Now to thank the reviewers! ThanksJenova Remnant AKA Fishie, Canada Cowboy, mandrakefunnyjuice,WhiteFoxDemon, freakyanimegal456,Amekoryuu, and Sakura the cherry alchemist for reviewing the last chapter. Now, back to work…
Link: "What's that?"
What?
Link: "That… What is that you're holding?"
Oh, this? It's just an application I'm filling out for you.
Link: "… An application for what?"
Oh, I thought I told you last time… It's an application for Kratos' School for the Socially Inept.
Link: "I don't want to go there! I already told you I don't talk too much! Why are you doing this to me?! What's wrong with this world?!"
Done?
Link: "No!"
Good, then you can do the disclaimer.
Link: "I.K.A. Valian, my oh so benevolent creator, doesn't own anything Zelda or Tales of Symphonia related, except of course for me, and the plot changes, of which, there are many now. What the heck happened last chapter?"
Read on and find out!
- - - Hyrule - - -
Roland wearily wheeled his cart full of vegetables through the mud. The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly through the hot and muggy air. The Hyrule Market reeked of the stench of such people as Roland, each one hawking their wares like it would save the buyer's soul. All manner of creatures were doing this; a Goron tossing bombs around like candy before stuffing them into its mouth hungrily; a Hylian showing a customer how his bows are better crafted than the guy next to him is selling; a Zora selling fresh fish that smelled like it was two weeks old.
But all this daily hub-bub could not hide the wide-eyed tension present in everyone gathered. They were waiting for it to happen, for it was inevitable and unavoidable. Ganon was coming. His hordes of monsters had already desecrated Hyrule Castle Town, scattering it's populace to the winds. Runners had come to the Market with the news just days earlier when smoke was seen rising in the distance.
"Ganondorf is coming! Ganondorf is coming!" sang the street urchins of the Market. Roland set his cart down and scowled madly at the children. Several other people were doing the same. They didn't want to be reminded so quickly that their fate was sealed, rather wishing to remain blissfully unaware until the last moments when they'd curse the heavens for letting Ganondorf to exist. "The Pig is gonna get you!" the children sang as they darted off, disappearing down one of the endless amount of side streets.
Roland scowled, thinking about the street urchins, wishing they'd never come up with such a horrid song. He picked his cart back up and pushed it the rest of the way to his own stand of vegetables that his family was renting for the day. His children were behind the stall, handing out food, taking rupee's in exchange, and running off thieves that tried to take their years work for free.
"Father," said his little girl, Maria, "We've sold so much. Please let there be no more." Roland smiled down at his little five year old and put a hand affectionately on her shoulder.
"Only this last bunch," he said consolingly, pointing at the cart stuffed to the brim with vegetables of one variety or another. "When we're done, we can head home to Mother, alright you two?"
"Yes father," the two disheartened children chimed at the same time. He knew they wanted to go play, but he was happy nonetheless that they stayed and were well behaved. They'd grow up to be fine people one day, he was sure. Roland's blood quickly froze on the spot.
Like a plague, the roar accompanied shadow moved to hover over the Market. For several heart stopping seconds, all the denizens in the Market looked up and stared in mute terror at the floating purple hazed covered comet directly above them. Then instincts took over like wildfire everyone gathered screamed and desperately started scrambling to get away.
"Maria, Jeaco!" Roland screamed. His two children were immediately at his side, clutching his hands and pressing themselves into his legs as hard as they could.
"What is that, Father," whimpered Maria, sobbing slightly. "What's that in the sky?"
Roland bent down and hugged two children. With strength he hadn't know he possessed, and with a silent prayer thanking Faror, Din, and Nayru for that strength, he picked both children up and started running toward the Temple of the Goddesses.
The temple was carved into the side of Death Mountain. Over the years, the temple had attracted so many people that the Market eventually was formed to organize everything. One person had affectionately called it managed chaos. If anyone asked, the priests would say that the Goddess Nayru guided the whole affair, but no one ever seemed to care.
"People of Hyrule!" Thundered a voice from above. The panic riddled people below scurried faster in their vain attempt so get away. Gorons trampled all in their path. Zora sliced their way through the crowds with their razor sharp fins. Hylians, for the most part, were trampled to death in great numbers. "Prepare yourself to receive your new God-King Agahnim!" Thundered the voice again. "Angels of Cruxis, attack!"
Hundreds of thousands of white winged angles descended from the comet floating in the lower atmosphere above the Market. They rushed downward like the vengeful angels that they looked like. The people in the market, those that decided not to or just gave up on running, tried to fight back. The angels, however, were stronger and harder to kill than any Goron. It was as if they didn't feel pain. The angels were merciless in their systematic extermination of the population within the Market.
Seeing that they didn't stand a chance against the Angels, a point driven home when a single angle warrior beheaded a Goron in one swipe, the people looked toward the Temple of the Goddesses as their only source of refuge. Many were cut down by an angel's blade on the mad dash to the temple steps. Many more were trampled by the uncontrollable crowd.
"Mwahahahahaa!" cackled the possessed Yggdrasill, watching the chaos unfold below. A bright smile was plastered on his face, like he was watching his favorite spectator sport; his team was winning in leaps and bounds. His smile quickly faded when a sultrily dressed woman appeared behind him.
"Lord Yggdrasill." The blond man turned his head and glared at her for the interruption of his enjoyment. The woman quickly caught on and bowed. "I apologize for interrupting you, Lord Yggdrasill."
"I told you to call me Master, Pronyma!" spat Agahnim.
"Uh… I apologize, Master." Pronyma straightened out, adopting an all business expression. "Where would you like us to set up our base of operations? Derris Kharlan is overburdened from the journey and will not be able to sustain all of our forces for long."
The dark spirit Agahnim thought for several seconds before pointing the Eternal Sword at the Temple of the Goddesses. "Build our base of operations in there. My armies of Exsphere enhanced Desians and Cruxis Crystal enhanced Angels will spread from this point and conquer the entire planet of Hyrule."
"Yes, Lord Ygg-err… Yes, Master." Pronyma teleported away, leaving the possessed Yggdrasill alone to watch the carnage below.
"Mwehehehe…" he clenched his fists giddily. "And when I find that legendary Triforce, I'll become all powerful! Mwaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa!"
Roland heard the cackling of the evil self-proclaimed God-King above but ignored it as he ran full tilt, carrying both children with adrenalin fueled panic. He was almost to the Temple steps when three angels appeared in front of him. He attempted to veer around them, but more angels appeared from above and so, Roland tripped. His kids went flying from his grasp and when he looked up, both were being picked up by an angel.
"No!" shouted Roland. "Bring my children back!" The angel ignored him and took off into the sky, back toward the comet above. He watched his children scream at him to save them. He watched their tear streaked faces disappear. And that was the last thing he ever saw as an angle drove its sword into his cranium, ending his life.
- - - Sylvarant - - -
"Who is that, Kratos?" asked Lloyd. He suspiciously eyed the one that Kratos had called Yuan. Kratos sighed, but did not answer. Meanwhile, Yuan pulled out a strange device with a glowing red light on one side and held it up to his mouth. He let his eyes wander over the group and then pressed the black button on the side.
"Botta," he said into the device, "activate the teleportation field on my location."
"Yes sir," responded the small black device in Yuan's hand.
Almost instantaneously the air became many times heavier. Everyone there found it almost impossible to breath without putting a lot of extra effort into it. Even Kratos, his emotions locked behind his mask of stone, appeared to be having trouble. Before anyone could choke from lack of air, however, the event was over and the group found itself no longer in the middle of an open field but inside of a brightly lit, sterile room with heaps of technology hundreds of years more advanced than many of them had ever seen before.
"Lord Yuan," Yuan turned, his braided hair swinging back and forth, and faced the speaker. Everyone else looked as well and a wave of shock went through the group. Even Kratos didn't look all that calm. Yuan started talking in hushed tones with the man who'd attacked the Martel Temple earlier that same day.
"What's going on?!" shouted Lloyd. "Where are we and how did we get here?!"
"Lloyd, calm down," soothed Raine.
"Yeah, it's not like getting angry will help us get out of this any faster," added Genis.
"None the less," Raine went on, "His questions are valid. So?" Raine leveled her best glare at Yuan and then Kratos, but neither one was doing anything now, other than staring at each other. This uncaring disregard of the teacher's question created a tense silence between the silver haired half-elf and two men having a staring match.
"ANSWER ME!" Raine shouted. Her outburst didn't even put a dent in the glares Kratos and Yuan were sharing. Botta, and the rest of the Desians present for that matter, had nearly suffered a heart attack
"Kratos," said Yuan, still completely ignoring the fuming woman across the room. "I know that you aren't loyal to Mithos. Obviously, I'm still here so we both fall into that category. So drop the grudge until you see what I have to offer. Come on, I think you'll want to see this." Kratos watched Yuan leave the room and then quickly followed him. This left Botta and the squad of soldiers alone with a vexed half-elf teacher and her scared and confused companions
"If you would all come this way," said Botta, moving briskly toward the door, "We've set up an area for refugees' to get medical treatment, refreshment, and rest if necessary."
"Why would the Desians help anyone?" asked Genis. "I think this is just a trick."
"I assure you that this is no trick," said Botta. "We also would appreciate it if you didn't refer to us as Desians. We are Renegades. So, if you would please come this way…" Several of the soldiers around the room raised their weapons and pointed them at the group.
"I believe that under the circumstances…" Raine said.
"Professor Raine!" shouted Lloyd.
"It's not like we have a choice, Lloyd." Raine turned to look at the heavily armed soldiers scattered about the room. Lloyd looked as well. He clenched his fists. "We're at a disadvantage," Raine concluded.
Lloyd didn't say anymore and the rest of the group didn't raise any objections either. Link however wasn't convinced that these people were on the level. They'd tried to use the Princess as a hostage and kill Colette. For now though, he would see what they had to offer while keeping an eye on them.
Botta led the group down the sterile white halls. With each step his boots made a soft clicking sound which stood in stark contrast to the loud obnoxious slapping of everyone else's footfalls. Finally, after walking a short distance, the group approached a large door with a seam running down the middle.
"Whoa!" shouted Lloyd. "This door is huge!"
Botta smirked and pushed his palm against a glowing blue panel on the wall. The motors within the walls groaned as they came to life, pulling both halves of the metallic door apart surprisingly quickly. Revealed was a room like none of them had ever seen before.
"This place is big enough to fit two Iselias in with room to spare," Genis whispered in amazement. Humans and half-elves worked side by side and Renegade soldiers helped out where they could. An entire community had been set up within a room that was larger and emptier than any they'd ever seen before.
"Normally, this hanger would be full of all manner of craft," explained Botta. "But since the calamity, we've been using every vehicle that we have at our disposal to find out what happened and bring refugees back here for safety. In the mean time, we've used the space that the vehicles used to be in to set up a temporary shelter for the refugees that we find."
"I'm shocked," Raine said, sinking to her knees. "To think, that there's another organization that looks exactly like the Desians. And where did you get all this technology. This building couldn't have been built overnight. This is… Fantastic! Is it hewn into the rock? What kind of rock is it? It looks like granite, but it can't be, it's too smooth. It has to be some other kind of stone!"
Genis' eyes went wide and he edged quickly away from his sister. The group watched this exchange with a guarded amusement. Even several people who didn't know what was going on stopped to watch. Genis' failed attempt to hid his sister's true nature was completed when she turned to Botta and started asking question after question, hounding him without even taking the time to breath unless that was absolutely necessary to keep talking. Botta did the wise thing and did not answer any of her questions.
The Renegade second in command led the group through the small community that was set up within the empty hanger. They passed many people; some customizers, seen here and there, working with blacksmiths and tanners alike. Farmers were helping hand out food. Merchants were organizing the supplies and putting things into general order. Everyone had a job to do and didn't waste any time doing it.
Botta finally came to a stop in front of a large unoccupied tent. The tent looked just like all the other's they'd passed. About six feet tall and made of green cloth, the small box like structure had three rooms connected to a central lounge inside of it. Botta untied the flaps at the front of the tent and held it aside for the others to enter.
"I apologies for putting all of you inside of such a small tent," lamented Botta as they all passed by him on their way inward. "But we are strapped for resou-"
"Lord Botta!" yelled a soldier as she ran up the taller man. She stopped in front of him and weakly saluted as she doubled over in exhaustion. "We just got another report of incoming refugee's. And sir, there's a lot of them."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. You may report back to your post." The Lieutenant saluted again and ran back the way she'd appeared from. Botta sighed and turned back toward the group. "I personally escorted you here because Lord Yuan asked me to. If you've any needs at all, come find me and I'll see what we can do. In the mean time, I have other tasks to attend to, so please settle in as we all try come to grips with what's happened." And with that, botta let the flap of the tent fall and he disappeared, the squad of soldiers along with him.
"What are we doing here?!" Lloyd shouted, finally letting out his pent up frustration. "We need to go out there and find Colette! We need to figure out what the heck happened to Sylvarant! Gah!" Lloyd threw his hands up into the air. "I wish I knew what was going on around here! Nothing is happening the way it should!" Everyone had stopped what they were doing and watched Lloyd ranting. Genis moved next to Lloyd and put a hand on his arm as a gesture of friendship.
"Lloyd, I know how you feel. I want to find Colette too. And I'm just as confused about what's going on as you are. But what can we do about it? We're just two people. We can't figure this all out on our own."
"Lloyd," said Frank. "I know that where ever she is, my daughter is alright." Lloyd nodded. He didn't like to think about it, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it right now. Raine took Genis and claimed one of the side rooms, Frank and Phaidra took another, and Lloyd helped his Dirk move his stuff into the last one, leaving Link alone with Zelda in the lounge area.
"Princess," Link said softly, "What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know," she replied softly. "But what ever is going on, Hyrule is involved somehow."
"It is?" asked Link. He arched his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh, that's right, you were unconscious. The person who caused all of this chaos in this world mentioned Hyrule before he kidnapped Colette. After that, the mid-day sky became dark as night while the sun yet shone brightly in the sky. The ground shook as if the very core of the world was destroyed. And then the monsters appeared; fearsome creatures that feared only fire." Link listened intently as the Princess described what happened while he was out cold.
"Lloyd! Where're ye goin?!" Lloyd suddenly burst out of the room he'd gone into, strapping on his swords more securely. He pulled his gloves on tighter, checked his clothes and then started marching toward the door.
"Lloyd?" The boy in red stopped and slowly turned toward Genis. Both he and Raine had come out of their room and now stood staring at him.
"I'm sorry Genis, Dad. But I can't just stay here. I've got to get out there and look for Colette."
"Lloyd, don't be a fool. Stay here, where it's safe!" Dirk shouted. Lloyd shook his head almost with a hint of sadness.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just sit here while Colette could be dying somewhere out there right now."
"Lloyd," interrupted Raine. "What are you going to do? Where are you going to look? I'm sorry to say, but Dirk's right. You can rush out without a plan, especially now."
"Professor, how can you say that?"
"Lloyd, I want to find Colette as much as you do," said Genis. "But Raine's right, we can't run off into the darkness without knowing where to look."
"I believe what has happened to Colette is linked to what is currently happening to this planet," said Zelda. "Therefore, if we figure out what's happening to this planet, we'll find Colette."
"I've assumed much the same," agreed Raine. "But under the circumstances, we are hardly equipped to go searching about for clues as to what's going on with the world."
"We could use those vehicles that Botta was talking about," said Genis. "There's bound to be one or two of them around here somewhere."
"And even if we did find something that would help expedite our search, where would we look?" asked Raine with a rising, exasperated tone. She'd argued the point into the ground. If anyone could raise a purpose for leaving, then she was out of ammo to fire back. It looked like her last point was unbeatable too, that is until Link spoke up.
"I believe I might have a clue as to what's going on," he said. Everyone turned to the oft quiet boy in green. He held up the black triangle that he'd found in the dungeon underneath the Martel Temple. "I think that when I touched this, I released some kind of evil spirit. I don't know how, but I think that evil spirit has something to do with what's going on."
"Hey," said Genis. "That's right. And what was all that weird writing in that room anyway; I'd never seen any of it before. It didn't look anything like the Angelic language." Raine twitched. A new language… She put the idea aside for the moment. Everyone else had seen Raine's twitchiness and was waiting to see if she was alright, except for Genis, who looked supremely frightened.
"Uh… what else can you tell me about those ruins… Link?" asked Raine attempting to keep her ruin-mania in check, and as always, slowly failing. Link took a few steps backwards, staring wide-eyed at Raine, now seeing her in a new light.
"I… I… Uh, I…" he stuttered. "I remember that there was a large stone with more of the same writing on it in the first chamber of the dungeon. I also know it was ancient Hylian." Zelda's eyebrow arched in mild shock.
"Are you sure, Link?" she asked.
He nodded, happy to be talking to someone other than Raine. "Yes. I've seen ancient Hylian on a field trip with my school when we went to the old Temple of Time ruins."
"You mean your school in Hyrule, right?" asked Lloyd. "Hey, now that you mention it, didn't that Yggdrasill guy mention something about Hyrule?"
"Yes," said Raine, "now that I think about it, he did. And he called out to something called the Eternal Sword too. I wonder what it all means…"
"I would like to see this stone tablet for myself," announced Zelda. "It may lead us to more information about what's going on."
"Just a minute!" interrupted Dirk. "Now I know that I cannat be stoppin ye, since all yer minds seems set on leavin. But do yall even 'ave a plan to be gettin out-a-here? There be guards everywhere."
Raine nodded. "Dad's right," agreed Lloyd. "Can't we just use that same telepotty thing that brought us here?
"That's teleporter, Lloyd," said Genis flatly.
"And no," said Raine, "That room was heavily guarded, or didn't you notice the four security guards standing about the entrance." Lloyd's face grew red and he turned and coughed into his hand.
"And besides," said Link, "that place was full of cobwebs and dust and stuff. No place that a pri- …anyone should be going." Link barely caught the reference to Zelda's true identity in time. "It was so old too, older than the temple above it."
Raine randomly cackled out loud, grabbed Link around the neck in a headlock, and dragged him away and out of the tent. He cried out and started struggling, but nothing he did would loosen her steel grip. With staff in hand and Link in the other, Raine marched away with a gleeful manic expression on her face.
"Oh no," sighed Genis. "I was hoping wouldn't happen."
"You mean she's always like this?" asked Lloyd.
"Go'on Lloyd," said Dirk. "Me 'n the Brunell's 'll stay 'ere and watch o'er everything. Just be careful. And remember Dwarven vow number seven."
Lloyd groaned in annoyance. "I know, 'Love and Goodness will Always Win' right? Man that's so cheesy!"
"Hurry up Lloyd, or you'll be left behind," said Genis as he left the tent. Lloyd turned and was about to run off when Dirk stopped him again.
"'Ere," he said, dropping a travel pack into Lloyds' arms. It was full of gels and other healing and accessory items. Lloyd stared dumbly down at the bag. "Go, else you be left behind."
"Oh, right," said Lloyd, pulling the bag onto his back. He ran off in the direction that the rest of them went.
"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous to leave the base and no one but Renegade soldiers are qualified to operate the four-by-fours," said a Renegade soldier. Raine had tried to leave, and when the soldier stopped her, she spotted a vehicle and tried to hop in only to have the soldier stop her again. She, however wasn't going to take no for an answer. However, instead of arguing further, she simply turned around and marched back the way she'd come.
"What are we going to do now?" Genis wondered aloud. Secretly, he was relieved that his sister wasn't able to get out. Both for himself and her as well. Genis closed his eyes and shrugged. "I guess we'll have to just give up, right guys?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Genis, but I think the Professor found another way." Genis opened his eyes. Blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, and then balked.
Raine was currently climbing into one of the vehicles parked on the other side of line, out of sight of the guard, who'd gone back to standing next to the doorway while talking to his fellow guardsman. It looked like a wagon without a covered top. There were no harnesses to attach an animal to. And the wheels where made of some kind of black, rubbery material. Genis walked around the machine a few times then turned and looked around, sure that someone had seen them fiddling in the machine. But no one was even paying attention to them.
So much for their rules about only Renegades using them, he thought wryly. Then he turned and looked at the contraption. And to think they'd be this careless with some kind of advanced… Auto-mobile… Hmm… yeah, I like that name.
Raine sat herself down behind a large ring with grip ridges and fiddled with a few of the switches on the dashboard. The fascinating new machine suddenly came to life with a whirr when she turned a large switch, larger than the ones around it, that was situated just next to the wheel in front of her. With a widening grin, she said, "Everyone get in. I'm going to try to get us out of here with this." Her eyes lit up like freshly lit candles. "This technology is amazing," she gushed.
Link, having been dragged the entire way and dropped unceremoniously onto the ground once the crazed professor's attention was on the vehicle, was the last one to get into the vehicle. He plopped down on the plush, leather like seat in the last spot next to Genis. Genis sat next to Lloyd and all three sat in the back of the vehicle. In the front two seats were taken up by Raine, who sat behind the large ring, and Zelda who now sat in behind a deactivated computer console.
Raine tested the machine out, turning the ring experimentally and flipping a few switches. The she looked down at the floor, where she felt pedals by her feet. She tested those too.
"Seems simple enough," she thought aloud. "Turn this ring to turn the front two wheels. Press this pedal…" Raine lightly scraped her foot on the right most of the four pedals with her foot. The whirring became slightly louder and the vehicle started edging forward. "…and we move forward. Okay, I think I can do this!"
Lloyd looked to his right when he felt movement and then down at Genis who was now cowering with his head in between his knees. "Genis, what's wrong?"
"Lloyd, if you knew my sister the way I do, you'd be even more frightened than I am right now," the little mage replied. His fear was muffled by his mouth's proximity to the seat cushion, and thusly went unnoticed by the two older boys on either side of him. "The last time she tried to drive anything, it ended up badly."
Link and Lloyd gave each other nervous glances. "H-How bad can it be?" asked Lloyd. "I mean, it couldn't have been that bad, could it? I'm sure it was just a little bumpy, right Genis?"
"Lloyd, the wagon was in ashes when she was done with it," said Genis from between his legs. Lloyd swallowed loudly and Link grabbed the side of the vehicle with a death grip so tight his knuckles turned white.
Zelda turned and noticed a strap of materiel with a clasp on it. She followed the logical course of the strap and came to the conclusion that it was a safety harness. Once she'd locked the strap across her body, she nodded seriously at Raine. The silver haired teacher of Iselia did the same with her own belt and then proceeded to slam her foot down as hard as she could onto the accelerator.
Something tells me that situation isn't going to end well...
Link: "No, really?"
... Okay, the form's all filled out, time to send it in.
Link: "But I dont' want to go. Please don't make me go!"
... Maybe... if you talk less... Being a Link, you're supposed to not talk at all.
Link: "But I'm not a real Link. Well... sort of not. I don't have a game. Doesn't that give me a little leeway?"
Hmm... nope. I know that this chapter might seem a little odd. I edited the first half of the chapter, the Hyrule part, but didn't really do much on the second half in Sylvarant because I wanted to post this before I left for Sugoi Con in Kentucky this weekend. Yay Anime! So, if this chapter seems a bit rough, that's because it is. I'll look into updating the chapter with a new second half next week.
Link: "Please review."
And thanks for reading.