Requiem
Enemy Encounter
Disclaimer: No I don't own Tales of Symphonia, just this storyline.
Warnings: None so far…
Dedications: Sheenachi, for being the first to read my fics since the very beginning, no matter how much they sucked to me. This is my way of saying thank you! Arigato, and once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
In a world where everything seems peaceful, three nations are on the brink of war. The most peaceful nation, Sylvarant, is loosing its supplies due to heat and loss of trade from its neighboring towns. In Tethe'alla, the wealthiest nation, everything seems to be going fine except that the heir to the throne has no wife so he cannot take his position as King.
The darkest nation, Derris-Kharlan, has always wanted to be the top nation. They make no allies, and when they attack, they spare no one. However, according to the prophecy, one person will be able to establish peace and prosperity throughout the world once and for all…
Lloyd Irving quickly walked through his town, forcing his way through all of the people trying to sell him things. The heat of the sun was bearing down on him, even as he walked throughwhat was supposed to be coolshade. It seemed as if this summer had a record high on the heat temperature. Farmers had less to sell to the town and the people were limited to food and supplies. Acres of crops had been lost on the outskirts of town due to the heat, causing the crops to wilt and die. Other towns farther away also had a loss of supplies. All of the towns had built a trading system. Now that they had nothing to give to each other, the system was failing. It was said that their King was going to seek help in the nation of Tethe'alla. What he was planning, no one knew.
Lloyd stepped through the rusted gates of his town onto the long stretch of the flat fields. In the distance, he spotted his destination, Sylvarant Castle. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled long and high. The wind carried the sound throughout the town and through the woods beyond it. A giant white and green dog came bounding out of the field. He was about the size of a miniature horse, and his ears were a mixture between the long droopy ears and the short perky ones, making them stick out straight.
Lloyd climbed onto the soft back of the dog. After talking to him a bit and rubbing his neck, Lloyd urged him to break into a run. In order to get to the town surrounding the castle, they would need to cross the field, which was inhabited by monsters. The dog was afraid of monsters, so Lloyd always talked to him before they crossed the field.
He had to get to the town before nightfall. Once the sun set, the city would pull up the drawbridge as a safety measure. A moat surrounded the city along with a tall concrete wall. There would also be guards lined up at the top of the wall in case of invasion. Most of them were archers, but a select few were there to light a fire to warn the city if they had bad company. They knew Lloyd well since his visits were not limited, and would most likely let him in at night, but he didn't want to take the risk.
Lloyd tried to rush the dog as the rays from the sun dimmed. They whipped past trees and through bushes across the short grass of the field, having an unofficial race with the dark shadow that would soon cover the land. Curious eyes from unseen creatures watched them through the leaves and bushes. Lloyd knew they were watching him because the hair on the back of his neck rose and the dog panicked and ran faster. As the town grew closer, the sun went lower in the horizon and the light continued to grow dimmer. He spotted the torches that hung beside the drawbridge. He was now in the giant shadow of the wall and could hear the water running in the moat.
Suddenly, the wind grew still and the water stopped running, making an eerie stillness. In front of Lloyd the earth started to rise. A skeleton popped out of the ground equipped with armor, a sword, and a shield. The dog came to a halt, throwing Lloyd off him.Lloyd quickly did a flip in the air and landed on his feet. Once on the ground, he turned and noticed that his dog was running back in the direction of his town. How could he leave like that?
"Noishe!" He called. Noishe didn't hesitate, evenwhen Lloyd called him, and continued running. He became smaller as he retreated into the distance at a high speed. He finally disappeared over a hill and had no desire of returning.
Lloyd rolled out of the way as the skeleton swung at him with its sword. Grounded, Lloyd yanked his two swords out of their sheaths from his sides. The grass underneath the skeleton died as it stepped closer to Lloyd. It reeked terribly, and Lloyd did not desire to find out what the smell was, even though he could probably guess.He wasn't going to wait for it to make its first move. He dove forward thrusting his sword into the chest of the skeleton. The skeleton looked down at the sword and laughed at Lloyd's mere attempt to kill it. Lloyd pulled out his sword and backed up. He was used to seeing monsters, but none of them had taken the form of a skeleton before. He hadn't even heard of a monster like this from any of his fellow townsfolk.
A bright light behind Lloyd distracted him and the skeleton. The ball of light whizzed past him and hit the skeleton causing a blinding flash. The ground around the skeleton burst into a white fire. It seemed as if the fire had dancing figures of angels in it. Suddenly all of the angels stood up and faced the skeleton with what seemed to be bows and arrows. After a brief moment, they let go of their arrows and all of them hit the skeleton causing another bright flash. After the flash disappeared, Lloyd saw that smoking ashes were the only remains of the skeleton. The dead grass returned to normal and the wind and water returned to their original state.
The galloping of a horse caught Lloyd's attention and he spun around with his swords ready. The horse was pitch black with mist surrounding it. A sudden cold wave fell over Lloyd and hissight became weary.A hooded figure was mounted on the horse's back. His face was not visible in any way, even if the sun was shining directly on him. A permanent shadow hung over him, giving off an evil feeling. A black sword hung from the saddle along with a bow and a quiver of arrows. The figure looked down at Lloyd as he slowed the horse to a stop inches away from Lloyd. Lloyd took a couple steps back with his swords still in his hands. He shook uncontrollably from the feeling coming from the man.
The feeling became stronger and overwhelmed Lloyd, but he wasn't about to sink to his knees to such evil. Lloyd stood firm on the ground as a dark cloud swirled around him. Millions of insects started to crawl out of the ground and make their way onto Lloyd. Everything turned to darker colors, and red lightning struck the ground from the now dark clouds. Lloyd finally realized what was happening when he glanced at the man who didn't even seem to be phased by what was happening. "ENOUGH!" Lloyd yelled. The illusion disappeared in a whirl of dark colors and zoomed back to the hooded rider.
"You're the first to break through my illusion. Is it because you are skilled, or is it simply that you are stubborn?" A deep voice asked calmly. The voice had taken Lloyd by surprise as it came from the hooded man. He had never expected such a calm and gentle voice to come from someone who looked as if he was from a nightmare. Lloyd kept a tight grip on his swords and refused to answer the man who had just put him through the worst thing he had ever experienced. The man sighed. "Put your swords away. I do not wish to harm you."
"I don't trust you after what you just did to me! Plus, when someone says that, I always look at it as a way to make me an easier target." Lloyd replied coldly to the man. He tightened his grip on his swords as he felt the man's eyes bearing down on him.
"Fine, do as you will." He replied in the same calm voice. Lloyd eyed him suspiciously, wondering why he had been saved from the skeleton and why he wasn't being attacked again. The man seemed to be from Derris-Kharlan, the worst nation on the world. It was an enemy to everyone and had no allies. Anyone that tried to make an alliance with them either ended up dead, or became their prisoners for life. Their army of their strongest men always rode on pitch-black horses and their riders wore hooded cloaks. It was said that they made people relive any terror they had ever faced, but would make it ten times worse.
"A Skulltered is an enemy that is an expert at swordsman ship and defense. Human made weapons will not even phase the creature. It cannot be killed because it is already dead." The man said, interrupting Lloyd's thoughts on him and changing the subject.
"Then how did you kill it?" Lloyd asked arrogantly, still keeping his eyes on the man.
"It is a creature of darkness. I simply used a light spell." He quickly replied. That explained why Lloyd saw angels, but why would someone like him have the ability to use such a spell? "You cannot kill it with weapons such as the ones you possess."
The drawbridge behind them started to rise as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The darkness spread over the land immediately, making the situation even worse. Lloyd and the hooded man continued to stare at each other. The horse grew restless and stomped its foot on the ground as the drawbridge finally closed. Everything suddenly seemed to be dead and quiet. The sunset had only enhanced the eerie feeling coming from the man. Finally, Lloyd couldn't take it anymore.
"Why are you here anyway? You're from Derris-Kharlan, right?" Lloyd blurted out sternly. He glared at the man as he waited for an answer. He hoped it would be a long one, too.
"Yes, that is correct." He replied staring down at the boy. Once Lloyd opened his mouth again, the man continued. "I do not feel the need to explain myself to a stranger, much less a child."
"I'm no child!" Lloyd yelled at him. This was the first time that he had really been angry with anyone. Lloyd glared at the man. In reply, the man simply chuckled and turned his horse around.
"If Sylvarant and Derris-Kharlan ever break out into a war, I wish to meet you on the battlefield. However, I do not need to wish…" He turned and looked at Lloyd. "Because I know that a war will break out very soon. I will see you then." With that, the man nudged the horse in the side with his heel and galloped off. Lloyd stared after him in confusion as he sheathed his swords. How could that man know if a war was going to break out?
One of the guards watching on the wall whistled to get Lloyd's attention. Lloyd looked up at the guard who was staring back at him with a questionable look. Lloyd shrugged in reply ending their silent conversation. The guard nodded, then made an invisible circle in the air above his head. The drawbridge steadily lowered. After it landed on the ground with a clunk, Lloyd stepped onto it. Walking over it, he entered the city of Sylvarant.
Author's Note: Yay! I'm so happy with the way the first chapter turned out! I hope you all liked it because that's not even the beginning. : )
Of course, I'm not going to tell what the actual plot line is though. You'll just have to read on! I think I'm gonna like this fic more than The World of Gestalt. Oh and just so you guys know and have a better picture of the surroundings, the way that I have the castle and towns laid out in my mind is exactly like Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Then the hooded dude is supposed to look sort of like the Ring Wraiths on Lord of the Rings. I guess some of you probably got that, and some didn't.
Anyway, I got the idea for this fic when I passed the Arch in St. Louis on my way up to Wisconsin. Weird, isn't it?
Akako-chan, no I am not copying your AU idea. It's a lot different if you couldn't tell. Nevertheless, I would never have thought of this if it hadn't been for your AU fic, so ARIGATO: )
