Heeeey everyone!
Long time no update, huh? So sorry for that. August was especially crazy this year with traveling, not to mention I was having trouble getting back into this story. But I'm back now, and so here is a very long chapter to make up for the long delay (It's almost 10K, Heh...)
Be warned, however; I did not edit this before posting. Apologies in advance for any grammar or spelling errors.
Cuore ignored the onslaught of questions being thrown at her by her friends.
They meant well, but it was questions she was tired of answering, and she didn't have the time too properly explain anything anyway.
She closed her eyes and grit her teeth once more, grinding out; "Where is TinSouRe,"
The repeated question slowed their prodding over her health, and it was BarZenDao who answered.
"We…are unsure. She is not here."
Cuore sighed and shifted to the edge of the pod, moving to stand. "Then we are running out of time."
"Are you sure you should be getting up?" Ceodore asked, reaching out to grip her arm. She didn't need help standing, but she didn't have the energy to shrug him off, either.
"Yes," she said, growing irritated. Her already frazzled mental state made her snappish, but the impending doom they faced morphed it into something else.
Something she couldn't put words too.
It was beyond panic, beyond fear, beyond anger. It was something deeper, something subtle.
"What happened?" Ursula asked, now that everyone had calmed.
Cuore shook her head as her feet touched the floor. She felt a flash of dizziness but ignored it and looked up, frowning. "I, or rather we, don't have time to discuss the details. Needless to say, TinSouRe is insane and she plans on blowing up the core of this vessel."
There was a moment in which the information obviously needed to sink in, before everyone erupted into chaotic questions again. Cuore held up her hands and closed her eyes again.
"Stop! I just told you I don't have time. We need to find her and stop her."
She whirled around to frown at BarZenDao, who shrunk back at her look. He swallowed. "I promise you all I knew nothing of this. I know TinSouRe was…was…duty bound, but…"
"I believe you. TinSouRe made it clear she didn't consider you at all in her plans." Cuore explained, trying to soften her words. But the boy merely nodded, as if he'd known all along and didn't feel saddened by it.
She supposed he had, in his own way, tried to tell her.
"Why is she doing this?" Ceodore asked.
Kieran flicked an irritated look at him. "Who cares? We should be asking how to stop her!"
Cuore nodded.
"Alright, so, what's our plan?" Ursula asked, glancing at each of them in turn.
Cuore closed her eyes, willing herself to focus. She was dizzy and her mind was spinning, but she needed to be clear headed and deliberate. She needed to be strong.
"Ultimately she needs to make it to the core. We have a chance to stop her, but we must act quickly."
"Beat her there?" Ceodore remarked.
Ursula frowned, "Through the Uo'Ru?"
"Not a great plan," Kieran muttered, crossing his arms.
Cuore swallowed and opened her eyes again. "Perhaps…perhaps they will not hinder our progress."
Everyone looked at her in confusion and dubious shock. She shrunk back somewhat, hands fidgeting with the tails of her sash.
"They have no love for TinSouRe. They may be motivated to help us, or at the very least, not hinder our plans." she explained carefully.
"Or, they could kill us and TinSouRe," Ursula argued.
Kieran shook his head, "No, they aren't mindless monsters. We know that. I know that. Cuore may be on to something."
"They may have already tried to help us." BarZenDao whispered. His eyes were on the floor. "They attempted to enter the safe zone. TinSouRe made sure we didn't read what was on the memory device it brought in. She killed it. Her mind was shielded from me. At the time, she said it was to prevent the Uo'Ru's telepathy, but…"
"But, more likely it was to hide her own objectives," Cuore finished. "Where is the drive?"
The boy swallowed thickly, glancing up at her with steely eyes that showed a wide range of emotions. All of them painful.
"I…locked it down as per TinSouRe's instructions. I…can retrieve it." he muttered.
Cuore nodded.
He shuffled away, looking down once more and she resisted the urge to reach out and hug him. She wasn't sure she could handle the comfort at the moment anymore then he could, yet the impulse was still there.
"Okay, so say the Uo'Ru will let us by…then what?" Ceodore asked.
Ursula looked at him like he was crazy. "Then we kick her ass! She's going to blow up the ship, and us, and probably part of our world."
He frowned at the blonde princess, but Cuore cut them both off.
"No!" she insisted. "It may not be so simple."
Kieran heaved a sigh. "Its' never simple,"
"TinSouRe's DNA is in a delicate stage of flux," Cuore began, choosing her words carefully. They needed to understand, and she needed to stay focused.
"She is using the core to force a reaction, to make herself evolve. She's…" Cuore trailed off, not wanting to admit that she was using something Zemus had discovered.
"So?" Ursula said, tossing her hands up. "I'm missing why we can't kick her ass,"
Cuore closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath. She didn't want to snap at her friends, but she didn't want to answer their questions either. "Her body…if we damage it, we risk creating the event she is trying to with the core. We risk making her what she wants; a being of energy."
"…If her body is destroyed, then said energy is released," Kieran guessed.
Cuore nodded once. "Precisely."
"Then does she need the core at all?" Ceodore asked, looking baffled. "And…if we can make her evolve without blowing anything up, then everyone wins, right?"
Kieran shot his friend a scathing look. "You want the clearly insane woman, who created the Uo'Ru…you want to just let her ascend to some astral plane that we know nothing about?"
Ursula shook her head, "Sorry, Ceodore, but I'm with Kieran on this. We all know how crazy Lunarians can be, and if she's willing to blow this place up to get what she wants, I'm not comfortable letting her become some ghost creature who can go anywhere and do anything."
Ceodore sighed in resignation. "I…agree. I just wish…"
"We have no choice but to stop her." Cuore interrupted, knowing where his head was going. She had felt TinSouRe's darkness of insanity, she understood the malice of apathy. They couldn't allow themselves to be swayed by compassion.
Not this time, not where the Lunarians were concerned.
The doors opened at that moment and BarZenDao shuffled back inside, expression tense and unreadable. Cuore hesitated, wondering if she should say something to him.
But she wasn't sure what to say.
The boy merely handed her the crystalline shard, eyes downcast. Cuore gingerly took it and studied him for a moment before taking a deep breath and addressing her other friends.
"It will take time to decode this, assuming TinSouRe did not damage any of the systems on her way out."
"Alright, how much time?" Ursula asked, looking anxious. Clearly she wanted to be moving.
Cuore shook her head, "I'm not sure, to be honest."
"We should see if we can figure out which way TinSouRe went," Ceodore suggested. "There's multiple routes for her to take, and…well, that's just what we know about. If we can figure out which way she left, we can plan to follow her, or cut her off before she gets to the core."
Cuore didn't know how far that would get them, but the prince seemed to want to be doing something, so she didn't argue as he and Ursula left to search. Kieran mentioned something about staying here, and the teal haired young woman tried not to frown.
He was being…overprotective.
She winced, recalling the events of her rather dark delusion. It hadn't been real, and she knew that, and yet she still felt somehow afraid of what she's seen.
"I will run scans." BarZenDao said, quietly. "Perhaps…I can determine where TinSouRe might be."
"How?" Kieran asked, sounding genuinely interested.
The boy shrugged, eyes still downcast. "If her body is in a state of flux, then she should have an abnormal Ves'Per reading. In…theory anyway."
Cuore nodded, "It's worth a try. I'll be here, trying to read this message."
The Lunarian nodded, darting a glance to her before looking away once more and leaving. His gaze was steely, but fragile. He was bothered more by TinSouRe's apparent insanity then he wanted to admit.
Maybe even to himself.
But she didn't sense any ill-will towards them, no dangerous intent. He was just shaken, as was she, and so she let him go without wondering if she should keep an eye on him.
Cuore sighed and moved to one of the consoles, beginning to type and trying to figure out what TinSouRe did to the computers before she left.
Encrypted them, but she could break that.
But time wasn't something they had, and TinSouRe knew that. She was clever enough to stall for time, and smart enough to know that a good deal of systems had been damaged by their fight in the lab.
Still, Cuore pushed the growing impatience she felt to the back of her mind and focused on tricking her way into the system.
It took a few minutes, but finally the device clicked a tune at her and she smirked ever so slightly before inserting the memory device.
Whatever the Uo'Ru had wanted them to know, it was on this drive.
The display told her it would take a few minutes to decode. She tried not to groan.
"I don't want to ask if you're okay," Kieran finally said, breaking the silence that had been hanging over the room. "Because that seems like a stupid question. But…"
Cuore hesitated and looked over at him. He was leaning against the nearest wall, eyeing her carefully. "I guess…I should ask if…well, are you alright?"
She bit her lip, "No,"
"Are you hurt? Physically?" he muttered.
She paused to consider that. "I'm…damaged, but not severely. Nothing that requires immediate treatment."
The magical fight they had did leave a few marks, but she barely felt them now. A slight sting here and there, a little residue from the stun of the slinger, but nothing that she wanted to waste time fixing.
Besides, Ceodore was gone and busy with something else.
Kieran was still giving her that look. The look that said he wanted to pry but wasn't sure if he should. The look that told her he was worried and barely keeping his emotions in check. The look that she could read like an open book.
With a sigh, Cuore closed her eyes. "Just ask."
"…Are you alright…mentally?"
She laughed, hollowly. "No."
"…Can I do anything?"
"No."
He sighed, and she looked back over, studying him as he fidgeted, annoyed. Not at her, she could tell.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he tried again, looking back to her with a pleading sort of expression.
"No." she murmured.
He frowned, "Do you need to talk about it?"
That wasn't a question she was expecting, and she paused.
Would talking about it help? Would it somehow fix what had happened? Did they really time for something like that?
While she pondered her reply, Kieran sighed again, this time less in annoyance and more in resignation, as if he had given up.
She wanted so badly to tell him everything, to explain and cry and talk until she couldn't anymore. But they didn't have the luxury of time, and she didn't know if her current fatigued, brittle state could handle it.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts and analyzing that she barely registered him moving closer until she felt Kieran gently settled his fingers over hers. Cuore flinched and instantly wished she hadn't when he pulled his hand away. His expression was pained and Cuore bit her lip again.
Kieran studied her for a moment before speaking quietly. "Do you need time?"
She nodded, feeling tears blur her vision.
He swallowed. "Do…you need space?"
Again, she nodded.
Kieran was easy to read. The look he gave her was almost enough to have her rescind the nod, yet she knew he was right. She needed time and space. She couldn't deal with this. Not now.
"Okay." he whispered softly.
His voice was filled with an aching sort of echo, but he still offered her a hollow smile. Cuore managed to maintain her composure as he walked out of the room, but after she lost sight of him, tears spilled down her cheeks silently.
And once she was positive he was far enough away, and that no other footsteps could be heard, she let loose a deep, guttural sob.
More raspy, choking weeps followed until she couldn't even breathe. Cuore finally sank to her knees on the floor, curling against the cold metal of the console's base as she cried.
The tears fell in waves and rivets until she wasn't even sure why they were falling.
She felt so…exposed and damaged and violated that she was having trouble even caring that TinSouRe was going to destroy this ship.
But that was selfish, and she realized with a start that she was sad, too, somehow, for the Lunarians. That sorrow confused her, because she wanted very badly to hate every last one of them.
But…were they any different than the Maenads? Were they unredeemable?
Cuore shifted on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head and crying for everything and everyone she'd ever wanted too.
She cried for the planets of people, of races, of lives that had been destroyed. The Lunarians by their own folly, the dozens she knew about that the Creator had sucked dry.
She cried for the Eidolons, for all the suffering that they had endured, all the pain and darkness they had seen and felt.
She cried for the people who had died in the Maenad attacks.
She cried for her family, who she loved and had hurt so badly throughout her life. Family that she loved with every fiber of her being.
She cried for her friends, who were just as scared and stressed as she was, who were in just as much danger and had been hurt just as much on this ship. Friends that she needed and wanted and cared for.
She cried for Kieran, who deep down was still just that little twelve year old who saw his family die, who saw the very worst parts of humanity his whole life and who loved her for some unfathomable reason. A man she wanted to love back as much as he loved her. A man she was tired of pushing away.
She cried for herself. Broken, shattered.
The computer above her chimed a few times and roused her from her sorrow. Cuore took a series of deep breathes until she had calmed herself. She waited a moment for the tears to stop and then clambered reluctantly to her feet.
With one last sniff, she activated the rune on the screen and began to read the message the Uo'Ru had died getting to them.
"Ceodore, what are we looking for, exactly?" Ursula asked, gesturing to the area beyond the 'safe zone' of the ship.
The prince frowned, hesitating. He wasn't sure what he had been hoping to find, but he felt like he needed to be doing something. Cuore didn't need or want them hovering around and they did need to find TinSouRe.
But she had left no trace.
Besides the damage in her lab from her and Cuore's fight, there was no obvious path that she had taken.
Ceodore realized Ursula was still waiting for an answer and offered a helpless shrug. "I'm…not really sure, I just thought…well, there's a lot of ways she could get to the core, so maybe if we knew how she went, we'd be able to cut her off."
"Not a bad plan, but…" the blonde put her hands on her hips and surveyed the area once more. "She didn't leave us many breadcrumbs."
"No, she didn't," he muttered.
Before he could suggest that they head back and regroup with Cuore to see what she might have found out, Ursula went bounding off into the darkness.
"Ursula!" Ceodore hissed, rushing after her.
He hated it when she did that to him.
Over her shoulder, she spoke quietly, quickly, as she moved. "Look, there's nothing here, so let's go a little further."
"We should tell the others where we're going!" he replied, matching her volume and step.
The princess waved a hand at him, "We won't go far,"
"But we don't even know what we're looking for!" he protested.
She snorted, as if she had one more comment to make, but abruptly same to a halt as she rounded a corner.
Ceodore made a face as he nearly ran into her, wondering what had happened. "What-"
"Crystals," Ursula exclaimed at a whisper.
He followed her gaze and saw what had brought her to a halt; the entire wall had been melted into a tacky pile of metallic looking sludge, giving way to a new pathway straight through the supports of the ship.
"I think we know which way she went," Ursula commented.
Ceodore shook his head. "The amount of heat she would have to produce to melt the walls like that…?"
"Her magic must be as strong as the Uo'Ru," the princess commented.
He sighed, "Alright, let's head back. We need a plan, and we need to move. Now."
Cuore was glad that Ceodore and Ursula had returned when they did, although the news they brought wasn't helping her stay calm.
"Then we have no easy way to slow her down," the teal haired woman said. "We need to avoid a confrontation with her, but I don't see much of a way to stop her."
"What did the message from the Uo'Ru say?" Ceodore asked, gesturing to the screen.
Cuore sighed and looked up at it. "It was a warning from KanESenna."
"The commander?" Ursula asked.
Cuore nodded. "Yes. He warned us of what TinSouRe was, and what she was trying to do. Had we been able to read this, everything we know now would have been revealed to us then."
"No wonder she didn't want us to have that," Kieran remarked, crossing his arms. "Then, that Uo'Ru she shot with the slinger?"
BarZenDao shook his head, "Not KanESenna. I have met him. I would have known."
Cuore shook her head, "It doesn't matter. The message doesn't help us now. We can't kill TinSouRe without giving her what she wants, we can't reason with her, I…"
She averted her gaze. "I don't know what we should do."
There was a long, heavy pause.
Cuore felt guilt stirring in her warring with fear and dread at their situation. She should have had some idea or plan, but nothing came to mind that would work. All the knowledge in her head was useless, and even if they came up with something, wouldn't TinSouRe already know they planned on trying it?
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Kieran muttered suddenly. "We don't know how to stop TinSouRe, but we're not the only ones who are trying. And we certainly don't hate her as much as the Uo'Ru do. We may want to consider more than just hoping they let us by,"
"You want to make an alliance with them?!" Ursula asked, staring at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Not an alliance," Kieran corrected, holding up his hands. "More like…an exchange. We help each other with our mutual enemy."
Ceodore hesitated. "It's…not a bad idea, actually."
"What?" Ursula said, turning to look at her fiancé. "They've done nothing but try to kill us,"
"Actually, they haven't." Kieran argued. "Think about it from their point of view; we've been hanging out with TinSouRe this whole time. What were they supposed to think?"
"They trapped us in those…those dreams," the princess reminded him heatedly.
Cuore winced. "Actually, those visions were TinSouRe's doing,"
They all whipped around to face her, shock written across their features. Even BarZenDao seemed startled, proving he knew nothing of the mad woman's plans.
She closed her eyes. "She used them to learn about us. The Uo'Ru, the one I saw…it was probably just curious, probably trying to figure out who we were. They've been watching us this whole time, trying to figure out if we could help them."
"Cuore, they kidnapped you," Ursula interrupted. "You can't really…they…"
Cuore took a deep breath. "I know. I don't like this either. But Kieran is right. They may have answers we need, and we do owe them a warning, as they tried to warn us. They did kidnap me, but…the memories are fragmented and confusing. One of them, or more…I'm not sure. I recall hearing a voice caution them against hurting me, I don't know if they…wanted to after all. I think…"
She paused, hesitated and licked her lips before continuing. "I think they were desperate."
"I don't like this." Ursula said sharply. "But we don't have another plan."
Ceodore nodded, "Agreed. They may be able to help."
They dallied a moment longer before deciding to move. There was reluctance with the plan, but there was little else they could do.
Cuore clasped a Ii'Tash to her wrist, "You said TinSouRe burned her way through some bulkheads?"
"Yeah, straight through them." Ursula replied, settling her hands on her hips. "I don't think we'll get a chance to beat her to the core."
The teal haired young woman sighed, "No, not likely. But if we do not intend to avoid the Uo'Ru, then we will be able to take a more direct approach. Besides, if she used magic, then the dampening field has not been extended past the safe zone."
"We'll have magic," Ceodore realized. "That…will be helpful."
Cuore didn't reply. To be honest, she wasn't sure what a few dozen spells would do against someone who was growing stronger by the second. However, she would feel more at ease with access to her magic, and her Eidolons.
They would be able to help her, even if she didn't call them to battle.
BarZenDao followed them out of the laboratory and Kieran tossed him a frown. "Where are you going?"
"With you." the boy said, as if it were obvious.
Kieran's frown deepened. "No."
BarZenDao matched his expression. "Why not?"
"Because I don't trust you,"
Cuore sighed, "I do."
BarZenDao looked relieved, but Kieran just clenched his jaw. She didn't need to read his mind to know what he was forcing himself not to say.
She had trusted TinSouRe, too, and that had gotten them into this situation.
Cuore looked pleadingly at Ceodore and Ursula, wanting them to decide if he could come. She was too drained to start an argument with Kieran again.
Ceodore hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, me too. It's probably better if you come, anyway. If we get the Uo'Ro to help us, then we may be able to use the matter transportation device right away. After stopping TinSouRe, of course…"
Ursula crossed her arms. "I don't…distrust you, but I'm not exactly sure, either, alright? Still, you should come with us. We might need your help, anyway."
BarZenDao looked immensely relieved and nodded, though he said nothing. He darted a look to Kieran, as if asking him to argue.
Instead, Kieran just frowned ever so slightly.
Cuore was having difficulty reading him now, and she found that disquieting. Normally she could tell exactly what he thought about any given situation, but now she couldn't tell. Maybe it was just because he was being extra guarded, or maybe it was because she was trying too hard.
They wordlessly agreed to move on again and left he safe zone of the ship beyond, moving swiftly towards the core. Without trying to avoid the Uo'Ru, they traversed the corridors and ruined passages far more quickly and directly then previously.
As they left the safe zone of the ship, Cuore skidded to a halt as her magic ignited, namely the chattering voices of her Eidolons.
They were rather demanding.
"What the hell is going on?!" Cagnazzo nearly screeched.
Scarmiglione was trying, and failing, to get him to lower his voice. Anima spoke up asking if she was alright, only to be cut off by a combination of Carbuncle's keening cries and Barb's snappish voice calling her names.
Rubicante told them all to shut up, but was ignored, even as they began fighting amongst themselves, rather than ask her what was wrong.
Midgardsormr was muttering about being ignored somewhere in the back of all the clatter.
Cuore couldn't help but crack a grin at the nonsense, even as she rolled her eyes; "Phoenix, I could use your help, here."
"I'm powerful, but I can't grant all miracles, Cuore," the fiery Eidolon joked, laughing lightly. "They are a lost cause."
"You're a lost cause!" Cagnazzo retorted automatically, only to back-track. "Er…I mean…not you, Phoenix,"
"Suck up." Barbariccia muttered disgustedly.
Cuore rolled her eyes, "Seriously, would you all stop for a moment?"
"But we're worried!" Anima said frantically. "It has been too long, Cuore. Are you well?"
"Of course she's not, you idiot!" Barbariccia complained. "She never is. Girl gets into more trouble…"
"Don't sssnap at Anima," Scarmiglione hissed, sounding annoyed.
"Ugh, why don't you two just get a room, Scraggy." Cagnazzo muttered disgustedly.
Cuore groaned, and realized belatedly she had made the sound out loud. Her friends gave her concerned and curious looks and she offered a sheepish look. "Sorry, the Eidolons."
Most of them nodded in understanding, but BarZenDao seemed startled.
"You…can talk to the constructs of magic? Even when they're not in this dimensional plane?" he asked, eyes wide.
Cuore nodded, "Yes, though sometimes they are more of a hindrance. Like now. We should move. I'll explain to them on the way."
They began to move again and Cuore pushed her way back into the mental scape to talk with the 'constructs of magic' as BarZenDao called them.
"All of you, be quiet!" she snapped. "I don't have a lot of time, so if you want to know what's going on, then listen. And stop picking on each other,"
"That's what I said!" Rubicante boasted.
Several voices groaned at him. "Ugh, shut up,"
She began recounted what they had missed, having to back track quite far when she remembered that they had been unable to communicate with her for the better part of this trip. There was much they didn't know, but they kept their comments to a minimum, and once they knew everything, they predictably offered their help.
"Thank you." Cuore told them sincerely. "I…have missed you. It hasn't been easy to be without you. I…feel safer with you close by."
"And we feel the same," Phoenix assured her. "It is good to hear your voice once more, destined one. Do not worry, we will help you stop TinSouRe."
"What if we can't?" she wondered darkly. "What if…"
"That won't happen." Rubicante replied confidently. "We have done the impossible before, and we will again."
"Yeah, besides, if you fail, then you won't know! Because you'll be dead." Cagnazzo added.
Cuore made a face, "Wow. Thanks…"
She stepped carefully over some damaged flooring, sidestepping a section of loose hanging wires. She wasn't sure if they were live or not and didn't want to find out.
BarZenDao had stopped between some clusters of debris and she paused beside him as Ceodore and Ursula continued on carefully.
"BarZenDao?" she asked quietly. "What is it?"
He was staring at his Ii'Tash and gestured to the readout. "This. I think this may be TinSouRe."
Cuore stepped behind him to look over his shoulder. He had displayed the partial map of the ship and there was an anomalous energy spike.
"What makes you say that? The reading could be anything." She asked.
He shook his head, "No. It's unlike any Ves'Per I've seen before, and nothing on the ship would cause that signature. Besides, it keeps appearing, moving, and disappearing. If her body is in a state of flux, then it makes sense the reading would be unstable and intermittent."
Impressed by the logic and reasoning, Cuore blinked. "You may be right."
"I'll continue to watch it." he said, frowning and narrowing his eyes as the reading flickered out. "Maybe I can lock onto the power and scan for it…"
Cuore was about to say something, when Kieran's voice spoke up from nearby.
"Are you trying to scan for that power signature?"
BarZenDao glanced up and nodded.
The dark haired young man shrugged, turned halfway away. "Try scanning for everything else, even background Ves'Per. The energy TinSouRe is emitting will make all others dissipate. Where you don't read anything else, that's where she is."
Cuore and BarZenDao glanced at each other and then back to Kieran, who had already moved to catch up to Ceodore and Ursula.
BarZenDao hesitated. "He is…surprisingly intelligent."
Cuore gave a small laugh, "Yes, he can be."
BarZenDao glanced up at her. "Do you…" he sighed and shook his head, obviously stopping himself.
Cuore gave him a curious look. "What?"
"It doesn't matter. We don't have time to discuss it."
BarZenDao took a step before Cuore sighed and reached out to gently snag his arm, stopping him. "BarZenDao, what is it?"
The boy gave her a conflicted look. "You said you trusted me. Was that true?"
"Of course." she assured him.
He looked back to their other friends. "Why doesn't Kieran?"
"Well…" she hesitated, trying to think how to phrase it. "He is…a naturally cautious person. And he's a little overprotective of people he cares about. I think he actually does trust you, but is being…a little careful."
Before they could discuss further, Ceodore called Cuore's name from up the corridor and BarZenDao sighed once more, gestured forward to her before walking.
Cuore waited a moment longer, slightly worried about the boy. He wasn't being completely forthcoming with her, but she supposed he didn't have to be.
Still, she worried.
As she moved to catch up with her friends, the Eidolons perked back up. She could feel the tingle of magic in the back of her mind that signaled their intrusion.
"So…" Phoenix began, voice amusedly coy. "Speaking of Kieran…"
Whatever she had been about to ask was drowned out in a myriad of nonsense.
"Is he being mean still?"
"Is he okay?"
"Who cares about him?!"
"Is he good in bed?"
Cuore faltered in her steps at the last one. "Barb…" she warned.
"What?" the windy Eidolon asked, sounding baffled as to why her summoner was irritated. "Wait, you don't know, do you?"
Cuore rolled her eyes and started to walk again.
"Girl, you have to live a little. You might die tomorrow. Besides, he's not going to stick around forever just because. Men need incentives."
Before Cuore could question the logic of those statements, Rubicante cut into the conversation with an irritated and anxious voice.
"You shouldn't even be asking such a thing," he chided. "Besides, Cuore is intelligent and has many fine qualities and shouldn't rush into anything."
"Rubi, you're doing that parental thing again," Cuore remarked. He muttered an apology.
Phoenix sighed, "I never got to ask my question…"
Cuore cut off the magical connection and focused on her friends. "Sorry for the delay. What is it?"
"A door." Ursula said, gesturing to it.
Ceodore had his arms crossed, "Some of us what to blast it open, while the ones who have actually thought this through want to try to hack it in case this section of the ship is unstable."
"We need a tie breaker." Kieran summarized.
Cuore knew exactly how the group had spilt with their ideas even without asking and looked the door over for a moment before shooing them away from it.
"Neither option. I'll use magic, but one that isn't explosive." she said, pressing her hands against the metal.
It felt surprisingly euphoric to call forth magic after so long with it. She had forgotten how it felt to have the wild swirl of elements under her skin, to feel it tug at every sense and spring to life at her beckoning.
"Inferno."
With a single word, the metal of the door began to melt beneath her fingertips, and the longer it, took the more she increased the heat, speeding up the process.
Once the middle section of the door was gone, she rubbed her hands together to disperse the last particles of her spell before changing her mindset to one of bitter cold.
"Whiteout." she whispered.
Flakes of cold seeped into the metal and cooled what the fire had done, leaving the frame intact and a hole big enough for them to slide through.
"There," Cuore said, stepping back.
BarZenDao was taking scans and watching her intently, probably because he had never seen magic like hers before.
The others were used to it by now and Ceodore mentioned something about a good compromise as he stepped through the opening after Ursula.
But Cuore was distracted by the way Kieran was fidgeting, expression unsettled. She would have questioned him about it, but she was still somewhat avoiding him.
Regardless, he glanced at her with guarded eyes and gestured for her to go first through the opening. Cuore eyed him for a heartbeat before stifled a sigh and slipping through.
Once on the other side, she surveyed the room and frowned, seeing some of the panels flickering on and off.
"That's odd," she muttered, wandering over to one and trying to input a command. Instead, the screen flashed and she felt a slight spark course through her fingertips.
She yelped and backed away, scowling. "What in the world?"
"What happened?" Ursula called from the other end of the small circular space.
She shook her head. "I'm not sure. It just….zapped me…"
Before she could investigate further, a sudden alarm went off. Everyone winced and looked around in confusion that slowly turned to panic when a set of gates opened along the walls and drones rolled out.
"Ken-di!" they screeched.
Cuore frowned, pulling her swords free. It had been awhile since they had run into these annoyances. She knew they would be easily dispatched between the five of them, but why did they suddenly activate?
There were a dozen robots and without a word, everyone sprang into action and picked their targets.
With a flurry of wild strikes, she tore one drone to pieces before it could even lift its arms. The next she turned too and exhaled with a sharp; "Ark blast!"
Tendrils of magical lightning encased the robot, shorting out it's circuits until it crumpled to a pile of scrap metal on the floor.
Cuore turned around once more to see if any remained that needed to be removed, but saw only destroyed and crumpled remains.
The last one standing was impaled with a spike of ice as BarZenDao finished muttering an incantation in Lunarian.
The room was now oddly silent with the destruction of the drones and Cuore waited a moment before sheathing her blades. Ceodore followed suit and frowned. "Alright, so that happened."
"Did we trip an alarm again?" Ursula asked, hopping over the 'body' of one fallen drone.
Cuore shook her head and glanced back to the display. "I don't believe so. Something is wrong with the computer system."
A sudden creaking noise, like metal grinding together, started up and nine of the previously fallen drones rose up once more and moved into offensive positions.
Weapons were drawn again and Cuore had enough time to note that the robots didn't have the familiar glowing conduits and 'eyes' as they should. In fact, they looked deactivated, save for the fact they were moving.
She didn't have time to draw her katanas and rolled to the side to avoid a swipe of a robot arm. She stayed on her knees and extended her hands outward.
"Ark blast!"
This time, the electricity did nothing to stop the monster and she darted aside to avoid another swing of the arm.
Confused, she pivoted on the ball of her foot and snapped her fingers with another spell. "Inferno!"
This time, the flames licked at the metal plating until it melted and fused with the flooring into a puddle of partially molten components.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she drew her katanas and took a swing at the first one she had nearly cut to ribbons. She served an arm, then took a chunk out of it's side. Yet still, it rolled forward, swinging it's remaining arm forcefully and continuously.
She wasn't the only one having difficulties.
Ursula had kicked one's elongated head clean off, but the body followed her as she backed up.
"What is going on!" the princess exclaimed, jabbing the robot again to no avail.
Cuore dodged the arm once more and raised her sword to chop it clean off as it swung again. The arm clanged when it hit the floor, and the drone continued to roll forward until it bumped into her.
It posed no threat since its' weapons were destroyed, but it was irritating, and she melted it as well.
Ceodore was hacking repeatedly at his two opponents while chanting; "What does it take to put them down?!"
None of his strikes seemed to be halting their progress, though he was causing damage. Cuore threw one katana and pinned one of them to the wall nearby, leaving Ceodore to finish off the other with another series of stabs.
Cuore realized that the only way to stop them was to completely destroy them so that they couldn't move at all.
It seemed everyone else had realized this as well and were pounding them over and over into piles of scrap.
Kieran had abandoned his swallow in favor of the slinger he'd been carrying around lately and was taking potshots at any and all of the remaining drones. One had a hole shot straight through it, but it was still moving.
He darted a quick glance over his shoulder, still firing forward. "Whatever you're chanting, make it quick!" he snapped to BarZenDao.
The Lunarian was muttering under his breath, hands weaving a familiar spell pattern. It was another moment before he uttered the final words; "Bliz'Ard-Aga!"
Ice seeped from the inside out of the robots, hindering their movements and slowing them down. BarZenDao nodded to Kieran, "Strike them now,"
Everyone heeded his instructions and within seconds, the frozen drones were smashed to pieces and finally stopped their advance.
Kieran heaved a sigh and bent down to pick up his swallow. "I hate zombies and robots. Now we have zombie robots. Fantastic…."
"I don't understand, how-" Ursula's question was cut off by an ominous cackling laugh with a definite female lit to it.
The sound seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and Cuore took a moment to survey the room. Finally she realized the laughter was coming from the drones.
Cautiously she knelt in front of the nearest disassembled body and eyed it.
"I know what you are trying to do," TinSouRe's voice said, echoing from the metal. "You waste your time. You cannot stop me. I am not flesh any long, but still not quite energy. Do not attempt to stop me, or I will have to…dispose of you. All of you."
Cuore waited before standing, making sure TinSouRe's message was complete. She sighed and replaced her swords once more.
"Okay," Ceodore finally broke the tense silence. "What the hell?"
Cuore turned around halfway to watch him and the others pace carefully around the destroyed drones. "How did these things get back up?" Ursula asked. "I mean, we trashed these pretty good, so…"
Kieran frowned, working to replace the swallow on his back. "Obviously TinSouRe had something to do it. Maybe she overrode the commands or something."
Cuore shook her head, sighing once more. "No, it wasn't that, but you are correct; it is TinSouRe."
BarZenDao blinked, "But how?"
"She is partial transformed already, able to cast her mental abilities into machines and computers and…" Cuore rubbed her hands over her face. "I should have seen this coming…"
"How would you have seen this coming?" Ceodore asked, waving his hands around at the room.
She averted her gaze, eyes watering. "Because, Zeromus did the same thing. At the top of Bab-Il, with the terrain cleaver. I should have known TinSouRe would do something similar, especially once she realized we would try to stop her. She'll be even harder to catch now that she can make the ship fight against us…"
"Wait, wait," Ursula said. "What does Zeromus have to do with this?"
Cuore cringed and she saw Kieran crossed his arms while BarZenDao stared at each of them in confusion.
"Cuore," Kieran said, spoken with a careful warning.
He knew she wouldn't want to talk about it, but she couldn't be selfish at this point.
With yet another deep sigh, Cuore tiredly sat on a pile of scrap metal and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I…need to tell you everything."
"What is happening to TinSouRe is a more perfected version of what happened to Zeromus." she began.
Ursula made a face, "What, the going crazy part? I didn't know that could be 'perfected'…"
"No, no, the actual metamorphosis." the teal haired young woman explained. "Please, just…be quiet and let me tell you."
She recounted everything TinSouRe had told her; the research, the use of her memories and blood to create this perfected virus, Zemus's involvement, the fact that Ceodore was never ill, everything.
"Zeromus was always insane, but this…this thing TinSouRe created enhanced it, not to mention his magic, his telepathy. It's how he could, all the way from the moon, talk to people here, on this planet." Cuore finished, shaking her head. "And now, TinSouRe is that and more. He could use his voice to control machines, she can too, she could be in every system in the entire ship and there's no way to get her out."
"Then what's to stop her from just blowing the core right now?" Ceodore asked. "If she has that kind of power,"
"Because, she wouldn't risk it. She'll want to be as close as possible to the explosion of negative and positive Ves'Per as she can be, to ensure her ascension." Cuore replied. "But, with her already this strong…I don't know how to stop her."
BarZenDao frowned. "If something similar happened before, as you say, with this other Lunarian…how did you stop him before?"
Cuore sighed, hands twisting the sashes at her waist. "The first time he was trapped in a specialized crystal of some sort. I don't know exactly how."
The boy looked confused. "The first time?"
"He came back," Ursula supplied.
"And you stopped him then, how?"
Everyone shifted uncomfortably, irritating Cuore since they always seemed to have a problem with talking about it. Looking up at the Lunarian, she answered his question.
"I tricked him into my mind so that our consciences were linked, and then I ended us both."
BarZenDao blinked. "…Oh."
"Not an option this time," Kieran complained. "For various reasons. But TinSouRe won't fall for it anyway. Can we make another 'special' crystal and trap her?"
"I don't know how," Cuore confessed.
"The same way the Eidolons were trapped?" he asked.
She paused to give that some thought, but ultimately shook her head. "I…don't know if that would work. Besides, I don't have the items I'd need to even attempt."
"So, we're back to square one," Ceodore said, sighing. "Alright. First things first. We had a mission; the Uo'Ru. They may be able to help us, even with this new information. I saw we stick with our original plan."
They agreed and Ceodore led them onward, out of the room and into the next set of hallways beyond. Cuore stood and chewed on her lip in worry. As she went to leave the room, she noticed that Kieran and BarZenDao were deep in a quiet conversation and she frowned, curious.
They must have noticed her looking over because they both paused at her look. Her frowned deepened but she moved out of sight since they obviously didn't want her to hear whatever they were discussing. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.
"Is she gone?" Kieran asked.
BarZenDao was peering around him and nodded. "Yes. I no longer see her." The boy stared up at him quizzically. "Why are we talking in secret and keeping it from the others? And why are you talking to me?"
Kieran gave a small smile at the straightforwardness of the questions and found that he actually wasn't annoyed.
"I'm talking to you because I need a favor. We're keeping it from Cuore because…well, because it has to do with her."
BarZenDao tipped his head to one side and waited patiently for him to continue. Kieran sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I need you to keep an eye on her."
"An eye on her? Why only one?" BarZenDao asked, looking puzzled.
"No, no, I mean…I want you to watch her."
"…Watch for what?" the boy questioned, eyes narrowing.
Kieran was silent for a moment, thinking how best to explain his end of things to the boy.
"When we defeated Zeromus the second time, it…Cuore died, BarZenDao. We got lucky when she came back. We won't get lucky again. You've seen how…selfless she can be."
The Lunarian studied the flooring between them. "You believe she would do the same thing again, even knowing the outcome,"
"To save us? To save everyone on the surface, too? You know she would." Kieran muttered. "But we need to find another way. I won't lose her. But I know her. I know that if she thinks there's not another option, if she thinks she's doing the right thing…"
BarZenDao swallowed. "Why ask me?"
"Because I know you care about her." he said simply. "She's your friend, she's important to you."
He nodded, "She is. But…perhaps she would be doing the right thing…"
"What?" he asked sharply.
BarZenDao flinched from his tone, but didn't look away. "Cuore tried to explain…emotions to me. She tried to explain why she injected herself with the virus. She said that…everyone was important, that it hurt her when others were hurt. She said that her life didn't feel right if other's were hurting. She told me some sacrifices were worth making."
Kieran glared at him, "That's fine and good, but what about our lives not being the same without her? Besides, who gets to decide if sacrifices are worth it?"
He saw the boy's lips curl as if amused, and she merely replied; "I suppose the person making the sacrifice."
He closed his eyes, "Alright, so you won't help me."
"I didn't say that." BarZenDao complained. "I'm merely pointing out that Cuore does what she thinks and feels is right. I will watch her, but once she's made up her mind, neither you or I can stop her. You know this."
"I guess that's better than nothing," Kieran muttered, annoyed.
The Lunarian had made some interesting points, but he still didn't like it. He had a terrible feeling something bad was going to happen, but he knew they were smart enough to come up with a different plan.
One where all of them made it out of this in one piece.
"Thank you." BarZenDao said quietly, drawing his attention back.
He made a face, "For?"
"For protecting me while I conjured Ves'Per against the drones." the boy replied. "I know you do not…care for me, but I appreciated the time you allowed me to finish the incantation."
Kieran frowned, "Look, I don't dislike you, alright?"
"But you don't trust me,"
"I do, actually. I'm just…" he hesitated. "I'm not really a nice person, so…don't take it personally."
BarZenDao gave him an appraising look, finally shaking his head. "You do not speak the truth. If you were not a nice person, Cuore would not be so infatuated with you."
"Infatuated?" Kieran repeated dubiously. "Not the word I would use, but…thanks, I guess…"
BarZenDao began walking, but kept a slow pace so that they were behind the others still. His voice was equally as hushed. "She is avoiding you, and you are avoiding her." he observed.
"…Yeah." Kieran said, frowning. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't. You are a much more action-driven individual."
Kieran gave the Lunarian an odd look. "What is with the sudden introspective into my person?"
BarZenDao grinned slightly, daring to even look sheepish. "Apologies. I find you…interesting."
"…Interesting." he repeated, eyes narrowed. "Uh, huh."
The boy nodded, "Yes, interesting. At first, I found you Ventu and an irritation and completely unworthy of my time or study. However, upon closer inspection, none of that appears to be true. In truth, I…wish that I was more like you."
That brought him to stop as he stared in disbelief. "Why?" he asked.
BarZenDao sighed, "You say what you mean and never second guess yourself. You are strong and can take care of yourself and…and you have a drive I cannot understand, but very much wish that I did."
Kieran hesitated for a moment, not sure how to respond. He'd never had someone tell him they wanted to be more like him, and his first instinct was to cringe and counsel the opposite. But, BarZenDao wouldn't listen to that kind of logic anyway, so he dug up an old memory instead.
"Um…okay." he said uneasily. "I wasn't expecting that, honestly, but…you shouldn't want to be more like me, BarZenDao. I'm not that great of a person."
He looked ready to protest, so Kieran hastened to continue. "Look, you should worry about being yourself, because if you try to be someone else, you'll just be bad at it. My mother told me that once, and I didn't really understand what she meant at the time. But I get it now. Just be yourself."
BarZenDao blinked, "What if you don't know who you are?"
"Then, that's the first thing you should work on, before trying to model yourself after somebody else."
The Lunarian appeared thoughtful and then nodded, "Good advice."
He wandered off, towards their friends and Kieran felt the need to shake himself to work out that conversation and refocus. Whatever had just happened, he really hoped it was for the better…
They had walked for a few minutes without incident but then came across a terrible scene; bodies strewn across the floors, burned, seared, dismembered.
Uo'Ru and drones alike were dead, dozens.
Cuore stared in horror at the passage. "TinSouRe did this…"
"If that many Uo'Ru couldn't stop her…" Ursula trailed off, looking around in dismay.
They carefully and wordlessly stepped through the bodies, taking their time and making sure nothing stirred around them when they least expected it. About three quarters of the way across the room, something moved out of the corner of Cuore's eye.
She turned and saw an Uo'Ru limping away from them, through a door to the side she hadn't noticed before.
"There!" she said, pointing.
The others followed her and made their way to the door, seeing that this section of the ship had some power in it. The filaments in the walls were alight and door panels flickered in the dim lighting.
They stopped near the door and cautious peered inside, noticing the trail of blood leading from the hallway they had come from, into the room.
"It's injured," Ceodore said quietly, gesturing to the open door. "We should be careful, but maybe it would be willing to talk to us since it's hurt."
Cuore nodded, "We'll have to catch it first," She took a step forward, but Kieran gently tugged on her arm, surprising her and making her turn around to look at him with a questioning gaze.
"I'm sorry," Kieran whispered.
Cuore gave him another puzzled look, "For what?"
He smiled apologetically, looking both anxious and guilty. She had a terrible feeling he was about to do something stupid, but she didn't have enough warning to stop him.
He gave her a shove backwards, catching her off guard enough to push her past the threshold of the door.
She caught a glimpse of a familiar small, rounded object in one hand as his other hand slammed against the door controls.
Her eyes widened as the bulkhead slid in front of her, locking with an ominous pressurizing sound.
"No!" Cuore cried, banging once on the door before turning to the panel. She tried code after code but they were all declined and she realized that he had learned from her a little too well. He knew how to lock her out of the system.
"Kastra!" she swore angrily.
Mostly she was mad at herself for not guessing he would do something reckless. She should have seen it coming and stopped him, and she should be able to fix it now.
Another lock out.
She heard Ursula complaining behind her about Kieran's stupid move as well, but she tuned her out in favor of focusing on her task.
Cuore wasn't sure she could handle, after everything else that had occurred, if anything happened to Kieran.
The shrill, ear-splitting tone of the stunner echoed off the jagged, damaged walls and Kieran swiped his thumb back over the rune, shutting the device off before it burned out completely. He pulled his slinger free and cautiously wandered towards the fallen figure of the Uo'Ru.
The creature was still conscious; it was twitching, groping at the flooring as if it was trying to orient itself again.
"Alright," Kieran said, forcing his voice steady. "We're going to have a civilized chat, you and I. A chat about TinSouRe."
At the name, the Uo'Ru twisted its' head to fix him with an unnervingly oily gaze.
"So that is something you understand," he reflected. "Good. Because I know you can't understand every word I'm saying, but for once you aren't in control of this situation."
He paused, far enough away to avoid it's raking nails, but close enough to see the crinkled and painfully taunt skin. He held the slinger out towards it.
"If you try anything, I'll turn this back on," he shook the stunner in his free hand before similarly shaking the slinger. "Or I'll just shoot you. I haven't decided yet. What do you say?"
The creature continued to stare at him, before it slowly, with obviously over-dramatic movement, brought one hand to its lips and touched them.
Kieran made a face. "Yes, I know you can't speak my language,"
It tapped its' throat next, then its' head.
Afterwards, it laid still continuing to stare up at him, as if asking him to understand. Kieran paused to consider the movement.
He swallowed and realized what it was getting at with the touch to the throat.
"You can't talk, can you? At all. That's why you aren't speaking Lunarian…"
Obviously, it couldn't understand him, so just continued to stare.
"The tap to the head," he mused. "You have to communicate telepathically, you don't have another option."
Kieran frowned, "Well, this poses a problem."
He tried to recall some of the sayings in Lunarian that Cuore had used, but he was pretty sure his phrasing would be off. Still, he didn't have a lot of options.
"Alright, um…" he took a deep breath. "NamSeA,"
That caught the monster's attention, and suddenly it's head twisted all the way around at an odd angle to fix him with both eyes. Kieran grimaced at the movement before continuing. "TinSouRe, bad. Um…Virage."
The eyes blinked heavily. He wasn't sure what that meant. "We want to stop her, too. She's Virage. I don't know what a word is for totally crazy in your language…but…she is."
Risking a lot, he held up the slinger before bending down to set it on the ground, eyeing the creature warily. Every fiber of his being wanted to run from the Uo'Ru, or at least maintain a hold on the most effective weapon he had. But still, he felt they had no choice but to take a risk at this point.
Besides, Cuore would eventually get the door down, she was nothing if not persistent.
"I don't want to hurt you," Kieran assured the Uo'Ru, leaving the slinger on the ground and removing his hand. "Yensa, Ty…Violet?"
However bad his pronunciation, it worked; the Uo'Ru reached out a disfigured hand to catch his and he flinched back, startled. The offered hand fell to the floor.
The creature hissed in what sounded like frustration.
Kieran exhaled, "Sorry, reflex."
Carefully he reached out and barely touched the back of the Uo'Ru's hand, resting on the floor. The creature blinked again and he shook his head, "We need your help."
The disjointed and bony fingers wrapped around his and he felt a careful tug at his mind. He recoiled, but forced himself to sit still as the pull grew more insistent.
Finally it pulled against his senses until he heard as much as felt a set of words.
"We…need…help…too…"
Every code failed and Cuore finally growled in frustration and panic, yanking one of her katanas free and jamming it into the door, sawing the tungsten carbide through the door.
"Cuore!" Ursula exclaimed.
She ignored her friends and pulled the blade free, prepared to strike the door again or use magic to remove it from her path.
Before she could do either, the door opened on its own and to relief, Kieran seemed mostly unharmed. He was gripping the doorframe and letting it hold some of his weight, but he looked tired, not injured.
With a deep breath, he gestured behind to an Uo'Ru that shambled up slowly, eyeing them warily.
Weapons were drawn in an instant, but Kieran held up a hand, "No, it's fine. This is YuneXai."
"You know its name?" Ursula questioned, not relaxing.
"Her name," he corrected. "She's agreed to help us, because she and the other Uo'Ru need our help too."
Author's Note: Okay, so...whew. Back and with a very interesting chapter. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go with this chapter in particular, just because it's kind of that transition from the reveal to the final battle sort of deal, but there were a couple of things to cover first. We are...rapidly approaching said final battle, but I'm just not sure how many chapters there will be. It depends on how many words I use ;)
I had a lot of fun with this once it got going. Interesting character bits, a little action, a little emotion.
Sorry to everyone who was worried over a certain love story set-back...but it's not really that serious. Cuore just has trouble dealing with more then one thing at any given time. It's not like they are actually broken up or anything.
As for the Uo'Ru...I'm very excited to write the last information about them, coming up soon.
Not much else to say...I'll be working on this and some other projects in the works for other fandoms, maybe this one, not sure yet.
Please shoot me a review. I love reading what other people think and hearing theories and all that.
Until next time!
