I have a feeling that some of you will be excited about this chapter. Shout outs:
Lucenthia: Yeah, it's definitely getting the point where it's important, because now Maechil is gonna move to prevent it. Thanks, hopefully the importance will make more sense this chapter. Thanks!
T1M3: Yep, it's definitely a dilemma, haha! But we don't have to worry about it quite yet. Not till Part 3, anyway. Thanks, Twi!
Alright, I own the Rikkisons, the Ancients, the Divine Beings, Andrix and Tahara, and a bunch of other stuff. Luriel, Shin, and Ava are the property of their respective authors. Enjoy!
Chapter 36: Trouble in Roma
With most of the Agency out among the worlds, it had been quiet at the Land of Departure for the last little while. Now, it was not so quiet.
Jason had returned from a meeting with the Council of Sovereigns not too long ago, with a task already delegated to Jack. His younger son had grumbled irritably at being awoken from his first nap in four days, but had gone and completed it.
The two of them were now standing in the castle living room staring at Marek, who was lazily draped on the couch after having been forcible dragged inside. "Why am I here?" he asked as he threw a contemptuous glare at Jason and crossed his arms. The Grandmaster sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Niccolo Machiavelli passed me a message from Roma. The Assassin bureau there has been receiving reports of a man matching Saenatar's description working with the city's leaders." he began. At hearing Saenatar, Jack immediately cut in.
"Then why am I standing here? I should be…." he quickly stated and made for the door, only to see Riku step in his way. "Really?" he asked him with raised eyebrows.
"Jason's not finished talking." Riku replied calmly. Jack sighed and half-turned back to Jason and his brother.
"Ezio has called for aid, but he has asked for Marek by name. Evidently, he holds more confidence in your brother's abilities than anyone else here." Jason finished with a sigh. Marek rolled his eyes as he stood to his feet.
"Yeah, that's because when Eclipse was out doing his thing, I was out there helping Ezio stop him while you people just hid in your tower to spite me." he retorted as he made for the door. He glared at Riku when the younger man fell into stride with him. "No." he spat.
"I have my orders. They're to accompany you so that a real representative of the Agency is able to work among the Assassins." the silver haired man replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Marek growled as he spoke to his father without turning around.
"Call off your lap dog. He thinks he's a great darkness wielder, but if he wants to follow me around, he's gonna get hurt." he told Jason. The Grandmaster sighed.
"It's been decided, Marek. He can either work with you willingly, or I can go in his stead." he offered. The white haired man laughed coldly.
"Over my dead body. Fine, but stay out of my way." he told Riku as he pushed open the doors and walked outside. Riku gave the two of them a "You owe me one" glance before following him out.
"I should be out there with Marek. He's gonna need my help against Saenatar." Jack muttered as he sat down on the couch. Jason shook his head as he walked over to the computer station.
"I think not. You do not need to go anywhere near Saenatar for the time being." he replied firmly. Jack narrowed his eyes as he turned and looked at him over the back of the couch.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked somewhat angrily. Jason smiled slightly as he took his seat and began reading through the latest reports.
"You are not the only one who has chats with Dawnomar. He spoke to me yesterday about the worlds being out of balance, just as I assume he told you in private. I am not allowing you to go anywhere near Saenatar. For once, I trust Marek to have a cooler head than you. Rest, Jack. He can handle this." he tiredly replied, as if he didn't want to have the conversation.
"I never saw the day when you would take his side over mine." Jack muttered as he sprawled out on the couch and closed his eyes. Jason glanced over at his son momentarily and shook his head.
"Yes, I know, what a failure of a father I am. I shall never replace Eraqus, I can never make things right, and everything else. I have heard all that before. There are more important things on my mind." he whispered and continued working.
MEANWHILE, UNKNOWN WORLD….
It was not often that he left the Sacred Realm, though he saw the need for it in the near future. He was still not happy with Saenatar's results as General thus far. His impatience had cost them not only Maynaimar, but the power that he had poured into their now lost comrade. He had swelled with rage when he felt it. He had not had the chance to reabsorb Maynaimar's power upon his defeat, for Dawnomar had beaten him to it. It was in that moment that he moved up his plans. He had many contingencies in store, and this was the one that held the most promise.
Kunomar had told him of the perfect meeting place, and had led him here. Despite his initial doubts, she had proven herself very capable of taking on Anetar's role among the Organization. The Mistress of Illusions was handling her tasks well, from interfering with the time traveling heroes to waking the X-blade. Her powers excelled in the workings of the heart, and she had proven invaluable to him.
He was not used to being out in the human realms, and he disliked the difference between the two. He was used to salty air of his own kingdom, with the Endless Ocean glistening and flowing out in all directions farther than the eye could see. He was used to watching the bright morning sun reflect off of the Crystal Castle, bathing his entire kingdom in golden light. Here, night and day were plain, and the air smelled musty above all other sensations. More than once he was forced to remind himself that he made the Realm of Light this way to keep a distinguished difference between the Realm of the higher beings and that of his lowest children, humanity.
The night air of the forest seemed oddly peaceful to him, however. He casually walked through the forest, already sensing what he was looking for up ahead. Sure enough, within moments he stepped into the forest clearing and waited.
He pulled back his hood and let his golden hair fall down to its normal position. His eternally youthful face had become somewhat marred due to recent events. Maynaimar's death and the loss of his power had robbed Maechil of some of his handsome features, as if a part of him were missing. "I know you are there. Do not waste my time." he declared to the dark but seemingly empty clearing.
A figure immediately walked into sight, completely covered in a dark cloak. A hood covered the person's face, making it impossible to see who it was. Maechil, however, already knew. "What have you brought for me?" he asked. In response, the figure reached inside their cloak and pulled out a bundle of papers, handing it to him. (Counterattack, Dissidia 012)
He smiled widely as he unrolled them and realized what they were. One paper held in depth information on Jack Rikkison. There were similar papers describing Sora, Riku, Jason, Roxas, and Marek. While he was pleased to see this, it was the last paper in the bundle that made him laugh happily.
The last paper held the coordinates for a hidden world, one that could only be found by those who already knew its location. Schematics and blueprints for the Land of Departure were etched out in great detail, including an inscription. "There is no way out, save the skies." it read. He looked back up at the figure, who had looked away from him shamefully. He reached out and touched the person's shoulder.
"Have no fear. You have done very well. Speak not a word of this, and your family shall remain unharmed. You have my word. In fact, this delivery may have just spared their lives altogether. We now have the location of the Land of Departure, and the means to wipe out the Light's Enforcers at their source. This is an incredible delivery, and I gratefully accept it. You have fulfilled your end of the bargain. One of your family members shall be released from our care this night. Continue to prove yourself useful, and the others shall remain healthy and untouched." he promised. The figure turned away from him and began walking away.
Maechil spent several more moments glancing at the Land of Departure map, before reading over the information gathered on Jack and Sora. "Will you defy destiny itself, Jack? Come, show yourself. We shall be ready. The Prophecy ends here, before it can begin." he muttered confidently. With that, he turned on his heel and vanished instantly.
The cloaked figure, however, put their back against a tree and slid to the ground, cradling their head in their hands. They shook their head shamefully, even as tears began falling from the shrouded face.
In the distance, standing atop a hidden cliff, Dawnomar stood watching. Leaning on his staff and his red cloak trailing in the night wind, he stared sadly at the figure and shook his head. "It is as I feared. Now I have proof enough. It is time to bring this before Jack and Sora." he decided. He morphed into his trailing cloud form and rose into the sky in moments. (end Counterattack)
MEANWHILE, ROMA….
"I don't seem him anywhere." Riku muttered. The two of them were sitting on a stone bench in the street, carefully watching for their ally. Marek sniggered.
"That's because you are looking for him. Don't look for him specifically, just be aware of your surroundings." he replied. Riku sighed and propped his head against his hand as he tiredly gazed around them.
Marek was steadily watching all around them. He scanned every passing crowd, watched every nearby shop, and even occasionally glanced at the rooftops. Roma was as he remembered it, but the people seemed to be more afraid than they used to be. Twice, a group of Borgia guards marched by and began to bully the townspeople, causing them to flee and scatter. Each time, Riku had moved to stand and help them, but Marek had held him back both times. "Saenatar's been working with the city leaders. Those guards answer to the city leaders. He doesn't know we're here yet, and it needs to stay that way." he had explained.
"How can you sit here and do nothing when people need our help?" Riku asked him in disbelief. Marek grunted as he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms.
"Easy. I sit here and look for who I'm supposed to be looking for. I ignore the need to stand up and beat down a group of guards when it isn't gonna make any kind of difference." he said. It was then that he glanced up at the roof of the building across the street and darted forward.
"What….?" Riku began, but quickly moved to follow him. Marek leaped up and caught a ledge, kicking up with his feet and propelling himself onto the rooftop. He glanced down to see his companion still on the ground.
"What are you doing down there? Stick by me or I leave you behind!" he declared as he took off in the direction he was heading.
"Thanks, I can definitely tell why Jack cares about you! You're such a nice guy!" Riku muttered as he ran over to a ladder and made his way up. He shook his head ruefully as he ran after Marek.
The white haired man sprinted forward and leaped onto the next rooftop. He could see his target in the distance, the white robe and hood shining brightly in the midday sun. He ran forward and followed the man up a ladder, ascending to a great height. He was nearing the other man now. With a slight start, he realized that they were nearing a tall cliff that dropped into a valley with many more buildings in it. He sighed and shook his head as the robed man leaped into the open air and pulled something under his arm. A primitive parachute erupted from his back, and he used it to slowly float downward. Marek glanced back to see Riku just now catching up to him and jumped off. "Hey, wait up!" the silver haired man groaned irritably.
Marek smirked as he fell down several stories and surged dark energy through his palms and feet. This slowed his descent until he hit the ground in the valley. The man he was chasing touched the ground several yards ahead of him and kept running. That was when Marek heard a loud noise overhead, only to see Riku soar over him with his rider. "Cheater!" he yelled playfully. Riku glanced at him with a slight smile.
"That's called using your assets!" he retorted as he flew after the fleeing man. He pulled up in front of him with a triumphant smirk, but the man simply rolled underneath the hovering rider and ran into a building.
"See? You can't use shortcuts or you'll fall short!" Marek hastily advised as he kept running after the man. Riku rolled his eyes as he pulled up and flew over to the other side of the building.
Inside, Marek jumped over the tables and debris pushed into his way and rounded a corner in time to see the man slam a door in his face. He leaped forward and kicked it down just as his target jumped out the window. He quickly followed suit and fell down two stories, rolling to break his fall and continuing the chase.
The man now had a slightly bigger lead, and had reached a broken down coliseum up ahead and was climbing it rapidly. "Guess he doesn't wanna give up." Marek muttered as he charged darkness into his feet and jumped. The power jump carried him to a greater height than normal, but he was still several yards below the man he was chasing. Forgetting tact, he pushed up against the wall and stabbed his Keyblade into the stone wall he was climbing.
After a few more moments, the other man reached the top and pulled himself up, only to continue running. Marek hurried to the top and followed. He ran to the inner edge of the wall and saw the man already running at a lower level. He sighed and ran forward, jumping with his blade raised.
He rapidly descended directly overhead, but the man glanced up at the last second and rolled out of the way.
At that moment, Riku soared in and jumped off with his Keyblade in hand, only to stop in surprise. (Ezio's Family, Assassin's Creed II)
For Marek and the hooded man started laughing as they walked toward each other and embraced. "It is good to see you, brother." the man greeted sincerely. Marek gave him a rare smile.
"The feeling's mutual. You didn't have to lead me on a merry chase, though!" he replied as he punched his shoulder playfully. Ezio pulled back his hood and shrugged his shoulders.
"I only wanted to see if you could still keep up with me!" he explained. The white haired Rikkison shook his head before glancing over at Riku.
"Oh yeah. Ezio, this is Riku. He's a member of the LE, here at Jason's orders." he introduced. Ezio stepped toward Riku and shook his hand politely, before looking back at Marek.
"Grazie for coming, my friend. Much has happened in the last couple of months." he said with a sudden sadness falling over his face. Marek looked at him with a rare show of concern.
"Tell me what's going on." he replied, and the Assassin nodded.
"After we opened the Vault and defeated Rodrigo, I went home to Monteriggioni thinking that it was over. But Rodrigo's son Cesare attacked the villa. Marek, he killed Mario and took the Apple." he explained gravely. Marek groaned and looked away.
"I'm sorry, Ezio." he whispered genuinely. Riku cleared his throat.
"Wait, what's the Apple?" he asked. The other two looked at him.
"An ancient artifact with strange powers." Ezio explained. Marek nodded, adding to the explanation.
"When Jack and I were here last, we got to see it up close. The Apple is attuned to Light's power, but we don't know where it came from. Point being, it grants non-Keyblade wielding humans the powers of a Divine Being, or at least a small portion of Light's power." he said. Riku widened his eyes.
"We can't let Saenatar have that!" he exclaimed. The other two nodded.
"Call the old man. Do your report. We have work to do." Marek told him. (end Ezio's Family)
Riku nodded and tapped his earpiece. "Jason, we've made contact with Ezio on the ground. Saenatar's here, and he's searching for something called an Apple that holds a piece of Light's power." he stated. He heard Jason grunt in confirmation, but it was Jack's voice that answered.
"Marek, you have to get that back. We both saw how powerful that thing can be. The more powerful the user, the more power they can draw from the Apple." he urged. Marek nodded, and Riku told Jack that he did. Jason then spoke.
"Work against him in the city for the meantime. Should we have need of you, we will call." he ordered.
"Right." Riku muttered and tapped his earpiece once more. He looked at Marek. "Rayne just got back from Corruption's Temple. I could hear them talking in the background." he said.
"I assume she found a piece to track Corruption with, then?" the white haired man asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Probably, but I mean, what good does that really do. Even if we track the Divine Beings, we can't truly defeat them without the X-blade." he asked. Marek sniggered.
"So the LE hasn't figured it out yet? The X-blade is only half of the puzzle. It is the instrument that must be used to seal them away, but let me ask you: to where and through what conduit will they be sealed? The fragments in the Temples hold the key to the other half of the equation. She found the fragment of Corruption, which will act as a conduit between the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts. We need both pieces for each Divine Being. We now have the fragment of Darkness and of Corruption. Now we only need Light's fragment and the X-blade, but…..something just told me we've found the fragment of Light." he explained. Riku and Ezio's eyes both widened at this theory.
"Well, it's time to get to work then, isn't it?" Riku asked. The other two nodded and turned to look toward Roma in the distance.
A shorter chapter, but it served its purpose. We're getting close to the high points of Part 2, so definitely stay tuned for those. As the troubles in Roma and the invasion of Radiant Garden begin, a traitor lurks within the Agency itself. To add to the pile of mysteries, the Keyblade Hunter lurks on the horizon….