Tales of Alidaire: The Corruption Disc 2

Sonia found herself staying in the shop, drifting, looking at all the various items until a familiar face broke her to reality. Valincar and Lilith were nearby, she thought it be best to introduce herself. She moved over to the pair quietly, quite comfortable in her new clothing.

She found herself stopping as they left the shop without her. But she caught up with them, almost rushing to keep up with their somewhat fast pace. She turned around as she came to them, her sudden burst of determination dispersing. She began to mumble her words, but eventually got them out

"He... Hello. Valincar... Lilith... Oh... I'm sorry... I never introduced myself to you... I'm Sonia... Sonia Renval."

The sun did not lessen in intensity while the pair were in the shop, and Valincar shielded his eyes as he looked up into the sky. They still had a while before sundown, but if they went ahead and took care of business now, then that would mean that the guild members would be able to spend the evening in any way they pleased which sounded nice. That's when Valincar noticed Sonia who had approached him and Lilith. Just as he was about to say something, a voice shattered the stability of the air.

"Halt where you stand, Valincar Morte."

Valincar froze. He knew that voice from anywhere. As he turned, his fears were confirmed. Standing not too far away from him was a man. He was fairly tall with messy, jet black hair and piercing blue red eyes. He wore heavy armor which must have been ridiculously hot, for not only was it made of heavy steal, it was also mostly black in color with bits of red in different places. On the back of his left hand was a large, shield-like object. But it seemed as though he had no weapon.

"Oliver Morte," Valincar almost whispered. "My brother."

The man who was apparently Valincar's brother, Oliver, laughed. "That's right, Valincar! And may I ask what the HELL you're doing out here?!" His eyes seemed to blaze with anger. People in the immediate area were growing uncomfortable and started to flee. Valincar could feel the mana in the area becoming unstable.

Valincar shook his head solemnly. "Complications arose in the ruins," he informed simply.

Oliver scoffed. "That's what we put you there for. That's the whole reason WE KILLED YOU!" He took a moment to take a deep breath and the air seemed to return to normal temporarily. "You were our safeguard. You were supposed to prevent these 'complications' of which you speak. Were you not?"

The nightshade seemed ashamed for a moment and grimaced. He couldn't deny it. He was speechless.

"What happened? Where is the Grimoire?" Oliver tapped his armored foot impatiently. "Well?!" he shouted. His voice boomed out over the area causing Valincar to flinch. The very mana flowing through his body seemed to resonate violently and he cringed.

Lilith also felt the effect and winced. "T-this man.....," she said before falling to her knees. She could not manage another word.

"Sh- SHUT UP!!!"

Sonia's hand clenched tightly around her new staff, she knew she couldn't break it, but a slight creak came from it. She could feel the disturbance of Mana in the air, and her anger was only making it worse.

"Let him explain. He doesn't need you blaming him for everything! It was out of his control!"

Oliver glared at the girl. "Tell this puny insect to silence herself unless she wishes to join you as a spirit, Valincar! You know I don't tolerate the words of the measly; I don't have to!!" He moved his left arm horizontally with great speed and an immensely large blade--both long and wide--shot out of the shield-like object on the back of his left hand. Almost instantaneously, the blade surged with bright red mana. "And if you don't silence her, I will," he added with a deadly tone causing some of the leaves on the nearby trees to die and fall hastily to the ground, their green color replaced by a light brown.

Valincar became worried. "Sonia, now is not the time to act like a hero. I know his powers. They are beyond comprehension. Not even the three of us stand a chance against him. Just....thank you. Let me handle it from here," he assured her. "Not another word, though," he added quickly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The book was stolen. Two parties raided the ruins that day: members from the guild, Luz Cascata, and members from the guild, Escuridao Pulsante. Escuridao Pulsante endeavored to steal the book, but I was thinking that both parties were working together, so I focused on the immediate threat--the members of Luz Cascata--which was specified during my training. Unfortunately, things went horribly awry and Escuridao Pulsante escaped with the book." He paused and tried to gauge Oliver's reaction, but he said nothing. "That would be the end of my story, but my story isn't over yet. We're going to get that book ba--"

"No your not." Oliver spoke that single sentence with such seriousness and threatening simplicity that dead leaves began to rain down upon them. "You were always weaker than me. I should have been the one to guard the book! Now, I will be the one to find it! You're no longer needed..."

Valincar drew his blade quickly and hovered as far away from Lilith and Sonia as possible. However, Oliver was already upon him. Valincar blocked his first attack, but staggered. He fazed into the ground.

"You cannot hide from me!" Oliver's blade surged with more bright red mana and he struck the ground hard causing it to shake with great force. Valincar was forced back to the surface, obviously staggered. "Finished already? PATHETIC!!" Oliver delivered an upward slash to the air in front of him causing a wave of bright red mana to surge along the ground heading straight for Valincar.

"Mirror Doll, come to me!" Valincar called out desperately and was relieved when his mirrored minion dropped down from above and attempted to block the attack. Valincar dodged out of the way, but the force of the attack was even too much for the Mirror Doll's incredible spirit and it shattered instantly. "Rock Doll, come to me!" It took only seconds for the Rock Doll to burst out of the ground, ready to defend its master. "You know what to do, right, Rock Doll?" Instead of responding, the Rock Doll slowly stomped over in Oliver's direction. Meanwhile, Valincar fazed out of existence.

"This is what you send after me in your place? Then again, it can be easily destroyed just like you can!" Oliver rushed the Rock Doll without hesitating. He raised his blade up and brought it down hard upon the Rock Doll's head, its form crumbling to dust instantly.

Meanwhile, Valincar reappeared behind Oliver, his eyes closed and his hands pressed firmly together in front of him as if he was praying. A dark cloud of surging energy appeared in front of him and with a wave of his hand, he sent a dark blade of that very energy hurtling towards his brother. The attack managed to catch Oliver unawares and it struck him full force sending him back a little ways, but Oliver managed to stay on his feet.

Oliver chuckled. "That's it? That's the best you've got?! I'm ashamed to call you my brother!!" He held up his left arm in front of him and the shield-like object began to vibrate. As a result, a horrible screeching sound filled the air causing Valincar to writhe in pain, his form lowering to the ground. Oliver laughed as he watched Valincar struggle on the ground against the sound in vain. "It's over." Oliver raised a hand into the air and shot a sphere of bright red mana into the air. After several seconds, an immense sphere of blazing mana began to descend slowly with its target undoubtedly Valincar. The nightshade would have been able to easily dodge it, but the screeching sound debilitated him. He screamed as the sphere crashed into him causing an explosion that rattled the area.

Trees were blasted and some caught fire. The buildings were in danger of completely falling down. Lilith tumbled to the ground, her machinery becoming inoperable due to the sound. Everything was in chaos. Valincar lied in the middle of the dirt street amongst burning flames. Oliver approached him slowly. "You're lucky that you're my own flesh and blood and that Father would disapprove of me killing you. Otherwise, you would no longer exist. Don't cross my path again because next time you might not be so lucky."

Sonia gasped, the sudden explosion starting to blow her away. Before she landed, Scather swept in, catching her before settling her on the ground with some wound. Looking at the dragon she caressed his scales before he flew off, escaping the madness. She dropped her staff, not bothering that her new robes were singed and somewhat blackened.

She rushed over to Lilith first, checking the machines on her back. She looked over the girl's face for a few seconds before moving to Valincar. She dug through her bag, pushing aside the stone tablet. She pulled out two glass bottles with greenish blue liquid.

Emergancy Potions. Exactly for a case like this. She opened the Nightshade's mouth and tipped the first bottle. The liquid poured down quickly and she thre the bottle aside. The glass shattered, the slight sound not comparing to the rest of the chaos. She then tipped the second bootle, but this time more lovingly. The liquid finished quickly however and was thrown aside like the other.

She looked up at the cruel person who was somehow related to Valincar. She couldn't believe that such a caring person was related to this scum. Tears began to overflow in her eyes as she looked up at him. His eyes were filled with hate.

"You... You're a monster!"

She raised fists, the bloodflow slowing to a near halt as she tried to hit him. But she decided against it, hitting the ground near his feet. She looked down at the ground, the salty tears plummeting towards earth. She stared back up at him.

"A Monster!"

Oliver merely smirked at the girl. "If only you knew, girl," he said calmly. "If only you knew." He burst out laughing as Sonia cried and turned to walk away. "Be glad there were no casualties, girl, for there would be nothing you could do." Oliver grew even more satisfied with his work and laughed louder, a laugh filled with malice that caused the injured trees to seemingly shiver in fright as he passed. The dead leaves continued to cascade to the ground. There was a flurry for a second, and Oliver was gone, though his derisive laughter echoed throughout the area.

After a few minutes, Valincar stirred and groaned in pain. "S-Sonia, are you okay?" he managed as he sat up. People began to slowly filter back into the area, devastated by the sight. The whole area looked like death and destruction. And it had only taken but a few minutes. The people who were in their houses nearby meandered out, shaken since they almost lost their homes. Shopkeepers were too stunned to be furious. It was as if they were mourning some great tragedy, yet there were no casualties. Valincar shook his head. So this is Oliver's power, he thought. The power to cause a horrific calamity on a whim without there being significant devastation. Such a power you hold...

Eventually, Lilith's machinery recovered itself and she opened her eyes before quickly standing back up, her hand on her halberd. Though, as she looked around, she realized that the threat had vanished. Valincar was under the care of Sonia and he seemed fine. At least he wasn't....dead? Well, whatever could happen to him.

Sonia's eyes darted back to Valincar, her worry dispersed with his few words. Her arms wrapped around him in a tight, somewhat loving embrace. Her tears didn't stop as she held him, but no longer were they sad. Relief set in through it all. And finally when she let him go, she looked at him, saying nothing for the longest time before nodding ever so slightly.

"I... I'm fine."

She hugged him once more, though this time it was not as loving, but more relieved. Like a mother who had just found her missing child. She pulled away and dried her eyes to no avail. As a few more tears streamed down her cheek, she looked into his eyes once more. But the moment broke with the remembrance of the destruction around her.

"Come on... we should go to the guild..."

Valincar smiled at the summoner. "Don't cry, Sonia," he said softly. "I'll be all right." Slowly, he managed to hover back into the air again. He stretched out his limbs and took in a deep breath. He noticed that both Sonia and Lilith had pretty much escaped the encounter unscathed which made him happy, yet he was not satisfied with Oliver's behavior, though he should have expected as much. He shook his head which was still in a mad flurry after the battle. That's when he noticed Rosetta walk up. She was looking quite appealing all cleaned up and wearing her new stylish clothes. She really was quite beautiful. He looked at Lilith, and then to Sonia before nodding his head at Rosetta's comment. "Yeah. I'd say it is time we met back up at the guild." With that, the group headed off to the Luz Cascata Guild Headquarters.

The party entered through the double doors as was customary, only this time, they were met by an exasperated K. "Do you guys know what happened out there?! Did someone attack the city or something?? I've been getting mixed reports and I don't know what to make of any of them. There has been a lot of chaos today...it's insane." The guildmaster took a moment to catch his breath.

Valincar hovered forward. "Allow me to shed light on the situation. My brother, Oliver, decided to pay me a visit today. Things became heated and he launched an assault. I fought with him one-on-one, for I did not wish for my allies to succumb to such terrible power. He ended up defeating me. It was the fight that created such destruction, though things have seemed to turn out better, for it could have been much worse."

K nodded. "At least I know now. I can put an end to these reports." He took a moment to gesture at the surrounding desks piled high with scrolls of parchment. "What about this Oliver fellow though? Does he pose a threat to us?"

A frown appeared on Valincar's face and he became very solemn. "The only one he is a danger to is himself." The room became very quiet. Even the other guild workers in the room silenced themselves. A minute passed before normal activity resumed.

Once again, K nodded sagely. "Very well. Was the Soul Laboratory mission successful?" he asked hopefully. Apparently, he had been worried about that as well.

Valincar looked him right in the eyes. "I am afraid that the mission is still on, sir," he said boldly, though he had no reason to be afraid of K. K had always been a kind guildmaster. "We managed to defeat the robot sentinels put into place by the soul scientist, Albere. However, when we confronted him and his assistant, Aronia, we were overwhelmed by their power." He paused to allow a look of remorse to appear on his face. "Luckily, they spared us in order to use us in some sick experiments. We fought off the mutants and drones he sent after us and we managed to escape, but not before rescuing somebody from within the lab." He pointed at Lilith who stepped forward.

Lilith bowed politely. "My name is Lilith Type-X, an experiment of Albere's," she introduced herself, but was at a loss of what else to say.

It was enough to put a questioning look on K's face. "It is nice to meet you. So, you decided to take the girl from Albere's clutches? I'd say that was a noble and risky decision. I commend you all for it. She can stay here a--"

"No wait!" Lilith shouted suddenly in a desperate voice. "I-I want to go back. I have to confront Albere myself. I must take my revenge on him for making me into what I am. Please...I hope you understand..." Her eyes started to water.

A sigh escaped K's mouth. "I, K, the guildmaster of Luz Cascata, hereby permit you, Lilith Type-X, to join the ranks of this guild who fights for the sake of light." K smiled warmly as he recognized a flame of determination in Lilith's eyes amongst the tears. It reminded him of the fire that most of his guild members had. He couldn't deny her request in good faith.

"I am honored to join your guild," Lilith replied and bowed again, a pleased smile on her face. "That means I will be able to join these five on their quest back to the laboratory, correct?"

"That is correct," K confirmed. "You will be joining this unit of Luz Cascata from here on out. However, you won't be the only one." K whistled, and a worker came up to him. K whispered something into the worker's ear before the worker scurried off. "We recently gained a new recruit who I instantly recognized to be something special. The thought of him joining your unit was almost immediate." The worker returned with a young man wearing a leather vest with a mallet in one of his hands. "This...is Luca Dhamon."

[NOTE: Okay, CassinoChips! This is it! Time for Luca to introduce himself. X3]

Affinity:

+4: Valincar, Sonia

"This...is Luca Dhamon."

"Hi guys." Luca gave a small wave in greeting, not generally accustomed to being the center of attention in a crowd of any size. He was used to being crouched over a work table, or sweating in front of a blazing forge, places that other people tended not to want to hang around for too long. But he figured, considering the chaotic state of things in the world outside the walls of the guild and the battles that he was sure to be pitched into side by side with these people, that it would be in everybody's best interest to properly introduce himself. And, more importantly, introduce what he could do.

"My name's Luca, like K said. He approached me in my shop and asked me to help you guys out. I guess he liked what I can do." Glancing for a moment at K, Luca continued. "The best term for what I do is 'Synthesism.' Basically, I can take any piece of armor or weapon or item and break it down into its component parts. From there, I can either use those parts to augment your weapons or armor, or, given the proper amount of time and materiel, I could create new items or weapons or armor."

Luca paused, letting the other digest the new information. "That's... pretty much it. I look forward to working with you all." Luca stepped off to the side, allowing the conversation to continue.

"Ah, so I hope you guys find him useful, for I have a feeling he will come in handy," K spoke up after Luca's introduction. "The matter at hand is indeed troubling, but you guys need a break. Take the night off to do whatever you want, then get back on the track and head for the Soul Laboratory again tomorrow. Albere must be stopped. The inn always provides free stays for those who work for guilds. Go there when you're done enjoying your night." With that, K tilted his had slightly in a small bow to excuse himself and he dashed back to his office.

[NOTE: It is just as K said. Do what you want for now. When everyone has made it back to the inn, or too much time has passed, it will be morning and the next battle will begin.]

Sonia felt somewhat sympathetic for the newcomer. She could tell he did not like the attention but was putting it behind him for sake of introductions. She knew what it was like, although eveyone had dispersed before she could introduce herself. She was determined to make him feel somewhat welcomed. Of course her inability to speak to people she didn't know ruined her chance.

"W... Welcome Luca... g... good to have y... you aboard..."

Valincar hovered up to the synthesist with Lilith in tow. "So, we get two new people in the same day," he said playfully. "It's great that you have joined our team. My name is Valincar Morte, Nightshade by profession." He paused a moment and thought. "And yes. I am in fact dead."

"My name is Lilith," the newly rescued girl spoke up. "I am greatly appreciative that I do not have to be the only new person in the group. I look forward to seeing your skills in battle." She gave Luca a reassuring smile, though the things she said would not have come out of a normal person's mouth.

Zero came back just when K introduced the new member. She studied Luca and sighed, it seemd that this member would probably be dead weight just like that idiot time mage was. Which meant that she may have to execute him just like she did with Nyur.

"Welcome, I suppose...my name is of no importance, if you must call me anything then 'Envy' will do..." Zero said with no emotion in her voice, "But if you prove to be nothing more than dead weight, that head of yours will fall to the ground faster than you can say 'sorry'..."

Luca accepted the greetings cordially enough, even the rather cold words from the one called Envy. Though he wanted to make, if not a good impression, at least not a bad one, he couldn't keep his sarcastic side from speaking up in response to her. "I don't know, I can say 'sorry' pretty quickly."

Valincar was surprised at the banter between Zero and Luca. "Don't get carried away, friends. We have far more dangerous foes to subdue and we cannot afford to focus negativity on each other," Valincar reprimanded. "I think I can trust you guys to behave, though. I will be at the inn if anyone needs me." With that, the nightshade hovered out of the lobby of the Guild Headquarters and into the streets of Visterre. Lilith followed him.

Valincar strolled along the streets. It seemed everyone was talking about what had happened earlier. The air had become a bit cooler, for the sun was finally getting closer to the horizon. It refreshed Valincar whereas the talk of the town was forcing him to play back the event over and over again in his mind. He stopped and shook his head to repel the thoughts. That's when he noticed that Rosetta had apparently not wanted to stick around the Guild Headquarters either. "Hello, Rosetta. Are you headed to the inn, too? I don't blame you after all of this stuff you've been through."

Lilith had stopped when Valincar stopped. She was eerily quiet, though the look on her face was tranquil enough. She turned towards Rosetta when Valincar did. Though, still she said nothing. Her mind was still reeling from all that had happened. To think that she could still be locked away in the laboratory... She shivered at the thought.

Valincar noticed the weariness in Rosetta's voice. Somewhere in his mind he knew that she would enjoy the comfortable beds at the inn. He allowed himself a slight laugh. "I suppose she has," he said, chancing a glance at her. She smiled, but didn't offer anything in retort. "I guess it's because we're so alike. I mean, don't get me wrong--our entire group is strange. But come on. Lilith and I have got to be the strangest right?" He gave Rosetta a silly smile.

"You could really hurt a girl's feelings like that if you're not careful," Lilith spoke up suddenly which caused Valincar to flinch, even though her tone was joking. "Are you saying that I am strange? I guess to the normal person, I would be." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I apologize, then. I'll have to be more careful with my words," Valincar offered in regret. He took a moment to look Rosetta up and down. "Wow, those new clothes of yours are really nice. Aren't you afraid that they'll get messed up tomorrow??"

Valincar nodded at Rosetta's response. "Perhaps they'll have something later on," he reassured her, though he knew nothing of the ways of the merchant. Business had never been his forte. He knew how to buy and sell stuff at the shops, and that was about the most of it. Regardless, he was eager to catch up on some reading back at the inn. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. I know you must be ready for a good night's sleep. Ah, sleep. Such a mortal pleasure." He allowed a nostalgic smile to grace his visage. "We should talk again sometime," he added as he prepared to head off. "I'll see you later." With that, Valincar hovered off, a hand waving back at Rosetta.

Lilith bowed politely to Rosetta. "It was a pleasure to speak with you," she said softly and hurried after Valincar.

Affinity:

+3: Valincar, Lilith, Rosetta

Sonia watched as Zero introduced herself as Envy, threatening to kill him before he could say sorry for a mistake. She mumbled a few words about making a mistake. She reached out a trembling hand, unsure if she wanted to do this. She then tapped Zero on the shoulder quietly.

"I... I don't believe that to be the case... Y... You let me live..."