Kingdom Hearts FanFiction
"Vagabond Hearts"
Chapter 2
"What's the problem?"
Aurelie jumped, the voice startling her out of her reverie. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images of that room. The lighting was so strange, and those warriors...it was like they had never seen Heartless before, but that made sense. They battled them without fear, though, with a skill she had only ever seen Leon or Cloud display.
"You okay, Aurelie?"
Aurelie ran a hand through her white hair and sighed. "Yeah," she said. "I think I was having a vision"
"Wouldn't have been about the Phoenix Stone by any chance?" Aurelie's companion knelt down beside her, a roguish gleam in his eyes. "Do you know what chamber it's in?"
"No, Locke," she said with over exageratted patience. "And I told you, I had a vision of a treasure, but I don't know that it's the Phoenix Stone."
Locke laughed. "Well, treasure's treasure. So, what's the problem?"
Aurelie looked at him blankly for a moment, and then she nodded. "That." Locke followed her gaze to the cavern below them, a cavern they overlooked from a high perch near the mouth of the cave. In the cavern, dimly lit by glowing rock, a fire had begun to burn on the wall. It was blood red in color, and soon spread into a pattern all too familiar to the two treasure hunters. This was the symbol of the creatures that had destroyed their world, and done so under the orders of the ruler meant to protect it. This was the symbol of the Heartless.
When the symbol had fully formed, Shadows began to spill from it. Only a few at first, they soon increased in number to well over twenty. Still, this was a small force by Heartless standards, who usually swarmed any world they set their sights on like vermin.
"Well, that's not too many," Locke began hopefully.
"No, but the symbol's still shining," Aurelie returned.
"We have to get past them, don't we?"
"...Yes."
"Alright, let's go!" With a wild battle cry, Locke drew his knives and leapt off the ledge. The Heartless didn't even have time to react before Locke was among them, and three of them had fallen before they laid into him. "Aurelie!" Locke yelled. "Help!"
Aurelie sighed again and shook her head. She stood up and pointed at the mass of Heartless, speaking a single word: "Fire." In a flash, a handful of Shadows were engulfed in flames. When the magic died, there was nothing of them left. Aurelie smiled in satisfaction.
"That's great, Aurelie!" Locke yelled, beating back the six Heartless who had attacked him. "But it didn't help me at all!" He sliced through one of the Heartless, and it burst into shadow stuff. The others were all over him again, however, and it was all he could do to not be torn apart. Aurelie gritted her teeth and leapt into the fray.
Between the two of them, they made short work of the Shadows. As the last one fell to pieces, they turned their attention to the Heartless symbol. "Why hasn't it faded, Bunny?"
Aurelie shrugged. "I really don't know..." She stepped towards the portal, but it suddenly spit something out at her. It was human-shaped, dressed in dark clothes decorated with electric blue tribal markings and light armor, but she and Locke jumped back instinctively. The figure lay prone on the floor for a moment, and both the treasure hunter and the viera red mage had a chance to realize that it at least didn't look like a Heartless...
The viera approached the young man slowly, but as she leaned over to look in his face, he suddenly shot up and grabbed her. "Move!" he yelled, grabbing Locke with his other hand and diving away from the symbol with both of them in tow. A split second after he did so, a Guard Armor burst head over heels through the portal, hitting the spot were the three had been with enough force to annihilate anything that would have been there.
All three were on their feet in a flash, weapons ready to take the Guard Armor on. "Don't let it stand," the armored youth said. "Get it now!"
"Yeah, good idea," Locke agreed earnestly. The three attacked the Guard Armor, but it simply threw them off and rose to its feet.
"We haven't got the strength to take this thing on," Aurelie said.
"We have to try, though," Locke replied. He and the new arrival began to advance, but the symbol suddenly flashed brightly. When the three could see again, the symbol was gone, replaced by a dozen Shadows and a handful of what looked like armored Shadows. "But I'm not too fond of taking it on along with the Soldiers..." Locke laughed nervously. He turned to his companions as the Heartless rapidly approached. "Shall we?" he said, and ran past them.
Aurelie looked at the boy and smiled apologetically. "He can actually be quite brave sometimes," she said, and then they both broke into a run after him.
When they had caught up, Locke turned to the armored youth. "So, what's your name?" he asked breathlessly.
"Rock," the boy replied.
"Rock?" Locke asked. "What kind of name is tha -" Locke was cut off as he slammed head first into a rock outcropping in the middle of the chamber floor.
"Locke!" Aurelie cried. She stopped and returned to him, and the other boy did, as well. They both crouched next to Locke, who lay dazed on the floor.
"Keep going," he mumbled. "Leave me..."
"We aren't going without you," the other youth replied.
Locke nodded. "Good, 'cause I didn't mean it..."
The boy chuckled and stood to face the rush of Heartless. "Give me a minute to Cure him, and then we'll keep going," Aurelie said, but the boy shook his head.
"No, I'll fight them here," he said, looking around this new chamber. He stepped a few feet away from the other two. As he did so, he heard Locke mumble, "I like him. He didn't leave me. You would've left me."
"Oh, I would not," Aurelie snapped. "Now lay still. Cure."
As the magical light washed over Locke, the electric blue youth pointed his combat gloves towards the ceiling. "Aero!" he yelled.
"Aero?" Locke asked, having recovered. "That's a defensive spell..."
"I guess that depends on how you use it..." Aurelie said respectively. The two of them watched as the force of wind knocked rocks loose from the ceiling, burying the force of Heartless in a perfectly timed cave-in.
"I hope there's another way out," the boy said as he returned to the others.
"Maybe that..?" Aurelie asked, pointing towards a new passage that had opened in the cave-in. A strange, reddish glow came from the mouth, different then the dim yellow-green light given off by the glowing rocks of the rest of the cave.
"Looks good," the boy said, helping Locke to his feet. "Let's go."
"Wait, man," Locke stepped in front of him and held out his hand. "I'm Locke, and she's Aurelie."
The young man looked at Locke's outstretched hand for a moment, and then took it in his own. "I'm Hex," he smiled.
"Well, Hex, great to have you as long as you'll stay. Shall we?" Locke motioned toward the new opening. Hex nodded, and taking Aurelie's hand to help her keep her balance on the now-uneven floor, followed Locke to the passage.
"What's the problem?"
Aurelie jumped, the voice startling her out of her reverie. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images of that room. The lighting was so strange, and those warriors...it was like they had never seen Heartless before, but that made sense. They battled them without fear, though, with a skill she had only ever seen Leon or Cloud display.
"You okay, Aurelie?"
Aurelie ran a hand through her white hair and sighed. "Yeah," she said. "I think I was having a vision"
"Wouldn't have been about the Phoenix Stone by any chance?" Aurelie's companion knelt down beside her, a roguish gleam in his eyes. "Do you know what chamber it's in?"
"No, Locke," she said with over exageratted patience. "And I told you, I had a vision of a treasure, but I don't know that it's the Phoenix Stone."
Locke laughed. "Well, treasure's treasure. So, what's the problem?"
Aurelie looked at him blankly for a moment, and then she nodded. "That." Locke followed her gaze to the cavern below them, a cavern they overlooked from a high perch near the mouth of the cave. In the cavern, dimly lit by glowing rock, a fire had begun to burn on the wall. It was blood red in color, and soon spread into a pattern all too familiar to the two treasure hunters. This was the symbol of the creatures that had destroyed their world, and done so under the orders of the ruler meant to protect it. This was the symbol of the Heartless.
When the symbol had fully formed, Shadows began to spill from it. Only a few at first, they soon increased in number to well over twenty. Still, this was a small force by Heartless standards, who usually swarmed any world they set their sights on like vermin.
"Well, that's not too many," Locke began hopefully.
"No, but the symbol's still shining," Aurelie returned.
"We have to get past them, don't we?"
"...Yes."
"Alright, let's go!" With a wild battle cry, Locke drew his knives and leapt off the ledge. The Heartless didn't even have time to react before Locke was among them, and three of them had fallen before they laid into him. "Aurelie!" Locke yelled. "Help!"
Aurelie sighed again and shook her head. She stood up and pointed at the mass of Heartless, speaking a single word: "Fire." In a flash, a handful of Shadows were engulfed in flames. When the magic died, there was nothing of them left. Aurelie smiled in satisfaction.
"That's great, Aurelie!" Locke yelled, beating back the six Heartless who had attacked him. "But it didn't help me at all!" He sliced through one of the Heartless, and it burst into shadow stuff. The others were all over him again, however, and it was all he could do to not be torn apart. Aurelie gritted her teeth and leapt into the fray.
Between the two of them, they made short work of the Shadows. As the last one fell to pieces, they turned their attention to the Heartless symbol. "Why hasn't it faded, Bunny?"
Aurelie shrugged. "I really don't know..." She stepped towards the portal, but it suddenly spit something out at her. It was human-shaped, dressed in dark clothes decorated with electric blue tribal markings and light armor, but she and Locke jumped back instinctively. The figure lay prone on the floor for a moment, and both the treasure hunter and the viera red mage had a chance to realize that it at least didn't look like a Heartless...
The viera approached the young man slowly, but as she leaned over to look in his face, he suddenly shot up and grabbed her. "Move!" he yelled, grabbing Locke with his other hand and diving away from the symbol with both of them in tow. A split second after he did so, a Guard Armor burst head over heels through the portal, hitting the spot were the three had been with enough force to annihilate anything that would have been there.
All three were on their feet in a flash, weapons ready to take the Guard Armor on. "Don't let it stand," the armored youth said. "Get it now!"
"Yeah, good idea," Locke agreed earnestly. The three attacked the Guard Armor, but it simply threw them off and rose to its feet.
"We haven't got the strength to take this thing on," Aurelie said.
"We have to try, though," Locke replied. He and the new arrival began to advance, but the symbol suddenly flashed brightly. When the three could see again, the symbol was gone, replaced by a dozen Shadows and a handful of what looked like armored Shadows. "But I'm not too fond of taking it on along with the Soldiers..." Locke laughed nervously. He turned to his companions as the Heartless rapidly approached. "Shall we?" he said, and ran past them.
Aurelie looked at the boy and smiled apologetically. "He can actually be quite brave sometimes," she said, and then they both broke into a run after him.
When they had caught up, Locke turned to the armored youth. "So, what's your name?" he asked breathlessly.
"Rock," the boy replied.
"Rock?" Locke asked. "What kind of name is tha -" Locke was cut off as he slammed head first into a rock outcropping in the middle of the chamber floor.
"Locke!" Aurelie cried. She stopped and returned to him, and the other boy did, as well. They both crouched next to Locke, who lay dazed on the floor.
"Keep going," he mumbled. "Leave me..."
"We aren't going without you," the other youth replied.
Locke nodded. "Good, 'cause I didn't mean it..."
The boy chuckled and stood to face the rush of Heartless. "Give me a minute to Cure him, and then we'll keep going," Aurelie said, but the boy shook his head.
"No, I'll fight them here," he said, looking around this new chamber. He stepped a few feet away from the other two. As he did so, he heard Locke mumble, "I like him. He didn't leave me. You would've left me."
"Oh, I would not," Aurelie snapped. "Now lay still. Cure."
As the magical light washed over Locke, the electric blue youth pointed his combat gloves towards the ceiling. "Aero!" he yelled.
"Aero?" Locke asked, having recovered. "That's a defensive spell..."
"I guess that depends on how you use it..." Aurelie said respectively. The two of them watched as the force of wind knocked rocks loose from the ceiling, burying the force of Heartless in a perfectly timed cave-in.
"I hope there's another way out," the boy said as he returned to the others.
"Maybe that..?" Aurelie asked, pointing towards a new passage that had opened in the cave-in. A strange, reddish glow came from the mouth, different then the dim yellow-green light given off by the glowing rocks of the rest of the cave.
"Looks good," the boy said, helping Locke to his feet. "Let's go."
"Wait, man," Locke stepped in front of him and held out his hand. "I'm Locke, and she's Aurelie."
The young man looked at Locke's outstretched hand for a moment, and then took it in his own. "I'm Hex," he smiled.
"Well, Hex, great to have you as long as you'll stay. Shall we?" Locke motioned toward the new opening. Hex nodded, and taking Aurelie's hand to help her keep her balance on the now-uneven floor, followed Locke to the passage.