Episode 7

Episode 7, the mysterious case of Lex Granth
The distance between Crestalia and Hearthland was one too long for foot and for a carriage. It'd take 2 days to get there by Carriage, which would have been extremely pricey. But this was money that Galea Force did not have to spare, well. Yugami didn't anyway.

But all that didn't mean they would take the carriage. He didn't have the cash and you couldn't sneak on. But that was different here. It had been in the past year where the recent revelation of Railways had hit Minstrel from that of Fiore. It ran straight from Crestalia to Hearthland and then Lindenfax. It didn't go down to Millaire yet, they were working on that line. It was the perfect way to get them from A to B without the issue of a following Kanon.

It was midday in the centre of Crestalia, something normal to Dura and Yugami who were watching the trains coming in and out closely, Yo on the other hand was a country girl who had never seen all of this organised commotion. It was a wonder to her how so many people doing so many things could all fit into this one place where they were going about their own business without acknowledging most of their own existences. But that was just one of the many wonders of the busy City world.

"I've found it. The fourth carriage, third section. It's the quiet zone so the ticket guys don't go there until the end, we'll be off before the end. It's perfect!"

Said Dura, still looking rather blindly at the Train that he sought to be his. Dura had a nack for knowledge, working things out and being a generally handy man to have about the place at almost all times, but sometimes he saw things only a bit too logically. The train did indeed go to Hearthland but he wasn't sure if his plan was 100% solid. Yugami perked up, seeing what he meant.

"Yeah, it works. Lets go!"

Yugami bounced on his way to the train, Dura following whilst Yo still looked around curious. She saw so many normal people, businessmen & women, travellers & such. Nobody reminded her of her family back in the Highbays, but they did make her think of someone close. Noticing the two disappearing on her, she scurried to the train to catch up.

"W-Wait up!!"

Upon catching up to them, the two were about to jump on top of the Train, foolishly out in the open.

"No! Not here you idiots!"

She shouted, yanking Yugami down as he tried to jump up. Dura stopped right before he was going to jump, looking over at her.

"Its too public. You'll get caught doing it here, right infront of everyone."

Pointing to a place less public, behind the large disposal bins, she nodded.

"Here is better."

With that the two followed her to the bins, awaiting on her to make the first move up.

"Well? It was your plan."

Said Yugami, grinning as he watched her struggle to climb up the bin. He pushed her up before jumping up with ease himself. From here they could see over the train but even a trained eye would struggle to see them peering over the large train. They snuck in through a window, Dura just making it in as the train departed. They were on their way!

Upon looking in the carriage, it seemed empty. To the left, empty seats. Without bothering to look in the other direction Yugami jumped on the opportunity, seizing a seat for his own. Dura sat next to him, Yo about to sit down in the third seat nearest the window when she noticed the anger on Yugami's face. He was looking to her right, behind her?

She turned, seeing him. Sitting there so casually, a smirk on his face. His crimson hair shade coating one eye, the other watching Yugami with a smug look. He'd got there first, as usual.

"Can't even get a train without making a scene, can you?"

He grinned as Yo watched him looking as if she were in some kind of stun or shock at him. He was here, he seemed to be everywhere she went now. Sighing, she looked down trying not to make eye contact. Yugami clenched his fist as he grit his teeth aggressively toward the comment.

"If there was no chance we'd get caught I'd beat the shit out of you.."

"Ha. What, like last time where I knocked you out of your little ball?"

"Shut up, nuisance."

Yugami grunted, his fists digging into his sides as he pushed them into a crossed style, holding them back just about. Dura on the other hand was more confused as to what Kanon had said earlier, making a scene.

"Were we that obvious? I thought we got in quite Discreet.."

"Well, you chose right with the carriages. I came here because I assumed you loud-mouths would be going into an open carriage.."

A moment of aggravated silence as the train started to move, which signalled the atmosphere for the rest of the Journey.

It had taken all of two hours to get to the train station in Hearthland. The agricultural differences between cities were blatant, Crestalia was a modern place unlike the Hearthland which seemed more like a massive version of a medieval village. The train had come to a stop and Yugami was sat awkwardly, his back crushing his arms whilst it was being bent by the seat of the chair, his lower body dangling down on the floor. Dura was asleep and Yo was sat their, twiddling her thumbs. Kanon was lazed across the three seats he had to himself, although he was getting up as the train stopped moving.

"Time to find Lex Granth, eh Yugami?"

Kanon grinned, up before the others. He bounced out toward the exit of the train before any of them got up. It took a second or so to register but when it did, Yugami flew to his feet almost seamlessly with rage, bursting through the window from which they had come getting ahead of Kanon. This time he wasn't going to lose!

Yo and Dura hopped out the broken window shortly after. Yugami had disappeared now, and Kanon was something of a miss aswell. They'd have to find their own way.

"Looks like we're going it alone. Don't worry Yo, I know the place we're going to."

It took a good 15 minutes for them to walk there, the two just walked in silence, Yo soaking up the views of the Hearthlands traditional building structures and small estates filled with loads of houses, followed by larger estates with richer people. In between these two different styles of estate was the Inn they needed. Walking up to it, Yo put her ear up against the door to see if she could hear Yugami and Kanon.

She couldn't hear anything and Dura was getting tired of waiting for her so just pushed the door open. It revealed Yugami and Kanon who stood there infront of them, their backs turned. Yo turned her head to see past Yugami's shoulder as she saw the wreckage of the Inn. It looked like bandits had come and destroyed the interior of the Inn. The bar was torn apart, all of the drinks that would've been on shelves gone, the woodwork of the room looked battered. The room gave off a feeling that it could collapse at any given time. There was an unnecessary amount of water everywhere, could've been a burst pipe. Laying in the centre of the room, a corpse lay there motionless. The blonde lochs looked messy spread out across the bloodstained floor, his white shirt was stained in his own blood. He also had a massive damp patch on his chest with a note on it. The note was also damp, it looked like it was glued to his chest.

Yugami stepped toward the corpse, his foot sending a ripple through the puddle of water surrounding the body as he crouched down to see the note. The writing was fancy, joint and styled. It said 'Winter C.S. Frost, signed and adjourned.'

Click here for episode 8