Alaia Skyhawk: Hi there, sorry for taking so long to update. Here's chapter 38. Now for the disclaimer.
I don't own Tales of Symphonia so please don't sue me. I do however own Krishka, Dallinius (Dalli), Aluran, the Alurannai and any OCs, except Sanaro and Annule, who belong to Mr.Who2123, so please don't steal them...
Enjoy
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Chapter 38: The Unicorn.
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It had taken them two weeks to travel from Talavere to Lake Umacy, and during that time Martel had suffered another fainting spell. Checking her over showed that the crystallisation of her skin had spread across most of the front of her right shoulder. It had been just under four months since the discovery of Martel's illness and the time spent travelling was starting to eat away at them. A day spent travelling was a day lost from the time Martel had before the illness would kill her. No one showed this more than her brother. Every time she had had to stop and sleep because of exhaustion, he would sit next to her looking lost and forlorn. Having seen this, Kratos began to wonder if Mithos were becoming a little too dependent on his sister, and decided that he would ask Dallinius to try and give the boy more confidence in himself. Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind of the memory of Mithos' worried and lost expression, Kratos looked across the crystal clear lake that lay before them and then turned to his companions.
"Well since men cannot approach a unicorn, Vayla, Martel, if you would like to go look. There should be no enemies here; a unicorn would not stay here if there were."
Vayla coughed into her hand.
"Kratos, you do remember that only a 'pure' maiden can approach a unicorn don't you..." Kratos frowned at her, a little confused at her question. Of course he remembered that. She continued. "While I am... but Martel..."
She petered of and looked sidelong at Martel and Yuan who were blushing while Mithos looked at them confused. Kratos, the faintest hint of colour on his cheeks, realised his mistake.
"Um... Vayla you go look for the unicorn by yourself. We'll wait here."
His crèche mate chuckled and walked off along the lakeshore. Mithos continued to look around confused.
"What did she mean?"
Martel and Yuan turned an even deeper red. Kratos cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at Mithos.
"You'll understand when you're older."
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As she strolled along the side of the lake, Vayla admired the beauty of this area of untouched countryside. Lake Umacy was acknowledged by all to be a place sacred to the Summon Spirits. Summoners would come here from all over the world to try and make a pact with one of the numerous lesser summon spirits that could be found here... if you knew what to look for. She watched as a squirrel-like spirit up in a tree, taunted a dog-like spirit on the ground. To the casual onlooker this would be seen as a stray dog barking at the local wildlife, since unless the person was a summoner, or the spirits allowed the person to understand them, they would hear nothing but barks and chittering from each of the respective spirits.
She shook her head and continued down the side of the lake, stopping to watch the antics of the local residents wasn't going to help her find the unicorn... but then again maybe it could. Vayla reversed her direction and went back to where the two spirits were throwing insults at each other.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for the unicorn that lives around here. Could you tell me where I can find it?" The squirrel and the dog continued to argue with each other. Insults like 'Flea bitten Butt Sniffer!' and 'Rat faced Nut Muncher!' going back and forth between the two. Vayla cleared her throat to try and get their attention...
"Go did a hole bury yourself, it would save the world having to look at your scruffy ass!"
"Why don't you go stick your head between a tree and a woodpecker, it might improve your looks!"
Vayla waited for a few more moments before...
"THERE'S SOMEONE TRYING TO ASK A POLITE QUESTION HERE!"
The dog jumped so high he nearly hit the branch above him... The squirrel flinched and lost his footing, slipping off the branch to fall past the upward moving dog, landing on the ground with a thud. He looked up to see the dog coming back down.
"AHHH!"
Vayla winced as the dog landed on the squirrel. After a moment the dog sat up and looked around.
"Where's Trili?" This was followed by the muffled sound of Trili cursing underneath him. He looked down between his legs as he stood up, to see a rather squashed Trili. He smirked. "Hey, now who's a 'butt sniffer'?"
Trili dragged himself up out of the dent he had made in the soft ground and glared at the dog.
"You're lucky I didn't want to bite your slimy butt, Diego, or you would be missing your tail right now."
Diego wagged the aforementioned tail and gave Trili an amused look.
"But I like my tail."
Trili groaned, walked from under Diego, shaking his head and then climbed back up the tree. Vayla giggled, the two of them were obviously friends even if they wouldn't admit it. Diego looked at her and went into tail wagging frenzy when he sensed that she was a summoner. She smiled.
"I wanted to ask you something. I'm looking for the unicorn that lives around here, I need its help to save a friend of mine from an illness she has."
Trili tilted his head.
"You mean Darsa? He lives around the waterfall in the next cove over." He pointed in the direction she had been headed. Diego hopped up and down on the spot.
"Follow me! Follow me! I'll show you! I'll show you!"
He bounded off, Trili muttered to himself and followed through the trees above. Soon enough they rounded the corner into the next cove and came to the waterfall, Vayla looking around for Darsa. Suddenly part of the waterfall's flow was interrupted by the tip of a pearly white spear passing through it. This turned out to be a long and graceful horn followed by the delicately built head of the unicorn. Water flowed over Darsa's withers as he came through the water and stood before her. He stood there with the sunlight shining on his pure white mane and tail and the tufts of longer hair around the delicate hooves that ended his slender and graceful legs. He looked at her with a kindly light in his eyes.
You seek my help, child of the forest?
Vayla gave him a half bow of respect.
"Yes, a friend of mine is sick due to her body's rejection of her cruxis crystal. I need your help to fuse mana fragment and zircon together in order to craft her a rune crest."
Darsa nodded.
Very well. You must cast the healing spell called Resurrection, I will focus it using my power.
Vayla got the two materials out of her ver and held them out in one hand. Darsa placed the tip of his horn against them as Vayla called on the mana for the spell. A white spell circle flashed beneath her feet.
"RESSURECTION!"
The magic pooled in her hand, guided by Darsa's power. When the light faded, Vayla found herself holding not two separate items, but one piece of silvery-blue metal. Mana zircon. Darsa turned and walked back to his home behind the waterfall.
Good luck on your journey, child of the forest... Farewell.
Vayla inclined her head at Darsa's retreating back. Then walked away.
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Noishe whined, he could see a particularly ripe apple in the tree above him, but since he couldn't fly anymore, he couldn't get it. He circled the tree, trying to fathom a way of getting it down. He loved apples but the group had run out of them, much to his disappointment. He had tried thumping and shaking the tree to no affect, but was reluctant to try magic since it was more than likely he'd end up with apple sauce smeared across the local vegetation. He whined again.
/You want some help with that?./
Annule came over. Noishe watched him enviously as he extended his wings and fluttered up to the hanging apple, which he daintily picked using his teeth and carried back down to Noishe. He set the apple in front of Noishe before going back up to pick one for himself. Noishe wagged his tail happily at him when he came back down.
Thanks
Annule's eye glittered with amusement.
/Don't mention it./
"What are you two up to?"
They turned as Dalli came over.
/There are some nice apples up there but Noishe couldn't reach them. So I picked him one./
Dalli gave them a canine smile before teleporting up the tree and getting one for himself. Once back on the ground the three of them proceeded to enjoy their apples. When they were done, Dalli vanished and then reappeared holding a cloth sack which he gave to Noishe. Understanding without words, Noishe took the sack and held it open with his teeth. It would be some time before the group would run out of apples again...
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Sanaro sat off to one side of the campfire. He had been fussing over the object in his lap for some time, polishing and oiling it. Satisfied that it was perfectly clean, he looked up.
"Mithos, come over her. I have something for you."
The boy came over .
"Really? What is it?" His eyes widened when he saw what Sanaro held. "Oh wow! Is that?"
Sanaro smiled and unsheathed the blade, the sunlight glinted off its polished silvery length.
"Yes, Mithos, it's your first steel blade. Kratos and I have decided that you're ready for it... But before I let you use it, you're going to learn how to look after it properly."
Martel glanced over at the two of them as the ex-knight began teaching Mithos the proper way to clean and sharpen a steel sword. Chuckling, she returned to stirring the pot of her much loved stew. With her free hand she rubbed at the patch of crystal that now stiffened her shoulder to the point where she could barely lift her arm above her head anymore. She knew that everyone would do their best to get her cured, but she couldn't help but fear that they wouldn't succeed before the illness killed her.
If something were to happen to me... how would it affect Mithos? He relies on me so much... too much. I know the others would look after him, but I hate to think that he would fall into despair without me. She looked over at her brother's happy smile as he talked to Sanaro about swords. Would his friendship with them be enough... or would he push them away? ...I should try and get him to spread his reliance between us... Maybe then... I wouldn't have to worry about how he would react if something does happen to me.
It was then, much to the surprise of the three of them, that Kratos, who had gone for a 'walk', entered the camp followed by seven alurannai. Martel looked at him questioningly.
"What are they doing here?"
Kratos looked at her amused.
"Remember when I said that if asked, the alurannai would help if they were in a position to do so?" She nodded. "Well since it would take us close to three months to reach Heimdall, I decided to ask the alurannai if they would take us to the Y'mir forest through the Tree Lords... they agreed. We can leave as soon as we're ready."
Mithos looked confused.
"But how did you call the jiisumura? I didn't hear you use the whistle."
One of the alurannai stepped forward.
"Because he came across me as he walked towards the Sentinel on the hill over there." He pointed along the side of the lake, in the opposite direction to the one that Vayla had taken earlier. "He asked me if I could relay the request and I did. Of course it was approved and now here we are."
Mithos nodded in understanding, and then asked another question.
"But why are there only seven of you, there are nine in our group?"
It was Kratos who explained.
"Summon spirits and protozoans can use the Tree Lords on their own, so that leaves only seven of us requiring help."
"Oh..."
It was then that Vayla arrived back at camp with a smile of success on her face. She waved the piece of mana zircon for them to see, not blinking twice at the sight of the alurannai... After all it had been her idea to arrange it.
"I found the unicorn and he helped. Now all we need is the Mana Leaf Herb and a dwarf willing to help, and Martel will be cured."
Mithos practically jumped up and down in happiness.
"That's great! And with the alurannai's help we'll be in Heimdall tomorrow and we..."
He stopped at the sight of Noishe and Annule carrying a bulging sack between them, their tails waving like a pair of banners. Dalli, who was riding on top of it, said in an important sounding voice.
"We bring apples for the people suffering from apple deprivation! Everyone rejoice!"
Instead... everyone broke out into a mix of chuckles, giggles and outright laughter as Dalli 'ruled' from on high atop his throne of apples.
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Alaia Skyhawk: And there you have it. I'll update soon.