So I have survived the semester and am getting back to doing more intense writing, and hopefully you'll see more updates in the near future. I'm still trying to get the hang of how to manage my account, so bear with me. Also, I updated the last chapter (though accidentally deleted my notes. Like I said, still getting the hang of things). Please enjoy!
Early the next morning Kratos, Colette and Raine left Iselia, headed for Triet to find the Seal of Fire. After a few days of travel, they were in the desert. Fortunately it was a cooler part of the year, so crossing the sandy expanse to Triet was not so arduous of a task. When they reached the town, it was getting on into evening and they were tired so they went straight to the inn to rest. The following morning was spent buying more supplies, then they headed for the Triet Ruins where the seal was located.
However they were still within sight of the town when Kratos heard a familiar whine. He looked up and saw Noishe running toward them with Genis on his back.
"Genis! What are you doing here?" Raine exclaimed, surprised and worried.
"Sis, I'm sorry!" Genis cried. "It's my fault! Marble's dead and the Desians came and burned Iselia and the mayor exiled Lloyd! But it was my fault, so I told them to exile me too!"
Raine placed her hands on her brother's shoulders. "Calm down and explain things slowly. Why did the Desians attack? What made the mayor exile you? And where's Lloyd?"
After taking a deep breath, Genis explained everything from the beginning. He told them how he had been visiting the woman Marble at the Iselia human ranch and taken Lloyd with him the other day. But they had been discovered so the day Colette left, the Desians attacked. Lloyd and Genis had fought them. When the boy got to Marble and the monster she had become, and which they had killed, Kratos clenched his fists.
Finally Genis explained how the mayor had exiled them so they headed after Colette but when they got to Triet, Desians had arrested Lloyd and taken him to their base.
"We have to go after him," Colette said firmly. "Noishe can find him."
Raine grimaced. "It will delay us considerably, but you're right."
Kratos' expression grew darker as he became angry at Kvar. They wanted Lloyd's exsphere. The only success the Angelus project had seen.
Colette must have misinterpreted as she said, "Please Mr. Kratos, we can't just abandon Lloyd."
Quickly his expression cleared. "No, we'll go after him. But we'll have to be careful."
"Genis, take us to where they're holding Lloyd," Raine instructed.
Just like that they changed direction and head back northeast, in the exact opposite direction from the seal. In a few hours they had come to the entrance of a narrow valley formed by the mountain ranges on one side and a single peak on the other. Nestled at the base of the single peak was a large compound.
Kratos frowned. This base wasn't one of the Desian bases, yet he knew the boy wouldn't have made a mistake about who captured Lloyd. It was the same as at the temple. Most likely it was the Renegades. But he had no time to start working out what the Renegades wanted with Lloyd as they were just outside the entrance.
"That's strange, there aren't any guards outside," Colette commented as they peered at the base from behind the rocks.
"But there will be guards inside," Kratos reminded her. "By the looks of things we'll be able to get in, but we'll have to subdue the Desians quickly or they'll alert everyone else. I should go in first."
"We'll be right behind you," Colette promised, holding up her chakrams.
Noishe waited back at the rocks as the other four darted across the open ground to the entrance. When they were all ready, Kratos threw the door open. Immediately inside were two soldiers who were completely off guard. Lunging forward, Kratos ran one through then turned and knocked the other out.
After Raine and Colette brought down another pair of guards, Kratos glanced around.
"This place is empty," he observed, eyes narrowing. "Too empty."
"Let's head deeper in," Raine suggested, heading down the hallway. "Maybe we can find out where all the guards are."
They hadn't gone far before they heard running feet coming toward them. Quickly they ducked into a side passage where they waited quietly.
"How did that kid in red manage to get out?" Someone asked angrily.
"Beats me!" Someone else replied. "And right now it doesn't matter. We have to find him!"
"That's probably Lloyd," Genis hissed.
Kratos gestured for him to be quiet as orders were given to the soldiers, sending them in different directions. Two sets of footsteps were coming down the passage toward them so Kratos took the initiative and when they were close, jumped them.
"Intruders!" One called, before Kratos could keep him quiet. The other soldiers were still within earshot and soon the word was out that they were inside the base.
Of course Kratos wasn't pleased by this turn of events, but he wasn't terribly worried just yet, either. The four of them were managing quite well as the halls limited how many enemies could come at them at once. Also, since Lloyd had apparently escaped, the soldiers were having to divide their forces.
"Aqua Edge!"
Genis' spell cleared most of the 'Desians' and Kratos grabbed one of the remaining ones, putting his sword to their throat.
"The boy in red, where is he?" he asked.
Frightened, the man answered, "The last anyone saw of him, he was heading toward the war room which is down that hall, to the right, then through the door all the way at the end on the left."
Armed with the information they needed, Kratos knocked the soldier out and they followed the directions to the war room. Two guards were outside. With a 'crack' Kratos hit one upside the head and Colette took care of the other. Then Kratos led them quickly inside. Here they found Lloyd facing a strongly built, bearded man.
"Guys!" Lloyd exclaimed, clearly glad to see them.
"Lloyd! Are you okay?" Genis asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. You all came for me?"
Colette smiled, "Of course."
"Perfect timing," the man said, his gaze sweeping over the gathered group. "Now I can take care of you all at once."
Lloyd drew his swords as the other four spread out. Two more soldiers came in from the other side of the room, evening out the numbers. Kratos took one soldier, their swords ringing as they traded blows.
"Stone Blast!"
Kratos heard the man cast the spell, but wasn't sure who it was aimed at. He wound up getting clipped by flying rock when the spell landed right beside him. Rapidly he ducked under the guard of the soldier he was fighting, kicked their wrist then spun around and delivered the finishing blow.
Behind Kratos, Lloyd was thrown back by a well-timed Rock Breaker. Kratos was just about to heal him when Raine cast First Aid instead. So Kratos directed the spell at the young mage who had taken a few blows as well.
One of Colette's chakrams went flying across the room, aimed at the remaining soldier, who dodged. Genis followed it up with Wind Blade then Raine brought her staff down hard on his head. Now the only opponent left was the man, whom Lloyd had been fighting the whole time. At the same time Kratos and Lloyd used Sonic Thrust, throwing the man back. In retaliation he cast Stone Blast again, but both swordsmen evaded it.
"Aqua Edge!"
The water spell grazed the man and Lloyd tried to attack before he could recover, but the boy wasn't quite fast enough. However, even as the man was throwing Lloyd back, Kratos lunged forward and left a nasty gash on the man's stomach. As he followed up the attack, the man tried to block but Kratos' blow broke the sword.
With a groan, the man studied them. "I underestimated your abilities."
Then he ran out the back, and they let him go.
"Lloyd! You're okay!" Genis cried happily.
"We heard what happened," Colette said.
Raine straightened from examining the remains of the weapon. "Yes, I apologize for the trouble Genis has caused you."
Lloyd shook his head, "I'm the one who dragged him into it so I should be apologizing."
"Save the chitchat for later," Kratos cautioned. "We shouldn't stay here long."
"If we hurry, we should be able to retrace our steps to get out," Raine noted. "So yes, let's go."
They made it safely out of the base where they were joined by Noishe before heading back to Triet. At the inn, Raine inquired about a crystalline object she had taken from the man's sword. When she found out it was an exsphere, Kratos and Lloyd explained that the gems brought out latent abilities. Raine immediately wanted to use one, but there was the issue of it not having a key crest. Fortunately, they had discovered one among her things, which Lloyd had offered to fix.
Later that night, Kratos got up and headed outside the inn, over to the small stable where Noishe was sleeping. When Noishe saw him, the creature jumped up and gave a happy whine. Smiling, Kratos reached out to scratch him behind the ears.
"Good job finding us and taking us to Lloyd," he said softly. "Thank you."
Noishe's response was to whine again, quite contentedly. Shortly Kratos heard someone coming up behind him. Instinct took over and he whirled around, drawing his sword and raising it to strike. At the last second he realized the person was Lloyd and stopped, his sword tip at the boy's throat.
"Whoa!" Lloyd cried, backing off.
Relaxing, Kratos pulled back and slid his sword into its sheath.
"Lloyd… I'm sorry to have startled you."
"Startled… isn't the word for it," Lloyd replied shakily as he lowered his hands.
"It's best if you don't stand behind me," Kratos advised, turning back to Noishe.
"I'll remember that," Lloyd promised. He moved pointedly to Kratos' left and stood beside him. After a moment he asked, "Do you like animals?"
"No, not particularly."
"Well, Noishe doesn't seem to mind you, and he doesn't usually like strangers."
Kratos gave a slight smile.
"I once had a pet, long ago," he said, stroking Noishe's fur.
"Really?" Lloyd was quite surprised to learn that.
Kratos studied Noishe as he continued, "Yes. He was a faithful companion, and vary dependable. Just like Noishe." Kratos was feeling uneasy about where the conversation was going, so he turned his gaze on the boy. "Lloyd…"
Lloyd squirmed uncomfortably, "Wh-what are you staring at me like that for?"
"Your swordsmanship is unrefined," Kratos said. "You should focus more on eliminating your vulnerabilities."
With that Kratos turned to leave, then added almost as an afterthought, "If you care about your life."
Perhaps it was abrupt and a bit harsh, but Lloyd needed to grow strong if he was coming with them to protect Colette.
Kratos returned to his room at the inn and went to sleep. The next morning they dragged Lloyd out of bed and got an early start, trying to make up for some of the time they had lost. Along the way Raine assigned Lloyd the task of recording information about the monsters they encountered so that he could learn about them and better defeat them. The boy was not pleased about the idea.
Halfway to the Triet Ruins, Kratos was growing a little annoyed with his companions. He tried to remember that they hadn't done nearly the amount of fighting he had, and probably never would, but still he was frustrated by their technique when they fought monsters. So one night he taught them basic defense techniques.
By the time they made it to their destination, Lloyd's enthusiasm had waned, as Genis predicted. But in truth they were all getting tired of the desert and its endless amounts of sand. At the seal entrance, Raine suddenly started gushing over the stone blocking the opening. It took a few minutes, but once she calmed down Colette opened the passage. However Noishe, who had been skittish throughout the journey, didn't like it and took off. After what the poor creature had been through, Kratos couldn't blame it for being afraid.
Some time was spent navigating the seal, which was something of a labyrinth. Eventually, though, they reached the seal room. Raine was just beginning to admire the chamber when the seal awoke and they were thrown into battle.
Three large creatures appeared. They had lean bodies and two stood on their hind legs while the other was on all fours, like an enormous tiger. The two were smaller, only slightly bigger than Lloyd and his group. However the third creature was considerably larger in size. It prowled toward them, a growl in the back of its throat. It had a vicious set of teeth and spikes all down its back that were wreathed in flame.
"Wh-what is that?" Lloyd exclaimed, taking an involuntary step back.
"What are they," Genis corrected.
"They're the seal guardians," Raine said, also backing up a little. "I believe the large one is called Ktugach, and the other two are Ktugachlings."
"We have to beat these guys, right?" Lloyd asked no one in particular. "We have the advantage in numbers, but those things are big!"
"Focus on one at a time," Kratos advised, lunging forward to block one of the Ktugachlings. "If we do that, instead of dividing our efforts, we can handle them."
With a quick flip of her wrist, Raine smacked one of the Ktugachlings on the nose then with the back stroke hit it upside the head.
"From what I've learned in my research, the Ktugachlings are weaker," she said.
"Got it!" Lloyd acknowledged as he rushed forward.
Immediately he caught the creature's attention. With a snarl it turned toward him, pouncing. Lloyd hastily dodged, landing a crosscut on its side. While Colette and Genis also focused their energies on the Ktugachling, Raine hung back to offer support and Kratos maneuvered between them and the other two monsters. One lunged for him but he sidestepped and left a deep cut on its side. He nicked its hind leg as he circled behind it so it would follow him, moving so that the second beast could see him as well.
"Icicle!"
A blast of cold air enveloped Kratos as spears of ice sprouted out of the ground beneath the Ktugach behind him. Hearing a cry, he pivoted to see that the Ktugachling was attacking Genis. The mage had cast the ice spell when he saw Kratos surrounded, and in doing so angered the two guardians.
Quickly Kratos tapped his magic. "First Aid!"
Genis hurried to move out of the line of fire, literally, as the swordsman rammed his shoulder into the Ktugach. Catching its attention again, he started leading it around the chamber. Suddenly it jumped at him and he dove away, leaving the Ktugachling as the only immediate target. To his right Kratos heard a short howl that told him the first of the Ktugachlings was down. A chakram went flying in front of him, cutting across the second Ktugachling's nose. Deftly Colette caught it.
Again Kratos placed himself between the main fight and the second enemy, holding it at bay. A game of cat and mouse allowed him to lure the monster close to its companion without further endangering the other fighters. Then Kratos cast 'Wind Blade,' catching both creatures in the destructive gale. Genis's 'Icicle' was right on its heels and the second Ktugachling collapsed.
That left only the Ktugach still snarling at them. Lloyd charged straight in, but was thrown to the ground quite forcefully. Kratos grimaced as Raine hurried to check on the boy. Colette sent one of her chakrams whistling through the air, but the angle was off and it did little damage, only serving to irritate the creature. With a vicious roar it rounded on the girl, fire streaming from its maw. Kratos pushed her out of the way, guarding only after suffering mild burns.
"Stone Blast!"
The spell's aim was off, but intentionally. The Ktugach was blind with rage now and it charged forward. Calmly Kratos shifted to the right just slightly, bringing his sword up and driving it between the creature's ribs. Almost as soon as the blade penetrated the skin he started pulling it out, retreating rapidly as the Ktugach collapsed.
"…Is it over?" Lloyd asked shakily.
"So it would seem," Kratos answered, glancing around.
Suddenly Remiel's voice filled the room. "Chosen of Regeneration, offer your prayers at the altar."
For a moment Colette was startled, then she nodded, "Yes, my lord." She walked up to the seal and clasped her hands. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"
"Well done Colette, my dear daughter," Remiel congratulated as he appeared over the altar. "The guardian of the seal has fallen and Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of Cruxis, I grant you the power of the angels."
Colette bowed her head. "Thank you, fa…father."
Colored light swirled around the girl, coalescing into translucent wings.
"The angel transformation will not be without pain," Remiel warned. "But it is only one night. Be strong and endure."
Again Colette nodded. "I humbly accept this trial."
"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea," Remiel told her as he began to disappear. "Offer your prayers at that altar. I shall await you there, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter, Colette."
"Yes, Lord Remiel."
"Colette has wings!" Lloyd exclaimed the moment Remiel was gone.
This sparked many excited exclamations from the children. Raine, on the other hand, came to stand beside Kratos.
"He said the next seal is across the sea," she remarked quietly. "With things the way they are now, I wonder if there are any ships sailing that way."
"We should head to the coast and see what we can find," Kratos said.
A nervous expression crossed Rain's face as she turned to the three children, "Alright you three, that's enough. Let's get going."
A chorus of acknowledgment met the instruction. One after another they retraced their steps through the ruins. The monsters were scarce and things were going smoothly until they emerged back in the desert and Colette collapsed.
"Colette! Are you okay?!" Lloyd exclaimed, hurrying over to her.
"I'm sorry! This is all my fault for making you use your wings so much!" Genis apologized.
"Now's not the time for that," Raine interrupted. "Her lips are turning purple. She needs a doctor."
"Wait, it's best not to move her," Kratos cautioned.
"Why?" Lloyd demanded.
"The angel said the transformation would be painful. This is part of the trial. I don't think a doctor will be able to do anything, so it would be best to let the Chosen rest for now."
Thinking deeply, Raine nodded agreement. "Kratos is right. Let's make camp and spend the night here. But if she isn't improved by morning, we're finding a doctor."
Dusk was coming, so Genis started a fire. Then he set about making their dinner while Raine looked after Colette. Kratos settled down at the edge of the firelight. Not long after that Noishe returned and lay down beside him. He was quiet all through dinner, only speaking up when he volunteered for the watch.
All sorts of memories were being dredged up, it seemed. He could sympathize with the Chosen's pain because he had gone through it himself when he became an angel. Four thousand years had done little to take away the memories. Sometimes the pain had been sharp, other times dull, but always it made it impossible to focus on anything. Moving took too much effort to be worth it. He couldn't remember how long it had taken for it to finally subside, but it had been quite a while. Three days, he estimated.
Fortunately the Chosen went through the transformation in stages as each seal was released. That meant the pain was more manageable and didn't last as long. However they were still put through a lot. Kratos had only had to go through it once while they had to release each subsequent seal, with the promise of another night of torment as their reward. He wasn't sure which was worse.
Late in the evening, Lloyd took a seat not far from where Kratos kept watch. He glanced at the exsphere on the boy's right hand.
"Your exsphere has an unusual color," he noted. Earlier he had noticed the clear blue color which was so different from the blood red of every other exsphere he had seen.
Rather surprised, Lloyd rubbed the gem nervously. "It is different from most, isn't it. By the way, why do you have an exsphere?"
"I took mine from a Desian. Is it alright if I ask you something as well?"
"Okay… sure."
"Why were you raised by a dwarf?"
"Dad found me collapsed in the forest along with Mom and Noishe," Lloyd explained quietly. "It turns out we were attacked be Desians."
Kratos closed his eyes, seeing the site as it would have looked. The destruction of the forest, the corpses on the ground, and the blood staining the dirt. "I see. …Then your father probably isn't alive either."
"Probably not."
A knife went through the man's heart and his hand tightened on his sword hilt to stay the slight tremors. "So the Desians are responsible for the deaths of your parents. They've torn your life to pieces."
"Huh?" Lloyd looked up in surprise.
"They killed your mother, most likely your father, and were responsible for you being driven out of your village. And there's the things they've done to your friend and the Chosen."
"I guess you're right," Lloyd agreed.
"People are… hopelessly powerless." Kratos looked down at his hands, recalling all the times even his power hadn't been enough.
"Yes, they are. But we can't blame others for that weakness." Lloyd sprang to his feet, determination reflected in his eyes. "That's why I'm going to grow stronger. I'm going to become powerful and defeat the Desians!"
Kratos looked up at the boy. "I see. If that's what you want, then no matter what awaits you, do not forget that resolve."
"I won't." Suddenly Lloyd glanced at Kratos as if seeing the mercenary for the first time. "Why am I talking to you about this anyway?"
With that he turned on his heel and walked away. Kratos watched him go then settled back against Noishe, facing away from the fire. There was still half the night to go and he would keep watch the entire time. After all, he didn't need to sleep.
After the first chapter, I rapidly realized that writing out details of their trip through every single dungeon would not only be tedious, but in all likelihood deathly boring for the reader, so I needed to stop. It's been an adventure working on this fanfic (what exists of it thus far) because it's the first time I'm working in a world I didn't create, with a story that's already been written. It presents a whole new kind of challenge, which I'm enjoying. I'm making an effort to not just use the game script (though many lines are verbatim), and also to add new scenes. It also makes me think about things differently, like the bit with Kratos not sleeping. He's an angel. Because of his exsphere he hasn't aged in 4000 years. And he's always keeping watch. It made perfect sense, yet had never occurred to me, that he might not need to sleep and could in fact be a lot like angel!Colette. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! *bows*