Xenoblade Chronicles

Chapter 7 - Sharpshooter Sharla

After Shulk and Reyn climbed up a few vines, they reached the Leg Pass, which would take them into Gaur Plains. As Shulk and Reyn descended into the valley, they noticed the leg's long plains, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers, not to mention the forests and bridges over rivers. However, the scenery was not what Shulk noticed first. It was a plume of smoke, rising into the sky. "Reyn, look!" Shulk nudged Reyn. "Smoke!" "Maybe someone's got a fire going," Reyn suggested half-heartedly. "Hope they're cooking up something good!" "This is hardly a good spot for a barbecue," Shulk frowned. "Come on, let's take a look." As they ventured off of the path, towards the smoke, Shulk couldn't help but wonder what it was. They neared the source of the smoke, but it was not a barbecue like Reyn had hoped. It was a buggy, stopped by the river with smoke rising from it's hood. "Someone's left a buggy out here," Reyn noted wisely. "That's strange," Shulk suddenly started feeling anxious. "Who would just abandon a buggy in this place? And it's pretty new." "Is it brand new?" "Not brand new," Shulk shook his head. "But it's in very good condition. You wouldn't just abandon it. So...what happened to the driver?" He felt his blood chill slightly. Did Mechon invade the valley and carry off the driver to be eaten? Shulk shook his head to rid himself of the thought, and put a hand on the hood. His eyes flashed bright blue. A boy, maybe around eleven or twelve, was running from some Arduns that were chasing after him. He was by a waterfall, with ancient columns rising up from the lake. His vision returned to normal seconds later. "There's a boy!" He told Reyn urgently. "He's being attacked by monsters!" "You saw it happening?" Reyn gasped. "Where?!" "I don't know!" Shulk said. "But it was near some water." "Near water...?" Reyn questioned. "But what made you have a vision all the sudden? "Maybe it was triggered by touching the buggy?" Shulk shrugged. "Well, we better find him," Reyn advised. "Let's search everywhere around here where there's water!" The two took off across the fields, looking at every waterfall they could find until finally- "Shulk!" Reyn yelped. "Over there!" Shulk turned, spotting a boy, being attacked by two monsters Shulk recognized as arduns. But arduns were usually peaceful. Why would these be attacking some boy? "Ahhh!" The boy yelped. He had fallen over, from the looks of it. His khaki brown pants were covered in grass stains, and he had a few scratches across his face. "Are you alright, kid?" Reyn called as he and Shulk took up defensive positions in front of him. The boy looked fearfully at the two. "Who're you?!" "That can wait," Reyn said, pulling his driver over his shoulder while Shulk took out the Monado. "Go! Get outta here! Leave these guys to us." "O-Okay!" The boy got to his feet and sprinted off. The arduns tried to follow, but Reyn forced them back. "Let's do this!" Shulk said. "Ready when you are," Reyn agreed. The two charged for the arduns, and Reyn, being who he was, automatically took both of the monster's attention. Shulk circled behind them, and performed backslash as Reyn blocked several blows with his driver. Unfortunately, one of the Berserk Arduns has seen Shulk and diverted its attention from Reyn to him. He swung his sword in a wide arc, hitting both enemies at once. Reyn instantly shouted, "Bring it on!" Which obviously infuriated the monsters as they returned their attention to him. After a few well placed backslashes from Shulk, and a few fancy Defense Force maneuvers from Reyn, the Arduns fell over, dead. After deciding they should go back to the buggy, they saw the boy, groaning as he looked it over. "Urgh! It's busted!" Shulk came up to the boy, and examined the buggy. "It's in pretty bad shape, but I think I can get it working," He muttered. The boy jumped, and looked at Shulk. "W-Who are you?! Hey, you're the guys from earlier!" "Yeah, we took care of those monsters," Reyn assured him. "For now, let's get your buggy in better shape." * * * "Okay," Shulk said after a while, straightening up, his hands covered in grease. "It should work now. He wiped his hands off, and the boy grinned. "Great!" He said. "You saved my skin. My buggy short-circuited and then there were those monsters, and...well thanks!" "I fixed the circuit, but it's out of ether," Shulk gave the boy a smile. "Change the cylinder and it'll be as good as new." "I think it's time for the introductions," Reyn interjected. "I'm Reyn. He's Shulk." He first indicated himself, and then the blonde standing beside him. "Pleased to meet you," Shulk nodded. "Oh...Hi!" The boy said brightly. "I'm Juju." An awkward moment of silence passed between the three. "Um..." Juju said finally. "Where are you two heading? I-If you've got time, you should come back to our camp!" "Your camp?" Shulk exchanged confused looks with Reyn. "Yeah!" Juju nodded. "It's not far." "How about it?" Reyn looked at Shulk. "Let's take him up on the offer," Shulk shrugged. "I'm surprised there's a Homs camp here, but they might have some information." "I suppose." "Juju," Shulk looked at the boy. "Can you tell us how to get there?" "Sure!" Juju nodded. "If you go back to the oasis, you should see a tall stone post. Head there first." "Then what?" "There's a small path woods next to the stone post," Juju explained. "Just follow it down to our camp." "Got it," Reyn said. "Now, let's make a move." The two followed Juju's instructions, and before long reached a small clearing, with a slope leading down to a cave with a lake just a few yards from the mouth of the cave. Sitting in the water was an evac ship, usually used in the colonies for emergency evacuations. Juju wheeled his buggy towards the cave, and a woman standing by a tree turned around, spotting him. "Juju!" She turned and walked towards them. "Where have you been?!" As she approached, Shulk's vision washed away. The woman was running towards Juju, clamped in a Mechon's pincers. She was screaming his name. She was suddenly being clamped in it's jaws as well, and most likely killed. A large mechon, with a metal face, turned to look straight at Shulk. It's mouth moved in words Shulk couldn't hear, and suddenly, he was looking at the women scolding Juju. "Don't tell me you were..." The woman spotted the scratch marks on the buggy, and scowled. "I told you a thousand times! We're not ready to leave the camp yet." "But I thought-" Juju tried to protest, but the woman cut him off. "Juju!" "Sorry," Juju muttered. "Sharla..." He hung his head, and the woman bent down as pressed her forehead to his, stroking the back of Juju's head. She turned to look at Shulk and Reyn. "That gear," She said, looking them over. "You must be survivors from the Defense Force!" She ran up to Reyn, and pressed her hands to his chest, obviously worried. "Is Colony 6 okay? Did Gadolt make it?" "Hold on," Reyn protested. "What are you talking about?" "We've..." Shulk hesitated. "Come from Colony 9." "Colony 9?" The woman repeated. "They saved me from some monsters," Juju reported. "This is Reyn and Shulk." Sharla's face fell and she looked down. "Oh...so you're not from Colony 6," She sighed, but looked at them with a kind smile. "Thank you for helping Juju. I'm his sister Sharla." "I told them they could rest here, with us!" Juju said quickly, and winced, as if some bomb was about to blow. "Did you now?" Sharla looked at him, before sighing again. "Well, alright. I suppose that's only fair." "Did something happen?" Reyn asked, still looking slightly shocked. "To Colony 6?" "Actually, we're heading there ourselves," Shulk told her. "Colony 6 has been our home," Sharla looked down at her shoes, wiping her eyes. "It's been occupied by the Mechon." "No..." Reyn gasped. "I'll tell you about it inside," Sharla jerked her head towards the cave. "Follow me." Reyn looked at Shulk, who shrugged, still shaking off the effects of his vision. She led them into the cave, were Homs were roaming about, all of them with somber expressions. She turned into a room which looked like it belonged to her and Juju .There were only two mats on the floor, one was messy, the other neat. Sharla turned to face them, chewing on her lower lip. "We had already fought off the Mechon a year ago, at the Battle of Sword Valley," Sharla finally said. "It left us with a false sense of security. The Colony 6 Defense Force didn't even notice the approaching Mechon. By the time the air-raid siren sounded, a swarm of Mechon had blackened the sky. They ate people and burned our buildings. Me and Juju dedicated ourselves to evacuating the children and elderly. I don't know what happened next." "It's just like what happened to Colony 9," Shulk said thoughtfully. "They attacked your colony as well?!" "Yes," Shulk nodded. "It's good that you managed to evacuate so many." "We have Otharon, the Colonel, to thank for that," Sharla said. "Him and Gadolt." "This Gadolt..." Reyn said slowly. "He would have been my husband by now if not for all this." Sharla hung her head, and Shulk was mortified. Reyn looked depressed. "Cheer up you two," Sharla said, spotting their expressions. "Er..." "We can't lose hope just yet!" Sharla insisted. "I'm certain Gadolt and the other soldiers are alive. They're still fighting! I can feel it." "Erm..." Juju spoke up hesitantly. "Hmm?" Shulk looked at the boy. "Y-You're on your way to Colony 6, right?" Juju finally asked. "You bet!" Reyn smirked. "We're up for some revenge. I bet we can even get your colony back!" "There you go, showing off again..." Shulk rolled his eyes. "If anyone can do it, it's you two!" Juju said quickly. A moment of silence passed between them. "Could...um...could you take me with you to the colony?!" Juju blurted out his question, and Sharla instantly looked mortified. "Juju!" She said. "The people here need us! How many times to I have to tell you?" "But you heard!" Juju protested. "The Mechon attacked Colony 9! That means a load of them have left Colony 6 already! It has to!" Sharla hesitated, before clenching her fists. "Even if that's true...No, especially if it's true!" She yelled. "We cannot expose the camp to any more danger!" "So..." Juju's face contorted in anger. "You don't care what happens to the people in the colony?! How can you be so heartless? Are you that scared of the Mechon?!" As Sharla and Juju argued, Shulk's vision was suddenly washed away and replaced by white. A canyon, engulfed in flames. One Mechon stands alone in it, tentacles rising from the ground. One holds Juju, who is limp. Another holds Sharla, who is in the same state. A Mechon with a metal face stands behind it, it's red eyes glowing darkly. It face, however, was different then Metal Face's. Shulk blinked twice, seeing that time had returned to normal. Sharla and Juju were still arguing, and Reyn was looking irritated. "Oi, kid!" Reyn growled. "Reyn!" Juju whined. "You oughta know how Sharla feels," Reyn scolded. "Watch your mouth, and have some respect!" Juju hung his head, suddenly looking guilty. "B-But I-" He scowled. "I'll go and make dinner." And Juju stomped off. "Maybe I was too hard on him," Reyn suddenly looked ashamed, and glanced at his blonde-haired friend for guidance. "Shulk?" "Reyn," Sharla said suddenly. "You really remind me of Gadolt when you get angry." "I-I do?" "Gadolt's taken care of us ever since we were young," Sharla recalled. "He wasn't too old either, but still did his best to provide for us. I always saw him as a big brother really, but he was more of a father to Juju...He'd call him 'kid' whenever he told him off, just like you did." "I-I don't think I'm ready to become someone's old man just yet," Reyn's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. He looked at Shulk, noticing his expression. "Oi, Shulk! Did it happen again?" "Yeah," Shulk nodded slowly. "You had another vision?!" Shulk nodded again, and bit his lip, about to explain what he had seen, when the roar of a buggy stopped him. "Oh no!" "No...Juju!" Sharla cried. The three rushed out of the cave, finding Juju's buggy nowhere to be seen. "The buggy's gone!" Sharla called to Shulk and Reyn. "He's gone to Colony 6 on his own!" "Stupid kid!" Reyn growled. "We have to hurry," Shulk said. "Something bad's gonna happen." "What did you see?" Demanded Reyn, turning to face him. "A deep valley," Shulk closed his eyes to remember. "Everything's engulfed in flames...There's a black shadow...it...kills Juju." "Is it..." Reyn hesitated. "Is it the Mechon with the metal face?" "Yeah." "Where does it happen?" Reyn pressed. "Is it near Colony 6?" "I'm not sure. I think so..." "Let's get after him, Shulk!" "Hold on a second!" Sharla called after them and Reyn and Shulk began to depart. "What was all that about?" She chased after them, until Reyn stopped, turning to face her. "I know you won't believe this," He said. "But Shulk can see the future." "The future?" Sharla repeated. "That's not possible." "That's what I thought too," Shulk agreed. "I still can't explain this. But that vision I had will come true unless we stop it." "So you're telling me Juju's in danger?" Sharla gasped. "Believe it or don't believe it, that's your call," Said Reyn. "But I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for Shulk's visions." And he started off. "Juju..." Sharla murmured, before looking at Shulk. "Okay! I can't say I believe you, but what have I got to lose?" "I like the way you think!" Reyn called over his shoulder. He stopped again and turned, resting his shoulder on a nearby tree. "Sharla you're..." Shulk started, but hesitated. "What?" Sharla said curiously. "Nothing," Shulk shook his head. "Oh...Okay." "What are you doing?" Reyn asked. "Let's go and find Juju!" He started again, followed by Sharla. "When you talk like that, you sound just like Gadolt," She teased. "That's how I know it's not worth arguing." "What am I, some sort of Gadolt substitute?" Reyn asked irritably, obviously tired of being compared to said man. As they started off again, Shulk stayed behind, chewing his lower lip. That thing kills Sharla too... He thought. I saw it in the vision. But I can't stop her coming with us. I don't know how I can protect her. He shook his head and stared after Reyn and Sharla. But I have to do it. I will change the future! And he chased after them. Shulk, Reyn, and Sharla stood by the stone post, discussing how to best get to Juju. Reyn had decided the best way was to find out where he would have gone. "Sharla, do you know which way Juju went?" He looked at her curiously. "There are quite a few ways to get there from here," Sharla said thoughtfully. "But he's in a buggy, so I think he'll take Raguel Bridge." "Raguel Bridge?" Shulk repeated. "It's not far. It's a really old bridge, built around the time Colony 9 was founded," Sharla explained. "Okay," Shulk said. "Let's make that our next stop." "Sounds like a plan," Reyn nodded. "Sharla, you stay back. Leave any monsters to me and Shulk. "What, you don't think I can't pull my weight in battle?" Sharla demanded angrily. "I've got field experience as a medic. If you get hurt, I can use ether to patch you up." "Nice!" Reyn said, his position on having Sharla stay immediately changing. "I'm always getting roughed up. You'll be a big help!" Sharla nodded, and they headed towards the bridge. Juju groaned. He had barely gotten onto the Raguel Bridge, when he had swerved to get out of the way of a passing bunniv. He wasn't able to control his buggy after that, and the whole thing smashed right into the side of it. The buggy couldn't start after that. "Come on!" He grumbled. "Who put this barrier in the way?" Silently cursing the barrier that had smashed his buggy, he worked with it until his hands were covered in grease. It was then that he spotted the problem. He groaned again. "Now the front suspension's all twisted up!" He turned towards the end of the bridge and gritted his teeth. "Looks like I'll have to walk it. They're all cowards! I'll show them all." And he started towards the end of the bridge, heading straight towards his death.