Ah, finally my inspiration seems to have returned.

Like so, here's a chapter full of action for you! (Starts to play the game's battle music "Keen Edged Blade")


Chapter 29

Fighting the Quakes

The temple was silent as Lloyd and his friends entered. Not even the usual monsters were around, meaning that they either ran away or were whipped out when the elemental shadows took over.

Before they entered, Raine had reappeared with Maxwell and seemed not too much pleased, thought she indeed was in one piece. Her hair was a mess and her state was of one who had climbed Leathon Gorge without the help of the Sorcerer Ring. She said it was what happened when you trained non-stop by a whole day.

At least, she had learned the purification spell and said for them to end that quickly so she could relax and maybe took a good bath. Zelos was about to make funny of her visual, but the death glare she shot to him made he realize that he liked to live.

As they passed by the narrow paths they looked to the pit bellow, wondering if the shadows would come from there in the case of an attack. Gnome was left in the entrance, he wouldn't help if he got all his mana sucked by the modified crystal, so Sheena said that when they fixed up the crystal she would call him.

"Ok. Just do me a favor and leave the big headed shadow for me. I also want to kick some butts!", the guardian of the earth said, with a ferocious look on the face.

Lloyd thought if they really purified the crystal and summoned Gnome, that shadows wouldn't stand a chance. But they needed to be quick. They didn't know how much renegade shadows there were so they could even face an entire army if they were caught out of guard.

A rumbling interrupted Lloyd's thoughts as they reached another section of the temple. The group stopped and drew their weapons as another rumbling shook the walls and the floor. Then, at the corner, a great dragon appeared.

Lloyd thought it would be an easy battle, since they defeated tons of that dragon in the past. The heroes went to the battle, but when they were near their enemy, the dragon stomped the ground and several cracks appeared around the group, launching rocks at them.

"What the...?", Genis exclaimed after they recovered from the attack.

The dragon opened his mouth and a great wave of darkness was shot on them. The group avoided it and Genis and Raine started to charge a spell.

"The dragon is possessed!", the healer said, casting Photon on the great creature.

Yuan and Zelos flew to the gargantuan reptile, dodging the darkness breaths. They slashed the creatures' arms, but it didn't seem to feel pain. The possessed monster stomped the ground again and two stalagmite came from the ground, hitting Colette and Genis.

Lloyd and Sheena hit the creature with Sonic Sword Rain and Pyre Seal while Presea blew him away with Beast. Colette casted Judgment when the monster stood, followed by Genis' Freeze Lancer.

Even heavily damaged the monster continued to fight with just it's claws, tail and the stomps that caused more magic attacks. Yuan, after analyze the situation, came up with what that could be. The dragon was just to tire them out.

Charging lightning magic in his weapon, Yuan flew to the dragon and started to attack at incredible speed.

"Thunder Slices!", Shallow was a blur while Yuan slashed multiple times at the dragon's chest.

When the dragon's wound got deep Yuan trusted his saber in the wound and released all the power in his saber, electrocuting the dragon. The creature roared and strange figures appeared around it. Dark-brown figures with bodies that seemed to be made out of some brownish matter. They didn't have a shape, just yellow eyes, which was the only thing that actually stated they were some live form.

The creatures seemed to be in pain while cracks of lightning ran through their strange bodies. Yuan intensified the current and the shadows dissipated. The dragon fell to the ground, dead.

"We have to reach the seal before more of them come!", Yuan urged them.

The group started to run, not paying attention to the strange mumblings coming form behind. They shortly arrive at the front of the altar and there, involved by strange curved pillars of stone, was a great, white crystal. The big jewel shone with the slight ray of light that entered in the room.

They tried to reach the jewel, but in that moment a strong quake shook the entire room, making the group to lose the equilibrium and fall. At the front of the crystal, the floor seemed to gain life when a great elevation began to form.

The pile of earth soon opened yellow orbs and some type of mouth was formed below these eyes. A mane-like formation rounded the area that seemed to be the face. The shadow was twice Regal's size, but it gave the impression that it could control its size height and size.

The creature looked to the group that soon drew their weapons, ready to attack the thing. A smirk formed in the shadow's fang-like lips.

"So, you're the ones that barged in my temple.", the shadow spoke, in a strong, righteous voice. It made the group think that if a rock could talk, it's voice would be like that. "Lord Nebilim's emissary warned us that you could come and he will reward me greatly when I get rid of you."

"Let me guess, you're the head of this rebellion didn't you?", Sheena asked.

"I am Thorv'Ahs. I used to be my tribe's ambassador to deal with that fat ass of a Summon Spirit, but I got tired of get orders from that over sized hamster. It's time for we to get what is rightfully ours."

The group rolled their eyes at the speech. Why did all the evil creatures of darkness always spoke the same lame line? Anyway, they would get past that shadow and purify the crystal.

"We made a promise to a friend of ours. We won't sent you right to oblivion, but we'll still kick your stone ass.", Genis said, preparing to cast a water spell.

"I would like to see you try it, little one.", Thorv'Ahs smirked again and went to the attack.

From the sides of the shadow long formations came and soon transformed into arms and knuckles. Smashing the ground, the elemental shadow created some cracks that extended to Lloyd and the others and opened, forming a great fissure.

The angels of the group flew away and the others jumped to the sides. Genis casted Tidal Wave and a flood covered the battlefield, going to the shadow. Thorv'Ahs "dove" in the floor, escaping the magic and reappearing near Genis, punching the young warlock and sending him to one of the nearby fallen pillars.

Presea and Regal attacked the shadow, cutting its stone body, but the gashes soon recovered itself while the shadow punched the two of them. Yuan, Zelos and Lloyd attacked, with a variation of techniques and magical attacks. The magic blows seemed to make effect, but the physical hits did none noticeable damage.

The shadow sent a shock wave to the ground, making the entire room to tremble again and the ground members of the group to fall. "Diving" in the ground again and reappearing near the altar, Thorv started to charge a spell.

"Earth shall devour you. Grave Prison!", The spell created multiple earth domes that closed around the members of the group who were standing on the ground. Pointed stalagmites shot from inside the domes, breaking it's roof and making it to fall.

Lloyd saw with horror his friends bind between the stalagmites, with big cuts where their bodies were pressed against the hard stone. Colette flew to attack the shadow with all her strength. The elemental shadow charged another spell and quickly released:

"Stone Pillars!", two thick stone pillars shot from the ground and smashed each other with Colette in the middle.

When the pillars started to go back to the earth, Colette fell to the ground. Before Lloyd could move to help her, Thorv appeared in his front and opened his mouth, shooting great, heavy stones on him. The stones hit even Lloyd's wings hard, making him to fall.

The shadow tried to crush him with it's hand, but Yuan came and started to slash at him with his saber. Quickly charging a spell, Yuan casted Spark Wave, but Thorv'Ahs just stayed in his position and left the spell to hit him. When the electrical ball disappeared, the elemental shadow seemed untouched.

"Foolish one. I'm one of the embodiments of the earth in its ancient times, your lightning cannot harm me.", casting another magic, Thorv made rocks came out of the ground and exploded on Yuan's face. Like with Lloyd, it also hit his wings and he fell.

The shadow then turned to Colette and prepared to finish her. When he noticed Genis preparing another spell, he again casted Grave Prison on the remaining members who still stand while the others still bind by the spell.

"Death for the light bearers!", Thorv'Ahs said, joining his hands and preparing to crush Colette, who was standing.

The others screamed Colette's name. When the elemental shadow's hands was near her, Colette held her hand upward and stopped the shadow's massive limbs to crush her. Thorv'Ahs looked surprised and tried to crush her again, but the girl was holding him back.

Colette stood and smiled one of her warm smiles that, in occasions like this, always confused her adversaries. She said in rather happy voice:

"Say, why did you always think I'm the easier to take out?"

The giant chaos creature murmured an "uh" and didn't notice Colette's mana starting to concentrate. The blond angel released a strong charge of light from her hands to Thorv'Ahs' arms, making the shadow to roar in pain when all his body started to feel the energies of light running through it.

Sparks began to circulate Thorv'Ahs and the stalagmites that held Colette's friends went back to the earth, releasing them. Colette then push the shadow's hands off with such strength that the massive creature went back and seemed to almost lose it's equilibrium, though he was stuck in the ground.

The blond angel went to attack and started to hit Thorv'Ahs with her bare hands, but making pebbles flew from the shadow's body. The group then saw, Colette's hands and feet were glowing with white, pure energy. The Chosen was hitting the shadow with a strength enough to knock out even a dragon.

"You...", a kick in Thorv'Ahs' face made him to twist to the side. "don't dare...", another kick, now where it should be the shadow's chest. "to threat my friends...", three punches, one in the face and two other in the main body. "ever again!"

Colette ended her assault by releasing three spinning chackrans at the elemental shadow with light element. The Triple Ray Satellite hit it's target dead on, launching pebbles to everywhere while cut through the shadow's form.

Raine could feel the strange energy of the shadow weakening. Now was the time for she to purify the crystal, before the shadow could recuperate. The half-elven woman ran to the crystal. Seeing this the others went to attack while Sheena enchanted their weapons with her Light Seal.

Thorv'Ahs was hit by a multitude of attacks and magic. Colette's Angel Feathers and Sheena's seal cards seemed to be affecting the energy that held the matter in the elemental shadow's body together. Regal and Presea's strong attacks were pushing him back while Lloyd and Zelos distributed their techniques by the great creature's sides.

When Raine arrived near the crystal, other elemental shadows appeared. Their strange bodies seemed to be nearer to an humanoid form than Thorv's, but they still looking like a big pile of human-shaped dirt. The only thing that actually differed them to be confused with a statue was their yellow, cruel eyes.

One of the shadows transformed it's arm in what could be considered an earth blade and tried to attack Raine. The healer used Photon on the shadow, making it to crumble while it's energies flowed out of it's body. The creature's body fell in pieces while its companions attacked.

Raine didn't have hope to defeat them all, but she was ready to risk the confront. Before she could charge another spell a pink and red blur came, slashing at the nearby shadows, but the seal in its blade already worn out.

"Damn, why can't this thing last more?", Zelos complained. "Hey Lloyd! Can you give me a help here?", Zelos shouted.

The shadows seemed a rather confused by the sudden appearance of the new warrior, but they advanced, intending on take Zelos also. Then another adversary came and against this one they didn't stand a chance.

"Sure thing.", Lloyd analyzed the group of enemies at his front. It was a big group, maybe he would need a powerful strike. "Great! I was eager for an opportunity to use it again.", the red clad swordsman said, starting to built up power around him.

The crowd of shadows went to attack while Lloyd joined his two Material Blades, which started to glow with a purple tonality. The elemental shadows that were near enough to attack him froze, like the time around the boy stopped.

The Eternal Sword then appeared in Lloyd's hand and he lifted it above his head, ready to release the energy.

"Falcon's Crest!", Lloyd slashed the air at his front, sending waves of energy that cut through all the elemental shadows at his front and beyond the altar.

The chaos creatures were hit by the energies released by the sword. Energies so strong that they were changing the very chaos energy that held the shadow's matter together. One by one, the shadows exploded, with chills of pain.

When the altar was clean, Zelos looked to Lloyd, surprised. Even thought the red headed Chosen had seen the Falcon's Crest technique before, he never ceased to be surprised by the attack's power and effects on the different types of creatures.

"Way to go bud!", Zelos said with a grin.

"Yeah... but don't ask me to do it again so soon. It always drain my mana.", Lloyd replied while the Eternal Sword divided in his hands and turned back into the Material Blades. "Professor.. if you don't mind.", Lloyd said, weakly. He was tired and almost kneeling.

Raine nodded and silently went to the crystal. She started to gather the necessary mana to cast the spell.

Back to the battle against the head of the rebellion, Thorv was blown away by what seemed the fifth time, his body "sliding" in the floor as he seemed furious at his adversaries. Though the shadow's body regenerated itself after some time, the constant light attacks were starting to corrupt the chaos energy that was the shadow's life source.

Colette and Sheena were the ones doing the most damage, due to Sheena seemed that could enchant her seal cards as easy as breath and Colette's new ability of charge her blows with mana of light, though, they weren't actually trying to destroy the shadow. They made a promise to leave some piece of action to Gnome.

Thorv'Ahs couldn't believe he was losing to a bunch of light bearers, humans, half-elves and... he stopped when he felt that energy. He hadn't pay attention to it before. Could that mana be what it seemed to be?

Before the shadow could think on that, a white light came from his back. Turning he saw Raine, already casting the spell:

"Forces of the world, protectors of the equilibrium... give me your aid to end with this evil that brings destruction! Peace Song!", green and yellowish lights appeared over all the altar, creating a beautiful light show and bathing the crystal.

Something started to came out from the crystal and was being turned into hundreds of shining dots. The spell on it was lifted.

"NO!!!", Thorv tried to went to the crystal, but it was to late for him to save his guarantee against the Summon Spirits.

The elemental shadow didn't notice that Sheena started to summon in the moment she saw Raine casting the spell. He just noticed she calling for Gnome's name when he heard:

"BOMBS AWAY!!!", a huge shadow covered Thorv'Ahs body and when he looked up, something crushed him, dividing him into thousands of pebbles.

Gnome stood, his shovel at hand and a grin in his face. The heavy Summon Spirit turned to Sheena and the others:

"Hey folks! Good to see you again!", Gnome's expression then changed when he saw a pile of pebbles gathering to form Thorv'Ahs' figure again. The elemental shadow mumbled something, probably in pain. Gnome then approached him, an angry look on his face, beating his shovel at his hand. "So... I'm fat lass, over sized hamster, uh?"