Here is the next chapter and I hope it is to everyone's enjoyment. Thank you again for the reviews and follows. Hearing back always encourages me to keep going, especially on this huge project.

Now, onward to the story.


Chapter 27: Governor-General


Lloyd had problems concentrating since his mind kept wondering back to Dorr's motives.

He had set up Colette to die at the hands of the Desians. How could anyone make an alliance with those scums? It didn't make any sense, especially with all the people in Palmacosta looking up to him as their protector and champion. Chocolat put all her faith within him, moreso than the Goddess Martel. To find out all of that was just a lie was too much for him to handled.

To him, Dorr was the worst kind of person. Even worst than any Desian. He now fully understood why the Church called anyone working with the Desians the Fallen.

"Dorr, how could he?" Lloyd whispered to himself.

"We won't know his motives until we confront him," Kratos said, hearing Lloyd's question. "Until then, it's best not to think too much about it."

Lloyd looked toward Kratos and wondered for a moment how he managed to hear him over the galloping of the horses. He wasn't that loud, was he? "But he not only lied to Colette, but to the people who trust him. I mean, he sold his people out to the Desians!"

"Maybe he had a reason," Colette said, not wanting to believe anyone could willingly help the Desians. "Maybe they force him, somehow."

"Even if that is the case, that doesn't justify anyone working with the Desians," Lloyd growled. "After all the pain they cause..."

"Life isn't black and white," Kratos said, cutting off Lloyd's rant. "Perhaps he has a justifiable reason or not, but to dismiss Dorr because he align himself with the Desians is both close-minded and reckless."

"Funny, I thought if anyone would agree with me on this, it would be you, Kratos," Lloyd said.

Given how cold and merciless he could be, he was honestly shocked to see Kratos giving mercy and even understanding towards Dorr.

Kratos didn't answer for a moment, but he did have a far off look on his face like he was remembering something painful. "The Desians are very good in bringing out the worst in people."

For a moment, Lloyd wondered if he was talking from personal experience. Did the Desians turned someone he cared for against him? Kratos truly was a mystery. The more he talked, the less sense he made.

Genis frowned as he listened in to Lloyd and Kratos' conversation. "Raine, do you really think Dorr is one of the Fallen? I mean, that would explain a lot."

The thought had crossed Raine's mind, but she wasn't completely sure. "Although Dorr has the characteristics of a Fallen, I don't think that he is. When he talked about the Desians, I could feel his hatred for them in his voice. That is something that cannot be fake."

"But if he hate the Desians, why would he work for them?" Genis asked.

"It could be for the reasons that Kratos has stated," Raine said. "But we won't know either way until we talk to him."

Genis was silent for a minute. "How will you get him to talk?"

"If Dorr is still a man of consciousness, he may willingly tell us what we need to know," Raine answered.

"And, if he's not?" Genis questioned further.

"We'll cross that bridge once we get there," Raine answered a little too quickly for Genis' liking.

They warned Neil that it wouldn't be pretty confronting the Governor-General, and he wasn't looking forward to what Raine may do to make him talk. He prayed that Dorr was still a man of conscious.

By the time they reached Palmacosta, night had long since falling. There was very little activity within the city except for the usual party people and tourists.

"Man, I was hoping we could return before sunset," Lloyd grumbled as he roughly got off his horse. His still wasn't used to riding these things.

"This works out better," Kratos said. "It would be almost impossible to confront Dorr alone during the day time."

"But we don't even know where his house is," Genis complained.

"Before we worry about that, let's check the Governor's office," Raine said.

"You think he's still there at this time of night?" Genis asked.

"It won't hurt to check," Raine said as they made their way to the center of the city.

The square was completely empty, not even a soldier was within sight. Lloyd briefly wondered if Neil had something to do with the current arrangement. If anything, security should be at its tightest during the lulled of night.

Kratos walked up to the Governor's door and checked to see if it was opened. No surprised, it wasn't. "Looks like we have to break the lock," he stated as he reached for his sword.

"I got this," Lloyd said as he reached into his tool kit on his wrist. He pulled out a lock pick and got to work on the door.

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "You know how to pick locks?"

"I'm a blacksmith," Lloyd remarked offhandedly, focusing on the task at hand.

"It's one of the skills Dirk taught him," Raine said as she folded her arms. "I don't completely approve of it, but it does have its benefices."

"Dad taught me in case I ever got locked into a cell or something," Lloyd said, still working the lock. "That was how I was able to escape my cell in that desert Ranch before you guys found me. Living so close to a Ranch, dad wanted to make sure I could escape."

"I see," Kratos said as a loud clicked got his attention.

"It's opened," Lloyd said as he pushed the door open.

"You're amazing, Lloyd," Colette cheered.

Lloyd blushed. "The lock wasn't even that good of quality. I would expect better from an upper class building."

Without another word, they made their way inside. The building was nearly completely dark, saved for the moonlight that pouring through the open windows.

"Looks like there's no one here after all," Genis said. "We may have to find out where his house is."

Colette shook her head. "No... I think I hear voices from below."

"Really, I don't hear anything," Lloyd said as he strained his ears to hear anything besides the sounds of the night.

"Below us, then there must be a basement here," Kratos commented, keeping suspicion off the Chosen.

They began to look around until they came to a lone door on one of the far walls. Now, they all could hear the whispers of voices coming from the room below. They carefully made their way down the stairs, not wanting to alert anyone of their presence.

"When will my wife...when will Clara return to her original form?" the voice of Dorr asked. His voice had an edge of desperation that none of them had heard before. He sounded like a completely broken man.

"Not yet," another voice all but mocked him.

Lloyd edged closer to the end of the wall and saw Dorr talking to a Desian from the Ranch. He stood before Dorr with an arrogant air and a smug smile. It took almost all of Lloyd's willpower to keep himself from decking the jerk in the face.

"You still haven't paid us enough gald," the Desian continued as he tossed the sack of gald in his hand like it was a ball. "You've been paying us less and less."

Dorr became unnerved when he heard the comment. "This is the best I can do!" he yelled defensively. "The tolls, the municipal taxes, the offerings to the Church of Martel...there's nowhere left to squeeze more money from!"

Colette gave a small gasped when she heard that people's donations from the Church were being giving to the Desians. Lloyd knew that such an offense was worst to Colette than trying to take her life.

"Besides, I helped to deliver the Chosen to Magnius," Dorr continued with some heat in his voice. "That must count for something."

Lloyd felt his temper return, remembering why they were there in the first place.

"Yeah, I suppose that could count," the Desian said in a bored tone. "But that's up to Lord Magnius to decide."

"You..." Dorr growled.

"Don't forget your place, human," the Desian sneered as he stopped tossing the gald bag. "It's only out of the kindness of Lord Magnius' heart that he has even offered you a chance to save your precious wife. You should be grateful."

Dorr immediately lost any fight he had.

"Well, I suppose this will do for today," the Desian said casually as he checked his watch. "I'm sure Lord Magnius will remove the demon seed depending on your next contribution." His voice, however, carried a tone that said that was unlikely.

With that, the Desian left through a secret passageway that was built into the basement. Lloyd could hear that man's chuckles echoing through the room. They really should have cut that bastard down.

"Father..." a small voice whimpered.

Lloyd looked up in surprise and saw that Kilia was with Dorr the entire time. He wasn't sure why any father would allow their child to watched themselves be bullied by the Desians. She was obviously scared and confused.

"Just a little while longer," Dorr assured in a gentle voice as he knelt before his daughter. "Just a little more an…and Clara will be back to normal. I'll raise the fees on the pilgrimages and..."

Lloyd had enough of all of this. Without waiting for the others to make their move, he pulled himself out of the shadows. "What's the meaning of this!?" he demanded, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Dorr and Kilia nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw Lloyd standing before them. They both were as white as sheets.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd asked almost mockingly. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Um, Lloyd, that's a really cliché line," Genis said as he walked beside him, ruining the atmosphere Lloyd was trying to create.

Lloyd growled in annoyance. "Shut up, Genis!"

"What are you doing here!?" Dorr yelled once the shock of his guests had worn out. He began to look around frantically. "Neil, where's Neil!?"

"I'm afraid Neil's not here," Raine said casually as she revealed herself.

Dorr's hands clinched as he shook angrily. "So...Neil betrayed me!"

Lloyd almost wanted to laugh at how Dorr accused Neil of betrayal. Especially since he was the one who was willing to kill hundreds of his own men along with Colette. But, that wasn't what he wanted to talk about at the moment.

"What's wrong with your wife?" Lloyd asked, catching Dorr off-guard. "Has she been taken hostage or something?"

Dorr got over his initial shock and began to laugh humorlessly. "Hostage?" He suddenly began to sneer. "Don't make me laugh. If you want to see my wife..." He walked over to one of the cells within the room. Unlike the others, a large brown sheet covered the cell. Dorr harshly grabbed the sheet. "She's right here!"

He pulled down on the sheet and revealed a large creature trapped within the cell.

Lloyd's heart nearly stopped when he saw it. The monster was just like Marble, except she wore what was left of a fancy dress instead of the rags from the Ranch.

Lloyd heard Kratos gasped in shock from behind him. He glanced over towards the other swordsman and saw him visibly shaking. This was the first time he had ever seen Kratos' composure waiver.

"Wh…what's that monster?" Genis stuttered in shock as he moved towards his sister for protection.

"She's crying...she's crying out in pain..." Colette spoke as she put her hands to her heart. "You mustn't call her a monster..."

"You don't mean..." Lloyd whispered, afraid of the answer that he already knew.

"That's right," Dorr growled, his voice void of emotions. "This is what's become of my wife, Clara!"

"So, that is why you told everyone she passed away," Raine said steadily.

Out of everyone in the room, she was the only one who was unshaken by recent events. Lloyd never thought he would see the day where Raine came across as colder than Kratos.

"My father, the previous Governor-General, was a fool," Dorr spat with venom and resentment. "Because of his defiant stance against the Desians, they killed him, then planted the demon seed in my wife as a warning."

"So, that is what happened to the old Governor-General," Kratos thought. He knew that man was treading dangerous ground when he raised an army against the Desians, but he didn't think it would come to this.

"If I cooperate with them, they will give me the medicine to save her," Dorr finished as he stared at his wife. The monster took no noticed of who he was and attempted to claw him several times through the metal bars.

Kratos understood all too well how Dorr felt. However, he wondered how merciful it was to keep Clara in such a state. He could never forget how Anna had begged him for death over living in her twisted form. Even from here, he could feel her pain.

"But, that means you're betraying the people in this city!" Genis argued, once he got his mind together. He forced himself not to look at Clara.

"What do I care?" Dorr answered in a hardened voice. He tore his eyes away from his wife and glanced at the face of his daughter, who stood by silently. "We'll never escape the rule of the Desians anyway."

Lloyd stepped forward, having just about enough of Dorr's self-pity. "Colette will...she will save the world!"

"The Chosen's journey of World Regeneration is not absolute. Don't forget that the last one ended in failure!" Dorr yelled as he turned back towards his wife. "Besides, the people of this city are satisfied with my way. They just don't know I'm working for the Desians."

Raine shook her head in disappointment. Because of what has happened to his wife, Dorr had lost all hoped. If one truly believed the Desians to be an unconquerable force, then Dorr's actions were perfectly justified.

"Shut up! What do you mean, your 'way'!?" Lloyd shouted. His eyes bored into the older man. Everyone could see his fury. "I'm sorry about your wife, but think of all those people who believed in you, only to be sent off to the Ranch! Any of them may have wound up just like your wife!" He was literally shaking in the middle of his rant.

He remembered the hopeless, near death faces of the people at the Ranch near Iselia. He could remember how the Desians worked their prisoners like cattle, not even giving them the dignity of a bathroom break, forcing those people to soil themselves like dogs.

Dorr gave the people of Palmacosta hope. He made them believed that even if the Desians took them; he would save them along with their families. He didn't have the right to throw it back into their faces. He didn't have the right to led people to their deaths, while promising them salvation.

"Silence boy!" Dorr screamed as he turned back towards the group. His eyes were also ablaze as he glared at Lloyd. "Stop acting like your justice is absolute!"

Lloyd took several deep breaths as he walked steadily towards Dorr. For a moment, Genis thought he was going to knock Dorr across the room. He had never seen Lloyd this angry.

Kratos got ready to step in, just in case Lloyd did get physical.

"Where do you get off? Don't even start spewing the word 'justice'!" Lloyd spat. His anger even took Dorr off-guard and he back away from the enraged boy. "If you wanted to save your wife, you should have resigned your position as Governor-General and searched for a cure, or help, or whatever!"

His statement struck right into Dorr's heart and he looked down at the earthen floor. It never occurred to him to leave his position.

Lloyd, however, was far past the point of pitying the old man. "You're a worthless jerk who couldn't give up his social status even for his own wife!"

"Lloyd, please stop! Not everyone's strong enough to stand up against the Desians, please, stop this!" Colette yelled as she ran between Dorr and Lloyd. She could see how hurtful his words were towards the Govern-General.

Lloyd immediately lost his anger as he stared at his childhood friend. "Colette..."

Colette gave him a soft smile as she turned towards Dorr. Unlike the others, she didn't look at Dorr with anger or pity. Her eyes were filled with a real sadness for him, something Dorr never expected from someone he sent to their death.

"What if we go and get the medicine you mentioned?" Colette asked gently. "Then you wouldn't have to side with the Desians anymore."

"You...forgive me for what I've done?" Dorr asked in disbelief. Surely, the Chosen couldn't be that merciful.

Colette shook her head. "It's not our place to forgive you. That's up to the people of this city." She pulled her eyes away from Dorr and looked towards the ceiling. "The Goddess Martel is always within you, awaiting your own personal regeneration."

"Within me?" Dorr repeated softly.

He had long dismissed the Goddess Martel. After what was done to his dear wife, how could a Goddess who slept help them? For years, he had concluded that he could only depend on himself to save his wife and care for their only daughter. Now, for the first time in such a long time, he slowly felt his faith returning. Maybe they would see a day where the world was free of the Desians. Perhaps...

A small, dark chuckled filled the room. "Absurd!"

Before anyone could react, Dorr suddenly fell to his knees.

Lloyd looked on in shock when he saw a puddle of blood spreading across the cold floor from where Dorr knelt. It was like time stopped for a moment.

Dorr stared at the wound to his torso with glassy, unfocused eyes before he fell completely.

When Lloyd was able to tear his eyes away from the mortally wounded man he saw Kilia standing in front of them with a craze smile on her face. Gone was the sweet, innocent girl for earlier. She looked like some kind of demon, especially with blood dripping from her fingers.

"The Goddess Martel would never lend her aid to an inferior human being!" Kilia sneered as she licked the blood off her fingers.

"What...what are you doing?" Lloyd stuttered, not believing what he was witnessing. What the hell was going on!?

Kratos unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the demon child.

"How could you do that to your own father!?" Genis shouted in horror.

Kilia chuckled before it became a full-blown laughed. "That's a laugh."

She suddenly transformed before their eyes to a creature with pink skin, long yellow horns, and spikes coming out of her back. She had long claws on her fingers and toes and her golden eyes were like a cat's. She also had a long scorpion-like tail with a sharp point at the end.

"What are you!?" Lloyd demanded. His mind was still not comprehending what was happening.

Kilia smiled at him, bearing her fangs. "I am a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Grand Cardinals who rule over the Desians."

Kratos growled angrily at himself. How could he fail to sense her until now, especially with this level of malice? Somehow, this beast had managed to completely mask her mana from him.

"I was merely assigned to observe the new human cultivation technique developed by Magnius," Kilia continued smoothly. "There's no way that a superior half-elf such as I could have a fool of a father like this!"

"A…fool of a father?" Colette repeated in disbelief.

"Bullshit, you're no half-elf!" Genis yelled in disgust.

"Spoken like a true blood traitor," Kilia mocked in a sickening sweet voice. "I had some work done and I was given new powers that wouldn't have been possible in my original form. I can transform and shape my body into any form of my choosing. I can even mask my mana to the point of perfection." He glanced at Kratos as he said this.

Kratos growled at her. So, that was how. He knew nothing of this creature's existence. What other dirty secrets Pronyma was hiding from him?

Raine shook her head, both in disgust and awe. "No wonder you were able to fool everyone."

"If...if you're a fake…where's the real Kilia!?" Lloyd demanded.

Kilia smirked at him. "Oh, she's dead."

Lloyd paled. He felt his knees geo weak. "Wh...What?"

Kilia looked down her nose at Dorr and viciously kicked the lifeless body. "Just look at him! He didn't even notice that his own daughter was dead because he was too busy chasing after medicine that doesn't exist in order to save his monster wife."

"You..." Lloyd growled.

"I will never forget that night," Kilia continued mockingly. "As I snuck into that little girl's bedroom while she slept peacefully, unaware of any danger."

"Stop it!" Lloyd yelled.

"I ever so slowly crawled on the floor and waited under bed until the right time," Kilia purred. "Poor thing didn't even noticed anything was wrong. Such a sweet, innocent little girl."

"I said stop it!" Lloyd shouted as he took out his swords.

"After I waited awhile longer, I snuck out from her bed and..." Kilia continued sweetly.

"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!" Lloyd screamed as he charged the monster. He attempted to behead the beast, but Kilia easily intercepted the sloppy blow with her tail.

"You naughty boy, you interrupted me at the best part," Kilia teased.

Before she could talk any further, she was hit head on with an Eruption. She screamed in pain as Lloyd back up from the monster. He gave Genis a grateful look, but the elf was too focused on Kilia to notice.

"I don't care what you say," Genis growled as he took several deep breaths. He was literally shaking in rage. "No half-elf...no living being could do what you've done. You're nothing but a soulless monster!"

Kilia recomposed herself in glared at Genis. "What's this, denial?"

Lloyd turned towards his friend. "What's she talking about?"

"Don't listen to her," Raine said coldly as she held up her staff. "This beast lives out of deception."

Kilia chuckled. "Now that the game is up, I'll have to kill every last one of you." Dark magic started to swirled around her.

Kratos ran in and attempted to impale the monster's heart. Kilia finished her spell and Kratos barely had time to move as a dark sphere of mana nearly tore him apart.

"She can cast spells faster than I thought," Kratos noted.

"Sharpen!" Raine yelled as both Kratos and Lloyd's swords lit up with power.

"Spark Wave!" Genis yelled as Kilia was hit by several waves of lightning.

"Don't get cocky, boy!" Kilia screamed as she seemed to disappear from sight.

"Where's she go!?" Genis exclaimed.

"Genis, behind you!" Lloyd yelled as he deflected Kilia's tail.

He took his other sword and attempted to cut off the monster's tail. He, however, was nearly impaled for his trouble. From the corner of his eye, he could see some kind of green liquid oozing out of the tail's sharp end.

"Careful, she's poisonous!" Lloyd warned as he jumped back.

"Angel Feathers!" Colette yelled as her chakrams hit the mark.

Kilia gave a piercing scream as she grabbed her back. A large burn mark could actually be seen.

"She's weak against light magic," Raine stated.

Kratos gave a small curse under his breath. If only he could use his angel powers, this fight would have long been over. This beast deserved a painful death.

"You bitch!" Kilia screamed as she ran towards Colette.

She was so focused on Colette that Kilia failed to sense Kratos running beside her. "I would suggest you respect the Chosen," he sneered as he rammed his shield into Kilia's side. While she was stunned, Lloyd charged in and delivered several sword slashes across Kilia's body.

"This is far from over!" Kilia cried as she released another waved of dark mana.

Colette was ready for this and released another Angel Feathers into the spell, cutting right through it and hitting Kilia dead on.

"Burn, Eruption!" Genis screamed as waves of lava swallowed her up.

Kratos went in for the final strike and disemboweled the monster with one cleaned swoop. Kilia looked on in disbelief as her guts spilled unto the floor.

"Be thankfully that I can't make you suffer a lot more," Kratos hissed harshly into Kilia's ear.

"You..." Kilia stuttered as she fall onto the floor. "This can't be..." She looked up and glared at the group with as much hate as she could muster. "Fine...then, I'll set this monster free and let it kill you!"

She crawled her way to the cell that held Clara and cut the lock before anyone could act. She gave one last chuckled before she went completely still.

Clara wasted no time knocking the cell door opened and crushing Kilia's skull underneath her feet. She gave a loud roar as she looked over the party with her one eye.

"No, not again..." Lloyd whispered, his swords were shaking badly in his hands. "Do I have to kill another innocent victim?"

Kratos moved in-between Lloyd and Clara. If anyone were going to damn themselves further, it would be him. Before he could move in for the kill, however, Colette ran in front of him.

"Stop!" Colette yelled. Her arms wide, showing that she was currently unarmed.

"Chosen..." Kratos started before he noticed that the creature had stopped its advance. It stared down at Colette as if contemplating its next course of action.

A long tense minute past before Clara gave one last roar. She walked towards the secret passageway that the Desian had used earlier and disappeared from sight.

"Should...should we go after her?" Genis asked.

"There's nothing we can do to help her," Raine stated sadly as she shook her head. "Since she was able to keep from attacking us, she may pose no danger to others."

Lloyd sighed as he put his swords away.

"Kilia..." Dorr moaned, getting everyone's attention. He was still bleeding badly and he didn't appear to be seeing them.

"Dorr, don't move," Kratos advised. He could feel his mana rapidly fading.

Dorr chose to ignore Kratos' suggesting. "...is Kilia safe?"

Genis and Lloyd were shocked by the question. Did he hear anything that fake Kilia said?

Colette was in tears as she looked down at the dying man. How could they tell him the truth about what had happened?

Genis swallowed hard as he attempted to moisten his now dry throat. "Kilia is..."

"Don't worry," Lloyd interrupted before Genis could finish. He knelt before the dying man. "It seems your real daughter is fine."

"Lloyd..." Genis whispered in surprise. He was about to go further when Raine put a hand on his shoulder.

Kratos stared at Lloyd for a moment before he turned his head. He supposed it was better for Dorr to hear a lie than to know that his only child was long dead. He knew from experience that was far worst than death.

Dorr gave a small smile as he relaxed further. "I see…. You…your name's Lloyd?"

Lloyd nodded in response.

"Professor Sage, please, help him!" Colette begged her teacher when she saw Dorr getting worse.

Raine made no argument as she attempted to use her healing magic on the Governor-General.

As she reached into Dorr's mana she knew he was even worse than she suspected. Like Lloyd had warned them during the battle, Kilia's spikes were poisonous. The wound could be healed, but there was nothing she could do about the poison. She has never seen or felt anything like it. If she was stronger, maybe could had cured it, but as she was...

Dorr looked at the Raine and knew by her expression that he was beyond saving. "Please…please save Chocolat," his voice was riddled with guilt for the role he played in her kidnapping. He was such a fool to trust Magnius and the Desians. "That poor girl...she was just used as a tool to lure you out."

With the last of his strength he grabbed Lloyd's hand. He reached into his robes and pulled out a silver card. He placed the card firmly into Lloyd's palm and closed his fingers. "The passcode is...3341."

Lloyd gripped the key card tightly and nodded. "I will."

Dorr's eyes began to fade as Raine finally gave up her attempts to save him.

Colette moved in to ask why she stopped, but Raine simply had to shake her head to tell everyone that there was no hope.

"...I know this is a selfish request, but...if you somehow find a way to save my wife, please, help her return to her human form," Dorr pleaded with tears in his eyes as he tightened his hold on Lloyd's hand. He smiled sadly. "When my daughter comes back, I don't want her to be all alone..."

Lloyd wanted to deny Dorr his request. Mostly because a part of him felt he was getting off too easy by dying. He knew, however, that he couldn't be saved. He also knew that if he could, Dorr would've found a way to live and repent for all the terrible things he had done. Despite everything, Dorr was still a decent man who allowed his despair and bitterness to overwhelmed him. It was a failing that could happen to anyone.

"I promise," Lloyd swore in a broken voice as he squeezed Dorr's hand.

Dorr smiled at Lloyd as he closed his eyes for the last time. "...Thank you..." He gave a couple more breaths before they finally ceased.

No one moved for a long time as they stared at the fallen Governor-General. In the end, he was just another victim of the Desians.


Well, here's an amazingly desperation chapter. Despite Kilia only showing up as a villain here and she's easily dealt with, she is by far one of the most evilest characters in the game and she comes off even worse here. As Kratos said, she really did get off too easily. And I do feel sorry for Dorr despite the dickish things he did.

Well, until next chapter.