"So, we're agreed?" Jack said as he and Nova faced each other down. "Spears only?"
"Ummm… well, wouldn't you be lacking a spear then?" Nova stated, slightly confused at Jack's proposition.
Jack grinned. "Oh come on, you can't have forgotten this quickly."
Jack held out his hand as blue light started collecting in it, solidifying into a rod of auric energy that was almost as long as he was tall. Jack twirled the quarter-staff in one hand before stopping its rotation with the other. He then settled into a fighting stance with his left side facing Nova, holding the staff in front of him with his hands about a foot from the ends.
"I suppose that will work," Nova replied with a smirk, grabbing her Hastae off of her back. She twirled it around in her paws a few times before leveling the point towards Jack. "I do prefer the real thing though."
"Yeah," Jack agreed, "But like you said, I don't really have one of those. Anyway, let's get started. I'm eager to see exactly how good you are."
"The last time someone said that, they ended up thoroughly surprised," Nova said.
"To be perfectly honest," Jack continued, "You're probably a lot better with your spear than I am with a staff. It's been a long, long time since I used one and even longer since I really trained with it. Still, I don't plan on going down without a fight."
"Then let us begin," Nova nodded as she took a few steps forward, keeping her eyes glued on Jack.
Jack knew that in terms of technique he was seriously outmatched here, but he also knew that he had an equally significant advantage in speed. As such, he decided that it was in his best interests to take control of the flow of the battle as quickly as possible. Even so, he was hesitant to rush in blindly. He had no idea what Nova was capable of, so he waited.
Once Nova was within striking distance of Jack, she thrust her spear towards his right shoulder. Before her attack got anywhere near him however, Jack whipped his staff up and knocked it to the side in the blink of an eye.
Before Nova could fully recover from her failed attack, Jack lashed out with his staff at her torso. Nova swiftly ducked underneath his attack, bringing the rear end of her Hastae around and attempting to sweep his feet out from under him but Jack hopped backwards to avoid the attack, then lunged forward and bringing the top end of his staff down at her from above. For all his speed it was a sloppy attack, and he left himself wide open. While Nova was still low to the ground, it gave her a certain advantage as she hastily turned around and extended her hind paw towards Jack's gut as he came at her.
To Nova's surprise, Jack used Psychic on himself to slow to a stop before he ran into her paw. Knocking her leg aside with his staff, Jack thrust the tip at her prone back. She quickly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way before springing back up onto her feet a bit away from Jack.
Jack didn't give her any time to breath however and closed in, keeping up a somewhat sloppy-looking guard. Even so, Nova knew that sloppy as it was Jack could still react fast enough to deflect almost anything she threw at him. Once Jack was within striking distance again, he shifted his grip on the staff and swung it back-hand towards her at waist height.
Nova waited until the last second before bringing her spear vertical and spinning it around, effectively deflecting his attack and momentarily leaving him open to an attack. Moving as fast as she could, Nova once again struck out with her hind paw, attempting to strike Jack while both their weapons were occupied.
Jack, his eyes glued to Nova's spear, didn't see her leg coming until it was too late. The blow landed square on his midriff and flung him backwards a ways, sending him tumbling across the ground. Nova smirked as she landed the first blow of the match, though it hadn't exactly been easy.
Jack didn't stay down for long, and instead rolled to his feet several meters away from his opponent. Jack scowled as he wiped some dirt from his face, this wouldn't be an easy fight. Nova was even more skilful than he'd anticipated, and the fact that she was on the offensive made the difference in skill even more telling. If he didn't gain some momentum quickly, he wouldn't have a chance.
Not even pausing to catch his breath, Jack darted forward; feinting to Nova's right side while preparing to switch direction mid-strike and strike at her left. Nova's right hind paw slid backwards ever so slightly as Jack got closer, but he didn't notice; once again completely tunnel-visioned. At the last second, when Nova seemed vulnerable to her left, Jack switched the direction of his attack. Nova moved simultaneously, ducking under the attack while spinning right under it before bringing the rear end of her spear around towards Jack's back.
Then, the exact moment Jack felt Nova's spear connect with his back, a rush of sensation hit him like an avalanche and swept him away into another world.
"It's another dream," Jack thought to himself as he drifted into the memories.
After his first dream on Lily of the Valley Island, Jack had gone several nights without having any dreams at all. He'd hoped that it was a one-off thing, but evidently that wasn't the case. As it played out however, Jack noticed that it wasn't quite like his first dream. Whereas the first dream was one cohesive scene, this one was more… fragmented; a series of quick flashes, each one different and each one flooding his mind with new thoughts. Just like the first dream however, each new idea seemed to slot seamlessly into his mind as if it was meant to be there.
He could barely make out the first handful of images, but in each one he seemed to be holding something in his hand. He could almost feel the weight of it; familiar, calming even. As more images flashed by he could make out the general shape of the object; a metallic rod a few feet long. A sword? Yes, that was it; he was using a sword.
Then, one last image flooded his mind and lingered for a few seconds. He was back in the same place as his first dream, and the skull-headed figures were closing in on him. Now though he could see them more clearly, and he realized that their entire bodies were nothing but sun-bleached bones covered with scraps of leather armour.
They were wielding an assortment of rusty swords and axes in their skeletal hands, but they were slow and clumsy. These mindless thralls were no match for a skilled warrior, and Jack had trained with a sword ever since he was a child.
Jack darted forward, his right hand going down to his left hip. In one fluid motion Jack drew his sword and lashed out at the nearest skeleton. He felt a surge of satisfaction as the monster's head toppled from its shoulders, and the whole thing crumpled into a lifeless pile of bones. Now he just had to deal with the others…
Jack opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, his back smarting where Nova's blow had landed. He felt like he'd just run a marathon; his breathing was quick and shallow, his heartbeat had spiked, and he could feel his entire body breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked numbly down at his hands to see them shaking uncontrollably.
"What's happening to me?" Jack asked, although he was afraid of the answer.
After realizing that Nova was looking at him funny, Jack shook his head and took a few deliberately deep breaths; forcing himself to his feet. He managed to stand, but he was still shaking all over.
"This isn't good," he thought to himself. "That dream knocked me for a loop. If something like this happens in the middle of a real fight…"
He left that thought unfinished, he didn't like to think about things like that. Even so these new dreams, these memories, scared him in more ways than one. Not only were they completely impossible, but he had absolutely no control over them and this second one seemed to take a massive toll on his body.
"Are you alright?" Nova asked, obviously concerned for his health.
Jack took another few deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I'm alright," he said, the colour returning to his face. "Let's keep going."
"Are you sure?" Nova asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," Jack insisted. "I'm fine, really. I just had a sort of… flashback, I guess."
"That's one way to put it at least," he thought wryly.
"If you say so," Nova said, still somewhat confused at Jack's vagueness. She too re-formed her battle stance.
Jack took a second longer to catch his breath, then he darted forward again. This time however he was a little more cautious, and he kept his guard up while trying not to make any obvious moves. As soon as he was within easy striking distance, Jack thrust with the point of his staff at Nova's chest.
Nova's eyes were steeled as she tracked her opponent. He seemed to have caught a second wind, although he obviously wasn't at one-hundred percent. While his rush was rather brash, she knew he was most likely still fast enough to manage to hit her if she tried to dodge, so instead she tried to deflect his staff yet again.
Nova knocked away Jack's thrust with ease, but barely a split second later he'd spun on his heel like a top and brought his staff around to her left; with all the momentum of his spin behind it. Nova just barely managed to duck under the spinning staff, the tip of it just nicking her ear.
Before she could take advantage of the opening, Jack planted his foot to stop his spin and lashed out at Nova's right. Still reeling from the previous attack, Nova could only hastily position her spear in a manner to absorb some of the energy from the blow as it plowed against her side. Jack allowed his blow to bounce off Nova's spear, bringing the other end of his staff around to strike from below.
With her spear now out of position and above her, Nova was in no position to block the incoming attack. Jack's staff struck her right shoulder, but it was only a glancing blow. The blow caused Nova to stagger a little bit, but it didn't hit as hard as Jack had hoped. Using the momentum from the hit, Nova spun around and aimed her hind paw at Jack's side.
Jack was wise to that trick by that point, and brought his staff around to block the kick. However, there was still enough power behind the attack to make Jack stumble backwards slightly. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, Nova pressed her attack. She brought the rear end of her spear down towards Jack's shoulder, and Jack just barely managed to knock it aside with the tip of his staff.
"Not good," Jack thought. "I can't let her gain any momentum."
Pivoting, Jack brought the bottom of his staff up at Nova's left side hoping to slip underneath her guard. Somewhat disappointed and surprised at the same time that Jack managed to deflect her attack, Nova quickly jumped out of the way. She once again just barely managed to dodge his counter attack.
Jack kept the pressure on with a thrust to her chest, but Nova noticed that his stance was starting to slip again. Deciding that if she was going to strike it would have to be now, Nova nudged Jack's staff down to the right allowing it to dart past her. Before Jack could recover, Nova dodged to the left and swung the butt of her spear at Jack's unguarded right side. Even with his speed, there was no way Jack could bring his staff around in time to block it.
Nova's blow hit something, but it wasn't Jack. Nova barely had time to lean backwards as something whistled through the air no more than an inch from her face. She backed up a little ways and brought her guard back up, and as she did so she realized what had happened. Jack's staff was gone, and in Jack's right hand instead was a rod of aura about half the length. No, not a rod; a sword.
Jack stared numbly at the weapon in his hand. Except for it being blue and transparent, it was an exact copy of the one from his latest dream. A thin, arrow-straight, two-edged blade about a meter long which tapered sharply about an inch from the tip. It was a weapon made primarily for parrying and thrusting, but also strong and sharp enough to slash clean through almost anything. How did he know that though? More importantly, how had he stopped Nova's attack so effortlessly with a weapon he'd never used before…
Then it hit him. If those memories really were his then, as impossible as it might seem, maybe he really had trained with a sword at some point. He didn't know when, and he had no idea why or how he could've forgotten, but now that his memories were starting to return…
"Maybe whatever skill I had with a sword has come back too…"
That, he decided, was an idea he had to test. He settled into another combat stance with his right side facing Nova and his sword in front of him.
"I thought you said spears only," Nova said with a smirk.
Jack shrugged. "Hey, I'll take whatever help I can get at this point. Besides, now I kinda want to test something..."
"Test something?" Nova repeated. Once again, one of her ears flopped to the side in confusion.
"Never mind," Jack said. "Let's keep going. This shouldn't take too much longer, one way or the other."
"I agree," Nova nodded in agreement with a small smile, a determined, competitive look appearing on her face.
For all Jack's bravado, he wasn't feeling too confident about his newfound 'skills'. He tried to mimic what he'd seen in the memories, but it was all so fuzzy. The sword felt awkwardly weighted in his hand, and he had no idea what to do with it. At least with his staff he'd remembered some of his training, but this was like trying to brush off a cobweb; he knew it was there, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find it.
What he did before, deflecting Nova's attack and then instantly counter-attacking, he had no idea how to pull that off. He hadn't planned it out, it happened without him even thinking. It was almost like… like his body had moved instinctively; performing a set of motions he'd practised and drilled until it was a reflex...
"I still can't remember the first thing about fighting with a sword," he realized, "But my body knows the moves even if my mind doesn't… Well, let's see if I'm right."
With new determination, Jack settled a little lower and tightened his stance up slightly, making it clear that he wasn't going to be making the first move. Nova once again slowly started inching forward, her eyes watching Jack carefully. She didn't know entirely what to expect, but then again, she hadn't really known what to expect throughout this spar. Once she was close enough, she lunged her spear low towards Jack's feet.
Jack hopped backwards to avoid the spear thrust, but Nova quickly twirled the rear end of her Hastae around as she continued forward. Then, Jack felt it; he saw Nova's attack coming and, without any conscious thought on his part, his body started to move. A split second before Nova's attack landed, Jack swept his sword up and stopped it cold. Almost before Jack realized what was happening, he had switched from defence to offence. In one fluid motion, his block transitioned flawlessly into a lightning fast swipe down at her right shoulder.
Nova's eyes widened in shock as she quickly, with a burst of aura to her legs, managed to just ever so slightly get out of the way of the auric weapon. Jack followed through with the stroke but, to his own surprise, he didn't overbalance. Jack could feel his body acting on pure instinct, unguided by conscious thought. His stance was tight, his balance perfect, his eyes automatically scanning every detail of his surroundings, and his sword nothing more than an extension of his arm. A very dangerous extension.
"So this is what it feels like," Jack thought, slightly awestruck, "To be a master swordsman."
Reveling in the exhilarating sensation of being one with his weapon, Jack rushed in with an overhand slash to Nova's right shoulder. Nova was more prepared this time however, having settled into a defensive mindset and was more than ready for the attack as she deflected it with her Hastae and attempted to counter with the rear end it. Jack didn't miss a beat and blocked it with his sword, sliding the blade down the length of the spear shaft towards Nova's paws. Seeing what Jack was attempting to do, Nova instantly twirled her weapon around, flinging Jack's sword off of its wooden shaft.
Jack hopped backwards out of reach of any counter-attacks then dived right back in with a low backhanded swipe, once again to the Zoroark's right side. Nova once again deflected the skilled attack, but Jack just let his blade slide off her spear and then transition flawlessly into a thrust to her chest. Nova freed one of her paws from her spear, covering it in aura and using it to block Jack's attack, but before she even knew what had happened she found Jack's hand on her stomach. A split second later she was flung backwards by a powerful Force Palm.
Nova rolled a few meters before coming to a stop, but before she could even get up Jack was beside her with his auric sword barely an inch away from her neck.
"Checkmate," Jack said with a grin of satisfaction, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through his body.
"Checkmate?" Nova asked quizzically, but getting the general meaning. "Is that another human thing?"
Jack shrugged. "I guess so. It's from a well-known game, and it's what you say when you win."
"Well then, I guess that it seems fitting enough," Nova replied.
Jack dissolved his aura blade and held out his hand to Nova, who reached up with one of her paws and took his hand.
"Thanks," Nova said as Jack helped her to her feet. He shook her body trying to get the dirt that had accumulated on her fur off of it. "You did quite well there at the end, though I do believe using a sword violated the term of the spar."
"And kicking me in the gut didn't?" Jack shot back without missing a beat, his grin taking on a mischievous slant.
"Would you have rather been hit by my spear or my hind paw?" Nova retorted with a sly smile.
"Point taken," Jack deadpanned. "In my defence though, I didn't exactly plan to switch weapons. It just sort of… happened."
"Fair enough…" Nova resigned as she started back towards where they'd left their things.
As they walked Jack tried to hold on to how he felt during the battle, but as the adrenaline faded from his system so too did the feeling. He couldn't remember half the moves he'd pulled during the final moments of the sparring match, but at least he had a starting point.
"Whatever it takes," he resolved, "I'm going to relearn everything I ever knew about swordfighting."
Looking over at Nova, Jack noticed that the Zoroark was glancing off to the side again. As if she was looking at something he couldn't see.
"Talking with your invisible friend again?" Jack commented off-handedly, not sure if it was rude to point it out; or if he was intruding on their conversation or something.
Nova was stirred back to reality by Jack's voice.
"Oh… yes I was," Nova said as she rubbed the back of her head with her paw. "So… What happened with you there at the end? You were like a totally different fighter."
Jack scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, not entirely sure what, if anything, he should tell her.
"Well…" he started, deciding to at least try to explain it, "It's kinda hard to explain. I'm not entirely sure myself, but I do have a theory of sorts. Trouble is, it's impossible."
"Trust me, with what I have seen, I doubt anything is impossible," Nova deadpanned.
"You make a valid point, but still…" Jack said with a sigh. "You see, I've been having these dreams lately. Really strange dreams, like something from another world. Except for some reason, and I really have no idea why, I have a gut feeling that they're actually some sort of memories. More specifically, my memories. Except the things that happen in the dreams are… well, they're completely impossible; in fact so far they seem like something out of a horror story. I've only had two of them so far, and the second one hit me right in the middle of our fight."
"Well… I have had some strange dreams in the past, but it turned out to just be Lauren reaching out to me," Nova replied, glancing off to the side again.
She hadn't even finished her sentence before Jack was shaking his head.
"No, something like that happened to me once before and I know what it feels like," he said. "Like I said, I'm positive that I'm remembering things that have happened to me at some point. It makes too much sense for that not to be it. All that stuff with the sword happened right after the dream hit me, and in the dream I… well, I was beheading living skeletons with a sword just like the one I summoned."
"Beheading… living… skeletons?" Nova repeated, one of her ears falling to the side in confusion.
"I told you," Jack sighed. "These dreams are impossible. My vision was kinda blurry, but I was being rushed by a bunch of people; humans, except they were just bones and clothes and swords. Then I pulled out a sword of my own and started cutting them down left and right, and that's when I woke up. The things is, I feel like the dream somehow… for lack of a better word, 'unlocked' some sort of hidden skill I have, or had, with a sword."
"Interesting…" Nova mused as she closed her eyes and thought about everything she had heard up to this point. After a few seconds of silence, Nova opened her eyes and let out a sigh. "I have nothing," she conceded.
Jack sighed again. "Yeah, me neither. Anyway, it's your fault for asking."
"I guess it is," Nova said with a small laugh as she shook her head. "How about we get on the road, it's still a long way to our destination."
"That sounds like an excellent plan," Jack agreed.
After grabbing what few belongings they'd taken with them, the pair set out for Axiom again. Finding a point to cross the front lines of the war was somewhat of an issue, but eventually the two of them found an area they could sneak through. They spent the next ten days or so on the road, during which time Nova and Jack got to know each other better. Jack kept noticing Nova talking to her invisible friend every now and again, but after a while he pretty much got used to it.
Jack tried repeatedly to bring out his instinctive skill with a sword, but each time he was met with failure; usually in the form of the ground rushing up to meet him. Even so, he refused to give up. In addition to meditation, every morning Jack drilled a short series of basic strokes that he remembered, albeit vaguely, from his latest dream. He wasn't sure whether or not he was improving at all, but he hoped that by practicing enough he might unlock more memories.
Nova and Jack approached the mountain chain that had been in the distance for the past few days. The temperature was steadily dropping, but not enough to the point where it was unbearably cold. Instead just being a cool temperature. Then again, Nova had her fur to keep her warm and the cold never bothered Jack anyway.
Jack wasn't sure exactly who was leading the way, Nova or her invisible friend, but Jack figured it probably amounted to the same thing; either way they'd get where they needed to. Sure enough, the ruined city came into view one day as the two of them emerged from some trees at the base of the mountain.
Jack's eyes widened at the sight of the giant stone buildings. Even if most of them were in a state of disrepair, it was still an awe inspiring sight. There was another reason, however, that he stared. Looking at the ancient city, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen it somewhere before. Enormous walls of grey stone, reaching up as far as the eye could see… the image was still fuzzy, but he was sure of it. His dreams, or at least the parts with the living skeletons, had taken place near a city much like this one.
"That looks like something straight out of my dreams," he said, apprehension evident in his voice.
Nova looked over at Jack with a confused expression. Jack's dreams were certainly something else if they included Azorian ruins, or something similar to them.
"That is… interesting…" Nova replied for the lack of anything better to say. "Anyways… Welcome to Axiom."
Jack scratched the back of his head. "I've got to say, I wasn't expecting it to be… in ruins."
"I guess I did forget to mention that didn't I…" Nova said as she looked over her shoulder at Jack. "But yes, the city was laid to siege and destroyed seven hundred years ago. About a hundred years ago, a clan of Lucario moved into it and have been living there ever since."
"And that's where you learned to use that spear of yours?" Jack asked. "And where this 'core' is?"
"Etiam," Nova answered, nodding her head in response. "In the palace at the top of the mountain."
Jack nodded. "Alright then, let's go. I'm eager to see what the core looks like; not to mention that a community made up entirely of Lucarios sounds like my kind of place."
"Well, normally the core is rather difficult to find, but I can usually trace its location," Nova said as the two of them started walking towards the city.
As they neared the entrance, Jack saw two guards standing one on either side of the gate. Both of them appeared to be rather confused as Nova and Jack approached them.
"Salutem," Nova greeted as she and Jack stopped at the base of the mountain.
"Salutem, Nova," One of the Lucarios replied with a small bow. "It is good to see you again, and I see that you have brought a visitor…"
"I don't think any human has been here in a great many years," the other said as he eyed Jack suspiciously.
Jack folded his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky and started whistling innocently.
Nova glanced over at Jack, probably wondering what on earth he was doing.
"Anyways… We needed some supplies before we head north," Nova continued, looking back at the guards.
"You know that you are always welcome here, Azorian," the second guard said. "And if you trust this human, then I have no objections to allowing him to enter as well."
"Gratias," Nova replied, bowing her head slightly before turning back to Jack, "Alright Jack, let's go."
"Right," Jack agreed, following her. "Those guys seemed… nice," he commented sarcastically, speaking telepathically.
"They were just being cautious. This is their home after all, and they don't take too lightly to letting strangers into it," Nova replied. "After all, the time humans were here, they burnt the city to the ground."
Jack shrugged. "Well, I guess that makes a certain amount of sense."
"As long as you are with me, there is nothing to worry about. Once they know that you are my friend, everything will be fine," Nova explained as they made their way up the stone path to the top of the mountain.
"Okay then," Jack said. "I guess it just feels a little strange, I'm used to people pretty much trusting me implicitly after meeting me for the first time. It doesn't seem to be happening as much lately though…"
"I have learned that in Saldara, trust usually has to be earned and isn't given out," Nova answered.
Jack shrugged again. "Okay, seems fair. Anyway, it's pretty much going to be up to you to show me around. After all, I have absolutely no idea where we're going."
"I figured as much. If all else fails, I think that Lauren could probably find a way to guide you. You said that you could sense her right?" Nova questioned, looking over her shoulder at Jack.
"Kinda," Jack replied. "I can sense roughly where she is, but not much more. The only thing is there's so much aura floating around here it's kinda messing with my auric vision; it's like looking through a really, really cloudy piece of glass. I should get acclimatized to it before to long though. Maybe..."
"Hmm… I honestly don't sense anything different… I guess your auric senses are more sensitive than mine," Nova said with a shrug.
"Actually, I think it's the other way around," Jack started. "I'm pretty sure my auric abilities aren't as well developed as yours, or any Lucario's are, so I can't block out this much background noise without getting used to it first."
"I suppose that makes sense as well," Nova mused as the two of them ascended the mountain towards the palace at the top.
It didn't take them too long to reach their destination. Nova stopped in the courtyard as there were several Lucarios meditating outside. A few of them glanced over at the odd pair and seemed rather surprised to see a human. Though they didn't react when they saw that he was with Nova. Jack meanwhile didn't know what to look at first, his eyes kept darting around trying to see everything he could of the massive buildings surrounding him.
With no one stopping them, Nova and Jack continued into the palace, which was built into the side of the mountain. Nova had already found the particular aura that she was looking for and started towards him. As they proceeded, they passed several groups of Lucario, but once again the two of them were left alone. Though a few of them did give small bows as Nova passed. Jack looked around, curious as to where they'd ended up. His aura sense was still pretty much useless at that point, so he had no idea what to expect as Nova opened the doors. As she did, the first thing Jack saw was several Lucarios training with spears just like the one Nova used.
"You mind waiting till they finish?" Nova whispered.
"Not at all," Jack replied. "Actually, it looks pretty interesting."
With that said, the two of them went over to the side of the room and sat against the wall. Nova removed the spear off of her back and laid it across her lap. The Lucarios that were training offered them a token glance at first, but soon focused solely on their training. Jack watched intently, figuring that if he was going to learn to fight with a sword then he might as well also learn as much about other forms of combat as he could. After a while the session seemed to wrap up and all the Lucarios left the room except for one, the one who seemed to have been leading the training.
"Well, Nova, you never cease to surprise me," the Lucario said as he walked up to her and Jack, holding out a paw. Nova stood up, leaning her Hastae against the wall before taking his paw in her own.
"Well, you should know by now that I am rather unpredictable," Nova replied with a smirk.
"I do believe this is the first time a human has been in Axiom around a hundred years, maybe even since it was the city was destroyed seven hundred years ago," the Lucario commented as he looked over at Jack. "Still, any friend of Nova's is welcome here anytime."
"Much obliged," Jack commented wryly, in perfect Pokéspeak no less.
The Lucario looked at Jack curiously, as if examining him before once again shaking his head. "I figured he was special, but I wasn't expecting that…" he started before looking back at Nova. "You Azorians certainly don't know how to do normal do you?"
"Not at all," Nova said with a smirk.
"Anyways, my name is Luke, I am the clan leader," the Lucario started, holding out a paw to Jack.
"Jack Storm," Jack replied, shaking Luke's paw. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Same to you. So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Luke asked.
"Well, we needed some supplies as he are heading north from her. That and maybe a place to rest for a few days. We have been traveling for over a week to get here and it wasn't easy… The war has made it a bit harder to get supplies…" Nova elaborated.
"War?" Luke said in surprised tone. "I remembered you telling me there was some fighting when you were here last, but I didn't think it had escalated that far."
"Yeah… things have been crazy out there…" Nova replied.
"Well, you know that you are always welcome here," Luke offered. "We would be happy to have you."
"Gratias," Nova responded, bowing her head some.
"Think nothing of it," Luke dismissed, "Dinner will be in a few hours and you are welcome to join us."
"That would be great," Nova said with a smile.
"Alright, well you know your way around and where to find me if you need me," Luke replied. "I will be sure to pass word around about your friend here to others don't think he is an intruder."
"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Jack said.
"Very well then," Luke stated before leaving the room to continue his duties.
"So," Jack asked Nova once Luke had left. "What are we going to do next?"
"Well, I know where the sleeping quarters are if you want to find a place to set down your bag," Nova replied. "Once we're done with that, we can try and find the core if you would like."
"That sounds like a plan," Jack agreed.
"Alright, follow me then," Nova continued before twirling her spear around and attaching it to her back. She started towards the door of the room with Jack in tow. It didn't take her long to find the wide hallway that had most of the sleeping areas. Nova quickly found the one that Luke had permanently given to her when she was here last.
"Well, this is my room," Nova started, "We can either bring in some more blankets here or try and find an unoccupied room for you."
Jack shrugged. "It doesn't make much difference to me either way, so whichever one you'd prefer."
"It would probably be easier to have you stay here as well… I honestly haven't the slightest of clues which of the other rooms are in use," Nova mused.
"That's fine then," Jack replied. "I don't mind sleeping on the ground anyway. Although I admit it has been a while since I've had to."
"Understandable," Nova said with a small laugh as she once again removed her spear from her back and leaned it against the wall. She then slid her sash off and laid in on a small wooden table. "Shall we be off then?"
Jack nodded, setting his bag down next to Nova's spear. "Sure. Like I said earlier, I'm eager to see this Core of yours."
"Alright, let's go then," Nova stated as she headed out of the room and back into the hallway. Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes as if trying to pick out a tune she could barely hear. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and started down the hallway in the opposite direction from which they had come.
"So the Core," Jack asked, "does it actually move around and stuff?"
"Yes, there are several dozen hidden rooms throughout the palace that it can reside in," Nova answered as she led him down one hallway after another.
"But your friend can move around wherever she wants," Jack continued quizzically. "So what exactly is she?"
"Lauren is the manifestation of the core's personality if you will," Nova started as she thought about how to explain the intricacies of the core. "She herself is just an extension of the core, but isn't the main body. The main body, where all its power resides, is here in Axiom."
Jack nodded sagaciously. "Okay, that makes perfect sense."
"Really?" Nova questioned skeptically.
"No."
"Yeah…. I figured as much… it isn't the easiest concept to explain. Basically, the core can project aura anywhere in the region. It uses that ability to make a sort of ghostlike body for itself so that it can guide or talk with… well me in this case," Nova continued.
Jack scratched the back of his head. "I get the basic idea, I'm just trying not to think about it too hard."
"That's generally for the best… Honestly I don't even know everything yet… She is very enigmatic about a most things."
"Okay then," Jack deadpanned. "Anyway, are we getting close?"
"Almost," Nova replied as she walked up to a wall. "It's behind here."
She extended her paw and placed it against the cold stone and focused a pool of aura into it. The section of wall absorbed it and glowed blue before disappearing. Jack's eyes went wide as he entered the room behind Nova and saw the core. It looked like a reverse waterfall of aura at the center of the room, flowing upwards from the ornate, circular stone carving on the floor into a similar one on the roof. It felt like… like it was calling out to him; drawing him in. So much power in so small a vessel, just like the Mind Plate...
Before Jack realized what he was doing, he'd crossed to the middle of the room in the blink of an eye and, before Nova could stop him, stuck his right hand into the core. It was like sticking his hand into a generator; for one brief instant he could feel power surging through his entire body, charging every muscle with pure energy.
The pillar of aura seemed to ripple for a moment in response, then with a flash of light it retracted into the ceiling and let out a compressed wave of aura, throwing Jack off of his feet and onto his back. The blue light that had been filling the room vanished and plunged the room back into darkness.
"Uh oh," Jack thought to himself. "I think I broke it..."
"Did you really have to go and stick your hand into the giant pillar of aura?" Nova deadpanned as she walked up next to Jack and looked down at him, shaking her head some.
Jack shrugged, his shaggy blond hair standing on end and making him look like a porcupine.
"What can I say; I didn't have a stick to poke it with, so what was I supposed to do?" he replied, not really wanting to explain how he'd felt drawn to the core.
"Ask first," Nova answered, using a pool of aura around her as a sort of torch.
"I must say, that felt… odd," Lauren said as she shuddered some. "Like someone stuck their hand inside my body."
"Oh," Jack replied sheepishly, rubbing his spiky hair. "Sorry about that. I guess I…"
Jack did a perfect double take, and his eyes went wide again as he noticed the glowing blue Lucario standing beside Nova.
"Uhh…" Jack said, his mouth hanging open for a second. "I must've been hit harder than I thought…"
"Why do you say that?" Nova questioned, one of her ears falling to the side as per usual when she was confused.
Jack pointed a finger at Lauren. "Oh nothing, just the glowing apparition standing right there."
Nova glanced over at where Jack was pointing, where Lauren was standing. She remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, "Well… I didn't see that coming…"
"Nor did I, child…" Lauren continued. "It would seem that Jack managed to snag a bit of the core inside him before I closed off the connection."
"Wait a second…" Jack muttered, starting to put the pieces together. "That isn't… is it?"
"Jack, meet Lauren," Nova sighed out. "Lauren, Jack, even though you already know that."
Jack just sat staring at Lauren for a few seconds.
"Oh boy," he thought to himself, "I've really done it this time. At this rate, my own curiosity is going to be the death of me for sure… Oh well, nothing I can do about it now; might as well accept it and move on."
"Okay then," he said. "So I can see you now; that's cool."
"So it would seem, as well as hear me," Lauren replied. "I must say this is a rather interesting turn of events."
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Although to be honest, it's not the strangest thing that's ever happened to me."
"Not by a long shot…" he thought ruefully.
"Nor is it the strangest thing I have seen," Nova stated in agreement.
"Well, now that this is mostly settled," Lauren closed her eyes for a moment before the core burst back into existence. "And please don't touch it this time."
"Sorry about that, again," Jack repeated. "I'll try to restrain myself."
"It is fine, there is nothing I can do about it at this point," Lauren responded in a kind tone.
"So, has your curiosity been sated?" Nova asked.
"Yeah, you could say that," Jack deadpanned.
"Three ways to next Wednesday it has… "
"Well then, how about we head back to the room?" Nova suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Jack agreed, eager to put the whole mess behind him. "I kinda want to get cleaned up before dinner."
"Heh heh, I can see why," Lauren said with a small laugh.
"Yes, your hair looks like it has a Joltik nest in it," Nova commented with a smirk.
Jack looked up at his hair and sighed, realizing that it looked like he'd reached his final form. "Great. I'd better keep my voice down or I might get copyright issues…"
"Copyright what now?" Nova asked, her ear falling to the side yet again.
"Never mind," Jack said quickly. "It's another human thing."
"Ah…" Nova responded. "Anyways, let's head back."
"Right," Jack agreed. "Lead on."
Me: *sigh* It's lonely around here these days. Jack is in Osean's story, his Pokémon are captured, and everybody else is too busy to do the author's notes with me. I might need to find myself a new assistant at this rate…
Anyway folks, I hope you liked the chapter. Once again it's a little longer than usual, mostly because I didn't want to incur the wrath of the Osean by splitting it into two like I did last time… *sigh* It's too quiet around here without Jack.
One other thing before I go, I have a little announcement to make. Since I'm going to have more free time between chapters now, due to Osean and I having to sync up our schedules every time we want to write, I'm going to be starting Ivy's Story back up with the hope of finishing it in the foreseeable future. If you haven't read Ivy's Story, I would highly recommend it; because while it may have started out as just a side-story, I plan on making it a story of its own. And believe me, it's going to be a wild ride. Do go ahead and check it out, new chapters should start rolling out soon. Anyway, see you all in the next chapter.
