So this is chapter twenty - one. Thank you Grim Reaper Kid, Eddie Camp, SkyWarrior2, and an anonymous reviewer for reviewing last chapter!
And, on another note, I've (finally) gotten a story up on my FictionPress account. So, if anyone's interested in reading one of my original stories, please go an check it out.
Chapter Twenty - One: Forgotten Legends
Trevor watched calmly as the Keybladers of the Dark Army fled. He flicked his Keyblade, a few specks of blood flying from it and landing on the ground. The Dark Army hadn't even seen to make much of an attempt to attack him. "What were they trying to do, I wonder?" he whispered.
One of his fellow Keybladers must've overheard them. "Who cares?" she responded with a shrug. "We beat them; that's all that matters."
Another Keyblader shot her a dark glance. "No, it's not," he sighed in exasperation. "Who in their right mind would send so few warriors to attack a heavily fortified building filled with Keybladers without some sort of plan?"
"Maybe they were trying to reduce our numbers," one suggested, "or gather information."
"Or take back their spy," another replied sullenly. "You noticed the kid's missing?"
At the mention of Riun, another person came into Trevor's mind. Mala. He turned around, looking for her. "Mala!" he called. No sign of her.
He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Tollun looking at him with grave silver eyes. "We need to find a way to get rid of those pests permanently," he growled.
Trevor nodded and assent. "Yeah."
"See to it, won't you?"
"But…Mala's-"
"Trevor." Tollun's voice was stern.
His shoulders slumped. Who was he to argue with a Keyblade master? "Yes, sir," he murmured.
Tollun nodded. "Good. See to it then."
He watched Tollun head off to check the other members of the Light Army for injuries. He sighed, and turned to look up at the fortress looming above them. He figured the best place to look would be in the library…
He sighed. He just hoped Mala was Ok.
Mala glanced around nervously. "Hurry, Riun!" she hissed. She didn't know how long it'd be before the Dark Army was chased off, but she didn't figure it could be long. And she didn't want to be anywhere to be found when they came back.
Her heart twisted at the thought. She was turning her back on the people she respected most…and for what?
"I'm coming, Mala!"
A kid who could be a Dark Army spy, that was what.
She sighed as she turned around to look at the boy. He was bringing a Chocobo towards her, a wide grin on his face. Even if he did support the Dark Army, he was still just a kid. She still needed to get him out of there.
"Come on; we're going this way." She jumped on the Chocobo, pulling Riun up with her, before steering the large bird through the hallways of the Light Army fortress. With the majority of the Keybladers occupied with the Dark Army, she wasn't concerned about staying hidden. Right now, the main focus was just to get out of the fortress and get away.
The large back door came into sight. She slowed the Chocobo down, sliding off one side and hurrying over to it. With a grunt, she turned the reel that would lower the heavy draw-bridge-like door and allow them to escape. She stopped before it was fully down, too nervous to wait any longer. She hurried back to Riun and the Chocobo and mounted once more. "Ok, let's go."
"Wait, we're going now?" Riun exclaimed as Mala urged the bird forward.
"We need to get out of here as fast as we can," she responded. "If this Chocobo's as surefooted as the Moogles said it was, this shouldn't be any problem for it."
The Chocobo hit the wooden door and began to run up the slanting surface. Upon reaching the edge, it jumped, extracting cries of alarm from its passengers.
Then it hit the rocky ground and continued forward without breaking stride. Relief and regret washed through Mala in equal measures. However, the young thief refused to look back.
After the storm had passed, Gillick was finally forced to stop. He fell to the ground and rested against a rock, panting. He glanced back the way he'd come, praying silently that the assassin hadn't been able to follow his trail through the storm and would give him a little time to rest.
He was drenched and cold from traveling through the tempest. The bandages were soaked through, and he was forced to pull them off. His wounds ached, still not completely healed, but they didn't burn. He sighed. At least I'm not dead, he growled silently in a vain attempt at optimism.
The thought, however, made him reflect on his actions the previous night. He'd put his own life at risk to save that woman. He shook his head. Sure, she'd been kind to him, but…
He sighed. His actions confused him as much as they had when he'd saved Riun back at the Moogle village. Idiot, he scolded himself silently. Why do you keep doing that? It'll only get you killed.
Gillick leaned his head back, resting it against the rock. He felt his eyelids drooping. He jerked himself back to awareness and tried to weigh his options. On the one hand, he'd ridden the horse far out of town and left behind the road, traveling through the storm. That probably would've slowed the assassin down. On the other, he didn't know the extent of this assassin's abilities, he was still injured, and he couldn't set a very fast pace. It might be a good idea to get ahead…
And yet, he'd have to sleep sometime. His eyes narrowed in frustration when he realized he wouldn't be able to rest easy until the assassin was dead. Then I'll rest now, he decided. He stood, looking for a more sheltered place to sleep for a time. Then he'd continue on…hopefully.
The Chocobo continued forward at a steady pace. Mala and Riun clung to its back, both of their eyes drooping with exhaustion. They'd been traveling almost non-stop for several days now in the hopes of finding Gillick. They had to find him so that he could protect Riun, and, Mala figured, so that they could warn him about the assassin.
If he hadn't already been killed, that is. She swallowed hard at the thought.
They hadn't seen any towns as they'd traveled, so they'd had no opportunities to ask anyone if they knew the whereabouts of a black haired man with amber eyes and a strange sword. In hindsight, Mala realized what a mistake this had been. However, she'd been nervous that the Light Army, or, worse, the Dark Army, would find them, and had steered clear of any villages. She sighed. "Perhaps we should find somewhere to rest."
"But we haven't found Gillick yet!" Riun protested. He shifted to look around the Chocobo's neck and into the landscape that stretched before them.
"I know," Mala replied quietly, "but we're getting nowhere like this. It might be better to go into town and ask-" She cut herself short as she saw a shape moving off in the distance. "What is that?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes.
Riun followed her gaze. "Maybe it's someone who can help us!" he suggested, grinning.
"Or it might be an enemy." Her old reservations returned. "Come on, we'd better-"
"Forward!" Riun spurred their mount himself. The Chocobo let out a surprised squawk before charging forward.
"Riun!" Mala protested, trying to rein the bird in.
They were nearing the figure at a rapid pace. As they grew closer, Mala's eyes widened in recognition. He obviously heard them coming, because he turned back and, upon seeing them, jumped out of the Chocobo's path, eyes wide. With a massive tug from Mala on the reins, the giant bird skidded to a stop. The sudden jerk caused both of its riders to tumble to the ground.
"What the hell were you trying to do? Flatten me?"
Mala's eye twitched at the familiar sardonic voice. "Not a bad idea," she muttered, pushing herself up.
"Gillick!" Riun exclaimed, running towards the older boy and hugging his waist.
Mala tried not to laugh at Gillick's annoyed expression as he detached the child and pushed him away. "No hugs," he growled, eyes glittering as he glared at him. Riun seemed undaunted by the force of his gaze. After a few moments his amber gaze turned to Mala, one hand still resting on Riun's head to keep him at bay. "Why does it seem like you two appear everywhere I go?"
"Well, this time, we were actually looking for you," Mala informed him.
Surprise flickered in his eyes. "Why?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.
"The Light Army was holding me prisoner!" Riun cried.
Gillick's eyes flicked towards the boy then back towards Mala. "I thought you could protect him."
"I'll pass," he growled, eyes narrowing. He pushed Riun a little further backwards as he released his grip on the boy's head.
"What?" Mala yelped as he walked past her. She spun around, crying, "Hey! I helped you get out of the Light Army base! You owe me!"
He hesitated for a moment. Then he turned around with a frustrated sigh. "Look, even if I wanted to protect the brat," he growled, running a hand through his hair, "I'm not exactly in the position to do it." He gestured to the still-healing wounds that laced his body.
"And then there's the matter of the assassin," Mala muttered, having forgotten about that in her plans to protect Riun.
Gillick's eyes widened. "You know about her?"
Mala looked up in surprise. So he'd already met her…? "Well, yeah, that's the other reason we were trying to find you-"
Gillick was suddenly shaking her shoulders, demanding, "Who sent her and why?"
"Uh um, the Light Army," she stammered, startled by his reaction. "They thought you were interfering too much."
He gritted his teeth, releasing her. "Damn them," he hissed angrily.
"But…if you met her, and you're still alive, then…?" Mala trailed off.
He glanced back at her, but didn't answer. Riun looked curiously between the two of them. "Can someone explain what's going on?"
Trevor turned listlessly through one of the many books in the library. He sighed, cheek resting on his fist. Not the most exciting duty, he thought, turning over another page.
It really didn't help that he was still thinking about what had happened to Mala. It'd been days since the battle, and still no sign of her. The Chocobo and the boy, Riun, were missing, too. That troubled him. Could she…have deserted them? He didn't want to consider the thought.
He shook his head forcefully. No. That would have to wait. He had his orders. He had to find something that could stop the Dark Army once and for all.
But after days of combing the library, he was getting weary of his task. He closed the book in his lap and rubbed his eyes. I'll stretch a bit, he decided, before I get back to work. He stood, placing the book on a table, and began to pace around the room. In the process, he accidentally knocked over a stack of books. He tried to steady them with an exclamation of surprise, but several still toppled onto the floor. With a sigh, he bent down to pick them up.
As Trevor began gathering up the books, he noticed one that seemed out of place. He frowned, reaching for it. The book looked very old, its leather cover torn and worn away in some places, its pages yellow. Curious, he opened up the manuscript and began skimming through it.
He stopped on one page, something catching his eye. A weapon that resembled a cross between a normal sword and a Keyblade was etched onto the yellowed parchment, messy handwriting scrawled around it. He squinted at its name. "Exblade?" he mumbled curiously. Then he looked at the pronunciation, and his eyes widened. "No," he murmured. "X-blade."
And that's the end of chapter twenty-one. Please review?