HEART OF THE SWORD
By: Alithiel
Disclaimer: Hi! This is a video game fic based off of the Namco game 'Tales of Destiny', probably one of the best old school RPGs out there! If you haven't played the game all the way through, I recommend you turn back, 'cause there WILL be spoilers! If you haven't played the game at all, you probably won't get it anyway. I wrote this fic because it REALLY ticked me off how the ended the game! *Sniff * Just to be clear, I do not own the game, the characters, or the Swordians. I do own Sariless, though, and you can't have her! HA! *cough *
Chapter 1: Reunion.
~High in the sky, The Aethersphere hung low over the Earth, casting a shadow like the very precursor of doom. In the city below, hundreds of people huddled together, rich beside poor, noble beside beggar, unconscious of station, all eyes universally fixed on the sky above. Hope began to wane as all thoughts were swept away in a tide of fear. Suddenly, an enormous explosion rocked the shell, and brilliant trails of light incised the dark surface above. Large pieces of the shell began to break apart, falling harmlessly in the sea as the people watched in amazement. A loud cheer erupted from the citizens of Darilsheid. 'The Swordian Masters have done it!' 'Thank Atamoni!' 'The Aethersphere is dissolving!' 'Dycroft must have been destroyed!' A lone, cloaked figure stood far away from the crowd, watching the pieces of the sky fall like tears. Then, the figure turned and walked away. 'Yes, we have been saved.but at what cost?'~
Stahn Aileron jerked forcefully awake, smacking his head on the bunk above him. A muffled curse escaped him as he tried to untangle himself from his blankets. The ghost of the dream still haunted him. He sat on the edge of his bed, unheeding of the sunshine streaming through the window. The light shone on his blond hair like fire. Again, the same dream! Why would he dream about the destruction of the Aethersphere? That was three years ago! He sighed, familiar sadness stealing over him. It had been three years, three years since he and his friends had destroyed the single force capable of tearing their world apart. Stahn himself had been drawn into an intricate web of betrayal and the thirst for power completely by accident. He had stowed away on the dragonship Draconis, and had met Dymlos there. Dymlos was what was called a Swordian, a sentient sword with elemental attributes. The Swordians were created at the time of the Aether Wars. Stahn scratched his head as he struggled to recall of the story.
A thousand years ago, a comet slammed into the planet, throwing tons of dust into the atmosphere and plunging the planet into an eternal winter. The people searched for a way to escape. A group of researchers had been able to build floating cities that lifted people past the layer of dust and into the light of the sun. Unfortunately, the people who moved o the cities, called Aeropolises, felt that they the right to rule the people stuck on the ground. The Aetherians, as they called themselves, created a terrible weapon called Belcrant to use on the Erth'ers, or ground dwellers. That was how the Aether Wars began. Fortunately, the reserchers defected to the Erth'ers side, developing the Swordians to be used in their defense. There were six in total. The essences of the people who wielded them in the great war seeped into the core crystals of the swords, which acted kind of like a heart. They each had an element as well. Stahn's Swordian, Dymlos, was the Swordian of Fire. Only one Swordian was evil. Berselius, who had once been the Swordian of Light, had been taken over by Kronos, the King of the Aetherians, who was using Becrant to absorb land from the earth below to revive the Aethersphere and the Areiopolises. He even went so far as to use their friend, Leon Magnus, who also had a Swordian, as a pawn in his game. Leon had died because of it. However, Stahn and three remaining Swordians and their masters had been able to kill Kronos and destroy the sphere, saving the world from his tyrannical rule. Stahn sighed sadly. The Swordians had ultimately sacrificed themselves to destroy the Eye of Atamoni, which had powered the Aeropolises. The destruction of the eye had destroyed the Aethersphere as well. But, he thought bitterly, it would never bring them back. He sighed again, standing slowly from his seat on the bed. It's gonna be a long day, he thought as he dressed in plain clothes and combed his blond hair. There was a knock on his bedroom door. "Stahn! Grandpa's already left, and you have company!!" "Coming, Lilith!" His younger sister was waiting for him outside of the room. She noticed the melancholy expression in his blue eyes: she had become very familiar with that look over the past three years. In fact, the only time she had really seen him smile was when he spoke of his companions. It worried her and her grandfather, whom Stahn lived with even though he was 22 years old, beyond words. Lilith looked thoughtfully at her older brother. I think it's time I found a nice girl to settle down with. "There you are!" She scolded playfully, hoping to elicit even a small smile from him. "I thought you'd never get done.you're worse than a girl, Stahn! You've kept her waiting!" He stuck his tongue out at her, then proceeded into the main room of the house, his curiosity at who was here getting the better of him. A figure clothed in white priestess robes stood by the large window, looking out into the streets of Lienea. At the sound of steps, it turned. "Philia!" Stahn exclaimed. The Swordian Master of Clemente, the Swordian of Thunder, laughed and lowered her hood. "It's good to see you too, Stahn." She said quietly as she moved across the room to embrace her friend. He gave her a fierce hug, then stood with her at arm length, looking down on her. "Philia, you look great!" She did, too. Her hair had darkened slightly to a deeper green, and she now wore it in a single, long braid instead of the childish pigtails she always used to. Her large, violet eyes looked up at Stahn behind the same glasses she always wore. He smiled. Some things never changed. "You do too, Stahn. Are you taller?" "I think I am...I haven't really checked." He said, putting his hand behind his head in embarrassment. Philia giggled a little. "You never change. You grow, but you never change!" "So, Philia, what brings you to Lienea?" He asked as he pulled out a chair for her at the small table. She sat gracefully and folded her hands on the top. Plopping into the chair opposite, he draped his legs over the arm. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Why are you smiling?" She asked curiously. "I was just thinking how much this reminded me of when you had to come get me after Leon stole the Eye again. So, what's up?" "Well, it is a long story." "We got time." "Well, I came here to.to see you." She blushed. Stahn smiled at her, raising one eyebrow inquisitively. "No! That's not what I meant.I had a strange dream, about the Aethersphere and a cloaked figure." "I've had that dream, too!!" He exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. "You have? Garr thought you might have. After I had the dream I wrote him a letter. I got a response, saying that he, too, had had the same dream. He also told me that Rutee had had it as well. However, none of the others had. It's very strange, really.only the Swordian Masters have had it." Her face took on a melancholy cast. "I wonder now if Leon might have had the same dream." Stahn shook his head. 'Don't even think about it." "It's so hard not to." Philia said brokenly. "I know." "Anyway.Garr suggested that the four of us meet somewhere to discuss it. Since Rutee was already in Phandaria visiting Mary, he suggested we meet in Janos." Memories of his first meeting with Rutee filled Stahn's mind. "Do we need passports? I remember the trouble I had the last time." Philia laughed. "I already have them. Besides, think about it this way, if you had a passport, then you would have never met Rutee. You'd probably never have met Leon in Harmentz, and never have been saddled with checking on the Eye of Atamoni. You would have never met Garr and I, and we never would have destroyed the Aethersphere. We'd probably all be under the rule of Kronos right now!" "I hadn't thought of it that way." "Not many people understand the sacrifices the four of us.no.the five of us had to make to save this world. We lost so much: the Swordians, Eileen, Baruk, and Raiker." "You lost more. You lost Batista and Lydon, too." "I've gotten over that." "I'm glad." Philia stood, smoothing out the skirts of her robes. "I am, too. When can you be ready to go?" "Right now, if you want, just let me get my armor and a few other things.by the way, how're we going to get to Janos?" He rummaged around the room, throwing stuff into a carry bag and strapping on his plain sword. "I have the Draconis. It'll take us where we want to go, like it always did."
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The Draconis dragon ship was waiting for them just outside the gates of Lineia. Lilith clasped Stahn in a fierce hug, then looked at Philia with a challenging glare. "If you let anything happen to my brother, Philia, I'll be forced to be angry at you." Philia nodded. "I won't let anything happen. You have my promise." "Good. Stahn, be careful." "It's just a short trip, Lilith. It's not like I'm going to war or anything. Stahn's grandfather simply nodded as they boarded the Draconis. The pair stood upon the deck of the ship, waving enthusiastically. With a resounding roar, not unlike the creature it as named for, the monstrous gray ship rose ponderously from the earth. Turning like a floundering whale, it turned its nose toward the northeast and took off. He watched until he could no longer see the light glint on his grandson's white armor, or the shine of the young lady's green hair. He'll be fine, he thought. He'll be just fine.
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The trip was very short, and they soon landed in the snowy countryside just outside the Phandarian city of Janos. Janos was right near the border of Seinegald, go it got quite a bit of commerce. It also got LOTS of snow. As Philia and Stahn entered the town, they noticed the people looking at them out of their windows or around the edges of doors. "Don't worry, Stahn," Philia said reassuringly, "They simply know that we are the Swordian Masters." The blond swordsman nodded, looking around nervously. "I don't think I like being a celebrity. It's giving me an uneasy feeling between my shoulder blades." The pair walked into the pub. It was unusually quiet for this time of day. Stahn took a look around, remembering when he had met Rutee and Mary. "It's about damn time." Stahn turned toward the back of the room. "It's good to see you too, Rutee." Rutee Katrea shrugged, purple eyes flashing with good humor. '"I didn't say it was good to see you, country boy." She said frankly, crossing her arms. The Swordian Master of Atwight, the Swordian of Water, hadn't changed in the two years since he had seen her last. Her black hair was still short, and she still didn't wear enough clothes. 'I thought yhat you would have at least gotten dessed in two years, Rutee. Guess I was wrong." Stahn teased. "Sh.shut up!" She hollered, balling her fist up and turning red at the same time. "Be nice, children." A tall sliver haired man stood up from the table, and his silver eyes smiled at the two new arrivals. He was dressed in the same armor as he had worn the whole time they had traveled together. His ever- present bow was at his back. "Garr.stop throwing your age in our faces." "Of course, Stahn." Garr Kelvin, King of Phandaria and former Master of the Swordian Igtenos, Swordian of Wind, shook Stahn's hand warmly. "It's been too long, my friend." He looked at Philia. "High Priestess." He said with a bow. The green haired girl laughed. "So formal, even after all our battles together? Really, Garr!" Garr laughed and kissed the back of her hand, then gave her a firm hug. "Thank you for retrieving our wayward swordsman, Philia." "My pleasure, Garr." Stahn looked more closely at her robes, noticing for the first time the wide borders of gold cloth around the hems. "I didn't know.congratulations." "Thanks.they needed a replacement after Lydon and Batista's betrayal.they chose me, for some reason." Philia shrugged. "She's the youngest High Priestess that Straylize Temple ever had. That's something." Rutee argued. They all sat down in the comfortable chairs in front of the roaring fire. For a while they talked about trivial matters, but soon got down to business. Garr took a sip from the glass at his hand. "Philia told you about the dream, I presume?" Stahn nodded. "I've had the same dream. I'm not sure what it means." "The dream scares me for some reason," Rutee volunteered, "And I wonder why Mary, Chelsea, Karyl, and Bruiser haven't had them.they came with us, too, right?" "It could be specifically directed at those who wielded the Swordians," Philia said, sipping from her teacup, "But the question is why?" "I believe I can answer that question for you." The voice had come from the front of the tavern, where a black cloaked figure stood, leaning nonchalantly against the doorjamb. Its arms were crossed insolently in front of it. "The answer is that I sent you the dream." The four Swordian Masters leapt up from the table. "Who are you?!" Stahn demanded, his hand on his sword hilt. "My name? Sariless. Sariless Levine" The mysterious person said, sliding back the hood of its cloak. The group found themselves looking into the face of a teenage girl. Her hair was pure, brilliant white, pulled back from her face in a high tail. Rampant locks of hair were tucked behind her ears, both of which were lined with earrings. Her skin was rosy gol in color. Burning emerald eyes took in the four people, and a delicately curved mouth smiled slightly at the looks of shock directed at her. "Whad' ya think I was, a demon?" Sariless swept off her dark, snow caked cloak. She was dressed in a vest of black leather reinforced with steel plating, and a pair of black leather trousers and boots. She also wore long black leather gloves. A rapier was strapped at her side. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" She asked insolently. Garr looked at the girl suspiciously while the others gaped silently. With a disconsolate sigh, Sariless tossed her cloak across the chair closest to he fire and sprawled on top of it, throwing one leg over the arm an lounging like some sort of cat. "Figures.I'm forced to cast my lot with a bunch of brainless sots without the ability to speak. Would one of you kindly replace your tongue back in your head and say something already? I'm not getting any younger." "Why did you send us the dreams?" Garr asked. "Who are you?" Stahn stammered. "Why are you here?" Philia inquired. "Where did you get those cool gloves?" Rutee asked. Sariless clapped her hands together childishly in mock glee. "Amazing! You can speak! I hope you all don't want a cookie for that.I only have one left and I really don't want a bloody brawl on my hands." Garr sighed painfully, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "All right, who are you, where are you from, and what is your purpose here?" "Good, someone with direction. I already told you my name, so let's move it along. I was born in Calvalese. We've never really gotten along with you mainlanders. Anyway, I was living in Calvalese when the Aethersphere formed. I was mighty freaked out about it. Things were just a bit uncomfortable there, so I took my first opportunity and stowed away on a ship to Sienegald. It was there when I first heard about the Swordians and their masters. Yes, I know who all of you are, Stahn, Philia, Rutee and Garr. I couldn't turn around without hearing your names spoken somewhere. I had been staying in Darilsheid when the sphere was destroyed. I was happy, to say the least, but for some reason I felt that there had been an unnecessary sacrifice for it. I had no idea why, so I just put it out of my mind. I didn't think anything of it for the longest time. I settled in the city, and got a job at the palace as a cook." Sariless began to mumble to herself. ".if I have to hear that chef go on one more time about Queen's Delight." "What does this have to do with anything?" Rutee asked rudely. "I'm getting to that, Miss 'I-wear-this-cause-I-think-I'm-skinny'. One day, not too long ago, I had to go down to the docks on an errand for that idiot chef. I was standing and soaking in the breeze when I noticed something shiny and kind of glowing in the water. Thinking it might be some cash, I reached in and grabbed it. The minute I did, my hand started to burn, like it was melting or something. I yanked my hand out of the water as fast as I could, and when I did, it looked like this." Sariless removed the glove from her right hand. In the top of her hand was embedded a circular jewel. Slender filaments of dark metal, thicker in some places than others, wrapped around each finger and knuckle, winding up her arm half the distance to her elbow, and silver caps covered each fingertip, almost like a metal gauntlet. She turned her hand, palm up for a moment. In the center of her palm was a spiral of the strange dark silver, shot through with black filaments. When Sariless as sure they had all gotten a good look, she turned her hand over again. The strange jewel glowed a sullen violet color, and then spoke. ~Greetings, Swordian Masters.~ The four masters let out a gasp of surprise, staring at the stone attached to her hand in wonder. "Chaltier?!" ~Yes, it's I.~ The Swordian of Earth replied. "But you should be DEAD! Leon.The Eye." Philia exclaimed. ~.wasn't enough to destroy us." "Us." Garr murmured. "They're alive!" Philia said happily. Stahn was in shock. "Did you say.us? What do you mean?! Explain!" Patience, Stahn. After the explosion, the six Swordian core crystals from Dymlos, Clemente, Atwight, Igtenos, Berselius, and myself fell into the sea, along with the fragments of the Aethersphere. We were weak and low on energy, so we entered a dormant sleep. Clemente, Dymlos, Atwight, and Igtenos were perfectly willing to fade away entirely and remain in their sleep, them thinking their work was done. They had also been immensely shocked that they had survived the Eye of Atamoni's destruction. The six of us drifted apart on the ocean currents. I had been drifting a long time when a gentle hand had picked me up from the sea. I immediately latched on, and I made the right choice, apparently. But, when I was plucked from the sea, I felt a familiar vibration on the air. Berselius is also out, and attached to a human.~ "What!?" Stahn gasped. "Who?" "We don't know." Sariless answered, her insolent shell dropping for just a moment. "But we gotta stop him." "Why? Berselius was only evil because of Kronos, right? Wouldn't he return to normal when he was destroyed?" Philia asked. ~That is what one would assume, Philia, but in this case it was not so. Berselius was extremely put out that the Aethersphere had not completely destroyed the earth. His time possessed by Kronos left him undeniably corrupted. He intends to use his powers to get revenge on you, the Swordian Masters.~ "Why us?" Garr asked. ~Because you were the ones who ultimately caused his downfall. That's why Kronos and Berselius were so pleased when my Master, Leon Magnus, played right into his hands. When you meant him in Dycroft, Kronos made Leon attack you, thinking that you would not harm a companion and that he would be rid of you easily. However, Leon begged you to kill him. That changed things, and the King of the Aetherians was not pleased. He wants revenge: he wants to kill you.~ "So what you're saying is that the other Swordians are alive somewhere, and that we need them so we can stop Berselius again." Rutee concluded. ~Yes.~ "But they're only core crystals." ~Yes, right again.~ "Woah.she's on a roll! Any more pearls of wisdom, oh great Captain Obvious?" Sariless laughed at her own joke. "Shut up." Rutee said, scowling. "I think Rutee's met her match." Philia whispered to Stahn He nodded. "Yeah." "But why dreams? Why not just tell us yourself?" Garr asked Chaltier. ~I instructed Sariless to send you the dreams.~ Chaltier continued. ~It would have been too risky just to find you each individually and tell you. Berselius doesn't know that I am bonded with a human as well, so he thinks no one can stop him. I had to get you all together as a group to tell you of what happened. You need to find the other Swordian Core Crystals and bond with them. We have to find Berselius and stop him.before it's too late.~ "Oh, brother." Rutee sighed. "Here we go again."
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Alithiel~ Yay! Chapter one done! You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little OOC in this fic.but T of D is my very favorite game ever, so I'm exercising creative license. I really despised the ending. as noble as the sacrifice was, it made me soooooo mad! Isn't Sariless awesome?! *Sparkle *
*Other T of D charas look at Alithiel with murder in their eyes. *
Alithiel~ Erp.O.o
Disclaimer: Hi! This is a video game fic based off of the Namco game 'Tales of Destiny', probably one of the best old school RPGs out there! If you haven't played the game all the way through, I recommend you turn back, 'cause there WILL be spoilers! If you haven't played the game at all, you probably won't get it anyway. I wrote this fic because it REALLY ticked me off how the ended the game! *Sniff * Just to be clear, I do not own the game, the characters, or the Swordians. I do own Sariless, though, and you can't have her! HA! *cough *
Chapter 1: Reunion.
~High in the sky, The Aethersphere hung low over the Earth, casting a shadow like the very precursor of doom. In the city below, hundreds of people huddled together, rich beside poor, noble beside beggar, unconscious of station, all eyes universally fixed on the sky above. Hope began to wane as all thoughts were swept away in a tide of fear. Suddenly, an enormous explosion rocked the shell, and brilliant trails of light incised the dark surface above. Large pieces of the shell began to break apart, falling harmlessly in the sea as the people watched in amazement. A loud cheer erupted from the citizens of Darilsheid. 'The Swordian Masters have done it!' 'Thank Atamoni!' 'The Aethersphere is dissolving!' 'Dycroft must have been destroyed!' A lone, cloaked figure stood far away from the crowd, watching the pieces of the sky fall like tears. Then, the figure turned and walked away. 'Yes, we have been saved.but at what cost?'~
Stahn Aileron jerked forcefully awake, smacking his head on the bunk above him. A muffled curse escaped him as he tried to untangle himself from his blankets. The ghost of the dream still haunted him. He sat on the edge of his bed, unheeding of the sunshine streaming through the window. The light shone on his blond hair like fire. Again, the same dream! Why would he dream about the destruction of the Aethersphere? That was three years ago! He sighed, familiar sadness stealing over him. It had been three years, three years since he and his friends had destroyed the single force capable of tearing their world apart. Stahn himself had been drawn into an intricate web of betrayal and the thirst for power completely by accident. He had stowed away on the dragonship Draconis, and had met Dymlos there. Dymlos was what was called a Swordian, a sentient sword with elemental attributes. The Swordians were created at the time of the Aether Wars. Stahn scratched his head as he struggled to recall of the story.
A thousand years ago, a comet slammed into the planet, throwing tons of dust into the atmosphere and plunging the planet into an eternal winter. The people searched for a way to escape. A group of researchers had been able to build floating cities that lifted people past the layer of dust and into the light of the sun. Unfortunately, the people who moved o the cities, called Aeropolises, felt that they the right to rule the people stuck on the ground. The Aetherians, as they called themselves, created a terrible weapon called Belcrant to use on the Erth'ers, or ground dwellers. That was how the Aether Wars began. Fortunately, the reserchers defected to the Erth'ers side, developing the Swordians to be used in their defense. There were six in total. The essences of the people who wielded them in the great war seeped into the core crystals of the swords, which acted kind of like a heart. They each had an element as well. Stahn's Swordian, Dymlos, was the Swordian of Fire. Only one Swordian was evil. Berselius, who had once been the Swordian of Light, had been taken over by Kronos, the King of the Aetherians, who was using Becrant to absorb land from the earth below to revive the Aethersphere and the Areiopolises. He even went so far as to use their friend, Leon Magnus, who also had a Swordian, as a pawn in his game. Leon had died because of it. However, Stahn and three remaining Swordians and their masters had been able to kill Kronos and destroy the sphere, saving the world from his tyrannical rule. Stahn sighed sadly. The Swordians had ultimately sacrificed themselves to destroy the Eye of Atamoni, which had powered the Aeropolises. The destruction of the eye had destroyed the Aethersphere as well. But, he thought bitterly, it would never bring them back. He sighed again, standing slowly from his seat on the bed. It's gonna be a long day, he thought as he dressed in plain clothes and combed his blond hair. There was a knock on his bedroom door. "Stahn! Grandpa's already left, and you have company!!" "Coming, Lilith!" His younger sister was waiting for him outside of the room. She noticed the melancholy expression in his blue eyes: she had become very familiar with that look over the past three years. In fact, the only time she had really seen him smile was when he spoke of his companions. It worried her and her grandfather, whom Stahn lived with even though he was 22 years old, beyond words. Lilith looked thoughtfully at her older brother. I think it's time I found a nice girl to settle down with. "There you are!" She scolded playfully, hoping to elicit even a small smile from him. "I thought you'd never get done.you're worse than a girl, Stahn! You've kept her waiting!" He stuck his tongue out at her, then proceeded into the main room of the house, his curiosity at who was here getting the better of him. A figure clothed in white priestess robes stood by the large window, looking out into the streets of Lienea. At the sound of steps, it turned. "Philia!" Stahn exclaimed. The Swordian Master of Clemente, the Swordian of Thunder, laughed and lowered her hood. "It's good to see you too, Stahn." She said quietly as she moved across the room to embrace her friend. He gave her a fierce hug, then stood with her at arm length, looking down on her. "Philia, you look great!" She did, too. Her hair had darkened slightly to a deeper green, and she now wore it in a single, long braid instead of the childish pigtails she always used to. Her large, violet eyes looked up at Stahn behind the same glasses she always wore. He smiled. Some things never changed. "You do too, Stahn. Are you taller?" "I think I am...I haven't really checked." He said, putting his hand behind his head in embarrassment. Philia giggled a little. "You never change. You grow, but you never change!" "So, Philia, what brings you to Lienea?" He asked as he pulled out a chair for her at the small table. She sat gracefully and folded her hands on the top. Plopping into the chair opposite, he draped his legs over the arm. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Why are you smiling?" She asked curiously. "I was just thinking how much this reminded me of when you had to come get me after Leon stole the Eye again. So, what's up?" "Well, it is a long story." "We got time." "Well, I came here to.to see you." She blushed. Stahn smiled at her, raising one eyebrow inquisitively. "No! That's not what I meant.I had a strange dream, about the Aethersphere and a cloaked figure." "I've had that dream, too!!" He exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. "You have? Garr thought you might have. After I had the dream I wrote him a letter. I got a response, saying that he, too, had had the same dream. He also told me that Rutee had had it as well. However, none of the others had. It's very strange, really.only the Swordian Masters have had it." Her face took on a melancholy cast. "I wonder now if Leon might have had the same dream." Stahn shook his head. 'Don't even think about it." "It's so hard not to." Philia said brokenly. "I know." "Anyway.Garr suggested that the four of us meet somewhere to discuss it. Since Rutee was already in Phandaria visiting Mary, he suggested we meet in Janos." Memories of his first meeting with Rutee filled Stahn's mind. "Do we need passports? I remember the trouble I had the last time." Philia laughed. "I already have them. Besides, think about it this way, if you had a passport, then you would have never met Rutee. You'd probably never have met Leon in Harmentz, and never have been saddled with checking on the Eye of Atamoni. You would have never met Garr and I, and we never would have destroyed the Aethersphere. We'd probably all be under the rule of Kronos right now!" "I hadn't thought of it that way." "Not many people understand the sacrifices the four of us.no.the five of us had to make to save this world. We lost so much: the Swordians, Eileen, Baruk, and Raiker." "You lost more. You lost Batista and Lydon, too." "I've gotten over that." "I'm glad." Philia stood, smoothing out the skirts of her robes. "I am, too. When can you be ready to go?" "Right now, if you want, just let me get my armor and a few other things.by the way, how're we going to get to Janos?" He rummaged around the room, throwing stuff into a carry bag and strapping on his plain sword. "I have the Draconis. It'll take us where we want to go, like it always did."
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The Draconis dragon ship was waiting for them just outside the gates of Lineia. Lilith clasped Stahn in a fierce hug, then looked at Philia with a challenging glare. "If you let anything happen to my brother, Philia, I'll be forced to be angry at you." Philia nodded. "I won't let anything happen. You have my promise." "Good. Stahn, be careful." "It's just a short trip, Lilith. It's not like I'm going to war or anything. Stahn's grandfather simply nodded as they boarded the Draconis. The pair stood upon the deck of the ship, waving enthusiastically. With a resounding roar, not unlike the creature it as named for, the monstrous gray ship rose ponderously from the earth. Turning like a floundering whale, it turned its nose toward the northeast and took off. He watched until he could no longer see the light glint on his grandson's white armor, or the shine of the young lady's green hair. He'll be fine, he thought. He'll be just fine.
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The trip was very short, and they soon landed in the snowy countryside just outside the Phandarian city of Janos. Janos was right near the border of Seinegald, go it got quite a bit of commerce. It also got LOTS of snow. As Philia and Stahn entered the town, they noticed the people looking at them out of their windows or around the edges of doors. "Don't worry, Stahn," Philia said reassuringly, "They simply know that we are the Swordian Masters." The blond swordsman nodded, looking around nervously. "I don't think I like being a celebrity. It's giving me an uneasy feeling between my shoulder blades." The pair walked into the pub. It was unusually quiet for this time of day. Stahn took a look around, remembering when he had met Rutee and Mary. "It's about damn time." Stahn turned toward the back of the room. "It's good to see you too, Rutee." Rutee Katrea shrugged, purple eyes flashing with good humor. '"I didn't say it was good to see you, country boy." She said frankly, crossing her arms. The Swordian Master of Atwight, the Swordian of Water, hadn't changed in the two years since he had seen her last. Her black hair was still short, and she still didn't wear enough clothes. 'I thought yhat you would have at least gotten dessed in two years, Rutee. Guess I was wrong." Stahn teased. "Sh.shut up!" She hollered, balling her fist up and turning red at the same time. "Be nice, children." A tall sliver haired man stood up from the table, and his silver eyes smiled at the two new arrivals. He was dressed in the same armor as he had worn the whole time they had traveled together. His ever- present bow was at his back. "Garr.stop throwing your age in our faces." "Of course, Stahn." Garr Kelvin, King of Phandaria and former Master of the Swordian Igtenos, Swordian of Wind, shook Stahn's hand warmly. "It's been too long, my friend." He looked at Philia. "High Priestess." He said with a bow. The green haired girl laughed. "So formal, even after all our battles together? Really, Garr!" Garr laughed and kissed the back of her hand, then gave her a firm hug. "Thank you for retrieving our wayward swordsman, Philia." "My pleasure, Garr." Stahn looked more closely at her robes, noticing for the first time the wide borders of gold cloth around the hems. "I didn't know.congratulations." "Thanks.they needed a replacement after Lydon and Batista's betrayal.they chose me, for some reason." Philia shrugged. "She's the youngest High Priestess that Straylize Temple ever had. That's something." Rutee argued. They all sat down in the comfortable chairs in front of the roaring fire. For a while they talked about trivial matters, but soon got down to business. Garr took a sip from the glass at his hand. "Philia told you about the dream, I presume?" Stahn nodded. "I've had the same dream. I'm not sure what it means." "The dream scares me for some reason," Rutee volunteered, "And I wonder why Mary, Chelsea, Karyl, and Bruiser haven't had them.they came with us, too, right?" "It could be specifically directed at those who wielded the Swordians," Philia said, sipping from her teacup, "But the question is why?" "I believe I can answer that question for you." The voice had come from the front of the tavern, where a black cloaked figure stood, leaning nonchalantly against the doorjamb. Its arms were crossed insolently in front of it. "The answer is that I sent you the dream." The four Swordian Masters leapt up from the table. "Who are you?!" Stahn demanded, his hand on his sword hilt. "My name? Sariless. Sariless Levine" The mysterious person said, sliding back the hood of its cloak. The group found themselves looking into the face of a teenage girl. Her hair was pure, brilliant white, pulled back from her face in a high tail. Rampant locks of hair were tucked behind her ears, both of which were lined with earrings. Her skin was rosy gol in color. Burning emerald eyes took in the four people, and a delicately curved mouth smiled slightly at the looks of shock directed at her. "Whad' ya think I was, a demon?" Sariless swept off her dark, snow caked cloak. She was dressed in a vest of black leather reinforced with steel plating, and a pair of black leather trousers and boots. She also wore long black leather gloves. A rapier was strapped at her side. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" She asked insolently. Garr looked at the girl suspiciously while the others gaped silently. With a disconsolate sigh, Sariless tossed her cloak across the chair closest to he fire and sprawled on top of it, throwing one leg over the arm an lounging like some sort of cat. "Figures.I'm forced to cast my lot with a bunch of brainless sots without the ability to speak. Would one of you kindly replace your tongue back in your head and say something already? I'm not getting any younger." "Why did you send us the dreams?" Garr asked. "Who are you?" Stahn stammered. "Why are you here?" Philia inquired. "Where did you get those cool gloves?" Rutee asked. Sariless clapped her hands together childishly in mock glee. "Amazing! You can speak! I hope you all don't want a cookie for that.I only have one left and I really don't want a bloody brawl on my hands." Garr sighed painfully, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "All right, who are you, where are you from, and what is your purpose here?" "Good, someone with direction. I already told you my name, so let's move it along. I was born in Calvalese. We've never really gotten along with you mainlanders. Anyway, I was living in Calvalese when the Aethersphere formed. I was mighty freaked out about it. Things were just a bit uncomfortable there, so I took my first opportunity and stowed away on a ship to Sienegald. It was there when I first heard about the Swordians and their masters. Yes, I know who all of you are, Stahn, Philia, Rutee and Garr. I couldn't turn around without hearing your names spoken somewhere. I had been staying in Darilsheid when the sphere was destroyed. I was happy, to say the least, but for some reason I felt that there had been an unnecessary sacrifice for it. I had no idea why, so I just put it out of my mind. I didn't think anything of it for the longest time. I settled in the city, and got a job at the palace as a cook." Sariless began to mumble to herself. ".if I have to hear that chef go on one more time about Queen's Delight." "What does this have to do with anything?" Rutee asked rudely. "I'm getting to that, Miss 'I-wear-this-cause-I-think-I'm-skinny'. One day, not too long ago, I had to go down to the docks on an errand for that idiot chef. I was standing and soaking in the breeze when I noticed something shiny and kind of glowing in the water. Thinking it might be some cash, I reached in and grabbed it. The minute I did, my hand started to burn, like it was melting or something. I yanked my hand out of the water as fast as I could, and when I did, it looked like this." Sariless removed the glove from her right hand. In the top of her hand was embedded a circular jewel. Slender filaments of dark metal, thicker in some places than others, wrapped around each finger and knuckle, winding up her arm half the distance to her elbow, and silver caps covered each fingertip, almost like a metal gauntlet. She turned her hand, palm up for a moment. In the center of her palm was a spiral of the strange dark silver, shot through with black filaments. When Sariless as sure they had all gotten a good look, she turned her hand over again. The strange jewel glowed a sullen violet color, and then spoke. ~Greetings, Swordian Masters.~ The four masters let out a gasp of surprise, staring at the stone attached to her hand in wonder. "Chaltier?!" ~Yes, it's I.~ The Swordian of Earth replied. "But you should be DEAD! Leon.The Eye." Philia exclaimed. ~.wasn't enough to destroy us." "Us." Garr murmured. "They're alive!" Philia said happily. Stahn was in shock. "Did you say.us? What do you mean?! Explain!" Patience, Stahn. After the explosion, the six Swordian core crystals from Dymlos, Clemente, Atwight, Igtenos, Berselius, and myself fell into the sea, along with the fragments of the Aethersphere. We were weak and low on energy, so we entered a dormant sleep. Clemente, Dymlos, Atwight, and Igtenos were perfectly willing to fade away entirely and remain in their sleep, them thinking their work was done. They had also been immensely shocked that they had survived the Eye of Atamoni's destruction. The six of us drifted apart on the ocean currents. I had been drifting a long time when a gentle hand had picked me up from the sea. I immediately latched on, and I made the right choice, apparently. But, when I was plucked from the sea, I felt a familiar vibration on the air. Berselius is also out, and attached to a human.~ "What!?" Stahn gasped. "Who?" "We don't know." Sariless answered, her insolent shell dropping for just a moment. "But we gotta stop him." "Why? Berselius was only evil because of Kronos, right? Wouldn't he return to normal when he was destroyed?" Philia asked. ~That is what one would assume, Philia, but in this case it was not so. Berselius was extremely put out that the Aethersphere had not completely destroyed the earth. His time possessed by Kronos left him undeniably corrupted. He intends to use his powers to get revenge on you, the Swordian Masters.~ "Why us?" Garr asked. ~Because you were the ones who ultimately caused his downfall. That's why Kronos and Berselius were so pleased when my Master, Leon Magnus, played right into his hands. When you meant him in Dycroft, Kronos made Leon attack you, thinking that you would not harm a companion and that he would be rid of you easily. However, Leon begged you to kill him. That changed things, and the King of the Aetherians was not pleased. He wants revenge: he wants to kill you.~ "So what you're saying is that the other Swordians are alive somewhere, and that we need them so we can stop Berselius again." Rutee concluded. ~Yes.~ "But they're only core crystals." ~Yes, right again.~ "Woah.she's on a roll! Any more pearls of wisdom, oh great Captain Obvious?" Sariless laughed at her own joke. "Shut up." Rutee said, scowling. "I think Rutee's met her match." Philia whispered to Stahn He nodded. "Yeah." "But why dreams? Why not just tell us yourself?" Garr asked Chaltier. ~I instructed Sariless to send you the dreams.~ Chaltier continued. ~It would have been too risky just to find you each individually and tell you. Berselius doesn't know that I am bonded with a human as well, so he thinks no one can stop him. I had to get you all together as a group to tell you of what happened. You need to find the other Swordian Core Crystals and bond with them. We have to find Berselius and stop him.before it's too late.~ "Oh, brother." Rutee sighed. "Here we go again."
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Alithiel~ Yay! Chapter one done! You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little OOC in this fic.but T of D is my very favorite game ever, so I'm exercising creative license. I really despised the ending. as noble as the sacrifice was, it made me soooooo mad! Isn't Sariless awesome?! *Sparkle *
*Other T of D charas look at Alithiel with murder in their eyes. *
Alithiel~ Erp.O.o
