This is chapter thirty - eight. Thank you caitlinkeitorin and Eddie Camp for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Thirty - Eight: Breaking In
"Alright, everyone, quiet down and listen up!"
Gillick rolled his eyes at Silver's barked command, but didn't make a comment on it. He, along with Mala, Riun, and three other Silver Fang warriors were gathered in the forest outside the Silver Fang's encampment. Silver stood before them, ready to issue the command that would take them to the Dark Army's stronghold.
Silver surveyed the small band. "Here's what we do. We'll slip quietly towards the stronghold, keeping close together. When we arrive, we'll split into three groups." She looked first towards the two mages of the group. "Jish. Riun. You two will be using your magic to attack from long range and draw the outer guards' attention."
"I'll see to it, Mistress," Jish responded. He was one of two non-human members of the group, and more or less resembled a bipedal cat with clothing.
Silver turned towards two of the other Silver Fang. "Gig. Wurlo. You two are the second group. If there are any guards that the mages can't draw off while we're together, you two will take care of that."
"Yes, ma'am!" both responded in unison, saluting. Gillick hadn't been able to help frowning at Silver's choice of bringing those two. Though he didn't know either very well, he didn't think a technician and a Moogle would be very well suited for going up against the Dark Army.
"If the mages can take all the guards," Silver continued, "then you two will stick with my group until we get inside. From there, we'll split up and search the interior. Speaking of my group…" She turned her eyes towards the only two she had yet to name. "Gillick. Mala. You're with me."
"Yes, ma'am," Mala replied hurriedly. Gillick didn't respond. He still wasn't happy about the mission.
Silver nodded. "Once inside, we're to do anything and everything we can to cause some problems for the Dark Army. We're to leave without a trace. If you get caught, make sure the enemy doesn't get any information."
"Meaning kill yourself," Gillick clarified sourly.
Silver gave him a look. "If necessary, yes." Gillick snorted and looked away. He could feel Silver still watching him as she continued. "Now, then, let's move out."
The moment the group of seven set out, Gillick hurried up to where Silver was walking in the lead, causing a few nervous whispers from the older members of the Silver Fang. "This is crazy. What do you think seven people can do?"
"Cause a few problems," Silver responded. "It's not like we're going up against the entire Dark Army."
You don't know where we're going, Gillick thought grimly. Knowing how close others were getting to the truth of his past, however, he chose not to make the comment. Instead, he chose to retort, "How do you know it isn't a main base? What if it's filled with Keybladers, and we're walking right into their hands?"
"Unlike your attempt on the Light Army," Silver replied calmly, "my plans have been carefully structured. I've had several Silver Fang running out to spy on this building over the past week. They've brought back sufficient data to validate a small assault."
So made it sound so simple. It made him sick. But seeing he wouldn't get anywhere this way, he switched tactics. "Then why put Mala in with us? She's a long range fighter; shouldn't she be with the mages?"
"Didn't you mention she was a thief?" Silver hissed back. "Those skills will be useful once we get inside. Now get back in line, unless you want to be doing…unpleasant duties for the next month."
Gillick didn't really plan on doing them, even if he was ordered, but decided he'd rather not deal with the resulting drama and feel back. Fine. If she won't listen to me, I can come up with my own plan. He closed his eyes briefly, bringing up what he knew about this stronghold from the depths of his memory.
'Prison' would be a better word for it than 'stronghold' or 'base', he decided. Or 'torture chamber'. He hadn't been there much during his time in the Dark Army, but it was mandatory that each Keyblader pay the place at least one visit. He'd come back twice after, to deliver prisoners. He hadn't been allowed to explore it fully, and, at that point, hadn't been brave enough to try and risk being caught. Still, he'd seen enough. He'd seen the Keybladers that'd been sent there; they were specifically chosen for their sadistic nature and trained in various ways of torture and interrogation. Several who were stationed there had informed him that Xuren had served there for several years before being elevated to general status. None of them were Keybladers that any sane person would chose to mess with.
He remembered the dungeons the most clearly. The condition of the prisoners was never good, and they were often crammed into several cells together. He'd been fairly desensitized by that time, but he'd still felt a small stab of pity for the people who'd gotten themselves into this mess.
He hadn't seen the torture chambers, but he'd heard the screams coming from them.
Gillick's amber eyes narrowed. Even most of the Dark Army Keybladers dislike coming here. He had been one of them. The conviction that Silver was leading them to their deaths became stronger than ever. So I'll have to find a way to save our sorry asses. Great. He was liking the idea of working with people less and less.
But he was here now, and he didn't really feel like dying. Reluctantly, he admitted he didn't want Mala and Riun to die, either; he didn't think he could really call him 'friends', but they'd proved themselves valuable allies. He wasn't sure he wanted Silver to die, either; he wasn't sure how much he liked her, but he did have a grudging respect for the female warrior. He didn't really know the other three, but he supposed he had to save them, too.
So how are all of us going to get out? Their chances seemed slim. Riun and Jish will already be outside the walls, so if anything happens, hopefully they can run. I don't know where Gig and Wurlo will end up; hopefully outside. I don't want to have to search for those two. He frowned, still going over his options. Well, Silver's right about one thing; Mala's skills as a thief will come in handy. Hopefully she can help us sneak around and find ways to get us out. Then he snorted. But she won't be much use if the Keybladers attack. She can barely get enough guts to face normal enemies; if those sadists find us, it'll be me and Silver against who-knows-how-many. He shook his head, not liking where this was going. Damn it! Everything's going to be left up to chance. Then again, it wasn't that much different than his assault on the Light Army's base.
…That thought was not comforting.
Unless Silver really is the Knight. The thought came unbidden, and he glanced up to where the woman was walking. He'd had his suspicions before, but had put them aside after he'd learned that she was fighting against the Keybladers. It was true he didn't know much about the Knight; the only time he'd faced the creature had been long ago, when he was a young Keyblader in the Light Army. And…perhaps in that town…? …No, he didn't dare try and think of that again. But I've heard about this thing from Mala and Riun, and seen places attacked by it. If she's the Knight… His amber eyes flickered uneasily. We wouldn't have anything to worry about…but at what price?
Silver stopped abruptly, jerking him out of his train of thought. Annoyed, he looked ahead to see what was causing the hold up. Just in front of them the trees began to thin out and the form of the Dark Army prison appeared. Great. We're here, he thought sarcastically.
"Everyone in position," Silver ordered.
"I don't remember you ever telling us 'positions'," Gillick commented dryly.
Silver glared at him. "With your group," she hissed.
"Yeah, and where will my group be?" Gillick retorted. "Or are we just going to walk in the front door and save them the trouble of hunting us down?"
Silver snorted. "Of course we're not going in the front entrance. My scouts found a side entrance we can sneak in." Silver glanced at Jish and Riun. "You two stay here and await my signal." Jish nodded calmly. Riun tried and put on a brave face and copy, but his fear still shone through. Then Silver led the two remaining groups off through the undergrowth.
The group of five traveled as silently as possible until Silver brought them to a halt by stopping and raising her hand. Gillick glanced past her to see a small, square door in the side of the stone building. It's not very well hidden, he thought, frowning. He wondered why they'd do something like that, and glanced towards Silver. She seemed smart most of the time. She could tell something was wrong, couldn't she?
Silver watched the door for a few moments, then turned her head and lifted her arm. And they're supposed to see that through the trees? Gillick thought, incredulous. Then magic was flying from the mages' hiding place towards the tower, and Gillick rolled his eyes. Apparently.
"Go," Silver hissed quietly, signaling with her hands. The five moved quickly after her, still attempting to be as quiet as possible, though, in their hurry, were less successful than before. Silver pulled open the door, which left Gillick even more suspicious; normally, doors would be locked, especially in a place like this. What game were these Keybladers playing at?
Silver ushered the four through ahead of her. Gillick gauged their expressions as they went. Gig and Wurlo seemed unfazed, obviously having complete faith that their leader would get them out of trouble. Idiots. Mala, on the other hand, looked even more nervous than she had at the beginning of their mission. She may be a coward, but she's not stupid, he decided silently. He followed her, not bothering to hide his expression and instead trying to focus on finding any suspicious entity around the area.
The five made it inside the stronghold without too much trouble. Silver nodded to Gig and Wurlo, then turned and headed away, leading Mala and Gillick down one of the hallways.
"Are you sure we can trust her?" Mala hissed to Gillick.
"I'm not worried about how trust-worthy she is," he responded quietly. "I'm worried about her getting us killed with this dumb move."
"But…you aren't suspicious of her…at all?" Mala prompted.
He snorted quietly. "I thought you trusted everyone you met."
"You won't live very long like that," Mala retorted.
"Really? You didn't seem to have any trouble trusting the Keybladers or Riun or the Moogles."
"That's different," Mala insisted. "Riun's just a kid. The Moogles…well, they helped us, right? I still kept an eye on them. And the Keybladers…were supposed to be good." She fell into a sad silence.
Gillick, for once, decided to try and hide his exasperation with her. "Alright, listen, I don't know if you can trust her, but you can trust me. Got that?"
Mala looked at him in surprise. "You?"
"Don't sound so shocked," he growled, rolling his eyes. "I'm just doing this to get us out of here alive, that's all."
"And you don't think I can?" Mala responded hotly, seeming to hardly remember to keep her voice down.
"No." He met her gaze calmly. "You may be good at sneaking around, but when it comes to a fight, that's it. You're done. And face facts, Mala, you're more trusting than the average thief should be; I don't know why or how, but you are. If you plan to get out of here, then you're going to have to trust me to help."
"Then the same goes for you," Mala responded. "You'll have to trust me to find the paths to get us out."
He noticed Silver looking back at them, motioning them forward urgently with curiosity glittering in her gaze. "And I guess we have to trust her, too," Gillick sighed.
He decided he was sick of all this talk of trust and continued forward with his two companions in silence.
"Sir, someone's entered through the side entrance."
The Keyblader in charge of the torture house nodded and smirked, deep amber eyes glittering. "I knew it was a good idea to set that up," he purred. "Are those magic strings of yours still attached to them?"
"It hurts that you doubt me," the other Keyblader replied.
"Then why don't you go find our visitors?" the master of the stronghold suggested. "We should give them a proper welcome."
The Keyblader before him smiled slightly, bowing. "I was hoping you'd say that, sir."
That's the end of chapter thirty - eight. Review, please?