Well, here's that project I mentioned!
What I think is the first multi-chaptered GoldenRingShipping Fic. If I'm wrong do tell me.
Let's get to it!
The vision guided her, the same vision she saw every night, the bright and powerful auras in the town of sea and spray, the same auras as them. She kept the vision alive during her waking moments, using her Chi… no her Psynergy, as a guide through the mountains she had to traverse. She didn't know why, but she knew south-west was the direction her vision directed her in.
She felt incredibly futile. She had abandoned Xian, Master Feh, Lama Temple, Master Hama, and Hsu, for this silly prophecy. It told her to move forward, to go to this place beyond the mountains. She brought her little trinket with her as incentive… reasoning… something to hold her resolve as she hiked for days through the harsh mountainous surroundings of her homeland.
The little golden bracelet, imbued with ancient properties she did not fully understand, was a present for a man meant to save the world. A man, who reached far beyond anything she could hope to accomplish in life, and even further out of her grasp in the romantic world. Still… just to know the gift may keep him safe, offer him protection through the perilous dangers she had seen he would face on those few moments around him, would make it worth it.
Still… Feizhi had to question why her visions told her to go to this place with such force and tenacity that it seemed fated. That if she did not follow this idle quest as a deliverer the world would be fated to end. Perhaps she just made her vision so insistent so as to see him again, maybe she was exaggerating it and her own worth to grasp a bit of understanding in the life he faced.
She was still so interested by him. Such an insignificant time spent near him and such an impression remaining afterwards. There was no way to describe it. She had seen so much in his essence from the very first moment. The power within him and the endless potential he had to make whatever he wished a possibility. She knew, from first sight, that he was a man of destiny, a man fated to change the course of all lives. Yet, he was not one to know it. To him, he was going to save a friend, she had read that off of him. There was so much to him, so much mystery, that it haunted her, he was as young as her and he was already thrust into such a fate… yet he faced it with a smile, a nod, and a shake of the head.
That was all she had got out of him. She had asked if he was a strong warrior, he had shaken his head. She found it odd of a warrior to call himself weak… yet, she now realised the strength behind that answer. He had been so focused that he had no time to communicate, his companions did more than enough for all of them. He just got to it, helped, and moved on, out of her life before she could properly thank him, wish him luck on the future she had seen he would face, or offer him something to protect him. Maybe if she could give this small present to him, her vision would stop… it would show her a newer future, something else to work for.
Feizhi stopped as she reached a spring along the mountain trail. There didn't seem to be any beasts around so she allowed herself time to relax and take pause. She needed time to rest, to meditate and clear her mind. Setting down her pack she went to the small pool that was the spring and kneeled by it. Scooping her hands into the water, she pooled up enough to drink. The fresh water ran through her body and along her chin as she drank, thankful for it. She had been without water for several hours now.
Sighing, thankful, as she reached for her empty canteen to fill it, she caught her reflection in the water surface. She blinked and looked herself over. She was filthy. She supposed it wasn't odd… but she wasn't accustomed to it. She had been travelling for several weeks now, the mountains proving difficult to navigate through, and she often came across some monster looking to feed.
Stripping down to her undergarments, Feizhi, splashing the refreshing spring water against her and wiping away whatever dirt she could with a spare cloth, did her best to clean herself off. Not entirely satisfied, but accepting that she couldn't fully clean herself here, Feizhi towelled off and redressed into her purple and green travelling garbs. They were her kung-fu training clothes and served perfectly for the hike. Plus, she often needed to fight off something, so having them helped, better than wearing something more constrictive.
Sitting down once dressed, Feizhi looked herself over in the pool again. Mostly clean now, she admired her reflection. Her vibrant green eyes rippled as they looked over her heart shaped-face. She blinked and brushed a lock or two of her long violet hair behind her ear. She smiled and assumed her meditation position, crossing her legs and resting her arms delicately against themselves as she closed her eyes.
Allowing deep cleansing breath to flow through her form, her mind became blank unfocused as she entered a state of peace and calm. Unthinking, her clairvoyance came to the forefront of her mind, and, as with every night the prophecy she foresaw returned. But something was different… it was clearer now. She could see the cliff face that the town she travelled to was set in… the waterfall that tumbled through, and the river leading to the ocean filled with the many ships, trawlers and fishing boats of the people there. The water sparkled and shone in the reflected light of the sun.
At the entrance, the yellow light who was Isaac became clearer. Then, it was different… at its heart, where the light should have been strongest, was a tainted darkness. It was slowly spreading outward, rooting itself into the pure light like a cancer. Surrounding it were three other auras, just as before, the fiery, the inquisitive, and the calm.
Feizhi opened her eyes, panting profusely. That was the clearest, yet vaguest, premonition she had ever received. She had no idea what it meant, but it seemed as though something had happened to Isaac. Perhaps the vision led her to help him… or to remind him of something… protect him… something. All her other visions gave her clear evidence of what would happen, the corruption of Mogall, the floods in Altin after the blue light to the north, the rock slide trapping Hsu, and the great quakes that followed the yellow light to the south… but this… this told her nothing.
She knew she had to get moving, a rest was fine for her, but Isaac and his friends would not wait for her to rest. As quickly as she had reached this place, she was packed and gone, following the rough directions her prophecy provided her, continuing over the mountains and to the south-west. Worry coursing through her form as she clambered through the rocky landscape.
It took a few weeks more for Feizhi to make it over the mountains and back down to the soft land she was accustomed to. The sea stretched out to the south, hiding everything in its mysterious blue cover, allowing the sun to sparkle upon its surface. She smiled, panting slightly having just fought off a minotaur, and took a seat on a small rock on the beach she had reached.
She was exhausted, she hadn't eaten in several days, and took to scanning the surroundings. She had run out of food a short while ago and hadn't found anything edible during her time in the mountains. Hoping to find a tree with some succulent fruits, or perhaps a kind stranger willing to share some provisions, Feizhi kept her eyes moving around her. She found nothing, nothing she trusted anyway, she was unsure of the fungus growing near to her. A growl from her stomach informed her to disregard that unease and sate herself, but she ignored it, standing up and walking again to distract herself with action.
Within an hour she saw a large regal ship pull up to the beach far ahead of her, scrutinising it she looked to the cliffs and found the town she travelled toward was not far from where she was. This realisation brought another, perhaps that ship was Isaac's, which meant she had succeeded in catching up to him.
Breaking into a sprint, Feizhi ran to the town, ignoring the protests from her tired and bruised body. She saw four bodies far ahead of her, moving swiftly toward the town in question, from this distance she could not define anything, not even the auras she had seen every night for the past months, but it had to be them, it had to be.
She wasn't sure how long it had taken before she crossed the threshold of the town entrance, panting and aching all over, but she was there at last. Quickly scanning around for Isaac or his friends, she saw the familiar auras several feet ahead of her, they must have just gotten here.
"Isaac? Isaac?" She panted out, her voice tired and strained from lack of use and exhaustion.
The people up ahead took notice of her calls and turned to look at her. The one with the yellow aura, turned back quickly, shaking his head to the others as he continued. Another spoke up, despite the unspoken command.
"Excuse me, miss? Are you looking for a man by the name of Isaac?" An elderly man stepped closer to her, revealing himself to be older than even her father.
"Isaac! Yes. Do you know Isaac, old man? Is Isaac with you?" Feizhi pressed, looking at the group the man had stepped out from, there were only three others… so this was not Isaac's group. Perhaps she had missed them, or hopefully she had just arrived before them.
"Yes, I know Isaac. I am Kraden, a friend of his. How do you know him?" The man named Kraden asked.
"Isaac helped me and Hsu. He is a good man. Do you know where Isaac is?" Feizhi asked quickly, hoping to find some reason why her visions brought her here if this was the group she was to meet.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure, though we have heard stories of him being around. If I may ask, how did you come to be here asking for him?" The man asked. The others of his group had begun to step closer, all except the aura that resembled Isaac's. He remained up ahead, impatiently waiting for his insubordinate followers.
Feizhi was growing irritated by this old man and his questions, if he did not know where Isaac was he was of no help, but he knew Isaac, so perhaps he could help, "Master Hama tells me I am an Adept. I have visions. I have followed them. My vision told me Isaac would be here."
The three around her seemed to become immensely more interested at the mention of the word Adept, the old man, Kraden, stepping closer yet again, "Did you say you were an Adept? Of which element? Did this Master Hama tell you? What powers do you have?"
Feizhi furrowed her brow at this, "I do not understand you, old man. Master Hama told me that Jupiter can see things others cannot. Is that what you mean?"
The three surrounding her seemed to become ecstatic at this knowledge, the old man nodding joyously along, "Yes, my dear, that is exactly what I mean. Master Hama told you that you were a Jupiter Adept, or maybe she said Wind? You can sometimes influence the winds or clouds, yes?"
"Yes. What do y-"
"Felix, Felix, come here quickly! You must meet this young lady. She says she is a Jupiter Adept!" Kraden exclaimed hurriedly, moving to drag the one named Felix closer to her.
Feizhi shuddered as this 'Felix' was brought closer. He exuded such an imposing, frightening aura. His face was entirely hidden from sight by an intricately carved mask, even his eyes were hidden behind black screens. She could see nothing of him, except to know that she should be wary of this one.
"Felix this is… oh, I'm sorry, miss, it seems we have not been properly introduced." Kraden said quickly, "I am Kraden. This is Felix," he said, gesturing to the masked man, "Jenna," he nodded to a scarlet-haired girl who nodded to her, "and, Piers." The blue-haired man bowed low, greeting her in a deep tone.
"I do not care, old man." Feizhi retorted, tired of all of this, "I am looking for Isaac. If you do not know where Isaac is leave me alone." She snapped, making to walk away from them, hoping to find something to eat or maybe even Isaac himself.
"We could bring you to Isaac." Kraden's voice said loudly as she turned away.
Feizhi stopped in her tracks.
"Kraden!" Felix snapped loudly, grabbing the scholar's collar harshly. Immediately Piers had his hand firmly upon Felix's, his yellow eyes piercing through the black eyes of his mask. Felix shrugged the Lemurian off and released Kraden.
The aged scholar looked as though death had just gripped him, and if not for Piers that wouldn't have been far from the truth, "F-forgive me, Felix." Kraden stammered quietly, avoiding the mask staring down at him, "But… but we do need a Jupiter Adept… we need her."
"No." Felix answered harshly, sick of the old man's interference. He had tried on several occasions to recruit Jupiter Adepts, "Atteka will have a Jupiter Adept somewhere. We will use them, and once we've lit the Beacon we shall send them back."
"You're beginning to sound like Saturos…" Jenna whispered to herself.
Felix however, caught this insult and took it to heart, "Hold your tongue, Jenna."
"Lest you cut it out?" She snapped back, tears forming in her eyes, "Now you do sound like Saturos!"
Felix's fists quickly clenched tightly with the great effort to not respond to that insult physically. Once again, Piers was between the two of them, staring Felix down silently, "I suggest you listen to your sister and Kraden, Felix. There is no guarantee we would find a Jupiter Adept, and it is great luck we have found one, one who appears to have battle experience. She should be able to look after herself, since you shall not."
"It is not my place to look after you!" Felix retorted, "And we are not taking her with us!"
Jenna reached forward, taking her brother's arm into her hand, "Please, Felix… we need her… for Mom… Dad…"
Behind his mask, Felix felt the sickly feeling of wetness in his eyes, and he growled as he saw the same in his sister's, "Fine, drag another poor soul into this!" Felix responded harshly, yanking his arm from his sister's grip and started for the town's inn, "You three are responsible for her, not I."
Kraden breathed a deep, grateful sigh as Felix left their proximity and offered a weak smile to his compatriots. Piers returned it with a nod, but Jenna was not so receptive, she watched her brother walk off, feeling his pain.
"Jenna, perhaps you should try and rest," Piers suggested, gesturing to the purple haired girl who was still waiting curiously several feet away, "I shall talk with the young miss about our quest."
Jenna looked up at her friend, gazing into his golden eyes, seeing them return kindness and support, and she nodded, feeling comforted. Exhaling slowly, she smiled to him, and walked deeper into the town with Kraden.
Feizhi stood, her eyes narrowing as she watched the exchange between the group. Though she could only pick up snippets of the conversation between them, she could tell she was clearly not wanted by the masked one, but the others seemed rather eager for her to accompany them. She was unsure of what to do. Surely a group of such strained and incapable alliances was not a strong one, one that could not survive. Yet, they had said that they would cross paths with Isaac. Perhaps that was the price.
Before long, the masked one, Felix, broke off from the group, declaring his distaste for the union they sought to create with her, but conceding to their requests. The blue-haired man began to stride toward her as the others followed after their leader, his bright yellow eyes meeting hers, "You may accompany us if you wish." He said simply, but kindly.
"You and your friends will meet Isaac?" Feizhi questioned.
The man nodded, "I believe so. Isaac is following us, in a sense. No doubt we shall meet with he and his party before long."
His words gave Feizhi some pause, why would Isaac be following these people? "Where are you going? Why does Isaac follow you?"
"That…" He paused in his answer, looking over his shoulder, "is a long story. However, our methods may differ, but we and Isaac have similar goals. We believe the world is in danger and we are trying to save it, though if I understand, Isaac believes we seek to destroy it."
"I do not understand." Feizhi shook her head, trying to make sense of the words.
He sighed, "I do not expect you to. Do you know of the Elemental Lighthouses? Perhaps you have seen bright lights in the skies, blue and yellow?"
Feizhi nodded fervently at the mention of those lights, she had seen them in both her vision and the days they had been proven true, "Yes. I have. I do not know of the Lighthouses."
The man nodded, gesturing that they should proceed deeper into the town. As they walked he took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the air of this seafaring town, before he continued his explanation to her, "This could be confusing… but, those lights were Beacons atop the Lighthouses that Felix ignited. Each Beacon controls the powers of the elements, strengthens them when they are lit, and gives life to our world. The Beacons of Mercury and Venus have been lit, or water and earth if you prefer. Adepts of these elements now feel stronger, more in touch with their power than they have in eons. We need to light the remaining two Lighthouses, Jupiter, for wind, and Mars, for fire."
"Why?" Feizhi asked quietly, mesmerised by Piers' voice as he spoke. This was like a story a mother would tell their child as they went to sleep. She was captivated in it, needing to know the end, what part she would play, and how they would all influence the story and what Isaac would do in it.
"Our world needs the powers of the elements to sustain itself. Our world is alive, the elements nourish it, keep it fed in a sense. However, there is a… problem with that. As I said, Adepts grow stronger as the Beacons are lit. In the ancient past, this caused great wars and nearly brought about the end of the world." He paused again, considering how best to finish his tale in a light that showed he, his friends, and Isaac in a positive light, "Isaac and his group fear this is what may happen if we succeed, but they do not know the world is dying in its current state. It is a… precarious argument we lead."
"You would fight Isaac?" Feizhi said, her voice growing louder upon each word, "He seeks the same as you. Tell him and become allies."
"It is not that simple, I'm afraid and I apologise for that." Piers sighed as they reached the inn, sitting at a vacant table, "Isaac and a friend who travels with him, hail from Vale. There they were taught that lighting the Beacons and returning the ancient powers to the world was an unforgivable sin. They would not so easily discard their beliefs, and even less likely to believe us without true proof of what we say. So for now, we race them to each Lighthouse, hoping to outrun them."
Feizhi cast her gaze down, conflicted, and took to staring at the knots in the wood of the table, oblivious to the sound of her stomach or another presence that came and went. These people want to save the world, or so they say, and Isaac wants to save the world. Why was it difficult? They could just explain. Surely, Isaac's people would forgive them, if it was to save the world then it would be worth it. Wars and abuse could be prevented. The end Piers had told her of could not. If he told the truth, but what purpose would he have to lie to her? Why did they actually need her?
Feizhi glanced up, her focus returning, to ask these very questions, only to be greeted by Piers' kindly smile and a small meal before her. She blinked twice, staring incredulously at the fish upon what must have been her plate.
"I heard your stomach growling. Your travels must have been difficult, so, I'm sure a meal would not go astray." He explained simply, "I'm afraid that us being here, if we are recognised, will result in some rather hostile reactions. I assume you know how to defend yourself?"
Feizhi nodded her thanks and her answer as she hungrily wolfed down the meal before her. It may not have been anything overly impressive, but to her right now, it was a banquet. Piers, smirking to himself as she answered without breaking for air in between her bites, lifted his sword and gestured to her questioningly. Scrutinising the gesture for a moment, Feizhi smirked and pointed to each of her palms and clenched them into fists.
Piers seemed impressed by that, nodding slowly with a growing grin. Quickly though, this disappeared and he stood up, just as Feizhi had taken the last bite of her meal. Questioning, Feizhi glanced around to find Felix standing behind her, arms crossed. Feizhi choked on the bit of food in her mouth momentarily, before forcibly swallowing it, gasping slightly as her windpipe cleared again.
Staring at her new companion on her new quest she attempted to size him up, knowing he was doing the very same. She could get nothing though. He was taller than her, by at least a foot, his shadow perpetually over her. Even through the fabrics of his travelling tunic she could sense the toned body beneath, sculpted from constant difficulty and battles, no doubt there were many scars. Perhaps that was why his face was hidden behind his mask.
The mask was beautiful, which was a shame. It was simple in design, a single curved surface to hide all defining features beneath. It was painted brightly, splendorous colours that curved to its centre. The assortment of colour and vibrancy made the mask rather menacing, as opposed to its possibility of being a piece of art. They were striking, Feizhi imagined them charging her as she stared into it. She imagined that was its main purpose now while it concealed this dark man's face entirely. Even the eyes of the mask had been covered by black screens which were impossible to see through.
She slowly rose from her seat, doing her best to remain composed in front of him before reaching her hand forward, "Hello." She said plainly, doing all she could to keep her voice steady in this man's presence.
Felix didn't move an inch in response to this gesture, the mask continued to just stare at her. A grunt echoed from behind the mask, it sounded amused, "Piers, we'll continue our search for Briggs now. Words from the townsfolk tell that his grandmother is a skilled smith, perhaps she will understand more of the Ankohl fragments that we have found. That, and Briggs must pay for his crimes."
Feizhi dropped her hand, refusing the urge to scowl or bite her lip in frustration to Felix's lack of manners. Piers nodded to Felix's words, whose meaning escaped the purple-haired girl, "By pay, you do of course mean return all he has stolen and serve time, correct?"
Feizhi noted Felix's hand grip the handle of his blade tighter for a moment, before allowing it to slack again, "We shall see."
The group, now five strong, were climbing through the cave system in which much of the seafaring town was situated. Despite the seasonal warmth the town was experiencing outside, the caves were surprisingly temperate.
As they climbed Feizhi drew closer to Piers again, who was leading up the back as Felix and his sister pressed on ahead, "Piers?" She spoke softly, realising this was the first time she had said any name other than Isaac for several months.
The Lemurian, turned his head slightly, catching the girl in the periphery of his vision with his topaz eyes, "Yes?"
"What are we doing?" She questioned as she ascended another flight of stairs, being thrown suspicious and wary glares from the natives as they progressed further up.
Piers sighed deeply, "We are apprehending a pirate named Briggs. This man stole from many towns and was responsible for me being imprisoned for sometime. Along with this, we are searching for someone who may know any more about pieces of a weapon we have found. There are stories that tell us we will need it on our quest."
Feizhi was deeply confused, not by what the others were doing or why she had decided to help them in it when she could have remained a simple traveller with them, but by why Felix was doing something so noble. He did not seem the type to care for justice, or to want to bring criminals in, he seemed more the type to be a criminal and cause trouble, like those loathsome thugs who had gone through Silk Road and nearly killed Hsu.
"Feizhi, if I may ask, what Psynergy powers do you possess? I have never met a Jupiter Adept before."
The green eyed girl glanced upward from the ground which she had been watching to find Piers scrutinising her, "I do not know. I use Chi in battle. It concentrates the body's energy into a force. Master Hama says Psynergy is power of the mind. I am unsure of how to use it in battle."
"Interesting," Piers noted as they entered a particularly well lit section of the cave, presumably the highest level in which they might find Briggs or the smith Felix had told him of, "but the visions you spoke of, they are Psynergy, correct?"
Feizhi nodded as voices came into earshot from deeper in the cave, "Yes. Master Hama gave me that ability. I cannot control it. Visions come to me and are always fulfilled."
Piers absorbed this information, although he found it odd that this 'Master Hama' was capable of bestowing Psynergy onto another without the use of a Psynergetic object like the Burst Brooch they had found in Tundaria Tower. It was too bad this master could not teach Feizhi more of her new abilities before she set off on her quest, "When we are finished here, I shall try my best to help you come to grips with your new Psynergies."
"Thank you, Pi-"
Shouting from up ahead rang through the caves, echoing down the hallways. As the two glanced forward they found that Felix, Jenna, and Kraden were now gone. Nodding to each other quickly as Piers unsheathed his sword, the two charged forward in search of their companions. Thankfully, they had reached a rather straightforward section of the cave and had found them in a large chamber within seconds.
The room was burning bright with fires being conjured from a hole at the far end of the room. Alongside it were Briggs and an elderly woman who Piers presume to be the smith and grandmother of the same pirate. Felix and Jenna had their weapons primed and the tell-tale blue glow of their Psynergetic shields were already enclosed around them. Feizhi and Piers took positions alongside as the old woman called on some beast, and from the fiery pit jumped a large red lizard, spitting flames and violently thrashing its tail around behind it.
The four dived in whatever direction best suited as the lizard spewed flame at them as soon as it emerged. The monster followed after Felix and Jenna who had dove to the right allowing Piers and Feizhi time to attack. Feizhi charged forward, focusing on her momentum and the energy she was gathering, but Piers stayed back, pacing slowly around the beast. Feizhi struck the beast right in its side, no doubt contacting a rib or two, the force of her punch amplified by the strength of her Chi. The techniques were meant to strike distant enemies, but when applied directly the damage was much greater.
She was suitably surprised then, when the beast did not topple as so many others had, it simply took the blow and swung its tail at her. Feizhi was given little time to react and braced herself for the attack, she wasn't unaccustomed to pain, having trained with Master Feh's punishing techniques so often. However, before the tail impacted an orb of ice smashed into the advancing appendage, breaking its swing before several others crashed into it.
Feizhi glanced around to find Piers surrounded by silvery-blue rings of energy so like the ones she had seen surround Isaac when he had saved Hsu from beneath the boulder. She quickly put distance between herself and the beast, understanding now that direct assault was not an option with this foe. Sadly, the lizard was greatly angered by Piers' assault, and pounced around to assault.
The beast was on top of Piers within a moment, slashing its claws downward in an attempt to cut the man beneath it. Feizhi charged forward again to do whatever she could for him before a large spire erupted from the ground, flipping the beast up on off of her blue-haired friend. Again, Feizhi was forced to marvel at this seemingly impossible occurrence, but she had little time, as a quick beam of heat soared past her and into the beast, unbalancing it further. Piers was out from beneath it and had replaced himself with large icicle jutting from the ground.
The monster roared in pain, swinging its tail beneath it and breathing flame upward and around the room. Within moments the room was heavy with heat and gathering smoke from the beast's attacks. It was becoming increasingly difficult as time passed to navigate the thickening blackness and heat. The group continued to fight on, succeeding in dealing some injuries to the beast but it had done the same to them in return.
Feizhi charged toward where she had last seen the monster, her eyes stinging from the gathering smoke. She found it rather quickly and landed some deft blows to its hind leg, but was kicked away fiercely, slamming into the wall as she bled from the cuts the claws had torn into her. She clutched the tears in her skin carefully as the smoke was filled with lights of her companions' attacks. Despite all of her training these three were much more suited to battle. Her attacks did little to faze the beast, while Piers' ice seemed to greatly weaken it, but Jenna's did little as well.
At the thought, the crimson haired girl was crouched beside Feizhi. She pressed her hands over the cuts across her midriff, her body surrounded with active Psynergy. Golden sparks gathered around and settled into the cuts, filling Feizhi with the most delightful warmth, and soon the cuts were not more than faint scars. Feizhi's mind could barely comprehend the miracles these warriors could work. Normally a wound like hers would have taken days to heal fully. She wished she could have seen more of Isaac and his friends perform such feats.
Feizhi found that standing up was a mistake, the smoke had become so thick that it was becoming impossible to breathe. Clearly this beast cared not for the master who had summoned it, and was only concerned for fending off the intruders it was called to fight. She coughed, crouching low, but that proved to be of little use. She tried to concentrate hard at defeating the beast, but the smoke was invading her thoughts.
She punched forward, hoping for her Chi to hit the monster, but it proved useless. Her body's energy was being invaded by the heavy, black, air of the room. She took as deep a breath as would be healthy, focusing again, she needed to be rid of this smoke. The noises of battle had quieted, but she could still hear the pained grunts of the weakened monster, obviously the others were having as much difficulty as she was in this invasive environment.
She struggled to hold onto her focus as she shambled through the smoke, hoping to find another. Within a second she was face to face with the sickly, bloody, visage of the orange scaled lizard. She heard it gather its breath, consuming much of the remaining oxygen around them as it prepared to ignite it upon her. Feizhi shrieked, her mind flaring into hopes of surviving and defending herself.
She pushed forward, hoping to get some distance between herself and the monster, but as she did light enveloped her, the same silvery glow that had surround those fighting with her, and purple blades twice the size of the lizard slashed forward cutting into the beast and knocking him away. As they did, they absorbed much of the smoke around them, cleaning the air as they impacted the beast's hide. As the last struck the beast was knocked off balance, rolling onto its back. Before it could recover, a large golden sword of pure energy tore through the room and the beast before exploding within the body it had just impaled.
The room suddenly brightened as the pit the beast had emerged from glowed and sucked in all of the smoke it had produced in battle. The mangled corpse of the monster remained for a moment before breaking up and dissolved into faintly glowing purple flecks. The floating remnants of the beast approached the four fighters and melded to their form. As they did, Feizhi felt stronger, glowing strongly for a moment, realising something had changed within her.
She glanced around, the same effect had not been achieved with the others, despite the same happening to them. Feizhi breathed deeply, becoming more confused, but no doubt she would have it explained to her by Piers sometime.
The four warriors gathered on one side of the pit, angrily staring down the woman and her grandson who had just tried to kill them.
"Feizhi, you were amazing!" Jenna exclaimed as they exited the cave system after a lengthy discussion with Obaba about her grandson's misdeeds and the trident of Ankohl. They had been glad to learn that Obaba knew much of the Ankohl society and where to find the remaining fragment. Kraden theorised that the towers she had spoken of would require a visit to more Elemental Rocks, as Tundaria Tower had needed what Piers' had learned in Aqua Rock and the Ankohl Ruins had needed Gaia's Sand Psynergy.
Feizhi shook her head slightly, not believing Jenna's kind words, but was flattered nonetheless, "No. You were amazing. Making fire from nothing. Healing wounds in seconds. That is amazing."
Jenna and Piers laughed a little, "Nah, not amazing." Jenna commented back, "Psynergy! Just like yours. Those purple blade things were pretty cool you know."
"Agreed." Piers commented, patting Feizhi on the back, "Very well done. Seems you are more capable with Psynergy than we thought."
"It was an accident." Feizhi responded. She wasn't even sure how she had done it, or if she had even done it. It seemed like her mind responded violently to the danger before her and acted. She hadn't been in control of whatever Psynergy she had managed to conjure.
"Accident or no, skills like that will help us greatly on our quest. Plus, I did promise to teach you how to gain more proper control." Piers answered, smiling kindly, as Jenna nodded her approval. She seemed so much brighter than she had before the battle.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
The four Feizhi had joined stopped suddenly, causing her to glance around cautiously. Their gazes were all fixed on something back toward the town. She stepped forward a bit to find a blue-haired man approaching them, smiling easily.
"Alex, what the hell do you want?" Jenna spat, her Psynergy boiling within her.
Alex held his hand up to his chest, "Oh, Jenna, such hostility wounds me. Even more so that you have me replaced, and with such a novice Mercury Adept no less." Alex's eyes lit up as they fell upon Feizhi, "Oh, and you've replaced dear Sh-"
"Don't dare speak her name." Felix's harsh voice cut across.
Alex bowed slightly, "As you wish, Felix. However, relating back to Jenna's crudely worded question. I am here to make sure you have not lost sight of the reason you are on this quest."
"What makes you think we have?" Felix shot, his voice hot with rage.
"Your pointless adventuring!" A voice called from the hill to their right which lead to the graveyard.
The five pairs of eyes shot up to find the source. Though foreign to Feizhi's eyes, the pink skinned girl was recognised by her companions but none more so than Felix. The girl was smirking down at them from her perch above them, her finger delicately tracing along the curved blade of the scythe she carried. Her fiery red eyes locked right onto the black screens of Felix's mask.
"Karst." He stated gruffly, announcing her presence officially.
"So, you remember me this time. I'm flattered." She responded snidely, spinning her scythe into her other hand in one smooth flourish, "But no time for that, lover." The word was more mockery than anything else, "We do believe you have forgotten why you're lighting the Beacons."
"Because of your insistence to help every bug you find." Another voice called from the dock to their left.
Again, all eyes switched to find the source, and this time it was recognised by only the ebony-haired leader. The man stood nearly seven feet tall, pale green and covered in rippling muscle which he openly flaunted to intimidate the young adventurers.
"Agatio too." Felix commented, completely uninterested in the white-haired Proxian, before turning back to Alex, which visibly angered Agatio, "You feel the need to strong-arm us? I thought you may have been above that Alex."
"All things require sacrifice." Alex replied, a smirk growing, "As you've learned." The words sparked a fire within Felix, who grasped the hilt of his blade tighter, but he was not so foolish as to attempt to rush Alex with Karst and Agatio flanking his sides, "But, you've learned of the company I keep since you replaced me. And we shall always be near to put you back on the right course lest you stray from it."
As he finished his sentence the two Proxians pushed closer to the group, Karst passing the blade dangerously close to the faces of each of them as she passed, a sinister smirk constantly present. Alex smiled as he watched the two leave before following soon after. He paused at the gates to the town for a moment, before turning to face the aged scholar of the group.
"Ah, yes, Kraden." His eyes were staring passively into Kraden's, "You were on this quest at the request of Babi of Tolbi, no? It may interest you to know that time has finally caught up with him. He has passed, so your reasons for being in danger are now moot. Oh, and I assure you, we had nothing to do with it. We are above political assassination."
Kraden's mouth dropped, no noise escaping as he attempted to form some word of disbelief. Alex simply smiled in return before leaving. Kraden shook his head, muttering to himself. Several minutes passed before the group was finally able to leave, after Kraden had assured them all he was okay, and that he wished to remain on the quest for his own reasons.
The five of them boarded Piers' Lemurian vessel and immediately set sail for Osenia where Air's Rock was situated.
That's the first chapter!
What did you think?
I want people to throw theories at me!
*Preps theory shield* GO!
Review!
Your friend and writer.
Droory
...I should probably have updated other stories before I uploaded this... ah well.