A/N: Chapter 8, hurray! Ha, not much to say here, really...

Midnightxwolfx: hmm...well, furnace is pronounced fur-nis, with an emphasis on the first syllable, and Furness is pronounced fur-nes, with the emphasis on the second...I hope that made at least a little sense... O.o It's a small difference, but noticeable.

Golden-Black Dragon: Lucian is a minor OC, who will pop up every now and then. He's not going to be a major part of the plot, though.

Onward with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own Lucian, myself, and nothing else.

----

Sheena returned, a full week after she left. I greeted her when she came back, and we often stopped to talk in between the jobs I did. Sheena gave me a sense of security; as long as she was here, I had a connection to the game's main plot. It couldn't continue unless Lloyd and the others came here and ran into her.

"Here, let me help you with that." She walked up, grabbing the other end of the crate I was carrying. "...Ugh! This thing is heavy!"

We managed to get it from the boat on to the dock, and the owner of the vessel thanked us.

"You carry things like that all day? Don't you ever want to relax?" Sheena asked me, as we walked back to the center of town.

"Relax?" I merely repeated, frowning.

"Yeah. You know, sit back and just let go for a while."

"That sounds really great."

"Then why don't you?"

I shrugged. "Because I think too much."

Sheena looked confused for a moment, and then it sunk in. "...Oh."

There was an awkward silence, and I grew so uncomfortable that I almost started fidgeting. Instead, I decided to speak. "Huh. I should probably do some clothes shopping. It's hard to work like this, and Lucian keeps making fun of my dresses..."

"Clothes shopping?" Sheena smiled. "I can help."

"All right! I was hoping you would." I grinned. "I need to get something cool, like the stuff you wear."

She glanced at me, looking suddenly embarrassed. "You think what I wear is...cool?"

I laughed quietly, having predicted her reaction. "Yeah!" Although her boobs hung out a little too much, I added silently. Oh well, Sheena wouldn't be Sheena without them.

We strolled through the markets around town, browsing the various types of clothing. I had no idea what to look for; I was so used to my usual wear, jeans and a t-shirt. Not only was I unlikely to find either here, they were impractical in these circumstances. As I searched through the clothes, I thought about what everyone else wore. Sheena's attire was no doubt meant for stealthy movements. Raine's and Genis's....well, they were magic users, so that probably wouldn't help me. I was fairly sure Lloyd wore lightweight armor beneath his red coat, and Kratos did as well. Kratos's clothes were also very tough looking as they were. So, what would be best for me...?

I would need armor, like Lloyd and Kratos, since my fighting type was short range. I was sure of that much. It should probably be lightweight; my sword already slowed me down enough. Hmm, what about chain mail? Was that lightweight? I'd never even touched it, so I couldn't be sure. I walked up to one of the vendors, recognizing the mail. He allowed me to lift it, inspecting it.

No sir, it was not lightweight. Despite how it looked, it actually felt rather heavy...lighter than I thought, but it would still probably impede my movements. Still, I would no doubt get hit one way or another in a fight, so it would probably be better to at least try using armor. I looked at my other options; there was what I assumed to be splint mail, but it looked even heavier.

"Go with the leather guard." Lucian's voice came from behind me, causing me to jump. He'd pointed out another option, something that seemed much easier and affordable.

He chuckled at my reaction. "And speaking of guards, don't drop yours."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I purchased the armor, and hoped the rest wouldn't be too expensive.

"What are you doing buying armor?" He asked me, and I shrugged.

"I'm not staying here in Luin forever. I've got to go home at some point, and I don't want the Desians to catch me again." It was the truth, although I'd left some things out. Lucian seemed to accept my answer, but he frowned thoughtfully.

Sheena came running up. She said hello to Lucian, whom she'd apparently met before, and then turned to me. "There's some things over here that I think you might like." I followed her down to a new set of stalls.

Now we were looking at normal clothing, rather than armor. I felt a smile tugging at my lips. These did have a very Symphonia-like flair. After a few minutes of pondering, I ended up choosing a dark blue sleeveless coat with sky blue trim.

The colors were pretty, but I was going to end up looking like Zelos at this rate...I had to hold back a giggle. The sleeveless coat was the only thing I could think of that would suit me. Well, I might as well go all the way while I was at it; I bought a pair of long, tough fingerless leather gloves that matched the coat. With it came some dark pants and traveling boots.

"Finally," I sighed happily as I picked up all the items, "clothes of my own. Thanks for the help, Sheena."

"No problem." She replied, eyeing my selections curiously. Did she notice the similarities to Zelos? The colors were different, but the style...well, at least I didn't have poofy pants. I stifled a laugh as we parted ways. Maybe I could start wearing a white headband just to screw with her.

----

Ten minutes later, I stood in my room at the inn, inspecting my clothes. I was wearing everything now, even the leather guard beneath the coat. My eyes were wide as I inspected myself in the mirror.

I looked like full-fledged Symphonia character now. It scared me a little; I wanted my old clothes back, just so I could be reminded that I was really a teenager from Earth. But my old clothes were gone...even if I could find them now, they were ruined from all the blood I'd gotten on them my first day at the ranch. I almost looked like a completely different person now. My face was the only thing that remained the same; my long hair had been cropped short, and I'd lost a lot of weight. I would be happy about the weight loss, if it didn't remind me of the ranch. I had lost too much. The first day I had eaten upon my arrival here, I had thrown most of it up. My body was still recovering from food deprivation and malnutrition.

The clothes did seem to suit me, though. I liked them. Would this become my trademark outfit for the rest of the journey...? Well, at least it wasn't purple. I laughed to myself. Kratos, the Purple Terror...

"You think your outfit is funny?" Lucian caused me to jump again; he had walked in, and was now looking me up and down.

I frowned. "L-Lucian!"

He smiled. "You left your door open, and I couldn't resist. Twice in one day, Brittany...."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try to be more alert." I sighed.

"Are you wearing the armor you bought? ...Good. We'd might as well test it out."

"It's time for training already?" I looked out the window. Yes, it was pretty dark. The day had flown by.

Lucian nodded. "Shall we go?"

I grabbed my sword, following him out the door.

----

"Concentrate, Brittany." Lucian frowned, knocking me over for the third time. I lay on the ground, wincing and catching my breath.

"I'm...trying." I replied, and he knelt down next to me with concern in his eyes.

"Are your ribs paining you?" He asked softly as I sat up. He'd learned about my old injury during one of our first training sessions; at random times, I would feel a jolting pain coming from my broken ribs. I knew they'd healed incorrectly, and the pain was probably a bad sign, but there weren't any healers in Luin that could help.

I nodded weakly. "Can we...can we just sit for a minute? I'll be fine."

He helped me sit up, understanding. "All right."

And so we rested, waiting for the pain I felt to subside. The night was cool as always, and a gentle breeze caused the grass around us to sway. I found myself wishing Apple Gels could heal broken bones; I'd tried out a few upon my arrival to Luin. The red gels were helpful for curing flesh wounds when spread on the skin, but their healing abilities only went so far. Even a Lemon Gel wouldn't really help; I'd probably need healing magic or an Elixir to fix this, and I had neither. For the moment, I had to live with the pain.

"...So," Lucian said, trying to make conversation and distract me, "have you named your sword yet?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Named? Why would I...?" I was familiar with the practice of naming swords, but hadn't heard of anyone doing it in this game. The swords were just referred to by their build and type...well, maybe except for the Material blades. Kratos's sword had been called Flamberge, and the ice one...hadn't that had a name too?

He smiled easily. "You said you stole that blade from a Desian, did you not? If you travel alone, it will be your only companion for a long while. Don't you think it deserves a name?"

"You talk as if it's a living person or something."

"Maybe I'm just old fashioned." He laughed. "Traditionally, if the sword is to be named, it is the smith who names it. But in this case, its smith was probably involved with the Desians. If you rename this sword, you will be disassociating it from them."

I frowned, troubled, as I gazed at my sword. In truth, it did still remind me of my captors. It may have helped me turn against Kvar, but....perhaps Lucian was right. If I named the sword, it would probably ease my mind.

"...Well, what do you think I should name it?" I asked, unsure.

"Only you can know that." He replied, and I stopped to think.

I frowned thoughtfully; I wanted a name that truly matched this sword. Huh...or maybe I could just steal the name from another fictional character. Tetsusaiga? I almost giggled at that thought.

...No. I wanted a name that fit the situation but reminded me of Earth...

"Loki." I said, finally sure. I'd always been interested in that particular Norse god.

"Loki?" Lucian looked at me questioningly.

"In myths back home, Loki was the god of thievery and deceit." I grinned. "I did steal this, after all. Plus Loki could also shapeshift...just like the purpose and owner of this sword had changed."

He laughed heartily. "Not bad at all. Loki it is, then."

I looked down at the blade, and quickly noticed the change in attitude that came with this naming. Loki....I liked it. I liked this sword now that it reminded me of mythology from Earth and not the Desian ranch.

The two of us sat together in silence for a moment, and I finally spoke. "Lucian?"

"Hmm?"

"...Thanks."

----

The night was lit up with sparks from our clashing swords; I'd felt better and we'd taken up our training once more. The weight of the leather guard did slow me down a bit, but it was inconsequential. It absorbed some of the blow when I was shoved to the ground, and I was glad I'd bought it.

We stopped for a moment, catching our breath.

"Your footing and sense of balance is good." Lucian remarked, and I couldn't help but smile victoriously. It'd better be good, or Kratos would kick my sorry ass. "But," He continued, "you continually hesitate."

My smile quickly fell. "I do?"

He nodded. "A good swordsman goes with the flow of battle, calling techniques and skills to mind instinctively."

"How do I do that?"

"Practice hard. In a true fight, a single hesitation could be fatal."

I nodded, understanding. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

We readied our swords once more, and then Lucian himself hesitated. He looked over my shoulder, his sword lowering, eyes wide. I turned to follow his gaze.

A short distance away, Luin was up in flames. It glowed in the night, clashing with the cool darkness and comforting breeze. My eyes widened and my body tensed; the Desian attack had already begun.

"Oh, no..." I said, clutching Loki even tighter.

"The Desians." Lucian's eyes narrowed, and he turned to me. "I'm going to try and stop them. What will you do?"

"I'll come, too." Anger was already causing me to shake. "I won't let them hurt the people that helped me!"

----

Luin was in worse shape than it had looked from our training grounds. My anger had subsided a little, replaced with horror. The heat of the flames felt as if it was burning my skin, and there were dead villagers everywhere. We were...too late to save everyone.

I looked up at the inn I had stayed at, shocked to see it slowly collapsing because of the flames. I could hear the screams of the people trapped inside.

Lucian acted without a second thought. "Find Sheena," he told me, "perhaps she can help."

"Be careful!" I called, as he ran into the burning building.

Now that I was alone, fear was stacked in with my jumbled emotions. I shook my head, turning to go. I would die if fear caused me to freeze up in a place like this.

"You! Inferior being!" The voice of what was no doubt a Desian caused me to whip around. My lip curled in a scowl; I hadn't missed that demeaning language one bit.

There were three Desians waiting for me. Two carried whips, and the third was a mage. The one that had addressed me was one of the two whip holders. He spoke again, his voice loud so it would carry over the screams of townsfolk and the roaring flames. "You are wanted criminal #0097, charged with escape from the human ranch, assaulting our guards, and injuring Lord Kvar! Come with us or the people of this city will come in your place!"

"You bastards," I growled, "you think I actually believe you?! You'd kill everyone anyway!"

"Stupid human!" The second whip holder frowned, "You have no choice!"

Both Desians with whips ran forth, ready to attack, while the mage stood back and began to cast. I lifted Loki, heart racing. Shit, I had to take out that mage before he sent a spell my way. The two Desians raised their whips, and I was forced to dodge out of the way. They were between me and the mage; I couldn't run around, either, because there were burning houses at my back. I swore, running forward to attack.

It was difficult to take two on at once; while I slashed at the one in front of me, the second whipped me across the back. I cried out, having never gotten used to that pain. The Desian in front of me shoved me back, and I raised my sword again. The two closed in on me; I ran forward and raised a leg to knee one in the stomach, then turned to slash at the second. I had a clear shot; I could easily take this one out. I could kill him.

As soon as the word 'kill' entered my thoughts, I hesitated. It was a big mistake. The one I'd turned my back to recovered from the blow, pulling me back with his whip held over my throat. The one in front of me smirked, using his whip to catch my sword and loosen my grip. I gasped; was it over already?

Suddenly the one behind me fell, and the smirk dropped off the face of the one before me. I got my sword back when Sheena ran forth, pressing two cards into the chest of the Desian.

"Pyre seal!" She shouted, and sent him flying backwards into the flames...to his death.

I stood watching her, shocked even as she looked back at me. Her eyes widened.

"Brittany, what the hell are you doing?! Move!" She ran towards me, grabbing me and just barely managing to pull me out of the way of a large fireball. So the mage had cast his spell...

The mage was dead within the next few seconds, as the female ninja sent an attack his way. I blinked, frozen up, unable to process what had just happened. They were...dead...really dead....

"Brittany!" Sheena shook me, causing my clouded mind to clear.

"Sheena? T-thanks."

"You've gotta keep your guard up." She frowned, looking around us quickly.

I nodded, though I knew that wasn't what the problem was. I had hesitated, and nearly paid for it with my life. But...could I really find the strength to actually kill someone?

More Desians came, spotting us, and I lifted Loki once more. I had to; these were the enemies. It was either kill or be killed. I had a duty to protect these people, as well.

"Shit. Let's go!" I growled, and we both ran head on into battle. Even as we fought, more and more enemies showed up. I ran at the first Desian I saw, dodging his whip, and tried to rely on instinct as Lucian had taught me. Without hesitating this time, I ran him through with my sword. Warm blood coursed down Loki's blade and onto my hands; I nearly dropped it, eyes widening in shock. I had really taken someone's life...

Sheena's shout brought me back to reality once again, and I saw two more coming at me. I turned, panicking, and dodged an attack. I kicked one as I slashed the other. The one I'd cut was killed, and the one I'd kicked fell to the ground; I turned to him, without hesitating, and thrust Loki into his throat. He gurgled as blood spilled out his mouth and down the sides of his face. His helmet tipped off, and I could see his eyes looking straight at me. They were wide with fear; my hands shook, and I forced myself to look away from the dying man. He was an enemy, and he would've done the same to me. I just had to keep repeating that.

The rest of that night was a blur. Sheena and I fought together, killing Desian after Desian, trying to clear out the townsfolk. Lucian showed up at random intervals, but I could never keep track of where he was. There were so many attackers that the simple techs I knew became irrelevant. By some miracle, I managed to learn Beast over that time period; I wasn't joyous in my breakthrough, though, because it was merely a new method of killing.

Despite all this, though, we were still overwhelmed. We barely managed to survive during the fight, sustaining many injuries of our own. I lost track of time; it seemed like we'd been fighting for an eternity. I could no longer tell how much of the blood on me was my own, though I was sure I was bleeding profusely.

The sky began to brighten. Had we been fighting all night? Sheena and I had been split up; luckily, as the light came, the Desians subsided. I fought the last few off, and realized that there truly were none left. Dripping with blood, I quietly wiped my sword clean on the shirt of one of the Desian corpses.

Luin was...devastated. My eyes filled with tears at the very sight. The flames had died down, the houses still smoking. Bodies were everywhere. The coppery smell of blood filled the air, mixing with the acrid stench of smoke. No building was left standing. The Desians...no matter how hard I'd tried, they had won.

I stepped over corpses and rubble as I walked through the streets; Lucian was nowhere to be found, but I had an idea of where Sheena might be. Stumbling towards the bridge to the town's fountain, I held a hand to one of my wounds in an attempt to quell the blood flow. Once again, I was in very bad shape.

"...me off, now's your chance." Sheena's voice reached my ears. She was talking to someone. "I don't have any strength left to fight."

"You're hurt badly. Professor, please...heal her." I heard Colette's voice now, and my weary mind was finally put at ease. If Colette was here, then all was well.

"...I will, but first, I want you to tell me what happened here." Raine said. "It seems she has companions, and this may just be a trap to catch us off guard."

"Professor!" Colette protested.

I saw Sheena smirk, about to say something, when suddenly she noticed me walking up. Ever the graceful one, I stumbled and fell to my knees, catching the attention of everyone else in the group. I noticed Kratos's hand rest on the hilt of his sword, and fought a smirk of my own. They didn't even recognize me.

"It looks like whatever companions she has are wounded as well." Kratos remarked, and I felt his eyes on me.

I started to laugh, and ended up in a coughing fit. Looking up the mercenary, I said, "Bet I surprised you, though. I'm so stealthy, you didn't even notice me coming."

His eyebrows flew up, recognizing my voice, and the others had similar reactions.

Lloyd stepped forth, shocked. "W-wait, Brittany?! But how did you--I thought you were--huh?!" Ah, he was so good with words. I had to fight laughter, not wanting to cough again and rupture a lung.

"First thing's first." Professor Sage interjected, remaining cool. "What happened here?"

"Take a look at this city. Everything's in ruins. The Desians...invaded." Sheena said, her voice weak.

"What?!" Lloyd gasped.

"Do you know about the human ranch northeast of here? The people of this city had been hiding some prisoners who escaped from the ranch, including me." I said, coughing again.

"The Desians found out about it, and not only was the entire population forced to go to the ranch, but the city was destroyed." Sheena finished.

"That's...horrible..." Lloyd looked down, eyes narrowed.

"Ahh! Help me, please!" A new voice cried out, and a man I recognized to be the pastor of the city's church ran by me. I turned to see an Exbelua coming straight at me.

"Th...that's...!" Lloyd's eyes were wide.

"It's Clara!" Raine said, "She managed to get all the way here!"

I stood and raised Loki weakly, but a sudden pain from my ribs caused me to fall to the ground again. Sheena ran to my defense, alarmed.

"Stay back, you monster!"

Clara pulled back an arm and hit Sheena with it, knocking her backwards into me. I lay on the ground beside her, the wind knocked out of me. Clara came even closer; she readied an arm to attack again. Colette took out her angel wings, flying over to the Exbelua.

"Clara, please calm down!" she urged.

The mutated woman attacked Colette as well, knocking her to the ground. She then escaped down another bridge, stumbling out of sight.

"Dammit!" Lloyd swore, running up to the three of us, who lay injured in a heap.

"Colette, are you okay?" Genis asked, running up as well.

Colette stood up, a little shaky. "Y...yes."

"What about these two? Professor..." Lloyd frowned, worried.

"They've lost a lot of blood." Kratos said, inspecting our wounds.

Raine hesitated, frowning. "You realize what you're asking me to do? You want me to heal someone who tried to kill Colette on several occasions. And we don't know for sure if Brittany had been working for her."

I looked up at her, hurt. "I didn't even know Sheena was that assassin..." It was a lie, but I wasn't supposed to know, anyway.

"Professor, please! How can you say that? Brittany is our friend!" Lloyd said, gesturing to me.

Raine sighed. "...Fine. But I swear, you're all way too softhearted for your own good." She stepped forward, casting what I assumed to be Nurse on both of us. My wounds quickly healed, the pain subsiding. My eyes widened; healing magic was so incredible! Sheena and I were both instantly able to find the strength to stand up.

"Why...why did you save me?" Sheena asked, surprised.

"Probably for the same reason you saved Brittany and helped the people of this city." Lloyd answered.

"...Thanks." She paused, looking uncomfortable, and I realized what she was about to say. Good; she was going to join the group now, rather than later at the ranch. "I know it's a selfish, unreasonable thing to say at this point, but I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"I owe the people of this city for food and lodging. Please, help me save these people. If you agree, I'll declare a truce with you and help you in any way I can."

"All right." Lloyd nodded.

Raine looked dismayed. "Lloyd, are you serious?"

"I agree with Lloyd." Colette said.

"Colette, not you too!"

Lloyd turned to Kratos. "What about you?"

"I see no problem with it." He replied.

I raised a hand. "If my opinion really matters, I think Sheena's a good person at heart. Even though she turned out to be that assassin...I still trust her." It was easy to say things like that, when I already knew what the future had in store.

Genis frowned, looking around at all of us. "Ah...um...I'm sorry, Raine!"

"Fine!" Raine said, looking exasperated. "Do as you wish. I suppose if we look at it another way, it does mean we can keep a close eye on her."

Sheena smirked at this statement. "Heh. You'd better watch out so you don't lose your head while you sleep."

----

A/N: haha, silly Sheena. :D Well, that's about it for this chapter. Thanks for reading!

Let's see...forgive me, I really have no idea how heavy chain mail would feel. On that note, the only thing I know about naming swords is what I've seen in animes and video games. XD not very much.

Yeah, the design of her coat looks similar to the one Zelos wears, and she's got the long gloves too....wonder if he'll notice when they meet?

For some reason, video games always seem to take names from Norse mythology. I mean, just look at Symphonia...Yggdrasill, Asgard, Fenrir, Heimdall...and there's more, I'm sure. So I chose Loki as the name of the sword, lol.

Next time: traveling with the group, once again. :D