Disclaimer: Does not own WITCH
AN: The Collector is just a little too obvious to be the bad guy. I like to maximise the amount of stuff I use to be from the comic, and if not the comic the cartoon instead. It should take a little reasoning out and if you don't get it, you'll slap yourself once it's obvious. Anyone else want to guess who the bad guy will be.
Love is a Hearts Child 2 – Memories Matter Most
Chapter 6 – Killer Constructs
When Steven appeared Cedric and Orube where not in sight. They couldn't be far though, Steven had made sure to appeared in the first place he could think of out of sight but near by Cedric's. He was surrounded by bins and wall beyond them and in front of him a door. Pushing the door open Steven walked out of the the bin area of the block of flat and took off running in the direction he thought Cedric had been heading in the portal.
Dashing around a corner and into the large garden at the back of the block of flats, Steven suddenly didn't like what he saw. The creature made of wood, he had saw attacking Cedric in the portal stood in the center of the garden. The only way out was where Steven stood, and he assumed that Cedric and the women where hiding in the garden and couldn't escape because they would be seen.
The creature turned seeing Steven and suddenly spun his spear and tossed it at Steven. Jumping back behind the corner the spear passed straight through where he had been and stabbing into the solid brick floor the lead up to the garden. Quickly flicking his head out to see the wood man, it was holding yet another spear. "If your, in there a little distraction would be nice." Steven said loudly moving his head back behind the corner.
Steven couldn't see what happened but could here the sudden impact of a magical blast hitting the creature. Popping out to see, the creature stood undamaged as if not been hit at all. "No hiding now." Orube said standing up now from behind a bush. Blast after blast she kept the creature attention on her. "Cedric get over here quick I have a idea." Steven shouted in to the garden trying to look past the purple blasts that hit the wood man causing it to stay where it was even though it tried to make it's way to attack Orube.
Moving out from behind a tree Cedric ran towards Cedric keeping low and trying to get to Steven with the most space possible between him and the creature. "What your plan?" Cedric asked moving behind the wall. "This." Steven said moving to stand next to Cedric side by side. "IRMA GET OUT SIDE WATCH THE SKY AND FIND US FROM MY SIGN." Steven shouted hoping that she was still near the portal.
Reaching his left hand into the air, Steven pointed a finger into the sky. Starting to breathe slowly Cedric knew he was going to try something beyond his magic and was trying to concentrate. Suddenly a line a bright red energy burst from his finger, a line of red reaching high into the shy. With his other hand Steven clutched his head, trying to keep the signal in the sky as long as possible, but after a few seconds it flicker and blinked out of existence. Sliding down against the wall Steven sat down. "I NEED SOME HELP!" Orube voice shouted from back in the garden, the creature was slowly moving towards spear getting closer and closer.
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It was Hay Lin that started running when they heard Steven from beside the image of Cedric in the portal. Disappearing as she reached the bottom of the stairs and starting to fly up through the door upstairs and then into the sky. Looking across the sky line, she was shocked when the bend of red light shot into the air. Flying as fast as she could, Hay Lin brought a huge wind behind her to make her fly faster. A invisible blur through the sky. Flying down towards where the light came from as it disappeared she looked around for Steven, Cedric and Orube. "ARE YOU HERE." She shouted still invisible. "OVER HERE." Cedric voice from near by shouted and Hay Lin rushed to the source.
Running up to Cedric and the sitting Steven she became visible. "I'm never thought I'd be glad to see a guardian." Cedric said dryly. "Orube in the garden she needs help." Cedric told her helping pull Steven back to his feet. (TARANEE CAN YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE I AM FROM MY MIND.) Hay Lin said down the mental link. As if in reply, the other 4 guardians transported next to her and the two men. Running into the garden, they saw the wood creature it's spear point only a few feet from Orube, being held back by Orube purple magic blasts.
Each of the guardians moved into action. Taranee sending forth fire into the back of the creature, Hay Lin fanning the flames as the enveloped the wood man. Cornelia made the ground at the things feet grow up and hold it in place. Irma ran to Orube and pulled her away and Will made pink energy crackle around the creature already in flames. All of them now stood near the gardens entrance watching the creature as the flames died down. The wood of the creature was now blackened from soot but seem unharmed.
The creature lurched pulling his feet out of the ground turning to face them. The last of the flames blowing off of the creatures shoulder. The flame grew beside the wood creature as it fluttered through the air. Growing it changed and they watched shocked as the fire grew into the shape of a man. It hand wielding a large single sided Axe made of what looked like lava. "Err I don't like the look of this." Cornelia said. "Of what?" Cedric asked looking round the corner. Before umping back round the corner. "What is it?" Steven asked now holding himself up against the wall. "Cornelia trap the wood one long enough for Irma and Hay to freeze it. Taranee try and swallow the flames from the other." Will ordered the others.
Both of the flame and wood men lifted weapon ready to throw. Ground and plants came up from the ground again surrounded the wood man holding it still. Irma suddenly covered it in water and Hay Lin brought up such a blast of chilling wind ice swallowed the wood creature. The fire creature was quicker then Taranee could be though. Axe of melted rock flying towards Taranee. Orube jumped in the way, placing a hand in front of the blade and a blast of magic sending it flying away. "Quickly Tara." Orube said. Rushing forward Taranee raised both her hands, the creature made of fire slowly being picked apart and being drawn to her hands and out of existences. "We should probably leave before another of those show up." Cedric said.
"What about that one though, it will get free eventually." Irma said staring at the the wood covered in ice. "Let me." Steven said pushing his way from the wall, and to the spear that had been thrown earlier. Gabbing it he pulled it out of the ground the wood and metal spear was lighter then he thought it would be. "What are you doing?" Irma asked, ass he walked up to the creature with the spear. Bringing the spear up slowly because of tiredness he brought the side of the spear point down on it as hard as he could. Ice shatter and wood broke to pieces falling to the ground in a heap. "Now can we go, I really want to sleep." He said with a huge yawn dropping the spear.
Turning and starting to walk back to the other Steven suddenly collapsed. Orube jumped forward with her superior speed and caught the fall man. "Is he okay?" Irma asked worried. "Yes he just needs to sleep, he used too much magic within a small period of time." Cedric explain brushing the front of his shirt as if it was dirty. "What were those things?" Orube asked putting Steven sitting against the nearby wall. "We don't know." Taranee said. "I was attack by one earlier, it's still out there somewhere." Irma said. "Back to the bookshop until we can figure this out?" Cornelia questioned.
"Yes." Will said plainly. Cedric pulled Steven up and held him up under the arm, and the group move closer together. Pulling out the heart, to make transporting all of them easier. Each of the guardians could teleport themselves but for will to teleport the others three needed a little more. The group disappear, and appeared back at the bookshop. Caleb got up when the others appeared. "Is he okay?" Caleb asked looking at Steven, he hadn't been paying attention to the portal and had not seen what happened. "He will be fine." Cedric said dumping him into a chair.
"Well this is cozy." Cedric said sarcastically to no one in particular. "You sit there and be quiet." Will told him pointing to another chair. "I will not be ordered about." Cedric said defiantly. "Sit" Orube said harshly moving up to behind Will. Cedric did as he was told. "Okay we need to figure out what those things were." Will said looking to each of the guardians in turn. "Well that fire creature, appeared from the fire I tried to use on the wood one." Taranee said. "Well the wood creature was my door, it ripped itself of it's hinge and transformed into that thing." Cedric said. "I told you to be quiet." Will said glaring at him.
"The one that attack me, was made of water from wet clothes." Irma said. "It's like they can create themselves out anything." She added. "Wait that means one could appear and attack us here." Cornelia said voice waving a little. "Maybe, maybe not it is possible that our attackers are being made by someone, they seem to be magical constructs." Cedric said. "I am not going to stay silent and let you see enemies were they are not instead of where they are." Cedric added when Orube glared at him. "I hate to say this but Cedric is right, if these things could pop out of anywhere why aren't they." Taranee said.
The conversation halted when Steven groaned loudly where he lay in the chair. "Could you keep it down, my head is splitting." Steven said voice full of tiredness and a edge of being in pain. "Are you okay?" Irma asked as Steven, unsteadily got up out of the chair. "Cedric said you needed to sleep." Irma said looking over to the blond man. "I should but your voices woke me and I can't back to sleep you might need more help." Steven said, looking around the room for the case he had left. "But won't you fall asleep again if you use to much magic?" Taranee asked. "Yes but I don't plan too." Steven said finding the case and opening it.
Reaching inside he pulled something out and stood again turning to the others. In his right hand, was a plain basic Foil, a simple sword with no edge and blue o the end instead of a point. "I never thought fencing would be anything but a hobby so much for that." Steven said smiling before kicking the case close and going back to the chair, sitting down and holding the sword on his lap. The girls looked at him for a few seconds before going back to the discussion.
Steven ignored them and leaned to his side to where Cedric sat in the other chair. "Why did you tell them that?" He asked. "It's true you should sleep." Cedric said back quietly. "I'm impressed you can even stay awake after that much magic." he said leaning back in his chair. "Maybe you underestimate humans Cedric, quite a bit of our lifestyles encourage a lack of sleep and you get use to it eventually. Thought I still do plan to get the strongest coffee I can." Steven said going back to sitting back in his chair himself.
"Who is going to stay here while we go back to Kandrakar?" Will said catching Steven attention. "Me and Steven will remain here." Cedric said. "I meant one of us." Will said sharply to Cedric. "I will." Irma said. "I didn't get to finish something earlier." She added. Hay Lin looked at Irma wondering what that was, she knew Irma had run off and then seemed to return with Steven and guessed Irma had gone to speak to Steven about what they saw in Kandrakar.
"Okay, Caleb do you mind staying as well?" Will asked kindly. "No, don't take too long though." Caleb replied. Using the heart again Will transported Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin and herself to Kandrakar. Hopefully Endarno had finished finding all the magical items that dealt with time. That way they would be able to ask about the creatures and try and find out how Irma sent the message back in time.
"So what do we do while do we wait?" Caleb asked. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm just going to sit here and rest." Steven his leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "Try and keep it down." He added. "Actually I want to finish talking to you, Caleb can you take Cedric upstairs and stay there." Irma said causing Steven to look back to the room again. "Sure, come Cedric." Caleb heading for the stairs. Cedric didn't like being ordered but did as asked of him.
"I'm still tired, do we have talk now?" Steven asked moving the Foil from his lap and placing it on the floor next to the chair. "It's important, I didn't lie before." Irma said. Steven thought for a second and realized she was talking about. "Why do you think that?" he said meaning the fact she thought they would die. "A message from the future, where we die giving it." Irma said managed to keep her emotions strong this time round. "WHAT?" Steven said jumping up out of the seat he was in. "WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS EARLIER?" He was angry. "I tried to didn't I." Irma said.
"Okay don't panic Steven, if a message came from the future I can avoid dieing." Steven was speaking to himself so Irma couldn't hear. "How did I die?" Steven asked. "I don't know exactly." Irma told him. In truth she didn't know for sure he had died in the message but the voice of the scream was his and it was obviously one of suffering. "How can you not know? You said you saw it?" he said grabbing her by the arm angrily. "You were out of sight but I heard your voice and your screaming, and I died seconds later." Irma told him. Pushing her away, and staggering back into the chair, he stared at Irma not sure of what to say or do.