Disclaimer: Same ol' same ol'. I do not own Esca.
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! See how fast the chaps come up?
Sisters till the End
This is dedicated to Pablo/Cecil because he is such an awesome writer and he has inspired me to go farther. Thank you Pablo/Cecil for your awesome story and your awesome talent!
Chapter Six: Happy News
Darkness… yes, darkness, such a beautiful thing. Deep, searing, beautiful. It could take on many different shapes, be so many things, and have so many views, yet one thing was always the same. Darkness was whatever you wanted it to be. The under lying cause of all good in the world was evil. Yet, how could one tell where good began and evil ended?
Answer: you can't.
That's the beauty of darkness. So many think its depths are deep and corrupt when in reality it is only a shade of gray-like a person's mind. How can people identify others with a symbol of bad, good, or average? How could they tell from actions that that person's mind was pure and clean? A priest is said to be holy and pure like light but how do they know that the priest isn't a wolf in sheep's clothing?
A human's mind is a complex thing, so erratic and deep that you cannot begin to apply titles to it. They say actions speak louder then words, but do actions speak when the person is only acting? You cannot put a title on a person for you do not know their mind; because their mind is like darkness.
Aristotle once said that all good comes of man and that all good actions have no end. That evil can only come when man does not perform a good action or that action has an end. For everything that we do is good and evil is only around when the action is stopped. Therefore, no one can truly be evil. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for evil.
"Lord Tandor?" A voice asked.
The sixteen year-old-man turned to the speaker, a young girl of eighteen. She was his second in command, his loyal friend and trusted servant. She was bowing to him, her stance in a kneeling position; right leg back, he noticed in pride, her left arm resting on her bent leg and her right resting on the hilt of her sword, and her head bent down. Naru looked at him with her dark pink eyes glowing in the dim light. "Naru, how was your mission?" He asked, adjusting his long, black leather coat with his hand. Naru winced slightly at the sight of his hands-not out of fear but out of sympathy for her commander. His hands were large but thin, with each long finger ending in a talon-like claw. They were delicate but deadly and she knew the deeds they could do.
"The mission was horrible! I couldn't infiltrate the Second because his bodyguard was there," she grumbled, her hand wandering over to her bandaged shoulder. She could feel Lord Tandor's black eyes on her urging her to continue. "The assassin Zorya Aradia Belok is guarding him, sir. She… she's taken him into the forest. I have Era and Puck looking for them."
"I see."
Naru gave a small shudder as she felt Tandor's claws gently touch the gauze that wrapped her wounded shoulder. It was still tender, even with her incredibly quick healing factor. Stupid bitch, she thought, imaging the girl's death by her sword.
"Wounded in battle, Naru? It is not like you," Tandor said gently. He knew the girl's temper and even though she was still learning with the sword she was very talented at it. She got angry when another could wound her with their sword.
"Zorya."
Tandor nodded and Naru stood up. She looked at his pitch black eyes and gave a cheery smile suddenly. "Permission to kill her?" She asked like an excited child.
Tandor chuckled light and nodded, making his long brown hair slip out of place to reveal his long pointed ears. "When the time comes, Naru, you may have your revenge."
"Yippie!" She yelled as she jumped up, pumping her good arm into the air. Just then Era Syminiack, the five foot, twenty-four year old delicate but strong built woman came running in, her hazel-green eyes alight with excitement and her dirty blonde waist length hair (now clean of soot and ash) flying around her face. "Sir, we've located the Second!" She said breathlessly.
Naru whirled around. "Where?" She demanded.
"Come, we have him on the map!"
"Well, don't just stand there! Show me!"
Era went running from the room with Naru following. Tandor smiled to himself as he saw Naru trip over her feet and go spiraling through the air, landing gracefully and rolling, then jumping up and continuing to follow Era. That girl just might make it, he thought as he turned back to watching the shadows flicker around his room.
Naru followed Era into a large room filled with monitors and keyboards with flashing lights. Era led her over to a flat table that displayed a hologram map of the surrounding Dragon's Forest near the east border of Fanellia. Naru scanned the map and didn't see the Second on it. "Where is he Era?" She demanded.
"Hold on, sir, let me bring up the area," Era replied as she pulled out a keyboard from the side of the large table and began hitting the different keys. Naru watched as a red square appeared around the center of the forest and the area around the square fell away as the square inside area became larger. Another square appeared and again the outside area fell away as the inside became larger.
This time the map showed a small stream and trees in miniature format. Naru's eyes widened as she saw the Second sitting by the stream, taking a drink. He was small since she was only staring at a hologram of what was going on but the sight made her smile. "Good work Era! Who's retrieving?" She asked.
"Puck went out. But there's something else you should see." Era typed in something and suddenly the map of the Dragon Forest disappeared and a hologram image of a large floating rock with mechanical parts against its dark surface shinning like beckons came into view. Naru recognized it as the Zaibach Floating Fortress, or commonly known as the Vione. "They're just outside Freid," Era provided.
"What are they doing?" Naru asked, her interest growing as she contemplated the image.
"They seem to be waiting for someone to return, hence why they have their docking lights on."
"Or they're waiting for something."
"Sir?"
"Never mind. Good work Era and alert me to when Puck returns. I want to personally welcome the Second when he arrives."
With that she left the bridge, an insane smile plastered to her face as she skipped along to her room. It was only a matter of time now before everything was perfect.
Author's Note: Oh wow, short wasn't it? Oh well, I try to put some short chapters in because it usually means a nice long one is next. Whoops, spilled the beans. Oh well. Review and you get the next chapter faster! It's a good system I use. =D
~The Shadow That Takes Form as a Kat~
~~ShadowKat~~