AN: So in this chapter, the kids finally leave to begin their search for the Crystals!
Chapter Seven: The Assault on the AS Areth!
It was dusk on the planet of Gaia. The tired sun, huge and blazing red, was slowly sinking into the horizon, casting a warm, happy glow over the Kingdom of Areth. The western sky, surrounding the sun, was many hues of dusky pink, flaming red, and calm orange. The eastern sky was already darker, a deep blue twilight ascending onto Gaia. In the evening light, a young trio were resting on the eighth floor of Castle Areth. The trio comprised of Jimmy, Sarah and Elle. After the training battles, and Lindsay's surprise entrance, the older kids had been asked by King Edward to discuss "plans of action" with him.
The room they were in was large and spacious, but it had a cosy aura to it. The door to the room was on the eastern wall; a large stone fireplace, beautifully crafted, was on the southern wall. Several wooden bookcases, made from mahogany and oak, were on the northern wall, and a huge window was on the western wall, letting the golden evening light illuminate the room. In the centre of the room was a raised area. There were three large couches on this area, all facing the window. On the northern couch was Elle, who was sitting with her knees pulled up to her, a thick cotton blanket draped over them, with an old-looking book in her hand. On the right couch, the furthest away from the window, lay a sleeping Sarah. A thick viridian blanket, fashioned from soft, silky wool, covered her body, except for her head, shoulders and feet. Jimmy was in the couch opposite of Elle's, where he sat sketching a drawing of some sort.
"What're you drawing?" questioned Elle, looking up from her book.
"Oh, n-nothing…" stammered Jimmy, trying to hide his sketch pad under his cloak.
"C'mon, let me see," said Elle, as she got up off the couch.
"I'd rather not-" began Jimmy, but Elle had already snatched the pad out of his hand. When she saw the drawing, her lips began to quiver.
"Aww!" she cooed. "Jimmy! That is so sweet!"
Jimmy had drawn an elaborate sketch of the sleeping Sarah. It was almost exactly the same as the real thing.
"Here you go," said Elle, and she handed the pad back to Jimmy.
"Thank you," said Jimmy, as he hastily put the pad in a small leather satchel, placed by his feet. "I'm going to go down to the kitchens, and get a bite to eat."
"Okay," said Elle cheerfully. She lowered her voice. "Don't worry. I won't tell."
Jimmy nodded, and rushed out the room. Elle sighed, and went back to her couch. She picked up her book again, but she quickly got bored. She went over to one of the bookcases, and put it back. She then noticed a thick, leather-bound tome where her left hand was. Curiosity coming over her, Elle carefully took the tome out, and blew a fine layer of dust off it's cover. Unlike May or Taileia's tome, this one was very simple, with no writing or drawings on the cover. Elle took the tome back to her couch, and sat down. She opened it up at the front page. At the top were five neatly written words, written in black ink:
To whom it may concern.
Elle flipped the page again, and came across three large words written in the same handwriting.
The Magi's Tome.
Elle looked at the fifth page, and she began to read.
ooo
Gaia is a planet steeped in history. Many peoples have lived and flourished on this world, adding their own part to the fabric of history. I am of the Arcanian time. My name is Erica. I have the gift, curse, and burden of prophesy. This book is enchanted. No matter what, it will survive and find it's way into the hand of a Chosen One. Time is running out. Elphetia, Guardian of Souls, shall soon come for me. But I embrace Death. In this book, you shall find secrets and spells, that will aid you on your quest.
ooo
Elle continued to read for a good half-hour. She only stopped when she noticed Sarah stirring. She glanced up from her book, and saw Sarah yawning and stretching her arms. Sarah glanced sleepily at Elle, smacking her lips.
"Ahhhh…How long was I out?" she yawned sleepily.
"About an hour and a half," replied Elle.
"Okay," she answered. Then she paused. "Where's Jimmy?"
"Oh. He down in the kitchen. In fact, I was thinking of going to look for him and the others.""Right," replied Sarah, as Elle got off of her couch, and walked towards the door. She walked out of the room, when, a few seconds later, her face popped from around the door frame.
"By the way," she said, "could you get that book for me? Thanks!"
Sarah groaned, and got off her couch. She walked over to Elle's sofa, and picked up the tome. Out of curiosity, she looked at the pages. Her eyes widened. The writing was not in English; not one bit of it. It was all in some strange, wavy kind of writing, which looked strangely familiar to Sarah. She raked her mind for an answer, when it hit her. It was the same writing in Taileia's tome! Sarah chuckled to herself.
"How could Elle read this?"
ooo
"There you are!" cried Elle. "I've been looking for you guys for, like, half an hour!"
In one of Castle Areth's many corridors, Elle, Sarah and Jimmy, whom they had collected from the kitchen, had finally managed to locate the rest of the kids.
"Lindsay!" called Sarah. "How are you?""I'm fine," replied Lindsay weakly, with a tired grin. "I'm just a bit tired."
"Taileia explained that because Lindsay had travelled, unprotected, through the Time and Space Vortex, that she would be sapped of all her energy, at least for a little while," explained Edd. "Anyway, what have you been up to?"
"Nothing much," answered all three of them.
"That's good," said Kevin. "Least you've been staying outta trouble."
"What have you all been doing?" asked Sarah.
"Well," said Eddy, "we've been talkin' with that King dude.""About what?" inquired Sarah.
"It goes somethin' like this…"
ooo
Flashback…
"So, your highness," said a nervous Edd to Edward, King of Areth. "I believe you wished to converse with us?"
"You are correct," said King Edward. His face was stern, but his voice was calm and logical. "But I wish that the prophecy could have foretold a better time for our world…"
"Huh?" asked a confused Kevin.
"The prophecy," began the King," claimed that the Chosen Ones-that's all of you-would come to Gaia in a time of great need. However, Erica promised that all twenty Chose-"
"Wait," exclaimed Lindsay. "Twenty? But now that I'm here that makes eighteen only, so who are the other two?"
"I've noticed," nodded the King. "I'm afraid that I am not aware as to where these other two supposed Chosen Ones are. However, as I was saying, there is a sense of fear in the air. Lately, there have been increased monster sightings. Some of them haven't been seen for aeons-the Immores, Farids, Ghastly Shades…The list goes on and on. Also, they are becoming bolder and bolder-there was recently an Immores raid on a ranch in eastern Areth: seven sheep, five pigs and two cows were killed. That is why the Gods have brought you here; it is your destiny to save our world."
After the King had finished his speech, the kids just looked at each other. Then Edd spoke up.
"Very well, your Majesty. We accept our…um…destiny, as you called it, and will try to save your world."
"A very good choice," smiled the King. "Now, if you don't mind waiting a while, we'll give you an explanation of what you have to do." The King motioned over to a male servant, who had been standing motionless in a corner. He held a glowing red orb in his hands. He laid his hand on it, and threw it onto the wall. It seemed to latch onto the wall, and it started to melt, expanding into a large, square-shaped piece of plain white paper. An image suddenly appeared on the paper-screen; it seemed to be some sort of ancient fresco. Depicted on it was a circle, and inside it was two figures. One was designed to resemble a male, the other to resemble a female. Outside of it were lots more figures, all of them looking towards the circle. Below it were more figures, each one's arms reaching up into the sky, where the orb seemed to sit. Below these people were several demonic looking creatures, serpents, beasts etc. The King swivelled to the kids, who were curiously studying the façade.
"Marvellous, is it not?" spoke the King. "What you are gazing upon here is a Memory Orb picture of the Aridione Fresco. This fresco explains the very basics of our religion.""How?" quipped Kevin. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's just a picture."
"Hohoho!" laughed the King. "This is not the entire fresco. This is only a small picture slide of it. The proper fresco is astonishingly large. It fills up a whole cliffside!"
"Incredible," murmured Edd, who was silently examining the pictogram of the fresco. He pointed to the two figures enclosed within the orb. "Pardon me, sir, but who are these?"
"That, my dear boy, are the Holy Twins, Chaos and Crystal. They came into existence at the Beginning of Matter, and formed the Universe. Chaos sculpted and formed the worlds, planets and dimensions, while Crystal created beings of all kinds, and breathed Life into them. The people around the orb are the Gods of Utopia, the people underneath ordinary humans, and the people underneath them are demons."
"Ok," said Marie, in a slow voice. "But what have we gotta do?"
"Ah," exhaled the King. "You must go on a journey, a great adventure. You must find and collect the twelve-""Elemental Crystals," whispered Edd.
"How do you know?" inquired the King, with a frown on his face.
"These weird dudes told us," said Eddy. "They gave us all these weird powers, and said somethin' about a quest and these Crystal thingies."
"You must mean the Sages."
"Yeah!" cried Ed, with a gleeful face. "The funny people who talk in the funny way."
"Shut up, Ed!" hissed Rebecca, who elbowed him into a wall. Ed bounced off of it, and smacked Rebecca in the face. With a shriek of indignation, Rebecca lunged for Ed.
(Cue several minutes of random fighting, angry screaming (from Rebecca), punching, kicking, biting, laughing (from Ed) and scratching between Ed and Rebecca.)
"Well," said the King, after several minutes of Ed and Rebecca proceeding to beat one another up, "if the Sages have already informed you of your mission, then I believe that your time here is over. You will depart by airship in the morning."
"Pardon me, Your Highness," ventured Zoe, "what Crystal should we collect first?"
"Oh," said the King, a look of forgetfulness on his face. "I'm afraid I completely forgot about that. However, thank you for reminding me Zoe. Now, according to the preaching's of Arethanity, the Elements were created by Chaos and Crystal in a distinct order: Nature, Fire, Water, Electricity, Air, Earth, Ice, Psychic, Light, Darkness, Time and Space. According to the list, you should start your hunt looking for the Nature Crystal."
"But where is it?" pressed Eddy, excited at the prospect of discovering a real jewel.
"Well, to house each Crystal is an Elemental Temple. The Temple of Nature, the Temple of Fire, the Temple of Water…Obviously, you should start your search for the Crystal in the Temple of Nature. It is located deep in the centre of a forest many miles south of here. It is known as the Areth Forest, seeing as how it's the largest forest in Areth. However, there is a small matter of concern."
"Oh," said Nazz, a crestfallen look plastered on her face. "What is it?"
"Well," began the King," the Temple of Nature's exact location is unknown to us. However, the Floranuss race should be able to assist you there."
"The what?" exclaimed Jennifer.
"When Crystal created the Crystals, near the Dawn of Civilisation, she created an Elementally assigned race to guard their designated Crystal. I believe Petry has a picture slide prepared for that."
The young manservant walked over to the Orb, and tapped it again. The image on the wall changed; it was now a list of some sort.
Crystal of Nature-Floranuss
Crystal of Fire-Magmoro
Crystal of Water-Aquanos
Crystal of Electricity-Eledox
Crystal of Air-Otteras
Crystal of Earth-Blockas
Crystal of Ice-Yorite
Crystal of Psychic-Elvotite
Crystal of Light-Human
Crystal of Darkness-Refernite
Crystal of Time-Phantosma
Crystal of Space-Ingeros
"As you can observe here on the list," began the King, "the Humans, which are us, are Guardians of the Crystal of Light. Specifically, Areth is host to the Crystal, but it's powers are spread all over the world. As Guardians of the Crystal of Nature, the Floranuss will help you in what ever way they can."
"Alright then," said Kevin. "I guess our adventure begins!"
ooo
The next day dawned bright and early: the sun gleamed in the pale-blue morning sky, the birds whistled and tweeted, and a cool, crisp breeze blue in from the Arethan Sea, far to the west. The kids of the cul-de-sac had all been given luxurious lodging for the night, situated in the Castle's West Wing, and were all fully rested. They were currently standing on a large docking bay several miles outside of Areth. The King was also with them. Some of the kids were about to inquire what they were waiting for, when a large, droning sound filled the morning air.
"Step back!" ordered King Edward. The children did so, stepping over a blue stone line as they did. Astounded, the kids viewed in awe as the large airfield before them slowly opened up, the mechanisms groaning, as the airfield's two halves slowly split from each other, until a large, field-sized hole was left. More mechanisms began to whir, and a strange sound, like some sort of crank or pulley, shattered the still, morning air. Hands clamped tightly over their ears, the kids looked on as some sort of massive, medieval-styled ship slowly rose up from the ground, hoisted on some kind of pulley. It was similar to the ship that had attacked the cul-de-sac, but it lacked the cannon, and had lots of windows on the sides. The wood was dark brown, gilded with gold edgings. Many soldiers were bustling about now, preparing gangplanks, loading supplies etc. King Edward turned to the kids, who were viewing the scene in expected awe.
"Yes," he said, "airships are marvellous, aren't they? The AS Areth is probably the most largest and magnificent airship in the whole world. It is considered a great honour to be privileged enough to embark on it."
"Pardon me, Your Majesty," asked Jimmy. "How will the airship help us?""Since you have recently arrived on Gaia, you'll have little knowledge of it's geography. Therefore, the AS Areth will take you as far as Floranuss City. After that, your quest truly begins."
"Your Highness," called a voice behind them. The party turned, and saw Sir Rost advancing towards them. Sir Rost was a much-liked Knight, high up in the Arethan Military. He was tall and robust, with twinkling green eyes, thick brown hair, and a bushy beard on his chin. He was in his mid-thirties, and he was dressed in a typical Knight's silver armour.
"Yes, Rost?" asked the King.
"If the young heroes are ready," he said, smiling down at the kids, "then we are all set to embark."
"Very good," said the King. He now turned to look at the kids, and Ed noted that he had a look of sadness in his dark, sapphire-blue eyes. "My dear children, if you are indeed ready, then it is time for you to leave."
"Thank you, Your Highness," said Edd, stepping forward to speak on behalf of the group. "We will not let Gaia down."
"Thank you. Now, goodbye!"
ooo
It was about an hour later, and the kids were now safely onboard the AS Areth. (AN: As SS stands for "Sailing Ship", AS stands for "Air Ship", although it's really one word.) Edd was currently wandering about a corridor in the lower decks of the airship. The entire thing was constructed of wood and metal, and it was stuffy down in the lower decks. There was a low, constant humming sound in the air, which piqued Edd's curiosity. He came to a corner that branched off to the left. The humming was louder now, and stronger. Edd walked down this smaller corridor, until he came to a reinforced metal door marked: "ENGINE ROOM." After a few minutes of pondering, Edd came to a decision. Reaching out with his hands, he pushed the door with all his might. It slid inwards, and Edd saw the Engine Room.
It was about the size of a medium-size hall, and it encompassed two floors. A steel railing ran along the first floor, and the ground floor was mainly took up by two large machines, one connected to pipes, the other not. Edd noticed a person dozing in a wooden chair. He was short and stocky, with busy black hair, and a bushy beard as well. He was dressed in a brown shirt, brown pants and black boots. He wore a grimy, oil-splattered gray apron. Edd walked past him, over to the two, he presumed, generators. One was marked "AIR", the other "ELECTRICITY".
"I take it yer interested in findin' out about the generators."
Edd realised that the man in the chair wasn't really sleeping. He turned around, and looked at him.
"My profound apologies, sir," he said. "I didn't mean to poke about here in this room."
"Nonsense, lad," replied the man, getting up from the chair. "As soon as I saw ya, I thought "Now, there's a kindred spirit." You like engineering as well, don't ya?"
"Yes," beamed Edd. "I do. Oh wait, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! My name's Eddward, with two D's, but my friends call me "Double-D."
"Well, Double-D," replied the man, "my name's Vulrich Gophont, but my pals call me "Vulc". I'm the Head Engineer on this airship."
"That must be an interesting career," replied Edd.
"Aye, it is. Now, about they generators. You want to find out about them?"
"Yes please."
"Right then. Now, the Air generator is what keeps this airship afloat." Vulc walked over to it, and opened a small hatchet on it's side. Edd peered inside, and his eyes widened in wonder. There were hundreds of small, accordion-like tubes, that were pumping up and down in a fast, steady rhythm.
"These tubes pump air out of the airship, pushing it up off the ground. The other generator powers this thing, and makes the airship move."
"Amazing. Pardon my asking, but who invented airships?"
"A man named Gaius Deinuis. What a genius. He first invented airships 700 years ago.""My goodness, that was a long time ago!"
"Uh-huh. Now, let me show you the pipe-works…"
ooo
Zoe was enjoying a nice stroll along the deck of the AS Areth. She would have hated to have been cooped up inside in such glorious weather. She paused. A little ahead of her, leaning against the railing, was a young-looking woman, who was gazing out at the countryside beneath her. She had healthy, cerulean-blue hair, and dark violet iris's. She wore a short, white cotton dress, that rested above her knees, and over that a plain beige shawl. She wore dark leather sandals on her feet, and a brown traveller's bag was slung over her left shoulder. She looked to her left and spotted Zoe.
"Hello," she said. "What's your name?"
"My name is Zoe Cardsworth," replied Zoe politely.
"That's a lovely name, Zoe. My name is Hannah Ferlio. How old are you?"
"I'm twelve."
"Ah…" sighed Hannah wistfully. "The Age of Innocence."
Zoe looked at her.
"I was twelve ten years ago. I thought the world was my oyster. And it was. One day, I aspired to my greatest hope."
"What was that?"
Hannah smiled at her. "To become the youngest ever Head Professor of Symbology at the University of Areth. I achieved my goal exactly a year ago."
"That's incredible!"
They both started to stare across the countryside, when Zoe asked Hannah a question.
"Pardon me, but could you tell me a bit about Gaian geography?"
"Sure. To the north, you have the continent Freecia, where the North Pole is located. The Fenrir Elves and the Yorite live in it's central area, while there are several human cities on it's coast. You already know about this continent, Aretha, so I'll explain about Aridia, the continent to the west. The Aredos Corporation is the undisputed power there, and the continent itself is very similar to Aretha. However, there are more valleys, deserts and hills there. To the south you have Spirodis, a country covered in forests, mountains, hills and lakes. Spirodis is populated by anthropomorphic animals, who live in their own states and regions, but come under the same flag. Finally, to the south of Spirodis, you have the South Pole, Articia. It's a glacial land, covered in ice sheets, with only scientists living there. Now, on Articia…"
ooo
Several hours later, the cul-de-sac kids were gathered on the deck, talking and chatting after a delicious dinner. It was dusk, and the sky was a mixture of terracotta orange, fiery crimson, and rosy pink. The conversation had turned to something they hadn't really considered; what happened after they got all the crystals?
"Before we make any assumptions," said Edd, "we should consider if we'll even be able to find all the crystals."
"Oh, c'mon," whined Eddy. "How hard can it be?"
"Well, Eddy," said Rebecca, "I'm sure it wont be easy."
"Yeah!" said Michael. "I mean, we don't know this world! We could die out there!""What the hell are you rambling on about!" cried Eddy. "It won't be that hard."
"I think there's some truth in what Eddy's sayin'," said Lee. "This adventure thing could be easy. Hell, it could even be fun!"
"But what about monsters, and other creatures?" pressed Zoe. "I'm sure evil things won't take nicely to us."
"What monsters?" sighed Eddy. "Those freaks in the arena were probably really rare. I mean, c'mon, it'll probably be things like orcs, goblins, crap like that. Really easy things!"
"Like this one?" whispered an eerie voice from behind them. The kids spun around, and saw a dark, mysterious figure on the captain's deck.
"Faith!" cried Edd.
"Wow," said Faith, in a sarcastic tone. "Is that my name?"
"What the hell do ya want, creep?" spat Eddy.
"Well, there's two things. One; your punishment for that insolence." Faith stopped talking, and reached for her Trident, which was on her back. She grabbed it, and, closing her eyes, inhaled through her nose. Instantly, shadows cast by the setting son began to slowly drift towards her, covering the Trident in a gooey like substance. Suddenly, with a cry of pain, Jonny dropped to the ground.
"Jonny!" cried May, who knelt beside him. "What's the matter?"
"Ah…" he panted, gripping his stomach in pain. "It hurts…my stomach…"
"What the hell's wrong with Wood Boy?" exclaimed Michael.
"Your friend's Element is Darkness," called Faith. "Obviously, shadows are linked to Darkness, and when I use their power, near him, it'll cause him quite a bit of pain. At least until he gets used to my presence, that is."
By now, Jonny had risen up, the pain subsiding, oddly, the more he moved. Faith reached out with her right hand, and pointed the Trident at Eddy, who seemed unable to move. She began to chant a spell in Erponine; the Language of Eternal Darkness.
"Osum…partui…fernis aksa…derconijy!"
In English, that would be:
"O Gods of the Underworld, unto this brat, whom I point at with my Trident of Power, cause the curse of embarrassing hair, which will make him appear a fool to his peers!"
A streak of dark purple hit Eddy in the chest, pushing him back a few feet. When the smoke cleared, Eddy was still bent over coughing. When he looked up, he saw his friends staring at him.
"What?"
Elle reached into a pocket, and tossed him a mirror. He caught it, and peered into it. The boy he saw looking back was familiar to him, except for one thing; he had a head-full of hair. It was dark brown and smooth, and thick as well. A small bit fell over his left eye, but not so much that he couldn't see. His friends had several views on his new hairstyle:
Edd: "That hair style does suit Eddy!"
Zoe: "Surprisingly, that's a really good cut."
Rebecca: "Wow…sexy…"
Kevin: "Meh…I preferred him bald."
Nazz: "Edd actually looks cool now!"
Rolf: "Why is the short-greedy-Ed-boy now having the bushels of hair?"
Michael: "Eddy looks weird with hair…"
Ed: "Yay! Eddy's got hair! All those products musta worked!"
The Kankers (all at once): "Ooooohhh!"
Elle: "Nice cut!"
Jennifer: "That's a nice do. I actually like it."
Jonny: "Whatta nice haircut, eh Plank?"
Jimmy: "Eddy's new hair cut is quite odd…"
Sarah: "What do I care…"
Lindsay: "If that was meant to ridicule Eddy in any way, it didn't work."
Behind them, Faith was laughing like a lunatic. Her eyes were closed, and she was almost on the floor. She opened her eyes to look at Eddy, and her laughing stopped.
"Your supposed to have a mullet…" she huffed. "Never mind." She snapped her fingers, and everything went black…
ooo
After hearing a commotion on deck, Sir Rost, Vulc and Hannah had raced up, only to find the bodies of the kids lying on deck. Hannah had ran to Zoe, and was checking her pulse. It wasn't there.
"Are they…?" questioned Vulc, who was crouched down beside her.
"…No. I've witnessed something similar to this before. Tell me, my dear Vulrich, what do you know of the three dimensions of reality?"
"Um…Er…" Vulrich's blank face told Hannah all she needed to know.
"I've heard whispers of them," said Rost. "Apparently, different beings can survive in the different states."
"Close," murmured Hannah. "The three states of reality are: Angelic, Humanic and Demonic. It's like this. Fairies, elves, sprites, magical beings like that, they can live in the Humanic realm. However, they can also live in the Angelic realm, and when they do, they are invisible to the creatures in the Humanic realm. The same is for demons and the Demonic realm. However, creatures of the Humanic realm can survive in all three states.""But what has that got to do with anything?" pressed Vulc.
"When a human is taken into another realm, 90% of their soul is taken with them, leaving their body and the last 10% behind. Usually, they have no pulse, but they have a heartbeat left." Hannah placed her head on Zoe's chest, and felt the slow beat of her heart…
ooo
The kids were back on the deck again, However, something was wrong. They all felt light-headed, with a strange feeling of calm.
"Where's Faith?" spat Eddy, looking around for her.
"Here I am," called the lady in question. She was now standing on the proper deck, with some sort of queer-looking ball in her hand.
"What was that supposed to do?" questioned Lindsay.
"Maybe this will show you." Faith clicked her fingers, and for a split second, the kids saw their bodies, with Hannah, Vulc and Rost frantically examining them. The image was fuzzy and distorted, like a broken T.V. It vanished, and the kids were shocked into silence. Faith done a quick explanation of the states of reality, which shed some light on the situation.
"Why have you done this?" seethed Zoe.
"Simple," replied Faith. "It's so my adorable new pet can get some excerise."
"New…pet?" asked a confused Ed.
"Oh yes," said Faith, with an evil grin. "I guarantee you'll love it." She took the orb, and the kids saw it clearly fro the first time. It was egg shaped, twilight purple in colour, with a neon green serpent pattern spiralling around the surface. Faith began another chant.
"O serpent King of forgotten old,
Let thy power once again unfold.
O serpent King of untold size,
Break from thy shell and now arise!"
She cracked the egg on the ground, and a huge smog of blackness billowed up. Lindsay was bent over coughing, until she finally managed to regain her breath. When she looked up, her heart almost burst in, for the first time in her life, pure, unadulterated terror.
The huge snake before her was about as long a three playing fields; it's body was coiled around the ship several times. Rows of swampy-green scales, as sharp as a sabre, ran down it's spine, ending in a rattlesnake tail. Thousands of emerald green scales covered it's body, with various tones and tint. It's body was as thick as a double-decker bus, the scales glinting in the setting sun. It had piercing eyes, burgundy in colour, with a maw filled with sharp, venomous teeth. It opened it's mouth, and several small, odd-looking tongues, and a long, rubbery normal one, shot out. It took Lindsay several seconds to figure out what was strange about the little tongues; they were miniature snake heads, all seething and coiling around the mammoth serpent's normal tongue. Between it's two eyes was a circular piece of skin, that looked rather like a closed eyelid. The snake hissed, and slowly started to slither about.
"W…What is that?" whispered Jimmy in a tiny, meek voice.
"I can hear you, you know," said Faith, with a smug expression on her face. "I would like you to meet the Basilisk."
"The what?" exclaimed Kevin.
Zoe sighed, and look puzzled. "Kevin, in mythology, the Basilisk is often depicted as the King of Serpents, and is often linked to the Cockatrice. Traditionally, the Basilisk is born from the egg of a snake hatched under a cockerel, and it is a small, serpentine creature with rooster-like features. Therefore," and here Zoe looked triumphant, "this snake can't be a Basilisk!"
"Grammatical error," said Faith. "The creature you just described, the Basiliscus, is, in Arcanian, spelt almost exactly the same as Basilisk, with only a tiny difference in spelling. Scholars translating it, however, mistook it for Basilisk, and so the creature you described has come to be known as the Basilisk. Indeed, such a creature does exist, though it's very rarely seen. The true Basilisk has been extinct for centuries."
"Oh," said Zoe. "So why aren't we petrified. I mean, the Basilisk's eyes can petrify you, can't they?"
"True," taunted Faith, "but there is one incorrect fact there. The Basilisk has three eyes, two normal ones and one closed one that, when opened, can cause instant petrification, or even death!" She said death with glee. "Behold!"
"Close your eyes!" screamed Zoe. "Don't open them!"
If any eyes had been open, they last sight they would have seen, before they were petrified, would be that of a large, third unblinking eye, bloodshot with an unnaturally bright orange iris. It swivelled hungrily in it's socket, drinking in the sight. Faith petted it's head.
"Close your eye."
The beast obeyed, and the others opened their eyes.
"Now, my darling!" commanded Faith. "Kill them!"
She reached down to the ground, and, somehow, grabbed a piece of shadow. She pult it up to her, like a blanket, and it covered her body. It sunk to the ground, and Faith had disappeared with it. Now the Chosen Ones were left with a huge angry snake, that was prepared to kill…
ooo
Sir Rost shivered. A strange, tingling sensation had just crept down his spine. From the look on Hannah and Vulc's faces, they had felt it as well.
"What was that?" he asked. "It was like someone just walked over my grave."
"There's something here," said Hannah, a frown on her face. "Something evil…"
"Like a monster?" said Vulc.
"I don't know," said Hannah, "but whatever it is, it's came for the Chosen Ones…"
"How do you know?" asked Rost.
"My intuition. And it's never been wrong."
ooo
"What do we do?" whispered Sarah frantically. The Basilisk was poised, ready to strike any second.
"Well," gulped Edd, who was, unanimously, the strategist for the group. " I think we should run."
"Run?" whispered Eddy. "Why? Can't we just smash this overgrown adder into a pulp?""Shut up, Eddy!" cried Rebecca, though in a low voice. "We can't take this thing on! It'll kill us!"
"Rebecca's right," said Edd. ""If we can tire it out, we might have an infinite chance of harming it."
"So that's it?" said Kevin. "We play a game of cat-and-mouse?"
"Precisely. We run from it, while slowly trying to pick it off. Jimmy, Sarah and Lindsay, since you three have long-range weapons, I'd like you to slowly try to and attack it.
"Understood," replied Lindsay, who was slowly loading her Magnum.
"O.K., Double-D," said Sarah, who was taking some Shuriken out of her holsters.
"Why us?" questioned Jimmy sadly, as he notched an arrow in his bow.
"Ready?" asked Edd. The others nodded. "Go!"
Running back the way, the kids scattered. Zoe, Kevin, Eddy, Rebecca, Nazz, and Edd ran down a flight of wooden stairs, into the lower decks. The Kankers, Rolf, Jonny and Ed ran into the captain's cabin. Michael and Jennifer ran down the stairs as well, followed by Elle, and Sarah and Jimmy hid behind a large crate, while Lindsay had climbed up to the crow's nest in the ship's central mast. She aimed her Magnum at the Basilisk's forehead, and fired three rounds, two hitting the beast's eyes, the other bouncing off it's skin. Sarah threw several shuriken at it, slicing gashes on it's skin, while Jimmy's arrows pierced it's skin, jutting out like barbecue sticks.
Below deck was dark and musky, fading sunlight drifting through the wooden rafters. The electric lights were off, lending a mysterious atmosphere to the lower decks. Kevin was panting; so were the others.
"We shouldn't have left them up there," he said. "I'm going back." He made for the stairs, but Zoe grabbed his arms.
She said "No, Kevin! Don't! We can't lose you!"
"Fine. I'll stay. So, what's our plan, now that we're down here?"
"Right," said Edd. "We should-"
CRASHHHHHHH!
The girls screamed, and the boys gasped, as the Basilisk's head crashed through the deck. The fiend hissed, it's deep red eyes glowing in the semi-darkness.
"RUN!" shouted Edd, and the kids split up. Edd and Nazz ran down a hallway to the left, Kevin and Zoe to the right, and Eddy and Rebecca down the centre…
ooo
"What was that?" whispered Jennifer. Elle, Michael and she had descended even deeper down into the decks of the airship.
"What?" replied Michael, who had drawn his spear.
"That slithering noise. Elle, did you-" Jennifer turned around, and stopped short. Elle had vanished.
"Elle?" called Jennifer, her voice rising. "Where did you go?" She peered down a corridor.
"ELLE!"
ooo
Elle, too, had heard the noise, and had wandered down the corridor, where it was coming from. She stopped short in her tracks. The corridor was dark and damp, but she sensed a presence before her.
"Hello?"
Two dark, blood red eyes stared out at her from the darkness, glowing like lanterns. The Basilisk slowly slithered along the wooden floor, drifting towards her. Elle screamed and ran back towards Michael and Jennifer…
ooo
"That was Elle!" screamed Jennifer, pinching Michael's left arm. Elle herself suddenly came speeding out of the darkness, hurtling into Michael and Jennifer. She collapsed, sobbing, into her elder sister's arms.
"What's wrong?"
"We've got to hurry!" she cried. "I don't want to become snake food!" She ran off, leaving the other two behind. They exchanged a worried glance.
"Run!" cried Michael. They both ran off, after Elle. About half a minute later, the Basilisk slithered into view. It inhaled the air, and continued after it's prey…
ooo
"Where the hell are we going?" asked Kevin, as he ran after Zoe.
"We need to hide! On deck!" They reached a small ladder, a trapdoor at the top. Zoe climbed up the ladder, and tried to pry open the latch. Kevin stood guard at the bottom of the ladder, when he heard the faint slithering of the Basilisk. He swung around with his sword, and felt it slicing through something thick and heavy. The fiend roared in both rage and pain, and lashed at him with it's jaw. Kevin dodged to the left, and felt an odd energy pulse through his body.
"Pulse Zap!"
Several rings of crackling electricity lit up around the behemoth serpent's body, and made contact with it's flesh. A nauseous stench of frying snake began to clog up the air, and the Basilisk began to violently shake, it's body slamming into the wooden walls, causing them to groan and shudder, like leaves on a cold wind. It was only thanks to a water whip, created by Zoe, that Kevin escaped with his life…
ooo
"What's that banging?" questioned Ed to Jonny. They were both hiding, along with Rolf, behind a barrel in the Captain's Room. Jonny was tightly gripping both his spear and Plank, and Ed had his axe out.
"It might be the others…What's that Plank? You want us to go outside? Why? O.K. O.K.!" Jonny turned to Ed and Rolf. "Plank wants us to leave this room."
"No way!" cried three girl voices from underneath the Captain's luxurious, four-poster bed. The heads of the Kanker sisters popped out.
"We're not going out!" cried Lee.
"We're staying safe!" shouted Marie.
"Yeah!" said May.
Suddenly a humanoid form burst into the room: it was Edd, and he was breathless.
"Everyone!" he panted. "Come quick! You've got to see this!" He ran outside, and the others followed him onto the open deck. They looked around, and saw neither the Basilisk nor anything unusual. Edd was standing by the side of the ship, and he motioned over for them to come. They walked over to him, and looked down the side of the airship. They were astounded to see Kevin standing on a loose plank, jutting out over the open air like a jetty, and the dead body of the Basilisk falling down towards the solid earth. Before anyone could cheer or rejoice, an unsettling dizziness came over them all. They disappeared, one by one, in a cloud of shadows…
ooo
"Eeep!" cried Hannah abruptly. A second ago she had been sitting by Zoe. Now the said girl was sitting upright, and gasping. "Zoe! Are you okay?"
"I…I think so…" She collected her breath as the other kids woke up. Rost walked over to Edd. "What happened to you all?"
Edd explained about Edd and the Basilisk, and how Kevin had killed it. Before the adults could say anything else, and Arethan soldier marched onto the deck. He saluted at Rost.
"General Rost, Sir," he began. "I have bad news. Somehow, a large hole has appeared in the side of the airship, (here all the Chosen Ones looked at Kevin), and we shall have to make an emergency landing."
"Very well," replied Rost, his brow creased in a grim frown. "We'll be stopping in Floriana, won't we?"
"I'm afraid that the Floranuss city does not have a proper airstrip. However, the Chosen One's will be able to take a small Dockship down into the city."
"Very well," replied Rost. He looked at the children, and said, "A Dockship is a small miniature airship, with a tiny engine. It has auto pilot, and we'll stop once in Floriana. The Dockship you'll be taking is hanging over the side of the airship, so I suggest you get ready to depart."
As the other kids got ready to leave, Vulc pulled Edd aside.
"Listen, Double-D," he began. "I've got to ask ya a favour."
"Of course, Vulc" replied Edd. "What is it?"
"Ya see, I'm a dad to five boys and a girl. They're teenagers, and all obsessed with mechanics; like me. Anyway, me daughter, Vioreane, left home a while ago to travel the world and see engineering marvels. She's no been in contact for a while, so if you ever hear or see her, tell her to come home, all right?"
"I will," smiled Edd, and he walked over and into the Dockship. Waving goodbye to everyone on deck, the Chosen Ones sped downwards in the Dockship.
The Floranuss city spread out below them, and the more environmentally-aware kids gaped in awe at the eco haven. Every single building was constructed out of wood, held together by sun-dried soil. The city walls were made of timber as well, and they surrounded all of Floriana. Trees were extremely abundant in the city, and plants and flowers bloomed everywhere. Near the northern part of the city was a large building, surrounded by picturesque, yet wild, gardens. The building, like all of the others, was fashioned from timber and soil. However, at it's centre was a large tree, with windows and balconies fashioned into it. The Dockship slowed it's descent, and it came to hover on the roof of a large building near the centre of the city. The kids got off, and looked out over the city once again, now that it was closer.
"Welcome to Floriana!" called a sweet, tinkling voice behind them, and the Chosen Ones came to face with their first Floranuss.
The Floranuss was obviously a female. Her skin was a healthy-looking green colour, and it was reminiscent of a flower stem, though thicker; about the same size as a 12-year olds body. She had lavender-purple eyes, with delicate, pixie-like facial features. Her knee-length dress was green as well, though visibly darker than her skin. Her fingers were long and slender, and she had oval-shaped feet, with small toes. Her hair was in long strands, rose-pink, falling halfway to her torso and then smoothly going outwards, then curling back in. Probably her most notable feature was the medium-sized rose on her head. The same colour as her hair (which were in fact rose petals), it was in full bloom for summer, and looked extremely delicate.
"My name is Rosaline," spoke the Floranuss, "and I was sent to escort you to my Father's castle. My Father received a message from King Edward that you would all arrive soon, so I'm-"
Rosaline stopped and gasped as the ground shook, and a loud thump was heard in the air. The other looked in surprise, and suddenly screams filled the air. Before anyone could do anything, a dense purple fog filled the air. Eddy was bent over coughing, until the gas cleared. When he looked up again, feeling weak and dizzy, he saw that only he, Elle, Rosaline and Edd were left. The others had vanished!
"What…what happened?" he gasped. "Where…are the others?"
"There!" squealed Rosaline, pointing somewhere behind Eddy. He turned around and gasped in surprise.
Some sort of huge ball, bulb-like and yellow, was situated before him. He could dimly see, inside, quite a few human-like shadows, all pounding and banging against the ball.
"Why are they in there?" cried Elle. Before anyone could provide a suitable answer, a humming noise resonated in the air. Rosaline groaned.
"Not another one…" The kids looked up, and saw their first forest monster hovering in the air.
It was bulb-shaped, dark earthy green in colour, with a stem branching off from the top. On the tip of this thick stem was a flower. It had dark blue leaves, with a violet trim, and a face, which included two yellow evil eyes, and a wide maw, lined with razor-sharp fangs. At the root of the bulb was an opening. It was similar to a plughole or a salt-shaker, and out of this hole flowed a small stream of the purple gas. The monster stayed afloat, thanks to two leaf propellers on the underside of the bulb.
"What on Earth is that?" gasped Edd.
"That," replied Rosaline in a bored tone," is a common Nature monster, which has become increasingly common around here. It's called a Miasma Spore, because, though it's flower-like, it's tiny compared to it's cousins; the Miasma Plants."
"Well, looks like it's up to us to fight it," said Edd, drawing his sword.
"Bring it!" said Eddy, unsheathing his knife from it's scabbard.
"Let's go!" cheered Elle, taking out her staff.
"I'll try to help!" said Rosalina, as a very peculiar thing occurred; her arms began to change into vines.
"Charge!" cried Eddy, and they ran to the monster…
ooo
AN: Another cliff-hanger! However, this monster will be very easy to defeat. I simply ended the chapter here so it wasn't too long. Anyway, sorry I've not updated much. I've been busy with other things, not to mention writers block. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look out for the next instalment in "Edventure"!
P.S. So you don't end up pronouncing it wrong, Vioreane's name is said "Vi-o-reen", not "Vi-o-ree-ann". Thanks for reading!