Riding the Storm
For some reason that Xina had not yet explained to them, the female Metallium had asked Val to skim over the waves away from the storm to the south. Behind them that storm was gaining steadily on their position. If they weren't over the ocean with out land in sight then Xalan would have already suggested that they land and seek shelter.
"Its going to hit us by nightfall," Xalan said
"Too bad you two couldn't get your 'wood', eh?" Xina asked, smirking. Xalan didn't bother to reply, but couldn't hide the blush.
"Would you please quit bringing that up every few minutes?" Amethyst pleaded. "I don't know what got into me, like somebody wanted a laugh at my expense." A certain cosmic power whistled innocently and twiddled his thumbs, but nobody noticed.
"To the business at hand," Xalan insisted changing subjects. "Dealing with that storm..."
"We should look for land..." Amethyst said.
"No!" Everybody, except the dragon who was focused on his flight path, stared at Xina. The firmness of the denial was surprising to them. "We can't stop, or we'll be too late."
"Too late for what," Xalan asked supiciously. Xina smirked and raised a finger.
"That...is a secret," she told him.
"She doesn't really know," Val roared out from beneath them.
"Hey!" Xina snapped. "How would you know anything about it anyway?"
"Remember that twelve hour nap you took on my head when we were heading to Sairag?" Val didn't wait for her to answer. "You talk in your sleep." Val didn't miss the growling sound coming from atop his head, just between his ears.
"Storm. Overtaking us." Xalan interrupted. Xina looked at him for a moment.
"Oh. Right," Xina started chewing on her mouth as she considered the problem. Nobody noticed Amethyst roll her eyes or start gesturing until the cloud started to form above them. "HOW'D IT GET HERE SO F--" Xina cut off as her brother pointed at Amethyst.
"Xina-san, Xalan-san, shall we make use of this cloud's shadow?" The kage-kitsune looked to the cloud high in the sky and then down at the suddenly darkened waves. Then both smirked
"Hey, Val, fly into the shadow!" Xina called out, as the cloud's shadow seemed to deepen suddenly.
"You know how much I hate that place right?" Val called back.
"Surely such a magnificent being as you is not afraid of a simple dimensional pocket," Amethyst answered back.
"Yeah, Val, are you coward or something?"
"WHAT?!?"
"That is not what I..." Amethyst tried to protest the twisting of her words, though even she had to admit that there wasn't much to twist.
"Fine, lets get this over with," Val growled as he dived into the deep shadow and popped out of another a few miles away at the edge of the clouds shadow. The magical cloud moved, much quicker than a normal cloud, to join their position and the proceedure was repeated as soon as it had almost passed.
"HA!! Catch us now!" Xina shouted back.
"Xina-san, why are you acting like the storm is alive?" Amethyst asked.
"Err...no reason."
They continued on this way for maybe an hour before another storm appeared, ahead of them.
"We have to get through," Xina said. "The island is just past this mess."
"Yes, I can feel it there," Xalan agreed.
"I can handle the protection problems, Xalan-san," Amethyst sighed and started to conjure a defense spell around them. Hopefully they would all still be in a shape to fight after all of this. Casting defend around a whole dragon was rather exhausting work.
"Why not just do the same thing with the circles?" Val asked. Xina playfully rapped her fist on the dragon's form.
"I thought you didn't like that place," she teased.
"Its better than being stuck in a storm," Val grumbled. "So why can't you do it."
"Too much lightning," Xalan answered. "Shadows aren't going to last long enough."
"That doesn't make me feel better," Val grumbled, Amethyst's field of magical defense appeared around them, reflecting off the waves below in a yellow light, as the dragon plunged into the storm barrier.
~Is this....no this isn't what I saw,~ Xina sighed. Then she started chuckling, a sound easily hidden by all the thunder and lightning surrounding them. ~But I can make it look like what I saw.~
Val blinked as what he first took to be birds seemed to start swarming around him. One paused in his feild of vision and he saw a flash of silvery light and eerily solid light. It looked almost like one of Xina's powers, but he hadn't known she could make illusions like this. Then one of the "illusions" swerved to place itself between Val and a lightning bolt.
Xalan was less fanciful than his sister. Besides which he hadn't been using these tricks as long as her, and simple was better as far as he was concerned. He raised shields of light and shadow gates to intercept the oncoming lightning bolts. Whatever got through Xalan and Xina smashed into Amethyst's defense spell. They were all being steadily worn down, but the land ahead was being closer.
Val did his best to ignore the crashing lightning and concentrate on flying through eerily well lit storm. Surrounding him was the yellow glow emanating from them and reflecting off the sea below in a golden aura. Fortunately, Amethyst's defense spell kept out the wind, but he was finding himself needing to rise higher in the air to avoid the waves.
"These lightning blasts seem to be rather particular about where they strike!" The dragon roared.
"Don't they," Xina agreed sarcastically, breathing heavily.
"Perhaps the storm IS alive?" Amethyst asked as she reinforced her defense spell.
"Seems rather convienient doesn't it," Xalan agreed.
"There's the island, won't be another minute," Val called out.
The constant lightning illuminated Wolf Pack Island very quickly, no more than five minutes into the storm. With a goal to make for, Val put forth a burst of speed through the remainder of the storm, coming out in an eerie patch of calm. The entire island was lifeless, ruins and rubble were scattered about. To Xina and Xalan the place was only mildly less disturbing than the lake formed by their mother's giga-slave.
~We have visitors, my love,~ Martina noted irritably to HER general, the final proof of her power. ~We must not let them interrupt the summoning of Zomalgustar, but...wait for them here, it will be much easier that way.~
"Yes, my mistress," Zangulus nodded, smiling viciously. "I was hoping to see them again anyway."
~Don't bother to talk to me outloud, its beneath you,~ Martina reminded him. Zangulus gritted his teeth momentarily. ~That's for the mortals.~
~Of course.~ Zangulus responded, Martina cackled at his agreement and went back drawing the circle with Xellos's staff.
"Why isn't the storm ON the island," Xalan asked suspiciously. He noted his sister handing Val his clothes and frowned, turning his twin away from the dragon and scowlling as Val took human form again.
"Hey, if you and Amethyst can get some 'wood'...!" Xina snapped. The aforementioned chimera was looking back towards the storm away from the transforming dragon.
"Xina-san, please stop bringing that up," Amethyst pleaded again. "As to why there is no storm here, perhaps it would interrupt whatever ritual they need the staff for."
"Over there?" Xina pointed where she could barely hear some hideous high-pitched noise that vaguely reminded her of a hyena on a sugar high. The other three nodded sagely, hearing the same noise.
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