Ah, seven chapters already. I'm sorry it's taking so long to get them moving; I had planned for this to go a lot faster… I'll try to speed things up from here on out. Please enjoy the chapter (although it's a little short), and please review! I'd appreciate your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and critiques.
…
"Yuan?"
"Y—…you?"
The rest of the group looked between the half-elf and the purple-haired newcomer in confusion as the two stared at each other in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Sophie cried. "I thought you—" She cut off suddenly, looking back at the rest of the party.
"Uh, do you two know each other already?" Colette asked, her head tilted curiously to the side, face puzzled.
Yuan composed himself and answered, with a slight glance at Sophie, "We have had a few, ah, encountersbefore, yes."
"So, Yuan, what exactly are you doing here?" She asked with a small smile, her eyes hard.
"Why don't we catch up later, Sophie?" he replied smoothly. "Right now we have other things to take care of."
Raine, Genis, and Lloyd still looked mildly shocked and confused. Skah watched the two of them with a dubious expression; Kratos' face was cold, looking inquisitively at his friend.
Colette smiled brightly. "It's such a coincidence that you know each other," she said happily. "I'm so glad we met! This is going to be so much fun!"
"Whatever you say," Sophie replied. Colette failed to notice the sarcastic note to her voice.
"Skah," Raine said as they walked back towards the inn to deposit their supplies, "do you still have that gem from the Ruins?"
Kratos shot a glance at Yuan, who met his eyes, mirroring his concern. They hadn't been meant to find the core in the temple; things would have gone according to Cruxis' plan if the blond swordsman hadn't found the passage at the back of the altar room. While Yuan's agenda differed from his own, both Seraphim were troubled by the group's discovery, especially since the disturbance in mana already seemed to be causing problems; as if to prove Kratos' thoughts, another gust of cold wind hit them, sending the Chosen and her friends staggering back a step.
"Yeah, I've got it, why?" Skah responded casually, carefully stepping away as he noted the now-familiar glint in the woman's azure eyes.
"I simply wanted to examine it," she replied coolly, managing to control the majority of her mania. "Would you mind?" She held out a slender hand expectantly.
Kratos watched Skah place the garnet-colored core in her palm, extremely ill at ease. That core could easily drive a person to insanity, and from what he had seen, neither the half-elven woman nor the temperamental swordsman needed the extra instability. His eyes flickered to Lloyd for a moment as the teen eyed the jewel once more; Kratos would make sure that the boy didn't get anywhere near the core. He didn't care what happened to the rest as long as his son stayed safe.
Besides, if Skah or Raine were affected, it would give them an excuse to get rid of them…
Meanwhile, Raine turned the jewel over in her hands, watching the sun glint off the facets. "Magnificent," she muttered before looking back up at Skah. "You don't mind if I keep this for a while?" The woman clearly expected no argument.
She received none. "Go ahead," Skah replied. "Not like I need it." Suddenly, he smiled, eyes closed, white-blond hair blown back from his head by the same steady gusts that threw his navy blue trench coat and bright orange scarf out behind him. "The wind's kinda nice, isn't it?" he said to no one in particular. "Makes it not so hot, you know?"
…
Kratos and Lloyd had left to train, Skah had accepted an offer from Colette and Genis to roam the city again, and Raine had accompanied the trio. What with everyone gone, it was a perfect opportunity for Yuan to figure out what the hell his purple-haired "friend" was up to.
"Well?" he asked simply as he sat down at a table in the corner of the inn's common room.
His companion looked up from her book and tucked a lock of bright violet hair behind her ear, apparently displeased. "Well, what? I think I'm the one who deserves an explanation here."
"What are you thinking?" he hissed, ignoring her statement. "You decided to just join up with them? Are you insane?"
"I'm trying to do my job with as little trouble as possible, Yuan," she snarled back at him. "And who are you to talk? You people are the ones that hired me, and yet here you are protecting her!"
Yuan sighed and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. "There were… circumstances."
"Circumstances?" She seemed unimpressed.
"Yes." His emerald eyes narrowed, annoyed at her impertinence. "I was… coerced into it. So now I at least have to put up a show of doing my part."
"And how am I supposed to do anything with you here? And who is that 'Skah' guy? He wasn't in the briefing."
"I don't know. His arrival was rather unexpected." He leaned forward over the table. "And how exactly is this supposed to get your job done?"
"You warned us not to go head-to-head with that Kratos guy and all, so I figured a little poison or something might be more effective than an attack."
"I suppose," he mused.
"Besides," she said with a small smile, "won't things be easier with you here?"
Suddenly he stood up, pushing his chair back, and leaned forward with both palms pressed flat on the table. "I sincerely hope your plan doesn't bank on that factor, because if you get yourself caught, I won't do anything to save you."
…
Auburn-haired man and brunette teen sat side-by-side in the desert outside of the oasis city. Training had left Lloyd exhausted; his breath came in ragged heaves, and his right shoulder was sore from all the times he had been forcefully disarmed and knocked to the unforgiving ground by his new teacher. The Professor had seen to his leg once more earlier and, after another spell, had proclaimed him healed. Unfortunately, that meant that the mercenary hadn't gone easy on him during their practice, and Lloyd seemed to have gotten a worse beating than he had the first time. Kratos had declared the lesson over after he saw Lloyd having difficulty staying on his feet, and had joined the teen when he collapsed onto the sand instead of returning to town. For now, they simply watched the sun sink as the incessant wind whipped through their hair and blew sand in their eyes.
"Your exsphere has a rather unusual color," Kratos commented unexpectedly.
Lloyd looked down at his left hand. "Yeah, I guess it does seem a little different from everyone else's." He studied the stone for another moment before a thought occurred to him. "Why do you have an exsphere anyway?"
"I took it from a Desian," he answered matter-of-factly.
They drifted into silence once more. Lloyd's breathing slowly returned to its normal speed; he noticed unhappily that Kratos didn't seem to be tired at all. Not fair, he should at least be a little winded! But no, he only sat there, so still he could have been made of stone…
Lloyd was extremely displeased at the beating he had taken. He was the best swordsman in Iselia, and yet he couldn't even get a hit on the mercenary. In Iselia, no one had been able to beat him… and he didn't even have to use the extra power from his exsphere. His fingers ran over the stone again, his thoughts drifting at random.
"Why did Marble have an exsphere?" he asked suddenly, the question leaving his lips as soon as he thought it.
"…I heard that the Desians force the humans at the ranch to make them," the mercenary responded.
"So that's why…"
Lloyd began to get lost in his thoughts once more, but Kratos' voice broke into his reverie. "May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Why were you raised by a dwarf?"
Lloyd felt the man's eyes on him; he shifted in discomfort, staring at the ground. "Dad found me collapsed in the forest with Mom and Noishe… we were attacked by Desians."
"…Do you remember them at all? Your family?"
Lloyd turned to glare at the mercenary. "No, I don't." Kratos' face was guarded as usual, and at first, Lloyd didn't notice the sorrowful look in his deep red eyes. Lloyd turned to look back at the ground, annoyed at the man for bringing the conversation up, but feeling guilty for his sudden anger and a deeper guilt for losing his memories of his parents. "I only remember living with Dad."
"Then your biological father is probably not alive either," Kratos said quietly.
Lloyd sighed. "Probably not. If he is though," he continued, "I want to find him."
Kratos raised an eyebrow; Lloyd saw it out of the corner of his eye. "That would be a difficult search, Lloyd," he said slowly; that obviously wasn't the only though he had on the subject, only the most tactful.
"Yeah, I know. But…" he trailed off, suddenly unwilling to continue his thoughts. "Never mind." He didn't know how to put what he wanted to say into words, and even if he could, he wouldn't in front of the stoic mercenary. No way. It was too personal.
After a quiet moment, Kratos stood up. "We should head back to the inn."
"Yeah, I'm starved. Let's get supper." Lloyd stood up and started walking back, but stopped when he noticed that Kratos wasn't following. He turned around to see the man standing where they had been sitting, staring dispassionately at the setting sun, his cape flapping behind him in the wind that hadn't stopped since they had left the Triet Ruins.
"You coming?" Lloyd asked, wondering at the man's weird mood.
Kratos nodded, and Lloyd set off again back into the city. The mercenary fell into step beside him.
"So, when are we training again?" Lloyd asked.
"Are you in such a hurry?"
"I want to get stronger," Lloyd replied. "If I stay the way I am now, then I won't be able to do anything. I want to be able to stop the Desians."
Kratos looked at the teen skeptically, only to realize he was completely serious. He sighed. "Don't forget that determination. You'll need it."
Lloyd grinned up at him, a steely glint in his eyes. "Don't worry, I won't."
…
The morning sun was still low, but lit the entire desert sky in the palest of blues, pure but for the distant clouds to the north. The wind had died down momentarily, and it seemed the perfect day to begin new travels.
"On to… where are we going again?" Lloyd turned back to face his friends, who stood in the city gate watching him in various states of amusement and annoyance.
"Izoold, Lloyd," the Professor said, resigned. "We need to get to Izoold and find a boat to take us to Palmacosta."
"Right!" A wide grin spread across the boy's face as he ran out into the desert again, Noishe by his side. It was only a few seconds before he turned back again. "Uh, which way is Izoold?"
"East, Lloyd," Yuan snapped. "We need to cross through the Ossa Trail, which is to the east. How many times have we told you that?"
"Okay, east it is!" Lloyd waited for his companions to catch up with him before moving on. "Hurry up!"
"I'm coming, Lloyd!" Colette ran forward to meet him—miraculously not tripping—and started off confidently ahead of the others.
"Um, Colette," Lloyd said, "That's not east."
"Oh, it isn't?" Colette looked crestfallen. "Is… that way east?" she asked, pointing, and smiled brightly when her friends nodded. "Okay!" She set off again, Lloyd and Noishe at her side. Genis ran to catch up with them, and Skah sighed before following.
"What have I gotten myself into…?" Sophie muttered to herself, shaking her head before turning to Yuan. "Are they always like this?"
"From what I can tell, yes."
"Fantastic."
"You're the one that wanted to come along."
"Shut up, Yuan."
In response, the blue-haired man smirked and draped his arm around her shoulders, much to her disgust. "Just keeping you humble."
Raine sighed as she watched her students race ahead, attempting to keep pace with Lloyd's "dog"; they were incredibly excited about getting to the next seal. She, however, was less than eager to reach Izoold: from there they would have to sail…
Yuan's eyes also followed the children before him. Lloyd was smiling and had a hand placed on Noishe's back; with a slight stretch of the imagination, Yuan could change the scene to one he had seen countless times over the past few centuries… Lloyd wasn't so different from his father; it was actually quite disconcerting. Beside the boy, Sylvarant's Chosen laughed. It was a shame what had to happen, really. That girl, too, looked familiar. Yuan shook his head slightly, long blue bangs brushing his cheeks. He needed to keep himself in the present.
Up ahead, Skah grinned, facing forward, towards the east, towards the sun that glinted off his eyes. The wind tousled his hair pleasantly and played with his scarf. He could just make out the mountains in the distance, the mountains that lead to their next destination. Every step brought them closer… Skah decided then that he would enjoy these travels to the fullest.
…
"You'll need to take a few humans with you, to complete the disguise. I know it's a disgusting role to play, a pathetic human; however, so long as you make no mention of it, no one will suspect your true heritage."
"I understand completely, Lady Pronyma." Alice giggled. "Don't worry, I won't mess it up."
"Select your companion wisely, my dear." A slender hand rested on her shoulder. "I'll leave the choice to you."
Alice skipped lightly down the dreary metal hall, humming to herself. She took her time as she passed the cells, taking in the masks of hatred on the prisoners' faces and enjoying gazing into the dark eyes. Occasionally she opened the cells and whipped the hands or faces of those she passed, just for the fun of it, to hear their hisses and cries of pain. Her mentor trailed leisurely behind her, watching the young girl with approval.
These humans were all too weak to take with her; they hardly had strength to respond to her presence, let alone protect her. She sighed softly. These creatures were so disappointing.
She paused in her search, stopping to slash at one of the animals that dared to spit at her as she passed. The offending woman cried out as the rapier whipped through the air; bloody gashes appeared on her arms and chest. Alice giggled again.
At the sound of her voice, a man sitting at the back of the cell—she had thought he was sleeping—instantly became alert. His head shot up, and blue eyes met her golden ones: haunted blue eyes that sparkled in recognition.
"Alice!" The man climbed unsteadily to his feet and stumbled towards her. "Alice, it's you! I can't believe it!"
Her eyes narrowed in disgust at the filth approaching her. In response, he only became more desperate.
"It's me, don't you remember? Decus, from the orphanage in Hima! You saved my life, when those bandits almost killed me. You've gotta remember!"
Alice smiled: a small, cruel twist of the mouth. "Dumbo-Decus, I remember now." She giggled sweetly, and his sunken face lit up.
"I knew you couldn't forget me! Look you've gotta get me out of here, Alice, please—"
His hand gripped her thin arm, and before he could get another word out, he was thrown on the floor. Her rapier slashed once, twice, once more, and she could see the lovely red liquid spilling from the cuts across his face, pooling on the floor. "Don't you ever touch me without my permission!" she hissed, eyes narrowed with spite.
He trembled, dirty blue hair spilling over his face.
"Did you hear me, you rotten piece of filth?" She used her rapier to lift his chin, and stared into those deep blue eyes.
He only wiped the blood from his face and stared back at her pleadingly. "Alice, I'd do anything for you, just help me one more time…"
Alice felt her face soften into a smile, felt it slowly grow wider as an idea formed in her head. "You'd do anything, hmm…" She turned back to face the impassive woman behind her. "Lady Pronyma," she said sweetly, "I want this one."