New chapter is here, and you didn't even hate to wait a month. We also hit another milestone in that this chapter makes this story over 400,000 words! Which is nuts to think about and we're still in Act II. Thanks again for all the support you continue to give this story. Slowly but surely, it will be complete one day.
Now, onward to the chapter.
Chapter 74: Remote Island Ranch
Once they were out of the forest, they were back on the Rheairds heading for Luin.
"Hard to believe we'd wind up working with the Renegades," Lloyd said, speaking what was on everyone's minds.
Despite them both fighting Cruxis, it seemed until that moment that Yuan was unwilling to help them and even actively blocked their effects. Especially given Yuan's strange obsession with him. What was even up with that?
"Yes, but don't let your guard down," Raine warned. "We might be stabbed in the back the moment we show it to them."
She wasn't sure what Yuan's endgame was, but he definition didn't have their best interest at heart. Given that Yuan held most of the cards, they were closer to pawns than allies. Their only bargaining chip was Sheena. While a massive piece needed for Yuan's plan to even remotely work, which was why he even bothered to make an 'alliance' with them, he had the Renegades at his back along with knowing the inner workings of Cruxis since he was one of their leaders. There was a lot Yuan wasn't telling them, which left them at his mercy. And if their raid on Rodyle's Ranch was successful, they would also be handing the Mana Cannon right into Yuan's hands, who had a Cruxis Crystal so he could use it without draining the world's mana. Was that also part of Yuan's plan? If so, what did he intend to do with it?
She narrowed her eyes in frustration.
She hated her ignorance, but there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn't likely that they could force Yuan to reveal more, especially when she lacked the knowledge to even ask the right questions. From the way Yuan talked and what Botta told them after the events in the Tower of Salvation; Yuan, the Renegades, and Cruxis have been at war with each other for a very long time. With Yuan being a half-elf, he could have been fighting Cruxis for hundreds of years, especially since half-halves don't even begin to look old until they were over seven-hundred.
For the lack of better words, Yuan was far more experience and cunning than them. So, as much as she hated it, they were stuck being his pawns for the time being.
And...there was also his fascination with Lloyd. So much so that he gave up killing Colette and tried to capture him several times. But why? What did he want with Lloyd? What was Yuan's original plan before they broke the mana links? Just like everything else, she had too little information.
"I see you're as untrusting as ever, Mistress Raine," Zelos joked, knocking Raine out of her thoughts.
For him, things worked out well. With them officially working with the Renegades, he no longer had to double-cross them. At least to the Renegades. Cruxis was another matter. Thankfully, his other benefactor hasn't contacted him since Fooji. It was actually a little unnerving.
"I prefer you call it prudence," Raine countered. "You're all too softhearted and quick to trust. We need at least one person with some discretion."
Zelos chuckled. "That's true, Lloyd does just believe everybody he meets." If Kratos couldn't get Lloyd off his trusting streak, he doubt anyone could.
Lloyd was annoyed by Zelos' statement. "Wh...what? Dwarven Vow #18: It's better to be deceived than to deceive." He gripped the handles of his Rheairds. "I won't let what Kratos did to us change who I am. I won't give that bastard the satisfaction."
"Lloyd…" Colette whispered in concern as she felt Lloyd's body tense against her.
Zelos smirked. "Well then, I think I'll try deceiving Lloyd here next time."
This got Lloyd's attention. "What?"
"Just kidding, bud. You're way too serious," Zelos chuckled.
Raine turned to look at the Tethe'alla Chosen. "….Zelos."
"Yes," Zelos answered, unnerved by the look Raine was giving him.
"If you betray Lloyd, your life is forfeit," Raine warned without an ouch of humor. Her voice was as cold as a winter's night. So cold that Zelos felt a chill run down his body.
Genis, who was riding shotgun with Raine, was surprised. He didn't like Zelos, but was that necessary?
Zelos laughed again, although this one was noticeably forced. "I...it was just a joke. Don't take it seriously."
Raine glared at him a moment longer, before she turned her eyes back to the sky.
Still, Zelos was unnerved. Did Raine see through him? He made extra sure to keep his activities on the down low and even suggested himself that they may have a spy to keep the Professor off his trail.
Still, he had to keep better watch on Raine. One false move and she would see right through him.
It took over an hour before they reached what was the city of Luin. They landed a little outside the outskirts of town and walked to the entrance.
Luin was still in rough shape, but the buildings were being repaired and the sounds of construction could be heard.
"Everyone!"
Lloyd and the others turned to see a man running towards them.
It took Lloyd a moment to realized who it was. "Pietro!"
Pietro stopped in front of them and smiled. He was no longer the half-dead man they last saw in Hima. He gained weight, his skin was a healthy peach, he was full of energy, and he had the biggest grin on his face.
"I'm glad to see you again," Pietro said.
Colette smiled and walked over to him. "Pietro, I'm so happy to see you well."
"It's only because of you and your friends that I'm alive. If it wasn't for you, I would have died in Hima," Pietro said
Raine walked over to Pietro to look him over. "It would appear the healing arts in the Boltzman did its job."
Pietro turned towards Raine. "More than that! I haven't felt this good since I was a teen. You truly are a miracle worker."
"I'm just glad I could help," Raine brushed off the compliment.
"How has the repairs been going?" Lloyd asked.
Pietro turned towards the young swordsman. "A bit slow because of a lack of funds, but we're slowly getting there. We've been getting some assistance from the Palmacosta and Asgard's governments in the form of food and supplies, but their resources are limited with the Desians still being active."
"Can we do anything to help?" Genis asked.
"At the moment, we just need money," Pietro stated. "We got the manpower thanks to people from Asgard coming to help us, but we don't have the funds to buy wood, steel, other material, or food to feed everyone. Asgard has been giving us discounts, but they can't give their stuff away for free."
"Understandable," Raine said.
Lloyd reached into his pocket. "Maybe we can chip in a little. It isn't much, though."
"Even a little bit will help," Pietro said. "No donation is too small. Besides, as the Chosen's group, you are doing the greater service of all."
Lloyd flinched at those words. "Yeah…."
"Put your money up, bud," Zelos said as he stepped in front of Lloyd.
"What are you…" Lloyd started.
"How much do you need?" Zelos asked Pietro.
Pietro was surprised by the question. "Pardon me?"
"How much do you need to buy your supplies to repair this town?" Zelos asked again.
Pietro stuttered for several seconds. "At least 443,000 gald, give or take."
Zelos reached into his traveling bag and pulled out a giant sack. "Then, this should cover it." He handed the sack to a stun Pietro.
"What's this?" Pietro asked.
"That should be about one million gald, give or take," Zelos replied nonchalantly. "Normally, I would have more, but this is the best I can do at the moment."
Everyone was left speechless for several seconds.
"I…I…" Pietro sputtered.
"Zelos, I can't let you do this," Lloyd finally found his voice. How did he even carry that much money? "I mean…it's your money and…"
Zelos put his hand up. "I know what you want to say, but it's the least we can do." As he said 'we', he glanced at Sheena, Regal, and Presea. "We owe it to the people of Sylvarant."
"But…" Lloyd started.
"I agree with Zelos," Regal interrupted. "My only regret is that I have no money to give these people."
Presea stepped forward. "I have no money, but I will happily help with the labor. I'm extremely good with an axe. I know you said you only need money, but please let me help."
"I would gladly help with any physical labor too," Regal volunteered.
Pietro could only stand there with his mouth opened for several seconds. "I…thank you. We in Luin owe you so much."
"Let's get settle first before we get started," Raine offered.
Pietro quickly cleared his mind. "Of course. Follow me."
He lead the group to the inn, which was one of the few buildings that was mostly repaired.
"It isn't much, but it's the best we currently have," Pietro said.
"This is more than good enough," Raine replied kindly.
"Once again, thank you for your help," Pietro said, he looked to be near tears. "Truly, the Chosen's group are angels." He then took his leave.
The moment Lloyd was sure that Pietro was out of earshot, he turned towards Zelos. "You didn't have to do this."
Zelos shook his head. "No, I had to. You guys suffered so we in Tethe'alla can flourish. Repairing this one town barely counts as the bare minimal" He flipped his hair. "Besides, it was just a million gald. I spend more than that on a weekend."
Sheena rubbed her head. "I never thought I would agree with Zelos so much."
Presea had a small smile on her face. "Despite how you act, you do have a heart, Zelos."
Zelos laughed. "Now you're making me blush. If you really want to thank me, how about Sheena giving me a kiss or letting me put my head on those delicate pillows of hers."
Sheena sneered at him. "Forget it! Why did I ever think you could be anything but a perv!"
Regal sighed. "You just had to ruin the mood."
Genis also sighed. "Zelos will always be Zelos."
Colette looked at her friends from Tethe'alla and smiled. "Thank you all so much. We'll be sure to rebuild Luin stronger than ever."
"Yeah!" Lloyd cheered.
For the rest of the day: Lloyd, Presea, Regal, and Sheena helped with the physical labor in the city while Raine and the others went to Asgard to buy supplies for their raid against Rodyle in the morning.
The people of Luin were especially impressed and frightened by Presea who was able to chop down an entire tree with one swing and carry nearly a ton of wood without breaking a sweat. She basically did the work of fifty people.
They were also impressed with Regal's ability to carry supplies despite being handcuffed, although many wondered why he had them. It was obvious by the way he dressed that he was some kind of criminal, but the way he carried himself put the people at ease and made them wondered what did he do to be put in prison. Some theorized he was being redeemed by the Chosen.
It was during the lunch break that Lloyd reached into his bag and pull out a familiar letter.
"This is….. åh skit!" Lloyd exclaimed, unconsciously mixing dwarven for the first time in months.
"What is it?" Presea asked in concern.
"I still have this stupid letter for Aifread," Lloyd replied as he looked over the envelope.
"Who's Aifread?" Sheena asked.
Lloyd sighed. "Early in our journey, we could only get a boat ride if we agreed to delivered this letter to some guy named Aifread. Despite me carrying this thing all this time, I haven't been able to meet up with the guy."
Presea tilted her head. "Where is this Aifread?"
"He's supposed to come back to Luin months ago. Maybe he's finally here." Lloyd stood up and searched around for one of the residents. "Excuse me!" he called to the nearest person and ran over to them. "Do you know if Aifread returned yet?"
"Aifread, that pirate?" the man snorted. "I doubt he'll come back if he's heard what happened."
Lloyd groaned, really? "So, he's never coming back?"
"If he does, it's when the town is fully repaired and all the work is done," the man grumbled. "Aifread always finds a way to skip out on hard labor." The man walked off.
"Great," Lloyd muttered as he stuffed the letter back in his bag. Why did a simple delivery had to be such a pain in the butt?
They worked all afternoon and Lloyd was beat by the time everyone in Luin called it a day. He didn't know how these people could work from sunrise to dusk. The people of Luin were tough.
"Luin looks so much better," Colette said as she walked with Lloyd down the street. She wanted to tour the city and Lloyd chose to come with her despite his exhaustion. "This part of town even almost looked like how it was before the Desians attack."
"Looks like they're even expanding," Lloyd noted, seeing the new roads. "I guess since they don't have to worry about raids anymore, they can expand the town. Although, true peace won't happened until we defeat Cruxis."
"You impostor!"
This made both Lloyd and Colette stop in their tracks.
"How dare you claim to be the Chosen!"
Only one group had the gall to do this. Lloyd and Colette ran over to the crowd up ahead and sure enough, the fake Chosen group was there. There were obviously shock that everyone saw through their deceit.
Lloyd wanted to laugh. That was what they get trying to con a city that personally knew Colette. These bastards never learned.
"Damn, this isn't good," Jude cussed.
"Ah, look over there!" the fake Chosen exclaimed when she saw Lloyd and Colette.
"Chosen One! These are the impostors!" a woman yelled. "We were warned about them by the people in Asgard."
Lloyd gave a wolfish grin. "I see you guys didn't learn your lesson the last time." He loosened one of his swords. "This time, I'll make sure you won't forget."
Jude recoiled at the threat. Despite not being a trained warrior, even he could sense the difference in power between them now. He now resembled that demon red-haired they traveled with. "Dammit!"
Lloyd stepped forward, ready to give these imposters a beating they would never forget until the bigger man jumped in front of him. He was sweating hard and obviously scared witless, but he didn't back down.
"Get out of here!" the bigger man yelled at his group.
Jude was stunned by this. "Christopher! I betrayed you once, but you still…"
"Just go!" the bigger man roared.
"You're an idiot Jude!" the girl with the witch hat yelled. "Colleena, we're gonna run for it!"
"Christopher, be careful!" Jude shouted as he and his group of imposters made a run for it.
Lloyd was about to pushed the bigger man aside since despite his size his stance was completely off, making him easy to knock off-balance. He was stopped, however, by Colette.
"Lloyd, let them go," Colette pleaded.
"But Colette, these people keep using your name for their personal gain," Lloyd argued. "They've repeatedly shown that they won't stop even when they have been caught. We were lucky this time since everyone in this city knows you."
"He's right!" one of the townspeople shouted. "You shouldn't be merciful to those who sully your good name!"
"Those who disgraced the Goddess Martel needs to be punished!" someone else yelled.
Colette shook her head. "I don't mind them using my name as long as they're not hurting anyone." She turned towards the bigger man. "Just please stop doing these things before you or someone else gets hurt."
Christopher lowered his head in shame. "You're a nice person. You saved me, but I'm still doing this. I'm sorry."
Lloyd sighed. "How can you be sorry while still trying to con people?"
"But I…I want to be useful to my big brother," Christopher confessed.
Colette stared directly at him. "If you really care about your brother, you have to stop him for deceiving people and taking their money."
"You sound like my mom," Christopher mumbled.
"Maybe try listening to her for once," Lloyd deadpanned. Man, this guy was slow.
"I'll…I'll try to convince my brother," Christopher said.
"You better," Lloyd warned. "Because one of these days, you're going to con the wrong people and they won't be as kind as the Chosen."
The man squawked and ran off.
Lloyd folded his arms. Those bastards keep getting off too easily. "They may not changed their ways, Colette."
"But then again, they might," Colette answered optimally.
Lloyd shook his head and smile. Colette was the definition of 'glass half-full'. "Alright, alright. You really are too kind-hearted." Then again, that was what he liked most about her.
By the time night came, everyone was tired and settled down in the inn. They mostly had the entire inn to themselves since no one in Luin wanted to disturb the Chosen. Lloyd was already knocked out on the floor from his long day alongside Genis.
"Unfortunately, pineapple and lemon gels don't exists in Sylvarant, so we're force to use apple and orange gels for the time being," Raine informed everyone who was still awake. "We still have around ten of them, but we will only used them in an extreme emergency. At least until we can return to Tethe'alla."
"Sounds fair, but I'm worried about bringing subpar supplies against Rodyle," Sheena said. "While we took on a Grand Cardinal before, we don't know what to expect."
Raine also frowned in worry. "True. With both Magnius and Kvar, we had Kratos on our side. He not only provided his power, but also his knowledge on the Desians."
Zelos looked over the Professor. "You guys know precious little about the Desians despite living with them for centuries."
"The Desians have done a great job keeping their operations a secret," Raine said. "Those who do get closed to the Desians tend to be Fallen or killed."
"Fallen?" Regal repeated.
"It's a term used by the Church to describe humans who work for the Desians," Colette explained.
"Hard to believe that any human would want to work for the Desians," Sheena sneered.
"For power, sweetheart, people will sell out their own mothers," Zelos spoke before he turned his attention back to Raine. "Still, even without Kratos, we have the Renegades. If you have any questions, just asked them."
Raine frowned. "While true, we don't know yet if we can trust them."
"Rather we trust them or not, the simple fact remains that they want Rodyle dead to take control of his Ranch," Zelos pointed out. "So they have no reason to hide anything from us about how to take him down."
Raine paused in thought. "That's true. In a situation like this, they have no reason to deceive us."
"To think, we'll soon make Rodyle pay for everything he has done," Presea whispered.
"It will be a shallow justice, but justice nonetheless," Regal said as he stared at his handcuffs. "And with Rodyle out of the picture, we greatly weaken the Pope."
"And that's the best news of all, at least for me," Zelos said as he narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure Rodyle has been funneling exspheres to the Pope and the Papal Knights. No way the Renegades were giving them that many exspheres."
"Regardless, we much be careful," Raine warned. "We're still dealing with a Grand Cardinal and Rodyle knows what we're capable of since we survived his trap."
Sheena narrowed her eyes. "We came too far to fall here. No matter what, we must succeed. Not just for our sake, but for both our worlds."
The morning came fast and group was back at Palmacosta Ranch before midday. They left later than originally planned since they wanted to give Lloyd, Presea, and Regal more sleep after all the hard work they did repairing Luin.
"Are you ready?" Botta asked the moment he saw them.
Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, we're good to go."
"Then, follow me," Botta ordered as he led them out of the forest. He took out a small capsule and threw it on the ground. A Rheaird appeared and his subordinates did the same. Soon, everyone was in the air, following Botta to Rodyle's Ranch.
Raine wasted no time flying next to Botta. "Tell me everything you know about Rodyle." Getting straight to the point.
"Out of the Five Grand Cardinals, Rodyle is easily the weakest physically," Botta spoke, not at all offended by Raine's curt question. He preferred people who didn't dance around their question. "In terms of magic, he isn't much better. He's only more adapt than Magnius. The primary reason he became a Grand Cardinal is because of his knowledge. Him and Kvar were research buddies."
Raine hummed. "You make it sound like he will be easy to take down."
Botta looked at Raine from the side of his eyes. "Do not underestimate Rodyle. While he may pose no physical challenge to you, there's no limits to his cruelty. Rats, after all, are at their most dangerous when cornered."
Raine's eyes became downcast. "If it's one thing that all the Grand Cardinals have in common, it is their inhumanity."
Genis, who was passively listening, spoke up. "Why is Rodyle's Ranch stationed on an island anyway?"
"Much like the Asgard Ranch, the Remote Island Ranch primary focus is research and technology. To keep information from leaking, it is kept in isolation. That is also why Rodyle's Ranch isn't known by most of the populist. It conducts no raids and gets all its human prisons from the other regions," Botta explained
"Sounds odd to give a traitor that much free access," Raine observed.
"Yggdrasill is more than willing to keep rogues around if he thinks he can get something out of them," Botta said. "Which is probably the only reason why Rodyle hasn't been killed despite breaking ties with Cruxis."
"I wonder what Cruxis is getting from Rodyle?" Genis mused out loud. "Could they know about the Mana Cannon and want it for themselves?"
"If that's the case, it won't matter in a several hours," Botta replied. "By taking out Rodyle now, we'll keep the Mana Cannon away from Cruxis."
Within a few hours, they reached an island in the middle of the sea. It was so far away from land that there was no other landmass in sight.
As Lloyd looked down, he didn't see the Ranch. In fact, the entire island looked abandoned outside of one metal gate.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes. Rodyle's Ranch is under the sea," Botta informed.
"The sea?" Lloyd repeated.
"The most you will see here are cargo ships leaving the island with exspheres or bringing in new prisoners," Botta said.
Lloyd shivered as he took in Botta's words. The people here were not only robbed of their freedom and lives, but also forced to work away from the outside world.
The group landed near the main gate of the island and put away their Rheairds. Strangely, there were no guards in sight.
"Where is everyone?" Sheena asked, unnerved by how quiet everything was. There weren't even birds on the island.
"There is no point for guards on the surface," Botta stated. "Remember, most people don't even know this place exists. Besides, most of the security would be around the Mana Cannon."
Zelos put his hand on his waist. "Make sense. Why have guards watch over the sea instead of your weapon of mass destruction. Guards also give away that there's something important here."
Botta moved ahead of them with his men. "We have work to do on the mana reactor in here. If you head straight, it should connect to the Ranch."
Lloyd nodded. "Gotcha."
"One more thing," Botta suddenly spoke. "It seems you've destroyed every Ranch you've been to, but we need the mana reactor in order to sprout the Great Seed. So, please don't destroy this one."
With that, Botta walked ahead of them into the Ranch.
"Hear that, Raine?" Sheena teased as she faced the Professor.
Raine was very annoyed by the look Sheena was giving her. "It's not like I destroy them for fun, you know."
"In order to disable the Mana Cannon, we need to go to the control room," Regal spoke up, getting to the main topic.
Lloyd folded his arms. "My intuition tells me it's probably the room farthest in. So for this place, that would be the top floor."
Colette smiled at Lloyd's brilliance. "You're amazing, Lloyd!"
Genis rolled his eyes. "We've been to enough of these places already, so things like that should be pretty obvious."
Lloyd blushed at Genis' response.
"Well then, let's get going and look for that control room," Zelos said before he turned towards Lloyd. "So lead the way, captain."
Lloyd groaned under his breath as he walked towards what he assumed was the Ranch's entrance.
The entrance was an elevator shaft that took them under the island and into the depths of the sea.
"Wow, so pretty," Colette cooed as she watch the fishes swim by through the thin glass.
"The Desians are truly amazing to build a Ranch under the sea," Genis marveled.
Raine looked ill as she tried not to look through the glass tube of the elevator. First sailing the sea and now under it. Why was she being tortured on this journey?
After several minutes, the elevator stopped and they were lead into a long, clear cylinder tub that seemed to stretched for miles. Ahead of them was a large tower that was built into the seafloor and stretched into the underbelly of the island.
"Incredible…" Regal whispered in utter awe.
"Is this really a Ranch?" Genis asked in disbelief.
"Given that Cruxis was able to make something like the Tower of Salvation, it shouldn't be hard to believe that they can make a tower underwater," Zelos pointed out.
"Still…." Lloyd started.
"In either case, we're not her to sightsee," Zelos cut off. "Remember why we're here."
"We have to take down Rodyle," Presea said softly. "And avenge all the people he has hurt and killed."
Raine attempted to recomposed herself, still feeling very ill from seeing all the sea water. "First, we need to free all the prisoners before we confront Rodyle."
Lloyd folded his arms. "Yeah….if he's like Magnius, he may try to kill all of them out of spite."
"Then, let's get moving," Regal said.
Lloyd lead everyone down the long cylinder tube and into the heart of the Ranch. Unlike the other Ranch they've been to, which were bright to the point of being blinding, this one was dark. It was almost to the point that Lloyd could barely see in front of him. The only lights he could see were also a blue shade, which made the hallways outright creepy. It was also strangely cold.
What were similar was the stale air and the hum of machinery in the back.
"Sheesh, who turned off the lights?" Genis grumbled.
"No kidding. Rodyle is a vampire or something," Zelos joked.
"Being underwater, there would be no natural light," Regal observed.
Lloyd shook his head. "We've been to other Ranches and none of them had natural light. And they were brighter than this."
"Maybe Rodyle just likes it dark and creepy," Genis reasoned.
"In either case, let's get moving. We shouldn't linger long in these halls," Raine advised.
Lloyd had to agree. He was barely in the Ranch and he wanted out. This place reminded him too much of a tomb.
They move through the Ranch, careful not to alert any Desian guards they ran into. Those that unfortunately spotted them were giving a quick death by Lloyd or Sheena so they wouldn't sound any alarm.
Still, the walk was slow since despite knowing to go to the top of the Ranch they were still going blind.
Lloyd cussed under his breath as he realized that Kratos was the one who guided them through the Palmacosta and Asgard Ranches and since he was part of Cruxis, he knew the layout. Without him, they would have walked in circles and possibly got killed by the Desians.
He quickly shook his head. Forget Kratos. They didn't need him.
"That looks like that could be an elevator," Raine spoke up, knocking Lloyd from his thoughts.
Up ahead was a large tower like structure that went into the ceiling.
They made their way to it and the doors opened before them. Inside, was a large hollow, circular room that had nothing in it.
"If this is an elevator, it's the biggest one I've ever seen," Zelos mused.
Raine walked over to what appears to be a control panel. "This is an elevator. My guess is that it's used to carry large amount of material. Most likely for the Mana Cannon."
"So this elevator can lead us straight to it," Regal surmised.
"Possibly," Raine mused after a moment of thought.
"Well, this is the best lead we have. Might as well take it up," Lloyd said.
Without another word, Raine pressed some commands on the panel. There was a loud groan before the floor started to move up. Strangely, the elevator only went up about a floor before it suddenly stopped.
Lloyd looked up in confusion. "Can't we go any higher?"
Raine hummed as she tapped her chin. "If this elevator is used for cargo, then it would go much higher than this. Most likely, this is a security measure to assure intruders can't reach the top of the Ranch."
"Makes sense," Regal said after a moment of thought.
"So what do we do?" Colette asked in worry.
Raine folded her arms. "The solution is simple. We have to have the Desians move it for us."
Lloyd looked at his teacher, utterly lost.
"In other words, we create a situation in which they move it," Raine simplified.
Lloyd was still lost. "How do we do that?"
"Let's create a distraction," Raine suggested. "For instance, the captives start a revolt."
Lloyd's eyes lit up. "And then we wait for the Desians to move the elevator."
"Sounds like a plan since we were going to free all of Rodyle's prisoners regardless," Sheena said.
"We just have to find them," Lloyd said.
Colette put her hands together. "I think they're on this floor, actually."
This surprised Lloyd. "Really?"
"Yeah…I hear a lot of crying and moaning through the door," Colette said as she shivered.
"Then, not let's waste another second," Regal said.
Lloyd opened the door and Colette's words turned out to be true. They were in the prison area. Just like everything else in the Ranch, the prisoners were kept in cages in a giant tower that connected to the elevator.
Colette wasted no time running to the nearest holding cell and saw the condition of the prisoners.
Like with all the other Ranches, the people were thin to the point that Colette could see the bones in their arms. However, unlike the other Ranches the people were pale. So pale in fact that appeared almost white. Which did make sense since they've been away from the sun for goddess knew how long.
Lloyd also noticed that these prisoners smelt like death and decay, even more than usual for Ranch prisoners. He looked into one of the cells and realized that Rodyle didn't bother to clean his captives nor their cages. These poor people were literally sleeping in their own waste. He wanted to vomit.
"How do we open these cells?" Lloyd asked, wanting to save these people as quickly as possible.
"There must be a control panel around here," Genis said as he looked over the holding cell.
"I think I found it," Presea spoke up as she pointed to a computer on the far side of the room.
Raine wasted no time hacking the computer.
"Strange, why they're no guards here," Regal asked in concern.
Sheena glanced at the prison cell. "Look at these people. Even if they did somehow break free, they're too weak to put up any resistance."
Presea narrowed her eyes. "The Desians are truly terrible people. You must be a monster to tear another person apart like this."
Although she spoke those words she honestly felt….nothing. She wanted to feel anger, but didn't feel any emotions, neither negative or positive. It was much like when she was cursed by her exsphere. Was there something wrong with her? She knew what she was seeing was morally wrong, so why couldn't she feel anything?
Lloyd balled his fists. "This is why the people of Sylvarant believe that the Desians are pure evil. It's….it's hard to believe that anyone with a soul could do this."
Genis' eyes became downcast. "This is also why Raine and I were terrified about people finding out we're half-elves. Half-elves were already not treated well going by Sylvarant's history, but the Desians made everyone think all half-elves were Desians."
Zelos was quiet as he looked at the people in the cages, so sick, weak, and broken that they barely took notice of them.
He honestly couldn't blame the people of Sylvarant for hating half-elves if this was their experience. As absolutely wretched as Tethe'alla was to their half-elf population, even they never stooped to this level of cruelty. Torture for the sake of torture all so they could make more powerful exspheres.
"Got it," Raine spoke in triumph as a loud beep filled the room. They then heard the sound of the prison's cells being opened. Not even a second later, a loud beeped filled the room.
"We triggered the alarm!" Lloyd shouted, grabbing his swords.
"I did it on purpose," Raine assured. "Remember, we need the Desians to know that the prisoners are escaping so they will unseal the elevator."
Not even a minute later, two Desians came running out of the elevator.
The moment they saw Raine by the control panel, it was already too late for them. Without giving them a chance to even draw their weapons, Presea charged them and mercilessly split one of the Desians in half.
While the other one was distracted by the brutal death of their comrade, Regal ran in and kicked the Desian so hard that he caved his chest in, piercing his heart with his broken ribs. The Desian's body crumbled lifelessly to the floor as the Desian gave its last breath.
Genis winced at the brutality of their deaths. They had it coming, but still…
Lloyd walked to the prisoners, who seemed confused about what was happening. "Listen everyone, we're here to free you!"
The prisoners gave Lloyd lifeless stares, obviously not believing him.
"We're here with the Chosen," Lloyd added.
"The…Chosen? The Chosen of Mana," one of the captives whispered in disbelief.
Colette stepped forward and revealed her wings. "Yes. I'm here to save you."
Now all the captives were listening.
"Are we really saved?" one of them asked, closed to tears.
"Yes," Raine answered. "We would escort you out, but we have to deal with Rodyle. Is there anyone healthy enough to lead everyone out?"
There was a short paused before several prisoners stepped forward. They were healthier than most, but they were still painfully skinny and had dark circles around their eyes.
"We can lead the people out," one of them replied in a weak voice.
"Are you sure? You look half-dead," Zelos noted.
"We should be fine. I've been in this hellhole long enough to know where the exit is," a man said. "Don't worry about us, Chosen. Just please….stop Rodyle so he can't do this to anyone else."
Colette nodded. "We will. May the Goddess Martel protect you." She hated to leave these people behind, but they had little choice.
The men bowed before Colette. "Thank you Chosen. We'll never forget this." They turned to gathered the remaining prisoners and grabbed anything they could used as weapons.
Raine put a hand on Colette's shoulder. "It's in their hands now."
"I know," Colette whispered.
With the elevator unsealed, the group made their way inside and with a few button pressed, they were moving up to the top of the Ranch.
It actually took them a few minutes to reach the top. When they opened the elevator, they were surprised to see that it led straight into what appeared to be a control room with a single center floor. On that floor was Rodyle, staring right at them as if he knew they were coming.
"Well, I see the failed Chosen and her traveling band of fools are still alive. You're as stubborn as cockroaches," Rodyle mused with a cocky smirk on his face.
Presea pointed her axe at the men who ruined her life. "You and Vharley…deceived me."
Rodyle looked down his nose at the young girl and chuckled. "Presea…I'd have treated you so much better had you made me a Cruxis Crystal in that little body of yours."
Lloyd sneered as he reached for his swords. This monster was just as bad as Kvar.
Presea narrowed her eyes. "Die!"
This response only made Rodyle laugh harder. "Now, now, settle down." He stopped laughing and smirked. "Have a look at the projector. I've got a special underwater show for you."
Lloyd felt his heart sink when the projector came to life and he saw the prisoners they freed. They were walking down a long hallway when a loud roar reached their ears, causing them to stop. They were horrified to realized that the water was raising from the floor and given their current location, they would be underwater in minutes.
"H…how could you do that!?" Genis exclaimed in disbelief and horror.
"They'll all be killed!" Colette shouted.
Regal was trembling in rage. "Damn you!"
Lloyd growled as he ran up the stairs to confront Rodyle. He should have known this would happened. That bastard Magnius did the same thing. "You bastard! Stop the water, now!" He pointed his swords at Rodyle's neck. Genis, Colette, and Presea were right behind him.
Rodyle sneered at him. "It's too late."
Lloyd shouted in rage as he attempted to slit Rodyle's throat. The Grand Cardinal was faster than Lloyd expected as he nimbly dodged his sword's swing.
Still, Rodyle was taken aback by Lloyd's speed. He was beginning to see why Kvar and Yggdrasill obsessed over the boy. It would appear them surviving his trap was more than mere luck. Kuchinawa's reports on their activities seemed to have been accurate as well. The boy's mana was also vastly stronger than it was back in Ozette.
"I know why you've come here. I'm sure you intend to shut down my Mana Cannon. But you won't succeed. I've filled the corridor leading to the Mana Cannon with sea water," Rodyle informed the group.
Colette shook her head in disbelief. "You're going to kill all those people just to stop us?!"
Rodyle smirked at her. "Who cares about the lives of pathetic inferior beings. The Mana Cannon will be completed once I get the Cruxis Crystal. With Thor's Hammer in my possession, Yggdrasill and Cruxis will beg for my mercy! Even that eye-sore of a tower will fall before my cannon."
Zelos rolled his eyes. Did this fool really think Yggdrasill and Cruxis could be beaten by mere magitechnology? If they could break into the Ranch and make it this far, Cruxis would stomp him into the ground.
"What do you hope to accomplish by destroying the Tower of Salvation!?" Lloyd demanded. Even if the Tower of Salvation was a false symbol, it was all the people of Sylvarant had left to cling to to give them hope for the Chosen's journey.
Rodyle laughed in his face. "That's nothing you lower life forms need to concern yourselves with." He suddenly put his hand on his chest, putting everyone on edge. "The Cruxis Crystal is finally mine!"
This shocked everyone.
"Where did a loser like you get a Cruxis Crystal?" Zelos demanded. For a brief, horrible moment, he feared it was his. But….the energy he felt didn't seem right.
Colette was also confused. The power she sensed from Rodyle wasn't a Cruxis Crystal.
Rodyle ignored Zelos. "Now, let's see. I think I'll test its power first by activating it on myself."
Truth of the matter, he had no choice but to used the Cruxis Crystal. As things stood, the Chosen's group would rip him apart in combat and he had none of his pets around at the moment to back him up. He only had his transport dragons who would be little match for the Chosen.
Through the Journey of Regeneration to their hardships in Tethe'alla, the Chosen and her friends were hardened by battle to the point that they could fight even the summon spirits going by Kuchinawa's intel. While for all his scheming, he had ignored his body.
And that Angelus that he dismissed as a weakling was now a force on his own. From where he stood, his power was approaching those of Yuan and Kratos in their normal forms, and he only had a mere exsphere, even if it was Kvar's Angelus Project. If this was just the beginning of his power, then he would undoubtably become stronger than the Four Seraphim in time.
He hated to admit it, but Pronyma was right in her advice to kill him. No matter what, that creature had to be destroyed if he wanted his dream to be realize.
With his mind made up, he active his Cruxis Crystal.
The final confrontation with Rodyle has began. It's been over a decade, but this bastard is finally about to get his comeuppance. Also, we got to see the imposters again. First time we've seen seen them since Chapter 49.
Anyway, until next chapter.