Virtuoso (OT)

[Dreamer of Words]

Virtuoso, a Tales of Fanfiction by Dreamer of Words - Inspired by too many restless nights playing games and another ProBoard with the good and bad rpers on it. ((May it rest in peace.))

Status: Incomplete, 1^st Chapter needs a Beta; 2^nd Chapter needs to be completed.

Warnings: MAJOR spoilers to some games, Straight-Widower!Kratos, mostly First Person POV, Flashbacks, Zelos Wilder being Zelos Wilder and TOO MUCH DESCRIPTION! Seriously, I tend to stretch the Limits of wordpads and still get too little done...

Genre: Action/Adventure with a pinch of Humor, a dash of ill-planning and some constructive criticism. ((May change! It depends on when I find the time to be inspired on this fine piece of work.))

Pairings: None yet! Come on, guys... It's a self-roleplay for the most part! I'll update this when it needs to be!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the 'Tales of...' series. I wish I could, but then again, that would mean my mind-control ray is working. In other words, bug someone else about the legal jargon?

~~~
I - Fair Play
~~~

Even though the World Tree was respected in awe now after the era of strife that Lloyd Irving ended some time ago - I, myself couldn't help but feel responsible for the start of things. My main thoughts now were how the people were using Mana (hopefully in a way that wouldn't spark another war worldwide). As a repentance, I was content to be farther away than most from my own home; and what little remained of my family. There always was an utter IMBECILE somewhere on the planet - trying to make things perfectly strife-less for those around; with no knowledge of its ill effects on the planet. If Mystek was back, this would be urgent enough to warrant my return. It pained me slightly; to have to stop being a hermit to a world where I truthfully was an enemy.

To get back into this world took very little Mana at all, the trip being verily shorter than it took to get here in the first place. It was like a long sleep to readjust to the actual feeling of gravity - of which was welcomed but as a punishment - it was somewhat painful; muscles sore from disuse overall, the monsters at Dherris-Kharlan hardly even made me exert myself by now; and I had no sword upon my person that was by any means in good repair. I had to rely upon my courage of eating some of Raine's abhorrent cooking to replenish the lost nourishment for my muscles. Even if it wasn't fit for human consumption, it was an impulse of sorts after so long a time as a mercenary, and something I would need to rely upon to blend in. After an hour, my form moved once more with fluidity.

This grave offense to the planet being done; I set off for one of the few places I could actually blend in with my old clothes on in relative safety...an area near Iselia. The Shrines that littered the area around the tree had all but forgotten their strifes - and I, grateful for the feeling of being another face in the crowded area...for now. Eventually, my feet stopped at an item shop and bought various food supplies, and some gels that seemed to be better than the myriad of Plain Gels I had acquired upon...'touching down'. True to form, I had made sure that my own armor and shield were in good repair before venturing outside of the tree. After five weapon shops at the fair; another shop seemed less expensive than the others here - spotting an old Longsword that looked to be an honest make - the one weapon I had fought so many battles was with Anna's grave (I saw that before landing) and bought it without much hesitation after testing the weight. It seemed a little awkward to me, like a single blade made from one smith that wielded two swords normally. I chuckled inwardly, if I ever were to see Lloyd for that, I would have to praise him in my usual fashion.

I sighed; wallet lighter, which was a bit hard to believe in and of itself. Besides needing to freshen up at the public baths (I thought myself filthy), I sorely needed to get re-adjusted to the skills of the times and get information of what was wrong in this span of mortal coil. It pained me to see so many smiling faces blissfully unaware of the tasks at hand; they could lead to a war again; for all they knew! Off I went to go and clean off this body; in the earthen, mortal sense. After that, I supposed, I would go and visit the places of interest that had been needing help the most...

Another long and laborious task was about to be set upon me, this was the only thing I could be sure of. I just could not believe that all of this prosperity could have come along with this time. It appears that I'll have to talk to some others at the contest of swordsmanship that this fair is boasting of...

There were plenty of faces in the clearing; the sign-up sheet having a slot in the 'Come-what-may' tournament. Scanning the rules with a slight intent to join in as well (hey, Gald was Gald) a grin coming to fruition upon my face. It seemed to be perfectly inviting a challenge... all forms of magic, save fatal spells could be used; and the same came with the sword techniques. The only thing that I paused to re-read with scornful red eyes was the fact that combatants were limited to four Gels a bout... Far more than what I needed; all things taken into consideration. Then again, pride and courage could be my own downfall, as I had signed in my own hand as legibly as I could in common schooling print, 'Mercenary'.

The man nearby me to check the fighters listed, unfortunately; had a grave lisp, as the poor man had trouble with his 'L's. Nearly comical, if not sad. Thank Martel he wasn't the announcer! "A'right, thank you for entering. Be back here when you're ca---er, announced; or your spot's gonna be, er, 'ost. Enjoy the fairgrounds as usua', Mister, er, Mercenary!"

"I would like to watch the other fights, if I may..." I intoned, trying to be as courteous as I could to the obviously despairing male at his rotten luck.

"Course you can, Mercenary! I ain't reading a ru---er, regu... Goddess he'p me, STATEMENT; saying you can't do it in the sign-up sheet!!"

"Thank you." With that being said, I went the way to the observation area designated for fighters. If it had been anyone normal, or not trained to fights at a fairgrounds, they would've thought of this as some sort of ragtag army looking at the crowd of armored, weapon-brandishing people from elf to human and four, maybe five in between. I was standing calmly next to a male that seemed to look down on me, one of rare few that seemed to go skyward in height and not seem to awkward for his build build, keeping his gaze even as my own as the trumpets nearly blared in my (the other combatants, as well) ears. I just had to blink twice at the one giving the speech in a rolled, conical shape of a metal sheet. Is that...Genis?

"We all know that this is the 4^th celebration of the World Regeneration; two of the heroes which helped this world, cannot come here as to promote peace between our planet's races and to denounce the use of Mystek. As is the custom of the Goddess Martel; we are to hold vigilant our forces even in times of peace against those whom would threaten the planet's life. As my friend Lloyd Irving says in these past celebrations, give us all a moment of silence to remember those that gave up their lives to this noble cause." It lasted a minute long, except for the babies, but that was noble of everyone else in the clearing. "Thank you. Let tradition of honor and peace be heard around the world... Let the Miracles of Yggdrasil be upon us, and may the Goddess Martel's dream bless us all!"

And so, after the deafening cheers seemed to encourage the other fighters, I myself felt it was quite odd to be on the receiving end of a moment of silence that included my own efforts; for good or ill. It didn't dull my hearing, however. I trode away to the bench to wait being called; the thoughts clouding my mind and my blood-red hair providing shading over my eyes, I might have seemed too stoic for any one person to believe...unless they knew of me.

"The first round of the first match is 'The Magnificent Pearl' against 'Jokeretta'! You may use no more than four gels - no death blows! Anything else; goes! Begin!"

What was comical that 'The Magnificent Pearl' was that tall elf I stood beside and that one hadn't expected to fight a girl. Albiet a SHORT, blonde, immature-looking one with a pixie-looking wand, but who else would want to be called 'Jokeretta'? The girl was nimble and took to throwing tags of seals about.

Even though I found this highly amusing, I also noted that the girl had yet to speak.

It drew intrigue as the fight raged on; mostly due to Pearl's sloppy work of trying to over-muscle the spritely one. Finally, she seemed to make her opening move while the taller seemed to be wearing down, landing on the edge of the boundary; the buffoon not knowing that she had been incanting all the while between her three Lemon Gels. "Forgive me, I just am not wanting to lose like this... AIR THRUST!" Knocking out the guy with the spell was simple, but her control over it was good. It stopped as soon as her flag was raised, the brute trying to get back up after; he was carried out on a stretcher soon after.

"Size and strength are not an equal match to skill," I muttered to myself, "if they are, then he would have won..." I still liked to comment about others, and receive comments on how I could better myself. How long did the match last? Oh, an AGONIZING, lone; minute.

"The second round of the first match is 'Blitz' against 'Raider'! Again, you may use no more than four gels - no death blows! Anything else, goes! Begin!"

Blitz seemed to have an unusual outfit on, one of a jester's cape tied with a clasp, but no shirt on his chest, with striped pants to add even more intrigue. A proud warrior, maybe half-elf...the style; definitely martial arts, but what form?

Raider, on the other hand, looked like a very common person. So common, in fact; that it made Raider look outstanding in her - no, his - own right. Raider also had a pair of tonfa, though this pair being only disciplinary weights. Also a variant stance that deliberated that they were both self-taught.

Great, the classic stare-down showdown... I thought to myself with an exasperated sigh, ready to shift my form away until they had a clash of wills; ending up with Blitz showing a surprising way of speed to win before Raider could get off his Overlimit. Sloppy, yet impressive; I'll give them that. Blitz has the better speed; and strategy - well, Raider has it in spades. "It'd be scary if I had to face them both at once..."

~~~

"The eighth and final round of the first match is 'Jumper' against 'Mercenary'! Again, you may use no more than four gels - no death blows! Anything else, goes! Begin!"

I stretched and stood at being called forward, stepping into the ring of the fair, and drew my-newly acquired Longsword, the old Shield I brought with me; held calmly in my grasp. I eyed Jumper, the smaller opponent seeming to be nervous as an eerie hush fell over the arena. Genis had yet to say anything, so I was...apparently; forgiven.

Jumper seemed to have a twin-ended Onyx Ball-Gem Stave, the pewter being a good magical focus, but also sturdier than gold to defend with. Thought the Onyx was a hard gem to come by outside of a brooch, the spritely one didn't seem phased by my own intimidating glare just yet. If one fought in a rabbit suit, it was hard to take anything seriously. "Why are you just standing there, Mercenary? I'm the only one stopping you from climbing the ladder of victory here. And besides, the crowd sure isn't getting any younger~!" After that was said, the youth - barely classified as a young woman with her way of talking, her voice a tenor - started to chant out a spell, barely audible to me. It was one intended to harm, since her mouth curved into a smirk.

Oh, had that one tried to hit a nerve. Not only had the young woman insulted my skill, my reasons for participating currently, she also had to make the jab at my age and everyone else's time here at the fair. "Very well, if you're here to prove your youthful inexperience of to that of a veteran in his prime, you've done so." I charged forward swiftly, making sure to interrupt the casting interval with Lightning - NOT an easy thing to do while moving.

Jumper stopped her incanting, hopping back with a slight swear under her breath, her eyes going wide as I made another advance. Shaking off her shock, she resumed the interrupted spell and fired off the simple, "Wind Blade!" To boost herself into the air, her feet barely missing the Longsword's blade; coming down to have a costumed foot come in contact with my raised shield - I wasn't directly under it - and found herself soon after on her ass instead of whacking him in the head...

That stung my shield arm, but did I let it show? No, as that would show a weakness to her that she would easily exploit. I was starting to chant once again, keeping to the Low-Tier spells, as they had the least intent to injure. Judging from her expression, she was expecting a Fire Ball; doing a Mana Guard - apparently, she had misjudged him as she was too far away for the three projectiles to actually work. I paused, quickly abandoning the thought of that spell and following up with another different one, as she noticed too late that nothing was hurtling for her. "Stone Blast!"

She jumped backward, but her ankle got twisted in the process, the girl not being able to use a Mana Guard in midair. "N-not bad... I mistook you for a geezer and I suffered for it." She was readying a First Aid, but there was no time to get it off, my speed at Chanting and getting off the Spell Artes was impressive. This time she reeled from the Fire Balls, glaring daggers at my skill, calling out after I was closing the gap, she had gotten off a spell. "So you wanna play with fire, yes? I'll play your opposite!" She cried, "Ice Wall!"

It was easy to see that one coming, as I stopped three feet short of getting practically impaled on the sharp layer of ice coming from the dusty floor, thinking of how to counter this. As she finally healed a minor portion of the damage she had received so far with a First Aid.

Giving her that time also gave me a moment to use my own impressive strategy. "Take this! Lightning!" After I heard a small yelp, I started to chant again, the spell so aimed at her wall instead of her. "Air Thrust!"

The wall did not survive the onslaught, and Jumper's Mana Guard blocked the ice going her way. But she grinned, loosing a reserved Spell Arte right to him. "Ice Needle!"

I was a little surprised by that action; I was sloppy - reflexes only avoiding the three hits to his face, my right cheek getting three scratches, but avoiding the critical damage she would've wanted to inflict. My red eyes narrowing in a slight anger, this little play had gone on long enough. I reacted by rushing her with a long six-hit chain the first five strokes expertly blocked, the last one disarming the woman in disbelief!

She seemed utterly devastated. "I've lost, huh? Best of luck to you, then, good Mercenary."

After Genis had called the match, I shook my head in turn. "Those of Elven race aren't usually that strong; physically... I suppose that you're interesting yourself. I suppose you're not liking where you stand in life? We do have time to talk between the rounds."

"Sorry, but I'll pass. There went my hopes of winning easy Gald, anyways." And off she went, limping; until I cast an uninhibited First Aid at her back. "I told you, I'll pass! Ugh, men..."

~~~

((Thanks for your patience for my bilge during the matches! Reviews BY PRIVATE MESSAGES are MUCH loved. Constructive criticism, beta-readers...ETC. Oh, ideas for the missing fighters? Kratos needs some helpers for that upcoming crisis too; and for once I'm pretending DotNW doesn't exist at all, got it? I'm happy you do. Makes for more fun.))

[Dreamer of Words]

((Hi again from the author, Dreamer of Words. Yes, as you know, I need T1 MP practice from the battle scene before. As a new chapter time, you'll know when I am complete with this Chapter as it will have a TITLE instead of TBD. PMed reviews equal me a happy rper. And you'll so LOVE that, since I have gummy candy to share this time~! -Gels~! Yay~.-))

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II - TBD
~~~

It was another moment of serenity after the first round of matches, there was ample time to recover. I even procured a small table to myself...at least, for five minutes. The act of fighting could take a lot out of someone, and there was no way that I would ever live it down should I become any more weary. Accepting food from a stranger, ill advised, but an old friend was different. Especially one that had a little bit of a curious streak. Genis had recognized my fighting style, or so it seemed, as my cloak was still firmly on.

"Kratos! Why are you even back?" He asked curiously, setting the bowl of some sort of obviously delicious pasta between us. Ah, if one could rely to Genis as anything, it was as a supreme chef - it almost made my non-existant appetite come back. "If you're not going to answer, then you could say that I'll keep this to myself~." Also an imp, like the old times; that hadn't changed one bit. The whitenet seemed taller than before, and his voice was on the verge of dropping from time to time. The other's hair still messy, but now in a way that said, 'I'm not a disheveled kid,' to that effect. Even Genis rearward tresses' were longer, but in a semi-neatened ponytail; almost like Yuan. A nice contrast, if not maddening. "Well?"

I had no choice but to cave into the little one's wants, since the smell of the food was more than I could handle. "Are you certain that you're ready for the truth?" I held back a chuckle at the younger's over-enthused nodding reply. "The balance of mana is shifting yet again. I felt it and came here first, to see what direction life has taken since the defeat of the other ills to this world." ...Why was I telling him this? It was the apex of a current peace. "The only Exspheres I know of are at Dherris-Kharlan or attached to the world bridge, as well as one that I hold. I fear that others may be trying to re-create such a power, and therefore, trying to kill off the planet by corrupting Mana. That's the rough version."

Genis eyed me quite like a man insane; and personally, I couldn't bring myself to blame him. "Then, wouldn't there be monsters off the charts? Hey, it's hard to see a time where most are this tame... Noishe even has his own to look after; now, you know?" That was a surprise... I thought her pet had no female peers! "But yeah, I think I'll wait until the next round before going after you for the full meaning. You're still fighting for Gald, I bet."

"Sometimes. I'm just glad that there's no killing allowed in this tournament. ...Be a waste of Life Bottles." I mused, having too much blood on my hands, already. Genis now stared at me in the most comic way, which read: 'Did I hear wrong'. "I also came here to gather information of how the world is fairing. There's no need to do anything but ask around the fighters and other people that come here to see how the world got to be in such a state."

"O...kay... Now you're freaking me out." Genis was going to add more, but Jumper came alongside the table, not in her bunny costume anymore. "Ah, do you know each other? I mean, she's been circling the table like a hawk though they might've been too large to be called circles in this packed place, and this is the first time she's approached."

The one formerly in the bunny suit huffed; short golden bangs in high contrast with two long black braids done in a country bumpkin style, high on her head; looping down to either side like she was wearing her costume a tad too long and it stuck. She also was flaunting her midsection and arms, eccentricly a little too much to be considered Elven in make. "Like you're one to talk. My name's Nalako Tsuta-Juppe Denwrought. As you can see, I'd think Jumper would be easy to remember and Nalako tends to really trip most up."

It was at this time, that I was glad to have the hood of the cloak still intact, my reddened brow arched. "I thought you weren't interested in conversing with me at the end of that battle..." I smirked at her ire, thankful that she didn't know of my name.

"I didn't know you KNEW him! The Goddess-given Wonder Chef disciple that travels the world in his free time; Genis Sage; and friend to the Chosen of Regeneration!" She seemed to be eying the pasta dish, the bread bowl and contents still warm and untouched.

"Go on, I have my own fare. I can't rely on everyone every time..." I pulled out a simple enough bread on the outside, but it had really taken a long time to make correctly. My Curry Bread was not as good as Genis' version; though it definitely covered what I wanted it to do, which was to heal enough to suffice any and all major wounds and take up the slack of the TP used before in battles.

Nalako had started on her food, eagerly, thanking Genis as she made idle small talk. She seemed flighty as a nervous butterfly, and there was nothing good about that much.

Genis seemed to be a little weirded out, but there was a small blush on his face. "Hm? K---Mercenary," the half-elf caught himself, "you give me the creeps when you fall nearly all silent..."

That was the good thing about being the last contender in a tournament, there was nothing to hold one back from seeming to relax, though I had yet to let down my guard. Knowing how to be civil, too; was a lifesaver. There were some people whom just didn't know how to do such a thing of being too optimistic of any place or time...when there weren't any monsters to speak of at the time. Finally, I spoke up again. "How long until my next match?" Slightly bored by watching other's amatuer way of skills, even though I was limited to the same gambit by the rules, but with a lot of practiced grace.

Both Genis, and even Nalako, after she had finished the bread bowl fell over at the same time, but Genis got up first; dusting off his rear. "What the heck?! Is the tournament just a way to get information for you?!"

Nalako jumped back up though yelping out a mumbled string of words as she hit her knees. But when she recovered it was easy for her to flip subjects away from herself. "Well, he IS goal-oriented...right? But now I'm curious; Genis-chef! When is the next match anyways - not the one HE means...though, when?"

Genis paled. "We've been, uh, 'talking;' for fifteen minutes... CRAP! I have five minutes!" And he ran off like a shot, the crowd parting like water!

I sighed at this, a slight chuckle almost making its way out at the others antics as I stood up and shook my head, letting my long strides retrace the way to the ring as well, most people just gawking at my weird attire. If I was in their shoes, I might've done the same.

Upon reaching the ring's standby, the two were still attacking and evading. Surely, it'd be easy to predict on whom would win in a battle of Focus against Speed. Jokeretta has the focus, and Blitz has the speed, I will admit... Other's are on the top of their games, although I wonder if I have prepared myself in earnest. To doubt was human, but watching like a hawk, he noted something off. They weren't using Artes, at all. Was it orthodox? No. Was it suspenseful on purpose? Of course. Initially, I had almost thought them out of luck by Seal status, but when after getting another hit in, Jokeretta cast Fireball and the match was easily decided. Hm... I wonder what the other was doing to exhaust himself a lot...though it's not my concern.