Chapter 24

Sol woke up to a splitting headache. No surprise there, the massive adrenaline dump from the berserker rage was just as hard on her mind as it was on her body. She groaned and squinted against the early morning sunlight streaming through the window.

"Awake, are we?" Babbo quipped.

"Unfortunately." She muttered. "I feel like there's a railroad spike going through my skull." She sat up.

"Solara, why didn't you take me last night?" Babbo didn't sound angry, but he did sound upset.

Sol rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Babbo. I don't have a good reason for you. I just didn't think about it." She got up and stretched. Then she realized her sleep shirt had left her arms exposed. "Uh…"

"Dorothy told me." Babbo was definitely annoyed. Sol winced. "I should have heard it from you…but I suppose you didn't really have a chance…and honestly, I had a suspicion that you had done something like that anyway."

"I had been planning on telling you today." She found her clothes, mildly surprised that they were clean.

Babbo looked away as Sol got dressed. "I suppose that witch is good for something. She got you and your clothes cleaned up."

"Coming from you, that must mean you like her." Sol smirked at Babbo's scowl. "Let's go. We're heading into training today."

Outside in the courtyard, the team was gathered with Gaira. Pozun and Porin were there as well. When Sol approached the group, Porin ran over to her and latched onto her leg. Sol blinked. "Good morning?"

Porin looked up at her with shinning eyes. "Thank you so much for saving me!"

"Uh… You're welcome…?" She glanced at the others, confused and embarrassed. Snow and Dorothy were giggling quietly at Sol's expression. Jack, Nanashi, and Alan were blatantly grinning. Alviss ducked his head, trying to hide his smile. Pozun was trying not to smile as he pulled Porin off Sol's leg.

A heated exhale ruffled the hair on the back of Sol's neck. Turning her head, she found the hart standing there. In the light of day, she could see him clearly. He stood a full 18 hands tall at the shoulder, his magnificent rack clearing seven feet. He was black with silver stripes on his legs. His ice blue eyes watched her.

Sol stared at him in awe. She lifted her hand, and he pressed his nose into her palm. "You're gorgeous." She breathed. The hart snorted and glanced to the side, seeming embarrassed. "Do you have a name?" He shook his head. "May I give you one?" He nodded "…Lucian." He tossed his head and lipped her hair. Sol smiled. "Like that, do you?" Lucian nuzzled her.

Snow stepped forward. Lucian looked at her. "H-hello, Lucian. My name is Snow. You're very pretty." Lucian lowered his head and snuffled her, making her giggle. The team introduced themselves to the huge hart. He was pleasant with most of them, but something about Nanashi apparently annoyed him, because Lucian bonked him on the head with his antler, making the others laugh.

Jack, curious, asked Sol about last night. She shrugged and shook her head. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot. I couldn't even tell you what the creep looked like. His energy made him feel like a leacher tho-" Sol froze mid-sentence, as something occurred to her. She turned to Porin, her face stone cold. "Did he hurt you?" Her voice was low but sent chills down the others spines.

While the others looked confused, Snow realized what Sol meant and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Porin flushed and looked down. "N-no. He s-said I w-wasn't r-ready for th-that…but…h-he…he t-touched me…" Large tears started rolling down her cheeks as she tried not to sob.

Snow gasped, but it was Dorothy who pulled her into a hug, having figured out what they were talking about. She rocked her gently. "Shhh…he'll never touch you again." Dorothy murmured.

Sol ground her teeth. "If I had known that I would have dragged his death out." She growled. "Bloody pedophile." The men finally caught on to the conversation. Jack, Alviss, and Nanashi blanched. Alan, Gaira, and Babbo were furious. Poor Pozun looked like he might pass out.

Sol frowned at the sobbing Porin. This wasn't something you fixed in a day, a week, or even a year…and they were in the middle of a war. She rubbed her forehead and looked over at Snow, who was looking at her. After a moment, they had the same thought. Sol nodded and Snow smiled.

"Porin," the small pink girl looked up at Snow with watery eyes. "Would you like to come play with me?"

"Huh?"

"We're all going into the Training Gate today. I'm going in to rest though. Time moves differently in the gate than it does out here. Sixty days in there is only one day out here. Would you like to come keep me company?" Snow's smile was sweet and inviting. Porin thought for a minute and then nodded.

"Alan, you mind covering them? Not like you need the training." Sol asked. He nodded. Snow took Porins hand and led her to an open spot. Ed joined them.

"We'll see you all in a couple of days." Snow smiled and waved, encouraging Porin to do the same. Alan activated the ARM and the three disappeared into the door.

Sol reassured the nervous Pozun. "There's nothing alive in there besides them. Porin is perfectly safe and Snow will help heal the mental damage that…slimeball inflicted."

After a moment, Pozun nodded. "I'm going to go home today and tell everyone that Porin is safe. Thank you so much, Solara. I couldn't have gotten her back without you." Pozun bowed to her but found she had extended her hand. He shook it.

"You're a good brother, Pozun. See you tomorrow."

Pozun smiled and teleported away.

"Ugh." Sol ran a hand through her hair. "To much crap for first thing in the morning." She grumbled. "We ready to go?" The group spread out for the doors. Lucian stood next to Sol and Babbo, apparently having decided that he was going, too. Belle sat on Alviss' shoulder. Dorothy and Nanashi were sulking but unwilling to see what Sol would do if they refused.

Gaira help up the Training Gate ARM. "It won't be as easy this time! There's no room for mistakes! The Knights have struck. I'm afraid we'll be fighting them from here on out! You must be ready. So this time you will fight… perhaps the most difficult opponent of all." Gaira activated the ARM.


"I should go next!" The shrieking female laughed manically. "I want to kill! I want to kill! I WANT TO KILL! Send me, Phantom! Please! Please!"

"Mmm… Unfortunately…there are others who want to fight, too…" Phantom's calm demeanor did nothing to dissuade the insane female.

"Why should I care?!" She screamed, "I'll kill anyone who gets in my way!"

Halloween chuckled. "Big words, Rapunzel. What if I get in your way?"

A man wearing a skull mask with a tongue sticking out tsked. "Now, now. Let's not fight among ourselves."

An old man with a thick branch cane and tree on his head nodded in agreement. "She won't listen to reason, anyway. Why don't we just let her do what she wants…?"

Rapunzel shrieked with laughter. "Very smart!" She ripped off her robe and threw it aside, revealing a hawk beak of a nose and drill styled blonde hair. "The fourth battle is mine! Gyahaha! And I get to kill!"


"Most difficult opponent of all, eh…?" Nanashi looked around the ruins he had landed in. "I wonder if it's a girl."


Dorothy pouted. "Honestly, I'm Dorothy! I don't need training to handle any ol' Knight!"


Alviss glanced around. "He split us into five different locations. I thought he'd be pitting us against each other but… This is something different…"


Jack looked around nervously. Then movement below him caught his attention. "Huh? Eeeeeeek!"


Each of them was now looking at their shadow, which had turned 3D. Gaira's voice echoed overhead. "Now you see your challenge! Nature ARM 'Shadowman' creates a being from your shadow…with magical power equal to yours! You must each fight yourselves! Push your bodies to the limit – and your magic to the next level! But as you become stronger – so will the shadowmen. Now you must learn you are your own worst enemy!"


Nanashi screamed like Jack as he dodged the electricity coming his way.


Alviss watched wide-eyed as his shadow fired off a shadow Thirteen Totem Pole. Their techniques must be the same too! He shot off his in response.


Dorothy gave her shadow a nasty grin. "Toto too? Oh, you are wicked…!"


Jack ran screaming from his shadow. "As strong as me?! Oh, sure! I'm so totally…not this strong!"


"It will strike you with your own maximum power! Fight to your limit – and then surpass that limit!"


Sol glared warily at her shadow. "This has the potential to be very…very bad." Babbo grimaced, while Lucian lowered his head, displaying his rack.

"Solara," Gaira's voice rang out. "You can fight without worries. The Shadowman is based solely on your magical power. It cannot imitate your berserker rage."

Sol relaxed. "Good." The shadow produced a shadow Gargoyle. "Lucian, wait over there, okay? You ready, Babbo?" Lucian wandered over to a grassy area a ways off, while Sol and Babbo squared up to their shadows.

"Let's do it!" Babbo said with a sharp toothed grin. He disappeared and Gargoyle rose out of the ground. Thinking of her end goal, Sol snarled. "Fuck you, Phantom." The two Gargoyles reared back and swung.

*CRASH*


Rapunzel skipped through the castle, singing…or rather, screeching. "La-la-la! La-la-la! Laa-la-la! Little brother! Little brother! Where are you?! Little brother!"

"I'm right here…sis." Girom stepped out the shadow of a pillar. "Is it time? Is it our turn?!" He wanted at Solara so badly.

Rapunzel cackled. "It's time to hunt down those pigs! I want it so bad! Tomorrow's forecast is for bloody rain!" The two insane siblings shrieked with maniacal laughter.


BlackStar: Poor Porin wound up in my story. I'm mean to my characters… I feel like I've actually been rather tame this time. I have a tendency to give my main characters rather nasty back stories… I don't know what that says about me.