Shade: Finally some action! It's about time!
Mist: Uh-oh, he's looking for blood.
For a "protecting" sort of Djinni, he sure gets a lot of pleasure in seeing people fight.
Crystal: Shut up and get to the chapter or I'll die from suspense!
I just have one little author note first:
To Angel of the Hazard: So you're wondering about Isaac's dad, huh? Hehe...now that, my friend, is a secret! ^_^ The truth will be revealed all in due time... [Cue malevolent laughter] And don't hurt yourself bashing your head on your desk—I do that enough for a hundred people!
Crystal: Story! Now! [Begins to glow rather scarily]
OK, OK...Sheesh!
*Old Friends*
"I'm going to enjoy this," Karst sneered as she slowly approached where Isaac sat slumped against the wall. His allies drew their weapons and made movement as if to attack, but Karst immediately pressed the edge of her scythe to Isaac's neck. "One more step and I'll cut his throat!"
Agatio smirked confidently as he continued toying with the Mythril bag. The others nervously watched their friend, who was meeting Karst's murderous glare with defiant blue eyes.
"How does it feel?" she implored in a hissing voice. "How does it feel knowing you will finally pay for your crimes? I know it brings me great joy that my sister's death will finally be avenged. I have dreamed of this day for far too long!"
"The rest of you will have the pleasure of watching Karst kill your friend," Agatio stated. "And then you'll all follow him one by one." He eyed Felix. "And the last to go will see all the others go before him."
A tense silence hung in the air, no one daring to move or speak. Karst smirked again, gripping her weapon tighter. Isaac felt the cold steel quiver in preparation for one final, lethal swipe. With a sharp blade pressed so tightly against his neck, even the slightest movement would be foolhardy. But that sort of thing had never stopped him before.
"Have you any last words, Isaac?" Karst asked.
"Just two," Isaac replied quietly. He flexed his right hand just the tiniest inch. "Mother Gaia!" And in a flash, the floor split open under Karst's feet and sucked her into a dome of golden energy. Her scythe whipped away from its previous position, and the edge of the blade only grazed Isaac's cheek as it passed, a little blood weeping from the cut. He rolled out of the way, drawing the Gaia Blade as he went, and his friends immediately jumped into the fray.
"Diamond Dust!" Picard commanded. His signature ice shards ripped through the air, combining with Mia's Ice Missile to form one huge water-based onslaught. Sheba lifted her Meditation Rod and brought down her powerful Spark Plasma, illuminating the room with a rain of purple light. Agatio dodged the shots and countered with a great ring of fire. Sheba was safely positioned out of its range, but this wasn't true of the two Mercury Adepts. Luckily, Picard saw the attack in time and grabbed Mia and jumped out of the way. Agatio's fire succeeded in doing little more than melting some of the ice on the floor.
Karst quickly recovered from the surprise blow and immediately locked her scythe against a trio of swords. Felix lifted his free hand in preparation to cast a spell, but Karst struck first with a devastating conflagration. Isaac and Felix were knocked away but Garet managed to hold his ground. He pressed her backward with sweeps of his blade and right into the waiting Jenna's path.
"Dragon Fume!" she cried, and a great serpent of flame spouted from her staff and temporarily swallowed Karst. A wave of lighting joined the fire as Ivan cast Destruct Ray, though it seemed to lack some of its usual potency.
"Even a Mercury Adept is no match for me!" Agatio declared as he took a swipe at Picard with his sword.
Mia blasted him with Glacier. "What about two Mercury Adepts?" she inquired. Agatio flinched when the ice hit, giving Picard an opening to thrust his sword forward in a single lethal movement. But Agatio's armor absorbed much of the impact and only a little blood started to seep through. Annoyed, the Mars Adept countered with a blazing inferno. Picard ducked and canceled it with Douse, wrapping much of the room in a thick coat of steam.
"Dammit!" Garet cursed. "I can't see her!"
The scythe came swinging madly through the cloud, connecting with Felix's hand and knocking the Levatine away. Isaac blocked the second swing with his sword, and was able to see Karst's face again as Ivan and Sheba cleared the air with wind. Felix healed his bleeding arm and made to get his sword, but Karst blocked off his route with a wall of flame, trapping the two Venus Adepts in dangerously close quarters with her.
"Garet, get the Levatine!" Isaac called. "Hurry!"
Karst snickered as she sent Isaac to the floor with a swipe of her scythe. She loomed over him, grinning and preparing for a finishing blow, when the ground trembled and she lost her footing. Isaac seized the opportunity and cast Ragnarok, sending her through the firewall and out of range. The Levatine fell from above and swished across the floor towards Felix's feet, but the two Venus Adepts were still trapped, and the fire was gradually closing in on them.
"Picard! Mia!" Jenna exclaimed. "We could use one of you right now!"
"We're a little busy," Picard grunted back as he struggled against Agatio's sword. Mia was right at his side; her Nebula Wand also locked against the enemy blade. And Agatio was still pushing them backwards.
A barrage of purple bolts fell from above, partially electrocuting the huge Mars Adept. He stumbled back and Mia knocked him away with a well-aimed Ice Missile.
"We can hold him off for awhile," said Ivan. "One of you needs to take care of that inferno."
"I'll go," Mia said with a nod. She headed for the other side of the room, casting Douse as she went to extinguish the flames.
"Picard, you look a little pale," Sheba noted. "Are you all right?"
"Fine," he replied, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Don't worry about me—we must concentrate on our fight."
Agatio growled as he got back to his feet. "Foolish Jupiter children. You're way out of your league."
Ivan narrowed his eyes. "You know, I'm getting really sick of near total strangers saying I'm too weak or too sentimental or too young to do something. Why don't you taste some of this?" He unleashed a torrent of Psynergy, channeling all of his frustration, anger, and sorrow into one devastating attack. Releasing it was a rush. Ivan had never cared much for battle before, viewing it as more of an inevitability than anything else, but blasting his enemy this way was liberating. He fed the assault without pause and allowed the rush, the freedom of destruction, to swallow him, and didn't even care that half of his lightning bolts weren't even hitting his target. The release was all that mattered. Sheba and Picard watched him with wide eyes for several seconds, unable to believe what they were seeing. But Agatio's movements towards the infuriated Jupiter Adept snapped them out of their reverie.
"Ivan, look out!" Sheba cried.
A great dragon of flame spiraled from Agatio's palm, seeking to carry Ivan into the air. But Picard was already there, and he shoved his friend out of the way and took the blow himself. The Lemurian was pitched a great distance and crashed hard into a wall, cracking the stone. He slumped to the ground and did not move.
"Picard!" was the general cry amongst the other Adept heroes. Agatio snorted contentedly and began to advance on both Ivan and Sheba.
Mia had succeeded in extinguishing the great fire encircling Isaac and Felix and made to go to Picard's aid when Karst blasted she, Isaac and Garet with a very potent fiery explosion. Felix managed to hit her back with Stone Spire, but Ivan and Sheba's current predicament warranted greater concern and he went to help them, making a motion to his sister as he did. Jenna nodded and unleashed Shine, blinding Karst temporarily and allowing her to get to where Picard lay. He was already beginning to stir, which was a welcome relief.
"That looked like fun," Jenna quipped. "Did you have a nice trip, Picard?" Her hands glowed with a warm red light as she cast Aura.
"I've had better," he replied. The healing power seeped into him, stronger thanks to the amplifying power of the Lighthouse, and he felt instantly better, though still a little sore. Something told him he'd be feeling this in the morning. "Thank you, Jenna."
"No problem. Just promise me you won't do anything heroic for awhile."
Picard smiled. "I won't if you won't."
"I didn't think a traitor like you would dare show his face in Prox again," said Agatio as he blocked Felix's blade. "I will make you pay for turning your back on us."
"I haven't betrayed anyone in Prox," Felix said matter-of-factly. "I'm here to help save them."
The green man gave him a quizzical look, though he still pressed his attack.
"Have you forgotten already?" Felix implored. "If the beacon isn't lit, Prox will drop off the face of Weyard before much longer. Or does your village of innocent people no longer matter to you with all your warriors dead?"
Agatio grimaced. He quickly withdrew his sword and blasted Felix with his Psynergy then went to join Karst. She was enjoying exchanging weapon blows with Isaac and Garet and trying to flash-fry Mia at the same time. Agatio didn't notice this, however, and took her firmly by the arm and made to retreat.
"Agatio?!" Karst cried in surprise. "What are you doing? We almost have them!"
"We have to light the beacon first. Otherwise Prox will be doomed and we will miss our chance to gain that power."
"No! I must have them now!"
"Karst, think a moment," said Agatio. "Our Psynergy is stronger here already, correct? Imagine how potent it will be once the beacon is lit and the might of Mars is released!"
She smirked. "Very well. Then light the beacon we shall, and then we will make these fools suffer like they've never suffered before!"
They took off down the far hallway, and the other eight Adepts immediately took chase, weaving past ice blocks and sliding along slippery floors. They could see Karst and Agatio ahead of them, leaping over the ice floes and burning through any stray creatures in the way.
"We can't let them get to the Aerie first!" Jenna cried. "We can't allow them to gain that much power!"
"We won't let that happen," Picard declared. "We still have a chance to catch them and get the Mars Star back."
"It'll be a cold day in Weyard before I let those freaks win this battle," said Garet. Being the slowest runner in the group, he was lagging a bit behind his friends as they chased their adversaries. As he struggled to keep up with everyone's pace, he found himself slipping on the icy floor once again and crashing to the ground. Only this time, his momentum kept him moving forward and he plowed right into the others like a bowling ball into bowling pins. Seven more Adepts kissed the floor and they all collided into the far wall of the next room in one huge and dazed heap.
"Brilliant," Felix groaned as he rubbed his head. "At least I landed on something soft."
"It never fails--I always end up being somebody's cushion," Picard grumbled. "Felix, will you kindly get off of me? You're not exactly the smallest member of our group."
Ivan wiggled his way out from underneath his friends and began brushing himself off with disdain. "I swear, Garet. You get clumsier with every passing day. At this rate, you'll end up killing us long before Karst and Agatio have the chance to."
"Hey!" came Garet's muffled cry of indignation. "It's not my fault the floor's so slippery! Who ever heard of putting so much ice in the fire Lighthouse anyway? And will the owner of this butt in my face kindly move it?!"
Jenna leaped to her feet, red in the face, and hit Garet in the head. "You pervert! What do you think you're doing looking up my dress like that?!"
Garet colored as well when he realized that he had indeed landed with his face pointed up Jenna's skirt. "You think I did that on purpose? That I'd slip and fall and nearly kill myself just for a chance to look up your dress?!"
"You did what?!" Felix practically pounced on top of Garet and the two were soon engaged in another one of their shouting matches, with Jenna's voice trying to rise over it the whole while. Ivan chuckled at the sight very quietly, but Sheba saw it as she pulled herself up. What a relief it was to finally see him smile, even if only briefly.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same," Isaac sighed. He was still lying on the ground where he'd landed and was staring upside down at his bickering comrades. "We're a great bunch of heroes all right."
Mia's face appeared above him. "Are you OK? Or do you just want to lie on that cold hard floor all day?"
"It's quite comfortable, actually. And they say sleeping on a firm surface is good for the back." Mia giggled and extended a hand to help him up, which he took. Picard had already succeeded in breaking up Felix and Garet with the help of a cold blast of Douse. Jenna had apparently gotten over her previous embarrassment and was now berating her brother for overreacting.
"Some days I wonder what we're going to do with them," said Ivan. "There's no rhyme or reason to any of this anymore."
Sheba smiled. "It was good to see you smile again, Ivan. You've been so serious today that I thought someone may have stolen your funny bone."
He wrinkled his nose. "I think you've been hanging around Garet too long, Sheba. You're starting to sound like him." He walked away to join the others, dismissing her completely. Sheba fumed, narrowing her green eyes and electricity coursing through her extremities. To be in a bad mood over what happened in Contigo was one thing, but since when did he have the right to insult her? And didn't he even care that Picard had nearly been killed because he wasn't paying attention to his battle?
"Where are we?" Jenna asked as she scanned the room.
"This room is very peculiar," said Mia. "Look at these strange markings."
Etched into the floor was a huge, ornate circle. It seemed to be more or less a pattern of various shapes with no significant pictures or words, but it still seemed to be telling them something. The eight Adepts gathered around it and looked at it thoughtfully.
"Whatever it is, it's pretty old," Felix said. "Ever see anything like it, Kraden?"
"Hey, where is Kraden?" Garet questioned. "I haven't heard his annoying voice since we encountered Karst."
"He probably wandered off and got lost somewhere in the Lighthouse," Isaac sighed. "Let's just hope he doesn't get into any major trouble before we find him."
"Can't we just leave him here?" Garet begged. "Please?"
"Garet, that's a terrible thing to say!" Mia exclaimed. "You should be ashamed!"
"Oh come on, Mia. You know he's annoying—everyone knows he's annoying!"
"Guys, please," Isaac said, a hint of weariness in his voice. "We can worry about Kraden later. Right now our primary focus is finding Karst and Agatio and getting the Mars Star back."
Picard was on his knees inspecting the carved circle more closely. "There are some ancient runes inscribed here."
"Anything you recognize?" Felix queried.
"Hmmm..." Picard traced his fingers along the strange markings. "I believe I saw something similar to these in Lemuria palace once. King Hydros had all sorts of old manuscripts in his library."
"But do you know what they say?" Jenna pressed.
"Only a little." He squinted and read aloud slowly and carefully. "'To ascend to the heavens, one must find the vanishing jewel.'"
"The what?" everyone else asked.
"I'm sorry, but that's the best I can translate it," said Picard. "I'm sure it's meant to be a hint to any visitors to this place."
"Some hint," Garet scoffed.
"We'll keep our eyes peeled for this 'vanishing jewel,' whatever it is," said Felix. "Now which way do you think Agatio went?"
"I sense the presence of other minds down that way," Ivan said as he indicated the direction. "Though it could be just a group of monsters."
"It's a start," said Mia. "They can't have gotten too far."
"Just be sure to watch your step this time, Garet, OK?" Jenna teased.
Garet grumbled audibly as they all made their way down the new path. The hallway gradually grew darker and even more frozen as they progressed, forcing them to go slowly. Soon it was almost pitch black, and only the ignited tip of Jenna's Salamander Rod provided any light.
"This is more than a little unnerving," said Sheba. "It's so cold!"
"It's possible that the storm outside is growing worse," Isaac said. "Before long, this whole building will probably be frozen solid."
"That's a pleasant thought." Garet sneezed. "Why couldn't our ancestors have built this place somewhere warmer—like a desert?"
"Or on one of those tropical islands," Jenna sighed longingly. "Somewhere in the south seas with all those palm trees and pretty mountains..."
"Pretty volcanoes you mean," said Picard. "I thought Mars Adepts were supposed to be more resistant to the cold."
"Where on Weyard did you hear that?" Garet demanded. "I've never liked the cold and I never will!"
"Me either," Jenna agreed. "I'd rather cross a desert than a tundra any day!" She wrinkled her nose. "I noticed neither you nor Mia are shivering."
Mia smiled. "Well I'm used to it since Imil was quite wintry. Although I will say that this weather is a little too cold for my taste."
"Agreed," Picard said. "It makes even the Sea of Time look inviting."
Sudden shouts of terror erupted from the other end of the corridor. The Adepts rushed towards the sound only to find the room basked in a blinding red-hot light. They shielded their eyes, unable to make out any shape or form, but they did hear the deafening roar of some great beast.
"What was that?!" Sheba cried in fright.
The light was beginning to recede. "I think we're about to find out," Felix replied. "And I don't think it's anything good."
Even when the blinding red light had vanished, the room did not go dark. No, darkness might've been a blessing in this case, as it would've hidden the terrifying sight from their eyes. In the center of the great room was not just one but two huge golden Flame Dragons. The first was slightly larger than the second, but they both looked equally angry and equally dangerous. They hissed and growled and began stomping towards the group, bearing their large white teeth.
"This is just one of those days," Garet muttered.
-------------------------------------------
[Whistling nonchalantly]
Mist, Shade + Crystal: -_-+
What?
Shade: You call that a battle sequence?! Your action scenes need so much work it isn't funny!
Crystal: I want my pixie stix! You're an evil human being! [Cries]
Mist: I concur. And there wasn't any romance in that chapter at all! What's wrong with you?!
There's just no satisfying you guys.
All: GET BACK TO WORK!
^^; I'm working, I'm working!