World of Advent
Chapter Ten
PLEEEEASE REVIEEEEEW
Sunlight beat down of the necks of those walking down the Pier. It was a warm and pleasant in the streets, something Chaos sought to avoid. Lurking in the dark alleys of the Pier corridors, he traversed the filth and muck found in much of the darker places of the city until stopped by an unpleasant individual reeking of alcohol.
"Don't want to get hurt, do ya, sonny? Now listen here, just do exactly as I say and-"
The sentence was never finished. Chaos flipped the man on to his back, pinching his neck until he fell unconscious. Thinking that his body didn't add much to the decor, Chaos dragged him to a safer place within the alleys.
Just then, someone with bright blonde hair and blue eyes poked his head out of a grimy window. "Stop fraternizing with the locals," he called out.
"What does it look like I'm doing," Chaos said irritably. "He attacked me."
"Excuses excuses." Cipher held up a handwritten note. "Cara sent another message. Cipher has taken the blood test."
"Excellent," Chaos said. "What else?"
"Well," Light said, "it appears that he got into a fight with Harley. He lost spectacularly of course."
"Great," Chaos moaned. "Where is he now?"
"That's the thing," Light said uncomfortably. "You see, I couldn't just leave him there..."
"Please tell me you didn't." Chaos stepped past the threshold of their new base of operations, where he was met with the unpleasant sight of a different blonde haired Advent now drooling on his pillows.
"Light?"
"Yes?"
"Why is your brother drooling on my bed?"
"Well you see," Light said, "I just got my sheets dry cleaned."
"Why is he here? Surely there were other places he could stay. Like the Resistance. A homeless shelter. Anywhere but here."
"I can't call the resistance to go pick him up; too many awkward questions would arise."
"So what do we do if he wakes up?" Chaos gave Cipher a pointed look. "I don't want to deal with those kind of consequences."
"Not worry!" Light said. "He won't be waking up for at least a few more hours now."
Chaos's gaze lingered to a small bottle lying open next to Cipher's head. "You drugged your own brother."
"Nothing too serious," Light assured him. "Just a few sleeping pills."
"So what are you going to do until then," Chaos asked his friend. "If you couldn't call the Resistance, who can pick him up?"
"Simple," Light said, rummaging through his brother's list of contacts. "We call that reporter friend of his, Neige."
"I guess," Chaos said reluctantly. "But you know she won't leave the Pier alone until she's found out who we are."
"I know." Light gave the Pier a forlorn look. "I think it's time we leave."
"That information about Cipher wasn't all Cara sent us, is it?"
"No," Light said, taking out a map Cara had included in her message. "It's somewhere in the Eastern Regions, he said, pointing at a small populace in a heavily wooded area. "Astaria. Established roughly 34 years after the introduction of the Maverick Wars, it has since been a sanctuary for rogue reploids."
"Is there any reason why Cara pointed that particular area out?"
"Neige has been visiting apparently. A few weeks ago, she came across a feral reploid, dripping black oil from its mouth. A maverick in its final stages, outside Arcadian jurisdiction." Light paused. "And it gets worse. Apparently, before the order to put the creature down was given, they found a specialized strain of the Maverick Virus within it. Something modified to affect human genomes. Not strong enough to infect a pure humans, but plenty enough to do some serious damage to an Advent."
Chaos's face grew ashen as he realized the implications of what it meant. "Crux and his pet scientist, Kane, succeeded in modifying the Virus."
"Bingo." Light rolled the map back up.
"Why haven't they released it already then? It's not like Templar to keep a weapon like that under wraps without using it first."
"I suspect that it hasn't been perfected yet," Light said. "Templar must be using the remoteness of the Eastern Regions to conduct their experiments without Harpuia's watchful eyes upon them."
"So it's up to us to put an end to it," Chaos concluded. "We really do have to leave. Call Neige. I'll burn this place to leave no evidence that we were ever here."
Light nodded in affirmation, hoisting his brother over his shoulders, earning a groan from the still asleep Cipher. Tying a "Get Well Soon" balloon to his arm, Light turned to watch the first flames flicker in their room. Chaos walked out of the room with their Sliders.
"Here," Chaos said, handing Light a Slider, "It's going to be a long ride."
On the way, a million thoughts raced through Light's head. How would Cipher take Harley's betrayal? On top of that, how would he deal with acknowledging who he was? It was a lot for one Advent to handle, Light knew. He could only trust Cipher to make the right decisions. Telling Ciel and Zero who he was would be disastrous, Light knew. To have the Resistance be focused on celebration instead of preparing for the upcoming storm would be nothing short of a catastrophe. Worse yet, they might go hunting after him. No, it was best Cipher not tell anybody who he was.
The two rode on in silence, watching the light fade from the sky, only to be replaced by the pale luminescence of the moon. The dusty roads turned to soil, arid air gave way to humid forests and vast foliage. In time, the two came to a stop.
"We are nearing Area Zero," Chaos said, taking out his contacts. "It's best we take the rest of the journey on foot.
Light nodded at his friend, thinking it odd not to see the familiar violet glare. "It shouldn't be long."
Amidst the stars, the two strolled into the village, amazed at what they saw. Though the sun's influence had long since lost its effect on this side of the world, a lively village slowly came into view. Even more shocking, Advents, humans, and reploids could be seen talking amongst themselves without prejudice. There was a peacefulness to the atmosphere, one neither of them could remember ever feeling.
"Welcome to Area Zero," a purple haired woman greeted them. "What are you here for?"
"We're just passing through," Chaos said. "Is there anywhere we can stay?"
"Of course!" the woman said. "Just over there, beyond the two tall trees, there's a hotel you can stay at. It's cheap too."
"Thanks," Light said. "Why does everyone here seem so happy?"
"Why shouldn't we be?" The woman seemed confused.
"Never mind," Light said. It was rare that you found a place free of discrimination.
Light and Chaos quickly made their way to the hotel in question. While not quite as cheap as advertized, it provided good beds and a functional bathroom.
Before nodding off to sleep, the two decided to plan their course of action for the next day. "I'm going to scout the area for any signs of Templar," Chaos said. "In the mean time, try and find out if they left a trail over the net. If anyone can catch them, it'll be you."
"You know it," Light boasted. "We'll stop them, don't worry." Light could tell there was something else on his friend's mind. "Are you still thinking of her?"
"I can't stop," Chaos admitted. "She'd love it here. It's everything we never had."
"Someday," Light said, "we'll show this world of ours that this can be the norm. That's what we promised, remember?"
"I do. I just wish she were here."
"She's probably thinking the same about you," Light said. "You'll see each other again someday."
Chaos said nothing.
"'Night," Light said. Quietly, to himself, he wished his old friend a pleasant sleep as well.
Morning came suddenly, with the intrusion of sunlight shining down on Light's face. Light made an effort to wake Chaos up, but saw that his bed was already empty.
Frowning to himself, wishing his friend had woken him up, Light prepared for the day. Pulling on a black jacket, he pulled open a laptop, connecting himself to the world's connective Net. Combing the cybernetic pathways for any sign of Templar, he hacked into the security mainframe of a local Templar sympathizer. Finding nothing, Light shut his computer down in disappointment. There was always the locals to question.
Locking the door behind him with his own security system, Light joined the rest of the world outside. It was already bright, with few clouds to block the sun. Light covered his eyes as they slowly adjusted to the clashing brightness of his room.
Light breathed in the scent of the trees, relishing the difference to the metal metropolis of Neo Arcadia. Rarely could he enjoy the feel of natural touch of the wild. Deciding that it would hurt no one to take a quick stroll through the woods, Light made way for an overgrown trail.
All around him, tall trees stood as the grandest sights, not the buildings that so often scraped the skyline of Neo Arcadia. Light gently brushed up against a tall frond, enjoying the feel of the cool leaf on his skin, moisture from the foliage dripping over his fingertips.
It would have been a very relaxing scene were it not for the four sets of eyes glaring at him through the woods.
"Here we go," Light sighed exasperatedly, drawing on the power of his oversol. A thin energy blade sprouted from his wrist. As if on cue, four corporeal shapes left the shadows.
Mavericks. Light could identify them from the feral look on their faces, the way they held themselves, the oil foaming at the tips of their mouths. Taking a battle stance, Light prepared for the first lunge.
It came suddenly, without warning. All the same, Light dodged it easily, sinking his blade in the chest of the Maverick, using its corpse to block the assault of another Maverick. Wondering what happened to the other two Mavericks, he looked over his shoulder to see a girl who looked to be just a year younger than him fighting off the other two. Her light blue hair whipped her around her face as stormy gray eyes flashed angrily. She seemed strangely familiar, as if Light had seen her before. She dispatched of her two targets easily, swinging and plunging her trident into the bodies of the deranged reploids swiftly.
"Are you alright," she asked Light.
"Watch out," Light warned her as more pairs of eyes appeared, surrounding them.
The girl retreated, pacing backwards to where Light was. She eyed her new opponents warily. "You must not be from around here," she said. "Any local or someone with half a brain would know not to enter Nightshade Forest alone."
"I was doing just fine," Light retorted.
The girl ignored him, choosing instead to nail one of the Mavericks hidden in the shadows with her trident, which she threw like a spear.
"Why did you do that?" Light exclaimed. "You threw your only weapon."
The girl flicked her wrist, and her trident flew back to her hand.
"Cool trick," Light said, impressed.
"What can you do" the girl asked him as she took aim once again.
"Nothing as cool as that," Light said, "but I can certainly make these brainless beasts think twice before hunting us again." Light pushed part of his oversol further, sensing the red metal replace his human skin up to his shoulder. Feeling his body grow faster with it, he raised his blade. "Pick off the ones I miss."
The girl protested, saying "No! A civilian shouldn't-" She stopped, seeing Light run in the midst of the mavericks, wreaking havoc among them.
Light cut into one of the beasts, twirling around to cover his blind spot when he found the maverick there pinned to a nearby tree. Eyes lingering just long enough to see the trident zoom back into its owner's hand, he unleashed waves of energy from the tip of his sword, carving deep wounds in the bodies of the Mavericks.
Within minutes, the fight was over. The remaining mavericks fled the scene, racing back into the depths of the forest where Light had no inclination to follow.
"See?" Light said, releasing his oversol. "Piece of cake."
The girl just rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said. "We'd best get out of here while we can."
The two left the forest in no leisurely manner, glad to see the outlines of the village.
"Well I am famished," Light announced.
"You just had a near death experience and all you're worried about is food," the girl said incredulously.
"Yup," Light said. "That pretty much sums it up."
Just as the girl opened her mouth, her stomach rumbled. As her face lit up, Light asked her if she wanted to eat as well.
"Very well. I know a good place to eat," she said.
"Lead the way," Light offered.
The two walked side by side towards the eatery in question, a cafe entitled "Mo's Mocha." The two got a seat together, one of the only ones not already taken.
Largely because the rest of the diners were sitting in couplets, taking up most the space remaining. Within seconds, Light could identify most of them as being couples. Light looked over to the mysterious girl, who seemed completely unfazed by this trivial piece of information.
"The portions here are really big," the girl said. "Why don't we split something? I've always wanted to try the spaghetti here. Everyone says it's really good."
Light took one more glance at the multitude of paramours, most of them who were also eating spaghetti. Go figure.
"Why not?" Light checked his funds to see if he had sufficient Zenny. "I'll pay."
As Light ordered the food, the waiter leaned down in a voice that could barely be described as a whisper, "Quite a catch you've got there, sir."
Light's face heated up instantly, to which he said, ever so eloquently, "I- we- she- we're not-" but the waiter had already left. Light covered his face with a menu.
The girl laughed softly. "You look cute when you're embarrassed," she told him. Needless to say, this did not help.
The two of them ended up talking, finding each other very relatable. Light found that she held a strong wish to see her family safe, much as he did. They both shared a desire to make the world a better place than the one they were born into. Light couldn't help but notice how very attractive the girl was as well.
"So you have three cousins,"Light said.
"Yep," the girl said.
"Do you get to see them very often?" Light asked.
"I used to," the girl admitted. "Two of them ran away, though. I wish I knew where they are."
"Family trouble," Light sympathized. "I can relate to that."
"What about you," the girl said. "Do you get along well with your brothers?"
"You could say we have sort of estranged relationship," Light said. "I only got to know one of them recently and the other doesn't even know I'm alive."
The girl looked at him, surprised. "Really? How come?"
"It's complicated," Light said. Sensing a touchy subject, the girl left it alone. Not long after, their conversation was interrupted by the presentation of the food.
"So how is this going to work," Light asked, but the girl handed him a fork.
"Simple," she said with a gleam in her eyes. "Whoever eats fastest gets the most."
What should have been a civil dinner turned into an epic struggle to overcome the other in how much they could stuff into their mouth. Light could sense the eyes of the other patrons of the cafe, but didn't care. This was the most fun he had had in a long time.
It took the owner of the restaurant to come over for them to call a truce, cleaning up after themselves. Light paid the man, plus a generous tip for dealing with the various specks of sauce now adorning the walls.
The two were still laughing to themselves when they left.
"I've never been kicked out of a store with someone whose name I don't even know," Light said.
"Me neither," the girl said. "The name's Mist, by the way."
"Light."
"Thanks for the dinner," Light, Mist said. "Are you going to walk me home?"
"Uh, sure," Light said. "I've got nothing better to do."
Dropping Mist off, Light took a moment to clear his head.
This was not the time to be getting involved with someone, he told himself. There is a war brewing.
All the same...
When he arrived at the hotel, chaos was there, waiting for him. Arms crossed, Chaos did not look pleased.
"Hey there, neighbor," Light called out to him. "How'd the search go?"
"It went fine," Chaos said stiffly. "I'm sure yours was equally as productive." Chaos leapt down from the terrace. "You jeopardized the mission."
"I was just having a bit of fun," Light defended himself. "How often can you say we get that nowadays?"
"Our life isn't about having fun," Chaos growled. "We're here to stop a war from happening. "Or did you forget that in those big gray eyes of hers?"
"Leave her out of it."
"Do you even know who you were talking to?" Chaos shook his head in disgust. "For someone with the IQ of a genius, you can be pretty stupid."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Mist, Light. Mist." Chaos glared at him. "You were making friends with one of our enemies, a Royal Advent of Neo Arcadia. Leviathan's daughter! What were you thinking?"
"It won't happen again," Light said. "We'll probably never see each other again, anyway." There was a small pang in his heart as he said so.
"I hope not," Chaos said. "Get some sleep. We're leaving in the morning."
Light nodded, climbing up the steps. But as he reached the top step, a strange hesitation caught his attention, his eyes wavering towards Mist's house.
That night, he didn't sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, an image of a blue haired girl with stormy gray eyes appeared.