Hello, everyone, and once again welcome to Absol Lhant. I decided to do one of these chapters. However, I could not bear to pad it out more than I had, so I left it at less than 10k words this time.
I want to jump straight into reviews today, and hopefully, you can all enjoy this next chapter.
West, the general plot of the game would be extremely difficult to ignore. Unlike my main three stories, The Absolite Chronicles, New Age: World of Pokemon, and The Kitsune and the Jackal, Tales of Graces is not open-ended canonically, or in KatJ's case against, it has a 'canon'. Thus, the plot of the game itself will have to be followed to a certain degree. However, I do intend to veer off from the original game's path, perhaps trying to solve the plot with a different path. If I can't decide how to do that, then I will attempt to show just how different it is with Asbel being an absol.
Absol senses, however, are totally open ended. and I've felt free to take the liberty of making them work however I like in each universe I write about... As long as those senses are consistent in how they work. Obvious villain placement is obvious, but I'll let the chapter demonstrate how said obvious villain works.
Aww... Who wouldn't want to be unproductive for weeks, West? C'mon...
...My jesting aside, it's our guest's turn. Hello, Guest. I do recommend watching the playthrough of Tales of Graces, because Ramza411 I find extremely entertaining in that playthrough. However, if you are someone who does not wish to be burdened with spoilers, then feel free to wait on that until a time way in the future when this story is complete. Way in the future. It's a very long game. Now, I can tell you that Asbel is currently very small because he is young. And I am playing with age-related stuff to make it work that way because... Just because. Anyways, a grown up absol in this story will probably be recognized officially when the story shows adult Asbel, but I do feel that the official height would be more appropriate in this instance than what I did with TAC and New Age, which was make them more like two feet, typical medium dog size. I have to put into consideration exactly how big Asbel will be as an adult, but by the time it's relevant, I'll have made my decision.
That, Ddragon21, is a spoiler.
And Firesgone... Believe me, Tales of Graces is one of my favorite games plot-wise. While my favorite game truly remains Recoil for PC by Zipper Interactive, that game's plot was kind of meh to me. Like 'Machines have taken over the world and clones are driving all their tanks, blow everything up!' kind of thing. But Tales of Graces... Definitely more in depth than that. I love the game for its plot, and the combat system looks awesome (and I say it that way because I'm too lazy to actually play it.)
I look forward to providing the story for you.
That's that. Let's begin chapter two of Absol Lhant!
Chapter 2
A solemn silence reigned in the house of Lhant.
Richard had woken in his room and was being kept in there. At this point, he would not have stayed away, considering he believed he owed a debt to Asbel for the boy's attempt to help him, but his personal guard was preventing him from leaving the room in case the disease of sorts could spread.
Richard was at a loss. He had not intended to do very much in his night, intending instead to treat it almost like an inn, where he would sleep, and then move on. Too used to betrayal and danger from everyone he came in contact was he to attempt much more.
Richard wondered what was currently going on up there, despite his instincts warning him to just go about his business. His personal guard had in fact informed him that Asbel, whose skin had been changing while Richard was there, had promptly and inexplicably morphed into some kind of animal, likely a second stage to whatever frighteningly swift illness he had acquired. Both Richard and his closest personal guard had the distinct feeling that Richard's father would not appreciate getting his son back and finding that he was some kind of animal.
He learned through conversations with his guard that Asbel could still speak, that he was slightly larger than the size of the average cat, possibly in accordance with his age, and that he his panic had subsided quickly for confusion and concern for his future.
So Richard attempted to go to sleep. The sickness had a quick onset, and had apparently originated from a flower. He suspected that if the rest of the family up there was not in the same state by morning, there would be no danger in visiting the boy. Perhaps then he could offer his condolences.
"..."
Silence rang in everybody's ears as Asbel tested his body to figure out whether he could move. Hubert had been in such a state of shock that occasionally words slipped out of his mouth, either about the impossibility of this entire thing, or rather poorly thought out comments. Now, he sat silently and fiddled with his fingers, his head down.
Lady Kerri had been crying initially, but Asbel was acting just like he normally would. It seemed to her that her son was out of danger, but at what cost? Asbel had eventually squirmed out of her grip because according to him, he could hardly breathe with her crushing him in that hug.
Aston could not help but think of his letter to Mr. Oswell. After the initial shock, he realized that he had other matters to attend to that were far more important than a simple meeting. He would have to call off the meeting with an explanation as to why. He would do so happily, considering the consequence of the potential choice, but with a harsh feeling he could hardly describe because of the reason himself.
Sophie had gotten no explanation as to what had happened. She hadn't spoken up yet, but she had begun to think that nobody was going to explain to her why Asbel was suddenly like this.
Asbel himself was moving his new limbs slowly, turning his right foreleg to feel the fur on his left foreleg with his paw. Like the others, he was in some sort of state of shock, hardly believing what he was seeing and feeling. His head was tilted as a result of the weight that the horn on his head provided. He muttered an extremely quiet, almost mouthed complaint as he forcefully righted his head again.
"Asbel? What's wrong?" Sophie asked, as if she had heard him perfectly. Everyone tensed up again and Lady Kerri nearly leapt into action on the spot, but Asbel shook his head.
"It's fine. This horn thing's just making my head tilt all the time." he muttered, "How'd you even hear me?"
Sophie gave him a blank stare, and everyone sighed with relief that there was no sudden danger. Lady Kerri practically fell over, as she had accomplished half of a leap to aid her eldest son. Aston swiftly caught her, frowning. "We are all far too high strung." he muttered, "We must think rationally."
"That's the problem, dad!" Hubert exclaimed, "There's nothing rational about this!"
Aston flinched, thinking that Hubert was correct. Nothing seemed rational any longer when a flower could do this to his son, unbalancing their entire lives, possibly forever. He had to think of something sensible to do, right away.
"...I will send several vague letters to the best healers I know of, asking them what they would do in the face of such symptoms." Aston decided "And I will omit any names from the letter as well. Perhaps I will receive a confirming response, at which point we will find out whether we can fix Asbel."
Lady Kerri slowly nodded and stood up. "That is a very good idea." she murmured in agreement. "However, tonight, we must all rest."
"Kerri-..."
"I am aware of the timetable we set, Aston." Lady Kerri admonished the man before he could continue further "And we will manage it. But if we must put it aside, then we shall."
Aston stole a glance at Hubert, and then Asbel. "...Very well. We shall get some sleep." he agreed. "Asbel, if at any point, you feel further change, simply alert us. I don't care how loud you have to be."
"Gee, you usually hate it when I go yelling at the top of my lungs." Asbel joked, managing a smile. Aston stared at the boy, or rather, the unidentified species that was his son. His heart clenched as he flinched. Even in the worst of times, Asbel could make a joke?
"Asbel, are you taking this seriously?" Aston asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, duh." Asbel rolled his eyes. "I mean, I don't even know what I am."
"Then what could possibly possess you to joke and banter?" Aston demanded.
Asbel quieted down for a bit, considering. "Uh… Probably because instead of being in danger, I was just changing." he offered, although he sounded slightly uncertain. "I mean, I'd be really scared right now if I thought I was in danger or something, or… Well…"
Asbel trailed off, turning his paw over to look at the pad. His body was surprisingly versatile for an animal form. He could not grab things, writing would be impossible… He couldn't do all of the duties a lord would do and he could not wield a sword. Who would follow an animal? And who would accept an animal into the knight academy? Asbel knew that he should be feeling very scared about his future. He at least should be worried.
Yes, he was worried, but there was a certain degree of calmness to it, a sort of reservation. As if he knew he was going to be stuck like this. He almost said that aloud, but one look at his father convinced him otherwise. He didn't need to get into a shouting match with his father, all things considered. His mother's words about Aston rang in Asbel's mind, and he tried to see for himself. Aston's gaze was stern as always, his scowl one that looked to Asbel like simple frustration, as if this was all some sort of inconvenience.
Asbel couldn't look at that expression very long before he mentally grumbled and shifted from a sitting position into a lying position on his belly. "I'm beat," he said.
"Me too…" Hubert murmured, rubbing his eyes. He looked apologetically at Asbel. "I would like to help… But I don't know how."
"Eh, you're fine," Asbel assured his brother, closing his red and blue eyes. Even as the family shared their 'good night's and 'sleep well's, Sophie remained standing and watching Asbel.
"Asbel?" she finally asked once Lady Kerri had sat down and began to rest.
"What is it, Sophie?" he asked tiredly.
"Why do you look different?"
Hubert overheard the question from his bed and could not help but smile. Amnesia was probably a very scary affliction, but the innocence Sophie displayed was certainly enough to help lighten the mood. Asbel shook his head in exasperation. "I dunno, Sophie. I think it was the thorns on that flower that got me when we first met you," he replied.
Sophie looked away at the now thornless flower in its position on the dresser. "The… Flower?" she asked, walking over to it and picking it up. Then she froze, her eyes widening slightly.
Asbel tried to scramble into a sitting position, instead falling over. "Sophie?" he asked.
"This flower… It has a strange energy." she murmured. "It feels warm…"
Asbel blinked. "Warm, huh?" he asked.
"Is that strange?"
Asbel moved to walk over and see what she meant, but instead he tripped and toppled straight off the bed onto his face. The sound of the impact was muffled enough not to wake Lady Kerri, which Asbel was thankful for. Sophie watched as he fell onto his belly and managed to push himself up. "Let me see," he said, holding out a paw and carefully balancing on his three remaining legs while upturning the paw he held up.
Sophie had to crouch down pretty low, but she set the flower in his paw. He felt nothing. It just felt like a normal flower. "I don't get it." he proclaimed, bemused. "It's not warm at all for me."
Sophie picked it up, feeling the warm energy within the flower. She tilted her head at the thing, confused. Remaining silent, she seemed only focused on the flower until she slowly walked and put it back in its place.
"But… Uh… What did it feel like?" Asbel asked.
Sophie stared at her hands. "It has a similar energy to the energy I use when using First Aid," she explained quietly. Asbel didn't know what to make of it.
"Maybe it's because they both affect the body somehow?" Hubert asked, whispering. "Like, how Sophie's spell healed you and that thing changed you?"
"I dunno. Why're you asking me?" Asbel asked "And Sophie's got amnesia, so she doesn't know. I guess it'll just stay a mystery."
"That doesn't sound like you, Asbel," Hubert commented.
Asbel blinked. "Wait, what am I saying? I hate mysteries!"
"That's more like it," Hubert smiled. Asbel grinned back.
Asbel realized he was tired in that moment. "I'm still beat," he announced, turning to the bed and then sweatdropping.
"Just realized you're really small?" Hubert asked.
"I got this." Asbel braced himself and tried launching himself. He had tried to use all four paws, which resulted him in getting nearly no air and mashing his face against the floor again. "No? Okay, what about this?" he leaned back as far as he could, almost into a sitting position. He then used his hind legs to try and spring up on the bed. He almost made it, but wound up hanging on the edge of his bed by his forepaws.
"Here, let me help." Hubert started to get off the bed.
Asbel grunted. "No way. I've got this." he started trying to push himself up, wiggling and trying to twist his way onto the bed. His claws were piercing the bedsheets, but not by much. After about ten seconds, he started to slip off instead. He toppled onto his back, where he comically stayed for a moment. "Aw, nuts…"
Hubert sighed and walked over. "I need to be able to do this on my own, Hubert." Asbel declared. He started looking about. "Yeah, that'll work!"
At this point, Lady Kerri was awake and peeking at what her son was doing in the mostly dark room. She had learned long ago that her little boy was keen on doing things himself. He took it as an insult when others tried to help him until he realized that he had no other choice but to ask for help, when he would grudgingly accept defeat and help. Then she watched her boy, who had gone over and tried to push at the chair at his messy desk over with his paw. His pad slipped off the wooden surface, which made Asbel give a frown that absolutely resembled the one he would wear as a human. He pressed the hard piece in his forehead against the wood and started sliding it away from the desk and towards the bed. He kept slipping, but the stubborn boy kept it up until the chair was by the bed.
He jumped up, accidentally splaying out on the wooden surface, before hauling himself to his paws and jumping on the bed. "Victory!" he cheered, forgetting that it was the dead of night. "I have defeated you, my own bed!"
"Now would be a good time for some sleep." Hubert nodded tiredly as his brother celebrated his success, pumping a paw in the air before promptly curling up and closing his eyes.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Asbel muttered back, having felt his energy start to rapidly disappear now that the excitement was over.
Sophie watched how the others were sleeping. The amnesiac blinked. They were all in different positions. Asbel was kind of curled up, Hubert was on his back under the covers, and their mother slept in a comfortable chair.
Sophie didn't know which one she should mimic to sleep. Finally, she just copied Lady Kerri, because there was another chair that she could sleep in. She finally sat down, gently closing her eyes. She did not understand what was happening, but as her mind was mostly blank and whether it mattered was lost to her.
The family and their guests finally got to sleep, heavy hearted for the most part and wondering what the future would hold.
"Asbel?"
Asbel stirred, waking up slowly. "Five more minutes…" he grumbled, feeling drained of energy still.
"Good, you're awake." he heard his mother sigh, probably with relief. "And you're still your old self."
"Yeah, I think the whole mess is pretty much over," Asbel said lifting his head and trying to blink his sleep away.
"Oh, Asbel…" Kerri murmured, wondering if her son had so promptly given up on being returned to normal. "You are worried about your condition, right?"
Asbel started, closing his eyes. "Yeah, of course I am." he admitted "But I just don't think I'm going to change any more than this. So until we find the cure, what am I supposed to do other than learn how to walk and use this body?"
The mother sighed and sat on his left, pulling him close. There weren't any words to be said. "We'll try as hard as we can." she promised finally "To return you to your true form."
"Thanks, mom." Asbel gave a small smile. "Hey, I should practice walking around, right?"
Kerri found herself reflecting once more on how strong her boy was. Refusing to be fazed by things, to forge ahead. He was too headstrong for his own good, but in this case, it helped him get past the horror of being turned into an unidentified animal and allowed him to look ahead. Now, she knew that the boy wished to get out and move around, so as he clumsily hopped off the bed, tripping in the process and sliding on the floor for a moment before fighting to get to his new paws again.
He padded shakily over to the door and promptly realized that he had paws and therefore was not exactly equipped for doors. "Okay…" he muttered, pushing off with his front paws and trying to put them on the door. He instead missed and smacked his face on said door. "Ow. Okay, let's try this instead!" he got as close as possible and tried to climb paw over paw, walking his front paws up the door and trying to reach the hand. However, he was far too small to have a chance at success with that, being a foot tall now.
Hubert moved to help, but Asbel told him to stay back. "I've got this…" he muttered, bracing his back legs and trying to top to the door handle. He didn't reach it, so he tried again. This time, he lost his balance and toppled backward, landing on his back with an involuntary whine of pain.
"Come on!" he exclaimed, twisting back onto his belly and pushing up, getting to his feet and leaping for the handle again. He whacked the door with his body and failed to reach it.
"I"
Crash!
"Can"
Bonk!
"Do"
Crash!
"This!"
He couldn't. Hubert knew that Asbel wanted to do this on his own, but he also knew that it was beyond his brother's ability to do so right now. Suddenly, just before Hubert was going to help anyways, the door opened, and Asbel was forced to scramble away from it. "What is happening?" Aston asked, his eyes cold and angry.
Asbel sheepishly brought a paw up and rubbed his head, not really registering that he was capable of such in his quadrupedal form. "...Hi dad." he greeted the man "I was just trying to use the door."
Aston looked at where he should see his son's face before he cut off the muscle memory reaction and looked further down to the small animal who had addressed him. He found nothing to say in that first period of a few seconds, but recalled why he was here in the first place. "I have received an urgent letter from the capital," he announced.
Quieter than anybody else could hear, Asbel muttered: "'Hi, Asbel, good morning, Asbel'. Geez, dad."
"...The capital?" Sophie asked. She had been standing up, which surprised the rest of the room's occupants, as they had not seen her get up or move to the middle of the room. Her head was tilted to the side.
"I've always wanted to go there someday." Asbel said in Sophie's direction "It's this awesome city where the king lives."
"Oh." Sophie murmured "What's a king?"
"Uh... " Asbel muttered "He's like a leader. He makes all sorts of important decisions and stuff."
"I see," Sophie smiled. "Are you a king? You were making decisions yesterday."
Asbel chuckled. "No, I'm not a king. Only one person can be king."
Sophie nodded, now remaining quiet. Hubert turned to his father. "What did the letter say, dad?" he asked.
Aston winced as he recalled the last time he mentioned the contents of the letter.
Several minutes earlier, Richard was sitting on the bed. Calmly thinking to himself. Replaying the events of the previous day in his mind as he worked sleep away. He heard his door open and close faintly, but he did not truly register it for a moment.
"Prince Richard." the blond boy heard. He looked up, seeing that his personal guard had entered the room.
"Yes? What is it?" he asked.
"Lord Aston has a very urgent message for you."
"Then by all means." Richard stood up, walking towards the door. The guard simultaneously allowed the lord of Lhant entry.
Aston stood formally, "I am afraid that I have very urgent news." he proclaimed, removing a letter from his pocket and holding it out to the young boy. "Your father has taken ill. You have been ordered back to the capital without delay."
Richard blinked, and then registered the man's words. He jolted back, startled and frightened. "My father is sick!?" he asked, his voice shaky.
Aston nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so." he confirmed, "You should prepare to depart at once."
While Richard nodded, Aston had one more thing to say. "Judging by the difficulty you met on the road before you arrived, I intend to help escort you," he revealed.
"I-I understand…" Richard murmured, his eyes remaining wide and in shock.
"Oh no…" Hubert murmured, shaking. "That's horrible!"
Aston looked between everyone. "Asbel, Hubert, Sophie, you three will accompany us to the capital," he revealed.
Asbel brightened immediately. "Awesome!"
"You're taking us to the capital!?" Hubert asked
Sophie blinked.
"We will make further arrangements once we are underway." Aston declared, turning and walking away.
Asbel eagerly padded after him, tripping over his paws a few times as he moved. Sophie and Hubert began to follow, but Sophie stopped in the doorway and looked at the door. She had stalled long enough and Lady Kerri had found the girl to be standing in between her and the hallway. "What is it?" she asked, seeing Sophie looking at the open door.
"...I hit this door." the girl murmured.
Kerri smiled. "Oh, I simply put it back in place, dear," she replied. It was actually not in the best state at the moment, and could fall again if pushed too harshly in the direction from the outside to the inside, but Asbel hadn't managed to pull on the door and Aston had thankfully kept a hand on it. What she had been more surprised by was how the girl who seemed to be ever alert had not woken when the woman put the door back in place.
"Okay," Sophie replied, walking away.
"She really is a strange one." Lady Kerri thought. "The poor girl…"
The girls followed the other group as they walked to the stairs, and Asbel stopped. While Sophie walked up to him and beside him, he slowly moved down each step carefully.
Not carefully enough. Aston and Hubert heard a yelp, and they swiftly turned to find Asbel's paw slipping off the corner of the staircase because his balance was off and he put too much force on that paw. He slipped and almost began a serious tumble. Before the boys could react, Sophie had swept him up and into her arms to prevent a disaster. "Are you okay, Asbel?'
"Yeah, I'm fine-" Asbel cut himself off as he realized what was going on "Ack! Why are you carrying me like that!?"
Everybody noticed that in saving the boy, she had picked him up like someone would a little puppy, and Asbel was now squirming in her grip and trying to escape. Sophie calmly walked to the bottom of the stairs before setting him down. "Because you were falling," she answered simply, not aware of the ruckus she caused.
Asbel's mind was looping on one single fact: "I was just being carried like some sort of puppy!" Thus, he was unresponsive for a little bit before someone else finally spoke up.
"...Thank you for saving Asbel." Aston thanked the girl, who nodded to him.
"Y-Yikes…. That was close." Hubert whispered.
Asbel shook his head rapidly. "Yeah… Thanks," he said, looking away. He looked troubled. Troubled and slightly angry. Sophie looked at him, confused as to why he was acting differently.
"Well, we should not keep the prince and his guards waiting." Aston decided "Asbel, if you get tired, or have any trouble walking, notify us, and we will slow our pace."
"Nah, you don't have to do that." Asbel disagreed "I have to figure this out. If I gotta catch up to you afterward, then that's what I'm gonna do."
Aston sighed. "If we get to the Turtlez Transport, and you are not with us, I am sending Sophie to carry you back." he threatened. Asbel shivered and nodded, turning towards the front door.
That was when he froze. Something felt terribly wrong. "Asbel?" Sophie asked. Asbel didn't respond right away. "Asbel!"
Asbel looked around, trying to find the source of his discomfort. Where was it? Then, his senses went crazy as his gaze fell on the door to the guest room. Almost as if he had no other choice, the boy trotted up to the door and listened in.
Richard's personal guard looked at the boy from where he stood beside the doorway. "I have given Richard some privacy to dress himself," he explained, confused as to why the boy had suddenly acted so strangely.
Aston was carefully watching Asbel, wondering what was happening to him. Suddenly freezing like that and then acting as if he was looking for something… Was this some instinct born from the boy's transformation that was causing him to act this way?
Asbel picked up voices from within the building. They were very muffled, but Asbel managed to pay attention to the words. Aston was certain that the boy had never stood this still for this long.
"Bryce?" Asbel heard through the door.
"Surprised?"
"Yes, considering you used my window."
"Well, allow me to cut to the chase." there was a sound that greatly resembled metal sliding, and Richard gave a small gasp. Asbel did too.
"Richard's in danger!" he shouted, jumping back. The royal guard that was at the door, Richard's personal guard, reacted instantly by opening the door and sweeping through. He found Bryce pointing his claws at a terrified Richard. Bryce froze at the sight of Aston, Asbel, and Richard's guard.
"Explain yourself, Bryce!" the guard exclaimed. Instead of doing so, Bryce realized that this would be his one and final chance. He lunged for Richard with his claw brought down on the boy.
That was to be the beginning and end of the battle. Richard jumped to the side, landing on his stomach as Bryce missed the initial attack, and then his guard and Sophie leapt into battle. While the guard delivered a disabling strike with his sword to the assassin's arm, Sophie slammed her gauntlet, which had mysteriously just flashed into existence on her hand, straight into the back of Bryce's head and smashing him face first against the floor. The man was defeated.
As Sophie quickly hauled the man's unconscious form off by several meters, the guard began tending to Richard as best he could. Asbel sighed with relief. That had been particularly easy. Padding over to Richard, he gave a smile. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you-" Richard suddenly realized what he was looking at and scrambled back for a moment with a frightened yelp. Asbel blinked in confusion, taking a moment to register why Richard had been afraid.
As he frowned and looked at his right paw, Richard registered the voice he had heard. "Wait… Asbel?" he asked.
Asbel brightened instantly. "Yep, that's me." he proclaimed happily. "Haha… Sorry for scaring you like that."
"I-it's all right," Richard assured Asbel. This was Richard's first time seeing Asbel's new form in person. With the many blade-like appendages and the sharp teeth, Asbel looked kind of menacing at first glance. Then one would notice that Asbel was really small, the size of a puppy, likely reflective of his age. That accompanied by the fluff made him look downright cute and pettable. It was like the perfect blend of the two aspects. There was something about the way those blades were shaped that seemed to compliment the rest of his form, and his fur looked like it would be very absorptive. With the black colored piece on his forehead, despite there being no distinctive white mark on his face, made the entire image of Asbel's face remind Richard of the Yin and Yang symbol.
"All light has some darkness and all darkness has some light. Those which are forever opposite will be forever intertwined." He recalled from an old text he once read some years back. The fluffiness certainly seemed intertwined with the menacing blades of the horn, claws, and tail.
Richard realized he was getting off track. He stood up, tearing his eyes and mind off of the form Asbel was forced to take. "May I ask your name?" he inquired of the pinkette that was keeping an eye on Bryce.
"Asbel calls me Sophie." the girl replied, her facial expression unchanging. "He said it was my name."
Richard was mystified by the girl, but he did not comment on it. It would be disrespectful to do so. Instead, he nodded politely and extended his hand to the girl. "My name is Richard. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophie." he introduced himself. Sophie stared at the hand for a while, until her eye caught Hubert helpfully mimicking a handshake. Her gauntlets faded into light as she brought her hand forward.
As the two shook hands, Richard's personal guard took off his helmet to get a better view of the man they had defeated. He had blond hair and emerald eyes. Hard with determination, those eyes watched the man for signs of movement. He turned to the remaining guards that joined them. "You three." he ordered three of them "Put him in chains. We will be imprisoning him until further notice within the capitol prison building."
"Yes, sir!"
Asbel took notice of the man's sword. "That's a really cool sword, sir!" he declared out of the blue. The man had not noticed that he still held it, such was his focus. He hefted the blade up for Asbel to see properly. It was a cobalt blue blade, with a white pair of wings as the hand guard and a sapphire in between them. The blade itself was about three inches wide and about two and a half feet long.
"Yes. This is a… Family heirloom of sorts, you could say. Saifogeo is its name." the man nodded. "According to the stories I heard as a kid, Saifogeo is the Blade of Life."
He sheathed it, and the wings folded in as they entered the black and blue sheath, leaving only the sapphire visible as well as the handle. "We should get on the road." he declared.
"Yes sir, Sir Mavis." the guards agreed and started to go through the process of binding the unconscious man. The group turned to leave the room, each one having different theories about why the man would attack Richard. But one thing rang in everyone's minds: Asbel Lhant had sensed the danger before it occurred.
Sophie traced her fingers along the Turtlez Transport's skin on its leg curiously. As everyone was preparing to board, she was gingerly analyzing the beast she was in contact with. The behemoth carrying the carriage looked at her out of the corner of its eye as she approached from the side. She touched its face, watching it carefully in case it attacked.
No matter what she did, how she moved her hand, the giant tortoise didn't care in the slightest. It just stood there, waiting to be urged forward. Sophie placed her hand on top of its head, feeling its warmth. It was alive, despite not bothering to react to her touch.
"Sophie, come on." she heard Asbel call from atop the transport. He had managed to jump up the stairs on the back of the transport without hurting himself. That meant he wasn't sulking, and so had the forethought to call Sophie when everyone was ready.
Sophie, instead of walking around to the staircase, leapt up to join them. Everybody gawked at the inhuman jump they had just witnessed. "Holy cow!" Asbel exclaimed, "Since when have you been able to jump that high!?"
Sophie blinked. "When? ...I wonder…"
Asbel's expression faded from happy to slightly more subdued for a moment. But he brightened again soon enough.
The Turtlez Transport was urged forward by the Turtlez, a man with his hair covering his cheeks and dressed in an odd getup consisting of a shell and being surrounded by yellow cloth. The sleeves went far past his hands and ended in red colored points, entirely trapping his hands. His clothing matched no outstanding style. Instead, his suit seemed to go all the way down to his feet, which were exposed as if they were sticking out of the base of a robe that was sewn together to resemble a bag. He had a hood on that bore dull red markings and only covered the top of his head. Along with his hair, this only left his eyes, nose, and mouth visible. A belt was worn from his left shoulder to under his right armpit, and finally, some cloth resembling a tail and stuffed with something was behind him.
This seemed to be the uniform for the Turtlez, who would best be described as a merchant tribe.
Unlike most tortoises, this one was both large and relatively quick. 'Quick' for a Turtlez Transport was of course about six miles per hour. Faster than the average walking speed, and the tortoise itself could walk for days without tiring or even needing sustenance. That was why the powerful beasts were tamed to use as transport, despite not being the fastest.
Asbel managed to get much better at walking by impatiently pacing about the transport as he tested his body more and more. "There's so many things I want to do in Barona!" he proclaimed happily as he brought his forepaws up to a higher surface to be able to see outside of the transport.
"Asbel." Aston called to his son sternly "It is essential that you stay by my side at all times."
Asbel's head fell and he groaned. "Oh great." he grumbled "C'mon, dad! There's gotta be all sorts of awesome things at the capitol!"
"This is not negotiable, Asbel." Aston growled, "This is for your own safety."
"Yeah right," Asbel muttered, too quiet for his father to hear.
"Hey, dad... " Hubert started "What's gonna happen to Asbel when we're surrounded by other people?"
Aston sighed. "For right now, Asbel will have to avoid acting out. If at all possible." he turned to Asbel, who's attention had been brought forth by his name being mentioned. "He will have to remain quiet and follow along with us. If he is mistaken for a monster, he might be harmed. If he speaks, he will draw unnecessary attention."
Asbel caught the last part and scoffed, believing his dad was worried about his own image again. As for the first part… "I can handle myself. Besides, nobody's ever heard of a talking monster." he claimed "Seriously. I just say a few things, and suddenly, I don't look like the bad guy."
"You may be surprised, Asbel." Aston replied, "Humans are excellent at attacking what they do not understand."
"Seriously, back to your precious image." Asbel narrowed his eyes "I was talking about telling people who I was and what happened, and then, almost by magic, I don't get attacked by people. But you're so worried about that that you don't want me to say a word."
"Asbel, now is not the time for argument." Aston proclaimed harshly.
While the boy huffed and sat down, Richard was eyeing Asbel carefully. A degree of protectiveness flashed through him when he saw that Asbel was being scolded. The boy's actions had saved his life after all.
"The boy's decision-making skills do deserve some credit." Sir Mavis declared after a minute of tense silence. "After all, his actions prevented Prince Richard's death at the hands of Bryce of all people." he continued, looking towards the road behind them where the group had left two guards and an unarmed Bryce, now a prisoner, who would be traveling separately.
"Yeah. Why would Bryce try to assassinate you, anyways?" Asbel promptly asked Richard. Aston glared at the boy, prepared to berate him for speaking so callously with the crown prince. However, Richard was prepared to answer such a question.
"I can think of… Several reasons." he deflected the question skillfully "But none that are worth sharing."
"But…" Asbel began "Well, come on. You can trust me."
"I'm sorry, but… It's more complicated than that." Richard piped down and did not meet Asbel's eyes.
"I have a question too." Hubert murmured "Why would Bryce just attack in the middle of the manor? I mean, he would have gotten swarmed by everybody, right?"
"A reasonable question." Sir Mavis nodded grimly. "May I, my liege?"
"...Of course." Richard seemed more comfortable not answering the question himself.
Sir Mavis leaned forward. "Many stand to gain by the demise of Prince Richard," he revealed to the two boys, who let out small gasps. Asbel moved to interrupt, but the blond man raised a hand in the universal sign for 'stop', and Asbel paused long enough for him to continue. "I would wager that this was Bryce's last chance to assassinate the prince, and he felt that chance slipping away as we cut our trip short. After the humiliation he received in the training field, it was very likely that Bryce would no longer have a post close to the prince or the king. Thus, he panicked and attacked. Had this only been for himself, I would imagine he would have not taken the chance. However, his entire family has a chance to gain something from this action. We cannot convict the family, of course. We can only question them, and it is likely that most or all of them had nothing to do with this. However, they will be kept separate from the royal family from this day forth, as our trust in them has been damaged."
Asbel quieted down for a bit. "I don't get it." he finally stated "Richard's a great guy. Why would anybody gain from his death?"
Sir Mavis and Aston shared a glance. Both agreed. "That is a conversation for another day." Aston declared.
Asbel raised an eyebrow for a moment. "...Alright. As long as he's safe." he decided, curling up Richard stared at the boy, wondering what Asbel was up to. The boy was totally ignorant of politics, and yet he helped Richard anyways, and advocated for him.
Richard was confused. If Asbel was not aware of the political gain in gaining his trust, why would he ever be nice to him?
Much later, the group arrived at the port to Barona. Aston swiftly ordered Asbel to remain quiet and follow his lead, and after Hubert backing his father on the premise that they weren't in Barona just yet and that the ports generally had rougher people in the alleys.
"I'm not a pet." he grumbled as he slunk down the stairs one step at a time.
"Nobody is saying that, Asbel," Hubert assured his brother.
"I will admit, your situation has baffled me to the point where the right choice in this instance is not entirely clear to me." Aston closed his eyes as he disembarked the Turtlez Transport.
"Ah ha!" Asbel turned on him "And you say you know for sure that I can't go around talking!?"
"Asbel, that is enough." Aston growled "We will decide how to handle this after we learn whether you can be cured of… This. For now, you will remain quiet."
"Fat chance," Asbel muttered, again too quiet for his father to hear. Aston saw his mouth moving, but did not comment on what he assumed was an insult. Eventually, the boy would have to grow up.
When they reached the port much later, Sir Mavis and the lesser soldiers escorted their ward off of the Turtlez Transport with Aston's assistance. "Uh… Asbel? I think you should humor dad for just a bit, at least until everyone's used to the sight of you following along."
"...Sure, Hubert." Asbel replied after a moment. He didn't dare admit it, but if his brother said something was a good idea, it probably was. "Come along, Sophie," he instructed, and the amnesiac girl obediently followed.
Understanding his brother's lingering inexperience, Hubert took care to match Asbel's pace rather than force his brother to do likewise.
The odd group walked along, Richard's form blocked from most recognizable angles by the protective guards' bodies as they walked close to him. Thus, the stares were not locked on the crown prince but on the little white and black animal walking alongside a little blue haired boy and a much taller pinkette who was blankly looking out at the people they passed by.
"Everyone is staring," Sophie commented simply. "Why?"
"Because I look different." Asbel explained "they're probably thinking 'hey, what is that awesome creature walking around?' Or something."
"Awesome?" Sophie asked.
"Cool, neat, great," Asbel said.
"...why do those words apply here?" Sophie asked, "what do they mean?"
Asbel went wide-eyed. "Uh… Well." He muttered, feeling the jab at him from her first words.
"Those words are usually slang terms to use instead of impressive or other words." Hubert supplied, looking at Asbel sympathetically.
"Mm." Sophie clenched her right elbow with her left hand. "Their faces are different…" she murmured.
Aston managed to hear this and looked around. There were some apprehensive faces about, eying his own son. For the sake of appearances, he hoped that Asbel would not do anything rash.
Miraculously, Asbel continued padding along without causing a huge ruckus. The looks he was getting did unnerve him a bit, though saying so aloud would be a crushing defeat. No, he would never admit that he was a little frightened. Never.
They did reach the boat without incident. The long dock was defended by a man who controlled who entered the ferry.
"Good afternoon." The man gave a bow.
"Eight to Barona." Sir Mavis declared, presenting some money from his pouch to the man.
That man looked at the group, confused. "Seven?" He asked, "is your eighth member going to arrive shortly?"
"No." Aston gestured behind him directly at Asbel. "He is right here."
"The… What is that?"
Asbel opened his mouth immediately, but Aston quickly intervened. "It is of no consequence." He declared. "He must come with us.
"O-of course, Sir." The man stuttered, not missing the harsh tone. "Welcome aboard."
Once they were on board and out of sight, Asbel started to grumble. "You should'a let me say something to him. The look on his face would'a been priceless!"
"I hardly think startling the man would have served us in any way." Sir Mavis mused.
"This is exactly what I was talking about," Aston growled. "Your search for fun and amusement could have led to disaster!"
"Oh, get off my case, dad," Asbel replied, frustrated.
"We have one hour before departure." One of the unidentified guards spoke up. "So I suggest you get comfortable."
Richard, no longer hidden by the guards who had now taken more defensive locations in the room they had arrived in, which appeared to be a sort of main area in which others moved about in, able to find their sleeping quarters on the boat, looked around and took in his surroundings.
He nodded to a counter within the room at the end. "I suggest we determine where our rooms are for the night."
"An excellent suggestion, my liege." Aston agreed, bowing to the prince and beginning to lead the way to the lady while Hubert started talking.
"Most traffic in this port heads straight between here and Barona." he began "But it also houses boats from all over the world, including from ports based in Strahta or Fendel. Because Lhant is one of the most accessible places to all three countries, its port is usually very busy." he tilted his head. "In fact, I'm surprised we didn't have to wait in a line."
"Waiting for entry has to be the worst," Asbel complained.
"I guess so…" Hubert murmured in reply.
"There are people staring again…" Sophie murmured, inconspicuously pointing at the people in the room that were looking at Asbel.
"Eh, let 'em." Asbel balanced on three legs, checking that his dad wasn't watching, before giving a few people to his right a small wave with his raised forepaw. They blinked, as if not knowing what to make of it.
"Do they know you, Asbel?" Sophie asked.
"Nah, they're just looking at me because I look different," Asbel explained.
"Why is that?" Sophie asked.
"I… Well…" Asbel couldn't explain that part. "I dunno."
Aston returned, holding in his palm two room keys. He was silent, shooting gazes at the surrounding people. "...Let us make certain we are not followed." one of the guards advised.
"Of course." Aston agreed "Asbel, join Richard in a less visible position to avoid attracting attention."
"...Fine." Asbel trudged over to the spot where Richard stood. "Whatever you say, dad," he grumbled. "Hey, you haven't gotten bored yet, have you, Richard?" he followed.
"Bored?" Richard asked.
"Come on, you're not Sophie." Asbel teased.
Richard hung his head. "I apologize." he immediately responded. "I did not mean to insult you."
"Insult me?" Asbel looked baffled, despite his facial structure being much different. The look was quite the same. "No way. I just made a joke. Relax."
"Uh…" Richard looked surprised.
"Anyways, I've always wanted to see the capitol." Asbel commented cheerfully as the group began moving with Aston keeping watch for 'stragglers' behind them. Sophie began to mimic him, which the man noticed. Giving the girl a curt nod, he turned back to rejoin the group.
It wasn't five minutes before Asbel realized that at some point, he wanted to stand outside on the boat's deck and see the ocean sweep by. When everything was starting to be put together in the rooms, it was Asbel that kept pacing while his father dealt with Asbel's luggage, which did not consist of much, although several of Asbel's clothing was made available to him if Asbel suddenly shifted back into his old human form while the trip was in session. Ever hopeful.
Aston kept Asbel in the corner of his eye. Still not knowing what to think, the man felt utterly lost. It was almost like life had completely flipped upside down. A single thought kept repeating itself over and over in his mind, deep beneath the attempts at rational thought and the forced decision making.
"My son's future could be gone."
That particularly heavy thought just would not go away. It made it hard to focus on other things now.
Asbel couldn't take being cooped up any longer. "Hey, dad," he asked, making sure his dad wasn't going to be annoyed because he was busy doing something else. "Can I watch the boat depart from the deck?"
Aston opened his mouth quickly, but Hubert didn't realize that as his back was turned. The blue-haired boy turned around, excited. "Oh! Can we? Can we dad?" he practically begged.
Aston's words died in his throat as he looked around. Sophie was turning from Hubert, who had spoken last, to Aston. The stare she gave was almost eerie… Almost blank. And yet, there was that glimmer of curiosity that was just barely present, that hadn't been there before. Her mind was evolving with every interaction, as would happen with someone with no recollection of any previous experiences.
That, and the guards in the room were smiling at the children, amused by their antics. All in all, it seemed that Aston was the only one that disapproved.
He sighed, pinching his forehead. "...Very well." he relented "But Sophie, don't let Asbel out of your sight. And Hubert, stay with them. Do not separate from each other, understand?"
Sophie nodded. "Yes," she replied quickly, easily, and the father released a sigh of relief in the knowledge that the seemingly capable girl could understand his orders.
"Sure thing, Dad." Asbel nodded. "I'm not stupid enough to go out completely alone."
"No, you just drag me along with you." Hubert joked lightheartedly, causing both brothers to chuckle.
"Haha. Well, let's go." Asbel smiled, turning to face the door and promptly realizing that once again, he was way too short. "Uh, one second."
Three failed attempts to leap at the doorknob later had Asbel sulking to the side facing away from the door while Hubert kindly opened the door for his brother.
After the children left, Aston followed only to turn the opposite direction down the hall and knock on the door for the room in which Prince Richard and his personal guards resided. Sir Mavis opened the door for Aston, nodding to him in a gesture for Aston to go ahead and speak. "Have you all settled in well?" Aston asked, remaining as formal as possible.
Sir Mavis nodded. "Of course, lord Aston. I believe we will be perfectly safe during the voyage. Now, considering it is late afternoon, I suggest we get some well-earned rest."
Aston nodded tiredly. "Yes, I think we all need some rest. However, I must stand by for when Asbel, Hubert, and Sophie return. Asbel and Hubert wished to see the boat cast off."
Sir Mavis smiled. "Despite all they've been through in the past few days, they can still be children." he marveled. "That is impressive, to me. Then again, every child is like that."
Aston sighed. "True enough…" he conceded. "Well, I wish you all a good rest. Especially the prince, as being woken up during the night and getting so little sleep cannot be good for one so young."
"Neither is it any good for us old men." Sir Mavis joked. "But if you feel you need to stay awake for them, by all means. Just make sure that when they go to bed, you do too."
Aston nodded. "Of course."
Asbel padded out in the open, Sophie and Hubert flanking him. To others, he must have looked like a pet of some sort, a thought which tempted Asbel to speak aloud and fix that, but his father crossed his mind. If he got wind of this, Asbel would be confined in his room for ages.
So Asbel waited until there were no other people in the area as they reached the railing, and he looked out at the water underneath them and the dock. Then, he spoke up in a whisper: "This is gonna be sweet!"
Sophie looked out over the side of the boat as the dock and the boat were separated, and the engines roared to life, startling her. She cautiously looked over the edge to see that the boat had indeed begun moving.
The boat began slowly as the engines fought to overcome the lack of momentum of the watercraft, employing water eleth to help the water move less in response to the turbines , causing the boat to be more greatly affected in response to the liquid's apparent resistance.
As the boat smoothly and quickly accelerated as it left the port behind, the children all stared as more and more of the area they could see turned to water as the land receded.
"These boats use water eleth to make the turbines have a greater effect on the boat than on the water." Hubert began, "and if that isn't enough, or the wind is slowing us down or even threatening to topple the ship, we can use wind eleth to curb the force of the wind. It's all very complicated machinery, and-"
"Pi-joink."
Sophie had reached over and pinched Hubert's cheek, causing the boy to exclaim in surprise. "Ow! Don't pinch my cheek! It hurts!" he complained.
Asbel laughed. "I think Sophie's heard enough, Hubert," he explained jovially.
Hubert got over the pain quickly, but did not miss that the action had happened in the first place. He decided not to mention the shift in behavior aloud. Any stress was best left for another day, when they weren't still getting over the fact that Asbel was some odd kind of animal now.
And if that thought wasn't a watermelon amongst a bunch of grape gels…
But Asbel's attempts at keeping the same attitude as before made it almost difficult to notice… Unless Hubert had to look down to look his brother in the eyes. If Hubert has his back turned to Asbel, he wouldn't notice a single difference in any way. That baffled him.
"I can see the land again…" Sophie declared in her mostly monotonous voice, looking past the structure as she now stood at the outer starboard deck to look in both directions. "I can see the land in both directions…"
Asbel and Hubert, curious, moved to join her. They couldn't see either landmass. "Huh," Hubert muttered.
"Where? I can't see it!" Asbel complained.
"It's in that direction." Sophie pointed where the ship was headed. "It's a lot further away…"
Hubert spoke up. "Well, if you can see that far… Anyways, the distance between Lhant and the Capitol is actually not that long. It's faster to travel by boat to cross the water, but several days' travel on foot can probably get someone there as well."
"Pretty cool," Asbel commented. "Well, I'm going to see if I can get back into running, and that'll be weird cooped up indoors."
"...Okay, Asbel, but try not to scare anybody else that might show up." Hubert reminded his brother carefully. Asbel nodded and hopped a few times on his paws to get the feel of moving them again, before trying to run.
That quickly turned into a stumble and a fall, resulting in Asbel's face being planted into the wooden deck. Asbel grunted as he righted himself, and true to his own determination, he tried again immediately. Eventually, he was running laps, yet slowly, and tripping repeatedly. If he attempted a full run, his paws tangled ridiculously easily and he toppled.
But at a trot… He was getting better.
Asbel's efforts cut short when Hubert noticed the sun was beginning to set. "C'mon, big brother." Hubert coaxed. "We'll have to get up early to get off the boat at the Capitol."
"Okay." Asbel nodded, satisfied with his performance.
Aston openly sighed with relief when Hubert opened the door to let Asbel and Sophie in the room, walking inside himself after said courtesy. "We're back, dad," Hubert announced unnecessarily.
"Good." Aston nodded. "Now, get some rest. We will be waking early tomorrow to be ready to arrive in Barona. It shall not take long. In fact, if the sea and sky allow, we will have arrived by the time we wake."
"Okay, dad!" Hubert agreed, beginning to prepare for bed. Asbel nodded himself, a little sleepy and unwilling to negotiate further time awake, as that hadn't exactly worked in the past, and started for a case that he knew should contain his clothing for a moment before he realized that he didn't exactly fit in those clothes anymore.
'Uh… Right." Asbel felt a little bit off as that little mistake clicked in his mind, but he didn't like the feeling, and so instead jumped on an available bed and slowly curled up for the night.
And in the other room, Prince Richard, in his bed but not attempting to sleep, thought only about his father and his illness. The boy's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the ceiling, beginning to understand the meaning of the term.
"Wow…" Asbel whispered.
"That's really cool…" Hubert too marveled at the sight.
The boys stood in a spacious square of tiles between two large staircases, drinking in their first view of Barona. The capital city of Windor practically glowed. Set against an oddly shaped cliffside that stretched into the distance, the buildings were sculpted in unique, awe-inspiring ways and were constructed of what appeared to be the finest materials, primarily wood.
However, the true image that defined Barona was the arcing spike-like structure placed on a viewing platform towering over the cliffs and the sea. Facing out towards the sea, the object was covered in crystalline structures that vaguely resembled what would happen if the wind deliberately attempted to carve wings out of stone over many years.
The object itself was enormous, and a glowing green crystalline material. The arcing spike drew the attention of the children the most as they stood on the stairs from the port to the city itself. And the messy wing-like structures that haphazardly adorned it only added to the impressiveness of the piece.
"The Valkines Cryas… Gloandi..." Hubert identified it. A refreshing wind blew through the area. "People say it's the Valkines that makes the wind so constant and refreshing in Barona."
Sophie stood between the boys, staring up at the Valkines Cryas with an odd expression. She made no comment.
Asbel got tired of the view. "Well!?" he exclaimed, bounding away towards the next staircase and nearly tripping before righting himself. "C'mon! I want to see the city!"
Do any of you know how difficult it is not to mismatch 'Asbel' with 'Absol'? It's probably the most difficult thing about writing this story, even more difficult than writing it to follow the initial plot, which required (shudder) research... Can you imagine a lazy person like me actually researching stuff? Because while I've watched Ramza's playthrough of Tales of Graces at least three times, I have to look through it again to get a lot of the dialogue and specific chain of events.
Rant aside, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. I made it a bit shorter than the last, but I hope that's all right. Also, to anybody who has played Tales of Graces, I realize that the distance between Lhant and Barona by boat is shown to be pretty short. However, that is to accommodate the apparently short distance in walking time when traveling on foot. Or it most likely is...
Regardless, I decided to upsize the planet. While I enjoy the size the world seems to be in the game, I enjoy it because it is designed with gameplay in mind. Designed to keep the player from having to take ages between towns, to the point where the planet might as well be an eighth the size of the moon. So instead, there will be times when time moves quickly as the characters travel through the world. So that the story can remain in pace with readers' expectations... And so that we're dealing with a planet that's at least the size of the moon or something.
And did you know that writing amnesiacs is really, really hard? I had a bit of an issue with Jake in TAC, but in this case, Sophie's kind of important and a part of the many, many interactions in the game, as well as her progression. I have to study that progression quite a bit and try to make it cleaner from this point forward, because I'm sure I missed a key step somewhere here...
Anyways, please review, and look forward to the next chapter of Absol Lhant, or any other of my ongoing stories that you are currently following.
Good day to you all.