Mr.Who2123: Kind of pre-wrote this chapter, so this one is going to be fast. HERE WE GO!!! T.T I own nothing related to Tales of Symphonia or Namco.
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The family had accidentally moved straight to the Iselia Ranch, and was now trapped. Behind, Kvar's men were catching up quickly, and if they tried to run, they'd only get in more trouble with Forcystus and his men. Kratos' ears picked up the sound of feet, now louder than ever. His mind racing, he looked around, and noticed a tall cliff to the right. It led to the dwarf's house, and Kratos smirked.
"Follow me, Noishe!" he commanded, and ran to the right. The protozoan took no time to wait, and followed his friend. The Seraph used his wings to fly up quickly to the top while Noishe crouched low to jump. His hind legs pushed him up ledge after ledge, until he was where Kratos waited. The protozoan was tired, and his tongue hung out of his mouth, but he was ready to press forward.
"Anna," Kratos abruptly said, looking back at her. She listened intently, cold seat running down her face. "Go to the dwarf's home. That's most important right now. I can take care of Kvar and his men." The young mother knew better then to question her husband, and gave him a final kiss before moving Noishe on carefully. He moved slowly, as not to make a careless mistake and fall off the thin ledge of the cliff.
Just as Anna had left the area, Kratos turned to the bottom of the cliff. His dark eyes caught onto Kvar's reduced group with hatred burning in him. It also didn't take Kvar to see the Seraph, and give him a glare in return.
"Kratos, where is my Angelus Project?!" he hissed, stamping his foot. Kratos made no answer, but pulled out his Flamberge from his sheath. A grin came to the Cardinal's face.
"So, you think you can win. Well, come try!" he yelled, and pulled out his thunder staff. Despite it being a magical weapon, the tip was as sharp as the point of a sword, and just as deadly. The Seraph gripped his sword, and jumped down, using his wings as support. While he fell, he cast a spell with speed only he could muster.
"Eruption!" he yelled. By the time he landed, about five Desians had been caught in the spell, and were now five piles of burnt metal. This did not deter Kvar, though, as he jumped to the back, and began casting a spell of his own.
"Thunder Prism!" he yelled. The spell was a quick one, even in its large power, and the Seraph was directly caught in the triangle of magic. The thunder shot through each angle, and all of them hit Kratos with staggering power. He fell to one knee from the blow, but was forced to keep moving due to the charging Desians. He brought his sword up to block blows and retaliate as best he could. If he made a false misstep, he was dead.
The Seraph ducked under a spear, and wrenched it from the hand. Now with two weapons, Kratos used the spear for long reach, and his sword to defend. His spear had enough stability to knock three people over in one swipe. He parried a sword swipe, and managed to gut out the swordsman with his flaming sword. Of course, two more jumped in the dead one's place, bringing grief upon the Seraph. He jumped on top of a high cliff, and began casting a spell.
"Thunder Blade!" he said, thrusting his hand out to enforce the spell. The clouds in the sky had been gathering for some time now and looked like it could rain anytime. Out of those clouds, mana welled in it, and then a blade of thunder came down upon three Desians, crushing them in the blow. Circles of magic surrounded the men in a radius of thirty feet, sending deadly shocks to them. The men fell with a yell, but became crisped bodies and metal. Ten thousand volts of electricity were conducted into that armor, and were basically a death trap for any who dare touch it.
Kvar was only left with about ten men now, and the Desians were afraid to advance upon the godly fighter. The Cardinal grinned, however, when they locked glares for a moment.
"I bet my other team has already gotten that inferior being by now," he said. There was no reply, but Kratos widened his dark eyes with fear. He left to the dwarf's house with all haste, not even looking back to watch Kvar laughing.
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Anna had seen Desians coming up quickly, past Kratos while he was fighting the main bulk. She urged Noishe on with all haste, her fear growing and growing. Lloyd was laughing from the intense speed of the run, but Anna hushed him kindly. She didn't want anyone to see or hear them moving. The cliff was thinning as it moved farther along, but Anna noticed that there was a large, circular area which could be scaled down. Close to it was smoke from a not far chimney, and a roof poking out of the thick mass of trees.
That must be it! She exclaimed in her thought, smiling. I'm going to be saved from this atrocious thing! Her hand came to her chest where the Cruxis Crystal was embedded. It was completely blue now, and all it had to do was drain the rest of the subject's mana before it was complete. She gulped when she thought of her Crystal doing that.
When the group made it to the large area on the cliff, Noishe collapsed, tired of running, and Anna stepped off with Lloyd in her arms.
"Good job, Noishe," she cooed, and looked downwards. The house was very close to them, and they merely had to wait for Kratos to bring her down. It would be too risky without him. Footsteps echoing in the background made Anna whirl on the noise. Three Desians, each with grinning sneers, were closing in on Anna. She began to run, but the cliff was now a dead end, as there was no other way to leave the area.
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Kratos moved as quickly as his feet could carry him. His wings flapped incessantly, giving him as much speed as they could. Up ahead, he caught sight of Noishe crouching low and baring his large fangs. More fear shot through the Seraph like an arrow.
Am I too late? The question made him move even faster, as well as his heart. He felt it would burst from his chest as he moved. A more clear view as he moved on showed that Anna was at the edge of the cliff with Lloyd crying in her arms. Kratos urged himself forward, though his energy was depleting quickly. He watched Noishe spring into movement and go for one Desian. However, he missed, and landed about ten feet away from Anna. Kratos had made it to Noishe and kept moving, but the Desian had moved upon Anna and grabbed the crystal on her body. The Seraph yelled, reaching with his hand. The Desian smirked and pulled it off roughly. Blood welled on Anna's chest, and she fell down.
In rage, Kratos pulled out his blade in a flash and ruthlessly stabbed him in the face. The blood spilled everywhere, including all over the Seraph's face. The body fell to the floor in a bloody mess, and the Seraph turned to his wife. He dashed over to her and lifted her up with one arm while the other grabbed the bloody crystal. Lloyd was sitting next to Noishe and crying his heart out. Tears freely fell from his face in grief over the horrible sight.
"Come here Lloyd," Kratos called as kindly as he could. The boy nodded shakily, and wobbled over to him. He clutched onto his father's cloak tightly, still sniffling. Anna slowly opened her eyes, pain flashing through her. She winced when her body became tingly, but she smiled at the sight of her family.
"Kratos…I know my mana is going to get out of control and kill me," she whispered. She lifted her hand, and Kratos grasped it tightly. Tears filled his eyes and flowed down his bloody cheeks. "Take Lloyd and leave…I'm sorry…I can't be with you…any…more." The hand begun shaking incredibly fast, and the skin changed. Green hued the young woman, and her mana welled inside of her. Lloyd screamed and Kratos still held tightly.
"No, Anna, I could never leave you!" he yelled. The words came to deaf ears, though. The green skin became gnarled and long, and the woman looked like a stretched, deformed version of her. Instead of a head and hair, a circular top and a big, red eye stared at Kratos from the floor. Her long, clawed arm threw itself at his face, and knocked him back. A large gash reached from his forehead to his cheek. His vision had become red with all the blood, but he managed to see his wife well.
He heard Lloyd's screaming and fear, and the Seraph caught onto him. He was behind Noishe, who was ready for another attack. Anna had stood up completely, and began flailing about with incredible power. He watched, his heart falling apart and his mind racing. Noishe continued to bare his fangs, and when Anna advanced upon the protozoan, he pounced on her, digging his claws into her green skin. Anna roared in pain and knocked the canine back. He fell close to the edge of the cliff, and carefully moved away from it. Now unprotected, Lloyd was left wide open for an attack.
"Mommy! Please feel better!!!" he screamed. The hand lifted itself to attack, but stopped at the words said by the child.
"Lloyd…Lloyd, run away! Hurry, or I'll hurt you and Dad!" she exclaimed, pain in every syllable. Lloyd looked up, his face tear streaked and red, and nodded slowly. "I…uaaaahhh!!" The monster took over, and continued her advance on the toddler. It was about to strike when a flaming sword struck her side. Blood oozed from the wound created, and the monster continued flailing about. Kratos pulled the blade out quickly and grabbed Lloyd with an arm. He set the child down next to Noishe carefully, and told him to stay by the protozoan. The Seraph knew what to do, but his heart screamed otherwise.
His body shaking, clothes ripped apart, and his face bloody, Kratos watched his wife with haunted eyes. His sword, held by his hand, was at his side, and glowing brightly.
"Kratos…please, kill me," the monster suddenly said. The abrupt words made Kratos jump, but he contained himself and watched his wife struggle with control. "If you don't try to defeat me…I'll kill our family." The calmness of the words pierced Kratos, making him even more grieved.
"Anna, how am I supposed to kill the one I love?" he asked. The monster placed her hands on her hand, and shook it about, as if trying to block out the outside noise. He gripped his blade even tighter, but he wished he could just put it away.
"Please…do it for Lloyd," she answered, and Anna had finally lost the struggle. The monster roared in anger, grief, and insanity, throwing its claws about like a mad beast. Kratos held his sword up to block the blows, and made little success. His chest earned a gash, and his legs became like jelly.
The monster made an uppercut with her large, clawed hand, and sent the Seraph flying against the cliff wall. He hit the stone hard, and his consciousness began dwindling. He saw Anna advance towards the bloody protozoan and his son, who held on tight to the protector.
That made Kratos leap up and run for his wife with his sword poised for attack. Tears filled his eyes as he got closer, but he made it too late. The monster hit Noishe too quickly, and the dog fell back and down the cliff. Lloyd was screaming as he fell, still attached to the protozoan's leg.
"LLOYD!!!" the Seraph screamed. The monster was advancing, and he had no time. Ducking under an uppercut, he braced for the finishing blow. He placed most of his energy into his flaming sword, and waited for the opportune moment to strike. When Anna missed a swipe of her claws, he acted.
The sword went straight into Anna's chest, going through the green flesh. It stuck out of her back, completely covered in blood, but still glowing dimly. The monster stopped moving, and fell down the cliff after Kratos had pulled out his blade. Tears came down his dark eyes, mixing with the sticky blood. Before he could search for his son, the ten Desians appeared, ready to fight the tired and heart broken Seraph. They were, however, in for it.
"I have no time to deal with you!" he hissed. He didn't even need a magic circle, as his rage, grief, and anger fueled his mana. "Judgment!" The light came down harder and faster than before, and was over in an instant. All of them were dead, except for Kvar in the background. He smirked as he held the bloody Cruxis Crystal in his gloved hand.
"I have finally obtained what I want. Thank you for your cooperation," he sneered. In an instant, the was a hand around his neck, and Kratos had snatched the crystal back.
"You sick, twisted man! I will crush you with my bare hands if I need-!" he stopped when he heard Lloyd screaming. "…Lloyd!" Kratos kicked the Cardinal to the floor, who was gasping for breath, and flew down to the cliff to search for his son. As he came to the ground, the crying had stopped, and everything was still. Anna, Noishe, and Lloyd were all gone, and only the corpses of the fallen Desians were left, already half eaten by the roaming monsters. Kratos had lost his family.
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Mr.Who2123: AHHH!!!!!! Sniff Poor Kratos! Well, please review.