Ch. 7 is up. This chapter, as the name says, is about LxS seperating. Everybody starts changing their appearance and their weapons. The story is a little fleshed out but the next big battle is gonna be chapter 9. Anyway, i don't onw ToS.
He silently grabbed a few gels and panacea bottles, along with a few life bottles and a world map. Along with traveling on the journey, Sheena and Lloyd had both been charting the new world on a map, one that would be current with their situation. He looked at his two swords, the ones he had been using for the past eighteen years of his life, his old fighting style. "I guess I don't need them anymore. Tetsusaiga is my new weapon..." They were left there, a memento of himself, for Sheena.
"Sorry Sheena... I-I just can't allow you to come on such a perilous journey. The opponents I am facing, their just too strong. I, I honestly think that I can't protect you. I'm so ashamed to say so but I would rather us split apart. I care for you too deeply to get you involved." Lloyd, tears in his eyes, walked over to her sleeping body. "Take care of Genis, please." He kissed her forehead, quickly turning and leaving. The EC's wing pack was lying on the table. "I'll come back for you, one day." Then he was gone.
The girl from Mizuho woke up, yawning loudly. The sun peeked through the small windows of the cabin, dust filtering across the light. "Last night..." The words lingered around in her head. "What happened, last night", asking herself aloud. The shadow, hovering above her, chanting, the dark light wrapping around her, everything, the thoughts flooding in. She shook her head, the dark, twisted images clearing. It was almost time to get ready to leave, anyway. After equipping her gear, Sheena walked out of the cabin, the docks silent. It was unusual, considering they were filled with the hustle and bustle of sailors and sorts like that. It was a gloomy day, the sun barely shining through the gray clouds. "As if it's an bad omen. Oh well, I think it's about time that I look for Lloyd. He'll know what we should do." Gracefully, the girl dove off the boat, landing perfectly on both feet.
Genis was still sleeping, Presea's head lying on the same bed, asleep, too. They both seemed exhausted, the small girl snoring loudly. Genis was motionless, his breathing almost non-existent. "How cute." She had noticed that the two had been getting close lately, Presea following Genis almost as much as he use to, himself. Although she didn't want to, Sheena gently shook Genis, leaving Presea alone. The circles around her eyes were incredibly dark.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Time to get up." Her soft voice didn't startle the young boy, only helping him calmly wake up.
"What...? Where, where am I", rubbing his eyes. He was quite disoriented, his face tired and with small signs of sadness. It seemed he had been through a lot, although she had too, considering last night.
"The inn. Remember, you walked there last night, with Presea?" "Poor kid. He must have been attacked last night, too. It hit him worse than when I struck her."
"Oh, yeah. I remember. Where is she", yawning mid-sentence.
"Right there", pointing at the girl, still soundly asleep although the two were having a small conversation. His face started to flush, his eyes widening. Now, Genis was fully awake, but still unadjusted to his surroundings. "Just let her sleep, okay? She seems to have had a rough night."
"Oh, um, yeah, okay, sounds g-good." He deeply cared about the small girl.
"Get your clothes on. I need you ready, it looks like we're leaving town today." Sheena, having delivered her message, was heading towards the door.
"Wait! Where's Lloyd? Usually he'll come get me in the morning." A frown appeared, accompanied by a look of worry. Sheena's eyes told him the same thing.
"I don't know. He's usually up, walking with me earlier, too", she shrugged. "Honestly, I think he's getting some stuff in town but I haven't searched yet. I wish he'd told us, or something." Sheena let out an exasperated sigh.
Genis laughed at this, his expression turning softer. "Okay, I'll be out in a few to help you out. Just give me a second to put on my cloak." Sheena left him, the small half-elf slowly getting out of the bed, trying not to disturb Presea. With the cloak on, he joined the girl outside. Sheena was waiting, her arms crossed and head tilting upward.
"You took your sweet time. How long does it take to put on one, simple piece of cloth?" An eye watched his reaction.
"You don't even know what you are talking about", rapidly getting defensive. Genis was known for his anger.
"I should have just left you. I could have probably found him and brought him back now. We wasted quite a bit of time, you know."
"Your very tactful, I hope you realize that." His arms were tensing up, Sheena beginning to lose her composure. Her arms relaxed, falling to her sides. She turned to face the young lad, all eyes watching him.
"Calm down. I was kidding. You get really worked up, especially over nothing. Anyway, did you wake Presea up?"
"Why? Was I suppose to?"
"I could prove helpful for our search. She does know the town better than us two and has connections with the guards and watchmen. That's got to be somewhat useful."
"I just thought that it would be polite to let her get a little more sleep. Like you said, she's been through the metaphoric ringer."
"What a gentleman...", rolling her eyes. "Well, you can wake her up any old time. Let's just get started."
Genis was getting fed up with her small quips, finding them not only annoying, but rude, too. "Are you serious with this or not? You're the one who's so close to Lloyd. It seems like you'd rather annoy the hell out of me than concentrate on what's important."
"Sorry. Sorry." She cleared her throat. "Fine, I'll behave. So, where are you going to search? I would suggest the docks while I go for the Academy."
"No, I think I know the Academy better that you", trying his hardest not to sound rude. "You have better knowledge of the docks, anyway. I think it would be better searching our respective areas."
Sheena was looking for an excuse to look through the historic areas and documents. Even if she misbehaved and didn't directly enjoy the intelligent life style, she did like reading and such. Too bad Genis was a killjoy half of the time. "Fine. We'll go with that idea."
"Good. Then, if you'll excuse me." He left, a small smirk on his face.
"Whatever. Have this one, if you want", saying under her breath. The two went seperate paths, Genis searching every room in the Academy and Sheena looking around the docks. She decided that she would look through the town outskirts and the slums. After Genis was finished searching his area, he woke Presea up. She helped him and systematically asked every guard in the town. Presea hardly spoke, her thoughts heavy with what she had witnessed last night.
"Lloyd's power. It was... I can't even describe it. It's just..." Genis was also somber, the two looking like a pair going to a funeral.
"Presea", he stuttered, breaking the ice. "What's up? Usually you're not this quiet. I'll listen if you want to talk about it."
"Thanks, Genis", with a weak smile. "I'm good, just a little tired. That's all."
"Okay. If you say so." Genis had a few feet distance between them. He didn't want to hurt her in any way. The two walked into a small room, Presea sitting down and Genis sitting across from her. A guard walked in, apparently one who had seen Lloyd.
Lloyd walked through Gaoracchia Forest, his first destination Altessa's house. If there was someone who knew more about rare metals, then it was Altessa. He could easily check the new sword. It seemed to be build of something entirely unfamiliar to him, the alloy composed of very light metals that were sturdy and powerful. The swords seldom got dirty, lost its gleam, or became stained with blood. A small piece of leather allowed him to strap it across his back making it easier to carry. He approached a fork in the road, the sorcerer's ring changer nearby. One way lead towards Ozette and Altessa's house, the other towards the new settlement, Symea. Mizuho had moved from the area and relocated on the hills alongside the mountains going from Asgard to Luin. The land Symea was on was fertile, full of supplies, among other things. It was going to build into a great town and a great place to stock up, after he visited Altessa.
Turning towards the Ozette path, he slowly walked away from the new town. As he kept moving, a small twig snapped under his foot. A person darted away, through the foliage, startled by the noise.
"Who's there?" Lloyd grabbed the hilt of his sword, getting ready to unsheathe it. The blade's mystic energy started flowing through his body, the exsphere glowing and emanating light. Laughing surrounded him, the source coming from every direction in the forest. "Creepy, but I won't fall for it." Pulling the sword out, he held it near the ground, it vibrating from every noise it heard. "Gotcha", yelling as the blade dove for the sound.
Tetsusaiga pieced something to its left, continuing into the tree behind the target. Blood erupted, spraying Lloyd and the surrounding, green plants. The crimson liquid slid off the sword, the laughter weakening. A corpse fell out of the bushes, nothing but a petty thief.
"Well, look here, men. This idiot just killed our boy, Hiro. And (whistling), look at the blade he carries." Four bandits jumped out, all their hiding spots near the others. A fifth joined them, wearing the traditional shozuku, one from Mizuho.
"Wow, I haven't encountered a few bandits in ages! I thought that people like you gave up on this kinda thing."
"Ha! We're not bandits, fool. Look! Can you even use those orbs in your head?" Lloyd face told the five that he didn't care.
"Bandits, Thieves, Robbers... Whatever", shrugging his shoulders and raising his hands.
"Arrogant little punk! WE hail from the village of Mizuho, all ninja who were banned from every returning."
"Oh really?" His mind was racing. "I know someone from Mizuho. She is very important to me." Lloyd tried to avert the topic, this one only leading to a battle. Sadly, it was to no avail.
"What would you do if you were thrown out of your village, boy?" His eyes were glowing with an intense hatred, his face masked by a thin cloth layer.
"Don't even get me started..." If there was one thing Lloyd couldn't stand thinking about, it was the original destruction of his village, Iselia. "You don't even know what I went through."
"Well, this is what we did! We decided to ban together, all of us who were cast out, and for a small, illustrious group. Trying to make it in the big world, that's all."
"By robbing? Why not join a guild or something?"
"Enough! Surely, you don't understand what I am talking about. And it's a shame", drawing his katana. "Die!" The four smaller men darted out, following the leader's orders. He cackled as they quickly drew upon him.
"Is that so?" He would exchange banter with the fools, at least until his men reached him. Lloyd knew that they had no chance.
"Besides, that sword! It's too good of a blade for you. It's a shame that we won't see each other again but I think that I would be better with the blade." He lower the cloth, his face riddled with scars and a toothy smile.
"Oh, I'd love to see you try and take Tetsusaiga from me!" He held the blade on its side, next to his face and angled downward. It would run through someone, easily.
"And that's the biggest mistake of your life." His hand gave another sign, the four ninja who were already very close started to move. They dropped, blades out, some of them swinging all ready. Lloyd smiled and mentally prepared.
"Too easy."
Sheena, Genis, and Presea checked every nook and cranny in the small town of Sybak. Presea and Genis met with every guard, only one who had seen figure in red. Apparently, someone wearing all red left town this morning, heading north. They hadn't come back, worrying both Genis and Sheena upon hearing the news. The slums and docks yielded nothing, not even a clue causing Sheena to walk back into town. The other two must have checked everywhere else, them all ready sitting at under a covered pation. She joined them, pulling up a chair from another table.
"So, no luck, I take it?"
"A guard saw someone in red leave, but they never came back and we would need to verify who it was." That was the most she had said that day.
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
"Sheena, did you find anything? You were checking the docks and a few other areas, right?" Genis was tired, black circles forming under his eyes.
"Yeah, just the outskirts of town and the slums. Nothing. Nobody even saw someone like that, not here, anyway."
"Damn..."
"Where could he be? Honestly, he is so difficult sometimes." Sheena was more than exasperated. After the events last night, she was expecting their relationship to evolve or blossom, not falter around. She let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't know, really. It's very odd for Lloyd to be missing. Even more so, to not tell us anything about it. I wonder what's gotten into him." The two continued to talk, Presea staring at the wharf and the surrounding docks, past the bay, at the area where the ship sank.
"All that time and effort, wasted."
"Not entirly. We learned that he did leave last night, and besides, we can go after him, if need be."
"Dammit..." Presea muttered, the image of her new freight liner sinking.
"Huh? Presea? Did you say something?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." She joined them again, her mind still fraught with fresh images of the horrible tragedy. "There, there is something I must tell you two. I-I can't come with you, when you leave, today."
"What? Why not?"
"Because, I have too much work to do. My new ship sank, that's bound to be loads of paperwork and I have to extend a scout to Palmacosta. We have representatives in that area and need them back here. I can't even consider coming with you."
"What are you talking about? Palmacosta? What's going on down there?" This was the first time they had heard of the city.
"I'm so sorry, but you need to hear this." Clearing her throat, she looked, sadly, at Genis. "Palmacosta, it's gone."
"What do you mean 'gone'?"
"Destroyed. Annihilated. Whatever you want to call it, but it's been wiped off the face of the world. It was leveled, not one survivor."
"You're kidding, right?" Sheena had been intently listening, taking in the other information. "Really, what are you talking about?"
"Remember how someone had attacked and sank the boat? The one carrying the constructor, needed for the city of Palmacosta?"
"Yeah. I remember, quite well..." Images of Raine flashed through Genis's head.
"Well, they also attacked and destroyed Palmacosta. Apparently, it's just a large plot of dirt and rubble."
"No, no, no! All our work. All our goddamn work, for nothing?! Why the hell did they do that? Why kill so many innocent lives?" He started lightly crying.
"So, that was why there was so much smog in the air last night... I heard similar stories, but couldn't believe it." "Word travels fast..."
"Genis... Please stop."
"What happened to Raine? Tell me, what happened to my sister!" He was becoming erratic.
"..." Both of them said nothing. They had already seen what happened to her.
"Just what I thought."
"Genis. I know it's hard, but..."
"But nothing! Have you ever lost anyone that important to you, and known about it, instantly?! No, you haven't! Just shut up! Leave me alone!"
"Genis! Stop being a dumbass! Your acting very rude." Sheena was more than fed up with his attitude.
"Sheena, don't even start with me, okay? Don't even start."
"Genis, just please promise me this one thing. Don't ever give up hope. If you don't, then anything can go your way." Sheena's attention was turned toward a guard, running towards the group of them. He appeared winded and rushed.
"PRESEA!" He had a slight wound, blood seeping from his chest. One of his hands covered it up, the glove he wore stained red. "Oh, thank Martel you're here! Quickly, you must come with me."
"What's going on?"
"We don't know. The local creatures became vicious, as if possessed, and attacked us. We were instantly overwhelmed, a few guards were killed! Meltokio raised the bridge, trapping our men down there! We need to go, please!"
"Okay, just let me get my ax!" Presea ran towards a small armory, followed by the wounded guard. She appeared later, wielding a giant battleaxe, one worthy of a berserker.
"Genis, we should help them out. We can look for Lloyd later and there's a chance that he could all ready be there, helping out." Sheena pulled her cards out, carving a simple charm into one of them.
"Whatever." They both started towards the town gate, Sheena running and Genis quietly walking. A figure stood atop the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, watching all the chaotic action taking place below. It noticed the two others join the fray, the beast getting furious by the second. A card floated above her hand, spiraling in circles. The faster it went, the more the monsters became violent. Genis and Sheena took care of the majority of them, Presea working towards the trapped men. The beasts retreated, the shadow smiling at what she saw. It was perfect combat data, worthy of note. The cloak disappeared, Sheena catching it out of the corner of her eye.
All the minion ninja were dead, giant slashes across their chests, legs, and heads. Lloyd didn't enjoy mutilating the opponents. Hell, he hardly like killing them. The leader stood back as he continued to systematically destroy them. Tetsusaiga didn't have any sign of use, it gleaming from the small rays of light breaking through the canopy. Holy energy radiated from him, the forest backpedaling from it.
"I guess it was a mistake for me to underestimate you. You did a number on my men, hardly even moving as you killed them." The ninja reached in his coat, revealing four small knives.
Lloyd smiled. He hadn't even used a fraction of his potential, barely tapping his giant pool of mana. "Buttering me up won't help your cause in the long run."
"Haha! And yet, you still maintain a sense of humor. What kind of warrior are you?" He threw the knives, Lloyd's sword blocking them with ease. The fell to the ground, the tips dented.
"My own kind. I am one of the strongest swordsmen around. You've never heard of me?" Lloyd sounded full of himself, but considering what he did, he deserved to brag a little.
"You haven't even told me a name", he spat, dryly. "This guy is something else. Who does he think he is, Mithos?"
"Tell me your's. I like to know the names of the people whose asses I kick."
"Kenji. No more, no less."
"Lloyd Irving." Kenji's eyes grew incredibly wide.
"No... You couldn't possible be that Lloyd." His mind was running in circles. "What did I get myself into, how could I stand in a fight against him, this can't be Lloyd Irving..."
"Yes, that's the one. Now, care to continue the fight. I'll let you go, if you want."
"S-sure, yeah, that's a good idea." "If he lowers his guard, maybe I could get a hit in. Just think, Kenji, the lowly ninja who killed Lloyd Irving, the hero, himself." Kenji bowed low, leaving into the forest.
"Fool." Lloyd strapped Tetsusaiga on his back, the sword's energy quickly diminishing from his body. The exsphere turned back to a dull white. "Altessa's house, here I come." He walked out of the dark forest and into a small clearing, Ozette, rebuilt and flourishing, in the distance. A leaf fluttered behind him, the wind still.
"Just try and match my speed!" Kenji jumped from behind, his wakizashi only feet from Lloyd. In two seconds, Lloyd grabbed his long sword and slashed at the ninja. It connected with the shortsword, throwing the one who wielded it into the forest. Surely, he wasn't dead. His small blade fell into the ground, the blade in many shards. Lloyd pulled the hilt up and threw it into the forest. A dull smack could be heard, as if it hit the body of Kenji. The remaining piece lied there, broken and unusable.
"That was some speed", sarcastically saying out loud. "I really pity people like him."
"I'm, I'm not... done, y-yet." The bloodied body of Kenji walked out, black mana welling into his wounds. He pulled out a scroll and threw it at Lloyd. As soon as the scroll activated, snakes rocked out of the forest, the fangs many inches long. Lloyd backflipped, crashing his blade into the ground, destroying the snakes. They disappeared in clouds of smoke.
"Enough." His eyes were a dull white, the same color as the exsphere. "Scatter." The blade sank into the ground leaving only the hilt. Kenji looked around and started laughing.
"So, where's your special attack? It looks like a dud. Hahah-" His vision averted to the ground as hundreds of blades shot from the ground, piercing Kenji in hundreds of areas. Lloyd pulled the hilt up, the blades letting go of their pray. His eyes returned color, Tetsusaiga coated in blood, a first. He flung it off, looking at the corpse.
"Oh, Martel..." He pushed the body into the forest, leaving it out of plain sight. After retreating into Ozette, he walked to a small, shady bar. His clothes were soaked with blood and sweat.
Sheena and Genis waved goodbye to the townspeople and guards. Genis and Presea barely exchanged words, the sadness in them too much to bear. Like she stated early, she had an obligation to the town of Sybak.
"I'll come visit you, sometime. All right?"
"Yes, please do. I would be more than happy to see you again." The two hugged, the last time in a while. Presea planted a soft kiss on his cheek, Genis vigorously blushing. Presea gave a soft smile and dashed off, tears streaming from her face. After all the goodbyes, they headed out.
Sheena had found footprints resembling Lloyd's, them going north towards the cursed forest, Gaoracchia. "Why would he go there, especially alone?" Genis was skeptic about it, his fear of the forest setting in. Sheena didn't like it either but grew up around it.
As they set foot into the forest, the sun was starting to set. "So, where do you think he wondered off to?" Genis was also surprised to find that he had left the town. Even more, he was furious with the young adult.
"I don't know but when I find him, oh, he's in for it." Genis recoilled at the sound of this. She could be very scary at times.
"Poor Lloyd." They followed the footprints through the forest, easily defeating the pumpkin monsters and ghouls. They posed no threat. Sheena used the sorcerer's ring, illuminating the path and pushing the overgrown roots back. Soon, they reached and area with hundreds of markings.
"Wait." She held a hand out, blocking Genis. "I smell...something." She sniffed the air, looking around the area. Her vision and senses were better than Genis's. "Blood. It smells like blood. And quite a bit of it, too. Be careful." They looked around the area, the scent getting stronger. Sheena gasped as she found something under a tree. "Hey, look at this..."
"Oh, Martel." Blood splattered the tree and pathway. Five corpses were littered around, all with large sword slashes in them. They looked disfigured, the shade casing shadows onto them. Most of the foliage around them had absorbed the blood, taking a shade of red in their coloring.
"Wow..." They checked each body. "Who ever did this sure has immense power."
"No kidding." There was no sign of whoever killed them. The small area was devoid of all life. "I wonder why." Sheena pushed past the surrounding bushes, looking for signs of what happened. Suddenly, she came upon a few throwing knives and other ninja tools. A broken wakazashi sat on the forest floor near another body. Flipping him over, she jumped back as she noticed who it was. "Sheena, did you find anything?"
"Y-yeah, I did." She was cradling the body, the blood running onto her dress. He must have been killed recently.
"Do you know him?" Genis noticed that his clothes resembled Sheena's in a similar fashion. He must have been from Mizuho.
She nodded. "His name was Kenji Hitomi and we were both around the same age. He and I trained together all the time, we were friends, the whole nine yards..." A small tear fell onto his corpse. "I can't believe this. He...he was strong and free willed. I just can't believe someone did this."
"What's he doing out here? I thought that Mizuho had been moved to a new place."
"It has. Kenji was cast out of the village after taking too many risks on a small mission. He had a few friends who accompanied him. It was a pretty big incident. Volt killed his parents, too, and that drove him to throw his life into risks."
"Sheena... I'm sorry." She had horrible luck with friends. First Kuchinawa and now this. "I'm going to get going but I doubt that we should head towards Ozette. The killer is probably lurking that way. What's over by Mizuho?"
"A small settlement named Symea. They have an inn and everything."
"Okay, well, that's were we should go. We could ask around and everything."
"Sounds fine... Please, Genis, can you give me a few minutes, alone?"
"Sure. This place is starting to give me the creeps, anyway. I'll be out by the forest entrance, so if you need me." Genis took off, running. He did scare easily and this forest was no exception. He could still recall the story Zelos told them.
Sheena felt that she should bury the dead friend. Throwing down a card, she summoned Gnome and dug a small hole. Carefully, she set the body down and commanded Gnome to seal it. A small rock nearby served as the gravestone, Sheena marking his name into it. As soon as she finished praying for it, Sheena headed out.
"So, have you been to Symea yet?"
"No, I haven't. They say that it's a pretty nice place, though. I just want to find an inn. A few hours of sleep sounds lovely."
"I hear you, there." They both walked in to the settlement. It was interestingly designed, like a small town in the hills. The buildings all had multiple levels and small patios. A few shops leaned over water, others raised above the land. It had every amenity available to them. Recently, the town had put in a dock, quite useful for both of them. It grew, more and more every day.
Before she would go to sleep, Sheena decided to ask around town. They knew of the feats Lloyd had done, giving him an air of fame, but hadn't see him recently. She considered that they might have been following the wrong path. "Maybe Mizuho would be a better place to go to. If I can't find him, myself, I'm sure that they could find him, easily."
Genis wandered throughout the town, searching for Lloyd. He didn't feel like talking to the settlers, ignoring and avoiding as many as he could. He went to a small bakery and sat on the patio, enjoying a cup of green tea he had ordered. Sheena returned, a somber expression plaster upon her face. She must have had no luck, as always.
Lloyd sat at a table in the newly restored Nature's Kitchen, Ozette's small restaurant and ingredient shop. He ordered a small bowl of beef stew, taking his drenched coat off as he entered the establishment. It was draped around his waist. A well-endowed waitress same out with his order, Lloyd staring at her chest.
"Excuse me, sir. Your order is here."
"..."
"Um, Sir?" She looked down at his face, the blank stare obvious. This only made her angry.
"Umm, what?" Lloyd shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He didn't ever act that rude. "Oh, I'm sorry." She handed him the stew, with force, and stomped of, her expression on of frustration. Quickly devouring it, he left a good sized pile of gald on the table and snook out of the place. After the entire incident, Lloyd continued to Altessa's, only a short distance away from the town he was in.
He arrived during midday, the sun high in the sky. Knocking on the door, a small dwarf opened it.
"Who be yea?!" His language was course as was his manner of speaking.
"I'm Lloyd... A friend of...Altessa. Is he here?" The small one squinted his eyes and slammed the door. Yelling could be heard, erupting out of the open window. Moments passed and stomping grew close to the door.
"Lloyd", yelling a familiar voice as the door opened. "I'm glad to see you." Altessa stood there, a wide smile on his face.
"Is now a bad time to come, because I could leave and come back at a different time..."
"Nonsense! Come right in!" Altessa grabbed his jacket and pulled him in. The shirt ripped a little, accentuating to the quality. The house was exactly the same as it had been. "Sorry about your shirt. I can fix you up a new one if you'd like."
"Actually, that sounds lovely. But I have another reason for coming."
"Ah, yes. How about we talk about it over a cup of dwarven ale. Rael, here, makes quite a good batch." Ushering Lloyd over, the two sat at the large stone table in the middle of the room. "RAEL! GET OVER HERE!"
A small dwarf toddled over, an angry look on his face. It was the one who had opened the door and slammed it in his face. "What ya be wantin'?!"
"Fix us some of your ale." He walked off towards the small kitchen located in the corner of the room.
"So, who's that?"
"My apprentice, Rael! He's quite the character, isn't he?" The ale was prepare quickly and Rael sat it on the table. Both Lloyd and Altessa grabbed a pitcher and took a swig. "Aspiring to be a great smith, like myself. I'm getting on in age, too."
"He looks to be trouble. I doubt I could handle him."
"Dwarfs are know for patience and besides, he's not that bad. Just a little rough around the edges." Altessa quickly finished the bitter liquid and threw it down. Lloyd finished half of it, the brew too strong. He pushed his glass aside. "So, what did you need from me? It must be something, considering the fact that you came to me and not your dad."
"Yeah, it is." Lloyd belched, loudly. "Oh, sorry." His face flushed, his eyes looking embarrassed. "I want you to check this sword out." He flipped Tetsusaiga onto the table, Altessa's eyes growing with amazement.
"Wow, that's quite a sword. It's been crafted by a master, and looks to be holy, even." He ran his large fingers over it, feeling the surface. "This metal. It resembles the Eternal Sword. That's still something that nobody knows about. How did you get this?"
Lloyd recalled the events that had happened, all the way until the split with Sheena. It was quite shameful and he hated talking about his weaknesses.
"Damn. You're a trouble maker, you know that. But, you've acquired much power. It's particularly amazing." The sword gleamed, sparkling in his eye.
"So, you don't know anything about it?"
"Nope. Sorry, kid. I wish I could be a little more helpful."
"Nah, it's okay. I have another request, anyway." He took off his outfit, leaving him in an undershirt and pants. "I'd like for you to fix me some new armor."
"All right, it would be my honor. What do you want?"
"Probably a light layer of mythril armor, along with leggings of the same material. A cloak made of magical cloth would be nice and mythril pauldrons would be nice. My leggings should be a sturdy leather, and the boots can be the same. I'd like for the entire thing to be the color black. I bring too much attention with red."
"That's quite an order."
"I can pay anything, if I need to." Lloyd got his wallet ready, gald flowing out of it. Apparently, he had gain considerable wealth in the past few days.
"No, put that away. I'll do it for free. You guys did save my life, after all."
"Thanks Altessa. That would be a big help."
"I'm just going to have to ask you to leave for a while. It's a delicate process and with Rael around, it's kind of crowded."
"It's okay. I'll be back in a little while." Lloyd exited the small house, a plethora of sounds emanating from the window. "Hard at work, I guess." He looked up at the sky, the moon shining on the water. He sat down, his feet in the cool river.
Sheena sat down in an open field, the moon shining in the black sky. The stars sparkled, Sheena hypnotize by the large amount of them. She looked at the cards she used, the odd symbols carved into them.
"Lloyd... Where are you, now?" His two swords, the one's he had left behind, were attached to her back. She carried them around everywhere. Slowly, she got up and looked at Symea.
Taking the cards in both hands, she tore them apart. She threw them into the wind, it instantly carrying them across the water. The two swords became unsheathed, her arms unaccustomed to the weight. After a few swings, she felt it was time to devote herself to the sword arts. Sheena carved a symbol into each hilt.
Lloyd watched the lights across the water, them originating from the town of Symea. Small shards of paper floated by, lingering around his body. He grabbed one, looking at it. It was one of Sheena's cards, torn up. "Sheena, I am sorry..."
I really don't know what to say down here. Thank you for reading and please review. Thank you.
