Book Two: Vengeance, Chapter Seven-
Kaghane was a city of the just. Any and all villainy was thwarted within its walls. For any one of a wicked heart to even approach it would require the most dire of need. The black wings that Rei now bore in her hand signified that she was not one of these enemies. Two guards laid in wait at the citadel's doors for her departure. As she slid through a narrow crack in the gateway, the two greeted her with their spears but dismissed their weapons upon the gleam of the emblem.
"Well now," one of them said to the other, "this sure isn't common."
"Aye," responded the other, "it has been quite some time since anyone came through these doors without being empty handed."
"You weren't in there that long, lass," the first noticed. "Did you actually battle him? I don't think anyone has ever won that fast. Lose, maybe, but win?"
"Nay, lad, 'twas one," the second corrected. "An even longer time than ago than when we last saw a victor pass through these doors." He scratched his graying beard in aid of invoking thoughts. "Everyone remembers that day exactly. 'Twas just too odd a happening to just pass from memory. I had only been on the guard for a short number of days when he came, the madman. I can still recall-" He froze and in a flash readied his spear at Rei with wide, bewildered eyes. The man was seized by fear while the girl, with a blade mere inches from her face, calmly stood still. The other knight pulled the lance away.
"What has gotten into you?" The elder sentry was knocked back into sense.
"I- I don't know. Sorry, son," turning to Rei, rubbing his eyes, he apologized, "miss."
"Madam, there is no reason for you to stay with us now. You are free to stay or leave Kaghane." He cleared his throat. "And, er, I, too, want to apologize for my friend here." They turned to part. As they walked off, before they left her earshot, she overheard some of their conversation.
"I don't know what came over me," the one tried to explain. "I thought I saw a ghost..."
Rei lingered a while, not knowing what to do. She had to the freedom to explore the realm but did not know where she wanted to be. Scouring the landscape, she prayed some idea would come to her. As her eyes set upon a certain sight, she knew she had it. It was walls inside of the walls, the Dungeon of Kaghane. A kingdom founded so firmly on the disposal of evil was expected to have a prison to live up to the name, and Kaghane met and exceeded that expectation. The entire system lacked any and all doors and gates, literally making entry and escape impossible. The jailhouse acted as a city within the city, containing everything necessary to keep running without influence from the outside. The guards who worked within its bounds most nearly never left as well. The only way anything or anyone ever got in or out was through the sky, were the object in question would be flown by way of the open, unbarred regions of the courtyard's encasement.
Knowing that what she sought may lay inside its confines, her journey to reach the penitentiary started and took hours more than expected. The passageways of the kingdom wound and crossed in perplexing manners, making ease of passage near not. The citizens were not much help to her, being weary of a stranger asking about the prison even after they saw her badge. Even when she finally dawned upon a wall, it was of little help. The large, blank giant stood, mocking her futile efforts as she traced a path around it, attempting to find some sort of variation to its structure. Finally, in the middle of the south wall, a single, small station consisting of nothing more than a camera, a screen, and a handful of controls. After poking at them for a while, the screen lit up. The black and while image of an empty chair at a desk slowly grew into view. In the distance, an ironclad figure with rings of keys hanging from his belt walked by. In disbelief, he stared at the monitor. As if not trusting that it was on, he removed his helmet and went in for closer examination. Unkempt hair jutted out from all over his pale and pointy face, covering bulged eyes, became more evident as he struck the device on his side.
"Hello?" Rei's speaking startled the man, throwing him back where he almost lost his footing. He swayed his head from side to side, still confused.
"Y-y-you... contacted... here? I ... I had no idea this module still functioned," he went off, talking to himself. "Here, all these lonely, dank, miserable years, I thought the piece of trash was busted, but, lo and behold: it works! I'm just not important enough to be kept tabs on." His voice became frenzied as he ran his hands down his face. "To what do I owe this majestic visit from the outside this time?" The sarcasm in his voice could not be more. "Hmm? Do you have another poor soul you want me to cram in this already overstuffed, desolate wasteland to appease the sovereign? Is that it?" His eyes bulged more.
"... no," Rei responded sheepishly, frightened by the lunatic. "I just wanted to request information upon a possible occupant in your dungeon."
"You want me to tell you about the prisoners? What do I look like," he screamed in an enraged voice, "the freakin' warden?" He sneered with clenched teeth as Rei paused.
"... are you?" Caught off guard by her question, his surprised eyes slimmed down to a menacingly distrustful, narrow leer.
"Go on," he ordered.
"Somewhere around ten years ago, this land's hero had a late night encounter with some members of Rocket," asked the girl. "By any chance, were any of them detained?"
"No," he quickly, flat-out, and blatantly voiced.
"Aren't you suppose to check some sort of records?" He was growing annoyed at her persistent inquiries.
"Oh, fine then, your highness," he stated with the utmost disregard. He pulled a sheet of paper a piece of paper from off his desk and looked it over real quick. "No," he stated once more, "now go away."
"That's not even the where the records are cataloged," Rei fierily protested.
"Oh, and how would you know that?"
"It's blank," she pointed out.
"You," he froze, astounded, "you could tell that? Even through these devices?"
"Not really," she smiled, "but I know now."
"Oh, a sly one, are we? Very well," he said, turning to a nearby computer, "I'll check. But don't you think its for any reason. I'm just gettin' bored with you." He waited on the system and reported his findings to Rei. "Let's see here, the records have been pretty spotty for a while now, so you lucked out. Accordin' to this, the only scum incarcerated around that time was- whoa!" He turned to face the screen. "Why are you lookin' for John Doe?"
"Who's John Doe?"
"We dunno," he uselessly responded. "I only recognize he 'cuz he's never spoken a word ever since we brought him in. He just sits there and stares. Kinda creepy.
"Right," she slowly responded, staring at the bristly on her screen. "I have to speak with him. Let me in."
"Not so fast, little lady," he told. "You need clearance to have access to the prisoners. And, frankly, I don't even think you have clearance to be requestin' this info. You don't look like part of the guard." Rei revealed the champion's symbol. The warden rolled his eyes and bitterly responded, "Oh, wow! You have cruddy, little badge! Why don't I just hop right to carryin' you in and lettin' you free all the prisoners! Look here," he said with his regular, angry voice, "if you want in her, you need clearance from that high and mighty excuse for a leader. Alright?" At that, he slammed a button and the screen went off. Appalled by his rudeness, and the fact that she would have to venture all the way back to the citadel, she turned to leave. "One more thing," a voice rang out from behind her. It was the warden on the screen again. "Don't, eh... could you... not... tell him all the things I... said about him? Thanks. Bye." It went off again and, this time, for good.
As Rei reached the lumbering citadel door's once more, her attention was drawn skyward. The night air was filled with an organ's mystical symphony, pouring out from one of two grand towers. Her footsteps through the resonant chambers and long, spiraling staircase went unnoticed, covered by the dark, palatial aria. Pushing away a trapdoor, she found herself in vacuous quarters where candles lined every space along the walls. Surmounted by the instrument's pipes, the champion's back remained towards her as his fingers gracefully slid along the ivory keys uninhibited until Rei advanced. Her foot fell against the solid, stone floor between notes, alerting the player. Hitting a sour note, he tried to resume without letting his intruder know that he had perceived the presence. Quickly reaching for one of his many slender dirks that lined his belt, he faced his trespasser, and the weapon immediately dropped from his grasp.
"Why, hello, young lady," he greeted with a bow, his knee reaching the floor as his face went back to its usual poise from the total state of shock that it had been. "From whom am I granted this divine visitation?" His hand outstretched, waiting to receive hers. The man bore no recollection of her from before. At that time, poor lighting only revealed to him her inherited garment, but now, her lack of such was revealed. The girl was speechless but startle for the most part. The man was entirely captivated by the image laid before him. The formal behavior he showed her now was a enormous departure from the reverence he displayed to her earlier in the night, but she accepted it nonetheless.
"Rei," she finally managed to speak. "And you would be?" Before answering her question, he brought her hand to lips as he stood.
"My, what a lovely name," he whispered in returning her hand. "My dear," he introduced himself with a sweeping, low bow, "I am none other than Shade, Ruler and Protector of the Kingdom Kaghane." As his posture corrected, he began circling her closely. "And to what pleasure do I owe this heavenly meet?" He rounded behind her, now, placing both hands on each of her shoulders and drawing near her neck.
"Wait," Rei protested, breaking from her petrified fear and his cold grasp. "What do you think you're doin- ... What do you think I am?" His position was still the same as it was when she stepped forward, hands raised and head tilted.
"Oh, this," he tried to explain. "You see, I thought you... You looked like... I..." He seemed to stop himself before he started. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that."
"Look," she tried to clarify, "I'm just here for a favor."
"Oh," he said with a raised eyebrow, "so you are here-"
"I need your consent to enter the dungeon."
"- to get into the Dungeon. Just what I was going to say," lied Shade, afterwards laughing nervously. "Now, what would a sweet, young - right, I'll shut up," he was stopped Rei's cutting glare.
"I want to interrogate one of the prisoners," she answered. "I was told to contact you first."
"Really? Huh," he was amazed. "Well, I'll tell you what: to make up for before and since your such a doll-"
"Stop," she interrupted.
"- I'll do this for you," he finished, a little annoyed, but then smiled as an idea came to him. Wrapping his arm around Rei, he dashed towards a balcony. Ceasing her from making any objections, he jumped the ledge and tossed something into the air at their passing. The two sailed through the sky, their long coattails rippling in the breeze. She watched in horror over his shoulder as they transcended further away from the balcony. As they began to plummet, she thought she saw a metallic glimmer strike the banister. The object split into silver and black as a crimson flash filled the starless sky. As they fell, an inaudible patter approached them, sweeping beneath them. The wind no longer pushed up against her but to her back as the weight of their fall was uplifted. She peered down to see four dark wings slicing through the night air.
"Why," she asked, loosening her grip around Shade, "did you have to do that?
"What? This is the only way in," he explained, "and the fastest." He added with a smile, "not to mention the most fun. Now, stop worrying," he told her, "we're almost there." Doing as told, she held on and let the Crobat bear them within the walls of the Dungeon.
