Disclaimer:The world didn't change all that much within the last 24 hours so... nope, still don't own shit. The game-characters and the world itself are all property of Namco&friends, not mine. I simply call the story itself mine. And since I'm not Namco, the story is mine with copyright and everything, though the characters are not.

Chapter 2: Of guilty thoughts and (un)happy reunions

A war cry escaped from Asbel's lips as his sword cut through the wing of a wyrm that had approached his king. Distracted by defending against another of these monsters, Richard had not noticed the threat. His face turned when he heard the sound of a familiar voice and a small smile crossed his face, while his sword attack was reflected by the hard stomach scales of his enemy.

"Why does it not surprise me to see you when I am just about to die again?" the blonde asked and barely evaded the tail of his enemy as it spun in a circle to smash him against a wall. His voice sounded slightly weary, though he masked it with great skill. Richard really was happy to see his friend again after all, but he was also tired after hours of defending against the wyrms when they had attacked repeatedly. They hadn't given him any real room to rest since he left the city.

"I don't know, but maybe you should tell your fate that it should stop sulking and deal with you being alive already. It's becoming a hassle to convince it otherwise every time we meet."

Asbel smirked. Then he emitted another cry, jumped and pierced the head of the one-winged wyrm lying on the ground with Excalibur, crashing through the thick skull of the beast like it was nothing. Electric sparks glimmered in the air around him.

Meanwhile Richard raised his rapier, the head directly pointing at his enemy and ran towards the wyrm. It had leaned slightly backwards to draw in breath for a deadly attack that would roast his enemy alive. Just as the wyrm was about to let loose his fiery breath, the king stabbed it right through the heart, crashing through a scale he had damaged earlier in the fight. With a stifled shout, the wyrm fell to the ground and died. Their foes dead, Asbel and Richard now had room for a small breather to judge the situation.

The rest of Richard's soldiers were reduced greatly in number, less than a hundred were still standing; even less of them fighting. Some of them had simply given in to their fear, standing motionless and in shock against their terrifying enemies. On the corner of his eyes Asbel saw a man that was bathed in the fiery breath of a wyrm, while a female soldier beside him drove her sword in the neck of the creature. They wouldn't have been able to withstand these monsters much longer, Asbel realized. He again had barely come in time to save his friend. With the reinforcements from Lhant however, the tide turned and soon it was the wyrms who were driven back.

In front of them, Cheria and Sophie did what they could to support their troops. Cheria performed healing spell after healing spell while throwing myriads of daggers in every direction. Miraculously, all of them only hit wyrms, though many of them were repelled by the unusual hard scales of the dragon-like creatures. But a few managed to get past these scales or hit softer scaled places. And when they hit, they were devastating. The elegance of her movement was fascinating to watch, even in lethal moments. This reminded the lord of Lhant of yet another reason why he loved the women: Everything she did was either elegant or cute in his eyes. In this case, definitely the former.

He could not say the same about Sophie. Not that she didn't have any elegance in her movement. A normal human simply could not see it since she moved faster than the eye could follow. Like a whirlwind she rushed through the battlefield, evading every attack from enemies that managed to notice her in time. Her powerful punches and kicks caused bones to crack and skulls to be crushed. It was a frightening sight, especially when she could look so kind and fragile herself.

With regained courage the rest of the Guard, Asbel and Richard rejoined the fighting. The wyrms only lasted a few more minutes against the joined forces of Lhant and Barona. Then the fight was over, with a few surviving wyrms flying back towards the capital.

Cheria and Sophie, though still out of breath from the fighting, immediately went to tend the more seriously wounded on the ground with healing spells. Meanwhile, Asbel and Richard, along with the un- or less wounded soldiers sat down slightly apart from the healers and their patients. They would take a few minutes to block out what had happened just to rest a bit and regain their composure.

With a tree as backrest, the two first took a moment to relax in silence, which allowed Asbel to finally get a better look at his friend. Richard's clothing style hadn't changed all that much in the past year. A white shirt adorned with vertical stripes beneath a small black coat, together with blue trousers and way too long leather boots that reached far above the knees. Topped off with a black cloak, Richard looked just like he remembered him from his last visits. Though some subtle wrinkles were new, as well as the circles under his eyes. But he guessed they were to be expected after this day.

"One day, Asbel, I will be forced to ask you how you always manage to be there when I need you the most."

Richard's voice broke the silence as he tiredly shifted his back a bit against the tree in a more comfortable position, his usual tone including a subtle mocking that did not go unnoticed by Asbel.

"And I will be forced to blame it all on fate, destiny and Cheria." shot Asbel quickly back as he did the same, a grin imprinted on his face.

"Cheria?" Richard turned his head slightly and gave him a confused look.

"Well, I don't think it's unreasonable to place her on the same scale as fate and destiny, do you, your majesty?" answered Asbel with a dead serious voice while looking in her direction, observing her healing a nasty burn wound on the back of one of his soldiers.

Richard snickered.

"Yes, I agree with you. Though I wish you would stop with the titles. I consider you family and we both know that I'm your big brother. I want you to address me like that."

Asbel made a small grimace. Ever since he had made that joke with Richard, imitating the way Hubert called him "brother", his friend didn't let it slide and brought it up at nearly every occasion. It seemed to give him some satisfaction to be seen as Asbel's older brother, even if only inside their small group. It was annoying for Asbel, but it was kind of fun, so he nearly always played along.

Just when Asbel was about to show off his best Hubert-imitation, that had been refined by years of practice, an approaching officer interrupted their banter. The soldier began a formal greeting towards both the lord and his majesty, giving them both time to stand up. Then he gave them a report about the situation. Apparently, around half of the guards Richard had brought with him, were still alive, around ninety or so in total numbers. A quarter of the remaining troops had potential, or actual, lethal wounds that needed to be tended to by a healer. The losses on Lhant's side were small in comparison, but they still had lost some good men that day.

This part of the report filled the heart of both leaders with sadness. It would be Asbel's job to explain to the families in Lhant why their husband, wife, relative or friend would not be with them when they came back. Richard didn't envy his friend for this part of his duty, though he would like to do it himself for his own soldiers. It was the least he wished to do for them. But they were too many in numbers to pull that off and as disrespectful as it seemed to the king for the great services they had done, a letter and the apologies of another one of his subjects would have to do. If he was even able to locate the family in the current situation. The capital itself was lost and shattered. Every remaining military force that didn't seem to have mixed with the guards and seemed to have stayed in the capital was declared dead. They couldn't have possibly survived the constant wind and fire onslaught, combined with the attacks of the smaller wyrms. This included the knight academy and the cadets that were not among the soldiers.

Asbel felt a small stab in his heart when he heard that one of his former teachers, Major Victoria, was most likely dead. He had respected her greatly.

But all of this was forgotten when the report moved on to the civil losses. Richard and his guards had paid a high price, so that slightly less than one thousand people could survive. It might have looked like a big number, but apparently it was only a small fraction of the inhabitants of Barona. Paleness overcame Richard as the report continued and it seemed like he was not able to listen any further.

"Not even a tenth." heard Asbel his "big brother" whisper breathlessly into the air, "I was not able to save even one tenth of my people ..."

The shock about the countless dead on both military and civilian side caused him to take a few steps backs and lean against the tree again.

In summary, Barona had just been obliterated. The city was left in ruins, occupied by an enemy with unknown, but so far terrifying strength and the overall population of Windor had suffered a heavy blow in one single day.

This left Windor effectively without a capital. And with a power vacuum that could lead to civil war within Windor if Richard didn't act fast to prevent any action of some of the arrogant nobles that sniffed the chance of greater position. Asbel wouldn't want to be in Richard's skin right now. The political turmoil in Lhant left him more than once with a headache even when he tried to keep it simple. He couldn't possibly imagine what went through Richard's head right now. Especially after what he had just gone through.

Asbel snapped out of his thoughts when Richard took a step forward, again with the face of a king; strong, confident and determined. It was a mask he wore all too often when he had to reign his country.

"Tell the soldiers that we will stay here until nightfall to tend the wounded. Then we'll march back to Gralesyde. Every person that is still in need of medical attention by that time shall be carried by the remaining that can stand. Send a messenger to inform Duke Dalen that I want an audience with him when we arrive. Also ask him kindly to prepare for our arrival. I want them to have beds waiting for us if possible."

His commanding tone trembled a bit and was not as convincing as usual, but one would have to look and hear very closely to notice.

With an "As you wish, your majesty" the officer turned and went to the troops to spread the orders. Alone again with his friend, Richard let the mask of the king drop, just slightly. A few minutes went by as they did nothing else but look at the situation around them in silence, both lost in thoughts.

"It is a hard time to be king right now, Asbel," started the king suddenly, a heaviness in his voice that was quite rare.

"Tell me, is this fate's revenge for almost destroying Ephinea? Am I not forgiven for what I have done? Or is it a twisted joke made to amuse the great entities? I feel so...tired...worn out..."

He didn't need to say any more of the guilt that had eaten away at him constantly over the years. His friend understood, he understood all too well. Asbel turned to look Richard in the eyes, determination glimmering in them. He wanted to make a point.

"Richard, you need to... no you must stop blaming yourself for the past. As ridiculous as it sounds, all of it was made possible by circumstance. It is not your fault all of this happened. Everyone bears their part of the guilt; Sophie, me, Lambda, Emeraude. Heck, I guess even Malik and Hubert feel responsible for it. You are not alone with your burden and you are not the one to bear it alone. Always remember that. Both you and Lambda, have suffered more than you deserve"

Silence came after these words and Richard found himself unable to endure Asbel's look any longer. He knew his friend would say that. It comforted him to know that the Lord of Lhant had not changed one bit since the last time they traveled. It warmed his thoughts to know that they still were just as good friends as they ever were. But still, the words didn't manage to drive away his guilt completely. The king still felt responsible for what he'd let the world go through. For what he had done to his own people. For not resisting and controlling the feelings that had burned inside of him, amplified by the entity that now held residence inside Asbel.

"I...guess I agree with you," came his answer after a few seconds.

Both knew that Richard was not wholly convinced, but Asbel would let it slide. For now.

"How is he faring?" asked the king quietly. Asbel didn't need a name to know who his friend meant.

"He's still sleeping right now. Guess he needs all the energy he has to keep Fodra in check. I haven't noticed him doing anything since then. Sometimes I wonder if he's really still there..."

Heavy silence fell between the two of them, before Asbel finally started to talk again.

"Anyway, what kind of monster was it that attacked you in Barona? I heard Sophie talking about it, but I can hardly imagine anything like it. Was it really that big?"

Relieved by the change of topic Richard let out a small sigh.

"Even more than you can imagine Asbel. This was no monster. It was a force of nature. I have seen it trampling through walls as if they were made of paper while the winds that accompanied it ripped the rest of it asunder. You would think that the wyrms were bad enough, but this... thing would have sufficed to destroy all of Windor by itself."

It didn't surprise him when he saw doubt in his friend's eyes.

"I guess it would be better if I just showed you." He concluded.

Confused by the words, Asbel tilted his head.

"What do you mean sho...Wait! You're not thinking about sneaking off to Barona with me now, are you?"

"What better way to estimate the enemy's strength than to watch him directly? It is not as if I would be in danger. We would be watching from a safe distance and I would have you by my side after all, the hero of Ephinea and Lord of Graces," he said, the usual mocking undertone in Richards voice reappearing with the last few words.

A small shudder crawled down Asbel's back as Richard mentioned his last title. It was an official honorary title, given to him by Richard after everyone had recovered from the Lambda incident. There had been a small ceremony and everything, but that wasn't the reason he shuddered.

At the knight academy, there had been small tests to check the grace and elegance in the fighting style of the pupils. They weren't a big deal usually, but they were the only tests Asbel had dreaded like no other. He had never been one for fancy movements or stances in battle, even if they provided some advantage to a certain degree by hiding what kind of attack one would use next. His usual, rather rough style normally got the job done and his natural elegance, only comparable to a transportation turtle trying to do ballet, made it all but hard to embarrass himself in front of everyone. After the first few evaluations, his clumsiness while trying to appear graceful had given him the ironic byname "Lord of Graces" by some of the other cadets. Though they mostly used it in a few good natured jokes when he was around, Asbel hadn't liked the name all that much.

Knowing Richard and the amount of teasing he would have to endure if his friend ever found out, he had hoped with every fiber of his being that this news would never reach him. Time had passed and Asbel had nearly forgotten about it. But then his hopes had been shattered during the ceremony in the moment he looked into the knowing eyes of his friend. Richard had simply loved to bring it up occasionally ever since and it never failed to make Asbel flush a bit and confuse everyone that did not now about the inside joke.

This time the title again didn't fail to color Asbel's cheeks, but it also relaxed him that Richard was still able to joke around a bit. It showed him that his friend really would be able to deal with the situation, even if what had happened was present in his mind.

"Well, I guess I'll have to agree with you if you put it that way," he answered with a resigned sigh.

Richard made his way to inform his officers that he would be stretching his legs for a while and that no one was to come looking for him, while Asbel informed Cheria and Sophie of his plans. Both initially insisted on coming with him, but it didn't take much to convince them that they were needed in Wallbridge and that Richard and Asbel would be back soon. With this they made their way to the outskirts of Barona.

The sight in front of the two men was shocking for Asbel. With wide opened eyes he watched as a massive green dragon flew in circle above the capital, occasionally breathing fire at the city. Against the setting sun, the Lord of Lhant could see green and white scales shine in awe-inspiring fashion. Had the creature the scales belonged to not been so dangerous, it would have been a wonderful sight. And not only that. Richard had been right. This thing wasn't big; it was a giant. Three to four houses long and two houses in height had not been an exaggeration. Rather, it had been an understatement. This dragon was nearly big enough to reach the highest tower of the castle. And that was damn big.

Even from a far distance, Asbel could feel a notable increase in the wind's strength. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he were to stand in front of the dragon. He also couldn't imagine how Richard had managed to stay calm enough to pull through with his evacuation plan while being confronted with such a monster of a wyrm. Fighting it was not an option. Nothing they currently had at their disposal would be strong enough to even reach the dragon, much less harm him. Especially without Lambda's power. They hadn't been able to use them ever since he went to sleep with the angry part of Fodra's consciousness.

Still slightly shocked that something like this could even exist Asbel retreated, followed by Richard. "How is this even possible?" Asbel whispered.

"That, my friend, is a question I have asked myself countless times since this morning."

'Was it really this morning?' Richard wondered as he said these words. It seemed like weeks had passed in these few hours.

Asbel shock his head slightly, still in disbelieve, as they made their way back to Wallbridge.

"But there has to be a way. Maybe we can communicate..."

Richard interrupted.

"Even if the dragon understands us, do you think we will be able to negotiate with it? Why should it? We are of no importance to it, otherwise it would not have... eradicated the whole city."

Richard made a small stop before he said the last few words. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that the former capital was now nothing more than ruins.

"But we have to do something. Someone has to know...well, something..." Asbel's shoulders dropped slightly. Then his face lit up.

"Hey! What about Pascal? Maybe she can help!"

A small glimmer of hope reappeared in his voice. There wasn't much that the Amarcian women didn't know. Surely she could help them!

Hectically he pulled out the communication device the group used to send messages among themselves, even if they couldn't see each other. Pascal had built and sent one to Lhant manor a few month ago as well as to Malik in Fendel. Since Asbel never was too far away from Richard, Cheria and Sophie as well as Pascal being nearly inseparable from Hubert, all of them could talk to each other if necessary. With a final click he finished his message and watched the small bird like ball disappear into the distance. Now, all that was left to do was wait.

The soldiers had already been preparing for departure when Asbel and Richard had returned from their excursion. Another officer had given them a small report about the current situation. With four exceptions, all of the soldiers would be able to walk on their own to Gralesyde. Two of them suffered from heavy burn wounds that didn't allow them to walk but were otherwise fine and not in any lethal danger. The other two luckily wouldn't die anytime soon as well. Both of them had gotten the bones in one of their legs shattered to the point that it couldn't be saved and it would have to be amputated. However, that would be the job of the local doctors and not their healers. Ironically the soon-to-be one-legged female and her partner had fought the same wyrm when the beast had decided to do a surprising tail spin. Needless to say that both had been too slow to react.

A tired looking Cheria and Sophie greeted Asbel and Richard when they approached the area that formerly had been occupied by the wounded. In Cheria's case however it was more accurate to say that she rather fell clumsily in Asbel's arms instead of greeting him. The hours of casting healing spells had been quite taxing on her and she wanted nothing more than a nice warm bed, in a nice warm room with a nice warm husband to snuggle against. And finally a break from that constantly annoying wind. She really looked forward to their arrival in Gralesyde. Sophie herself didn't seem all that weary, but her quite amazing constitution seemed worn out enough that she didn't seem to feel like talking.

Hence, the march to Gralesyde had been a quiet one. In Gralesyde Richard had quickly wished his companions a good night and went off to meet Duke Dalen. Asbel originally wanted to go with him, but two brown eyes had denied his request before he could even voice it. Cheria Lhant wanted to go to bed, with him by her side and she wanted to do that now, no buts allowed. Being tired himself and in no mood to argue with her, Asbel quickly gave in. Besides, the chance of a comfortable bed after this harsh day had quite some appeal by itself. He'd let Richard fill him in on the meeting in the morning and apologize to the Duke afterwards. Surprisingly, instead of Asbel, Sophie decided to go with Richard. She said that she didn't feel tired and didn't want to leave Richard alone just yet. She got a small good night kiss from her father and mother, then she rushed in the direction of the Duke's house.

"Well, I guess that leaves just the two of us. Guess we can head to bed early then," said Asbel as his eyes followed his adoptive daughter until she was out of sight. Unsure, he turned to face his wife who rewarded him with a satisfied smile at the words. Together they hurried to the inn and into their already prepared room. Asbel's last thoughts afterwards before he drifted into warm, comforting sleep were rather dark ones. How could they possibly hope to survive in the face of such a threat?

A/N:

I know I posted the first chapter around 24 hours ago but damn, that took longer than anticipated. I thought I had written most of the chapter yesterday as well but...seems like it was more around 50% in the end. Again, feedback in any way is appreciated. At the moment, especially about the Asbel + Cheria relationship.

So... first fight, first appearance of bigger dialogues and first meeting with one of the three enemies! Damn what a fat ass. Oh, and the group finally got their beloved Blondie. No, I meant that other Blondie, not Malik.

And don't be surprised if the phrasing of the end in this chapter changes slightly until tomorrow. I'm still not happy about it but I've thought about it for an hour now without any productive output... damn sentences =/

Anway, may all of you have a nice day if you make it this far in the A/N and thanks for reading ;)

Update 11.04: This chapter is now beta-proofread!