Ranting Author (Opening Report): Hello, all! 'Tis I…! Vincentre!
In my other Tales of the Abyss fiction, 'Qualche cosa per voi', I promised that I would write a GuyxNatalia fiction. Sorry. This is sorta kinda along those lines, but it won't be an all out romance. My romance slots are sealed, at the moment.
It takes place in a 'what if…' setting where things did not go as planned while traveling to Grand Chokmah. I'm quite sure that this story might end in a tragedy. After all, I've wanted one for some time now.
Chapter I
Greatest Mistake
"Who's there?!" Called an unknown soldier as the entire abyss party entered the Theor Forest. He approached them, armed with sword in hand and they stop, not wanting to lead him to attack. Anise sidestepped to put herself in-between Ion and the soldier, just for good measure.
Jade spoke up before any sort of hostilities broke out, "I am the Third Division Captain of the Empire of Malkuth's army, Jade Curtiss."
"Colonel Curtiss?!" The soldier yelled in surprise, "I heard you were caught in Akzeriuth's destruction," he continued, sheathing his sword quickly and putting distance between them. The armored warrior saluted his superior.
"I assure you, I am truly here. Keterburg's Viscount Osborne will vouch for that," the Colonel stated, "I wish to have an audience with the Emperor."
The warrior glanced over the party, seeming to be in deep thought. "If you were alone I could let your through, but…"
"What?!" Anise interrupted angrily, "This is the Fon Master! The leader of the Order of Lorelei," she finished, gesturing towards Ion.
"So then…is it alright to let us pass?" Luke asked, assuming that all was clear.
"No," the soldier answered plainly, "It could be a trap. We can't let civilians through—unless on special notice, they are ones we have been expecting. The Fon Master though…I assume it's all right. You may pass, Fon Master Ion."
"I'm going too! I'm a Fon Master Guardian, Cantor Anise Tatlin—I have to pass too," the young girl argued.
"Not possible. Sorry," was the only response she received.
"But—" She began, then stopped when a soothing hand of Ion gripped her shoulder, signaling her to stop.
"It's all right, Anise," he commented.
She shook her head, furious at the situation, but he smiled encouragingly and that was enough to calm her down.
"Everyone, please wait for me here," Jade commented, turning to face them all with a smile, "I will meet with His Majesty and have him grant you permission to pass."
"One moment," said Tear, breaking into the conversation, "I am Locrian Sergeant, Tear Grants of the Oracle Knights Intelligence Division. I bring word from Grand Maestro Mohs. Please allow me to pass, as well."
The group shot her a surprised look. To have kept something such as that from them for so long, however, it was Tear. She always completed her duties. The soldier glanced her up and down, not sure on what to say, but in the end, nodded and stepped aside, "You are the messenger then? I suppose you may pass..."
Moments later, the Colonel, the healer and the Fon Master had both passed, leaving Guy, Luke, Anise, and Natalia behind.
"So we'll just stay here until then. Guess there's no other way," Guy remarked, sitting down the grass under a tree and leaning against it with his eyes closed. He crossed his arms and made himself comfortable, only to sense a presence hovering above him. Being wary, he opened one eye to see a female figure standing before him with her arms crossed. He panicked. "A-Anise?! What are you doing?!"
She smiled maliciously and plopped down into his lap, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Oh, Guy," she sang, "I'm so in need of some entertainment. Would you do me a favor?"
He squirmed within her grasp, not wanting to hit or just shove her off, due to his unyielding respect for women, despite his fears.
"Anise…" Natalia began, talking over Guy's pleas for release, "Please don't do that to Guy. You know how it makes him."
"Yeah…but…It's fun." She flashed her friend a sweet smile before freeing Guy from his torment of having a hug from a female. The blond sighed, feeling relieved when she stood from his lap and headed towards the princess.
From off in the distance, Luke chuckled and turned his glance down to Natalia, as she sat on a soft spot in the grass. The young woman sighed, knowing that their blond haired friend would never change. Taking a seat in the grass next to Natalia, and fighting an urge to taunt his friend, Luke whispered, "Man...What a shame to have a fear like that."
"Yes. I have to agree with you on that," She answered, glancing in the Sigmund swordsman's direction with an uninterested expression, "He has the abilities of a fine husband, but he just doesn't have the mental—" Natalia cut herself off, sensing that there was an extra listener in the area.
Sure enough, Anise was already trudging over towards them, a wide smile on her face. "Don't mind me," she began, sitting in a spot next to Luke, "I was just coming to talk with you." He scooted away, seeing she was too close.
"So, Natalia…" The young guardian smiled smugly at the other, "You said that Guy would make a good husband, right? Would you marry him?"
The secondary healer turned a faint shade of red. "I beg your pardon? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, you know what I said."
"Anise…don't make me answer that…You see," she searched for the right words to phrase her feelings, "Father wants me to wed someone who is…of nobility. If he was a noble, I'm sure that Father would not mind."
"Oh, wow," Luke interuppeted, glancing at Natalia, "It's almost like you're trying to say something along the lines of 'hell no'."
"I can hear you all, actually," Guy called from his proclaimed spot, sounding slightly annoyed. His gaze was fixed on Luke, and then switched to Natalia, raising an eyebrow. Anise giggled to herself.
"Sorry. We'll keep it down," Luke answered sarcastically, glancing over his shoulder at the solo swordsman.
Guy suddenly stood and marched his way over to his friends, sitting down a few feet from Anise. Everyone suddenly received the hint to drop the subject, considering that the topic was now among them.
"Well, this is taking longer than I thought. Shouldn't the Colonel be meeting right about now? It's not that far to Grand Chokmah," Anise protested, lying back and gazing at the sky.
"Just be patient," was all of an answer she received from Guy.
"Shit…" The young noble glanced impatiently at a nearby soldier who stood guard, "We don't have time for this." He stood, reaching out a hand for the young princess to take and helped her stand.
A shriek sounded through the forest, causing all to quiet down. Guy stood on reflex, ready to defend or attack what came. Nothing emerged or moved for that matter, and they all felt something was amiss. Anise came to her feet and observed the area as the few soldiers who stood guard at the entrance left their posts to find the disturbance.
"Let's go check it out," the princess stated, "Someone must be in danger." Always feeling as though royalty should aid the needy, Natalia began strolling off in the direction of the scream.
"W-Wait, Natalia. Stay here with Anise. It could be dangerous," Guy suggested suddenly, "Luke and I will go ahead and check it out. If Luke and I don't come back, then tell Jade and Tear that what happened." He grabbed Luke by the arm and dragged him off ahead of her. Soon they disappeared into the forest, leaving the girls behind.
Minutes passed. Worried, the princess glanced at the Fon Master Guardian with a confused expression. "Should we really remain here? Guy and Luke may end up in trouble."
"Yeah," the girl agreed, "If worst comes to worst, they'll need our help. C'mon." Anise dashed into the dark forest, gesturing for the other to tag along.
Steel clashing and frustrated grunts rang out through the trees. Natalia and Anise peeked around a tree to see what all the commotion was.
The image of Luke fighting came into vision, and Largo the Black Lion was his opponent. Immediately, the young woman reached for her Bow and an arrow, aiming it at Luke's opponent from afar. She stepped into view and inched closer, waiting for a clear shot.
Anise ran from behind Natalia, "Luke," she yelled, and the swordsman glanced at her with a horrid look.
"No! Stay back! You have to run!" He bellowed, blocking an oncoming attack from Largo, only to be pushed back easily and lose his balance. The girl darted towards him, standing between her friend and the current enemy.
The countess shot her arrow from far-off, simply to have it dodged by the large man when he sidestepped and reloaded. "Not bad," he praised and chose to forget about Anise and Luke for the moment, "That was a good reaction, for a Princess."
She glanced quickly around the area, but then turned her glare back to the man before her, not finding what was wanted, "Where is Guy?"
"Hm?" Largo answered, "He's here."
"Answer me truthfully," she retorted loudly.
"Natalia—Largo is telling the truth!" the noble broke in, "Guy is here, but he's not himself." The blond shook her head, not understanding, but kept her bow aimed at her enemy. She began to her footsteps off in the distance, slowly approaching her from behind, but when she glanced, she only saw their teammate—Guy. "Get away from him," he warned.
Luke, knowing that his friend was in danger, leapt from his current position and sped towards that direction, but did not make it far. Largo swung his mighty scythe and the nobleman had no choice but to defend himself.
The man glanced at her, a blank expression on his face. His sword was already drawn as he marched towards her.
Anise, thinking quickly, sought to go assist her friend. She heard chanting coming from a nearby tree and suddenly a voice called out "Turbulence!" Air rushed around her and soon, she felt nothing but agony. She had not been paying attention.
"Ion?" she asked, before dropping to her knees and losing consciousness.
Luke stared in horror, but knew she was not dead and had only passed out from the rush. Natalia glanced back to her out cold friend, and winced at the sight. She was not bleeding much, but needed some sort of medical attention.
"G…Guy?" she asked, hoping he would answer, but when none came, she had no choice but to take up aim against him. "Stay where you are!" She demanded. He disobeyed her order, and broke out into a run.
In a matter of seconds, Guy was near her, swinging his sword wildly and began attacking the woman relentlessly. She dodged barely, leaping backwards and shooting her arrow at him. It hit his right shoulder and he was stunned, but only for a moment as he reached to grip his injury.
The possessed man glared at his foe and pursued her once more, using more speed this time. Natalia reached for another arrow, but he reached her too soon and she was unprepared.
Ranting Author (Fulfilled Version): Now…umm…I think I should update soon on this one. It's just a cliffhanger, sort of. It's most likely going to be about two or three chapters.
After reading it, can you tell where I am in the story? It's the first visit to Grand Chokmah. Jade goes off to talk to Emperor Peony and leaves the party behind. The party ventures into Theor Forest and is attacked by Largo and Sync. Guy is possessed by Sync's Daathic Fonic Arte and fights Luke. LONG LIVE EMPEROR PEONY! If I could live in Kimlasca or Malkuth, I'd choose Malkuth. They have cooler people…and better wardrobes.