A/N: Overdue huh? Well, that's how the cookie crumbles… So deal with it, anyway, the quality should make up for it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, or the characters of, or blah blah. I do own my OC's, so if you want to use them, fork over the cash!
Chapter 8: The Nightmare Arrives
Albel wasn't so sure that the nap was a good idea. In that short amount of time the nightmares had plagued him violently. The same faceless swordsman came rushing forth. The rain poured, reducing the world to a grey haze. And still the mysterious figure above was always reaching, reaching. "What does this mean? Why do I have this same dream every time I try to sleep? The only restful sleep I've had was… When that damn girl was with me…"
"Didn't sleep well huh?" This latest interruption into his thoughts came from Meor, "Well, rested or not, you have a difficult battle ahead."
Albel made a scoffing sound, "I would hardly deem it to be a difficult battle… I have made sure I have all the advantages."
"Oh I see…" Drawled Meor as he leapt onto Albel's chest. "You're going to cheat aren't you?" Meor looked down into Albel's crimson eyes with his mischief filled gold ones.
Albel sat bolt upright in bed and Meor was caught off guard and ungracefully fell into his lap, "I don't have to cheat to kill this maggot!" Albel hissed at the furry ball in his lap that was attempting to regain its composure.
"Humph, touchy touchy…" Meor replied while jumping down to the ground, "At any rate, stop wasting time, because you've got a death match in 15 minutes…"
"I know, I know." Responded Albel as he grabbed his equipment and made for the door.
0o0o0o0
The knock on her door startled Maria. She was even more surprised to find a pair of red eyes looking at her emotionlessly on the other side. "A-Albel! What do you want?" She stammered, she was at a loss as to why he had appeared at her door.
"Take this, you'll need it." He said simply and offered Maria a plant of some kind; upon closer inspection it appeared to be a fresh piece of sage. She took it, still unsure what was going on, and stood there awaiting comprehension, "Bring it to the fight. Thank me later." Answered Albel to her unasked question.
"Okay…" She slowly affirmed unquestioningly. She felt a soft sensation against her leg and looked down to see a cat rubbing around her ankles, "It's called Meor right? What's it doing?" Maria wondered absentmindedly as it began to purr.
"No way, get out of it you sick little bastard," Albel harshly scolded the cat and plucked him from between Maria's legs with one hand before tossing Meor into the air above his head and pacing off down the corridor. Meor landed gracefully on Albel's shoulder of course.
"But she has such sexy legs…" Meor whined to Albel as they headed for the transporter room.
0o0o0o0
"How did it come to this? I need more rest. Damnit, I can't lose! I can't let Sophia know what happened! How does Albel know anyway?" Thoughts raced through Fayt's head as he stood alone on the grassy plains watching the purple clad figure standing nonchalantly a safe distance away. To the side of the combatants the rest of the group and Meor were lined up and watching with baited breath. "I have to focus… What accessories is he using? It looks like a Regeneration Symbol on his neck chain… So that means he isn't very susceptible to mental attacks, as it will keep restoring his focus… And… No fucking way. Albel's personally customised Bunny Shoes… Steel with sleek ears, not cute looking at all. Well, at least I'm equipped to use symbology for no mental fatigue… Guess I'm going to have to go all out to win this!" As Fayt was finishing up his diagnostic Albel began to speak,
"Well, I'm ready when you are fool." Stated Albel calmly, and with good reason, "Just as I thought, his equipment indicates that he is placing trust in symbology to gain the upper hand. Too predictable." Albel's internal gloating was cut short as Fayt made the first move.
"Gravitation!" He yelled and a ball of energy instantly appeared above Albel's head. Instant cast symbology was something Albel had overlooked however and he realized he was going to suffer dearly for that mistake. Before the spell took hold he frantically reached into his item bag and withdrew a small grey orb. He threw it on the ground between Fayt and himself and it exploded in a blast of grey mist, almost instantly clouds gathered in the sky and a grey rain began to cascade down upon the scene.
"Suppressive rain!" Nel exclaimed from her place on the sidelines. All of the assembled spectators looked at her for an explanation, "It's a weapon Airyglyph developed too late for the war. While this rain lasts, no more symbology can be cast, and it looks like Albel has created a huge storm too…" Nel trailed of as she looked up into the rain, ignoring it soaking her through.
"Are you saying that Fayt can't use any symbology at all?" Cliff questioned, unwilling to believe this was true, as he began to act. Yet Cliff was grabbed by Mirage as he made a move for the battlefield.
"Cliff, don't be hasty. Nothing has happened yet, and besides, the gravitation spell is unaffected by the rain and it's beginning to take effect. It looks as though it's Fayt that has the upper hand…" Mirages calm reasoning and firm grip kept Cliff in place and he began to settle down.
"You're right. We'll see what happens." Cliff replied reluctantly
This was very rare; Albel was scared out of his mind. Gravitation had practically frozen him to the spot. The spell was so strong he could hardly move, let alone fight, the world carried on as he was left in slow motion. Every drop of rain seemed to hit him in slow motion; every drop thudded ominously in his ears. He could see a grey figure he assumed was Sophia in the corner of his eye reaching feebly towards him as she stood with the group, they hadn't noticed her doing it yet, and she didn't want him to lose. But worst of all, he could see another menacing shadow stalking towards him through the rain, sword glinting in the dim light. He was scared because this was the nightmare. The nightmare he had been fighting for so long had finally come to claim him. He drew his sword in slow motion. He may be unable to fight, but he would die honourably. He would make a feeble last stand.
"You give up too easily mortal…" The Crimson scourge spoke as it slowly came into his view. "I am not bound by a spell such as this…" By now Fayt had reached him. Albel could see the simple blow coming straight for his head, he feared that he couldn't move fast enough to block it, and his sword flicked up and deflected it by itself with speed easily equalling Fayt's attack.
"I should have guessed it would not be so easy…" Fayt calmly lamented before launching into a flurry of attacks. Yet the Crimson Scourge still blocked each and every one, dragging Albel's body with it. The two swordsmen danced in the storm, Albel looking far from graceful as he was manoeuvred by his sword, it usually happened the other way around.
"Look, I'm only buying you time until the spell wears off, and then you're on your own… You get to kill him…" The sword calmly stated as it continued to defend its master. Albel began to wonder just what his katana was capable of.
"No! I will not lose to the likes of you!" Thundered Fayt, Albel looked into his opponent's eyes and saw they were glowing bright green. He knew that was not good. Then, without warning, green energy coursed along the length of Fayt's sword and instantly the power behind his attacks trebled. Every blow caused a shockwave to erupt from the impact point and water was flung outward in great sheets. Each attack caused Albel to lose ground now.
"Okay, this is not very good…" The strain in the Crimson Scourge's voice was apparent now. Then Fayt took a step back and followed through with a full force swing that was still blocked, yet Albel felt every bone in his body bend as he was flung away by the sheer power behind the strike. He landed in a muddy puddle a fair distance away, yet regained his footing quickly.
"Nice try Maggot… But now I'm free of your spell…" Taunted a slightly breathless Albel as Fayt came rushing towards him. He deftly evaded as Fayt swiped at him, his mud-covered bunny shoes giving him the speed advantage, yet the wake of the sword left a gash across his torso and cast Albel backwards once more, "He's using a lot of power, guess I'll have to give him a fair bit of room then…" Albel concluded as he regained his balance, sped backwards and yelled, "Dragon Roar!"
"Too scared to fight me upfront!" Fayt exclaimed vehemently as a virtual torrent of dragons reached towards him with jaws outstretched. However, Fayt expertly sliced each and every dragon in half that Albel could summon. Yet he was breathing heavily now, and the glow in his yes was beginning to dim slightly, as he dashed towards Albel once more. It was obvious that Fayt had pushed too hard in an attempt to end the fight quickly.
"Too much power… Too soon fool… Vampiric flash!" Albel snarled triumphantly as black and purple shadows swirled on the ground around him before engulfing the blue haired boy. Once they had retreated Fayt stood unsteadily on his feet, his sword and eyes no longer glowing. Albel had been breathless but the energy had restored his stamina considerably.
"Ahhhhh…" Fayt moaned as he attempted to stay upright, even the simple rain falling upon him was straining his ability to stand. Albel swiftly marched forward and punched him full force with his claw, thus sending the exhausted boy backwards until he collapsed in a sitting position on the muddy ground against a rock.
"You tried, I suppose. But once a worm, always a worm…" Albel stated matter-of-factly. He raised his sword high with the tip pointed Fayt-ward. Water dripped from the tip into Fayt's eyes as he stared vacantly upward. Fayt could do naught to resist as he watched the grime-covered purple swordsman tower above him. But before Albel could deliver the final strike he found his head flying to the left, quickly followed by the rest of his body.
"That's enough Albel. You have clearly won." Cliff informed the swordsman who was struggling up out of the mud. He readied himself for resistance because he was fairly sure Albel wasn't going to be happy about him interrupting.
"Actually, it's not enough. He still breathes…" Albel replied calmly as he shook the water and sludge from his hair and began to advance upon Cliff. Cliff made to dart forward and deliver Albel another blow, yet Albel cut him short, "Aura Wall!" Cliff made a strangled cry as the tormented souls sprang from the ground and engulfed his head before crashing to the ground. Albel simply kicked him in the face for good measure and strode over him. When he reached Fayt he thrust the Crimson Scourge through the boy's chest without hesitation.
"Gahh!" Fayt wheezed with a look of disbelief in his now wide eyes. He grasped the sword that protruded from his chest and feebly tried to pull it out, yet all was in vain as he slowly went limp.
"I won't humiliate you. I just said that so you'd put up a good fight…" Albel whispered softly to the barely breathing body before withdrawing his sword. Fayt coughed up some blood in response; however Albel just stood watching the rain swiftly wash his katana clean before sheathing it and walking away. All eyes were riveted upon the scene, most people unable to move, thus nobody noticed the silver figure in the clouds above.
A/N: Short, but oh so dramatic. This would have been updated sooner, but we had a power surge that fried my router. That would be $200 down the drain but the best come with warranties! Then I decided everyone was OOC and rewrote the entire dialogue and tied up a lot of loose ends and added more description. And then my replacement routers (yes, 2) both decided they didn't know how to connect to the net. So after everything I hope you enjoyed this. And the drama doesn't stop here; I just thought this was a good place to end the chapter. An unexpected… something appears in the next chapter. And the adventure begins… Oh and if anyone can guess the meaning/s of the title… Well, try and I'll try and think of something, lol. And if you want to follow the new and improved Holiday, put me on Author Alert,because i might name it something else and post it seperate to this. And of course reviews help a lot as they may influense the rewrite. Have your say in how this turns out, im open minded, so you never know...
