TALES OF QUETZALIA

"Story of Facing the Darkness With Courage"

Chapter 1: Promise Upon the Black Hat

A 'Tales of…' story based on Tales of Berseria and Tales of Zestiria

Written by Benit149

All canon characters and concepts from Berseria and Zestiria belong to Namco

All original characters belong to me

Desolation. That wasn't just the state this world was in; it served as its very name.

It wasn't a large planet, able to support at least one billion people at max on its primary continent Glenwood, along with the many islands scattered about in the grand ocean that made up about 80% of Desolation's surface. Up until 2000 years ago, the Glenwood continent actually used to exist as a number of large islands that were situated near each other, and could only be accessed by seafaring ships.

Within the last two millennia, two very pivotal events to Desolation's future occurred, even so far as changing its very geography. The first event was loosely remembered as the Era of Asgard, also colloquially known as the Era of Disaster, when the very first recorded Shepherd and Lord of Calamity – essentially a hero of holy light and a villain of pure darkness – were ever recorded in history. The Midgand Empire, founded by the descendants of King Claudin Asgard, ruled the islands at the time, but then the Shepherd created an organization called the Exorcists' Abbey that would wind up trumping even the royals' authority.

This only lasted three very short years before the Lord of Calamity defeated the Shepherd and caused the Abbey to collapse. The details weren't certain with the Empire's fate, but many speculated that they had lost a lost of power and faith from the people, and lost so much of their noble status that they were reduced to being outdated rulers of the western nation on Glenwood, the Rolance Empire. It's said that it wasn't even the Midgand family that founded Rolance, but rather another house known as Dragonia.

As if that wasn't enough, the Lord of Calamity was also known to be powerful enough to cause a shift in Desolation's landmasses. He (some reports stated that it was a she, but there was no concrete proof) had not only challenged the Shepherd but also the god that he served, and in order to do so, the Lord of Calamity awakened the Four Empyreans from their long slumber. Their awakening actually caused the many islands to change positions and, for the most part, merge into one massive continent. After the Lord of Calamity defeated the Shepherd and god, they just vanished like a bad dream, never to be seen again…

Another thousand years after the Era of Asgard saw the second crucial event in recent human history. This was the Age of Chaos where there once again appeared a Lord of Calamity, but this one was far stronger than any other before, and thus future generations dubbed him the Great Calamity. His might was so immense that he had the power of a god-turned-demon stored within his body, and that he truly was capable of destroying the world. In response, a Shepherd of equal strength and will rose to challenge this tremendous evil, now famously called the Great Shepherd. Not only did the Great Shepherd had to contend with the Great Calamity, he had to purify a god to save everyone from imminent destruction. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was able to accomplish this lofty goal.

Following this event, there was a lot more knowledge and wisdom regarding how Shepherds and Lords of Calamity came to exist, and that the god who could purify evil needed to be respected and worshipped lest he'd be tainted with that same evil and turn on the world. The Great Shepherd would also be heralded as a hero, with his lofty tales recounted in the second Celestial Record, but there were also plenty of stories detailing the tragic story behind the Great Calamity's existence.

Now it was 1000 years after the Age of Chaos, in the Era of Silence. More Shepherds and Lords of Calamity came and went as time marched on, but their battles were nowhere nearly as pivotal to Desolation's history. The planet was trapped in an endless loop of heroes and villains rising to face each other in epic battles of good and evil, with seemingly no resolution in sight. While each individual battle was necessary to ensure Desolation's continued existence, the world itself was beginning to fall apart from the stress. Mountains collapsed into meager hills, areas that were once plentiful now began to rot away and vice versa, and islands were forever submerged beneath the rising waters. The rapid changes caused by the many wars and the Empyreans' forced awakening were threatening to turn Desolation into one gigantic planet submerged underwater.

The people didn't have much time left to respond. Given another 1000 years, perhaps even less, human civilization would cease to exist. In other words, the Era of Silence was humanity's last breath of existence before their voices, dreams, and memories faded into the void. This was the current state of the world, and many actually prayed for a third miraculous event to occur that would save them from this impending crisis. But it couldn't be a Shepherd or Lord of Calamity that would save them; they were too busy fighting each other to worry about the planet. No, someone else needed to face this disaster head-on and find a solution - someone who was outside the confines of good and evil, and could see the world for the bigger picture it was.

Maybe it was or wasn't an answer to those prayers, but there was someone who fit those criteria. It wasn't known at this very moment, but this person's journey to find the truth would spark a revolution that had been waiting for many millennia even before the Era of Asgard.

Trizolde Cave was the only cavern that connected the vast plains of Zaphgott Moor to Northgand, a country that had been blocked off from southern Glenwood by impenetrable mountains. Once upon a time, the cavern used to be known as West Laban Tunnel, and didn't actually connect to any landmass since it reached out to the ocean. The island of Northgand since merged with Westgand where West Laban was, and the cavern was renamed Trizolde. For the longest time, Trizolde still didn't connect to Northgand, thus isolating the country from Glenwood and leaving its development shrouded in mystery.

However, recent rumors and world developments revealed that a new entrance had been created to Northgand. Despite this surprising event, there weren't many people in a hurry to explore this new opening. Not long after this occurrence, a force of well-armed mercenaries bombarded the only town in Zaphgott Moor, Lohgrin, and seized control of it from the Rolance Empire. Anyone from the kingdom who tried to investigate were either seriously injured or killed. Consequently, any goods that originated from Lohgrin were now diverted to Northgand, hurting Rolance's economy.

It was difficult for large forces to confront this problem, but for smaller groups of fleet-footed adventurers, it wasn't too hard to avoid the barbaric warriors. This was the situation that a pair of travelers were in as they entered through the mouth of Trizolde Caven at the Zaphgott Moor side. They had found an opportunity when the mercenaries weren't looking to sneak in and begin proceeding through the winding hollows northward.

The first figure wiped their brow and sighed, "Phew… We made it."

"That was the easy part," their partner grumbled. "There's nowhere for you to hide if any of those filthy miscreants happen to stumble upon you."

"It's okay. If it comes down to it, I'll just fight my way through them."

"Or I could teleport us out of here."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to use your powers if you felt forced to."

"Don't get me wrong. I'd be retreating to save my own skin, and to make sure you survive long enough to see your end of the deal through."

"Of course…"

The first person's features were difficult to see due to the hooded green wool poncho he wore over his shoulders and arms. He kept the hood over most of his face, but it was evident that a layer of bandages were wrapped around his left eye and head, resembling a tight-fitting halo of gauze that covered up the grisly scars beneath. His remaining eye was a deep red color that complemented his very short white hair, making him appear like an albino. Along with the heavy poncho, he wore a black bodysuit and green denim shorts over it, black gloves, knee-length black socks, and green boots. He kept a naginata fastened to his back as his weapon of choice.

His female companion's appearance was in complete contrast to the young man's more colorful and endearing disposition. She embodied the gothic style, with long black hair that gradually turned purple at the tips, and was tied into a pair of flowing pigtails that ran the length of her back. Her dull purple eyes always appeared flat and uninterested at the world around them, and her skin was a sickly pale pallor. What she considered 'clothing' was a piece of black cloth that covered her frontside but kept the backside fully exposed saved for a single knot near the top. Her black shorts would be considered distasteful for how high up the legs they were cut at, but she did have her legs covered in black thigh-length boots.

The unlikely duo continued their way through the confusing caverns, ducking in and out of hollow dead ends in a frustrating effort to get their bearings straight. The only things they could rely on in these endless corridors of blue grottos were patches of glowing mushrooms that illuminated the otherwise dank atmosphere. After an hour of aimless searching, the male sat down on a rock and sighed, "We're never going to get anywhere like this…"

"Are you sure there's an exit in the Northgand side?" his languid partner asked brusquely.

"I haven't seen any records for ages, so I assume there never was one. But those claims from Lohgrin's survivors can't be ignored either. There has to be a new entrance somewhere around here."

"I still feel like you're wasting your time."

Just then, a third voice echoed throughout the cave, "Go left twice, then make a hard right, and you'll head straight on to that new entrance you're talking about."

"Who's there!?" the young man demanded and shot to his feet.

After a moment of tense quiet, they heard footsteps approaching from around the corner. The person who appeared before them was a tall, tanned man with long silver hair that had green tips, and he wore a black hat with metal coins looped around the brim. He didn't wear a shirt so as to show off his toned abs, but he did wear black pants and steel-toed boots. His sharp brown eyes automatically indicated that he was a man of high confidence, and that taking him lightly would be a big mistake. Upon seeing him, the dark-clothed female scowled and looked away from him in disgust.

"Well, well! Look who we have here," the newcomer scoffed. "A couple of tourists on some kind of demented pleasure trip through the mountains, huh? And not only that, but I see that you've roped an innocent fellow into following your whims, eh?"

He glared at the girl and snarled, "Servant of the Great Calamity?"

Her lip curled, and she retorted, "That's Symonne to you, monkey."

The spear-wielding male didn't react to the newcomer's insult. He just listened quietly as the tanned man continued, "Well then, you'll have to-"

He reached into his pocket and slung a pendulum at Symonne's head while shouting, "PARDON ME!"

She boredly teleported out of the way before the projectile could hit her, and reappeared next to her partner. She shrugged and said, "Still can't get over that, can you? It's been a thousand years already. Get with the times already, you underdressed ogre."

"Hoh! You're one to call me underdressed!" the attacker laughed. "And besides, I don't allow unfinished business to be left hanging without a resolution. Sorey and the others might have forgiven you, but I'm not so easy to convince. I was satisfied with just leaving you there to cry in anguish, but I can't allow you to run amok any longer."

"Run amok? You make it sound like I'm trying to stir up trouble."

"Are you not? You're bringing that guy to dangerous territory. What're you after?"

Symonne had grown tired of arguing with the man and brandished an arm's length baton, intent on fighting him. However, her partner raised his arm before her and said, "Wait. I'll talk to him."

"Don't expect to get far with him. He's got rocks in that thing he calls a brain."

The green-garbed fellow approached his opponent and declared, "You're wrong. I came here on my own accord. Symonne only agreed to follow me. She has no intentions of causing me any trouble whatsoever."

"Oh, really?" the stranger wondered after letting out an impressed whistle. "How confident are you that she won't cause harm to you?"

"Sure as sure can be. I don't understand everything you two are talking about, but I do know that she's not the same person as she was 1000 years ago. I can tell that she wants to make an earnest effort to change, and I won't take kindly to anyone who insults her for her past actions."

"Then show me how strong your faith in her is," the unknown man wielded his pendulum again and thrust it at the boy's head. He remained calm and still as the gemstone shot past his face, causing his hood to slide off his cranium and reveal his pure white hair. The attacker grinned and said, "Not bad. You could tell my aim was off on purpose, huh?"

"Are you done screwing around?" the unfazed young man demanded as he reached for his spear. "Let's keep this duel short."

"Totally agree with you there, buddy. Oh, we should probably introduce ourselves first. The name's Zaveid the Whirlwind; fighter, wanderer and former Sub Lord to the Great Shepherd Sorey."

"… Rhett."

"Short and sweet, huh? Well then, let's go!"

Rhett immediately dashed forward to meet Zaveid head-on, but judging by the pendulum that the rogue was using, he could tell that getting in close wasn't going to be easy. As he suspected, Zaveid raised his arm and chanted, "Wind Lance!"

"Kuh!" Rhett gasped as he stepped aside a green arrow of winds that shot straight for his face. It wouldn't have been powerful enough to kill him, but the facial wounds certainly would have been unpleasant. Zaveid fired multiple Wind Lances that Rhett had to dodge before whipping his pendulum at the spear. The string wrapped around it several times, and Rhett had to hold on tight to prevent Zaveid from taking it out of his hands.

"At least you're agile, I'll give you that much!" the arrogant fellow exclaimed with a wide grin. "You're a lot better than when I fought the Great Shepherd for the first time too, even with you having only one eye! Or is that bandage supposed to be a handicap to conceal your true abilities!?"

Rhett didn't want to retort, lest he gave in to Zaveid's taunting and lost focus. He then did the unthinkable and actually let go of the naginata on purpose, causing Zaveid to stumble back as the pendulum retracted and flung the spear at his body. Rhett dashed in once more and, with a vivid battle cry, leapt off the ground and delivered a splendid roundhouse kick to the man's cheek, knocking him sideways. Rhett deftly retrieved his weapon as it fell to the ground and stabbed at Zaveid's feet, then pulled back to make him lose his balance. He did another jumping kick, but this one was a backwards flip that allowed his foot to smack firmly against Zaveid's bare chest.

"Blazing Stars!" Rhett shouted upon landing and thrust his polearm multiple times. Even though Zaveid was winded, he managed to avoid the worst of the onslaught, but couldn't prevent strands of his hair from being cut nor his skin from being lacerated. He was originally just toying around with the one-eyed traveler, but now Zaveid was getting angry. He got into a hunched posture and dangled his pendulum from his hand while chanting a spell.

"Ready for some dirty dancing!?" he shouted, then chanted, "Hell Gate!"

Rhett looked behind and noticed a pair of swirling green orbs materialize that rushed past him in an X formation, with him at the epicenter. Without thinking, he contorted his body to dodge aside just in the nick of time, since a small storm of winds erupted around the paths the orbs made. The violent gusts did send him tumbling across the uneven ground, so it wasn't exactly a pleasant landing. Rhett couldn't afford to take even a moment's rest however; the instant he looked up, the pendulum suddenly smacked the ground right in front of his face and pulled back to Zaveid's hand.

Rhett scrambled to his feet and gasped heavily. He held his spear tightly, then spun it multiple times to gain power and momentum before scraping the blade against the bedrock that generated sparks for a split second. The energy stored in the weapon transformed into a powerful ground wave that many martial artists referred to as a Demon Fang. While Zaveid was used to seeing swordsmen and martial artists calling upon this skill, it had been a long time since he witnessed it coming from a spear user, so he wasn't ready to parry it. The wave smashed against him and sent him flying back-first against the wall. Rhett ran at him while preparing his spear to perform a single mighty forward thrust.

"STOP!"

The blade stopped just short of Zaveid's chest. Rhett was alarmed to hear his opponent shout that one word, so immediately ceased his attack and remained perfectly still. Zaveid gasped for a few moments, then raised his hands and said, "That's enough. You've got me."

Rhett wasn't sure if he actually was surrendering, or if this was one of his ploys. Even so, he pulled back while remaining poised to fight and allowed Zaveid to catch his breath. Symonne walked up to her partner once she saw that the battle was over and scoffed, "You really are an idiot. What in the world were you doing, using such powerful magic in these tight corridors? You don't care if this place collapses on us?"

"Hey, what's with the animosity? Your friend won against me! You should celebrate a little more than that, toots!" the renegade exclaimed with a shrug.

Rhett plainly stated, "You were fighting seriously at the beginning, but then you let your guard down too many times. Well whatever the reason is, I want you to get out of our way now."

"Hey, what's the hurry? We only just met and you want me to get lost already?"

"We are in a hurry. So if you don't mind…"

"Okay, okay, I get it. After all-"

Zaveid tipped his black hat forward and flashed his mischievous grin, but this time it appeared a bit softer.

"Who am I to go against a real lady's wishes?"

Rhett lowered his spear, then sighed and asked in a more feminine voice, "So you noticed?"

"Don't underestimate my ability to sense how a woman behaves. No matter how much she may cover it up, none of her nuances will get past me."

It was true. Rhett wasn't a 'he', but rather a 'she'. Due to certain circumstances several years ago, she had changed her appearance and tone of voice to be more masculine in order to deceive others. Even the name 'Rhett' was one of her choosing since she abandoned her real name back then. She was impressed with Zaveid's ability to perceive who she really was despite all the effort she put into masking it.

Even so, Rhett retorted, "I may be impressed with your keen insight, but I still don't appreciate people trying to tell me who I can and can't be friends with."

"Hey, hey," the cocky fighter shrugged, "you really don't know who you're mixing it up with, do you?"

"Is there a problem with me traveling with Symonne?"

"You know of the sins she committed in the past, right?"

"She's told me everything about herself."

"Has she now!? Define what 'everything' is."

"You're getting really annoying," Rhett grumbled. "She told me about her allegiance with the Great Calamity during the Age of Chaos, and of the deeds she committed in his name. Even so, she healed my wounds after the war from five years ago. I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for her, and I'm very grateful for what she did for me. And in this very moment, we're going to head north. Anyone who tries to stop us, for one reason or another, will soon regret it."

Zaveid whistled in admiration and said, "Guess you've sold me, sweetheart. If you're that serious about going to Northgand with Misty by your side, then I'll have to let bygones be bygones. But a real gentleman like me wouldn't go without delivering a warning."

"About Symonne?"

"No, no, about Northgand. You should know about their gradually increasing invasion of Rolance and Hyland."

"Of course I know. The war was sparked by Rolance's suspicion that Hyland was in cahoots with Northgand, after Northgand literally punched a hole in this cave and sent troops to occupy Lohgrin. Rolance's forces haven't been able to reoccupy Lohgrin all this while."

"And how could a backwards country like Northgand suddenly have the ability to make two nations, who have existed for at least a millennium unopposed, quiver in their boots?"

"That's what Symonne and I are going to find out," Rhett said.

"What for?"

"I'm not obligated to answer you. Now are you done interrupting us? We would like to be on our way."

"Oof, feisty," Zaveid cringed and began to walk past her. "I just thought I could prevent you from getting into a bad situation, but my worries appear to be unfounded. It's just that if you got yourself killed, I'd feel bad for not trying to stop you. Hell, I'm still kind of worried."

"What we do really shouldn't be your concern."

"True, but I'm gonna be concerned about it whether you like it or not. Northgand has become an ugly place for anyone from Rolance or Hyland to be sticking their necks into without a plan of action."

"Then what would satisfy you to leave us be?"

"Hmm… How about this?" Zaveid took off his black hat and placed it on Rhett's head before she could stop him. "Promise me that you'll take care of this while in Northgand. If you're strong enough to keep it safe and bring it back to me in the future, then I won't bother you again."

Symonne clenched her teeth and looked away in disgust from the hat. Rhett didn't notice this as she said, "Whatever works for you."

"Great! Then I'll get lost now," the wind seraph waved his hand and prepared to leave. As he passed by Symonne, he whispered in a low voice so Rhett couldn't hear him, "I'm not gonna let you forget."

"Tch…"

Once Zaveid was out of the duo's sight, Rhett let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, "Finally got rid of him."

She patted the hat firmly on her head, but Symonne barked, "Put it away."

"Hm?"

"I said don't put that thing on!"

"Why not? It'd be easier to wear it than to stash it."

"I don't care! Just get it out of my sight!"

"Sure…" Rhett mumbled apprehensively as she put it in her bag. "What's got your feathers so ruffled all of a sudden?"

"It's just… um…" the seraph fumbled with her words, then exclaimed, "It'd just make me think of that tactless monkey too much. Ugh, I feel like I need a bath just from listening to his womanizing garbage."

"I guess. Well, let's see if Zaveid's directions can be trusted."