Insaneiac: Time now for the climatic conclusion to the Those Who Fight series. I don't know what else to say other than that. Expect a big change at the end of this chapter though. I guarantee, it'll be a shocker.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. Namco owns the rest.
Chapter 10: Those Who Fight Further Still
"Well…well…well." Kvar muttered to Lloyd, a sick smile on his face. He turned to Sheena one last time before taking a few steps from the bound ninja. "The hero has come then. I suppose this is where I give up and beg for mercy in your little fantasy world, hmm Lloyd?" Kvar taunted, holding his hand out to his staff. A jolt of electricity connected from his hand to the staff, and seconds later he was holding his weapon of choice firmly in his hands. "I don't suppose you remember our agreement Lloyd? Give me that exsphere, or your girlfriend here is, how should I put this…" Kvar began, before tightly grabbing the ninja by the chin. "…Property."
"You…bastard." Lloyd growled, his hands tightening vengefully on the handles of his swords as he stared at Kvar.
"Yes Lloyd. That I most definitely am. That doesn't change the fact though that your choice holds this little gem's fate."
"LLOYD! Don't give him it! He's just going to kill you anyways!" Sheena screamed, silenced by a hard slap that resonated through the domed control room. A whimper escaped her lips in response to the abuse. Kvar barely had a chance to leap backwards before Lloyd's unbroken sword was stabbed at him.
"I do no recall giving you the option to fight me Lloyd." Kvar muttered as Lloyd sheathed his swords and went to try and free Sheena. Before he could do any real good, a massive surge of electricity ripped through both Lloyd and Sheena, causing the two to scream out in pain. Using what little strength she had, Sheena kicked Lloyd away, sending him rolling backwards. He swiftly planted his right hand onto the floor and pushed himself up, landing as smoothly as possible. His gaze turned immediately to Sheena, who was kicking about as her body was enveloped by electricity, too weak to even scream out in pain.
"NO! SHEENA!" Lloyd yelled, turning to Kvar. "STOP IT!"
"You know what I want Lloyd." Kvar muttered, lifting his staff and pointing it at his exsphere. Lloyd took a step back, a hand resting on his Exsphere. "Lloyd, the electricity is at a state right now where it'll bake her alive. It won't stop her heart until it shatters her sanity, her soul, and bakes her flesh." Kvar muttered, pointing the staff at Sheena as he twitched about violently. "She won't die Lloyd, but she'll never be able to live a proper life. She'll be my little, broken slave from now until the day I pry her new exsphere from her body, and discard her like trash."
"…no…" Lloyd muttered, gazing horridly at Sheena as she suffered. Hanging his head in shame, Lloyd's right hand rested on the exsphere, gripping it tightly. "...I'm…"
"Well Lloyd, not as compassionate as you lead me to believe you are. Allow me to simplify this for your pathetic, inferior mind." Kvar began, striking the floor with the bottom of his staff. "Either give me that exsphere and allow what little memory of that pathetic pile of trash of a woman your mother was to die, or I'll keep this up until you're precious little woman is a drooling mass of mindless flesh." It caught Lloyd off guard, but his steadfast determination flowed straight back into him, bringing with it a newfound sense of fierceness.
"What did you call my mother?" Lloyd growled, glaring towards Kvar. In turn, the Desian simply widened his sadistic grin and tightened his grip on his staff.
"That worthless tramp was barely deserving of even being called a woman." Kvar continued, taking a step towards the trembling Lloyd. "She was no more than a mangy little dog. Only worthwhile until it runs its usefulness dry."
"Shut up." Lloyd uttered with a very calm, but very deadly tone.
"She was a thief and a crime against life just by being a human girl. She got what she deserved." Kvar continued, pointing his staff at Lloyd. "But my patience is growing dangerously thin, boy. Give me my exsphere." He almost laughed as Lloyd's head sunk; hanging off his shoulders in what looked like depression. "You know what is funny, what was truly funny about this all Lloyd…was that it was your fault she died."
"WHAT!" Lloyd yelled, his head whipping up. "You're lying you slimy-"
"I had you in one hand at that time Lloyd. Wrapped nicely around your little baby throat. I was inches within crushing your neck like a cracker when your mother sacrificed herself for you. I had just wrenched free the exsphere when your pathetic father showed up and…well the rest is history dear boy." Kvar enounced. "But Lloyd, it was you who cost your mother her happiness and her life. It was you that caused your papa to abandon you. He did it because he blames you for her death."
"You…" Lloyd began, his hands trembling. 'He can't be telling the truth…it's a lie. IT'S A DAMN LIE…It's my fault dad abandoned me…NO!' "You're full of crap Kvar."
"And just like then Lloyd, you are about to cost another her life." Kvar muttered, waving a hand towards the hanging Sheena, still engulfed in endlessly maddening currents of electricity. "So do both of you a great favor and just submit boy. You already cost that pathetic little tramp of a mother's life, why not spare yourself the guilt of costing another's life."
"My mother was not a tramp." Lloyd murmured weakly, rubbing his exsphere. "If she was brave enough-"
"Bah! She was weak. She was no more powerful than a slave, and rightfully so. Why, I haven't a doubt in my mind that she is burning in the fires of hell as we speak, suffering for the sins she committed by taking that first breath as a child." Kvar rebuked, driving the end of his staff into the floor. "She was a human. By birthright she had no right to live a free life. By birth she was a crime against us half-elves, and a slave. It's only fitting that she belongs in hell." He watched pleasurably as Lloyd's gazed turned downward, as though he was trying to burn a hole into the ground of which to escape by.
"Mom's not in hell…" Lloyd growled, as we withdrew his swords once more. Taking a single step back, Kvar began to watch Lloyd carefully. In all actuality, he had been preparing for a fight to come his way. "But I swear to Martel Kvar…" Lloyd continued, whipping his head up to face the Desian. If at all possible, the look within Lloyd's eyes could have ever well dealt a deathblow. They were not the eyes of someone depressed or saddened. They were the eyes of someone in fury, in maddening rage. "I'll send you to hell in two pieces!" Lloyd screamed before leaping towards the Desian. Kvar took another step back before reacting just in time to bring his staff up to protect him, Lloyd drew both swords out sharply, imbedding each into the side of the Desian's staff. A small set of electrical sparks shot out before the rod erupted in flames.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Kvar screamed, as Lloyd withdrew the swords and leapt backwards. The staff erupted in an explosion of fire and lightning, first engulfing Kvar in a furious cloud of lightning and fire before hurtling him across the room and into rounded wall with a sickening thud. Lloyd turned to see that the lightning that had engulfed Sheena had faded away, leaving a slightly steaming and heavily panting Sheena in its place. Whipping around, Lloyd hurtled his broken sword at the wires, cutting them cleanly and free Sheena from her bonds. She dropped to the floor in a heap, and was quickly met by Lloyd's trembling hands, slowly lifting her head and back up off the ground and checking to see if she was alright.
"Sheena…Please speak to me…PLEASE." Lloyd froze almost instantly when he felt her hand lightly slap against his cheek, something he assumed she probably meant to be a little harder.
"You…idiot…" Sheena gasped out, smiling lightly. "How…many times…are you…going to pull…me out of the fire?" She stopped talking when she felt a cylinder shaped cup placed at her mouth, a gel slowly oozing out into her mouth. She quickly ate the gummy before pushing to her feet and stretched her arms out. She took one look at Lloyd before she threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Lloyd smiled in return, gently hugging her in return. Despite the fact that she was pretty much squeezing his broken ribs, Lloyd couldn't have felt better at that point.
"Just how many times are you going end up saving me, Lloyd Irving?" Sheena asked. She couldn't see it, but Lloyd was grinning in turn.
"Consider this payment in full for taking care of me when I was poisoned and when you got me from those Des…Renegades." Lloyd replied in return.
"This whole scene is very touching…" a voice called from behind them. Both broke the hug and turned to see Kvar standing not ten feet from them, bleeding from the top of his head. Somehow, the bloody face he now wore made him seem even more menacing and destructive then he did before. "BUT I AM NOT FINISHED YET!" Kvar screamed, whipping his arms out to his sides and opening his hands. From all around him, lightning seemed to flow into him endlessly, lighting shaping itself into a bizarre form within his right hand. The computer monitors and lights within the room flickered a handful of times before erupting in a fury of electrical madness. His entire being seemed to pulse as he continued to draw energy from everywhere, the electrical power flowing either to his hand or his exsphere.
Sheena and Lloyd exchanged a pair of very worried glances before turning to face Kvar again, drawing their weapons out as the half-elf finished. Since all the lights in the room had been destroyed, the emergency lighting came on, bathing the bloodied Kvar in a demonic red light. In his right hand was no longer any energy, but a long and viciously curved Scythe, pulsing with blue light. The long and twisted blade of the weapon coursed in electricity, as did his entire frame. He now had gauntlets of infernal design, and his previously bland shoulder armor curved viciously. Behind him flowed a long and tattered dark blue cape that seemed to twist and jolt very much like lightning would. He had gone from looking like a cruel tyrant to a very cruel knight of death.
"I am Lord Kvar Mobius! I am the Lightning Demon Cardinal! AND I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY YOU INEFIOR BEINGS!" Kvar screamed in rage, throwing both arms out and unleashing a shockwave of electricity that filled the room, electrifying the walls and causing the lights to once more return, powered by his own source of power. Without another word, Kvar shot across the room, slicing through the air with his deadly weapon towards Lloyd. Even though Lloyd himself avoided the attack, the lightning from his scythe launched at him in orb form, erupting just in front of his body and tossing him backwards. Sheena had her cards out just in time to barely deflect the next attack, aimed at her throat. Upon contact however, lightning leapt onto her frame, engulfing her whole and sending her into a spasm of pain. Sheena collapsed to a knee as the electricity flowed out of her body and left her drained; unaware that Kvar had brought the weapon back to cleave her head clean off.
"NO!" Lloyd screamed, aiming a stab at Kvar's side. Lloyd didn't even get close enough to graze the aura of energy around him before Kvar whipped his sword away with his scythe, before just as swiftly spinning it nimbly within his hands and cutting into Lloyd's body several times, each individual slice instantly electrified immensely sizzling the flesh and entering each cut with deathly efficiency. Lloyd screamed in immaculate pain as he felt the weapon tear him asunder, each slice bringing forth another wave of hell. Lloyd collapsed to his knees, screaming in pain as the electricity finally faded from his body, only to feel the gloved hand of Kvar grab his face and squeeze, drawing forth more cries. He watched Kvar horridly as he dragged the edge of the scythe across his forehead, slicing into it and sending waves of mind crippling shock through his body, drawing more screams of torment and pain. Lloyd's hand shot open as a result of the electrical torture, his sword dropping beside him.
"I offered you an easy way out Lloyd." Kvar muttered, drawing the scythe from Lloyd's head and raising it up above his head before stabbing it into Lloyd's shoulder, imbedding the deadly weapon deep into Lloyd. Seconds later, electricity began frying him from the inside. The cry of pain was an immaculate one that filled the room whole, Kvar listening happily until Lloyd's voice cracked and faded, his body going into random spasms and seizure like motions. Withdrawing the scythe from his shoulder, Kvar lifted him up off his knees, extending his hand and Lloyd to the far off wall. With a sickening grin, Kvar created a burst of electricity within his hand and sent Lloyd hurtling through the air and into the wall. The impact into the wall caused a discharge of the electricity within him to scream along the walls, just before Lloyd collapsed onto his face. He began to feel dizzy as the blood continued to flow out of his body, spilling onto the floor around him. Yet he could clearly hear Kvar's footsteps as he approached Lloyd. In response, the swordsman pushed to his feet, slowly. He gazed at the approaching Kvar, desperately trying to find a weapon he could use, but alas it was far too late for that.
"I offered you a way to make amends for your mother's heinous crimes! But you chose to fight." Kvar growled spinning the scythe into an attacking position before dashing towards Lloyd. The Swordsman could do nothing as the blade cut into his side, drawing blood and inducing another vicious shock. "I'm not going to kill you Lloyd… oh no. Nothing so merciful for you! I'm going to draw the life from you." Kvar growled, retracting the scythe from Lloyd's side and securing it to his back. Ruthlessly, he grabbed each of Lloyd's shoulders and hoisted the boy off his feet, driving him ruthlessly into the wall and drawing forth a moan of pain. With a perverse look of pleasure residing in his eyes, Kvar began squeezing and digging each finger into Lloyd, drawing a continuous scream of pain. Lloyd tried to fight him, but both his blades were no where near him. He tried to punch and push the Desian off of him, but to know avail. And to make matters worse, the cut on his head was bleeding profusely, covering his face in a crimson mask. It made it hard to focus.
"I'll make sure your last moments on the planet are pure hell Lloyd." Kvar growled viciously before he charged lightning through his arms and into his gauntlets, and consequentially into Lloyd's body. The scream of pain that escaped Lloyd tripled in strength, becoming loud enough to shatter glass. Soon the effect of the lightning coursing through his frame began to warp his voice, contorting it and mutating it viciously. Lloyd began to sound like an animal crying out its last cry. His entire body began to kick and toss rapidly, desperately seeking to free itself. Mercifully, Kvar ceased the torture, allowing Lloyd to go slack and breathe for a moment. He could barely do anything more than twitch spasmodically and give a choked out cry every so often.
"Any final requests Lloyd." Kvar muttered, waiting for Lloyd to raise his head.
"Just one." Lloyd, muttered, before using whatever energy he had left to drive his knee into Kvar's gut. Kvar hunched over in pain, releasing Lloyd from his falcon like grasp. "FRY!" Lloyd yelled as he rolled, albeit pathetically, out of the way. Kvar turned just in time to become engulfed in a spray of water. He had barely a second to scream before all the electricity from his scythe and body met the water and began cooked him alive. Kvar's scream turned into a twisted and contorted roar of demonic agony, before he crumpled to the ground in defeat, steam seeping off his body in high quantities. Glancing towards Sheena, she stumbled over to Lloyd with both of his weapons in hand before collapsing in front of him. Both started at each other, barely capable of even smiling.
"Lloyd…gels…now…" Sheena muttered weakly, forcing a smile. Lloyd struggled to reach into his pack, grabbing two apple gels. Slowly, he handed one to Sheena, who promptly downed the gelatinous substance, regaining a bit of herself back. Enough to stand and smile without killing herself.
Lloyd however, could barely stand even with the gel downed. Forcing himself to his feet, he soon found Sheena helping to guide him back up, grunting in pain with each motion. Sheena finally noticed just how severely beat and hurt Lloyd was. The fact that he was even walking was more than just a testament to his will power. She shook her head at her close friend, wondering once more what she did to make friends with someone so completely capable of risking themselves. She wanted to slap Lloyd for being so reckless, and kiss him for being so daring. However, she could tell Lloyd was paying dearly for it.
"Sheena…are you okay?" Lloyd choked out, smiling at his comrade.
"Lloyd…Are you?" She returned, as Lloyd bent down to pick up each respective blade, twirling them briefly in his hands before sheathing them. Every motion hurt like hell, but he wouldn't allow that to stop him. "Lloyd, you're really bleeding. We need to get you to a healer." Sheena muttered shocked as Lloyd stood back up. He took one breath before nearly collapsing, Sheena quick to grab him and help prop him up.
"I'm sorry Sheena…"Lloyd muttered, taking another breath before standing by himself.
"What the hell are you apologizing for Lloyd. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be in one piece." She smiled warmly at Lloyd, who nodded his head in return. She understood that it was pretty much all he could do at that point. Her eyes ever so briefly darted from Lloyd's wounds to his eyes, locking within to see something completely awe inspiring. Lloyd had been beaten, stabbed, tortured, ambushed, and effectively tossed around like a rag doll. His face was a mask of blood that covered his eyes completely, yet his kindness and sheer will still burnt as fiercely as ever within his eyes. She smiled and prepared to say something when her eyes darted to a small set of sparks that drew back.
"NO!" Gasped Sheena loudly, spinning Lloyd around with all her might. Moments later the sound of a blade slicing apart flesh and an ear piercing scream filled the air, and before Lloyd could tell what had happened Sheena had collapsed to the ground, her back sliced open and bleeding profusely.
"I REFUSE TO BE DEFEATED BY YOU INFERIOR BEINGS!" Lloyd's eyes darted up to see a barely moving Kvar holding his scythe, laughing in victory. A feral and demonic roar escaped Lloyd as he felt every ounce of him burn alive with fury. In a heart beat, Lloyd's swords were drawn, and he was upon the Desian before he could even gasp.
"BURN…" Lloyd's full sword pierced first, impaling Kvar through the chest. In initial blow was enough to cause him to drop his weapon, but Lloyd didn't waste any time in see if the blow had done him in. When their eyes met, Kvar saw a pure and flawless rage that roared within his being. "…IN THE FIRES OF HELL…" Lloyd yelled, pulling his broken sword back, "…WHERE YOU BELONG!" Lloyd finished, cleaving clean through Kvar's next and removing his head from his body. Like lightning, Lloyd withdrew his full blade and gave a quick one-eighty turn, sheathing both his swords as Kvar's head landed with a thud, followed quickly by his body. Lloyd gave a moment for one breath before lifting his head to Sheena.
Without wasting another moment, Lloyd sped towards Sheena, dropping to the floor upon reaching her. Gently, he rolled her over and propped her up on his arms so he could get a good look at her. "SHEENA!" Lloyd yelled as he shook her sharply. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE DIE!" Lloyd yelled, shaking her again.
"Lloyd…" Sheena muttered weakly, flinching as Lloyd lifted her up off the floor, shifting around so she rested gently in his arms. Lloyd was just about out of energy, but he knew he could get out of the base at the very least with Sheena.
"I'll get you to a healer, it'll be okay. I promise Sheena." Lloyd began, watching as Sheena smiled somewhat weakly. "I just fought an army of Desians and a freak with a scythe, like hell I'm going to quit now."
"Lloyd, lay her down and step away." A deep, authoritative voice spoke. Lloyd froze in step, his entire body trembling. Still holding Sheena in his arms, Lloyd turned to see Kratos standing at the transporter, his hand resting readily on his sword's hilt. Beside him was Raine, staff prepared to do anything she could in battle. Behind the two of them was a pair of children, Colette and Genis, watching Lloyd very carefully. Lloyd could only shake his head as he watched them walk towards him. Very briefly, Kratos' eyes darted to the now headless body of Kvar, a wave of satisfaction washing over him as he realized it was Lloyd that had done this, more or less in an attempt to protect or even save the assassin.
"Raine! Thank Martel!" Lloyd began turning to the eldest Sage. "You have to help her! Please!" Lloyd pleaded, staring at Raine hopefully. When they all saw Lloyd, even Kratos gasped. Their childhood friend looked as though he had been to hell and back, and then went back to hell. He was bleeding, beaten, torn, and looked like he was running off fumes. In his arms was the beaten and bloodied assassin, still in the midst of breathing. Raine gave him one warm and caring look before her eyes met Sheena, and the emotion faded.
"I'll do no such thing Lloyd." Raine began, pointing her staff towards Sheena. "That woman is our enemy. How could we benefit by helping our enemy?"
"No, Raine. You don't understand. Sheena want-"
"Lloyd, there is no talking about it right now." Kratos admonished, slowly drawing his sword. "The time were you could talk about these matters have come and passed Lloyd. Now you can lay her down and move, or we will deal with you in just the same way we are to deal with her."
Lloyd couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sheena could barely do anything more than breathe, and these people he once called friends were demanding that he just lay down and allow them to take her life. Shaking his head in disbelief, Lloyd began to back up, putting distance in between himself and the Chosen's group.
"You can't be serious!" Lloyd growled, glaring first at Kratos. "Listen, we don't want to fight. Sheena and I, we talked."
"Lloyd, she's an assassin. She's here to kill Colette."
"I KNOW THAT!" Lloyd yelled, everyone except Kratos gasping. "I knew that even when I attack you all at Balacruf! And it was because of that I sided with her!"
"Why Lloyd…Why would you?" Colette muttered, staring at Lloyd in a wounded manner.
"Because Colette, she's my friend. I owe her my life on two accounts. I would do the exact same for you! I don't want either of you to die!"
"But you didn't Lloyd." Raine interrupted, tapping the end of staff on the ground. "You did the exact opposite. You, Colette's childhood friend, sided against her and joined with her would be assassin you may have known for all of a week. You abandoned your real friends for someone with a pretty face who played you to get to us."
"NO!" Lloyd screamed, glaring at Raine now. Grunting, Lloyd slowly turned around and laid Sheena on the ground, watching her closely. He'd keep her in his arms if he could, but he hadn't the energy to keep on with it. He was barely able to hold himself up anymore. "Sheena didn't know about Colette until it was too late. She doesn't want to kill Colette."
"Lloyd, you don't understand." Kratos intervened, taking another few steps towards Lloyd. "She is lying to use you. Now like I said, the time to talk has passed. This is very well the best opportunity we have to finally extinguish a threat on the Chosen's life. You need to know that if you stand in our way…we'll do the same to you."
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Lloyd yelled, glaring at Kratos. "Sheena agreed to help Colette! That there might be a way to save her people!"
"No Lloyd. She's just trying to get to Colette through you. She's trying to get on your good side so that you'll help her." Kratos explained. He was quick in raising a hand as Lloyd tried to speak again, effectively silencing him. "That time has come and passed. Now, I'll give you one final chance to make the right decision and move Lloyd. Move or I will strike you down." Kratos spoke, sword pointed out towards the battered, bloodied and beaten swordsman."
Lloyd struggled to breathe as he drew his swords out of his sheaths, and let them hang at his sides. His glance turned from Kratos to Raine, and then from Raine to his best friends. Each time he met with their eyes, he saw a different emotion. In Raine's was coldness, while Genis had an odd combination of anger and disgust, and finally in Colette's was depression. Shaking his head once more, he turned his eyes to Kratos, of which he was sure he could briefly see the signs of regret play on his features before fading away. With a great degree of effort, Lloyd brought his still full sword to point at Kratos, eyes squinting and narrowing upon the older swordsman.
Kratos, although he didn't show it, felt a hammer hit him in the heart. It was at that very moment he noticed the look within Lloyd's eyes, past the mask of blood he wore. Unlike at Balacruf, where he wrote it off as being confusion, this time he saw exactly what it was. Lloyd Irving, his long since lost son, wasn't protecting a friend. Whether he knew it or not, Lloyd was protecting someone he loved. This was not a friend defending a friend; this was a man in love protecting the woman of his dreams. He knew all too well that Lloyd would not back down at all. The only way he was going to kill that assassin was to seemingly do the unthinkable and kill his only child.
Unfortunately for Lloyd, Kratos knew all too well that he could not let the Chosen of Mana die. However, he would never forgive his friend for making him do this.
"I…" Lloyd muttered as his head once more dropped, hanging off his shoulders. He coughed brutally into his ripped and effectively destroyed glove, splattering blood onto both his hand and the torn remnants of his glove. As he pulled his hand away, he became mildly disturbed at how his hand seemed to match his fallen apart glove in hue. Once more, Lloyd rolled his head backwards, shifting it to lock eyes with Kratos. For a moment, Lloyd was positive he had seen regret and concern within the man's eyes once more, but simply rolled it aside as being a figment of his own beaten mind when it faded just as quickly as the last time. A tear rolled down Lloyd's face as he struggled with the idea of dying inside a Human Ranch as an enemy to the Chosen one, his friend Colette. A person he spent almost his entire life growing up with. They had laughed together, played together, cried together, and now he was going to die as her enemy.
"Lloyd please!" Genis screamed, cutting through the disturbed silence. "I know you're the kind of person who would never abandon your friends, but you can't throw your life away like this! PLEASE!" Genis screamed.
'Genis…' Lloyd moaned in his head as another tear rolled down his cheek. 'I…' "I…"
"Lloyd, allow me to put it this way. She is dying as we speak. The least I'll do is put her out of her misery. At this point, that is the best thing a friend could do for her." Kratos interrupted, his arm and sword never faltering from its place. "Are you willing to die for some one who is fated to die as is?"
"I…" Lloyd stuttered once more, wiping away the tears slowly before raising his swords up, and placing himself into the best battle stance he could manage. Blinking once, Lloyd's hard and steadfast eyes shifted behind the crimson mask he unintentionally wore to his more comforting and softer eyes. "…am. Kratos, Raine, Genis…Co…" Lloyd grimaced as the name felt foreign and unpronounceable to him. "…Chosen One…. I've made my choice." He closed his eyes briefly, horrified at what the looks could be upon the faces of his friends and, by all definitions of the word aside from blood relation, family. When he opened them again, the eyes of soft and gentle Lloyd had faded, replaced once more by the eyes of a man who willingly faced Death himself. "I refuse to let you kill Sheena."
"You know what this means then Lloyd. Right?" Raine asked with a voice that was eerily emotionless. Lloyd flinched as he felt her voice, stripped of any sense of caring or even depression. It sounded like the way a Queen would address an enemy, or a commoner.
"Yes. I do." Lloyd choked out weakly, pausing only to give a pained sigh. "I was lucky to know you all as long as I have. I'm sorry it has to end like this."
------ Present Time ------
"As am I." Kratos muttered, turning to Raine. "Stand here until I am finished. Under no means are you to interfere." Kratos ordered, turning back to face Lloyd.
"Please Lloyd." Colette cried out, attempting to run to her best friend. Kratos' hand blocked her path, and the gaze she got from him told her all she needed to know. "Kratos, you can't kill Lloyd! Please! All he wants to do is protect his friend."
"Chosen one, it may be easy for you to say that, but I have been charged with protecting you. Lloyd has forsaken us, and chosen our enemies over you. He'll try to kill you again Colette." Kratos responded, Lloyd's head sinking in shame. "By protecting that assassin, he's valued her life and her tasks over your life and your task. That is both heresy and criminal in the eyes of the Goddess Martel." Colette shifted backwards as she heard Kratos admonish her and Lloyd. Turning his head back to face Lloyd, who he knew could barely even stand as it were, Kratos once more pointed the sword at his son. "Are you ready?
Lloyd nodded once, and the battle was on. As Kratos dashed towards Lloyd, Colette could only watch horrified, wishing for nothing more than to run into the center and stop them both, or to cry in Genis' arms until they paid attention to her and ceased. She could do neither. Genis watched both in confusion and anger. He loved Lloyd like a brother. Lloyd tried to take the blame from him with the Iselia disaster, and he was always standing up for him when he was in trouble. He couldn't understand why he was now suddenly against them like this. And Raine watched on betrayed, forcing away tears as she watched possibly her favorite student fight against them and world regeneration.
With a pair of grunts, Lloyd and Kratos met blades, Kratos pushing off the initial contact and sending Lloyd sprawling. He charged at Lloyd before he could push to his feet, slicing upwards and cutting into Lloyd's shoulder blade, slicing across the stab wound he had suffered from Kvar. A yelp of pain escaped Lloyd as he fell backwards, new blood drawn. Rolling to his left, Lloyd narrowly avoided Kratos stab, and pushed to his feet as fast as possible. Upon reaching his feet, Lloyd brought one sword up to block an initial swing, thrusting forward with his broken sword. Kratos swung at it with his shield, knocking the blade from Lloyd's hand and embedding it into the wall some thirteen feet away. Lloyd groaned as he felt his sword leave his hand, before Kratos brought his shield down onto the back of Lloyd's neck and dropped him to the ground.
Deciding to try and end this without killing his son, Kratos began to move towards Sheena, drawing his sword back. When he heard scraping metal from behind him, he turned to see Lloyd back on his feet and charging him, a single sword in his hand. Kratos dodged easily to the left, Lloyd missing by a mile and a half. Kratos whipped the sword across Lloyd's back, cutting deeply and causing Lloyd to let out another shriek of pain.
"STOP! PLEASE!" Colette screamed, trying to run towards Lloyd. Raine stopped her in mid charge, spinning the young blonde girl around and wrapping her arms tightly around her small frame. She fought like hell against Raine, desperate to try and stop Kratos from killing one of the only people in the world to ever see her as more than just the 'Chosen one.' "Raine! You can't let him do this! Please!" Colette screamed. Raine simply did what she could do, and hugged Colette, burying the Chosen's face into her body so she didn't have to watch Lloyd suffer.
Genis just watched, paralyzed. Just like he was paralyzed in Balacruf, when Lloyd attacked them all instead of the assassin…Sheena. "Lloyd you idiot…why are you willing to die for her…" Genis admonished, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm losing my best friend in the world…like this!" Genis cried out, shaking his head. "LLOYD YOU IDIOT! STOP PLEASE!"
Lloyd moaned in pain as he forced himself to his feet once more, using his sword as a balancing point. He wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep, but he knew that if he did, Sheena would die. Slowly, Lloyd drew the sword up to a fighting stance, his body trembling weakly as Kratos approached slowly. Lloyd went for a single swing of his sword that was deflected by Kratos with ease, the resulting motion of the blade stripping Lloyd of his other sword and sending it flying across the room. Before Lloyd could do another act, Kratos grabbed his injured left shoulder aggressively, and drove his sword through Lloyd's stomach, causing him to let out a gurgled and blood-filled cry of pain. Raine hugged Colette, whispering calming words into her ears as she began to fight even harder to get free and keeping her away from what was surely the final blow to Lloyd. Genis could only watch on in horror, gazed at the sword that protruded out of Lloyd's back. He was still absolutely powerless to do anything to help Lloyd. Kratos, with a weak grunt, withdrew the blade from Lloyd's body and let Lloyd fall to his knees in defeat, gazing at his son who he just delivered a supposedly fatal blow to.
"Admit defeat Lloyd."
"No." Lloyd croaked, as blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth. "I'd…rather…die then…let you…kill Sheena…" Lloyd wheezed out, reaching up with his hands to grab at Kratos' armor. Using the man's armor, Lloyd lifted his head up and gazed at Kratos' eyes fiercely, tightening his grip on the armor. This made it even harder for Kratos to do what he knew he had to. The stomach blow was meant to cause him to fall unconscious, so that he could end Sheena and then heal Lloyd enough to help him survive. He should have known better.
"…Fine." Kratos muttered, placing one hand on Lloyd's forehead, and pushing it back, exposing the neck fully. Resting the blade at the side of Lloyd's neck, Kratos began to pull back, doing his best to turn off the cries he heard from both Colette and Genis, begging him not to do it. "Any final requests?"
"Just one." Lloyd muttered, pouring whatever strength he had left into his mouth. "Find my father…" Lloyd began, shocking Kratos considerably. He never showed any of the shock though, but nonetheless it shocked him. Lloyd's voice weakened considerably, turning from strength to despair. "And tell him that I've avenged my mom, that I avenged his wife…and tell him that I'm sorry for being the reason why she died." Lloyd choked out, a tear rolling down his cheek. "And tell him that I forgive him for abandoning me…" Lloyd finished, as tears rolled down his face, quickly becoming red and bloodied from the blood that painted his face. Although he couldn't see it, Kratos had a single tear rolling down his own face, but gave his head a good shake and whipped it away before it could truly be noticed.
"Lloyd, you have my sincerest promise that I will honor that request." Kratos finished. With nothing left to be said, Kratos swung the blade towards Lloyd's neck, ready to deliver the killing blow to his own son. The son that had just apologized to him unknowingly, and blamed himself for his wife's death. The child he thought had died the day he killed Anna. He would never forgive him for this, not for the rest of the days he had to spend.
Suddenly, five men appeared out of the teleporter, four of them obviously Desian, and charged into and through Colette, Genis and Raine and towards Kratos and Lloyd. Just as the sword was about to meet flesh, a large and blue angelic blade blocked the killing blow with mere points of an inch left. Kratos whipped his head up to the intruder only to meet with a fierce elbow blow that knocked the mercenary backwards and onto his butt. Quickly scooping Lloyd up, the man turned to the four Desians, one of which had Sheena, and the other three of which had blown apart the furthest part of the wall, and into another part of the ranch. A short exchange of nods occurred, and the man turned back to Kratos just in time to take a small leap backwards, dodging another blow of the sword before flashing him a narrow glance.
"You disgust me." The black haired man said, before charging towards the hole with the rest of the Desians. Kratos charged after them towards the hole, but upon reaching it the Desians were already gone. Cursing loudly once, Kratos slammed his hand against the wall, causing a small piece of damaged structure to crumble away. From behind him, he could hear the hustle and bustle of confusion from the other three members of his entourage, wondering why Desians would have saved Lloyd's life.
To Kratos it was simple. Dead simple really.
"Renegades."
A/N: And there you have it. The end of Those who Fight. The next three chapters will signal the end of act one of Beneath the Surface too, so believe me when I say, a big confrontation is about to happen. Anyways, I apologize for the late update…how do I do that? With this!
Omake Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or Rurouni Kenshin.
Kvar opened his eyes slowly, briefly going into a fit of blinks before pushing to his feet. Pressing a palm to his forehead, he suddenly realized that he was, in fact, in a field of bones and skulls, a literal field of skeletal remains. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to the left, and saw a large flaming capital in the distance, and suddenly it all made sense.
"…I'm in hell!" Kvar growled, punching the ground. "That little bastard killed me! THAT INFERIOR BEING!"
"Yes, I know how that can put a damper on one's mood." A voice spoke from behind him. Spinning around, Kratos beheld a man wrapped entirely in bandages, although he wore a blue robe over his left side of his body, and around his legs. "You must be Kvar, the Lightning Demon. I've heard a great deal of your accomplishments. I have a proposition for you, if you are interested." Kvar tilted his head at the newcomer, staring at him in both a combination of confusion and aggravation.
"And who in hell are you?"
"Heh, my name is Makoto Shishio, and I am trying to take this friendly little place as my own." Shishio began, extended a hand towards the flaming capital. "Would you care to join me? Together, we can take all of hell as our own." A slow, evil smile crawled onto Kvar's face, which in turn was met by a slow smile from the bandaged man in front of him.
"I'd much rather rule in hell than burn in it." Kvar began, rubbing his hands together. "Yes, you'll have my cooperation."
"Wonderful." Shishio muttered, before walking towards the flaming capital. "Come along, there is much to do, and you have to meet the rest of my army. Apparently, Hell will not just bow down to us, so we have to take it by force." With that, the two villains walked off towards the center of hell, seemingly chit-chatting about whatever random thing they could think of on there way.
And onthis daytwas the beginning of the War in Hell…but you aren't interested in that.
(A/N: Watch all of four people, if that, get this joke)