Okay, for some odd reason, I'm getting annoyed by trying to get a straight plot in this story. Just fair warning, but, to me, this chapter is actually boring.
Honor of the Rising Sun
Chapter 5
Mystery of the Templar Revealed
It took a while for Marche to find the exit to the coliseum. He had a gut feeling that something isn't right, and he also has a gut feeling to speak with the Templar. Marche turned the corner, peering out of the stadium entrance to see the Templar standing over the viera with his spear over his head. Marche began to run to the Templar to stop him, but he's too late, watching as the spear is lunged at the viera.
"No, why…how can he kill a helpless person?" Marche thought.
The only thing the viera could do is look away, waiting for her death to come. She can imagine the sound of the spear going through her body, hearing the sound of metal penetrating flesh and bone. The sensation sent a chill throughout her body, imagining what it would be like to be on the ground with a spear sticking out of her back. At that moment, she began to hear the sound of metal striking another form of metal. As she looked up, she expected a weapon to have blocked the spear's path, but what she really can see is the spear in the ground between her hands. She then realized that what she heard wasn't another weapon, but the Templar's spear breaking the metal binds. The Templar removed his foot from the viera's arms, letting her get up once again. She looked over to him, bewildered with his intentions.
"Why…did you break my binds? Aren't I your slave?" the viera asked.
The Templar merely stood there, looking at the viera. He began to speak, saying, "You were my slave, but I already decided to free you as soon as I took you, Becile Zamoreta, daughter of Isabel Zamoreta."
The viera only stood there, surprised to hear that name. Isabel Zamoreta is the name of her birth mother; the mother that she never could meet. Her mother gave birth to her, and then was given to adoption, according to the family she lived with before she was sent into slavery. She asked, "How…how do you know my mother? How do you even know my real name?"
Marche ran to the Templar and the viera as they both stood there, facing each other. Marche wanted to know what's going on, and what this Templar wished to do in the first place.
"Hey, what's going on here? I thought you were going to kill that viera," Marche yelled.
The Templar turned to Marche's attention, seeing the concern in his eyes. "I never intended to kill her in the first place. I merely wanted to free the one who has Zamoreta blood in her veins."
"If you wanted to free her, then why is it that you nearly killed me? Why did you take her by force? Why did you go to an alley and free her instead of freeing her at the spot?"
The Templar raised his hand to stop Marche from speaking any further. He then answered, "I only took her out forcefully to draw attention away from me. Second, it's tradition for the Templar of ancient times to free a slave in an alley. That signified the ones who were noble to the people, seeing them as equals and not as slaves, which also included Clan Delta. And with nearly killing you…I apologize for that. That is a side effect to the ability that I possess."
The Templar looked at his free hand as if he can see the blood that would've been on it if he did kill Marche. "I have no control over myself, having this sensation to kill. I don't intend to kill anyone, but many people have been lucky today to escape with their lives."
Marche began to understand, seeing the fear in the Templar's eyes. What he didn't know is something else. "So…what stopped you?"
The Templar looked at Becile, and then reached with his free hand for something around her neck. He revealed a pendant with an insignia engraved in it. "This pendant is what stopped my actions. If it hadn't been for this, you would've been dead. It's a type of a seal that allows a bangaa like me to keep their inner demon in check. Only the half-bangaa has this inner demon. If she wasn't there with this, I wouldn't have any control over my emotions until my strength waned away, letting me regain control of my emotions."
Now that Marche think's about it, what he's hearing from the Templar is something that he's never heard of before. He's played through the game dozens of times back in his own world, and he's never heard of interracial breeding. He heard the rest of his clan come out of the coliseum, approaching with caution.
"It seems as if your clan is still worried about me," the Templar said.
Marche turned to his clan. "It's alright, everyone. He won't hurt us…hopefully."
"I have no intention of hurting any of you," the Templar said.
Marche saw Theodore, the clan's nu mou White Mage, coming up to speak as well. "I've read up about this side effect during my days at the university. Will you kindly tell me more about the 'inner demon' concept?"
The Templar, letting out a sigh before turning to the nu mou, replied to the question. "The inner demon is a term that is used to classify a half-bangaa's uncontrollable rampage. This happens mostly because of the desperate need to live during battle when approaching death. That reason is why interracial breeding is illegal to all with the exception of a viera to another."
"So that's the story behind it," Theodore said to himself.
Marche turned to ask the Templar another question. He can see that the viera beat him to the Templar's attention. "Tell me, how do you know my name?"
The Templar closed his eyes, head tilted forward. He began speaking with a lower tone. "You said your mother's name is Isabel Zamoreta, didn't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"…To the people, she's just another person in a clan. To her clan, she's best known as Priestess Isabel Zamoreta, second in command of Clan Delta, which that information wasn't given out for reasons of protecting the remaining Priestesses.
Becile looked at the Templar, hearing the name repeatedly in her head. She's heard stories about Clan Delta and her mother being a part of it, but not as a leader of some sort or a Priestess.
Nat came up to speak as well. "I want to assk you one question."
The Templar turned his attention to Nat. "What do you ask for?"
Nat only stood there, neither afraid nor confident. He only wanted to ask this one question. "Ssince you know of ssuch information on Clan Delta, are you related to Clan Delta in ssome way?"
"…I am. I'm not just anyone, but I'm the son of Kline and Isabel Zamoreta-Sagarouso."
"Then that means…you…you're my brother; the brother that my family told me about?" Becile asked.
Theodore, being the knowledgeable one, came and answered her question. "He is half-human after all. You both have your mother's blood running through your veins, making you two family."
Stories have been told to Becile about a bangaa brother, but the only things that were told to her are stories about him and his life, or what are stories of his life. She never expected to meet him.
Marche came up to the Templar with a question that he's been meaning to ask. "Sir…I have a question for you."
The Templar turned to Marche and asked, "What do you ask of me?"
"Well…you see…I've seen your fighting skills. And…I'm actually impressed by them. So…maybe…maybe I can recruit you if that's okay?"
The Templar stood there for a moment, thinking about the situation. He still has a great deal of tasks to finish before he moves on with his life, but being with a clan can probably help fund his objectives. "I will, just as long as I don't do everyone's dirty work or jobs that I won't appreciate."
Montblanc came up, being the advisor of the clan, and said, "We're not much of a clan, and it's only just us six, kupo. If you come aboard-"
Marche interrupted Montblanc and said, "Then that would make eight of us in the clan."
The others looked at Marche, but Lita's the first to ask. "Where did you get eight from?"
"Well…you see, I was thinking of having the Summoner become a part of our team as well, but…well…I thought it was a good idea."
The Templar stepped forward, speaking to the group. "If I'm to protect her, then she might as well join the clan. It'd be too suspicious for you to have a non-clan member to be a part of your clan, making it look like you took in slaves. You did say that your reputation is on the line about slaves."
Marche stood there, shocked to even think that the Templar could hear that. The other possibility is that he can read people's minds. He shook off the thought, questioning the Templar. "How did you know?"
"Actually, I just guessed that."
Marche stood there with a blank stare, which began to annoy the Templar. "Hey, quit looking at me like that, okay? It's getting to be annoying!"
Becile came up behind the Templar, holding onto his arm like a child. The Templar generally would hate it when people cling on like that, but he decided that he can make an exception for her. She is, after all, only thirteen years old. The Templar noticed that the rush hour is beginning soon.
The Templar turned to the others and said, "Everyone, we'd better get out of here before we draw attention."
Marche agreed with the Templar's request. Bernardo went ahead of them further into the alley. He turned around, calling to the group. "I know a shortcut out of here to prevent suspicions. I know these streets very well, and I know an easy shortcut out of here."
Nat stepped forward, complying with the request. "I feel that Bernardo doess have a point. He doess know hiss way around the city better than any of uss."
As they began to follow Bernardo down through the alley, Marche went up to the Templar, having one more question. "Now that I think about it, we never did catch your name. Can you tell us who you are?"
The question that he asked got the clan's attention. The Templar turned to Marche, ready to answer the question. "Who I am? I am a small portion of what is left of Clan Delta. I am a Templar who is doing what I can to keep the nobility of the Templar alive. I am a renegade who is on a mission to stop the corrupted. I am Rain Sagarouso."
I know that this chapter was boring, but it's quite hard for me to be able to think on this level since I'm busy with my Yugioh/Star Fox/Star Wars story at the moment (plus I'm in a time crunch here since this story does somehow relate to my other stories). I'm going to do what I can to stick with a part of the original storyline shown in the game (yeah, whatever I can remember from it, that is), but I will branch off into side quests a lot, giving more in depth look at the characters.
If something confuses you about this chapter, please notify me and I might be able to help.
