Here it is, another chapter ready for all of your enjoyment. Thank you again for all your reviews, hits, and favorites.
Now, onward to the story.
Chapter 16: Nightmares and Jealousy
A loud roar pieced through his mind and he could see a large red orb glaring at him full of malice and blood. He could hear someone laughing in delight. It was a cold, sadistic laugh that sent chills down Lloyd's spin. He tried to move, but his body was held in place by some invisible force.
"Anna!" he heard someone scream. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place who it was.
"How pitiful. The great angel on his knees before a monster. Oh how the mighty has fallen," the other voice mocked.
"Lloyd, wake up!" he heard someone yelled in his mind, but was disjointed from what was currently happening.
"Turn her back!" the other voice shouted. His voice was partly drowned out by the monster's roars.
"Wake up, Lloyd!" another voice demanded of him.
He could hear the other man's laugh over the other voices, however. "Once the demon seed is release, not even I can reverse it."
"LIAR!" the man screamed in denial.
"Lloyd, please wake up," a female voice pleaded. "You're having a nightmare."
Lloyd finally snapped his eyes opened and the world blurred around him. It felt like his heart was going to thump out of his chest and he was soaked in his own sweat. He felt something cold pressed against his lips.
"Drink this," someone ordered.
Lloyd didn't protest as he drank the liquid, which felt heavenly against his dry throat. After another moment, he felt his head clear from the grip of the dream and he could see his friends surrounding him.
Raine and Genis both had worried expressions on their faces and Colette looked absolutely terrified. Noishe was whimpering softly and was licking his face in comfort. Even Kratos' stoic mask has giving way to concern.
He felt the cup being pulled away from him and he did feel much calmer. He actually began to feel a little embarrassed by all the people surrounding him. He also didn't like Kratos seeing him so pitiful. Damn these nightmares.
"Are you alright?" Kratos finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Lloyd numbly nodded.
"You haven't had a night terror in awhile," Raine noted. "I wonder what triggered it."
"He had one the night we left Iselia," Genis informed.
Kratos turned to look at the siblings. "This has happens before?"
"From what Dirk has told me, Lloyd some times suffer from severe nightmares that he calls night terrors," Raine explained. "I have only seen it once before when he was sleeping over our house years ago."
Colette turned towards Kratos. "He used to have them much more often, but they started to go away in recent years."
Kratos frowned deeply as he looked over Lloyd again. "Can you recall what these night terrors are?"
Lloyd absently stroked Noishe's fur as he tried to recall his nightmare. "I...I never remember much. Just the roars of some kind of monster and people talking."
"Do you know what the monster looks like?" Kratos questioned further.
Lloyd shook his head. "No..."
Kratos could sense that Lloyd was not telling the entire truth.
"I will make you some hot soup to help calm your nerves," Raine said as she stood up and went to get the cooking bowl.
Genis followed shortly behind her. "Raine, I don't think Lloyd wants to die." A loud smack echoed in the night's air, but no one paid too much attention to it.
"Lloyd, I'm so sorry," Colette said as she clamped her hands together. "This journey is causing your nightmares to return."
Lloyd gave her a weak smile. "It's not your fault, you dork. It isn't that bad." As soon as he said that a flash of lightning filled the sky causing Lloyd to jump.
"Damn, I hate lightning," Lloyd muttered.
Noishe nuzzled his face and whined softly.
"So, lightning is your trigger," Kratos observed.
"It...it tends to make the nightmares worst," Lloyd confessed.
Kratos stared at him for a moment. "Will you be alright to travel tomorrow?"
The fear left Lloyd's face and was immediately replaced with a deep glare. "Of course, no nightmare has ever slowed me down." Did Kratos think he was a complete wimp?
"Being afraid isn't a weakness," Kratos said in the most tender voice that Lloyd had ever heard from the man. "It is acknowledging your fears that helps make you stronger."
"Kratos is right," Colette said. "If you need to rest for a day, I don't mind waiting. Your health is more important."
Lloyd gave a small chuckle. "Weren't you the one sick just a couple days ago?"
"Izoold is still another two days walk from here," Kratos added. "Another day would be of little consequence."
Lloyd lowered his head in thought. "I...I can't say right now."
Kratos nodded. "Very well, you don't have to decide at the moment."
They all stood in silence for another ten minutes before Raine returned with the soup. Thankfully, Genis was able to convince his sister to let him make it, which worked for the best since Genis didn't want Lloyd to have a sour stomach on top of his sleeping issue.
Lloyd ate the soup slowly and did his best to ignore the flashes of lightning in the distance. Kratos used this time to set up the tents just in cause there was a downpour during the night.
Once Lloyd was nice and full he crawled into one of the tents and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep. The others did the same until Kratos was the only one left awake since he had the night watch. This gave him plenty of time to contemplate what he just witnessed.
It appeared that Lloyd did suffer some long-term affects from that night. Most likely those 'nightmares' were repressed memories from that terrible night when he lost Anna. It made sense since Lloyd was screaming for his mother in his dream. He'd heard that severe traumas could cause waking nightmares in some people.
He never suffered the affects, but since he had long lost the need to sleep, he never have to worry about dreaming. If he did sleep, he too would most likely be suffering from nightly terrors. He has already experienced them when he was awake.
What made things worse was that there was nothing he could do to ease Lloyd's pain. He could hardly tell him the truth of his dreams and even if he did, he doubted it would help much. The damage has been done and there was nothing to be done about it now.
He just hoped that Lloyd doesn't suffer too many of these night terrors before the journey ends. He didn't think he could take seeing Lloyd in such agony again.
The rest of the night was thankfully calm and no more nightmares haunted Lloyd for the remainder of the night. When daybreak came, Lloyd was still dead asleep. Kratos decided it was best to let Lloyd wake on his own instead of dragging him awake like he would usually did.
Kratos also didn't want to test if Lloyd had a phobia to lightning. The sky was nearly complete black from thunderclouds to the point it still seemed like night. The rumbles of thunder could clearly be heard in the distance and Kratos knew they were in for several days of rain.
"Are you alright, Mr. Kratos?" a soft voice asked, breaking him from his thought. He looked up to see the gentle face of the Chosen staring down at him.
"I am fine," Kratos said.
Colette took a seat next to him. "You're still worried about Lloyd, aren't you?"
"I am concern that his mental state could impend our journey and put you in needless danger," Kratos answered casually.
"You don't have to lie," Colette said. "I know you care about Lloyd. That's why you're so tough on him."
"I think you read too much into my actions," Kratos said. Although the Chosen was uncomfortably right in her assessment.
Colette began to tap her fingers together. "It's okay to care about others. I don't understand why you won't open up to any of us."
"I'm a hired hand," Kratos answered. "It's not my duty to get close to anyone."
Colette looked him straight in the eye. "But you're far more than a mercenary. You're more like a friend or an uncle I never had."
Kratos had to keep himself from scoffing. "You've known me for barely a week."
"But the Goddess Martel has shown me your heart," Colette said. "Despite how you act, I know you're a good, caring man."
"I should be getting breakfast ready," Kratos cut off. "Go wake everyone, except Lloyd." He got up and walked towards the campfire.
He hasn't been a good, caring man in a long time. He doubted that he was ever one to begin with. He didn't know what Anna saw in him, but she thought the same as the Chosen and looked where it got her. He helped create this twisted world and watched dispassionately as people willingly gave their lives for a lie after being breed like livestock. To make his sins even worse, he was currently leading this girl that trusted him to her slow death. He was to assure that she died at that tower and her shell be used to raise the spirit of someone long dead.
This Chosen didn't know what she was talking about and was being a fool. Maybe it was best for her to die at this point in her life and be spared from learning the harsh truth about him and the world in general. The Chosen had him completely wrong. He was anything but a good, caring person.
Breakfast was ready within another twenty minutes and Kratos surprised everyone with cooking something besides eggs. He actually fixed everyone omelets with melted cheese and peppers on top.
"Wow, I didn't know you could cook like this," Genis complimented as he took a bit of his omelet. "This is even better than what I make."
"I have more experience," Kratos stated.
"I must asked, what made you decide to cook such a big breakfast?" Raine questioned.
"We are in no hurry to move today so I had more time to fix a decent meal," Kratos said. "When Lloyd wakes up, there are some leftovers for him."
"Knowing Lloyd, you will have lunch ready by the time he gets up," Genis said in a deadpan voice.
"That maybe for the best," Kratos said. "I've heard that night terrors could be made worst by a lack of sleep."
Colette began to stare at Kratos. "Are you going to eat?"
"I had mines already," Kratos answered nonchalantly.
"You must be one quick eater," Genis stated. "I mean, you always finish your meals so fast that no ones ever sees you eat."
Raine began to tap her plate. "Yeah, I do find that interesting."
"As a traveling mercenary I have learned to function with little to no food," Kratos said. "It is hardly anything usual."
"I suppose," Raine said, not quite believing him.
Kratos took a mental note to eat more often in the presence of the Chosen's group. It wouldn't be good if he got found out because he fell out of the habit of eating.
Once breakfast was done, the group spread out and did their own thing. Raine got out several books and began to study more about where they were going, while Genis worked on mastering some new spells. Colette amused herself with playing with Noishe.
It was closed to noon by the time Lloyd emerged from his tent, looking no worse from wear. Kratos glanced at the boy at he approached the campfire.
"How are you feeling?" Kratos asked.
"Better," Lloyd answered. "I'm surprise you didn't wake me like usual."
"There was little point getting you up if you were exhausted," Kratos said. "You're no good to the Chosen half awake."
"So glad to see you we were worry about me," Lloyd said sarcastically.
"Here is your breakfast," Kratos said as he handed Lloyd his omelet. "Since you are just eating, I don't have to make you a sandwich for lunch."
Lloyd took the omelet. "You made this?"
Kratos nodded as he watched Lloyd take a bite of his omelet. He could tell by the slight smile on Lloyd's face that he enjoyed it. "Are you feeling okay to travel? If not, I need to tell the others."
Lloyd paused in mid bite as he looked into the darken sky. The rumbling thunder in the distance did unnerve him, but didn't want Kratos to know that.
"I...I want to travel," Lloyd finally said. "I don't want to hold everyone back and get caught in the rain."
Kratos decided it was best not to questioned Lloyd's decision. He didn't want to come across as patronizing him. He would just have to keep an eye on Lloyd for the time being.
"I will tell the others," Kratos said as he stood up.
Lloyd watched Kratos leave and he started to pick at his omelet. He couldn't figure that man out. He came off as someone with a stick up their butt, but at the same time he seemed to have a gentle side. Although he was upset that Kratos saw him as some kind of burden, the look of worry on his face after his nightmare was very real. Maybe he came across as a jerk to hide his real emotions.
Lloyd began to laugh at himself as that thought crossed his mind. He was starting to sound like Colette.
"What's so funny?" Genis asked.
"It's nothing," Lloyd dismissed. "Sorry about worrying you last night."
Genis waved his hand. "It's nothing, but I'll never going to get use to your nightmares. I thought you were being murdered."
"Am I really that loud?" Lloyd muttered.
Genis patted Lloyd's shoulder. "Afraid so."
"Hurry up and finish your breakfast," Kratos ordered. "We move out in ten minutes."
Lloyd sighed. "Well, some things never change."
True to Kratos' words, they were up and packed in ten minutes. They continued their journey towards the fishing town of Izoold. Their progress was made slow, however, when it started to rain three hours into their journey. It started out light, but gradually increased throughout the day.
Lloyd remained unsteady every time he heard a lightning strike, but he did a decent job hiding it. Colette began to walk by his side in an effort to comfort him. Kratos kept a closed eye on the two since Lloyd was not on guard.
Unfortunately, the weather did not get better over the next couple of days. It would only quit raining for a couple of hours at a time before it started again. This made the path muddy and hard to walk, severely slowing their progress.
Raine was not used to traveling for long periods of time and had a hard time keeping up with the more energetic members. Genis was even worse, but he was able to ride Noishe whenever he got too tired.
Colette was in amazing shape for someone who has been pampered for most of her life. She was easily able to keep up with Lloyd's strides, which were second only to Kratos.
Lloyd quickly found out, however, that he was a distance second. Although he was able to keep up with Kratos for the entire time the first day, it left him feeling completely sore the next day. Kratos had crazy endurance and could walk nonstop for hours without even breathing hard. Lloyd began to wonder if the man was even human.
After nearly three days of walking, Lloyd had to keep himself from cheering when he saw a town in the distance. He was tired of being wet and the stupid thunder that grind his nerves. It was getting harder to hide his discomfort from Kratos, but he didn't seemed to have noticed. He was extremely grateful that Colette stood by him the entire time, lending her silent strength.
It was about five in the afternoon when they stepped into the small fishing town. Lloyd felt the smell of salt and fish overwhelm his senses, causing him to winkle his nose. The town was also damp from all the rainfall.
The town was nearly completely made out of wood and the houses were no bigger than one story. By first appearances, the town looked very poor. It didn't helped that the people he saw so far were dressed in half torn shirts and pants with some walking barefooted.
"So this is Izoold," Genis noted. "Doesn't look like much."
This earned a well-earned smack upside Genis' head from Raine. "That is no way to talk about such an important town to the economy of Sylvarant. Next to Palmacosta, Izoold makes up most of Sylvarant's fishing and gel industries."
"Even so, it still looks ransack," Lloyd said.
"Since most of the people here spend most of their lives sailing in a small boat, they don't spend much time in their homes. Which is why the houses here are so simple," Kratos explained. "In either case, we should find an inn. We can continue in the morning."
Raine turned towards Kratos. "I will book the inn and buy the supplies. The rest of you should go find a ship for us to use."
Lloyd nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard."
They started their search at the dock, which was bigger than they expected. There were several dozen ships in port and sailors surrounded the entire area.
"Wow, it's so crowded here," Colette said in awe.
"I don't even know where to begin to look," Genis said as he shook his head.
"We need to find the boss," Kratos stated.
"Boss?" Lloyd repeated.
"He is the one who gives orders to all the sailors," Kratos explained, drawing from his own former experiences. "In a busy port like this, there is one person who runs it to ensure everyone's safety. He will also have the departure schedule for all the ships."
Lloyd rubbed his hair. "Well, I guess we just have to ask around until we find this person."
This proved to be more time consuming than they thought since most of the sailors were either too busy to answer their questions or too drunk from a night of partying.
"I wonder why some of these sailors are sick?" Colette asked. "Do they all have sea sickness?"
Lloyd wasn't sure how to answer her question. He knew the signs of heavy drinking because of his own personally experience when he had one too many. In his case, he couldn't get out of bed and had a major headache that lasted the entire day.
"Sailors tends to live a very loose lifestyle and they have a tendency to play too much," Kratos explained.
Colette's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't know you could get sick from partying too much."
"It isn't necessarily the partying that makes them ill," Kratos said in a patient voice.
"Oh I know, they get sick from staying up too late," Colette said with a bright smile.
Kratos was about to object to her logic before a tiny elbow poked him in the ribs.
"Give it up, it's much easier that way," Genis stated.
Kratos decided it was best to take the young mage's advice.
After over an hour of searching, they finally found the person who ran the deck. He was a fairly young man who didn't look a day over twenty. He also didn't have the roughness of the other sailors.
"You're looking for a ship?" the man asked as he looked over the group.
"Yeah, can you tell us when one is leaving?" Lloyd asked.
"The only ship in this port still in operating is the fishing boat that belongs to Maxe," the man informed.
"It is strange that only one ship is running in such a busy season," Kratos said.
The man sighed. "Tell me about it. But it can't be help. The seas have been rough with monster attacks lately."
That was understandable since the monsters were fighting for survival because of the mana shortage. "Even so, sailors are known for traversing the seas, regardless of the dangers," Kratos said.
"You're talking about days long passed, my friend," the man said. "Unfortunately, there are few real sailors left in the world. Ever since Jason retired from the seas, there haven't been many to take his place."
Kratos nodded his head in understanding. A part of him, however, was happy that Jason was no longer risking his life. He was a good man who deserved a long happy life.
"Thomas may be able to help you, but he took off sailing weeks ago and isn't due back here until another three weeks," the man continued.
"Three weeks, that's way too long," Genis complained.
"It's okay, maybe Maxe will help us," Lloyd said.
"Not likely," the man said as he rolled his eyes. "That man is too smitten with a certain redhead."
"Pardon?" Lloyd asked in confusing.
The man cleared his throat. "It's nothing. In either case, Maxe is over there." He pointed to a man who appeared to be guardian a fairly small boat. Small in comparison to the ships that were currently in port.
"Thanks," Lloyd said as the group made their way towards Maxe. He was a fairly chunky man with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a dirty brown vest with torn jeans. It also looked like he hadn't shaved in the last couple of days.
He took a glanced over to his side to see Lloyd's group approaching him. "Who are you?"
"Excuse me, but we need a boat to take us to Palmacosta," Lloyd said. "We were wondering if you would be nice enough to give us a ride."
Maxe shook his head. "No way, I'm not going back out to sea. Especially if he's still here."
"He?" Lloyd repeated in confusing.
"The one who dares competes for my precious Lyla's heart," Maxe said with fire in his eyes. "He won't win her. I'll make sure of that."
"As fascinating as your love life sounds, we really need to get to Palmacosta," Genis said dryly.
"Find someone else!" Maxe snapped.
"Hey, you're not talking about Aifread, aren't you?" a sailor nearby asked
"Yeah, that's him," Maxe muttered.
The sailor began to chuckle. "Well, you don't have worry about him. He left this morning to return to his hometown."
"Really?" Maxe said in surprise. "But I shouldn't leave Lyla alone. That no good pirate might come back."
"Please, it take several weeks to get to Luin from here," the sailor said as he rolled his eyes. "You can go and come back from Palmacosta by the time Aifread gets halfway to Luin."
Maxe sighed. "I have to think about it. It's still dangerous to sail in these seas. Aifread just shows how reckless he is by just sailing off."
"Aifread maybe a rough character, but he is a true sailor man," the sailor said. "Unlike the other gutless swine here who have the nerve to call themselves sailors."
"Say what you will, but I'm not about to needlessly risk my life," Maxe shot back.
Lloyd sighed. "This is hopeless."
"We may have to wait for Thomas to return," Kratos said. It was something he wasn't looking forward to, especially if this was the same Thomas he knew from years before.
"It sucks to wait here for three weeks though," Genis said.
"It's okay," Colette said. "We can't force anyone to do anything."
"We could if we told them you were the Chosen," Genis pointed out.
Colette quickly shook her head. "But I don't want to take advantage of people. People should help us because it's the right thing to do. Not because I'm the Chosen."
"But it doesn't sounds too realistic," Lloyd said.
"Regardless, let's go to the inn and meet up with Miss Sages," Kratos said. "There is nothing more than can be done here."
They began the short walk back towards the main housing area. Lloyd was not looking forward to staying here for three weeks. He was already bored with the town and smell of fish. The rain hasn't done a thing to improve his mood either.
"How can I quell these feelings I have...Aifread?" Lloyd heard someone muttered, which stopped him in his tracks.
He looked up to see a girl wearing a white cap that covered her short red hair. She wore a simple shirt and with shorts that went down to her knees. She also had the most annoyed look on her face.
"Did you say Aifread?" Lloyd asked.
The girl glared at Lloyd. "Why you asked?"
Genis moved to join the conversation. "If you're looking for Aifread, we heard he went back to his hometown."
The girls face lit up. "What did you say?! Is that true?!" she all but yelled, startling Genis.
"Yeah...that's what I heard at the dock," Genis stuttered.
Her face then hardened in determination. "This is my chance!" She then ran towards the docks, nearly knocking Lloyd over.
"Whoa, what was all that about?" Lloyd asked.
"Maybe she is in love with Aifread," Colette suggested.
"Does it really matter?" Kratos questioned, not at all interested in the matter.
Lloyd suddenly got a hunch. "You guys go to the inn. I want to go back to the dock."
"Why?" Genis asked.
"I want to check on something," Lloyd said.
Kratos gave Lloyd an odd look. "Very well, but don't be gone too long."
Lloyd nodded as he ran back towards the docks. He nearly slipped several times on the damp wood, but was able to keep himself from fallen. He kept going until he found his way back at Maxe's boat. It would appear his hunch was right as he saw the girl from earlier arguing with Maxe.
"What's the matter with you!?" the woman yelled. "You're going to refuse my request? He's returned to his hometown of Luin!"
Maxe raised both his hands up in defense. "It's not like that. There are giant monsters at sea now. It's dangerous and I care about you too much to let you come aboard."
"Fine," the woman growled. "Then you go deliver the letter for me."
Maxe's face turned red at such a suggestion. "No, why should I have to act as a go-between for my rival in love!"
Now Lloyd understood. This girl had to be Lyla.
Lyla rolled her eyes at Maxe. "Oh please, stop whining!"
Maxe crossed his arms together. "That's my final answer.
Lyla glared at Maxe for a moment, causing him to squirm in place. Lloyd briefly wondered if Lyla was going to smack Maxe across the face.
"Fine," Lyla finally said as she turned her eyes towards Lloyd, catching him off-guard. "You there, I'd like you to deliver this letter for me to Aifread."
"Me?" Lloyd asked in surprise.
"Do you see anyone else here?" Lyla scoffed.
Lloyd quickly recomposed himself. "Well I would like to help, but I can't cross the ocean."
"If you'll deliver it, I'll have Maxe take you on his boat," Lyla said casually.
Maxe was taken off guard by the statement. "You can't be serious! I…I'm not going to do it."
Lyla turned to glaring at Maxe. "Are you saying it's all right if my letter doesn't make it to Aifread?" Her voice sounded calm, but it reminded Lloyd of the tone Raine used just before she punished them for misbehaving.
"L…Lyla! No, I mean, it's not…I don't mean that…" Maxe stuttered pitifully.
"Then, what do you mean!?" Lyla yelled. "If you keep making a fuss about this, I'll just do this on my own!"
Maxe opened his mouth to argue, but he was stomped. Lloyd didn't know the man, but he could tell that Maxe was whipped.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Maxe said. "Dammit..."
Happy with Maxe's answer, she then walked over to Lloyd. "It's in your hands now. Make sure it gets to him." She then forced the letter into Lloyd's hands.
Lloyd finally realized that Lyla didn't actually get him to agree to deliver the letter. Then again, he needed a ship and she pretty much gave him a free ticket. So, he guessed it all even out.
Without another word, Lyla left the dock.
"She's so pushy, but that's why I love her," Maxe said in a far off voice.
"Yeah...so, when can we leave," Lloyd asked.
"Oh...oh yeah," Maxe stuttered. "Well, I can be ready to leave by morning. Is that okay with you?"
Lloyd nodded. "Morning should be fine. Thanks a lot."
"Keep in mind that I'm not doing this for you," Maxe said firmly. "This is all for my beloved Lyla."
"Well, whatever. I'll see you in the morning," Lloyd said as he ran off to tell the others. After such a lousy couple of days, it was nice to have some luck.
I know, another slow chapter. At least we're off the side-quest. I have to say, trying to make certain parts of the script more realistic is not as easy as one would think.
Kf2104, as always thank you for your constant reviews. As for your question, if you're talking about the Unison Attack that Genis and Lloyd did, it is called Fiery Beast.
Until next time.