Culinaromancer -Haha, thanks! I'm really hoping she doesn't become a Mary-Sue!!!!! She's more like a laid back (almost lazy!) calm... er person... Ooooh, i'm just debating on who should find out first!

Kazegami-inkpot -Thanks! Communities ish be fun x3 Yeah, yeah, I love Artemis, she's so much fuuuuunnnn =D

summary: Artemis Niels is a part-time topographer, gel maker, and merchant, with some medical talents just for kicks. Dressing as a male comes naturally. but she never thought she'd be dragged on a quest to save the world. 'Tales of the Abyss is not my property'

Page 2: Dist the Misnamed

"They got away.." Sync cursed under his breath. He missed his chance to stop the group, and it seemed that the group had grown by one more. He thought back at the man who had nearly jumped off the ferry to catch a blue cheagle. Sync looked down at his own hand. The ragged cloak the man had worn was the only thing the group had left behind in their escape. His eyes narrowed when he remembered how similar the man's outfit was to the Fon Master's. Maybe they were linked..

"Ahahahahaha!" Sync wanted to groan as the annoying voice of Dist met his ears, "Looks like you blew this one, Sync!"

"Oh, it's you," he managed to speak to the white haired man without animosity.

"Leave the rest to me!" Sync decided with haste to leave while Dist was going on, "With my ultra super hyper high-grade fonic technology," Dist exclaimed proudly, "I'll flay that conniving, long-hair, four-eyed-"

Dist took a double take at the spot that Sync had vacated.

"Stop! Stop! Come back!" he whined, "I'm not done talking!"

Sync stopped short from scoffing and decided to enlighten the man.

"I marked the one named Guy with a curse slot," but the seal had also been marked on that cloaked-man's hand. He decided to keep that information to himself, "I can make him my puppet at any time," he said referring back to Guy. Then he turned and stared evenly at the seated man, "As for you, make sure you properly dispose of those documents from the formicry project."

Sync decided not to add, 'you can do that at least can't you?' to the end of his explanation. He left before Dist could bring up a reply of his own.

"Now, who do you think you are? Just you wait!" he fumed, "I'm putting this down in my revenge journal!"

Ion sat down beside Artemis who was leaning against the wall behind her. A frown crossed his lips as he saw Artemis' slightly labored breathing.

"Artemis? Are you alright?" he questioned softly so as to not interrupt the others' conversation.

"Huh?" her eyes turned over to his with a slightly dazed look, "No, I'm fine, don't worry about- Are you alright?"

Artemis' back straightened as she turned to get a better look at the boy. His face was slightly flushed from the run the group had made. He looked as if he would faint at any moment.

"Do you need to lie down? I can-" Artemis stopped herself and turned away. She leaned back again.

What had gotten her to speak so impulsively?

"Ah… I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Artemis," he smiled, "I was a bit tired before and the run took a lot out of me."

"Oh, I see…"

She glanced at his face. Looking at his face from that angle… he looked just like… her Ion.

"-replicas created through fomicry are mere imitations-"

Her eyes widened as a sickening reality she tried to deny fell on her.

Ion watched Artemis with interest. The man had appeared to the group not too long ago. Just a few hours it seemed, and yet, he felt a warm attachment to the older man. His concern for Ion's wellbeing, despite his own health, was just as endearing and heart warming. An unfamiliar yet familiar feeling.

Ion caught the previously cloaked man looking at him. He opened his mouth to speak to Artemis when his eyes widened.

"Arte-"

The older man suddenly stood up and ran out the room.

He vomited in the bathroom.

Ion jumped up and instantly put his hands on the man's back.

"Are you alright?"

The man shuddered as another wave made him vomit again.

"What's wrong!" Guy's voice ran loud.

Ion glanced over to see that the group's conversation had been interrupted and they were all staring at Artemis and he through the bathoom door. Guy was the only one in the doorway, because of his gynophobia. Luke was still a ways in the cabin with an agitated look on his face, while Jade looked in their direction with mild interest.

"Ion?" Anise looked genuinely concerned for the new addition to the group, "Is Artemis alright?"

"I-" he didn't know. What happened? Did Artemis just suddenly fall ill?

"I don't know."

"I'll cast first aid," Tear offered with a frown on her lips. She was just as confused as the rest of the group.

The group nodded their heads in agreement when Luke interrupted.

"He's just a little sea-sick! You don't have to cast first aid for something like that!"

"Luke!" Tear exclaimed, "How can you say that."

"No, it's fine…"

Ion turned his concern back to owner of the uneven voice.

"Artemis?" he questioned softly.

"No artes," he rasped out, "I'll get sick."

'I'll get sick.' Ion's eyes widened.

"Tear," Ion called over, effectively stopping Tear from arguing with Luke.

"Ah, yes Ion?"

"Don't cast that arte please, Artemis says he'll get sick."

"Get sick?" Jade questioned curiosity spurring in his eyes.

"Emergency!"

Almost everyone jumped. No one had noticed the soldier. Artemis looked warily into the room where the soldier entered.

"A large number of monsters and an unidentified fontech signature approaching from Chesedonia!"

Monsters? Artemis' weary thoughts made her feel more sick. Well, if it were just monsters after them, perhaps they weren't criminal… but monsters don't just normally attack in groups.

"Oh, no! They're here!" Tear exclaimed.

Oracle soldiers. Something was definitely wrong now.

"You two stay here," Guy manage to say before attacking the offenders.

The battle itself was brief. The group faced minimum damage, seeing as they out numbered the soldiers in the first place. The group quickly emptied the room.

"Can we assume their goal is to stop Ion and the letter from reaching Kimlasca?" Tear started. She paused and stole a glance in Artemis' direction. The man was holding his head while the Fon Master stood near by. Actually, looking between the two, Tear noted several similarities…

"You don't suppose they'd try to just sink the whole ship, do you?" Guy spoke up before she could say anything else.

Mieu's face fell, "Master, what do we do?!"

Tear's heart almost broke at the sight. The small cheagle was so adorable…

"I can't swim…"

She wanted to go and-

"Shut up and drown," Luke kicked the poor cheagle.

Tear almost lost her composure again, but Jade luckily spoke up, directing the group's attention back to the conversation.

"If they intended to sink us, they wouldn't come storming aboard."

The group nodded in agreement. Who in their right minds would run onto a ship they were going to sink? What a moronic deed…

"Then they're trying to take it over!" Anise exclaimed.

Tear noticed Artemis wince at Anise's shout. She opened her mouth to speak when a sigh interrupted her notion.

"So then," Guy started, "I guess we have to secure the bridge before they do, huh?"

"Exactly," Jade replied.

Artemis' face fell. It seemed the young man definitely wasn't up for doing such physical labor after being sick.

"Artemis," the whisper from the Fon Master made the still slightly nauseous woman look to her side.

"Are you alright?"

Artemis nodded her head and smiled weakly.

"I've been worse," she answered, hoping to divert his concern, "Just a little sea-sick, I suppose," she lied.

From the look on Ion's face, he didn't believe her either. After all, who in their right mind would get on a ferry boat if they were seasick?

"… Guy, says that we should stay in the back if there's another fight."

"Guy…?" the said man was busy talking to Jade and Luke. The party perhaps didn't think she could fight? Sure she wasn't the best at combat, but she knew enough self-defense to keep her alive on her own personal journeys.

Artemis wanted to kick herself as realization geared in. She was totally involved with the group of could be criminals. If only she had gone separate ways from the group when they had gotten on the ferry… And thus after chasing after a small machine on a rocking ship, Artemis found herself staring at the spot were Barrelow X had once stood.

"It ran away…" Luke spoke up.

"Um," Anise pulled on the hem of her shirt, "is it okay for it to get wet?"

In reply to her question the robot let out a scream.

Artemis was definitely happy that her nausea left her, or that inhumane noise would have giver her a rather large migraine.

Jade turned to the group, "Naturally, we'll leave it alone."

"Are you sure you're not ill anymore?" Ion asked one final time.

Artemis nodded and popped a small gel in her mouth, "I'm fine now, no worries 'bout it Ion."

"Hey, what was that?" Artemis and Ion jumped at the sudden addition to their conversation.

"Guy!"

"Heh, sorry about that," he said sheepishly, "but Artemis, what was that gel you had? I don't think I've ever seen one like it."

"Oh, that," Artemis rummaged through her satchel and pulled out another blue gel, "it's a gel I made recently."

"You made it!"

"That's pretty cool, Artemis," Ion complimented.

Artemis flushed slightly in the face, which contrasted greatly with her skin tone.

"Ah, it's nothing… Um, here."

She put the gel in Guy's hand. He looked at the gel in interest, "What do you call it?"

"Not sure," Artemis paused, "maybe the Miracle Gel."

She sure felt she would need a miracle to get out of the mess she was in. Stealing a glance at her satchel, she thought back at the contents in the bag. She wondered when she would ever finish that map she was doodling with… or finish the doll she had to have for the little Nanette.

Guy grinned, "That sounds handy."

He held out his hand to return the gel, but Artemis shook her head.

"Keep it, you might need it," Artemis chuckled to herself.

"Ahh hah hah hah hah! Ahh hah hah hah hah hah!" Guy had to frown at the rather annoying laugh. Looking to his side, he noted both Ion and Artemis' distaste for the man's voice as well.

"Listen, you ignorant savages," Guy's brow rose. Savages now were they? Then what were the he, calling them such things…

"and you shall hear my beautiful name."

Guy was definitely sure, that if a man thought his own name was beautiful something was definitely amiss. He was also quite sure that none of the savages wanted to hear his name…

"I am the most graceful member of the Six God-Generals, the one and only, Dist the--"

"Why, if it isn't Dist the Runny!"

All eyes turned to Jade then back to Dist as his tantrum began.

"The Rose! R-O-S-E, rose! Dist the Rose!" he demanded his name be said right.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anise snicker to herself before speaking up, "You mean Dist the Reaper."

"Silence!" the man fumed, "I refuse to accept that name! It's Rose! ROSE!"

Guy watched with a slightly confused expression.

"Ah…"

Ion, Guy, and Tear turned to the voice beside them.

"As much as we all enjoy the sight of a grown man having a tantrum," he began somewhat sarcastically, "who is this guy?"

"Yeah," Luke turned to Jade, "Jade, you know this weirdo?"

Anise nodded her head, "I'm in the Oracle Knights, too, so…" she trailed off with her explanation before shaking her head, "why do you know him Colonel?"

Jade looked at them with an amused look. Before he could answer though, Dist spoke up loudly.

"I, the genius Dist, once counted that duplicitous snake Jade amongst my friends."

Jade pushed his glasses up, "Which Jade is that?" he smirked, "I don't know any Jades with such poor taste in friends."

Guy blinked, once again the Colonel's bantering or honesty as he would call itwas taking its effect. Perhaps he had the same reaction from everyone who encountered his honest nature.

The white haired man's face grew a cherry red, "What did you say?!"

"Ah ah, careful now," Jade said, "you know how your nose runs when you get mad."

"That's gross…" Artemis whispered to himself.

Guy looked over at Luke who looked at him in return.

He groaned, "This is stupid…"

Guy nodded, "They're off in their own little world…"

"Enough of this!" Dist exclaimed, "Now, hand over the fon disc data!"

Guy rolled his eyes, like they would go and just give-

"You mean this?"

Everyone but Jade ducked as the flying chair swooped over the group. Dist snatched the object from Jade's hand with a triumphant laugh.

"Ha ha ha! How careless, Jade!"

"You can have them," Jade replied lightheartedly. He smirked and brought his arm down to lie at his back, then continued simply, "I've already memorized their contents."

"Grr!! I'm being mocked by savages!!" Dist exclaimed, "When you taste the pain of my super, ultra-" Guy immediately surmised that the God-General used one(or much) too many adjectives… incorrectly, "-gorgeous artes, you'll regret what you've done!!"

Seconds after the words left his mouth a machine dropped down onto the ferry. The party had to hold on to each other to keep their balance when it landed.

"What in the world?!" Artemis exclaimed.

The thing swung its arms out and the party had to spread out to avoid the attack. Tear and Guy pushed Artemis and Ion out of the way.

Agitation flashed across the green haired man's face, but Guy pushed his concerns to the matter at hand. He pulled out his sword and ran in to attack.

for my two reviewers~ i hope you liked the update~ i didn't want to take too long to update~ (like i usually do...) hahaha! PS - i read/like ur stories too :3

Also! Artemis' picture is in my profile! take a look if you'd like~ :D

R&R please~