I have three reasons for the lateness of the chapter. Reason 1: I got a sudden workload at school which consumed my free time. Reason 2: I got contracted a severe case of the worst diseases known to authors: Writer's Block. I despise Writer's Block. And I'm so close to one of my favorite parts. Reason 3: due to senioritus, I procrastinated on a major paper and have had to do it during the time which I would normally write. Life sucks.
On another note, my plans for this story will make it a very long one. I don't mean like fifty chapters, I mean like one hundred. Possibly longer.
Thank you once more to all who have reviewed. I'll even single you out so you feel special (or embarrassed. Meh). Thank you to Adriannu255, SymphoniaFreak, Kazen 0, oursolemnhour49, 0, and Dr. Bob.
Bios: You're getting rather carried away with this.
:D Huzzah! I have a random figment of my imagination back in my head to cover up my lack of sanity! THANK YOU, GOD! (Hugs Bios)
Bios: O.O OH DEAR GODS, IT BURNS! GET THIS GUY OFF OF ME!
Anonymous Reviews!
Kazen 0: I'm happy that you decided my story is worth reviewing, though I'm sure my pathetic begging and long winded speech had something to do with it. I'm happy that you think my story is great. As for what's going on with Feral, well, we all know he's a nutcase, an insanely powerful nutcase with severe personality issues. And for what's going to happen to Kratos, we'll just have to wait and see.
0: I'm glad that you think my story is great! As for your question, there is much controversy over that. If you haven't seen the good ending (the one where you don't let Lloyd get any cores besides Lumen's) then you may not know that Emil returned to Symphonia. Some believe Ratatosk completely separated himself from Emil and others believe that Emil is still Ratatosk it's just that Ratatosk now plays a much smaller part in Emil's person. I believe that Emil is still Ratatosk since the scenario is just like with "Ratatosk's Core" being on Marta. Emil is still a summon spirit, since he had always been one and just didn't know it at the beginning of the sequel. So he is basically imitating a human life span, leaving most of his powers in the core that was placed on Richter's head. That's my belief. I hope that clears that up.
… Gasp! I got two anonymous reviews! Yay!
Anyway, I'm sorry 'bout that Bios, I got a little carried away.
Bios: Shut up, I'm trying to think of the proper way to torture you. Hmm, maybe I could peel the skin from your bones while pouring salt on the exposed flesh. No, that won't do, it's far too mild.
… I just pissed off another being that is more than willing to end my existence merely because I did something that he did not like. I seem to be good at that.
Bios: Indeed you are. Hmm, a proper punishment…Might as well make it especially bad for making this chapter so late…
You know what? I'm not going to wait for him to figure one out. To my chapter, onward to the entertainment of those who read my tale. Little short, but Writer's Block eventually beat my desire to write more.
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Chapter 7: A "Wyrd" Noble
Exhausted, the group trudged into Iselia. A funeral procession for the unfortunate people that had been killed in the Flesh Golem incident was on its way out of the village. After telling the bewildered villagers about what had happened, several people were sent to see if a giant temple rally had appeared where their beloved Martel Temple used to be. Soon after they went to their separate houses to rest up and prepare for the journey that they would begin in the morning.
For most of the group, the night was too long, filled with images of a cackling Bios rip the dead Guardian of Avalon to shreds while his body decayed before their eyes. Flashes of the tell-tale darkness of a Shade Nightmare haunted the corners of their vision, making their hearts stop for an instant only to begin pounding all the more furiously. Needless to say, it was not the most restful night.
But still they forced themselves out of bed early in the morning to prepare for their journey. They had met up just in front of the entrance before they left. But before they could leave, a man stopped them.
"Excuse me; you wouldn't happen to be heading to the House of Salvation to the south of here, would you?" a man in a royal purple suit asked. He wore royal blue silk gloves and a royal blue shirt beneath the suit's swallow-tail jacket. His hair and shoes matched the color of the suit. His eyes were a profound blue color and held far too much knowledge in them for someone having such a young appearance.
"Well, we are heading south. Do you need to go to the House of Salvation?" Lloyd asked.
The man nodded. "Yes, I do. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, would you mind if I came along?" He requested. The entire time he spoke his back was held in a straight posture with his arms folded behind his back. The way he carried himself gave off the impression that he was constantly inspecting everything around him.
Lloyd shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind. Is that alright with everyone else?"
"I'm fine with it," Thomas said.
"We don't care," the twins chimed.
"Of course he can come with us," Colette said, smiling brightly.
"I see no problem with the notion," Kratos said.
"I also do not have any objections to this man accompanying us," Presea finished.
The man bowed. "Thank you so much. I have heard rumors that some abnormally strong monsters had begun to appear to the south and I was worried that I might meet an ill fate by their claws if I should go alone. My name is Wyrd and I hope that our days together are ones to remember."
"I hope we get along well too. Alright everyone, let's go," Lloyd said. With that, they embarked on their journey, the finely dressed Wyrd in tow.
"I am glad that Fate ordained us to meet this day," Wyrd announced.
"You think that we were supposed to meet?" Sylvia asked.
"Yes. If we had not met, I may have been forced to travel to the House of Salvation on my own. As you can see, I am ill-suited for any combat that may occur. I'm glad that Fate has seen fit to give me some strong companions for my travels," Wyrd explained.
"It sounds to me like you're a fatalist. After all, you keep giving Fate credit for everything," Sylvia commented.
Wyrd put his hand beneath his chin. "Hmm, a fatalist, eh? That title suits me just fine," he said thoughtfully.
Lloyd blinked vacantly. "Um, what's a fatalist?"
"A fatalist is someone who believes everything that happens in life is inevitable or that Fate dictates every event that takes place," Sylvia explained.
"Oh, well that makes a lot more sense than what I thought it meant," Lloyd responded.
Wyrd asked curiously, "What did you think it meant?"
"I thought it meant that he thought that everything would die so there is no point in life," Lloyd shrugged.
"If it meant that, no one would want to be called a fatalist," Sylvia said.
Wyrd nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
Monsters attacked regularly throughout the day, only to be easily killed by the group. None of them were strange or abnormally strong. Wyrd had said that he had only heard rumors, but he felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
Eventually, the sun finished its long trek across the sky and sank beneath the horizon. By then, camp had been set up and dinner was being served. Sylvia had cooked curry and was handing the dish out to each member of the party.
The last in line was Wyrd, who thanked the girl before she sat down next to Thomas and her brother nearby. She picked up her own plate and began to eat, her infamous smile barely restrained.
Sylpher saw her smile and sighed while rolling his eyes and set his plate down. "What did you do this time, Sylvia?" he whispered.
She feigned innocence. "What do you mean, brother?" she asked sweetly, desperately trying to hold down the mischievous smile that was trying to worm its way onto her face.
"Sylvia, we all know your history with pranks. What did you do to the man's curry?" Thomas said between gulps of food.
Sylvia faked a small gasp of pain and put her hand to her heart, as if it was hurting. "I'm shocked that you would think I would do something to the food a man I barely even know is going to eat," she sniffed.
"C'mon Sylvia, cut the charade. What did you do?" Sylpher pressed.
Sylvia sighed in defeat. "All right, all right, I'll tell you guys. I slipped a bunch of extra Red Satay into his plate of curry."
Sylpher and Thomas blanched at this news and quickly turned to see Wyrd bringing a bite of curry into his mouth. Before they could warn the man, he had popped the food into his mouth and began to chew with relish. All three watched him expectantly, waiting for his mouth to start burning violently from the raw Red Satay that had been put in his food.
Wyrd soon swallowed without trouble and kept eating. Nothing happened. There was no shout of pain, no cry of surprise; the man just kept eating his curry, absolutely nothing wrong with it. Sylpher and Thomas turned to glare at a confused Sylvia. "You put Red Satay into his food, huh?" Thomas asked flatly.
Sylvia nodded. "Yeah, I did. I put almost an entire handful in it. I don't get how he isn't in tears from how hot his curry should be." She scratched her head in confusion.
Sylpher picked up his food and started eating. "Yeah, right. I should have known you'd make us think that you ha-aaaaah!" Sylpher suddenly spat out the bite he had taken and started to fan his tongue frantically. "Wha th ha, Sy-via? Ya pu the spis inta ma foo whi I was dis-ra-ed!" he managed to shout past the frantic attempt to cool the raging fire in his mouth. Sylvia just gaped at her brother in confusion and amazement while everyone else stopped eating to watch the spectacle that Sylpher had become in his urgent quest to keep his tongue from burning up in the aftermath of the Red Satay that had been in his food.
"I didn't think the food was that spicy," Lloyd chuckled, wathing the young fourth-elf in his attempts.
"Sylvia, did you pour Red Satay into your brother's food while he wasn't looking?" Presea demanded, looking at her daughter sternly. Sylvia shook her head meekly, still trying to figure out how the spices had gotten into Sylpher's food. She then noticed that only a single bite had been taken from his plate and her eyes flashed over to Wyrd's dish, which was half-eaten. Suddenly, it all clicked in her head.
Wyrd turned to her, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Yes, Miss Sage?" he said, a smile spread across his lips.
She just blinked in amazement. Slowly, she raised a finger to point at the nobleman. "You switched plates with Sylpher, didn't you? That's how he ended up with the booby-trapped curry, isn't it?" she asked hesitantly. Sylpher managed a glare at both Sylvia and Wyrd while still fanning his mouth frantically.
Wyrd's smile brightened as he returned to his, or what was once Sylpher's, plate of curry. "Figured it out then, have you? Yes, I switched my plate of curry with your brother's when I had noticed you putting more Red Satay in it." Sylpher gave him the best glare he could manage while employing his new tactic of taking deep, slow breaths to avoid agitating his melting tongue. "You were quite discreet about it, so I'm sure no one else noticed," he told her.
He pulled out a small hunk of bread and tossed it to Sylpher, who was now gulping down water from a canteen that Colette had given him in a futile attempt to quench the burning sensation tearing his mouth apart. "Don't drink water, lad, it makes it worse. Eat some bread if you want to cool off your taste buds," he advised before returning to his stolen plate of food.
Sylpher wolfed down the bread and relaxed as he let out a moan of relief. He put his hands together and bowed to Wyrd in a gesture of gratitude for the help. Presea shook her head at her son's continued antics before turning to Wyrd. "I apologize for Sylvia's foolish prank, sir. I'll make sure she doesn't do something like that again," she apologized to the man. Sylvia ducked her head in shame at the harshness of the last sentence.
Wyrd shook his head and waved away her apology. "It's perfectly fine. Children of her age often acquire a mischievous streak. Indeed, her prank would have succeeded if I didn't have such sharp eyesight. I would have switched the plate with hers, but she didn't present an opportunity. Perhaps she'll think twice about trying to prank a stranger next time. Fate isn't always so kind as to have someone as forgiving as me be the one to catch you," He said, winking at Sylvia.
The rest of the night was uneventful for most of them. Sylpher and Thomas had kept making comments about how incredible it was that Wyrd had caught Sylvia preparing her prank and had even managed to switch plates with Sylpher without anyone noticing, much to Sylvia's chagrin. It had been the first time ever that her victim had caught her preparing a prank, and the two boys couldn't help but make sure that Sylvia knew it.
Eventually, she formed ice over their mouths to keep them quiet and managed to drift off to sleep while they tried to melt the ice without burning themselves. Luckily, neither was injured too badly.
As the sun cast its golden light upon the earth once more, the group awoke and quickly packed camp, eating a light breakfast as they worked. Soon, everything was in order and they headed out.
The morning proceeded normally, periodically interrupted by monster attacks. However, about halfway through the day, the monsters seemed to just disappear. The group still kept up its guard, however, not trusting the break in enemies.
Lloyd quickly glanced around, confusion plain on his face. "I just don't get it," he said, "Why would the monsters just vanish?"
"Wyrd did say he heard rumors of abnormally strong monsters to the south. It is possible that they have forced the monsters that usually inhabit this area to flee," Presea offered.
"But we don't even know if there is anything strange out here. We haven't run into anything that isn't supposed to be here," Colette told her.
"I believe we just met with some," Kratos growled as he unsheathed the Flamberge. Everyone looked where he was glaring and gasped as five creatures crept from the shadows of the nearby forest.
Their skin was an earthy brown and parts of it were clearly rotting away, bleached white bones shining from the folds of stinking flesh. One of them was a small lizard-like humanoid with wings, its empty eye sockets gazing intently ahead. The remains of wings were folded neatly behind its back, strips of the membrane that once stretched across it stubbornly clinging to the skeletal protrusion. A half-rotted tail stuck out from behind its legs, giving the creature just enough balance to walk. It opened its mouth and let out a wheezing hiss at the scent of the group. The other creatures were similar to the first, though one wore a rusted breastplate and rusted helm designed to sit atop its reptilian head. It wielded an ancient-looking blade and a shield as rusty as its armor. It carried itself with more grace and authority than the others, marking it as the leader.
"My god…" Sylpher breathed, Sylvia gagging from the stench that wafted from the beasts.
"W-What are those things?" Colette stammered, pulling out her chakrams.
"They're not any kind of monsters I've ever seen, that's for sure," Thomas said.
"Get ready, here they come!" Presea warned.
As silent as shadows, the beasts rushed from the cover of the trees and pounced upon them. Wyrd retreated behind Colette and Sylvia while they provided support to the rest as they fought desperately against these bizarre monsters.
Sylpher pulled his ax up to catch his reptile's mouth as it tried to clamp down on his shoulder. The beast quickly released its bite and swiped at the boy with its claws. Sylpher dodged and planted a kick right into his foe's chest, throwing the beast off balance. He rushed up and put all his strength into a bone-shattering strike with his ax, forcing the creature to the ground. He quickly kicked the beast back into the air and gave his weapon another mighty swing, adding a surge of mana to produce a shockwave. "Total Annihilation!"
Without pausing for breath, he leapt into the air, his ax held high over his head, the weapon becoming a flaming tool of death as he poured fire mana into the strike. The ax made a sickening crunch as it sank into the creature's body. The fire around the ax then released itself in a scorching inferno before a plume of fire erupted, forcing the ax out. "Fell Impact!" Sylpher panted as he wiped the sweat off his brow. No creature would be able to get up after-
Sylpher blanched as the lizard-creature slowly put its arms beneath its body and forced itself back up. "What the hell? It's getting back up!" he shouted in shock.
"Then keep beating it down until it stays there!" Thomas shouted as he parried a swipe from his own monster.
"Easier said than done!" Sylpher shouted back.
Thomas caught the creature's claws on his sword once more before shoving back against the monster. He took a deep breath before letting loose a barrage of sword swings at the monster, leaving roughly six shallow wounds across its chest. Then he leapt forward and plunged the Vorpal Sword deep into its chest. "Winter's Bite!" he roared before punching the monster in the face and kicking it in the gut to free his weapon.
The monster knelt on the ground and shook its head before turning back to face Thomas. Before either of them could move, Colette's voice shouted out "Grand Cross!" and a massive cross made of light mana appeared where the monster stood. It pulsed violently before shattering, forcing the creature back into the ground where it lay still. Thomas turned to look at his mom and flashed her a thankful smile before rushing to help his friend.
Colette ran a little closer so she could use her chakrams to help Lloyd fight his monster while Sylvia finished her spell. "Volcanic Breeze!" she cast, the deadly magic forming around the creature that her mother had chosen. Presea nodded to her daughter as the monster fell to the ground without making any effort to get back up.
Meanwhile, Kratos was finding a surprising match against the armored monster. Though it looked like it had long been dead, it was rather lithe. Its attacks were brutal and swift, though it left many openings. Even more surprising, the armor and shield were very durable, despite having the appearance of being thousands of years old. The creature fought mostly on the defensive, and was obviously very skilled at it. The creature never gave the seraph a chance to get past its armor or sword.
Sylvia was deep in concentration as she gathered mana for another spell, pushing the sounds of the fight out of her mind. Suddenly, she had inspiration during the middle of the incantation. She smirked as she whispered, "Don't underestimate me!" The runic circle around her feet changed from a fiery red to a dirt brown as her chant changed. "…Tear them to shreds!" she shouted as she let loose the charged mana. "Mass Grave!"
Razor sharp pillars of earth erupted from the ground, ignoring her friends and family as her new spell tore the remaining creatures apart. The ring leader was mostly protected by its armor and suffered minimal damage from the spell. However, it was stunned by the sudden magical assault and left itself wide open for Kratos to strike with deadly accuracy and cleave the beast in half.
"What the hell were those things?" Thomas panted, sheathing his sword.
"They most certainly were not natural occurrences," Presea said.
"Just as I suspected, there were dangerous monsters. But, I'm afraid that they weren't ordinary monsters," Wyrd mused aloud. Everyone's attention snapped to him in an instant. "But to think he would actually send out the Minions to search for them. I didn't think he would be this serious this time around. Knowing him, he's going to give us all hell before he actually does what he wants to." Wyrd sighed, "It's a good thing I made a plan for this. But the real question is if my plan turns out to be a part of his. I wouldn't put it past him to be making it up as he goes, either."
"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked.
Wyrd smiled widely like a Cheshire cat. "I'm afraid that our time together must end now. If I dabble too much more, then I could alter things too much. I wouldn't want to break my own rule, after all." He turned and bowed to them all deeply. "I thank you deeply for everything you've done for me." He said to them.
"Everything we've done…?" Colette repeated, "Are you planning on going off alone? What if you run into more of those things?"
Wyrd just chuckled at the question. "Don't worry about that. I'm allowed to meddle in the affairs of humanity a little more, so I'll leave you with this. Remember these words, because they will hold a hand in your futures.
"A demon and his son rampage across a desert; two children are bathed in the blood of their friends and family; a foe wears the skin of a friend; a man without emotion becomes the embodiment of negative emotions; a king erases the lies of the past; a child of the trembling earth shatters a young boy's reality; and the wolf that thinks itself a sheep will come to terms with what it is. The going will be incredibly hazardous, but you can pull through it. Anything I can say to describe the terrors that you will be put through will be an understatement of fantastic proportions. I bid you all a fond farewell. Don't worry, because Fate has a plan, as it always does."
And suddenly, the noble was gone. Everyone gasped and looked around frantically, but there was nothing but the corpses of the creatures that were rapidly turning to dust.
Thomas blinked stupidly before looking back to where Wyrd was once standing. "I'm lost now. I have no clue what just happened and all that that guy left us was some cryptic crap before vanishing into literally nothing."
"Indeed, it is rather similar to when Kratos would help us out occasionally," Presea noted.
"Yeah, except he's a lot more specific and a lot more vague at the same time. Whatever it all means, it sounds like it's going to be really bad," Lloyd said.
"I find it more alarming that the man was able to vanish completely without a trace. I'm beginning to wonder if 'Wyrd' wasn't a noble at all," Kratos said.
"I think we should be questioning if he was even human," Sylpher said.
"If he wasn't, then that would explain how he caught me," Sylvia added. She was still a little irked about the incident with the booby-trapped curry.
"He kept mention somebody when he was talking to himself before he left. He never said a name, but it sounded like whatever was going to happen wouldn't be good. And what did he mean by 'the wolf that thinks itself a sheep'?" Lloyd wondered.
"Trying to decipher what that man said here will do us no good. I suggest that we move on and wait until we have reached the House of Salvation before discussing this further," Kratos offered. With that, they were off, keeping their eyes peeled for more of the creatures.
William FlameSword gazed at his master in open surprise. "You want me to go wake whom?" he asked, disbelief painting his voice.
Xeralisk sighed in exasperation. "You know very well that you are the only being in existence that has the ability to wake him, William," he sighed.
Wililam's fists clenched at the mere thought of meeting that foul creature. Still, he could not disobey a direct order from Xeralisk. "If that is your will, Master," he said, bowing deeply. With a swish of his cloak, he turned and summoned a portal. He paused for a moment before entering it. "He will be hungry when he awakens. And I haven't fed myself in millennia," he started.
Xeralisk sighed once more, knowing where the conversation was going. He slouched in his throne in the large and grand room made entirely of black marble. Torches flickered on the walls, giving light to the area while it was still enshrouded in darkness. Cracks were apparent all throughout the room, as if it hadn't been occupied for thousands of years. All the while, there was still a certain elegance carried throughout the ancient building. "Of course you can feed, William. Just don't let any of them survive. You wouldn't want them to go through the same thing your mother did," he conceded.
William turned back to face the skeleton. His scarf had fallen from his face to reveal the razor sharp teeth of a carnivore, stained an ugly yellow and set into a manic smile. A gleam in his eyes completed the picture of a monster in the body of a man. "Thank you, Grandfather," he growled eagerly, his voice rumbling like an explosion heard from far away. He quickly pulled the scarf back over his mouth before rushing through the portal and off to his mission.
The skeletal grimace on Xeralisk's face seemed to stretch into a smile. "The future will be quite colorful." Xerlaisk flicked his hand and produced a black rose seemingly from nowhere. "But the usual colors of yellows and blues and greens have become so boring." He brought the rose to his nose and smelled it, causing the flower to slowly shrivel and die, the color fading from its stem, though the petals retained their bleak visage. "A flower for Triet," he cackled, tossing the dead flower to the ground. "I have a new color for the future. And that color is…" Imaged flashed as the rose hit the ground. A whirlwind of red and black, images of creatures slaying thousands and consuming their corpses before their blood was even cold, scenes of pain and agony, of people dying before their loved ones. Everything that was to come in the near future was shown in an instant. The last image was of one eye with a golden iris and snake-like pupil, and next to it was an empty socket, a red orb of light representing the pupil of the missing eye, watching it all with cold indifference. "… Crimson red!"
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*Dramatic music* Bwahahahaha! What's going to happen? Only I (and a select few friends that I have given a glimpse of the future to) know what it all means!
"Wyrd" is pronounced pretty much like "weird". It's an ancient Anglo-Saxon word. And yes, he is the mysterious dude from last chapter.
Bios: I've almost figured out your punishment.
Let me guess, you're going to slow roast me on a spit over an open flame while giving me a thousand cuts with a razor blade before dousing me with sulfuric acid and then skinning me alive while dumping pounds of rock salt upon my various wounds.
Bios: … Actually, that's not a bad idea. I think it might beat mine.
What was your idea?
Bios: tying you to a chair and forcing you to watch marathons of various toddler shows such as Barney and Teletubbies.
o.O um, uh, y-yeah, that's definitely a bad idea! I mean, t-that can't possibly be more torturous than my plan. Who could be tortured by something stupid like t-that? I mean, pfft, come on! Who would be afraid to watch something as horrifying – I mean, comical as a toddler's show?
Bios: Hmm. (narrows eyes)
(gulps) Please just kill me now.
Bios: We'll go with my plan (pulls out rope and ties me to chair, then drags me away)
NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo… (screams of agony and pain fade into distance as Barney theme song begins playing)
Bios: (comes back) Anyway, review. Unless you want to suffer his fate as well, to which I will most happily oblige. Now, where does he keep the popcorn, no good show is complete without popcorn.
(from the background) IT BURNS! IT BURNS! WHATEVER MERCY MAY BE LEFT IN THE HEAVENS ABOVE, RAIN DOWN ON ME NOW AND JUST END IT! AAAAAAAAH!
Bios: … that's actually rather impressive considering I gagged him. I love my plans.
