Another chapter coming right up. There will be some jumping between characters in this one as well. Also, two more of my OCs will be introduced in this chapter, though one will only have a temporary appearance.

To clarify: Spoken dialogue is ", thoughts are ', and - indicates change in character P.O.V

Disclaimer: Tales of Graces and Tales of Symphonia, along with their respective characters, locations, etc. are Namco Bandia's creations. Most of the OCs featured aren't mine, either.


Chapter VI: Mystery of the Lost Cryas Bracelet

A gentle breeze blew through the air in Viola as a young Half-Elf woman with purple hair, green eyes, green tunic and brown pants strode towards the Adventure Guild in search of a quest. Several other Adventurers were there, but the woman paid them no heed as she glanced at the quest bills.

"Hey, have you heard?" A male Adventurer addressed her.

"What is it?" asked the purple-haired woman, a dual blade strapped to her back.

The man replied"The king posted a bill about a missing Cryas Bracelet of some sort. Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me, though. Oh, and I'm Lex."

The young woman nodded her head"I'm Arianna, perhaps you should learn not to assume an object does not exist simply because it's very rare. Do you have any other reason to not take the quest bill you mentioned?"

Lex shrugged nervously"Heh, well, I'm not one for a possible wild goose chase. I'm new here at the Adventure Guild."

Arianna strode over to where the quest bill that Lex mentioned was posted. Scanning it, she said"I know something about Cryas, it is not very abundant in Viola. I shall take this one, will you join me?"

"Sorry, I just had my eye on a different quest" replied Lex, apologetically.

"Very well, then" said Arianna, taking the quest bill in her hand and handing it to the nearest Guild Receptionist"Here, this is the quest I have chosen to undertake."

The Receptionist, a young woman, was surprised"Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid the king would be furious if no one ever took the quest. It seems that the owner of the missing bracelet is a boy with red hair. I think his name is Shin, the name of the owner of the missing bracelet is on the post."

The female Adventurer nodded"I will get going, then. Good day."

"Same to you, miss" smiled the Receptionist.


Chris followed silently after Savannah and the three guards. The brunette hid as best he could while Savannah was being escorted to the nearest cell. Said Half-Elf found herself shoved into the cell and the three guards shut the door behind her, locking it. Two of the guards left, leaving Savannah with only one.

'Okay, Chris. You barely evaded the kingdom's blacklist, so it's best not to mess this up' thought the brunette to himself, sneaking towards the cell door.

Savannah quietly sat down in her cell and felt for her dagger, good thing she wasn't claustrophobic. After a moment, she took the hidden weapon from her sock and stood up when she heard the guard outside groan as someone quickly knocked him out with a flurry of punches.

"This was too easy, shame I had to do that. I doubt he would've given me the key if I asked" said Chris, taking the key from the unconscious knight.

Savannah was surprised"Chris? Great, hand over the key."

The brunette grinned and stuck the key through the bars. Savanah took it and unlocked the door while Chris stood back and exited. The Half-Elf grinned as she followed him out"Thanks a bunch, I actually lied about the dagger being taken. I hid it when the knights weren't looking, so I could've gotten out. No point letting anyone know I can escape at any time with it."

"Well, there's no harm in having help, either way" said Chris.

"Seriously, did that little ursun have to vouch against you?" wondered the Half-Elf.

The brunette shrugged"That's not the first time we sniped at each other. So now what will you do? It won't be easy to get out without getting caught. You can end up in prison for stuff way worse than theft."

Savannah handed her dagger to Chris"I suppose it wouldn't look like you're escorting a prisoner if we walk side-by-side. Try not to poke me with this, but have it aimed at my back while I walk ahead of you, okay?"

"My thoughts, exactly. The rest of your equipment is probably at the armory" said Chris.

"Let's get to it" grinned Savannah.

The two snuck their way out of the dungeon and to the armory. Savannah addressed the brunette as soon as they got there"So, what was Will Garnet like?"

Chris was quiet for a moment"It was... a peaceful, prosperous place. Nowhere as advanced as Anorab or as grand as Viola, though. Anyway, we should split up, I can very easily leave the castle through the main gateway."

"No problem for me. I'll just head out that window once I reclaim my bow" grinned Savannah, glad to make a friend.

Chris nodded"I trust we'll meet, later?"

"Sooner than you think" smiled Savannah, grabbing the rest of her things and heading out the window. She winked at Chris before jumping down and landing safely below.

The brunette smiled for a moment before going back to the castle's entrance and complementing on what to do next'Barry's in for it, but nothing painful. Hm, maybe I will check the Adventure guild. There are usually some pretty interesting quests.'


Althea yawned as she woke up in a room at the inn, Aster and Rise had left earlier. Seeing a note from Rise on a bed across from hers in the room they were sharing, Althea walked over to read it'Did you have a nice sleep? I didn't want to wake you. Aster and I left to meet up with some friends. I hope you regain your memories -Rise.'

The brunette put the note away before making her bed and leaving. Lloyd and Colette had awoken around the same time and were heading downstairs for breakfast. Althea hurried over to address them"Good morning."

"Oh, good morning, Althea" smiled Colette, turning to address her.

Lloyd grinned"What's up? I thought I would head over to the guild, it's kind of boring just doing nothing. Want to come with?"

"Sure, I have nothing to do at the moment" replied the brunette.

Colette glanced over to the parlor"We were just about to go buy breakfast, though. The inn serves breakfast on some mornings, would you be okay if we go see what there is, Lloyd?"

"Sure thing" nodded the red-clad brunette.

A purple-haired half-elf walked into the inn and spotted the three"Greetings."

Lloyd turned to the newcomer, not too surprised to notice her pointy ears"Hey, I'm Lloyd."

"I'm Colette Brunel, what's your name?" smiled the blond, addressing the half-elf.

The purple-haired young woman replied"I am Arianna, a member of the Adventure Guild. I went to the guild early this morning to find a quest to undertake before coming here to do some part-time work."

"Nice to meet you, Arianna. My name is Althea" smiled the female brunette.

"Really? What kind of quest?" asked Lloyd.

The half-elf replied grimly as she started towards the kitchen"A young boy with red hair called Shin lost his Cryas Bracelet. It is partly made of Cryas, presumably. But enough of that, how was your stay? I work at this inn part-time on some days."

"Really? Anyway. I slept pretty well myself" said Colette.

Althea grimaced as she heard what Arianna said"I can't remember what Cryas is, but I should like to help find Shin's bracelet, I met him yesterday. Arianna, may I come with you?"

"Don't forget about me, I'd rather have something to do than nothing. Colette, what do you think? We might not be able to find a way out of this strange world, anyway" grinned Lloyd.

Colette smiled at her boyfriend's gumption"Sure, if Arianna will allow it."

"The Guildmaster would not be pleased if mere civilians joined a quest" frowned Arianna, hesitantly.

Lloyd stood forward"But what if we want to go? I'm pretty good with a blade. Colette and I are Adventurers."

"I can handle myself in a fight, I'm pretty good at unarmed combat" chimed Althea.

Arianna thought for a moment"Very well, we shall begin investigating after breakfast. I welcome your aid."


Trent, Alexander, Carolyn, Shin, Aster, Rise and Barry left the castle and were headed to the square. Trent addressed Barry"Did you really think Chris was guilty?"

"Not really, I was just pulling his leg. I had a hunch that he would be found innocent, anyway" shrugged the Ursun.

Shin stopped for a moment to think before turning his attention eastwards. Trent noticed"What's up?"

Shin shrugged and began to walk the direction he faced. Alexander got in front"Don't wander off, was there something wrong?"

"I'm just gonna do what I did when I came here... Walk forward."

"What are you walking forward to?" said a voice as four more people met them, one of them a Half-Elf.

Shin glanced back to find Althea"Hi."

Althea smiled"Good morning, Shin."

Arianna walked up to the red-head"Are you Shin? I saw a quest bill from the king about a missing Cryas Bracelet and thought I would help out. Lloyd, Collete and Althea offered their aid, as well."

"Nice to meet you, Arianna. But why is the king helping me?" wondered the teen.

"Mostly because it's his job to help his subjects, but King Irwin is also a fair and kind man. I cannot truly speak for him, though. Oh, and Arianna, it's nice to meet you" interjected Alexander.

"I'm Aster, this is Rise" said the other blond to Arianna. Trent, Carolyn and Barry introduced themselves as well.

"Shin, do you remember where you last saw your bracelet?" asked Arianna.

The red-head shrugged and kept walking, stopping to murmur to the Half-Elf"I never took it off."

"The Abandoned Mines to the east of town is that way, it's no different from any other cave. There could be monsters" said Carolyn, catching up to the boy.

"A Cave? ... I woke up in a cave, I may have left it where I woke" grinned Shin.

"It might be there, then" nodded Althea.

"Let's check it out" piped Lloyd.

Colette nodded"Good idea."

Alexander raised an eyebrow"How can a child get a bracelet lost in a cave? Never mind that, there is an open field between here and the abandoned mine, the meadow on top of the nearby hill is a splendid place for a picnic."

"So we'll go there afterwards" nodded Trent.

"Colette, Lloyd, Althea and I already ate not more than a few minutes ago, we had rice porridge at the inn. We'll go there ahead of all of you" said Arianna.

Alexander shrugged"The cave may be dangerous, but I cannot stop you. Let's go as far as the hill, for now."

"Very well, then. We'll stick close to you" said the Half-Elf.


Chris whistled innocently as he left the castle and headed to the square. Not far from him, Savannah snuck around the castle perimeter and ran into the brunette warrior. The brunette smiled"What's up?"

"Told you it would be sooner than you think" said Savannah, smugly.

Chris shrugged"Well, I was just about to go find Barry and head to the Adventure guild."

Savannah glanced to the east to see Alexander's group heading out the east gate"Hm, where do you suppose they're off to? If anything, that silly teddy bear is likely with them."

"You mean Barry? Huh. No idea, should we check it out? We don't have to go near them, we'll just keep our distance" said Chris.

"Sounds like fun" grinned Savannah. The two headed east after the group from a distance.


Trent and his group headed east a ways before coming across a hill to the north. As they climbed up, Trent breathed in the fresh air"Man, it feels good to be outside, today."

"I couldn't agree more" said Arianna.

Trent set the picnic basket down on the hilltop and the group took some food which consisted of rice porridge and some pancakes. (Pancakes might not have been created yet in the medieval ages, but what the heck?) Althea offered some pancakes to Shin who shrugged it off"I'm good."

"Sweets don't exactly count, I know what you ate during the trial" frowned Trent.

"Why not?" asked Shin.

"Sweets do far more harm than good, I suggest oatmeal or some rice porridge next time" replied Carolyn with a smile.

The group proceeded to eat breakfast. Shin glanced further east to the cave that Alexander mentioned. Looking back for a moment, Shin stood up and wandered down the hill. Althea noticed as soon as she finished her portion of curry and followed"Shin, I don't think you should wonder off so much."

"What's up?" Lloyd had finished eating some rice porridge and followed them.

Shin squared his shoulders and kept walking. Colette magically summoned her wings and flew over"Are you going to the cave? I don't think kids should go there on their own. As a matter of fact, how did you escape if that's where you last saw your bracelet?"

Shin glanced over at Colette, turning in surprise to see her hover"Whoa."

"I know. Cool, huh? Colette is part-angel" said Lloyd.

Trent walked over after finishing his rice porridge"I can't say how dangerous the cave is, but why don't we go together?"

"Don't forget about us" said Aster as he and Rise approached.

Colette smiled as she landed and her wings vanished"I guess it can't hurt, but I am a bit worried for Shin."

"So am I" said Althea.

Arianna approached"It is my quest, so I'm coming along as well. If we cannot find the bracelet there, we may have to gather information in town."

Barry shrugged"Caves are scary, but count me in."

"Sounds like you have quite a job ahead of you, please be careful everyone" said Carolyn.

"I will escort you back to town, Carolyn. The rest of you can go on ahead, I wish you luck in your investigation. Shin, you might want to come back with us" said Alexander.

Shin shook his head and began to walk away, Althea took his hand"Shin, it might be a good idea."

"But..." Shin's voice trailed off.

"Dad, we'll look after Shin" piped Trent.

Alexander nodded"Very well, just be careful. Shin, you barely know how to wield a blade, so I suggest staying close to the others."

"See you dad" chimed Trent.


Chris and Savannah followed silently and hid in some bushes on the hilltop, evidently they were planning to go to the cave to the east. Chris smiled"Sounds interesting."

"Yeah, so now what? Shall we follow them?" grinned Savannah with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"No problem" whispered the brunette.

As soon as they were sure Trent's group had gone down the hill, the pair began to follow.


Trent and Arianna led their group further east until they came to a rock cave which led underground. Trent drew his sword"Think there might be monsters in the cave?"

"Always a possibility" said Lloyd, taking out his twin blades.

Shin had his sword drawn and was running inside, letting go of Althea's hand in the process. Aster and Rise followed. Barry stepped in just behind Rise while Arianna addressed Colette"Can you fight?"

"I know some magic, and I have these chakrams. I'll be okay, especially with Lloyd by my side" replied the blond Chosen.

The group entered the cave, unaware they were followed by Chris and Savannah. Trent glanced at the slightly dim caverns as he checked the place out"This place was a mine, huh?"

"Yes, it yielded valuable jewels and materials such as platinum and turquoise. Cryas was also mined here to the best of my knowledge" said Arianna.

A wolf howl was heard as three black wolves and two bats surprised them. Colette jumped back"I thought Ratatosk and the Centurions commanded the monsters as their leaders."

"Some are out of their range of command I guess. There's no way we can blame this on the Centurions" muttered Lloyd, cutting down a cave bat.

Althea looked around while her companions engaged the monsters"Where's Shin? He must have gone ahead. And who's Ratatosk?"

"Long story" replied Lloyd, rushing to help Aster and Rise fend off a black wolf.

"Each world must have it's own laws" murmured Colette, slicing down a bat with her chakram.

Trent cut down a black wolf with little difficulty before running deeper into the cave to find Shin. Barry and Althea followed him. The rest of the group proceeded to wipe out the last of the monsters before following.


Shin had found his way deeper into the cavern until he came to the end of a large cavern with a glowing flower at its end. Trent caught up"Shin, why did you go so far ahead? Huh?"

Althea noticed the flower as soon as she caught up"My, that looks beautiful. But why is it glowing?"

Trent inspected the flower"Shin, was that there before?"

"It was but a bud when I woke" replied the red-head.

"That substance... Is that Eleth?" whispered Althea, glancing at the flower.

Shin nodded"Pure..."

"What's pure?" asked Lloyd as he and the others caught up.

"The flower... pure" whispered Shin, reaching out to touch it.

"I don't think it's a good idea to mess with Eleth in a concentrated form, Shin" said Althea, worriedly.

Trent glanced around"Dosen't look like the bracelet is here."

"I don't see it, either. Maybe it got stolen or eaten by a monster" said Colette.

"Monsters aren't that dim-witted" said Lloyd.

Shin played around with the flower's petels for a bit, causing a powdered substance to land on his hand. Althea shook her head"It's really not the best thing to do, Shin."

Just then, the ground began to shake. Lloyd turned around as he saw the ground nearby start to give way"Whoa!"

"What?" Arianna and the others turned to see the ground burst open as a large worm-like creature emerged. It was white with a metallic object on it's head.

Lloyd brandished his blades"Bring it on."

Trent and the others turned to see the creature emerge and charge at them. Aster charged at it with his katana drawn while Barry tossed his dagger at the giant worm. The monster was barely dented on the head as it bashed Aster, the Ursun had managed to dodge.

Lloyd charged forward and swung his blades fiercely at the giant worm's chest. The creature banged its head downward in retaliation and unleashed a smog of black breath at Trent.

"Angel Feather!" Collete's spell was aimed at the monster's head. The giant worm charged irritably at the Chosen, who flew back to avoid a nasty blow.

Althea charged next, armed with a pair of gauntlets as she attacked with a flurry of blows"Triple Strike!"

"Demon Fang!" Trent and Althea's artes barely dented the monster's skin as it quickly squirmed around the cave floor and swung its tail at the group. Irritated, Aster slashed at the creature's side, only to be knocked away.

"Stupid snake, die already" groaned Lloyd, attacking the giant worm again.


Chris and Savannah followed the group into the cave, stopping to hide while Trent's group defeated some monsters. Chris shrugged"So what do you have in mind?"

"Just a little prank" said Savannah, leading the way.

The two walked a little farther to hear even more sounds of battle moments later at the end of the cave. Savannah peeked into the deepest cavern to see a giant worm of all things.

"The others have gotten themselves into a prick" remarked Chris.

"No kidding" muttered Savannah, readying her bow and arrows"Arrow Volley!"

Chris readied his combined dual blade"Ready or not, here I come."


The Giant worm was struck in the back by arrows. Trent spotted Chris and Savannah rushing into the room. Barry smiled as his friend joined the fray"Hey Chris, hope you're not too mad at me."

"Nope, now let's take this joker down" said Chris, referring to the Giant Worm.

"You said it" piped Savannah.

"Chris? Great to see you" said Trent.

"Don't forget about me, I'm Savannah" grinned the master thief.

Chris charged at the giant worm, hitting it with a flurry of slashes before turning his weapon into pistols and firing"I'll give this everything I've got. Expiation!"

The giant worm seemed to explode for a moment from Chris's attack. It recovered from the blow and swung it's tail again. Chris jumped and stabbed downward, causing the creature to slither in pain.

"Let me get a piece of the action, Chris. Lightning Strike!" Trent's attack hit the monster.

The wounded and now infuriated giant worm knocked Trent aside with it's head before charging at Shin. Chris darted over to the monster's side and cast a fireball. The worm staggered for a moment before continuing to charge at the red-headed teen.

"Shin!" called Trent.

"Look out!" cried Althea, rushing to defend their youngest companion.

The teen continued to stare at the flower as the worm charged and attempted to bash him with its head. Shin drew his blade and held it in a blocking position, the worm bashed its head onto the blade and recoiled in pain.

"Not here, not now" for an instant, Shin was replaced by an older man as he turned to face the Giant Worm. The monster attempted to swing its head violently when Shin stabbed it"Tekshi Teskhi!"

Finally defeated, the monster exploded and collapsed onto the ground, dead. Shin was knocked backwards by the impact. Savannah and the others were surprised: How was Shin able to finish it in one blow?

Rise and Colette rushed to check on the young teen. Lloyd let out a sigh as he shealthed his weapon. Chris smiled"Well, that was a good challenge. Didn't expect the little guy to help out."

"Hey" cried Barry, indignantly.

"Chill out, I was talking about Shin" grinned the brunette.

Althea ate an apple gel while wondering how Shin was doing. The small red-head recovered"Wha... What happened?"

"Thank goodness" smiled Althea.

"That giant worm was tough, but you finished it off" said Trent.

"What? Really?" Shin glanced at the giant dead monster"Whoa!"

"The whole thing was probably wiped from his mind" remarked Lloyd.

"Well, I don't see the bracelet. It was likely stolen" frowned Arianna.

Chris glanced at the new half-elf"Hey, I'm Christopher James Putnam, but you can just call me Chris."

"Pleasure" nodded Arianna.

"I'm Lloyd Irving" said the red-clad swordsman.

"My name is Collete Brunel" said the blond Chosen.

Aster and Rise looked around. Savannah addressed Chris"now what?"

"We should probably return to town" said the brunette Adventurer.

"That would be wise" whispered Rise.

Savannah spoke"So what's up?"

"We're looking for a Cryas bracelet made of stone and Cryas" said Althea.

"Well, let's head back to town. Maybe we'll learn something new" said Lloyd.

The large group proceeded to leave the dim cave. Althea addressed Trent"Who do you think would've stolen it? The bracelet?"

"No idea" said Trent.

Chris smiled"Let's not sweat the small stuff, tomorrow is another day. Oh, and Barry."

"Hm?" asked the Ursun, nervously.

Chris picked up the small ursun and gave him a bit of a noogie"How do you like that? This is for this morning, though it wasn't entirely untrue."

The group headed back to Viola, making small talk as they went.


Well, that's another chapter for you. Despite the chapter title, the group won't find Shin's bracelet for another two or three chapters. Oh, and I hope you didn't mind the Dawn of the New World reference.

Arianna: Well, that was hardly an original story. It's like Mike's Tales forum's story and the original version are melded into one. Although that's not entirely true.

Malin: What about me?

Kenneth: Maybe you will be in the next chapter.

Savannah: That kinda depends. Maybe we'll get to visit Tenshi.

Malin: Tenshi was Darkmoon's idea in Mike's Tales of Roleplay forum. I wonder when she'll be able to post again.

Chris: Chill out. Besides, that's up to your creator.

Arianna: I agree, patience is a virtue.

Mike: Uh, guys. Can't we just skip to the end?

Lloyd (grins): Well, go ahead and review if you'd like. No flaming now, or big bad Ratatosk will get you.

Emil (as Ratatosk): I heard that you d-

Marta: Geez, calm down already.

Sorry about the lame attempted humor above, everyone. Like I said, please feel free to review.