For those who want more action and adventure (or basically girls kicking butt), here is the first of those chapters. Enjoy!
CHAPTER SIX: The First Rescue
Fuu, Hikaru, Umi, and Mokona had reached the outskirts of the borders of the castle grounds. Raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Fuu opened the small piece of paper Lafarga handed to her earlier in the courtyard. It contained a long list of towns and villages to be found in the whole of Cephiro.
"Clef doesn't really expect us to scour the whole continent, does he?" asked Hikaru.
Umi said haughtily, "Of course he does! The only way by which we could recognize the true Pillar is through Escudo! And you're carrying it with you."
"Oh, yeah. Forgot."
"The first town, Vena, is still ten miles from here," said Fuu. "All we have to do is follow the trade road and we'll be there in another three to four hours."
"Three to four hours?!" Umi exclaimed. "And we're just walking! This is unbelievable! The least those people at the castle could have done to was give us horses!"
Hikaru giggled. "Aw, don't be angry, Umi! Look! Mokona's here to help us, right?"
Mokona perked up his ears. "Puu puu puuu!"
"And how exactly is that alien pet going to help us?"
Hikaru then commanded Mokona. "Mokona! Transportation, please!"
"Puu puu puuu!" Poof! Poof! Poof!
Umi became very glad when she saw what Mokona had produced. In front of them were three horses, saddled and with bags of food and other provisions at their sides. Hikaru quickly got on top of one and held the reins as Mokona jumped on to sit in front of her.
"This is amazing!" Umi exclaimed. "Mokona, you're starting to grow on me!"
"Puu puu puuu!" Mokona intoned happily.
The road was quite long and to save their strength, not one of them spoke and all that could be heard was the gentle swaying of the trees in the breeze. Mokona was lulled to sleep by the rocking motion of the saddle and Hikaru held him to her like a most loved pet. When Hikaru got hungry, they rested for a few minutes to eat some of the food packed beside their saddles. Then, they went riding again.
Their pace was slow. No one saw the point of riding too hard. Umi brushed away some flies that had started to buzz in front of her face.
"Ah! I think we're near the town now," said Fuu, squinting. Hikaru clapped her hands, waking Mokona up.
"Great! Just in time for lunch!"
"Aw, come on, Hikaru!" Umi snapped, still trying to wave the flies away. "We've just had our late morning snack! What the h—l!"
Umi fell off her horse from trying to get rid of the flies. Fuu and Hikaru halted. They found themselves staring up at a barrier of trees. Fuu glanced behind her then back in front.
"I guess the castle's situated on an elevated point that's why all I saw was the town," she said. "A patch of forest still separates the towns from the castle." Hikaru got down from her horse to help Umi up. Now, along with Umi, Hikaru and Mokona were warding off the flies, which had by now multiplied in number.
"Where are all these flies coming from?!" Umi shrieked as she swatted a clump of mating flies away from her nose.
Fuu slid off her saddle and walked closer to the forest. She sniffed the air and a heavy, rotting smell entered her nostrils. Fuu coughed and backed away.
"It's coming from inside the patch of forest," she said, raising her hand to cover her nose. Hikaru and Mokona also smelled the air. Mokona let out a disgusted sound. Hikaru pinched her nose.
"Is there no other way around?" asked Umi. Several dead flies were lying at her feet.
Fuu shook her head. "We could go back and around the forest but that will take us days. We aren't really in a hurry but if we want to resolve Cephiro's problem quickly, through the forest is the only way."
Umi sighed disappointedly. "Oh, well! Hikaru! Get your horse so we could pass into the forest."
With Fuu and her horse at the lead, Hikaru and Umi pulled their horses' reins and followed her. As they went deeper and deeper into dim forest, the stench got heavier and heavier and the flies became more numerous. It was too much to endure. The four companions had their hands full swatting at flies, holding on to their horses, and covering their noses.
"Whatever's producing that smell could only be two things," Hikaru's muffled voice said. "Garbage or rotting carcass!"
"This is disgusting!" Umi exclaimed, swinging her head from side to side, keeping the flies from entering her ears. "I don't care if it takes us weeks to get to Vena! Let's go around, Fuu!"
But as the three turned to go back, a high-pitched scream came from the deep of the forest. They stopped in their tracks.
"What was that?" asked Umi.
Hikaru frowned. "Someone's in danger!" They listened for a few more seconds and another scream filled the forest.
"A child!" Fuu gasped. Without delay, Hikaru dragged her horse towards where the screams were coming from.
"Hikaru!" Umi and Fuu shouted. Left with no choice, they followed after Hikaru. They did not have to run far because they quickly saw Hikaru's horse. Alone.
"Where's Hikaru?" Fuu asked.
"Hikaru!" Umi yelled. "Hikaru! Where are you? Hikaru!"
Another scream. This time it was not a child's scream.
"Hikaru!"
Leaving their horses, Fuu and Umi ran towards Hikaru's scream. They found her bending on the forest floor like a frightened child. "Hikaru! What's the matter?" Fuu asked as she and Umi rushed to their friend. But Hikaru, they found out, was not alone. She was not cowering in fear. She was hunched over the body of a little boy.
"Oh my goodness!" Umi gasped. Fuu knelt beside Hikaru and felt for the boy's pulse.
"Still alive," she said. But when Fuu moved the boy's body, horror filled her heart as deep, long gashes running from the boy's chest to his lower back exposed themselves to her. Umi felt as if she was going to be sick.
"W-What could d-do this to a c-child?" stammered Umi. Hikaru looked up and focused her eyes at the black tunnel of trees.
"We'd better get this boy into town," said Fuu, taking the boy out of Hikaru's arms. But Hikaru once again ran away from them into the black tunnel.
"Hikaru! Where are you going!"
"There's another child in there!" she shouted back. Fuu stayed with the boy while Umi ran after Hikaru.
Hikaru and Umi stopped when they were inside the black tunnel of trees. They knew it was near noon but no sunlight permeated the thick canopy of trees in that forest. There was almost zero visibility.
"Look!" Umi said, pointing forward. There was a small clearing inside the forest, where a tiny line of light passed through. When Hikaru and Umi reached the edge of the clearing, they saw a tiny infant, its wrap had already been torn to shreds and a gash ran along the side of the face.
Hikaru stepped forward to get the infant but as she did so, Umi screamed, and Hikaru was thrown against a tree trunk. The infant started to cry as a large shadow fell over Hikaru. She winced in pain and looked up into the scarlet eyes of a beast... or shadow... or monster...
The monster reared its head and roared. Hikaru felt as if her eardrums have exploded. Sticky mucilage dripped from the monster's mouth onto her as she vainly tried to back away. Umi was silent. Hikaru closed her eyes and tried not to breath quickly. The monster sniffed at her, then moved away.
However, not all was well. The monster did not go away. It went for the infant.
"Nooooooooo!"
Hikaru saw a flash of blue light. Umi had called on the power of water, and a thin, glinting saber appeared in her hands. The monster was distracted and Umi charged with all her might against it. She sliced at the monster's hide and it howled in pain. But the monster was huge and with its giant foreleg, it hit Umi and sent her down to the ground.
"Umi!"
Umi's head had hit the forest floor. She was unconscious.
Hikaru, who ran to snatch the baby to safety, was caught in the act by the monster. Hikaru could barely see it in the dark and with the wailing baby in her arms she could only back away towards Umi.
"Hikaru! Get down!" she suddenly heard Fuu's voice from somewhere behind her. Hikaru ducked and from the corner of her eye, she saw Fuu, a glowing bow in her hands. A silver arrow appeared and Fuu released the string, sending the arrow straight at the monster. The monster roared but was not destroyed. It charged towards the three women and Hikaru knew there was neither more time for Fuu to shoot another arrow nor enough time for them to run away.
Flame of Lexxus, release!
Hikaru screamed as the red orb on her gauntlet burst into flame. The flame leapt into her open palm. As if it had taken a life of its own, her hand threw the flame at the charging monster and it burned the monster. Knowing it had been defeated, the monster howled one last time and ran away into the dark.
"Quick! Let's get out of here!" Fuu yelled at Hikaru. She helped Umi up, who was only coming to. Hikaru held the baby and ran to where the horses were. Mokona jumped up and down, glad to see they were still alive. A cart was beside him and in it, Hikaru saw the dead bodies of two men and a woman. She realized that the rotting smell and the flies came from those bodies.
Earlier, Fuu had ordered Mokona to protect the boy when she left to see what was happening to her friends. Mokona produced a force field to act as a shield in case anything attacked them. Umi's saber, Fuu's bow, and the flame from Hikaru's hand had disappeared. Umi insisted she could still ride her horse, not knowing that her forehead was bleeding. Hikaru, still in a slight daze, went on the saddle. Fuu had the boy seated in front of her while Mokona had to ride with Umi.
"Come on!" Fuu shouted. "Hiyah!"
The horses reared and the Magic Knights rode as fast as they could away from the dark forest. Within minutes, they saw light ahead of them. But inches from the end of the forest, something blocked their way. The horses reared more powerfully this time, almost sending their riders to the ground.
"Ride on!" Umi shouted. She rounded to her left, while Fuu and Hikaru rounded to their right. They were finally out of the forest and back into the light of the sun. She could now make out the gates of the town of Vena. Fuu sighed with relief. At last...
"Aaaaah!" Fuu heard a slicing sound, and that of cloth being torn to shreds.
When Fuu turned her head to look, blood splashed across her eyes, obliterating her vision.
"Don't turn back, Fuu!" It was Hikaru. Fuu, against her will, rode forward. She could feel the gate was near.
Come on... come on... Just a little more... Please....
The gates opened as two armored men rode out on black stallions, armed with curved swords and shields. Fuu rode on, her eyes only able to make out hazy, red images. Then, someone took hold of the reins and stopped her from riding any further. She felt someone take the boy from her. Fuu slid down the saddle and wiped her eyes.
Hikaru and Umi were still alive except for the fact that the monster had slashed Hikaru's shoulder. Fuu was generally relieved. They got down from their horses as several people crowded at the gate, watching the two armored men battle with the monster.
"Are you all right with that?" Fuu asked, cringing at the sight of Hikaru's bleeding shoulder. The blood that went into Fuu's eyes (despite her eyeglasses) must have come from the swinging force of the monster's claws.
Hikaru gave her a brave smile. "I am. I used it to shield the baby that's why it got slashed. Hey! Better me than the baby, right?"
Fuu embraced Hikaru. "Right, Hikaru." She then asked Umi the same question and Umi said there was nothing to worry about except for her disheveled hair.
The three women looked beyond the gate and also watched while the men slashed at the monster until it was weak. It died and one of them cut off its head. The monster's body seemed to go up in smoke and afterwards, it exploded, leaving no trace but bits and pieces of its spiky hide.
Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi smiled thankfully at each other and turned around to find the points of scimitars and spears, even butcher's knives, aimed at their necks.
"Puuuuuuuu---" Mokona whimpered. He ran to hide behind Umi's legs and stayed there.
"Who are you and what do you want?" a tall, mustached man asked them suspiciously. The gate opened slightly and the two men who killed the monster went back in.
Now, there was no escape, no other way but to deal with these people diplomatically and search for the true Pillar in Vena. The Magic Knights doubted if the Pillar would even come from a town like Vena.
This is it, Fuu thought.
Looks like a boring town, Umi thought unhappily. Do they even have water here to wash my hair?
There's something strange about these people, Hikaru thought. She grinned nervously at the crowd.
The two armored men, bathed in blood and mucus, advanced towards them and their cold, menacing eyes were fixed upon the Magic Knights. They raised their bloodied weapons and swung them through the air.
The people bolted the gate shut.
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Message from the Author: By the way, I'd like to know how long you want the story to be. I mean, I can write until the end of the world but a lot of people like to read stories that are short and quick-paced. So, please do inform me how fan fiction readers would like the length to be. Thank you!