Title: Get Out Alive
Author: NexustehULF0o
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TALES OF SYMPHONIA, NOR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE GAME.
Chapter Two – Discovery/Church
When the two of them crept inside the Church, Zelos grabbed onto the hilt of his sword and warily continued forward. Whether he was seriously worried that this was dangerous, or trying to be overdramatic, Sheena didn't know. But, treating the place as if a minefield, she shrugged and withdrew her cards from her shirt, ducking behind the pillar on the right side of the door. Zelos took the hint to move behind the left one.
As far as she was able, she could see that nobody had heard them come in. Church was not in session, but there stood a priest at the altar, looking down at it. No one else appeared to be in the room.
Eyes narrowing, Sheena proceeded to think about revealing her station but was swiftly interrupted but a loud voice calling, "Oi, so where are they?"
"Zelos!" She whispered, but the swordsman didn't seem to hear her. Defeated, she casually walked from behind the pillar and moved behind him, glancing around to make sure they were alone except for the priest and this stupid Chosen she had agreed to come along with.
The priest looked up, surprised by their sudden presence in the Church.
"Oh! Why hello, Chosen! I see you've brought -"
Zelos didn't give him time to finish his sentence, running up the altar steps and withdrawing his sword. He swiftly pointed at the priest's stomach, narrowing his eyes while the smile on his face disappeared in a flash.
"I said, 'Where are they?'" He muttered angrily, switching the point of the sword so it dug into the pastor's neck.
"Zelos! What are you doing? Threatening a priest…!" Sheena placed a hand on the swordsman's shoulder, and causing Zelos to sneer.
"Careful, Sheena. I know this guy. Remember the Pope? This guy was one of the Pope's lackeys, and I bet you…" He pressed the sword point into the trembling man's neck, drawing blood that slowly trickled down his throat. "He would easily trade Martel again for these guys."
"The Chosen! The Chosen is here!" The man called out, and suddenly, tons of eyes were upon them. Zelos scanned the people now surrounding them and then spat angrily. Sheena turned around to see them surrounded. She gasped softly, trying to hide her surprise.
"You bastard!"
And with that, Zelos slit the priest's throat, sending the corpse spinning off of the altar.
Sheena's back arched against the swordsman's in an attempt to speak with him, holding cards in both hands.
"What'll we do, Zelos?" She asked, watching all of the people around to make sure that none were coming at them. Zelos, letting out an angry sigh through his nose, readied his sword and muttered; "We got ourselves into this…so I suppose we have to expect it…" He snickered. "This can't be their base…"
The group inched closer, closing the circle with them inside.
"Zelos! They're getting closer!"
"We just need to find their base, that's all. Could you work up a spirit?"
"I'll get murdered! Zelos, this is no time to fool around…!"
"Just do it. I'll protect you…!" He grinned, stepping out from behind her and slashing the air briefly before pointing to the exit. He flashed a brilliant smile that Sheena would have admired if she wasn't so shocked and rather frightened.
Mentally wondering what the Chosen was cooking up, she pulled her feet together and placed one of her cards in front of her. The card began to spin rapidly, runes carving themselves into the ground under her as Zelos screamed at the group that had surrounded them.
"Yeah, it's me; the Great Chosen! So, what're you twerps gonna do about it? Come'n get me! Are you guys stalkin' me or something?"
Then the fighting began.
Zelos lunged forward as the group surrounded him, pulling out various weapons and proceeding to slash and thrust at him. The Chosen kept close to the ninja who couldn't help but deviate her focus once in a while, making sure that he was okay and then turning her attention back to the task she was performing rather slowly.
Zelos stepped back, blood flecking his face as he crouched down, placing a hand to his stomach. The Remnants ran towards him like a horde of the undead, shouting battle cries or yelling some obscenity or another. Zelos chuckled, glancing behind him to Sheena for a second before diving into the crowd again and continuing onwards. He slashed all around him, at the same time parrying a blow to his left caused by a man using a lance. He quickly brought the butt of his sword down on that one, cracking his skull and leaving him to bleed.
"Double Demon Fang!" He cried, sending two slashes at the group, who desperately attempted to dodge. It gave him time.
Instinctively, the Chosen was then moving his free hand as if conducting an orchestra.
"Burn, baby!" He cried, opening his eyes and spinning once. He held up his hand in front of him as a large pit of lava appeared underneath their enemies, surprising and confusing them.
"Eeeee-ruption!"
Then the pit exploded, covering the enemy in boiling lava and raising the temperature in the hall by more than twenty degrees.
Sheena closed her eyes once more and tried to concentrate – she just couldn't keep herself from worrying about him.
Zelos smiled smugly, watching many fall underneath the mid-level spell and not return to their feet. Without looking behind him, he clutched his sword and ran forward, yelling, "How's that summon coming, Sheena?" behind him as he did so.
She'd been distracted yet again. Opening her eyes, she watched the twenty-two year old momentarily before she replied, "I'm working on it!"
"Well, you think you could 'work on it' a little…faster?"
"Shut up! You're not helping me!"
He ignored that comment, kicking one of the survivors back while whipping his blade at another. He spun his sword and then stuck it into the first, slashing upwards and catching a few in the vortex.
"Victory Light Spear!" He roared, spinning once before landing on the stone floor. Sheena could sense the Remnants' presence around her, so she concentrated hard on the last incantation.
She opened her eyes one last time to see a few that were beginning to circle her.
Thankfully, Zelos noticed them as well.
He lunged over, scaring them away from her as she began to chant the final spell.
"I call upon the source of Heaven –"
Zelos sliced at everything he saw move.
"– Earth –"
"Hell Pyre!" The Chosen jumped in the air before twirling and spewing fireballs from his sword point. The Remnants crowded underneath him, looking to spear him out of the air. He fell, smiling as he kicked downwards, launching himself off of their heads and onto the ground with utmost finesse.
" – And everything in between; the ruler of All!" She grabbed the card spinning rapidly in the air, about to hold it up when a hand clapped over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist, causing her to instinctively squirm.
"' I summon Origin!', is that it?" Her captor mocked her in a girlish tone, grinning devilishly at her face that watched him from the side.
"Sheena!" Zelos called, instantly deviating from the horde of them to the one who had ensnared his companion. He charged forward, crying out a "Let go of her!" as he prepared to attack.
Unfortunately, the one holding Sheena was smarter than that.
He whipped out a pocketknife and held it at her throat, chuckling when Zelos stopped in his tracks.
"You're coming with us, Chosen." The man, one younger than Zelos with shiny silver hair, threatened the redhead, calmly moving his hand from Sheena's mouth to tightly around her neck. He adjusted the pocketknife accordingly so he could slit her throat if the Chosen wasn't cooperative. Zelos sensed the fighting die down and then sheathed his weapon.
"No, Zelos!" Sheena impulsively reached for him, withdrawing when she felt the pocketknife press against her. "Don't do it!" She didn't have time to realize that she was basically sacrificing herself for the normally irritating Chosen.
He pulled his weapon from his belt, tossing it onto the ground in front of him and looking up to Sheena's captor.
"I'll go. Just leave Sheena alone." He glanced at the summoner momentarily, flashing her a weak smile. Two people grabbed his arms before Zelos could react, latching a pair of shackles around his wrists.
"Heh," He chuckled, looking to Sheena. "Guess I'll be seein' ya, Sheena. I'm about as useful as Regal now."
"Zelos…" She reached for him, but was snatched back by the man holding her captive. Zelos and the people guiding him left, and then the Remnants living dragged the dead away into parts unknown to her.
Tears streaking her face, Sheena realized that she was unable to protect Zelos again; unable to see through his bravado and understand him fully. And so he got captured again, and this time, she might be in deeper than she thought as well.
"Now, my sweet, I believe you're soon to join your little Chosen. You know too much. Unless you do a little something for me…" The Remnant holding her hostage whispered in her ear, snickering and firing up Sheena's temper. She attempted to use her hands to hit him so he would let go of her, but he dodged her with ease.
"Let me go." She spat, trying to writhe free.
"Aw, don't be like that," The man conned. "To leave me without a token of your gratitude for letting you go unharmed…"
"Where are you taking him?" She retorted through grit teeth.
"Come on, little one, just one –"
"I'd rather die." Sheena decided she'd answer his question and tried to wrestle out of his grasp. Unfortunately, his grip was stronger than she was. Closing the pocketknife and pulling it away from her neck, the Remnant violently pressed down against the side of her neck, in a position that could have been mistaken for feeling her pulse. Sheena kept struggling to break free, but as his arm was tightly constricted around her waist, she found it no use.
"Let go of me!" She cried, flailing her arms. "Let…go…"
Suddenly, everything faded to black, and she fell limp in her captor's arms.