To my readers,
A very intelligent fake, some sneaky firebirds, and a fight and flight up several stairs... I tried to stick with the original temple lay out as best I could and (as always eh?) I added a little here and there. You'll see why and how if you read on. Oh and sorry to those hopping for a ShenaxLloyd this is so far going in the direction of most ColettexLloyd stories. Umm I took out the kangaroo fire things because… well let's just say the scene would be even harder to write then it was.
Kasan Soulblade
Chapter 7
"I am officially scared." Lloyd whispered to Colette. Raine was "ooh"ing and "aww"ing over a flat slab of glossy black rock. She had taken out a brush and had whipped away all the dust. Letters had been carved in the stone but time had worn them down so much you had to touch the stone and feel for each symbol. Charcoal stick in one hand, a sheaf of papers in her mouth, and one piece of paper on the stone and she was slowly transferring the massive slab by dragging the charcoal over each page and making a massive graphite copy one page at a time.
"Don't be scared Lloyd, the professor's just playing! Professor, can I help?"
"I am happy someone has an appreciation for all the valuable material I am collecting." The elf huffed, giving the men a long look, obviously not hearing the first part of what Colette had said. Genis hid a smile behind a hand and Lloyd almost ate his knuckle keeping the laughter down. "Of course dear, could you start on that end and I'll meet you in the center."
"Alright!" Colette smiled, fished a wad of paper from her packs and skipped over to the professor. A small rock went flying and Colette's feet tangled with each other. She squeaked, reached blindly in front of her, and managed for once to catch herself. Holding onto a slender pillar of stone Colette managed to catch herself before she fell and pulled herself to her feet. The runes that Raine had been so laboriously copy by hand flared to life, red light filled them, they all took a few steps forward to better see the spectacle.
All except Raine.
"What a fascinating phenomenon! I must take notes!"
And by the merciful hand of Martel of some other god the red light disappeared, and the stone slab shivered and slid into the sand choked earth. Raine just barely managed to scramble to the sands before the slab totally disappeared under her.
"The relic, it disappeared!" Rain wailed, sounding a lot like a little kid denied a candy.
"Wow!" Lloyd scrambled forward, poked his head into the dark opening, a cave of some sort. He reached out, patted the brown stone floor and turned to his companions. "Tamed stone, umm I mean it's worked, or was a looong time ago. I'm going deeper in!"
Then before anyone could say anything Lloyd went into the pitch darkness. There was a long time in where Lloyd didn't return.
"I'm not going to wait any longer!" Colette's voice was filled with a steel that shocked Genis and Raine. "Lloyd!" Colette gasped as cold hands restrained her before she could take her first step down the pit. Grimly the mercenary held her back, she shivered in his grasp, thrashed. "He might be in trouble you have to let me go!"
"No Ms. Brunel, I do not have to do anything. Have a bit more faith in him then that, he'll come back when he's ready to."
"What if he's hurt, lost!" Colette protested, she felt tears building behind her eyes. She whimpered as Kratos tightened his grip. "Please Kratos I have to go down!"
"No child, you will be staying here until I say other wise."
"Let her go!" Genis drew his kendama from his belt.
"Genis!" Raine ripped the weapon from his hands. "Everyone, calm down!"
Colette stiffened, went still at the note of command in Raine's voice and Kratos loosened his grip a bit in response to that.
"We'll give him ten more minuets then we'll all go down. You can let her go now Mr Aurion, she wont run off."
Kratos only lifted an eyebrow, let go of Colette, but she could still feel his gaze on her. And she knew that if she did try to go before Raine said they could he'd grab her again. Since all she could do was look at the pit and pray that's exactly what she did.
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He had squeezed past the big boulder near the entrance and felt the sunlight no longer to his back. The dark was so intense, so complete, that to him the light was almost a touch across his skin. Now in the dark, a dark filled with who knew what Lloyd gripped his sword. After tripping twice Lloyd was about ready to go back -what was the point of going ahead if he couldn't see anything?- when a pinching at his ring finger made him thing of something that should of come to him a heck of a lot earlier.
"Like Genis would say, I'm pretty dumb."
In the dark he grinned at his own stupidity, lifted his hand and with just a bit of concentration set a few sparks to dangling in the air. It was enough to see by, or rather enough to see something that'd make his life even easier. Even though the fire was fast in fading Lloyd groped at the wall, then with a wrench pulled it out of the slot. Another bit of concentration later and the torch that had caught Lloyd's attention was now lit.
"Alright, now then, I'll just go down this hall till it branches off and mark my way by lighting all of these!" Lloyd smiled at the mass of torches on the wall he was right by.
Grinning at his own intelligence Lloyd cheerfully lit the nearest torch then after walking a few feet lite the one after that. He went on like that till he'd lite twenty torches behind him and the narrow hall opened up into a room that was shaped like a crescent moon the Iselian stopped.
"Man that is one weird wall." Lloyd stared at the curved wall. It looked like it might of belonged to a domed building, like the top of a chapel that had been buried, and if that was the case if had to be huge! He spied three closed doors on the side of the dome and fought down the temptation to go to the nearest and open it. "I'm not alone, I can't run off and check it out because I'm not alone." He muttered that to himself and took one step back. "Can't explore until everyone's here, can't go ahead till everyone catches up." The next step was a little harder, that door was just screaming to be opened. His foot bumped into something, something wooden. Startled he kicked aside a rock and revealed a wooden box.
He couldn't rightfully open the door, that could be dangerous, but what would be wrong with opening a box? He pushed off the rocks that had been piled on top of the lid and stared at it. It was a bit of a disappointment, there was no decoration or runes. But after all the runes he had to stare at and listen to Raine talk about maybe that wasn't so bad a thing. He bent down, grabbed the edges of it. That was funny, it didn't have any latched that he could see or feel... He blinked, passed his hand over the top of the box and frowned. He could have sword there was no latches or anything, that it was smooth, but now he felt a little groove cut out of the wood.
Without thinking about it he poked that little groove and the whole box hopped and whimpered!
It sounded so like Noishe, and it sounded like it was in such pain Lloyd felt sympathy build in him. He patted it on it's top side and stammered out an apologia, the thing whined and hopped away from him, then spun around once it was a few feet away.
"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to poke you... in... the eye."
Indeed it was an eye, a small bright yellow one, that when it focused on him turned blood red.
"I'm sorry, look I was just leaving and..." Lloyd stepped back, and watched as a thin line form along the long side of the box facing him. That line then opened, much like a chest would open once you undid the latch and gave it a shove, but what was inside set his heart to ice. Teeth, teeth longer then his fingers and a bright red tongue lolled out and slid across the thing's lips.
With a Noishe-like growl it hopped across the stone floors.
"No, no back, bad dog-treasure chest- thing!" He reached out with his sword and pushed the things back with the point. It whined and slid back, then with another series of loud banging hops came at him again. This time when he tried to shove it back it bit down on his sword.
"Hey, let go!"
It only growled, and chewed on the wooden sword.
"Off!"
It ignored him, seemed content to chew on the weapon like a dog would chew on a toy.
A flap of wings made him turn. No way that could be a bird, and it wasn't. Well it wasn't a normal bird. The last torch he lit shattered and fell to the floor in smoldering bits and it was like the sun bird of legend was coming at him. Except this sun bird was about the size of a crow, but it still dripped flame and it's ember blue eyes focused on him with maliciousness that the real sun bird was supposed to not have. With a screech it dove at him, and Lloyd tried to bring his sword around to block, but it was too heavy. Abandoning sword and box Lloyd dove to the side, the thing's claws snapped at the ribbons around his neck, and at their passing set the ribbon aflame.
Lloyd cursed, ripped the ribbons off and then bent over under the force of the box's attack. The box decided to spit out his sword at him, and nailed a very hard hit into his gut. Croaking out even more profanities Lloyd grabbed his sword, rolled to the side as the bird made another pass that left him patting his head to extinguish more flame. He then had a new problem, the box charged, it's fang-ed mouth clapping it crossed the distance between them in a series of heart stopping jumps that set his head to aching due to their loudness. He knew without looking that the bird was wheeling around in a slow lazy circuit, from years of watching hawk at him he knew that those flaps he heard were to gain altitude for it's next dive. And from the pricking on the back of his neck he knew that the creature had him in it's line of attack
"Eat this!" He growled at the box, thrusting his sword right into that greedy mouth. It bit down and instead of standing their waiting for it to spit out his sword Lloyd loosed the hilt, and ran behind the little monster. He picked it up with a grunt and threw it with all the strength in his arms at the fire bird. The bird flared it's wings, started to slow down and turn itself while a flight. And between one flap and another the box landed on it. There was a loud whoosh and the fire went out leaving little more then ashes on the floor, that and a singed hopping box. The box spat out his sword at him, but expecting it Lloyd was able to dodge this time. He stared at the rocks that had held the thing down, then picked up the biggest one he felt he could throw.
"Alright, I'm now really ticked off!"
The box only growled at him.
"Here big mouth eat this!" Lloyd threw the rock and the box hopped up and swallowed it on one gulp then took a hop forward. He threw rock after rock and after each rock the box's hops became smaller and smaller. By the time it managed to slide itself at him ten rocks were used up. It looked up at him, opened it's huge mouth and snapped at the air less then an inch away. It kept flapping it's mouth open and closed at that patch of air, still wanting to eat him alive. He left it alone, went to one of the massive rocks that had come out from the wall and rolled it to the box. Ignoring the whine Lloyd picked up the rock and dropped it on the box's open mouth.
"Mmummph!"
"Yeah, whatever." Lloyd brushed off dust, embers, and stared at the thing while it whined at him. Confident he was safe from the monster, confident it was going to be until sometime next regeneration the thing would free itself Lloyd started back.
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"Hey guys I'm back!"
Colette opened her eyes a smile on her face. She ran to Lloyd, hugged him, not caring about the dust and grime, just happy he was back. He staggered under the Noishe style hug-tackle hybrid, and smiled at her. Colette felt her heart warm at that smile, she'd been so worried for him and he was back and safe and everything was alright now!
"Easy Colette!" Lloyd laughed, reached out with one hand to hug her and with the other to steady himself on the cavern's wall.
"I'm sorry Lloyd!" She felt herself blush and let go of him.
"Don't apologize, not for hugging me, just don't Noishe-hug me when I'm on stairs OK?"
"Alright, sorry..."
They both smiled at each other for a bit, then finally Kratos cleared his throat. Lloyd hopped, blushed and rubbed a hand through the back of his hair and turned to the older man.
"What took you so long?"
Uh-oh Raine and Kratos sounded mad, but what was even scarier was that Kratos and Raine said it at the same time. That meant they were both really really mad. She sniffed the air and realized what that funny smell that had bothered her was. Lloyd smelled like soot, she took a long look at him and gasped.
"Lloyd, what happened to your ribbons and your hair, it's all ashy!"
"Umm well..." Lloyd went red, rubbed at his head again. "Nothing... I'm fine really..."
"You were fighting." Raine's voice went up a few dangerous octaves and got loud.
"Not intentionally, I got attacked by a torch and a... box..."
"A what!" Genis laughed, and maybe it sounded a bit silly but Lloyd looked hurt and the Professor looked really mad.
"One of the torches turned into a bird and it attacked my head OK?" Lloyd snapped at Genis, he sounded a little mad himself. "And the box bit my sword, see!" Lloyd lifted his sword and they could all see what looked like teeth marks all over it.
Raine beckoned him over and with a sigh Lloyd was checked over for burns. The Professor sighed, shook her head, and let him go.
"Nothing serious, though how a torch would attack you I still don't understand... and a box, really Lloyd I don't know where you get your wild imagination. I can't do anything for your hair it's going to have to grow back on it's own, just be more careful when you're lighting torches from now on."
"A... box..." Genis was giggling, and now that she knew Lloyd was safe it did seem kind of silly after all. "What kind of box was it Lloyd, did it have razor sharp teeth?"
"Yes, it did, and I didn't do this to myself!" Lloyd glared at Genis, sounding a bit angry, even Mr. Kratos was smiling a bit like he thought Lloyd's box was just a funny story.
"I believe you Lloyd!" Colette chirped, hugged him, just happy he was back and OK.
"Thanks Colette." Lloyd smiled and lost all his anger and that made Colette even happier. Suddenly the temple, that had made her scared, didn't seem so bad anymore.
"I presume we are ready to get going then?" Kratos was looking at them funny, and maybe not liking the funny look Lloyd took her hand. When he did that Colette felt her smile grow wider, when Lloyd held her hand even what awaited her in the temple didn't seem scary at all. Nothing seemed scary when Lloyd held her hand, and she'd trust him to take her anywhere so long as they were hand in hand. Kratos looked down, stared at their hands and seemed ready to say something, he only gave Lloyd a very long look then nodded.
"Come on, let's go, we must begin the excavation at once!" Raine seemed ready to burst with her Ruin happiness, and all but shoved everyone aside to run in.
"Wait up professor!" Lloyd yelled, and they both ran into the dark temple, squirmed past the boulder and went into the torch lit hall.
"This is not a field trip, nor is it some scientific expedition!" Kratos growled after them. If he said anything else though Colette didn't hear it.
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"We are the only sensible people here, aren't we." Genis said to the large man in black. Forgetting, for just a little bit, that Kratos was 'creepy'.
"It looks like it." The mercenary growled, glaring at the cave that lead to the seal of fire.
"It's like having little kids around all the time, isn't it?"
"You hardly have the right to talk Genis."
Genis blinked, it was the first time Kratos had ever called him by his familiar name. Kratos had either called him Mr. Sage, elf, or boy, but never Genis. The Iselian wizard blinked, could not get over his surprise.
"We should head in." The mercenary said cooly, then he didn't walk but flowed down the stairs and ghosted past the boulder. Once past the boulder Kratos disappeared, fading into the shadows of the temple.
Alone with Noishe the wizard turned to the dog.
"Hey you coming in with us?"
Even though he was just an animal and a bit dumb the dog managed to give Genis a look that made the boy squirm. He could almost hear the scathing 'even if I could fit you think I'd go in a place swarming with monsters?' Trying to ignore Lloyd's dog, who was giving him a look that he could have sworn was part scorn part exasperation the silver haired wizard gathered the ruminants of his courage then went into the dark mouth of the temple.
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"Lloyd, why is this wonderful rune covered box have a boulder on top of it?" Raine pointed to the box Lloyd had taken several pains to cover with rocks.
"That's the box that bit me, don't go near it, it's dangerous!" Lloyd warned the professor, but she paid him no heed, had knelt down by the box and frowned.
"Lloyd, it says in elvish on this side 'books inside' I just don't know where you get your ideas. Come on, I'll prove it's completely harmless, help me push this rock off of it."
"No!" Lloyd scrambled away from Raine. "No way, you think I'm nuts enough to..."
"What in the Goddess's name are you yelling for now?" Genis seemed to appear as if by magic out of the darkness, he had a grin on his face. "Is he still trying to tell you the box bit him, I bet he just can't lift the rock."
"I can too but I'm not going to!" Lloyd growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a show of his trademark stubbornness. "And don't have Kratos do it, unless you want to get a new mercenary or something."
"I believe." Kratos commented from the other side of the room, surprised that the boy would go out of his way to warn him from helping the elves. "That box might indeed be dangerous; I will have nothing to do with it."
"Genis..."
"On it." The sibs smiled, the lure of books was far too much for them to turn down, they were going to ignore Lloyd's warning and perhaps put themselves and the Chosen in danger. He shook his head, drew his sword, and watched Lloyd draw his own blade and tense up in fear. That was enough, the mercenary believed Lloyd, the young man's fear was genuine, and it was so intense that a foul taste drifted into the mercenary's mouth.
With a quick chant the elf summoned a great gust of wind and the massive boulder rolled off of the box. A soft moan drifted from the depths of the box, and what the lid levitated itself off of the floor and snapped back onto its proper place.
"Colette, stay back." Lloyd ordered, watching the box tensely, his hands were shaking a bit.
With a soft creak the lid opened on unseen hinges, and inside there were no books. Both elves looked at the box and began to back up, now believing, now that it was too late to do anything about it.
'Fools, yet they are useful fools in a way. I guess this is how I'll earn my pay keeping the fools away from their own stupidity and protecting the Chosen from them as well as the world around us.'
Teeth sprouted from the inner edge of the lid, jutted out form the outer edge of the box like a hundred misplaced tusks. He could hear Colette gasp in terror, could hear Lloyd muttered promise that he'd protect her.
'Foolish child you promise something you can not hope to keep.' Pity not scorn fueled that thought, the sour taste in his mouth intensified.
Time to earn his keep, dropping his blade in a salute to his foe the mercenary charged this strangest of enemies.
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Kratos' blade seemed to come out of no where, snap down and tangle amongst the monster's teeth. It growled, its teeth scrapped across the steel, and then suddenly it threw itself to the side. The man cursed, then they all stared at the beast as it proceeded to chew on the steel sword and made sounds of happy satisfaction.
"Look out it's gunna..."
With a sound that Rinae could only describe as a loud "Pitooie!" out came the sword. Using a complicated mechanism of tongue and lips plus organs that Raine could not even imagine exist, the monster spat out Kratos' sword and the mercenary doubled over with a grunt of pain as the blade's hilt smashed into him. Raine was then introduced to the colorful language that a man on the road gathered, she was impressed. She was though more impressed when the box clapped its lip against it's... 'body' in a strange kind of applause. And for just a second Raine thought the beast was well, laughing at Kratos.
"Genis to the other side of the room cast your spells on it! We'll buy you as much time as we can!"
She didn't turn, trusted in him to know when to run. Then brought her staff down on the thing when its' mouth was closed. It whined, for all the world sounding like a dog, and its yellow eye turned red. It then opened its huge 'mouth' and favored Raine with a very impressive view of its teeth. It hopped for her, this monster that was no higher then her ankle hopped at her and snapped its fangs together in rage. Squeaking in terror Raine swung her staff and pushed the thing back a foot or two. It spun around from the force of her swing, and then licked its lips with that illogically long tongue. That one eye narrowed at her and the mercenary. Raine watched in fascination as the tongue darted into the dark depths of the box and came out with a fist sized rock.
A ring flashed across the darkness, smacked into the rock and it rolled from the thing's tongue.
It snapped its jaws, hopped in place, then threw itself at Kratos' face. The mercenary ducked behind his shield, brought his sword around to stab the beast perhaps thinking to get the strike in as it bounced off the shield. A loud crunch filled the room, and both adults gapped in awe as the box bit down on the edge of the shield and tried to wrench it from the mercenary's arm. If it had been a normal shield, a knight's shield that was held in the hand it might have worked, but the straps that bound the protective steel to the black clad man's arm were so tightly wound that the beast was having no luck. It was doing a very good job in its attempts to wrench Kratos' arm from its socket however.
Raine brought her staff down and smacked it against the human's shield. The beast gasped in pain and loosed its grip on the mercenary's shield. Both adults wisely gave the thing wide berth and Raine spared a glance at the children's direction. Lloyd was coming their way, desperate to help. Genis was frantically gesturing in the air, calling the mana and shaping it with word and hand. Colette, she writhed with indecision, wanting to help, but knowing she shouldn't.
Raine understood the girl's dilemma; she would have been right by her side in most circumstances. Only luck –good or bad she didn't know- had put her in the front lines. She knew the feeling, it was the same sick wrench that she got when Genis swam in the lake just outside of town, the same feeling when she saw Lloyd strike out at Ivan to protect her brother and shrug of the accusations from the mayor that he had started the fight, it was the same sick feeling when one of the guards would slip into the school room and call for the eldest to get up, there were monster attacking the flocks and farms on the outer edge of town and all able to use arms were to come.
It was helplessness, weakness, and those old feeling bled into anger. With a shriek Raine brought her staff around and the force of her swing set the box flying back. It landed with a clatter, wobbled, and using its tongue to push off the floor managed to right itself.
"Take this!" Lloyd swept his blade across the ground and the silver light rolled ahead of him. He box threw itself at Raine, not seeing or caring for Lloyd's attack it just wanted to take the weakest person in reach and rend them apart.
It would have been smarter to attack Kratos, safer, for when enraged Raine was the most powerful thing in all of Sylvarant. This enraged teacher the most deadly force in the entire world. Raine lifted her staff over her head and brought it down in a vicious two handed swing with put every ounce of strength in her body into that swing.
There was a crack, the thing smashed into the earth, forced down onto the stones in mid hop. It managed a whine, and then was sent across the room in a blast of silver light. Kratos growled, let his sword passed across the earth and two ripples of silver light ran across the floor less then a foot apart. At the first wave the box flinched, at the second it smashed into a pillar then fell. It did not get up, did not move or growl or anything. The lid clattered to the earth and it looked for all intents and purposes a battered box, three screaming orbs of fire arched over their heads, smashed into the box and it was with satisfaction that all felt that they watched it burn.
"Oh maaaan that was tough!" Lloyd slumped down in his knees panting. "I told you it was bad news, I warned you guys!"
"You did, and I am sorry." Raine looked Lloyd over, he seemed a bit tired but doing that attack of his always left him tired. She sighed in relief, no one was hurt, well all except Kratos who was sporting several bruises on his arm, but while she could do nothing for those bruises she could numb the pain out. The mercenary growled, swung her arm to test her work, then glared in anger at the state of his shield.
Not even a thank you, but then she wasn't expecting any gratitude from him.
"Wow Professor, you're really strong, that thing never knew what hit it! Hey good work Genis!"
"Thanks!" Genis smiled at Lloyd, seemed to glow from the praise. In Raine's memory it was the first time Lloyd hadn't just told Genis his magic was cool. There was a huge difference between 'cool' and being useful, more feeling lay behind 'useful'.
Raine felt a smile on her lips and the lecture she was going to give about Lloyd not needing to step in died on her lips. Certainly battle while scary was exiting, just a little bit mind.
"You OK Kratos? I thought that thing was having your arm for lunch."
"I am fine." Kratos stared at his shield and made an annoyed noise. "You visited the weapon's shop in Triet; do they have anything of good quality in way of shields?"
"Yeah a few good ones, why..." Lloyd stared at the shield, or rather the chunk that had been bitten off by the box. "Never mind, yeah I saw a few."
"Good." The mercenary bent down and pulled a needle like dagger from his boot, the weapon was so well hidden by the buckles that Ranie had not seen it until Kratos had drawn it out. The man fumbled with the straps of leather around his arm, worked the shield off, then slung it over his back. "About that torch that attacked you could you enlighten us on what happened to you in full? That might be very useful." The auburn haired mercenary nodded to the box, as if to rebuke them all for not believing Lloyd in the first place.
'you're not as innocent of that as you pretend to be Mr,. Aurion, I saw the disbelief in your eyes, the mocking smile.'
Ung the male's high and mighty attitude was very annoying, how Lloyd even tolerated it made Raine wonder.
"Alright…" Lloyd was too shook up to tease them all about not believing him, and as he launched into the story about how he first entered to room and what had happened Raine leaned against the nearest wall. Exhilarating as it was fighting was also rather tiring. And by the looks of it they still had a great deal more to do.
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Humiliation, that box had humiliated him, made a mockery of his skill. Or rather it would have had he still possessed that over weaning pride that had once driven him to the edge a thousand times in his youth. Now it was a lesson, one he was glad to have survived. Lloyd scuffed his feet in the manner suiting a young child, grumbled a bit under his breath about boxes, and from that Kratos knew that the young man was looking back and not enjoying his second taste of humility. He recalled the venomous glare that Lloyd had shot him; it had followed the praise Lloyd's friends had heaped on him after he'd save them from the Desian warrior. He grimaced at the memory, recalled the word fight they'd had, the snipping back and forth that had marked every step through the temple.
Colette had been oblivious, had not noticed the one-sided competition. Genis had been too scared to really care one way or the other, but considering what he'd seen of the boy's personality he figured that Lloyd had been on the brunt of much teasing after.
He recalled the grave outside, the conversation they'd had over it. He had seen the first 'true' Lloyd in that talk. A thoughtful young man who cared for his family, odd as it was. He had glimpsed at something greater then the childishness he'd endured and had quietly regretted he could not see more of it before he had to leave. Now that the boy- no young man was traveling with him he was not going to quietly endure this childishness, he was not going to watch Lloyd coddle that poisonous pride to his breast and make the same mistakes he had.
"Wake up!"
Lloyd hopped at the vicious note in Kratos' tone. Good, he was more attentive, now to feel out the issue.
"You're daydreaming by the looks of you; we don't have time to wait for you to come back to reality." He pointed to where Raine, Colette, and Genis were going for the door to the far left of the 'crescent'.
"I wasn't daydreaming, I was… thinking…" Lloyd gripped his sheathed sword, and followed behind Kratos.
It was a lie, a lie that was so complete that Lloyd believed it himself. Kratos was glad that the others were out of hearing range; he knew his next comment was going to trigger a nasty outburst, and it was best to keep these things private.
"You were sulking."
"I was not!" Lloyd growled, if he thought that Kratos was going to fight like Genis did throwing accusation and enduring counter accusation he was grossly mistaken.
"Believe as you will. I saw what I saw, let it go Lloyd, you are going to put us in more danger if you do not. None of us would have won that fight by ourselves, and it wasn't a defeat, no one died, so stop telling yourself you could have done better. You did what you needed to do and though it was not with grace or much skill it got the job done."
"Oh gee thanks." Lloyd spat out the comment and it dripped with sarcasm, that sarcasm made the mercenary's eyes narrow. Kratos could almost see this temple turn into that dedicated to the Iselian' ideas of Martel; he could almost see that old moment when they had had this discussion before.
"You said you wanted a new beginning yet you are precariously close to repeating the errors of the past."
At that Lloyd flinched, came back to himself a bit.
"It's just that…"
"You could not have beaten that thing on you own and it hurts. It makes you feel helpless, weak, and those feelings make you grow angry in response." Kratos shrugged off Lloyd's surprised stare, turned only to hide the smile that had fond a home on his lips. "We need to go on, we've wasted enough time in chit chat."
"How do you know all of this, it's like your in my head seeing everything I think!"
"Just think on it, consider it, and when we are out of this place if you wish we can talk, but not now. We have a Chosen to protect, remember?"
Satisfied the mercenary went through the door, and this time –while Lloyd was quiet- it was a more significant silence.
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The room was massive, some powerful giant had once perhaps made a stair and then in a fit of boredom cut it into pieces and scattered it around the room. Red light, red water that was not water, lapped at the stair way with the laziness of water lapping at the earth. But it was not water; it was earth, molten earth. They all backed away from that light, from the horrible heat that made the dessert outside feel cool in comparison. A giant stair jutted from its pool of red, and went beyond that angry light went up into the darkness above their heads.
"That's a long way up; it should make you happy Lloyd you always like high places!" The elf quipped, but his hands were shaking just a bit
"Genis… not now." Lloyd felt his mouth opening, refusing to close as he looked up. "This doesn't make any sense, the cave was all cramped and stuff and it couldn't go up this high without breaking surface. It's impossible."
"How is it impossible Lloyd?" Raine asked, her eyes scanning the walls as if she was looking for writing on an ancient civilization and was disappointed by their universal soot covered blackness.
"I know caves... or mines. Dad taught me mine work right along blacksmithing so I'd know where and how to get materials if I needed to. I know I don't know too much but what I do know is that something this big's gotta be visible from above, but it isn't!"
"Magic, a spell maybe?" Colette offered, frowning at how high the ceiling was and trying to find the alter where her father waited for her.
"You mean an angel spell thingie?"
"They're called miracles Lloyd." Raine sighed, "What have you spent the last five years learning?"
"Well I learned Art and PE and.. umm how to sleep standing up."
"Nothing, nothing, nothing… Raine sighed at the walls, ran a finger down the soot then frowned as she realized there was another layer under the first.
They needed to get going before Raine decided it was time to make soot the main enemy of her life and set them all too scrubbing walls in hopes of finding an ancient hieroglyph underneath.
"Something wrong Professor?" Colette asked, coming from whatever thoughts she held so close to her.
"Yes, his soot that's what's won, writings of the ancients might be underneath but I can't see them because of this blasted.."
"Genis, she' going into Ruin mode again! Fix it!" Lloyd gasped in terror more fitting to a more dire situation. It would have better fitted it a hundred of those toothed boxes materialized in the room with them rather then the elf's mania surfacing… Kratos looked to Raine and decided that though Lloyd's fear was a little over exaggerated but it was not as sever an exaggeration as he first thought.
"With what?" Genis hissed, panicking as well. "I don't know how to!"
"Look professor! Is this the hieroglyph that you were looking for?"
Kratos could have elevated Colette to a level beyond the Gods for that alone.
"What is it dear?" Riane turned with hungry eyes to where the child was pointing, at the side of the stair beyond their little platform, and she nearly swooned when she saw the runes and the candle inside. "Oh good work Colette, I'll make an archeologist out of you yet!"
"Thanks professor!" Colette smiled, happy just to help. "It's in Angelic; can I read it, pretty please?"
"Of course," Raine was all smiles, and perhaps both females had forgotten that no one should have been able to read angelic.
"It says, "A phoenixes feather will show the path to heaven."" The all frowned and then Colette said the thing that seemed to be on everyone elses mind. "Professor, what's a phoenix?"
"I… I've heard of them in the ancient writings but I'm not really sure what they are." Raine smiled slightly. "We've lost so much information during the decline that we probably have all the myths of non-Martel faiths mixed up. I couldn't even hazard a guess to what it is, save some type of bird."
"Why not just light it, with a fireball or something?" Genis asked.
"I guess so, I hope we don't break it.. I tend to break things a lot." Colette blushed and Kratos felt it his turn to speak.
"Chosen, you couldn't break it if you tried; it's too large to conveniently drop."
"But what if I trip!" Colette wailed quietly, "I always break things when I trip by them."
Kratos looked at the girl, the towering stair, and his gaze only said he did no believe that Colette could break it if she tripped on it a thousand times.
"Don't underestimate the power of Colette's trips." Genis said, seeing the look on the mercenary's face. "She broke the school once, fell though the wall and hit one of the foundation beams."
"Oh yeah that was great, we didn't have to go to class for a week it was so cool!"
"Broke… a school…" Kratos was torn between laughter and scorn, until he saw Colette's downcast eyes.
"I didn't mean to, it was an accident, really."
"It's alright Colette, everyone was happy, so it wasn't bad!" Lloyd smiled at the Chosen who shyly smiled back.
"You think?"
"I know, don't worry about it, the professor got a week off to do some research thing she likes to do and we all got to play for a week so it was OK!"
"Thanks Lloyd!"
"No-" he was –what was the saying?- Noishe hugged by Colette. "No problem." He smiled, and that smile said that he liked being hugged by Colette. Kratos saw another talk coming on the horizon, a very long and educational talk about ethics and women.
A high pitched elven voice was humming a very familiar song. Kratos decided to conveniently go over and step on the boy's toes. Genis yalped in pain and Kratos cast him a completely false apologetic glance. Genis read what Kratos was warning him about, and wisely kept his smug song to himself. They obviously had feelings for each other, this journey was going to be rough enough for the obviously growing and maturing affection, so long as he had his way Genis would not add any more difficulties to the situation.
"Genis could you cast your spell? But be very careful of those runes, they are very important!"
Colette smiled encouraging at her young friend, and seemed to have no motivation to leave Lloyd's embrace despite the horrid heat. A slow flush was crawling up the young man's face, he smiled with pleasure but his eyes had a panicked look that all young men finding a woman cuddling to them for the first time wore. Kratos met Lloyd gaze while the elves stuck up an argument about how big the fireball should be. Kratos found himself torn, torn between amusement at the boy's predicament and pity. In the end he settled for neither, allowed the sight of them together like that to stroke old memories.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
The fire spell was cast and the effect was one none of them could have expected. The stair shivered, shook, then slid across the lava lake to connect to the broken off stair way by the platform that the middle door in the dome room would lead to. Lloyd ran out of the room, went to the crescent chamber then went through the central door and informed them of that the second he could see them.
"Does he always do this?" Kratos growled, he sounded very displeased.
Raine smiled, thought of the child that had come to her lessons and the one who was on the platform now. Only a few inches difference of height between them. It was refreshing; no matter where they went or what they did Lloyd would always be his cheerful headache inspiring self.
"Yes, he is. Lloyd, come back here right now!"
"Alright, coming!" Goddess the boy could run fast, he took all of a minute to rejoin them.
"How many times have I told you to not run ahead? What if that box had some how gotten itself back together."
"Then he'd have come in here screaming." Genis said from the outer edge of the platform, his teasing was absent and he seemed distracted.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Lloyd walk over to Genis, frowned a something that was only visible to them. Leaving the comforting wall Raine walked over to the boys and nerved herself to look in the lava. She blinked, the lava was no surprise, but what was was the hand width path that went out into the distance and by the looks of it linked up to another platform of brick.
"I think I see another candle thing over there, but I'm not sure."
Genis squinted and tried to look through steam and fire but could make nothing out. Raine also stared, until her eyes watered, then firmly she grabbed both their arms and pulled them away from the edge. She knew that look on Lloyd's face, he was thinking about walking the path and taking a look.
"No, we will go to the last door and there will be a nice 'safe' path for us to follow, and I will hear nothing of walking through that, it's not safe."
"But it looks so cool over the- ouch!" Lloyd looked up to her with tears in his eyes when her hand withdrew.
"You think walking over a strip over molten lava is 'cool'!" She snapped and he wisely shook his head.
"And if you try." Kratos added in an icy tone obviously hearing the whole conversation. "I will personally knock you senseless when you return." The mercenary's eyes had a fire in them so intense the lava paled in comparison, at that look Lloyd blanched and shook his head with more feeling behind it.
Good, at least the mercenary was supporting her in this and being helpful. She was torn though between gratitude and jealousy. Lloyd listened to the man more readily then her, but then perhaps the fact they were both swordsmen had something to do with it. She chewed on her lower lip, considered that then decided she'd do that bit of thinking later, as it was they had enough to think about.
"We should continue; this trial's not solving itself."
"A trial… humph." Kratos barely put any breath behind the words but then her ears did not sport points for nothing. She turned on him, about ready to demand an explanation of his words but he just ignored her and went through the door. Worried Raine said nothing, only told herself the one truth that she had felt when first laying eyes on the man.
There was something very strange about Kratos Aurion, something very strange indeed.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"I don't like this, it has me worried, that's all I have to say."
"Colette has to go though this trial right?" Lloyd was staring at the thin path.
"Yes," Raine frowned thinking Lloyd was going to thoughtlessly say that Colette should cross the path and light the strange torches.
"Is this part of the trial?"
"I'm not too sure."
"Colette would know best." Genis pointed out and they all turned to her waiting.
Colette frowned at the air, tried to recall what the books and writing said about the trials and if lava paths were part of them then shook her head.
"I… I don't know, they writings say that the trial is given by the angels at the seal, but I don't know what the seal is and I don't see any angels so I just don't know… I'm sorry everyone."
"Don't be." Lloyd unsheathed his sword and let it fall to the ground. "It's not you fault Colette so don't apologize."
"Lloyd what do you think you're doing!"
Ignoring Raine's outburst the adolescent hopped off of the island of stone and landed on the walkway.
"Opening up the road!" He called to them; then lifted a hand so they could all see the bright red ring on his finger. "Kill me after I get back!" He called to Kratos, then began one slow cautious step at a time to put more and more distance between them. Raine clenched her hands, ordered her hands to stay away from her mouth so that she would not start biting her nails. Of all the stupid stunts Lloyd had every pulled this toped them all, and that counted the time he'd climbed up to the top of the school house and run the bell from above.
Raine almost felt her heart stop when Lloyd began wheel his arms around after setting the first touch a flame, and her heart did stop when a gout of fire blasted out of the lava less then a foot away from him. Kratos looked as I he was going to go after him, but then had his hands full as Colette tried to run after the boy. Raine also had a similar problem with Genis, her brother though gave up after a small struggle, clung to her tunic with desperate hands and whimpered in terror. Colette was not so cooperative, and the mercenary had to do something that looked like it hurt a great deal to make Colette stop trying to kill herself.
Somehow he made it; he made it to the other platform and yelled over the fires that he was a little cooked but fine.
"A road's opened up, a real one, it goes under the stair, I can't see where it goes and I can't cross cuz there's a huge flame in the center!"
"You stay right there Lloyd!" Raine yelled, trying to not show how much this stunt had left her shaking. "We'll be by in a bit!"
He only sat, said nothing, but if she could make a guess he was panting in exhaustion.
She ordered her hands to stop shaking. Someone had to take charge of the situation. Someone had to take care of this. And that would be her, she still did not trust the mercenary, not with the lives of the children at sake. She was the elder, the mentor, it was her responsibility. She rapped her staff against the stone to get their attention.
"We aren't helping him by standing here, we need to go to the first room we entered and see if that road opened up for that side."
She then swept out of the room, confident that they were going to follow.
The first room did have a road, did have a more acceptable path but it was not wide enough for more then one person to comfortably walk it. And it was standing over a writhing mass of lava. She paled, gripped her staff and moved to step down onto it. A hand descended on her shoulder, it's grip was a light restraint she could easily shrug of.
"Raine, at ease, there I no way you can light the torches. You said it yourself, "I am a healer, not a magic user" light is not what we need, but fire. I will keep your brother safe but you must trust me this once."
She stiffened a refusal on her lips, she would go with Genis, she could protect him, and she was his sister, and...
"Be logical about this Ms. Sage, we need your powers as a healer, if anything attacks and is of fire that staff is going to be little more then food for it. If you can use my sword I will allow you to go."
He knew, he could see how slender she was, how thin her arms. He could see the calluses on her fingers, a writer's calluses that raised bumps between each digit that manipulated a pen. He knew she could not, and he was being completely reasonable in his offer and logic.
That did nothing for her powerful urge to smack him, to insist that she go. But the words under his words made her pause.
'If you go you both may die'
"Go, before I change my mind."
He nodded, called for Genis. Seeing the boy on his way Kratos hopped down onto the path. He took a few cautious steps forward then turned and helped Genis down. Raine watched; feeling helpless and scared as the mercenary took her little brother's hand and gently lead him down the path. His protective and gentle manner surprised her; she would not have expected that from Kratos. He looked and acted like a man who had perhaps lead a young child around for several years. That thought might have made Raine laughed had the situation been different. Any woman would have been out of her mind to have anything to do with the man! He was attractive, in a dark brooding way, but he was so cold. So… distant, arrogant, sarcastic, and superior, any woman would be mad to consider leaving a child in his care for any length of time. She felt the faintest of touches brush against her hand and clenched her fingers, gently taking Colette's hand in her own.
"Everything's going to be alright dear." Raine whispered, unable to pull her eyes away from the unlikely pair as they went deeper in. Without turning she drew Colette close, held the girl who was shaking. "There going to be alright, don't fear for them."
If only she could believe her words, if only they banished the dread that was building in her
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"Last one…" Genis' legs were twitching, Kratos considered picking up the child and carrying him, he would after the spell was done, he decided. Genis could hold out for that much longer. Pulling a mess of silver hair from his eyes the small elf lifted his hands and muttered to words to a spell. A fiery orb appeared in his hand and he threw it, it slammed into the candle and the last length of stair slid into place. With a cry Genis' legs buckled and he looked completely shocked when Kratos bent down and scoped him from the hot floor. He sheathed his sword then baing Genis' head under one muscular arm he held the boy steady with the other. The path that Lloyd had described was before them, the road, it was wide enough for them all to stand side by side and the ever burning fire in that road's center was immense. He watched as it shivered, then slowly shrank down to nothing. Lloyd had yet to notice the fire was gone; he was taking a long draw from his water flask, then with care closed it. He frowned at the stairs, looked at the fires he had set to burning then paled.
Then Kratos too heard it, a soft "caw" that would best come from the throat of a raven, the rustle of wings.
Birds in an underground temple, he then recalled what Lloyd had told them earlier.
"Boy, come!" Lloyd stared at him, at the embers on the road, and then picked himself up as fast as he could. Kratos spent no time in watching Lloyd catch up, but ran with break neck speed back the way he came, they had no time to be careful now. As he ran he could feel a multitude of ember blue eyes bore into him, could hear the cries grow louder.
"Run!" He roared at the two women, knowing his voice would carry over the flames and growing choir of avian voices. "The stairs you must go up the stairs to receive the oracle of this temple!"
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
They stirred, shed off the sleep of a hundred years and opened yes the color of fires hottest hue. The flared their wings, broke out their shells of wood and mana and threw themselves into the air. They then rose; a multitude of sparks, of red stars, against the blackness of the earthen roof. From the walk way behind the fleeing clawed hands rose out of the lava and grabbed the stone. It's orange and red skin steamed as it hit the air, it reached forth with its lone unencumbered arm and pulled itself to the walk way, and the very air around it smoldered. Having no mouth it could not moan, having only one eye it could not see much. It lifted itself off of the floor and it's talon feet seemed to melt over the stones. It was not the feet that were melting however but the stone around it, and molten stone and its skin were so much the same hue even the most astute observer could not tell the difference.
Lifting it's blade of fire in a knightly salute that the fleeing creatures did not see the monster quietly began to follow them.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
She stumbled, a common occurrence on any set of stairs. They however did not have time to stop, even to find their feet. Still hand in hand the elven woman would be sent from her feet along with her pupil, but still she climbed, did not sop though tears of pain smarted in her eyes. She all but dragged Colette behind her, and they half crawled half ran up the stairs. Their mad dash was punctured by an occasional shriek and Raine would bring her staff around and smash it into one of those annoying birds that dove at them. She had lost track of the times she had brought her staff around, was only aware that the wood was more ahs then wood and the iron top was so black as to be indistinguishable from the rest of it.
She could see the platform, she want to sob in relief, the birds seeing their pray about ready to get away wheeled around in a way that even to Raine's inexperienced eye looked like it was going to be a mass dive. The whole flock was going to come all at once and Raine could not knock them all aside, they were going to die and…
They could not die, they would not die! She could hear Lloyd's voice in her mind say that in defiance.
Raine smiled, calm even though her doom may very well be at hand.
"Keep going Colette!" Raine struggled to her feet, told her legs to twitch with fatigue latter. "I'll be right behind you! You must!" She screamed over the fire bird's cries in response to the girl's mouthed 'no'. "You must you are the Chosen, you must go on!"
Colette said nothing more, gave her hand a squeeze then she was gone.
The birds fell around her, dove at her and she lifted both hand's over her head to better call her power. A green light engulfed her, turned the first few bird's aside and she wondered just how long her shell would last and how many of those things there were.
It didn't matter though, right now it didn't matter.
She'd hold them as long as she needed to.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"The professor!" Lloyd gasped his wooden sword in hand was shaking as was he. Kratos had thoughtfully returned his last sword to him when they'd ducked into the room that had housed the box. They'd taken all of ten seconds to wake Genis up, and then run to the stair way. Now the looked up in horror seeing a green orb and what looked to be thirty sparks slamming into it with crazy abandon.
"Sis, we're coming!" Genis cried out, finding strength in his terror for his sister. He ran up the steps, staggered, but even as he ran his fingers were moving in strange patterns. Even as he ran he was trying to caste a spell. Snarling a line of profanities hot enough to make the lava seem cold Kratos tensed, and Lloyd saw a fiery hand grab the edge of the stairs a bit ahead of Genis.
The thing, a nightmare of fire and muscle dragged itself in front of Genis, and then lifted up its sword. And the elf child froze in terror.
Lloyd managed to sprint ahead of the mercenary, than brought his blade around to catch the things one handed swing.
"Genis, go around me, go to Raine!" Lloyd gasped, trying not to think about how his sword was blackening and the power of the swing hand numbed his arms.
"Damn it go ahead, you think this freak's gunna take me down?" Lloyd gasped, praying that Genis would just run already. "Go!"
Genis ducked behind him and the monster, and just in time, the thing lifted a clawed foot and was about to kick Lloyd in the stomach. Lloyd staggered back before the hit connected, pulled a Colette step. He hit the stairs with a moan and looked up in numb fear at the monster that was going to end his life.
Blackness swept in front of him, a bit of black cloth brushed against his face. Soft as a feather it brushed against him and the sound of steel striking… well whatever it was… was the biggest relief in his life.
"You're not going to die boy before we have a nice long chat." Kratos growled, shoving that thing back with pure brute force.
"Thanks…"
Another clang of steel on fire sword.
"Get up boy, this is not nap time."
Lloyd struggled to his feet and laughed.
"Where've I heard 'that' one before?"
Another clang and Kratos ducked and took a step back.
"Hard right!" Lloyd barked, and Katos leapt to the side, Lloyd's practice sword smashed into the beast's eye. It managed to bring its shield around to block the hit, but the mercenary's sword arched through the air and slammed into the things exposed sword arm. Arm and sword hit the stones and the monster stared at them dumbly. It hopped back under the next swing of Kratos' brought its shield of pure fire around and the mercenary staggered back nearly fell off the edge. Lloyd grabbed the older man and together supporting one another they retreated a few steps.
"Are they all like this?" Lloyd gasped, "All the temples this fun?"
Kratos only laughed, and it was a warm laugh that put a little more spirit in the younger swordsman.
"Fun, this is fun for you? God's no wonder you're bored all the time!"
They both backed away from the claws that slashed through the air after them.
"You busy the shield and I'll give him everything this sword's got left in it!" Lloyd crowed, a wide grin on his face, and he would have been shocked any other time to see that same grin on his companion's face, now he wasn't. Friend's fought like that, with smiles and jokes between the thunderous clash of steel on steel.
"You are out of your mind!" Kratos roared over the fires that the beast held around it. "That twig will not take another hit!"
"I'll make it!" Lloyd laughed, he could not stop laughing.
Rolling his eyes Kratos got into position lifted his blade and though it should have been impossible they made it work. And the 'twig' did hold and dripped with yellow fluid that came from the monster's gouged out eye before they were done. Kratos generously kicked the pile of ashes out of the way that the monster turned into in death, and then they both went up the stairs to the seal.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"I call upon shards of the fallen stars, lightning!" Electricity smashed into the last bird and I stiffened and fell to the earth. It drifted away a pile of ashes before it got halfway down.
Raine smiled at Genis, ruffled his hair, but still did not get up. She was shaking; even as she lay down she was shaking. But then so was he, and he was just kneeling. They'd all seen the silver flash of light; they all saw that light and knew that it meant Colette had made it to the top of the stair way and had awakened the pad that would take her to her father.
His head hurt, his hands twitched, and he wanted nothing more then to lie down and sleep. Colette needed them though, they had to go forward.
"Hey, you guys alright!" Genis saw a familiar red tunic and face, then his brain decided to blank and he was sprawled out on the stones.
"Genis, you OK?" A hand was shaking him.
"It's no fair Raine, why's it the dumb swordsmen isn't tired but I am?" He whined like the little kid he really was but never acted.
"Hugely funny," Lloyd mock growled, and Genis felt himself being lifted for the second time today. "Ung man you're too heavy for this Genis!"
"We can remain here, most of the monsters are deceased." Raine's voice was a soft whisper of exhaustion.
"Like hell you are, Colette's waiting for us, all of us, and I'm not letting her down. Kratos can you handle Raine?"
"No problem. Ms. Sage, repress the urge to kill me for this."
Genis and Lloyd and even Raine gapped as Kratos picked up the school teacher with the ease he'd pick up a small child. Kratos shifted the woman around in his grip then carried her up the steps showing no signs of exhaustion for all the fighting and stuff they'd just gone through.
"Remind me to never tick Kratos off." Genis whispered to Lloyd as they climbed up the stairs in the older human's shadow.
"Yeah, I'll do that." Lloyd gulped. "Shit all I want to do is rest and he looks like he can go through the rest of these temples blindfolded."
Kratos only chuckled, clearly hearing what they said and finding it funny for some reason.
Xxx xxx xxx xxx
"You're alright!" Colette left Raine and hugged Lloyd and Genis.
Lloyd nodded, set Genis down and the elf managed to stand though the look on his face told them all he would be able to do little more then that. Raine was in slightly better shape, leaning on her ruined staff she did not shake so badly.
Everyone almost lost their jaws when Colette hugged Kratos with as much vigor as she hugged everyone else. Kratos stared at the girl, unmoving for a long time in her embrace, than very very meekly hugged her back.
"You need to work on hugs too, you're not very good at them are you?"
"I hardly see myself in the circumstance I would be needing to… embrace anyone."
"hug." Colette corrected with a smile.
"As you will Chosen."
"Like this, see?" She then nearly knocked Lloyd to the floor.
"Yes," Kratos' lips twitched at the young man's panicked expression. "I do."
"You haven't gone to the seal yet?" Lloyd asked, breathing was becoming a little hard due to Colette's tight grip. He wondered what was up with her, but figured she was just nervous. Heck to see his human dad then go on this quest for him, he'd be really nervous!
"No, you said you were coming so I waited."
"Well we're here, so let's see Remi- Rami… Romi… your uh Dad and see what he has to say!"
"Alright!" She smiled at him, then let him go. "I… I'm ready."
"A moment," Kratos stepped forward, laying a restraining hand on Colette's arm. "Let us get your friends some water and take a span to rest. I imagine your… father will give you some instruction so you would also better receive it with a well rested mind."
"But…"
"To my understanding an angle is an eternal being; I imagine a half hour will be of no consequence to one."
"I guess not." Colette looked to everyone; all her friends looked really tired. She nodded, agreed with the mercenary and went back to them. They huddled around the disk, drinking water and just trying to recover a little. Kratos sat apart from them, eyes closed, sword in his lap, a small frown on his face. He absently sipped his water skin but didn't seem to be tasting the water, his mind was somewhere else.
Seeing Colette and the elf sibs talking away about something he scooted over to the man.
"Headache?"
"Yes, from the heat I imagine."
"And the sword fighting, and the puzzle, and that box of death." Lloyd grinned and the man smiled slightly. "I so need a new sword." Lloyd stared at the 'twig' and ran a hand over it.
"A very sad specimen of practice blade." Kratos was staring at him all intently. "Here, take this."
Lloyd gapped at the steel dagger, at the mercenary, and then shook his head.
"No way it's your knife, you keep it."
"You may need it, you can give I back to me once you get a new sword."
"Really I couldn't."
"You're a blacksmith, promise to make me something better in the future and we'll call it even."
"Alright…" Lloyd picked up the blade; the steel was shockingly cool in the hot room.
"You look like you've never held a steel weapon in your life."
"I haven' I mean…" Lloyd flushed. "I make them and sell them sometimes but I've never used anything but my wooden swords."
"Any reason why?" Kratos leaned against a blasted pillar; his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"Temper mainly, I couldn't even take my wooden swords into town until I turned twelve and I started having to. Ivan, Raine tell you about him?"
The mercenary shook his head, Lloyd decided the floor looked like a niceplace to lay down on.
"Total jerk, he'd pick on Genis all the time, say nasty things to Colette, and well I've never hated anyone before except that guy. I mean he'd get other people to hit Genis or him, or hold Genis down so he could do it himself… and I'd always stop him when I could. Ivan started to wear swords when he turned thirteen and well I didn't even see them when I stepped in and… I got hurt, really hurt, and that's when Dad said I could use the wooden swords."
Lloyd shivered, remembering how Ivan had smiled when he stabbed Lloyd, the happiness. He remembered the stitches, how Raine had to seal up the wound, and how she had been screaming at the mayor calling the man's son a murderer. Dad, Dad had almost exploded, had almost gone after the mayor with his bare hands, and the man had drawn a sword on the blacksmith. Lloyd never forgot that look of rage, of pain on his Dad's face at not being able to do anything….
He shoved those memories back as hard as he could.
"Anyway I've been using them since then. Dad tried to teach me but he uses an axe so we didn't get anywhere too fast with that so I tried to learn from the guards… but you know… school and all that."
"Ah…" Kratos tone and face were calm but the slight twitch that ran along his back kind of freaked Lloyd out. He was too tired to move though to the Iselian closed his eyes, decided to ignore it. "It sounds as if you had it a bit rough when you were in Iselia."
"Raised by a dwarf, no one really liked me because of it." Lloyd shrugged the pain away.
"Humans can sometimes be cruel, stupid, and vile creatures Lloyd. It seems as if you've brushed up against those traits in that town."
"I found some cool people though." Lloyd opened his eyes, looked meaningfully at the others and back to the mercenary. "So it wasn't all that bad in the end."
Kratos said nothing, only drew a stone and ran it over the edge of his blade. That sound was really really annoying. Biting his tongue Lloyd closed his eyes and was startled a bit later when a hand coolly shook his shoulder. He had fallen asleep, that's what his scrambled brain told him.
"She wants to get this over with." Kratos said softly, "Come on, wake up, and don't forget the knife."
"Ummm what… yeah, got it…" Lloyd shuffled forward with everyone else, and was aware that the older man was laughing at him with his eyes. Geeze I must look all alert and awake and… And Colette was going for the alter, kneeling down in the stones words in that sot language falling from her lips. Lloyd almost opened his mouth to ask, but Kratos' hand on his fore arm made him stay silent and brought him painfully awake.
"Something's wrong, don't you feel it?"
He did there was a tension, a tapping on the back of his head. And his exosphere, it was sending slight jolts of cold through him. Suddenly the knife in hand seemed like it was going to be really useful and he couldn't say why.
"Easy, don't say anything, we can't distract her, that might make things worse then they are…"
"Colette!" Genis screamed. "Get away from there!" Suddenly the black platform with a marble alter in its center flashed with red light and fire filled the whole alter. The fire growled and trembling Colette stepped back and… tripped.
"Is there a time she doesn't trip!" Kratos snarled in exasperation, his sword was already out of its sheath and he was charging for the growling fire.
Lloyd drew his sword, and since it was already more or less gone anyway. He threw, cast it like a javelin into the flames and something on the other side of that fire yalped. He saw a glimpse of claws and teeth, and the biggest cat he'd ever imagined strolled out from the fire, it's back smoldering with a mane of fire. It looked at him with those dead pit eyes and it's lips curled back showing very impressive teeth. The 'cat' was bigger then two Noishe's in height and he could not even guess the thing's length.
And he'd just ticked it off.
"Oh God…" He paled as it leapt over Colette, and charged him.
He did the first thing that came to mind, he ran and the thing was gaining.
Claws slashed at the air right behind him, slashed at his tunic, he kept running grabbed the pillar he'd been sitting by earlier and used it to throw himself in a different direction. The fire cat plowed through the pillar with it's massive claws, tried to stop. It was like Kratos' sword and stone and it was a thousand times worse. He saw another batch of pillars, a virtual forest of them and wove through them. He was faintly aware of Genis screaming and Raine and Colete running out of the way.
That and a growling cloud of dust as the monster claws slammed through pillars trying to get at him. He scrambled back, pressed against a wall and watched in horror as the thing slowly sheared its way to him. He was going to die, no way Kratos could take the thing out, no way any of them could and… The knife was cold in his hand. And somehow it calmed him.
He lifted the knife, his last weapon, and threw with all his might.
The monster yalped, hopped back, and though he'd put everything he and into the throw the knife was only in by the tip, but where it had gotten caught… It was snagged in the throat, less then an inch in!
"Spread!" A fountain of water blasted up from between the monster's paws, it roared in pain, and the fire around it dimmed.
"The knife!" Lloyd heard himself scream even as he ran and the beast went after him blaming him or both water and sting. "Someone hit the damned knife!"
There were no more pillars, no more sanctuaries, and it was still on his tail. A hiss and the monster growled, turned, and they both were surprised to see Colette catch the chircum she had thrown.
"Leave him alone!"
The monster complied, and charged Colette.
Kratos somehow managed to run in between them and brought his sword across the thing's face. It reared up, roared then brought both of its paws down on Kratos! There was a human cry of pain, the smell of cooked cloth, and a yalp on the monster's part. It bucked and squirmed away from its prey and when it withdrew a very cooked very anger looking mercenary was reveled. Then to Lloyd's horror the older man was swatted aside with a paw. The mercenary hit the stone floor, rolled, and somehow through it all he never released his blade.
Seeing one of its prey down the beast stalked towards the human, its tail twitching as it prepped to pounce.
"No!" Lloyd picked up a large rock and threw it at the monster. "Over here cat!"
Another rock smacked into the beast's head and the ears slicked back.
"Come on mouse breath, over here!"
Another rock connected and it looked like Lloyd was going to get his suicidal wish, the monster turned on him yellow fangs bared.
A soft moan made the beast turn ever so slightly, Kratos opened his eyes and his glare was enough to make the beast take a step back. That was just enough room for the wounded mercenary to work his blade in, grimly the man wrenched his sword side to side even as the beasts blood poured all over him. When Kratos was smashed into a wall due to the swing of another paw he did not get up and his blade fell to the ground with a musical ting.
"Aqua Edge!" Genis shrieked, seeing the monster was turning to Colette. Though the beast sported a huge hole in its throat it was still dangerous. It turned to Genis and with a croak it staggered at wizard.
Gathering the last of his strength Lloyd ran across the room, went to Kratos' side and picked up the man's blood covered sword from the earth. To his horror he saw those eyes open, regard him and they understood. The man tried to get up, and his motions were making his wounds bleed worse.
"Stay down!" He gasped, shivering at the sight of all those wounds.
"No… can… still fight…"
"Like hell you can, damn I stay down!" Kratos wasn't paying attention, but the cat was. Lloyd did the scariest thing in his life. He brought the blade up and smacked it down onto the mercenary's unguarded head. Kratos slumped forward with a soft sight, but even as those eyelids slid shut Lloyd had a feeling that if they both lived through this he was going to be worse then Raine'd by the guy.
And the cat came at him, in its pain and near death state it could not longer think logically and it dragged itself at him. Lifting Kratos' sword Lloyd closed his eyes and prayed. Then thrust it into the wound and the monster shuddered once, then slumped forwards turning into ashes in its death. Before it died Lloyd had seen… had seen a mass of white and he realized in awe what the sword had cut through, through vein, throat and at last through bone Lloyd had thrust Kratos' sword into the thing's back, through the front he'd go to the things' back.
If Kratos could do that then he was dead, deader then dead…
That was his last thought before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed onto the floor.