And this is chapter seven. Thank you Silverking32, Oishii Hanashi, Burai Stelar, Graphicsnerd, and Eddie Camp for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Seven: Armor-less
Gillick's feet were beginning to drag as he traveled through the woods. He quickly tried to shake off his tiredness. That wouldn't help him at all in finding Silver. He exhaled slowly. At least the scenery's different, he thought dryly, not the least bit sorry to be off the barren stretch and endless fields. With nothing to do but travel, such sights quickly got boring.
A scream suddenly cut through the air. His head shot up in surprise. Multiple screams could now be heard, slicing cleanly through the tranquil forest and disrupting the former calm. He narrowed his eyes. Joy. Now I have to take a detour. He sighed heavily, moving to take a path that would lead him away from the echoing sounds of the screams.
He wondered, as a passing thought, what was causing the terror that would bring about such cries. Then his mind winged back to what Mala had told him the night before; the Knight was nearby. He snorted, not at all excited about the thought.
Then his mind found itself wandering back to the task at hand. Almost immediately, his mind made a connection that brought him up short. Slowly, he pulled out the wanted poster of the woman named Silver. "Hard to find her, impossible to come back after finding her," he muttered, staring at the picture. He turned his head towards the sound of the screams, thinking that sounded a lot like what the Knight was described as.
He didn't like the idea of going to whatever village was being attacked; most issues like that were simply a waste of his time. However, the likelihood that Silver was the Knight was too great for him to ignore. So, reluctantly, he folded the wanted poster and, slipping it into his pocket, trudged towards the sound of the screams.
It wasn't long before he saw explosions coming up ahead, through the trees. He narrowed his eyes, determining it would be a better idea to wait outside the village for a while until he could find a good time to strike. He didn't feel like getting blasted by magic the second he entered the village. He stopped and waited, watching the explosions of magic carefully as he waited for his opportunity to strike.
There was a sudden lull in the onslaught. Amidst the dust and smoke, the blurred form of a figure appeared. Gillick's amber eyes flared. Now was his chance. He lunged forward, jerking his sword out of his scabbard in the same instant. The figure was just turning around to face him as he brought his weapon forward in a powerful slash.
His blade was met with another with a loud clang. The impact resulted in small sparks and a wave of air that sent some of the dust and smoke around the two spiraling away. It was then that he saw the true form of the figure he was facing.
His eyes were suddenly narrowed in fury and disgust. "What are you doing here, Xuren?" he snarled, forcing himself backwards.
The dark Keyblader chuckled, his yellow eyes glittering in their strange way as he looked at the former Keyblader. "I could ask the same of you. You generally don't go out of your way to help people. Isn't that what Keybladers do?"
Gillick's eyes narrowed into a furious glare. "I don't like having my questions answered with questions," he snapped, "but I will correct you. I'm not here to help; I thought you were actually someone worth my time." No reason to tell the bastard exactly who he'd thought he was. "Since you're not, I see no reason to stay." He turned and began to leave, but didn't dare sheath his sword just yet. The moment he did, Xuren's Keyblade would be in his back.
"That's it? You're just running away from a fight?" Xuren's voice lilted with mocking. Gillick's grip on his sword tightened and he gritted his teeth. He hated being called a coward. "Well, I guess it's to be expected, considering what you are." He continued to walk with stiff-legged control towards the boundaries of the village. "Well? Do you have anything to say, armor-less?"
What self-control he had shattered. With a cry of fury, he whipped around and swung his sword towards Xuren's head. The Keyblader managed to duck away just in time to avoid losing his head.
The other's Keyblade made contact with his midsection. "Such a temper," he taunted, eyes glittering with crazed delight.
"Shut up," Gillick snarled, already recovered from the blow and lunging in towards his opponent.
The two weapons met once more. Gillick pulled back slightly before launching into a string of fierce strikes, all focused with the intent of simply over-powering his opponent. Xuren raised his Keyblade to block the blows. He seemed confident he could ward off all of his opponent's blows.
Gillick was determined to show him just how wrong he was.
He lifted his sword above his head to land a powerful downward strike on his opponent's skull. Xuren quickly lifted his Keyblade to block this blow. Instead of bringing the weapon down straight, however, Gillick swung it in an arc out to the side, bringing it in so that it cut at the Keyblader's side.
Light flashed suddenly as Xuren's hand flew to the panel hidden beneath the shawl sprawled across his shoulders. A loud metallic clang resounded through the half-destroyed village as Gillick's sword hit armor instead of flesh. His face contorted into a mask of frustration, and he jumped back a few paces.
If a helmet hadn't been covering his head, Gillick knew he'd see a smirk on his opponent's face. "Helpful to have armor, isn't it?"
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Gillick spat back, holding back as he tried to decide where the best place to attack would be.
He heard a snort come from within the confines of the helmet. "Do you really think you have a chance at beating me? The last time we battled was when you still used your Keyblade, and you lost."
"That was two years ago," Gillick growled. Gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands, he dashed forward, crying out, "And I don't need a Keyblade to be strong!"
Xuren was prepared to counter. However, Gillick had no intention of attacking with his sword just yet. Instead, he ducked low as the dark Keyblader's weapon whistled through the air. The other man stumbled, caught off guard when his Keyblade met with no resistance. Gillick quickly kicked out a foot, pulling the other's feet out from under him completely. As the man fell, he quickly began to roll away, slashing his sword upwards as he did, slamming it into the armor and leaving a dent. As his opponent went sprawling through the dirt, he rolled back to his feet, jumping up in an instant with his sword raised in both hands to bring it down forcefully.
He was met by a glancing blast of lightning. It seared his side, sending pain through him. His eyes widened, but he made no sound, instead trying to right himself as he was thrown off balance.
Xuren was pushing himself up from where he'd fallen. "Why don't you use magic to heal yourself?" he taunted. "Oh, right, you can't; that's a power of the Keyblade."
Gillick gritted his teeth against his anger, dashing forward once more. Xuren launched off a flurry of blizzard spells. He tried to duck away from them, managing a few but finding himself unable to do so for all. He ignored the new pain that ran through him and focused on finding an opening as Xuren continued to fire off spells. He can't continue this forever. Eventually, the spells will have to recharge. Unfortunately, they were beginning to take their toll on him as he dashed in a mad circle around his opponent.
Xuren's assault stopped suddenly. Gillick's eyes flared. Now! And he lunged forward.
The dark Keyblader had obviously seen the attack coming, for he raised his weapon to parry the blows that were sent his way. However, what he obviously hadn't anticipated was how much stronger the former Keyblader had become over the last two years. He only managed to block a few blows before the black haired boy managed to launch a blow that forced his arm back, catching him off balance.
That was all the opening Gillick needed.
He struck quickly and fiercely, pounding at the other's armor. At first, his attacks did little more than dent the protective covering. Then they began to send pieces of it flying, revealing cloth and flesh beneath them. He could see blood beginning to well from the new wounds that were rapidly appearing across the dark Keyblader's now-unprotected skin.
Unfortunately, Xuren's magic seemed to be recharged. He swung his Keyblade upwards, the weapon coated in flames. Gillick grunted in pain as the weapon hit him, unbalancing him slightly. The brief lull in the onslaught was enough for Xuren to call up a ring of fire that forced Gillick back.
For a few moments, the two simply glared at each other, panting. "It seems…you've gotten stronger," Xuren growled.
"Obviously," Gillick responded, tensing as he steeled himself to go back into the fight.
"Well, let's see if you can hold up then, shall we? Wouldn't want to break my toy too early."
The comment sent Gillick's blood burning and caused his legs to send him flying forwards. Xuren lunged forward to meet him.
Their weapons met in a flurry of sparks. For a few moments, the two struggled against each other, trying to force past the other's defenses. When both proved unable to do so, they pulled their blades back, before each sent out their own flurry of strikes.
They exchanged blows, one weapon always meeting the other as it flew to strike. It was causing no small amount of frustration for either of the warriors.
Gillick was quickly growing annoyed with his lack of success at striking his opponent. So he decided to try something different.
He waited until Xuren's blade was coming at him. Then, instead of blocking, he simply took a few paces backwards. Xuren's Keyblade slashed the air just in front of him, the slash resulting in nothing more than a blast of air. Then Gillick lashed out his sword, once more aiming for his opponent's head.
Xuren ducked away, but was not quite able to avoid to blow completely. The sword hit the man's helmet with such force that it flew off. It bounced through the dirt, with its owner falling to his knees. The attack may not have dealt the final blow, but it had certainly stunned him.
Now it was time to finish.
Gillick raised his sword once more, intending the decapitate the man who kneeled before him. "No," Xuren growled. Though still seemingly disoriented, he managed to swing out his Keyblade. If it had just been the weapon, Gillick could have easily stopped the blow.
However, what flew from the Keyblade were razors of darkness. He had no way to counter these attacks, and was forced to endure them as they battered his skin, causing blood - his own blood - to fly from the places they struck. A cry of pain finally tore itself from his lips.
When the assault stopped, he found that his legs were shaking. He jabbed his sword into the ground, using it to try and keep himself upright. Before him, Xuren was beginning to pull himself away. Going to hide somewhere and lick his wounds, no doubt. Gillick didn't have the energy to stop him.
Trying to remain upright proved to be a vain effort. His legs gave out beneath him. His hands slipped from his sword. And as he fell towards the ground, he also fell into darkness…and the memory it brought with it.
"That wasn't very nice."
The eyes of the senior Keyblader turned towards the young form of Gillick. "What?"
"I said that wasn't nice," Gillick replied, wondering if the man was hard of hearing. "You aren't supposed to ask for stuff for saving people."
"And why not?" the man asked. "We save them, so they should show their thanks."
"But that's not what a Keyblader does," Gillick argued, his hands balling into fists.
"Listen to this kid!" the older Keyblader snorted. "Who do you think you are, telling a senior Keyblader how to act?"
"Who do you think you are," Gillick retorted, "being a bully?"
The man's face contorted with fury. "That's it!" he snarled, summoning his Keyblade and bringing it down towards the boy. Gillick raised his arms, but refused to move his ground.
A bright flash of light suddenly burst around them. Gillick stumbled and fell as the man's Keyblade made impact, but there was a loud clang instead of extreme pain. He felt a new weight in his right hand as the older Keyblader gasped, "Impossible!"
Gillick slowly opened his eyes. The blue orbs flared wide almost immediately. Clutched in his hand was a Keyblade. The weapon was white, its guard made to look like angel wings. The teeth had a strange, archaic design to them. The shaft was composed of three lines of metal. The Keychain looked like a dragon that was curled up into a tight ball.
The older Keyblader's mouth was opening and closing rapidly in shock. "But…how did…?"
"What did you think you were doing, attacking my apprentice?" a voice suddenly said from somewhere behind Gillick.
The other man paled. "M-Master Tollun!" he stammered.
Gillick looked up at the face of his master. The man jerked his head to the side, silver eyes narrowed in anger as he stared at the Keyblader. "Leave." He was quick to obey.
As Tollun turned his gaze to his apprentice, however, the hard look in his eyes softened. "You've gotten you're Keyblade." Gillick nodded, stunned into silence. Tollun knelt down next to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "That means you're ready for your armor, Gillick. You're ready to join the fight."
The words jolted the boy out of his excited surprise. "Fight? But…I'm too young…"
He thought he saw a flicker of annoyance in his master's eyes. However, it was gone so quickly that he wondered if he'd imagined it. "Summoning your Keyblade for the first time is a sign that someone is ready to become a full fledged Keyblader. I did when I got mine." Unable to argue against that, Gillick simply nodded meekly. "Now, Gillick, the armor you will get is very important. It signifies your status as a true Keyblader. If a Keyblader ever does something bad enough, they will be stripped of it, since their Keyblade cannot be taken away. It is the greatest disgrace of all." He forced his young apprentice's eyes to meet his. "Gillick, never become one of the armor-less."
And there's the end of chapter seven. Review, please?