Chapter Two is here now. I'm hoping my fight scene isn't lame, but I'll let you all be the judge of that. Also, the boys may seem out of character for this chapter, but I promise it'll be explained next chapter. Still working on Mr. White's riddles/sayings, but I feel I'm making a breakthrough by giving him a riddle/saying for the chapter.
Guren arrived at the school early the next day, hopeful for his friends to be better and make up. He hadn't talked to them yesterday because he wanted them to have some space and time to think about what had happened and to come to the decision on their own without him pushing them towards it. He was anxious though, and was practically bouncing out of his seat waiting for Ceylan to show up. When the blue-haired teen made it in, Guren smiled at him.
"Hey Ceylan," Guren greeted.
The teen just made a noise in his throat and flopped into his seat, crossing his arms. Guren felt the corner of his lips tip downward a little, but he kept up the smile and tried again.
"How are you today?" he asked.
Ceylan ignored the other boy, keeping his eyes focused on the front, waiting for class to begin. Guren felt his entire body deflate at receiving the cold shoulder from his best friend. He turned his own attention to his desk. He kept silent, not able to focus as the teacher walked into the classroom.
Maybe things won't turn out for the better, he thought sadly.
Guren had felt too depressed to focus on the lesson in class. He had been hopeful that everything would be under the bridge and they could move on being friends, but Ceylan's behavior only proved that things were still heavy. Guren was pulled out of his depressing thoughts by the sound of the bell ringing, indicating that class was over. Ceylan was up and out of his seat without another word, leaving the room without Guren. Guren closed his eyes with a sigh and slowly got his things ready.
"Trouble, Guren?" Gen asked from behind the boy, surprising him.
Guren looked up, finding Gen staring at him with his typical aloofness. Guren placed on a fake smile, trying to not let his personal sadness be revealed.
"Oh, hey Gen," Guren greeted kindly. "No, I'm okay. I just spaced out a little."
"Really now? It sure seemed like you and Jones had some tension between you," Gen responded, his voice indicating he didn't believe a word Guren said.
Guren felt a shiver run through his body, wondering why he was getting defensive. The way Gen was able to see through the lie spooked Guren. Shouldering his backpack, Guren made his smile wider.
"Nah, he just had a bad morning," Guren lied. "I'm sure he'll be fine later today."
"If you say so," Gen responded, his voice still indicating that he knew Guren was lying.
He turned and exited the classroom, leaving Guren behind. The teenager sighed to himself and made his way out of the classroom, dreading the rest of the day if the other two boys were just going to be like Ceylan.
School was over, and as Guren exited the school, he saw his other three friends walking out of the school as well. Mustering up some courage and forcing on another smile, he jogged up to them.
"Hey guys! Want to come to my place to do homework?" Guren asked. He knew it wasn't the best thing to ask, but he needed something.
The three boys stopped. They looked over their shoulder at him, and then looked at each other. A glare appeared on their face, and they began to walk away.
"I'm busy with track," Chooksi responded.
"Wakamei's making me help her in the diner," Toxsa answered.
"My dad wants me to help out around the house," Ceylan replied.
Guren watched them walk away, feeling his smile falter before he looked down at his pocket and noticed it glowing. He quickly pulled out his core brick, and held it up.
"Hey guys, we're being summoned!" Guren called after his retreating three friends.
"We're not knights anymore, remember!?" the three shouted back, continuing their walk.
"But guys!" Guren began to protest, but the three continued to leave, heading off in their own direction. Guren clenched his fists in a sign of aggravation and shouted, "Fine! Then I'll just go myself."
"Hello Guren," Mr. White greeted when he saw the young leader jog into his shop. "What can I do for you?"
"Quarton's calling," Guren responded, heading for the basement.
Mr. White followed, noting a lack of three bodies.
"What of the other boys? Are they on their way?" the elderly man asked.
"Off doing other things," Guren replied. "And no, they're not."
"You're going by yourself?" Mr. White asked in obvious concern.
"Quarton needs me," Guren responded simply as they entered the basement.
"It's dangerous to go it alone though," Mr. White protested. "A single wall cannot hold up a house."
"Mr. White, I'll try and figure out your riddle later, but right now, I need to get to Quarton. The guys may not want to help the planet out, but I'm still in this," Guren replied to the elderly man, a fire of determination burning in his eyes.
Mr. White held in his next comment, reluctantly nodding in agreement. He didn't like sending Guren off alone, but Quarton was still in need. The elderly man released a defeated sigh and nodded his consent.
"Very well, but be extremely cautious," Mr. White advised, expressing his worry with his tone of voice.
Guren smiled in reassurance and he nodded, making his way to the portal.
"I will Mr. White, don't worry," he responded, stepping onto the portal.
Mr. White watched grimly as the young boy entered the portal, leaving for Quarton as Bravenwolf. In the pit of the elderly man's stomach, he felt dread build up and hoped that it wasn't a premonition but simply a feeling produced by anxiety.
"Greetings Bravenwolf sir!" Beag greeted when the white-and-red Tenkai Knight came into view. "You came just in time sir. May I inquire where the rest of the Knights are?"
"Oh, they're uhm...busy with other things right now," Bravenwolf lied, wishing he had thought of a better one before arriving. "Anyways, what's the damage?"
"Dromus and Venetta attacked one of our mining groups," Beag informed. "Our men as still under seige by the two and the Corrupted, but they're holding their own!"
"Okay, I'll deal with Dromus and Venetta," Bravenwolf responded. "Time to Titan up!"
Bravenwolf turned into his Titan form, and then flew off with Beag and the Corekai following after. This would be the first time he would face the enemy alone without his friends backing him up, but Beag and the other Corekai would be there for him, and he already knew how deep their devotion to the Knights were, so there was no way Beag and his men would leave Bravenwolf to die. With the thoughts in mind, Bravenwolf sped faster for the mine, hearing the laser-firing before he saw it. When he came further into view of the battlefield, he spotted Dromus and Venetta on the other side.
Time to draw their attention away, the Knight thought to himself as he drew his sword.
Dromus spotted Bravenwolf heading for them, bypassing the Corekai soldiers and rushing straight towards them. Dromus rose his own sword up, watching from the corner of his optics as Venetta readied her own weapons. She was already informed of the situation concerning the Knights, and she was more thrilled then he to be battling the lone Knight. Their plan was simple: kill Bravenwolf. The other three were no longer taking part in the war effort, so there was no need to worry about them; Bravenwolf, on the other hand, was quite dangerous since he was a stubborn fellow who would die trying, which was the ideal outcome for the two agents of Vilius.
"Ready?" Dromus asked his companion.
"Do you even need to ask?" Venetta questioned, her voice expressing her excitment. "Let's go and meet him already."
"You're certainly impatient," Dromus commented, going into Titan mode.
"And you're slow," Venetta responded, rushing off to meet Bravenwolf.
Dromus followed after her, watching as Bravenwolf veered off, taking the three away from the battlefield. That was fine with Dromus; they could kill Bravenwolf anywhere he wished. Venetta was quick on the lone Knight's tail, shooting her energy webs at him in an effort to trap him. He had gotten smarter than the last time they fought and managed to dodge all her shots. That was fine with Venetta; she was in the mood to have some fun before striking at her prey.
"I can do this all day, Tenkai Knight," Venetta commented aloud.
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you," the Knight responded back, turning around to face his opponents once he felt they were far enough away from the soldiers.
"You're not very bright," Dromus commented as he arrived. "It's two on one."
"Well then maybe you need to grab a few more guys to make this an even match," Bravenwolf responded cheekily.
"Arrogance will be your downfall," Dromus commented, raising his sword and swinging it at the red-and-white Knight.
Bravenwolf rose his sword in defense, letting the two blades clash. He pushed against Dromus' sword, but had to pull back when he saw Venetta attempting to impale him with her twin daggers. He managed to move away in time before she could do any damage, but he kept moving backwards when she chased after him; while he may be stronger, she was obviously faster.
"Where are you running to?" the female bot questioned.
"I'm not running anywhere," Bravenwolf replied. "I'm just avoiding your daggers."
"Maybe you shouldn't be so concerned with my daggers," Venetta responded cryptically.
"What's that supposed to-GAHHHHH!" Bravenwolf was caught off guard by the sword slashing him on his side, sending Bravenwolf to the ground.
"You seemed to have forgotten me," Dromus mocked, kicking Bravenwolf in the side before he could get up. "That was your second mistake."
"And what can I ask was my first?" Bravenwolf questioned, rolling out of the way before Dromus could land another blow.
"Coming to Quarton alone," Dromus responded, raising his sword and bringing it down.
Bravenwolf used his sword to help him to his feet, and used the shield to block against Dromus' attack once more. He was fighting hard to keep Dromus' blade from hitting him, but wasn't prepared for the stab in his side that came from Venetta's dagger. He pulled the dagger out of his side and went to slash at Venetta, but the female bot had already jumped backwards before he could strike her, and Dromus used the distraction to knock Bravenwolf back to the ground with the hilt of his sword. Bravenwolf readied his sword to help him up, but Dromus stepped on the Knight's arm, applying pressure and stopping him from doing so.
Gaaahh, Bravenwolf thought, feeling pain shoot through his right arm. This isn't good. They're beating me up pretty good.
"You should have just left Quarton to suffer," Dromus mocked the Knight, applying even more pressure to the arm below his foot. "Trying to play the hero only gets you killed."
"Who's playing?" Bravenwolf questioned, swiping his shield at Dromus' legs and forcing the other bot off of him.
He then used his jets to get him off the ground and placed some distnace between them. He held his injured arm, willing it to work. It wasn't broken, thankfully, but it still hurt. Thankfully, the adrenaline was getting to him, and the pain was slowly ebbing. The grey bot stumbled back from the momentum, but he regained his composure just as Venetta appeared at his side, drawing her daggars for another hit.
"I've had enough toying around with you. Time to end this once and for all," Dromus stated as he prepared his Dark Energy Cannon.
Bravenwolf rose his shield and readied himself to defend against the energy attack, but was caught off guard by three purple energy webs wrapping around him, forcing his arms to his sides.
"What the-" he was cut off by the energy blast hitting him at full blast. "AHHHHHHHHH!"
When the energy blast dissipated, Bravenwolf fell to the ground, feeling absolute pain from the blast he had just been dealt with. He was too weak to move, not even bothering to roll away when Dromus placed the blade of his energy sword up to Bravenwolf's neck.
"It was fun, Bravenwolf. But you're in my way," Dromus said readying the weapon for attack.
Before Dromus could slice off Bravenwolf's head, several energy shots came at him, forcing him to back off and use his shield in defense. Looking over the edge of the shield, he watched as the Corekai army ran towards the three of them, firing off their weapons in an attempt to protect Bravenwolf from further damage.
"Hm," Dromus said, stepping away from the fallen Knight. "Today's your lucky day. You've managed to survive death...for now. Venetta, let's go."
"Right," Venetta replied, following after her partner swiftly.
"That's right you cowards!" Beag shouted, before kneeling beside the fallen leader. "Bravenwolf sir, can you stand?"
"Just...Just give me a moment," Bravenwolf responded, breathing heavily as the pain racked his body. "I just...need a moment."
"Of course sir," the Corekai leader said in understanding. "I am very glad you survived Dromus' powerful blast."
"You and me both," Bravenwolf commented lightly.
Mr. White's not going to be happy, Bravenwolf thought to himself grimly.
Mr. White had been watching Guren's fight after the teenager left for Quarton, so he was at the portal, waiting for Guren to arrive, nerves frazzled at nearly watching the young boy die at Dromus' hands. When the light faded from the portal, signaling the boy's return, Mr. White quickly grabbed his shoulders, keeping him balanced.
Guren flinched, not from the pain, but from seeing the look in Mr. White's eyes. He already expected a lecture from the elderly man. Instead of getting yelled at immediately, Mr. White guided him over to a chair by the flat screen, sitting him down carefully. Guren accepted the seat, happy to be off his feet, and gripped his upper arm. The adrenaline from before had kept most of the pain away, but now it was back, aching along with the rest of his body. He looked up at Mr. White, who looked to be both upset and very concerned.
"I told you to be careful," the man began, his voice firm.
"I know," Guren responded, lowering his head a little in submission.
"You could have been killed. Had Beag and his men not fought off the Corrupted sooner, they never would have gotten to you in time," Mr. White continued.
"I know, and I've already expressed my gratitude to Beag for getting there in time," Guren replied.
Mr. White looked over the boy, trying to find any physical damage aside from the arm, but it was mostly bruises and a weakened state that Guren was suffering from. The old man released a sigh, feeling his pent up nerves slowly drain away. Scolding Guren while the teen was already in pain would get neither of them anywhere. Guren made it out alive, thankfully, and that was all they could ask for.
"I suggest you go home and rest, Guren," Mr. White advised. "You will need a lot of rest after what you went through."
"Yeah," Guren agreed, smiling a little. "Luckily dad won't be home until later tonight, so he shouldn't question my appearance."
"Will you be alright getting home?" Mr. White asked.
"Yeah," Guren replied with a nod. "I should be fine. My house isn't too far away."
"Alright, but be careful and don't over work yourself," Mr. White warned.
"I promise," the teenager promised, getting out of the chair.
Mr. White walked Guren out of the shop, keeping a sharp eye on him and making sure the boy wouldn't suddenly collapse. He watched the young leader walk through the mall, still keeping a close eye on him until he was out of sight.
Those boys need to figure out their differences quickly and become a team again, Mr. White thought, heading back into his shop. Guren almost died, and he is sure to get himself killed with his stubbornness. I can only hope that Quarton doesn't need the Knights tomorrow.