A/N: Haven't worked on a story in a while, but now I gots a new computer so updating should be easier, well here goes another chapter of Poison of the Heart.
Chapter 6 Mid Point
"Wow, this is new." Tifa stated as she looked ahead. In the distance laid a small town between Fort Condor, which was left abandoned, and the Harbor town of Junion. The town seemed peaceful with only a couple of people passing by. The team passed a sign that read simply "Mid Point five miles." "Junion twenty five miles." The sun was just about to set so the team decided not to risk night travel and found a resting place for their chocobos.
"I'm going to see if there's any information over there." Alicia stated upon arriving, finger pointing in to the west.
"Humph, I'm checking over there." Nightshade replied looming over to the eastern area.
"Well fine! Don't come crying to me when no one will answer a freak like you!"
"Careful, some townsfolk might mistake your hair as a fire and try to douse it out, hopefully with kerosene."
"AUGH!" with that the two stomped away fuming with anger and leaving three bewildered, and a tad bit frightened, Teammates
"Uh, Shadow how did you meet those two? You three don't seem very alike." Tifa stated as she heard Alicia comment to a women about how Nightshade was a lecher.
"We actual met outside of the Ranch," Shadow said as Nightshade was commenting to a man how her hair did indeed looked to have caught aflame. "But they were very kind."
"…Not so sure about that…" Vincent commented after hearing Nightshade questioned who threw a fruit at him while Alicia toppled over from a bucket of cold ice water.
Shadow excused himself to find a hotel while Vincent left to go settle what Nightshade and Alicia left behind. Tifa watched as the two drifted off in the dim light of the sunset. She heaved a big sigh and began to walk off on her own. The town was made up of several upon several wooden houses and stores. The small town was deserted, though a few people could be seen walking around, a few minutes as voice popped up in her head.
"You should be careful." Loley said "You never know who is around."
"Well what a…pleasant surprise," Tifa responded. "And for your information I'm skilled in the talents of several martial arts, if trouble comes my way I'll be ready."
"Hmm…" Loley responded uneasily.
"Which reminds me, Loley what do you do to fight, I mean Vincent uses a gun while Chaos uses claws, so what do you use?"
"…Daggers. Not important. I want you to be careful. The stones you are looking for to suppress use do more than just that. They are deeply coveted by several sects around this world. You can never be to careful." and with that Tifa guessed Loley subsided back to her sub-conscious.
Tifa wondered what about these gems was so important. Seeing as it's from the land of the Ancients and that it is capable of suppressing something such as Loley, she imagined it was pretty good, but she still wondered to what extent.
A shadow moved a few feet behind her. She stopped and listened for any hints of life. A few feet away, the town laid way for a heavy underbrush surrounded by a heavy forest. She smiled and continued to walk on. As she suspected she began to hear very quite foot steps following her from out of the thickets.
"Whoever it is they're no armature." She commented to herself. "The foot steps are almost impossible to hear." She continued to walk for a few more feet. Than in a second she turned around dealing a lethal thrust kick to meet thin air. However she quickly sensed a presence behind her and blocked a lethal blow from two quarter staffs.
"Hey, your not half bad, squirt." said the figure as it retreated with a far spaced back flip.
"Who you calling squirt, chump." She responded getting into her fighting formation. The figure was cloaked male that was indeed taller than Tifa, standing at about 6' 4". He wore no shirt and had the hood of his seemingly heavy cloak drawn over his face with baggy shorts and sandals. Tifa smirked ate the skillful way he positioned his weapons. 'I could always use a challenge.'
Tifa began to focus and try to find his weakness as he got into fighting position. Suddenly she sensed something to her left and stealthily, but barley, dodged a shot of fire that came her way..
"Wow, squirt, you ARE good." The first man said as a second smaller man emerged from the shadows, carrying a staff that had a small red stone on the top, wearing a heavy cloak with equally heavy robes. The cloaks hood was also blocking his face from view.
"Who are you guys anyway?" Tifa said as she repositioned, preparing for two fighters now. The first man chuckled.
"That is of little importance." the man said as he got into a fighting position as well. "All you need to know is that we have a similar interest." The other man smirked as he got into a different fighting pose. Tifa began to concentrate as she anticipated the first attack.
As she suspected the man with the two quarter staffs attacked first. He rushed her with both of the staffs crossed in front of him. As soon as he got close he broke them apart and started dealing blows to the left and right. Tifa blocked the first few blows but couldn't see the final blow and got smacked hard in the side. She winced but kept going countering with a round house kick that sent the man flying to the left. Suddenly she felt a painful sting explode on her back. She turned around to see the other man with his hands still flickering from the fire spell, along with the red stone in his staff. He was also carrying a Fire materia in his other hand. She began to charge him until she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck. She heard the first man chuckle and couldn't guess otherwise.
Before she could react to her attacker he struck her again. She couldn't suppress her scream of pain this time as she fell back. The man with the quarter staff closed in while the materia man began to start another spell. Suddenly a shot flared and hit the materia out if the second man's hand. While the first man looked for the cause Tifa gave him a swift leg sweep and sent him to the ground. Vincent appeared behind her, aiming the Death Penalty at the fallen man. The materia man smirked and grabbed another materia from his robe. Suddenly his smirk turned into a shock filled, pained face as he fell. Behind him Shadow held his sheathed sword where he struck the man.
"Tifa, are you okay." Shadow asked as he ran beside his new friends.
"Fine, thanks to you two." she replied
"Touching." they looked around to find the two men weakly standing. The hoods of the two men had fallen off leaving an easily seen face in the dim street lights as they turned on, one by one. The shirtless man had spiky, deep red hair, while the other man had long blue hair strung in a ponytail. "You've proven your strength, we will meet again." as he said that they quickly disappeared into the shadows.
"What was that all about?" Vincent thought aloud. Tifa told the two friends about the whole battle from start to finish.
"You mean there are others who know about these gems." Shadow inquired filled with disappointment. Tifa nodded with the same tone. Suddenly there were more footsteps approaching quickly. Each person drew their weapons and got ready to strike when two familiar faces showed up breathing rapidly.
"Are…you…okay?" Alicia asked, obviously out of breath.
"Ye-ahh." Tifa winced as she stepped forward. She then remembered that not only had she been burnt in the back but also struck and thrown on it. "Well…maybe not completely okay."
"Here." Vincent said as he took out a Cure materia. He held it to her back and it gave off a multicolored sparkle as Cure 3 was cast.
"Thanks." Tifa said giving a warm smile that caused Vincent to give off a little blush.. Everyone else was also healed as a precaution of a second strike.
"That didn't go as planned." Caelum said as he pushed the blue ponytail away from his shoulder and looked over at his red haired companion who just shrugged. The two were sent on a mission to scout for information and got little. Then they encountered those fighters back in Midpoint; all in all not a good start.
"What do you think the boss will say when he finds out we didn't find much?" Narro said not taking the time to look over as the two gold chocobo's got closer to a small town were a mountain tops shadow loomed over it.
"Who knows, but we did get some information. That'll at least prove useful. "
"Humph." Narro responded slightly less anxious and distraught. The chocobo's began to slow down when they reached the top of Mt. Nibel where an old Mako lab that had been abandon had been brought back to life.
"Let's go." Narro said as he led the way into the research lab were a man with long silver hair was there to receive them.
"So you guys were attacked too?" Tifa said as they all sat around the empty inn table. It was past dark and the team didn't feel much like sleeping.
"Yeah, but the ones we fought were just thieves." Nightshade said nonchalantly. " They went after Alicia but I came and helped out in the last minute."
"If you call getting cut up by knives helping." Alicia replied with malice "Either way they seemed oblivious to the gems. I wonder why these hooded men want the gems?"
"Only one things for certain." Vincent said "They aren't our allies." the team nodded in agreement. They looked over at the inn timer and decided they had stayed up too long. They all wished each other good-night and went to there beds.
"So that's all you could muster." said a man with flowing silver hair. Caelum nodded fearfully. The man just stood over the lab table mixing random vials with beakers. After a few moments he turned around face in a twisted smirk. "It's good enough…for know. I want you two to finally set out for the Ancient Lands. I believe we know all we can while were here."
"But sir," Narro interrupted "We still don't know how to get in to the Ancient Lands."
"…you said you lost in a fight against a group that had a man draped in crimson with long black hair?"
"…Yes."
"There is your answer." the man replied, his smirk still staining his face. "Follow them, I assure you they will get in." the two men nodded, saluted and took leave. The man turned back to his table and chuckled a bit.
"I won't let you down Hojo. I swear by my name…as a Shinra."
"Are we all set!" Alicia cried out as everyone pack the bough set of provision to their chocobo's back. "Hurry up!" the others glared as the over eager Alicia did all her packing three hours ago.
"It's six at the moment, which means she only got three hours of sleep." Shadow said in-between yawns. The whole team was ready by six thirty.
"So were to next." Alicia asked Tifa, the undecided leader. Tifa didn't have to give it to much thought.
"The nearest harbor town is Junion, that's where we're headed." The team looked off into the distance at the rising sun. They set off now aware of the troubles that lie ahead.
A/N: I had HOORIBLE writer's block. I still think this chapter is iffy. Then again I'm guessing no one's out there any way so…Do a little Dance. Make a little love. Get down tonight. Uh. Get down tonight. For all those who are reading…I'm sorry. Anyway, who is the mystery man, what's up with the cloaked men, WHEN WILLI UPDATE AGAIN! All these questions, except the last one which is pretty obvious to all those who know me, Will be answered in Chapter 7...or 8...or 9...heck whenever I get around to it...
A/N: I just saw a HUGE grammar mistakes that need to be fixed to save what little reputation that I have…all right, maybe I aint got none reputation but at least I can fix my grammar…unless I screw up on purpose. Danke
Gothic Blood
