Search for the Sword of the Mist! Ch.2

CHAPTER 2 A Friendship is Somehow Made

CONTINUED FROM CHAPTER 1......

Buizel shook the damaged and bleeding-to-death Riolu. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wake up!"

No sound came from the Riolu, as if it was saving its energy from speaking.

Buizel shook his head in wonder after giving up on trying to get any information out of him. "What was THAT all about?" Buizel muttered. "That was almost...evil."

He continued to soak the blood away from the young Riolu's head as the day wore on. Buizel suddenly realized that the weather had warmed up too, just as Wartortle predicted. "Pff," Buizel cursed. "He was actually right...:"

The minutes gave way to the glistening of the forest, which always made time go by fast whenever Buizel entered. The blood spilling began to cease, and Buizel was glad for that, since he had run out of ferns to wipe away the blood.

He heard the Riolu stir some more, which had finally stopped ranting on killing someone for his father.

"I'd hate to be that poor sap...," Buizel murmured, but then quickly corrected himself. "The guy he wants to kill, anyway..."

He was cut off from the groan of the Riolu, which had enough strength to start waking up.

"Hey,hey, careful. You're still pretty hurt," Buizel whispered. "You're gonna be ok."

The Riolu finally stopped groaning and began to slowly open one bruised eye. Buizel watched carefully, not wanting to see him faint again.

The eye was opening, and Buizel realized that this Riolu had an unusually colored eye. It was the color of scarlet, almost around the same as its blood. Yet there seemed to be an unusual tinge of color around the pupil. It looked like...a greenish-blue.

"What do they call that again? Turquoise?" Buizel asked himself.

He was once again cut half-way through his thought as he took a closer look at the Riolu's eye, until he noticed something else. Along the side of the river, which was something he hadn't noticed before, was a dagger. Buizel squinted one eye, confused why such a small weapon may have been in the middle of the forest.

He walked over to it, making sure that the Riolu was getting up along the way. He picked up the dagger, and instantly realized that it was made out of steel. Steel was valuable in the community that he and Wartortle lived in, since so few of it could be found. It was used for building materials, but ever since the ore had been frozen out a year back, it became impossible to use again. The blacksmiths used to make the merchants, who often passed by the village, steel bars for heavy weights to add to their trading carts. Some made it for weapons and armor, which was customary back during the time the two tribes were at war.

Buizel whistled in spite of himself. "These babies ought to be worth a fortune," he mused.

He walked back over to the Riolu, which seemed to be getting its conscious into normal shape.

Buizel leaned over the Riolu's head, to make sure he was not losing conscious again. The groaning stopped. The muttering also stopped.

The Riolu had opened both eyes.

There was a pause. The Riolu's eyes were slowly surveying the scenery, which was still blessed with a cold glare. The eyes looked to the right, and noticed the river, which was stained with dry blood along its side.

Then the eyes looked up.

They locked with Buizel's.

Another pause. They both stood in that position in utter silence. Not one dared move, expecting one to say something first.

Buizel just remained where he was, wondering on who this Riolu was.

What came next was completely unexpected.

The Riolu delivered a fast hay-maker to Buizel's nose, causing him to recoil backwards in pain.

"Ow! Son of a-!"

Buizel landed on the ground, clutching his injured nose.

*Some welcome...* Buizel thought to himself.

He was cut off from his thinking when the dagger he picked up was against his throat. He suddenly stood shocked, not caring of his injured nose, but at what was a dangerous threat to kill him.

He heard a growl right beside his ear.

"Where is he?"

Buizel gulped. "W-whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Easy there, pal. I don't know what-" he was cut off as the blade's flat end was pushed deeper into his throat.

"Talk!" growled the voice again. "Or I'll turn this blade the other way!"

Buizel was starting to sweat, and couldn't stop shaking. "I-I really don't know what you're talkin' about."

He felt the blade gag him some more, and began writhing for the lack of air.

"You're really starting to push your luck! I'm giving you one chance to tell me where the One King is!" hissed the same voice.

"Ack! I'm afraid I won't be much use if I'm c-choked!" wheezed Buizel who was starting to sound faint.

A pause occurred as Buizel was starting to slow in his struggling to escape.

The Riolu who was once on the ground bleeding to death was now full of anger, and was feeding off that energy on every will he had.

He finally kicked Buizel away from him, still seething at him.

"Hmph. You're not even worth it..." snarled the Riolu.

Buizel stood angry, holding his throat as he could feel the air rushing back into his lungs. "Well, that's one way to thank a guy who just saved you life!" he shouted.

The Riolu snapped a look back at him. "What are you saying?"

"Look at your entire body, dimwit!" Buizel growled.

The Riolu did look at his body, and didn't seem surprised in the least. "I've been through worse," the Riolu said under his breath.

"Tough!" retorted Buizel. "You haven't even looked at that head wound you received haven't you?"

Riolu brought a paw up to his head where the blood had stopped spilling from the cold-hearted heart that pumped it up there.

"Nearly a scratch," countered Riolu with another growl. " I've learned to live with them."

"Ha!" laughed Buizel. "You probably would've been dead if I hadn't even showed up!"

"What do you mean? You attacked me!"

"I attacked YOU!" yelled Buizel, who at this point was regretting saving him in the first place. "I was the one who saved you from bleeding in this damn forest anyway!"

He pointed at the red stains near the river's edge; the signs of blood when he first noticed Riolu lying on the ground.

"Do you think that was there for the fun of it?" Buizel asked.

Then he pointed at the fern leaves which he used to wipe the blood from Riolu's cranium.

"And do you think those were painted for the hell of it?" Buizel asked again.

He got up and came face to face with Riolu. "If I was an attacker, I would have killed you right now while you were laying there looking for some king that sounds like the biggest pain in the neck in your life! Well, guess what? I didn't!" Buizel screeched. He opened his arms in annoyance. "So what now?"

An awkward silence erupted from the air, which was taking refuge from the tense drafts of the argument. The day had seemed to go on all day, but had only passed for a half an hour.

Finally, the Riolu closed his eyes and spoke. "I admire your argument. I'm sorry if I have misjudged you for being one of his servants."

Buizel was caught completely off guard by the sudden admiration from Riolu.

As usual, Buizel's temper hardly even needed to put up a fight. "Pff," Buizel murmured. "Apology accepted, but I still don't trust you that much..."

The light seemed to return to the forest a bit when the Riolu gave a small smile for the first time. "Neither do I. And I appreciate for you saving my life. I thought I had already suffered the injury from the One King's servants when I leaped into the river," he said.

Buizel blinked. "So that's why you were groaning something about a river..."

Riolu looked up in surprise. "I said that?"

"Yeah, ya did. You muttered something about the One King and about leaping into the river," Buizel repeated. "Oh, and something about killing that bastard. How could I forget THAT."

Riolu sighed. "I've been a wreck since that event unfolded into my hands," he whispered.

Buizel cocked his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Riolu shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm sorry I got you caught up in my affairs."

"No, no. I want you to tell me. I want to know why I found you bleeding to death over here. I want to know why you carry a steel blade. And more importantly, I want to know who this freakin' One King is," Buizel cajoled.

Riolu paused. " I suppose I could tell you...but I wish to speak it in a different area of shelter. I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to continue here."

Buizel patted him on the back. "Good idea. I know just the-"

Buizel cut off mid-way through the sentence.

"SHOOT! I forgot that Wartortle wanted me to get the firewood! I've been caught up in all of these events I totally forgot!" Buizel said in a rush, and left Riolu behind in trail of wonder.

"Wait. Who are you speaking of?" Riolu called after him.

Buizel ran back and grabbed Riolu by the hand. "Long story. Now c'mon!"

Buizel dragged Riolu along with him, forgetting of the firewood he was supposed to bring.



The duo stopped right outside the corner of where the trail led to the hut of Wartortle and Buizel. Buizel sighed, wondering on how mad Wartortle would be when he got inside, empty-handed.

"Are you sure that your friend will be fine with my appearance?" Riolu questioned.

Buizel looked at him, quickly remembering that Riolu was battered and bloodied all over. He forced a smile. "Don't worry. You look great," lied Buizel.

But Riolu seemed alert on something else. He was sniffing the air. "Strange," Riolu murmered. "I smell smoke."

"Smoke?" Buizel asked, and sniffed the air himself. "Ugh, what is that?"

The smell of nitric acid filled the air, and ashes were raining from a dark cloud that seemed to come right above...

"Our house..."

Buizel turned the corner of the pathway and suddenly found out why smoke was in the sky.

The hut was on fire.

Buizel stared at the fire that was building and at the Water types sent by the village elder, who were doing their best dousing the power-hungry flames.

Riolu peered over the side of the corner, and was also somewhat struck odd by the fire. "What's going on? Is that your friend's house?" he asked quizzically.

Buizel stared at the only home he ever had, which was crumbling to the ground every second. His eyes were starting to fill with tears for the second time that day.

"I'm afraid it WAS," was all Buizel could answer before spilling the tears from his eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED.........