The Other Side of the Coin

Written by: Somnion

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3 or its characters.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for their reviews. I hope that you all will continue to support this fan fic by submitting reviews, so that I may better my stories for your reading pleasure. Sorry I haven't been able to update, I was on vacation. However, thanks to the vacation, I now have a lot of ideas for this fan fic, which I think you all may like. This chapter is going to be a little special. A lot of fighting scenes will take place, so those who like a little violence might be quite pleased. For those of you who enjoy romantic scenes, don't worry, the fourth chapter will definitely have some romance, as well as the fifth. Some of you are also wondering why Albel has not noticed Nel yet. Well, I want to keep Albel in character as much as possible, so it will take a while before he notices Nel, probably in the fourth chapter. One more thing; since I have played the Japanese version of Star Ocean, as well as the English version, all of Nel and Albel's battle skills will be named in Japanese (Nel and Albel are the only characters in the game whose battle skills are named in Japanese, apart from skills like critical hit, no guard (guardless) and aerial.). Do not worry, I will provide a glossary at the end for those who did not play the Japanese version.

Chapter 3: The Wrath of Kazeryuken (Shadow Dragon Blade)

Nel and Albel continued to make their way through the thick forest. Dusk was beginning to fall, yet they persistently kept on moving. Albel would not hear to the idea of setting up camp and continued to urge Nel, who was already very tired to move on. Nel could not understand why Albel was so persistent about not setting up camp. Was he not as tired as she was? Could it be that perhaps, he really hated the idea of working alongside her, therefore hurrying the trek home so that he may be rid of her as soon as possible and wished that they go their separate ways? Or perhaps, he was worried that the bandits may get wise to what has been happening, and may launch a counterattack, and therefore wished to speed things up.

"It's probably the former," she thought. Suddenly, Albel put his arm in front of her, signaling the Crimson Blade to stop. "What is it?" asked the surprised Aquarian as she stopped walking.

"I did not expect these worms to show up so quickly."

Nel was about to ask who Albel was talking about, but then she noticed that the bandits began to appear, slowly moving out from he shadows of the trees. There were at least fifteen this time and had by now, completely surrounded Nel and Albel.

"This looks bad. I don't like this one bit," said Nel as she looked at all the bandits that had gathered there. Albel scanned the situation, looking for an opening or flaw which they could take advantage of.

"Alright, Zelpher, listen up," he said as he slowly put his hand to his sword. "It seems that we have the disadvantage here. They have placed their melee combatants in the front and their ranged combatants at the rear to support their front lines with cover fire. We would be playing right into their hands if we try to attack them head on.

"I agree. Although it is one of the most basic formations in warfare, it is extremely reliable," Nel agreed in response. "Usually, the best strategy in this case would be to flank the enemy's position and attack him from the rear."

"Unfortunately, that is not an option in this case, fool," said Albel as he scanned the area once more. The bandits were holding their position, waiting for the duo to make the first move.

"Zelpher, shift your view to the southwest," Albel then said, after completing his survey. Nel shifted her gaze to the direction Albel told her. There stood an unguarded archer, hidden behind a tree. "That maggot is our opening," he continued. "He is the only unguarded archer and therefore, if we can dispatch him, we may be able to escape and from there, execute a hit-and-run tactic, if necessary."

"I could hit him with my runology, but to ready the spell, that would take some time. Your Kuuhazan should be able to handle the problem. It is rather fast and has good range."

"That can't be done. Although my Kuuhazan is powerful enough, and has speed, it also has limited range and the probability to completely miss its target. We only have one shot at this, Zelpher. If I use my Kuuhazan at this range, it would be no problem for the maggot to dodge it, even assuming if my Kuuhazan can actually reach that far."

"I guess it has to be runology then. However, I can't defend myself when I am readying a spell, therefore I will need you to give me some support."

"Fine, but just use a short spell. It does not have to be particularly destructive, just strong enough to take the maggot out," said Albel, as he drew out the Crimson Scourge.

The moment Albel drew his sword, the bandits gave orders to open fire. Albel began to spin his sword violently at an extremely fast speed as he channeled his life energy through the blade. The speed at which Albel span his sword was so great that it created a small whirlwind comprised of wind and his life energy around himself and Nel, shielding them from the hail of arrows that rained mercilessly from above.

"This skill seems almost similar to my Fuujin ability," Nel thought to herself. "However, it seems to be even more powerful than Fuujin. Perhaps it's because it requires the user to remain stationary."

"Begin the spell, worm," Albel shouted, as the winds roared around them.

Catching hold of herself, Nel started to channel her energy, passing them through the runes as she began to ready the spell.

"Hurry it up, fool!" yelled Albel. "I can't hold this whirlwind up forever."

"It's done," said Nel, as she launched three fire bolts at the lone archer. He was instantly struck down and the two dashed through the small opening. However, the bandits gave chase and pursued them through the woods.

"Looks like will have to use a hit-and-run tactic after all," Nel said with a sigh.

"I was in a generous mood today," said Albel, rather sarcastically. "Figured I'd let them off easy today. Guess my righteousness and good will are wasted on worms like these."

"So what do you think?" asked Nel as they continued running. "Can you use your Kuuhazan here?"

"They're all running straight on, so that means that it will be substantially more difficult to avoid my Kuuhazan."

"I can use my Touga, Raikouha and Kokuyousen ability. They all have got good range and are relatively fast," suggested Nel.

"Use your Touga ability," suggested Albel. "There is no need to waste such powerful skills like Kokuyousen or Raikouha on these mere worms."

The duo stopped, and as they turned around, they let loose a storm of long ranged attacks at their pursuers. Nel's daggers of ice pierced through the bandits, freezing them, therefore holding the bandits in place. The bandits were now encased in ice, thanks to Nel's Touga ability and completely at the mercy of Nel and Albel. Albel then dug his sword into the ground, as he executed the Mugen Kuuhazan. Deftly shifting his sword among his two hands, he let loose a barrage of slashes comprised air and energy. Each slash hit its target unfailingly, shattering the bandits into pieces as if they were made of glass. Together, they had dispatched at least six of their pursuers.

"You told me not to use such a strong move, yet you go around using such a powerful technique like Mugen Kuuhazan," said Nel as she flashed a sarcastic smirk at Albel.

"I can do more slashes using Mugen Kuuhazan with less effort compared if I used the basic Kuuhazan," he said as sheathed his sword, returning Nel's smirk with one of his own. "Besides, the damage inflicted by a single Kuuhazan is much greater compared to single slash by Mugen Kuuhazan.

The sound of running feet could still be heard echoing through the forests. "Damn, don't these guys know when to give up," said Nel as she turned to the direction of the noise.

"Alright," said Albel. "Change of strategy, will just have to finish off all these worms for good. Follow me."

"But, I thought we are going to fight them. Why are we running then?" Nel asked.

"First, we have to find a location that will give us advantage over those maggots."

Nel and Albel continued running, Albel leading the way, constantly surveying the area for advantageous location. His good arm had grabbed Nel's hand, urging her to move faster. His eyes darted around, looking intently. "I must admit, his strategic skills are exceptionally good. Even in battle, he doesn't panic and can remain calm and collected in any given situation. He may even be better in leadership skills than both Farleen and Clair. His fighting skills are indefinitely greater than anyone in Aquaria, as much as I hate to admit it." Catching her thoughts yet again, she quickly brought herself back to the present. Why am having these thoughts again, she asked herself. Now was definitely not the place to be spacing out like this she kept telling herself.

Finally, Albel stopped. "This is perfect," he said.

The spot where Albel had chosen was a small glade, lined with trees that formed a narrow passage. Nel understood why he chose this place. Since all the bandits were chasing after them, in order to reach the gale which she and Albel were, they would have to pass the narrow passage. By passing through that narrow passage, they would only be able to attack in smaller numbers of three or four, instead of all at once.

Sure enough, the bandits found it a difficult task to reach the gale. "Alright, Zelpher. It's now or never." As Albel unsheathed his sword, he dashed towards the first enemy in sight. As the bandit raised his sword to strike at Albel. Albel brought his sword forward, blocking the blow. Then, using the bandit's body to gain extra momentum, he artistically vaulted over his target, before digging his iron claw into the bandit. "I won't let you die painlessly, fool. You shall now feel the fury of my Kikoushou. As he channeled his energy through his iron claw, the bandit began to feel intense heat radiating from the palm of Albel's metal gauntlet, and began to scream in agony. Finally, a green bolt of energy blasted its way through the bandit's body, leaving a gaping hole in his body. As blood spurted from his mouth, he let many more agonizing screams of pain, which were drowned by Albel's laughter, as he dug his claw even deeper into his adversary's body.

The bandits were mortified by the sight of Albel's slaughter. However, they charged at him, unaware that they were merely rushing to their deaths. Albel ripped his claw out of the bandit he had mauled, his blood-red eyes were gleaming with bloodlust. As he charged his claw once again, his voice echoed through the woods, "For all the trouble you caused me, the last thing I'll give you is the honor of a painless death. My Goumashou shall be your undoing."

His claw gleamed a bright red, as red as molten steel. He sped towards his enemies, his claw slashing and severely lacerating the first one, tearing his abdomen apart with one slash and his thigh with the next. The two bandits tried to run but it was a wasted effort, for they felt Albel's claw dig its way through their flesh, disemboweling their limbs and lacerating their mangled bodies. Screams of pain and agony filled every corner of the forest.

Nel begin to understand why Albel was given the nickname Albel the Wicked. He was the most ruthless fighter who had ever walked the face of Elicoor II. He was sadistic and relentless in battle, and as she could clearly see before her, he cut down bandit after bandit, leaving them writhing in agony, in a pool of their own blood. He fought like a man possessed, reveling in the blood and human suffering as he dispatched his foes, one by one. Yet, somehow, despite the feelings of disgust she had for him, she felt something ache within her heart. She never felt this way before about him, only recently had these feelings begin to surface. He had saved her once and she knew that the old Albel would have never done something like that. Behind all that anger and viciousness, sealed away from perhaps even Albel himself, there was some good and kindness within him.

"Please, stop it! Stop it, please!"

Albel turned around and he saw Nel, who now seemed absolutely terrified at the sight of him. "What the hell did I just say," Nel thought in surprise. That little outburst she made, it just happened. She could not comprehend why it happened or how it happened. As she tried to find the answers to the questions, a cold claw settled on her shoulder.

"You take it from here, Zelpher."

Nel looked up at Albel. The bloodlust had disappeared from his eyes and seemed to have returned back to his calm self once again.

"I am not going to play around with these maggots anymore, I'll finish them off in one shot," he said as he looked down to her, pretending he didn't hear her sudden outburst.

"But how?" asked Nel.

"Just give me some support while I ready the skill. You'll see it soon enough."

As Albel had asked, Nel then started fending off the bandit's attacks, as Albel began to ready the skill.

Albel began to channel his life energy into his sword, causing it to gleam. Then something extraordinary happened. The shadows around them began to shift and circulate around Albel. Nel turned to see what was happening. What she saw left her in awe. Albel was now completely enveloped by his life energy taking the shape of a red flame that covered his entire body. The shadows had begun to envelop themselves around the Crimson Scourge. The flame of Albel's life energy then fused with the shadows around the sword.

"What kind of power is this?" thought Nel. "His life energy is so strong, you can even see it with your naked eye."

The flames then spread onto the shadows around Albel, creating a circle of flame and shadows around him. Then as he raised his Crimson Scourge, he began chanting, "By the grace of the spirits of fire and the spirits of shadow, come together to fuse as one. Take the form of nature's wrath, and become my weapon to destroy my foes. Go forth, minions of darkness, minions of fire and shadow."

As the chanting was complete, from the circle which had enveloped Albel, many dragons, comprised of shadow and imbued with black flames began to emerge. They then took flight, burning nothing, but raced to reach their targets. Once they had reached their targets, they entered their bodies, leaving neither mark nor scar. The bandit's then heard a voice, ringing in their ears as the dragons entered them.

"Your blood will boil."

Sure enough, the bandits began to feel an intense heat brewing inside them. The heat became so great, their teeth began to glow like embers and their blood began to boil. They all fell to ground, rolling around to somehow relieve themselves of the intense heat which burned within them. Suddenly, as the bandits writhed in agony on the ground, their bodies caught on fire. The heat began to use their bodily fats and phosphorus as fuel, burning the bandits alive.

Finally, they was not single trace of the bandits bodies. The flames had burned away even the ashes, leaving Nel who had witnessed the entire spectacle, completely awed.

"What a powerful skill. It is even tougher than the Kouryuuha that Albel used to use. What is it?" Nel thought to herself.

"It is the second form of Kouryuuha, a technique which I had perfected during the past year," said Albel, as if he had read Nel's mind. "Unlike Kouryuuha, whose flames are merely imbued with the lust for battle, the Kazeryuken fuses fire and shadow as one, like the fires of hell. Taking on its black demonic color, the flames are as hot as the fires of hell, therefore, those who have been hit by them leave no remains. Even the ashes are burned away."

Suddenly, Albel fell on his knees. "Damn, I guess I overdid it."

"Albel are you all right," asked Nel as she rushed to his aid.

"Get away from me, Zelpher."

"What?"

"I said get out of the way," he yelled as he pushed her aside.

Nel was taken by surprise. Why did he push her away like that? But, it was then that she noticed an arrow stuck in his shoulder. He was not pushing her away, he was trying to get her to dodge the arrow.

"Albel, are you okay?" she asked.

She then noticed a bandit chuckling. "The bastard has been hit with a poison arrow. Chances are he won't survive that long."

"Damn," she muttered under her breath.

"What are you gonna do now? Your bodyguard is out cold."

Nel, infuriated with the smart-mouthed bandit, released a barrage of daggers at his direction, killing the bandit instantly.

"Hold on, Albel," she said as she turned towards him. "You'll be alright."

Glossary

Albel's Battle Skills

Kazeryuken Shadow Dragon Blade

Kouryuuha Dragon Roar

Kuuhazan Air slash

Kikoushou Palm of Destruction

Goumashou Hand of Doom

Mugen Kuuhazan Air Slash of Fury (Secret Battle Skill)

Nel's Battle Skills

Fuujin Whirlwind

Touga Ice Daggers

Kokuyousen Flying Guillotine

Raikouha Lightning Chain

Well, this was a rather long. Please read and review. Thanks once again.