Yeah, I promise there wouldn't be a month between chapter. See, I an keep a promise. Seriously, thank you all for your feedback and reviews. Glad to see that this story is still getting so much interest after such a long break.
Now, onward to the chapter.
Chapter 18: Palmacosta
Maxe moved the boat in slowly as he docked on the main pier of the city. The first thing Lloyd noticed was just how noisy Palmacosta was. Even before they reached the dock, he could hear people talking and attempting to sell goods. It was the complete opposite of every town they've been so far, which tended to be lower key.
"We're here!" Maxe shouted as he dropped anchor.
Lloyd was excited to finally get off the small boat. He wasn't sure if he could spend another day being cramp up with everyone. Noishe was so eager that he jumped off the boat and ran towards the nearest exit in town. Lloyd wasn't too worried. Despite how cowardly Noishe could act, he was more than able to protect himself.
"Thanks, Maxe!" Lloyd yelled. "Be careful on your way back!"
Maxe nodded. "I will, take care!"
Genis looked like he wanted run in all directions. "Where do we begin?"
"First, we should book a room," Raine said. "I doubt we will get much done today."
"Agreed," Kratos said.
"After we get a room, can we visit the church?" Colette asked.
"We can see what we can do," Raine said.
They all made their way through the market place. It was fairly challenging since people were attempting to sell them goods at every corner. The market also smelled even stronger of fish than the entire town of Izoold. Lloyd quickly concluded that he never wanted to live in a fishing town.
"Look at this!" Colette exclaimed as she rushed towards a stall. It was a blacksmith's store that had a variety of weapons and armors. On display was a pair of chakrams.
"I didn't know you were into weapons," Lloyd said with amusement.
"Well, since I will need to pass more trials, I think I should get better weapons," Colette said.
"A wise decision," Kratos praised.
Lloyd began to shift through the selection. He picked up one of the chakrams and began to examine them. "The steel is okay, but not the best. Do you have any better pair?"
The merchant rubbed his chin. "Let me check." He began to move through his wares and took out another pair of chakrams. They were a bronze color with white highlights. "These are the best pair I have."
Lloyd took them and carefully looked them over. "They're nice... I guess they will have to do if they are the best you have."
Kratos observed Lloyd. The boy had a good eye for steel. It should come to no surprise since a dwarf who was a master at his craft raised him.
The merchant rubbed his hands together. "That will be twenty-two hundred gald."
Lloyd filched at the number. "That's way too much."
"You'll find nothing better here," the merchant assured smugly.
Before Lloyd could argue further, he felt Kratos put his hand on his shoulder. "Then, we will shop elsewhere."
"But..." Colette started.
"We can find you a better weapon in another town," Kratos said.
The merchant paled when he heard this. "Wait...I can be reasonable."
Kratos glared at the man. "We will pay no more than eleven-hundred gald."
"That's half the price!" the merchant shouted.
"From where I stand, that is how much they are worth." Kratos said neutrally.
Lloyd nodded. "I agree. My dad could make a better pair for the same price."
The merchant began to grumble under his voice. "Fine, eleven-hundred."
Raine reached into her sack and paid the man. Colette then happily took her new chakrams.
"Thank you, sir," Colette said.
They were once again on their way and finally made it out of the market place. Colette looked over her new weapons in awe to the point that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. It was at that moment that Raine saw a bit of movement from the corner of her eye.
"Colette, look out!" Raine warned too late.
Before Colette could stop herself, she ran head first into another young lady. They both fall with a loud thug on the hard stone road. A loud crack was also heard as everyone took in the scene.
"There she goes again," Genis muttered with a hint of humor.
"Owww!" the other lady screamed in pain. "What did you do that for!?"
Lloyd quickly helped Colette up, who was blushing in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry."
The other lady stood up, looking more than a little peeved. Lloyd finally had a chance to look her over. She was dressed whether plainly in an orange brown dress with yellow highlights. She had short blue hair that gave her almost a boyish look.
"Ahh, the Palma Potion that we just received!" the woman yelled in horror. Everyone looked down to see broken glass on the ground covered in a pinkish liquid. It had the strong scent of cherries, which now floated in the air.
"Hey lady, that was a very valuable potion!" a man growled at Colette.
Lloyd completely failed to notice the group that the woman was traveling with. The man that had spoken to them was a big fellow with broad shoulders and a gruff looking face. He had long red hair that spiked up more than Lloyd's and battle armor that covered most of his body.
There was also another man who looked much less intimidating than his other companion. He wore an open brown vest and light green pants. His hair was short, greasy, and looked like he hasn't showered in a couple of days.
"How are you planning on making up for this?" the man demanded, snapping Lloyd back to attention.
"Hey numbskull, it was an accident," Lloyd snapped without thinking.
The man gave Lloyd a harsh glare. "What did you say, boy?"
"Boy?" Lloyd growled, reaching for his swords. He was quickly stopped by Kratos, who nearly crushed his arm in his grip.
"I'll buy a replacement potion right away," Colette said, truly feeling bad about breaking their things.
"Replacement potion!?" the man all but yelled in an almost comical fashion. "Do you seriously think that's going to be enough to appease my anger!?"
Lloyd began to laugh out loud. "Oh, come on, now you just sound like an idiot."
"What did you say!?" the man growled as he walked over to Lloyd, getting right in his face. "Do you know who we are!?"
Lloyd gave the man his own death glare. "And I should care because?" he dared, although if felt like his arm was about to fall asleep from Kratos gripping it so hard.
"Why, you little..." the main muttered as he reached for his own weapon.
"You removed that weapon, you forfeit your life," Kratos warned, letting go of Lloyd's arm.
The man backed down slightly after seeing Kratos' death stare that made Lloyd's looked like a kitten in comparison.
"Stop!" another woman yelled. She looked older than the rest of the group and wore what looked like a baby blue witch outfit, complete with a matching cape and hat. "I'd like to leave here as soon as we can. Don't start any unnecessary trouble."
Kratos looked between everyone in the group. From what he could tell from their mana, they were hiding something. From their demeanor, they were no doubt a bunch of thugs.
"I agree," the first woman said in a soft tone as she looked around the street. "Let's just have them replace the potion."
The man growled as he look at Lloyd. "You got off lucky this time, kid. Hurry up and go buy that potion."
Lloyd ignored him and turned towards Colette. "There's no need to bother with these bunch of jackasses."
"I agree," Genis said, not liking their attitude.
Colette shook her head. "No, I ran into them, so I have to pay for it. It's the only right thing to do."
Genis sighed. "You're far too kind."
"Fine, alright," Lloyd muttered.
"That's a good boy," the man mocked.
Lloyd felt his body stiffened as he thought of the many ways he wanted to beat that guy.
"Come along, Lloyd," Kratos said, his voice breaking through his anger.
Lloyd finally gave in and followed the group as they went down the opposite road.
"You need to learn to control that temper," Kratos scowled.
"I could have handle him," Lloyd argued.
"That is hardly the point," Kratos said firmly. "One shouldn't pick fights based on emotions. A true swordsman would know that."
"What..." Lloyd started.
"I much agree with Kratos," Raine said, interrupting him. "It was actually quite shameful on how you conducted yourself back there. Remember, your actions are a direct reflection on the Chosen."
"But they started it!" Lloyd all but yelled.
"And you should be mature enough not to continue it," Kratos lectured. "You best learn to control yourself or else your temper could lead to your destruction one day."
Lloyd finally sighed in defeat. "Fine."
"Here's a store!" Genis exclaimed as they reached a nearby bar. "They may have some Palma Potions here."
"I will go inside since most of you are underage," Raine said as she walked inside the bar.
"Man, the Professor always been picky about drinking ages," Lloyd grumbled.
"Tell me about it," Genis sighed. "Raine nearly went crazy when she found out I had a sip of beer that one time at Dirk's house. I'm surprise Dirk made it out alive."
"It could be because elves have a naturally low tolerance to alcohol," Kratos said. "I read that most alcoholic beverages are forbidden elven cultures."
Lloyd's eyes widened. "Really, I never knew that."
"Neither did I," Genis confessed.
"Man, that's nothing like my dad," Lloyd mused. "I was allow to drink beer since I was fourteen."
Colette frowned. "That's too young for anyone to drink. The Church dictates the proper age to be eighteen."
"Different cultures have different rules," Kratos said. "There is nothing strange about it."
"Still..." Colette started.
Raine chose that moment to walk out of the bar. She had a deep frown on her face.
"No luck?" Kratos asked, although he already knew the answer.
Raine shook her head. "It would appear that there is a Palma Potion shortage."
"Really?" Genis grumbled.
"From what they told me, the plant that is used to make the Palma Potion was in short supple this year. So, only a limited number was made."
"No wonder those guys were so upset about Colette breaking their bottle," Genis said.
"We must keep searching, though," Colette said. "We can't let those poor people suffer for my mistake."
"Poor people?" Lloyd muttered.
"Our only option is to search every store until we find one that sells the potion," Kratos said, not looking forward to the search.
Lloyd growled. "Detta är en sådan smärta i röven."
Kratos stared at Lloyd for a moment, but decided not to lecture him about his language this time.
"Maybe we should spread out to cover more ground," Genis suggested.
"The city is too big and you will more likely get lost, which would waste more time," Kratos said. "We best stay together."
They once again walked across the city and checked every store and bar they came across. Either the store didn't sell the potion or it was outrageously expensive.
"You know, we could possibly get the potion at a discount if we simply told them about Colette being the Chosen," Genis said after they checked the twenty-something store.
"We can't do that," Colette said. "The potions are rare and I can't take advantage of my title to cheat someone."
"They are cheating us, Chosen," Kratos informed calmly. "Even at its rarest, Palma Potions shouldn't go pass two-thousand gald."
"I'm certain they have their reasons to mark up the price," Colette insisted.
Raine sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "We may just have to eat the cost."
"The least expensive batch we have seen so far would cost one-third of our savings," Kratos said.
"Maybe so, but we can hardly explore the city all day," Raine said as she continued to rub her sore head.
"Let's check one more store before we call it," Lloyd said. He never dreamed Palmacosta could be so big. They must have been to at least twenty stories and they didn't even cross the bridge to see the other parts of the city. Genis wasn't kidding when he said this was the biggest city in the world.
"Here's a store!" Colette exclaimed as she pointed towards a sign.
Lloyd looked up and saw the sign read 'Marble's Items Store'. He blinked for a moment, but quickly put the thought behind him. He glanced at Genis who also had the same expression.
Kratos also glazed in wonderment at the store sign, but for a completely different reason. This was where Anna loved to shop when they lived here. From what he could remember, she had made friends with the shop owner and would visit often. He never personally had the chance to meet the family, so he was in no danger of given himself away.
Raine didn't take noticed of all the odd looks as she opened the door. To her surprise, she saw several Desians standing in front of the desk. The others followed behind her and were also taken aback from the sight.
Kratos wanted to kick himself for not noticing the aggressive auras outside. He had once again allowed his memories to distract him. He edged his hand towards his sword in case things got violent.
"Oh, please, there's no way anyone would sell those to you at a price that low!" a young lady exclaimed at the Desians. She had long brown hair that was tied into a pigtail and wore a yellow and green dress with a matching vest.
One of the Desians growled in annoyance. "You should be thankful that we're even willing to spend money for goods from a rundown shack like this."
The woman glared at them harshly. "I don't need to hear that from a bunch of filthy Desians!"
"Chocolat, stop!" an older woman yelled, who was watching the fight helplessly. Her hair was also brown but it was a lighter shade than Chocolat and it was shorter. She wore a similar dress from Chocolat except hers were blue and purple.
Chocolat stared at the other woman in surprise. "But mom, these are the same monsters that took grandma away!"
Genis felt his blood run cold. No, it couldn't be who he thought it was. Surely, the Goddess Martel couldn't be that cruel.
"You've got some nerve talking to us like that, little girl," the other Desian stated. "You keep that up, and we can't guarantee what'll happen to you or this city."
Lloyd felt his temper rise as he heard the threat. It was just like Iselia.
"Just try it!" Chocolat dared. "As long as Governor-General Dorr is around, we'll never submit to the like of you!"
Kratos raised an eyebrow. So, the old Governor-General was still alive. He thought for certain that his defiant attitude would have gotten him killed by now. Especially since he dared raised an army.
"You little..." the first Desian started.
"Stop!" the second Desian warned. "We'll exceed our quota for this season. We need permission from Lord Magnius to go any further."
Kratos had to keep himself from shaking his head. The season had barely begun and Magnius had already gone over the death quota. If that man were in charge of a smaller region, most of the people would be long dead by now.
The first Desian sneered as he looked towards Chocolat. "Depending on Lord Magnius' mood, you might or might not get to keep that pretty little head of yours!"
He kicked the counter before they finally left. Kratos watched them carefully until they were completely out of his sight. Hopefully, they wouldn't be returning. Magnius was many things, but he would be foolish to attack the city since he should know that the Chosen would be in the area. Mithos would not be pleased if the Chosen was killed in some random attack.
Chocolat shrugged off the warning as she turned towards her mother. "Well then, I'm off to work now."
The mother rubbed her head in frustration. "Take care." Was the only thing she said.
Chocolat walked in front the desk and strolled passed the group without so much of a glance. Lloyd had to admire how gutsy she was to stand up to the Desians. No one in Iselia would had the nerve to do what she had done. It was actually quite refreshing.
"I apologize for what happened. I'm sure you were startled," the mother said in a calm tone.
"With the Desians around, scenes like this are very common," Raine said neutrally.
The mother nodded. "How sad the truth is."
"Excuse me, miss," Genis spoke up. "But what did you mean earlier about someone being taken to the Ranch?"
The mother shook her head. "That's family business and I don't feel like discussing it."
Genis could hear the hurt and fear in her voice. "I...I'm sorry for asking."
"It's okay," the mother said softly. "Everyone in the city has had a love one taken by the Desians."
Lloyd balled his fists in anger. Those Desians think that they could just treat anyone like their cattle.
"Anyway, please, relaxed and take a look around," the mother said.
"We already know what we want," Raine said. "Do you have any Palma Potions here?"
The mother nodded. "Oh yes, we have plenty."
Raine reached into her sack. "How much will it be?"
The mother reached out and got a bottle of Palma Potion. "That will be one-thousand gald."
"Wow, it's that cheap here?" Genis asked in disbelief.
"We keep a large supple every year, so we're not hinder by the shortage," the mother said. "I also find it despicable on how some of the vendors are taking advantage of their customers."
"That's really nice of you," Lloyd said.
"It's only the right thing to do," the mother said.
Raine handed the storeowner the money. She then carefully took the potion. "Looks like our patients have paid off in the end."
"Please come back any time," the mother said kindly. "If you need anything, my name is Cacao."
Colette gave a slight bow. "Thank you again, Cacao." They turned to leave.
"The people of Palmacosta are brave," Genis said as they headed back towards the front of the city.
"Yeah, they're facing up to the Desians and not letting themselves be pushed around," Lloyd said in excitement.
Genis' eyes became downcast. "I wish I could show this to the people of Iselia."
"It sounds like that person they call Dorr is doing a good job leading them," Colette stated with a wide smile.
"Maybe it would be best to speak to him while we're in town," Raine suggested.
"That's a great idea," Colette said. "Maybe he would know something that could help us on our journey."
After almost an hour of walking, they finally reached the location where the people were still waiting. Lloyd had to suppress a growl as he watched Raine give them the potion.
The man in the battle armor nodded in approval. "Alright then. Looks like you're good little boys and girls after all."
"Arrogant jävel," Lloyd muttered under his breath.
The man looked towards Lloyd, but dismissed his insult. "Just make sure you learn your lesson and don't mess with us again."
"Yes, I'll be careful," Colette said humbly.
The woman in the witch outfit turned towards her companions. "Come on, we're leaving!"
The group began to leave and Kratos could hear them talking among themselves. He focused more closely to hear what they were saying.
"I have to say, that Governor-General Dorr sure was trusting. It's hard to believe he just gave us his family treasure like that," one of the women said.
"So what are we going to do with that anyway?" a man asked.
"You're an idiot. We don't have any use for that thing," the leader of the group growled. "We're just going to sell it to that geezer on Hakonesia Peak who collects old junk."
Kratos suddenly had a bad feeling that they made a terrible mistake letting them go. He was tempted to go after them, but he could hardly explain his actions to the others. No matter, he knew where they were going and if needed, he could always chase them down.
"Those guys kind of piss me off," Lloyd grumbled.
"We've noticed," Genis half-joked. He truthfully hated them too. He would be certain to shot a fireball up their butts the next time he saw them.
"We should move on," Raine advised. "We've already wasted enough time."
"So, where to?" Lloyd asked.
"I suppose we should go to the church now," Raine said. "One of the priests may know the location of the next seal."
"Fine with me," Kratos said, turning his eyes away from the strange group.
It took them quite a while to cross the city and find the location of the church. It was on the other side of the city and they had to cross several bridges to reach it. The trip also took longer since the streets were always crowded, although it did give them the chance to see more of the city. Unlike everywhere else they have been, all of Palmacosta's buildings were made of stone and brick. They were also several stories and some of the buildings went as high as thirty stories.
"This place is so big," Lloyd said in wonder. "I don't think I could ever live in a city like this."
"Yeah, it's just too crowded," Genis said. "I prefer the quiet surroundings of Iselia."
"Yeah..." Lloyd said in a far off voice. It was ashamed he could never go back there. He could only imagine how Genis felt. He lost his entire home. At least he had something to return to.
"Governor-General Dorr!" a small voice yelled.
Lloyd looked up to see a boy standing in front of an older man who had long golden hair with a beard that went down passed his neck. He wore an expensive looking blue and white rob that seemed to give him an even more majestic look. From where Lloyd stood, he looked like a lion standing on guard.
He finally took his eyes away from the Governor-General and looked towards the boy who was standing in front of him. The boy was in tears and was shaking badly. He was terribly pale. What has happened to him?
"Dad was taken away to the Ranch and hasn't come back," the boy sobbed miserably. "Even though I've been a good boy, they still took daddy away!"
Dorr looked down kindly at the boy and knelt down in front of him. He carefully wiped the boy's tears. "Hang on just a little longer. I made a promise to save everyone who's been taken away to the Ranch, remember."
The boy continued to sob. "But...I'm lonely...and mom..."
"Be strong," Dorr urged gently. "We have all suffered at the hands of those monsters. But their reign of terror won't last much longer. If it's any comfort, know your dad was taking because he fought back against the Desians."
"He...he fought against the Desians?" the boy whispered.
Dorr nodded. "Your dad refused to be a slave to them, so they took him to break the rest of the city's will. However, I won't allow that to stand. I swear I'll rescue them all." His eyes blazed with conviction.
The boy dried his tears and looked up towards the older man. "Then, I will be strong too and wait for dad to come home."
"Good, your mother needs a man around the house to take care of things until he returns," Dorr said with a small smile.
"Thanks, Governor-General," the boy said as he ran off.
Dorr watched him go until he was out of sight and then proceeded to leave as well.
"Whoa, who was that?" Genis asked. That's man speech inspired even him.
"That's Governor-General Dorr, the greatest man in this entire city," an older man answered. They all turned to look at him. "He's recruiting soldiers to fight against the Desians and free our people from the Ranch."
"That man has been through so much," a woman suddenly said. She was standing to the right of the old man. "After losing his wife to an illness, he is raising his young daughter Kilia all by himself. May Martel bless that man."
"As long as Governor-General Dorr is here, we won't submit to the Desians," the older man declared with fire in his eyes. "Even if we're carried off to the Ranch, Dorr will come and save us. He's the greatest hope this city ever had, surpassing even his father."
"Is that so?" Kratos muttered.
It was strange that Magnius would allow such open rebelling to build within the city. If there was one thing the Desians pride themselves on, it was crushing hope. Although the previous Governor-General raised an army, he had never openly challenged the Desians' power base. Magnius could have lacks his policies since the Chosen was here, but he somehow doubt it.
"This Dorr guy sounds like a really cool guy," Lloyd said, stopping Kratos' thoughts. "We really need to meet him."
"Let's first go to the church," Raine said. "Besides, it could be too late in the day to meet with the Governor-General."
They didn't have to walk much further before they came across a giant building that towered over most in the area. Two large wooden doors made the entrance over an archway. Gold trend also outlined parts of the building, making it sparkle in the sunlight.
"This is it!" Colette exclaimed happily. "The Grand Church!"
"Not only that, but the Academy is right next to it," Genis said in excitement.
"Easy children, one place at a time," Kratos said.
Raine led the group towards the Church and carefully opened the huge doors. Inside proved to be equally impressive with several arches lining the hallway and a red silk carpet leading the way towards the sanctuary. Huge, strain glass windows also lined the walls; giving the hallway an unearthly feel.
"This place, you can feel Martel's presences," Colette said as she bathed in the sunlight from the windows.
Lloyd also couldn't hide his awe at the architecture. It was nothing like the church in Iselia.
They kept moving until they entered the main sanctuary, which had a huge red curtain at the front along with a large golden statue of a woman. There was no one in the room except for one lone priest who looked at them in curiosity.
"Travelers, how may I help you?" the priest asked.
Colette approached the priest and bowed. "Heavenly father, we've come to pay our respects to the Goddess."
The priest looked over Colette carefully before his eyes widened in recognizing. "Chosen One, don't you remember me?"
Colette looked at him in confusing.
"It's me, Marche," the priest said. "I trained as a priest at the Temple of Martel."
"Marche, oh how could I ever forget you," Colette said happily. "You were one of the people who trained me." She looked over his robes. "You've became a pastor now."
Marche nodded. "I now priest the good word as the main pastor here. The honor was all mines and I have been looking forward to the day I see you again. You have become a splendid young lady."
Colette gave a deep blush.
Marche turned towards Lloyd. "I'm surprise to see you here. Have you finally seen the way of the light?"
Lloyd kept a neutral face. "No, I'm here to protect Colette."
Marche gave a deep frown. "I see you continue to reject the way of the Goddess. But you care enough to protect the Chosen."
"Colette is my friend, why wouldn't I protect her?" Lloyd dared.
"Pastor Marche, I was wondering if I could come to a service here in the church," Colette interrupted.
Marche turned towards Colette. "Of course, it would be my honor to have you. It would only be right since Spiritua herself gave her first sermon at this very church."
Kratos had to keep himself from snorting. That information was completely false since Spiritua was never a priestess and rarely spoke to anyone outside her party. It also made no sense for her to preach here since this didn't become the main church until after the capital had fell.
"In fact, the story of the first World Regeneration was written down in a book and kept safe by the priests of this city," Marche continued.
"You mean the Book of Regeneration," Colette said in awe.
Raine put her hand on her chin. "Of course, the book was brought to this city centuries ago. I wonder if we could study it."
Genis smiled. "We won't have any problem finding the seals if we had that."
"Currently the Church doesn't have it," Marche said. "It's in the safe keeping of the Governor-General. The soldiers of this city are much better suited to protect the book than us."
"Looks like we have to see the Governor-General after all," Lloyd mused.
"It would seem that way," Raine said.
"Thank you for your help, Marche," Colette said as she leaned forward to kiss his hand.
"Anything to help the Chosen," Marche said. "There will be a service tomorrow evening. Bring anyone you please." He glanced at Lloyd as he said this.
"I will," Colette said.
They said their goodbyes as they began to leave the church.
"We should go to an inn," Raine said. "We can start fresh tomorrow."
"Awww, I hoped we could had gone to the school today," Genis mourned.
"We still have time," Kratos said. "It may be awhile before we can leave this city."
Lloyd nodded. "I got a feeling our adventure here is just beginning."
Yes Lloyd, your adventures in Palmacosta is just beginning. Sorry if I didn't move the story as far along as I wanted in this chapter, but the extra content really lengthening this chapter.
E, thanks once again for the review. In Dawn of the New World, Tenebrae clearly said that all the Centurions were in hibernation during the events of the first game which is why Tenebrae knew nothing of Mithos and Martel's fate. Tenebrae also never said he was bound to Mithos, just that he simply met him. From what I can tell, the Centurions can only be bound to Ratatosk and I have doubts that Ratatosk ever made a pact with Mithos. I also don't recall a Spirit World ever being mention in either game. As for the Monster Tree itself, I think the game more or less said it happened because the mana given to Great Seed was unstable, but I need to research that a little more since it has been awhile since I played that section of the game.
A lot of my theories about Ratatosk and Centurions were covered by me in my first story, Kharlan Chronicles. Your welcome to read it and we can have this discussion and further detail.
With that said, until next time.
