Madness Comes with Red Eyes
By: Yeu
Comment: I'll admit, I haven't finished the game yet. So some parts of the story might not fit into the game, I don't think so, but just a heads up. My English is not the best, I'm still learning, and I know I still have a long way to go with my grammar. Please leave a review if you'd like, telling me what I need to improve so I can get better. Or tell me what I'm doing right, that would be great too. And a smirking Albel looks like Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Start Ocean does not belong to me, nor does the characters. I won't be starving if I owned any part of this great game. Don't sue me; I don't even have peanuts to spare.
Fayt can't sleep.
He just can't, period. Maybe the ground was harder than he's used to, nothing less than a fully assembled bed can soften hard bedrock. Of all places, why did they have to make camp here? Or maybe it's the smell of blood in the air, considering this area had recently been a battlefield; god knows how much blood had been spilled. Or maybe it's that annoying, insistent sound of rock scarping against metal... wait, where did that came from?
Sitting up, Fayt looked around. By the light of the campfire, the blue-haired boy can see the sleeping face (or maybe they are not really sleeping, god knows) of his companions, each snoring lightly.
Then there is Albel, the designated night watchman, sitting on a large rock nearby, humming a little something and... Fayt's eye widens. As much as he'd like to yell from his current not too comfortable but still warmer than the night air positing under his blanket, the young boy really didn't feel like waking his other traveling friends, if they are really sleeping that is. So he clenched his teeth and threw his blanket aside, flinching as he tried to cover the distance between the silent man and himself, his bare feet dancing on the sharp and icy rocks as quietly as possible.
Just as he was about to tap the captain on the shoulder, the man suddenly turned around and regards the young boy with a glance that's colder than the chilly mountain air.
"What?"
"Can you please not sharpen your claws at night?" Fayt asked as politely as he could under the hard glare, gesturing to the stone in the man's hand. "I can't sleep because of the noise."
"Oh you mean... this?" Most likely on purpose, Albel again scraped the stone loudly against the metal of his claw, producing a deafening screech that almost send Fayt screaming for cover with his hands over his abused ears.
"Yes, that." Fayt tried to hide it, but he still replied in a pained tone. "Please stop, unless you really like to see people suffer." The moment he muttered those words, Fayt had an urge to kick himself. Great, why don't you just go ahead and encourage him to make you permanently deaf?
"Not only like, I love it." Albel the Wicked replied dangerously with a half-crazed smile, sending further chills down the blue-haired boy's spine.
"We have a long hike tomorrow." Fayt tried again, trying to be as civilized as he possibly can and not let his annoyance show in his voice. "Please stop this for now so I can get some rest and not hinder the rest of the group."
"I'm not sleeping tonight, so why should I care about if you get any?" The man turned back to what he was doing before.
Must not be angry, must not be angry, remember to breath, must not be angry... The young student tells himself as he closed his eyes to help calm down his rising anger.
"Please, just listen to me." Fayt said as he opens his eyes and look up at Albel. "I..."
The rest of the sentence is stopped dead in its tracks as Fayt looks into the red iris and found himself sucked into their void. Full of madness and bloodlust the man's eyes were, as if an enraged caged beast was banging against its cage doors, threatening to break lose any moment. Perhaps that's what the man is, a devil wishing to drown himself in the blood of his victims, fledged by chaos and destruction.
"What?" Albel asked again when the boy still did not continue after a moment's silence.
"I... I... can I look at your claw?" The young boy asked sheepishly, not daring to speak his mind so he said whatever came to his mind first. Wishing there was a nearby wall he can bang his head against until his logic returns, or he fell senseless, whichever came first.
Albel gave the young boy a suspicious look, but nerveless stopped sharpening and handed the gauntlet to the boy, who received it as if he is receiving a living, writhing snake.
"May I?" Fayt gestured to the spot next to Albel on the rock, suddenly aware how much his feet hurt from standing on sharp rock without any protection.
The man shrugged, so the boy tentatively took seat, leaving a bit of distance between himself and the other occupant, regarding Albel warily.
Albel didn't really look the part of a mad serial killer; in fact, he looked rather fragile up close. The man is rather slim, not much muscles at all. If not for that madden look in his red eyes, no one would believe that's he is the infamous Albel the Wicked, the imagery just doesn't fit.
The weapon, you are supposed to study the weapon, not the owner.
The claw itself is nothing remarkable, what is remarkable is the shape it's been kept in. Judging from the owner's reputation, the weapon is often in use, but all the blades are kept sharp, surface polished, and joints well oiled. Probably by the blood of its victims, Fayt add as an afterthought.
But then he noticed it, although he's no god of smith, he can see that some parts of the glove are not a part of the original, modifications that's been added after the weapon's been made.
"Did you do this?" The boy asked carefully. "I mean the modifications?"
Albel nodded silently, that crazed smirk never leaving his lips.
"Really?" The boy was truly amazed as he studied the added parts with more attention. "What made you think to change this part? I mean, won't this make the shielding less than the other areas?"
"Don't study too hard now." Albel replied with a teethy grin and leaned closer to the boy, looking as if he's a hungry wolf ready to bite down on a cornered deer. "If you know too much I might have to kill you."
Fayt blinked, and returned the weapon at a speed that send the man into a laughing fit, since the young student had practically stuffed the weapon back into it's owner's hands. Embarrassed, Fayt tried to hush up the man, glancing nervously while doing so at his other sleeping companions still around the campfire. Thankfully, no one seemed to be awakened by the laugh.
"Don't worry, the King has ordered me to not kill you." Albel said as his laughter subsided. "But as for other maggots..." The man left it hanging.
"Please don't." Fayt said quickly. "We need to get through this together."
"Together you say." Albel sneered. "I have no wish to work with maggots, I'm only here because the King ordered so."
With a sudden flash, a dagger that Fayt wasn't previously aware of is pressed tightly against his neck as Albel's faint crackling filled the boy's ears. "But who would know if I just killed you all and throw your bodies in a ditch somewhere." The man whispered dangerously.
"We've beaten you before." Fayt swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady and his fears hidden. If there is one thing true about the man, is that no one knows when Nox would go into a homicidal rage and start a killing spree. Fear on the part of the prey only encourages the hunter to play with them farther.
"True." The man surprisingly agreed. "So that's more reason to get rid of you one by one by one. Although it might be a easy win when you maggots don't have other worms to back you up." Putting emphasis on his words, Albel pressed the blade of the dagger even tighter against Fayt's skin.
"Won't that be disobeying your King's order?"
"Ah that's right, what a shame." Albel let go of Fayt, stood up, and turned to the sleeping forms of others in their group.
"What are you doing?" Fayt hissed under his breath.
"The King said to not kill you... but he didn't say anything about the other insects."
"No!" Fayt quickly grabbed the man's hand, and is surprised by how thin and delicate the wrist felt. The hands almost felt like they belonged to a young girl's, not a maniac killer.
"I was just joking." Albel smiled again, but it is still not a smile of kindness or gentleness. "The King has also ordered me to not kill them. Regrettable actually, although you fools seem to want to be killed badly, judging from the things you did."
But Fayt knew better than to believe what the man said, and even at the risk of getting his own arm cut off, he did not let go of the man's wrist.
"You don't trust me." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
"Anyone who have any common sense will not trust you." Fayt swallowed hard again. "But to work together, we'll need to trust each other."
Slowly and almost hesitantly, Fayt released his hold on Albel's arm. Only to be caught in a death grip himself as he looks into the face of madness.
"You sure you want to trust me?" Albel hissed lightly, so close to Fayt that the boy can feel the man's breath on his cheek. "I might be fooling you, and lying to you, and backstab you the moment you let your guard down."
Fayt felt his heart pounding against his chest, and his throat felt as if a desert had sudden spurted there.
"But I respect your courage and foolishness." Albel lets go of the boy. "Go back to bed, nothing farther shall disturb your rest tonight."
It took all of the boy's self-control to not scramble back to his bed.
"That was a very stupid thing you did last night." Cliff told Fayt as they walked side by side in the morning. "That thing with the lunatic." The Klausian added at Fayt's blank face.
"Oh that." Fayt murmured. "You were awake?"
"You bet." The tall agent answered. "And I can't believe you actually approached that nut case."
"But he was keeping me awake... Wait a minute." Fayt paused at a sudden realization. "You mean you were awake and you didn't try to help me? I thought I was going to be killed so many times!"
"The guy knew I was awake!" Cliff complained. "He was keeping a eye on me. I don't know about you, but he won't hesitate to sink that dagger of his into my neck. That guy sure is a piece of work. I've encountered haywire bombs more stable than him."
"Tell me about it." Fayt agreed as he steals a glance at the man trailing behind them at a leisurely pace. "I remember some kids telling me he was sure Albel was going to kill him and eat him if he'd gotten within a arm's reach."
"I won't put it past the guy." Cliff also glanced at the lithe man. "But remember, don't ever put yourself in a situation where you are alone with that bastard. You'll lose your head before you can even blink."
Noticing the young boy looking at him, Albel answered with one of his trademark chilly smirks.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." Fayt answered as he quickly turned around, unconsciously quickens his steps.