Sever All Ties

Chapter Three: The Quintom Squad

Disclaimer: I don't own Radiata Stories or any of the characters in the game; they are the property of the brilliant minds at Square Enix.

Author's Note(s): Words in '…' indicate a thought. Words in "…" indicate spoken words. This story will proceed based on the assumption that Jack has joined Ridley on the path of the non-human. This path would inevitably lead him to face his former friends and allies in combat. It is these fights I will illustrate in this story. Some creative liberties will be taken regarding who they face (i.e. Jack will face opponents in this fic that you don't get to face in the game). I hope you enjoy.

Jack lunged to the side as Walter's axe came crashing down next to him. A quick horizontal stroke followed, which he deflected. Taking the opportunity to counterattack, he stepped in and brought his sword to bear. A vicious thrust hammered Walter's breastplate. He followed immediately, slicing back down his armor. These attacks sent his opponent staggering, and Jack was quick to follow. As he moved to press the advantage, Walter suddenly recovered his balance and resumed his attack. Lunging forward, he thrust his axe at Jack, who had just enough time to turn his saber's blade so that its width blocked the axe. Pushing the axe to his right, Jack used the momentum and spun completely around, flowing into a downward slash. The force of Jack's attack sent the bigger man crashing to the ground. Jack decided to use the brief moment to check on his comrades.

Ridley was ferociously attacking Conrad, who was doing all he could to avoid being hit. The young boy had managed to either dodge or deflect nearly all of her attacks so far. Only the cut on his left leg showed that he had been damaged. Although, it was clear that Ridley was in complete control of the fight. Faced with her continuous onslaught, Conrad was unable to do anything but defend himself. As far as Jack could tell, Ridley was unharmed. It was only a matter of time before she broke through his defenses for the last time.

Gil had confronted Gene, and the light elf was on the defensive. Whatever the current situation, it was clear that Gil had the advantage. The Vancoor Warrior seemed unsure of himself, even as he attacked. The burn mark on his crocogator skin armor was a testament to Mikey's elf magic. After blocking one of Gene's thrusts, Gil quickly flew back. His next move was to throw his wind blades at the opposing swordsman. Gene deflected one blade, but the other two connected, slicing across his right arm and left leg. As soon as his blades had connected, he summoned his sword of ice, and rushed in to continue the fight. All the while, Gene was forced to watch Mikey, in case the elf tried to use more magic.

Suddenly, Jack became aware of the fact that his opponent had managed to get back to his feet, and was resuming his attack. Jack rushed forward, determined to finish his opponent as quickly as possible. Just as Walter's axe was about to connect, Jack turned sideways and it went right past him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he rammed the hilt of his sword into his opponent's helmet. In a move born of sheer desperation, the Vancoor Warrior swung his axe toward Jack. As his opponent's weapon drew close, Jack instinctively flipped the blaze saber over, catching the haft of the axe in the half-circular groove cut into the blade's reverse side. With a single, fluid motion, he rotated the saber so that he simultaneously pulled the axe away from his opponent and cut it in two. Reversing his grip, Jack swung the blade with all his might, cutting across Walter's body and searing it at the same time. The Quintom Squad's leader fell to the ground and made no move to rise.

Certain that his opponent would not be getting again, Jack moved to assist Ridley. Conrad had finally found an opportunity to attack, and was swinging his spear desperately, trying to find an opening. As Jack closed the distance, Conrad's horizontal slash pushed Ridley's axe aside. As he prepared to follow with a shaft strike, Jack made his move. Ducking his head, Jack rammed his shoulder into Conrad. The young boy went sprawling across the ground, and struggled to quickly regain his feet. He had just managed to stand when Jack reached him. In a futile attempt to defend himself, Conrad held his spear up to protect against an attack from above. Without even slowing, Jack changed his movements, sliding into a thrust that went deep into the boy's stomach. Conrad let out a wail, and dropped to the ground as Jack pulled his sword free.

As he turned to where Gil and Mikey were attacking Gene, Jack saw that his assistance was not needed. Vancoor's "lone wolf" was barely able to stay on his feet. Forced to watch to opponents at once, he inadvertently left himself open to attacks from both sides. Faced with the knowledge that he would be hit from behind no matter who he attacked, Gene could do nothing but prepare to defend himself. It was Gil who finally made a move to attack. Rushing forward, he raised his ice sword to attack. When Gene moved to defend, Gil stepped aside. Just as the light elf was out of reach, a lightning bolt hit Gene squarely in the back. As he stumbled forward, Gil stepped up and stabbed his ice sword into Gene's chest. He quickly removed his blade, and Gene fell facedown in the dirt.

With the battle finished, Jack looked to all of his friends. Seeing that they weren't hurt, he put his saber away and strode over to where Walter had fallen. Gently removing the smashed helmet, he saw that the bigger man still had some life in him. Red streaks ran down his face, and his breathing was labored and heavy. He didn't have much time left. Seeing Jack, he began to speak.

"Y…You've gotten be…better," he gasped. "Tell me…why. Why did you…le…leave us?"

"Walter," Jack began. "What would you do for Miss Sheila? How far would you go to help and protect her?"

"I'd do any…anything," Walter stammered.

"That's what I thought," Jack said. "Well, I'd do anything to help Ridley."

"I see," Walter said slowly. With considerable effort, he raised his hand and grasped Jack's. "I…I'm sorry it c…came to this…Jack. Go…Good luck to you."

As he said those words, Walter's eyes closed, and he did not draw another breath. Releasing his hand, Jack rose and looked to his friends. He was surprised to see that they were standing with the warriors they had just bested, trying to help them. Jack walked over to where Mikey was tending to Gene. Gil was standing off to the side, watching a group of small birds flying above them. The little dark elf was doing all he could to save the swordsman, but it didn't look as if it would matter. At Jack's approach, Mikey looked up. His eyes betrayed his uncertainty. This was clearly his first time dealing with the realities of battle.

"Jack," he began. "He's hurt really bad."

"I know," Jack answered. "Let's go."

"But," Mikey began. "He'll die if we don't help him."

"I know," Jack said. "Go join Gil."

Mikey looked as if he would protest, but finally nodded his head and went to where Gil was standing. Jack knelt down beside Gene, who fixed Jack with an icy gaze. While he was defiant in the face of death, he also seemed to have resigned himself to his fate. Gene was cut and scored all over his body, and it seemed impossible to stop the bleeding. Finally, he spoke.

"Pretty l…lame way to…to end it all," he stuttered.

"I warned you," Jack said sternly.

"Yeah, I know," Gene said. "Jack, I never did get a…a chance to th…thank you for being a fr…friend to me."

"It was nothing," Jack answered. "I just wanted to help."

"Well…you did," said Gene.

"Gene," Jack said. "We're going to leave."

"Just gonna l…leave me to die," asked Gene.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I wish there were some other way, but there's not."

"All…all right," Gene said slowly. "N…not like I can s…stop you."

With that, Jack rose and walked away. With a measured step, he went to where Ridley was kneeling by Conrad. She was attempting to stop the bleeding from his chest. As she worked, Ridley murmured soothing words to the young boy, whose pale face looked terrified. The boy was mostly silent, except for an occasional moan of pain. Jack walked up behind Ridley and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay," asked Jack.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Ridley. "Not hurt."

"Good," Jack said. "Come on, time to leave."

"What," Ridley exclaimed. "We can't just leave him."

"We can and we are," Jack said firmly.

"No Jack. He'll die," she said. Conrad's eyes widened at these words.

"Yes, he will," Jack continued. "They knew the risks when the battle started. Come on, let's go."

Without another word, Ridley stood up and walked away. She looked back only once, but never stopped moving. Jack stared at the young man before him, and saw fear written all over his ashen face. Jack knew that Conrad had only joined Theater Vancoor because of his father, and that he had very rarely done any work at all. Even when he had accompanied Jack, he had seemed loath to become involved in the fighting. But he had gotten better while with Jack. The boy had always feared being hurt in combat, and Jack had had to watch out for him. With a smile, he looked down at the boy and began talking.

"Remember when you first decided to come with me," Jack asked. "You wanted to get promoted."

"Yeah," Conrad said. "I…I did get promoted when Gene j…joined us.

"That's great Conrad," Jack said.

"Am I… am I going to die Jack," Conrad asked, fearfully.

"Yes," Jack said. "But try not to think about it. Talk to me about something else."

For the next few minutes, Conrad talked to Jack about life at Theater Vancoor, about his father, and anything else he could think of. Jack listened to the young boy, adding comments and answering questions when it was appropriate. Talking seemed to make the boy forget his pain, and he only winced occasionally. When he finally breathed for the last time, Jack saw that the fear was gone from his face. He bent down and closed the boy's eyes, and walked away. Fighting down the tinge of sorrow he suddenly felt for the loss of his friends, Jack walked to where his comrades were waiting.

"We will have more fights like this in the future," he began. "More than likely, it will be on this trip. If we are defeated, none of us will receive any compassion from those who beat us. It's not necessary to show it to them."

"Jack," Ridley began. "What are you saying?"

"That our enemies will fight to kill," Jack answered. "And that we must do the same."

"But," Mikey started.

"Jack's right," Gil suddenly interjected. All eyes suddenly turned to him. "The non-humans are about to enter a war with the humans. We cannot allow ourselves to show weakness. If Jack can stand against his friends in this manner, I believe we can honor his request and do the same."

Taking their silence for acquiescence, Jack turned and started down the road. His friends fell in behind him, silently walking along. He continued to walk, without looking back. Although he was calm on the outside, Jack's mind was racing. He had faced his friends in battle, and had won, but he could hardly call it a victory. It was a terrible thing, facing a friend in combat. Jack hoped that he would never have to do it again, while simultaneously acknowledging that he would. Steeling himself for the conflict to come, he continued moving toward the Septem Region.

Vegeta26: Another chapter's finished, and the plot continues to thicken. Hope you all are enjoying this story of mine. Either way, I'd appreciate hearing from you. See you next time.

Blue Persuasion: Thanks for both of your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. At the time you go to Algandars Castle, Ridley and Gil are the only logical choices to go with you. As for ending Chapter Two when I did, I'm guilty of loving cliffhangers just a little too much. Hope to hear from you again.

yuffiegal23: Thanks for the review. Good to know you're enjoying the story, and I hope to hear from you again.