Well, after over two years I am finally updating this story again. Bet you guys thought this was a dead fic, huh?

First, let my apologize for the super long break. Part of it was because I was working on another huge successful project, Mist of Memories, that I did not have the time to devote to this story. And, I will admit, I was burnt out on Tales of Symphonia. After working on Kharlan and Cruxis Chronicles, along with Tales of Father and Son, I just did not have in it me to do the novelization of the entire game, despite being past Kvar's Ranch in my draft. On top of that, I still wanted to do stuff for Dawn of the New World and I became tired.

But, after taking a well needed break from the fandom and some encouraging reviews, I decided it is time to dust off this story and continue. As I put in my profile page, I will never abandoned a story no matter what and I intend to keep that promised even if only one person reads this.

So, here is the next chapter and I hope it was wroth the wait.

Chapter 22: Raid

Lloyd could feel his heart pound in his chest as he leaned heavily onto his horse as they dashed towards Palmacosta.

"How could this have happen?" Lloyd wondered to himself. Was it all because Chocolat mouthed off to that group of Desians? Were they really that petty to destroy an entire city over such a small infraction?

Dammit, he would never forgive the Desians for this. Did they really think human lives were so expendable that they could do whatever they pleased? Well, not this time. He would make sure they pay for this. Not just the Desians of this Ranch, but all of them.

Kratos glanced at Lloyd from the corner of his eyes and shook his head in concern. Lloyd was allowing his emotions to rule him again. If he got out hand and attempted to attack Magnius, it would undoubtedly end his life.

He wasn't sure if Mithos knew about Lloyd yet, but it mattered little. Magnius would kill Lloyd before he would bother to ask him his name. It would be hard enough to keep him from murdering the Chosen even by accident. At best, Magnius would see him, recognized him as an agent of Cruxis, and back down.

He knew that was a long shot since he wasn't certain if Magnius actually knew him. He visited his Ranch a couple of times during the years, but he doubted that he made a strong impression on the man. When it came to him observing the Ranches, he was always on autopilot to the point that he barely remembered the visit. He had to in order to keep his sanity.

"How much longer, Mr. Kratos?" the soft voice of the Chosen asked.

"If we ride through the night, we may make it there by late morning," Kratos answered. However, he wasn't certain if the horses would last that long. They were a hardy and fast breed, but running for over a day would exhaust any creature to the breaking point.

"The woman said that the Ranch was only a day's journey from Palmacosta," Raine stated. "Even at this rate and the Desians slower marching speed, we may not make it in time."

"Don't say things like that Raine!" Genis yelled as he clung to his sister's body.

"I'm only being realistic," Raine countered.

Kratos knew that the Professor was correct. As cold as it was, a part of him hoped they wouldn't make it in time. That would make things less complicated.

Genis hugged his sister tighter. "Raine...I..."

Raine knew what he was thinking. "Are you scared about facing them?"

"The Desians are evil, I know. But, we're still..." Genis couldn't finish the sentence.

"Whether they are half-elves or humans, the Desians are an evil force," Raine stated firmly. "That is what they are regardless of their race. If you can't fight against them, then we will leave you at the entrance."

Genis shook his head. "No, I want to fight them. I can't sit back and let them have their way. Not again."

"Then think of that," Raine said. "The minute those half-elves became Desians, they stopped being anyone's kinsmen. Remember that."

"I understand, Raine," Genis answered in acceptance.

Kratos closed his eyes as he overheard the last of the conversation.

"Those Desians! If they cause trouble in Palmacosta, they're going to pay!" Lloyd suddenly shouted, allowing some of his inner monolog to come to the surface.

"Lloyd, calm down," Raine advised over the galloping horses. They didn't need Lloyd's hot-temper and him doing something stupid.

Lloyd was too caught up in his anger to listen. "When I left Iselia, I swore I'd never let the Desians have their way again! No matter what! I won't let harm Palmacosta!"

Kratos turned towards Lloyd. "Losing your cool will only lead to poor decisions."

Lloyd glared at Kratos. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. "Just shut up!"

"Lloyd!" Colette gasped.

Genis winced at the tone of voice.

Raine stared at him disapprovingly. "Lloyd, your feelings are always honest and pure. Nevertheless, that's not a reason to ignore the advice of your comrades."

Lloyd flinched and quickly realized that he went too far. He was just so angry and frustrated that he needed to vent. "But I..."

Raine quickly cut him off. "We are all worried about Palmacosta, but we're also worried about you, understand?"

Although she pitied the people within the city, her priority was always to her students, both mentally and physically. She wouldn't allow Lloyd to be swallowed by his anger and hatred for the Desians. She's seen too many good people become lost that way.

Lloyd sighed heavily as he slumped on his horse. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that."

Raine smiled slightly. "That's better. But am I the one to whom you should be apologizing?" She glanced at Kratos.

Lloyd lifted up his head and looked towards the older man. "Kratos...I was wrong... I'm sorry."

"I take no offense," Kratos assured in his usual calm manner. He had to admit, the Professor was good with disciplining her students without violence when called for.

They kept riding well into the night, stopping only to allow the horse to drank water and eat a quick snack.

Lloyd was edgy during the first couple of stops, wanting to ride off right away. He stopped, however, when Kratos and Raine reminded him that they would kill the horses if they didn't stop and rest. Lloyd would never admit it, but he needed the stops too since his butt was sore from riding the horse all day.

By early sunrise, they could see the outlines of Palmacosta in the distance. Lloyd felt like sighing in relief when he saw no smoke rising from the city. That meant the Desians hadn't destroyed it. At the same time, he was well aware that the Desians could have badly ravaged the place without setting it to flames.

"It looks like we made it in time," Colette said, voicing Lloyd's thoughts.

"It would appear," Kratos replied. He was too far away to sense into the city, but it was still too quiet for him.

Within another few hours, they were finally at the main entrance. Lloyd all but jumped off his horse and attempted to dash into the city. His grand entrance was less than spectacular when he stumbled to the ground. His entire body was completely stiffed and sore.

"Dammit..." Lloyd muttered. It felt like he had done exercises all day.

"Don't be so careless," Kratos said as he gracefully hopped off his horse. He cast a quick First Aid, easing Lloyd's muscle pains.

"Rushing to your death will help no one," Raine scolded as she helped Genis down. "What do you think you could do against the Desians?"

Lloyd slowly stood up. "I have to do something."

Colette bit her lips. "It's so quiet."

Raine nodded. "Even if it's still early, it shouldn't be this calm."

"Maybe the Desians aren't here yet." Colette suggested hopefully.

"No, they're here," Genis said. "I can feel hostile mana within the city. I can't say how many they are, though."

"Then, we must hurry," Colette spoke with urgency as she rushed into the city.

Lloyd followed shortly behind her as they entered Palmacosta. It was too spooky to see the always-busy city so still. There was no one on the streets except stray dogs and some cats. It was like the entire city has been abandoned.

"Where is everyone?" Lloyd asked out loud.

"Keep quiet, do you want the Desians to hear you?" a voice asked harshly.

Lloyd turned around to see a group of kids hiding behind one of the stalls.

"What has happened to the people of this city?" Lloyd asked.

"They were all rounded up by the Desians and taking to the main plaza," one of the kids said. "Our parents told us to hide here until they come back."

"Why would they gather everyone?" Colette asked.

"Most likely for a public execution," Kratos stated as he stepped towards the hidden children.

Lloyd visibly paled. "Execution!?"

"I've heard some Desians publicly execute individuals that gives them grievance if they exceed their death toll," Raine said in her usual calm manner. "I feared this would happened after what happened at that shop the other day." What she didn't tell the others that this was overall the best outcome. One life over the Desians sacking a city was preferable. Although, Lloyd, Colette, and Genis would never see it that way.

"It brings fear to the populist without resulting in too much bloodshed," Kratos continued. He was honestly impressed that Magnius decided to go this route. He supposed the Grand Cardinal decided to be conservative since the Chosen was within the area. Either that or he finally got scolded for breaking the designated death toll so many times.

"Dammit, why isn't the city militia doing anything to stop this?" Lloyd asked in anger and frustration.

"The military is out on drills," the boy answered. "Once a month, the soldiers go out on training missions that can last for over a day. Governor-General Dorr makes these outings random to throw off the Desians."

"Apparently it didn't work this time," Raine observed.

"Those cowards, they waited for this opportunity," Genis growled.

"This is all too convenience," Kratos thought. He glanced towards Raine and saw she was thinking the same thing.

The sound of beating drums suddenly got everyone attention.

"They're starting," one of the kids whimpered.

"Then, we have no time to lose!" Lloyd yelled as he dashed ahead of the group.

"Lloyd, come back!" Kratos ordered in vain.

Colette soon followed behind Lloyd, along with Genis.

Kratos let out a low growl. "Don't those kids realize the danger they're putting themselves in?"

Raine shook her head. "Let's go before they all get themselves killed."

Lloyd kept running across the city, ignoring everything around him. The sounds of the drums got louder as he got closer to the plaza. The sounds of people also reached his ears. He knew he had little time left.

Soon, he saw a crowd of people completely blocking up the plaza. There was barely enough room to breath as he attempted to squeezed and pushed his way through the crowd. The people were so transfixed with the scene before them that weren't bothered by the pushing. It took awhile, but Lloyd was finally close enough to the front to see what was going on.

Right in front of the church, a giant wooden structure was erected. It was a platform that was raised into the air by four legs. It had to be at least sixteen feet off the ground and had a classic hangmen's noose built into it. Several Desians surrounded the platform and held the crowd back. Unlike the Desians he was used to seeing, these wore purple and gray uniform instead of the usual red.

The Desians lining the execution platform were holding drums that they beat in a haunting rhythm. The Desians in front of them were wearing strange looking helmets that Lloyd knew meant they were mages. The rest were standard soldiers who dispassionately stared into the crowd.

Lloyd finally looked up to see who was the poor soul that had invoked the Desians' wrath. He expected to see Chocolat since she was the one who dared to defy the Desians. He was completely caught off-guard when he saw it was Cacao tied to the noose. Her head was down, showing that she had willingly accepted her fate.

"Out of the way, Lord Magnius approaches!" someone yelled over the crowd.

Lloyd looked around so he could get a good look at the Grand Cardinal. He didn't have to wait long before a giant of a man walked from the side of the plaza.

He was at least a head higher than most of the Desians there and much more bulky. He was so tan that his skin appeared to be orange and he had his hair tied in a red braided ponytail that pointed towards the sky. His eyes were slightly closed, but Lloyd could see the piecing blue of his irises. His face and body were also covered in battle scars. The one that stood out most was the one over his left eye.

He looked over the rest of the Grand Cardinal and saw that he was carrying a giant battle-axe that was at least as big as him. It had to be heavy, but he supported it with such eased that it hardly weighed him down. Lloyd knew by looking that this Grand Cardinal was much more brutal than that Forcystus guy.

"It's Magnius from the Eastern Ranch," one of the people near the front stuttered.

It was so low that a normal person probably wouldn't have heard it. However, Magnius proved he wasn't normal when he suddenly turned around and glared down at the man who spoke. The man shook so badly that Lloyd thought for sure he was going to wet himself.

Magnius walked over to the man in a fast stride. "That's LORD Magnius, vermin!" he yelled as he brought down his axe on the poor man, cutting him clean in half. Blood sputtered everywhere, causing people to reel back in shock and disgust.

"Oh, that's so cruel," Colette gasped from behind Lloyd. She had finally broken through the crowd and saw what Magnius has done.

"What happened?" Genis asked. He was too short to see anything.

Lloyd shook his head in disgust. "You don't want to know." Looked like his observations were proven correct.

Magnius casually cleaned the blood off his axe as if he simply swatted a fly. He then continued along his way and climbed the stairs that were built into the execution platform. He gave Cacao a cold grin causing her to turned away from him.

"This woman has defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refused to provide us with supplies," a Desian declared as he read the charges from a scroll. "Therefore, while the designated death count has been exceeded, we have been granted orders to carry out this woman's execution!"

"Dammit," Lloyd growled in frustration.

"MOM!" they heard Chocolat screamed.

Lloyd looked over to see several Desians holding her down and forcing her to watch everything.

One of the Desian guards laughed at her. "If you interfere, we'll make you suffer in ways that will leave you begging for death!"

"Be a good girl and be thankful that it's not your neck on the line," the second guard teased with a smirk.

"You think Governor-General Dorr will let you get away with this!?" Chocolat yelled defiantly. Despite this, she was closed to tears.

Magnius began to snicker before it turned into a full bellowed laugh. "Dorr?"

The other Desians around him started to laugh as well.

Lloyd looked dumbfounded at the scene. It was all like some kind of sick joke to them.

"Don't get your hopes up, woman," Magnius said once he calmed down. Before he could mock Chocolat further, a small pebble hit him in the face.

Everyone saw it and gasped in horror. Magnius didn't move an inch as the other Desians cowered around him.

Lloyd looked around to see who had the nerved to throw a rock at the Grand Cardinal. To his surprise and amusement, it was a small boy with a slingshot. His face was hardened with anger that no child his age should ever experience.

Magnius slowly turned his head towards the boy and looked down at him. Lloyd could see the hatred building within the half-elf.

"You disgusting little vermin," he whispered before he jumped from the high platform and landed on the paved road below. He left several large cracks in his wake as he approached the young child.

Lloyd knew that boy was going to be killed and no one stepped in to stop Magnius. Instead, they were actually moving out of his way, as if inviting him to kill the kid.

He couldn't stand back and allow this to go any further. He jumped out of the crowd and unsheathed his swords. "Stop right there!" he yelled as he released a Demon Fang at the Grand Cardinal.

Magnius looked up and saw the attack. He casually raised his axe and sliced through the Demon Fang with a flick of his wrist. He looked at Lloyd with bloodlust in his eyes.

"Another vermin," Magnius growled.

Lloyd met his glazed head on, refusing to back down. He could hear the people muttering to themselves in disbelief.

"Lloyd, stop!" Raine yelled as she ran next to her student. She grabbed Lloyd's arm as if to pull him back. "Do you want to turn this city into another Iselia?" As cold as it was, she knew that the life of one woman was not worth the entire city.

Lloyd still refused to break his glare against Magnius. "It's not the same! This city doesn't have a non-aggression treaty with the Desians!" He started to shake. "Besides, how can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us!?"

Kratos, who had been hiding within the crowd, stiffened when he heard those words. They were almost exactly like Mithos'. Even more ironic, Mithos spoke those words when a very similar situation was happening before them. Except now, the roles were reversed.

"Lloyd's right," Colette said as she moved out of the crowd and walked towards Lloyd's side. "I won't just stand here and let this happen!"

"You're wanted criminal number 0074, Lloyd Irving!" one of the Desians suddenly yelled in recognition.

Magnius' eyes widened slightly before he began to chuckle. "Well now, so you're that boy with the exsphere." He examined Lloyd for several seconds as if he was looking for something.

Lloyd felt anything but comfortable under the Grand Cardinal's mocking examined. What was up with people giving him that look?

"This is perfect," Magnius said in dark delight. "Get them!"

Several mages stepped forward and began to chat their spells.

Lloyd started to worry since he could never block all that magic. He still hadn't perfected his Guardian and he couldn't risk moving without someone getting caught in the crossfire. Before he could even move, several Fireballs came flying at him.

Genis suddenly ran forward and surrounded both of them with his Force Field. The fireballs hit the field head on and reflected harmless off the barrier.

Genis dropped his Force Field gave the mages a cocky smirk. "Amateurs."

"You worthless idiots!" Magnius yelled at his mages, who cowered before him. "Enough of this, I'll take care of this woman first!" With a wave of his hand the Desian near the level pulled the switch.

The trap door under Cacao's feet gave way and she fell through the platform.

"NO!" Colette screamed in horror. At the rate she was fallen, her neck would snap from the impact.

Without thinking, she threw one her chakrams at the rope, hitting it dead on. The chakram cut the rope and Cacao fall hard on the ground.

Lloyd could hear the sicken crack of bone, but knew it wasn't a fatal fall. She may not be walking for a while, but at least she had her life.

"What the?!" Magnius exclaimed in shock. He wasn't expecting anyone to be that accurate.

Kratos took this as he cue to break through the crowd and charged Magnius while he was distracted. Before the Grand Cardinal knew what was going on, Kratos viciously slashed his sword into Magnius' side.

Magnius' eyes widened in shock as he watched his own blood flow from the opened wound. He gave a grunt of pain before he backed away from Kratos. He glared at the human who dared bring harm to him.

Kratos unflinchingly returned the glare. "Let us respect the wishes of the Chosen."

Magnius looked at Colette in surprise and then back towards Kratos.

Kratos watched the look on Magnius' face changed from disbelief, to confusion, and then to understanding. He seemed to have realized who Kratos was at that moment.

"The Chosen!?" a person exclaimed in shock.

"The Chosen herself has come to save us!" someone else yelled.

The crowd built up as they found their courage. The Desians started to glance at each other nervously. They knew with the Chosen here the people would start to lose their fear of them.

Raine too could sense the change from the crowd. "Do you all realize what you're doing?"

"I know full well what I'm doing!" Lloyd growled with blood-thirst in his tone. His eyes were ablaze with righteous fury as he glared at Magnius. "I won't repeat the same mistake from Iselia. I'll destroy them all, the entire Ranch!"

Kratos looked at Lloyd in surprised while Colette and Genis looked horrified by his words. Has Lloyd's hatred for the Desians really pushed him that far?

"Lloyd, that's insanity," Raine scolded in a calm voice, although she too was disturbed by Lloyd's words.

Lloyd said nothing nor bother to look at Raine. His eyes remained squarely on Magnius. He meant everything he said. He would destroy them all. They all would pay for the atrocities they've committed. He would see to it personally.

Magnius looked at Lloyd and seemed strangely amused for a moment. His amusement, however, quickly gave way to fury when he saw the crowd beginning to move to challenge him. He couldn't let this shameful event continue, with or without the Chosen. This was his territory that was entrusted to him by Lord Yggdrasill himself.

"I'm leaving them to you," Magnius ordered as he stood up. "Kill everyone in the square! Men, women, and child!"

The Desians took out their weapons and charged the crowd. Complete chaos broke loose as the people attempted to fight back with anything they could grab.

Lloyd took this as his cue to jump in and attempted to keep the Desians from killing everyone. Colette did the same as she fought against several Desians mages along with Genis.

Kratos glared at Magnius in disgust. The Grand Cardinal refused to look at him as he walked away. He contemplated punishing Magnius right then and there for putting the Chosen's life in danger, but he quickly scraped those plans when he saw Lloyd being overrun by Desians.

Kratos ran towards his son and blocked a Desian who nearly took Lloyd's head. "Don't drop your guard!"

Lloyd nodded as he gave the Desian the finishing blow by impaling him through his heart.

"Everyone, get of the way!" Genis yelled as he finished a spell. "Spread!" Several tidal waves of water came up from the ground and swapped the Desians up.

"Genis, look out!" Colette warned as she took out a Desian that was charging towards the young elf.

Raine quickly cast a barrier over the crowd to protect them from the more well-armed and trained Desians. She was nearly hit by several Fireballs and Wind Blades, but her Force Field was able to repel most of it.

Lloyd wasn't sure how long the battle lasted. All he knew that he was covered in blood from both his own wounds and the Desians. They seemed to come in waves and there was no end to them. He was also starting to tire as he blocked and repelled one attack after another. It was a good thing Kratos was there to watch his back and covered for him when he faltered. Right now, he was running on adrenaline and sheer will to stay alive. His righteous fire was longed spent.

"Desians, stand down!" a loud voice suddenly called.

Lloyd looked up to see Dorr with several soldiers charging into the city on horseback.

"Damn, Dorr is here," one of the Desians grumbled.

"Retreat for now!" another Desian ordered.

The remaining Desians in the square back down and used the mages to cover their escape. Some of the Desian soldiers stood behind to cover their brethren as they ran head on into Dorr's troops.

The battle went quickly after that and soon the Desians were either in retreat or dead.

Lloyd leaned heavily on his swords as he looked over the aftermath. Several buildings were damage and the pavement was badly broken up. The biggest casualties of all were the people. There were corpses all over the streets, both Desian and human, that it painted stone ground red.

"This is...horrible," Lloyd heard Colette whispered from behind him. She fell to her knees and began to pray for the souls of the dead.

"Damn those Desians," one of Dorr's soldiers growled. "How dare they do this to our people while we're gone."

Neil approached Dorr. "Give us the word and we'll chase down those Desians that are still in retreat. If we hurry, we may still be able to catch up with Magnius before he returns to the Ranch."

Dorr shook his head. "Enough blood has been spilled today. Let us first bury our dead and tend our injured before we concerning ourselves with the enemy."

Neil nodded. "As you wish." He turned towards the soldiers. "Listen up, find all the bodies and take them into the church so they can be properly identify! The rest of you, take the injured to the nearby inn. I'll fetch the doctors."

"What of the bodies of the Desians?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Put them in a pile outside the city," Neil stated in disgust. "We can burn them later."

The soldier saluted. "Yes sir!" He ran off to fulfill his duty.

"I...I wonder how many people were killed?" Genis asked below a whispered.

"Too many," Lloyd answered as he stood back up. "Damn, we weren't able to stop any of this." A horrified thought crossed his mind. "Was...was this my fault too?"

"Of course not," Colette said as she squeezed Lloyd's arm. "I'm the one who caused this. Those people would had never attacked the Desians if they didn't know I was the Chosen."

"Colette has a point," Raine reasoned.

"But still..." Lloyd muttered.

"What's done is done," Kratos said as he approached the group. "You need to stop second guessing your actions after the fact. Rather more people would have been spared if we haven't acted is moot. The time for regret has long past."

Lloyd wanted to argued against Kratos' cold logic, but found that he couldn't. He was right, as always it seemed.

"Chosen!" Dorr exclaimed as he approached Colette. "I want to personally thank you for helping us against the Desians. Your presences inspired the people here in a way I never could."

Colette shook her head. "But so many died because they had faith in me."

"It is far better to die free of the Desians then to live under their oppression," Dorr spoke firmly before smiling at her. "You are the hero here, never forget that, Chosen."

"It is Lloyd you should be thanking," Colette said as she turned towards her childhood friend. "He was the first one to who stood up against the Desians and saved a young boy's life."

Lloyd blushed. "It...it was nothing special. I just couldn't stand by and watched the Desians have their way."

"Regardless, we need more brave young men like you," Dorr said, patting Lloyd's shoulder. "You're one truly worthy to be in the Chosen's presences."

"I like to thank you too," a voice said from behind them. They turned around to see Chocolat. "You saved my mom's life."

"Is Cacao okay?" Genis asked in worry.

Chocolat's eyes became downcast. "Both of her legs are broken and it will be a long time before she can walk again. But she will live and that's what matters."

"Oh, thank the Goddess," Colette said in relief.

"It's not much, but please come to the item shop when you can," Chocolat said. "I want to invite you all to dinner."

"That's sounds nice," Raine said. After such an emotional day, she knew no one was up for traveling. They all needed to rest properly.

"Then, I'll see you around six," Chocolat said before she ran off to help her mother.

"We should all rest until then," Kratos suggested. "It has been a long day."

Lloyd couldn't agree more.

Well, that was fun to write. As you may have noticed, I made some subtile changes to Magnius. He has elements of his manga and OVA self along with being primarily based on his appearance from the game. This is to give him more depth since he really is little more than a brute in the actual game. I also personally think Magnius get the least respect out of all the Grand Cardinals because of how shallow he seems and how little impact he has in the game overall compared to the other Grand Cardinals.

Anyway, I willy try to update every Thursday so look forward to it and until chapter.