Ch. 3: Knight's Revelation
One of Squall's eyebrows arched as he felt the slap connect with his cheek, feeling the hand push his face to the left slightly. He did not reach his hand up to touch the place of impact, however, choosing instead to pause and simply stand there, silent and unmoving after the initial impact. He felt the place where her hand had struck him as it turned red, the actual wound even more superficial than it appeared. While it looked as if he'd been hit with a bat, he had only been struck with her palm. Quistis generally wasn't one to trifle with, especially her temper, should she decide to bring that particularly dangerous factor into the ring. Her blonde hair was up in ponytail, and her icy blue eyes aimed to kill him with her baleful gaze. She hadn't approved of his actions at all, tapping one of her black leather boots on the floor, listening as it clicked with each impact against the wood. Her pink outfit, which zippered up in the center, seemed to be almost unfitting, making her look much weaker and more fragile as her hand flew to her right hip, placing her weight on it while continuing to glare at him. That brought his memory back to the name she had mentioned earlier. He had never heard that strange name before, let alone to whom it belonged to. His eyes met his former instructor's for a moment longer before he spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.
"…Rinoa?" He asked, curiosity seeping into his voice. Quistis stood before him, rolling her eyes before sighing in earnest disgust. Her left hand tightly clutched her whip; a special weapon specialized for the trade. Along its length were woven-in crosses, the edges of which poked out from the chain's links like tiny blades. It had proven to be a very handy and effective weapon against humans, beasts, and vampires alike in this messed-up town. She took her right hand off her hip, and proceeded to weave the potentially deadly weapon between her fingers, ignoring the tiny cuts and scrapes the edges opened up in her skin. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another voice instead.
"Yeah… Rinoa. You know, that sexy one with that tight leather outfit… ow!" A voice, followed by a yelp of pain, rang out from the couch across the room, with the teenager's sapphire blue eyes sparkling with mischief. A large, red mark that appeared on his cheek signified clearly where the spiky-haired brunette had been slapped. A foolish grin spread across his face, his dull teeth and lack of fangs reassuring Squall that he was, in fact, human. It was a welcome relief to find someone to talk to that wasn't constantly gawking at your neck. The smile was replaced with a sly sneer as he talked to the girl who lay out beside his armrest seat.
"Oh, don't hate me, Kairi…but she is good looking. It's a shame she's dead, hm?" He ducked and laughed while avoiding the pillows that were lobbed in his direction, one after the other. After a while, the chucked upholstery stooped flying; she had run out of pillows. Sora grinned and laughed slightly while giving her the best apologetic look he could manage. He couldn't speak; opening his mouth would let out laughter that he was sure she wouldn't appreciate. Kairi sighed, brushing her short, reddish-brown hair away from her face. She knew he was kidding, and there was nothing she could really do to stop it; getting angry would only add fuel to the fire, so to speak. Her violet eyes were closed as she slowly and sadly shook her head from side to side. Her short hair accompanied her, trying to sway as they trailed after her, but to no avail; the short, neck-length strands of hair curled in towards her face rather than trailing like ribbons after it. She tried, in vain, to keep some sort of anger in her eyes as she playfully pushed Sora off of the sofa, feeling the thud against the wooden floor through the furniture as he hit the ground.
A small groan seemed to float up from the floorboards as Sora pushed himself up. He was aching, yes, but his pride was hurt more than his body as he anchored himself with first his knees, then by his large, oversized yellow shoes. He sat up, and, regardless of the pain, couldn't resist laughing slightly at his own humiliating position. Kairi joined in, her peals of laughter a clear tone throughout the room. The other two were silent, only watching from afar.
"Well… if you're done…" Quistis said sternly as the two immediately ceased their laughter, returning to the subject at hand. She smiled at Squall for a brief moment, only to scowl at his surprised expression. He hadn't been aware that her teaching habits would actually come in handy on the field, and was even more shocked to find that they really listened to her. Clearing her throat, she saw his face change back to its placid appearance before she began.
"I heard Rinoa call you a Knight… and she's never made a false accusation yet. Not quite sure whether to curse her for targeting you or thanking her for letting us know." She crossed her arms, thinking briefly as Squall's hands began to clench, forming tight fists. He was quite tired of all the talk of Knights, and his continually denied defense of being human.
"And… just what is a Knight?" Squall asked, trying as hard as he could to suppress the annoyance, anger, and frustration that boiled within him. No one would answer his question before; if they didn't answer this time, either, he'd go right out and ask this 'Rinoa' himself.
"Oh… we are, Squall. We're the Knights. Well, it isn't just us, but…" She said, turning her head slightly toward the rather large infirmary across the street. "The rest are there. What makes a Knight a Knight is a certain sort of strength, carried in our different bloodlines, originating from the times of dragons and the thirteen Knights. Immortality left the lines some time ago after generations of mortal blood kept mixing with the genes of their famed longevity. We still hold their strength, which is why the undead despise us; we are as strong as they are. We are the only match for the vampires, Squall. We may be slower, but our strength is equal to theirs… well, all but one, anyway. Care to take a guess?" She asked.
"Let me guess… Rinoa, right?" Squall asked. She seemed to exercise whatever power she had much more than any other vampire he'd seen, and seemed to constantly demand respect from the others… he remembered the fear that had been present when she had taken the stake to her own kind, his own rival… He still couldn't help but roll his eyes, though… it was just so hard to believe, especially since the last thing he thought that Quistis would teach him had anything at all to do with staking vampires and being accused of inhumanity.
"Uh-huh." Sora nodded, approaching Squall before turning and looking out one of the windows; glass panes that hung over the bed with wooden frames seemed to stare right back as their reflections greeted them. "She's their leader, and for good reason… she's powerful, and merciless to boot." He sighed a bit before turning to the door, pointing at the mahogany piece of carpentry. "We barred it with crosses; stakes harmed too many innocents, and bruised their fair share of victims. There's no way to keep them out for good, though… they keep finding craftier ways to get their fill of the townspeople. They got a few of our team, and infected or imprisoned most of the town. The survivors and the rest of our little troupe are in the infirmary, and we deliver food to them every so often… we told them never to let the beasts in, or anyone they didn't know, for that matter, or it'd be the end of them."
"We've saved many lives that way," Kairi spoke from her reclining position, her voice a downcast one as she continued to speak. "We haven't even seen the sun in months. We're fighting a losing battle during a never-ending night. The Lunatic Pandora blocks the sun during the day, and allows the moon and stars to show at night. It shades the town from the sunlight until nightfall, leaves for the night, and returns, shading them again from dawn till dusk. The only way to leave town is through the exiting bordering Esthar, but only a few can leave in the transportation vehicles at any given time. There aren't any guards because there are no need of them. They can easily catch the slower runners, even on foot, and even the fastest of men are no match for their species. It's as if we're like mice, and they're cats, waiting for the prey to leave the protection of the cage before they snap us up… it's like they're constantly tormenting us. Like our friends… some of them were infected, too…" Her face was crestfallen as she realized just how true her words were, and yet… they had kept a lone town alive and protected for months. At least that was a small feat to be proud of and brag about if they ever left.
"Not Goofy and Donald… they weren't infected… they were sucked dry!" Sora yelled, slamming his fists into the floor. He ignored the pain that spread through them, struggling to let the words escape through his lips. "I still remember how they looked, so horrified at their capture. I'd bet they didn't even know what was happening until it was all over, huh?" He laughed bitterly as he recalled the series of events…
They had entered Esthar about a half year after the infection, and no one had told them that the city had long since been abandoned or killed. The moment they entered the gates, they had heard screeches of glee, of rejoice, as they heard the exit close behind them with a mighty roar against the earth. Stunned, they could only stare as the winged hordes came after them, one by one, their ghastly pale faces seemingly only wanting to feed, the hunger evident on their ecstatic faces. Without a word, Donald and Goofy were quickly snatched, with Sora unable to do anything as he continued to defend himself against one of the femme fatales. With a quick feint, he was able to bring the golden keyblade around, quickly decapitating the beast, who let out a loud shriek of pain and a gurgle as her lungs filled with bubbling, black blood before she fell to the ground.
When he looked up at the sky, he heard the white duck yelling in fear and confusion as his blue eyes searching quickly from side to side, trying to figure out what had grabbed him by the collar and was now holding him in the sky. Goofy was doing the same, only not as desperately. He was confused, but not scared.
"Finally, lil' Yuff… a warm meal. Bon appetit!" The first man, a rugged one, drove his fangs quickly into the yelling duck's neck, listening as they changed tone from yells of fear to screams of pain, anguish, and agony. He felt the pulse of the bird against his cold lips, felt the warm flesh against them as well, not caring that some of the blood sometimes leaked from the sides of his mouth onto his red bandana or his tanned face. He relished the feeling of the hot blood rushing past his teeth, sloshing the crimson liquid in him mouth and toying with it with his tongue before swallowing the salty elixir of life. He couldn't stop; the hunger was insatiable as he continued to drink, taking in long slurps in an attempt to keep his hunger at bay. The screams began to quiet down as Donald lost consciousness, his blue eyes still open as he hung there, with Jecht's hands and fangs at his neck.
"Indeed, indeed!" The ninja quickly followed suit, though it was much harder to hold her quarry than it was for Jecht to hold his. Her prey was much bigger… though, with a shot of Kiera poison through her fangs, the paralyzing serum coursed its way through Goofy's thrashing body, eventually causing his joints to lock and his eyes flutter from left to right as he sought to figure out what had happened to him. Movement was suddenly denied him, and then he began to panic… because he was no longer able to move, though, there wasn't much he could do to defend himself from the ravenous demoness that attacked him. Dog was certainly not her favorite dish, but its blood was warm… she drank to her heart's content, since neither were suitable candidates for the clan. The young vampires felt some of the liquid splash, as it always did, against her short, black hair, not caring when it hit her green top and khaki shorts. As it was, most were starving… they had to finish their meal before the others arrived.
Only now had the scene fully revealed itself to Sora, looking up in shock and revulsion as the vampires fed on his two closest companions. With a cry of rage, he launched his Keyblade from his hands as crystalline tears fell from his cheek, watching as the two easily avoided the attack with a quick flap of their large, webbed wings. He launched Firaga at them multiple times, watching as the fireballs flew through the air. Eventually, one of the lucky shots caught the female's hair ablaze, filling the air with the noxious stench of burning hair and flesh as she clawed at her head in a vain attempt to put out the fire. As she shrieked in pain and fury, the keyblade returned from its path, the sharp edge striking her neck, removing her head from her shoulders in snap and a tear as the flesh came apart, followed by a shower of freshly devoured blood from her severed neck. As Jecht stared in shock, Sora followed suit with his decapitation as well… and watched in disgust as other vampires dove in to the now headless bodies, slurping at the exposed flesh in their necks. They were careful not drink their kin's blood, but those of their victims, which were now lying motionless on the ground.
Sora crawled over to them, turning over each of their bodies. He yelled, horrified as he saw their completely dehydrated and bloodless bodies, their skin puckered, shriveled, and barely clinging to the bones. It shrunk their muscles to mere shells of their former selves, hollowed their bones… even their eyes were naught but shriveled tissues that strove to stay behind, like small, scorched raisins that clung to the sides of the sockets. In a cruel twist of fate, their eyes were still open, and stayed that way, gazing at the sky with eyes that could no longer see until they were burned at a pyre that Sora created himself, with the stench of burning flesh and feathers reminding him of their death.
Returning to the present with a small shake of the shoulder by Kairi, he smiled at her softly, vowing inwardly never to let those he loved die by the hands of those vile creatures that roamed the city. However, his gaze turned to Squall as he spoke, seriousness his main emotion as made his small speech.
"So, you're one of us now, huh? Be careful… especially you. Rinoa has her eyes on you, by the looks of it… and that's how she usually announces her next target."
A/N: The lack of reviews is damn annoying. But thanks to Annjirika, the one review keeps me posting this story. If I don't have five reviews by the end of this… I'll be very sad. x.x
