Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.
"No you don't!"
Daath strikes back at the attacking soldier, somehow managing to block a fatal blow despite the exhaustion that deadens his limbs. He stumbles, and another enemy sees his chance, lunging forward in a desperate strike. Unable to block, Daath braces for the pain.
The clash of steel on steel shakes him from his fatalistic stupor, and before he is entirely aware, he is back on his feet, weapon at the ready, driving back the enemy whose blade Lucas had blocked earlier. No words of gratitude pass between the two comrades for none are needed. They both know they need to hold their ground and buy Yulia and the others enough time to complete the activation cycle for Radiation Gate. But the enemy phalanx advances relentlessly seemingly without end. Despite their opposition to the Project, no one had expected Isetan to go to such extremes as trying to assassinate Yulia.
Arrows scream past Daath's ear, the miss more a result of chance than skill. He knows he needs to get his head back in the game, but he can't help worrying about those who had gone ahead. Yulia had Relis and Edgar with her, but they might not be strong enough to protect her if the Isetani soldiers were already waiting at the passage ring.
Yulia had assured him they would be all right-the first real words she had spoken to him since her rescue from Isetan a week ago, but still the fear twisted and wormed its way through his gut. She had said the same thing last time, and she had been kidnapped. How could he believe her now when she treated her too precious life with such carelessness?
The ground roils beneath his feet so suddenly that, for a moment, he fears he's been caught in the throes of a spell. The entire structure around them seems to sigh with the initial surge of fonic power, and from the depths of building, he can hear the tell-tale hum of fon machines coming to life.
So Yulia had succeeded. Now all he and Lucas had to do was hold their ground until the others returned and then they'd be able to face the enemy on equal terms.
Then it happens.
Out of the corner of his eye he sees Lucas take a blade to the chest right between the chinks of his armor. Blood paints the knight's tunic a dreadful shade of crimson, and he falls, face pale with shock and agony. Just as the enemy soldier withdraws his blade and raises it for the finishing blow, Daath kills his with a merciless swipe of his sword.
For a moment, everyone is frozen as the coldness of death creeps over them all. Even Daath finds himself paralyzed by the scene before him.
With clumsy fingers, Lucas searches through the pouch at his belt for medicine, but his consciousness is quickly fading. That wound wasn't something normal medicine could heal; it would require use of the Seventh Fonon to heal properly. Yulia was the obvious choice to use healing magic, but Daath could use some basic skills as well. However, with the massive enemy force before him, he wouldn't be able to get the first words of the spell out of his mouth before he was killed as well.
Hadn't she said they'd be all right? Weren't her prophecies always supposed to come true?
So then, how was this happening?
Weren't there some things that couldn't be predicted or changed no matter how hard one tried?
Weren't there some things that were completely unavoidable?
The air shifts around them as though someone has siphoned all the life out of the room. The entryway seems too vast, its walls too high-unreachable, unscalable. It takes Daath a moment to realize what is happening. It's not until he sees the glyph unfold around Lucas' prone form like a brilliant flower that he comes to his senses.
The enemy soldiers have already turned away, eyes automatically pivoting to the greater threat in the room. The shadows of the entrance fall away like a cloak as a tall woman steps into the light, her raven hair cascading over her shoulders like darkness made manifest. She takes a moment to meet his eyes, wordlessly communicating her expectations to him. Heh, she was always like that.
Chatter spreads among the enemy, but Daath pays them no heed and focuses on healing his fallen friend. In the background, he can hear the distinctive sound of her armor as she moves. He does not even need to look to know how the battle will unfold.
She will reach for the weapons at her hips-twin daggers gilt with fine threads of gold woven into the shape of an ornate crescent moon-the emblem of the Ispanian royal family. He hears the roar of the enemies as they surge forward towards their identified threat-the momentum of the moment too strong for them for them to remember his presence. After all, it's not everyday that they would come face to face with their country's greatest enemy-The Great Fang of Ispania.
The initial surge would bring the enemies within her range. With fluid ease she would dispatch the enemies closest to her. As the others close in, hoping to restrict her movement, she would switch to more defensive tactics, blocking and dodging their attacks until one of them made a mistake.
He hears the tell tale screams that mean she has begun her advance again. But even for the Great Fang, these odds are too much without help.
Daath finishes up his healing spell and pulls a groggy Lucas to his feet.
"Get the others," Daath says. "We'll finish up here."
For a moment, Lucas seems to consider arguing, but he nods and turns away wordlessly, disappearing into the interior of the structure. Daath takes a moment to collect his discarded weapon, trying to ignore the slickness of the blood on his hands. Now was not the time to wallow.
He dives into the swarm of enemies, plowing a path through the bodies, intent on reaching his unexpected ally. She seems to recognize his intention and, soon enough, they meet at the midpoint. They are both winded and covered in gore, but still they can't help the laugh that bubbles up at that particular moment as they stand back to back.
"Never thought I'd seen you in such a pickle," she laughs.
He rolls his eyes despite knowing that she's not looking. "Irene. Never thought I'd see the day you save my life instead of trying to kill me."
He can feel her shrug against his tense back. "What can I say? Things change."
"Oh really? Do tell."
"Let's take care of this first."
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
She relaxes her stance momentarily. "Remember what happened last time we fought? How about we scale that up?"
He resists the urge to whirl on her in surprise. "A hyperresonance? You've got to be insane! That could collapse this entire structure."
"We'll keep it under control of course. But unless you have a better idea, I suggest we finish this off now."
To be honest, he didn't have a better plan. "Fine. Let's give it a try."
He didn't need to look to know she was smiling. "Right."
The sound of footsteps drags Daath back from the verge of exhausted slumber. Irene stood beside him, stubbornly alert though he could see the fatigue creeping in at the corner of her eyes.
As the group approached, Relis stopped, wide-eyed. "What the hell happened here?"
From his position at the bottom of the shallow crater, Daath looked up at her. "Umm...an accident?"
Relis' face turned an interesting shade of purple. "An accidental hyperresonance? What kind of idiot would let that happen?"
Irene shifted beside him. "We did what we had to," she replied sharply. "I didn't see you running to our rescue."
Relis' eyes riveted to Irene. "And you helped him? You of all people should know how dangerous that power is! What would you have done of you guys had destroyed the passage ring? The entire project would have been ruined."
Irene remained stoic. "And I suppose it doesn't matter what happened to us. I wish I'd known that before I risked my life to help your friends."
"No one asked for your help," the engineer snarled.
Daath, for one, had had enough of the brewing catfight. "Relis, calm down! She saved my life. and Lucas' as well!"
Relis' expression softened at the mention of the knight's name, but she remained silent.
Edgar cut in. "We do not have time for further squabbling. We need to find help for Lady Yulia."
Daath froze. "What happened to Yulia?"
"Have a look for yourself," Lucas said grimly as he stepped forward. In his arms, he carried the prone form of the prophetess.
Daath rushed over to Yulia's side, bloodstained hands trembling as he took possession of his precious burden. Her face was pale even among the whiteness of her robes, her eyes closed in an imitation of sleep so peaceful that, for a moment, he feared the worst. But he could hear the sound of her heartbeat as surely as he felt his own pulsing beneath his skin. She was alive, but barely.
In the background, he could hear Edgar explaining what he thought had happened, but the words just ghosted over his consciousness. His fingers curled into her soft, pliant flesh as he bowed his head over her still form in a painful imitation of prayer. Only the weight of Irene's hand upon his arm drew him from his despondent reverie.
"Come on, Daath. Let's take her to the capital. We'll get her the best help there is."
He could only nod and follow behind Irene as she led the way, steeling himself for whatever might come next.
Author's Babbling:
Man, it's been a while since I worked on this story, but I have to admit, after finishing Nano and playing Tales of Xillia 2, this was just something I had to get back to. I have to admit, it's difficult writing semi-original characters into a story that's as well formed as TotA, especially since I'm trying to flesh out past events. But still, seeing how far the Tales series has come, really made me want to start writing again.
I have to admit, for all the characters in the past segments, I've had strong images of them in my head as I write. Daath is obviously modelled on Luke while Yulia is modelled on a less abrasive version of Tear (she's the kind of character who endures her suffering silently).
Relis, appearance wise, is modelled on Pascal's older sister (I forget her name) from Tales of Graces F; personality wise, she's the typical tsundere character who likes to beat on the person she likes. She's also got a little bit of Rita (Tales of Vesperia) in her, since she's psychotically brilliant when it comes to her work, but can use a bit of buffer when dealing with other people.
Lucas is probably most like a younger Raven, personality-wise—all wisecracks and humor. Appearance-wise, hmm maybe like Leon (Tales of Destiny), with armor and fluffier hair, I guess.
Edgar is modelled on an older Ion in both appearance and personality. He's the voice of reason for the group and tends to keep the others in line with the sheer force of his personality.
And Irene, oddly enough is modelled on two different characters personality wise. Her battle style is like Ludger's (Tales of Xilia 2) when he uses the twin blades, but her personality is like Milla Maxwell (Tales of Xilia and ToX2), all confidence and unstoppable power. Still, under all that, is a generaly good nature. And since this was probably confusing in the story, she and Daath have met before as enemies. Irene has royal blood, but since she was born to a mistress, no one recognizes her as royalty. The Emperor offered her a chance to become an assassin for the royal family, hoping she would fail and be killed. But she became so skilled at her job that she became known all over the world. She and Daath met when she was sent to assasinate Yulia before. They worked together as members of the Myderian knights. She was Daath's captain before she disappeared.
Anyway, I babbled a lot this time. Sorry about that.
It's back to Luke and Tear next time.
See you then!