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The Hunted

Riku was about to leave the district, until he began to hear a ring like sound in his head, and felt a presence. He recognized this as Syncros calling to him, and stopped in his tracks. Yula, following close behind, ended up bumping into him, nearly knocking them both down.

"Why did you stop?" she asked. He thought to himself for a minute, looking around and noticing a small alley nearby. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small sack of coins, handing it to his companion.

"We still have some time. Why don't you look around for a bit."

"What about you?"

"There's something I need to do before we move on." As he began to walk away, she became nervous about being left alone. "Don't worry, I won't be long."

Taking a quick look around, Riku found an abandoned alley. He felt drawn to this location, that it was where Syncros wanted to meet, and sure enough, the god appeared before him.

"What is it, Syncros?"

"After some research and investigation, I have discovered the location of one of the guardians, and a dark secret among them. During their battle with the shadows, they utilized the power of their rings to traverse the dark world, but in doing so, became tainted by the dark's poisonous power. Knowing total corruption was inevitable, they had built their own tombs, and locked themselves within. They are now nothing more than shells of their former selves and will attack anything that comes in sight."

"And the rings are still with them?"

"Very much so. Regrettably, if you wish to traverse the dark world, you will have to vanquish the guardians first. Defeat them, and bring their tainted souls to rest." Riku thought to himself for a moment.

"Where to first?"

"Further to the east in the thick swamp of Blackpool lies the tomb of Lucretia the Brave, a lion knightess known worldwide. She was the first woman in Akula's history to receive the title of knighthood. Defeat her and claim the ring of bravery." Syncros looked off into the distance and continued. "Advance with care. I've learned the empire has hired numerous bounty hunters." Syncros ended the conversation and faded from sight.

Riku left the alley and looked for Yula, who appeared to be standing idly. He approached her, and noticed something new when she turned around. She wore a golden necklace with a blue, heart shaped pendant. It brought out her eyes very nicely. He snapped out of his trance when she spoke.

"Do you like it?" He looked away and tried not to stare.

"It's nice," he bluntly stated. She frowned at his response, not being the one she hoped for. She handed him his sack of money. "Let's go."

~~~~~~

He followed the god's instructions and continued east. It was a relief to be away from civilization. Yula had questions, but knew they wouldn't be answered. They arrived at the swampy area known as Blackpool. It wasn't very hot, but very humid, and bursting with life. A small open area near the moss covered lake looked suitable for Yula's training. Since no one was around, he felt comfortable enough to take off his cloak.

Yula seemed nervous about the training. She had explained to Riku that she'd never even held a weapon before. But with his reassurance and encouraging words, she had regained confidence. It started getting late, and Yula was just finishing up. She was only interrupted when Riku noticed her stance was off, standing directly behind her and grasping the staff with his hands just barely touching her own, and gently sweeping a single foot to push one of hers to the side. She could feel him brushing gently against her back.

"You should keep your legs apart like that to improve stability. But other than that, you're doing very well." She couldn't help but look him in the eyes. Her cheeks became rosy from the embrace. Riku suddenly fell into a trance when he looked into her eyes. Her blue irises were mesmerizing. He quickly shook some thoughts from his head and snapped out of it, and let go. "I think that's enough for today. I'll set up camp for tonight." She watched him as he walked off, a little disappointed and hoped for something more from him.

~~~~~~

It became dark in the swamp, and somewhat chilly. Riku got a fire going, though only for Yula's sake, as his dark powers, a cold natured element, made him immune to the low temperatures. Yula seemed to be sleeping well, until a cold breeze came through, with enough force to blow out the fire. It became dark, and colder. Yula's body immediately responded with shivers. He watched her tremble for a second, finally grabbing his cloak and laying it over her. She warmed up quickly and stopped shaking. Yula woke up and looked at the cloak, then at Riku, who had just laid down himself. She looked at the cloak again as thoughts raced through her mind, eventually falling back to sleep.

~~~~~~

They rose bright and early, though Yula would've liked to sleep a little longer. She approached Riku as he made preparations. She noticed he was tense. What was he so nervous about? What exactly happened in the district? Should she ask? She handed Riku his cloak.

"Thank you," she said plainly. He just smiled as he folded it carefully and stuffed it in a pouch. "You always seem worried. What's going on?" As he was about to answer, he began to hear a voice in his head. Syncros was speaking to him through telepathy.

"How long do you plan on keeping your friend in the dark?"

"It's not her burden to bear," Riku answered.

"So long as she remains by your side, your burdens will become her own. She deserves to know." He had his doubts, but dared not argue with a god.

"Riku?" Yula noticed his trance like expression. Her voice snapped him out of it.

"If you really must know.."

He took his time explaining in a way she would understand. Some of the things he spoke of seemed so... unreal to her. The only thing he did not mention was his connection with Syncros, for he felt she wouldn't believe him, for having direct contact with such a high power was unheard of. The more he told her, the more fascinated, and terrified, she became.

"I knew you must have had something important on your hands. But I never would've imagined..." Yula sat down next to him, her gaze focused at her feet as she tried to process what she was told. "How do you know this?"

"I cannot say. Not yet," he said regrettably.

"So these guardians.. What happens when you find them all?"

"When I've collected the rings, they will allow me to open a door to the dark world. But what happens then, I'm not entirely sure." He looked at his companion and continued, "The first one is towards the end of this swamp."

"What about hunters? Aren't you worried about running into one?" He sighed before answering.

"Very. But not because of the hunters." He paused and closed his eyes as he took a moment to himself. "Ever since I became a fugitive, I've made an oath to spill only shadow blood. Killing darks doesn't bring me joy or peace. It only brings me hope that someday, I will be able to redeem myself, and finally return home. But if I must spill untainted blood, so be it." He rubbed his head as he explained his task to her. Hearing it out loud seemed to bother and give him migraines, though it was nothing he couldn't endure. "Are there any more questions?" Yula only shook her head. Riku grabbed his gear and stood up. "We should move on then. But don't let your guard down. For all we know, there may be hunters lurking around here."

~~~~~~

Yula continued to follow his lead. They didn't travel very far before he came to a complete stop. Riku had the sense that he was being watched... and followed. He looked around for signs of this. He quickly picked up on a presence. His ears perked at a rustling sound, and quickly pushed Yula and himself away from a flurry of knifes being thrown from afar, and finding themselves in a bush. He put a hand over Yula's face to shush her.

"Be quiet and stay hidden," he ordered. She nodded. Riku stepped out to face his assailant.

"Good reflexes. This might actually be fun." The voice was feminine. In its direction he saw a very unexpected figure. A rabbit with red fur and green eyes, and a darker shade of red in her dreadlocked hair, no longer than her neck. She wore a black two piece made of a soft fabric. The top was sleeveless, and the bottoms were short pants. She wore a golden necklace, bracelets, anklets, and a belt, all with rubies planted into them. She had some small packs at her hips, likely carrying tools and such. "So you're the dark one everyone's talking about. I must say you don't look anything like I expected. Not that it matters. All I care about is the bounty on your head." Riku braced himself as he awaited her next move. She into her pouch and threw something at the ground that blew up in smoke. A smoke bomb, he thought. He sensed her presence behind him, but was cut on his side by on of her razor sharp blades before he could react. He managed to kick her back, and saw the rabbit make a quick recovery with a few backflips.

Riku began feeling a little strange, a reaction from the cut. Though it wasn't all that lethal, she must have had something coated on the blade, a type of venom maybe. His vision began to come in and out of blurriness, though it was nothing he couldn't handle, as he took out his blade and dashed at her. She dodged the first few swings and blocked several more. She was able to jump away from him and made him miss a heavy swing and stagger, taking her opportunity to strike back at him only to be knocked back when she smacked against a suddenly conjured black vortex shield. He pulled his arm back as dark energy channeled through him, and quickly swung forward a black wave that knocked her off her feet.

She was able to recover mid flight and threw a salvo of knives that were easily dodged, but Riku was unable to avoid the kick to the face that followed, with enough force to send him hurling across the field and into a tree that almost snapped in two on impact. He was dazed for a moment and quickly recuperated as the lagomorph came for him again. He stepped to the side and tripped her, and stuck his blade's too at her neck as she tried to get up. She sighed.

"You're even better than I was told. It doesn't look like I can beat you on my own." She smirked, which raised his suspicion. He immediately felt something sharp and cold pierce him in the his shoulder, feeling of it and noticing an arrow. His head started spinning and he lost feeling in his legs, collapsing and going in and out of consciousness. A figure dropped from a nearby tree to the hunter's side. Though his vision was getting blurry, he was able to make out a white squirrel that could easily be identified as female with light blue, scruffy, shoulder length hair and yellowish colored eyes stood before him, wielding a bow and wearing a one piece, golden silk robe that was sleeveless on the left arm. The robe came down further on her left leg as well, and was tightened by a golden belt with rubies like her apparent friend's with matching bracelets. "Good shot, Mira. But you know you could've jumped in a little sooner."

Riku's vision slowly began to fade, the last thing he saw being the huntress coming for him. As she came closer, another figure jumped in front of him. Familiar white feet caught his eye. Yula had taken an offensive stance, staff ready. The red hare raised a brow.

"What's this? Looks like he had an accomplice." She noticed the wolfette's body tremors and nervous expression, and chuckled, "Do you even know what you're getting into, pup? Move along before you get hurt. You're not worth the tip of my blades." She tried to advanced, only to be blocked when Yula shifted her position.

"N..no! I won't let you take him!" The hunter sighed.

"Last chance. Move." The pup cracked from nervous tension and took a swing, which was easily dodged, and she was kicked back and tripped over Riku.

The rabbit took out one of her blades and held it up as she prepared a final blow. She stopped at the sense of a change in the atmosphere. It got cold enough for her to see her breath. She could feel a presence, but didn't know where. She heard a thud behind her, looking back to see her friend passed out.

"So you have defeated the dark one. But rather through trickery and deception than with your own skill."

"I do what I must to get by. Who are you anyway? Show yourself!" She looked around for the speaker who was nowhere to be seen. She bumped into something standing behind her, quickly turning and facing black eyes and a third glowing one. Syncros had appeared as if from no where. Frightened by his sudden appearance, she to a swing at him with a blade, only to be stopped by his wood like hand grabbing her arm. She was horrified at the sight of her arm shriveling by his touch, and jerked away. Her arm immediately returned to normal. She took another glimpse at her friend and back at him. "What did you do to her?"

"She's sleeps, for now. When she wakes up, she will understand."

"Understand what?" The rabbit was confused by his way of speaking. Syncros glimpsed over at Riku's unconscious body.

"It is my sworn duty to watch over the dark one, to ensure that he is able to complete his task."

"What task?"

"I am forbidden to share, unless he wishes it." He suddenly glanced back at her. "But I can show you... what will happen if he fails." A branch like hand reached for her and gently touched her forehead with two fingers. She lost feeling in her legs, her eyes turned white, and her head burned as images were branded in her mind. An entirely different view of the world was revealed to her, the sky dark, the forests scorched, plant life wilted, and every living thing dead, or transformed into a mindless abomination, the entire world a cold, lifeless rock.

The images faded, her mind returning to reality. She felt light headed and sick from the images, rushing to a nearby shrub and retching. Syncros turned his attention to Yula, who had been watching him, and still on the ground. She tried crawling away when he came towards her, backing into a tree.

"Do not fear me, Yula. I mean you know harm."

"How do you know my name?" She turned away and looked at him through the corner of her eye, quite frightened by his stare.

"I know all about you, and everyone else. You are the daughter of the late chief, set to be wedded to the son of another tribe, only to flee the first chance you had." He glanced at Riku again. Her eyes followed.

"I.. I was going to tell him," she stuttered.

"I know you will, in time." He returned his gaze, and reached into a sleeve. "I have something for you." He pulled out a flower, a rose it seemed, shining a beautiful shade of blue, glowing a brilliant aura that made it look magical. She was mesmerized and in awe. "This is a Blue Moon Rose. It is very rare, and has powerful healing qualities. It only glows to the purest of heart, and can only be utilized by such as well." He held the flower in front her in the palm of his hand. "It's nectar has the power to purify the mind, body, and soul of all anomalies. But it is also the last of its kind." Yula reached out hesitantly and took the rose from him. "When the time comes, you will know when to use it." Syncros parted away, and slowly began to fade. "Riku will awaken soon. Good luck to you."

She had difficulty processing what she saw and heard, and just stared at the rose. Being as delicate as possible, she placed it in her pouch on top of her supplies so it wouldn't be crushed. The wolfette returned to her jackal friend's side and treated him of his wounds while she waited for him to wake up.