Lady Serefine: I've been meaning to ask are you a David Edding's fan? Your pen/screen name is very simular to one of my favorite characters in his books. Regardless thank you for your parise concerning Colette and keeping her in character!
FairyV: Hi, yeah poor Genis, he kind of gets a little better in this chapter, but this one primarily focus' on Lloyd though
MoonCannon: Thanks...I hope you like this one as well
A/N This chapter was in part inspired by my own experiences in the game... I think I'm the only person who had so much trouble with that electricity room lol! Also I didn't like how Lloyd just 'knew' what to do, or how things got so easy for him after he 'examined' the pedestal. So I made things harder... yeah I'm evil like that. Enjoy. Oh yeah and they don't fight Botta in the study, but somewhere else... This is the first part of the Artistic License I was talking about.
A/N: Wee I got my job back(For a week at the least stupid boss wont give me a definite "yes" or "no")... I will officially not be updating quickly... AKA Kasan equals turtle in way of updates... Sorry guys but that's how it is, you'll just have to be patient.
33 pages... it feels like sixty or something... as always enjoy my spin on TOS.
Chapter 4
Triet part 2
The Base
Cold, he was cold, shivering he reached up to grab the blankets, or to smack Noishe if he'd taken the blankets yet again. His hands slid across something smooth, cold. It was not ice cold, or snow cold, or even night cold... It was lifeless cold. He rolled over, shoved off the slick floor and looked around and saw, nothing. Nothing but darkness, he reached out, ignoring the stab of pain in his shoulders, and felt around him. Again nothing, nothing but slick floor. He stood, and winced as his head smacked against the ceiling. He gasped out profanities, and stood, or rather stooped over like an old man all the while rubbing his head. After a bit of time had passed, and he ran out of curse words in dwarvish and human Lloyd sat back down, and scooted around the room all the while reaching out with his hands. It took him a while to find the walls, and that discovery only told him that the walls were made the same was as the floor.
Suddenly he heard a rumble, the far wall slid aside, two figures stepped in with the blinding light, pinned his arms. He tried to fight, to struggle. One of them looked coldly at him, he could see blue eyes regard him, calculate his worth. Decision made a fist slammed into the back of his skull, and he knew no more.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
They regarded the massive domed building from behind a clump of boulders. After a days walk and a short cut through a tight ravine they had made it back. Noishe sniffed at the ground, looked at the dome, then barked. They had arrived. Kratos' hand drifted to his sword hilt, caressed the length of steel with gloved hands. Raine shivered, tightened her grip on her staff, her face grim. Colette only looked baffled, out of all of them she didn't understand...
He'd have traded places with her in a heart beat.
He knew, could imagine Lloyd in the prisoners garb, his body laced with bleeding wounds as the Desian's tormented him. He could easily imagine halls of hopeless eyes and emaciated victims, and Lloyd being among them. He had seen enough at Iselia's ranch to imagine what it was like. Yet unlike Iselia's ranch there was no massive yard where the prisoners worked. In this climate though such exertions would have killed off all the prisoners quickly, maybe they did something inside. Some sort of horrid labor that appeased some mad whim and went no where.
Noishe looked at the massive building and growled, he'd never heard Noishe growl like that before. It was like Lloyd's dog would have happily ripped apart everyone in that ranch. For once though he wasn't appalled by the violence, he was in total agreement.
"Good dog." He patted Noishe's side and was rewarded with a small lick.
"Raine hide the children then re-join me. We will make plans on what to do after."
"No." Kratos blinked, Raine blinked, and they all turned to Colette in shock. Genis had never heard Colette sound that... well that serious before. "I'm not hiding, I'm helping you look for Lloyd."
"Count me in too." Genis heard himself say, it was like someone else was talking through him. "It's my fault we got into this, I'm going to fix it."
"Out of the question, it's going to be dangerous enough to guard one person..."
"Then don't guard me Mr. Aurion, I know how to protect myself and I can protect my pupils. I will, so all you have to do is help look for Lloyd. Certainly that wont be so hard for a mercenary."
"Ms. Sage, shut up." Kratos scowled at the building, and Genis was just happy he wasn't looking at them with that look on his face. He was scary enough without glaring on top of it. "As you will, your deaths wont be on my conscience. Colette, stay with me and let's get this over with."
"Wait, what about a plan of attack?" Genis squeaked.
"'A plan of attack'" The mercenary's tone turned Genis' question into an insult "You can't do much if you can't see the area. We have no plan save this, if the door is mundane we kick it in... and if it isn't then we just have to kick harder."
"I'll handle it." Raine butted in. "I know a little about machines, I might be able to get us in. So try not to kick so hard you break it."
Kratos snorted, said nothing.
As both adults went forward Genis held back for a second, and turned to Colette.
"Have they been fighting like this the whole trip?"
"Fighting?" Colette looked baffled.
"Never mind."
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
His arm... hurt, they'd stabbed him with something and it.. Well it hurt like heck. He clenched his fist on his left hand and had the dubious pleasure of feeling fiery needles crawled up his arm.
"Oww..."
"Shut up!"
Something clanged against the bars of his new cell. He'd woken up again, this time in a different cell. It was more of what he had expected, slick steel walls and floors, a pot for... 'going in' and a blanket left rumpled up in a corner to sleep on. Two guards seemed immersed in their card game, and every time he so much as grumbled one of them would throw a bright shard of red at him. Or more accurately at his cell.
He flexed his fingers, at least the he could do that now, it had been scary when he first woke up and couldn't even move his arm. A bandage was wrapped around his shoulder, the sleeve of his tunic had been cut off and his whole arm was bare, well except for the bandaged up spot around his shoulder. He reacher up with his right hand to ruffle his hair and think. He'd been here for hours, he didn't know how long he had been asleep, but awake he'd watched twenty games be played.
Genis, what'd they done to him? Was he here? He'd called out for his friend on his first time waking up and his guards had come in and beat him up till he had passed out. He hadn't had the guts to call out again.
With a grunt he stood, at least in this cell he could fully stand and not have to stoop, and he went to the bars and looked at the game with bored eyes. He had to get out, he had to think of a way to get out of here. Lloyd's hand drifted to his swords, and gripped nothing but air. Well that closed one way out... Cursing he tried to think, he crossed his arms in front of him and bowed his head. Light flashed off red, and Lloyd looked down at the small red band that ran along his left ring finger. The sorcer's ring, he'd totally forgotten about it!
A smile pulled on his lips as a bit of an idea came to him. It wasn't much of one, but with luck he could make it work. He'd just make up the rest as he went.
After a while of just standing and staring he decided to sit and stare, and it was then he saw the bits of red that hung around his cell. They were shards... no chips of bright red... something. He didn't recognize the material. A quick glance at the table told him that the guards were using it as some sort of game piece. And a bit of an idea came to him. He gathered all the shards that he could reach and piled them up. Twenty little red circle cut outs lay in his hand. Not much, but he didn't need all that much...
"Hey guys! Wow whoever's missing twenty of these gald pieces is a sorry loser."
There was a silence.
"Who's turn was it to go in their and beat him again, I forgot?"
"Don't know, he's kind of pissed me off though."
"I'm rich over here, man look at all this money. One.. Two... Three pieces of gald..."
"I almost wish we could both beat him now..."
Lloyd grinned, and recalling the tone of voice of that questioning kid that drove Raine wild tried his best to mimic it. "Four.. Five... Six..." He clinked the pieces together and both guards were looking angry.
"Flip a coin?"
"No, I'm going."
"Hit him a few times for me..."
"Whatever, just don't look at my hand."
"Trust me."
"The guy who plays with a six sided die that only has two numbers, you have to be kidding."
Lloyd stopped counting pieces and waited. The guards grunted, looked at him and the chips in his hands. They must of been valuable because the guard tossed a hesitant look at his partner and then smiled at him.
"Come on little boy, come over here and hand that all over and I'll go easy on you..."
Lloyd only shook his head, mock cringed back.
"Hey, I tried to be nice."
The guard reached over, pressed a button that Lloyd could have reached had he noticed it earlier. He felt really stupid for missing that, but didn't have time to dwell on it. The guard entered, unwound his whip, and came forward. Lloyd only lifted the ring, and the guard paled. There was a loud 'whoosh' and both of the man's eyebrows caught on fire. Screaming curses the man dropped his whip and beat on his face with a hand.
"What the hell..."
When that guy came in Lloyd let off another sorcer ring 'whoosh' and left both men in the cell trying to beat out there burning eyebrows. When Lloyd closed the door on them they were just smarting up enough to rip off their huge steel helmets and smack themselves on the face. He ran to their post and saw his gear laid out and tossed all around. He muttered a curse, hadn't these guys ever heard of dwarven vow number sixty two; 'Leave what's not yours alone?'. But then Desian's didn't seem like the types of people to follow dwarf vows.
A commotion from the cell told him that he didn't have much time. He snatched everything, off the desk, even papers he didn't think were his -He was not losing his Dad's letter!- then stuffed it in his packs. Slinging it all over his shoulders or to his belts Lloyd ran out of the room. He came back a second later remembering his wooden swords.
xxx xxx xxx xxx
"Howl!" Noishe had cornered Kratos and it was almost as if he was yelling at the mercenary. "Howl bark, BARK!"
"Silence dog." Kratos snarled, that went too far for even her.
"Mr. Kratos be nice to Noishe!" He turned to her, his eyes cold. She didn't care, she was sick and tired of this. "He's worried about Lloyd and he doesn't like that you are making us wait."
"As you will Chosen."
"Stop that! Stop that right now!" Tears burned behind her eyes. She was unaware of how Genis and Raine were staring at them. She didn't care. "Stop being so mean... to me, to Noshy, to Raine, to Genis. Stop being a jerk!"
He stared at her in total shock.
"You... you yelled at Raine the whole trip, you were mean to Genis when he was hurt, and now you're bing mean to Noshy because he's worried... Stop yelling at us, stop being mean!"
She wiped her eyes, told herself Chosen's weren't supposed to cry. Chosen's weren't supposed to get angry either. They were supposed to forgive and tolerate everything because that's what Martel wanted in the world. A world where all the bad was forgiven, forgotten, and only good was left. Where all the anger between people was gone and everything was good. She was hurting Martel by doing this, by getting angry, and the guilt made her feel sick.
Unable to take it Colette turned on her heel and fled.
"Way to go Kratos..." Genis growled.
"You owe an apologue." Raine noted cooly. "And perhaps not just to her."
"Bark!"
Kratos gritted his teeth, cursed, then went after the girl.
Xxx xxx xxx
It smelled like oil, the air tingled all around him and his hair stood straight up. Boots slammed the floor less then a inch away from his nose. Voices chattered around him, he wasn't paying attention though. He was trying not to move, not to breath. Alarms had begun to howl, to whoop after he made it through a few rooms. Guards had barged into the room, there were way too many for him to handle... More then he could count. So he had slid under the weird wire and metal lump that rested in a pit at the room's center, and luckily no one had seen him. Now it was only him and two guards.
"Man Lord Botta sure likes to do things the hard way... You're a spell caster, you deal with it."
"You know you could become a slightly competent one if you actually put some effort into it."
"Shut it and just wiggle your fingers."
"You know for that I might just miss."
"Do that and I might just trip while I'm holding my sword and accidently poke you with the tip where you don't want to be poked."
There was a long pause on both men's part.
"I would so fry you."
"Not before I chop off things you don't want to be chopped off."
Another pause then two voices rose in laughter.
"Man how long have we been saying that to each other Ph'thon?"
"About three decades and it still hasn't gotten old Aroon."
"I think Lord Botta's right, we entertain ourselves far too easily..."
"Whatever," There was two loud booms and weird hiss that lingered. "What would you do without me? You'd get drunk, wander into this room, and be stuck here for days, that's what."
"Heh, remember the time you got drunk and wandered in here? You iced the panels good. Man, I thought that the Boss was going to skin you alive for that one. What are you getting, a fourth stipend until the payment's covered for the new ones that he had to put in?"
"A fifth..." The voice was mournful.
"A fifth, man that..." There was a hiss and a slam as the door closed behind them.
For a long moment Lloyd just stood still... well it was more crouched still since he was crouched under a mess of wires and steel. He was shook a bit. The way those guys talked... How many times had Genis teasingly told him he was toast? How many times had he countered that he was so fast with his sword Genis would be even shorter before the spell could get off? He'd lost count over the years.
Taking a deep breath Lloyd squirmed from his hiding spot. He sat by a weird pedestal trying to get his hair to not spark every time he ran a hand through it. His head hurt and he felt all weird, but that was probably cuz that metal thing kept zapping him while he was hidden. It also didn't help that his leg had a nasty gash in it that really hurt when he walked. It wasn't bleeding all that much, his pants were pressed against the wound so it wasn't bleeding as much as it could. Since he was alone and safe for the time being Lloyd pulled off the bandage on his arm, and blinked at the injury underneath.
A perfect circle had been cut out of his skin, it was the size of a piece of gald. No wonder his shoulder hurt.
Man it was so hard on his own. Genis wasn't there to give him ideas, no Colette to cheer him on... Geeze he was so desperate he'd have taken that Kratos guy and his endless sarcasm for company if the guy would give him a hint. It was so hard being alone. He really missed his friends. Closing his eyes he rested his check on the pedestal.
"Ow, shit!"
He rubbed his scorched cheek and glared at the miniature pillar thingie.
"I can't believe a rock just bit me! You stupid..." He kicked at it, his time it was his toe that got cooked by purple light. "Ack, Damn it... I thought only fire burned! Ow ow ow!" He hopped a bit, brought his toe up and breathed on his toes, that were very visible since the boot had literally been cooked away. "Man this stinks." He sniffed and made a face. "In more then one way..."
He put his stinging foot down, and learned first hand -or rather foot- how cold the steel was. A quick glance around showed him where the "panels" were. They were the only thing not made of metal in the room. He stared at the green thing, walked across it, hopped up and down on it. Nothing, absolutely nothing. He sat, tapped his head with a finger trying to remember where he'd heard that sound before...
He recalled the time Genis had tossed a fireball in his father's smithy and set off a small explosion. No that hadn't made the right sound...
He recalled the water spell Genis used on him as they trekked through the dessert. Considering he was on cold steel tiled floor he quickly banished those thoughts.
Certainly wasn't wind mana, not earth mana, so what was left?
He rubbed his head, sparks snapped from his hair, and he had it!
Lightning! Thunder! Electricity! That was it!
Now all he needed was a small thunderstorm in room and he was set!
Then reality reared it's head... Without Genis he might as well be stuck, unless he wanted to rub his head against the tiles and hope that it would open the doors. But then staying here forever was pretty stupid, and if it worked... Well if it did he wouldn't say a word to Genis about how he did it. Taking a deep breath, hoping he was right, Lloyd went to the pedestal and with a grimace lowered his head.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
Sand crunched under his feet. That ruined his silent step, but this time stealth was not his purpose. A little noise wouldn't kill him, so he made no pains to correct the loudness of his foot falls. He listened, followed the soft sobs to a cluster of rocks.
A child, she is nothing more then a child who runs from the eyes of those she knows to cry. She is still a child, a lover of child's games, an innocent. She should not be forced into this, forced to be a Chosen, to go through these trials. If there are any Gods still left in this world I would strike them down to make this madness stop, to allow this child to be a child.
He grimaced, adjusted his sword, and leaned against the rock he knew she was crouched behind.
"Chosen?"
A sniffle was his only answer. She was probably trying to pull herself together. A sick feeling settled in his stomach. One he was all too familiar with, guilt. He was the cause of her tears, his callous nature, his lack of tact. Had she been an adult such a reaction would have disgusted him, he would had left her to cry alone and hope the experience would have put some steel in her. But she was a child, a child who was coming to womanhood in the shadowof ideals so strict it was a miracle she was who she was.
Lesser people would have allowed those ideals to control their lives, to sculpt them into a proper image.
And despite the fact he did not like her flightiness, her childishness, he had to admire her for the strength of self to just be herself.
Hold onto that thought, allow it to be felt in your tone, if you don't she's going to run off.
"Chosen, I owe you an apology."
Nothing, silence, shocked silence if he was any judge.
"You are right, I have been high handed with you, your friends... For that I apologize."
A sniffle, more subdued.
"I guess..." He paused for effect, groped at the air in front of him as if trying to capture a thought. "I am far too used to traveling alone. I expect you and your friends to be up to my level of expertise. That is why I press them so hard, and why I get frustrated so easily when they fail."
He was rewarded with the sound of her finding her feet. He said nothing more, did not move, only waited. She did not disappoint him, she came out of her hiding spot and only when she saw him did he allow himself to turn towards her. He hoped his face looked sincere and somewhat friendly. Her tired smile made him think he had succeeded.
"It's alright... I forgive you."
"The time of waiting is almost done, we should head back... If that's what you want of course."
She nodded, rubbed at her eyes. She cried with good grace. No red swollen nose or flushed face marred her expression. Only thin tracks, tears that shined in the sun's light like crystals. She fumbled at her belt pouches for a bit and Kratos understood what she sought and produced a handkerchief from his own pouches with a flourish that made her giggle. He stayed with her while she collected herself, and was almost surprised that after she had dried her face that he could not have known she had cried unless he had seen it. Had any told him otherwise and he had not been present for this he would have not believed it. With no hints of sniffle or tears the Chosen looked to him and quietly suggested that they go back before Raine decided to give him a "Raine treatment" for making her worry. Not quite understanding the saying Kratos shrugged, and kept pace. His hand hovered over the hilt of his blade, the steel was as familiar to his hand as the caress of a lover.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"Owwww!"
Lloyd went flying, his hair leaking black smoke and spitting up sparks. His head rung like dad's hammer against steel. His body failed him and he lay twitching on the floor for several minutes.
Third time, and it wasn't working, when he got control over his limbs he crawled to his feet and glared at the pedestal with it's purple light and pulsing purple orb that wafted smoke just like his head. Irrational he grabbed at it, thinking only to drag it to the stupid tiles and make it open the door. It was only as his fingers curled that he realized his mistake and scrunched up his eyes. Nothing happened, his hand gripped a warm tingly orb that squirmed under his grasp.
He cracked open his eyes, stared at his left hand that gripped the floaty thing like it would grip Noishe' fetch toy.
"Alright," He gave it a tug and it didn't move. "Come on, move!" He pulled with all his might and fell back in his rump as his sweaty hand lost it's grip.
"Damn it, open the door!"
The orb of lightning mana only floated there.
"This sucks..." He glared at the mana and it offered no suggestions. "Man I really miss Genis, when I get out of here I swear I'm never going to tease him about using magic ever again."
Even with so generous an offer of good will no miracles happened.
"Alright, you asked for it." Gritting his teeth Lloyd tackled the orb and was again sent flying after a spectacular roar of thunder. He groaned, sat on his rump and stupidly shook his head. "Owww today's not my day..." He looked down at his stinging right hand and then to his unhurt left and the purple ring on his left gave him the hint that he needed.
Sort of...
"Huh, wasn't that red a little while ago?"
He continued to stare while his scrambled brain tried to think.
"It was red a little while ago! Cool, it changes colors!"
Another long pause, a very long pause.
"Wait if it throws fire while it's red then what'll it do now that it's purple?"
He only had to look at the pedestal and it's purple orb and all the singe marks along the room to figure it out.
"All I had to do was touch it? That's it? Ung this is so unfair, these magic things should come with instructions or something! Alright!" Lloyd stood, walked to the green tile and pointed the ring down. "Let's see if this works..."
Ten minutes later he staggered out of the room, two floating steel things that shot out orbs of red light were little more then sizzling, dented, lumps of metal behind him. The first thing he'd learned from this was 'never stand on a Desian tile/button with an electric ring'. The second thing was 'when a door opens and floating plates with glowing red noses come out don't say cool and stare'. These were worse then Raine's lessons, they weren't as boring, but they were worse cuz they hurt. A few halls a few doors and he came to a huge room with a floating box in it and a series of pillars.
He barely managed to not say cool and stare at the box for a minute.
It was only when he went to a table and saw some weird notes that he realized what the whole room was. He'd just left one like it...
"Not again..." He sighed and looked around and right as Raine there it was. Another pedestal with a glowing purple orb. "Why me?"
xxx xxx xxx xxx
Genis rubbed his hands together, was shaking a bit. He'd never done something like this, he was scared that he'd get it wrong. But Kratos had told him that if he got it wrong the mercenary would kill the guards despite everyone else's protests. Talk about pressure to get it right the first time. Colette smiled at him, she trusted in him. Raine gripped his shoulder offering support. Genis ignored Kratos, he was so shook that if he saw the scorn, the lack of faith, he's lose his nerve.
"Alright, I'm gunna do it."
Genis wove his fingers, coaxed the mana from it's hiding placed all around him. Kratos faded from his world, drifted away with the speed of a bit of night facing the dawn. Colette's cheery smile, her pale face, and deep blue eyes faded from his sight more slowly. Raine's calm presence, her hand on his shoulder, the scent of ink and book, that lingered the longest. As if responding to his need for strength the mana touched his mind, made several memories hidden away come out. It wasn't the mana though, but his own shaky control and strong emotions that was making this happen. He couldn't fight it, he'd have to deal with it while he cast the spe-
"I'm scared Raine, I'm scared."
"Shhh we're safe, there are no monsters inside. Nothing's in the closet, and if there was don't think for even a second I'd let it get my little brother." She smiled down at him, ruffled his hair.
"Crystal shards of the ice maiden's..."
"Don't worry Genis, it's just water, see, it doesn't bite!"
Lloyd splashed some water at his friend who was stubbornly sticking to the sandy rivers bank.
"Look Noishe's swimming, and he's the biggest chicken out there, and he's not scared. Come on I know you're braver then Noishe!"
"Bar-" Noishe fell silent mid-enthused bark and seemed to consider what was just said. The dog gave Lloyd a long look. "Whine!"
"I don't know... I can't swim Lloyd. And Raine said..."
"Come on, I wont let anything bad happen, I've been swimming for like forever. Trust me OK?"
"Alright..."
"-diamonds come forth and allow all mortals to behold thier magnificence..."
"Genis, hold up!"
Colette laughed at his enthusiasm. She seemed shocked that he was so happy because they were going on a bug hunt. She held a net in her hands, absolutely insistent on catching a butterfly. He grinned back to her, dropped his seriousness just for a day of fun. Yeah he'd told Raine that he was going to study the bugs, hence the net and collection of jars, but he wasn't going to be all that serious about it. They rooted around in the grass, found caterpillars and beetles and even a ladybug.. .
"Eek!" Colette hopped back as a worm poked out from the dug up earth.
"It's only a worm Colette." He smiled, then picked it up and allowed it to squirm freely in his hand. "See, look, it doesn't have teeth, it doesn't bite." He looked at it closely, nodded as he recognized the specie. "It eats earth Colette, dirt, and decomposing plant roots."
"Really?" She leaned forward, curiosity beating terror.
"Yep!"
"Wow Genis you're really smart, and you're brave. Everyone else told me that worms were evil things."
"They look disgusting." He admitted with a grin. "But they aren't evil." He scooted the worm off of his hand and it slithered back into the ground where it wouldn't be bothered by birds or curious kids so easily.
"I-!"
"Genis, cover me!"
Lloyd ran at the Desian that was going for the child, blade leading. He didn't see the archer, no he saw it and didn't care...
Not for himself, he wasn't in this fight for himself He never got into a fight just for himself. The first time Genis had seen him fight was when those bullies at school had pinned his arms behind his back, had called him pointy eared freak and clenched their fists. He saw the bullies grin at him, saw the Desian line up the bow, and heard Lloyd tell the bullies to back off. Even though it was the mayor's son who was leading them, Lloyd didn't care, he ordered them to let 'the kid' go.
"Aww look it's the half dwarf here to stick up for Mr. pointy-ears!"
"Let him go Ivan."
"What ya gunna do Irving, fight me."
"Only if I have to. Let. Him. Go. Now."
"Or what?"
Lloyd swung his fist, Ivan staggered back and touched his bloody lip.
"I'll have my father exile you freak!"
"Whatever..." Lloyd glared at the two guys holding Genis' arms, he cricked his knuckles and glared. Genis was let go, one of the humans gave him a shove so that he fell to his knees. He whimpered, hugged his knees and cried even as the bullies back off. They were gone with cat-calls of 'motherless bastard' ringing out behind them.
"Hey little guy, you OK?"
He sniffled and looked up, not at a dwarf but another human!
"Yeah..." Genis cringed away from the guy. Irving was a human and... And human's were dangerous and mean.
"I can't believe they did that to you. And just for being smart too, people don't make a lota sense sometimes..."
"For being smart?" Genis hiccuped.
"Yeah, they used to gang up on me for being short."
How could this guy say that, he was huge, the tallest guy Genis had ever seen!
"You got a name?" Irving smiled at him, offered a hand, which Genis took with a smile.
"G..Genis..."
"I'm Lloyd, hey aren't you that evil woman's son?"
"Evil woman?"
"The one who throws erasers!"
"Wha- that's my sister Raine! And she's not evil!"
"Oh... sorry..." Lloyd's stomach growled and he laughed. "Man I'm starved, look I'll see you around Genis."
"Wait, lunch hour's almost over! Where are you going?"
"Lunch hour... Oh wait you must go to that 'school' thing Dad was talking about. I'm supposed to head there too, but I can't find it so I went exploring in the forest. I found this really nice lake with fish in it and I was going to catch some lunch. Wanna come along?"
"No, we have to go to class. Raine was really mad when the new student didn't come in in the morning, I wondered what was going on. Come on, if we go now she wont get any angrier."
"Ummm," He looked Genis for a long moment. "Alright! Hey after we go see what's-her-name could you explain that lunch hour thing?"
"It's Raine and... and... 'Explain lunch hour?' You don't know what lunch hour is?"
"Nope," Lloyd shrugged. "Me and Dad always eat when we get hungry and Noishe always tells us when he's hungry so why'd you make an hour for it?"
"Icicle!"
Two black clad guards turned the corner smartly, their shiny black boots slid and skidded on the mass of ice that covered the sands in front of the door. They cried out, slammed into the ground and slid on their rumps. Kratos lightly vaulted over the massive group of rocks they had been hiding behind. His cloak flapped behind him, the pooled as his feet struck sand. The guards looked up, one of them muttered a curse went for his bow, the other gapped at the human. Without breaking pace the mercenary drew his sword, freed his shield from it's resting place strung across his back.
The bowman's eyes widened in terror, he fired.
Lazily Kratos swatted the missile out of the air with his shield, one pass from his sword destroyed the bow. The mercenary hesitated on the very edge of the plate of ice. While his sword could reach them he could not, now without passing over the treacherous ground. He frowned, and Genis didn't blame the guards when they paled at that frown. Then a smile, a grim little smile curled the older human's face.
The guards if nothing else looked more scared.
With that grin Kratos pushed one of the guards with the flat of his weapon. With a squeak of protest the Desian slid to the other side of the bank. Kratos calmly followed, walking the parameter where ice met sand till he was to the place where the Desian had stopped. As the half elf in black scrambled to his feet the mercenary brought the flat of his blade on the man's head. He fell over with a loud thump and the human cooly dragged the Desian off. He came back a few moment's later, and stared at the remaining guard who was crawling on all fours to get back to the base.
"Ms. Sage, may I borrow your staff for a moment?"
Raine un-slung her staff, tossed it, and the mercenary caught it without turning.
"So Mr. Sage, since you are so very humanitarian today..." Kratos snagged the Desian with his staff, dragged him via a loose belt and ridge in the staff into range. "You wish me to do the honors?"
Genis said nothing, only closed his eyes in exhaustion. Ice was not his element, it didn't match up with him at all, and the fact that he'd been able to even finish the spell was amazing. Kratos though did not wait for Genis' response, merely dented the Desian's helmet for him. Then almost as an afterthought brought the weapon around and slammed it across the evil half elf's legs. There was a audible snap, and the Desian shuddered from the impact but did not wake up.
"Kratos!" Colette squeaked in protest.
"If you have an issue with my methods Ms. Brunel then talk to your mentor about healing this... man." Kratos forced the staff into the earth then turned to Genis. "If you'd be so kind as to melt this so we may get in?"
"Oh I... umm... Right." Genis swallowed, tried to ignore how tired he was and went through the motions of calling on fire mana. It came much easier then the ice had, and it took little of his inner strength to melt the ice so it was harmless water.
Brown eyes regarded him, seemed to be sheathed in the ice that he had dispelled.
"Not bad..." The tone made him shiver. "Not bad for a child. Ms. Sage, if you would." He indicated the number pad attached to the door with his sword.
"Right." Raine took a deep breath, walked through the water, and went to work.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
Five soldiers on his tail, cross bow bolts slammed into the wall to either side, sank into the carpet behind him with a hiss. Today was not his day. He saw the hall open up into three paths, and veered off to the left. A door, safety, he dove for it and like all the weird things in this place it opened without means of a door nob. Panting he staggered in, the guards had split up, not knowing what room he had gone into they were conducting a search. They hadn't gone in here yet, he was safe for a little...
"Urk!"
Lloyd froze, stared at the sword and the blue haired man who was pointing that sword at his throat.
"Well well what do we have here, a dog?"
The voice was smooth, arrogant. Soft, a mere whisper, but dangerous. Anger replaced Lloyd's new found caution.
"I'm not a dog Desian scum!"
Ignoring how his hand's hurt, how he hurt he went for his sword. Wood cleared it's sheath in a heartbeat and it clacked against steel, forced it down. The man's eyes widened, then a grin curled his lips. The steel blade spun, wove, entangled itself with wood until both weapons were locked to the hilt. With a sharp wrench the blue haired man disarmed them both, that wide smile still on his lips.
"Not bad for a little boy."
The man seemed unruffled that Lloyd's other sword had cleared it's sheath and was pointed at his throat. He took a step back and Lloyd moved with him. As he walked the black and gold uniform whispered around him, the black cut in half cape flapped a little, though there was no breeze to make it move in the slightest. For a second Lloyd could have sworn he saw a flicker of light over the man's shoulders, then nothing. It must of been his imagination or something...
"Well you have me," The man's lips quirked, he seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. "Now what? I can't drop my weapon, I disarmed myself rather then have you try to do it and cut off my arm..." The man cocked his head, regarded him intently. "You don't strike me like the torturing type no matter how wretched a Desian I am."
"Shut up!" Lloyd's head swam, and the man chuckled.
"You're on your last legs boy, just sit down and I'll have guards carry you back to your cell. Rather considerate of me considering how much trouble you've caused me... But then my men were getting a bit lazy and a prisoner such as yourself will keep them on their toes."
"Where's the exit?"
"Back the way you came, the room with the pillars... Not that you'd be able to open it mind you, you have to be a magi to do that." The man calmly put his hands behind his back.
"Which ones do I hit with mana?"
"It completely depends on what ones you hit to get in here... By your words you must have some elvish blood in you, or a magic trinket of sorts..." The man's blue eyes flicked to Lloyd's hand, and he smiled. "Or you possess the Sorcerer's ring. Wonderful, I take it you are a companion of the Chosen." The man sighed. "A shame really if you were not I'd offer to let you go. Unfortunately I can't." A slender hand sheathed in purple light came out form behind the man's back. He leveled it at Lloyd's chest. "Farewell boy, to a gentler end you'll go by my hand then what awaits you at his."
"Wha- Oh not again!" Lloyd brought his hands up to block the purple orb, and was startled to hear a gasp. The man with blue eyes stared at his ex-sphere, then stared at his face.
"You... you're..." The Desian sputtered all humor and grace abandoning him. "You're not dead... I'll be damned you're not dead..." The light flickered, died as the half elf's concentration was totally broke. "You are Lloyd correct? Yes... you must be... But how in Hell..." He shook his head, blue hair fell into his eyes yet he seemed uncaring.
"I'm Lloyd, who are you to know my name."
"Someone, no one." The man sighed, looked at something that was not there for a long moment. "Everything and nothing... A thread of unraveling if you will." The smile was back and it was grim. "And you, you are so much the same... I'm a fool for not seeing it before. Old age I guess." The man barked a dry cynical laugh. "Yes that must be it..."
Red lights flashed above them, the door behind him snapped open and a familiar Desian stepped through, white robed, sandal shoed... The guy from Iselia, the one who attacked the priests!
"Botta what is the meaning of this?"
"Sir! The Chosen's party has entered the compound!"
"Damn... I need to leave, tend to the situation... And Lloyd."
Lloyd looked to the blue haired man, and shivered at the predatory note in the Desian's voice.
"Next time we meet, you're mine."
The door slammed shut behind the fleeing half elf with a steely hiss. But that hiss paled in comparison to the next one he heard. It was drowned out by the hiss of Botta's red sword. Lloyd gulped, took a step back and pointed his remaining sword at the toga clad man. There was another hiss from behind Botta, and two more Deisan's slipped into the room. They were armed with crossbows and swords... Eyes wide Lloyd stepped back. A quick look of the room proved to be a waste of time. No way he could run to the one piece of furniture -the desk- and dive behind it in time. And with that massive Desian in the way there was no chance for Lloyd to fight his way to the door.
"Oh shit..." Lloyd limped back a few more steps, the sight of those bows was making his leg scream in remembered agony.
"How aptly put." Botta grinned. "Let us see if you are as good as the rest of your specie... or if there are any hidden qualities in your blood that will add some challenge to the fight."
There was another hiss, and a grunt, one of the guards who had been leveling his bow at Lloyd spasomed once, blood slid out from his nose, then he fell over. Botta hissed a curse, took a step forward, and whipped his head back. The remaining guard moved with him. Cooly Kratos stepped into the room, he regarded Lloyd, then considered Botta. In his hand was a knife wetted down in red. It dripped the blade, dripped onto the gloved hand, onto the floor, and the mercenary seemed uncaring.
"Torturing children, Isn't that a bit low, even for a Desian?"
"Well well well, a challenge at last."
"Too much for you boy."
Kratos stepped farther into the room, a pale Colette and Genis behind him. The hand holding the knife tensed, then with a almost lazy underhand throw the mercenary cast it into the chest of the last archer. The man didn't even cry out, he just pitched forward, dead. Nodding his head Kratos pulled forward half of his wing like cloak and whipped his hand.
Lloyd gaped, as did the last Desian. It was the half elf who composed himself first.
"Impressive, how many knives do you have?" Pulling a small box with a circular button in it's center from his belt the black haired half elf smiled. "As many as I do guards?" Botta took a few steps back, shifted a bit, and continued to slowly angle his retreat in Lloyd's general direction. "Tell me human, how much will you risk for the one you so loyally guard? How precious is that golden haired child? As precious as another?" With a grimace Botta lunged for Lloyd, grabbed the young man by his wrist and whipped him around as an impromptu shield. A knife to his throat made Lloyd stop fighting.
Kratos stiffened as did Genis and Colette, they were frozen at the threat.
"How precious human? One child is much like another isn't it, is there even a difference?" The knife drew a line of red. "Tell me..."
"Let him go!" Colette shrieked.
"That's hardly to my benefit little girl."
Genis' lips were moving, his fingers twitching. He had tried to duck behind Kratos to hide what he was doing but Lloyd could see it and if Lloyd had if figured out then it was a matter of time before Botta put it together. The swordsman didn't even think about it, he slammed his foot down on his captor's. Snarling a curse the grip tightened, the knife dug in just a little bit...
"Fireball!"
Three orbs of red streaked in his direction. Lloyd threw himself against his captors grip, staggered free and managed to duck. Fire whizzed over his head, a snarl and sharp gesture on Botta's part summoned up three fireballs of equal size and the collided in the space over Lloyd's sprawled form. Waves of heat rolled out from the impact of two conflicting fire spells and a shower of sparkling embers spewed up from the air and singed the metal roof. Starlets of flame drifted down onto the carpeted floor, filling the inky smoke -more residue from the explosion- with red flecks. Ignoring the light show going on over his head Lloyd crawled forward, to tired and scared to stand.
"Boy, this way!" Kratos barked into the smoke filled room. Lloyd followed the sound of the command over a new series of explosions as Genis and Botta continued to throw screaming bolts of fire at each other. When he finally found them Kratos grabbed his arms, pulled him to his feet, and shoved him at Colette. "Genis, pull back!" The sword seemed to leap into the man's hand. The mercenary glared at the smoke, at the unearthly silence, as if daring the person on the other side to break it. Eventually it was broken, something fell, it clattered weakly against the steel floor and at it's center it flashed red... Standing muzzily in Colette's arms Lloyd could only watch in a weird detached fascination as the red light, the pressed button, winked at them from a wall of smoke. The ceiling above them began to flash in sync with the button, it was then Lloyd realized what was happening.
"He called the guards and bailed, what a damned coward!"
"An intelligent one, there will be another time for talk, let us get out of here."
"I'll... I'll go ahead..." Lloyd tried to disengage Colette's arms from around his shoulders, to stand and walk on his own. He managed well enough to stand, and managed to walk with only a little swaying. Going on ahead was difficult, he was having enough trouble just keeping up with Kratos.
"Easy boy, you're half dead."
"Shut up... I can... keep up..." He ignored how his breath was coming in gasps. "Guards!"
"I see them!"
A silver light seemed to sheath the older man's sword. The man swung his sword, the edge lightly nicked the ground and the silver light build behind the swing like a wave. Then suddenly the light was free of the sword and racing across the earth towards the two guards ahead. One of them fell, downed by the raw power of the attack. Lloyd mimed the elder human's motions, his attack was less focused, less powerful, and it only caused the armored enemy to grunt. Genis' fireball finished the job.
That was their pattern as they fled room to room, projectiles thrown at their foes until they fell. Dead or unconscious it didn't matter anymore. Lloyd couldn't get himself to care about anything at this point, except the burning need to get out, to run, and even that was becoming hard to focus on. Pain stabbed through his leg, his head throbbed in rhythm with his pulse, his arms were both heavy and twitchy, and if he was alone he would have griped and groused and perhaps even given up. He wasn't though, he had to protect Colette and Genis. That's all that was keeping him on his feet.
They paused in a hall while Kratos got his bearings, and it was then he allowed himself to lean against a wall, to wallow in his pain.
"We're ready to move out, can you hold?"
Kratos' voice sounded like it came from far away.
"Yeah... yeah I'm fine... It's not much longer is it?"
"No..." The man gave him a long look, then hissed as he noticed the red on the wall, the red that had seeped through Lloyd's shirt and smeared on the wall.
"Don't..." Lloyd shook his head, looked meaningfully at Colette and Genis. "I can hold a little longer, just don't tell them."
"As you will, try not to keel over and die on me."
"I'll try not to." Lloyd grinned at the mercenary's words, though they were probably meant to be serious. "I'll try to do it on a Desian or something."
"Arrange that as best you can." Kratos too grinned, a grim smile a they both shared a bit of morbid humor that no one else would understand. "Raine is guarding the door, with luck the guards will still be scattered looking for the source of the distress signal, or following our path and not yet realizing our goal."
"Let's go then."
Lloyd pushed off from the wall, gripped his remaining sword with a clumsy feeling hand. He was startled to see the mercenary pull out something from his packs and offer him a red healing jell. The scent of apples confirmed to the dazed Lloyd what it was.
"I pay my debts, all of them. You offered me this in the temple for my wounds even though my need was not great, now I return that offer."
"Man, I don't think I can stomach that right now..." The scent was both stirring his hunger and making him feel sick. "Food's not what I want to think about right now..."
"Take only a bite or two, then rub the rest into your side. It'll hold you together till we can get you to Ms. Sage."
"Thanks..." Lloyd did what he was ordered to, and took a swig of water from the older man's water pouch to keep the nausea down. "I owe you one..."
"No, now we are even." The auburn haired man grinned, his dark eyes seemed to catch the gesture and sparkle with that same grim humor. "Although if you are grateful then perhaps I should call you on that debt to be a information source for me, especially concerning that... silver haired one."
"Raine? You want me to help you figure Raine out?" Lloyd laughed, pulled down his shirt to hide the noticeably smaller gash in his side and the fast fading burn marks. "Talk about impossible favors... I still haven't figured her out and I've been her student for like six years now... What'd you want to know?"
"How to get on her good side and stay there." Kratos sighed, the sound was almost as expressive as his "hurmph"s were, from that noise Kratos must be on Raine's bad side. Poor guy he must of been "Rained" on a few times already, that'd explain a lot.
"Ummm not sleep when she's talking maybe?" Lloyd offered. "That I wouldn't know, I mean sheesh I'm her worse student!"
"You are?" Kratos rose an eyebrow. "Despite that she holds you in high regard, and so too does the Chosen, such knowledge of how you got there would be... beneficial to my cause."
"Huh you talk weird you know that... Fine if that makes you happy then sure, I'll help out."
"Lloyd!" Genis yelled, with a groan the swordsman found himself staggering forward. While they'd been resting for a few minuets some of those flying metal things had hummed in.
Kratos considered them, drew his sword and charged, Lloyd was only a few steps behind him.
Steel snapped through the air, slammed into steel padded hides and crunched through to the oil dripping 'flesh' below that padding. Bits of metal went flying as the older man ripped his blade out from the things side, a spray of oil arched through the air as the silver metal monster drifted to the ground hissing sparks. Lloyd wacked impotently with his one sword on the monster's 'face' swatted at the 'nose' until the red light began, then he twisted out of the way and went back to his attempted hacking. It was only by raw stubbornness he beat his opponent down, broke the light spitting nose, shattered the red eye, and limped to his next enemy.
"Lloyd, hard right!"
Having trained with Genis, having fought alongside a time or two with him against the wolves that would attack Iselia's flocks Lloyd was familiar to listening to those commands. He threw himself to the far right, his lack of familiarity with Kratos made him stagger into the older man, make them both stagger. Snarling a curse Kratos moved to shove him off, fire hissed, screamed across the room and a blinding explosion threw both swordsmen to the right.
"Wow..." Colette gapped at the incinerated floating things, as did Genis.
"I never could do that before!" Genis chirped, snapping the orb of his kendama against the staff so that it added a weird applause of sorts.
"Genis... that was so cool!" Lloyd totally forgot his singer eyebrows, his soot covered face and grinned from under his mask of ash. "Do that again!"
"Don't!" Kratos gasped, his eyes wide in horror. "Sweet God don't do that again!" It was only then Lloyd realized he was sitting on the older man and with a meek hop got off of him. "This room amplifies mana, that's why those things were in it, so for all that's holy no more fire spells."
"Aww" Colette protested.
"Man... it was cool though Genis, it really was!"
"I was kind of hoping that it was me getting that good..." Genis seemed really sad for some reason.
"It was!" Lloyd assured him with a smile.
"Enough, we're looking for an exit, not more Desian's to fry." Kratos snarled half dragging them all out of the room.
"But what if we lead the Desians in here and..." Genis started to protest.
The glare the older man shot him made him shut up.
"Alright I'm coming."
There were no other conflicts on their path, they met Raine in the pillar room, and from there ran on weary legs to the exit that Raine had left open.
It was then, in the final hall before making it out that the ruse was unmasked. Six pillars that seemed to hold the room up shivered and in there place were six Desian swordsman. Silhouetted in
the door way was a man in black, a staff in his hand proclaimed his a wizard, from behind came a hiss. They all whirled as Botta came into the room. His impressive red sword in hand
"You'll find things evened out young wizard, unlike that earlier room which possessed, how did you put it mercenary? A mana amplifier? Well this one has a magic damp in it, so this fight shall be much more fairer. Shall we begin?"
There was a hiss as six well trained swordsmen drew their weapons and advanced on the Regeneration group. Six sadistic smiles peeked out from shiny steel helmets as the three humans and two elves were surrounded by what seemed like a small army. A harsh chanting came from the door, outside the room where the wizard stood, in the blistering heat it seemed as if the "damp" thing the leader of the Desian's was talking about wasn't working. For a faint red glow encircled the half elf's hands as he whirled and chanted and made all sorts of wild gestures.
"We are in trouble..." Lloyd muttered, lifting his remaining sword and feeling absolutely naked without it's twin.
"You just noticed?" Genis hissed, lifting his kendama up in a half hearted defense.
"Martel, sweet Goddess, bearer of life and mercy, help us..." Colette unstrapped her throwing rings and held them in unsteady hands.
"We aren't dead yet." Kratos snarled, his eyes scanned the room, focused on the door and the dessert beyond it.
Out of all of them the mercenary was the only one not scared, even Raine was shaking. Lloyd had never thought he'd see Raine get scared, not ever.
"Left right." Genis whispered. "Left dive."
"Got it. Guard you; Colette, Raine. Me bait?"
"Aye." Genis swallowed, he looked sick.
"Whatever happens." Lloyd hissed to the mercenary. "Take care of Colette."
Then with no warning he threw himself at the three men guarding the right half of the room. The chant ended and an ominous pause made the air crackle with it's own energy.
With no regard to his safety Genis threw himself at the guards to the left. Kendama smacked into a lightly armored swordsman, the man grunted, hesitated on his swing and Genis hopped back, fingers drawing an arcane symbol in the air. Instead of three orbs of fire sparks sputtered from the child mage's fingers, bathed his enemies face. Snarling a curse the man ripped off his smoking helmet...
Grabbing the Chosen Kratos threw her to Genis' side, then rushed forward. Steel slammed on steel, rang out, as he caught the slash that would have cut Colette's head from her body. With raw strength the mercenary threw his lighter foe back, a sharp kick to the man's privates took him out of the fight for a moment so he could slip around and block the stab that would have stolen Genis' life.
Raine charged after Lloyd, staff swinging, able to just barely block the over hand swing that would have brained her pupil. The Desian grinned, leered at her, then slammed out with a fist, winded her. She staggered back in pain, bumped into her red clad pupil. He grabbed her, almost threw her across the room. Dazed she staggered, almost tripped on her shorter brother. She caught herself from falling, whipped around to look back in horror.
Lloyd blocked an overhand swing. Shoved the foe back and spun around with his lone sword leading in low. The man grunted, dipped his blade down to catch the blow and was shocked when the young man sunk to his knees part of the way in his spin and whipped his foot around. It wasn't much of a kick, but it's target, the back of his foes knees, was exceptionally vulnerable. With a curse the man tumbled down. Ignoring his pain Lloyd hopped to his feet, brought his sword down as hard as he could on that shiny helmeted head and then stepped over the comatose swordsman and charged next one. Wood clacked, pushed steel aside, and he tried to lash out with a foot. The Desian hopped back, made a slight gesture with one hand and Lloyd shielded his face with his hands as a rain of sparks flew into his face... A roar from the door made him whirl, made all the fighters forget themselves. Molten lava hissed, spilled across the door, slithered into the room, but that was not the attack itself, merely a housing place for it.
Red, long, serpentine, it arched itself under one of the Desian's hands, cooked away the leather gloves, and made the very air around it smoke. Beast, fire snake under one hand, staff in the other the Desian grinned. The fire beast which was about the size of Noishe, looked at them with soulless ember eyes. It's mane, was fire, and from the base of that mane dripped lava, that lava wreathed it in smoking liquid, hissed across the sands, and pooled into the room.
"Pull back." Botta's voice was a whisper, and the guards all but ran for the door.
Snarling a curse Kratos moved to fight his way past Botta the others a step behind him. Lazily Botta slashed at one of Colette's thrown rings, split it twain in one pass. He took a step back, blocked Kratos overhand swing, then with obvious effort managed to force the mercenary's attack to the side. Another step back, another few inches closer to the door, which was the man's one goal. It was their goal as well, the only one way for them to survive. Lloyd slashed with his sword, took the place Kratos had given up when the older human had staggered back from his foes riposte. The boy managed to nail a hit, but his sword lost most of it's strength because the arm and hand that wielded it was wounded. The orb of a kendama whistled through the air, smacked into the large half elf's legs, yet like Lloyd's sword stroke it was ignored, not even provoking a wince. Strangely instead of going for the kill he smashed Lloyd and Genis aside with the massive flat. Shoved them back, nearly into the center of room and Colette and Kratos stepped forward to take the boy's positions. Yet even though he fought and was hit Botta was making his retreat one step at a time, and there was nothing they could do but slow him down.
"The pad, the keyboard!" Raine screamed, pointing. "Break it, someone has to break it, if we do we can trap him with us!"
There was no way he could go back in the melee, fight his way past the massive half elf and break the pad. Lloyd knew that, it was all he could do to stand. He looked to Genis, maybe his friend could cast a spell and... No, Genis shook his head, magic wasn't reliable enough to trust.
Well if spells weren't going to work then there was only one thing left to do.
Lifting his shaking hand Lloyd lined up the ring to the thing that Raine had pointed to and fired.
With a satisfying hiss the black keyboard sizzled, hissed, and then exploded. Botta turned, and only for a second dropped his guard to curse in surprise. That moment was enough, steel flashed due to the angle of magic fueled lights, arched through the air, and there was a rush of red that stained the large half elf's tunic. Croaking another curse, this time directed at the mercenary, Botta sank to his knees, a massive slash ran from his shoulder halfway down his chest.
"Call your man off, make him cancel the spell." Kratos hissed, the red dripping sword said louder then words what was going to happen if the Desian tried to deny him.
"Damn it! Mystin redirect the spell!"
When the half elf got no response Kratos' eyes narrowed, the sword was raised again.
"He can't!" Botta roared, cringed back from the sword and it's awful implications. "He has to release it, he can't cancel it and he's too deep in trance to communicate with!"
"Everyone back away from the door, press against the side walls!" Kratos barked. "Lloyd!" He snapped, seeing the boy wasn't complying, was just staring glassily at the attack that would very soon be coming their way.
"Noishe..." Lloyd mumbled, his eyes empty of all intelligence, his hand absently rubbing it's ex-sphere. "Here boy..."
"Lloyd, get over here!" Raine called out frantically, fighting the hysterical Colette, forcing the young girl to stay despite the fact that she wanted to run to Lloyd's side.
"Noishe..." A chill threaded up the mercenary's spine as Lloyd looked straight ahead but did not see. "Here... Noshy"
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
A/N Some hinted Spoilers in this section look for next set of xxx's if you have not finished the game yet
Fire mana flowed through him, he was that ever changing power and it was him. Interwoven, bound by blood, by soul. Words of a different world, of a human world scratched at his awareness. They were vague, not part of the power that was his due to his mixed blood, and therefore easily ignored. The power in beast form pressed against his mind, only one word would reach him, and that word was not spoken. It would not be long however that word or no the power would be released. He would have no choice but to disobey, the power would have it no other way. Nothing could distract him from the red dance in front of his eyes, the ever flowing, ever burning strand of the weave that he both summoned and was a part of.
Then there came distraction, a growl brushed against his awareness. It was nothing, insignificant. He did not hear that warning growl go off again, did not see the massive green and white form walk up to him. There was a flash of pain, a shuddering wrench, and the weave before him shimmered like crimson mist and whispered back into the skys, the sands, into all the things he had drawn from to make it come to be. He saw through the crimson haze of his own life blood a man with green hair and brown eyes garbed in silver armor. From far away he heard the sound of a sword being sheathed, the soft step of booted feet whispering across sand. Two feet.. No four and the growl of a wolf sounded in his ears. A warrior slammed his blade into the sands to clean of it of it's latest kill as a wolf occupying the same space as the warrior, somehow over lapping it, chewed on a cud of yellow dead grass to rid it's mouth of the taste of blood.
Spitting out a mouthful of red the wolf seemed to dominate the warrior. That green haired man with brown black eyes fell into the black mist that was taking the Desian's vision. The pulsing red twisted into a still black, and those dark eyes from that skull of a wolf regarded him intently. Seemed to follow him down as he went into the final embrace of the shadows.
Xxxx xxx xxx xxx
There was a grunt, a pathetic cry from outside, and a growl. Then the fire beast flickered, vanished, and in it's passing turned sand to glass. They all stood in shock as the horse sized dog padded to the door. It's booted feet crunched in the field of glass, and uncaring it ghosted into the room and went to Lloyd.
"Good dog..." Lloyd whispered, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted onto the green and silver dog.
"Lloyd!" Colette screamed, ran to him with a sob, and helped Noishe support the boy's limp form.
"Lloyd.." Genis whispered. His legs buckled as the whole day seemed to catch up with him and drain him down to nothing.
Raine hesitated for a moment, left her brother and went to the swordsman who first needed her aid, for his wounds were to her eyes very severe.
Steel slid across the floor, Kratos' eye's narrowed, then with a sharp turn caught the blind sword strike that would have killed the youngest member of their party. He turned, regarded Botta with ice sheathed eyes. Without changing expression the mercenary pinned the Desian's blade to the ground, freed his sword up and with a vicious two hand swing brought it back down. Steel slashed through magitechnology enhanced metal with a loud crack. Snarling an oath Botta found his feet, lifted the hilt up in a puny defense.
"We weren't here, the Chosen is not in Triet, nor are we." Kratos whispered. "Those are the terms that you get to live by."
Botta said nothing, stared at the mercenary with hate in his eyes.
"I'll take your silence as a refusal then." Kratos lifted his sword, ignoring the protests of Genis and Colette.
Botta grimaced, then tossed the hilt of his weapon to the side and sank to his knees.
"Get the boy tied down to... to his dog, we need to get out of here."
Kratos sheathed pulled a rag out, whipped his weapon down then tossed it on the Desian's kneeling form. He paid no attention to the rest of them. Did not care to watch as they tied Lloyd down to Noishe with what rope they could find in their packs and try to do so in a way that would not aggravate his injuries farther. He only looked to Botta, watched the Desian like a hawk would a mouse. He only grunted when they called to him, told him when they were leaving.
"Botta... That was your name wasn't it? Next time we meet you're a dead man."
Botta said nothing, but the mercenary could see the other man's muscles tense in suppressed rage.
Then to drive the insult and message home Kratos patted the downed man with the flat of his blade on the cheek.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
A/N Spoilers for the rest of game after this warning...
"Wha- where..." As his vision became un blurred by sleep he came to see a vaguely familiar form. A thick candle stood, the very tip of it lite and just barely dripping wax. By that flickering light he saw a man in black, with dark haunted black eyes, turn to him. A sun tanned face framed by wild untamed hair that obscured one dark eye from sight turned to him. Though gentle the light of the candle did nothing to ease the harshness from that man's face.
"Easy boy." Kratos looked up from the book in his hands, turned and favored Lloyd with his intense scrutiny. "We are in Triet, a days long and hellish journey from where you were held captive. You've been out for a day, and everyone else besides you is fine. Does that answer everything?"
"Oh..."
Lloyd looked down at himself, he looked all dumb wrapped up in white bandages from head to toe. Yet dumb or not, the bandages were cushioning the thousand and one burns that were all over him. With a groan Lloyd tried to move, Kratos' one visible eye narrowed and that small gesture made him freeze.
"If you need something tell me what it is and I will fetch it, I have very strict orders on threat of unspecified torment that you are not to leave that bed." The man's lips twitched into something like a smile. "Your mentor, Ms. Sage, has the soul of a drill sergeant."
A soft scratching at the door made Lloyd tense, and caused all his burns to hurt. He gasped out in pain and the mercenary scowled at him. The mercenary sighed as the scratching occurred again, pulled a strand of auburn hair from his eyes and eased the book down. The man pushed back, and the chair he was sitting on screeched against the stone floor. Indifferent to the grating nosie the mercenary went to the door, leaving table, book, and candle behind. He crossed the floor, across the room's one orange rug, soundlessly. He went to the door, and one hand lingering on his sword he used the free one to pull the door knob.
A familiar head poked out, gazed over the mercenaries shoulder, and that head's owner's lips curled into a smile. Well as much of a smile as Noishe could pull off, considering his silver snout. Kratos was calmly shoved aside by a furry shoulder, and Noishe, still in his pouch boots, padded into the room. Ignoring the other human in the room Noishe walked up to his friend and master, his green tipped tail a wag in obvious joy. The tongue though did not loll out, did not obscure that silver fur under the dog's jaw. From a green mask of sorts Lloyd's dog's brown and all too human eyes gazed at him fondly, they twinkled with happiness like rouge stars. With a quiet bark Noishe walked across the room, went to Lloyd's side, and sat without prompting.
"Noshy..."
Lloyd reached out, ignored the glare form his room mate, and petted his dog's green mane-ed chest. Lloyd would have reached up and scratched the green tuft between those great white rabbit like ears but he could not get his arm to move that much. Noishe rumbled deep in his chest, purred, under Lloyd's weak petting gestures.
"You're not a dog, you're a cat." He accused with a weak grin.
"Whine!" Noishe struck a 'I am not' note into the quiet sound.
"Are too..." Lloyd's eyes were closing, he was so sleepy.
"He appears to be a dog, though the term is rather limited in capturing what he is." Kratos commented form the other side of the room as he closed the door leading to the hall. "Enough children, you both need to sleep. Since getting here Noishe had caught little more then an hours worth of sleep, and you boy are still on the mend. Rest, both of you."
Noishe whined, yawned, then shook himself sharply.
"He doesn't wanna go to sleep..." Lloyd commented with a yawn of his own. "Thinks he has to guard me... he's a good dog..." Lloyd scratched at Noishe's bent head, and those large eyes turned to mere slits as the purring grew louder. "Always been there bein' a guard and a friend..." Lloyd's hand slowed as he scratched the dog's head, his eyes were slipping shut.
"Bark!" Noishe wagged his tail, licked at the still hand, then gently nipped at the sleeve and guided it back to the bed. Spying the blanket that Lloyd had lost when he had spasomed in pain Noishe picked it up with his teeth and turned to Kratos.
"Mumph!"
Reaching out with a trembling hand Kratos took the blanket, considered it for a long time, then let it spill from his limp finger. He turned, intent on leaving the room to think, to clear his mind. Sharp teeth sank into the lower belt that wound around his waist. With a growl Noishe shook his head, nearly made the mercenary lose his balance.
"Let go." Kratos hissed, hand slipping to his sword's hilt. "What the hell do you want with me?"
He was released, and the blanket was again offered.
"No." Kratos looked at the blanket, looked to the dog. "No, not again, never again."
"Grr!" Noishe leapt in front of him, blocked the door with his own body and just stared. With his expressive human eyes.
"Fine." Kratos spat the word like another man would spit an curse.
He snatched the blanket off the floor, cooly threw it over the sleeping Lloyd. He turned to walk away, but a faint movement on Lloyd's part made him turn back. A smile curled the young man's lips, a boyish smile filled with gratitude.
"'anks Noshy..."
Lloyd fell back into full sleep, or perhaps he wasn't even awake at all. All Kratos knew was the steady breathing slowed a little more and the tension of pain that had haunted the boy even in sleep seemed to seep out of him.
"Bark!"
Noishe wagged his tail, and let out a massive yawn that revealed needle sharp teeth. With closed eyes the dog stretched, arched, and gave his tail a lazy swish. He turned, chased his tail at a sedated walk, and on the third lap lay down curled up in a tight green and white ball. The teeth flashed as the dog softly growled to itself, almost seemed to mutter. Muttering done the only motion left for Noishe was the head that flopped back and forth on it's pillow of crossed fore paws. Satisfied the dog closed it's brown black eyes and it's snoring soon joined in with Lloyd's slow, quiet, breathing.
Alone, well more or less alone anyways, the mercenary stood, went for the door. He hesitated, hand wrapped around the nob. After a long moment he released the handle, took a step back and went to his chair. He scooted it closer to the bed, not exactly alongside it so to say, but noticeably closer. With a bit squirming Kratos worked the hilt of his sword around, then gently lay the partially unsheathed blade in his lap.
Ready to be drawn at a moment's notice if need be.
For the rest of the night and well into the beginning of the next day Kratos sat in that chair. He said nothing, only watched Lloyd while he slept, and perhaps that unwavering scrutiny did help the boy sleep. A handful of nightmares seemed to move in to prey on the boy and perhaps it was his presence that made them find other victims. Perhaps not, but even that thought, and the other long thoughts that plagued him that night found no voice through his lips. It seemed for that night he had no voice, only his thoughts and eyes, and a hand. A trembling hand that gently wove through the young man's unruly hair of it's own will it seemed.