Hegemoth took it, "Hegemoth. Sorry for the rude introduction. I'm not sure what I was thinking." But, Hegemoth knew all too well what had happened. Luckily Wirdikov beat him or else there would be one less guardian to stand up to the Heartless.
Hegemoth pumped his legs, thinking madly. What would Wirdikov think of me coming back without the others? he thought. He'd probably feed me to that army of Heartless. Hegemoth would probably last for a few hours of endless fighting, but soon the sheer mass of the Heartless would overwhelm him.
His face grew ghostly white. A memory of what Wirdikov did to a traitor Guardian years ago flooded into Hegemoth's eyes. He shuddered and tripped on a hole. He fell heavily on the ground. He staggered back up and saw that he was close enough to see the shapes of a circle of people. He stared at the golden armor on Wirdikov. Hegemoth watched as Wirdikov shattered the first line of Heartless.
Hegemoth charged at them, blasting through the Heartless in his way. His eyes turned solid gray, his pupils disappearing completely. He was an invincible force.
Wirdikov watched Hegemoth fling through the mass of Heartless. He readied himself for anything. Anything could be going through Hegemoth's brain right now. If he had disappeared into the woods, and had not seen any kind of civilization for years, he probably would have gone half insane, too.
Hegemoth finally broke through the Heartless' forces, practically flying through the air towards the Guardians. He pulled out Trigger, readying the blade. He aimed straight for Wirdikov. No one would ever know what was going on through Hegemoth's head right then, nor would anyone know besides Hegemoth and Wirdikov what happened when they met.
Wirdikov blocked Trigger and swung his own weapon, Darksting. After that it was just a blur of dark green and gold and the flash of weapons. Hegemoth and Wirdikov were everywhere. Bouncing off the ground and each other. In a minute or two the dark green blur slammed into the ground, Trigger bouncing a few feet away. Wirdikov stood calmly over him, Darksting's edge pointing towards Hegemoth's neck. Both were breathing heavily. After a few long seconds, Darksting was put down by Wirdikov's side. "Don't worry, Hegemoth..." Wirdikov said, "I won't do anything to you. We're on the same side. We need you to help us defeat the Heartless. Will you join us?" Wirdikov stuck out his hand for Hegemoth to take.
Hegemoth took it without hesitation, "What else are we Guardians for," he asked, with a smile forming.
Hegemoth looked out from his hiding spot on a giant tree branch, in the middle of the woods. What he saw did not make his already sour mood any better. A vast army of Heartless was heading towards a giant castle in the distance, blocking the only way into the valley below. Towering mountains acted as giant vertical walls...and that was exactly what they were...vertical. Even the Heartless would have trouble getting up those steep cliffs, he thought. He decided that he would give up the search for Tyre, Highwind, and Terra Roth for a moment. His fighting skills were getting rusty...the Heartless wouldn't mind if he just snuck in during the night and destroyed a part of their camp. He peered closer, "Midnight. We will meet at midnight...and you will feel the sting of my blade."
