AN: Well I suppose I should let you read chapter 7. But then again I'm not entirely sure you deserve it. I'll just flip a coin. Heads, you get chapter 7. Tails, you get to read my life story and suffer. (Takes out quarter. Flips quarter…) Heads! Damnit, now I have to think. You guys are lucky that I'm a nice guy. This is the last week of my summer break and I'm using it to give you guys another chapter. Better now with my free time than during school time I guess.

If you don't know the drill by now then I have little hope for the future but for the sake of my own monotony I'll repeat it again. Read enjoy and review.

Disclaimer: If I were to tell you that I own Tales of Symphonia I would be lying. Lying is bad. Not to mention that I'd get sued five times over. So again, I don't own anything that is remotely involved with Tales of Symphonia except for this story.

Ch. 7 The Shackles and The Swords

They were back on the road now. The road that would take them to Meltokio. The road that would bring some of them that much closer to revenge, and others to their next assignment. Lloyd however was not thinking about this. Right now his only thought was to the fact that they had run out of provisions. Two weeks had passed since their time in Mizuho and they hadn't found any real source of food since then.

The search parties were starting to appear less and less frequently. When they did they only had a few scraps of food. Their original source of food had been the sacs that the rescue team had taken with them. Those had been exhausted within a couple of weeks due to the unexpected extra stomachs of Lloyd and Presea. Unless they could find more food soon they would starve. Lloyd was not going to allow himself or any of his friends go hungry for any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Hold on a moment," Zelos said, breaking into Lloyd's thoughts. "I hear something… Ten sets of feet, probably more Desians. They are coming this way from the east. They'll be here soon. Places my hunnies… and you other people. It's time for an ambush."

Everyone scattered, hiding where they could. Some took to the bushes, others behind rocks. As soon as Lloyd got into his position he noticed some well-sized rocks.

"Perfect!" he thought. "At least I won't be entirely useless with these."

He picked up a few rocks, and just as he got into a crouching position behind his bush they walked onto the road. There were ten of them as Zelos had said. Nine Desian warriors escorting an old dwarf. He was, as all dwarves tend to be, short stout and had a beard longer than his arms. He was gray haired and wore a simple shirt.

"How much farther to your workshop?" asked one Desian, out of impatience. "Our leader wants his swords as soon as he can get them."

"It's just a few miles further," replied the dwarf. "If you would just show some patience, you might find yourself there much sooner."

"Are you implying something with that statement?" questioned the Desian.

"No of course not! I'm just saying that it is easier to get somewhere if you are being patient. It tends to make the journey seem that much shorter."

"One more insult out of you and I'll gut you."

"There is no need to be making threats. Besides what good would that do you? If you kill me, you'll never find the swords and your leader will use you as his new punching bag."

"That's it! You're de-"

Just as the foolish warrior raised his sword, preparing to cut the dwarf in two, a rock hit him in the back of the head. He was dead when he hit the ground.

"Now!"

They struck out against the remaining Desians quickly. Lloyd sent off another few stones. One hit a warrior who was trying to get behind Sheena, while another hit Zelos in the back of the head. Lloyd stopped after that, not wanting to accidentally hit anyone else. Fortunately the stone hadn't been the proper size to kill anyone and Zelos was only momentarily stunned.

When the Desians had been killed off, they all turned to the old dwarf. "Well, I suppose I should thank you for saving me," he said cautiously. "But that aside, who are you and what do you want? If you want to rob me then make it quick."

"We're not here to steal anything," explained Lloyd as he picked around the corpses. "We are travelers, trying to get to the south. But the Desians have been trying to either kill or recapture us from the start of it all."

"Recapture?" the old dwarf repeated with astonishment. "By sounds of it you've been to The Human Ranch! My humble apologies. I am called Altessa, and I'm the finest Dwarven blacksmith in the lands. If you tell me your story, I'll give you food and lodging for the night as my thanks for saving me."

"That seems like an acceptable bargain," said Regal.

"Follow me then."

… One hour later…

Altessa had led them down a long road and they had just gotten to his home. Like many Dwarven homes it was little more than a hole in the ground on the outside. On the inside however it was a completely different matter. The interior was warm and decorated with many fine creations of steel and other metals.

"Here we are," he said, planting himself in a soft chair. "There should be some food over on the counter. Help yourselves."

He would later regret using that phrase. They all went to the food like ravenous beasts. Even Regal, who was trained in proper dining etiquette was ignoring utensil and grabbing the food with his bare hands.

When they had finished eating they sat down and told their stories to Altessa. Lloyd told the tale of his capture, and his reason to take back the swords. Presea spoke of the day her father had been killed. When they were both done, Sheena explained the mission that had been assigned to her group. When that long story was over, it was nighttime. Altessa then turned to Regal.

"And what about you?" he asked. "What is your story?"

"I suppose everyone here has a right to know…" Regal said, his eyes taking on a far sadder look than he had worn in months. "It began a year ago. I was almost fully committed to my company. But I had one thing that kept me from staying at my desk full time. Her name was Alicia. We had known each other for many years and were in love. She was everything to me. I worked hard to make her life comfortable, I spent all of my free time with her. I was going to marry her. I was planning to propose that very night… I never got the chance to.

"I had just finished my day at work. I had the entire night planned out. We would start with a simple walk down to the beach, then to our favorite restaurant. Once there I would have the waiter send the "bill" to her. Instead of the bill however, there would have been a ring, and then I would ask her. But she wasn't at our house. I searched everywhere for her. I devoted entire branches of my company to finding her. I even went as far as to beg to the king to help me find her. She had disappeared entirely.

"A month passed, then two. In the middle of the third month a letter was delivered to me, saying that if I wanted her alive I would have to go to a certain place at a certain time. I went there, and was then given her kidnappers demands. They wanted the exsphere mine that I owned just on the border between Tethe'alla and the Desian Empire. I handed over the deed and they gave me Alicia. But she had been twisted beyond belief. I could tell it was her, but only just. Her body had grown much taller, her skin had turned a mix of blues and greens. Her entire physical form had been altered.

"She asked me to kill her. I begged and pleaded, saying that there had to be another way. She told me there was no other way. She was in pain, suffering, and the only way to free her of it was to end her. I killed her with my own two hands…

"I later found out that she had been put under cruel experiments by the Desian Grand Cardinal, Rodyle. I swore to myself that I would never wield my hands as weapons again, but I would kill Rodyle.

"I then began to train to use my feet as I had once used my hands. Three months ago I set out to the Human Ranch. I would allow myself to be captured. I would then become a slave and suffer their cruelty. And at the first chance I would be given, I would kill Rodyle. I didn't care that they would kill me for it, that was to be my final punishment. But the plan has changed. I will go with my friends. We will amass an army, and with it we will crush the Desians."

When he was finally done, a nearby clock chimed midnight. "You should all get to bed," Altessa said. "You should find some beds in the room over there. I'll have some provisions ready for you in the morning."

With that, they entered the room and went to bed, their minds buzzing with what they had heard that day.

…The next day…

Lloyd awoke, refreshed and ready for the new day. He had forgotten how soft a bed was but he knew he had to get out. They had to keep going. He got out of bed and exited the room they had used. When he entered the main room, there was a small breakfast waiting on the table. He ate his fill and stepped outside.

Altessa was waiting for him outside. "I suppose you'll want to be leaving as soon as you can?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lloyd replied. "We all have our reasons to keep going. As soon as the others wake up and get ready, we will be leaving."

"If you don't mind, I'd like you to stay a few more days," Altessa said. "I noticed that you all have exspheres. Also you, Presea, and Regal don't have Key Crests for your exspheres. If you stay a bit longer I can have one for each of you in three days."

"What do these Key Crests do?" asked Lloyd, still understanding very little about exspheres.

"Exspheres without Key Crests are very dangerous," Altessa stated. "I don't mean in a good way either. The nature of the exsphere is to feed off the strength of whatever it is attached to. It eventually devours the wearer's soul. A Key Crest is a simple device that causes the exsphere to give strength to the wearer. To keep the exsphere from losing its own strength, the Key Crest also makes it draw energy from the air. This gives the wearer an unlimited strength, but it can only be tapped in amounts that are safe to the wearer. Too much power and you would kill yourself. The Key Crest also controls how much energy the wearer draws from the exsphere."

"Wow! They sound important enough," Lloyd exclaimed. "If the others agree to it then it would probably be a good idea."

After a while the rest of the group woke up and had breakfast. When they were all done and about to prepare to leave, Lloyd brought up Altessa's offer. Everyone agreed.

"I have one extra thing to ask of you also Altessa," Regal said. "I don't want to use my hands as weapons anymore. However, I feel tempted to use them every time I fight. I want you to make for me a set of shackles, so that I may never use my hands as tools of death again."

"Very well," Altessa agreed. "I'll make them for ya. It'll take a bit more time but I think you will still be able to leave within three days."

After the agreement had been made, Altessa asked them to go outside and enjoy the day.

…Three days later…

The days went by without incident. Nothing happened. There were no search parties, no random encounters. It was a peaceful three days. And Lloyd enjoyed every moment of them.

He had gone fishing in a nearby stream with Sheena on the first day. She had taught him the art of waiting for the fish to adapt to his presence in the water, and then catching them with his bare hands. He preferred the line and pole method, more so due to the fact that every time he tried to grab a fish he slipped on some rocks and fell on his tailbone.

On the second day they went foraging for food. This time Sheena was the one making the silly mistakes. While Lloyd was picking some fresh blackberries, she had found some odd looking mushrooms. She couldn't tell the difference between edible and poisoned mushrooms so she sampled one. When Lloyd noticed her, she was acting like a drunk. Lloyd later recognized the mushrooms as the rare and fabled "Boozeshrooms." They contained in them enough alcohol to make people with even the highest of tolerance to pass out, and have a giant hangover the next day.

On the third day, they had simply talked. Sheena couldn't remember what she had done after eating the boozeshrooms and after Lloyd had told her she didn't want to remember hearing it. They went on to talk about more things. They joked about nothing and everything, they told stories of their pasts. They just kept on talking.

Finally, the day had come. When they all awoke that day Altessa gave them the Key Crests that he had promised them. He also had a fine set of shackles ready for Regal. He placed them on and with a loud clank, they were locked onto his hands. Altessa also handed him a key, for when he would be done with fighting.

"Also I have two more things for you Lloyd," Altessa said. He then stepped back into his workshop and quickly came back out with two boxes. When Lloyd opened the first box he found a new set of clothes. The shirt was red with many silver buttons and a white scarf trailing. The pants were simple and black. There were also boots and gloves to match the shirt. Lloyd went to the other room to change and emerged looking like he had just pealed of his skin only to reveal his true self. The outfit suited him perfectly.

And then he opened the other box. Within were two swords. One was a green bladed rapier with a brass hilt and many emeralds, the other a purple scimitar with a mithril hilt studded with sardonyxes.

"They are Gale and Thunder, the Storm Swords," Altessa declared proudly. "They are the finest blades I have ever forged. The rapier, Gale is empowered by the wind. One tap from the flat of that blade and your foe will be blasted by a very strong wind, sending them flying. The scimitar, Thunder is aligned of course with lightning. Hit with the flat and your enemy will be fried. I was commissioned to make those swords for Lord Forcystus. I think you will have more use for them in the near future."

"I'll wield these two swords then," Lloyd replied. "I'll wield them until I can give them to Forcystus, and get back my swords in exchange. Then I'll kill him."

He then pulled the swords from their sheaths and tried to feel their balance. Strangely however, they had none. Lloyd tried to compensate the weight difference but they just wouldn't let him get into a comfort zone with them.

"Those swords were made for Forcystus only," Altessa explained, seeing Lloyd's confusion. "For him they will handle perfectly. For anyone else they will never feel right. It is what makes Dwarven weapons so sought after. We take a small amount of blood from whomever we are making the weapon for and fuse it with the metals. This makes it impossible for anyone other than the "Blood Owner" and his family to wield the weapon.

"However," he continued, "there is a loop-hole. The swords will also work for one who has mastered the art of wielding them. In simpler terms, the only way for you to ever wield those swords properly is to become a master swordsman."

"Then that is what I'll do," said Lloyd, his eyes focusing on the two swords. "I will master these swords and then become a master swordsman."

And with that they left, with many fond memories of the generous old dwarf fresh in there minds.

…Two days later…

…Change View: Forcystus…

"What do you mean you don't have my swords!" Forcystus yelled at the dwarf.

"I mean exactly as I say," Altessa explained calmly. "I don't have your swords. When your couriers came to my home they threatened to kill me. Instead, an acquaintance of mine killed them. I explained to him who he had just killed and he offered to deliver the swords to you. He is on his way at the moment to the ranch I believe. Though knowing him, he is probably going the wrong way."

"Can you describe him?" Forcystus asked.

"Certainly," replied Altessa. "He is a young human boy, maybe around seventeen. He has spiky brown hair and eyes to match. He is wearing a red coat and black pants. He'll be the one with your swords. He's an honest lad, but with a poor sense of direction. Please don't hurt him."

"Only if I don't have to," Forcystus assured him. Then he turned to his most trusted servant. "Capricorn, I want you to find this courier. Make certain that he is on the right path. If he isn't, guide him. If he refuses to go to the ranch and make the delivery, kill him and bring me the swords."

"As you wish my lord," replied the woman he had addressed. With that she departed to carry out her mission.

"There is one other thing," said Altessa from behind him. "Your current swords are obviously of no use to you. If I may be so bold, may I ask that when my courier does make the delivery would you be kind enough to pass those swords to him. He is a collector you see, and would love a fine set of swords to put on his wall."

"I'll have no use for them anyways," replied Forcystus. With that he stormed out of Altessa's home. He was furious that he would have to wait longer for his new swords. But he knew it wouldn't be too much longer. He had sent Capricorn after all and she was his best servant. She wouldn't fail…

AN: Okay that is taken care of. I hope you enjoyed. My thanks to the creator of the original character Capricorn. You know who you are and I thank you for offering her to me at least for this story. She will have a more important role later on.

Also, I probably won't be able to write any further than ch. 8 before I have to go back to school. I go back on August 30th. During the school year I won't be able to update as often as I usually do. I'll try to make updates on Saturdays or Sundays.

Also one final thing. A couple of chapters ago I got a review saying that my story was a little good and a little bad. I want to know what it is that is not good about this story so that I can improve. Therefore, I would like to ask you all to look back at my other chapters as well as this one and tell me what it is that you don't like about this story. It can be anything you want. I just want to know where I should try to improve. Just put it in with your review. Tell me what you think folks. See you next time at Ch. 8: The Kidnapping. Guess who's coming back… Laters!