Hey everyone! Thanks again for the reviews. I woulda updated sooner but my internet connection was down for a while. Stupid Verizon dsl. Its evil! Alright, this is that reeeally important chapter i couldnt add in the previous one. I hope you all like it, it certainly took me long enough. since you all know the disclaimer by now, ill just be skipping it (see first few chapters). okies, enjoy!
She slowly approached the turned figure. Her ears twitched with the anticipation of a fight. The man wearing a muffler turned to face her. His eyes narrowed before widening suddenly. "How is it possible?... How did you…" He asked quietly.
Yoli was confused for a moment, before focusing on her task once again. "I think you've got something that belongs to me. It's my sworrrd. And I need it back!"
"Hmmm…? No, I think you're mistaken," With that, the man moved forward a step and reached as if to signal not to fight. Unfortunately, that was exactly how Yoli interpreted his motion. A fight.
She quickly pulled her scythe out and took a step forward. "And why should I believe you?"
The man gave a melancholy smile, although it was lost under his muffler…
Earlier that day-
"So, think we can take a break before we start lookin' for that big-ass sword of yours, eh Yoli?"
Yoli glared at him. "We just took one beforrre we came to Bastok! Don't be so lazy!"
Isaac dropped his head. "Yeah, before I was almost mauled by a quadav! Please? Pleeeease?" He begged.
Yoli rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "Fine. But in one hour, we starrrt searching!"
"Agreed." Isaac beamed.
In exactly one hour, or half an hour in Isaac's opinion, they began their search. "Alrrright, I'll search the market and Metalworks area, and you take here and the mines. Got it?"
Isaac looked at her and opened his mouth to say something, but sadly never got the chance. "And no whining! Underrrstand, Isaac?"
He dropped his head and sighed. "Yes ma'am…" The he began to mumble to himself. "It's always the cute ones who get me into messes like this…"
He didn't realize Yoli's sensitive mithran hearing picked up his words. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
He grinned widely and leaned forward, his nose almost touching hers. "Well, it could mean one outta' two things: Either you're cute, or you're a load of trouble. So far… I'm leaning towards the second one." With that he laughed and quickly ran away from Yoli's reach.
She quickly followed him to the doorway and yelled as he ran down the steps. "What goes arrround, comes arrround Isaac!"
He yelled back over his shoulder. "That's why I run fast!"
Yoli turned and giggled as she went down the other steps that led to the markets.
"Ok, since we're both meeting back at the port area, I can search there last. This place looks huge. Heh, better get started then…" Isaac thought to himself. He quickly walked up the hill and turned to his left. There was an arched opening leading to what looked like a bunch of apartments. It was probably where the miners live.
Unbeknownst to Isaac were the problems between hume and galka. And Isaac was most certainly a hume. A few other humes, mostly older males, and some adventurers watched him go over to the miner residential area, and smirked at him, shaking their heads. Isaac noticed this and glanced over shoulder only to hear a few humes whispering.
"What the hell is that kid doing?"
"He's dead. Those galka are gonna tear him up."
"What a moron!"
Isaac gulped and forced himself to continue. What ever was waiting for him in that area was definitely not going to be happy to see him.
Strangely, the only thing waiting for him was… a few galka children playing in the street. When Isaac walked past them though, they all stopped playing, and ran out of the street quickly. "Huh? Did I… uh.. do somethin'?"
"Hey buddy, is there a problem here? What's a hume kid like you doin in our neighborhood? You got a bone to pick?" Said a deep voice from Isaac's side. A large galka walked out from the doorway of a house and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well?"
Isaac nodded, still unaware of what he was digging himself into. "Actually, I could use some help, since you asked and all." This caused the galka to raise an eyebrow.
"Well kid, I'm listening." The galka's thoughts were a little different though… "This guy is an idiot."
"Ok, great! I'm looking for the incarnation of evil! It's about this big," Isaac motioned with his arms, " this tall, and this wide. It's a plain black color and it's called, um… Chaosbringer.. yeah! That's its name! So, have ya seen it?"
The galka slowly got up from his leaning position on the wall, and walked over to Isaac. He looked pretty pissed. One thought ran through Isaac's head. "Uh-oh…"
"You humes got a lotta nerve! You come into our neighborhood like you own everything! And then you think just cause we're galka you can tell us anything you feel like. Well guess what kid? It ain't gonna work!"
Isaac shook his head and backed away. "H-hey, listen, no hard feelings right? I'll just find someone who's a little more helpful, uh, not that you weren't, but you know what I'm saying right?"
This only worsened Isaac's situation. "I outta… I'm gonna kick your boney hume ass for that!" With that the galka charged him. Isaac ran. Fast.
"Holy mother of fudge!" With that said, Isaac took a few turns, climbed a few boxes, and found himself on the second level of the residential area. It was then he noticed the glares of some other galka… "Oh no… Uh, hey guys? What's up?"
Each of them slowly got up from the table. Isaac gulped, and continued to flee for his life. "I think I've got bad karma… Damn, Yoli was right! Oh crap…"
Yoli had asked all around the market area and to no avail. Not Chaosbringer, nor the mysterious man were anywhere to be found. "Maybe Aruru was right. Everyone I asked said he went to the Metalworks area, but… Could he still be there?" She sighed and made her way past the fountain to the entrance of the Metalworks. "It's worrrth a shot, I guess…"
It was already sunset, and that meant she should head back to the inn soon. Yoli hated failing in any aspect. She was a dark knight after all. Pride was the only thing she had left. Or so she thought. Either way, it was her pride that forced her to continue searching. Almost everyone had left from work and headed home. Even the ambassadors from each nation's embassy were locking up, and heading for their Mog houses.
Still, Yoli continued. Since there was really no one to ask, she walked over, and rode the lifts to the upper levels of the Metalworks. Even at the top, almost no one was there. Almost. In the middle stood just the person she was looking for. He was facing the president's office, and seemed lost in thought.
She slowly approached the turned figure. Her ears twitched with the anticipation of a fight. The man wearing a muffler turned to face her. His eyes narrowed before widening suddenly. "How is it possible?... How did you…" He asked quietly.
Yoli was confused for a moment, before focusing on her task once again. "I think you've got something that belongs to me. It's my sworrrd. And I need it back!"
"Hmmm…? No, I think you're mistaken," With that, the man moved forward a step and reached as if to signal not to fight. Unfortunately, that was exactly how Yoli interpreted his motion. A fight.
She quickly pulled her scythe out and took a step forward. "And why should I believe you?"
The man gave a melancholy smile, although it was lost under his muffler. "Because, it's me!" Before Yoli could question, he removed the muffler and hat. She gasped. Her scythe fell right from her hand, and she stepped back, shaking her head, as if she couldn't believe he was standing there.
"Where is she? She should have been back by now! It's like the highlands all over again! Sheesh, what's with her? Still, something just feels off today. And what if she ran into the guy who took the sword! Dammit, I gotta get over there! But I dunno where she even is! Aww crap!"
All these thoughts went through Isaac's head as he paced around the hotel room. Truth be told, Yoli should have been back by now. The fact that she was late twice, and each time, that same mysterious man was involved, worried him. The fact that the man knew her name didn't help much either. Finally, he got fed up of waiting. Isaac grabbed his mythril dagger and ran out of the inn.
Outside it was already dark, and the streetlamps were all lit. The weather had seemingly gotten worse, and it started to drizzle as he ran down the street. "Great! When I find her… I'm gonna…" He sighed and ran. It was no fun threatening someone if they weren't there to feel threatened. And no matter what he said, he couldn't calm his nerves.
"Sunder! Is it rrreally you?" Yoli asked. She wanted to run up and hug him. It was him! The person who had helped her keep her strength, the reason she kept fighting. It was because of him that she managed to push herself. And now she could show him. Yoli would finally be able to thank him! Maybe she could even go home after the sword was found. She could see her family again; have her old life back!
"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?" He took a few steps closer. She had grown a good deal in the last eleven years. He could hardly recognize her. She was much taller, and instead of looking like a scared little girl, she looked like a strong, determined young woman. But something seemed to worry him. A few things about her were quite different. There was a strange glint to her eyes, that showed something dark and powerful. It worried him that she would be so ready to fight a stranger, who could very well be much stronger than her.
He barely noticed her run over to him while he was thinking. When she was only a few feet away he noticed her coming closer. Yoli looked as she was about to hug him, but alarms were going off in his head. "It's not really her anymore. She might be the same body, but she's not the same girl. She's lost herself a long time ago…" When Yoli reached to him, he took a step back and looked at the ground. She could see he was disappointed about something.
"Sunderrr, what's wrong? It's me! Yoli! You rrremember, don't you?"
He looked up at her. Instead of answering her question, he asked his own. "So, you're a dark knight now?" It was asked as a question, but was partly a statement.
Yoli's ears twitched nervously as she answered. "Yeah, but-"
"How could you do this?" This was not the reaction she had expected. Yoli thought he would be proud. But he was angry. Why?
Yoli was taken aback. She didn't do anything except become stronger. Shouldn't he be happy for her? "I wanted to become strrronger, so people wouldn't have to make the same sacrrrifice I thought you made!"
"Which was? I did my job, Yoli! It's my duty as a paladin to help those in need! Even if it means giving up my life! What you did was throw away anything that made you a person so you would have power! You gave up your humanity to train with a monster to become the very same thing: a monster!"
"That's not trrrue Sunder! I-"
"Yoli, I've met dark knights, and they're all the same! They fight just to kill. They have nothing to hold on to, no one to care about. You're going to turn yourself into a killing machine and you don't even see that!"
Yoli shook her head. She backed away from him slowly. She could feel the tears forming. She hadn't cried for a good six years since she had gotten used to her training. She didn't want to cry now, especially not in front of Sunder. "And what would you have done if you werrre me! It was my one chance to become strrronger. I wanted the power, so I took the opporrrtunity! What would you prefer? A paladin, like you!"
The drizzle outside turned into larger droplets.
"It would have been better than what you've become! Paladins are strong. They have so much strength because they know people depend on them! No one needs a dark knight! They're just empty blades, with nothing to lose!" Sunder couldn't remember a time when he felt so angry about something. He knew he wasn't being fair. She had been under bad circumstances, and it might have been her only chance to survive. He shouldn't be mad at her. But he was. And the worst part of it was he couldn't understand why. "I should have been there for her. If I had been, then I could have trained her. I could have saved her from the hell she built for herself!"
Finally, the anger left him. He sighed and looked up at her. Tears streamed down Yoli's face. He walked over to her and tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she hit it away and turned, her back facing him. Her breathes came as hiccups, and he could tell she wasn't going to let him comfort her. She didn't say anything, and so Sunder turned and walked away without another word as well. Inside though, he was being torn apart by guilt.
He pulled out a scroll with a warp spell printed on it, and faded into a purple haze just as Isaac came to the top of the lift. He lunged for Sunder just as he disappeared. Isaac got up and shook his head. Then he looked around. Yoli wasn't by the lifts, so he walked to the open area.
Yoli looked like a mess. The rain was pouring and she was soaking wet by now, but tears clearly showed on her face despite that. Her ears were pressed tightly against her head and her scythe lay on the ground next to her. Isaac's eyes went wide and he ran over to her. He wanted badly to ask her if what happened involved that man, but he knew better. "Right now, she needs comfort, not questions. Dammit, I knew something was up… Is she ok? She's gonna get sick if she stays out here."
When he came close, he grabbed her by the shoulder. This made Yoli look up at him. He brushed a stray hair away from her face and she shivered. "Holy- Geez, Yoli, what happened to you?" He asked softly. The question arose out of concern, not curiosity.
The only response he got was a weak sob. He shook his head and looked down at her. She was shivering, so Isaac took his most outer layer of clothing off, and put it over her shoulders. She accepted, and nodded a thanks. "Hey, come on. Let's get you in before you get sick, 'kay?" She nodded and they walked back over to the inn.
By the time they arrived back at the inn, both Yoli and Isaac were thoroughly soaked. Yoli was still weakly crying, and her breathing came as hiccups still. Isaac noticed she dragged her feet and had difficulty keeping her eyes open. "She must have worn herself out by crying. She probably got sick too. Damn, what coulda' happened to her? Did that man hurt her? Yoli, you'll be ok, I promise." Because it was so late, the tavern was closed, and only the inn rooms were open. The only person inside the inn was the clerk at the counter, and even she seemed half asleep.
Isaac walked Yoli over to one of the beds in the room and sat down on it next to her. He looked at her and sighed. He felt awful. He couldn't understand why. He barely knew her. He wouldn't care about someone he only met about two weeks ago… would he? "So… you, uh, wanna talk about what happened?" He asked her gently. He knew it was a touchy subject at the moment, but curiosity got the better of him. Yoli looked at him, then turned her head away. She got up and walked to the center of the room. Isaac knew whatever happened must have been very hard on her. She was always so strong in front of others, but right now, she looked like someone who needed to be protected.
She took a deep breath before starting. "I- He… That man… I know him."
Isaac jumped up from the bed and walked over to her. He tried to face her, but she would always turn away. "What do you mean? Hey, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know it was him. It's been eleven years, and this whole time I thought he was dead. I bet he didn't even trrry to find me…" She started to cry a little harder again.
Isaac turned and sat down on the bed again. "So that's what did it… Who was he, that she would cry like that over something he did or didn't do?"
"I don't think I really understand ya… What happened? I mean, why would he be dead? Did something happen? Uh… It's ok if you don't wanna talk about it right now…" Isaac said, very softly. She looked as if she were about to fall over, and Isaac didn't want to make her feel any worse.
She sniffled before continuing. "Did you hearrr about the attack on a caravan in Rolanberry Fields? It was a while back. Eleven yearrrs ago."
Isaac nodded. "Yeah, I heard there was one survivor." After a second, his eyes widened. "Yoli… are you tellin me that was you? Whoa… But, what's that have to do with anything?"
"Forrr the longest time, I thought I was the only one who made it. I thought everrryone got killed… even Sunder. That's wh-"
"Oh, I get it! So, that's your mother's friend? He was the one who was taking you to Jeuno?" He then saw the look on Yoli's face. She looked so miserable and helpless it made him want to cry.
Yoli nodded. Then she squeezed her eyes shut tightly and began to cry again. Isaac got up. He didn't even pay attention to what he was doing. Everything Yoli just said, every word she told him, made things feel fake. Nothing seemed to make sense at the moment. The only thing on Isaac's mind was to comfort her, to help Yoli stop crying.
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He didn't know why he was doing it, but he didn't really care at that moment. Yoli tensed at first, but then she slowly relaxed and returned the embrace, crying gently against his shoulder. He then walked her over to the bed, and sat down next to her, still hugging her gently. Her cries softened and soon she was asleep against him. He rested his chin against her forehead.
Emotions seemed to flood into Isaac from all sides. He was angry, confused, sad, nervous… He didn't know what to call what he was feeling. After a few moments of silence though, a soft sound from next to him brought him back into focus. Yoli was lying against him, purring gently. Isaac's cheeks brightened a little, but the blush was soon replaced by a small smile. He gently moved Yoli off of him and onto the pillow, before bringing a chair next to her bed. "I just want her to be ok. I never knew she had it so badly. I feel like such an ass. I always thought she was some selfish chick who had a bad attitude. But her reasons for being the way she is are way better than mine. I guess the only selfish one here is me…"
Okies, well there ya have it. I hope i didn't go over board or anything. i hate things that are over dramatic. If it was, please lemme know in your reviews. Well, hugs everyone!
PS- Juilin, how long does your friend wanna borrow Chaosbringer? I kinda might need that back soon...