Hi everyone! I recently got a bunch of alerts for this story, and just wanted to say thanks! I'm glad you're liking it! :D
This chapter hasn't been edited by my beta, just by me, so I apologize for any mistakes.
This picks up with Lloyd's group watching Sheena disappear in a puff of smoke from her fight with them at the Ossa Trail. Enjoy!
I don't own TOS.
((LLOYD POV))
"Who was that?" I demanded, waving my hand to clear the smoke.
"How'd she disappear?" Genis asked.
"Some kind of transportation spell, I'd imagine." The Professor said.
"We should get moving." Kratos said, sheathing his sword.
"Dammit! Why are people trying to kill us?" I growled. That girl didn't look any older than me… and she sure fought weird. How do those paper cards work?
"There will always be those who reject salvation." Kratos said.
"Those clothes…" The Professor murmured.
"Professor?" Colette asked.
"…It's nothing. Let's hurry to Izoold." The Professor said.
"There's no way that girl was from around here. Just who the hell is she?" I asked, sheathing my blades.
"It will do no good to dwell on it." Kratos said.
I sighed but nodded and we started walking again, leaving the Ossa Trail.
"Oh, wow!" I breathed, staring out at the water. It was beautiful, a dark blue in the setting sunlight.
I wrinkled my nose. "It smells."
Genis frowned. "Only a little."
I snorted. "For you, maybe."
"We need to get to town yet…" The Professor reminded us and we headed to the small fishing village docked on the water's edge. The sun was on the horizon by the time we crossed the grassy field.
The smell of the water mixed with the smell of fish and both attacked my senses. We walked through town, looking at all the vendors just now closing up, and the Professor got directions to the Inn.
Very soon, we were putting our stuff in our room. The Inn here just had two floors with five beds per floor, so we rented the top. The owner was nice enough to let Noishe sleep on the floor with us as long as he didn't cause trouble.
"Should I buy new ingredients for dinner or use what we have still from Triet?" Genis asked.
"Use what we have, as that food will spoil faster. We will buy fresh tomorrow morning before securing a boat." Kratos said.
The Professor nodded. "Yes, that sounds good. Do you need any help, Genis?"
"Ah, no thanks, Sis." Genis stammered, "It won't take long!"
He disappeared out of the room, probably going to find somewhere to cook without the Professor nearby. She frowned but let him go.
I climbed onto my bed and stretched out, staring at the ceiling. Colette's face suddenly appeared above me and I grinned.
"C'mon, Lloyd, let's go exploring!" She said excitedly, smiling.
"Okay!" I quickly sat up.
"Don't be out too long. And try not to stick out or make any scenes. Maybe I should go with you…" The Professor worried.
"As long as they take care, it should be fine to let them go alone." Kratos said.
"You trust them alone?" The Professor asked, startled.
"While still children, I think they've proven they are capable of acting maturely when the situation demands it." Kratos answered.
"I see. Yes, of course. Go ahead, you two." The Professor said.
"Wow, thanks Kratos!" I said, grinning at him.
"Do not give me a reason to doubt the trust placed in you." Kratos said sternly.
"We won't! Let's go, Colette!" I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room, down the stairs and out of the Inn.
"Wow! There's so much here!" Colette said, twirling around before stumbling.
I caught her arm, chuckling. "Calm down a bit, you'll fall."
"Hehe, sorry!" She smiled, standing up.
"Dork. Let's go look at the docks!" I said,
"Okay!" She agreed.
We walked along the main path of the town, most of the villagers too busy closing up for the night to really notice us. Once we made it to the dock area, we stopped in awe.
The sun was setting right over the water and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
"It's so pretty!" Colette exclaimed.
"C'mon!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the end of the one of the many empty docks, sitting down. We both swung our legs out over the water as we looked at the sky. It was a weird pink purple color as the sun faded and the stars twinkled into view.
"Oh, look, look!" Colette yelled, pointing up. A bright star had just emerged.
"That's the brightest star in the night sky. No matter where you are in the world, it's always the brightest." I said, smiling.
"Wow, how do you know that, Lloyd?" Colette asked.
"I think my Dad told me. My real Dad." I said.
"Oh. That's really amazing." Colette said, squeezing my hand.
I smiled at her. "Yeah."
We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just looking at the sky, until Colette stood up, tugging me up with her.
"We should head back. I'm getting hungry." She said.
"Oh, sorry. Let's go." I said, walking down the dock.
"I forgot! I'm sorry, Lloyd." Colette blurted out.
I waved my hand. "You dork, it's fine. Let's get back."
Colette smiled and nodded and we walked through the now deserted streets to the Inn. I could hear Noishe whining as soon as we entered the building and I raced up the stairs, ignoring Colette's protests, only to burst into the room and see Genis tickling my dog and causing him to whine pathetically.
"Lloyd!" Colette yelled, rushing in after me.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Genis asked, laughing and finally letting Noishe breath.
"I heard Noishe and thought something was wrong. Leave my poor dog alone, Genis." I said.
Genis rolled his eyes. "He's fine."
I walked over and knelt down, petting Noishe. He licked my face and whined and I grinned.
"I used up the rest of the rice – help yourself, Colette." Genis said.
"Thanks!" Colette said, taking a plate of food. I petted Noishe a little more before going over to my bed and sitting down, pulling out my swords and sharpening stone. Might as well sharpen them now while everyone's eating.
"Do you do that every night?" Colette asked.
I nodded. "Yeah." I easily finished one blade and started on the other, glancing over at Kratos, who was still eating.
"You want me to do yours, too?" I asked.
Kratos hesitated.
"It's no big deal if you don't want me to. Just thought I'd ask." I said, shrugging.
Kratos sighed. "No, it's fine. Please."
I nodded, finishing up my other blade and getting up to grab Kratos's. He hesitated again but he handed it over.
I took it to my bed and got to work, carefully running the blade over the stone, very aware of Kratos watching my every move. When it was done, he came to stand next to my bed. I finished up and offered him his blade.
He nodded. "Thank you, Lloyd."
I let out a breath. "You're welcome."
"Shall we get some sleep? We'll have to try to find transportation tomorrow…" The Professor said.
"I'm sure we'll find a boat!" Colette said, helping Genis clean up.
"Yeah! And then we'll get to sail!" I said excitedly.
"Across the water lies the port city of Palmacosta. It is a very large city. If we're lucky, we'll get there by noon and have the rest of the day to restock and explore a bit before we search for the next seal." Kratos said.
"Venny mentioned Palmacosta… I think there's a cathedral or something there?" I said.
"Yes, it is the headquarters of the Martel Church. Maybe the priests there will be able to help us find information regarding the remaining seals and how many there are." The Professor said.
"Father Steven didn't tell you, Lloyd?" Genis asked.
I scowled. "That idiot didn't know anything useful."
"Lloyd." The Professor scolded.
"It's true!" I protested.
She shook her head. "Get some sleep."
I sighed, quickly undressing for bed. Everyone else did the same, and for several minutes I could hear the rustling of clothes and the squeaking of beds and Noishe's breathing. Then it got quiet and after a few murmured good nights, the room fell silent, except for the swish of the waves outside and the breathing of everyone in the room.
Forcing myself to tune everything out, I closed my eyes.
The sunlight streamed in through the window and birds started chirping. I groaned, sitting up.
"Guys. Get up." I croaked, starting to get dressed.
"Lloyd?" Colette murmured sleepily.
"Lloyd!" The Professor bolted upright. "What's wrong?" She demanded, her eyes wide.
"Nothing. Damn birds woke me up. It's dawn. We gotta get to the docks." I said, still grumbling about the noisy birds chirping outside. Stupid birds. They almost made me long for the desert, with its bird-free-zone. Almost.
Everyone got up and started getting dressed. I nudged Noishe awake. "C'mon, Noishe. Up."
Soon, we were all trudging down the stairs and out of the Inn. Colette and I led the way to the docks. On the way, the Professor bought some fish pancakes and everyone ate hungrily, although Noishe didn't seem that happy.
"What's the matter, Noishe? Don't like fish?" He whined and I laughed. At the next vender, I bought some fruit and gave it to him, which he happily munched up.
We went to the dock and like the night before, there weren't that many boats. Walking over the closest one, I noticed a girl arguing with a guy who was standing with his arms crossed in front of the boat.
"Max, you have to take me across the water!" The girl demanded.
"No." This Max guy said firmly.
The girl stomped her foot. "Aifread left! I have to catch up to him!"
"I won't aid my rival in love." Max declared.
"Fine, if you won't take me, at least deliver this letter." The girl said.
"I said no, Lyla. It's too dangerous. What makes you think I'll risk my life to deliver that?" Max said.
Lyla looked like she was going to scream, before she turned and noticed us.
"Hey! You!" She yelled.
I gaped at her. "Are you talking to us?"
"You see anyone else here?" Lyla snapped. "Would you be willing to deliver this letter for me to Aifread in Luin?"
"We could hardly deliver it without passage across the water." The Professor said.
"If you agree, Max'll take you." Lyla said.
"What? No I won't! It's too dangerous!" Max protested.
Lyla glared at him. "Are you saying it's okay for my letter to remain undelivered? I thought you were my friend!"
"I am! But… Lyla!" Max stammered.
"Will you help me or not?" Lyla demanded, crossing her arms. "You say it's too dangerous to go. So, I won't go. But if you refuse to take the letter or give these guys a way to deliver it, then I'll have to find someone else to take me!"
"What? No – But – I – Fine! Dammit, Lyla!" Max cursed. Turning to us, he muttered: "If you're going to carry that letter, I'll take you across."
Lyla nodded and placed a hand on Max's shoulder. "Thanks, Max."
Max shrugged, blushing lightly.
Lyla approached us and offered me the letter, which I took from her. "Please take care of it and be sure Aifread gets it."
"We will. Thank you!" I said, tucking it into my pack.
She nodded and with a final glance at Max, left the docks.
"You people ready now or you need time?" Max asked.
"We are prepared to leave now." Kratos said.
"Get on, then." Max grumbled, untying the anchoring ropes and hopping onboard himself.
"Oh boy! We get to sail!" I said, rushing onto the ship and helping Colette up.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Max!" She called.
He blushed. "Just Max."
I leaned down, helping Genis up. "It's kinda small…"
"Gee, sorry my ship is too tiny for you." Max muttered.
"Professor, come on!" I said, offering her my hand.
She looked at the ship warily. "I don't think I can do this."
"Why not?" I asked.
"I suspect Professor Raine is afraid of the water." Kratos stated from behind her.
"Really? Don't worry Professor! I'm a really good swimmer! I'll make sure you're okay." I said.
"Thank you, Lloyd." She tried to smile but just paled as Kratos pushed her close enough for me to grab her and pull her onboard.
She clenched my hand in a death grip. "Oh Goddess."
Kratos helped Noishe onto the ship and then climbed up himself, nodding to Max to let him know we were all onboard. Max started steering the ship out of the docks and the Professor paled even further before turning slightly green.
"Whoa!" I yelled, hurriedly helping her grip onto and lean over the railing as she was sick.
"First Aid." Kratos said.
"Thank you." The Professor murmured, still looking pale and sickly but at least she stopped throwing up.
"There's a small cabin below deck." Max offered.
The Professor nodded. "Yes, perhaps if I can't see the water…"
Gripping her arm, I guided her to the cabin, Noishe whining and going in with her.
"Lloyd! You've gotta come see this!" Genis yelled.
Once I was sure the Professor was okay, I raced to the front of the ship where Colette and Genis were standing staring at the water.
Next to the ship, fish were swimming and jumping doing flips in the air.
"Wow! That's so cool!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Colette agreed, grinning.
"What's that?" Genis pointed to something that was pink and sparkling just under the surface of the water directly in front of the boat.
"I don't know…" I leaned forward slightly, trying to make out what it was. Fins?
"Whoa!" I yelled, gripping the railing as the boat suddenly shuddered and spun sidewise. The pink thing was joined by more pink things and they were rapidly circling the boat.
"A whirlpool!" I yelled.
"Get back from the prow!" Kratos snapped.
"Ah! Lloyd!" Colette yelled, slipping as the boat started spinning in circles, tumbling over the railing.
"Colette!" Genis and I yelled, and I reached for her, but didn't make it in time and she splashed into the water.
"Lloyd, no!" Kratos yelled as I dived immediately after her.
I broke the surface, frantically looking around. "Colette!" I yelled.
Nothing.
Suddenly, I saw blonde hair pop up and I yelled, swimming toward it only to realize it wasn't Colette – it was a mermaid. With a pink tail.
"Dammit! Kratos, mermaids!" I yelled.
I vaguely heard him curse and order Genis into the cabin as Max desperately fought for control of the ship.
"Find Colette and get out of the water!" Kratos shouted before starting to cast.
The mermaid shrieked before I could answer, the sound drilling into my head. I clamped my hands over my ears, and the next wave sent me under.
Sputtering underwater, I kicked to the surface, gasping as I reemerged.
"Lloyd!" Colette screamed. Twirling around, I saw Colette not too far from me.
Two mermaids were circling her. Shit.
Kicking my legs, I swam as fast as I could over to her, but the whirlpool current pulled at me and my blades were dead weight at my waist, dragging me down.
I snarled, pushing myself harder, my Cruxis Crystal pulsing as I managed to get to Colette.
"Get away from her!" I yelled, punching one mermaid in the face. She shrieked and dove underwater. Before the other could react, a bolt of lightning hit her.
I grabbed Colette. "Hold on!" I told her, and as soon as she gripped my shoulders, I pulled out my wings and shot into the sky.
Colette yelped and gripped me harder and I pulled her close, grunting with the extra weight.
I veered towards the ship, wobbling in the air as I wasn't used to carrying anyone. We rolled onto the deck just as Kratos cast another, larger round of lightning, zapping the remaining mermaids.
The boat slowed down, then stopped altogether, the whirl pool vanishing.
Colette and I were sprawled on the deck, panting, as Kratos hurriedly cast First Aid on us and Genis burst out of the cabin, followed by a pale Professor and a whining Noishe.
"Colette! Lloyd!" Genis yelled, running over to us. I sat up, pushing my wet hair out of my face and managed to smile.
"I'm fine." I croaked, shaking water off of me and standing up, offering a hand to Colette which she happily took, also adjusting her dripping hair.
"I'm okay." She said.
"That was scary! I'm glad you guys are all right!" Genis said, hugging us both.
I chuckled. "Yeah, me too."
"What happened, exactly?" The Professor asked.
Kratos quickly explained the attack to her.
"Lloyd, that was a brave and foolish thing you did." The Professor said.
"I had no choice." I said.
She reluctantly nodded. "All of you, just be more careful."
"See? This is why I didn't want to make this trip!" Max yelled.
"They're gone now and will not try attacking again." Kratos assured him.
He just snorted.
"Thanks, Lloyd. Sorry I caused you trouble." Colette said to me.
"Don't worry about it." I smiled.
The rest of the sail went smoothly and at noon, Palmacosta was in sight and Max was maneuvering the small ship into an empty dock. Colette and I had changed into dry clothes and the Professor seemed to be feeling better, although she was anxious to land. Finally, the ship was docked and we were all on the wooden planks.
"What will you do now?" Genis asked Max.
He shrugged. "I'll have to get an escort home, with those monsters out."
"Good luck!" I said.
He nodded. "To you as well."
We headed down the dock and I looked around, grinning. "So this is Palmacosta! It's so big!"
Kratos nodded. "I believe it is the largest city in Sylvarant."
"Wow!" Colette said.
We reached the end of the docks and came to a merchant's market, with tons of people selling all kinds of things – food, gels, weapons, armor, flowers, clothes, everything!
"Shouldn't we be restocking?" Genis asked.
The Professor shook her head. "I'd like to find the cathedral first and see if we can find any clues to the seals' locations. Then we can explore the city and restock."
"It would probably be best to spend the day here resting before searching for the next seal." Kratos added.
"Really?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes, we can also do some more training today."
I sighed but nodded.
"This is so amazing! I can't wait to see the rest!" Colette said, running ahead a little.
"Hey, Colette! Wait up!" Laughing, I jogged a little to catch up to her, noticing that we were leaving the market area and heading into the actual heart of the city.
"Be careful, you two!" The Professor called.
"We better wait for them." I told Colette. She reluctantly nodded and as soon as the others took off, we resumed walking, coming to a fork.
Colette turned around, walking backwards a bit in order to ask "Which way?"
Before anyone could say anything, Colette tripped and stumbling backwards, crashing into a group of people passing by. There was a smashing sound of something breaking as the other people fell with Colette.
"Colette! You okay?" I asked, pulling her up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said, turning and quickly bowing to the group.
"Dammit! Our palma potion!" One man said.
"Doyle! Don't cause a scene." A woman snapped.
"Enia, you know we needed that!" This Doyle guy snapped. "You better pay for that!"
"Hey, it was an accident!" I snapped back, not liking this guy's attitude.
"I'm very sorry." Colette said.
"It's all right, but we really needed that potion…" A different girl said.
"I'll buy a replacement, I promise!" Colette said.
"You better!" Doyle shouted.
"Hey! Stop yelling at her! She said she's sorry! Colette, you don't have to buy another one of whatever they broke. They're the ones who dropped it." I said.
Doyle growled but the other man placed his hand on his arm. "Bro…"
"Tch." Doyle snorted.
"Thank you very much! Please bring us a palma potion." The nicest of the girls said.
"I will!" Colette said, smiling.
Genis groaned. "Jeez, Colette, you're so clumsy."
"Sorry!" Colette said.
"Stop apologizing already. Let's just go get the potion." I said, rolling my eyes.
"We'll be waiting at the entrance." The girl said, and with some nudging led her group away.
"What an odd group…" The Professor remarked.
Kratos raised an eyebrow. "No more different than our own, I'd imagine."
The Professor chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
"Let's hurry and get that potion." I said.
Everyone nodded and we turned to head back into the merchant market. After asking several of the seller's, however, it became clear that that potion is pretty rare. Eventually, someone told us to check Marble's Item Shop in town, so we headed that way.
"Marble, huh…" Genis said, frowning, as we headed back into the heart of the city.
"Cheer up, Genis!" I said, smiling.
"Right." Genis said, smiling back, but I saw him touch his Exsphere briefly.
We just turned onto the right street and I had spotted the sign for the shop when two Desians appeared, heading towards us.
"Shit! What the hell are they doing here?" I hissed, turning around so they couldn't see my face.
"I don't know. They surely won't try anything with all of us here…" The Professor said, her face drawn in worry.
"Did they just… go into the Item Shop?" Genis asked incredulously.
"Crap. Well, c'mon." I said, heading for the store.
"Lloyd!" The Professor snapped.
"They could be hurting the owners!" I protested.
"Let's just see what's going on. I've heard rumors of a Palmacosta militia, so they may simply be shopping for gels." Kratos said.
Genis snorted. "Yeah, right."
"Guys, hurry up!" I called, already at the shop door. I walked in, everyone behind me.
There were two women behind the counter and the younger snorted as we entered.
"No way am I selling you those so cheap!" She shouted.
"Watch your mouth! You should feel lucky we're offering to pay you inferior beings at all." One of the Desians snapped.
"I don't have to take that from you filthy Desians! I wouldn't sell you a single gel even if you offered a million gald!" The girl retorted.
"Chocolat!" The older woman gasped.
"Mom, these are the guys who took Grandma!" The girl protested.
"You better watch that mouth of yours!" The Desian sneered. "Keep up that attitude, and your safety becomes questionable."
The girl stuck her tongue out. "Governor-General Dorr would never allow you to do anything! With him leading us, we'll never submit to you!"
"You little brat!" The Desian yelled, taking a step forward before his companion put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"You know we've already met the quota. We need permission from Lord Magnius." The second Desian said.
"Tch." The first Desian turned away.
"Depending on our Lord's mood, you may just lose your head for this." The second Desian threatened.
The two turned to leave and stalked past us, ignoring the glare I was giving them.
The girl sighed. "I gotta get to work, Mom." She gave the older woman a kiss and slipped out a side door.
"I'm sorry for the commotion. My name is Cacao. Please, let me know if you need any help." The older woman said.
"Actually, we are looking for a palma potion." The Professor said, stepping forward.
Cacao smiled. "I have one left. They are somewhat rare as they take years to make. That'll be 200 gald."
Wordlessly, the Professor paid for the potion and thanked Cacao before ushering us out of the shop.
"Man, that girl has some guts, sticking up to the Desians like that." Genis said.
"I wish everyone stuck up to them – they wouldn't get away with half as much!" I said.
"Yes, Chocolat seemed very brave." Colette said.
"Brave, but perhaps foolish. Didn't you hear the Desians? They may come back to kill her." Kratos said.
"Yeah, but they have a militia here, right?" I said.
"Regardless, we need to deliver this potion so we can head to the cathedral." The Professor said, ending all discussion about Chocolat.
"Right." I said, petting Noishe who had waited for us outside of the shop. "Let's go!"
We made it to the town's exit in a few minutes, and could clearly see that odd group sitting around waiting.
"Ugh. I can't believe we spent 200 gald on them." I grumbled.
"It was the right thing to do. Here, Colette." The Professor said, handing the replacement potion to her.
"Oh, yes. Um, excuse me." She said tentatively, stepping up to the group.
"Oh, it's you. You bring the potion?" Doyle glared.
"Yes! I'm very sorry!" Colette said, offering the potion.
The nice girl took it and smiled. "No problem. Thank you." She tucked the bottle away.
"Ah, you're welcome!" Colette smiled.
Enia kicked the other boy, who was sleeping. "Senel, wake up! You got the potion placed in your pack safely, Shirley? Let's leave, then. We need to trade the book to that old fool on Hakonesia Peak."
"Yes, let's hurry. Good luck on your travels!" Shirley said.
"You too!" Colette grinned.
Doyle snorted and I rolled my eyes, our groups parting ways.
"Well, now that that is taken care of, let's head deeper into the city and find the cathedral." The Professor said.
We all nodded and followed her lead, looking around at all the houses and people.
"Marvelous!" The Professor said, eyes sparkling, as we spotted the cathedral.
"It's bigger than the Martel Temple, that's for sure!" Genis said.
"It is said that the first Chosen gave her first and only sermon here." The Professor said.
"Right." I said skeptically, figuring that that was something I probably should have known.
"Perhaps they have a record of her journey, then." Kratos said.
"Yes, they might. Let's go in." The Professor said, and we entered the massive wooden doors, Noishe waiting outside.
I looked around. The ceiling was so high up! There were rows and rows of seating and a large altar at the front of the cathedral. A priest who must have heard us come in walked down the main aisle towards us.
"Welcome to the Cathedral of Martel! Oh, Chosen One! It's you!" The priest said. I started, not recognizing him.
"Ah, yeah. It's me." I said, hand behind my head.
"I'm Marche, I trained at the Martel Temple, although I'm a pastor now." He explained to everyone else.
"It's nice to see you again, congratulations on becoming pastor." I said with a smile, trying to hide the fact that I didn't remember this guy at all.
"As soon as I saw the Tower of Salvation appear, I hoped you would stop in here. The legend of Chosen One Spiritua may prove useful to you." Marche said.
"So you have a record of her journey, then?" The Professor asked excitedly.
"Yes. The Book of Regeneration records her journey from start to finish, and includes the locations of all of the seals." Marche answered.
"May we see it, then?" The Professor asked.
"It's not kept in the Cathedral – it is given to the city's leader. I can request Governor-General Dorr give it to." Marche explained.
The Professor frowned. "Surely there must be copies of such a rare and precious document."
The pastor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Very few can read it, and even fewer could copy it – it is written entirely in angelic. But, of course, the Chosen One would have learned the angelic language, so that shouldn't be a problem for you."
"R-right." I stammered. Crap, crap, crap! Dammit, Venny, why did you have to be such an annoying teacher?
"Let me just give you a formal request for the book with my seal to show the Governor-General. Excuse me." Marche said, walking away from us and disappearing through one of the many side doors.
"You don't remember him at all, do you Lloyd?" Genis snorted.
"Of course I do!" I snapped. "Well, kinda… maybe…"
"That's okay, Lloyd! You were still really nice!" Colette said.
"Thanks Colette." I said with smile.
Marche returned and offered me a piece of paper. "Show that to the Governor-General and he should give you the book. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to come back. We would be more than happy to aid the Chosen One."
"Thank you." I said.
"Thank you very much. We should get going." The Professor said.
"May the Goddess watch over and bless each of you." The pastor said.
As we were making our way out of the cathedral, a familiar voice stopped us.
"Oh, it's you from earlier!" Chocolat said with a smile.
"Chocolat, right?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm a tour guide for those who take holy pilgrimages. Sorry about the scene in the shop." She said.
"No problem, but aren't you worried they'll come back for you?" I asked.
She looked at me funny. "You're not from here, are you? The eastern Desian ranch run by Magnius just met its yearly death quota. We're safe until next yet."
"Death quota?" I asked.
"So I take it Palmacosta does not have a non-aggression treaty." The Professor said.
"The only place I've heard of with something like that is Iselia. Some people might want one, but I'd never live somewhere that gave in to the Desians." Chocolat said.
"Don't you live in fear of them without a treaty, though?" Genis asked.
She shook her head. "We have Govern-General Dorr. He's organizing a militia and will get everyone back who was taken to the ranch and cripple the Desians in the region until they flee. As long as we have Dorr, we don't have to worry. Even if we get taken away, he will save us. We can't give in to them!"
"Wow, Dorr sounds like a really strong leader!" Colette said.
"The people must be strong as well to stand and fight so readily." The Professor murmured.
"I've heard that the Chosen One has begun the Regeneration journey, too! We just have to hang on until the Chosen saves us." Chocolat said with a smile.
I half-smiled. "You're right."
"Well, I've got to get back to work! If you ever want a tour guide for a pilgrimage, come see me or stop by the shop and I'll give you a discount! Bye!" Chocolat waved and walked away, disappearing through a side door.
"…She had no idea you're the Chosen, Lloyd." Genis said.
I shrugged. "It's better that way."
"Why do you say that?" The Professor asked.
"This way, she can believe in the ideal Chosen instead of facing the reality of it being just me." I explained.
"Lloyd!" The Professor exclaimed. "I didn't know you knew the word 'ideal'! I'm so proud of you!"
I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
"You are not some scrawny child. You could easily inspire confidence as the Chosen One. Do not belittle yourself, Lloyd." Kratos said.
I stared at him, a little shocked. "Uh, thanks."
Kratos merely nodded. "Let's find the Governor-General."
"Yes, you're right." The Professor said, snapping out of her awe over my vocabulary. Yes, I know what vocabulary means, too. That's right, be impressed.
We left the cathedral, grabbing Noishe, and the Professor asked someone where we could find the Governor-General. Following the directions we had gotten, we came to a large – but not as big as the cathedral – building with two men in armor guarding it.
And we're officially in Palmacosta! :D
Thanks again to everyone reading, alerting, and reviewing! It makes me happy to realize people are actually reading and enjoying this!
Next chapter next Saturday! See you then! In the meantime, please review! :D