Just In Case

"There's only one...?" Alyra mutters to herself, jaw hung open, wide silver eyes reflecting the flickering flames of the campfire. She sits with her knees pulled to her chest, a long trench coat covered in bloodstains and grime wrapped around her.

Cage sits beside her, legs crossed on the slow, the fire heating the front of his body quite nicely. His eyes linger on Alyra, she'll need a moment to process that information. Cage didn't have as severe a reaction when learning that there is only one Epoch, but he also hasn't gone his entire life believing differently. She has.

Cage tips his chin back, looking up at the tall, thick trees painted orange by the fire. White piles of snow fall from lower branches here and there, and the higher branches rustle with the movement of agile creatures as they jump across from tree to tree. Through the gaps between outspread branches, those colors swirl and tumble through space just behind the violet moon.

"Anyway," Kyro says, earning a glance from Cage. The Rajin is grinning about something, and one of his black brows bounces with a teasing hint, "You failed to tell us about your newly formed... relationship," Kyro says, glancing at Alyra.

"He's a growing boy!" Ingen jeers with an even wider grin than the other Rajin man, "Surely you remember our days of courtship, Kyro. Ha! At least he has enough restraint to limit himself to one!"

"Ah, those were chaotic days. But you are right, my brother!" Kyro says, glancing at Ingen, then back at Cage, his grin stretching farther across his face, "But our little Alyra of all people! I remember the days when she and Yoru would lock themselves in mother's study. They would stare at words and talk about boys, giggling to themselves all the while!"

Alyra has returned to reality now, and she looks between Ingen and Kyro with a deadpan expression, "At least I've grown up. You two are still those little boys playing with wooden swords," She says.

"We're not in a relationship, you idiots..." Cage sneers. The Rajin men across the fire from him laugh at his irritated gaze. From the corner of his eye, he can see Alyra staring at him with a raised brow, a look that seems to say, 'Go on...'.

Cage gulps, his mind suddenly thrown into overdrive. Did he say something wrong? He was just speaking the truth, as he thought he should. So what is he supposed to say now? Why is she looking at him like he should have more to say?

Cage glances at her, then back at the Rajin men staring at him, "...Yet," He drags the word out, gauging the reactions from all parties.

Kyro and Ingen burst into another bout of laughter, and Alyra's lips curl an almost unnoticeable amount as she returns her eyes to the fire. Kyro wipes a tear from his eye, one hand rubbing his stomach as he groans, "...Suddenly I'm reminded why I kept my words to a minimum around my wife," He says.

Cage sighs in relief, he's safe, hopefully. He glances out at the dark forest surrounding him, noticing small rustles in bushes and beastly figures skulking in the darkness. Cage can't smell it himself, but Ingen had burned some kind of herb in the fire earlier, which is supposed to deter hungry beasts. Convenient.

Cage looks around to the side of the fire. Krash leans against a tree a few paces from the fire, the white fur on his body upper body bare save for the dented cuirass covering his chest. The Tanzide's head sags, his clawed hands fiddling with a piece of bark. Now that the trench coat is gone—Kyro ordered the man to give it to Alyra for warmth—Cage notices that his arms are massive, and with the fur to help, they are almost as ridiculous as Ingen's.

Cage's eyes linger on the sulking Lion-headed man, then on the grey bag slumped beside him, the edges of the Stones poking through the material, "Can't we let him go now? We know that Yoru is alive, so..." he trails off, looking at Kyro.

Kyro looks up from a piece of meat in his hand, chewing with furrowed brows, "No," He says, looking over at Krash with a deadly glint in his eye, "I want Yoru to tell me herself that he did not lay a finger on her. The feline may say that he did not, but anyone can lie. Especially those that are desperate."

Kyro meets Cage's eyes again, and they gaze at one another in silence for a moment, "You'll keep him here, even if it means that his people perish because of his delayed return?" he asks with a firm tone.

Kyro flexes his jaw, "This is your journey, Cage. You will make the decisions out there in the branches, and the rest of us will only guide you," he says, holding back the edge from his voice, "But this is Yoru we're talking about, my sister. If someone touches even a hair on her head, no matter who it may be, they will not escape my blade. I would do the same for you and Ingen... Remember that."

Cage pauses, his and Kyro's eyes lingering on one another for a moment. He nods, "He stays then." Even if he disagreed, Cage would not say it. When he thinks about it, if someone were to lay a hand on those around this fire, Yoru too, he would have trouble showing mercy himself.

Cage remembers that day when he saw Perlo cackling and snapping a whip at Kyro's back. If Kyro had not stopped him, Cage would have paralyzed the guard captain and slit the man's neck. The rage took over his mind at that moment, enough for him to ignore the consequences that would certainly follow

Kyro returns a nod. He looks to the side, peering through the trees at the mountain and city lit by violet moonlight in the distance, "We need to leave soon. If we wait for it to get any darker, the sun will rise before we get out of the city," Kyro says grimly.

"What we need to do," Ingen says, swallowing a piece of meat, "Is figure out how we're going to get past that damned dog. Every man—soldier and guard—will be at our necks if we're messy."

"Ludan too. I have a feeling we'll meet him again whether we like it or not," Kyro says, distracted eyes glued to the flames, "We've dealt with plenty of Anima users before, but none as powerful as that man. I'm not sure he can even be killed."

Cage furrows his brows, "What dog are you two talking about?" he asks.

"Remember the Anima user you told us about? His summons destroyed an entire section of the city during your battle with him," Ingen says, "Well, this dog is the Epoch's Anima summon. I haven't witnessed it in action myself, but it will be in our best interest to assume that it's stronger than what any of us have ever seen."

"Of course. The last thing we should do is underestimate our enemies," Kyro agrees, looking at Cage, "You still have those Rage Stones?"

Cage nods, sighing, "Yeah," he says. It hurts him to break his promise to Yoru further, but with the sheer strength and number of enemies they will most likely face, there is no choice.

"She will understand, Cage," Ingen says knowingly, nodding to the black-eyed man, "We'll have a hard time saving Yoru if we're dead. Every bit of strength should be utilized."

Cage gazes at the massive Rajin for a moment, then nods. He glances at Kyro, who looks confused by Ingen's words. The blue-skinned Rajin opens his mouth to speak, but Cage is not looking to expose his promise, not yet, "I can deal with the dog, I think. That just leaves the Epoch, Ludan. He can use both Imbuer and Conjurer powers, right?" Cage asks.

Kyro raises a brow at the interruption, but nods anyway, "Yes," he says.

"Oh, I can help with this!" Alyra says with a smile, raising her hand above her head enthusiastically. All eyes fall on her, but the woman is not bothered in the least. Quite the opposite, the pride almost pours from her as she begins to speak.

"Usually, Imbuers can only imbue so many things before they need time to recharge, a few days to a month depending on the individual. But that doesn't apply to the Epoch. As the only Rajin Anima user, he needs to imbue trackers and recharge Control Orbs nearly every day. All in all, he seems to have an endless amount of Anima at his disposal. That means he can probably summon more than one of the Spider-eyed Wolf too... Probably," Alyra speaks so quick that the others wouldn't be able to keep up if they weren't completely focused on her every word.

A moment of silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound. Kyro blinks, only just now noticing that his mouth has been hanging open, "So we're up against what is essentially a god. That's... reassuring," He says slowly.

"Yoru better be thankful we're willing to die for her," Ingen says, wiping a hand over his face, "This is a suicide mission."

Cage ignores the complaining and muttered curses sounding from across the fire. He looks at Alyra, brows raised with interest, "Anything else?" He asks.

Alyra glances at him, then looks off into the distance, humming as she thinks, "Oh," she suddenly says, catching the attention of Kyro and Ingen, "Does Ludan wear any jewelry?"

Kyro nods, "Yes. Bracelets, rings, a necklace, and even earrings," he says.

"Strangest thing I've ever seen on a man..." Ingen whispers to himself.

"Watch out for those. The rings, necklace, everything," Alyra says, "Imbuers can give any object whatever property they wish, as long as they have enough time and a good imagination. Ludan's jewelry may not be for fighting, he may use them to fly or something like that, but you can't be too careful with things like this."

Kyro nods, chuckling, "Knowing our luck, every piece of jewelry will explode or spout flames," he says, "Is that all?"

Alyra shakes her head, lips pursed, "I don't know enough about him to fully guage what he can do. I'm sorry," She says, shoulders sagging beneath the trench coat wrapped around her.

"Don't be sorry!" Ingen says, laughing, "We were about to go in utterly blind, but thanks to you, we'll know what we're looking at if we fight the bastard. Though it probably won't stop him from making a bloody mess of us."

Alyra raises her brows at the words. Kyro nods to her with an appreciative smile. She looks at Cage, who also smiles, "See? Not so useless, are you?" He says with a raised brow.

Alyra returns a light smile, then buries her blushing face in the trench coat, ignoring the terrible stench coming from it. Cage smiles to himself as she does this. Kyro and ingen are the children, Huh? Pot meet kettle.

Kyro suddenly stands from the campfire, "Well, let's get this over with," he says, nodding to Cage and Ingen in turn. As they stand, Kyro walks over to the silent Tanzide still leaning against the tree. He squats right before Krash, narrowing his eyes at the fur-covered man, "Hey," Kyro calls quietly.

Krash flinches, then looks up at Kyro. His snout is a bit crooked between his nose and forehead, and his eyes are red with exhaustion. It's strange how a man as big as this one can be so docile, so subservient. The complete opposite of Ingen, who is nearly the same size, "We're leaving."

Kyro turns and points to a pile of yellow herbs near the campfire, "Use those to keep the beasts away," He says, turning back and glaring down at Krash, "You will stay here and keep Alyra safe. Leave if you're feeling brave, but don't think for a second that a few Utherians will keep me from finding and butchering you on Mammoria. Your fate depends upon the word of my sister, and I will believe whatever she says without question."

Kyro leans forward, coming within inches from Krash's crooked snout, "Without question," The Bloodhound hisses.

Krash flinches at the sharp words. He nods slowly, "I will not leave. You have my word," The Tanzide says quietly.

"Good," Kyro says, standing, "Who knows? If Yoru has a good opinion of you, we just might help you save your people. But you shouldn't get your hopes up. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm not the most stable-minded of men."

Kyro turns from Krash, walking to the campfire and picking up his sword from the snow, "Let's go," He says, walking in the direction of Yellen. Ingen grabs his warhammer and follows behind Kyro.

Cage moves to join as well, but something grabs his wrist, halting his steps. He turns to see Alyra rising to her feet while still holding him, the trench coat falling to the ground with a puff of snow. Alyra moves close, grabbing Cage's face with both ice-cold hands, then closes her eyes and moves in.

Cage's eyes widen as a soft, wet sensation meets his lips. He manages to fight through the shock and confusion after a long moment, relaxing and closing his eyes. He had wondered for a time if he would know what to do when he has his first kiss, but now, Cage can't think of anything past the tingling pleasure on his lips. He simply lets his instincts take over.

Alyra pulls back after a long, long moment, a strange popping sound following the seperation of their lips. Her hands slide from Cage's face down to his robe-covered chest, and she looks at him with her cheeks a deeper shade of red, "Just in case," She mutters.

Cage chuckles, "What? You think I'll die so easily?" He says, earning a smile from Alyra. They wave goodbye to each other, and Cage jogs to catch up with Kyro and Ingen, both men refusing to pass up another session of teasing.

He sounded confident to Alyra, but he had to. Cage can't tell her that he's scared, terrified that they all may meet their ends tonight. He's been close to death before, and so have Kyro and Ingen, but they've been lucky enough to survive each time. Hopefully, they all still have some of that luck to spare, it may be the only thing that allows them to keep their heads.