Title: On my Honor
Author: Yamato795
Pairing: Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…
Rating: Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.
Status: Chapter 10 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.
Disclaimer: Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.
Spoilers: A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?
Summary: Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.
Author notes: As I've said before, you need to have played the game through to the end to understand the following chapter. There are some gaps, but they will not be that noticeable if you know the game. I hope you all enjoy!
On my Honor
Chapter ten
To complete Colette's Rune Crest we needed a fragment of mana, and that meant getting to Derris Kharlan, as we were certain that Cruxis would have one. We already had the other components, and the fragment of mana was the one that we had known from the start would be the most difficult to obtain. I was fairly certain that, as we entered the Tower of Salvation, I was not the only one who hoped we would be wrong.
Unfortunately though, we were correct in that assumption. Kratos appeared, and did not deny the fact that he had once been one of Mithos' companions four thousand years ago. Lloyd was furious when the elder man drew his blade, prepared to fight us. Our young leader had been hoping that since Kratos had helped us infiltrate the Iselia Human Ranch, and had dropped hints on where to look to find a cure for Colette, that perhaps his former companion was not a complete traitor and might actually help us. That was not the case. Weapon drawn, Kratos came at us, engaging us in a furious battle.
He was incredibly strong, unbelievably fast, and what was worse, he seemed to know just how to counter the abilities of the group from Sylvarant, Sheena, and even Zelos. Not only did his angelic powers give him a large advantage, but his advanced skills with a sword extended the gap in our strengths. None of us were willing to give in to him, yet exhaustion and injury were catching up to us while never laying a finger on him.
Other angels appeared then, surrounding us, and the last thing I remember before one of them struck me unconscious was Kratos telling Lloyd, "I would advise against resisting, for there will be no mercy this time."
I woke up to a throb coming from the back of my head. I was a bit surprised to be sitting up with my back to the wall and my legs stretched out before me. Other than the ache in my skull, I was unharmed. Once my eyes focused, I saw that I was not alone, for Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos were nearby. The red clad swordsman was pacing and shaking his head as I climbed to my feet and took in our new surroundings. We'd been placed in a cage, one large enough for the four of us, and from the voices coming from my left I could only assume the women of our party were in a similar situation.
"…Are we still alive?" From the sound of his voice, Lloyd had just come to only minutes before I had. His concerned gaze passed over all of us before he shook his head again.
"Well, it looks like we have our lives at least until they finish preparing Colette's treatment." Zelos sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was most likely correct that while Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana was ill Cruxis would be distracted with preparing a cure, but once they were finished then our chances of survival became unclear. "Apparently, she's useless the way she is now."
After all their work to cultivate new bodies for Martel, Cruxis was not about to give her one that would eventually turn into a giant Exsphere. They would treat Colette first. Until they did, we had a chance to find a way out and make her a Rune Crest ourselves.
"Maybe we were tricked. He had us gather the materials to treat Colette and then had us bring her here…" Genis ground out through his through his teeth as he scuffed one of his shoes on the floor of the cell. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, the hand that bore his Exsphere. "That sure saved them a lot of time and effort."
"Kratos used us?" Lloyd murmured bitterly with his gaze down cast, leaning his forehead on the bars. "Did he betray us again?"
"Lloyd…" Zelos was unsure what to say to him.
My hands balled into fists as I glanced to the left where our female companions were being held. We'd come here to get the last item we needed to cure Colette, and we'd failed. "…I feel guilty for letting this happen to Colette and the others."
With a small growl, Lloyd kicked the metal barrier as he took a step back and threw up his hands. "I really want to know why I keep getting captured and thrown in jail all the time!"
In spite of everything, the red headed Chosen laughed, one hand going to cover his mouth. "You sure you haven't been doing anything to deserve it?"
While it was frustrating to have been taken captive, the alternative would have been far worse. Kratos could have had us killed instead of taken prisoner. The only one that they needed alive for their plans was Colette, the rest of us were not useful to them as far as I knew. We had been vulnerable and had been spared for the time being. I couldn't stop myself from sighing. "We should just be glad we have our lives."
Lloyd looked over his shoulder to meet my gaze, all traces of his smile from a moment ago gone. "…Well, yeah."
"Hmmm…" Genis stepped up to the bars, looking them over, and then his blue eyes rested on the lock, the device helping hold us in. After a moment, he pivoted his head to catch his best friend's gaze. "Lloyd…you can pick locks, right?"
"Either that I can try to break it and get us out of here!" the brunette teen nodded, hurrying over to the lock to examine it as well. He spent several minutes trying to get it open, yet it seemed none of us considering the level of technology at Cruxis' disposal, something we'd witnessed first hand before.
Lloyd was determined to keep trying. He alternated between trying to break it and trying to coax it open. He removed his gloves, concentrating solely on his task, but it was in vain. After what seemed like a long while he threw up his hands in frustration and then began to pull back on the crimson gloves he'd removed a while ago.
"Dammit! This thing's built as solid as a rock!" He groaned shaking his head. "And I can't open the lock either."
"Same here. It won't budge at all." Sheena called loud enough for us to hear it in the adjacent cell.
"Can Colette or Presea break it?" Even with his enchanced (enhanced) abilities due to his strange Exsphere, Lloyd knew that both the young ax woman and the blonde Chosen were stronger than him.
"Nope…" Colette replied softly.
"…I'm sorry I couldn't be of use." Presea remarked in a sullen tone.
I bit my lip. Our options were running low. It was doubtful that when our captors came for Colette that they would leave any of us alive, save her. Our best chance was to escape before they finished preparing her treatment, but if we could not pick or destroy the lock then what could we do? Even Colette's angelic strength or Presea's enhanced might couldn't free us. What else was powerful enough to get us out?
Those bars…there's no way they could withstand—
No! I swore to never use that technique, or my hands as weapons, again.
But if I don't the rest of us will be killed while Colette is made Martel's vessel.
What else did we have? If I did not try, wouldn't that be the same as condemning my friends to a horrible end? If what I could do would give us the chance to escape then shouldn't I try?
I swore never to use my hands as weapons again… I wouldn't be hurting someone I would be saving us…
Alicia, forgive me.
"…Move." I ordered them, firmly, not about to waste time now that I'd made up my mind and we didn't know how long we had before they would come for Colette. Zelos raised an eyebrow at me but moved to one side of the cell while Genis and Lloyd stood on the other, watching me curiously.
Crouching a little, I began to gather mana into my hands, pooling it and compressing it until there was a massive amount gathered. Then, after it was there, I held it in for a moment, making sure I had enough. I could not, after so long of not using this technique, waste my first and possibly only shot especially when I was counting on the Exsphere I used to increase the power of the technique. Then I splayed my hands as far as my handcuffs would allow, firing the mana I'd been holding back with force I'd never had behind such an attack before.
When I opened my eyes I saw there was a gaping hole in the bars, but then I had to close my eyes again but this time from the drain of energy on my body. Swaying on my feet, I leaned back against the far wall of the cell for a moment, breathing deep and struggling to adjust to how tired I felt. Exhaustion wasn't something I could afford now.
Forcing myself to push off the wall, I followed Zelos out of our damaged cage, seeing that we would have to take a moving platform to reach the main level of our holding area. Once we crossed the gap, Genis hurried over to a computer and managed to open the cell holding the rest of our group. We met them half way on the platform of the cell, Lloyd moving to help them out even.
Once everyone was safe, the crimson clad swordsman turned to me, one eyebrow raised and grinning. "How did you do that?"
"I originally specialized in fighting with my hands, not my feet," I explained evenly although my eyes were growing heavy and I was ever so slightly swaying on my feet. To use such an attack at that intensity was a large drain on my energy, but I knew we didn't really have a moment to spare. My way of getting us out of the cell had to have set off some sort of alarm, and the minions of Cruxis would hurry to stop Colette from escaping. "And since Exspheres amplify their user's abilities far beyond their maximum limits, this result is to be expected."
"Then why don't you just fight with your hands?" Zelos asked with his head tilted to the side. He'd seen first hand the destructive power I wielded, and perhaps, under other circumstances, his question would have made something inside me cringe.
I had first learned to fight with my hands, even mastered that dying art, but it was the very same technique I'd used to free us that had taken the life of my beloved. Even if fighting with my hands would have been easier, would help me against our enemies, I had sworn to never use my hands as weapons again. I had promised Alicia as well as Lloyd, and my word was my bond. "…I swore to never fight with these hands again. This time, I used them in order to save you, Lloyd. You're going to unite the worlds and save Colette, right?"
"…Yeah, that's right." He nodded after a moment, surprised at my faith in him or still surprised at how I'd destroyed the cell, I couldn't be sure which. Flashing me a smile, he then glanced over the rest of the group. "All right. Everybody grab what you can and let's get out of here!"
"Hey, it looks like they stashed most of our stuff over there!" Genis exclaimed having spotted something that looked like a storage unit on the opposite platform. He, Colette, and Lloyd were the first ones to take the mechanism to the other side.
Raine stepped over to me while the others appeared distracted. "You look exhausted."
"I have not used that attack in years…and never at full power with an Exsphere." I found it strange how easily I could confess something like that to Raine no matter how trustworthy I already considered her. There had never been a lot of people that I could talk about the fighting style I used to practice, not even when I was learning it. But the fact remained that she was a healer, not just a friend, and she was concerned about my well-being. I raised my hands to try to reassure her with a dismissive gesture. "I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes."
She reached into her pocket and produced a Lemon Gel, placing it in my hands after giving me a look. The Professor knew even a rest, which we did not have time for anyway, would not help with the mana drain, just as much as I did. "Thank you for getting us out of there…but hurry up and eat that so your efforts don't go to waste."
"Yes, Professor." The automatic response nearly made her smile as she turned to step onto the platform so that we could all get moving.
I quickly at the gel, feeling it tingle down my throat and then boost my energy level. While I hadn't been completely rejuvenated, I could follow after the others, and I could fight if the need arose, and that was what mattered. We needed to find a way out of this strange place, as well as a fragment of mana for Colette, without getting caught.
"Master Goatta, what technique is that? The one that Regal is using?" Alicia asked curiously from the elderly man's side with her hands clasped in front of her. She spared a quick glance down at the martial arts master before again focusing on the Duke who was training across the room, pressing his palms together wearing a look of complete concentration. As many times as she had been to the dojo with the nobleman, she was certain she had never before seen Regal pause like that before, then spreading his hands and releasing what could have been a bolt of blinding light. "I've…never seen anything like that before!"
"Oh, that…" Goatta's smile was full of pride. "That is the specialty of Dragakendo, a move that is coveted by many other martial artists. It is called the Dragon Fire. Performing that attack requires one to not only gather mana from their body, but to also manipulate the mana in the air around them before launching it in a devastating blast, and because of that, the Dragon Fire is a technique few have mastered, or even dared to try it. Regal has been my only student to learn and perfect it."
Alicia had to smile as well watching as the man she loved performed the attack again in spite of the sweat collecting on his brow. Using his own mana in that way was straining, if nothing else, but he appeared completely at ease even when Master Goatta called in Raphael and asked the Duke to spar with the other student. She remembered the time that Regal had explained to her how Dragakendo was a fighting style that specialized in fighting with one's hands. Knowing that, the Dragon Fire made that much more sense considering it was released from the hands, but there was something that she wondered even more that distracted her from the mock battle going on not far away. "Master Goatta, there's something I've always wanted to ask. Maybe you would have an answer for me?"
"I might." He nodded.
"I know what this place means to Master Regal, how much he loves to come here to practice, but," she had to look over at the older man while she wrung her hands together. She didn't mean to pry. "I don't know why he wanted to learn to fight. Did he ever tell you?"
"Regal never came to me to learn to fight, not really." The fondness of the man's tone put her more at ease and she could see the sparkle in the gaze he had focused on the sparing students. It had always been obvious to her how much Master Goatta cared for the blue haired nobleman, as he seemed more like a father figure and mentor to the Duke than a strict taskmaster. "He is not a violent man unless he must be; I could see that both of the times he came to me to ask if I would teach him Dragakendo."
"He came to you more than once?" She knew that meant the Dragakendo master had said no to her beloved the first time, and she couldn't believe it.
"Yes. I suppose you could say the first time I spoke to him I was not sure martial arts would help him." The elderly fighter remarked with a small sigh, his expression falling even though not far away Regal had knocked Raphael to the mats with ease. Normally he would have given the teen feedback on how well he'd held his own against the Duke, but something was troubling him as he leaned more onto his cane.
"Why is that?" She had waited patiently for him to either continue with his recollection or to give more instructions to his students. But the martial arts master seemed so far away that she hoped to at least coax him back even if he would not continue the story. She had always been curious as to why her employer's escape from his hectic life was to fight, but she didn't feel right asking the noble about it even though they'd been seeing each other in secret for quite some time.
"When he first approached me, Regal was struggling to find a more fitting place for himself in a world that had already assigned him so many roles." Even his voice had grown sad, but his gaze was still fixated on his star pupil, almost with sympathy.
"Did something happen before Regal came to see you again?" Her question was timid.
"Unfortunately, my dear. The first night that Regal came to me, his parents were involved in an accident that took their lives, leaving him to take their places with no chance to mourn them." Master Goatta replied sullenly, finally meeting her gaze. His green eyes held so much sorrow for the Duke he had taken under his wing.
She had known that his parents were gone, but the nobleman had never gone into much detail about it, if he ever brought it up at all. With a hand covering her heart, she tried not to think about the circumstances that had gotten her a job at the Bryant estate, as she remembered there had been an accident before the old staff had been cleared out. "But he convinced you to train him the next time you saw him."
"Indeed. He came to me and said that everything in his life was changing, that he had no choice but to fall into step with the rest of the world and keep going. But he wanted to find the strength within himself to do that. He wanted to be able to find his own will; he just required the guidance to do so." Slowly, his smile returned. It was gradual, it was slow, but it grew as he watched Regal give Raphael advice to better his skills as if there was no talk of the heart wrenching past going on. "I have never regretted teaching him my techniques as well as the discipline of my dying art. I know one day it may serve him well, even if it is never on the battlefield, and perhaps one day he will need to guide a student of his own."
The pride that was evident in his voice was enough to make the young woman smile as she watched Regal spar with Raphael once again. She could see the gentleness that usually dictated the Duke's actions even in his movements to counter the younger Dragakendo student. No, he was not a violent man by any means. He had needed an outlet, a place to channel his energies and the emotions that were banned from him in his other roles, able to be free if only for a few hours a couple of nights a week.
Goatta had given him a way to find the strength he had been seeking. The elderly man's hopes also became Alicia's, that some day Regal would be able to find a use for the techniques he'd learned, that one day all of his years of training would serve him well.
After barely managing to get our hands on a fragment of mana, which we only acquired thanks to a coincidental communication from Kratos, and narrowly being caught by angels while utilizing the emergency exit, we started to make our way out of the strange city of Welgaia. There was an elevator that would take us down to the seal room of the Tower of Salvation, but it required a key, and some of the passage ways were blocked by locked doors of different colors. We had to find a way to unlock them to search for the elevator key.
During our explorations we ran into patrolling robots that tried to block our paths. They were easily dispatched, but slowed us down. It wasn't until we found a room where there was zero gravity that we made any progress, as after making our gradual way through the room and to a lift we made it to an upper level. On that floor we managed to find a hall that led to advice that unlocked one set of doors, but there were more rooms with no gravity that were had to move through.
I had instinctively stayed close to Presea the entire time. I could see just from her posture and the way she surveyed our surrounding our surroundings as they changed that this place unnerved her. She seemed on edge, her usually blank expression carrying the hints of a frown while her azure eyes were sullen.
"Are you okay, Presea?" I asked her as we came to another hall that branched off of a weightless room. Having slowed my pace to match hers, we were at the back of the group. "You don't look well."
"My head is aching," she murmured softly and then had to look away. "And…"
"And?" I prompted. Regrettably, I still had not had the chance to speak with her that I so desperately wanted, but I still felt connected to her. She was my friend and Alicia's sister, and while perhaps she might decide she wanted nothing to do with me, I still wanted to protect her if not be close to her.
"I don't like it here. This empty, silent world. It feels like a world of death." Presea remarked in nothing more than a whisper, her gaze still downcast and her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I want to get back to the surface."
I bit my lip, knowing what the angels, the half elves that had become lifeless beings had to remind her of. They were just like she had been under the power of her Exsphere, nothing more than puppets really, and such a striking resemblance of that dark time for her had to be more than a little unsettling. Gently, I put a hand on her shoulder, actually it was more like both of them because of the handcuffs, trying to give her some encouraging when her gaze lifted to meet mine. "Me, too. Let's go back together. To our world."
The traces of the frown she nearly wore faded as she gave me a nod, one of her hands moving to cover mine. "Yes…"
That simple gesture was not unconditional acceptance, nor was it forgiveness, but it was more than I could ask of her. Presea didn't cringe at the thought of returning to our world with me and she had not shied away from my touch. Her friendship meant more to me than anything else because I did not deserve it, I couldn't even truly ask for it. I didn't know if she would still feel that way once I had the chance to talk to her about Alicia, but even so I knew I could not put it off any longer. The more I hesitated, the more chances passed me by, and I didn't know how our fight against Cruxis would turn out in the end. The next opportunity I was presented with, I would have to take it regardless of what I thought would be the outcome.
I'm going to try, Alicia. It will never make up for what I've done, but I'm going to try.
To be continued
End notes: I actually finished this only a day or two after chapter 9, so I really don't have too much to say. I hope you enjoyed the double update!