False Gods

Book VII: A Master and his Doll

Chapter LII

     "We need to go after him!" Sheba argued as she slammed her hands on the table.

     "And I'm saying no," Acacia snapped back.

     "As much as I hate it, she's right," Gabriel added.

     "But you want us to split in two groups?" Sonata pointed out.

     KOS-MOS began running calculations. "By all logic, Adonis will have taken Mythra away from the BCC. The odds of that are sixty-eight point four four four three two percent. However, that still leaves a significant chance that he did go back to the BCC."

     "But where would he have taken Mythra if not there?" Kasandra questioned.

     "That's something I think Juliani may know," Acacia stayed confidently.

     "And what makes you so sure?" Canaan interjected.

     Acacia nodded. "Juliani's biggest competition for being the most respected person in all of Alrest is Adonis. She's the type to keep her enemies very close, if someone knows anything, it's her."

     "You sure your sister wouldn't know more?" Canaan asked. "Seems like he trusts her more than he ever trusted you."

     Acacia shot him an annoyed look before responding. "That's why we need to split up. Either of them may know what we're looking for."

     "Driver! Where's the water?" Finch asked as she walked up to the table without a clue what was going on.

     "Finch did you forget my name again?" Canaan questioned.

     "I would never do that Jeff!" Finch defended, shaking her head.

     "It's Canaan."

     "That's what I said, Bacon."

     Canaan sighed. "The water's in the kitchen, just like it always is."

     Finch looked completely confused. "Why are we talking about water?"

     Canaan chuckled a bit before turning back to Acacia. "Well if that's the case, I'll take Finch and we'll go after your psycho sis."

     Gabriel immediately seemed agitated. "And what makes you think we trust you to actually do that, eh?"

     "That is the most effective means of continuing," KOS-MOS stated.

     "You can't be serious!" Gabriel argued.

     Acacia shook her head. "She's right. Canaan has no doubt seen the ins and outs of the BCCHQ, and he's proven to know his enemies extremely well. Enough that his knowledge alone has granted him victory over unimaginable power multiple times."

     "Last time Acacia fought her, Violet knocked her unconscious for days," Kasandra pointed out.

     "And T-Elos isn't to be underestimated either," Canaan added.

     "It appears you peons have come to an agreement then?" Sheba asked.

     "Trust or not, this may be our best bet. We'll take the last two of King Zeke's ships," Acacia agreed.

     Gabriel looked at Canaan. "You'd better come back alive, you need to pay your debt."

     Canaan smirked. "It's a promise."

     "What about Silas?" Kasandra asked.

     "If Adonis forces Mythra to obey him there won't be anyone strong enough to stop him," Acacia stated. "We'll just have to hope Azami can bring him back. For now, we move."

...................................

     "Have you seen my driver?" she asked a Leftherian man who maintained the air vessel port.

     "Ma'am, you're not listening! We've detected fifty-six weapons on your person," he pointed out, trying to get her to focus. "Three whips, four short swords, a claymore, twenty ether grenades, six ether pistols,..."

     He kept going, but Azami lost interest. She began walking away as her eye began glowing purple. She couldn't see her driver anymore, but she knew he was here.

     "Oh I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap, he must've gone into a house or cave or something!" she thought to herself.

     "Stop right there!" the man said as he put handcuffs on her.

     "Oh naughty!" Azami squealed aloud. "Normally I'd adore the attention, but I'm saving myself for my driver!"

     "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stop talking until back up arrives!" he ordered.

     Azami was well over seven feet tall, and toward over this man. She bent over so her face was right in front of his. He flinched and jumped back a bit.

     "My my! So assertive!" she teased. She then proceeded to break the handcuffs off like nothing. "But I really must be on my way! Til next time!"

     She began running away in a different direction as the man yelled into his walkie talkie.

      "I'm coming my sweet!" she said as she happily skipped off towards the only cave she could see on the entire archipelago.

...................................

     A shadowy figure met me at the spot I had found Mythra. And by "shadowy" I didn't mean shady. I meant a literal walking could of darkness, holding a crimson red sword.

     "Where are your blades?" it asked me.

     "I have none," I replied.

     "You lie, Silas. You have three. Where are they?" it continued.

     "Why are you asking questions when you already know the answer then?"

     "That's a funny way to answer that," it laughed.

     When I had first entered, when I had first found Mythra. There were three shadows. One held Mythra's sword, one held a green sword, and one held a sword like Adonis' teal one. When I had awakened Mythra, the other two left, and the one with the teal sword stayed. Now the one with the green sword was here, but he now held a red sword.

     "What now?" I asked it.

     It sighed. "I had a lot of time to grow up, after I became the true driver of the Aegis. I learned a lot about myself, about blades, the workings of this world are so masterful, it's quite astounding. The only reason I didn't abandon everything, was because I made bonds with the people who followed me along the way. And yet, here you are, alone. Have you no friends?"

     "I left them, we never really knew each other all that well anyway," I admitted.

     "So, even though they didn't know you, they dropped everything to be by your side, and you bloody stabbed them in the back," it said.

     "That's not what I—,"

     "Y'know someone did stab me in the back once. Legitimately, it wasn't pretty. It actually killed me," it continued. "How would you like to be the reason your friends die?"

     "I-"

     "I've met sociopathic blades with bigger hearts than yours. If you want to fix this, get to Argentum. But you'll have to prove yourself, or you'll never leave."

     "What do you mean?!" I asked.

     It took its sword and shouted "Everbero" before splitting into three.

     "If you wish to save your blade, if you wish to save your friends, fight me now, and prove that you can. Or, you can die here and share the fate of those you abandoned."

Readability Level: 11-12th Grade
Time Taken: 2.5 Hours