Tales of Evangelion CH3
The Departure
Once again, I don't own the rights to Eva or ToS.
Lunch was rather normal, with sandwiches for everyone. As they all rested from the battles, everyone seemed to have their attention on Rei. Her new position as Earth's Chosen confused her to no end.
"Just what does a Chosen do?"
"The Chosen is to go on a mission to unlock the altars of mana, the life force of a planet, whenever the planet is in decline. That's called the Regeneration of the World." Collette described.
"I've never had to go through that because Tethe'-alla has never had trouble. It works out for me, since all my popularity as the Chosen gets me all the girls." No need to wonder who that was.
"I was sent to carry out that journey, because Sylvarant was dying. During my final trial, they revealed that it was all just a front for Cruxius's gains. The others saved me. Now we're here, in Tethe'-alla to try and find a way to save both worlds." Collette again.
"The Regeneration of the World? Earth has no such ritual." Rei stated.
"No Journey of Regeneration? Doesn't your world go into decline?" Raine butted in.
"Yes, there is some decline, economically and population decline, but no one has had to do what you are describing. There are not even fictions of such things."
"Unbelievable! Your world must have an incredible source of mana. Or perhaps your world doesn't fight with another for mana. Or maybe...."
As Raine's conversation trailed on, Lloyd got bored. He looked around and his eyes landed on the child, Shinji Ikari. Shinji was again curled in his depressed position, and he tried to listen intently, but to no avail. Lloyd tossed a pebble at him. Shinji shrugged it off. Lloyd tried two more times, but he was unresponsive. 'What happened to him back on Earth? It's like he doesn't care about anything and is used to being teased.' He crawled over to the new kid and placed a hand on his shoulder. Shinji finally looked at him. Lloyd said nothing, but he gave a look to Shinji that said 'Can I see you over there for a second?' Shinji nodded as he understood. They both stood up and went to a small rock outcropping overlooking the camp.
When they arrived, Shinji sat down and dangled his feet over the edge. He looked down, and judged the distance between there and the ground.
"Thinking of jumping?" Lloyd finally said.
Shinji snapped out of his stupor, "Wha...what? N...Nno!"
"Hey, I won't stop you. You've obviously got big problems in that small head of yours. If you want to take the easy way out, go ahead. Better yet, make it honorable and use one of my swords instead."
"No! I wouldn't...it's just that...."
Lloyd picked the boy up by the collar of his plugsuit. "Get one thing straight kid! You can't afford to feel sorry for yourself around here. You do and you'll be killed, that's almost a certainty. If I put you in the game and you're called upon to fight, I need to know that I can count on you to do your very best and more."
"I always do try my best, even if I hate doing it." Shinji looked down at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact.
Lloyd put the young man down again. "What happened to you? Just what has this "Angel War" done to you?"
"Eva."
"What?"
"I hate piloting that monstrosity of a defense machine. It may have ripped from me the last ounce of humanity left after my father abandoned me when my mother died."
"I'm sorry, I ..."
"Then he called me back nearly a year ago, and demanded that I pilot Eva. He used me, the coldhearted bastard."
"Summon Spirits of both worlds! How did you survive?"
"Eva gave me a purpose. They needed me to fight, so I did because they told me to. You feel everything that creation feels when you are inside it. On my first mission, I had my head pierced, and I took my first look into the inhuman eye of the thing I was piloting. I've had wriggling tentacles driven through me, been boiled alive, skewered by a giant set of teeth, been buried with my feet dangling up, burned by acid, and been caught in two very large explosions. Yet I still pilot."
"I had no idea. I'm so sorry."
"The last Angel was the worst. I was stuck inside it for over 16 hours, alone. Then my life support cut out. I...I think I died. But then mother appeared to me. The next thing I knew, I was here. If I ever get back, I'll probably pilot again if they ask me to." 'Why am I telling him all this?'
"Did you kill those Angels?"
"Along with countless helpless lives as the battles raged on."
"I know how that feels. I was banished from Iselia because what I had done caused others to be killed. I even killed the kindest person I had ever met. I've taken out hundreds of murderous Desians and Marauders, but in doing so, I've become a murderer as well. Regal bears his shame every day. And Sheena, she blames herself for the death of half of her village's population because she couldn't make a pact with Summon Spirit Volt the first time. You're not alone in this."
"I hated it, but I liked it at the same time. Everything about Eva was familiar, and I like familiar. Now that I'm here, nothing is familiar, and I hate everything about that. Maybe it's actually a good thing. I'm away from that accursed Evangelion, and this place is completely different. I could start anew. But if I don't go back, the Earth will be destroyed, along with my friends. I'm so confused. I don't know what to think anymore."
"I know what you mean. You know that Kratos you met before? He was one of our original team. He deceived us the entire time. Then that whole Church of Martel and the Desian fiasco turned everything upside-down. It's hard to know who you can trust."
"Then why are you trusting me?"
"At first, I didn't trust you as far as I could throw you. But just now, you trusted me with your biggest problem, and I think the least I can do is return that. You following me?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Feeling a little better now?"
"Still stuck on what I'm going to do, but yes. Is that what you wanted to talk about the entire time?"
Lloyd shook his head, "No. It's about Rei. I'm worried about her."
"How so?"
"She's acting like Presea. No, scratch that. She's worse."
"She's always been like that. That's normal for her."
"I don't think so. If Presea is right and she does have a Crystal inside her, it may kill her eventually. I've seen what an unprotected Exsphere can do to a person. I'm scared to find out what a Cruxius Crystal will do. I was able to help Collette and Presea in creating a Key Crest for their Crystals. I don't know if it will help at all, but I want to make a Key Crest for Rei too. Everyone is different, and therefore have different attributes in their Key Crests. You seem to know about her more than anyone here. I'd like you to help me make it."
"That thing on the back of your hand is an Exsphere, right? And that's a Key Crest around it? If Rei has it inside her, how are we going to get a Key Crest on it?"
"We can only hope it'll come to the surface sometime soon. At that time, we've got to contain it in the Key Crest. I want to be ready. Give me a hand, would you?"
Shinji nodded, "Sure. I don't want to see Ayanami hurt either. What do we do?"
"Well first, I've got some Inhibitor Ore here, and that'll..." Their conversation continued.
"Well there you two are. We were starting to think we'd have to go out looking for you." Sheena said as she tapped her foot.
"Where'd you run off to?" Asuka glared at Shinji and he flinched.
"We...um...well...you see...." Shinji staggered.
"I needed Shinji's help in creating some welcoming gifts. I could have asked Presea, but she seemed busy with your conversation." Lloyd covered for him.
"You made greeting gifts? For us?" Asuka looked amazed.
"Why not? I mean, it's not often three people of our age drop out of the sky."
"It is not necessary to give us anything." Rei entered the conversation.
"I beg to differ. All three of you will need these." Lloyd handed Asuka a piece of metal with a circular hole in it. It had mysterious etchings, and depictions of strength and fire. It had a hinged clasp on it with a small leather strap to it. "That's a Key Crest. It goes on the back of your hand. If we ever find an Exsphere for you, this is crucial for containing its power."
Asuka put it on her right hand and examined her new piece of jewelry. "I like it. You made this yourself, Lloyd?"
Lloyd shook his head, "Not completely. I just did the detail work. When your dad's a dwarf, you kind of pick up on that stuff. Shinji actually was the one that shaped the inhibitor ore."
Shinji held up his own Key Crest. Inscribed on it were symbols of music, cooking, and kindness. "It was nothing really."
"Yeah right, you took one piece of Inhibitor Ore and made it into three Key Crest pieces. I would have only been able to make one. You didn't waste a single pebble of it. I am quite impressed."
"Heh, thanks. I've got a thing with arts and crafts."
"Hey, Lloyd, I know you're bad at math, but you can't count either? I only see two Key Crests." Genis rubbed his nose.
"Correct as usual. We just need one more thing to finish the last one." Lloyd pulled a long blue ribbon from the central pack. "We didn't have enough leather to finish it up, so we'll use this instead. Heads up, Shinji."
Shinji caught the tossed ribbon and turned his back to the others. He finished the final Key Crest and returned. "Ta-da!" He held up a metallic necklace with a spherical hole in it. Etched in it were symbols for stoicism, bravery, and intellect. There was no clasp, just two loops at the end of the necklace. Inserted in them was the ribbon. "Rei, if what Presea says is true, you need this desperately. This will contain the Crystal's power. Try it on."
'What the heck? Compared to her Crest, mine is hardly anything. Why does Wondergirl get all the nice stuff?' Asuka complained in her head.
Zelos whistled, "Wow! That's really some nice handiwork. That'll get the favor of the girls alright. I've taught you well."
Rei took the Crest and examined it. "What do I do with this?"
Shinji slapped his forehead, "Oh right, you have no experience with jewelry. Here, let me put it on for you." He walked over to her and behind her. He whispered in her ear as he pulled the ribbon ends behind her. "This is also an apology present from me, for that mishap at your apartment one day. I wanted to make up for seeing you naked. So, this is my present to make it up to you." He tied the bow tight. The ribbon wrapped around her neck, bringing the metal necklace up to her chest, and the bow was made a little large for the size of her neck. The rest of the long ribbon dangled down to her waist. Shinji spoke normally again, "Not too tight?" Rei shook her head. "Good, then it's all done." He stepped back to his original place.
"Pretty." Collette admired.
"The craftsmanship is amazing. Excellent depiction of the symbols, Lloyd." Raine agreed.
"I'm almost jealous." Sheena cocked her head.
"I could give you something if you want, Sheena." Zelos grinned.
"Stop looking at me like that! Anything that you have, I don't want!" She snapped back.
Rei stood there, blushing and dumbfounded. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to react in this kind of situation."
"Are you happy?" Presea walked up to her and stared into her eyes.
"I suppose this could be happiness."
"Then why don't you try smiling?" Shinji and Presea stared at each other after they said this at the same time. A large smile appeared on the girl's face.
"Shinji gained the title of 'Master Craftsman.'"
"Rei gained the title of 'Endangered Chosen.'"
The Wing Pack opened up, and the Riehards popped out. Regal said, "This may be a problem. Some of us may have to triple up on riding, considering that we only have four Reihards. This will slow us considerably."
"Then we'll have to distribute the weight more evenly, I suppose." Genis spoke up.
"You won't have to worry about me. I can fly myself." Collette unfolded her wings.
When she did so, Shinji gripped his cards. 'Calm down, Shinji. She's not an Angel. She's a human, changed by Cruxius. Now put the cards away.' With a deep breath, he did so.
"You sure you'll be alright, Collette? We are going rather far." Lloyd tilted his head.
"No problem."
"Ok then, Collette's out of the equation. So what'll we do?"
Zelos asked, "Well, how about we put the heaviest and lightest together. How much do you girls w..." He was cut off by an inscription card landing on his mouth.
Sheena crossed her arms. "Never ask about a girl's weight."
"Let's try this for now," Raine began a suggestion, "Sheena and Asuka will be on one. Shinji and Lloyd will be on another with me. Regal and Presea and Rei will ride another. Zelos and Genis will take the last Riehard."
"Why do I have to ride with tall, red, and stupid?" Genis thumbed towards Zelos.
"You're not exactly my number one choice either, pipsqueak!" Zelos snapped back.
"Enough of that, you two. Genis, I could put Presea with Zelos instead." Raine closed her eyes and smiled.
"On second thought, I'll ride with Zelos." Genis said quickly. With that, everyone mounted the Riehards.
They flew slowly at first, but soon began to accelerate. Regal's Riehard was the slowest of the group, so all of them slowed to its pace, him leading the pack. Lloyd's was behind Regal's to the left. Collette was flying directly behind Regal next to Lloyd's Riehard, and to her right was Zelos's. Behind her was the fastest Riehard, Sheena's. They flew for a few minutes.
Safer Skies?
"Hey, Lloyd. I noticed that there aren't any creatures up here, is that normal?" Shinji asked him.
"Yes actually. The sky is the safest place to be around here. Look over there." He pointed towards a large group of islands with fans attached to the bottom of them. "Those people have figured out a way to live up in the sky. That's the last refuge for half-elves, who are persecuted down below. I've got to say that the skies are the safest place to be."
"That's not quite true, Lloyd." Raine said.
"Really?"
"Yes. Many of the flying creatures we have met cannot get up to this altitude, but the more dangerous ones can. There are some deadly dragons roaming the skies. We met some of them when we were rescuing Collette."
"Oh. We'll that's kind of disturbing. But it's still safer than down below! Ha ha."
They continued on. They passed a tower that raised higher than the clouds, farther than the eye could see.
Fight or Flight
"Sheena, what the heck is that thing?" Asuka asked her flying buddy.
"That's the Tower of Salvation, another one of Cruxius's fronts. It's got some very powerful creatures guarding it. The one in Sylverant is where Collette almost lost her humanity."
"I see." She stared at it for a second. "That's not what I wanted to ask at first. My real question is why do you walk around so much?"
"I don't think I understand."
"Well, you people walk around and fight monsters all the time, right? I don't see a single monster in the sky, so why do you walk everywhere?"
"Fight or Flight question, eh? Have you ever heard of the saying, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?'"
"Yeah, we have that saying in my world too."
"We fight monsters to become more powerful, so as to make it easier to take out the big ones. We fight to get stronger. We only fly when we need to get around quickly."
"I think I get it. I wish I could fight along side you, but your Exspheres give you the edge."
"It's not fun and games you know. It's dangerous."
"I doubt it's as dangerous as piloting an Eva, but I don't care. It's my life."
'She is one twisted girl.'
The crew turned east, to the Fujioi Mountains. Genis held a small map of Tethe'-alla. "One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three! One, two, three, four, five, six, sev..."
"Hey, what are you doing back there, kid? I'm trying to concentrate on flying you know." Zelos complained.
"I'm trying to determine if we can make the jump into the special rip by timing our velocities to landmarks."
"Why?"
"When we went through the rip the first time, we went in and out at very high speeds. If we aren't at that speed when we hit the rip, we'll probably be bounced back here. Agh, this isn't good. There's no way we can make it at this speed. We're just too slow. Hey, Lloyd, did you catch that?!"
"Catch what?!" He yelled back.
"We're too slow to make the jump!"
"Well that's bad! Then how are we ever going to get back to Sylvarant?"
"I told you guys once before!" Sheena called forward.
"Told us what?!" Lloyd reciprocated.
"The only way the Riehards can make it through the rip is to have them supercharged at a Renegade base!"
"Couldn't we just ask Volt for some more juice?" Zelos called out.
"You want to negotiate with that buzzing ball? Be my guest! Even so, it won't work. He's giving as much power as he can to the Riehards without hurting himself already!"
"Do you mean to say we're all stuck here?!" Asuka yelled.
"For the time being it appears so! I'm sure there's another way! Because whenever there is an entrance, there always is an exit!" Raine called out.
"So what do we do in the meantime?!" Shinji asked over the roar of the engines.
Lloyd looked around, "Hey! It's gone!"
"What's gone?" Collette asked.
"That big cloud of smoke, caused by that massive strike, remember?! It's gone!"
"What massive strike?" Shinji asked.
"Something fell from the sky before. Something big. It hit and just sent out a giant cloud of dust. We also saw three smaller things flying down as well. We followed them and we found you!"
"You withheld information from us. You should have told us that something came out of the sky with us. If we had made the jump, we likely would have lost an important clue!" Rei spoke.
"Forgetfulness is common to Lloyd. It would be wise to ignore that trait!" Presea answered.
"Understood. We should investigate!" Rei commented.
"All right! I wanted to check out the place first, but it was too dangerous to go to. Let's hit it!" Lloyd said as they all turned their vehicles towards the impact zone. They continued to fly on for a bit.
How big was it?
"Hey Raine! That thing that fell from the sky the same time as we did was big right?" Asuka asked.
"Quite large indeed."
"How big was it?"
"It's hard to scale something like that. It was leaving a trail, and the distance between it and us were so far away it was hard to get a correct scale."
"Ballpark estimate, if you please!"
"But you see, all the different factors, variables, and velocities to calculate, it's imp..."
"It was about the size of Altamaria Hotel." Regal interrupted her.
"How big is that?" Shinji finally spoke.
"It is one of the tallest buildings in Tethe'-alla next to the Coliseum."
"So it is as tall as a building?" Rei inquired.
"If not a bit larger."
"Asuka, do you think it could be one of our mechas?" Shinji asked.
"I sure hope so. I feel naked without my Eva around."
All but Raine turned back to concentrating on flying towards the crater. 'How does Regal know about the size of Altamaria Hotel? Everytime we go in the city, he stays outside.'
The group continued flying on. When they began to fly over the Eastern mainland, they saw the crater. Genis said, "Wow! That thing is huge! It makes my Gravity Well look like a speck!"
Suddenly, Collette gripped her stomach. "No! Not now! AAAHHH!!" Her wings receded and her semi-conscious form plummeted.
Lloyd quickly took notice. "COLLETTE!!"
"SHEENA! DIVE NOW!" Asuka didn't have to tell her twice. She put the Riehard into a nosedive and accelerated to full throttle. They closed in on the falling girl, inching towards her as the ground began to get closer and closer. "Come on! Come on!" Asuka stretched out her hand towards the blonde, but she was too far away to grab her. She looked into the girl's glazed-over eyes. "COLLETTE! WAKE UP! YOU'VE GOT TO TRY AND REACH FOR ME!"
Collette only whispered, "My death is the only way to save them."
"COLLETTE! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
"Perhaps I will meet my true parents. Remiel was a false father. Mother? Is that you I see before me?"
"DON'T GIVE IN! LET ME HELP YOU!"
"I am ready to die. Take me with you mother." She held her arms out towards the illusion in her mind. Asuka grabbed her and yanked her through the image.
Asuka swung her onto the Riehard, and the girl's blonde hair moved away from her neck onto her shoulder. Asuka got a good look at her neck, which was covered in greenish/blue circles. 'What the hell is that?' She shook the feeling off. "SHEENA! I'VE GOT HER!! PULL UP, NOW!"
Sheena pulled up hard on the controls, and the Riehard resisted. She was able to point the nose up, but could not break free of the dive due to the new weight of the third passenger. The velocity reduced. "It's no use! I can't stop it! We're going to hit!" Asuka cried.
A dark shadow enveloped Sheena. "I've had enough of this! I won't let us die today!" She stood up on the air-bike and put her hands together like a ninjitsu artist would.
"Sheena, are you crazy?"
Three circles on the points of a triangle appeared below her feet in brown and blue. "From the tiniest droplet and the smallest speck of dust to the largest ocean and the tallest mountain, I summon thee Undinie and Gnome!" The summon spirits of water and earth appeared in front of her, the woman with bubbles flowing through her blue skin and the giant mole with a bow and a pick-axe. "Combine your powers and make a soft field for us to land in!" The creatures turned into light, and the ground the Riehard fell to became soft and wet. It swirled into a lake of mud. "Hang on!"
"To what? I've got to keep Collette steady! Where are the seatbelts on this thing?"
"What are seatbelts?"
"DaaammMMMIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!" Asuka screamed as they completed their descent.
As the Riehard impacted, the girls called out their defensive moves. "Seal Wall!" "Red Wind!" Their respective abilities activated as the Riehard made an abrupt stop in the mud. The girls were thrown from the air-bike and began to tumble. Their shields dissipated and they spun in the mud, sliding to a complete halt. Sheena was knocked unconscious, but her face was upturned, so she was able to breathe. Collette was face down in the mud, her outfit was torn on her back. Asuka lifted her head and spit out the mud in her mouth and wiped her eyes. Her vision was cloudy, but she could still see the muddy blonde in front of her. "Co...llet...te!" She crawled over to the girl and saw her back, covered in blue-green dots and mud. "What's happened to you?" She flips the girl over in her lap, pointing her face up. The girl coughs.
Three other Riehards come down quickly. The leading Riehard team lands first on a ridge. They call out while trying to find a way down.
Raine called, "Sheena! Are you down there?"
Shinji cried out, "Asuka! Say something!"
Lloyd was the loudest of all, "COLLETTE!! COLLETTE!!" He jumped down, not waiting to find a safer entrance and began to slide down the side of the fissure.
Collette opened her eyes, and focused on the red-head looking down at her with a muddy face. "As..ka."
"Hey!" Asuka said weakly, "Stay with me now!"
"Please....my back...don't let...him...see...." She passed out.
Asuka knew what she was talking about in part. Whatever that stuff was, Collette didn't want anyone to know about it. "Fine. We'll talk later." She lifted the girls head up to her own shoulder, and grabbed a fistful of mud. She layered it on the girl's back and neck, then put her hair back into place. She then placed the dirtied blonde back in her lap.
Lloyd came slipping towards the two girls, stopping just before he bowled them both over. He got down on his knees and whispered. "Collette!! What happened? Asuka, is she...."
Asuka shook her head, "She's just sleeping."
Raine brought a limping Sheena over her shoulder to them. Shinji also followed suit. The other members of the group weren't far behind. "We should get to an inn. I'll be able to do more work on them there."
"This forest looks familiar." Regal pointed out.
"Indeed. Ozette is close by. We can bring them there." Presea mentioned.
"Then we should get going quickly. Give Collette to me, I'll carry her." Zelos offered.
"Forget it! I'm not letting you touch her! You might try to take advantage of her!" Lloyd burst.
"What kind of man do you think I am?! I may be a charmer, but I am not a pervert! I would never take advantage of a girl, ever! It would tarnish my name, and make me lose my status as Chosen!"
"You've been trying to flirt with Collette from the beginning! I'm not...."
"Stop this." Rei walked between the two feuding teens. "This is neither the time nor the place to fight like this. I will transport Collette. Zelos will retrieve the Riehards." Rei lifted the girl effortlessly. The mud soiled the blue-haired girl's plug suit. She gave a cold look to Zelos, and he moved away to get the crashed Riehard slowly.
With the weight off of her legs, Asuka stood up. The first person she made eye contact with was Shinji. She smiled. "Another successful rescue by the great Asuka Langley Soryu." Shinji took a step towards her, with a worried look on his face. "What?"
"Asuka, you're trembling."
She noticed this as well, but her pride wouldn't allow it. "No I'm not. I'm fine, see?" She took a step forward and her legs began to buckle. She began to fall, but Shinji caught her, her muddy body soiling his plugsuit. The girl looked up at him. "See? Nothing to worry about, Idiot-Shin...." She fainted in his arms.
"Asuka!" He held her wrist, and felt her pulse. "Okay. Rest for now." He lifted her up. "Idiot."
The eleven people climbed out of the hole and onto the path towards Ozette.
(Author's Note: That's probably the only time Shinji will ever get the chance to call Asuka an idiot. I hope he enjoyed it. I hope you liked the action scene.)