Well first off, thanks for all the reviews everyone. Secondly, let me apologize for the long wait. My computer, the one that I type on at least, lost the internet, and I had no means of updating. I tried typing this chapter out on the other computer but when I'm in that room I have no inspiration it's all just a blank. I have to be in my room, listening to my radio blasting to write. And I couldn't transfer documents because my computer was is so effed up that the CD burner won't work Cries So updates will be slow for awhile until everything is back to... normal. Well anyways! I know a lot of you are dying to know what happens next! So here it is everyone! The long awaited chapter of Tainted By Darkness!
Disclaimer- I do not own Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time.. Well.. I do... but only the game. So yeah.. no rights.
Lost Under The Surface
Nel found herself dreaming once more, however this time she was not in a dark place. She found herself on a balcony of a large castle. The night was young, and the stars were shinning brilliantly in the sky, accompanied by the glow of the full moon. A strange feeling of peace settled within her, causing her to relax in the comfort of the night. It was, for lack of better words, perfect. When was the last time she had let herself enjoy the comfort of peace, or take off her duties and relax for a moment?
Although she was relaxed, she couldn't help but question her location. After all, she can't recall ever being in a place like this, or why she's here to begin with. She could see everlasting mountains in her path, and although it was night, she could see the greenery. In front of the garden was a beautiful garden that rivaled Her Majesty's in Aquios with it's variety of flowers and plants, some of which she's never seen before. The fireflies flying around the night even further made the scene more tranquil. It was so perfect... a bit too perfect.
"How do you find the view?" Nel heard an unmistakable voice.
She turned her head to her left and immediately jumped away at the sight of the same man from her other dreams. She had not noticed his presence from before. She remembered him attacking her last time and reached for her daggers. Once again she found that her daggers were not with her. She settled with a glare instead, wishing looks could kill, "What do you want?"
"I think what I want is clear. Don't you?" He questioned, his lips curling slightly in amusement. His gaze remained on the full moon above the castle however, "This is my castle. And this is my estate. Do you like it?"
Nel's guard never let up as she stayed her ground, "This isn't real." She stated, "There is no place in Airyglyph, or Aquaria that looks like this."
He turned to Nel and gave a short bow, "Ah... Brilliant as ever M'Lady. What you are seeing now is what you call Airyglyph. This was one hundred years ago. Before Apris thought it wise to bury us beneath the surface, and lock us away from the world. It was unjust, we have done nothing wrong."
Nel licked his lips in anticipation, taking a small step back, as if she could make a get away, "What happened to you and your people is none of my concern. Nor do I wish to hear of it. If this is what you have been harassing me for, then I suggest leaving me in peace. I am a Crimson Blade, you will learn why if you keep this up."
Nel watched, to her great annoyance, as he waved a finger slowly from side to side, "Tsk! Tsk! M'Lady should not be making such empty threats. They are meaningless. We have grown weary of being shut out of the surface. We plan on coming back up. And you will be at my side when I reach the surface. We will take back that which was taken from us." He held his hand out to her, "Why don't you just accept it now? Take my hand, and we'll be together forever."
Nel felt the blood begin pumping heavily in her head. So much that she thought she could even hear her heart beating through her pulse. Her chest felt knotted with nerves, it hurt so much just to resist reaching out to him. What if she were to accept his offer? What would become of her? What would become of Aquaria? Perhaps she should decide for once what she wanted, instead of what was good for the kingdom. She's long since done her part for the kingdom, she could get out of the repetitive routine of training, paperwork, and petty missions.
Nel bit her bottom lip in thought, her arms folding to her chest in thought. Her gaze wandered to the hard marble surface of the balcony. Her throat tightened; too afraid to trust her voice into saying what she wanted it to. She glanced back up to the man shyly, who is still holding his hand out to her. She took a hesitant first step towards him, her right hand cautiously reaching out to his.
"Nel..." She heard her voice whispered, so faint, yet so clear that it was as if it were coming from her own mind.
She pulled her hand away and took a step back once more; shaking her head. Her gaze settled into a glare once more, "No.. I won't fall victim to such tricks."
Romero let his hand drop to his side, his lips curling up once more, a glint of a fang being showed through his lips, "I see... You seem to be holding onto something to keep you from coming to me. Perhaps if I tear that away from you, than you will finally accept my hand willingly." He stepped up onto the ledge of the balcony and gave a short bow, "I hope you find my castle to you liking M'Lady. You will be here for a long time if I have my way." He dropped back, falling off the edge of the balcony.
Nel quickly raced over to where he had stood just moments ago and leaned over the edge to find what had become of him. She was not surprised to find that she could not see a trace of him, or any sign that he had actually been here. At the bottom of the castle she could see the moot surrounding, and the hazardous jagged rocks that the water was clashing against, at the bottom.
"Nel.." She heard it again.
The Crimson Blade's brows furrowed in determination, "No... I won't go to you. Even if this is the only way to keep you away." She said allowed as she climbed up onto the balcony. She would not be forced to someone, she would go to whom she wants, when she wants. She stared down at her answer without fear. She held her arms out and closed her eyes before she felt herself lean forward.
The rush of air as she fell, howled in her ears. Strands of her hair whipped her across her face. Slowly she opened her eyes, her breathing becoming still as she watched the jagged rocks come closer and closer.
She eyes opened up in alert at her companions urgings. She found herself in some form of water; possibly a stream. Fayt was holding onto her shoulders, having been shaking her to try and wake her up. "Where are we?" She immediately questioned, taking notice of the fact her body felt sore. They must have fallen quite a bit. She could barely see three feet in front of her, and she's wet. She hates having to deal with wet clothes, they clung to her body. With that in mind, she wasn't sure if the darkness was a blessing or a curse.
"Uh..." Fayt started, obviously having not expected the question to be the first thing she said, "I believe we're in some sort of tunnel or passage. It's hard to tell with it being dark. Are you alright Nel?" He added at the end. He offered her a hand to help her up.
Nel just swatted his hand away. Although grateful he cared enough to help, she was perfectly capable of getting up on her own. "I'm fine." She answered shortly before glancing around. She was already wishing they were in the dark hallways, at least there had been torches there. There didn't seem to be much of anything here. That would give them any sort of light at least.
What's worse, Nel decided, was the smell of the passage. It was filled with the smell of something dead and rotting. Like one of the various dead beasts they had come across back in their travels, who's carcass had been out cooking under the scorching sun. The Crimson Blade took the chance to do an inventory check to see if she's missing anything. She found that she had all her items, and most importantly, her daggers are still with her.
The sound of water being splashed about reverted her gaze to Fayt who was walking to the other side of the passage. 'Probably checking the width of the passage just in case.' She thought after a moment. Ever since Fayt had become an experienced fighter, she took notice of the way he always seemed to analyze his surroundings to make sure he had enough room to fight. Judging by how many steps it took him to reach some sort of wall, Nel knew that space wouldn't be a problem for him to swing his sword around.
Nel has to admit, for someone who has about a fifth experience as her in actual battle, Fayt was a skilled fighter, and a smart one. Unlike Cliff, who likes to just rush into battle without any form of strategy except to rely on his raw strength; Fayt seemed to strategize before an actual battle happened. If he had been born on Elicoor and in Aquaria, he would have made an excellent Crimson Blade, or any form of military branch to her Majesty.
"I guess the only thing we can do is go forward." Nel heard Fayt speak once more, and after a moment he added, "Which way forward is... I have no clue."
Nel crossed her arms over her chest, her scarf no longer hid her face since it was drenched and sagging. However, the darkness did what the scarf could not right now, "Does it matter? Either way will lead us somewhere. It's better than standing here."
"I guess you're right. As always." Fayt replied, though he sounded a bit bitter to Nel's ears. He crossed over to Nel's side, "We should go... that way." He said pointing down in one direction of the passage.
The Crimson Blade rolled her eyes, grateful for the darkness once more so Fayt couldn't see it. However, she went in the opposite direction that her companion had suggested, "We'll go this way." She stated matter-of-factly.
Fayt's brows knitted together in annoyance at the Aquarian spy. She always had to question his judgment one way or another. And quite frankly, he's getting sick of it. He had every intention of just going his own way and see who was right. However, he wasn't the type to just leave a friend or comrade to their fate. Grudgingly, Fayt followed Nel instead of his own instincts, deciding that since Nel had more battle experience on this planet, that she would be wisest in this area. He never considered the fact that she had no idea where they are going, or how they are suppose to get out of this place.
He did however, have to question why Nel had suddenly stopped, "What is it?" He said before stepping up to stand beside her. He watched as she raised a hand up cautiously and grabbed at something in front of them. Fayt squinted in the darkness. He barely made out the features of a large spider web of sorts, blocking the entire path. A fairy large spider web. Fayt could only wonder how large the spider is that had created a web so big.
Nel however, didn't seem to care enough to think about it. She pulled out one of her daggers, and cut the web away, clearing it from their path. Fayt held up a hand to object, "I don't think that's a smart-"
"It's in our way." Nel cut him off, making the point clear that it had to be removed if they were going to continue. Fayt shook his head and let her do as she willed. The web is probably old, and the spider is probably long dead. After Nel had cut the web loose, and without any mishaps, the two pressed on without another word.
Of course the host of the Symbol of Destruction, had the feeling that something is going to happen. They would not have been sent down here if there is nothing down here to try to kill them. Fayt thought on more than one occasion that he could hear the sound of something scraping against rock as they made their way through the passage. Every time he heard it, he would glance back to Nel to see if she had heard anything, but she would just continue on.
The two jumped in fright when a ringing echoed across the passage. It only took a moment or two for Fayt to realize that it's coming from his pants. "Hey Nel, wait up a moment." He called out before pulling out his compact communicator. The screen gave out a eerie glow when he opened it up and Welch Vineyard appeared on the screen. Fayt's lips curled up into a friendly smile, Welch being a welcoming sight for sore eyes, "Hey!" Fayt greeted, "What's-"
"Fayt watch out!" Nel called out.
Fayt glanced up as he heard the scraping of rock, only to see a large spider dive off of the ceiling, heading straight towards him. Welch's concerned voice was cut off as the compact communicator fell into the water. Fayt braced himself, stretching his arms out, as if to catch the spider. Already he could hear Nel racing towards him. The force of the spider's body and weight being flung at him, caused him to fall back. However, before the blood sucker could get the opportunity to sink it's claws into him, Fayt used the momentum to roll back and fling the eight legged creature off of him and into the wall.
The spider however, managed to successfully land on all eight of its legs. It did give Fayt enough to gather his bearings and pull out his sword before analyzing the creature. The spider was like many others they had killed before, about half his size. It's eight beady black doll eyes stared at him as if he were a piece of meat.
Nel was at his side, her daggers already out and ready to slice the creature away. Fayt gripped the hilt of his sword tighter as he watched the spider's legs crouch up closer to its body, obviously getting ready to pounce once more. He could hear its feet scurry across the ceiling. 'Wait a minute... It's not moving.' He thought suddenly before pushing Nel to the side and jumping away just as quickly.
Two other spiders landed on the surface of the water, their feet giving them the ability to walk on water. "Ambush." Nel muttered in disgust, she should have known. It was strange for one spider to attack them. One of the eight legged freaks rushed towards her. Nel would have sent a shockwave towards it, to knock off its feet, but being that she's in water, she couldn't create one. It lunged at her, she could barely move fast enough in the water to get out of the way.
She focused on the runological power within her. A orange sphere appeared in front of her hands as the attack became more focused. She didn't want to exhaust herself by using something truly powerful, and she doubted that these spiders could handle much anyways. "Lightening Blast!" A series of jolts of lightening left the palm, crackling as they headed towards the spider. As it was struck, the arachnid shuddered, and the smell of burnt fur filled her nostrils as the small hairs on the spider's body burned. It trembled once last time as the attack finished. It fell to its back, dead.
Seeing how the spider would no longer be a problem she turned to get ready to help Fayt, but held off when she noticed that he was already done to the last spider. She watched as the spider leaped at Fayt. She became entranced as she watched Fayt's movements. Stepping back, and his arms tightening in anticipation before gallantly swinging his sword with such ease at the spider, to meet it before it could lay a fang or leg on him. The sound of the spider's shrill cry echoed in the passage as its body was cut in two. The halves landing in the water at either sides of Fayt.
Nel slowly shook her head, getting out of her trance as Fayt dipped his sword into the water to clean it off before sheathing it. Nel just sheathed her daggers, not having used them in the battle. She felt a little ridiculous for watching him fight, even if it is in some way, fascinating.
"Lets go." She suggested as Fayt made his way towards her, forgetting her momentarily loss of sanity. If she were sane, she wouldn't have stared.
She gave a small jump when Fayt grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. She looked up to his face, but he was looking back, one hand stretched back as a fiery sphere formed as he focused on his Symbology. "FireBolt" Fayt called out. Four balls of fire were propelled from his hand, and traveled down the passage, lighting things up as they continued forth. They revealed to Nel and Fayt that the passage was packed behind them by more spiders than they cared to sit and count. What's worse is that they appeared to be heading straight towards them from the walls, ceiling, and the surface of the water alike. "Um.. any ideas?"
"Running might be a good idea." Nel announced, and not a second later did she take off as fast as she can move through the water. She can hear Fayt splashing his way behind her, hot on her tail. Nel knew that it is more than likely pointless in trying to outrun the spiders, since they can move faster than they can.
"Explosion!"
Nel swiftly turned around to see Fayt had stopped. A massive sphere of fire appeared in the middle of the passage, and it's quickly getting bigger. "What are you doing?" Nel called out over the roar of fire.
"Buying us time." Fayt said rushing back towards her.
Nel quickly catches on and takes off once more. The spiders won't be able to follow them until the symbology wore down. It may buy us some time, but unless they manage to get on dry ground, they are going to be caught sooner or later. As if by the blessing from Apris, Nel could swear the water was getting more and more shallow. As if they were going up on a slope. When she was no longer running in water, her worries had practically dwindled down to zero. Confident that she can outrun the spiders.
"Nel, hold up!" Fayt called out. The Crimson Blade stopped and waited for Fayt. When he's at her side once more he makes an observation, "They stopped following us." He announced.
"..."
Fayt glanced back to where the spiders had been following them only minutes before, "If they stopped following, it could be that they plan to ambush us again... or there's something ahead that they are afraid of."
"So proceed with caution. One might say." Nel commented before nodding her head in agreement. She watched as Fayt searched his pockets, no doubt looking for his lost communicator, "You dropped it back when the first one attacked."
"Darn... Oh well. No use worrying about it now, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders once more before he took lead this time. The passage seemed to open up ahead, and that was a more than a little relieving. "We're getting out of here." Fayt said confidently as he proceeded into the opening. When they were both inside, the whole place lit up, torches surrounding the entire room. It was empty, save for the stairs on the other end. The two knew better then to just proceed as if all is normal. Each pulled out their weapons, bracing themselves for a battle.
Nel walked ahead, taking point while Fayt brought up the rear. The place appeared to be empty, and harmless, but there's definitely something with them, each could feel another presence. Fayt heard movement behind him and froze. Slowly turning around, he came face to face with a woman hanging upside down. His eyes became wide in surprise, making her lips twist in amusement, showing off a set of fangs, "Boo."