Went on a JRPG binge recently, played through Sky 1-3 and CS 1-2, then had a little idea that just wouldn't go away, giving rise to this unholy abomination of a fusion between my two favourite JRPG settings.
Starts off at the beginning of Sky 3rd, eventually and hopefully leading on to events in Erebonia.
November, S.1203 of the Septian Calendar
Kevin Graham didn't know why, but from the moment that Ein Selnate initiated communications with his Merkabah 5 airship after his successful retrieval of the Fool's Locket, he had the distinct impression that he would be in for yet another troublesome situation. On paper, his newest task seemed simple – make his way back to Liberl, liaise with the authorities at the Grancel Cathedral, pick up an artifact, and return back to Arteria for further orders. No heretics, no hunting for information, heck, he didn't even need to find the artifact, since it was already being held in the primal ground beneath the cathedral.
Easy, right?
Wrong.
The fact that Commander Selnate had sent along a squire after him without giving any actual information about the artifact in question was the first warning sign that something might be wrong. His instincts screaming at him that it was no coincidence that Liber Ark had crashed down from high above Valleria Lake just six months prior was the second.
Warning bells turned into full-on sirens from the time he met Erika Russell at the cathedral, and had then been promptly subjected to the irate professor's grumbling about how the Church was taking away the artifact from honest researchers like herself. He half-suspected that the only reason he had been sent to retrieve the artifact was because prying it away from the hands of a researcher as fanatic as Professor Russell was always a troublesome task, one that no other member of the Gralsritter would want to take up.
When he said that he would take up the most difficult of missions that other Dominions shied away from at the time that his unwanted position had been thrust unto him, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind.
How in Aidios' name she could ever be related to the sweet and innocent Tita, Kevin would never know. If there was ever any doubt that the Goddess truly existed, he would point sceptics to the relation between mother and daughter. For Tita Russell to turn out the way she did from a mother like her had to be nothing short of a miracle.
He continued down the long, spiralling staircase leading to the sacred ground beneath the cathedral, listening as Erika grumbled on about the elder Professor Russell's irresponsibility in allowing Tita to get into the mess that was Ouroboros' Gospel Plan. Lieutenant Colonel Cid stayed a respectful few steps behind, his expression completely neutral, although Kevin had no idea about how he could remain so unaffected by Tita's mother's, uh… enthusiasm.
"…and, oh, that red-haired barbarian will be in for such a surprise the next time I see him," he caught Erika saying, before she began cackling maliciously to herself. Kevin winced, clasping his fingers around the symbol of Aidios, muttering a silent prayer. Sure, he wasn't exactly that close to Agate Crosner, but the man deserved his sympathies for what Erika had in mind for him.
Of course, that wasn't to say that he didn't want to observe them as Erika carried out her experiments, as she called them. Just because he was sympathetic to his plight didn't mean he couldn't partake in a little harmless schadenfreude. He could already picture cute little Tita trying to clear the air, only to make matters worse between them Erika and her prey.
At least they were now approaching the end of the stairs. Soon, they would be at the room that housed the artifact, where he suspected he was going to have a second headache trying to convince the professor that investigation and retrieval of active artifacts was the responsibility of the Gralsritter.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he began leading the pair down the corridor that would lead to the primal ground. At some point, the professor had stopped her verbal plotting of the many ways in which she could make Agate's life a living rendition of Gehenna. He stole a glance at her, and was surprised to see that she now appeared to be every bit as serious as Cid was.
Guess the time for idle talk is over, he thought, sighing mentally. Time for business, then.
"Say, professor, any chance you could brief me on the artifact in question?" he asked, as the trio continued down the vast, winding corridors.
"The Royal Army contacted the Zeiss Central Factory for assistance in retrieving of fragments that fell from Liber Ark into Valleria Lake a few months ago," she began saying, her tone in stark contrast to how it had been before. "More recently, we identified readings of orbal energy consistent with potential active artifacts, and sent out ships to search near the centre of the Lake."
Kevin really hated it when his intuition was right. An artifact related to the Aureole couldn't be any good news.
"Three days ago, we managed to successfully retrieve the object after a long salvage operation," she continued. "The artifact measures about fifty rege in size, and takes the form of a cube. At the time of retrieval, the object was glowing a bright blue, at which point Lieutenant Colonel Cid contacted the Church in Grancel for further instructions, as per protocol."
She glared at Kevin, clearly annoyed at the Septian Church's meddling in all matters related to artifacts from before the Great Collapse. He winced under her gaze, giving a sheepish smile, silently looking over at Cid for help. The man offered a faint smile, but saw it wiser not to intervene in all matters related to Erika Russell.
Ah, the sting of betrayal, he lamented. After all they'd been through together in the Liber Ark incident, too.
More importantly, though, he caught on to the choice words that the professor had used.
"At the time?" he quoted, raising an eyebrow.
She gave a victorious smirk in return. "It has since stopped glowing, and all energy readings have vanished from the object."
He sighed. An artifact that had lost its power was exempt from agreements between the Church and all Zemurian governments. Given that it had been active, however, raised certain questions of ownerships. He was beginning to understand just why he had been sent over, now.
"I see," he said simply, silently contemplating whether or not he could just give ownership of the object to Liberl and absolve himself of all the inevitable trouble.
Curiously, the professor still had a glint in her eye, although Kevin couldn't fathom as to just what in all of Aidios' blessed creations she was thinking. It wasn't the same sort of victorious smile she had just moments prior; this was more akin to the expression she wore as she contemplated the many ways in which Agate Crosner could be punished for his association with Tita.
He looked at Cid, who also clearly knew something, given that he was looking at the professor as though trying to ascertain whether she would continue elaborating on whatever she had left out. Cid continued sending furtive glances toward the professor for a few more seconds, before coughing politely.
"Professor, about the other finding alongside the artifact –"
"Hush!" Erika immediately interrupted, startling Cid even through all his military discipline. "No spoilers! I want to savour the Gralsritter's expression myself!"
"O- of course!"
Cid looked guiltily at him, but didn't elaborate any further. Kevin sighed, which only caused the grin on Erika's face to widen. Why couldn't mother and daughter be a little more alike? Sweet little Tita would have volunteered all the information she had by now.
Well, at least they were nearing the room, now. He just had to see for himself what the professor was so confident would surprise him. Given that he had been a Dominion for close to five years, now, perhaps the professor might be overestimating just what kind of a reaction he would have to her mysterious findings.
They reached the seemingly dead-end of the corridor, the final barrier that only one versed in Thaumaturgy could cross. "Right, then," he said, stopping just in front of the wall, and turned to face the pair. "From here on, I need you to undertake a ritual of sorts for me."
Erika snorted. "Well, things certainly took a turn for the mysterious," she said. "Is this an example of the church's famous Thaumaturgy?"
He nodded. "Something like that, yes." He looked them both in the eye. "I would like you both to undergo a form of suggestion."
"You want a promise that we won't tell anyone what we see here?" she challenged.
"That's a little extreme," he said, shaking his head. "The colonel will need to report what happened with the artifact to his superiors, for one. All I need is a promise that you won't tell anyone who you aren't certain you can trust about what happens here."
Erika stared at him for a moment longer. "Weird, but all right." She shrugged. "If that's all you want us to do, then that's fine."
Cid nodded as well. "Likewise," he said. "What do you need us to do?"
"Just think about it, and it will come naturally to you," Kevin said. He fished out his medallion, holding it before the pair. He gave them a moment's warning, before beginning with his Thaumaturgy.
"In the name of She Who Dwells Above do I hold this consecrated septium," he recited, concentrating. "Space's golden glow… Consciousness' silver glow… By your opposing natures, reveal to them the path that leads to your sacrament!"
There was a flash of gold from behind him where the wall would seemingly be, but he paid no attention to that. It wasn't often that he could savour the expression of surprise someone like the professor now held. Even the calm mask that the colonel normally wore cracked slightly.
Heh. Those reactions would never go old.
"Thank you for your assistance," he said, turning back to face the now-revealed door. "I can see that you take your words seriously."
Erika was silent for several seconds. "I see," she finally said. "I suppose the door wouldn't be revealed if we didn't mean what we said?"
"You catch on quick, prof!" he quipped, already pushing it open and taking a few steps inside. "Now, then! Let's hurry up and sort out what to do with the arti –"
He paused mid-step, once he caught sight of what was placed in the centre of the circular platform that was the primal ground. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes, wondering if just perhaps he might have accidentally drunk something he shouldn't have on his previous mission aboard that Reinford cruiser in Erebonia the day before.
When the sight still remained there, he finally understood just what the professor had deliberately kept from him.
"Ah, did I forget to mention?" Erika gave a fake laugh, walking past him on the bridge leading to the primal ground. "Alongside the artifact, we also happened to fish up a living, breathing, unconscious human girl."
-o-o-o-
Sometimes, Kevin wished he could request for other Gralsritter knights to take over missions like these. He was the Fifth Dominion, the Heretic Hunter. He should be out there putting down heretics and taking away artifacts from those who would misuse them. But no, of course Commander Selnate just had to dump this mess into his hands.
"Remind me again just how you chanced upon the girl?" he asked, hoping that perhaps he had misunderstood the previous two accounts.
"The artifact was held in her hand at the time of successful retrieval," Cid reported factually. "Despite constant watch over the area of Valleria Lake in question for the past three days, no one had seen the girl entering the lake. While we were initially worried that someone had drowned, our primary survey showed that her vital signs are perfectly stable, although she shows no signs of consciousness."
"Let me get this straight," he said, temporarily ceasing his investigation of the unconscious woman. "By all accounts, the current theory is that the girl fell into the lake along with the rest of the debris of the Liber Ark? Never mind the fact that she was most definitely not aboard the Arseille, and most likely isn't a member of Ouroboros, she's been there for the past six months?"
Cid hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Given the lack of evidence for any other plausible explanation, we believe that to be the case, yes."
"Aidios," he muttered a silent prayer, both for the girl and for his inevitable headache to come. He had a bad feeling about his latest assignment ever since Commander Selnate contacted him, but he would never have expected anything like this.
"We removed the artifact from her grip, but its activation doesn't appear to be tied to her presence, given that it only stopped functioning when we delivered it to the cathedral," Cid continued. "The Church has been monitoring her for any signs of activity, but have noted no changes over the past few days."
He sighed. "Thank you, Cid," he said half-heartedly, returning back to the woman.
All things considered, she didn't seem to be in too bad shape for someone who should have been in the lake for well over six months, discounting the fact that any normal person would have drowned. Her hair was long – it was hard to tell exactly how far it went, given that she was currently sprawled on the ground beside the artifact – but it would clearly hang down well past her back. She wore simple clothing, the likes one would see worn by everyday folk, but had curious metal greaves and a single gauntlet on her right hand. They appeared to be in perfect condition, despite the fact that they should have rusted over with all the time she had purportedly been in the lake.
He knelt down beside her, taking a closer inspection. As if all those weren't enough, there was the main oddity, and one that had caught his attention during his initial investigation.
Her left arm was completely wrapped up in bandages, and though it appeared normal, he couldn't physically unwrap them to take a look at her arm. There was something there that pricked at his senses, but it seemed to be entirely unfamiliar to him, despite all the experiences he had with artifacts and the many implausibilities of Zemuria.
"Well?" Erika butted in, looking very pleased with herself. "Any luck over there, Gralsritter Kevin Graham?"
"She is alive," he said reluctantly, fuelling the professor's glee. He narrowed his eyes. "This isn't some kind of prank that you're pulling on me, is it?"
"Such an accusation!" she burst out. "Is this what the Gralsritter teaches you priests?"
"Unfortunately, as implausible as it sounds, everything occurred exactly as has been reported," Cid said empathically. Thank Aidios that he understood just what kind of a mess had been laid down on Kevin. "We had hoped that you may be able to shed some light on her situation, given her association with the artifact."
"Well, you're completely out of luck," he said bluntly, holding out his fingers as he counted his impossible observations. "Physically, she's completely healthy. There's no rust on her equipment. The bandage is inseparable from her arm." He sighed. "Looks like we'll have a long day ahead, folks."
Cid nodded. "And the artifact?"
"It indeed seems to be inactive," he said. "The girl's probably the bigger mystery here." He paused for a moment. "Yes, I realise how stupid that sounds."
"Is there anything you can do with your, ah, methods?" Cid asked politely.
It had crossed his mind. There were many things that could be done with Thaumaturgy, even if he wasn't as well versed in it as some of the other Dominions. "There might be," he said slowly. "Still… I'd rather have someone on stand-by in case something happens."
Wait… come to think of it…
There came a polite cough from the doorway, evoking a shout of surprise from the professor. Right on cue, he thought. He looked over to the new squire that had been forced upon him, for once thankful that Ein had taken the liberty of doing so.
He froze for a moment the moment he saw just who it was, before silently cursing the Commander for keeping her identity hidden.
"I apologise for the delay in coming, Father Graham," her familiar voice came, as she walked toward the three of them. "My name is Ries Argent, and I am a squire of the Gralsritter. I look forward to working under you."
After all these years… Ries still looked the same.
No, not the same, he corrected. She had matured, growing to look like –
Rufina.
For several moments, he didn't speak. Ries waited calmly before him. Erika began engaging her in a one-sided conversation, but he didn't pay any attention to that, tuning them out as his thoughts raced furiously in his mind.
What was the commander thinking? Why would she send her as his squire? Rufina died because –
"… for your cooperation in our work. We will take over looking after it from here on out," he caught Ries saying, snapping him out of his thoughts. She paused momentarily. "Father Graham, may I enquire as to the presence of the woman beside the artifact?"
"Ries…" he finally forced himself to say, trailing off. This formality wasn't a side of Ries he had to deal with before.
"Father Graham?" she repeated after several seconds of silence.
"She was retrieved from Valleria Lake with the artifact held in her hand," Cid intervened, clearly curious about his lack of response, but remained entirely professional. "Given the lack of support for all other theories, we believe that the only possible explanation is that she fell into the lake alongside the other debris of the Liber Ark. Unconsciousness aside, she appears entirely healthy."
"I see," Ries said, stepping past the still-stunned Kevin, inspecting the body for herself. She frowned. "Father Graham, I assume you have noticed the abnormalities within her left arm?"
That offered enough impetus for him to respond. "R- right," he said, joining by her side. "You feel that sort of presence, too?"
She nodded silently. Kevin took the chance to speak aloud, before the professor could butt in and ask just what they meant. "I think it best to attempt returning her to consciousness with Thaumaturgy," he said, his voice oddly formal even to himself. "Ries, you serve as backup if anything goes wrong, okay?"
"Understood."
"Oi, oi!" Erika cut in, glaring at him. "What are the two of you talking about?"
"Lieutenant Colonel, Professor; the two of you stay to one side, okay?" He stood up, standing before the girl's body.
"Give us a proper explanation, you –"
"Professor," Cid thankfully interrupted, steering her aside. "I'm sure that Father Graham will be happy to answer any queries after he finishes his work."
"He had better!"
He took out his consecrated septium, holding it before him. Ries stood behind him, ready to assist if necessary.
"Right, then. Guess I'll begin now, huh?" He laughed nervously. Sure, he had performed such Thaumaturgy many times in the past, but not on someone who should have drowned only Aidios knows how long ago. He clutched the medallion tightly. "Well… here goes nothing…"