Ch. 11: Palmacosta
Young: That's right guys, another chapter. And guess what? Over three thousand words! Also, there is a bit of violence and gore in this chapter. Its not much, but I thought I should warn you in case any of you are squeamish.
Lloyd: Thanks. Imma look away now.
Me: You're silly Lloyd! But I also feel the need to address the fact that someone reviewed last chapter complaining about how Lloyd was afraid of Colette, therefore it leaves the story open to be a Shelloyd. While I appreciate the criticism, I feel the need to point out that the pairings are undecided. And also the fact that there is no pairing for this story. And even if it was, it wouldn't be the main point. I'm really sorry for ranting like this, but honestly...Anyways, Lloyd disclaim me please.
Lloyd: Young doesn't own ToS or Namco
Me: Onward! Enjoy!
As they stepped off of the boat, Lloyd could have kissed the ground had he been human. Instead he chose to flop down on his belly and close his eyes, thanking whatever gods there were that they had made it safely to land. He looked over as something fell down next to him, and wasn't surprised to see Raine laying on the ground as well.
"Oh Martel...I'm so glad that's over.." The half-elf murmured.
Lloyd let out something that seemed like it was wolf's version of a laugh.
"I'm sorry..." Colette murmured apologetically.
Picking himself up from the cobblestone street, Lloyd gently nosed Raine to her feet. With that, the group looked towards the bustling shopping center. Or at least, it should have been bustling. Lloyd growled in warning and sniffed the air. He smelled blood. Eyes narrowed, he darted away from the group, running through the empty streets.
It was when he reached the main road that he paused, and sniffed the air once more. The smell was stronger, and to his right. He pressed himself against the wall of a building, peering around the corner only to see three Desians carrying an unconscious girl out of the town. He was about to dash after them when someone whispered his name.
"Arkus! What are you doing, boy?" Genis called, running up to the wolf.
He turned his golden gaze to Genis and growled before turning his eyes back to where the Desians had been. They had disappeared out of sight. But then something else reached his nostrils. It was the stench of more blood. Ignoring the others, he dashed towards where the smell was coming from.
That was when he reached the town's square. It was desolate, completely empty, save for one woman who lay in the middle. She was covered in blood and had her eyes closed, but Lloyd could tell that she was alive, even if it was just barely. He ran to her and brushed his nose against her face, whining, and then turned to see if the group had followed him.
"Arkus!" Genis shouted, running to the wolf. And then he noticed the body.
Raine followed close behind her brother, having already seen the woman. She pulled out her staff and knelt, murmuring healing spells over the multiple gashes that covered the older female's body. They began to close, and thankfully they weren't deep at all.
Not but a few moments later, the woman opened her eyes.
She shot up, gasping for air and looking around, "Chocolat! Where's Chocolat?!"
"Do you know what happened here...?" Raine murmured, staring at the woman curiously.
The woman seemed to realize that there were other people around her, and that the square was completely empty, "Y-yes...the Desians came and everyone hid in the Church. Chocolat was...she was outside and- and-" She began to sob, bringing her hands to her face and crying into them.
Colette went over to her and knelt, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I know its hard...but could you please finish the story? I'd like the know if there was something we could do." The blonde Chosen tried to smile faintly at her in an attempt to cheer the woman up.
"I'm sorry...the Desians took Chocolat, my daughter. I tried to stop them, but you saw what happened to me. Please, I don't know who you are, but please save my Chocolat. I beg of you." The woman looked pleadingly into Colette's eyes, before burying her face into her hands once more, weeping quietly.
Colette turned her gaze to Raine, a questioning look on her face.
"I would rather we didn't. It's too much of a distraction from our Journey." The half-elf murmured in response to the look, but placed one hand on her chin, "But I suppose if the Chosen wished it, then we really couldn't refuse, could we?" Blue eyes shone with emotion, hoping Colette would get her meaning.
Lloyd barked in agreement, wanting nothing but to tear those Desians apart.
Colette smiled, "I think we should go find Chocolat then. What good would this journey be if we couldn't help the people right in front of us, right?" The blonde looked back to the woman on the ground, smiling faintly, "We will gladly find your daughter for you. Where was she taken, miss...?"
The woman looked up, a small smile on her face, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She paused, then spoke once more, "My name is Cacao, and I believe she was taken to the Palmacosta Ranch. There were some others taken as well, that tried to stand up to the Desians."
"We will rescue them." Genis murmured, looking determined.
And with that, they all stood once more, deciding they should get going as soon as possible so Arkus could follow their scent trail. It was as they were walking over the bridge that led to the other half of the town that someone called out to them. Lloyd turned his yellow gaze on the man, growling.
"Please, allow me to come with you. I would like to help you rescue the townspeople."
"And who are you?" Raine stated, crossing her arms and glaring.
"My name is Neil. I'm the assistant to Governor General Dorr who runs this town." The man spoke, placing a hand on his chest.
"Would it be okay if he came with us, Professor? He looks like he really wants to help." Colette pleaded.
Raine sighed, but agreed.
And so they left the barren city.
xXxXx
Lloyd couldn't hold back a wince as the odd mana of the warp pad pulled at his fur. They'd left Neil a while ago with the prisoners. He'd promised that they would take the secret entryway and escape. Meanwhile the group would go and take care of Magnius, having found out that Palmacosta could be attacked at any point even if they did rescue everyone.
Unfortunately Chocolat was no where to be found.
That is, until they arrived in Magnius' chamber.
Chocolat was tied and bound, crouching in a corner. Three Desians stood guard around her, eying the new arrivals with glaring eyes. Magnius sat in a chair in the middle of the room, a wicked grin on his face. He stood and hefted his ax over his shoulder, still grinning madly.
"Ah...look who decided to show up. And I suppose you think you're here to rescue this girl? And all the others?" When the others did not respond, the half-elf let out a bark of laughter, eyes twinkling with an insanity that only lusted for blood, "Well good luck with that. As we speak your rescue squad is being trapped."
Suddenly a projected image of Neil and the prisoners being stuck behind locked doors was shown in the middle of the room. Raine gasped, but Genis and Colette only bore confused looks. Lloyd narrowed his eyes, wondering what sorcery this was.
"How did Neil get in there?" Colette asked, dumbfounded.
"Its a projector, a form of magitetechnology." Raine responded, frowning.
Magnius frowned, an annoyed look on his face, "But it doesn't matter. You will all die here. Besides, I don't think Chocolat would like to be rescued by her grandmother's killers." The Grand Cardinal spat, the profoundly evil grin back on his face as he leaned forward on his ax.
Genis' eyes widened, realizing what he meant, "Wait, do you mean...?"
"Yes. I mean exactly that. That old woman, what was her name? Oh yes...Marble. You were the ones who took her life. Isn't that a shocker, dear Chocolat? Would you like these murders to help you?" The red haired Desian turned his manic gaze on the girl now cowering in the corner.
"T-that's a lie! You're lying!" Chocolat shouted, eyes wide.
"Ah...but I'm not, you stupid human."
Lloyd chose this moment to growl, golden eyes narrowing dangerously. He gathered himself, preparing to launch his body at the Cardinal. He didn't care if the man was larger than him, or stronger than him. Nobody was allowed to talk about Marble like that. With a yip, he charged forward, and bit into the man's shoulder.
Not but one second later the wolf was thrown away with a flick of the man's wrist.
Magnius growled, placing a hand on his wound, "Filthy mutt. No matter. Men, attack!"
And so the battle began.
Lloyd attempted to get himself standing again, shaking his head to try and remove the dizzy feeling he was getting. The world just wouldn't seem to stop spinning. He growled in annoyance, but gave himself a couple more seconds to get his vision clear again. When it did, he rushed the nearest Desian, claws breaking through the armor, and his teeth finding the one part of his neck that wasn't protected by the thick leather.
His golden gaze next landed on a particularly large Desian that was attacking Colette. She was managing to dodge fairly well, but her moves were becoming sloppy. He could tell she was going to trip. With a growl he launched himself at the enemy. The half-elf managed to move out of the way, but as he went by Lloyd caught him in the stomach with one of his clawed paws.
"Good boy!" Colette said with a smile.
Lloyd turned away from to find Kratos struggling to block Magnius' large ax with his sword. He felt an unnatural rage begin to build inside him. Someone was attacking the alpha. Someone dared to attack the alpha. No one had the right. He used that rage to propel himself forward, digging his claws deep into the Cardinals abdomen and just barely avoiding a swipe from the large ax as he ran by.
Kratos nodded at him in silent thanks before focusing himself back on the battle at hand. It didn't take much longer for the big boss to go down, a few more claw swipes from Lloyd and a couple strikes of a sword and he fell to the ground, a bloody mess. The rest of the underlings were easily taken care of by Genis, Raine and Colette.
As Magnius began to die, he murmured, blood spilling from his lips as he spoke, "You fools...you really think...this ends it...? Dorr has...always been..." Before the last words could be spoken, the half-elf's eyes glazed over, and his body went limp, all signs of life leaving him instantly.
"Where's Chocolat?" Colette murmured, keeping her eyes away from the corpse.
It took everyone else a moment to realize Colette was right. The brown haired girl had completely disappeared. Along with her three guards. Lloyd whined, upset that they had lost the one thing they came here to rescue. But they had something else now. Apparently something was going on with Dorr.
"We should get going now. This place is going to explode in about ten minutes."
Everyone looked to Raine with confused looks.
"I've set the self destruct system to go off in ten minutes." The half-elf responded calmly.
And just like that they were all dashing for the exit.
Once outside, they met up with Neil again, and told him about what Magnius had said.
"It would be best if we went and spoke to Dorr about this himself." Kratos spoke.
Neil nodded solemnly, "I hope the Governor isn't involved in any of this..."
So with that, they made their way back to Palmacosta.
When they arrived to the Governor's building Colette murmured, more to herself than anything, that she could hear voices coming from down below. The group decided to investigate, with Kratos leading the way in case something were to happen, or someone were to attack. Lloyd stayed by his side, feeling that slight bit of protective rage still burning strong in his stomach.
He didn't even care about it that much at this point.
"Dammit! Why did those fools have to go and- "
"Governor General Dorr?" Neil spoke up, stepping to the front of the group.
"N-Neil? Why are you down here?! Didn't I strictly tell you not to bring anyone down here? Not that it matters anymore..." The blonde man looked towards a wall that was covered with a white sheet, sorrow evident on his face, "I'm...sorry, Clara." He murmured to himself.
"What do you mean?" Neil spoke, "Your wife is dead..."
Dorr looked back to Neil, a mad look in his eyes, "Dead?! No...worse. She is a monster!" The man reached up and tore at the white sheet, revealing the green creature caged within, "She was turned into this by the Desians! But they were going to fix her...I just had to give them a little more money...and you! You ruined it! You've ruined everything!"
For a moment, the Governor looked as if he were going to attack them, but then his eyes went wide as a long purple claw was shoved through his chest. Blood gushed from the wound as Dorr fell to his knees. His eyes landed on his killer. His own daughter..? "Kilia...when did you...get here...?" He gasped painfully.
The creature, no longer in her human form, laughed wickedly, "You honestly thought I was your daughter? That's a laugh. Your real daughter was killed when your wife was turned into that thing. You humans are so foolish." The demon grinned and turned her gaze towards the group, "And you shall all be the next to die!"
Lloyd growled, annoyed at the fact he had to fight again, but he knew that this was for a good cause. He knew it was worth it. So he launched himself into the fray and silently prayed it would be a quick one. The creature lashed out at him with its claws, and he jumped to the side, kicking out with one of his legs. But said limb was grabbed and he found himself flying through the air.
He hit the wall with a thud and whimpered, feeling something crack in response to the impact. When he tried to stand, he found that the leg that had been grabbed hurt like a bitch. He growled, and tried to stand without using it. But that caused him to lean to one side and almost fall over, so he was forced to stay by the wall and watch the fight.
Raine seemed to notice his plight and made her way over to him.
"Are you injured Arkus?" She murmured, kneeling by him.
He whined and gestured with his head towards his leg.
She felt the injury with her hand, causing him to yelp. The half-elf quietly apologized before feeling the break again, this time more gently. She murmured something to herself, and a green light began to wash over the leg, "A clean break. You should be able to stand again, just don't overdo it." With that she stood and went back to the fight.
Lloyd found himself really grateful to have someone like her on the team.
As he stood he realized that his leg felt much better. There was still a bit of pain to stand on it, but he could walk on it now. That being said, he launched himself back into the battle, this time more conscious of where his limbs were being thrown. He didn't to hit another wall.
The fight was long, but eventually the creature was fading from existence.
Lloyd plopped himself onto his side, breath coming in gasps.
Fighting on an injured leg? Not a good idea.
"I'm so glad that's over..." Genis murmured, sitting down next to Lloyd.
"What will you do now, Neil?" Colette asked.
Guards had come down during the fight and had taken care of Dorr's body after hearing Neil's explanation as to what in the world had been going on. The city had been in a brief chaotic state before Neil had gone out and assured everyone that everything was fine and being handled.
But now, the man just looked unsure of what to do.
"I think I'll try and be the Governor for now, at least until the city can get back on its feet. Then we can formally elect someone. But that's irrelevant. I want to thank you all for what you've done. You've helped this city so much." Neil smiled at them, and bowed slightly, "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Could we possibly get a place to stay for the night? We're all very tired." Raine questioned, exhaustion evident on her face.
Neil nodded, "Yes, of course. I will reserve the finest rooms at the inn for you. Just give the innkeeper your names and he will show you where to go. Please enjoy your stay in this city, and don't be afraid to ask for anything else, should you need it."
With that, they all moved upstairs and headed towards the inn.
But not before being stopped once more by a familiar face.
"Chosen! I'm so sorry about earlier." An older woman spoke up, "I did not know you were the Chosen. I shouldn't have asked you to try and rescue Chocolat for me, for it distracted you from your Journey. Please find it in your heart forgive me." Cacao, Lloyd realized, bowed, a sad look on her face.
Colette smiled in return, "Please, it was my pleasure. I just wish we could have saved her..."
"No! I'm happy that you tried. Please come to my shop should you ever need supplies." And with that, Cacao shuffled her way back towards the building she'd come out of, a smile on her face as she left.
"C'mon guys, lets go to the inn. I'm exhausted." Genis murmured.
Lloyd couldn't agree more.
TBC