Hello people! Sentinel07 here with Chapter 31 of Kid Icarus: The Great War.
Italics means a character's personal thoughts.
Bold and italics refers to quotes using telepathy.
Make sure you keep reading those AN's at the bottom for anything that might be upcoming.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kid Icarus or any other referenced video game or anime.
Holy cow, how long has it been since we all last met? Being a college student sucks sometimes. Anyway, I'm still dedicated to getting this done. What else does a single college guy like myself have to do anyway?
Anyway, hope you all are still hanging around and enjoy this very late chapter of mine.
This chapter is named after a line from one of my favorite anime as a child. Ah, good times.
Roll it!
(BEGIN)
Chapter 31: Expect the Unexpected
Deep within the depths of the Aurora Glacier, one feral beast laid in wait. The ice storm whipped around its body as it waited. Two beings had entered the sanctuary; two strong beings. The beast seemingly grinned in response.
"Time….key.." it growled.
(LINE BREAK)
"How far have we traveled now?" asked Pit.
"How should I know? I don't have a map." sighed Sheba.
The two of them had continued trying to find their way towards the center of the Glacier. After Pit casually destroyed the wall with his Mega Laser, they had found a hidden path inwards. Of course, the path didn't exactly get any easier. The reflections of light inside the Glacier skewed their vision somewhat, making it harder to find certain paths.
"Why can't there be an off-switch in here?" groaned Sheba.
"Low budget?" suggested Pit, getting a shrug from Sheba. She wasn't in the mood to argue about it. Still, it actually did bring back something Sheba wanted to ask earlier.
"Hey Pit?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while. You're always using that same Bow of Palutena, aren't you?" she asked.
"Yep. It's my old reliable in a way."
"But, back in Kid Icarus: Uprising, you had several weapons at your disposal, right? Why don't you use any of them?" she asked.
Pit blushed a bit at the question, causing Sheba to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Well, I sort of….don't have them anymore." he said bashfully.
"Huh? Why?"
"Lady Palutena sold them. She had to pay rent."
"What? Palutena has to pay rent?!"
"Long story. Don't ask." Pit raised a hand, showing that he didn't want to talk about that subject. "And if you're going to ask "Why not get more?" well Dyntos has been selling more weapons as of late, so he's increased prices. He calls it "inflation", supposedly."
"Jerk." said Sheba.
"Tell me about it." nodded Pit. "Anyway, aside from my bow, all I have are a pair of Viridi claws. I convinced Lady Palutena not to sell them."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because they're awesome. When I used them in the Hades War, they paralyzed everything in sight. I was ripping through enemies like Wolverine." Pit smiled, giving his best slashing imitation. Sheba found this intriguing.
"So why don't you use them if you still have them?" she asked.
"Well…the last time I used them, Viridi had come for a visit. When she saw me using them, she slapped me upside the head and told me to not use them anymore. Her face was really red when she said that. Maybe she was sick." pondered Pit.
"Lovesick probably." thought Sheba.
"Well anyway, that's my story. I haven't gotten any more weapons. Truth be told," Pit looked at his bow, which was showing some wear and tear. "I do think it could be time to get a new one. Believe it or not, this isn't very good in close combat, even though it can become two blades."
"Interesting, so what kind of weapon would you go for?" asked Sheba.
"Well, I liked all the weapon kinds, but I especially liked the swords and claws. They were both strong and fast. In fact, Lady Palutena first gave me a sword during Uprising. I'd like to get another one of those." smiled Pit.
"Hee hee, perhaps you will." smiled Sheba.
Right as they said that, the room around them began to shake fiercely, setting them off balance.
"W-What's going on?!" cried Pit.
"I don't know!"
Right as they yelled, the floor beneath them gave way, and the two of them fell into a dark abyss. Pit watched as Sheba vanished from his sight completely.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
As the two heroes fell into the unknown, two spectators watched from above.
"Guess this place is as tricky as ever." grinned Klein.
"So worth the price of admission." giggled Celsius. "Now give me that popcorn!"
(LINE BREAK)
Out of the newly formed crater, Amiti crawled out, carrying Requiem in his right hand and trying to hold himself up. The previous attack was a direct blow on him; taking out a chunk of whatever health he had remaining. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Luna, who hovered just above the ground.
"You…..you think you've won, haven't you?" Amiti breathed.
"Well, I like to think that I have you on your heels." smirked Luna, twirling Leviathan. Amiti growled even more, sheathing Zwei and flying back to her.
"You're not using your other sword?" asked Luna.
"That's only good for having multiple opponents. It's easier to concentrate with just Requiem." spoke Amiti, his giant claymore glowing again. "Now then….."
With a roar, Amiti soared back towards Luna, their weapons clashing against each other fiercely. Luna brushed off his sword, attempting to hit him in the side. However, Amiti grabbed the spear with his hand, forcing it away as he swung Requiem around for another shot. Still, Luna ducked as the claymore slashed above her, allowing to kick upwards towards Amiti's jaw.
"Ugh!" Amiti was forced back by the blow to the face, staggering him for a bit. He quickly recovered though and encased Requiem in flames.
"Devil's Maw!"
Amiti slammed Requiem against the ground, causing a blue burst of energy to surge towards Luna. She attempted to block the attack, but the sheer energy of the attack sent her flying backwards. Immediately, Amiti was on her tail, roundhouse kicking her into the side of the Sanctuary.
"Ugh, ow. That hurt." groaned Luna as she climbed out of the wall.
"Don't think that you've won so easily. I'm one of Lord Kronos' Great Generals. I won't fall so easily to such a minor goddess." growled Amiti. There was no hint of teasing in his voice. He was dead serious. Luna scoffed as she got out of the wall and readied Leviathan.
"Likewise, I'm not one to mess around either." she stared at him.
(LINE BREAK)
"They seem pretty evenly matched." said Gwen from the top of Ultima. She and Iris had made it past Ultima's cannon fire, reaching the tower-like structure that rested on top of Ultima. It was the source of the barrier that kept everyone else out.
"Amiti has stepped it up though. You think she can hold him?" asked Iris.
"Who knows. What I do know is that we need to take care of the barrier. Hopefully, once we knock it out, Pit and the others can come in and give us a hand. Even I don't like our chances alone." said Gwen.
"Right, so let's go." said Iris.
The two girls flew towards the tower-like structure on Ultima's top, with Gwen having Ragnarok firing a blast at the side to give them an entrance to fly through. The blast impacted the wall, allowing them a decently-sized hole to swoop in and land inside.
It wasn't a pretty sight.
"Ew!" whined Iris.
The inside of Ultima wasn't exactly paradise. I guess it would be what you would expect of something made of both metal and flesh. It gave the term "belly of the beast" a new meaning. Gwen put it best.
"This looks like a grotesque graveyard. And I thought the beasts Hades created with all those human souls were ugly." she spat out.
"Yuck! This place is nasty!" cried Ragnarok. "Not even I would eat the souls in here."
"But what is such a place doing in the hands of the Legion? They don't command deal souls like the Underworld." said Iris.
"We've don't have the luxury of time to figure that out. Let's go." said Gwen. Iris reluctantly nodded.
Truth be told, you could hardly guess that the beast was supposed to be a machine. Iris could swear that she was seeing dead people flying around her, although Gwen wasn't as effected.
"What are you so worked up about? groaned Gwen.
"I see dead people." whined Iris.
"You're the Lady of the Underworld. You always see dead people!" yelled Gwen, raising her voice for perhaps the first time in a while.
"Not flying around me though." spoke Iris. She didn't like the place one bit. "Not only that, but do you even know where we are?"
"Well….that's obvious. We're….um…." Gwen looked around, seeing nothing but the same walls. "Um…where are we again?"
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?!" Iris's scream echoed off the walls of the Monolith, seemingly going on forever.
"Relax, we've find it eventually. If worst comes to worst, I'll blast open another hole in the wall and we'll fly out." said Gwen.
"You're way too casual with this." sighed Iris. "I wish Pit was here with me."
"You're really fixated on him, you know? Is there something between you too?" Iris could sense that Gwen was smirking beneath her helmet.
"W-What?! No, we're just good friends." sputtered Iris.
"Ain't that a fact? Well, whatever." shrugged Gwen. The last thing she needed was getting involved in others romance. Trust me, she tried once. Didn't work out.
However, Gwen wasn't holding up well either. She was seeing things as well, including images of….well….someone she hoped to never see again. She shook her head when she saw the images, opening her eyes to see that they were now gone. She sighed in relief.
"Are you okay?" asked Iris.
"I'm fine. Just getting some things off my mind." replied Gwen.
The two of them continued walking in silence, just hearing their footsteps against the ground and the creaks and cracks of the behemoth. Iris' courage wasn't holding up well though. Maybe it was because of her time with Pit and the others, but she wasn't as immune to the horrors of the Underworld and other such places like she used to.
Then suddenly, they heard a scream:
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Both girls instantly jumped, with Iris holding on to Gwen for dear life. That was the most horrifying sound Gwen had ever heard, and that was saying something. It didn't even sound human, kind of more like a monster.
"W-W-W-What was that?!" cried Iris.
"I-I don't know." Gwen was a little shaken from the shriek.
Suddenly, another similar shriek ravaged through the halls, echoing off of everything. It wasn't anything they had heard of before.
"Something's out there." spoke Gwen.
"Then let's go get it. Eat its soul." spoke Ragnarok.
"Calm down, Ragnarok. I don't have time for you." retorted Gwen.
Then, as if the shrieks weren't enough, they heard…..something. It wasn't loud, but rather it was a singular small noise, like an insect. But then, it multiplied, becoming two sounds. Then it was four. Then it was eight. Soon enough, the small sounds were becoming to converge into one loud noise.
"What is it now?" yelled Gwen.
Suddenly, Iris could see things moving along the walls of where they were. It appeared to be a small insect-like creature. However, more insects popped out. And then more came out, blending into the darkness of the hall. Iris noticed them, but Gwen didn't.
"G-G-G-Gwen…." stuttered Iris.
"What is it?
"T-T-T-They…c-c-c-coming…."
"Coming? Coming what?" asked Gwen. Finally, Iris snapped.
"THEY'RE COMING OUT OF THE WALLS!"
(LINE BREAK)
Pit groggily got to his feet as he finally regained consciousness. That was a nasty fall that he and Sheba took. He apparently saw himself in another part of the Aurora Glacier, the walls as cold and unyielding as before.
"Sheba? SHEBA?!"
Pit called out into the area, his cries echoing off the many walls. No reply came, which made Pit worry. Steadying himself on his feet, he slowly walked away, not wanting to stay in the same spot for long. His legs hurt a bit, perhaps from the fall, but it didn't bother him too much. His pain threshold was pretty good after all the wars he's been through.
Suddenly, he heard good news.
"Pit?! PIT!"
Pit turned to his left, seeing Sheba running towards him. He instantly smiled as she approached.
"Sheba! You're alright, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yeah, that fall was nothing at all." she smiled cutely.
"Well, that's good." said Pit, taking another look around. "Now we still gotta find the center of the Glacier. Got any ideas?"
To Pit's surprise, Sheba gave him a weird smile. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something seemed….odd about it.
"Oh, I found something alright. It's just over this way." she pointed behind her, casually walking towards it.
Pit raised an eyebrow at her. Why was Sheba acting so casual? She was normally pretty stone-faced half the time. Still, he shrugged it off. Maybe she landed wrong or something, or perhaps she was feeling very confident. He didn't exactly know her long enough to know what made her tick after all.
"It's right over here." said Sheba, pointing over to a door, kind of like those in a Zelda dungeon.
"What's in there?" asked Pit.
"Just go." she insisted.
Pit gave her an odd look, but decided to follow her anyway. Pit walked through the door into another area, a rather unique one for that matter. This one featured a small ice path over a pit of flame. The flames were a mix of blue and purple, giving them an odd look.
"So what did you want me to see?" asked Pit.
"It's down there." Sheba pointed down into the pit of flames. Pit immediately stepped back.
"Woah woah woah! Down there? No offense Sheba, but I'm not fireproof." said Pit, waving his hands back and forth.
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" spoke Sheba, giving Pit a hurt look with a bit of a pout. He immediately felt guilty.
"Well, it's nothing like that. It's just that…well….a pit of flame doesn't usually say good things." said Pit.
"What if I said that it's a secret path to the center?" asked Sheba. Pit's eyes widened at that statement.
"Woah, really?" he asked.
"Of course. Down there is a secret path. Jump down, and you'll be at the center. Easy peasy." she smiled.
Pit liked the idea of a shortcut, although he still had doubts. I mean, he could trust Sheba, right? He didn't have any reason to doubt her, right? Slowly, he began taking a step towards the edge, giving one last look at the flames before beginning to step in…
"PIT! NO!"
Suddenly, Pit was tackled to the ground, his backside landing painfully on the ground as another figure laid on top of him. After he finally stopped sliding, Pit groggily looked up to see who rammed him. He gasped when he did.
Was he seeing things? There were TWO Shebas?!
"What's going on here?" Pit cried out. Two identical versions of his friend were standing right in front of him, glaring at each other.
(AN: Just in case this confuses you, Sheba#1 means the one Pit was just with, and Sheba#2 is the one who came in and tackled him.)
"What the heck are you doing to my friend?" spoke Sheba#2, who tackled him.
"Me? What are you doing, you imposter?! Don't interfere with us!" shouted Sheba#1.
"You were about to send him to his death! I'm not letting that happen!" said Sheba#2 as she readied Falchion. The other Sheba readied hers too.
"You're just trying to keep us from getting to the center. You're just another trap of the Glacier!"
"You're the trap!"
The two Shebas charged towards each other, the impact of their fists echoing against the walls. The two were evenly matched, echoing each other in terms of moves and style. Pit couldn't keep track. Which one was which? And was he just about to fall to his own death?
Suddenly, Sheba#2 slammed Sheba#1 against the wall.
"Isn't it time you gave up this charade?" smirked Sheba#2.
The other Sheba growled at her. Pit watched in shock as the other Sheba's form slowly faded to something else, revealing a white being with a ghost-like appearance. It's enraged facial expression didn't change one bit.
"Just as I thought. You're a Duplighost." smiled Sheba. The Duplighost growled again before fading into the wall, leaving the duo alone. Pit had no clue what just happened.
"Okay, what just happened?!" Pit yelled as Sheba calmed down.
"That was a Duplighost. They're ghost-like beings who inhabit the Glacier. They can take on the form of just about anything. And they've lured many to their deaths due to how convincing their imitations are." spoke Sheba.
"Wow, that's quite a trick." spoke Pit.
"Still, I'm surprised you fell for that." Sheba shook her head at Pit. "I mean really, a pit of flame serving as a secret path?"
"I've heard weirder." defended Pit.
"Whatever." shrugged Sheba. "Anyway, I'm sure that this path is the real path. Don't fall into the fire, but this pathway is the correct one."
"Wait, how do I know that you're not a Duplighost yourself?" Pit narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
Sheba responded by punching him in the head. Painfully.
"Yep….you're Sheba." groaned Pit.
After the encounter with the Duplighost, Pit and Sheba continued on their path, hopefully not running into more of those beings. As they walked further in, they began hearing growling.
"Could that be?" Pit started.
"The beast who's controlling the ice storms, I imagine. You ready?" smiled Sheba with her gauntlets on.
"Ready to go!"
As the two began their final rush towards the boss, Klein and Celsius kept watching.
"Do you think we should have told them about the ghosts?" asked Celsius with a mouthful of popcorn.
"Nah, it was funnier this way. Besides, if he really fell, I'd get him out." replied Klein, taking a fistful himself.
(LINE BREAK)
Luna and Amiti's battle continued outside, with every blow emitting more shockwaves around them. The two of them hadn't used much magic at all, mostly resorting to physical combat. Neither of them really gave the other a chance to use magic anyway.
"You seem a little winded." smirked Luna.
"This is nothing to me." Amiti barked back, forcing his claymore towards Luna.
Amiti hadn't drawn Zwei again since he sheathed it, focusing squarely on Requiem. It was the best move for him, given his strength when he was able to hold Requiem with both hands. Luna caught one of Requiem's edges with her spear and thrusted it upwards towards Amiti, allowing her a shot at Amiti's sides. She slammed one of Leviathan's edges into Amiti's side, giving him a sizable wound.
"Ugh! Ack! Blast it!"
Amiti forced Luna away and tried slamming her with multiple blows. Truth be told, Luna was not the type for head-on fighting. Her endurance wasn't great. She needed a finishing strike, and fast.
"Hope this works." she spoke to herself.
As Amiti struck her with a fierce strike, Luna hovered downwards a bit to avoid another strike. Instantly, she soared back upwards, delivering a kick to Amiti, stunning him briefly. Before he could recover though, she poured magic into her fist and slammed it into his gut, right before giving him another to his face, sending him ramming into the ground. It was time for the finishing blow.
"Forseti!"
Luna gathered what magic she could in a matter of seconds and shot it towards the ground, impacting Amiti and the ground in a ravaging blast of ice. The shockwave of the blast even impacted other battles going around them, blowing them away. Luna hovered, trying to catch her breath, as she watched the ice, silently.
"Did I get him?"
Suddenly, a huge surge of malice erupted around her, manifesting in dark blue and purple flames that slowly turned black. Cracks in the ice formed, as a hand burst through the ice coffin, erupting even more malice into Luna's face. Her face showed both surprise and worry.
"No. All I did was make him angry."
A dark being slowly rose from beneath the ice coffin, slowly growing as it did. The beings form didn't look that human anymore, with a wolf-like appearance taking its place. It's claymore, Requiem, still firm in its hand. The being, still clouded by the black aura, glared at Luna, its fangs baring.
"I…..I'm gonna…..I'M GONNA RIP YOU APART!"
(END)
Uh oh, made him mad! So many things to look forward to.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure some of you will catch the Alien reference. Yeah, Gwen and Iris' walk through the insides of Ultima was slightly inspired by Alien, as I wanted to give it a horror feel to it. However, I haven't seen that movie, so I'm guessing. If I did, the gore would probably give me nightmares.
Oh, and yes, Dyntos is officially the inventor of inflation. It is now a hardcore fact, because I said it is. Have any problems? Blame him.
So, I hope you all liked my gallant return to writing. School is a pain though, so who knows how frequent updates will be.
So, enjoy and review. This is Sentinel07, and I'm signing out!