New chapter coming up!
- Digi-power-Wargreymon: I can't say much about it without causing spoilers, but just rememer one thing: like in the original game, here not all of the half-elves turned into Desians/half-demons, some actually oppose to them. You'll see some examples soon.
Also, as the story progress, I'll be adding some notes about the new reallity I inserted our heroes into. Since this story mix elements from the two games, somethings, like the names of monsters and spells, had to be altered not to cause so much confusion. I'll explain it latter on.
For now, enjoy the reading! Soon a character we all like and love will appear (besides the one that appears here), so stay tuned! ; )
Chapter 2
Chaos at Doorstep
The fields around Luin once held a great lush, but now even the grass seemed to have lost its green color. The ground of the road seemed to have dried as some cracks could be seen along the dirt path. Walking through that dry road were two figures.
One was a creature similar to a wolf, but it was so big and its constitution almost humanoid someone could easily think wolves have somehow evolved due to the harsh conditions of the world. The wolfish creature had grayish-blue fur and sharp, dark claws at the show. Walking besides it was a man, his clothes were so ragged and dirty it made it look like he had been living in the middle of the jungle.
The wolfish creature was sniffing the ground, following the scent of their prey. It then started to growl as it located the last destination its target had stopped.
"Easy, Graar. Easy." the man said, patting his oversized, beastly partner in the head. All the creature did was to stop emitting the growl, but it was still with its sharp fangs clenched. The man then looked to the city ahead. "So, they decided to stop by here…"
- / - / - / -
Lloyd woke at the same time Marta and Emil and was doing breakfast. The girl seemed to be smiling at something as Emil stayed with a neutral expression, like thinking in what they would do next.
Lloyd searched through the kitchen's shelves, but found bread and condiments for just one person. He thought on a solution; a trip to the market in town didn't take much time, so he probably should be able to do that in a matter of minutes if he ran. The dual swordsman went to his room and retrieved his red jacket and swords while Emil and Marta just observed him. When Lloyd appeared again, he said:
"I'm going to buy something for our breakfast at the town's market. It won't take too long, so can you both wait here?"
"Sure." Emil said.
"Don't worry with us." Marta assured Lloyd.
Nodding, the red clad swordsman ran through the road outside Luin, arriving in the city in no time and quickly locating the market. He entered and greeted the elderly shopkeeper, who was checking some items behind the counter while returning the greet to the young man. Lloyd quickly found what he needed and soon filled a bag with everything he saw that was in a good state.
Since the drought started, Luin was keeping supplies to feed its population, but there was a constant fear that, if the situation didn't improve, the city would be without food for some time. Merchants didn't take the route to the city very often because of the human ranch at the north, so Luin had just the nearby farms to count on supplying it.
As Lloyd was going to the counter, the door to the market opened with strength. At the doorstep was a man with grayish-blue hair and dirt and torn clothes, which reminded Lloyd a little of a hunter that stayed too much time in the woods. He was slim, but his face seemed almost to be feral and his eyes had an odd yellow color to them.
As the man approached, Lloyd's instincts entered in alarm. There was something off about that stranger and the boy didn't like that a bit. Generally, his instincts were right, like when there was a Desian stalking him, disguised in the middle of the crowd. He achieved to get in an open area to confront and kill the Desian, who seemed to be out just to have some fun, in a bloody fashion.
The shopkeeper was a little startled by the newcomer's appearance, but didn't show it, thinking that person had probably escaped from some sort of fight with a demon. The stranger approached the counter as the shopkeeper was calculating the price of everything Lloyd had bought and started to talk in a casual way:
"Hello. Have you seen a girl and boy traveling together around here?"
"No, sir, I haven't. Why?" the shopkeeper asked.
"They are my friends and I'm a little worried about them. They said they would be around this area."
The man's tone was a little gruff, so much Lloyd could swear he heard a growl or two while the stranger talked. The way that he spoke made Lloyd suspicious too. He was starting to consider there wasn't any truth to the words of that man.
"What about you, boy?" the man said, looking Lloyd by the corner of his eyes. The boy felt a strong sting inside him when the man's eyes locked on his. He definitely did not like that person. "Have you seen a brunette girl and a blond boy?" the man's tone turned a little harsher.
He talks like he knows that I've got something to hide. But who could he be…? Lloyd thought, until he realized. Emil and Marta.
"So?" the man asked again and Lloyd realized the expression of comprehension in his face.
Dammit. Now he's going to get even more suspicious.
"Lloyd," the shopkeeper called, handing Lloyd the price of everything he bought. The old man also felt a little nervous at seeing the way the stranger was looking to Lloyd. "Have you seen anyone that looks like the people this sir is looking for?"
Lloyd looked from one man to the other. He knew the shopkeeper was just asking that because he was afraid that strange man could do something, like start a fight. The young man then looked to the suspicious adult and spoke:
"I haven't seen anyone with that appearance." saying it, Lloyd took the food he bought and left, with the wild-looking man's eyes upon him.
As soon as the dual swordsman was out of the store, he broke into a run to his house. He had to warn Emil and Marta. Lloyd soon arrived near his cottage and gave a sigh of relief as he slowed his pace. He entered quickly and closed the door behind himself, startling Emil and Marta a little. The dual swordsman breathed deeply as he tried to recover.
"What happened? You look like you've met a demon general." Emil asked.
"In the market… there was a man… he was looking for you…" Lloyd said, taking time to breath.
Emil and Marta yelled a "what?" as their faces showed fear. Lloyd was about to repeat what he had just said, but before he could do so, something broke through the door of his house, grabbing him and dragging himq outside. The dual swordsman was so startled he didn't react in time. Emil and Marta called for his name, drawing their weapons.
When Lloyd recovered from the shock, he saw himself face to face with a big, humanoid, grayish-blue wolf, snarling at him, with its yellow, sharp fangs bare to him. The creature was holding Lloyd with its great front paw, almost crushing his torso.
"I knew you smelled suspicious…", a growl-like voice said. Lloyd looked to the side and saw the man he had seen in the market. "Good work tracking down the little, human rat Graar.", the stranger said to the demonic-looking wolf.
"Grawlrus.", Marta exclaimed, seeing Lloyd being held by the demon wolf and the wild-looking man at the side of the beast
"Hello, you two. Taking refuge in human villages again?", the man, Grawlrus, spoke. "I thought Lord Nebilim had made it clear that as long as you two are alive, lives shall perish. You humans are so stubborn."
"Nebilim…", Lloyd whispered. That man was clearly a demon in disguise, working for Nebilim, and apparently he was after Emil and Marta.
"Now, are you two going to surrender, or should I leave Graar have this human as a meal?" the disguised demon asked, a wicked smile forming in his feral features. "Better make up your mind quick. Graar tends to get impatient when he's hungry."
Emil and Marta looked from Lloyd to Grawlrus. Lloyd didn't understand much about the situation, but one thing was made clear to him; Emil and Marta were fighting against the demons and they should be strong people for Nebilim to torment them personally.
Deciding he wouldn't be used as a hostage in that sinister deal, the dual swordsman released his arms as the demon-wolf that was holding him was too distracted looking and snarling to the young couple and quickly took his blades, drawing them and cutting the arm of the great wolf in the process, though not being able to sever it.
The demon-wolf howled in pain as Lloyd fell and ran from the two. Emil and Marta saw that and advanced too as Grawlrus clenched his teeth and went after Lloyd. Graar recovered from the attack and lunged at Marta, who skillfully avoided the attack of the wolf demon.
Lloyd stopped and turned to see Grawlrus coming to him, flexing his fingers, like he was about to slash at Lloyd with them. The dual swordsman guessed he probably was hiding his claws. However, Emil got in the front of the disguised demon and swung his sword. Lloyd could swear he saw something that resembled black fog involving the blade as the young blonde swung it.
Grawlrus jumped behind as an ethereal blade of darkness was produced from Emil's sword and shot to him. He defended from it with his arms, crossing them in the front of his body. The attack produced a cut in Grawlrus' arms, but didn't seem so serious.
Lloyd decided to leave the demon to Emil and went to help Marta, who was dodging from Graar's attacks. The dual swordsman noticed that when she attacked, wind seemed to gather around her spinner and form blades that cut through the fur of the otherworldly wolf.
Marta was about to attack again, when Graar slammed his front paws in the ground, making it shake slightly. The brunette girl almost lost her equilibrium, but the time she spent trying to stand on her feet was enough for the wolf demon to lunge at her with its jaws wide open. Before it could bite Marta down, however, Lloyd came in and slashed at the side of the great beast with all his might, knocking it to the side.
"Thanks Lloyd." Marta said to her savior.
"Now we're even." Lloyd said with a mild smile on his face as the other fighter returned the smile. The two then turned to see Graar standing again on his four, preparing to lung at them.
Meanwhile, Emil was locked in a fierce duel against Grawlrus, who was showing a frustrated expression at seeing his prey fighting back with such vigor. He looked to Graar and saw his beastly partner was having some difficulties too, though it achieved to land some blows in Lloyd and Marta using his speed.
Grawlrus then jumped back and rushed to Marta in great speed. Before Emil could even warn his partner about the approaching demon, Marta was grabbed by her arm and tossed with violence in the direction of the city.
"Graar, fetch!" the disguised demon commanded, as his wolf companion saw Marta landing in the city and immediately turned his back to Lloyd and ran after the girl.
Grawlrus jumped and landed on Graar's back with great ease. Lloyd and Emil saw that and ran after the two demons.
"Damn! He's probably wanting to use the entire city as a hostage!" Lloyd exclaimed.
The young man turned to Emil, but saw he hadn't uttered a single word. The look in the blond boy's eyes was of pure concentration. Lloyd then felt something strange in the air as Emil rushed his pace. It felt almost like a heartbeat and it came from the blond swordsman.
Deciding to leave the questions for later, Lloyd heard the sound of things being broken and a gasp that sounded like Marta. The two saw her running to the commercial district as Grawlrus came from up and tried to smash her with a punch, creating a crater in the ground and destroying a nearby statue of a knight in the process.
Emil gave a great jump in the air and aimed for the disguised demon, giving a battle cry as he descended. Grawlrus looked up, a surprised look in his face and the blade of the blond swordsman descended, darkness swirling around it. He jumped to the side, avoiding being cleaved, but received a gash in his leg. Lloyd went after Marta, who was avoiding Graar's attacks. She had scratches on her right arm and leg.
The brunette girl tried to avoid another attack, but pain jolted through her leg as she forced her weight on it. She had almost distended it when she landed. The minutes of distraction were enough for Graar to tackle Marta to the ground and glare at her from above, opening his mouth.
Marta tried to fight back, but the wolf demon had pinned her arms to the ground. She could almost smell death coming from the oversized wolf's breath. As Graar was ready to bite the jugular of the girl off, Lloyd's voice came:
"Leave her alone, you fur bag!"
The dual swordsman jumped and landed on the back of the wolf, thrusting his swords into the back of the beast, making it howl in pain again and stopping it from finishing Marta. The grayish-blue wolf, tried to take Lloyd off its back, but the young man twisted his swords inside the back of the demon, making it twist its body in pain.
Marta took the chance and got up, gathering the wind around her weapon, murmuring something inaudible while doing so. Before she could slash at the neck of the great wolf, Graar threw Lloyd from his back, by hindering on his front legs. The young man fell over Marta, in an almost comical way.
Emil and Grawlrus continued with their fight in the bridge that connected the residential to the commercial district. Part of it was already destroyed and the swordsman was currently defending himself from the ferocious attacks of his opponent.
"What's the matter? Tired already?" Grawlrus taunted Emil, as he landed a kick in the boy's chest. "Too bad. Cause I didn't even started to warm up!"
Grawlrus flexed his fingers again and prepared to cleave Emil, but before his claws could reach him, a pulse of energy came from swordsman and he put his sword up, blocking the attack with ease. Grawlrus had felt the energy emanating from Emil right before he defended the attack and heard what he could swear sounded like a heartbeat.
"Then you're going to die knowing you underestimated me!" Emil said, in a much deeper and brasher voice, looking to the eyes of his adversary with his now crimson ones.
Grawlrus seemed surprised at the sudden transformation and left his guard open. Emil took that chance and quickly jumped, slashing at the side of his opponent and proceeding to impale the belly of his adversary. Grawlrus gasped as he felt the blade coming out by his back.
Emil unleashed a wave of darkness through his sword as he lifted it, with his demonic adversary still on it. He threw Grawlrus above his head and to the commercial district, taking his sword off the body of the demon. Emil ran to the next district, knowing that attack had gravely wounded his adversary, but wouldn't be enough to kill him. Smiling a sinister smile as he saw Grawlrus getting up from the ground while coughing blood, the crimson-eyed swordsman slowly approached the demon.
"Any last words before I send your worthless carcass back to Niflheim?" Emil asked with a certain tone of pleasure in his voice.
"I would… look around first… if I were you…" Grawlrus said, cocking his head to the side.
Emil gave a brief look, but soon turned completely at seeing Graar had Marta and Lloyd on his front paws. Both were struggling to try and get free, but without success. Emil cursed under his breath.
"Now… I don't know about the boy…" Grawlrus began again, getting up. "But you certainly do care for the girl… so, unless you want her death plaguing your conscience, Ratatosk, you'll drop your weapon."
Lloyd and Marta stopped struggling at seeing Emil there. The red clad swordsman replayed mentally the name Grawlrus had spoken:
Ratatosk… why does it sound familiar? Lloyd wondered. He was certain he never met anyone that went by that name before.
Uttering another curse, Emil dropped his weapon, closing his eyes. Lloyd and Marta screamed for him not to do it, but it was too late. Grawlrus grinned at seeing this and quickly approached Emil grabbing him by the throat.
"I can't believe you actually thought I would release the little wench. Lord Nebilim commanded her death too, you know? As for the boy, I think Graar deserves a snack after all the trouble you caused to us." the demon said.
Marta and Lloyd called for Emil again, but to their surprise, they heard him chuckle. Grawlrus looked at the young blonde in confusion. Emil then looked to the disguised demon square in the eyes, his expression fierce as he spoke:
"And I can't believe you actually thought I would trust in you, demons. Tenebrae, now!"
Several thinks happened at once. Lloyd heard an invisible voice shout: "Go my servant! Attack!", heard Graar give out a roar of pain as a jagged blade came out of his chest and saw Grawlrus look to his beast companion while Emil kicked him in the chest with his two feet, freeing himself and catching his sword back.
Lloyd looked to Graar and saw that behind the demon wolf there was a black, winged creature, which had another blade like the one that impaled Graar sprouting from its other arm. The monster took his natural weapon off the demon and took the chance to punch it, knocking out the oversized wolf.
Grawlrus clenched his teeth and went to his brethren's aid, kneeling over the wounded Graar. He then looked to Lloyd and pointed a dirt-covered finger to the young man, proclaiming:
"You just got yourself an enemy, boy! We will hunt you down like a dog and exterminate anyone close to you!"
A runic circle formed bellow Graar and Grawlrus, turning the two into blue spheres of light, which were absorbed by the magic circle. It then faded away, as Lloyd finally let his breath loose.
Emil, with his eyes back to their normal, emerald color, helped Marta to stand. Lloyd was about to ask them if they were alright when he noticed people starting to come out of the buildings at seeing the danger had passed. Some of them looked around, seeing the half destroyed scenery and Lloyd, Emil and Marta on its center. A crowd started to gather around them and Lloyd felt they weren't about to thank them for chasing Grawlrus away.
A woman walked forward, an angry expression written all over her face as she said:
"There, are you happy now? Look at what you've done to our city!"
Emil and Marta heard that and had shocked expressions in their faces while Lloyd was wearing a neutral one. He talked back:
"What? Just because I fought back…" he was interrupted by the angry woman.
"And destroyed half of our city doing so! How long will you keep causing trouble to our city? First talking about resisting the Desians, now picking up fights with demons, what will come next? Challenging Nebilim?"
The young couple decided that was enough and came in Lloyd's defense. The brunette girl was the first to speak:
"Now wait just a minute! Lloyd did nothing wrong. He just helped us fighting the demon off."
"That's right." Emil said, stepping forward too. "And nobody died during the conflict, so why are you all so angry with him?"
"Emil… Marta…," Lloyd whispered in awe.
Few to no one had defended Lloyd's actions since his father left, but those two strangers he had met just yesterday were defending what he did and saying he acted right. However, their opinions seemed to anger the crowd all the more, as a man came forward and spoke:
"You two shut up! You're not from Luin, so don't come defending this troublemaker."
"The demon was looking for you two!" the elderly owner of the market shouted from the crowd. The people looked to him. "That demon came to my shop looking for them and Lloyd was hiding the two."
More angry stares fell over the boy. Sometimes, Lloyd wondered if opposing to those that made others suffer or help people had turned into a crime in that city. Emil and Marta had guilty expressions in their faces, but the blond boy decided to react.
"So it doesn't matter if he actually saved your town from a demon?" the swordsman asked.
"The demons marked Lloyd as their enemy." another citizen spoke, seeming not to have listened to Emil at all. "They'll come after him and the Desians will surely destroy the town. We already have had enough troubles just with his father, but now he decided to cause havoc too."
Lloyd finally got tired of hearing all of that, clenching his teeth and closing his knuckles until they turned white under his fingerless gloves. He could stand people calling him names, after all, he wasn't exactly intelligent when it came to some subjects and frequently was scolded for his little battles with the few stray Desians that came to town, but if there was something he particularly hated, was when people talked about his family.
The dual swordsman ran away, taking the direction of the fountain plaza to return to the east exit. Marta and Emil tried to call him back, but the young man was already too far to listen to them. The brunette fighter turned to the crowd, a stern look on her face.
"You all should be ashamed! He just wanted to help."
"Whatever. It's better he went away anyways." a teenager in the middle of the crowd said.
The mob started to disperse, going back to repair the damage, leaving Marta and Emil in the middle of the plaza. The couple was approached by another man, this one had a brown beard and seemed less angry than the rest of the city folk. In fact, he seemed to show pity.
"I'm the mayor of Luin. I apologize for what you just witnessed." the mayor said in what seemed to be a sincere regret.
"So, you don't blame us or Lloyd?" Emil asked.
"Of course not. I was a close acquaintance with his father and I can say, out of anyone in this town I understand the quarrel he has against the Desians. But I also can't say I'm happy for the turn things have taken." minutes of silence passed before the mayor talked again. "I can't do much for him. The people of this town have lived under fear for too long, so much they almost forgot what it is to be gentle or to help others. I thank you and Lloyd for chasing that demon away, but I doubt after it he'll be welcomed back by our citizens."
"So, you're saying he's banished from the town." Emil said in a statement, not a question.
"Not really. But it would be better for him to stay away for some time. At least, until everybody's mood wear down." the mayor then looked from Emil to Marta. "You two seemed to agree with him, so can I suppose you two are friends with him?"
"Well, I don't know if he thinks the same, but Lloyd seems like a good person to me." Marta spoke, giving a weak smile. "I sure would like to have him as a friend."
"Then can I ask for you to look after him? He has nobody else since his father left and has not received word from him for a long time. I'm sure Kratos has been avoiding contact for Lloyd not to be discovered as being his son."
"Don't worry mayor." Emil said with a determined tone. "We'll look after him."
The mayor thanked them and turned, going back to his building. Emil then noticed Marta was looking to him what a mix of surprise and admiration. The blond swordsman asked why she was looking at him like that and she answered:
"You seem more confident about him than before, you know." Emil cocked his head to the side, in confusion. "Generally, you'd be all 'we don't even know him. How can we really trust him?'."
"Lloyd is really a good person and, out of all the people we encountered in this journey, he was the most sincere and kindest."
"Yeah. Let's go see him then." Emil nodded to Marta's suggestion and the two made their way to Lloyd's cottage.
When the couple arrived, they passed the destroyed, entrance door and heard the sound of what seemed to be someone gathering things coming from Lloyd's room. The couple saw his door open and took a look inside. Lloyd was there gathering his belongings in a makeshift bag. He even had a pair of steel swords which seemed new strapped at his back. It seemed clear he was packing everything to leave.
Emil called the other swordsman's name, entering the room. He and Marta heard the young man speaking:
"I was planning… to do it… just after three months or so… but with the way things turned… I can't stay here anymore." he finally stopped and gave a long sigh.
When the red clad swordsman turned to Emil and Marta, they saw what seemed to be remnants of tears at the corner of his eyes, which were slightly red. It seemed he had been crying for some reason. Wiping his face with his arm, Lloyd spoke:
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
"It's fine. Actually, we should be the ones apologizing for what you have to endure back there." Emil said.
"That? Nah. They already tried to chase me out before, but the mayor covered it for me." Lloyd said, trying to smile and laugh, but not having much success on it. "Anyway, I think I already have enough of training by myself. If I stay here, I might lose my edge from not fighting against real adversaries."
Emil and Marta looked between themselves as Lloyd took up his makeshift bag and bid them farewell. The petite brunette cocked her head to Lloyd's direction, making a clear signal for Emil. The blonde agreed and the two went back to Lloyd's living room as the dual swordsman was already exiting the cottage.
"Wait, Lloyd!" the young man stopped at hearing his name and looked to them. "Do you want to come with us?" Lloyd had a surprised expression on his face, like he hadn't heard it right. Emil saw it and repeated the question. "Do you want to come with us in our journey? We're going to pass by many places, so there's a chance we might meet people of the Vanguard and the Renegades, so you can ask them about your father."
"Really? No kidding?" Lloyd asked. Emil nodded to him, smiling together with Marta.
"You handled yourself pretty well against Grawlrus. So I think you might be strong enough to accompany us," Marta said.
"Thanks guys! I don't even know what to say!" Lloyd spoke, with a radiant smile.
Lloyd had no idea what he was going to do while packing his things, except try and find his father. Now, with Emil and Marta accompanying him, he would have more chances to survive in the road and find clues about Kratos. Also, he was curious as to why Emil and Marta were being persecuted by demons. They should be special people.
"By the way, what is exactly this journey of yours about?" the dual swordsman asked.
Emil and Marta looked between themselves, before nodding again. Marta then spoke:
"Tenebrae, you can come out now." Lloyd wondered who this Tenebrae was, but when what seemed to be energy of darkness gathered at his front, he started to wonder what exactly Tenebrae was.
To say Lloyd was surprised when what looked like a black, floating dog materialized in front of him would be an understatement. The young man's eyes were the size of plates as he looked to the creature that just made its presence known. It had a long tail, ending in divided points that somehow formed something very close to a hand. It also had purple lines along its body, making it look like it was wearing some sort of coat or jacket.
"Centurion Tenebrae. Nice to meet you," the black, floating dog said in a strong, masculine voice that seemed to carry some short of accent…
