Chapter XXII
Villains of a Sort
Bergljot moaned and rubbed her head. The lump was already the size of a golf ball. She sat up as Rhiannon entered the room.
"Lady Ramla, what an honor," she smiled.
"What do you want with me?" Bergljot said suspiciously.
"I want to help you remember who you are. See, Heartless have indeed come to this world. It is said that when she saves the world, Ramla will remember everything. However, the prophecy also states that she will save the world with the queen, no one else. I had to get you away from your friends."
"But my children are only a few weeks old. They need me with them."
"No worries. One of the women in the palace will take care of them. She should be arriving as we speak," Rhiannon assured her.
"Thank you, but I'm not interested in fulfilling your prophecy. I have my own to fulfill."
"Pity. For you see, it seems we need each other."
"What do you mean?" Bergljot asked.
"You know how to get rid of the Heartless. I know where they are hiding. You may have noticed that no Heartless were roaming the desert."
"Yes…" Bergljot confirmed slowly.
"Well, That's because they're hiding out near one of the rivers. They have been traveling along it slowly to get here. They should arrive two days from now."
"I will help. My mission is to destroy them, after all. But I'll only do it on one condition."
"And that is?"
"My friends come, too. Prophecy or no. Take it or leave it," Bergljot said sternly. She turned to leave.
"Very well, then. We leave in the morning," Rhiannon sighed.
"No," Bergljot commanded. "If I'm supposed to be this high priestess or whatever, you're going to listen to my orders. We leave tonight."
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"Here are her chambers," the slave moaned. He had been struck multiple times for leading them off course.
"Go," Sephiroth told him. The boy did so very willingly.
"Do we bust in or sneak?" Gwandoya muttered. The door swung open immediately.
"What are you doing here?" Bergljot asked. Anselm pulled her to him.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Rhiannon is taking us to the Heartless."
"Are you sure we can trust her?" Gwandoya asked suspiciously.
"I know where they're hiding, you don't. Do you have any choice?" Rhiannon pointed out. Gwandoya shut his mouth. "Let's get going."
"Can you even fight at all?" Sephiroth asked. Rhiannon held up a small dagger.
"I'll get along well enough."
"We have to hurry if we're not going to put the town in danger," Bergljot whispered. She began walking down the hall. Halfway down, a shadow in the corridor ahead startled her. "Hey!"
"Please, ma'am, I didn't do anything wrong!" the slave boy muttered. Bergljot saw slight movement in the pouch on his back.
"What do you have? Show us."
"I was just going to keep them safe, miss," he muttered. Inside the sack were the twins, fast asleep.
"You were trying to kidnap my children?" Anselm asked. Without an answer, he slammed his staff into the side of the thief's head with a barely audible, but still sickening, crack.
"Anselm, cool it!" Bergljot snapped. She helped the kid up. "You're coming with us."
"What?"
"For the attempted kidnapping of the prophetess' children, you are sentenced to act as an expendable party member until the Keyhole to this world is sealed," Bergljot explained. She paused. "From now on, you will be referred to as 'Jof.'"
"Yes," Jof replied nervously.
"Let's go put the twins where they'll be safe before we head out," Gwandoya said. Nodding in agreement, Bergljot took the babies and began walking towards their rooms. When the babies were settled, the team slipped silently out of the castle and into the cool night air of the desert.
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"They are rather aggravating. They just won't die," Seymour growled as he watched them arrive at the Heartless-infested river an hour later. Ten people were watching through the pedestal with him.
"Now that they have Sephiroth, they will be nearly unstoppable," Angra Mainyu added. The other nine people were whispering amongst themselves.
"Perhaps Plamen will succeed," a woman in leather armor said.
"But he has no body to take hold of, Xylia," a man clad in white pointed out to her.
"Who asked you, Frigidian?" Xylia snapped. "Enosh, will you be ready to leave soon?"
"I leave this evening," was the reply that came from a dog with blue fur, the hands and feet of a human (save the incredibly long retractable claws on the toes and fingers), and wings.
"They will not survive all of us," a robotic voice said.
"Jin is correct. They vill not live through the eternal night vhen they come to my vorld," a pale, cloaked figure hissed.
"Kettil, do you want some help?" a small, grey creature asked.
"No, you go to your vorld, Aisling, and vait for them there."
"We should all go to our posts soon. They are moving faster than we hoped," a woman with webbed feet and hands gasped. She picked up a glass of water and splashed it on her neck, her gills absorbing it quickly. "I am drying up, too."
"Lyle, prepare to send Derya home as soon as Enosh leaves," Angra Mainyu ordered.
"Of course," a man in an elegant monk's robe smiled.
"Kenshin, how are our defenses?" Seymour asked. Before the man in the kimono could answer, a voice chuckled behind him.
"They could be better."
"How did you get in?" Kenshin snapped. He drew his sword and slashed at the cloaked intruder, but was startled when the man raised a hand and stopped the blade as it made contact. He gasped loudly as the man gripped the sword and flipped Kenshin over onto his back. There was a moment of stunned silence among the group.
"Who are you?" Enosh growled finally.
"I am the one that will help you all escape this Ifa Tree and rule over your worlds and any others you may wish for."
"But vhat is your name?" Kettil asked again.
"My name is Ansem," he said, lowering his hood as he approached the pedestal.
"I know you. We met on the Farplane. You promised me power," Seymour said.
"Yes. And if you will let me, I can give you all more power than you could ever imagine. More, even, for example, than the mighty Sephiroth," he smiled. He brought the image on the pedestal to show primarily Sephiroth. He was slicing ten Heartless at one time with Masamune. Turning, he cast a spell, sending blue sparks at the Heartless tackling Bergljot.
"What is the catch?" Lyle asked.
"I only ask that you do me two favors."
"What are they?" Jin urged him on.
"First, allow my Heartless to run free to lure them to your world."
"What's the other favor?" Frigidian asked excitedly. Ansem only smiled cruelly.
"Well?" Aisling pressed.
"Kill the light-bringers and any who fight alongside them."
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"Well, you led us to them," Bergljot sighed. They had taken out nearly all of the Heartless in half an hour. There were more running around, but they were smart enough to flee. "Thank you."
"Anytime," Rhiannon nodded. She looked at Jof. "Go make yourself useful and search the area. If you see anything resembling a Keyhole, tell us immediately."
"Yes ma'am," Jof gulped. He was gone in a flash.
"How long until sunrise?" Sephiroth asked. "We should go back to the palace before it heats up out here."
"We still have a good five or six hours," Rhiannon answered, glancing at the two moons high in the sky.
"How many got away?" Anselm asked.
"I think about twenty," Bergljot guessed. She sighed heavily as a scream a few dunes away startled them.
"Queen Rhiannon! Lady Ramla! I found- ARGH!" Jof screeched. "HELP! IT'S GOT ME!"
"Come on!" Sephiroth called as he began running towards the cries for help.
"Jof? JOF!" Gwandoya yelled. No reply came. They finally came to the location of the screams.
"I don't see him," Rhiannon panted. That moment, the young thief came crawling over the dune in front of them. He stood slowly and stared at them. He walked towards them jerkily, as though he was using his legs for the first time in months. He finally stopped ten feet in front of the group.
"You will not win…" he gasped. With that, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to his knees in what was literally a dead faint.
"Oh, shit…" Bergljot gasped. There was a large hole in his back, and a mass of fire was swelling in it. The flames grew to consume the boy. When the body was gone, the flames took the shape of a man, the ashes becoming facial features and clothes.
"You are too late. He is dead as all of you will be shortly," the fire-man said.
"Who are you?" Gwandoya asked.
"Plamen, father of Ramla. I understand that you are her reincarnation," Plamen hissed at Bergljot. He chuckled. "That is impossible. You see, her soul was obliterated long ago. She can never come back."
"What?" Rhiannon muttered breathlessly.
"You're people are so old-fashioned. You believe the false tales of reincarnation and faith. Technology is the only way that is true. That is why I will soon destroy you and become the leader of this word, bringing machines with me. When you are all gone, I will rise as a greater emperor than even my daughter. I will be able to rule a dozen worlds alongside my eleven fellows."
"Deep freeze!" Anselm yelled suddenly. Ice hit the man in the arm, encasing it.
"Humph. A mere ice cube cannot harm me," he chuckled. Plamen enlarged the flame on his arm and melted the ice.
"How about a blade?" Sephiroth growled. He ran up and sliced Plamen's leg off. The fire went out, but a new flame grew in it's place. "Damn…"
"A fire can't burn without oxygen," Gwandoya smiled. He leapt up and brought his shield down on the man. He was trapped underneath while Gwandoya held it down. The shield shook. "What the…"
"Nice try," Plamen growled as the flame under the shield grew, "but not nice enough!"
"Ah!" Gwandoya screamed. He and his weapon were thrown off and landed three yards away.
"Lady Ramla will return," Rhiannon whispered. She charged and slashed at him with her dagger, but the fire only grew back.
"You won't stop us from sealing the Keyhole," Bergljot said in anger. She ran to him and slashed with as much power as she could muster. As soon as she did, a flaming sword greeted her, heating the blades and burning her hands. "Ouch!"
"Bergljot!" Anselm yelled. He ran over and frosted her hands with a thin sheet of ice. Turning away, he blasted Plamen once more with ice.
"No human can defeat the power of fire!" he cried. With that, he shot fire at each of them.
"That's why," Bergljot smiled, "a human is not what you will be fighting from now on."
"What?"
Bergljot winced in pain as she gripped the blades and formed the summon circle. She pulled a small marble from her pouch and whispered to it, "Come Bahamut, king of the dragons."
As the words left her mouth, she watched something fly from the ground several miles away and disappear in the clouds. The clouds dispersed, revealing a large, winged beast blotting out one of the moons. It shot like a bullet and landed in front of her. It was dark blue with a gold stomach, gold claws, and red wings. A large, gold disc was attached to its back. Standing on its hind legs, the beast roared and crossed its arms.
"Bahamut," Bergljot began. "Impulse!"
With a growl, Bahamut flexed his muscles while black balls of energy charged around him. When they were charged, he threw them at Plamen.
"AH!" he screamed. With a burst of rage, he charged and slashed at Bahamut. The beast howled in pain and gripped his side as the blade connected.
"Weakling," Plamen laughed. Bahamut began glowing.
"Okay, Bahamut! Use Mega Flare!" Bergljot cried.
"RAH!" Bahamut roared. He flipped over, landed on all fours, planted his claws in the ground, and the disc on his back began spinning. Electricity began flying as he opened his mouth. He shot a large beam of light at the flaming man.
"No!" Plamen screeched. His flame body was torn apart. This time, no part of his body regenerated.
"Bahamut, you are dismissed," Bergljot sighed. As he disappeared, Bergljot could see the Keyhole in the middle of a rock. "Let's go."
"Hopefully we won't get attacked again," Sephiroth muttered nervously as they passed the ash mound that was Plamen.
"I doubt it," Gwandoya reassured him.
"Stand back," Bergljot said. She raised the blades, the light entered the hole, and the hole disappeared. As it did, a small stone came out. She picked it up. "Ifrit."
"He is a powerful creature, much like Bahamut. His specialty is fire attacks," Rhiannon explained. "Now, I think we should return to the palace."
"One thing is still bothering me," Bergljot said quietly. She looked up at her departing friends. "What did he mean by ruling one dozen worlds alongside eleven others?"
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"Plamen failed, too," Seymour snapped. He had watched the battle with growing fury. He turned to Ansem. "It will be nearly impossible to defeat them if they manage to get a hold of any more Aeons. Plus, they have Sephiroth."
"Do not fear," Ansem said.
"How do you propose we destroy them?" Angra Mainyu asked.
"I don't think-"
"Excuse me," a small voice said. They looked around to find a short young man in a long raincoat standing at the entrance to the room. "I may be able to help. I know some things about the Keyblades and Heartless. I will be willing to tell you everything if you agree to give me the same deal as the others."
"You mean, give you more power in exchange for the deaths of the light-bringers?" Ansem asked.
"Yes. I feel I will be an excellent candidate for a double agent," the man said.
"We will see. What is your name?" Ansem requested.
"I am Raj."
"Pleasure to meet you, Raj. If you will, would you leave us for a moment? You will find a dormitory upstairs."
"Of course," Raj agreed. He left.
"You were about to tell us something," Angra Mainyu reminded him.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about him for much longer. You see, know some things of him. He is not as cold and powerful as you may think. I know his weaknesses. One was Aeris, but he seems to have moved on from her now that she is dead. There is still one weakness. It is a secret that Sephiroth has kept hidden from everyone, save a small handful of people. Fortunately, they are no longer living."
"Is it a person?" Seymour asked.
"Yes."
"So, surely he or she is dead. Sephiroth must have moved on from this person," Angra Mainyu pointed out.
"Not quite. He is still getting used to it. Sephiroth has done his best to forget this person, and he almost has. I have a hunch," Ansem grinned evilly. "If Sephiroth sees this person again, he might remember him. Perhaps his love for this person still exists."
"But if he is dead, how can Sephiroth see him? Surely they will have no reason to return to the Farplane," Seymour pointed out.
"I am not talking about the Farplane."
"Excuse me, I was wondering when my transport home will be ready," Aisling asked. Ansem smiled at her.
"You are a doppelganger, correct?"
"That's correct."
"What tricks do you have, exactly?"
"I can change into anyone, as long as I see at least a picture of them," she said, turning into Ansem to prove it. "I can also trick the minds of others into seeing that which is not truly there."
"I think we may have found our solution to our Sephiroth problem," Ansem smiled. He produced a picture from his pocket. "How about this person?"
"I think I can manage," Aisling said, trying this new form. The next voice she spoke with was masculine. "Yes, I think I can manage quite well."
"Excellent," Ansem laughed.
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Me: I'm sorry for not updating in so long! My brain has turned to mush over the summer…
Sephiroth: And don't you start school in another week?
Me: …… Shut up
Sephiroth: Gotcha.
Me: Oh, and the title of the chapter is the title of a song from the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack. I do not own it,
REVIEW REPLIES!
Mediciner: As I said with my other story, I'll read yours ASAP. Sorry! My trip was excellent, thank you.
Soul Vagabond: Updated! Happy now? Oh, and thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for making that pin! I know you hate it, but… !!!!HUG!!!!
Sephiroth: ((whispers)) Hey, SV… If you want to borrow the Black Materia to smite her, you're welcome to it…
Me: ((hands flame)) What was that???
Sephiroth: Uh… ((laughs nervously)) Never mind…
Me: But Seymour's back! I told you he would be! (Does that make up for the hug?)
Master of the Dark Trio: Hehe… 'Olsen twins? DIE!' I love that flash! And Final Fantasy: A plus! Ahem… Anyway, I thought you might like to know (just in case you haven't noticed…) that Sephiroth doesn't scare me one bit. Neither does Ansem or Ganondorf, and I don't even play LoZ (I'm especially not afraid after watching the 'Return of Ganondorf' flash by LegendaryFrog…) But thanks for Reviewing! Good luck with Shane…
Kizna1200: I was going to have them up to something, but I changed my mind at the last minute and was too lazy to rewrite the last chapter. This one kind of sucks, but oh, well…
Sephiroth: So… Who's this person that's part of Ansem's plan to get rid of me?
Me: You'll see in the next five chapters, give or take…
Kadaj: ((walks in and looks around)) I guess this isn't the 'Sephiroth Look-alike' contest, huh?
Me: No, this is the part where I tie you up and throw you in the closet! ((grins evilly while using Quistis' whip to tie him up))
Sephiroth: I suggest you run away like a scared little girl.
Kadaj: Oh. Okay. HELP!!!! ((starts to run two seconds too late))
Me: ((ties up Kadaj and throws him in random closet)) Hehehehehe…
NINJA MAGE
P.S.: Are my readers scared now? If not, you should be...