Here's chapter twelve. Thank you Draconet, Eddie Camp, SilverKing32, Oishii Hanashi, UmmeiNinja, and Kamen Rider Ebon for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Twelve: Retaliation
Riun blinked open blue eyes to morning sunlight. He yawned, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. He looked around, seeing the shapes of the Moogles huddled all around the forest area. The Chocobo was sleeping further off in the trees.
He remembered the events from the previous day with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Mala had run off, he'd nearly been killed, and he'd discovered Gillick didn't align himself with the Dark Army. Well, he supposed he didn't align himself with the Light Army, either, but he found the concept of choosing not to be affiliated with either side strange. On the other hand, the Dark Army leader had realized he, Riun, wasn't bad, and he got to travel with Gillick.
The thought of the boy he considered a hero made him frown. He hadn't seen him yet. He stood, thinking that perhaps he'd simply decided that he'd sleep away from the others. After all, he didn't seem to be a very social person. As he looked, however, he could find no trace of him.
As Riun continued to search, some of the Moogles began to stir. "What's wrong, kupo?" one asked drowsily.
"Gillick's missing," Riun replied, looking at them with worried eyes.
Two of the Moogles exchanged glances. "It doesn't seem that surprising to me, kupo."
"But…he's going to teach me to be a hero!" Riun protested.
"Don't hold your breath, kupo."
Riun continued his search nervously. Had something happened during the night? Was he captured? Where had Gillick gone?
Gillick trudged along wearily. He blinked, trying to push back his exhaustion. He knew he should've tried to get some sleep before he left; however, if he'd waited until the sun had cleared the sky, it would've been much harder for him to get away. Still, the fight from the previous day and getting next to no sleep didn't bode well. It was probably the reason why he couldn't even remember half his journey.
He knew he had to continue his search for Silver. After all, he wasn't going to get paid her bounty if he came back without her. He didn't want Riun to tag along, knowing he'd simply be a liability. And he wasn't convinced the Moogles wouldn't ask for anything as payment for helping him; that was generally what happened. However, at the moment, he'd decided finding Silver could wait.
He was growing sick of the Armies always trying to push others around, and attacking when things didn't go their way. It had frustrated him before, but up until now, they'd mostly left him alone after he defected. Now…now, he was going to get back at them.
He knew a Light Army base that was near here, stationed in the mountains that he could see up ahead from amidst the fading woodland. The Light Army hadn't launched a full - out assault on him yet, true, but that didn't matter to him; he simply wanted to get the message across that he wouldn't just be beaten into submission. So he decided he'd storm the base, batter a few Keybladers, and be on his way.
…He was hoping it'd be that simple.
He sighed, exhaustion muddling his thoughts as he arrived at the base of the mountains. He looked up, trying to force his tired mind to create some sort of logical plan for entrance. A part of him informed him that a direct assault on the front gate would not be a wise choice; he knew from his time in the Light Army that it'd be heavily guarded, and he also knew he was in no state to try and take on that many head on. It took him a few moments to call up a mental map of the fortress. There was a back route, he thought, but discarded that idea. That route would still be heavily guarded. There were also secret escapes. Those, on the other hand, would be unguarded. After all, the routes were meant to remain hidden, only to be used when members of the Light Army needed to leave undetected. Deciding on which one would be the closest, he began to make his way up the mountains.
He knew as he climbed, however, that he'd still have to remain hidden. He tried to force his mind to concentrate, positioning himself behind rocks so that anyone watching from the fortress wouldn't see him on his way up. He tried to skate the barren spots as quickly as he could. The process was long and somewhat painstaking, but he eventually managed to get to a point close to the base.
The next problem would be getting to the secret entrance. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his blurring vision, and watched the base carefully from behind his rock. From here, he could see two guards stationed at the front gate. He didn't know if there were any more in hiding or not. His eyes searched for a route to his chosen entrance that would allow him to remain hidden. His lips twisted into a frown when he saw that, whatever path he chose, he'd have trouble remaining unseen. Still, he hadn't expected it to be easy.
Gillick took a deep breath, then shot out from behind his current hiding spot to another rock. He paused as he reached it, listening for sounds of alarm. When nothing came, he made a dash for another, in this way slowly making his way forward.
Then the rocks ended. He narrowed his eyes, seeing the barren stretch of rock and gravel that stretched out before him to the hidden entrance. He rested a few moments, trying to coerce his mind into helping him come up with a plan that didn't involve him running unguarded across the open expanse. After a few moments, it responded, providing an answer; the shadows. He glanced to the sheer cliff that stretched to an area near where the base was. The shadows along its edge could help to hide him until he got to the base.
He shot to the cliff face, pressing himself to the bare rock to try and hide in the deepest shadows possible. He waited a few seconds, watching the guards warily. When neither moved, he began to edge forward. He moved slowly, knowing any abrupt movement here would attract the guard's attention. What he didn't notice, however, was the rock that his foot sent skittering across the ground. He froze, holding his breath as the guards' heads jerked towards him at the sound. After a few moments, they turned their heads away, and he released his breath, silently chastising himself for his carelessness. He edged the remainder of the way along the cliff, then made a quick dash to the side of the base.
It didn't take long for Gillick to find the entrance. For those who didn't know where it was, it would be difficult to discover with its camouflage. However, for one who had once been a part of the Light Army, it took no effort at all. He quickly opened the small, metal door. Getting down on his stomach, he squeezed into the small space, arms stretched before him to help pull him forward.
He was grateful that the small tunnel didn't go far before it opened into a secluded hallway. He stood quickly when he emerged from the cramped space, then headed down the hallway towards where it would meet one of the main hallways. Now that he was in, he figured it would be simple enough, provided he stayed awake; wait in the hidden hallway until some Keybladers passed by, then jump out and attack them. After he'd defeated them, he'd leave them with a message to leave him be, and leave the way he'd come. He was a little concerned with getting away, but figured it wouldn't prove too troublesome, now that he knew a good path.
He waited in the shadows of the smaller hallway, listening for the sound of footsteps or voices coming towards him. The minutes stretched by, and he found his head sometimes falling down against his chest, eyes starting to fall closed. He jerked his head up quickly whenever this happened, trying his best to stay awake. He was relieved when he finally heard the sound of footsteps and quiet chatter coming his way. He reached one hand up slowly, grasping the hilt of his sword. He waited as the footsteps neared. It wasn't until he first caught a glimpse of the people coming down the hallway that he lunged forward, sword sliding out of its sheath.
The Keybladers he ran into were too startled by his sudden appearance to retaliate. The flat of his blade collided with the chest of the first one, causing him to stumble backwards. He spun his blade so that its edge now faced the Keybladers, slashing at him and leaving bloody streaks across his chest. He kicked him aside with one foot. The point was to injure, not kill. If they were dead, they'd be unable to relay his message.
By now, the other Keybladers had recovered from the surprise of the attack. One lunged towards him, summoning her Keyblade. "How'd you get in here?" she hissed as he blocked her strike with his own weapon.
"Why should I tell you?" Gillick asked in response. He pulled back, allowing her to stumble forward, and ducked into a low spin, sweeping her legs out from under her.
"You…I know you!" another Keyblader cried. "You're Gillick Nogard!"
"Very perceptive," came the sarcastic response.
The Keybladers converged on him again. There weren't many; that boded well for him. He lifted his blade up to parry their blows.
However, what he didn't figure into his plans was fatigue slowing his reflexes.
One Keyblade struck his sword. Another landed on his shoulder. His breath hissed out from between his teeth. He pulled his sword away and dragged it across one of the Keyblader's legs. The man let out a cry of pain, falling to his knees. He brought his sword up to block a blow, and was unnerved to find that he was just barely quick enough. I hope I can do this fast, he thought. Taking too long in this fight will be the end of me. Steeling himself, he pressed on.
Gillick began to attack rapidly and powerfully, trying to beat back his opponents without giving them the chance to retaliate. It worked fairly well when he could focus on just one. However, when another attacked, he had to break his chain and try and focus on warding off his other assailant. He aimed at areas of the Keybladers that would distract them long enough for him to launch a counter-offensive.
He slashed his sword in a powerful sweep across all of their legs. The one, whose legs he'd already cut, was no longer able to stand. The one whose chest he'd slashed fell back, seemingly defeated. The youngest whimpered and tried to edge away from him. The girl that had spoken to him before fell to her knees, but still turned her head upwards to glare at him angrily. "Who do you think you are, coming in here and attacking us? We've done nothing to you!"
His eyes narrowed. "That's where your wrong," he hissed, thinking of all he'd gone through and seen when he was a member of the Light Army.
"Really?" came the sarcastic reply. "Enlighten me."
Gillick chose not to. Instead, he pointed the tip of his blade towards her. He heard footsteps coming towards them, and cursed under his breath. He'd have to make this quick. "Take this message to your leaders; I will not go down without a fight." He knew the message would make little sense to the Light Army, but at this point, he didn't care. He knew he needed to get back out of the passage as quickly as he could.
Suddenly something grabbed his leg. Startled and unbalanced, he fell forward, losing his grip on his sword. He looked behind him, seeing that the Keyblader had her hand wrapped around his leg. He jerked the limb free, scrambling forward to grab his sword.
By this time, the other Keybladers who'd come upon hearing the commotion appeared. "Block the exits!" one barked out.
What hope he had left died. There'd be no escape now. However, as he said, he would not go down without a fight.
Gillick lunged forward, slamming into a Keyblader full on. He gasped with surprise, the wind knocked out of him. Gillick then spun around, sword out to slash at the oncoming Keybladers. He kicked out, trying to force them back, his sword singing as it met Keyblades and flesh.
The adrenaline battle provided had worn completely off. His weapon felt heavy in his hands, and his mind felt sluggish. He tried to bring his sword up to block, but wasn't quick enough. He felt the sting of a Keyblade on his shoulder and stumbled forward. He couldn't right himself in time, and was suddenly being assaulted by several Keyblades at once. It was all he could do to drop suddenly to the ground and worm his way out beneath them, slashing at their legs as he came up in a vain attempt to disable them.
His breath came in ragged gasps as he faced the other Keybladers. He'd been a fool to come here. He should've at least rested. Should've just left it be. But he hadn't been able to. And now, he knew he'd pay the price.
It was his injuries that finally did him in. As a lightning spell hit him, he felt the wounds from his battle with Xuren crack open. His breath hissed out from between clenched teeth as pain suddenly shot through him, and he fell to one knee. As the Keybladers converged on him, he brought his sword up in a vain effort to block them. He felt the sting of the Keyblades as they pounded against him.
"Wait! Don't kill him!" At the barked command, the Keybladers backed away from him. His sword slipped from his hand, and he fell forward. In his fading consciousness, he heard the voice add, "He's more useful to us alive."
Then he knew no more.
There's the end of chapter twelve. Reviews are wonderful, if you want to give them.