Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)


Chapter VII: True Heart


The results were astounding, Jane thought as Jack read from the ARM Chronicles at the library.

"Listen to this," Jack said in between quoting from the book. "Seems that the ARMs originated from a colony fall above Filgaia."

"I remember you telling me about a colony like that," Jane responded to him. "You called it...Malduke?"

"Yeah," he said. "Says here that the Maldukian, or Mald'ian people disappeared long ago. But the way things stand now, I'd say they've just relocated."

"So we're talking about a race that makes their own ARMs?" Jane questioned. "And I thought that the Elws were somethin'..."

"It gets better," Jack snorted sarcastically. "This book was written more than a thousand years ago. If the Mald'ian still exist, their technology could be three times what we saw when we went to the colony."

"All this information, and all we needed to do is look at the right book," Jane said in astonishment. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"But we still don't know what to do," Jack closed the book. "We're dealing with technological masterminds here. Hey Rudy, do you..."

But Rudy had wandered off by himself again. Jane searched the library, and found him fiddling with his ARM. Looking at it with a certain realization.


XXXXX


A circular shaped pod was fired from a chute. It sped faster, and faster.

The pod suddenly took the shape of a bullet and sped down a strange canyon. The canyon was lit up with strange lighting.

The bullet continued to fly, and suddenly it changed into a bizarre flying machine. The machine has rockets coming out of its backside, and then the machine started to resemble the Protowing.

The Protowing replica shot into a black hole, which was revealed to be a small child's eye. The child screamed, and his face matured into the likeness of the red haired Gladius.

Gladius raised his ARM, and fired.

Rudy woke up sweating. He checked his wind-up clock. It was the middle of the night, and the others were fast asleep. It was a dream, but Rudy knew that it didnÌt end there.

"It's them," Rudy huffed as he started to get dressed. "They're the ones."

He pulled out some paper and a quill, and jotted down something. He laid the paper on Cecilia's bed. He looked at her sadly, then he scooped up his sword and ARM.

His last thought before he dashed off into the night was of what he had to do.

To save Filgaia. To find the truth.


XXXXX


Cecilia woke up to hear the slam of the door. She was still a little groggy, so she didn't discover that Rudy was gone right away.

What she found first was the note that he left her.


Dear Cecilia,

I'm taking the Protowing out to the ruins of Ka Dingal. Don't come after me.

Rudy


"Oh no," she said. Quickly, she slipped on her blue dress, and was out the door in two minutes.

She ran as fast as she could. "Not now," she muttered to herself. He couldn't do this before she told him.

He couldn't!

She kept running, and was relieved to find Rudy beside the Protowing, just getting it ready for flight.

"Rudy!" she yelled. Rudy whipped around in shock. "Thank goodness you're still here!"

She was panting, nearly on the ground. Rudy walked up to her. "What are you doing here?" he demanded of her. "Didn't you get my note?"

"You can't do this," she reasoned with him. "You can't go on a suicidal quest to save Filgaia alone. You'll perish."

"That doesn't matter," he said, looking away. "If I must sacrifice myself, I will."

"Why, Rudy?" she asked him. "Why must you go alone?"

"Because I'm the only one who can defeat them," he told her. "Look...I can't explain it, but these people, the Mald'ian, are responsible for my existence."

"You mean..." she gasped.

"Yes..." he confirmed. "They are my creators. And because of this, I'm the only one who can stop them." He took a breath. "Look, if you or Jack were to come along, you'd only be targets. I can't protect you and defeat them at the same time."

Rudy continued back to the Protowing, and Cecilia was getting more and more upset.

"But...we need you," she tried. His walk didn't slow.

"You'll get along without me," Rudy said, almost to the Protowing by now. "Monsters aren't that hard to kill."

"I didn't mean that..." She paused. He wasn't stopping. Cecilia's fear was rising. This was the only time left to tell him.

"Rudy...I love you!" she called out.

Rudy finally stopped and turned around.

"Is that true?" he asked, his voice starting to sound heavy.

"...yes," she nearly murmured. She was starting to lose her composure. "Rudy...I'd better leave." Her eyes were filled with tears. She started to walk back when Rudy called her name. She stopped.

"You don't have to hide your tears from me," he said softly.

Cecilia looked deep into Rudy's eyes, then ran to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she sobbed loudly, clutching at him. Although she felt upset, crying was somehow relieving to her. Even when her father had perished, she didn't shed a tear, for fear she would seem weak. Rudy letting her cry in front of him lifted a great burden off of her. "Thank you," she burst out in between sobs. After a minute or so, her crying had died down.

"Rudy," she sniffed, still holding onto him. "...do you really want to do this?"

"Not anymore," he said, stroking her hair gently. "But I still have to do this...to protect Filgaia..." After a moment's hesitation, he added: "...to protect you."

"But you don't have to die," she looked into his eyes again. "Can't you stay alive...for me?"

"I'll try," he said calmly.

"No!" she shouted, nearly into his ear. "Promise me that you won't do anything that'll get you killed."

Rudy waited for a few seconds. ..."I promise."

Cecilia pressed closer to him. "Kiss me," she whispered into his ear with a deep longing.

Rudy let go of her and stepped back. "Later," he said to her. "I have to go,"

"Wait!" she called out.

"I'll be back." Rudy turned to her and winked. "Don't want to miss that kiss."

She grinned lightly. "That sounds like Jack," she kidded.

"Who else?" He smiled.

He proceeded to the cockpit and strapped himself in. He looked back at her. Cecilia was staring at him, hoping with all her heart that he made good on his promise.


XXXXX


Rudy guided the Protowing through the sky. He almost couldn't believe the things she had said to him. She had gotten up the nerve to say that she loved him.

And he loved her too. More than anything.

He wished he had said it then. He made it a point to tell her when he got back. For he had no intention of dying. Not when he just found a reason to live.


XXXXX


Jack had woken up after a time. He was looking everywhere for Rudy and Cecilia. What had those two done now? They'd been acting up for a while now.

He woke up Jane. "Jane, you'll never believe this," Jack exclaimed in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Rudy and Cecilia are gone!"

"Nooo!" Jane gasped exaggeratedly. "Who would've thought?"

"We'd better look for they, anyway," Jack said, starting for the door. At that moment, Cecilia wandered in like a lost puppy.

"Where've you been?" Jack snapped at her.

"Rudy's gone," she said, ignoring Jack's comment.

"What?" Jane pried, walking over to her.

" He went to Ka Dingal," she said, her eyes swollen up. "To meet with Gladius."

"We've got to stop him," Jack shouted, heading out. But Cecilia blocked his path.

"No," she said firmly, refusing to yield. "Let him go."

"But...why?" Jack asked, astonished that she would even suggest such a thing.

"Because only he can do this," she said to them.

"But what if he doesn't come back?" Jane questioned.

"He'll come back..." she said, looking to the horizon. "He promised..."