Chapter 15
Dark Matter looked out through Sword's concealed eyes, glancing at the relic. Inside of his mind, Dark Matter was already sifting through his memories. Sword could only watch in a tiny corner of his mind as his own memories played out in front of him, his most personal information laid bare. Dark Matter rifled through his most recent memories, attempting to find out the purpose of the group traveling to an isolated jungle and if the odd golden half disc in their possession held any significance. Within minutes, it knew everything; the relic, their mission, and their next step.
Dark Matter paused, thinking. It was only a tiny piece of Dark Matter, a "scout" far away from its nucleus, and it had zero access to its power or to the main body. The best it could do was possess a single person. It would have to make due with what was available. It needed to kill the party and force them to stop looking for the relic before they could fuse it together and unleash its true power.
Dark Matter sat there in Sword's taken body, staring at the relic silently. It was outnumbered four to one, not counting the two children. It could not just attack mindlessly, or it would be outed and rendered helpless. It would have to take out the party members one by one, perhaps switching from one host to another after a successful kill. It wasn't worried about Fumu and Bun, as they were neither a threat nor a suitable host. Worthless.
"Sword." A deep voice said, coming from behind him.
Slowly, Sword's body turned around in response. His hidden eyes rested on Meta Knight, who stood just outside the reach of the relic's light.
"It's my turn" he said in an amiable tone. "You may rest now."
Dark Matter, through Sword's memories, realized that he was staring at one of the most threatening warriors of the group. If he were to attack Meta Knight in this host, even with the element of surprise, he would almost certainly lose. Dark Matter then processed what Meta Knight said, using Sword's most recent recollection of that very night to understand what he was referring to.
Sword's body gave a silent nod after a few seconds, turning and walking over to rest by the other warriors. Meta Knight watched him go, hidden brow raised. There was something...off about him. Meta Knight then stifled a yawn under his mask, casting his thoughts aside. He did just bother Sword at some ungodly hour in the morning, after Sword stood awake for hours, after all of them had an incredibly tiring day. Of course there was something "off" about Sword. Being exhausted, deprived of adequate amounts of water, and forced to press on through dangerous conditions without any equipment would make anyone act "off".
Meta Knight turned to watch his fellow warrior settle in with the others one last time. He then shook his head, wrapped up in his cape as he settled into his post.
Sword laid in place but did not sleep, though he could sense from his complete control of the body that it needed to rest badly. Dark Matter ignored the brain's cries for sleep. This host was short term, destined to die one way or another. There was no need for maintenance; the body's natural needs were irrelevant. Instead Dark Matter forced the body to stay awake, using Sword's knowledge to help it devise a plan.
The sun rose over the jungle, the sounds of exotic birds and other animals echoing through the trees. The sun began to lighten the sky, sunbeams filtering through the thick foliage. Meta Knight threw his cape aside to stretch briefly, standing on his tiptoes and raising his arms as high as his spaulders would allow. He was still tired, having stayed awake and stood vigil ever since Sword retired to bed, but what little rest he received would have to do.
The stoic knight dipped inside of the cave entrance, where the others slept, and woke them one by one. He woke everyone up without trouble before turning his attention to Kirby. No matter what he did - calling his name, nudging him gently - Kirby would not move. Meta Knight's eyes began to redden. He slowly unsheathed Galaxia, raised it above his head with his right arm decisively, and stabbed.
"POYAAH!" Kirby cried, the clang of the sword stabbing into the hard ground an inch away from him startling him awake. His eyes opened to see his wavy reflection on the gleaming golden sword an inch away from him as he flailed on the ground. Fumu put a hand to her mouth, heart pounding nearly as hard as Kirby's; she knew that Meta Knight would never stab anyone in their sleep, even his most bitter enemies, as it was against his code of honor. Still, Galaxia landed frighteningly close to Kirby...
Kirby looked up to see Meta Knight, red eyes dimming back into a neutral yellow after his frustrating goal was accomplished.
"Good morning", he said flatly.
Kirby rolled into a sitting position with a frown, rubbing a sleepy eye with one hand and putting a hand to his still hammering heart with another. Blade snickered and nudged Sword with his elbow, speaking in a voice too low for others to overhear.
"Did you see that? Haha, poor Kirby. It's kind of like that one morning when you didn't get up in time for the Galaxy Soldier Army's boot camp, eh? You wouldn't wake up for anything, so the commander stood an inch away from you and hit a mace against a brass shield. You hit the ceiling!"
Sword said nothing, nodding in a slow, robotic manner as if he had just heard something somber. Blade noticed the very un-Swordlike reaction from his friend and tilted his helmed head sideways. Maybe his good-natured ribbing was too much for Sword, although his friend usually had very thick skin.
"Uhh...are you ok?"
Again, Sword nodded in the same stilted and awkward manner. Blade frowned. The only thing weirder than Sword not finding the situation as funny as he did was Sword not having anything to say when asked if he was okay. That was not like him. Sword would either bluster and pretend that he was, or break down and admit that he wasn't, but he would never just nod like that.
"Bull. What's the matter?" Blade said, briefly patting his friend on the back.
Dark Matter was unable to talk after possessing most species. Though it could understand what was spoken to it through its host's brain, the ability to form an idea, process it into language, and speak it in the correct tongue of an alien species was very difficult even with its amount of control over the body. It knew it had to at least try to say something. Frantically, it grilled Sword's brain to try and find a way to communicate.
Sword held his hand against his throat and cleared it.
Blade rubbed the back of his own neck. "Your throat? Oh man, don't tell me. All of that running around in the rain got you sick?"
Sword's head nodded. Dark Matter knew it had to at least attempt say something to sell it, so it ran through Sword's vocabulary like one would a thesaurus. It soon found the word, and utilized Sword's memories to make sure it was appropriate in the context.
"Sick" Sword's mouth uttered in a strange, garbled half-whisper.
Blade cringed, taken aback. "Stars above, you sound awful! Don't worry, you won't have to do much talking. Hopefully we can find the other half of this thing, go back home to Dreamland, and get some rest. It'll all be over soon."
Sword nodded again. Little did Blade know, it would be.
The group took a few minutes to get ready for the day, sharing what few scraps of food they had from the day before as breakfast. Shieldmaiden looked at her relic sensor, turning the volume on and glancing at the screen. A steady, rapid beep could be heard. The second piece of the relic was close. Shieldmaiden touched the screen to enlarge it, cyan eyes narrowing as she read the details.
"Hey, guys...this next piece is really close. Only a few miles east of here."
"Good" Bun said, eating a bit of leftover mango. "Then we can get it and get out of here!"
The others nodded and murmured in agreement. All had grown weary by this point, missing their safe, quiet homes with regular meals and plumbing more with each passing hour. The group gathered what little they had, Meta Knight taking possession of the first half of the relic and hiding it within his cape, and set out into the jungle. Sword helped Blade as he did previously, allowing the still wounded warrior to use Sword's body as a living crutch as the two headed out behind everyone else.
Sword noted that Blade was weakened. He was already slowed by his leg injury. He wouldn't be able to fight back well, if at all, and he certainly couldn't run away...
The seven charged forth into the jungle, Meta Knight in the lead and cutting the foliage away for the party as Sword and Blade had done so before. He was informed about how ill Sword was, and he knew that Blade shouldn't be in front of the party with his injury, so he chose to cut the jungle underbrush for them. With only one person doing the work instead of two, their progress was even slower.
Several hours into the journey, Shieldmaiden's voice rose above the din of screeching birds and animals. "We're getting really close!" She said joyfully. "It should only be a few hundred feet away!"
"Excellent" Meta Knight replied, redoubling his efforts hacking away at the jungle. Kirby and the two children, having more energy than the adults even after all they had endured, increased their pace until they were nearly ahead of Meta Knight. Sword and Blade, meanwhile, continued to fall farther and farther behind.
Blade looked up as the figures in front of him began to appear farther off, disappearing into the thick green jungle. He felt nervous about losing them, but he already felt terrible about imposing on Sword to be helped along with his injury, moreso now that his old friend was sick. He looked to Sword, anxious expression concealed behind his helmet.
Sword's body slowed more and more until the two stopped. He paused briefly, using sound to tell how far away the rest of the party was. Blade tapped his good foot impatiently, unable to keep his anxiety hidden any longer.
"Hey buddy", Blade said. "I know you're not feeling good but we need to catch up with them. We could get lost out here."
Sword said nothing. His hand slowly went lower.
"...Sword?" Blade said loudly.
In one quick, fluid movement Sword withdrew his weapon and turned to stab Blade. Blade had a fraction of a second to react, the attack too sudden and unexpected. Blade screamed as Sword moved away from him, falling limply to the ground. Dark red blood spilled forward, soaking into the mud and leaves around him.
Fumu looked up, hearing a distant scream echoing behind them. "Blade!" She cried. Everyone else looked up a beat behind her. Meta Knight turned and charged in front of the group, Kirby already ahead of the party as he was the first to respond.
Sword stood over Blade's body, the warrior letting out another choked scream as blood gushed from his wound. Blade stood up, using his one good arm to swing himself to his feet, but Sword swiftly kicked him back down. The possessed warrior then rose his weapon, preparing to stab the fallen Blade through the chest and end it.
"Poyo!" Kirby cried. Both warriors looked up abruptly. Kirby stood in the narrow pathway, staring angrily at the situation. Meta Knight arrived second, behind him. The sight of Sword towering over his own friend, blood dripping off of his sword, was so shocking to Meta Knight that he nearly dropped Galaxia in response. Sword slowly turned to face them, silent. Thin wisps of purple escaped the holes in his helmet, floating upwards.
Fumu gasped, mouth agape. Her hands clenched into fists, shaking. "How...how could you?"
Sword said nothing, raising his weapon.
Shieldmaiden's eyes went white with shock behind her helmet. "I think...he must be possessed!"
Bun tore his gaze away from the scene to face her. "What?! All the way out here? How?"
Meta Knight said nothing. He advanced closer in careful, creeping steps before charging forward. Sword watched him and dodged. At the same time Kirby ran forward as well, jumping into the air and delivering a kick square in Sword's face. Sword's helmet got knocked off center slightly, the warrior falling backwards. The purple wisps then began to flow out of Sword's helmet more and more until they looked like plumes of chimney smoke. A single blood-tinged eye, a red-ringed amber iris surrounding a tiny black pupil, opened in the center of the opening of Sword's helmet that he used to see. His sword began to swirl with dancing purple wisps of smoke, the same that oozed from his body. Sword's feet no longer touched the jungle floor, being lifted slightly from the air until he hovered in a state of levitation.
Blade watched from the ground, his vision beginning to narrow into a hazy tunnel. Despite his predicament, his shock and adrenaline slowly giving way to incredible pain, he managed a relieved smile.
"It...wasn't...you..." he managed to say.
Sword lifted his weapon high, blade so dark from Dark Matter's ethereal energy that it appeared to draw in all light around it, and thrust his arm forward. A massive sword beam flew outwards, purple and smoky as the energy combined Sword's fighting expertise and Dark Matter's essence. The group managed to narrowly dodge the sword beam, the crescent-shaped beam flying past them and down the narrow path they had been walking on. Meta Knight managed to stop thinking about Sword directly and looked to Fumu and Bun. Their path was narrow; they were in great danger.
"Fumu! Bun! Run as far ahead as you can! Get lost in the trees! Hurry!" Meta Knight cried, raising Galaxia to fire off a sword beam in response.
Fumu and Bun, both wanting to intervene and save Blade but being blocked by the narrow pathway, realized that they had no choice but to flee. Fumu looked at Blade lying on the ground, twitching in a puddle of his own blood. She wanted to save him, and felt that by running away it was abandonment, but they couldn't get to him with Sword in the way. They had to at least save themselves. Fumu grabbed Bun's hand and, half-dragging her equally reluctant brother, pushed the thick jungle bushes on the side of the path with their own hand and made their way into the tangled mess of foliage.
Seeing that his line of attack was clear, Meta Knight then fired off a sword beam of his own. Fueled by Galaxia's legendary power and its owner's rage, the beam flew through the air and melted any stray branches in its way like butter. The beam hit Sword directly, causing his body to get knocked backwards.
"We have to keep hitting him!" Shieldmaiden cried. She charged forward after Meta Knight's sword beam hit, catching Sword in the face with a shield bash. Sword shook his head, dazed, before bringing his blade up to stab Shieldmaiden in between the eyes. Shieldmaiden blocked the blow with her shield. She then remembered her training session with Meta Knight, and how important it was to watch her range. She used her wings to power a leap backwards, thrusting her spear forward to force Sword to remain at a distance. Kirby then closed in from behind him and punched him in his spine.
Sword's battered body lurched forward, clearly being overwhelmed. He shot another sword beam outwards. Shieldmaiden stepped in front of Meta Knight with her shield out, wings folded tightly against her. The blow hit her, causing her to grunt and get blasted back a few feet as her sabatons dug a furrow into the leafy ground. She then continued to close in on him, spear raised and ready.
Sword suddenly began to vibrate. He dropped his weapon, the dark smoke dissipating off of it. His head thrown back, Sword suddenly emitted a deep sigh not unlike a death rattle as Dark Matter vacated his body through the front portion of his helmet. Sword fell over limply, unconscious.
The two Star Warriors each waved their weapons at the ball of Dark Matter, which flew around them in circles. It then suddenly paused and dove for Kirby. The smoking orb shot forward in the blink of an eye, seeping into Kirby's mouth.
Shieldmaiden cried out "No!" But Meta Knight remained silent. He lowered his sword slightly.
"Bad move", he said to Kirby.
Shieldmaiden shook her head incredulously. She had already witnessed Kirby's power back at the cave; with Dark Matter controlling them, they were all dead. How could Meta Knight be so calm?
She looked to Meta Knight, eyes wide. "What?!"
Meta Knight looked at her, appearing calm. He held his sword out in a defensive position.
"Kirby is too pure to be possessed. Dark Matter will not win."
Kirby felt a presence seep into his mind. It twisted his thoughts, tugging them towards a void. Kirby felt a panic deep inside of him, a growing feeling of a loss of control. The presence felt as if it were trying to grow, a black seed planted in the depths of his thoughts.
Kirby held his head in his hands and muttered a soft, high pitched "Poyyooooyyiii" as he shook his head, trying to fight it off.
"Fight it, Kirby!" Meta Knight urged the young, suffering boy.
Kirby closed his eyes, arms hanging limp at his sides. He felt himself reach within himself, his own inner force growing as it struggled to fight against Dark Matter's intrusion. He could feel a small, dark spot in his brain that was settling its roots in and trying to grow. Rip out the seed. Get rid of it. He pictured himself as if he were in a dream, fighting Dark Matter in his own mind. He felt his inner strength grow as he pictured his friends urging him on. Kirby was generally passive in nature, but thought of Dark Matter hurting him or his friends brought out his full strength in force. Dark Matter clutched at his mind, invisible tendrils seeping deep into his brain. It tried to start to suck away his memories; Kirby pictured himself blocking it, forming a giant wall. He began to muscle through, picturing his wall turning into a battering ram as he focused every single ounce of his power inwardly.
The two armored Star Warriors watched anxiously as Kirby swayed. Kirby's body then suddenly fell backward and twitched, almost as if he were having a convulsion, as a black mist began to seep out of Kirby's mouth. Kirby's back arched as the black essence slipped out of his body before he fell limply. Dark Matter's essence grew smaller and smaller as it exited Kirby as it dissipated into thin air, disappearing as if it were smoke.
"Kirby!" Shieldmaiden cried, running over to the small creature. Meta Knight, sheathing his weapon, ran over to Blade at the same time. Using the tip of his cape, as the only available cloth on hand, he pressed it to Blade's wound to slow the bleeding.
Blade looked up, head rolling on the ground slowly. "Thanks, Sir" he said.
Meta Knight's eyes glowed green as he was consumed with dark thoughts, watching his cape turn a deep indigo as the crimson blood stained the cape's blue fabric. He knew Blade's wound couldn't have been that serious, or he would've bled out or at least gone unconscious by then. He also appeared to still be breathing, meaning it missed his lungs. Still, they were in the middle of the jungle and could only administer the most basic of first aid. Even if Sword only managed to land a glancing blow, an infection from the hostile environment around him could finish Blade off. They needed to get him back to Dreamland and get Dark Matter out of the way, fast.
Kirby sat up, rubbing his head. "Poy-" he began, pausing as he looked at the scene around him. Sword laid on the ground, unconscious, and Blade was bleeding profusely from a wound. Fumu and Bun were nowhere to be seen.
"Poyoyo-poi!" Kirby cried, looking down at Blade. He eyed the wound over Meta Knight's shoulder for a second, then dashed off to look at Sword. With a quick glance, he could see that Sword was still alive but was no longer a threat. He then began to look frantically around their area for Fumu and Bun, tears welling up in his eyes.
Shieldmaiden's eyes grew dim as she watched him. "Sword is our friend again now that Dark Matter has left him, Kirby. Fumu and Bun are fine...should be fine" she said, feeling a bit worried about the two herself.
Meta Knight's bright yellow eyes began to fade, the yellow washing out until his eyes looked almost grey. His heart ached deeply at the sight of what had happened to his two closest comrades, and they were very far from available medical aid for either of them.
"Fumu! Bun!" Shieldmaiden yelled in a voice as loud and booming as her taunt, a chorus of hidden jungle birds screeching in alarm at her cry. "It's safe to come out now!"
A minute later, two small heads peeked out from the wild green foliage.
"Poyo! Poy!" Kirby cried, running over to embrace Fumu and Bun as they gingerly stepped out of the underbrush.
"We're glad to see you too, Kirby" Fumu said, giving her friend a big hug.
The three gathered around the fallen Sword and Blade, crowded together in the narrow path cut through the jungle.
"What do we do now?" Bun asked, his voice timid.
Meta Knight remained silent. His mind was reeling. They needed the second piece of the relic to defeat Dark Matter, but they also needed immediate medical care for his comrades if they were going to survive. Even if they managed to get both of them on Warp Star and fly them back to Dreamland, the entire town was still possessed; they'd be sent to their graves. His greying eyes darted back and forth, wracking his brain as he tried to figure out what to do.
After a few seconds, he looked up at Fumu.
"We are very close to the relic, and need it to stop Dark Matter. Sword and Blade need medical attention. Fumu, Bun; clean and dress Blade's wound. If you can find any fresh water, use it. Keep an eye on Sword as well. He's been badly beaten and will probably need medical aid when he comes to. Kirby, you guard them both."
Fumu's yellow face paled until it was almost white. She had a light bit of medical and first aid knowledge from books, but she did not handle wounds well. Especially bloody ones. Still, she nodded. She would do whatever it took to save Blade's life. Bun nodded as well, feeling terrified but knowing that he needed to be strong for both his sister and the warriors.
Meta Knight saw Fumu's expression, his heart sinking.
"I think he'll be okay" Meta Knight added in an upbeat, optimistic tone that sounded very foreign coming out of his mouth. "The wound must have been light or glancing, and it didn't hit anything major. His biggest risk right now is infection."
Shieldmaiden managed a small, weary smile underneath her helmet. Although Meta Knight was probably right about Blade, his voicing it optimistically would help give the two children the strength they needed to carry out their task.
"What about you two?" Fumu asked in a small voice.
Meta Knight removed his cape as Fumu talked, wrapping it around Blade's wound as a primitive bandage. It was a move which he was loathe to do, as it cost him his ability to fly, but there was no other cloth available and saving his friend's life was more important.
"We have to find the relic." Meta Knight replied simply.
Fumu blanched. "You two are going to go alone?"
"We have to" Shieldmaiden added, clearly uncomfortable with the notion but understanding why. "Sword and Blade can't move and need care but Dreamland doesn't have a non-possessed doctor in the house. If we don't get the relic and stop Dark Matter, there won't be a place for Sword and Blade to heal...or a place for any of us."
Fumu pursed her lips. She knew what Shieldmaiden was trying to communicate; if Dark Matter wasn't stopped right then, Dreamland and soon afterwards every single town in Popstar would be possessed. They would go back and get either killed or subjugated and turned into mindless soldiers. That, or they could slowly waste away and die in the jungle.
She dipped her head to the two, reaching inside of herself for strength as she spoke. "Go ahead. We got this."
"Poyo" Kirby said, brow furrowed and frowning. He gave a single, determined nod to Meta Knight that rather reminded the old veteran of himself.
Meta Knight nodded. Without his cape, he turned and walked off with Shieldmaiden following behind him. Before they disappeared into the underbrush, he turned to look back at the five.
"Be careful."