Hey guys! Here is the second chapter of Tales of Asteria: Grand Voyage! Asbel and company arrive in Yilsse, where they explain to the current king the current status of Altea; Asbel also runs into another old acquaintance and his pet. Hope you liked it.
Ch. 2 – The Vigilante of Yilsse
Going west, Asbel and company venture on horse to their designation: the Kingdom of Yilsse.
They are currently heading west, based on the map Cheria has within her bag for directions.
Luke however, was getting a little restless.
"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Luke asked.
"Quit complaining." Tear commented.
"Hey!" Luke exclaimed.
"There, there, master." Mieu said.
Luke groaned.
Cheria giggled.
"Don't you two get along well?" Cheria commented.
"Sometimes they do, sometimes they wanna get at each other's throats." Asbel explained, in a sarcastic manner.
Cheria giggled again and eyed the two having another argument.
"They do make a cute couple." Cheria thought.
The horses suddenly come to a stop.
"What's the matter, boy?" Asbel asked, gently petting Aragon's mane.
"Something's off." Luke said.
The gang became on guard as the wind became a bit silent.
Asbel closed his eyes to shut out everything and wait for something to happen.
A noise behind the bushes were heard, alerting Asbel.
"Luke! On your left" Asbel hollered.
Luke quickly followed Asbel's orders and blocked a fast blur with force.
Another blur quickly appeared out of the bushes and attempted to strike Cheria, but Asbel intervened.
Asbel and Luke, as well as Tear and Mieu quickly recognized the blurs that attacked them.
The blurs clashing with Asbel and Luke revealed to be a young male adult with purple hair and dressed in dark clothing, and a dark blue wolfdog wielding a knife in its mouth.
The young adult's eyes widened upon seeing Asbel.
"Asbel?" The young adult asked.
"Yuri?" Asbel asked.
The two backed away from each other.
"Repede! Stand down!" Yuri hollered.
The wolfdog known as Repede, stopped his clash with Luke and quickly rushed to his master's side.
Asbel groaned a bit.
"Should've known it was you." Asbel muttered.
Yuri chuckled a bit.
"Sorry, man. Didn't mean to startle you." Yuri explained.
Repede barked.
"Nice to see Repede's still energetic as ever." Tear explained.
"Or annoying." Luke thought.
Cheria was a tad bit confused.
"Who are you two?" Cheria asked.
Yuri blinked twice before chuckled.
"My apologies. I'm Yuri Lowell." Yuri replied, introducing himself.
Yuri then petted Repede's fur a bit.
"And this is my buddy, Repede." Yuri explained, introducing on Repede's behalf.
Repede barked in agreement.
"So, Asbel – you here to see the king?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah. We've got business to discuss." Asbel replied.
"I know the fastest way." Yuri explained.
"We already have it covered." Asbel said.
"Do you, Beansprout?" Yuri asked.
A red tick mark appeared on Asbel's forehead.
"Shut up!" Asbel hollered.
Asbel and Yuri began to glare at each other's eyes as electricity flowed.
Repede, Luke, Tear and Mieu sighed.
"Just like old times." Luke explained.
"They're both idiots." Tear commented.
Cheria agreed.
"They sure are." Cheria said.
"Asbel and Yuri are idiots." Mieu commented.
XXX
The gang, joined by Yuri and Repede, enter the city gates where two guards await them.
"Asbel-sama! Glad to see you back!" A Yilsse guard hollered.
"And I see you found Cheria-san along the way." Another Yilsse guard explained.
"We sure did." Asbel said.
Asbel smiled at Cheria, causing her head to the side to prevent the exiled prince from seeing her blush.
"Is Richard here?" Asbel asked.
The two guards nodded.
"He's waiting for you at the palace, sir." One of the guards replied.
"Thank you." Asbel said.
"Open the gate!" The other guard shouted.
The gates opened wide, revealing the benevolent city of Yilsse.
Cheria's eyes widened with joy.
"It's the same as I remember!" Cheria thought.
XXX
The gang entered the city, enjoying the peaceful sights.
But Cheria was excited the most, having seen the city again since she was a child makes her feel nostalgia.
"Enjoying the sight?" Mieu asked.
Mieu was floating right next to Cheria and Asbel.
Cheria nodded.
"Me too." Mieu said.
"We're almost there." Yuri said.
The gang see the Royal Castle within their sights.
"Richard's gonna be very surprised to see you again." Asbel explained.
"I'll betcha he is." Cheria said.
The castle gates open, revealing King Richard Matou, and the Azure Knights lead by Flynn Scifo greeting them at the courtyard.
"Heard you guys made quite a mess in that port town." Richard explained.
"At least we didn't make a ruckus this time." Asbel commented.
"That was me." Cheria said, confessing herself for the incident.
Richard smiled.
"It is good to see you alive and well, Cheria." Richard explained.
Cheria began to cry a bit.
"You too." Cheria said.
"Come in, we have much to discuss." Richard explained.
"Right." Asbel and Cheria said in unison.
The gang entered the castle courtyard.
Yuri and Repede stood in watch, with Flynn right next to him.
"Another fight with Asbel?" Flynn asked.
"Nah." Yuri replied.
Flynn wasn't convinced.
XXX
Five minutes later…
Asbel, Cheria, Luke, Mieu, Tear and Richard gathered at the castle gardens to discuss matters at hand.
Cheria was currently explain the current status of Altea with grim news.
Asbel and the others were very shocked to hear what she explained.
"So everyone in the kingdom are either forced into slavery or be killed?" Luke asked.
Cheria sadly nodded.
"Afraid so." Cheria replied.
Asbel clutched his fist in sheer anger.
"How could they do such a thing to my people?!" Asbel asked, in an angry manner.
"It's no surprise of my brother. There's always a tyrannical spark beneath his kind and charismatic character." Tear explained.
Richard eyed Tear.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the younger sister of Van Grants, are you not?" Richard asked.
Tear nodded.
Luke looked on in worry.
"I was against my brother's cruelty towards the people of Altea that I wanted to save them from the corruption, but got captured and nearly killed had Asbel and Luke come and save me." Tear explained.
"Ah. That would explain why you two didn't come home that time." Richard explained.
Asbel and Luke whistled in denial.
Cheria deadpanned.
"These two…" Cheria thought.
Mieu snickered.
"What does your brother have planned right now?" Richard asked.
"I wish I could tell you – but I can't." Tear replied.
"I see…" Richard said.
"What should we do right now?" Luke asked.
"Let's wait until tomorrow to come up with a plan. Then we'll plan our attacks from there." Richard explained.
"Let's all rest here for now until tomorrow." Cheria suggested.
"Good idea." Asbel said.
The gang and Richard got up from their seats and headed to different directions, hoping to relax for a while until tomorrow.
XXX
Yuri and Repede eying the city, feeling a bit peaceful without too many crimes inside.
"Enjoying the sights?" Asbel asked.
Yuri and Repede turned to see Asbel and Luke appearing behind them.
"You?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah…" Asbel replied, in a sarcastic manner.
"That was sarcasm right there." Luke explained.
Asbel elbowed Luke lightly in the stomach, making the orange-hair groan a bit.
Yuri chuckled and Repede let out a small yawn.
"It feels nice in Yilsse." Yuri said.
"Sure does." Asbel said.
The quartet looked on the horizon.
"What'cha you two gonna do now?" Yuri asked.
"Why? You coming with us?" Luke asked.
Asbel was stunned by that question.
"Oh crap!" Asbel thought.
Yuri wasn't sure.
"Well…" Yuri said.
An explosion was heard downtown, alerting the four.
"What the hell?!" Luke exclaimed.
"An enemy attack!" Asbel hollered.
"This is bad!" Yuri hollered.
Repede whimpered a bit.
"Let's go!" Asbel hollered.
"Right!" Yuri and Luke hollered in unison.
Asbel, Yuri, Repede and Luke quickly headed towards the Downtown District.
XXX
Roxas soldiers began to lay waste to the Downtown District, as Yilsse soldiers quickly came to the defense to protect the citizens in the area.
A female figure leading the attacking soldiers defeated three Yilsse soldiers with a swipe of her spear.
"How pathetic." The female commented.
She was soon intercepted by a blur, causing her to block it.
The blur appeared to be Repede with his knife.
Repede growled and jumped back.
Asbel, Yuri and Luke appeared.
Cheria, Tear and Mieu appeared two seconds later.
"You guys saw it too?" Asbel asked.
"Yeah." Cheria replied.
"The question now is, who's the chick we're fighting?" Yuri asked.
"That's Victoria Braus of the Elite Guard." Tear explained.
Cheria, Luke and Mieu became surprised.
"The Elite Guard?!" Cheria, Luke and Mieu exclaimed in unison.
"Aren't those the five toughest bastards in the Roxas kingdom under their king?" Yuri asked.
"The five people whose fighting skills are unmatched." Asbel explained.
"Precisely." Victoria commented.
The gang turned their eyes toward Victoria.
"And you won't live long enough to find out." Victoria explained.
Asbel glared at Victoria.
"You're going down." Asbel said.
Asbel charged with vigor.
"Asbel-kun!" Cheria hollered.
"Always rushing without thinking." Yuri thought.
Yuri, Repede and Luke followed Asbel to support him.
"Cheria! Tear! Act as our support!" Luke hollered.
"Right!" Cheria and Tear hollered in unison.
Asbel, Yuri, Repede and Luke clashed Victoria as sparks fly from the clashing blades.
However, Victoria was easily holding her own in a four-on-one battle.
"Damn." Luke said.
Asbel gritted his teeth and tried to attack again.
- Dual Impact! – Asbel shouted.
- Crushing Spear! – Victoria shouted.
Asbel and Victoria clashed with their Martial Artes that only resulted in a tie.
Yuri, Repede and Luke entered the fray.
- Azure Edge! – Yuri shouted.
- Demon Fist! – Luke shouted.
Repede attacked with Sonic Dog.
Victoria dodged Yuri and Luke's attacks, and intercepted Repede's.
Yuri whistled.
"She's not bad." Yuri commented, in a sarcastic manner.
"Was that sarcasm?" Asbel asked.
"Is it a thing with you and Luke?" Yuri asked.
Luke face palmed himself.
"Would you two focus?" Luke asked.
Victoria use this opportunity to strike.
- Strider Spear! – Victoria shouted.
Victoria attempted to strike Asbel and Yuri with a charging spear attack.
- Thunder Surge! – Cheria shouted.
- Holy Lance! – Tear shouted.
Cheria and Tear used their Magic Artes to prevent Victoria from attacking Asbel and Yuri.
Victoria cleaved through the two attacks with little effort and continued charging.
But Luke was counting on that.
- Havoc Strike! – Luke shouted.
Luke jumps into the air and delivers a falling sword strike.
Victoria blocked the attack, but was pushed back.
Victoria gritted her teeth.
"Not bad." Victoria thought.
- Phantasm Flash! – Asbel shouted.
- Cerberus Strike! – Yuri shouted.
Asbel and Yuri attacked with a combination of quick strikes with a triple melee combo on Victoria.
Victoria blocked Asbel's attack, but was hit by Yuri's.
Victoria groaned from the impact.
"Victoria-sama! We're being overrun!" A Roxas soldier hollered.
Victoria clicked her tongue.
"We'll retreat for now." Victoria said.
The soldier nodded and ordered the remaining troops to fall back.
Victoria turned her attention to Asbel and the others.
"You may have won this round. But next time, you won't be so lucky!" Victoria explained.
Victoria then took her leave.
Asbel attempted to chase after them, but Richard appeared unexpectedly.
"Easy, old friend. Let's tend to the wounded for right now." Richard explained.
Asbel reluctantly listened, knowing it's a fool's errand to chase after the enemy when his comrades should come first.
XXX
Twenty minutes later after the attack, everyone were now in the medical center treating their injuries.
"So far only five soldiers and a few civilians were injured. Minimal collateral damage. About up to five Roxas soldiers were captured." An Azure Knight member explained.
While the knight continued to explain the details, Asbel gripped his sword in disappointment.
Cheria looked with worry.
"What are we gonna do now?" Tear asked, treating Luke's small head injury.
"This is a big mystery." Mieu said.
"Asbel, I need you and you're friends to go to east for right now." Richard explained.
"Why?" Asbel asked.
"I'm not be negative here, but we need some more information to find out about the rest of the Elite Guard, as well as find some additional firepower to your party." Richard explained.
"Party?" Asbel asked.
"He means that if you're going on your own for recon, you'll likely need at least 4 more comrades to stand a fighting chance if we're not around." Flynn explained.
(A/N: 4 more members to Asbel's party will be introduced in later parts of the story.)
"Four? What about five?" Luke asked.
"The fifth is gonna be me with Repede." Yuri explained.
Asbel, Luke and Mieu became stunned.
Cheria and Tear were surprised.
"Don't worry. I promise to be on my best behavior." Yuri explained.
"Yeah right." Asbel, Luke and Tear thought in unison.
Flynn began to whisper in Richard's ear.
"I sure hope this is a good idea?" Flynn whispered.
"Asbel and Yuri may not have the same relationship you have with him, but Asbel's the only one who can keep that vigilante on a tight leash aside from you." Richard whispered.
"Hope you're right." Flynn whispered.
Asbel and Yuri began to have another "glare-off".
(A/N: Glare-off! Get it?!)
Cheria banged their heads to discipline them.
"No fighting, boys!" Cheria hollered.
Asbel and Yuri were knocked out to say a word.
Richard, Flynn, Luke, Tear, Repede, Mieu and the Azure Knights all became deadpanned at the scene.
"This is gonna be a disaster…" Richard, Flynn, Luke, Tear, Mieu and the Azure Knights thought in unison.
(A/N: Hope it's not a disaster when the situation calls it!)
XXX
At the throne room of the Roxas Kingdom, Victoria is kneeling towards her king.
Roxas' King and Tear's estranged older brother: Van Grants.
"I'm sorry to report this – but I only returned in failure, my lord." Victoria explained.
Van smirked.
"That's fine. Small failures can lead to future victories." Van explained.
"In anyhow, we should proceed with the next step." Van continued.
Victoria nodded.
"Right away, Van-sama." Victoria said.
Victoria left the throne room, leaving Van alone.
"Now that I know you're alive, Lhant, I'll make sure you will suffer greatly before you die." Van thought.
What plans does the vile king of Roxas have in store for Asbel?
Preview Skit:
Cheria: So what's next?
Asbel: I honestly have no idea.
Yuri: You never do think before you act, ex-Highness.
Asbel became angry.
Asbel: Shut it, pretty boy!
Yuri: What was that?
Asbel: Let's have another bout!
Yuri: You're on!
Asbel and Yuri left the scene. Luke, Tear, Meiu and Repede enter the scene.
Cheria: These two…
Luke, Tear & Mieu: They're such children.
Repede barked in agreement.
Luke: This is gonna be a long, LONG, trip.
Cheria: Next time: Chapter 3 – A Strange Girl.
Did you enjoy it? Yuri and Repede now join the party.