Chapter 22: Creepy Little Town...
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	Driel and Alcan began to move toward the port entrance of Nikeah.
One guard was posted at the gate.

	Alcan poked Driel lightly.  "Hey, look!  A guard!" he whispered.
Pulling Driel forward, he tried to comfort her obvious fear of the guard.

	"Alcan, the guard..." Driel protested.

	"I think he's asleep.  C'mon!"  He dashed through the gate, not
stopping to get a closer look at the sleeping guard.  Driel followed close
behind him.

	Driel looked at Alcan with a frown.  "Why is there a need for a
guard at the port...?"  Suddenly, she gasped.  "Look!  More
guards... patrolling the streets!"  She pointed in the direction of the
guards.

	Alcan pushed her hand down.  "Don't point... you'll draw attention
to us..."  He glanced around cautiously.  "Great," he mumbled.  "Look at
that guy!"

	"What guy?"  Driel looked around quickly.

	"That one.  The one that is waving at the guards.  Looks like some
kind of merchant."  He scratched his head.  "That's strange..."

	Driel shrugged.  "Maybe they are friendly guards?"  She tried to
smile.  "You know, trying to protect the town from... uh, oh."

	Alcan looked at her more intently.  "Uh, oh?  What do you mean
by..."

	Driel tried to smile.  "That guy, er... merchant, is heading
straight for us..."

	Alcan spun back around... just in time to come face to face with
the merchant.

	The merchant smiled pleasantly at Driel and Alcan.  "Hello, there!"
His smile widened.  "Are you two from out of town?"  The merchant eyed
them carefully, waiting for a response.

	Alcan's honesty began to get the best of him.  "Well, actually,
we..."

	Driel, thinking fast, interrupted Alcan with a smile.  "...we are
from a farm just south of here.  Only about ten minute chocobo ride."  She
pointed to Alcan.  "This is my BROTHER, Pete.  I am Donna."  Driel's heart
began to pound as she told her clever lies.  She tried to ignore the
wide-eyed look she was getting from Alcan.

	The merchant's face lit up with happiness.  "Oh!  You must be the
Shaw kids.  Look at you.  All grown up.  Why I haven't seen you kids
for..."  A new thought suddenly entered the merchant's mind.  "Were you two
at the town meeting?"

	Alcan was looking at the merchant with a blank stare.  Driel had to
struggle to think of something to say.  "Uh... meeting?  Er... Oh!  Of
course.  Now I remember.  The town meeting!"  She elbowed Alcan in the arm.
"You know, brother.  The meeting."  All he could do was nod, and stammer
"Y...y...yeah."

	The merchant relaxed visibly.  "Good thing!  I wouldn't want to
take you to the elder.  The horrible things..."  He paused, as if unable to
continue his thought.  "It's great, don't you think?"

	Driel was slightly caught off guard by the quick change of
subjects.  "Yeah", she lied.  "The meeting was great."

	The merchant slapped his knee.  "Yep.  The way Lady DelAubre and
Lord Akfek liberated our town... I'll be forever grateful!"

	Alcan raised an eyebrow.  "Liberated?", he asked aloud.  He
scratched his head.  "Wasn't Nikeah already...?"

	Driel gasped and stomped Alcan's foot.  "ALC...PETER, ahem.  They
LIBERATED us.  That's all that matters."  She shook her head at him.

	The merchant narrowed his eyes at Driel and Alcan.  "Are you sure
you were at the meeting...?"  He waved his finger at them excitedly.  "Now,
you just wait right here.  I'd like to show the soldiers how big you kids
have gotten!"  The merchant turned and swiftly ran down the street.

	Alcan looked at Driel sarcastically.  "Well, isn't that nice of him?"

	Driel scowled at his sarcasm.  "Let's get some supplies and get out
of here."  She glanced off in the direction the merchant had gone.  "I have
this feeling he'll be back..."

	Alcan nodded.  "And I sure don't want to meet the soldiers face to
face."  He stood on his toes to try and scan the streets.  "Let's see if we
can find an item shop.  And some food."  He rubbed his stomach.  "I'm
hungry."

	Driel and Alcan began to sneak through the streets of Nikeah.
Driel turned to Alcan and whispered, "I wonder who Lady DelAubre and Lord
Akfek are?"

	Alcan shook his head.  "I don't know.  They seem to be awfully
popular with that merchant, though."  He rolled the names around on his
tongue.  "DelAubrrre... Akkkfek...?"

	"Hey, look!  There's the item shop!"  Driel gestured to a building
across the street.  They began to cross the street.  Suddenly the merchant
and at least five soldiers were coming around the inn, just down the block.

	Alcan noticed the merchant and several soldiers with a start.  He
gasped and tackled Driel, pulling her behind a stack of large crates.
"Driel, stay down!"

	She looked at him in shock.  "What are you doing?  Get off of me."

	Embarrassed, he pulled himself off of her.  "Sorry."  He held his
finger to his lips.  "Shhhh... soldiers."

	The merchant's voice floated over to their hiding place.  "They
must be around here somewhere.  Search until you've found them!"

	Another voice was suddenly audible.  "You better be right about
this, old man.  Sascha and Akfek will be very upset with you if we do not
find them..."

	Driel huddled close to Alcan.  "My God!  They'll find us!" she
whispered.  "What will we do?"

	Alcan remained silent.  He didn't want to frighten her more by
telling her there was nothing they could do.  His own fears began to creep
up around him.

	Suddenly, there was a loud crash.  Then shouting.  Alcan looked at
Driel.  "That sounded like someone just knocked over a whole house!"

	One of the soldiers shouted, "Over here!  Follow that noise!"

	Alcan stood up and peered over the crates.  "Wow.  They're all
running over to the other side of town!  I wonder what's going on?"

	Driel cautiously stood up next to Alcan.  She looked at the crates.
"I guess the whole town has been alerted to our presence."  She bent over
to inspect the crates more carefully.  "I wonder what's inside these?
Maybe it's something we can use?"  She began to rip the top off of one of
the crates.

	Alcan looked at her with an odd expression.  "We can't just steal
this stuff!"

	She narrowed her eyes at him.  "Do you have any other suggestions?
There is no way we'll ever make it out of a supply shop with...."

	Alcan interrupted her.  "Are you sure this is the only way?"  Not
waiting for her answer, he swallowed hard and helped her remove the lid.
"Well, there's some dried food in here," he said.

	Driel quickly opened another crate.  "There's some cure potions
and some antidotes in here."  She dug her hand down into the bottom of the
crate.  "I think there may be a couple of relics in here too."  She closed
the crate back up.  "Here, I'll get this one, you take that one..."  She
cut off her sentence abruptly.

	"What is it?"  Alcan asked.

	"Listen!  Something's coming!"  She looked in the direction of the
noise.  Thud.  Thud.  Thud.  Thud.  Thud.  Thud.  Suddenly, Driel's mouth
fell open.  She tried to speak, but could get no sound to come out of her
throat.  She pointed to a large metal object walking towards them.
"Ah... Ah..."

	Alcan stared at the Magitek Armor with a sense of awe.  "What IS
that?"  He looked at Driel.  "Are you okay?  What is...?"  The Magitek
Armor fired a bolt beam into a nearby stack of crates.  Alcan's mouth fell
open too, as he watched pieces of wood float down like feathers.  "Let's
get to the ship!  Now!"

	Driel nodded and grabbed her crate. Running toward the port, she
prayed they could escape the metal terror, not to mention the soldiers just
behind it.