Title: Links

Summary: Sharing a body between two souls will always have conflict, worse when neither is fighting for it. Drabbles about Lambda and Asbel's relationship during and after the game.

Chapter 14

Lambda knew for a long time that his connection with Asbel would cause him trouble sooner or later down the road. So far, despite the chaos that had entered his life, he had handled each and every situation thrown at him with a calm presence and clear mind. Of course, this was only after Asbel couldn't figure out what to do next and he had to instead. Lambda also found it amusing when he saw his counterpart pout in depression at having been outdone and he made it a point to laugh in mockery. But that was also what he liked best about the redhead. The other was so open, so willing, that doing anything bad would be make him feel guilty about it later on. Asbel just had that effect on people and even on Lambda himself.

In the end, Lambda ended up becoming the watcher of the two, making sure that Asbel didn't do something stupid and be the voice of reason. It was better this way. He watched out for everything and willingly gave his opinion over a situation he felt was needed. He hid his concern for matters behind his snide remarks, never revealing his emotions, and Asbel never minded. It was a perfect relationship between them that wasn't so normal. Those that knew about Lambda trusted him to keep Asbel safe and on the right path, well aware of their friend's ability to do something completely stupid. But when working together, they were a menace to deal with.

"So, I was told that you wanted to see me about a deal of sorts?" Asbel spoke the moment the door closed behind an unfamiliar man. He had never seen the person before and he knew everyone through his regular rounds. Perhaps the person was new in town? It was possible, but the clothes the man was wearing didn't really look like someone moving in.

"Yes, you heard correct. I need to speak to you about a matter that has grave importance." The man nodded his head and stepped closer as if he was the most important being in the room. He eventually sat down into one of the chairs, crossing his legs, and leaned back.

'Grave importance? I highly doubt it.' Lambda grumbled from the background.

Asbel ignored the comment and gave a nod in return. "Alright, I'll hear it. What's wrong?"

"Well, I've heard that there have been some attacks towards Lhant," The man spoke and the lord of the town continued to nod his head in agreement. There had been a few attacks, but it wasn't anything he and Lambda couldn't handle on their own. And if there were too many, well, the villagers were willing to stand up to protect the place, their home. There was always Richard or Hubert who would be willing to lend a hand with their military power and their bases weren't too far away either. For anyone to want to attack Lhant for their supplies, they would have to be a fool. "I was wondering if it was possible if my group…lend a hand."

"Lend a hand? How so?"

"We help protect Lhant and we get some…rewards in return."

"As much as I would appreciate help, what are these rewards you're talking about?" Asbel narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion, not liking the tone the man had taken. Even Lambda had gone quiet to listen, his presence close to the surface to eavesdrop better. The head of Lhant didn't mind, allowing their two souls to be pushed up against each other, and continued to listen to this so-called proposal.

"We want a part of the earnings and some supplies to be provided to us for free."

'That's ridiculous. How pointless.'

Asbel sighed. 'Agreed.' His multi-colored eyes peered over the man with a slight dullness he had gained over the years from dealing with these sorts of people. It wasn't anything new. He had many of these propositions multiple times in the past. "Look, I appreciate your offer, but I'll have to deny it. We get plenty of help from the King's army and Strahta's military, we don't need any additional help from outsiders."

"But they won't be here forever, or even all day. They might not make it on time if there was an attack," The man had his eyes narrowed, frustration taking effect on his expression, and his hands were gripping the arm of the chair. Asbel kept his calm despite everything, something Lambda was proud of within, and gave a heavy sigh. "You need a group like my own around as a just in case."

"Well, if such an incident happened, then I will personally take care of it. And if I can't handle it because of the mass amount of people, I'll ask the villagers to lend a hand. We've been through enough to know that everyone needs some defense training for emergencies."

'Asbel, this one is planning something.'

'I know.'

The man gave a growl before immediately standing up, storming away from the office, and slammed the door close behind. Asbel stood up to follow and closed up all his papers to make sure that everything would be where it was when he got back, the paperwork still needed to be finished. Stepping out of his office, one of the maids came by and asked him if he needed anything. The redhead gave a soft smile. "I'm just going to take care of something real quick. If there are any meetings or calls for me, please divert them to Frederic to take."

The maid bowed to him as he left and watched from the distance as the man he had spoken to storm his way through Lhant towards the north gate where he could see a group standing there. Within moments, the man had reconnected with his group, probably alerting them of what had happened, and could see the anger growing on their expressions. He sighed, knowing he had gained another troublesome idiot that wanted to take advantage of Lhant's state, and went closer knowing he would have to defend the town from idiots.

'They never learn do they?' Lambda muttered in annoyance.

'Nope.'

'Typical humans.'

'Hey, I'm human too and you're living inside a human body.'

'That's different.'

Asbel couldn't help but smile at the thought of that. 'Oh? How so?'

There was a pause before Lambda finally answered; speaking meekly as if it was a whisper, 'Because you're different.'

The redhead tilted his head and, before long, gave a smile, closing his eyes in happiness. He shook it momentarily and stepped forward to move through the streets to the gate where the group was getting clearer to his eyes. He could see their eyes turning to him when they finally noticed his presence and he stopped before them with his arms folded. "Don't try anything stupid, you're in an open area and there are guards everywhere."

'Like that's going to stop them.'

The man he had been talking to previously just glared at him, the rest of the group following. "And what makes you think they will be able to stop us from invading the place? It would take at least two to three hours before someone comes in to stop us."

Asbel was tempted to rub the bridge of his nose but kept his calm despite the increasingly dangerous situation. He had enough confidence that he would be able to protect himself and the town from a bunch of petty con-artists. "And you are aware that I've stopped plenty of your kinds before as well and destroyed a vast majority of monsters before that. If you really think you're strong enough to stop me on your own, you're welcome to try."

'If you get defeated by these monkeys, you'll be getting more than just a simple knock-out afterwards.' Lambda grumbled from their mind scape. Asbel had defeated him, Little Queen, the top knights in the country, and much more. Losing to underrate people would be unheard of and ridiculous.

Within moments and without a word, the group of men went after him, swords drawn and bows pulled back. Asbel quickly surveyed the field, taking note that among the eight fighters, there were two mages in the back, alerting him that he needed to take them out first to prevent any trouble later. He sent three 'Incineration Waves' in multiple directions, distracting those that were coming forward. And just as he planned, they either were hit in the crossfire or jumped back to dodge. It gave him enough of an opening to dash forward towards the mages and knock them out with a swift blow to their heads.

'That leaves six more.' Asbel swiftly observed the field once more, deciding to take care of the two archers since he didn't want to continuously fight off arrows from behind while defending against blades in front. The villagers of Lhant ran off immediately, giving extra room for the fight, while a couple ran off to gather help for their Lord. Asbel didn't mind fighting alone, not that he really was. Lambda was still with him.

'Asbel, let me take over.' Lambda spoke up, his presence stronger than ever before. The Lord of Lhant blinked momentarily in surprise before pushing himself back to allow his partner to take over. He didn't mind and welcomed it instead, having a strong feeling that Lambda had been bored the past few days. The moment the other took over, his once multi-colored eyes had both turned a deep purple, and the edge of their sword had an eerie glow. "Alright, my turn. Phantom Flash."

Activating the arte, he used his speed and agility to make his way around the group towards the archers in the back. A deep purple surrounded his blade, glowing as he attacked, and he had his powers surfacing to the tips of his fingers. He hit the first archer at the side, just enough to take her out without killing, and used the same attack pattern to go after the second one. It was too obvious that the con-artists were all amateurs when it came to fighting. Once the second archer fell, all that was left was those who fought with blades, from swords to knives. He smirked, unleashing his powers. This was just too easy.

"Did you have fun?" Asbel rubbed the back of his neck; his sword sheathed at his side, and turned slightly to the guards, who had finally appeared at the scene. Eight bodies were sprawled across the ground, unable to fight any longer.

'Actually, yes, I did.' The being within just hummed to himself, clearly pleased and satisfied for the moment.

The redhead just shook his head and spoke to the guards on what had happened, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Here's chapter 14, just a few more left! I'm still trying to make it to 20