Project MANA, Chapter 9, Sunder
PREVIOUSLY ON PROJECT MANA!
"Alright guys, this's it." Said Byaku. The other two just nodded. They took this moment to get just that bit more pumped up before the potentially massive battle before them. Ame took a deep breath in. he walked at the doors at a slightly accelerated rate, and put his hands on them and blasted them right off their hinges as the trio enter the room.
"…I've been waiting for you."
A booming voice came from the other end of the room. The being it came from, was a large figure, sitting on what looked like a throne. Shrouded in Shadow, all that could be defined from this figure was that he was big, very big, looking to be even larger than the brute Rockzar. Also, the figure had an actual defined head, instead of having its face be in the middle of its chest like normal elementals. Even though all you could see of it was a silhouette, its piercing, glowing red eyes could be seen through the darkness, as well as a disturbing toothy Smirk. "So you're the mages that have been giving me so much trouble, huh?" the massive elemental boomed "Not much by the looks of you."
"Oh really? And just who the hell are you?" Byaku called back. "You may call me Sunder, you must be the leader of this group, Byaku was it?" "W-what? How the hell do you know my name!?" Byaku yelled at the behemoth. "Simple, I call still feel Rockzar's essence on you. Little Yakate." Sunder said softly. Still maintaining his smirk. "Rockzar? That chump? PFFT! What does that guy have to do with-" "Why are you all alone, Sunder? What are your motives?" Ame cut off Byaku with the sharp and to the point question. "Hm-hm-hm! My Motives are my own, but for now, my current motives are to make Mages pay for what they've done to me. Well, to us." Sunder said, with a slight tone of sadness. "Huh? To us? What are you on about?" Gadget asked, curious as to what the behemoth meant.
"Well, many years ago, I was once two elementals, their names have been lost to the sands of time. We were happy, working amongst the collective of elementals in Elementos city. Until a group of men, filthy mages, captured us and a few others, what became of them I do not know, but I know they met a fate we wish had befallen us instead. They tortured us, experimented on us. We finally knew what they were trying to do when they succeeded…" Sunder spoke as if Byaku and the others weren't there, as if reciting this to himself. "What did they do? These mages?" Byaku asked, now concerned as to what had befallen this creature. "Hm! To find out, you'll have to beat my general. Then you can see for yourself." Sunder boomed across the massive room. "But first, I must ask you a question, Byaku Yakate, how does one kill an elemental?" Sunders smirk disappeared from his face to hear Byakus answer. "The same way you kill anything, and besides, you should know, you can apparently sense Rockzar on me." Byaku replied with a smartass attitude. "I know, when Rockzar died, did he fade and crumble. Or did his body explode? Hm, Little Yakate?" Sunders eyes now narrowing. "…He…faded and crumbled…What does that mean?"
Sunders smirk returned, turning into a disturbing grin. "To kill an elemental, you must destroy their essence, which explodes upon destruction. Hm-hm-hm!" Sunder said. Then fell silent, letting what he said sink into Byakus head. "Wait…so if what you're saying is true…" Sunders grin now showing more teeth. "…then that means…Rockzar's still alive!"
"BOO-YA BITCHES!"
Boomed a disturbingly familiar voice as Rockzar himself came bursting through the ceiling and crashing onto the floor, then rising, alive and well, to Byakus shock and Surprise. "Hey there squirt! Did ya miss me!? Thought you had me beaten didn't you! HA!" The brute said, staring directly at Byaku. "You look different, did ya do something with your hair? Who are your little friends, squirt?" Rockzar asked the terrified mage. Shaken to his core, Byaku couldn't even move, let alone speak. He KILLED him, he watched the light fade from Rockzar's eyes as he crumbled into dust, how on Terra Asteria can he be standing before him, Ame, and Jett today? It's not possible! "Oh! I know! You changed your outfit! HA! Hey, was wassamatta with ya? You look like you've seen a ghost? HA! *snort* I guess you have!"
"What is the meaning of this? I thought you'd fight us on your own, not sit behind some bumbling idiot." Ame said to the shrouded behemoth seated behind Rockzar. "Yeah, wait, Byaku, isn't that the guy you killed on your first day in Hope's Pillar?" Gadget said. "Byaku?" "Hey Squirt! The little lady was talking to you!" "…Shut up…" Byaku finally spoke, looking down at the ground. "What? What did you just say to me?" Rockzar asked the now angry Byaku. "…You shut the hell up! You have no right to speak to me like that! Especially after you decided to fake a death and run away in the middle of a fight like a coward!" Byaku now yelling directly at Rockzar. "Get to a safe distance you two. Rockzar's mine." The Pyromancer now getting into a fighting stance, ready for his second fight with what you'd guess is his rival of sorts. "What do you bloomin' mean? We can't jus-" "Very well, I can see you have a history with this guy, let's go Gadget." Ame said as he grabbed Gadgets arm and jumped to a high alcove in the wall. "Oh, so NOW you want to fight uh? Alright then, I've been meaning to get you back for fading me all those weeks ago. Let's go, Squirt!" Rockzar replied, getting ready to charge the mage. "I've picked up a few tricks since our first match, so don't go running now." Byaku said as he summoned his scythe constructs, now completely ready for battle. "Hm! As if I'd give you the chance to use them, Squirt! HYA!" Rockzar bellowed as he charged towards Byaku with a massive punch. Byaku easily dodged it and sliced Rockzars arm off. "AH! MY ARM! AH!" Byaku was simply smirking at the idiots antics, until he noticed Rockzars wails of 'pain' turned to laughter. "Did you really think it would be as easy as the first time? HA!" Rockzar said as a completely new arm began growing out of the stump at the bottom of his elbow. "Lord Sunder has granted me some new tricks too ya know" A devilish grin on the giants face.
"Tch! whatever, you can grow back limbs as much as possible, that won't stop me from getting to your core and extinguishing you!" Byaku yelled as he lunged forward, changing his scythes into revolvers, sliding under Rockzar as he blasted away at his stone exterior, leaping around the goliath as he was slowly trying to chip away at his body to get to his core or 'essence' as they're called. Rockzar was swinging his fists wildly, until he managed to land a blow. "No ya don't!" He bellowed as he slamed his fist into Byaku, sending him flying into the wall, almost going through the wall. Byaku simply got up and started trying to charge Rockzar from different angles, every time getting nocked back by the somehow empowered Rockzar. After the umteenth time of being slammed into a wall and being laughed at by Rockzar, Byakus rage finally cooled off and he began thinking straight again. "hm…Ame! Gadget! I'm going to need your help after all!" Byaku called out to his team-mates, who were watching in horror as their friend was being smacked around like a level 1 Charmander going up against a level 50 Regirock. Seeing that his friend was now thinking clearly, he nodded to Gadget and the two leaped down from their perch.
"Byaku! Are you ok? You look pretty beaten up." Gadget asked, concerned after seeing him being bashed into walls multiple times. "I'll be fine, just a few bruses. Nothing I can't live with. Alright, lets take him together. Ame, you strike from above. Gadget, from behind, I'll hit this dork right in his chest-face-thing." Byaku said, taking control of the situation at hand. "Hey! Don't turn your back on me, squirt!" Rockzar yelled, then he charged the small group of mages. "now! Scatter!" Byaku yelled as the three lept out of the way and began their counter attack. "Up ya go!" Byaku grunted as he grabbed Ames arm, spun him around and around at high speed, then threw him into the air to start sending air-slashes Rockzars way. Which Ame did, a lot, slashing at sonic speed, sending blasts of razor sharp air into the top of Rockzars body. "Hey! Q-quit it! Stop that you pest!" Rockzar began swatting his arms at Ame, attempting to bat him out of the air.
"Hey! Don't forget about me now, ya bloomin' idiot!" Gadget said as she began blasting energy bolts from her wrench staff into Rockzars back. "Argh! Stop that you damn brat!" Rockzar then began chassing Gadget around. All the while, Byaku was biding his time, he knew Rockzar would never be able to catch Gadget, and he'd be constantly stopping to try and attack Ame, starting the cycle all over again.
Meanwhile, Sunder was not very amussed with his generals performance, looking like a complete imbacile trying to chase chickens or something. "hm…idiot…"
"Hey Pebble-spawn! Take this!" Byaku yelled as he slammed into Rockzar and blasting him with his revolvers at the same time. Rockzar grunted and grabbed the fire mage by the scruff of his jumper and threw him at Ame, knocking them both to the ground. Gadget, meanwhile, took this opportunity to jump back to the alcove. "Looks like your redhead friend took the opportunity to leave." He snickered and turned to the two. "She made the smart move, sucks to be you two." He raised his fist and Ame shoved Byaku to the side, holding out his arms and creating a solid air barrier in a last ditch effort. Rockzar shoved his fist down and it smashed against the barrier, smashing the rock. He cried out and staggered back, pain rippling through his body. Byaku scrambled to his feet and quickly brushed himself off. Something shiny caught his eye and he could spy Gadget in the alcove, a Camera Crawler in her hand, catching the light from the hole in the roof. She summoned her rifle and pointed at Rockzar. Byaku nodded and stood under the alcove.
Ame jumped up and held himself in the air, sending more attacks Rockzars way. "S-Stop it you pest!" he roared and attempted to grab him again. "OI STONEFACE!" Byaku yelled to catch his attention. Rockzar froze and looked over at the blonde mage. He pointed up at the alcove, where Gadget was crouching on one knee, aiming at him with her rifle. "See you around!" she smirked dangerously and looked through the sight, shooting him in the eye, and then firing again to his other eye. Byaku launched forward, summoning his scythe, and dragging it down Rockzars chest. The elemental roared and flailed his arms, slowly falling into a pile of dust. Rockzar was beaten.
Gadget desummoned her rifle and stayed crouching in the alcove. "That was great, gadget!" Ame raised his voice, just barely audible by her. "I know I am!" gadget replied whilst making her way back, holding herself in a grace that could almost be described as arrogance in this situation. Arrogance or not, her new attitude was clearly justified in the light of this occurrence. "Nice work!" Byaku raised his hand for a high five as she came within proximity of him. Gadget began to reciprocate, as they were interrupted.
"Fools." Boomed sunder. The atmosphere changed completely, the light of hope that was their victory was immediately blotted out by the impending danger that is the main threat… Sunder. "You eliminate one of many, temporarily, mind you, and you think you're so above it all. You have seen naught but the beginning. The beginning…" said sunder, as he began to arise from his place of rest. He slowly rose, a pillar of impending doom, seeming to dwarf the behemoth that was Rockzar. Finally, he stood before the three, a towering pillar of destruction, wrought of water and lightning, with a scar across his chest that looked painful in only the highest degree. "…of the end." He continued, looking down upon them with a look seemingly plastered with dark, dark hatred. "Now you face a REAL warrior!" He boomed as he began walking over to the three 'puny' mages. "Hold up there Tropic Thunder, we made a deal. We beat Rockzar, now tell us what happened to you. Surely someone of your stature (power & height) wouldn't break his promises. Am I right?" Byaku said as he stepped in front of his team mates, arms folded. Sunder simply stared at Byaku, (He has the audacity to make demands of me!) Sunder thought to himself. (Hm…I did give him my word…) "Very well, you want to know what happened to me, take a good long look. Those bastards fused us into one being, we were once a water and lightning elemental, now we are this, a titan amongst titans. A crossbreed. An outcast. Thus we are named sunder, split in two…All because of your people…" Sunder boomed across the room, as if he was announcing his condition to the entire world. "…I would finish you off here…But that would be too easy. Train until you are worthy of my notice, then we shall fight." Sunder then began to turn away. "Excuse me!? You make me fight a freaking ghost, then you just turn your back on me!" Byaku yelled at the titan. "Be gone form this place!" Sunder spoke as he turned back around and smashed his fists together, bringing water and electricity into contact causing a large flash of light and smoke to fill the room.
When the smoke had settled, Sunder was gone, as was the dust pile that used to be Rockzar's body. "Hm, so he decided against fighting us, why would he do that?" Ame asked as he looked around the room to see any access way Sunder could have fled through. "What was that all about? He gets up all mad like, then just runs away. HA! What a coward!" Gadget said as she leaned back, stretching after the previous battle. "…Until I gain his notice…So my power wasn't even enough to get his attention, huh?" Byaku said nearly silently, looking at his hands that had just beaten Rockzar with, for the second time. He then clenches his fists. "Well then, I guess I'll have to train harder so I can get his attention! Alright guys, I doubt we'll have any trouble form here. Let's find a way out."
Byaku lead his team through a doorway at the other end of the large room, behind Sunder's throne. Surprisingly, through the door was a large courtyard that lead out of the castle they were held in. They could see that some sort of battle had taken place here, as there were scorch marks everywhere and piles/puddles of various elements strewn around. To the teams' dismay, they came across the body of Zapp, it would appear that the royal guard had come to either rescue them or take the extremists out themselves, either way the guards payed sorely for it. "What the? What is this? By Pyrus' might…all these people, killed, because we messed up and got captured…" "This is truly disturbing…" "…Holy sh*t…" the team were taken aback by the sight of this battle, and the fact that they were very likely the cause of it.
The trio kept making their way through the deserted area until they could see a gate half open. And by the gate, was the Mechano-Griffon and Byaku's hover-board. Clearly they were placed there, and recently too. "Hm…It appears we have a follower, no way our mounts being placed there is by coincidence." Ame said as he discreetly observed the immediate surroundings. "True. But I'll make a safe bet that they won't enter Hope's Pillar, so let's just go, I've had enough of this place." Byaku said, more quiet then he usually is.
Byaku, Ame and gadget gathered their things and put them onto the Mechano-Griffon, then got onto their mounts and began making their way back towards Hope's Pillar with the aide of their map. Byaku was curious what the headmaster's reaction will be when he gives his report on the mission. After a few hours of riding, they could see familiar territory, the outskirts of Hope's Pillar came into view. The sunset illuminating the city like a new year's light show. They were home.
Upon getting to the gates of Hope's Pillar, Byaku, Ame and Gadget were greeted by two pillars, Mack and Marnee. "Well, well, well, looks like the elemental slayer and his team have completed their first mission. So how'd it go?" Mack Asked Byaku, eager to hear of what happened. "Tch! I think he should be telling that to the headmaster, Mack, not you!" Marnee said sharply to the Technosis Pillar. "Alright, alright, geez. Well, once you've gotten your things off of the Mechano-Griffon, follow us, we'll take you to Headmaster Mortimer's office." Byaku's face suddenly sunk (oh Pyrus…his office…those stairs…) with a shudder, he helped Ame and gadget get their things off of the Mechano-Griffon and began following the two pillars as they took them to Headmaster Mortimer.
"Ok, this is as far as we can take you, you'll have to give your report without us. See y'all around I guess." "Do take care, I hear stairs are dangerous now days." Marnee said as she snickered at Byaku. Word travels fast apparently. "Ok, thank you." Byaku said as the two pillars leave. (…how does she know about the stairs…gadget…) "Ok, you guys ready?" the two nod, Byaku takes a deep breath and pushes open the large door to Mortimer's office. The room was silent for what seemed like minutes as the three made their way to the centre of the room, when Mortimer's voice could be heard from behind a large desk. "Ah, Mr Yakate, Mr Ame, and Miss Elgrid. I see you have returned from your mission. Please, take a seat. The headmaster said as he made a gesture to the three seats in front of his desk. Byaku nodded at his team-mates and they quietly sat. "So, Byaku, what did you find out about this group of extremists?" "Well, as it turns out, the reason they sent Rockzar to attack Hope's Pillar was some sort of revenge scheme made by their leader. An elemental by the name of Sunder, apparently many years ago he was tortured by mages and fused with another elemental, making a dual type of water and lightning." Byaku said, recalling the events of the past few days.
"I see, but I can see from your face that's not all, what else did you discover?" the headmaster said as he saw the troubled look on Byaku's face. "Well…We fought someone, someone I thought to be a pile of rubble." "I see, and who was it that you fought?" Mortimer asked with intrigue. "When I first fought him in the streets of Hope's Pillar, I actually hadn't managed to kill Rockzar, and it came back to bite us, we had to fight an empowered Rockzar at their base." Byaku said, looking down at the floor. "Hm…I figured as much, there were no reports of an explosion with your fight. But did you manage to fell the creature this time?" "Unfortunately, we managed to destroy his body but not his essence. Then Sunder managed to escape as well." Byaku said, slightly disappointed that he hadn't managed to kill Rockzar for a second time. "Hm…troubling indeed, but there's nothing we can do about this until they re-emerge, so don't trouble yourselves over it. You've completed your mission so be happy." Mortimer said, smiling at the three to cheer them up. "Now, go check in with the infirmary then head to your homes. You'll need some rest after that." With that, the three stood up, Byaku thanked the headmaster with a bow, and the three headed back to their homes for a long rest for Ame and Gadget, and Pizza & Video games for Byaku (…that idiot doesn't know HOW to rest!)
And so comes the end of a long few days for Byaku, Ame and gadget. But this is only the beginning of their journey together. And nothing compared to what will come. Let's just say it'll be out of this world.
End of Chapter 9.