((A/N: Spiritua Masquerade: Hehe, the plot thickens. I think. o.O Ah well. Enjoy.))
Chapter Eleven (Kratos' PoV)
The Revelation
I went to take off at a run when we made it out the window, but I found myself on the narrow edge of a high-up windowsill, my arms wheeling wildly in an attempt to regain my balance. Right as I began to fall, however, the half-elf caught my wrist, pulling me back. Once safely balanced once more, I heaved a sigh of relief, only to be startled once more as the ledge beneath me shook violently. The room was apparently having extreme objections to being held apart as it was. I could feel him wince beside me, obviously regretting the fate of his poor saber.
"Think it'll hold up? We need that room open so we can access the controls and get us off this island." I questioned, and after a moment's pause, he nodded.
"Yeah, I think it will. That's the strongest saber I've ever wielded, so I think it can deal with a couple of measly wall-closing-in traps." Yuan replied dryly, though I could hear a shadow of doubt in his voice. I hesitated, then nodded in return. My hand slipped down to my belt, then to the sword at my right. Flamberge. My left hand joined my right at my belt, but on the opposite side.
At this point, Yuan sent me quite the strange look. The 'what in the name of all things sharp and shiny are you doing?' look. But I didn't answer him.
After a moment of indecision, I untied the leather cord attaching Flamberge's sheath to my waist, unlacing it from the belt loops and tossing the sword, sheath and all, to Yuan. He wasn't expecting this, and he just barely jerked his arms up in time to catch it, holding it before him with an incredulous look.
"Kratos, this is no time for Pass the Pointy Thing, however entertaining it is." The bluenette commented. Sarcasm and slight mockery never failed to make him appear smart when he was otherwise speechless.
"Take it, you need it more than I do." I offered, refusing to look at my faithful blade so as to make sure I didn't change my mind.
"Uh, Kratos? Unless you know something I don't, like maybe how the hell you're going to fight with no blade and why I couldn't do so myself, you need it as much as I do myself." He replied, still holding the sword out as if it were a prized artifact he was entrusted with. I reached to my boot, pulling the dagger from where it rested slipped in between the two layers of leather. I held it out before me, its silver edge gleaming proudly in the sunlight.
"See this dagger? I'm sure you've seen it before, on numerous occasions. This is Gladius, the mystic elven treasure of Ymir Forest. It is a fine fighting dagger if I've ever seen one." I replied, but he still looked skeptical.
"Kratos, what if we meet up with Big-Mean-and-Ugly again? Or worse, him and his two buddies? You can't fight them off with a dagger."
But I didn't respond. I didn't even open my mouth. Instead, I slipped my left hand under the waist of my pants, drawing out a long, hard object that was hidden under the mercenary-purple drakehide. It was a sword in a sheath, one that I've carried with me far longer than I can remember, but never once used in the last twenty years. It was Spatha, the blade given to me long ago by Thor, the man who taught me in the art of swordsmanship. Hell, it must have been over four thousand years since I received this blade... Though I hadn't drawn it since just after Lloyd was born. Now it was time to use it again.
Having tied the scabbard to my waist as Flamberge's had been, I drew it from its sheath with a familiar metallic hiss, brandishing the impressive sword a moment before resting the blade in my left hand, the hilt resting in my right. My eyes washed over the familiar sword once more, its deep violet blade glowing furiously, as if objecting to being hidden for twenty years.
Yuan's eyes, meanwhile, were as big as saucers.
"Kratos? What the hell is that?" He asked, unable to take his eyes off of my sword.
"Well, Yuan, if my eyes serve me right, it's a sword." I reply dryly, sarcasm evident in my tone.
"No, you idiot, I mean... You've had that all along? God, I think I know a guy, and he goes and pulls a big ass sword out of his pants." His voice was incredulous, though the last sentence was, I think, aimed at nobody in particular. I snorted slightly in amusement.
"If you could put your eyeballs back into your head please, Yuan, and strap Flamberge onto your belt, we may be able to escape before the whole place comes down." I advised, and this seemed to shake Yuan out of his awed state. He hastily did what I asked, and I stepped toward the edge, looking over it at the ground far below. I heard Yuan come up behind me, and I felt his hand grab my arm, as if restraining me from something.
"Kratos, I don't like that look in your eye."
"Neither do I, Yuan. Now follow my lead, and for Martel's sake, don't scream this time."
In the midst of my words, I'd turned to face him, and now that I was done, I closed my eyes, and allowed myself to fall backward over the edge. After a moment of that sickening falling sensation, and listening to Yuan scream, 'KRATOS!' over the window ledge, I opened my eyes. Time to stop myself from dying. I allowed myself to flip in midair so I was upright once more, only to see Yuan dive over the edge after me, apparently under the assumption that I was falling to my doom.
Then I saw something I thought I'd never see. A pair of light lavender wings flickered into existence on the bluenette's back. But the half-elf didn't seem to notice them, and before I could point them out, the wings had flickered into oblivion once more.
It was then that I realized I was still falling. Oh shit.
I drew Spatha, plunging its blade into the rocky cliff face. The rock there was soft, and even if it was hard, there was not a thing in Symphonia, aside from the Eternal Sword, stronger than the blade I held in my hand. With an ear-piercing screech and sparks flying left and right, the blade began to slow my descent so the impact wouldn't be fatal. I looked up, only to see Yuan watching me as if I'd jumped to my death.
"Yuan, DO IT!" I roared, and he shook his head to clear it, drawing Flamberge and repeating my maneuver so his fall as well was somewhat controlled.
Some minute later, I collapsed on the ground, my landing harsh but only mildly painful. I only just remembered to roll out of the way, before Yuan collapsed where I was laying moments before.
"Kratos?" He breathed, eyes slightly widened, chest heaving.
"Yes, Yuan?"
"Remind me to kill you, when my heart stops hammering."
"I'm afraid I'm only mildly inclined to do that, Yuan, for death at this point doesn't sound too appealing." I replied, smirking slightly in amusement.
"Ah really? You could have fooled me, with your suicide dive back there." Heaved the half-elf, rising halfway to lean on his elbows. I was only slightly paying attention, however, for I'd sat upright, and my eyes were upon my Spatha once more. Yuan cocked his head and came to sit beside me, his gaze on the sword as well.
"What's the story on this one?" The bluenette softly inquired, and I looked to him a moment, wondering how much of the story I intended to tell him.
"When I was about four thousand years younger, just before I joined you and Mithos and Mar-" I paused, unwilling to mention her name, for I knew not how it would effect him. "…-before I joined your group, I was apprentice to a man by the name of Thor. He was a different sort of man, extremely strong and imposing yet never having killed another being. He believed strongly in harmony between forces, like... He taught me all he knew in the art of swordsmanship, which was far more than most people knew and even more than most people today, but at the same time, he taught me the healing arts that those of elven blood had created. He wanted me to know how to heal those wounded as well as I knew how to wound those healed. I struggled with the healing arts, for I had not a drop of elven blood in my veins, but through some miracle I managed to learn them, and even grow skilled in them. When I bested him in a swordfight, he decided my training was through, and over the next week he crafted me a blade of the finest materials he had, and infused it with a drop of my very own blood. It turned a livid purple color, then faded to violet. So it was decided that violet was my color. Following that, he had mercenary outfits fitted and made to match, crafted of drake-hide and the most comfortable materials available. He never told me his motives behind such actions. He died within a year, too soon for me to think to ask him. Before his death, however, he told me that this blade holds amazing powers, beyond even his comprehension, and that its name is Spatha. And he was right, about the first part. It never did cease to amaze me."
A spark of recognition lit in Yuan's eyes.
"I remember this sword, from when we were on our journey. Mithos wanted it from the moment he saw it and its powers." The bluenette mused.
"Indeed he did. I'd have ran it through his heart before I let him have it, though." I agreed, and Yuan nodded. Mithos and I never did have a true friendship. I was always just a dirty human to him, no matter how many times I proved better than him at swordsmanship and magic, and no matter how many times I healed him when he got himself into a mess.
"If it's so powerful, why haven't you used it all along? You could have totally owned Mithos with it, you could have stopped him from nearly destroying the two worlds." Yuan reasoned, and I shook my head.
"By the time I realized how truly horrible his plans were, it was too late." I said softly.
"Too late? What do you mean? You could have still kicked his ass, no matter when you realized it."
"No, I couldn't. By the time I realized it, I had already vowed never to kill with it again, and had already had Flamberge crafted by angels as its replacement." My voice was even softer than before. Yuan paused, uncertain.
"Why would you not use it? Why did you make that vow?"
"The last blood this sword tasted was... Anna's." I whispered, and Yuan's eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth, obviously intending to say something comforting, but shut it again, at loss for what to say. I turned away with a 'hmph'.
"I don't want your pity, Yuan, so save it." I snarled, attempting to regain my dignity after my moment of weakness. I felt him recoil, but a moment later I felt his hand rest on my shoulder. I did not pull away, however, nor did I 'hmph' again. I guess he took this as me promising not to kill him if he spoke again.
"I know you don't, and I'm not giving you any. You're the last person I'd pity. You're strong, smart, the owner of probably the strongest sword under the Eternal Sword, and a kickass fighter."
I snorted in amusement.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to sweet-talk me." I smirked. Yuan's jaw dropped.
"Bastard." Came his reply, and I shrugged.
"If the glove fits." I agreed, rising to my feet and sliding Spatha back into its sheath. The light around us became considerably less purple now that the glow from my sword had been hidden away, and, in a sense, this new light was harsher on the eyes. I squinted a moment, before my eyes adjusted and I could open them completely once more.
I looked to the half-elf and continued. "Now come on, we need to go somewhere away from all this until we figure out how the hell we're going to work things."
"Affirmative, Captain." Came his reply, and we rose to our feet, slipping off into the forest and following a path through the undergrowth until the harsh stone walls were no longer visible behind us. Yet still I continued, for a good five minutes more.
Eventually I halted, and looked about me. Satisfied with my surroundings, I promptly sank to the dirt, my legs crossed. Looking at me quizzically, he sank to the ground beside me. Yet I did not speak. I sat staring at the dirt before me, deep in thought. The half-elf appeared even more confused at this, glancing from me to the dirt and back to me, apparently attempting to see what captured my interest.
"Yuan, in the short time that we were in its presence, what did you observe about the machine in that room? Any weaknesses, faults, or ways to otherwise shut it off?" I questioned suddenly.
"Well, there were buttons all over, but none of them seemed to be for anything crucial." He replied thoughtfully.
"Oh." I reply, my hopes deflated.
"But there were those three weird holes…" He continued, and I looked to him suddenly.
"Holes?" I demanded, and he nodded.
"Three of them. Two of them were more of indentions, though. One was circular, or close to it, one was roughly diamond-shaped, and one was a hole for apparently some sort of key."
"And you decided this unimportant enough not to mention?"
Yuan ducked his head slightly, regretting his decision.
"Well I would have if you hadn't pushed the one button that collapsed the room. I kinda forgot about the holes when I had to focus on saving your sorry ass instead." He grumbled, and I replied with a 'hmph'. We smoldered in silence for a minute or so, before he seemed to swallow his pride and continue.
"So it seems we need to locate the two objects and the key before we can even THINK of turning off the machine. This seems to get more and more complicated by the day, don't you think?"
"Agreed. I can't help but wonder how complicated things intend to get before things start clearing up." I replied, and he looked to me.
"But you've gotta admit, its not as bad as you thought it'd be, being stuck with me, now is it?" He smirked, and I shrugged in response.
"When you're not running your mouth or being a closet pervert, sure, its not that bad." I replied, causing his eyes to widen and his face to turn a slight shade of red, though whether from embarrassment or anger I'm not sure.
"Feh."
"So where are we going to start looking for said objects?" I question, offering an escape from the awkward moment.
"You're asking me? You're not going to do the 'ask Yuan, then go the opposite way' thing again, are you?" The half-elf eyed me suspiciously, and I shrugged.
"It works every time."
"Hmph. Fine. I think we should go... That-a-way." He replied, pointing to the left. I nodded, then lifted myself off to head to the right. I felt him come up beside me, nursing his pride a bit.
"You're harsh on a man's dignity, you know that, right?"
"Its my job." I shrugged, walking off down a path opposite the one Yuan indicated and feeling a strange sense of accomplishment when he followed without complaint. We expected to wander that path for a good ten minutes at the very least, but we didn't. In fact, I'd be lying if I said it was more than a minute. Thirty seconds in, Yuan broke the silence.
"Do you hear something?" He questioned. I tensed up and paused, listening for a long moment, before 'hmph'ing and continuing on my way.
"No, and neither did you. Quit being paranoid, Yuan, or nobody will believe you when a real danger is nearby." I snapped, for I was none too fond of false alarms that reveal how tense I truly was. Who wouldn't be tense though, with three dragons and numerous other dangers loose and nowhere to run?
"Shut up, bastard, and don't pretend you aren't as worried as I am." He snarled, apparently still just as distasteful of my comments. I barely kept from smirking, and thank Martel I did, else he would have exploded. Heh, I remember a time when I didn't care what the hell he said to me or how he felt... Much simpler times, those were. But for some reason, I don't much mind caring.
I suddenly felt his gaze upon me, and I tensed uncomfortably, looking over to meet his cerulean eyes.
"What's on your mind?" He asked, his voice much calmer than before. I shook my head, looking to the path ahead. His curious gaze still followed me, however. For a few seconds we walked in silence.
"Yuan... We're friends, right?"
Though I heard and felt my own vocal chords voice the question, it came of its own accord, and it sounded foreign in my ears. It sounded more like something the bluenette would ask. He seemed to think so as well, for his eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, I guess-" He started, then paused. After a moment, a grin spread across the half-elf's face. "Hell yeah we're friends, as sure as Rodyle and his dragon are lovers!"
I couldn't help but grin at his joke on the Desian Grand Cardinal.
"Why do you ask?" He continued, and I looked away. I don't know why I did, but I did. I didn't know the answer to his question. Or so I tried to think.
I realize he's awaiting an answer.
"Well, I-" I started, but I was cut off by a deafening roar. Part of me was relieved not to have to answer, but as my hand flew to Spatha's hilt, I knew that was the least of my problems.
"I told you I heard something!" Shot Yuan, his hand flying to his belt as well, but when it caught on the hilt of a sword rather than the wingpack-like object that extended into his Swallow, he glanced down in alarm. Only upon looking at the sword did he seem to recall that it was his now, and he drew it quickly, shifting it from his left hand to his right to find what felt most natural with the foreign weapon.
"You can gloat after we kick its ass." I replied, my eyes on the beast before us. We'd followed the path to the edge of a clearing, and before us stood the blood-red scaled creature that had nearly killed us eight days prior. It glared at us doubly fiercely; this beast obviously remembered us. The left head bore a scar on the crest of its nose, where I rammed Flamberge through its top jaw from the inside when it lunged at Yuan, though that seemed to have made it only the angrier. The right head eyed me with its left eye, the one I'd not gouged out in my haste to get its fang from my shoulder, and the other eye was shut to hide the bloody remains. It roared again, obviously furious. And Yuan and I both knew that furious dragons weren't to be taken lightly.
"Good luck." I offered him.
"Don't die." He replied, and as both we and the dragon charged to meet in the center, it was as if the previous battle had never ceased. I immediately fell into combat with the right head, barely dodging as its snakelike head shot toward me at inhuman speed. Only now did I realize how truly shitty mortality is, with my powers gone, my reflexes slowed, and my senses dulled. But there was nothing I could do about it, so I didn't let it distract me for more than a moment.
I lunged at the beast's throat, though I made the mistake of depending on momentum for speed as I did with the heavier Flamberge. My lunge was so slow that the dragon's jaws were in the way before I could come even near the throat, its fangs dripping and hissing slightly with acidic saliva. The jaws clamped down on my sword, but when I grabbed the hilt with both hands and threw my weight against the pull, I felt something tear in my shoulder. Releasing with both hands and gasping in pain, I fell to one knee, my right hand clutching my pained left shoulder, and the right head proceeded to shake my sword viciously, as it would its prey. When I brought my hand away, it was crimson with blood. I'd reopened my wound!
"Kratos!" I heard Yuan cry, and from the corner of my eye I saw him falter.
"The dragon!" I called back through clenched teeth, forcefully sending his attention back to the left head.
The right head seemed to scent the blood, halting in its shaking of my sword and flaring its scaly nostrils. It tossed Spatha carelessly aside, its head slowly drawing closer. It thought I was done for, I realized. It was playing with me. Playing with its food. I looked to the blood on my hand. The crimson we've come to associate with hatred and death. Yet in it, I saw a distinct purpleish hue, faint but there, mixed with miniscule flecks of ruddy brown. Aionis. My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but half-grin. I wasn't so doomed after all.
Rising to my feet, I opened my bloody hand wide, and aimed it at my sword.
"SPATHA!" I bellowed, and with a blinding flash, the sword came flying into my crimson hand, just in time to deflect a lunge from the dragon. Quickly, I swipe my hand over the wound again, muttering 'First Aid' to heal my shoulder wound and regain use of my arm.
Glancing to Yuan, I found him wielding Flamberge somewhat awkwardly, yet deftly enough to fend off most of the dragon's attacks. Again, I could scarcely believe my eyes. For a split second, a pair of light-origined wings flickered on his back, sending the left head wheeling back in alarm. He seemed confused as to why the beast recoiled, but took that opportunity to lunge at its throat. It just barely blocked it in time, having recovered from its shock a moment before.
"GO AT ITS NECK!" I called, dodging under the dragon's head to throw myself up onto its back, and watching as Yuan took the next moment to follow suit. I took my sword's hilt in my right hand, swinging it around the right head's neck to slit its throat.
In a flash of red and a blinding pain, I was flung sideways to land in a disheveled heap in the grass nearly a hundred feet away. Blinking furiously as a dizzy heat and red spots made it nearly impossible to see, I unsteadily rose back to my feet. Bastard dragon, waited 'till I was distracted and threw me off with a swing of its head. I groped around for Spatha, only to have my vision clear and to see it at the dragon's feet, the head hovering over it protectively. It seemed to dare me to come for my weapon, come to my doom. Not gonna happen, bastard. Swiping my hand over my bleeding shoulder I went to summon Spatha to me once more, only to recall that I'd used First Aid to seal the wound when my hand came back dry.
"Yuan!" I cried, and he glanced my way, dodging under the head he was fighting to fling himself my way. The dragon lingered a moment, before the right head picked up Spatha between its jaws and the crimson beast came slowly toward us.
"Are you hurt?" Yuan replied, but I made no reply, placing my left hand on his blade to steady it, and running it through my right hand. The bluenette's eyes widened in surprise as I hissed in pain, sliding the sword from my newest wound and returning it to Yuan. "What the hell?" He demanded, but I again ignored his words, rising to my feet and roaring once more.
"SPATHA!" The sword flashed, and flew from the dragon's jaws, jerking out the fangs that were holding it in place. The dragon howled in pain and rage as I reached out and clasped the handle with my bleeding hand. It flashed slightly upon contact with my hand, and the dragon took this as its cue to finish us off before I could become any more of a threat. It lunged toward us, swinging its wings to propel it toward us and give its lunge the element of speed. We leapt into the fray, and the battle was even fiercer than before, no time for thought between each lunge and swing. Eventually, the dragon grew impatient, as it did with the first fight. And an impatient dragon is even more dangerous than a pissed off one.
The next time its head shot toward me, I scarcely avoided being bitten in half, and while my balance was still off, it swiped out with a lightning-fast forelimb and flung me away once more. This time I landed on my feet, though the force sent me to one knee and skidding backwards. I rose to my feet, just in time to see both heads snaking at Yuan.
"Yuan!" I cried, and my sword flashed. "JUDGMENT!"
A blinding light flew from the end of my sword and rained down on the dragon, and I felt the strength fly from my body like freed birds from a cage. I heard the dragon give a roar of agony as I dropped to one knee, one hand on the ground to steady myself and my head resting on my raised knee. I felt the static feeling of mana slowly dissipate, but I found myself unable to rise, or do anything more than breathe heavily, and even that took effort. But I couldn't help but feel triumphant, however weak my grip on consciousness was. The dragon was dead, and we were alive. Well, I am. But was I soon enough to save Yuan?
My question was answered by the sound of footfalls, pounding ever-closer at running speed. I felt him crouch beside me and wrap an arm around my shoulder, attempting to keep me from falling. I couldn't help it; I collapsed heavily into this support, feeling as if I was near death, unable to catch my breath, dizzy and weakened beyond measure. A moment he hesitated, before wrapping his other arm around me as well, and resting his chin on my head.
"It's over... We won." I heard him murmur, though his voice was unsteady, and betrayed how bewildered he truly was. I perhaps could have figured out why, had my brain not been clouded by fatigue. I opened my mouth to speak, but found my mind so clouded that I'd forgotten how. It took a few moments, but I sorted out what words I wished to use, and forced my mouth and tongue to form them.
"You... are unharmed?"
My words were somewhat slurred, though intelligible enough for him to understand.
"Yeah, thanks to you..." He paused, then laughed dryly. "Do you have a death wish or something? That'd be the third time you've nearly killed yourself saving me."
I paused, sorting out his words in my head. I knew the answer to his question, however much I tried to deny it when my thinking was clear. I just didn't know how to voice it, and I had an acute feeling that for some reason, it would be the wrong thing to say.
"You can't die..." I murmured. He snorted slightly in dry amusement.
"And what does my life mean to you, the Mighty Kratos?"
"If you die... I will be alone again." I slowly replied, and I felt him tense. For nearly a minute we sat there in silence, before he slowly relaxed.
"I won't die." He softly assured me, but obviously found the situation awkward, because he laughed slightly again. "You don't seem about to let me anytime soon anyways."
"No." I agreed, having recovered enough to grin slightly.
That's another thing. Before Yuan, I never smiled, let alone grinned. I guess he just has that effect on a person. If you look at him when he's the Renegade Leader, rough and cold, you'd never guess he could smile, laugh, joke. But when you're his only ally on a hellhole island, that strong façade is abandoned.
It's strange… The last time I felt like this was before Martel died. When Yuan and I were the closest of friends. Yes, as much as he wanted to kill me when we came to this goddessforsaken island, we were once friends. It was always me and Yuan off on our dangerous journey, with his significant other, Martel, and Martel's little brother, Mithos. Mithos was determined to split Yuan and Martel up, to purge his group of the 'worthless human' and the one who took his sister from him. It's funny how alliances switched when Martel was killed. Mithos declared me his closest ally, which I later found meant 'official thug', and Yuan his third-in-command. All his hatred vanished when we followed him on his quest.
I don't know when he started hating me, just as I don't know when that hatred turned to friendship. All I know is, we're friends now, and... For some strange reason, I dreaded leaving this island even more than staying on it. When he was no longer forced to accompany me, would he remain? That's what I wondered. And I would continue to wonder 'till that day comes.
"How did you do it?" Came his voice, interrupting my thoughts.
"Do what?" I replied distractedly.
"You used Judgment." He replied, and the vision of the blinding angelic attack flashed through my mind once more.
With what remained of my strength, I lifted my wounded hand, resting it palm-up on his arm. The blood still flowed freely.
"Aionis." I explained, and I heard a faint 'ohh' of realization.
"Kratos, that could have killed you!" He suddenly objected, and my eyes widened. "Aionis in its raw form, when not channeled through a Cruxis Crystal, is dangerous. It's so powerful that an Exsphere is too weak to channel it. Very few can use it successfully, and fewer still can survive such usage."
"But since I can...?" I questioned, and I felt him shake his head.
"Too risky. What if you screw up, lose focus, falter... Kratos, what if you die? I... I don't want to be alone either..." His last sentence was whispered. After a moment he seemed to realize what he'd said, because he cleared his throat slightly in an uncomfortable fashion. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to kill Big Scaly's brothers on my own, now would I?"
"Of course not." I agreed, forcing myself to believe that was the only value my life held to the Renegade, for it would complicate things beyond belief if it was anything more. There was another pause, this one far less awkward than the last.
"Can you stand?" He asked, and I hesitated a moment, before my pride and dignity forced me to nod. And now that I'd nodded, I had to stand, even if it killed me. Damned pride and dignity.
I felt his arms slowly withdraw from where they were, and knew fully well how thoroughly I could have tormented him about it, but for once I felt no such urges. I felt him slowly rise and, after a moment, I rose to join him, my legs unsteady. A whole new wave of dizziness washed over me, and I swayed slightly despite myself. Yuan took this as his cue to grab my upper arm to make sure I didn't collapse again. My pride and dignity told me to jerk my arm away, to stand on my own two legs without aid, but the chances of that endeavor proving successful were next to none, so I grudgingly accepted his aid. When my dizziness cleared, I met his gaze with my own, and he released his grip on my arm, though somewhat warily.
I felt my limbs move of their own accord, taking me to the corpse of the dragon. Even in death, its ferocity and foreboding presence were enough to cause me to hesitate before approaching it. After a moment, I swallowed my hesitations and approached, crouching before the jewel at its chest. Yuan came and crouched beside me, his eyes upon the blood-red gem.
"I suppose this is what kept them inside the building before we came and freed them?" He mused, and I nodded.
"The ceiling must have been a shock-field, reacting when the jewel comes too close. That's the only way they could have kept three massive dragons contained."
"Indeed," he replied, and we fell into silence a moment after.
I hesitated before asking this question, unsure of how Yuan would react. "How did you do it?"
He gave me the look that questioned my sanity.
"Do what?"
"Your wings, they came back... But they disappeared again afterward." I explained, his eyes widening more with each word.
"When!" He demanded, obviously unaware of such appearances.
"Once when you were falling toward me, and once when you were fighting the dragon." I recalled, and Yuan seemed equal parts confused and surprised.
"I don't know, I never noticed it, I was too busy saving your sorry ass to pay attention, or at least trying to."
"Hmm... Curious..." I mused, smirking slightly.
"Curious? What's curious? You're starting to sound like that half-elf chick that traveled with your son, now tell me before I reopen your bellybutton."
As threatening as he intended that, I couldn't help it. I laughed. And soon, he joined in too. So we sat their laughing for a good while. Any who saw us would have been sure we were insane. But nobody was there to see us, so it's a win-win situation either way.
Suddenly, his laughing stopped short. His eyes were fixed on the crimson jewel.
"Yuan?" I prompted.
"The jewel, Kratos, it's... circular." He replied. I raised an eyebrow.
"Very good, Yuan, you sure know your shapes." I smirked, and he sighed in exasperation.
"No, It's circular, one of the holes was circular, it might fit in the hole!" He explained, and my eyes widened.
"Come to think of it... You're right." I agreed, reaching out to touch the jewel. I hesitated before it a moment, due to some irrational notion that it may burn or shock or otherwise harm me, but eventually my fingers locked around the blood-red stone. To my surprise, it came free with painless ease. My hand dropped slightly with the added weight before I brought it back toward us, examining both sides. It seemed to have been connected to the beast with the dragon's own mana, and now that it was dead, the jewel came free. No trace of adhesives remained on the flat face.
"So we've got our first key thingy, though we had to kick the dragon's ass to do it. Are the other two on the other two dragons?" He asked.
"No... Tell me if this sounds as stupid as I think it's going to sound, but-"
"It's stupid." He interrupted. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and he shrugged. "You offered to let me call you stupid, I decided to take that opportunity. Continue."
"Um, okay... I think that the three objects must be obtained by passing three impassable tests." I explain.
"Like-...?" He prompted, and I shrugged.
"If I hadn't used the Aionis, it would have been nearly impossible to beat the dragon. So it was an impassible test of our strength. There must be one about our mental strength-"
"You'll fail that one for sure..." He interrupted, but I ignored him.
"-like a puzzle or a riddle or something we have to solve, and the last one... I'm not sure. Maybe it's both put together." I finished, and he smirked.
"What, you mean we have to say our ABC's while fighting a dragon?"
"Shut up." I replied, and he was silent. "Now all we have to do is decide what to do with this dragon. We can't just leave it here, or the others will find it and get extra pissed off because we killed their comrade."
Yuan looked to the dragon, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head.
"... I wonder how dragon tastes..."
((Spiritua: SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I was grounded for a while.
By the way Spatha looks like this: (Just in case it doesn't let me post a link, here it is again but with spaces: http/ img .photobucket .com /albums /v641 /ArissaMay /My20Life /spatha .jpg : take out all the spaces)
Meowzy: Darnit! Another awesome chapter by Spiritua! How am I supposed to compete with that?))