Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Lathanos's Great Journey ❯ Lathanos and Romona Together Again! ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Pika189

Title: Lathanos's Great Journey

Author: the ultimate SoBe Master

Chapter 14: Romona and Lathanos Together Again!

Email: mightysobe745_8@yahoo.com, sobe_rocks@hotmail.com

Category: Fantasy

Morning came, and Lathanos was up and ready. Scarlet, her dark hair shimmering in the bright morning sun, was wearing simple, blue robes and straw sandals. Her hair was held in a tight knot at the back of her head. Her bangs were simple: a thick lock hanging down each side of her face. Her katana was at her side in a gray sheath slipped beneath her silver obi.

“Well, shall we be off then?” asked Lathanos. He had been stripped of his bandages. Scarlet and Ithalna could not believe that his wounds had healed so quickly, or that he had awakened in just a day for that matter.

“Yeah, let's go, Lathanos!” Scarlet replied. She was grinning widely.

“Now, you be careful, Scarlet, and Lathanos, please protect my daughter from anything that is too much for her to handle, ok?” Ithalna asked. “I'll have you know that she is quite a skilled swordswoman, so I suspect that she'll be able to handle most common demons…”

“Don't worry, ma'am. I'll protect her with my life. You have my word,” Lathanos replied simply. “Ma'am, my swords please? I never gave you a chance to return them yesterday,”

“Oh, here you are,” Ithalna replied, removing the emerald sword and blue sword from the table and sheathing them in their appropriate sheaths. She then handed them to Lathanos, who bowed in return and slipped them beneath his obi. With that, Scarlet and Lathanos headed out the door, closing it afterwards. They were now in the familiar Jhearakkudai Village.

As soon as they had shut the door, someone playfully tackled Lathanos to the ground. He quickly reached for one of his swords and was about to unsheathe it and counter, when he caught a glimpse from the person on top of him from a puddle nearby. He suddenly embraced the person in a tight hug. “Sobasa!! I thought you had been killed by Etheros!” Lathanos exclaimed, fighting back tears.

“I thought he had killed you, too! I am so glad to see you alive, Lathanos!!” Sobasa replied, also fighting the urge to cry. Lathanos couldn't take it anymore, and he let a tear trickle down his face. Sobasa, however, did not seem to notice this. After another few seconds, they quickly got up and dusted themselves off.

Meanwhile, a wide-eyed Scarlet was staring at them. “What the hell is going on here?!” She asked, dumbfounded.

“Scarlet, I would like you to meet my once-thought-dead brother, Sobasa,” Lathanos introduced. “Sobasa, this is Scarlet. She's the daughter of the woman who found me in the forest, and supposedly she's a skilled swordswoman,”

“Not supposedly a skilled swordswoman, am a skilled swordswoman!” Scarlet growled.

“Right, right, is a skilled swordswoman,” Lathanos replied kindly, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling innocently.

“That's better,”

Scarlet and Sobasa then turned towards each other. “Nice to meet you,” They said in unison. Scarlet then bowed politely. Sobasa merely tipped his head.

“You could at least bow…” Scarlet said.

“Scarlet, Sobasa isn't exactly the polite-type,” Lathanos explained. “He's more of the asshole-type,”

“Shut up, Lathanos!” Sobasa shouted, slamming his fist hard into the back of Lathanos's head. “I'm right here if you haven't noticed!” Scarlet was just barely able to hold back from laughing; there was a tear in her eye, and she was biting her lower lip.

Lathanos groaned and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, shall we head off?” He asked. He had a lump on the back of his head.

“Yeah…where to…?” Sobasa asked.

“We have to head past the battlefield where we last fought Etheros,” Lathanos answered. With that, they headed in the direction of the place where they had last fought Etheros.

When they got there, Lathanos and Sobasa noticed the bloodstained patches of grass where they had laid after being beaten by Etheros. They both winced at the sight of it. There were other spots of blood, too. “This must have been some fight, huh?” Scarlet stated, not knowing what else to say. Lathanos and Sobasa merely nodded.

“Let's keep moving; this place brings back bad memories,” Sobasa said.

They had just about gotten away from there when a darkly clothed figure appeared before them. Sobasa gripped the hilt of his sword, and Lathanos had already drawn his emerald sword. Scarlet was gripping her sword tightly. “Well, I see I am still not given a warm welcome,” Etheros laughed. He grinned wickedly.

Lathanos couldn't take it anymore. He screamed and charged, readying his sword. He swung his blade, but Etheros simply caught it in his hand as if it were a mere stick. “Why do you still attack me so?” Etheros asked in a false innocent voice. Grinning, he pushed Lathanos back a short ways.

Ignoring the question, Lathanos asked one of his own, “What the hell have you done with Romona?!”

“Ah, the Elven girl…I let her go. She was a bother anyway,” Etheros replied, still in his false innocent voice. “You are lucky that I have not my sword with me, or you, Lathanos, would be dead, as would your friends here…”

Meanwhile, Romona was just making her way into another city. It was accidental in the first place; the trees were hiding the stone buildings from the naked eye. Firebolt had shuffled around with some noise, looking at the trees with some apprehension. They weren't normal trees, the leaves a deep shade of brown, the limbs stretching and black. A breeze stretched through the small clearing where they stood, the leaves rustling.

Finally deciding, they walked through, Romona's hand resting gently upon the shoulder of the horse. The sight was amazing, the brown onyx used in the marble. Spiraling towers made their way up from the streets where few roamed. The people dressed in bright colors, looking so different from their supposedly loved town. Making their way forward, many turned to stare, and finally Romona stopped an elderly woman and asked quietly, “Ma'am, may I ask where we are?”

The woman had a yellow shawl wrapped around her long, white hair. Her face was engraved with wrinkles, but deep-knowing eyes of the brightest blue looked to Romona. She smiled, soft dimples gracing her cheeks as she answered, “Why Romona, this is the city of Folorn…you should know that…”

Tilting her head, the woman managed another smile as Romona backed away. The city of Folorn used to consist of white marble - white marble that shined in the sunlight. The trees used to be inviting, almost stretching their limbs out to welcome visitors.

Firebolt snorted as Romona backed into her, and they were off once more, racing through the cobbled streets, paying attention to the road instead of the buildings. Once out of the city, they road through the country, and soon they found Lathanos, and Etheros in front of him. Firebolt quickly fled as Romona came out from within the thick forest to stand directly behind him, whispering, “Etheros…”

Without turning around, Lathanos said, “Romona, go. Get out of here, now!”

“No! I came to help, Lathanos!” Romona argued. “You just about got yourself killed last time! You can't beat him alone!!”

“I said to get out of here!!” Lathanos snapped, holding up his hands to block Romona. His eyes were burning with rage. His hands were clenched into tight fists. His face was tense with a killer's intent. His bloodlust was high.

“Lathanos, I must say, you are protecting a full-blooded elf, yet you are only a demi elf!? Hah! I thought you were better than that…” Etheros cackled. “You do know how half breeds are treated by the rest of the Elven society, do you not?!”

“Shut up!! Yes, I know how my kind are treated! That is why I have never associated with the rest of the Elven people!” Lathanos shouted. Romona was speechless, and her eyes went wide.

“Then why are you so goddamned protective of this particular Elven girl?!” Etheros asked in mock anger.

“Because…because Romona is different than the others!” Lathanos exclaimed triumphantly. “She has always treated me like a friend, like an equal! That is why I must defend her with my life!” Lathanos turned to Romona and smiled. Romona was blushing. He then turned back to Etheros, turning serious again.

“Nice monologue, Lathanos. However, it will not get you very far. I can clearly tell that you are not prepared to face me,” Etheros replied. “However, you have proved that you can survive my assault. Thus, you have made it a lot more difficult on yourself by not dying. Had you died, things would be different!” A wicked grin spread across Etheros's face. “You were merely lucky by surviving. Your filthy mother, on the other hand, was not so lucky!”

Lathanos gasped, as did Romona, whose eyes went wide. Sobasa gritted his teeth together. Scarlet tightened her grip on her katana's hilt. Her palms were now bleeding. “WHAT?!!” Lathanos screamed.

“That's right, Lathanos. I killed you mother! The blood spilling from her body was absolutely astounding!” Etheros cackled, a hint of insanity in his voice.

“You BASTARD~~~!!!” Lathanos cried furiously as he readied his sword and charged towards Etheros.

Just as Lathanos swung his sword, Etheros caught the blade and pushed him back. Lathanos gasped. “Heh, how pathetic. The terrified look upon your mother's bloodstained face, her blood curdling, agonizing screams, how wonderful they were!” Etheros said wickedly.

“SHUT UP!!!” Lathanos screamed. He once again charged Etheros, his sword in the air. As he swung his sword, Etheros grinned and disappeared. As Lathanos cut through air, he began looking around frantically. “Where the hell did he go?!” He yelled.

“Up here, Lathanos!” Etheros shouted. Lathanos looked up to see Etheros on the lowest branch of the oak tree in front of him.

“AURGH~~~~~!!!” Lathanos screamed as he jumped into the air. As he was about to strike, Etheros again disappeared, but this time he didn't reappear. “Damn you, Etheros!” Lathanos shouted as his blade cut through the branch that Etheros had previously been upon.

Lathanos dropped to the ground, gracefully landing on his feet, and sheathed his sword. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and started screaming, putting his hands to the sides of his forehead as if he were struggling to break free from the mental hold of a demon. Wind started to blow upward around him. Electricity crackled fiercely around him. His hair lengthened and turned crimson. His eyes turned deep purple. Jagged, deep blue markings began to cover his skin. “Lathanos!” Sobasa cried, running to his side. As he placed his hand upon Lathanos's shoulder, Lathanos reverted to his previous state and calmed down.

“So I was right to push his anger,” Etheros muttered from a nearby tree. “Lathanos is truly the last of his kind. Excellent! I shall be most pleased when you decide to accept the transformation. It will make it much more satisfying to end your life!” After a short pause, he added, “Farewell, for now…” He then vanished.

A/N: Well, what'd ya think?! Good, right?! Well, `til next time, later! ^^