Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. If I did, candy corn would be used as healing items instead of apple gels.
Author's Note: Well, here I am, finally updating this story after… what, over three months? Yeah, that's consistent. Talk about the longest cliffhanger wait ever.
I've been addicted to various other things, like writing my own original story "Mahou Shoujo Hanako Haru" on FictionPress, and watching Final Fantasy XIII. I say watching because it really is like an interactive movie, but it's fun nevertheless. I hardly had the drive to write this chapter when I started, but when I really got into it, I just took off. Anyway, it's been a long time coming, so if there's anyone out there that's been waiting for an update, here it is.
TALES OF SYMPHONIA - DAWN OF THE NEW WORLD: A CONFESSION?
A BATTLE ROYALE?: CHAPTER IV
Collectively, Marta, followed by the entire gang arrived on the scene at Altamira's beach. From afar and gazing out past the spectators that littered the area, the group caught sight of a rather large sea creature resembling an octopus, flanked by smaller ones. They appeared to be caught in between the beams of a rather large tower that stood near the beach, with some of them chasing after the other beach goers. The words "Lezereno Company" were labeled onto the tower, presumably being one of the newly constructed energy saving towers the company had been working on.
There were still plenty of people outside; presumably to catch a view of the action and return to check on loved ones. Even though an announcement had been made to evacuate, several people remained behind.
Marta pushed through the crowd of people, and pointed from the top balcony below, rain soaking her. "Look, Lloyd! They're down there!"
Lloyd's eyes widened. "Man, there's a lot of them! What the heck's going on?"
Genis stopped next to them, almost getting shoved out of the way by a few taller adults. "It looks like they're attracted to that tower over there. What is that energy coming from it?"
Raine and Sheena stood back, checking the crowd of people who had escaped for injuries. A small girl cried while Sheena bandaged her small arm with some supplies she kept handy. She didn't appear to be hurt too badly. The little girl continued to cry while Sheena held her close.
"It's okay," Sheena cooed. "Everything's okay."
Colette gasped, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Emil! Regal!" she called to them both, and the others pushed past to get a look below for themselves. The two warriors were busy flailing away at a larger group of smaller octopus-like creatures. The creatures kept jumping at them both three at a time, each getting pummeled equally three at a time.
Lloyd balled his fists together in excitement. "All right! Come on, Marta!" he exclaimed, standing atop the single beam on the balcony and unsheathing his twin blades quickly. "I haven't seen any action for awhile!" He leapt over the rails, flipping and rushing toward the scene in a sprint. "Save some for me, guys!" he yelled, waving a sword into the air.
Marta watched from afar, blinking.
"You shouldn't run like that with sharp objects, Lloyd Irving!" Raine yelled, remembering an incident when he was younger.
"Ahhhh! Professor Raine!" a young Colette screamed.
"Lloyd's gotten the scissors stuck in his forehead!" Genis yelled. "Again!"
She cringed. Lloyd could hardly be trusted with a pair of scissors in class, so she had no idea why Dirk ever let him own a pair of swords.
"We have to help," Presea said, removing her axe from behind her back and pivoting off a rail from above with her hand. She hopped down below and landed on a single leg, rushing forward and dragging her axe in the sand with her from behind.
"W-wait for me, Presea! You'll need my help!" Genis ran after her from behind, obviously wanting to protect his love.
Colette willed her wings together, their pink and violet colors bursting forth from her back. "I'll get everyone else to safety!" She rose, flying past them in a flash, with the other group of people from atop staring at her in awe.
"How pretty!" A young girl clasped her hands together, watching the angelic blonde fly through the stormy sky. The aura from her wings shone brightly, catching a lot of attention and leaving behind sparkles that looked a lot like candy corn.
An older woman gasped. "It's the chosen of Sylvarant! She's come to save us!"
Zelos stared at the scene. "Those octopus things are gonna mess up the beach. There's goo and all kinds of stuff all over the sand. If they just ate, I really don't wanna know what that stuff is."
Sheena smacked him over the head with a hand, still holding the little green-haired girl with an arm. The little girl had her arms latched around Sheena's neck, holding on tightly.
"Aren't you going to help?" Sheena asked, "Everyone else is going down there too!"
"Help, Zelos!" the little green haired girl pleaded, waving a hand at him.
Zelos sighed, not moving in the slightest bit. "What's the point? Presea and everyone else are more than enough." He looked to the little girl, crouching down to her level and smiling. He raised an index finger in front of his face. "It's not like there's any reason for me to risk getting this beautiful face damaged right, cutie? My handsomeness is very important! What will chicks have to look at if something happens to it?"
"Probably television, when they finally invent it." Sheena smacked him again with a free hand. "If that's how you teach children what's important, I'd hate to be the woman that marries you!"
Zelos raised an eyebrow, protecting his head with both hands and grinning. "Oh? Is that a proposal, my hunny?"
"Are you gunna get married, Sheena?" the little green haired girl asked, her train of thought flying right off the metaphorical Ferris wheel. "Yay! That's fun!" She clapped her hands, and Sheena turned beat red, flustered.
Raine eyed the Chosen. "Zelos, as second in authority to the royal family, you should be more than willing to lend a hand to those in distress, no matter the circumstance. Don't you want to help them?"
Zelos sighed again and dug in his ear. "They don't look like they need that much help, honestly. They're messing them up pretty good!" He pointed at Regal and Genis, watching the boy while he casted a lighting spell onto Regal, and the burly man planted a swift lighting kick in the tentacle to one of the poor creatures.
"Indignant Swallow Dance!" Regal yelled. It hit the pavement with a splat, sliding downward and leaving a trail of goo on a brick wall. It looked to be in a daze, twitching with rather large swirls patterning its eyes.
"See?" Zelos said, bringing his arms around his back in a relaxed manner. "There's no reason for me to help."
Marta smacked her hands onto the rail and leapt over. "Well, I'm going!" she called, running toward the battle.
Sheena looked at Zelos in disbelief. He shrugged to the unspoken question.
Raine only sighed in response to Zelos, grabbing her staff and watching. "I suppose since he told Seles to stay behind, there isn't any motivation for him to do anything." She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, and chuckled to herself. "If he's trying to hide it, he's not doing a very good job. Staying back to keep an eye on the hotel…" She turned back to watch the battle. "A very overprotective brother, that's for sure. But, I guess I can relate…"
Sheena stamped a foot. "Marta's going! Colette's helping too! And she isn't even the chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos! You are!"
Zelos yawned, and Sheena looked as if she were going to throw a tantrum. Not that she already hadn't.
From afar, a trio of three rather well-endowed girls clad in only two piece bikinis cowered into a corner, while five of the octopus-like monsters creeped closer to them, preparing to attack. The girls hugged one another closely, squishing together and screaming. The water gleamed off of their bodies, giving them all an eye-blinding shine.
Zelos stared at them wide-eyed, barely able to keep his eyeballs in his sockets.
"Kyaaaaaa!" they screamed, hugging each other even closer together, "Someone help us!"
Zelos struck an elegant pose, and flipped his long crimson locks dry in the rain with a single hand.
"Have no fear, my lovely ladies!" he declared, pointing at himself. "As second in authority to the royal family, The Great Master Zelos is always willing to lend a hand to those in distress, no matter the circumstance!" He flipped over the rails above, and landed on the sand below, rushing to the girls.
Sheena and Raine stood from afar, sweat-dropping.
"Rising Falcon!" Lloyd cried, leaping into the air and diving forward with his blades pointed out in front. He cut though a horde of the octopus monsters, sending them all flying in different directions.
"Haha! Take that!" The red-clad swordsman laughed, though, he couldn't help but wonder why they were beaten with only a single strike.
Genis played clean up duty, zapping each one of the twitching creatures with a single finger, while Marta crouched down and tapped them each on the head lightly with the handle of her dual-spinner. It convulsed over on its back, X's pasted over its eyes.
"These guys… are kinda weak, huh?" he asked Marta while zapping another with a jolt, and it flew across the beach. "They're like balloons…"
"No kidding…" she replied blandly, blinking in disbelief.
Lloyd punted one with a light boot and it flew into the ocean. Swish! "What the hell?" He threw down his swords. "I got all worked up and excited for this?"
"Lloyd!" Regal called, with Emil running after him from behind. "The smaller ones are only distractions!"
Lloyd blinked. "You guys were having trouble with these?"
Emil scratched his wet head. "Actually, they were a lot tougher before you got here. They were really huge!" The Knight of Ratatosk held out his arms to emphasis their mass.
Marta laughed at him. "Oh, Emil! You told me to run and look for help! If I'd have known they were this weak, I wouldn't have brought everyone with me!"
"That's because you were distracting me and I needed to get rid of you…" Emil whispered, turning his head to the side.
"Emil! There's one over there! It's so gross! Eep! Don't let it touch me!" She jumped into Emil's arms, latching her own arms around his neck while he struggled to hold her. "Do something!" she yelled, wiggling her legs and squirming.
Emil panicked, the octopus monsters edging closer to him. "I can't fight if you're holding on to me, Marta! Let me go!"
Marta held him tighter, choking him. "Don't let me go, Emil!" she screamed. "Save me!"
Marta tilted her head, confused. "Huh? Did you say something, Emil?" Emil went rigid in surprise, shaking his head.
"N-no! Of course not!" he said.
Regal coughed, holding his raised elbow with a hand. "If I might have everyone's attention for a moment…" He pointed over to the large octopus monster stuck between the beams. "Our problem lies there. Originally, it appeared as if the marine life around here were attracted to our Lezereno Company's 'Green Tower'."
"Okay… so what? All we have to do is beat them up, right? That should be easy!" Lloyd said, but Regal shook his head. The red-clad warrior looked puzzled, scratching his forehead.
George appeared from afar, walking toward the group and weaving carefully over the mess of beaten octopus. One of them twitched and wrapped a tentacle around his ankle, and on reflex, he beat it with a shoe.
Repeatedly.
Everyone watched, clearly frightened, before he finished the deed and made his way to the group, panting.
He stopped next to them and everyone shrunk. "I apologize for that." He bowed. "Master Regal, it is just as we have suspected."
Presea nodded. "That large octopus's home is lying underneath the area where the tower is now."
Marta looked confused, throwing out both hands in different directions. "Wait. That doesn't make any sense. If that's where its home was, why didn't it pop out during the construction?"
"Giant squid around the coast of Altamira often hibernate for long periods of time due to lack of food around the area." Genis answered, presumably recalling information from a book. "The little ones go out to retrieve the food for them over a long period of time, and then bring it back to the big squid in their extra bellies."
The wheels in Lloyd's brain began to crank. "Oh, so that means when the little guys finally came back, the bigger one must have thought it was chow time and got stuck between the tower when it tried to come out, right?"
Regal nodded. "Yes, that's correct, Lloyd. You've certainly grown smarter, haven't you?"
Lloyd staggered backward, surprised. "Hey! Don't treat me like Professor Raine does!"
Genis continued. "The largest ones can influence the weather and the area around them when they're in distress. That's why it's raining and storming like it is now."
Marta looked panicked. "Okay, so we know the why. What do we do then? We can't move that big octopus without hurting it! That's not an option! It's a mother!" she cried.
Lloyd scratched a head. "We kinda beat up most of them already though, so I think it's a little late for that…"
Emil put a hand on Marta's shoulder, and she turned a head, surprised.
"If we can't move the octopus, then how about the tower itself?"
"Huh?" Everyone asked together, confused.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Looks like Emil has a plan to fix this awkward situation.
Will he manage to pull through in time? Or will Marta sabotage his efforts by becoming extremely jealous that the octopus is getting more attention from him than she is? Will Lloyd ever manage to run without getting sharp objects stuck into his head? Find out soon in Chapter V.