Earthbound: Champions of the Future

Chapter Nineteen

~ Kireina Kaze's POV ~

Akuro came jumping out of nowhere, a katana held high over her head. I recognised it as Catarina's blade. Akuro descended onto the back of the Armourachnid and stabbed it's eye, causing it to squeal in pain before it slumped onto the ground, never to move again.

"Akuro!" I gasped. "I thought you went on with the others...!"

"I wanted to wait for you!" Akuro replied, a large grin on her face. "Hey, I did pretty good, didn't I? Are you proud of me? Do you think big sis Catarina and Master Tadao are proud of me?"

I ruffled her blonde and black locks, finding it hard to suppress a smile for once. "I think they're really proud of you. As am I."

"Yaay!" Akuro cheered, clapping happily. "Now, let's go catch up with the others! I bet they're wondering where we are!"

Before I could object, Akuro had taken my hand and was leading me further into the chambers, Catarina's katana having been placed back into it's sheath. "I hope we can find this bad guy soon, y'know." Akuro was rambling. "I have training to do!"

"Training?" I repeated. "You wish to begin your training?"

"Yup!" Akuro nodded. "I want to be strong, just like you guys were! I also want you to teach me, since you're the best swordswoman for miles! You will, right?"

I nodded. "Of course I will."

Akuro beamed and increased her speed, breaking into a jog down the rocky tunnel. I told her several times to slow down so that nothing was attracted to the sound of our footsteps, but she refused to listen. She must have been really eager to reach everyone else...

Such a thought reminded me of a topic I'd needed to discuss with the younger Kazz. "Akuro," I began. "While we're separated from the others, there's something we need to talk about."

"Huh? Like what?" Akuro questioned, tilting her head with curiosity. Her black ears flickered slightly with the action.

"It's about... the Trudeau girl." I continued. "You can't trust her."

"Wh-Why not?" Akuro gasped. She had stopped walking and whirled around to face me. The tail that emerged from her lower back flicked back and forth.

"She's..." I paused, glancing away from Akuro. For the first time in my life, I was faltering. I was struggling to find the correct way to structure my sentence without upsetting Akuro. The last thing I want is to upset Akuro. "She's dangerous." I eventually told her.

"Dangerous?" Akuro repeated. "How can Naoma be dangerous? She seems okay to me."

"It's... not her, necessarily..." I admitted. "The problem lies more with... her f-"

Akuro cut me off by dashing away, eventually fading into the darkness of the tunnel. I sighed and followed after her. I resisted the urge to break into a run in order to find her quicker. The sound of my sandals colliding against rock was loud enough.

My hand was wrapped firmly around the hilt of my katana, glancing around for any sign of suspicious activity. I didn't want to volunteer for hunting for some kind of stone, but if Akuro was going to be a part of it then I had no choice but to join her. She was only fourteen years old, she needed a bodyguard. Nobody else but me was fit for such a job.

~ ~ ~

"Akuro!" I called out after five minutes of silent walking. "Where are you?"

I could sense the presence of another person nearby. I approached said presence, hoping that it was Akuro, but my hope soon shattered to pieces: it was Trudeau.

"Hey, Kireina! Am I glad to see someone I recognise!" She cried, a goofy grin on her face. "The rest of us got split up because these stupid tunnels are so dark. It's making me feel kind of claustrophobic, actually."

"I don't care," I frowned as I shoved past the girl. "I need to find Akuro."

"Why are you so protective of her?" Trudeau asked from behind me. I unsheathed my katana and swung around, pointing the edge of the blade inches away from Trudeau's neck. Her dark green eyes were wide with fear and her face had grown pale.

"My motives are not for you to question." I growled. "Nobody has that right."

"I-I just asked you a question, sheesh...!" Trudeau cried. "I wasn't questioning anything...!"

Rage had overtaken my senses. "After all the suffering your name has caused for others, how dare you think you can just waltz around, without a care in the world, claiming to be on the side of justice!"

"Wh-What are you talking about...?!" Trudeau demanded. "Suffering...?"

Something sudden collided with my back, sending me flying forwards and almost crushing Trudeau against the wall. "Wh-What was that for-?!" Trudeau grumbled, pushing me away.

"It wasn't me!" I retaliated. I spun around and met the large and beady eyes of what appeared to be a frog, scratching it's head in confusion. It's limbs were white and made it visible in the darkness.

"Syo, what is this thing?" Trudeau asked the small green sprite. "It looks like a frog, but..."

"This is an Armoured Frog!" Syo explained. "It's physical defenses are very high, so physical attacks won't work well on it at all!"

"Nonsense." I mumbled. I swung my katana at the Armoured Frog, expecting the creature to fall with a single strike. My blade, however, bounced off the armour without dealing even a single scratch of damage. "Wh-What?!" I gasped.

"I told you physical attacks wouldn't work..." Syo sighed. "Armoured Frogs are weak to PSI Freeze and PSI Fire, so up and at 'em, Naoma!"

Trudeau nodded and grabbed her staff, pointing it towards the Armoured Frog. "I guess I'll use... PSI Freeze Beta!" Ice shot out of the staff and hit the Armoured Frog, sending it flying backwards before it faded away into nothingness.

"Well. That was simple." Trudeau sighed. "Didn't expect to see something like that here."

"Me neither." Syo replied. "I'm beginning to get really concerned. I'm starting to think Enigma have control over monsters."

"You think they can control minds?" I asked.

Syo nodded in response. "Yeah. If I'm right, that could be really bad for us. The enemy could control our minds at any time!"

"That's... slightly worrying." Trudeau said. "We need to find the others and make sure they're okay. Apart from S'yan, he can handle himself."

"I care only for Akuro's safety." I told them bluntly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go find her."

I left Trudeau and the fairy behind, ignoring them when they called my name. I couldn't risk Akuro being alone for much longer.

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