecil thought about it, the more he was sure there was a reason as to why she died for him, beyond love and protection.

It came to him in a flash. "You know, if you had died, Rosa would have died as well. It's because of you that we were able to get the sand pearl." He extended his arm and gave the man a soft pat on the back. "You're not as worthless as you think you are."

"You... you mean it?"

Cecil nodded.

"Only Anna and you have told that to me..." He was unable to hide the tears forming in his eyes.

Cecil sighed quietly. "Just because you can't fight with a sword doesn't mean you're useless. Look at Rydia and Rosa... they fare well in battles."

"I see. You're right." Edward turned around and started off in the distance. They were getting closer to Mount Hobbs. "I'll go get the ladies. We can disembark soon. It'll be a short walk to the mountains."

~

Cecil barely noticed the path – all he could see was the massive wall of ice. There was no getting around it, above it, and even less under it.

Great.

He was tempted to poke it with his sword out of pure curiosity. Instead, he put his hand over the ice. He could feel the cold through his gloves. "We've no choice. We need fire to melt this down." He glanced at Rydia.

Rosa took the child's hand into hers. "Will you try to cast Fire, Rydia?"

The girl remained quiet. She refused to even acknowledge the wall.

"Please?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to...!"

Rosa threw a puzzled look at Cecil, then back at Rydia. "You don't want to? Why is that?"

"I... I hate fire..."

The dark knight grew close to both girls and spoke in a low voice, as if he didn't want Rydia to hear. "Her village was burned to the ground... by the ring Kain and I delivered."

Rosa let out a quiet "Oh..." She hadn't seen that one coming. She crouched to meet Rydia's eyes, her hands gently placed on the child's shoulders. "Please Rydia... You're the only one among us who can melt that ice." She felt her shoulders shake slightly, and her green eyes filled with water. "We can't – and won't – force you to do it. But unless we make it through here and reach Fabul, a lot of people will suffer... We know it's not easy, but we all have to overcome obstacles."

"Please, Rydia..." Edward implored, "you are the only one who can do this."

The girl rose her head slightly. She couldn't let everyone down. She had to be brave and overcome her fears. In her vision, flames danced. They would burn her; send her to her grave. She closed her eyes, swallowed tears back, and tried to control her breathing.

Just as she had learned, she channeled the surrounding energy and imagined something warm – not burning like her village. The fire in her home's fireplace. This one had never hurt her, far from it. The fire grew, engulfed it, but did not burn her.

She chanted the spell. "... Fire!"

In front of them, the wall of ice slowly fell apart as the fire made its way up. Blinded by the intensity, Cecil shielded his eyes with his arm; only Rosa dared to watch the whole thing melt.

"That was incredible, Rydia...!" She crouched again and hugged the summoner, relieved. "I knew you could do it!"

Rydia let a girlish giggle out, and another as she felt a hand in her hair: Cecil's. She lifted her head to meet his eyes; he was smiling.

~

Traveling with a woman, a child and a prince proved to be harder – and easier at the same time – than Cecil had thought. He was used to harsh terrains and to walk for hours. Rosa trailed off behind him, but kept her pace fairly well.

The worst was Edward; the man was obviously not cut out to be a soldier. He stopped often to regain his breath, to pick whatever rare flowers grew nearby, to refill his canteen – which was a completely valid reason to stop, Cecil admitted.

However, after two hours of treking, they decided they could take a little rest. They set a small camp by a circle of protective stones. Their lunch consisted of bread and slabs of dry meat, which Edward did not seem to trust...

"I'm going to-..." Cecil stopped mid-sentence. He was growing restless. He lifted a hand in the air, towards Rosa, about to tell her to follow him... but he came back on his decision. The party needed her white magic if something happened while he was gone. Rydia dozed off on Edward's lap, and Edward... Edward was Edward, and he doubted the man could stand his own ground, without a mage by his side.

"Nevermind."

He sat back down with a sigh. So much for exercise.

~

It was a little after noon when they reached the peak of the mountain; the ride down would be a breeze compared to climbing up the damned mountain.

And it could have been, if Cecil hadn't spotted something strange.

A body. Then another. And a third. All dressed in the same garb; red pants, a yellow sash and sandals.

"What the..."

Meters away, a fourth man stood his ground against several bombs. The man – a standing mass of muscles – kicked through the monsters and brought them down easily. The dreadful gases escaping their melting bodies hovered over the ground, then gathered together. Out of the toxic cloud came a large red bomb, along with three grey ones.

"Monks from Fabul," Edward explained. "We must help him!"

Cecil didn't think twice and rushed over to the monk. He jumped in the air and took down one of the bombs before it reached its target.

From the back, Rosa drew her bow out. The woman had trained to be an archer on top of being a white mage – and her aim was deadly. The arrow pierced through the bomb's skin. Deadly gas seeped through its wound. Not too happy about being hit, it jetted over to her. And when Rydia cast a blizzard spell towards it, it definitively enraged the beast. It exploded in mid-air and lit the nearby area on fire.

"Rydia, watch out!"

Cecil didn't hear Edward fast enough and landed his hit on the "Mother" bomb. Rosa's arrow hit the smaller bomb, but it wasn't enough of a deterrent. Her salvation came in the form of a song. Invigorated, her senses heightened, she was able to evade the blow.

Before them, the Mother bomb roared as another of her "babies" bit the dust. The monk flew in the air and dropped a kick right in her face. She fell back with a yelp, and regained her composure almost immediately. Once on the ground, he braced himself for the upcoming attack.

It never came.

Another arrow pierced the bomb's leathery skin, and a blizzard spell penetrated the wound right after. The bomb rocked in the air, and poofed with a deafening detonation. Cecil, who had been relatively close to the beast, was projected a few meters back. The women, along with Edward, were luckier and only suffered from the heat. As for the monk, he seemed barely harmed.

The white mage rushed towards Cecil. Rosa knelt by his side, hands over his chest. She muttered a spell. Light surrounded her, and Cecil's eyes fluttered open.

"You really need to be more careful, Cecil..."

The man sat on the ground, still dazed from the monster's final blow. "I'm fine." The monk stood in front of him and held his hand out. Cecil grabbed it, expecting the man to support him... Instead, he was literally lifted up, then brought back to his feet.

"Thank you for helping me, strangers. I am Yang Fang Leiden, Grandmaster of the monks of Fabul." He bowed his head in respect. "We came here for training, but found death instead. We were caught by surprise by this large bomb and her offspring; my men, the strongest we had, could barely do a thing."

"I couldn't have done anything alone either," Cecil admitted. His gaze traveled over his companions. "We are on our way to Fabul. A man named Golbez has taken over the Baron's military, and is after the Crystals."

The bard stepped up, harp still in hand. "I am Edward, prince of Damcyan. They took the Fire Crystal from us yesterday afternoon. My dear Anna was killed in that fight..."

"Our guess is that he'll make his troops head for Fabul today, if they aren't already there. We must hurry," Cecil concluded. He didn't want to waste any more time.

For a moment, Yang mulled the situation over. "The monks guarding the castle are inexperienced. We cannot hope to defeat Baron in such a state."

"Then we best leave now," Rosa added. She clutched her bow.

The monk nodded. "Indeed. Follow me, the castle isn't too far. We'll reach within the next hour. By the way, you still haven't told me about all of you," he asked, curious.

"I am Cecil Harvey, ex-Captain of the Red Wings. A few days ago I was requested for a mission in Mysidia; we received the order to take the Water Crystal back to Baron, at all costs. Unfortunately, it came to that point. When I raised the issue to the King, I was demoted and sent to slay a beast near Myst, which turned out to be an Eidolon protecting the village. That's how I met Rydia." He extended his arm to introduce the young summoner. "The Eidolon was her mother's."

Yang's lips formed a silent "O".

"My partner for the mission headed back to Baron to get backup, and Rosa," he pointed at the blonde woman, "left for Myst as well. We went through the cave with the help of Sage Tellah, but when we reached Damcyan Castle, it was too late." Cecil shook his head. "Rosa had fallen sick and needed immediate cure, which Edward helped in gathering. We made it back to Kaipo, then through Mount Hobbs. And here we are now."

Yang nodded. "So Golbez and his army will indeed want Fabul's Wind Crystal. With the castle unguarded, this cannot bode well."

Rydia trotted to the two men. Even as she tried to look fierce, she managed to look cute. "We'll help!"

The young girl got approval from Cecil. "Of course. We have no idea what Baron wants to do with the Crystals, but if they're ready to kill for them, it has to be important."

"And I'll be forever grateful, sir-"

Cecil shook his head, his visor hiding the grin forming on his face. "Just call me Cecil. I'm no lord anymore."

~

The airship flew west of Baron; it would arouse less suspicions from other townsfolk. Men worked the ship with ease on the outside. On the inside, Golbez was busy.

Busy with Kain.

The dragoon's back rested on the wall, legs wrapped around Golbez's waist. Quiet, muffled moans filled the room as the warlock thrust in his protégé. Their session last night hadn't been enough for Golbez, and it took very, very little convincing to get Kain into it. And even if Kain hadn't consented... Golbez would have still gotten his way with the boy.

A Red Wings soldier, dressed in the typical red and gold attire, entered his room either unannounced, or neither men heard the knocks.

"Lord Golbez, we're scheduled to-..." The newcomer gulped hard, and shied his gaze away from both men. His cheeks flustered. Catching a man and a woman having sex was awkward – catching two men in the same position, one of them being his direct superior, was even more awkward.

"Yes, soldier?" The man didn't stop his thrusts, barely bothered by the intrusion.

The soldier slowly regained his composure. He still avoided direct eye contact. "We... we are scheduled to reach Fabul in ten to fifteen minutes. The decoys are ready and have been instructed on their mission. They will not fail us."

Between grunts, Golbez gave orders out. "Make sure to land as quietly as possible. They must not suspect a thing."

"Yes, m'Lord." The Red Wing closed the door, his gold visor hiding the confused look on his face.

~

Set near a thick forest, Fabul Castle was definitely a welcoming sight. The walk to the castle had been deemed "peaceful" by the group, who only encountered a few fights.

Guards stood by the gate, and warmly greeted their master. "Welcome back to the castle, Yang."

"Thank you." Hands joined, Yang bowed to the youth. "Did either of you notice something strange as of this morning?"

The guard didn't miss a beat. "Unless you mean that you've exited the castle with three other men and come back with a group of strangers... not at all. Everything's been quiet."

"Good. These are friends of mine, who saved me from an attack on Mount Hobbs. We will have a few families to apologize to later on, I'm afraid."

The guard went silent, eyes on the ground. "My brother will be devastated. Anders was with you..."

"We'll take care of your brother as well. We know how Anders and he were in love."

This time, it was Cecil who looked surprised. It seemed other people weren't in the same situation he was stuck in.

"Thank you, Yang." The youth offered him a sad smile. "Best to let you discuss the matter with the King himself."

"Keep an eye on things on the outside," Yang ordered as he turned around, checking his surroundings once more. "I'll take us to the King."

Inside, they were escorted by a few guards, all the way to the throne room. The throne room's large wooden doors opened. In the back of the room, protecting another door, the King stood up. His frame was similar to Yang's, though the man was clearly older.

"I'm glad you've returned, Yang," he stated with a smile. "Is anything the matter, friend?"

"Indeed. During our training at Mount Hobbs, my men and I were attacked. I owe my life to these men and women. A man known as Golbez is coming for Fabul's Wind Crystal as we speak. And he has Baron's army as a backup."

The King quirked a brow. "Are you sure of this, Yang?"

"I am. These people came to warn us." The monk nodded in his friends' direction in acknowledgment.

"But... who might they be?"

Cecil stepped up and brought his visor up, revealing bright blue eyes. "Your Highness, I apologize, but we have no time for introductions. We must secure the castle."

In front of him, the King bit his lip in concern.

"Golbez will not wait, Your Highness."

Rosa's teal eyes settled on the older man's face. "Please, you must believe us."

Even Edward, who had remained quiet and withdrawn, spoke up. "It is an honor to meet you again, Your Highness. Though I wish it were under better circumstances"

The King took a second to remember exactly who the man was. It flashed to him. "Prince Edward! I had barely recognized you; you've grown into a fine young man. How fares Damcyan?"

Edward nearly crumbled at the question. "Damcyan has fallen, under Golbez's attack. I've lost Mother, Father and my dear Anna... Tell me you will not let Fabul suffer from the same fate!"

The plea seemed to strike a chord. If Yang and Prince Edward were telling the truth, this did not bear good news. "Forgive me. I found it hard to believe you spoke the truth. Our monks are gone, however. Will you help us?"

"Of course," Cecil responded. His hand clutched his sword handle; that's what they were here for.

"In the meantime, we would request the ladies to come with us and help us heal the wounded," the King added as his glance shifted towards Rosa and Rydia. Both women nodded.

A young monk came in through and stopped in front of the girls. "Please follow me, I will escort you to the infirmary."

From the corridor, Rosa shouted. "Be careful, Cecil!"

"As long as you remain careful as well." Cecil stepped back and caught the summoner before she was out. "Rydia, watch over her for me, please?"

"Mmmm-hmm!" She waved at him and exited the room, trotting behind Rosa.

The remaining men followed, guided by Yang. "We'll be waiting outside. If things are indeed as you say, Cecil, they won't wait long to strike."

~ To be continued... ~