After awhile of hurried walking and running (Rona was in a hurry), we finally got to a point where the Travelers' Waypoint was on the horizon. My heart leapt at the sight as a feeling of hope surged throughout my body. Though tired I was, I picked up my feet and ran ahead of Ryth and Rona, eager to see Keia's face once more.
I was upon the town now; peering in towards the middle, I saw Vegance, Ceae, and my beautiful Keia standing together. I ached all over from the hustled movement from before, but seeing Keia made all my problems go away. Vegance turned and pointed at me. Keia jerked her head around, gasped, and started running towards me. For a moment, all else slowed down… It was just her and I… And then, we collided with such force as to knock me back into reality. I was knocked backwards and Keia landed on top. A second passed as we lay on the ground staring into each other's eyes. When the air came back to me, I said the first words.
"The Wastelands were hell without you… You don't know how much I missed you…"
"Really? Even a trip to the beach is no fun when you do it alone," Keia replied.
"Surprised to see me?"
"Of course… I was dying to see you again…" I pulled her close to me and hugged her. We were still lying on the grass when Ryth and Rona passed by. Rona ignored us, but Ryth gave us an odd stare, whispered "Okay…" and walked off. Keia finally gave me room to get to my feet. I stood up, stretched (as painful as it was) and took Keia's hand. We looked to the others standing just outside the town. I noticed Vegance was hugging Rona.
"So… What happened while I was gone?" I asked. Keia handed me her journal.
"Most of it was boring, but I want you to read the conversation I had with Vegance," Keia replied. She put her hands behind her back and stared shyly at the ground. I took a moment to read, and to be honest, I was shocked.
"This is all true?" I asked. She nodded. "And you mean every bit of it?" Again she nodded. I smiled. "That really lets me into your head a bit… Kinda cool, about Vegance and Rona too… It seems as though even Darklings can have hearts…"
"I was wrong to judge Vegance in the beginning," Keia said. "She cares like we would."
"But, this is true? About staying with me after all is said and done?"
"Of course." Keia smiled. "Just keep me safe when I'm unable to do so myself." A long silence passed. Suddenly, something occurred to me.
"You did get the Water Key, right?" I asked.
"It's kind of sudden, but, yeah."
"May I hate it? To put with the others?"
"Vegance has it." I looked to Vegance. She and Rona were talking. I nodded. "Did you get the Fire Key?" I reached into my bag and fumbled through the seven that I carried until I found one that was slightly warm. I pulled it out and showed it to Keia. Inside, a fire raged. It was controlled and somewhat soothing. "It's nice… It's like a perfect representation of my love for you… Controlled, and an everlasting flame…"
"You've changed," I said.
"Vegance said the same." Another long silence ensued. I took a moment to look at the sky and then off at the horizon.
"I think we should get with the others and start planning our mission into the Keep," I said.
"Okay," Keia replied. Together, we walked over to join the others.
"…But I don't know, Vegance," I heard Rona say. "That's something that needs to be discussed some other…" Rona looked at Keia and I as we approached. He fell silent and turned away.
"Are we interrupting something?" I asked.
"No, no, not at all," Vegance replied. "Are we ready to move?"
"No, not yet. I think we should plan some and get a good rest at the tavern."
"What is there to plan?" Rona asked. "We get in, we kill things, we get out. Mission accomplished."
"There has to be more to it than that," Keia said. "I have an odd feeling that it won't be that easy…"
"Cryos and Keia are both right," Ryth said. "Best to have a plan, or some possible back-ups just in case."
"I'll get us a room," Vegance said and headed off into the town. Rona turned and glared at me.
"Rona, I'm as uneasy about entering the Keep as any of us are… But, I'd rather be safe than dead. You're strong, but you're not invincible… Everyone has a weakness. What if someone were to sneak up on you when you least expect it? You wouldn't stand a chance!" Rona remained silent. "You know, sometimes, running off on instinct is asking to be killed."
"Then plan. I'll take you through the Keep, but that's it." I sighed and motioned for everyone to follow me. It was time to prepare…
Six of us to one inn room left a very crowded standing area. Rona stood silently in the corner and kept to himself. Vegance again sat on the windowsill. Keia, Ceae, Ryth, and I each sat on the separate beds.
"So… The Keep," Vegance started. "Apparently very well-defended. The front gate itself has taken a lot out of us… The inside, if I remember correctly, is dark, filled with many dark corridors, and the stairs to the top is no easy task. Each flight of stairs, once we arrive at the base of them, will take us up a bit to another room on the floor above. Each room will have some sort of safety measure to try and keep us from leaving. I don't know exactly how it will be, but there will more than likely be sacrifices of some sort.
"At the top of the stairs, there will be a large room near the top turret. This will be Necril's experimentation room, the room where Rona was created." Vegance eyed Rona in the corner, who still had not moved. "Beyond that room is a final flight of stairs leading to a vacant room we liked to use as a training room. Necril never really headed up there much, but that is more than likely where we can corner him. The only escape from there is the door you enter in through. At that point, we'll let Cryos have the honors of carrying out his parents' wishes." Vegance smiled at me.
"There's still a lot of vacuity about this, though… You can't remember each 'safety measure?'" I asked.
"I'm afraid not, so I hope you can think on your feet."
"So much for planning," Ryth mumbled.
"We should be able to handle it, though," Keia said. "We've been through a lot already… What's this compared to some of the battles we've fought?"
"It may be a bit tougher," Vegance said. "But we'll be prepared… Let's get some rest." Vegance transformed into a black cat, curled up on the windowsill, and began to purr. Rona stood still in his corner. Keia, Ceae, Ryth, and I all lay back in our beds. I shut my eyes and tried to imagine what things would be like after this journey. I saw myself wearing a black outfit trimmed with silver (as was customary for royal weddings) and Keia beside me in a long, flowing dress. A couple of bridesmaids carefully place a halo of flowers upon her head and hand her a small ring. Ryth is there too, smiling from the front of the crowd. Even Rona is there, clapping with the others. Ceae slips another ring into my hand from behind. Vegance stands beside Rona, sighs, and takes his arm. I see her look up at him and send a silent message suggesting she wanted to be next. I look out and the crowd goes on forever. I smile, but my smile fades as a face appears in my head. This face I had never seen before, but his eyes are filled with a desire for revenge.
"To them, you are only a mask, covering their actions," a voice rings out in my mind. A terrible feeling of helplessness runs through my stomach and leaves me stuck where I lay.
'Who, who are you?' I think to myself. I was not expecting a reply, but was shocked to get one.
"You'll see for yourself soon… You don't know what you're getting yourself into…" A strangely familiar evil laugh echoed through my head. I opened my eyes and sat upright. The feeling of helplessness turned to fear and left me breathing heavily. I looked around the corners of the dark room. Everyone else was sleeping, except for Rona. He was missing!
"Where could he have gone?" I whispered under my breath. I crawled out of bed and went out into the dark streets. Under the moonlight, Rona's fur glistened with a brilliant silver shine. He was staring out in the direction of the FoxWoods. I slowly approached him and stood next to him. His eyes were closed and he stood perfectly still, as though meditating.
"Rona?" I said. He gave no response. "Rona?" I asked again. He nodded silently. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know," Rona mumbled.
"Well, I mean, you got pretty upset earlier… I just want to make sure you're okay…"
Rona opened his eyes and sighed. "I've changed… You've changed me… I used to be heartless, but now… I save lives. I fight for good… And…" Rona stopped himself.
"And what?" I asked.
"And… Can I trust you?" Rona looked down at me. I nodded. "I'm not sure about my feelings… Vegance told me how she feels."
"What do you think?"
"I think… I might be able to accept it."
My heart leapt at hearing those words. Who could ever imagine that Rona would love someone? "That's good… Love is a normal emotion, Rona, the strongest of them all… Without it, we could never feel rage, or anger, or hatred… We have to love something or someone to some extent to feel bad about it being taken away… Love attaches us together, the emotion that holds humanity together…"
"But to me, it's different… I'm not used to it. It's overwhelming, even for me… 'Love.' I've never really felt it for anyone before."
"So, you'll return her love?"
"I'm not sure… Will it interfere with the task at hand?"
"No… It'll give you something to keep going for… You should try it. Love feels great." I smiled at Rona.
"Then I guess I should give it a try." Rona smiled back. For a second, I could feel a change in Rona. His smile faded, though. "But, how do you love?"
"That's entirely up to the individual," I said. "Impress her. Tell her good things about her and yourself… Be honest and tell her just what's on your mind… Anything else will come naturally."
Rona nodded silently. "Thanks, Cryos."
"So, are you going to get some sleep?"
"No, not yet… I'm going to stay here and think a little longer… Why aren't you sleeping anyway?"
"I really don't want to talk about it… Just a nightmare… I'll get over it."
"You get some sleep… I'll be fine. Don't tell Vegance anything," Rona threatened. "Let me handle that."
"You have my word." I returned to the inn, went back to my bed, crawled in and got comfortable, and then drifted to sleep quickly…
When the morning came, I was the first awake. I sat up, yawned, and looked around the room. Rona had come in and was curled up under the windowsill, his head tucked into his paws and his tail wrapped around his body. In this position, he looked so harmless… And somewhat cute. Vegance was still curled up on the windowsill (above Rona, now). I looked to Ryth: he was sprawled out on his bed, his arms above his head. Keia was deeply snuggled in her bed. The only source of her warmth was herself. I turned to Ceae, who had just rolled over. He had a ferocious look on his face… I think he was dreaming about the days to come.
I looked back at Vegance as she uncurled and stretched. She was so caught up in it that she rolled over and fell off the windowsill. She landed on top of Rona, who now uncurled and prepared for self-defense where he lay. Vegance changed back to human form and lay there on top of Rona, stunned, and stared into his eyes. He was holding her by the shoulders.
"Um, hi Rona," Vegance whispered. She was blushing.
Rona closed his eyes and shook his head. "Vegance, this is so sudden… You could at least let me prepare…"
"I wasn't expecting it either… I think things are much better when they're spontaneous…"
"Vegance…"
I remained silent. To me, this was a spectacular turning moment for Rona.
"I'm not sure how to say this, but I think it would be better, since everyone's asleep," Rona said. "Vegance, I think I love you." Vegance's eyes widened. She gasped and became very still. A while of silence passed. "Vegance?"
"I… I…" Vegance was clearly in a stupor.
"Are you alright?"
"More than… I feel perfect. I didn't know you could love…"
"Let's just say, I had a little help from a friend." Rona's eyes rolled upward at me. Vegance followed his eyes and watched me. I smiled and she smiled back. She mouthed the words "thank you" and then nuzzled Rona's neck. For another while, they stayed like that…
We now all stood outside. Rona and Vegance both looked ready to go. Ryth was abnormally calm. Keia wore an expression of concern, and Ceae's eyes were filled with determination.
"So, we're ready?" I asked. Five heads bobbed up and down. "Good. I don't know how far the Dark Lands have spread since we were in the FoxWoods, but we're about to find out. Our next destination…is Necril's Keep." Again, five nods. "Let's finish what we started!" I ran ahead, sword in hand and followed by Ceae, Keia, Vegance, Ryth, and Rona… The battle is almost over…