Welcome to chapter nine. Woo.
This is the last full chappie afore the ending/epilogue.
Yeah...this one's a lotttt shorter than the others xD
Hehe :sheepish look:
Beware the scene with Brook, Taka and Kira. That scene was unplanned but it wormmed its way in here.
Info-ish things:
"Talking"
'Thinking'
/Bitbeast speaking/
Scene split: 0x0x0x0
Beginning/End: -x-x-x-x-
-x-x-x-x-
Chapter Nine
Overcoming Obstacles
"Would you rather let what he spent his last few hours doing be for nothing?!" Daichi countered. "Don't you guys get it?! We're the last ones, the ONLY ones. We HAVE to do something, anything. No one else can!"
"Let someone else do it." Mariam mumbled, her bangs covering her eyes.
"We have to." Max murmured, standing. The others stared at him.
Rei stood as well. "We can't really do anything but sitting here grieving won't help." Mariam and Mariah wordlessly stood beside their respective love interest; Hilary reluctantly stood as well.
"We've got to try." She added shakily; Kai stood beside her, manner wary as he scanned the nearby landscape.
"What can we do?!" Tyson cried, throwing his hands up as he stared at his friends with red rimmed eyes.
"We can try." Kai stated; everyone stared when he offered Tyson a hand.
A weak grin made its way to Tyson's face. "Well, I guess since even Kai's agreeing, I've got no choice..." He took the offered hand and stood.
0x0x0x0
Bastet smiled. "I thought so."
Sekhmet scoffed. "Right."
"Note the flower." Bastet pointed as the crystal ball focused in on it again.
The other goddess gave the elder a look that stated she thought she was losing her mind. "And?"
"Could a normal flower survive a rain of acid?"
0x0x0x0
"So how're we gonna find the cave?" Tyson questioned as the group moved on, skirting any puddles of acid.
"Well, we just have to figure out where the dojo stood and head to the cave from there..." Daichi mumbled.
"Yeah, Kenny told us it was in a cave near the dojo." Max murmured as they continued on.
"I know where he was talking about." Hilary spoke up.
Rei nodded. "We used to train around there sometimes."
"What's that?" Mariam and Mariah wondered aloud in unison.
Hilary deadpanned. "Not again!" The others stared. (1)
"Not again what?" Mariah ventured cautiously.
"Zombies." Hilary murmured flatly as the horde drew closer. All of them stared at her, then turned to look at the mob of somethings approaching. It was indeed a mob of undead. All of them hurriedly scanned the surrounding area; Daichi's eyes lit up.
"Guys, over there!" He whisper-shouted with excitement. "C'mon! Run!" He took off without a moments' hesitation; the others followed to a field of what looked like boulders. The others hesitated for a moment, but rushed after him. All barely managed to stop short of a giant pit of acid.
"I think this is where the pond used to be..." Max mumbled quietly as they stared down into the murky depths.
"I agree." Hilary pointed at a mostly dissolved fish skeleton and all, save Kai, shuddered.
"Let's keep going." Rei stated firmly, then hung his head, flushing slightly. "Sorry."
"S'okay." Tyson replied as they snuck off, taking care not to disturb any rocks or otherwise loose pieces earth.
"Yeah." Mariah added. "No offense, but we need someone to lead."
"Not." Tyson retorted and Rei hung his head more; Tyson sweatdropped. "No, I agree with Mariah. The not was if anyone was asking me to."
Daichi rolled his eyes. "Like you couldn't've worded THAT more confusingly..." (2)
"I probably could've!" Tyson shot back, sticking his tongue out; both were soon bickering childishly.
"I think I prefer this to them being all depressed." A drawn and pale Max half whispered as they continued sneaking along. Mariam nodded, but gave him a small, reassuring smile; he stared for a moment before returning it. By now, they could see a speck that might have been the cave entrance in the distance.
"Alright, lessgo!" Tyson seemed determined to get them there.
"What's with the sudden change of heart?" Mariam wondered aloud as they continued on.
"Well, once we fix Kai, something tells me that we'll manage to bring Kenny back." The bluette stated confidently; the others, save Kai, couldn't hold back tiny grins. They weren't sure what they were doing, no, but it felt...right.
"Stttttoooooppppppp rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhttttttttt tttttthhhhhheeeeeerrrrrreeeee." Slurred a voice. (3) All of them froze, before turning to find the huge group of zombies right behind them. Daichi wordlessly launched his blade; the ranks split and fled from StrataDragoon and it's rampage.
"Run, guys." He stated as he continued to direct StrataDragoon; they stared at him.
"But...Daichi..." Tyson managed out as the others stared.
"Go!" His green eyes were fierce. "I can hold them off; you guys NEED to get there! Now GO!"
"What d'you mean--" The bluette was cut off when Max and Rei grabbed him and dragged him off; the others followed.
"Don't look back, guys." Was the last they heard of Daichi. The group continued on, trying to ignore the sounds of battle from behind them. They knew Daichi's chance of survival was slim but all hoped that he would live and catch up somehow. The group trudged on in silence, all of them fighting the urge to turn back and help Daichi.
0x0x0x0
Taka smirked as he dragged Brooklyn past Kira's cell; her eyes widened and they began to fill with tears when she saw not only his expression but all the wounds he had received. The madman stood there and watched, drinking in the sight of the person he had been trying to break fall apart. He approached, smirking and leaned casually in, sticking his head through the bars.
"See what happens when you get close to someone?" The psycho hissed venemously. The girl merely stared at the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. His eyes narrowed; he swung and connected solidly with Brooklyn, who was knocked to the floor. The redhead made no move to sit up and hadn't seemed to register that he had been struck. "I said see what happens when you get close to someone?"
She nodded slightly, tears increasing. A snarl of anger escaped him and he began to beat the boy, reveling in the broken look in the girl's eyes.
"Stop!" She cried, clinging to the bars of her cell. He continued, ignoring her until she whispered brokenly, begging, "please stop...please." With a smirk, he did so...then he kicked the boy in the face, breaking his nose and sending blood spattering across the floor. A sick smirk adorned his face as he walked away, telling the imps to "clean that mess up".
He left two broken teens; one broken physically and mentally, the other being preyed upon by her worst fear.
Taka sat on his throne, sipping a glass of wine and reveling in the fact that he had destroyed the world's last hope. Two of the only people who could stop him were out of comission and seven out of nine just wouldn't work.
0x0x0x0
The group of seven entered the cave; they were about ten feet into it when the floor suddenly crumbled and gave way. They all tumbled into a darkened abyss.
0x0x0x0
"Guys?" Questioned Tyson quietly; everyone stirred, then woke. "Where d'you think we are?"
"It looks like some sort of maze..." Rei murmured as he helped Mariah to her feet.
"A maze...?" Max glanced around in the scant lighting as he shakily stood.
Kai wordlessly pulled Hilary to her feet and scanned the area warily as the others stood or sat up.
"So how do we get out?" Mariam questioned after few moments of silence.
"I'm not too sure..." Hilary murmured as she, too, surveyed their surroundings.
"Um...guys?" Mariah muttered; everyone turned to look at her. "My pendant's glowing." They all stared at said glowing piece of jewelry; it pulled Mariah forward slightly, towards the left path.
"Shall we?" Rei questioned as everyone who was sitting stood. The group followed unquestioningly; the pendant had saved them in the past and they had no reason to distrust it now.
0x0x0x0
About an hour later, the group stumbled into a large, open room. Beyond it, they could see that the maze continued.
"What's with this place?" Max looked around warily. Then, everyone save Tyson froze. He looked around, startled and was frozen as well when he saw everyone approaching the dojo. They were laughing, the sun was shining...it was like an ideal day. Everyone was beconing for him to join them and he was about to step forward to do so when he saw his grandpa waving from the porch. His eyes widened before narrowing into a glare as the illusion faded. His grandpa had died a year ago.
"Guys, snap out of it!" Dragoon's infuriated roar accompanied Tyson's yell and everyone stared at him, dazed.
"But..." Hilary's eyes were glistening with tears.
"It was just an illusion, Hil." Tyson murmured as everyone stared at the ground. "It was supposed to ensnare us so we'd forget to go on."
They all continued on, though when Tyson glanced back, he could have sworn he saw his grandpa smiling at him. His expression indicated he was proud of his grandson. (4)
0x0x0x0
The next room they came across contained a sphynx.
"We're doomed." Groaned Tyson.
It smiled and recited:
"Pronounced as one letter,
And written with three,
Two letters there are,
And two only in me.
I'm double, I'm single,
I'm black, blue, and gray,
I'm read from both ends,
And the same either way.
What am I?" (5)
"Where's chief when you need him?" Groaned Max quietly as everyone began to think.
"An eye." Hilary and Kai stated.
"An...eye?" Tyson frowned.
"Correct." The sphynx moved aside calmly but sighed. It had hoped to find news of what had gone on above it.
0x0x0x0
Their next challenge involved a thin ledge over a pool of boiling lava.
"...is there any other way?" Mariam questioned; Mariah looked at her pendant, which tugged her gently in the direction of the ledge. "Guess not." The blue haired girl muttered.
"Here goes nothing..." The pinkette shakily began to traverse the thin ledge; the others followed, all trying not to look down. Three-fourths of the way across, Mariah accidentally did so and froze. The others' protests brought her from her terror-filled daze, so she began to move again but failed to pay attention. A moment later found her one hand still attatched to the ledge and the rest of her dangling precariously above the lava. Rei hurriedly darted forward, paying no mind to the danger he put himself in by doing so, and pulled her safely back up. She clung to him, wide eyed, while the others tried to make their breathing and heart rates return to normal.
0x0x0x0
"That was a close one..." Tyson joked feebly as all of them rested on safe, solid ground. The others gave him weak grins, but said nothing as they slowly got over their scare. Rei was holding Mariah as close as she could come; she still clung to him.
"Thanks." She murmured quietly as she loosed her death grip. He nodded slightly but pulled her closer. The others allowed them to have their moment before the march resumed.
0x0x0x0
"Well, well..." Sneered a giant stone statue with a battle axe the size of itself.
"What do we have here?" Jeered it's twin, though it possessed a sword that was comparable to the battle axe in terms of size.
"I'll handle it." Tyson stepped forward and released Dragoon.
0x0x0x0
In the end, with a little encouragement from his friends, Tyson decimated one of the statues; the other fell apart once it's twin did.
"That was awesome!" Max grinned slightly as the group continued on.
"Nah...it's just that Dragoon's wind and they were earth, so I had an advantage over them..." He mumbled, unusually modest.
"Either way, good job." Rei congradulated as they approached a river of black water. A shrouded man with a long pole sat on a boat on the shore nearest to them.
"I am Charon." Issued a voice from under the cowl. "You are not dead. Why do you seek passage?"
"We need to get to the UnderWorld." Mariam decided it was her turn to step it up.
"...why should I ferry so many?"Questioned the annoyingly calm psychopomp.(6)
"Why shouldn't you? Your boat can hold more than eight." The blue haired girl replied flatly. Every time he came up with a reason not to, she refuted it perfectly; the others could only watch the verbal sword fight.
"Fine, but what shall be my payment?"Came the defeated final assessment.
"Payment...?" Mariam questioned.
"Yes...you could always pay...with your souls."
"Here." Mariah offered up her pendant.
"What use have I of some simple human tri..."The head turned towards the amulet and appeared to be staring at it, though the cowl prevented anyone from confirming that. There were a few moments of silence as he considered. "Very well." He stood and moved back, allowing them on; they all clambered in and sat. Mariah handed him the pendant on it's chord; it disappeared beneath his hooded robe. "Take care not to touch the water."
"Why?" Max questioned, leaning partially out of the boat to get a better look at said liquid. He went dead white when a rotting corpse appeared in the water below him where his reflection should have been; the others yanked him back in right as the corpse's arm broke the surface of the water. It remained there, grasping for Max, for a few more moments before it retreated back into the depths.
Halfway across something upstream broke, and a wave of pure black water swelled towards the boat. Charon merely continued rowing; it mattered not to him if he came in contact with the water. The others, however, would not be so lucky. Max was only able to stare at the approaching water for a moment; he then snapped out of it and launched Draciel. The great black tortoise lashed out at the water between them and the approaching swell; it rose and collided with it. The two swells collided and canceled one another out as Draciel returned to Max, who was gasping for breath. His breathing returned to normal after a few moments, but his friends still shot worried looks at him.
'No normal human could have survived that...' The ferryman idly observed the group. 'So that's who they are...'
0x0x0x0
"Best of luck, mortals." Was his goodbye to them as he rowed back across.
"How are we leaving?" Tyson wondered aloud as they crept towards the castle.
"At the moment, I think we should worry more about how we're going to defeat this guy." Rei grumbled as they neared the castle. Guards lined every visible surface.
"Any ideas?" Mariam muttered as everyone stared at the strong hold.
"I give up." Tyson growled quietly and sat down on a stone; a passage opened up behind him in the rock. Everyone exchanged momentary glances before hurrying in. The stone slab shut behind them with an ominous crunch.
-x-x-x-x-
(1) - uhm...yeah. remember Wish Upon A Star? No? You should go re-read that, then...:puts the WEIRDEST things in her fics, especially beyblade fics: :blames Yu Yu Hakusho (recalls that demon-spy-parasite-thing popping out of Kurama's step-brother's ear) ...yes, definitely Yu Yu Hakusho:
(2) - ...is that even a WORD?...oh, IDK
(3) - "Stop right there"...yeah, my brain's about to implode. too. many. letters. x.X
(4) - to those of you who've read the Digimon: Season 2 manga, that scene may seem familiar...I was inspired by it, but decided to put my own little twist in
(5) - not mine. I got it off a riddle site.
(6) - lit. "guide of souls"
Uhm...yah. I finished this right after finding out that my ear was trying eat the back of my earring...a.k.a. grow over it. What I had to do to get it off was...unpleasant. Yes, let's go with that.
I apologize for the supreme crappiness that is this chapter. I really got sick of this story, as I can only handle so much sad/bad/evil going-ons before I want to repair everything and make it all happy-fluffy again...I might go back eventually and severely edit/revise this chapter, but only after I've stopped hating it.
...wow. I got REALLY sucked in once I got to writing it out. There are several scenes in there that weren't even PLANNED but somehow came to be. ...ah well. It still sucks -.-;;
Finale/Epilogue next!! (...it shall be a combination of both. Woo.)
Hehe
Emma
