Second year

This fic is based on the lines from Xenolord's story, As Time Goes By, which states-

"Rayne... All I remember of Rayne is how she died. It was the stupidest thing you'd ever think, and you won't believe me when I tell you... but she was killed in a freak accident when a Drakel scientist was showing the people of Battleon how to use guns. I guess those bullets gotta come down somewhere...

"Lizzie was shattered with Rayne's death, and went on a five year rampage throughout Drakel lands, killing countless of them, trying to bring Rayne back. She blamed the Drakel for Rayne's death... and I suppose in a sick way, she was right. Her blood rage was finally ended when she was brought before the Drakel courts in their Super City of Ren-Tiak, found guilty and executed. If that wasn't enough, they hung her corpse outside the city for all to see... She was such a sweet little girl..."

Disclaimer – I own Lizzie, and Kay. Xenolord owns Gale. Kind of. All others mentioned in this chapter do not belong to me.

After that, the deaths started.

They weren't that noticeable at first. Just a few kills reported, every week. But then they began to grow. More and more kills were made, in larger numbers too. Suddenly, the deaths weren't deaths anymore- they were massacres. Tons of people, dead, sometimes a few, sometimes too many to count. Word began to spread about the gruesome murders. And along with the massacres, came the name that the people had began to call the killer, whispered from ear to ear.

The Mourner.

The Mourner would kill at any time. It didn't matter if it was day or night. He (people assumed he was a he) would strike, leaving the corpses of his victims as the only clue that he had been there. But that was the part that confused civilians and authorities alike. The bodies.

The mourner only killed drakel. Every single one of her victims belonged to the race. And nobody knew why, except for the Mourner herself.

The blade slashed left, felling another Drakel.

"It's The Mourner!" One screamed, dropping his weapon and turning to flee. The leader of the group (a traveling band of people, only a few trained in combat) grabbed him by the shoulder, and glared.

"Son, we're not going to give into him. We'll stand up to that damned Mourner and defend ourselves, or we'll die trying!" The man nodded hesitantly, picked up his weapon, running at Lizzie. She killed him before he even saw her. Lizzie didn't focus on the battle at hand. She killed automatically, not even bothering to make sure that they were dead. She was too busy thinking.

'Let them.' She carelessly chopped a drakel's head in two. Its body lifeless fell to the ground with a deafening thump. Its innards splattered on the dirt. The remains of its face had the sensation of distress but none of it matter to her. "They deserve it..."

"They deserve to die' Another one foolishly came at her but with failed attempt. A stab to the stomach and that one collapsed on the ground, gasping for life but not succeeding. A pool of dark blood grew and soaked into the ground, the body now dull.

"These…these…vile things took her life and now I'll end theirs…" Everything seemed slow to her eyes. Was it because she was too fast? Or they were too slow? She couldn't tell…Slashing at one, it fell, then chopping at another. Soon a growing number of lifeless forms were scattered on the ground, their life source fading quickly every time they hit the ground. Dark patches of blood sprinkled the now tainted earth. She lounged and stabbed until only one stood desperately trying to run away…But with no triumph.

She was in front of it now. Staring at its alarmed face, it slowly lowered to its knees and pleaded with words she couldn't hear. Raising her sword high she coldly swung it down into the grove of its neck. Its head rolled motionless to a bush as the body swayed forward. She was done…her sword wet and dripping with blood. 'I'll kill them all.'

Lizzie turned to leave. Her work was done, for now. There was no point in staying. Taking a few steps forward, she stiffened, as she heard something. It was faint, but she knew exactly what it was.

It was the pounding of feet and hooves against the ground.

Lizzie ran into the forest that she was next to. The woods would help slow down the horses, but the people on foot wouldn't be thrown off. She needed to put as much space as possible between her, and her pursuers.

She ran, weaving and bobbing through the maze of trees. Every now and then she would stop, hiding behind a tree, and look behind her to gage how close her followers were. Every now and then, she would speed up, when she would catch occasional glimpses of whoever it was. But most of the time, all she heard was their footsteps.

When those footsteps finally faded away, and Lizzie was satisfied at how they were, she slowed down. The woman readjusted the dark hood of the cloak, flipping it up so it covered her head and gave her shade. Closing her eyes, she began to steady her somewhat shaky breathing, all the while mentally chastising herself.

She should have seen that it was a trap. It was too obvious, and those drakel. They seemed expecting. Like they knew that she would be there, and they would readily give up their lives. She was ignorant, and she didn't pay attention.

'Guess you were right, love.' Lizzie thought, a bitter smile gracing her lips. 'I really should always pay attention to my surroundings. I didn't, and look what my inattentiveness has nearly cost me. I'm not done what I have to do yet.'

The redhead opened her eyes, and exhaled a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. There was no time to waste now.

She had to move before whoever was chasing her caught up. Not that they ever would. The forest, she could tell, was a large place, and by the time that they would reach the clearing in which she stood in, the Mourner would be long gone, with no trace for them to follow. They wouldn't be able to cover that much ground in such little time. Not unless they had-

A sudden gust of air, and a burst of bright light startled Lizzie. Her eyes widened, as she realized what it was. She moved to get away from the portal, but before she could, a voice came from it. "I've got you now!"

And before Lizzie knew it, she was tackled. An armour clad person was straddling her, pinning both hands to the ground.

"You're not going to get away from me, Mourner." The person sneered. Lizzie noted something about the person on top of her. She could tell that it was a female, from the voice. But there was something else about the voice as well. Something familiar. Lizzie felt as if she had heard it before; she just couldn't place it. She couldn't see her attacker either for when they tackled her, they managed to hitch her cloak up over her eyes, blocking her eyesight.

Lizzie couldn't think about those things now.. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

With almost no effort, Lizzie managed to reverse their positions. The redhead still couldn't see, forcing her to rely on her other senses. She felt whoever it was throw her off. Lizzie landed hard, but managed to recover quickly, getting back up on her feet within a few seconds. Grasping a hand around the hilt of her sword, she drew it out of its sheath, hearing her opponent doing the same.

Focusing on her other senses, Lizzie anticipated the woman's attack, and blocked it successfully. Lizzie was surprised again by the stranger, as they attacked again. The voice, the swordplay...it was all so familiar. And yet, she couldn't remember why.

Lizzie managed to block or evade every blow that came her way. The other woman was much the same, blocking and returning every swing.

The female attacked again, and Lizzie dodged it. Neither of them could land a hit; they were equally matched. Both The Mourner and her opponents swords clashed, and they fought to overpower the other.

Eventually, they were forced to back off. Gaining a momentary reprieve, Lizzie tugged her cloak back to its normal position, finally catching a glimpse of her assailant. She was wearing a cloak, somewhat like Lizzie's, but hers was green, instead of black. Lizzie supposed it was for camouflage. Her hood was up, and she was panting slightly, also like Lizzie, This surprised the woman. It had been a while since she had been breathless due to a fight; most of the people she attacked were all dead before she could even break a sweat.

The other person moved, flicking the wrist of her sword arm. The shift in her stance caused her upper body to move, just a bit. A lock of hair came loose, and hung out of the hood. Lizzie almost gasped, as she saw the hair. She relaxed the grip on her sword, and brought it to her side, sheathing it.

"Gale?" She asked, her voice hoarse from over a year of not being used.

The other woman, about to attack again, froze at the name. Her sword fell from her hand, thudding softly against the plants and the earth,

"Lizzie?"

Both lowered their hoods, and Lizzie saw that it was Gale. Despite looking a bit older and more battle-worn, she was still the same Gale with the stormy grey eyes and dyed green hair.

Gale rushed at Lizzie again, but instead of tackling her, she hugged Lizzie, as hard as she could.

"How did you know it was me?" Gale asked.

Lizzie, voice still somewhat harsh, cleared her throat. "Your fighting style and voice were tipping me off. Then I saw your hair. No one- save you and Maria- have that hair colour."

Gale looked confused. "I can understand the hair and voice, but the fighting? We've never fought, or sparred before."

"We haven't." Lizzie said, "But Maria and I have, back in Battleon. And I suppose that she helped you hone your skills. You fight a lot like her, you know. "

Gale chuckled mirthlessly. "Speaking of Battleon, things have definitely changed since you left, Mrs. Anasi." Same Gale alright; only in certain moments would Gale ever address her by her nickname, even though Lizzie had often said it was alright.

"Mrs. Anasi..." Lizzie murmured, as Gale released her and stepped back. "It's been so long since anyone has called me that."

"Well, you've been gone for little more than a year." Gale pointed out, grinning. She realized what she had said, and the grin slid off her face.

"Mrs. Anasi...Mrs. Anasi, you have to come back." Gale said.

Lizzie said nothing.

"Mrs. Anasi, they're looking for you. Well, The Mourner. You've been declared a threat by the drakel leaders, and a murderer. A special group- not just made up of drakel, Guardians have been sent as well- has been sent out to hunt you down.

Still no answer.

"Ms. Anasi, please! No one has any idea that you might be The Mourner! You have to stop. You can't let Kay see you like this, she'll-"

"Kay is here?" Lizzie interrupted

Gale stiffened up, and began to beat her forehead with her palm. "Stupid, stupid, stupid me, I shouldn't have said anything..."

Lizzie's voice lowered to an almost whisper, and took on an icy, serious tone. "Is she here?"

Gale sighed, and nodded.

"Why."

It sounded more like a command than a question, and Gale new that she had no choice but to answer.

"When you left...Kay enlisted as a knight."

"But she hates violence..."

"I know." Gale said.

"Ever since she joined, she's been rising through the ranks like crazy. Eventually, she became so well respected and honoured by the king and the others that she was made the new commander of the Pria Knights. And eventually..."

Gale trailed off, but Lizzie understood. It had been the same with Rayne and herself. Usually, a few of the highest ranking knights would be accepted as a Guardian. So if Kay was the new commander, which would have meant that, she would have become a Guardian herself.

"And as luck would have it, Kay was one of the Guardians, along with me and two others, who were chosen to become part of the squad that's been assigned to capture you." Gale looked somber, as Lizzie took in the information.

"I don't understand why she would become a knight..." Lizzie mused. Gale shrugged.

"I've been asking myself that same question." Gale walked back over to where her sword lay. She picked it up, brushed off the dirt that had been on it, and turned back to Lizzie.

"I believe it's a sort of release for her. I think she's venting her emotion, and what she feels from loosing Rayne, and from you running away, into fighting, and doing something that's in her blood."

"And you running away is yet another reason why you should give up your life as ''The Mourner', Mrs. Anasi. Kay needs you, more than anyone else right now."

Lizzie closed her eyes, and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Gale."

" I- haven't you listened to what I said?" Gale spluttered.

"I have. And I know what you're going to tell me Gale. I know you better than you think I do. I'll tell you right now, that what I'm doing right now is for a reason. And no matter what you say, or what you do, you're not going to change my mind."

"But-"

"No buts, Gale." Lizzie said firmly. Gale sighed, and scratched the back of her head.

"Are you sure that there is absolutely nothing I can do to change your mind?"

Lizzie shook her head. "No. And Gale...I'm afraid that if you try to get in my way..." Lizzie placed her hand on the hilt of her sword again, shifting subtly into a fighting stance. "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut you down."

Gale didn't look surprised. "You really are stubborn." Gale murmured, running g a hand through her dyed locks. The corner of Lizzie's mouth twitched in an almost smile.

Suddenly, the pounding of feet had returned. Gale's eyes widened and she looked towards the source of the noise. "You have to get out of here. Fast." She reached a hand into her cloak, and pulled out something. She tossed it to Lizzie. The redhead looked down at the portal-com that was now cradled in her hands.

"Gale..."

"Go!" Gale cried. She ran to Lizzie and used the device she cradled in her hands to open up a portal, before strapping it onto the elder woman's wrist.

"You can't finish whatever it is you have to do if you're caught here!"

Lizzie nodded slowly. She grasped her hood, and pulled it back on. She turned to the portal, and ran into it, not looking back. The portal disappeared a moment later.

Just in time too- for at that moment, someone else stumbled into the clearing. She wore a green cloak, just like Gale's. Her hood was down; she had orange hair, a shade lighter than Lizzie's, and amethyst eyes that seemed emerald at times.

"Did you manage to get the Mourner Gale?" Kay Anasi asked.

Gale hesitated for a second, and then shook her head no. "I didn't see him anywhere. I actually just got here; kind of overshot my guess, and went too far."

Kay smiled grimly, then walked up to Gale and hugged her. It was awkward, due to the armour that covered both their bodies.

"Don't worry, Nightingale." She said. Gale had to fight to not flinch at the use of her nickname; it felt wrong for Kay to call her that after what had just occurred.

"We'll get the Mourner someday." She said encouragingly. "Let's search some more, then go back to base."

Gale pushed back the rising urge to confess, swallowed, and nodded.

"Sure."

And so they searched, Kay focusing on searching for the Mourner, and Gale, wondering if she had made the right decision.

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