An Asnean Odyssey: Bastien
Chapter Twenty-One

Twenty-One

“I like your eye patch,” Liet commented, which Gage met with a smile.

“I do too.”

“I noticed you haven’t been talking to Serena at all.”

Gage paused for a moment, an expression of sorrow briefly crossing his face. “I can’t hear her any more...My world’s gone silent...”

“Oh, I’m sorry...” Liet apologized. There was a short silence before he spoke again. “What’s our plan now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we hadn’t really thought much past getting back here.”

“Skye’s half royalty, ain’t she? More entitled than Balthazar, at the very least.”

-I was never really interested in politics- Skye wrote after she dumped her haul on the table.

“At the very least you could try to convince him to light up the sky every once in a while. This darkness is bumming me out.”

-The sun’s not on?- Skye’s eyes became cloudy as she furrowed her brow. -Maybe we should give him a visit.-

“Maybe we should replace Steiner as well,” Gage added.

“What for?” Liet asked. “What did that guy want with her, anyway?”

“He needs to replace a dragon,” Gage explained. “He thinks she’ll know where it is.”

Skye’s eyes shifted to deep emerald as she looked at Gage and quickly scribbled in the air. -Did he say how he happened to know about the dragons?-

“No. He just said Leinhardt was the only one that would remember them.”

-Leinhardt used to tell me stories about them when I was little. He said they used men as pawns for their own amusement.-

“Like gods or something? How could you control a person?” Liet was confused.

-Exactly like gods, but no one really knew about them.-

“Perhaps we should pay her a visit, too.”

-We could split up-

“Really, guys? We only just met up and you want to split again?” Gage looked depressed.

-Of course I’d stay with you, Gage.- Skye smiled and grabbed his hand. -I meant Liet and I.-

“I’m not leaving either of you,” Liet threw his hand on top of the others.

“Steiner, then?”

-No, Asnea. I’d like to see what’s become of the capital. - Skye wrote, then began stuffing the samples and parts she had collected into her pocket.

“Maybe we should replace some new clothes for you before we go,” Liet commented. Skye had seemingly forgotten that her shirt was covered in blood.

-Oh, I guess you’re right!- Skye reached into one of the lockers and pulled out an identical white shirt and gave a sly smile. -Turn around.-

“Really? After all this time I still have to turn around when you change?” Liet joked as the two faced the wall. Skye quickly changed then tapped the boys on the shoulder and headed for the exit.

“That was quick, did you swap all of your stuff over?”

-Don’t need to. Shared space.-

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about magic, would you Skye?” Gage asked. “It’s probably nothing, but when I said Steiner’s creations were like magic, Bastien recognized her.”

-My work has been compared to magic, occasionally, but that’s all.- Skye started writing in the shimmering snow again.

“Oh well, it was worth a shot.”

“How much do you know about that creepy guy?” Liet asked Gage. “And what did you mean by vampire?”

The group had already reached the exit to the cave and begun making their way through the thick forest. “I first met him about twenty-six years ago. I was a young lad then, just started out pirating. I kidnapped a man’s sister and he accidentally killed her trying to save her. He blamed himself and it twisted him into a monster. Turns out it was someone close to one of his companions, Randgris. They came after me and I stabbed him in the chest. Randgris saved him somehow, and I left. That was a few months after I kidnapped the girl. Now a while back, before I met you guys, I found him washed up in the ocean near my island. His blood had seeped into the water and poisoned it, turning my island into a bog. I pulled him out and watched over him until he woke up earlier today.”

“Is that why you left us at the castle?”

“Yeah,” Gage looked at the grassy forest floor. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it, man!” Liet patted Gage on the back and smiled. “We’re all alive, that’s all that matters.”

“Thanks. That really helps,” Gage forced a smile, but it quickly faded. “What happened to your finger?”

“Someone ate it.”

“Well, ain’t that some shit.”

Liet chuckled briefly before responding. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Skye tugged on Liet’s sleeve. She had written something, but neither of them noticed. -I’m glad you can laugh about it now.-

“Yeah, no point getting upset about it. I can’t change the past.”

-Would you?-

“Would I what?”

-Would you change it if you could?-

“I’m not really sure, honestly. I hope I’m never in a position to make that decision.”

-You know the manipulator is still embedded in your arm...-

“The manipulator?” Gage looked confused. Liet raised his right arm and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a circular scar about the size of a small coin.

“Skye jammed it in my arm when we were rebels. It lets me slow time for a bit. I’d completely forgotten about it, honestly. I didn’t have it in my world.”

-We never stopped being rebels.- Skye’s eyes were bright orange and her face had adopted an expression of rage.

“We accomplished our goal, didn’t we?”

-If we stop being rebels, then everyone that died for us will be forgotten. We have a duty to remember them.- Small tears gathered in the corner of Skye’s oceanic eyes. Liet placed his hand on her cheek and wiped them away with his thumb.

“I’m sorry.”

-You didn’t mean to upset me.- Skye couldn’t keep her hand steady, and it affected her writing. -I think you should test the manipulator.-

“How am I supposed to activate it? It looks like my skin has grown over it.”

-You could try touching it, or flexing.-

Liet traced his finger around the scar tissue on his arm. Nothing happened. He tried hitting it, which yielded the same results. He made a fist and rolled it around his wrist. When it reached the rear of his wrist, he could feel a sharp pain where the manipulator was. It felt like blood was being pulled through his arm into the medallion embedded inside as the world slowed to a stop around him. The strange sensation caused him to release the tension in his arm. Time remained stopped. He tried flexing his arm again, which caused the medallion to stop drawing blood and the flow of time to resume.

“I guess it didn’t work then, ay?” Gage commented with a disappointed look on his face.

“N-no. It worked,” Liet stammered. “It felt like it was drawing a lot of blood, though.”

“No shit?”

-I might need to make some adjustments...- Skye wrote as she began to pull scraps of machinery out of her pocket and fiddle with them.

“You were thinking about it the whole time?”

-Of course. It’s my greatest invention. I was hoping I’d get a chance to fiddle with it again.-

“Hey, where’d your pendant go, Skye?” Gage inquired. The group was approaching Asnea.

-Ah! I forgot to put it on.- Skye reached into her pocket and produced the mirrored locket, which she carefully fastened around her neck.

“I knew something was missing.”

-I’m surprised you still remember what I look like after all this time.-

“I’m good with faces.”

The group quickly made their way through the scarred outskirts of Asnea and up to the enormous wooden doors. There were two guards stationed at the entrance, with a strange statue of an eyeball next to them. The guards did nothing as the trio pushed open the small doors to the side and entered the city. An eerie fog lingered in the streets and all of the buildings seemed to be abandoned as they traveled towards the castle. Few people were on the streets, and those that were kept their head down and remained silent.

“You remember how I said Asnea didn’t look much like an evil lair before?” Liet asked rhetorically. “Well, I take that back. This looks like an evil lair. I’m just going to call it now, Balthazar is evil.”

-Based on that logic, Bastien is evil as well.- Skye pointed out.

“Gage?”

“Why are you looking at me? I barely know the guy.”

“I don’t really get an evil vibe from him, personally.”

-I think evil depends on the point of view. Perhaps we’re the villains.- A salacious smile crossed Skye’s lips.

“That’s a disturbing thought,” Liet passed his fingers through his hair.

“I suppose everyone is evil, in that case.”

Silence washed over the party as they ascended to the castle steps. The city felt completely different than they remembered.

“The people here don’t seem very happy,” Liet pointed out as they wandered through the empty courtyard. The hedges had overgrown and fragments of statues littered the ground. Another stone eyeball sat just outside the doors to the castle.

Skye tugged on Liet’s sleeve as they approached the massive doors to the castle. Liet looked down to see her pointing over to one side of the courtyard. Countless corpses were piled almost up to the roof of the castle, most of which appeared to be foreign soldiers.

“Called it, he’s evil,” Liet announced.

“Do we still want to see him?” Gage asked. “It’s kind of looking like a bad idea now.”

-What’s the worst that could happen?-

“Really?” Liet responded immediately with a shocked look. “What’s the best that could happen?”

Everyone thought for a moment, trying to figure out what they could possibly achieve from talking with Balthazar. “Well, there’s that thing with the sun.”

“Somehow it just doesn’t seem that important to me anymore. You’ve gotten used to it by now, right?” Liet nervously replied.

-What other options do we have?-

“Let’s see, uh, there’s Steiner, there’s Bastien,” Liet started to count on his fingers. “We could go back to your lab and try to clean things up there, we could check out your house, I mean, I don’t know if there’d be anything useful there, but it’s worth a shot, right? Like, there are so so so so so many better options than this.”

“Hold on,” Gage thought aloud. “If Asnea is constantly under attack, how did we get in so easily?”

“I allowed it, of course.” The party turned around to see a tall man wearing a violet shirt with speckles of red splattered around the neck. A regal burgundy cloak hung from the furs that rested upon his shoulders. The armor he wore on his legs was darker than the eternal night, aside from the gold accents around the joints. His face was sharp and pale, his emerald eyes gleamed through the darkness. Jet black hair tumbled over his shoulders to just below his chest.

“I suppose you’re Balthazar, then?” Liet found it hard to replace his words.

“You suppose right!” Balthazar smiled, revealing razor fangs. “What was that I heard about the sun?”

-We were wondering why it hadn’t been turned on.- Skye scrawled quickly.

“Can’t talk, eh? Poor girl,” Balthazar smirked. “It remains off because I prefer darkness.”

“That’s it, you just don’t like it?” Gage spat. “Isn’t that a little childish?”

“Well, you see, it would be if I were a child,” Balthazar began to advance towards the group. “But I assure you, I am no child. When you possess power of my level, you get to do things you want to do. For example, I killed all these people. Why, you ask? Because I wanted to.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Gage agreed. “Selfish was the word I was looking for.”

Balthazar laughed. “You mentioned Bastien, yes?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“He’s an old friend of mine that I would oh so dearly like to reunite with. If you could deliver him to me, I may grant you a request.”

-What if we refuse?-

“I’d say I’ll kill you, but you assisted me greatly by killing Oscar,” Balthazar snorted. “Who am I kidding, I could have killed him myself, but that’s no fun! Anyways, if you refuse, I’ll allow you to leave. However, if we cross paths again, I’ll keep you as blood bags.”

“Hey, you’re the vampire, aren’t you?!” Gage shouted.

“Mmm, you remember me now, do you? Yes, I am ‘the vampire’.”

“What do you want with Bastien?”

“We’ve been separated for so long, I just want an ooey gooey heartfelt reunion,” Balthazar wiped away fake tears with his fists while he spoke.

“We refuse,” Gage sternly replied.

“You don’t want to consult your companions?”

“I think they’ll agree with me,” Gage looked to the others, who nodded.

“Then get out of my sight!” Balthazar barked. The group sprinted as quickly as they could out of Asnea and across the wastes until they reached the tree line.

“What do we do now?” Liet asked between breaths.

“We need to warn Bastien.”

Bastien

- “Why did you leave me...? I miss you so much...”

The settlement had grown. Houses lined the lake and the tree line had receded to make room for farms and buildings. People were hustling and bustling around the busy town as Bastien made his way to the lake. Everyone’s eyes seemed to follow him as he walked. It seemed as though the water level had lowered, but it could have just been his imagination. The waterfall that once crashed into the surface of the water had become little more than a trickle. Near the mouth of Steiner’s cave, a large creature could be seen dipping its maw into the water. It looked familiar, and as Bastien got closer, he realized that it was Aristotle.

“I’m surprised you’re still alive, Ari.”

“Is that, y-you...? Plato, are you t-there?” Aristotle struggled to form his words. His eyes had become clouded.

Bastien didn’t know how to respond. He pushed his fingers through Aristotle’s ragged mane and rubbed behind his ears, which was met with a low purr. Steiner emerged from the cavern and stood in the entrance observing Bastien before she spoke.

“Can you imagine what it must have been like for him? It’s no wonder he’s gone mad.”

“He was weak.”

“I don’t think anyone could withstand having two thirds of their consciousness torn away from them,” Steiner said solemnly. Bastien offered no response. “Why are you here?”

“Tell me where I can replace the dragons.”

“You already know where Ignis is, why do you need to know?”

“Ignis won’t help me.”

“With what?”

“I want to die.”

Steiner laughed. “None of us will help you.”

“So, you’ve been one of them this whole time?”

“It certainly didn’t happen overnight.”

“Why won’t you grant my request?”

“Someone created you for a reason. It would be a waste to throw you away.”

“Am I just some kind of toy?!” Bastien shouted and approached Steiner. He wrapped his gnarled fingers around her throat and lifted her into the air. “Is my life nothing but a sick joke to you?!”

“No, no, of course not,” Steiner’s voice echoed inside Bastien’s head. It was soft and calming. “We just want you to kill someone.”

“I’ve killed plenty of people!”

“None that matter.”

“Then who?” Bastien spat. “Tell me who I have to kill!”

“You just need to kill someone close to you.”

“The only person I cared about is already dead...”

“What about Bartz?”

Bastien’s eyes widened as he dropped Steiner’s tiny body to the ground. “Duke survived that?”

“Of course he did. He’s a vampire, like you. If it was that easy to kill a vampire, you wouldn’t have come here to ask for help,” Steiner’s lips curled into a grin.

“I don’t even have a weapon, what do you expect me to do?”

“Oh, come on. Have you forgotten the powers you were given already?”

“Magic is useless.”

“It most certainly is not!”

“I prefer a blade. Where can I replace Sverker?”

“Bartz kept Sverker. However, Randgr-”

Don’t! Don’t speak her name!” Bastien cut Steiner off.

"She visited me after your lover’s quarrel,” Steiner continued as she opened a small portal in front of her and reached in to retrieve Ludvig. “She left me this as a parting gift. She knew we’d never meet again.”

Bastien grabbed Ludvig and unsheathed him. The blade was just as dark as he remembered. It felt comforting to hold it in his hands. “I know you’re lying. I know this will never end. But I’ll do your bidding if you tell me one thing. Why did you make her attack me?”

“I didn’t make her do anything. She tried to kill you of her own free will.”

Tears formed in Bastien’s eyes as his brain struggled to process the information he was hearing. “No... I can’t...Why would she want to kill me...”

“You’ve no idea what true devotion is, do you?” Steiner laughed.

“I have nothing more to say to you,” Bastien replied with disgust as he turned to leave.

“Say hello to Bartz for me!” Steiner called out as Bastien walked back through the town into the distance.