Tales of a Lost Sword 5

It's winter break, so I'm on a writing rampage. It feels good to write again; I haven't written anything other than academic papers for ages. So here's a new chapter of ToaLS…for the two or so readers I have left.

Episode 5 Penetrate the Fortress of Anti-Hybrids
Kunai kneels down on the freshly rain-soaked grass. A few drops of rainwater drip down on him from a tree’s overhanging bough above. The droplets of water run down the front of his Dark Identity, and fall back onto the blades of grass below.

In front of Kunai are two unmarked gravestones. Kunai stares gravely at the two stones, his form rigid, not a sound escaping from his lips.

A set of footsteps sounds from behind Kunai. Without speaking, Ophelia comes to a stop several feet away from Kunai’s back. She bites her finger nervously. “Um, excuse me—”

However, Kunai does not reply, and Ophelia’s voice trails off into silence. Making another effort, Ophelia opens her mouth again. “Um, do you know whose graves are these?”

Kunai suddenly stands up. He turns to face Ophelia, his eyes dark and cold. “Yeah,” he replies in a low voice, “I knew them.”

Without another word, Kunai walks away, his footsteps gliding along the soft tufts of soaked grass beneath him. Ophelia turns to watch Kunai depart gloomily.

Suddenly, Ryuu emerges from behind a nearby tree. He places a firm hand on Ophelia’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about Kunai, Ophelia. We’ll definitely get your sister back.”

“Mira used to stare at these two graves all day too. I was just wondering if there was something special about them…” Ophelia murmurs in reply.

Ryuu’s face becomes serious, the lines on his face darkening. “They’re here to commemorate two people that were lost five years ago.”

“Were they precious to Kunai?”

“Yeah,” Ryuu answers in a tender voice, “they were precious to the both of us.”

A moment of silence follows. Suddenly, Ryuu hoists up his sword at his side. “At any rate, Kunai and I will be heading off now for the Anti-Hybrid League’s base. We’ll have your sister back in no time.”

Ryuu turns and walks away as well, his green eyes dark. Ophelia watches Ryuu walk away as well. Suddenly, she steps forward. “Um—!”

Ryuu stops and glances over his shoulder. “Something wrong?”

“Please let me come with you!” Ophelia pleads.

Ryuu sighs. “Forget it. It’s far too dangerous for us to take you.”

“Right…” Ophelia murmurs gloomily as Ryuu disappears through the trees of the Ellinian Forest.

Kunai stands silently at the head of a huge cliff overlooking the mountains of Perion. Behind him, the vast forests of Ellinia sway solemnly as a soft breeze flows by. A sound of crunching rock draws Kunai’s attention. Ryuu comes to a halt just behind him.

“You ready, Kunai?” Ryuu asks.

“Yeah,” Kunai replies grimly, “let’s get this done.”

Ryuu joins Kunai at the edge of the cliff, looking down into the massive valleys and canyons that make up Perion. “We’ll be cutting past Perion. According to the intel I’ve been receiving from my spies, the Anti-Hybrid League’s base is located somewhere in the L Forest outside Kerning.”

“Let’s go then,” Kunai rasps, leaping off the cliff and dashing into the valley below.

Ryuu stares after Kunai’s retreating back for several moments, before leaping off the cliff himself.

‘We’ll definitely triumph this time, and not just against Lord Duncan…’

A stranger sits at the edge of a bed in a darkened room. An aura of black, cloud-like material hovers around him. The material moves through the air ceaselessly, circling his arms. At last the black matter solidifies, becoming part of the stranger’s hand. He flexes his hand, a smirk crawling across his face.

“I don’t know what the hell’s doing this…but I can feel its power crawling through me.” He rises to his feet and grabs a massive sword lying beside the bed. “Stronger…stronger…I’M BECOMING STRONGER!”

The red-haired Corsair steps into the dark hallway, his footsteps echoing as he saunters towards the throne sitting at the very end of the hall. He cradles his rifle by his side.

“I’m back, Lord Duncan,” Soma sneers.

An ominous wind blows through the abandoned L Forests between Kerning City and Lith Harbor. Ryuu and Kunai stand side by side at the crest of a hill overlooking a massive, sprawling fortress built out of stone below.

Kunai sniffs the air. “Salty current coming from Lith Harbor.”

“The hell if I care,” Ryuu growls, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword just in case. “Get ready, Kunai. We’re gonna storm this place with all we’ve got.”

“Yeah,” Kunai replies grimly, leaping after Ryuu towards the entrance of the fortress.

Immediately, the two companions are intercepted by two Bandits carrying Gepharts. “This is the headquarters of the Anti-Hybrid League. What do you two want?”

Ryuu and Kunai glance at each other, nodding solemnly. Within seconds, the two guards collapse to their knees, one with his head sliced cleanly off and the other with a Steely stuck between his eyes.

“Just like old times, huh, Kunai?” Ryuu grins, as he and Kunai run right through the wooden doors and dash into the hallway inside.

“Yeah,” Kunai smirks in agreement. He suddenly turns his head, glancing backwards. “I hear footsteps behind. You go on ahead, Ryuu. I’ll take care of this myself.”

Ryuu nods, a thin smile flitting across his lips. “Whatever you say, Kunai.” Without another word, he dashes off, his flaming sword dancing in the semi-darkness of the hallway.

A group of five bandits arrives at the scene. Kunai grabs two Steelys and plants one each in two of the bandits. He pulls a back flip in the air as the rest of the bandits swipe at him with their daggers. With blinding speed, Kunai flies past the remaining three bandits, stabbing each one in the chest. The three bandits fall to their knees, knocked out cold.

Kunai turns to glare at the fallen enemies behind him. Coldly, he walks away, bouncing into another adjacent hallway leading out of the main entrance.

Kunai dashes down a darkened hallway, his eyes darting left and right in anticipation of an ambush by the enemy. He cradles a Steely in his fist, ready to strike if necessary. Yet as he darts down the passageway, all remains strangely silent.

All of a sudden, footsteps sound behind Kunai. He turns immediately and fires the Steely. Soma Vesta deflects the Steely nonchalantly with his rifle. A demonic grin is planted on his face, made worse by the fiery red hair dangling over his eyes.

Kunai lowers his hand, still raised from the follow through of his attack. He narrows his eyes. “You again,” he growls. He reaches towards his side for another Steely.

Soma bursts into a loud cackle. “Is that all you can say? ‘You again?’” he mocks. “Why do ya keep throwin’ those little knives at me? Show me your sword, Kunai!”

The Corsair steps to his side, avoiding an Avenger hurled at him by Kunai. He glances at the hulking shuriken as it lays on the ground, useless. “Tsk, tsk. Ya don’t throw weapons at someone when he’s talkin’. Didn’t your mother ever teach ya some manners? Oh wait, she’s dead.”

In a flash, Kunai brings another Avenger crashing into the Corsair. Soma raises his rifle again, blocking the Avenger with it. The two struggle for several moments, their weapons locked against each other. Soma stares down at Kunai with those manic eyes of his.

“Ya gotta learn t’be more patient.”

Without warning, Kunai falls to the ground, his side whipped by the butt of Soma’s sword as he passes him. His eyes widen, but before he can even turn, Soma fires a shot straight into his back.

However, Kunai rises, leaping at Soma, rage in his eyes. He summons another Avenger, and swings at Soma violently with it. But Soma merely takes a few steps backward, parrying the Avenger easily with his rifle. “You’re way too slow, y’know? I’m getting’ bored of this.”

With another flash, Soma appears on Kunai’s opposite side again, firing a shot this time into Kunai’s foot. Blood splatters out onto the floor. Kunai falls to his knees again, this time groveling in pain.

“This should do it,” Soma murmurs. He fires another shot into Kunai’s hand, causing the Hermit to scream out in pain.

Silently, Soma lowers his rifle and smacks Kunai across the back of the head with it, knocking him out cold. The Corsair roughly picks up Kunai by his hair, staring at the unconscious Hermit with a look of disgust on his face. “I’d finish ya, but Lord Duncan wants a few words with ya first.”

Several loud yells and screams reach the prison cell where Mira is held captive. She turns her head slightly towards the source of the noise outside, but even that small action produces a blinding flash of pain across her head. She lowers her face, biting her lips as she waits for the burst of pain to subside.

Mira opens her eyes again slowly, staring down at the dank floor below her. The yells progressively grow louder, as footsteps and even the sound of metal clashing against metal rises in the air.

“What’s…going on outside?” she whispers.

Suddenly, the doors into the prison clang open with a rattle. A pair of guards step into the dark room, carrying with them an unconscious Hermit on their shoulders. They file past Mira’s cell without a word, and then fling the Hermit into an adjacent cell next to Mira’s.

Still without speaking, the guards leave the room, their job completed. Mira stares at the concrete wall to her right, eyes widened. ‘What’s going on…?’

The sound of the Hermit stirring suddenly reaches Mira’s ears. With another glance at the entrance to make sure the guards have disappeared past them, Mira summons her remaining strength into a yell. “Hey…Hey! Who are you, and what is going on?”

Blood splatters onto the floor in the adjacent cell. Mira cringes slightly at the sound.

On the other side, Kunai wipes his mouth, grabbing his head with his uninjured hand. “Dammit…”

“Hey! Answer me!” Mira cries. “What’s going on here?!”

Kunai stares, his head swiveling around as he attempts to locate the source of the voice. He finally places it in the cell behind him. He turns in his seat on a wooden bench, leaning against the concrete wall separating his cell from Mira’s.

“Another prisoner…? By any chance, you wouldn’t be Ophelia’s sister, would you?!”

Mira’s eyes widen at the sound of the name. “Yes…yes! Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“I came to rescue you.”

“Good job with that then,” Mira scoffs. “I suppose getting captured was part of your plan? You still haven’t told me your name.”

“It’s Kunai,” Kunai replies irritably, “and prisoners have no right to complain when they’re being rescued.”

“By the sounds of it, you’re in need of rescue just as much as I am,” Mira returns.

Kunai grimaces. ‘Dammit, she’s right… When did I become so slow and weak? Ever since I lost the power to use Myou…no, I can’t think about that.’

Kunai clears his throat. “Listen, I’m gonna break us out of here. I came with Ryuu, and he’ll—”

“Headmaster Ryuu?!” Mira cries.

“Y-Yeah,” Kunai answers. “But listen, I’ll get us out of here, and then we’ll have to meet up with Ryuu again. Once we do we’ll be able to leave this place and hopefully never come back.”

“But how are you gonna do that? They took your weapon.”

“Like this.” Kunai reaches under his jacket, and draws out a Sai dagger that had been hidden there. He rises to his feet, and with a decisive stroke, slices his cell door clean open. The metal bars fall to the ground with a clang.

Kunai calmly steps out of the cell, and approaches Mira’s. He does the same to her cell door, breaking it open. He strides up to the girl, and slashes the chains binding her to the wall.

“A dagger?”

“Yeah,” Kunai replies, his eyes glinting slightly in the narrow band of sunlight streaming in through the window in Mira’s cell.

Mira’s eyes widen. “You’re a hybrid too, aren't you?!”

“Yeah,” Kunai answers again. He turns towards the entrance to the prison. “Now let’s get out of here.”