Fan Fiction ❯ Xawsecar ❯ Change of Pace ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Xawsecar

 

Summary: Ayame is just your typical, self-loathing teenager. Living with her alcoholic mother, Ayame spends most of her time in books. Life has no meaning anymore until one day, she wakes up in a land not her own. The journey that awaits will test Ayame with love, loss, and triumph.

 

Rating: PG13

 

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama

 

Chapter Two: Change of Pace

 

The nights in Wurld were quiet and cool. Peaceful and serene for all who took the time to enjoy it.

 

Ayame Kisaragi had been one of those people until sleep inevitably took her over. However, even sleeping in Wurld was peaceful. It was the most uninteruppted and dreamless sleep Ayame could remember. She slept without waking all the way until morning's rays littered her little bedroom.

 

However, it was not the sun that awoke Ayame that morning. Voices from outside aroused her from her sleep and Ayame sat up in her bed, peering out the window for the source of the noise.

 

Outside, the morning dew still hung on the grass but there was a good amount of people already awake and out doors. A rather large group of Sagrad's citizens stood on the road leading up to the village's shrine. The group surrounded a few people as they seemed to be having a mild debate and Ayame tried without success to get a better view.

 

The door to the room opened and Ayame turned her head in time to see Gama, her elderly host, stepping quickly into the door. She'd already changed and wore a old, worn dress made of a brown fabric. her gray hair was tied in a bun and stuck to the door of her head. The old woman walked briskly up to Ayame's bed.

 

"Morning." Ayame said with a smile, "What's going on?" She asked, motioning to the crowd outside.

 

Gama quickly looked outside then shut the curtains to the room, "Come." She waved her hand, bading Ayame to follow her as she scurried out of the door.

 

Ayame blinked akwardly but followed the old woman out of her small room. Gama led her up the stairs and into her room at the top. Once inside, she quickly shut the door and mtoioned to a pile of clothes laying on the bed.

 

"Change into those. Be quick." She said in a hushed tone as she made her way over to the window and peered outside.

 

"Something wrong?" Ayame asked with raised eyebrows as she inspected the clothes.

 

They were common attire of the land. A pair of brown leather pants and a light linen shirt. She'd intended to get some local clothing and didnt mind getting out of her own dirty clothes but the old woman's haste was very strange.

 

"Go on and change, girl." She said and glanced away from the window a second, "The Xawseers are here doing a inspection and the Priest told me to have you change."

 

Ayame's memory glashed back to the large priest, Kuy and she nodded briskly. her quickly stripped herself of her Earth clothes and began changing into the more common, Wurld clothing.

 

Gama stepped away from the window and inspected her, "The priest told me to keep you away from the Xawseers so just stay up here and keep away from the windows."

 

"Why should I stay away?" Ayame asked as she looked herself over in the mirror.

 

"I do not know." The old woman strode over to the door and opened it, "Just stay out of sight until I say otherwise, okay?" Ayame nodded, "Papal is outside. I'm going to him."

 

With those last words, Gama left the room. Ayame could hear her quiet footsteps as she made her way down the stairs and out the door. She laid her back against Papal and Gama's bed and gazed up at the cieling tiredly, wondering why Kuy didnt want the Xawseers to see her.

 

Hushed whispers from outside did little to free Ayame of her curiosity. The people of Wurld spoke with a strange accent. She could understand them fine if they spoke normal but when they talked quietly and discreetly, it was rather hard to decipher.

 

Finally, Ayame sat up from the bed and glanced over to the window. Standing, Ayame scratched the top of her head and walked towards the window. All she wanted was a glance at the Xawseers. To see who they were. Ayame crouched near the window and strained her neck to peer out into the street.

 

The crowd had grown. They all surrounded a few people and from the second floor of the house, Ayame was finally able to make out other individuals.

 

It was easy to tell which ones were the Xawseers. They wore elegant dress and stood in a tight pact facing a small group of Sagrad villagers who must be the village leaders. The two groups exchanged words ceremoniously. Ayame tilted her head in an attempt to make out some of the conversation.

 

The Xawseers that seemed to be the leaders, spoke in an elegant voice. His words carried far as he raised his voice for the entire crowd to hear, "The law of the empire states that if any province, village, town, or city withhold information for the empire, punishment will be carried out in a just fashion."

 

A stooped, older man in common clothing stepped foreward. In his mouth was a long pipe and he spat it out just so he could talk. It was difficult to understand his quiet voice, "Sagrad has always pledged allegiance to the empire. We hold nothing back from our leige."

 

The Xawseers crossed his arms, "Then I shall ask one more time. Do you hold any information on the whereabouts of an rebel factions?"

 

"What do you mean by rebel factions, my lord?"

 

"Anyone who plans against the empire would be considered a rebel." The man said, his voice carrying a bit of agitation, "To name one particular group. The Traditionalists."

 

The stooped fellow scratched his chin in thoughts then shook his head, "Nothing comes to mind."

 

"Alright then." The Xawseers said pleasntly enough, "Then how about my second question?"

 

"I dont even understand the question, my lord. I've never heard of a 'key to Xawsecar' or anything even like that."

 

The man nodded, "Rumor says that a girl in strange attire was found in this village of few months ago. I've also heard that she awoke not long ago." The man grew silent as the question hung in the air, "Know anything about that?"

 

The crowd once again grew quiet and the group of Xawseers grew impatient. The leader stepped foreward, "Answer me."

 

"There was a girl that we found unconcious a few months ago and she just woke up yesterday." The Sagrad man said quickly, "I dont know what kind of clothes she was wearing. Do you think this girl is a key, my lord?"

 

"Do not question me." The Xawseer said off-handedly, "Bring me to this girl."

 

Ayame stepped away from the window as she heard the man's last words. What would they intend to do with her? Kuy had Gama keep her hidden for a reason. Ayame wasnt sure what that reason was but she knew he had a good one.

 

Outside, a crowd had still not departed. Instead, they appeared to be even more enthralled by the conversation. Upon futher inspection, one could see why the debate had gotten more interesting.

 

A newcomer stood in front of the Xawseer group. His large bulk towered over the imperial men but it was evident that he was harmless despite his size.

 

Kuy cleared his throat and spoke with his usual booming voice, "The girl has been sent for, my lord."

 

The Xawseer looked up at the priest and crossed his arms, "And who might you be?"

 

"I am Kuy, the priest of the village of Sagrad." The large man said humbly.

 

Ayame watched for a moment as the two men spoke but her attention was finally taken as she saw a man walking towards the house. She squinted in the light and was finally able to make the person out was Papal.

 

She pushed herself away from the window and hurried down the stairs to meet the old man. Papal nodded as he saw her, "We must go."

 

Ayme nodded briskly, now not questioning their motives however she did press one question, "Where to?"

 

"Kuy has told me to take you to the shrine." He said and brushed past the girl, "Come, we'll take the back door."

 

The old man opened the door effortlessly and walked out into the warm sunlight. Ayame followed her elderly host as he trudged through the grass around the house, heading towards the large building Ayame had first awoken into. Papal walked quickly despite his age and obvious discomfort so Ayame had to do the same to keep up.

 

Papal glanced at her and spoke in a raspy tone, "Dont look toward the crowd and keep on my left. You may not stand out as much as usual but you still dont exactly look normal."

 

Ayame nodded in agreement and took her place next to the old man.

 

The two stepped onto the road and into the open, heading quickly towards the entrance to the shrine. Ayame looked at the crowd, trying not to look straight at the gathered mob. She really didnt look like a local girl with her sandy blonde locks and lighter tan.

 

Just as the double-doors of the shrine came within arms length, a loud shout stopped the duo in their tracks. Ayame's heart began to pound as she saw Papal look back at the crowd and curse under his breath.

 

Ayame also stole a glance behind her and saw why the old man was disheartened. The crowd had parted and the small group of Xawseers were slowly making their way towards them, their leader quite a few paces ahead of the rest.

 

The Xawseer leader came upon them and stared down at Ayame and Papal emotionlessly. He was a tall, lean man with shortly-trimmed silver hair. His skin was strangely pale, making his silver locks look even whiter. His attire was elegant yet plain. Made of fine cloth, it was all black save for his silver belt and white, leather shoes. At his sides hung a long, thin blade and a shorter dagger. The strangest part of the man's attire was a large, black visor that covered his eyes. It was impossible to see past the visor and Ayame silently wondered why the man wore the strange accessoty.

 

After a moment, the man cleared his throat and spoke in a elegant voice, "You are the one the priest sent to retrieve the girl, are you not?" He directed the question at Papal although it was hard to tell as Ayame couldnt see who the man was looking at.

 

"Yes." Papal said with a curt nod, "I looked inside my house where the girl was staying but she was no where in sight. The back door was open so I can only assume she's ran off somewhere."

 

"Where are you going now?"

 

Papal glanced back at the shrine behind them, "The Shrine is the only place she's ever been so I it was the first place I thought to look."

 

The man's face continued it's stoic expression and his head turned a bit as he looked at Ayame, "Who is this?"

 

"My grandchild." He said quickly. Ayame noted the old man's quick ability to lie, "She's been asleep all morning and only awoke when I came looking for the girl."

 

The group grew quiet and Ayame swallowed hard as she stared into the black visor of the Xawseer, wondering what he could be thinking. It was impossible to tell and Ayame silently noticed that his expression had not changed the entire time she'd seen him.

 

Finally, the Xawseer spoke once again, "Open the doors to the shrine and let's have a inspection."

 

If one tried hard enough, it was possible to feel the tension in the crowd. Ayame was not sure wether or not the Traditionalist were still hiding in the shrine. She waited akwardly as the large priest barreled through the crowd and nodded slowly. His large hands pressed against the doors of the building and they silently were pushed open.

 

Inside the shrine, the stone walls and floors were illuminated by the light coming from the many windows. The single statue sitting in the center of the room shone brightly as the sun gleamed off the statue's obsidian stone. Other than that, there was no sign of another being inside the room.

 

The group, consisting of Kuy, Papal, the Xawseers, and Ayame, all entered the room. The head of the Xawseers stepped foreward and peered around the room under his dark visor. His expression remained unchanged as he turned around.

 

"Where are the other rooms?" He asked quickly, staring at the priest.

 

Kuy motioned to a side door and skirted over to open it. It was the same room Ayame had first awoken in and the group of imperial men inspected it thouroughly. Nothing as found.

 

Another small side room was investigated before Kuy procalimed that there were no other rooms inside the shrine. The Xawseers nodded and stated that they would continue their investigation elsewhere in the village. The priest led them out of the shrine and shut the heavy doors behind them. He then turned to lead the Xawseers to their next location.

 

Before leaving, however, Kuy turned around to gaze at Papal and nodded to him curtly. The old man confirmed his nod with a wink of his blue eyes then watched as the Xawseers walked off into the village.

 

After they were firmly out of range, Papal turned to Ayame and heaved a sigh of releif. He glanced around thme then spoke, "That was too close." Ayame nodded with a nod of her head, "Come. It will not take long for them to come back for you."

 

Papal turned abruptly and led Ayame down the road. She swallowed hard and ventured to ask the old man, "Why would they come back for me?"

 

"I dont know entirely." He said as they contiued down the walk, "Did you hear them talking about that 'key' stuff?" Ayame confirmed that she did, "From what I've heard, you have something to do with that. Kuy has requested that I get you out of the village for safety."

 

Ayame nodded slowly, not completely understanding. Actually, not understanding at all. She sighed, "Where are we going?"

 

"Do you know what the Traditionalists are?"

 

"Yes." She said, recalling the group she knew more than the old man knew.

 

Papal nodded, "The 'seers are searching the village for them as well. We'll hide you with them until it's safe."

 

Ayame crossed her arms as they turned a corner and the road that went throughout Sagrad suddenly ended. It gaze way to a rough stretch the dirt that extended as far as the horizon. Smaller buildings and farms stood on the side of the small road, Ayame identified the area as the outskirts as the village.

 

The two continued down the small road. Ayame looked around, trying to find the location they were heading to. Just as soon as she gave up, Papal turned off of the road and headed towards a large, brown barn that stood a ways off the road.

 

They stopped just outside the large door to the barn and Papal rapped on it three consecutive times. After a moment of silence, a crash was heard from inside then the door slowly slid open.

 

The doorway as dark and a rancid smell emitted from inside, making Ayame gag slightly. Standing just inside the barn was a small man with a wide straw hat perched on his egg-shaped head. The male wore ragged clothing, dirty from many days of work on his farm.

 

Papal nodded in greeting to the man, "I've brought another."

 

The man glanced at Ayame for a moment then stood aside, "Bring her in." His speech was kind of hard to understand as his accent wasnt only thick, it was highly uneducated. Papal motioned for her to enter and she did so. Inside, the smell was much worse and became nearly overcoming.

 

Papal lingered outside the barn and Ayame looked to him strangely, waiting for him to follow. He simply nodded to her, "As soon as it's safe, I'll come get you." A light grin appeared on the elderly man's face, "Goodbye."

 

Ayame blinked a few times but nodded in farewell to her host. Papal turned around and headed back the way he'd come and the small farmer pushed the barn door shut behind him. Everything grew dark for a few moments until a lantern was lit by the man. He jerked his head, signalling her to follow.

 

They trudged across the mud floor, the lantern just barely illuminating the interior of the barn. There were no animals in sight and Ayame slightly pondered what the building was actually used for.

 

The small man came to a stop in front of one of the far away walls. He glanced back at her for a second then pulled on one of the boards of the wall. It gave way to a small door that led into an equally dark chamber, a small light came from the room.

 

The farmer moved aside and stared at Ayame. She stared back strangely until she noticed that he was waiting for her to enter. Hesitantly, she did so.

 

The odor was less strong inside the room and she squinted to make out the interior. Various dark shapes could be seen moving slightly in the darkness. The only light came from a small lantern that sat in the center of the room. The light from the farmer's lantern flooded into the room and the shadows gave way to people. Familiar people.

 

The farmer cleared his throat, "Got another one."

 

One man stood up from his seat and nodded, "Thank you for your assistance." His dark hair fell over his forehead as bowed slightly to his host.

 

The man simply shrugged, obviously unsure of how to take the kind gesture. He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving the room much darker as before.

 

One of the people in the roo moved to the lantern and took a piece of cloth off the light. The room grew much brighter and the people were once again easily visible.

 

The man that had spoken to the farmer now looked at Ayame, "Where do I know you from?"

 

Ayame's face grew crimson as she crossed her arms behind her back, "Last night..."

 

Recognistion flickered in his eyes, "Ah, I remember now."

 

Another member of the group stood with much effort. The old man's voice was quiet even in the room's silence, "I had a feeling that was not our last meeting." He chuckled a bit, "You remember who this girl is, right, Kliff?"

 

The black haired man crossed his arms, "Yes. I suspect that the Xawseers are after you as well?"

 

"Yes." Ayame said and looked the group over. All of the ones from last night were there except for the dark-skinned one known as Edger, "My friend said that I'm supposed to stay here for safety."

 

A laugh echoed throughout the chamber, "Safety? I guess that's what this village calls hiding in a dung-filled barn."

 

Ayame searched for the source of the words and her eyes met the dark blue pupils of a young, red-headed girl. She sat only a few inches from Ayame and seemed to be very uncomfortable sitting on the mud floor.

 

"You would rather be taken captive by the Xawseers?" A tall, bald man said. He sat in a corner of the room, legs crossed and head leaning back against the wall.

 

The girl glared at her comrade, "You dont think we could take those yellow-bellied-"

 

Kliff, the dark haired leader of the group, cut her off abruptly, "We were very out numbered and the last thing I want right now is to cause a commotion." He sighed and turned his attention back to Ayame, "All you can do is try to make yourself comfortable until they leave." He shrugged a bit, "I suppose we've already met but I dont beleive I've introduced myself. My name is Kliff Medalbury. I am the captain of the Traditionalists."

 

She nodded with a light smile, "Ayame Kisaragi."

 

The old man standing next to Kliff nodded, "You've already introduced yourself." He chuckled a bit as Ayame blushed, "I'm Rotane. The priest has already told us about you."

 

Ayame nodded, "Told you what, exactly?"

 

"Nothing that makes sense, I'm afraid."

 

"I kinda expected that much." She sighed.

 

Sounds from behind caught Ayame's attention and she turned around only to be met by a pair of pale blue eyes. The man stared down at Ayame, his blonde hair absently falling in between his eyes.

 

"You mean you dont understand anything about yourself?" The man asked with crossed arms.

 

Ayame took a step back from the male in surprise but stopped as she nearly bumped into the elderly Rotane, "Well, I..." She trailed off as she stared at the familiar face. The face she'd seen from her dreams for months, "I... uh... No....Not really."

 

The man stared at her strangely although no expression seemed to stand out on the tan face. Finally, his eyes shifted from her and he sat back down against the wall.

 

"Pay no attention to Cyan." Kliff said absently, "I think all of us are rather tired from the morning."

 

Ayame stared at the man known as Cyan for a second before tearing herself from his familiar features. She focused once more on the leader of the group and tried to straighten her composure, "How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

 

Kliff crossed his arms over his black-clad chest and looked thoughtful, "Tough to tell, I'm afraid. It all depends on how long the Xawseers want to search the village."

 

"It could be days." The girl in the corner whined.

 

"It wont be that long." Rotane said with a hint of a smile on his old face, "The 'seers are rather impatient and I'm sure they'll give up soon so dont worry about being here long, Mia."

 

"That's true." Kliff said after the older man finished, "On top of that, I know who leads the Xawseer troops in this area. He's a rather emotional person and I doubt he'd have the patience to conduct a thorough search of such a rural area."

 

Ayame thought about the calm, emotionless man that she'd encountered before and doubted they were thinking of the same person. The strange, silver-haired figure was nothing like Kliff's description.

 

"You're wrong there, Kliff." The man seated behind Ayame said casually. The group turned their attention to Cyan as he rose to his feet and regarded his leader calmly, "General Hoshiya is not anywhere near this village right now."

 

Kliff stared at the blonde man strangely, "What do you mean?"

 

"This particular group was sent directly from Emperor Kingsburn himself." Cyan crossed his arms and stared around the dimly lit room, "Led by a man named Vermier Varringway."

 

Rotane stared at his companion strangely, "Varringway?" He asked in disbeleif, "Why would the Empire send Lord Vermier all the way out here just because of a rumor that we were here."

 

"Doesn't sound right to me." Said the bald man in the back.

 

Kliff was silent for a moment then shook his head, "I dont quite understand it either but I beleive Cyan. If the 'Bloody Dove' Vermier is here then we'd better just stay here until we know for sure it's safe."

 

That made sense. This Vermier Varringway sounded much more like the cold man that had been searching for the Traditionalist in the village. Ayame silently prayed that this 'Dove' wouldnt find his prey.

 

The group fell silent as Rotane once again covered the lamp and the room plunged into a much dimmer light. Ayame suddenly felt akward in the group of rebels and voted to take a seat away from the crowd.

 

No one spoke for what seemed like hours and Ayame found herself wondering how long it would be before she could leave the horrid smelling barn. her question fell deep into her mind as sounds from the other room caught her attention.

 

Footsteps could be heard treading across the floor and Ayame saw many of the Traditionalists reach for their weapons in alarm. The tension grew deep as the door that led out of the room slowly started to move away.

 

The farmer that had led Ayame to the barn suddenly burst through the door. His hat had fallen from his shaggy head in his rush and he looked about the dimly lit room anxiously.

 

When he spoke, his words were garbled and showed how uneducated the farmer actually was. Nonetheless, it was easy enough to understand what he was saying. The Xawseers had found a rat and were heading for the barn now.

 

Kliff immediatly rose to his feet, cursing as he did so. He turned to his comrades and motioned for them to follow, "If the Xawseers are coming this way, we cant stay to meet them. Let's go, we'll head for the ship."

 

The rest of the party stood as well and followed after thier leader anxiously, Mia seeming especially happy to be ready to leave the smelly building. However, Kliff stopped short of the door as a gnarled hand gripped his shoulder.

 

Rotane cleared his throat, "What of the girl?"

 

Kliff's eyes focused on Ayame and he stared at her for a moment before he nodded mentally, "She comes. If the Xawseers are after her then it's for a damn good reason. Come, Ayame. You'll be safer with us then here."

 

Without complaint, Ayame found herself following after the group as he left the barn. She caught just the briefest glance of a few villagers hurrying up the path before she followed the Traditionalists off the road and into a nearby field. She silently prayed that Gama, Papal, and the rest of Sagrad would be okay.

 

The party moved briskly through the field of corn and Ayame had to push herself to keep up. The corn stalks were hard to push through and Ayame tripped numerous times in the field.

 

Finally, it ended and she found herself in a open valley of green grass. From there, the group jogged up and down hills on their way to their destination. Ayame finally started to regret quitting her sports back home, she definatly was not in shape for all the exercise.

 

After reaching the top of one particularly large hill, Ayame was able to see where they were heading and marveled at the invention.

 

It was a very large contraption, looking like a grand sea-faring boat. It appeared to be made of dark wood, lined with some golden ornamentation. As Ayame neared the ship, she could see the difference between it and a actual boat. Instead of having a flat or round bottom, many strange leg-like things jutted from it's bottom. They looked like short-stubby legs with flat tips and she could tell how the machine moved across the land.

 

The group came about the ship and Kliff stepped up to the ship's hull. He knocked on the wooden side a few times and a few answering beeps were heard before a part of the ship's side retreated into the rest of the hull. It gave way to a metallic hall and the group entered the ship, the door sliding shut behind them.

 

Inside, the ship was illuminated by strange lights on the walls. Kliff stepped to one side of the wall and opened a small box planted there. He pressed a button inside the box and the hall seemed to start to move. Ayame then realized that it was not a hall they were in but a elevator.

 

The group were silent as the elevator ascended. Ayame breathed heavily and leaned against the wall, trying desperatly to catch her breath. Everything had gone so fast. her introduction to the Traditionalists, meeting of the mysterious Vermier Varringway, their rather quick escape from Sagrad, and finally coming upon the strange land-roving ship.

 

Everything was going fast and Ayame knew somehow that it was not over yet.

 

To Be Continued...