Tales of Errantia
I'm back because I hate cliffhangers.
I don't own anything, really.
Chapter 3: Hope.
-0-
"So C'mon! Give me your best shot!"
"rrrRRRRRRAAAAGHHRRRRR!"
I rushed the dragon with the antler headdress, the dragon span as it swiped its tail at me.
Diving towards the ground, I started to whirl rapidly, kicking up mud. Green wind flowed around, I flew upwards, dragging mud and razor winds up. "Severing Winds!"
The hellion flinched as it tried to wrap around me, getting lacerations as it did so. Falling through the air, I reversed my grip on my sword, plunging it into the ground. "Runic Circle."
A dark sphere emanated from it as it crashed into the beast. It roared louder as it slithered out from the attack and flew wide, where I couldn't reach it. Damnit.
They twirled and twisted in the stormy sky, Fire beating in its mouth, its chest expanded twice the size before it bellowed it out.
"Get out of the way!" I was tackled out of the way as the flaming ball collided with the ground. Zaveid covered me with his body. "Zaveid!" I dropped my sword.
His clothes were burned, and he looked to just be hanging in there. "I'm fi-ne, don't worry about me. Hack!" Quickly setting him down, I looked towards the dragon, it dived towards me, maw opened and its red eyes glowing.
It became a blur in the storm, its roar vibrating in my ears. I bit down before rearing my right fist.
In an instant, it closed the distance. Sparks clung to its teeth, planning to ram me in.
Seeing the lightning, my body put the purification flames into the fist, I waited until it was closer to us, the flames formed into a lion and thrust it at the beast. "Lion's Howl!"
They converged with a bright flash of white. My flames rode onto its face intent on sucking in the malevolence. My feet dug in as I concentrated.
It was too much.
The dragon and I screamed.
Pain. PAIN. PAIN.
There was simply too much of it. I could feel the flames quelling all the malevolence as it could, but I was taking in too much, and not quelling it fast enough.
I slackened as I was pushed farther back, I felt my feet dig into stone. My vision went blurry. I saw the black wings of the dragon shrink as it plunged further into my flames.
My hair went up as wind surrounded me and throttled me as I was pushed out of the way, again. Mud clung onto my clothes as I tasted mud that went into my mouth.
The dragon struck the ground and made a crater that was two-thirds of the flat peak ground. A loud BOOM reverberated across the sky, the rain, and clouds, blown away.
It picked itself up, shaking the stone off of it, looked towards me, and flew away.
And just like that, that moment was gone.
It was too much.
I couldn't do anything.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save her." Zaveid sat next to me, where I laid on the ground and covered my eyes with my arm.
He stayed silent for a few minutes. We stayed like this for a few minutes. He clicked his tongue before standing up, patted his pants down, and walked.
I didn't know where.
Until he came back and plunged my sword a few feet away from me, in line with my head.
I looked toward him, laying my arm to my side. Zaveid pointed towards the dragon, "Look at its wings."
Slowly craning my neck, I looked towards the back of the dragon, already far from the mountain. Squinting at it a bit, I finally saw what I was looking at. The black wings of pure malevolence were shorter.
His hand appeared in front of me, I bit my lip, before taking it and being pulled up rather forcefully. "When you clashed with Theodora, I could feel the malevolence leaving her body. Her eyes, her eyes for just a second…"
He clenched his fist and looked down. He didn't say anymore.
Zaveid looked straight at me, his clothes wet and hair dripping with rainwater, and breathed deeply, "I have hope, I always did. Thank you. If you could somehow save her, please."
Hope, huh…
"…My job isn't done, she's still a dragon, and—I still don't know if I can save her, the malevolence, there was so much of it. But with what we saw-" I looked towards where the dragon, Theodora, went off to who knows where. "-if I can just do it enough times, then maybe—just maybe…"
As we both looked towards where Theodora went off to, the pit in my stomach, shrunk, if for just this time.
"I don't know what your deal is, but how 'bout I treat you for a drink, at Stonebury."
"I'm not old enough."
"Who cares? I feel like this calls for a celebration, c'mon."
I didn't hide my smile, "Heh. Sure." I picked up my ceremonial sword, which was bruised and darkened from the blast. Still sturdy, though.
If only these times could last, just simple times. Now, we needed to get back to Stonebury, too…
Symonne. The people.
"Damnit!"
"Huh? Where are you going!?"
"Stonebury. Someone is waiting for me! I also saved people on the way here and left them in the dirt."
"You what! Why!?"
"Because I sensed the dragon, I just focused on that! I'm single-minded!"
"I don't think it matters if your single-minded or not, you just left them there! On the ground, the soaking wet, ground!? Also, it's Theodora, don't call her a dragon."
We bickered while traveling back to Stonebury. All the while picking up people. Man, that was a lot of work. Zaveid made it way easier.
-0-
Ding
The chime of bells rang as we opened the inn door. The receptionist noticed us coming in and smiled, before paling at the people we brought in.
"L-let me get the mayor."
She scurried off to get the boss of this pioneer town.
Setting the people down, "I need to check on someone. I guess, wait for me here?"
"I'll do that, let me get some wine for us." Nodding, I walked up the stairs, my breathing quickened as I did so.
My resting could wait later.
Knock Knock
"Symonne?" No answer.
Of course, she would answer the door. It was me.
Slowly opening the door, I crept in, even though it wouldn't be much help. I looked towards the bed where she was supposed to be sleeping.
And she was gone.
"Damnit, Symonne." Where could she have gone? The window was closed, so she probably didn't leave through there. She avoided people like the plague because she was…
Shaking my head, I noticed the closet door was left slightly ajar. It was big enough to fit multiple small people in. Sighing, I walked to the doors and opened them.
Drip—Drip—Drip
I was met with tears. Freezing at the sight of her, Symonne, knees to chest, slowly looked up at me. Her eyes clouded and tears pricking at the edges. Her eyes went between dilated and shrunken rapidly.
She was living through a nightmare.
She curled up even more when I didn't say or do anything, just frozen at the sight.
I remembered how she wailed when we beat her to then beat Heldalf. How she came down, ignoring all malevolence, to get to me.
How she screamed and attacked me. The despair on her face.
Yet the look she gave me now was worse.
There was no other way to describe it.
"Stop looking at me, do you find enjoyment in this? Don't argue with any sophistry." Her voice just dripped with hatred. And yet, I ignored it, because I heard something else.
A crack.
I said nothing because it would've been taken as a deceptive argument. I couldn't use my words to help her, no explaining, persuasion with words would get through to her.
I held out my hand.
"…"
"…" I smiled at her because I now know that look.
The feeling of being forced to return to something you didn't want to. Whether that be a memory or place, or better yet, a feeling.
The feeling of regret.
I held out my hand, waiting for something. Whether that was rejection or acceptance, I held out my hand. To think, that my despair and hatred would overtake my thoughts, how stupid I was.
Symonne stared at my outstretched hand. An unknown emotion crossed her face. She dropped her head behind her knees and didn't move.
I understood.
Dropping my hand, "I'll get you a drink and food, just wait here." Turning around, I went to try and walk.
I felt a small tug on my cloak.
Pull—Pull.
I think that meant yes, "Okay, I'll go get it for you." The hand on my cloak disappeared. I guess I'll eat up here with her.
Better not keep Zaveid waiting.
Gently closing the door, I walked down the stairs with a pep in my steps. Looking down near the tables sat Zaveid with some food and wine.
"Hey. What took you so long? Is the person okay?"
"Yeah, she is. Do you wanna take it up in our room? I'd rather have her join us. I'll get food for her."
"Alright. See you up there." With that, Zaveid began his climb up to my room. Ordering up some soup, I walked after him.
-0-
Everyone sat on the floor in our room. Symonne sat a few more feet away from me and Zaveid. She was very wary of Zaveid but lessened when she realized this Zaveid was different. 'Dumber' she said. I laughed. Just a tiny bit.
Zaveid wanted to know who we were. I wanted to know what was going on, so we had a little exchange.
"I didn't even get your name. The name's Zaveid. No last name. Since I think I can trust you, I'm a Malakhim or Malak for short." So that's what they call Seraphim back in the day.
"I'm Sorey, no last name either. But I'm not a Malak. Just a human." Match was a dumb last name.
"…Symonne. Malak." Nothing else. Seemed fair enough.
"That's it. No, mysterious dark past or something." Zaveid probably knew something was up with Symonne, and how she felt about him. Not entirely but the gist and feeling he was getting from her. I could respect him for trying to alleviate the situation.
"That's none of your business lout."
"Ouch. That's fair. But ouch. Actually, did you have to say lout?"
Zaveid and Symonne bickered as I watched without saying anything. I sat crisscross while putting my chin in my right palm. My elbow on my knee. Laughing and smiling as they bickered. She still kept the distance, but her cautious tensing lessened.
We all could find a way to live, no matter if we bring misfortune and evil, our regrets, or our hope.
"The hell you say about me!?"
"You heard me, you pillock!"
"The hell does that even me!? Speak English! Sorey, tell her to speak English!"
"Symonne, speak English."
"No, you ignoramus." She spat.
Okay.
"C'mon, that's not true," I say that, but I don't know what ignoramus means, or pillock for that matter. She doesn't need to know that.
"You don't know what that means, do you." Oh, so she knows.
"Hah! Sorey, you're getting red!"
"I guess I am, then again, I'm not a lout."
"Hey!"
I dodged a playful swipe from Zaveid, "You miss- Hey that's my curry bun! Get that out of your mouth!"
I propelled my hand to rip out my dinner from his mouth, He used his wind to transport himself onto my bed, looking particularly smug.
Okay…
"Raging winds!"
"Ah! That's way too much! No no NO NO!"
I'm making a mess of things, cool.
-0-
The night was pitch black. Zaveid was snoring on the floor with a pillow and a blanket, for everyone to hear. It wasn't that bad, well, as bad as how loud he'll snore in the future.
Symonne left for somewhere. I don't know where she went, but I had this feeling she would come back here for them. It was just a feeling, I had no other way to know, but…
I stood up before walking towards the door, silently as possible, opening and closing it. I walked down towards where the receptionist usually was. She went home as the people we brought were situated in Stonebury.
Leaving the inn, I looked up to the starry night, the giant tree blocked a lot of it, but even the small parts I saw felt soothing.
If I can just get to a better vantage point to see all of it.
Thankfully, the rocks behind the tree were uneven, climbable for someone like me. As I started my trudge towards the rock wall. Looking around, again—No one was outside.
Interesting, to say the least.
Climbing the rocks was easier than I thought they would be, dusting me off I looked towards the peak, and—Symonne.
Hands behind her back as she stood upon the peak as she stared up at the stars. Her baton was in her hands and pointed down. Those red flower petals that held her hair in pigtails pointed down due to gravity.
She seemed to be captured by the stars.
"You know…" Symonne started talking. I didn't walk and listened. Being only a few feet behind her, she knew I was listening.
Symonne, somehow, didn't move a single muscle while she talked at me.
"When I woke up here, I realized where I was and when it was."
"How long?"
"1000 years. We are 1000 years back in the past. Desolation is what we called this wretched planet."
1000 years. That bile and feeling in my stomach came again.
"It's at that time when I was not who I am now." That… Made sense? I didn't know what she was getting at. Zaveid is quite different from who is from the future.
"…I can tell you don't understand what I'm saying. It makes sense. Not much history was preserved." She was building up to something, the only thing I knew something about was the Abbey, and my information was basically nothing. I'm not that good at gathering intel, as you can tell.
"Know this, those who stand in the light, cast the darkest of shadows. They are not who they say they are." Symonne stopped staring at the sky and looked behind her and at me.
"I'll keep that in mind." She sighed at that, I, legitimately, did not know what she was talking about. She insinuated that the Abbey was not what it cracked up to be, and I'll keep note of that.
Hearing a sigh of frustration, I looked back at her. Her head bowed was down while her arms were still behind her back, her bangs covering her eyes. "You'll see soon enough, just—say one thing."
I stood like a statue, this… Was new.
Then she fully turned to me.
.
.
.
What was the word, to describe what you see, when you see…
"You killed Heldalf…"
That word, to describe someone who has fallen on hard times…
"You brought me back to the past, my nightmare…"
The word when someone sees's light at the end of a dark tunnel…
"So, please. Just this once. Will you help me." A whisper.
That's right.
Hope.
Next Update: Pokemon Pallet Town Heroes.
