Moshi Moshi again! Ok, folks. So it did run longer than one chapter. A wonderful thing happened today, WE GOT A DOG!!! It's so small and it's 8 months old, her name's Sandy and she's the cutest thing you ever did see and... *thwap* Ow! Alright alright! Anyways, I'm sorry I wasn't more clear about which book this comes after, basically it's the one with the maze guy right after Sacher dies. This story will only go for this chapter, and maybe one more, depending on my mood. Thanks!
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Chocolate was revived from her deep sleep by the smell of bacon and eggs being fried close by in the morning, wondering where she was for a moment before it all snapped into place. "Darling!" she called across the space between them. "Did you sleep well?"
Carrot was startled awake by her call, almost rolling over the edge of the platform. "Ahhh!"
"Hold it!" Marron grabbed his blanket, pulling him back to safety. "You ok, bro?" he asked, frowning some.
"Hai," replied Carrot with a nod. "I think so..."
"I bet he was up all night dreaming about me," sighed Chocolate, going off into another one of her fantasies.
Tira rubbed her eyes, putting her glasses in place as she got up out of bed. "Right..." Looking over at where the smell was coming from, she saw Lee using a couple of coals from a fire down below to cook them some eggs and bacon.
"Like it?" he asked, seeing her eye the food hungrily. "There's already a plate made up over there if you want it."
She nodded, throwing her covers off and walking over it quickly. Some how she was already fully dressed in her cape. "Thanks, big brother."
"No problem, little sister."
"Did you feed those over there already?" asked Tira, pointing to the guy's tree with her fork.
"Naw, I figured they could wait, and besides it's Ladies first," he replied. "Careful with that thing, I remember when two girls in the group were fighting with forks and one got stabbed in the lip. It was bleeding everywhere, and of course both of them got in trouble for being so reckless. Still, we don't need anything like that right now, right?"
"Yeah, whatever." She glanced over to see Carrot had his eyes set on her plate, intently watching it as a bit of drool rolled down his face. Sighing, she got up and jumped off the platform (nearly giving Lee a heart attack in the process) and set her plate on a stump near by. "You can have it, Carrot," she called to him, watching him try to restrain himself from jumping over the edge and diving at the food (they hadn't had a cooked, hot meal for some time...).
"You sure you don't want it?" he called back, the strain obvious in his voice.
"Take it," she replied. "I'll get some more from Lee." Super jumping back into the girl's platform, she got a glared from Chocolate (which she ignored) as she picked up another plate and set to it with a will.
"And you did that because...?" asked Lee, giving her an odd look as he made another plate for himself.
"Carrot gets a little, uh, crazy when he doesn't eat," she explained, taking another bite of her eggs. "That, and he just looked pathetic drooling like that, I had to do something."
"Sure you did." Tira shot her sister a look as Lee chuckled quietly to himself, if only Zadah could be here to see this...
"Hey!" called Carrot from the bottom of the tree. "You got anymore of that up there?"
"Bottomless pit," said Tira, rolling her eyes.
"Whip-girl!" replied Carrot.
"Yeah, that's right I am. You want me to use it on you?"
"No, that's ok..."
"You can come up here and let me hand feed you, darling," called Chocolate. "Unless of course you'd rather go some place more private..."
"Actually, on second thought, I'm not that hungry," said Carrot quickly, walking back to the guy's tree. "Thanks anyways. Oh, and thanks for the food, Tira!"
"Oh, you're welcome." He climbed back up the ladder, throwing a smile at them as he did.
"What was that all about?" asked Lee, looking at the Misu sisters over his plate as he finished his breakfast.
"Nothing," they answered together, each busying themselves with what every they could find, even if it was cleaning up the crumbs they had missed from the plate.
"I see."
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"So, how do you know this guy and what is he doing here?" asked Marron as they guys ate their food at long last, the girls sitting side by side a little ways away from them.
"Well, his name is Terrance," explained Lee, having another serving of food as well. "And he's the former Guardian."
"Why isn't he the Guardian anymore if he isn't dead?" asked Gateau. "Wouldn't a position like this be until death?"
"Well, no," explain Lee, frowning some. "If a Guardian is at ease where he is and does his best to keep this place a secret and at peace, then he will want to stay here until his dying day. If he is not, he can request that he be removed from his job. Big Momma will erase his or her memories of this place, then put him out in some village with the presumption he's been in a coma from something or other for several years. Although, within five years or so, he will get this urge to find the forest and go in search of it. It is considered the first test of the new Guardian to keep the old one out and erase the urge from his heart once more."
"Then why does this guy seem to know his way around so well?" asked Carrot through a mouthful of eggs.
"The last Guardian, Terrance, just disappeared into thin air. Big Momma assumed he was dead, so she assured the occupants of the valley she had someone who could do the job as soon as he woke up. That, of course, was me," replied Lee. "I was expecting him in the first five years if he didn't die, but he never came. So I assumed he was dead and did what I had to to keep unwanted visitors who were looking for power out of this place. But then he showed up, obviously remembering where everything was and knocked me out flat because that had never happened before."
"Isn't that a usual thing?" asked Gateau. "Aren't you supposed to be prepared for the unexpected."
"Well, yeah, but I never did well with surprises and-"
"Just tell us what else you know," said Marron quickly, saving him from anymore embarrassment.
"Uh, yeah. So, he knows where everything is and is going for it as fast as he can get his hands on it. I'm assuming he's using something to get from place to place, other wise it wouldn't be this easy for him at all. This is an easy place to get lost in, after all, and once on foot it's hard to know your way around."
"What are the last two forbidden magics?" asked Carrot lazily. "Bring the dead back to life? A love potion of some sort? What?"
"Um, the Elixir of Imortalism and the Angel Rod, more commonly known as Angel's Bane. The Elixir, obviously, makes you immortal. But, when you first take it, the stuff gives you a burst of life and you do things better than most other humans. Unfortunately, you start to deteriorate soon after that. To retain your youth, you have to take the Elixir again and again."
"What is the elixir made of?" asked Tira, seeing he was getting to something important just by the look on his face.
"You know that girl who had wings and Big Momma raised?" Everyone nodded. "Well, it's made of her specie's blood."
"There's only two of them left," protested Chocolate, "It's no good if the person uses both of them then they're gone."
"Notice how there's a male and a female," Marron reminded her. "Now, if you'll remember back to health class *everyone shivers* what can a male and female do together...?"
"Oh, yeah." Chocolate blushed as she turned back to Lee. "What about the other one?"
"Well, the Angel Rod is just that, a rod made by a powerful Angel given to a human so he or she would have the same power as him."
"Don't angels have the power to destroy entire cities as well as create life itself?"
"According to the legend, they can."
"We are so screwed if that guy gets it."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Hang on a second," said Marron. "Didn't you say that if you needed one from before to get to the ones later on? What helps him get this Angel Rod or Elixir that we don't have?"
"Well, to get to the Elixir you have to survive the hundreds of traps in the swamp it's hidden in," he explained. "A large part of that is being able to fly and being able to control animals. As for the Angel Rod, only an Immortal can touch it. Angels can make living beings immortal, however they can't grant them the same power they have."
"I see. Then how are we going to get to the Elixir before he does?"
"We won't."
"Nani?!"
"Hang on a second," he replied quickly, holding up his hands. "We can't get to it before he does, it simply won't happen. However, we can go and set a trap for him at the Angel Rod spot. I can get us through the traps and the territory well before he will, giving us time to prepare what we will do."
"Fine, when are we going?"
"As soon as you are all through."
"I'm done."
"Me too."
"I've been ready and waiting."
"I guess that would mean now, then, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. How are we getting there?"
"By these." Lee took a whistle out of his pocket and blew three different notes, the sound resonated all around them.
"No one showed up," said Gateau after a moment. "Or are they invisible this time?"
"No they aren't invisible," said a sassy voice above them. It was an extremely large owl who was hovering right over their heads. "You called, Master Lee?"
"Yeah, I need rides for myself and these five without further delay to the edge of the undead territory."
"Yes sir." She squawked a few times, getting the attention of four more owls within the area. "How will these do?"
"Someone will have to double up," observed Chocolate. "Me and my sister will if you need us to."
"No, that's alright," said Lee, "Whoever's the last one on an Owl has to ride with me."
"I will," said Tira, not even bothering to scramble for one. "Since I figured I'd be made to anyways."
"Alright." And off they went.
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The Masked Magician easily floated over the traps and pits set on the rocky hill he was climbing, getting ever father to the top. He stopped and landed just on the edge of the small circle that made up the top.
"It is here," he said quietly to himself, taking a phial from the pedestal in the middle and uncorking it quickly. "This will make me immortal, so not even the gods themselves can kill me!"
Throwing his head back, he gulped all the liquid into his system, a blaze of light burning through him as it spread through his veins.
"It is done!" he shouted, keeping his head back as he began to laugh insanely. "It is done! Soon I will be able to free myself and those like me, no more will the damned be tortured for what they have done! We will be free!!! Truly free!!! NO MORE CHAINS OF SLAVERY!!! No one can defeat me now! With my life force preserved for now and forever more, I am invincible!! Mwuahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!"
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The Owls landed just at the edge of the forest, everyone looking around to see everything that represented life stop without any reason at all. The ground before them was rough and rocky, completely void of any sort of plants or animals, and echoing with unusual cries and calls only heard in the nightmares of the demented and sick.
"What is this place?" asked Carrot quietly, hanging back in the trees.
"The Undead's Territory," replied Lee solemnly. "Here there are all the undead creatures ever imagined since time began.
"So, what, the ghost and skeletons live here? Really scary, right?" asked Gateau lightly, acting as if it were no big deal.
"Don't be like that," replied Lee quickly. "Those who inhabit this desolate place do not take insults like that at all. Do you want to die before we reach the Rod? If you do, keep right on what you're doing. If not, than knock it off." He started into the lifeless wilderness, everyone but Carrot close behind.
"Gateau just doesn't know when to- hey wait for me!" Carrot ran to catch up with them, staying in between the Misu sisters since they weren't afraid of anything and Chocolate was too nervous to try and chase him around right then.
"What sort of creatures live here?" asked Tira, sticking close to Lee's side as they went.
"What ever undead creatures you can think of, plus more," he replied seriously. "Vampires, ghost, werewolves, I think we have a ghoul or two as well and a camp of Zombies as well."
"Werewolves?" asked Marron, somewhat confused. "Didn't we already see them?"
"That was only the males," explained Lee quietly, making sure he kept his voice down. "The females reside here, seeing as how they are less, um, violent and can live in somewhat peace with the others here. That and if the males and females mate and reproduce the males will eat the cubs sometimes right as they come out of their mother, which leads to volleys of more senseless murder and slaughter. You get the point, right??"
"There's a lot in this valley that's associated with destruction and killing, isn't there?" asked Marron calmly, walking along as he always does.
"Yeah, there is." Lee set his mouth in a line and didn't say anything else, so no one asked him anything either.
They arrived in a deep canyon, the walls soaring high above them as they walked through it. Tira started as a female werewolf climbed down the wall head first, giving her the evil eye as she did. Both of the Misu sisters whipped into their fighting clothes and stood there stolidly, staring right back at the creature as it began to slink away.
"That was not such a bright idea," murmured Lee as he stood there for a moment, turning quickly and hurrying to the end of the canyon. "We have to get out of here now." He broke into a full sprint, everyone else hurrying to keep up with them as hideous howls began to come from either side.
"Why?" asked Carrot, easily catching up with him. "Why is that such a bad thing? Aren't you in charge of all these creatures?" Something huge and hairy dropped in front of them, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.
"That is why." Something smaller, with less drool coming from it's mouth, crawled down the wall in front of them, stopping in front of Lee and sniffing him cautiously.
"You are back, Master," came a low, but feminine voice. "What is it you are doing, sneaking in here with no warning and bringing- *sniffs at the others disdainfully*- strangers to our canyon?"
"I am hurrying to protect the Rod," replied Lee in a low voice. "You must let us pass before the other man after it gets here, or this place will be destroyed."
"Two of yours challenged one of my females," replied the she-wolf slowly. "You know what that means by the code we agreed upon."
"It was an accident," replied Lee, giving her a hard look. "I wasn't planning on making contact with you at all."
"Accident or not, rules are rules...urg!" The she-wolf glared at Tira, who had a string around her neck, and Chocolate who had wrapped her up in wire.
"Let us pass, or you will die," growled Chocolate, giving her a look that could curdle milk.
"....you may pass," replied the She-wolf at last. "But, only if you leave the one that changes shape here."
"You mean Carrot," replied Tira, tightening the string a little bit. "Never. You're in no position to be making demands here, miss."
"Oh, but she is." The hulking beast that had been lurking in the background came forward into the light, a nightmare would've been better than looking upon this beast's ugly mug. It was a she-wolf that was taller than a building with muscles that were bigger than Lee and fangs longer than his hands.
"What do you want with him?" asked Lee, giving Tira and Chocolate a look so they would stay quiet.
"He can change forms," explained the She-wolf. "It is as close as a mate any of us will get in this lifetime, and other than the fact that he is a coward and not all that bright he will do fine for that."
"You want to use him to *breed*??" screeched Chocolate, completely losing her cool as Tira looked like she wanted to completely sever off the She-wolf's head with her string. "You'll have to get through me first!"
"That's what I plan on doing, little girl." The beast rushed forward, charging through everyone else as it went straight for the two sisters.
"Oh crap...."
"Yep...."
Both tried to dodge it's massive paws, but it was surprisingly quick for it's size and soon had them pinned to the ground. "No!" cried Carrot, rushing forward as the beast was about to pound them flat, the others still on the ground in a daze.
"Stay!" cried She-wolf who was now free, throwing some magic at him. Instead of freezing him, he changed into his huge, bad-beast self as always.
"HEROOAARRRRRAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!" (Translated: YOU WILL DIIIIIIIEEEE!!!) Carrot as the big bad beast charged at She-wolf on steroids, wrestling her to the ground with his superior strength and speed, or so he thought. The moment that She-wolf's back hit the ground, Carrot was flipped over her into a wall near by, almost crushing those around them.
"Oh no..." wheezed Chocolate from where she lay, the air still knocked out of her. "Darling..." The She-wolf came towards them again, shaking the ground as she walked. Lee sat up and tried to stand, his legs refusing to work as the other She-wolf had frozen all of them in place.
Tira closed her eyes beside her sister, hoping the death would be swift and painless....but the shadow of the beast vanished all of a sudden. She opened her eyes, seeing Carrot sitting in front of them (still in beast form) and both She-wolves in front of him with their necks snapped.
"Carrot..." She could've sworn his eyes softened for just a half a second, making her hope she wouldn't have to move yet...but his eyes turned wild once more and she quickly rose to her feet, getting her whip out as he tried to get to the other she-wolves in the area. "HOHOHOHOHO!!" Leaping up above him, she lashed him across the back a couple of times. "Down! Down boy! That's a good boy, that's a very good boy..." Carrot turned back and lay on the ground for a moment, everyone but Marron averting their eyes as he got his older brother his clothes back and helped him get dressed real quick.
"Are you two ok?" asked Carrot the moment he was decent, going over and helping them up.
"Yeah..."
"Darling! I didn't know you cared!!!" Chocolate chased Carrot around the Canyon a few times as Lee gave strict orders to those who were left. Both activities finished, with those who weren't involved going and waiting (or fuming if you were Tira) between the two as patiently as they could.
Lee checked the sun as soon as he had the time too, seeing they had wasted a lot of time there. "Let's go!" he called, setting out at a jog the moment he was done. Carrot had found refuge behind his brother, and Chocolate had given up when they started to move again.
"Where are we going now?" asked Marron, drawing up beside Lee. "I'd like some more warning after last time..."
"Yeah, sorry about that," replied Lee with a shrug. "The odds of them being out here in the daylight was 1 in a million. We're going through the Zombie Camp next, something that could be somewhat of a problem...."
"What is that?" asked Carrot, running behind him. "More females who wish to challenge my superiority?"
"Darling!"
"Carrot...."
"Alright, alright, I'm just joking! Please don't whip me, please don't whip me, please don't whip me...."
"That is so pathetic," murmured Lee, hiding a smile as he did. "The guy's whipped, isn't he?"
"Only when there aren't any cute girl's around."
"You're saying those two aren't cute? By the code of Big Brother's I'll have to pound you now if you don't explain that fast..."
"That's not what I meant, Lee. The only time he misbehaves is when he thinks he can get a girl. Chocolate is too much like his sister for him to go after her, and Tira...well, she'd probably just kill him outright."
"Oh, I see. Your life has been spared, Marron."
"Oh, uh...thanks, I think..." They jogged on for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from Carrot, who whimpered every time Tira or Chocolate glared at that back of his head.
Lee stopped a couple yards outside a huge stone enclosure, waiting for everyone to catch up before he began to speak in low tones.
"This is the back way to the Angel Rod," he whispered, taking care that no one but those around him would be able to here. "Inside that thing are the Zombies. They will ignore you until it is apparent you are headed for the cave that leads to the Rod. I need one person that will volunteer to go in first. That person must make it to the cave by speed or force, I don't care which one, and stand just inside the entrance. It's spelled so that once you're inside, they stop attacking until you go deeper into it."
"So, the one person goes and gets to the cave, then waits for the others before continuing onward, right?" asked Chocolate.
"Right."
"I'll go."
"No you won't."
"I will, then."
"No, you won't either."
"I will, if Marron thinks he can be parted from me for that long," said Gateau. "Don't pine for me, dear one, but if I don't return weep over my body until the day we can be together again."
Marron just scowled some, trying to get as far away from him as possible. "I'm so no gay," he muttered, "Why can't he just leave me alone?" Gateau had already jumped over the wall, though, and was heading for the cave Lee had pointed to.
"Here they come," murmured Lee, peering over the edge while everyone else stayed below. He watched as Gateau used his unusual strength to break through the waves of Zombies coming at him, easily making his way to the cave. "Please say he's better than the Shang Zombie...otherwise we're gonna need a back up plan..." Gateau looked somewhat surprised when all the Zombies pulled away, leaving one standing there before him. He was a head tall then all the other Zombies, and actually stood upright instead of slouching down like most did. He had once been a proud and valiant Warrior, until a curse had been placed on him and he was forced to live forever here.
Gateau patiently dodged all of the Zombie's blows, making sure he understood the man's style before he attacked himself. Satisfied with his observation after a few moments, he struck out hard to the Zombie's chest, expecting to take him down with one blow. What surprised him most was when his fist went through the guy's chest, and then when he tried to pull it back out it was held fast.
"Oh, crap..." The Zombie took advantage of the close range and started to beat on him mercilessly, him having both hands to use. Gateau did the best he could, striking out when ever he had the chance. Unfortunately, this only get his other fist stuck and soon he was almost out for the count with his head getting pounded on constantly.
Gateau was ready to give in when a thought struck him. Leaning back some, he pulled back his leg and whammed it into the guy's crotch, immediately setting his hands free and giving him free access to the cave. He made it there without anymore interruptions and waited patiently for the rest to make it over the wall and to the cave before causing an avalanche of rocks that sealed them in and the Zombie's out effectively.
"How did you know to do that?" asked Lee, giving Gateau an odd look as they started towards the other end of the cave where some light was coming from.
"Caving in the entrance or where to hurt that Zombie guy?"
"Both."
"The entrance had to sealed or they would come after us, right? That, and I knew he would still hurt there because I asked myself where would an undead still like to be solid? I, for one, would want to keep what I just smashed on that guy because when my dear Marron joined me in the afterlife he and I would still be able to have fun together."
Marron's hand slapped himself in the forehead, Tira and Chocolate fighting the urge to laugh as Carrot wisely put himself between his brother and Marron.
"I see," replied Lee, smiling himself. "Thanks."
"No problem. I'll do anything that could benefit the very cute Marron."
Marron looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole for quite some time as they kept walking, the light getting brighter as they went.
"Wow...." whispered Chocolate, stepping out into a small courtyard bathed in sunlight, plants and flowers growing everywhere along the stone paved courts. In the middle there was a large bench, a few large trees providing shade for it as a small stream wound it's way in a circle around it, flowing from there in different directions to several different pools at the edges of the courtyard.
"Yeah," replied Lee, smiling gently. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"What is this place?" asked Tira, bending down gently to touch one of the flowers near by.
"This is the Angel's Garden," he said softly, walking almost silently through the paths to a door a few feet behind the bench. "Also known as Lover's Garden. The legend goes that an Angel lived here and a beautiful young woman stumbled upon this place where he lived. Together, they created a paradise here and the lands around it. This is the only part, besides the mansion they lived in, still exists. It was for her that he created the Angel Rod, but it fell into the wrong hands after her death, so Big Momma placed it here in the Mansion with all sorts of traps around it for its safety after it was taken away from the person who got a hold of it. Only an immortal can touch it now, as well, so you have to get all of the other forbidden magic's before you try for this one, which obviously has its pluses and minuses."
"If you fail at one, you can never get the rest," said Marron, nodding his head.
"But if you get all of the first four, the last one won't be that hard and you might just make it," added Tira, looking at Lee. "That's right, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," he replied, pulling out a key and inserting it into the lock that held the door shut. "Let's go. Don't get ahead of me and stay in a single file line. The last thing I need is for one of you to get trapped and have to leave you there until this guy is beat."
They did as he asked as they entered the huge mansion. You couldn't tell it by the rock face that the door was set in, but the mansion was several levels high, each with its own set of living quarters and specialized traps. Everything was marble, silver, gold, precious stones, or rare wood that looked like it had just been cleaned and gleamed with a sheen that made any wood or stone worker envious. It was a place fit for a King, or a Angel for that matter.
"How do you know where the traps are?" asked Carrot quietly, being directly behind Lee with Tira right behind him. "I mean, the tiles all look the same, the walls don't show any trap doors and neither door the floor. How can you tell?"
"Since I opened the door with the key, all the regular traps along this path of walk are disabled. However, the moment we reach the dais in the middle of the mansion, it will re-lock and all the traps will be remobilized."
"How much longer will it take?" They went up a short flight of stairs, turning several times at the top, seemingly going in a circle until they reached a small, round room.
"Oh, not long at all." In the middle of the room was a shaft of light, in which was a long, golden rod. About four feet in length, it gleamed in the light with a ball set in one end and a white stone the other, Studs ran part of the way down from each end, leaving about foot's worth of room for a white handgrip of the finest leather.
"Whoa," whispered Carrot, looking at it with wide eyes. "I can't believe that's what all the fuss is about. I mean, it's really nice and all but still..."
"Sometimes huge things come in the most unusual packages," replied Lee, glancing at everyone around the room. "Everyone, go and hide behind each of the curtains that are on the walls that reach to the ground. I will wait for him here, but he doesn't need to know you're still with me just yet. When I give you the signal, charge at him."
"What's the signal?"
"Too bad it won't do you a lick of good," said a voice from the door. "I already know where they are hidden, Lee Fletcher. Which means, I know how to get rid of them as well as you rather effectively. Good bye."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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The Masked Magician had been following them for sometime, staying in the shadows in the Canyon as they defeated the she-werewolves he had prepared for them and as Gateau battled his way through the Zombie's. Although they knew he had magic, they didn't know what sort.
He had easily passed through the sealed cave entrance and the door that closed behind Gateau, who was the last person in line, and that had been their downfall. He had even arrived just in time to see them position themselves perfectly over the trap doors. And when the moment was right, he had revealed himself to them.
"Ah, just what I was looking for," he said mockingly, "So nice of you to lead me here, Lee Fletcher." Lee was suspended in midair before the Angel Rod. On his way up to get it, The Masked Magician threw him a smirk and plucked it from the air with ease.
"Even with the Angel Rod, Terrance, you cannot leave here until you kill all of us," taunted Lee, trying to buy his friends and sisters some time.
The room began to glow with a golden light as he began to change, wings coming from his back and horns from his head. His clothes changed to black and white, the two colors almost competing for the space, but never intermingling with one another.
"It doesn't matter what you say," replied the new Terrance floating before him. "I will still win this day."
"You're a demon!" cried Lee, his eyes wide as he tried to hide the fear that flooded over him. "The horns is enough to prove it. At one time, you may've been human, but you no longer even have a soul, do you?"
"Very observant, Fletcher," replied Terrance as if Lee's name were something from the trash heap that had been there for days.
"It will reject you," continued Lee. "The Rod can only be kept forever by one who had a soul, but you are part of the darkness and don't have one, do you? That will be it, Terrance, without the Rod you will fall."
"By who? Those pathetic humans you brought with you?" sneered Terrance, or at least what was left of him. "I dare you, take your best shot, any of you. I will win, Angel Rod or not, as you will soon see, Lee Fletcher."
"Put me down and let me try, Terrance. Suspending me here is fighting dirty."
"Agreed."
Lee dropped to the ground and drew his blade, jumping at the demon before him and swinging his blade at it with skill. He was surprised, though, when the blade went right through him leaving not a scratch on his white skin.
"You see, Lee, I can become intangible when ever I wish," sighed Terrance in a bored tone, acting like he was polishing his nails. "Which means *smirk* that your useless hunk of metal won't do a thing against- AAAAAHHHHRRRGG!!!!!"
Lee stood below him with a light shining from his hands, which he held out before him. "You may hold the Angel Rod," he said calmly. "But you will still be hurt by the Ether Light."
Terrance backed away and began to laugh insanely. "Lee, you don't seem to understand something," he said lazily, creating a dark shield about himself. "No matter what you do, I am stronger and will beat you."
Lee's light increased by a 100 times, blinding him and making Terrance back up even farther. He created an arrow of light and shot it towards the center of Lee's, shattering it permanently as it fell to the ground.
"Oh no..."
"Oh no is right. Good bye."
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Lee was consumed in a dark fire, leaving only his clothes and weapons behind as he appeared in a ball in Terrance's hand. "Looks like I did win, little friend. Now I have to go exterminate those other pests you brought with you. Who knows *smirk* this just might be fun..."
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Chocolate fell down into a small chamber, surrounded on all sides by hounds on steroids that looked *very* hungry... That was all she needed to see. Whipping out her wire, she proceeded to trap and kill those within her range as quickly as she could, taking special revenge on the one that tried to take the hat Darling had given her.
"Eh, losers," she sighed, walking out the door into the hallway. Cocking her hat to one side, she continued down the hall in the direction that wasn't a dead end and wondered what she was to do now as she did.
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Marron looked below him and saw several nasty looking spikes sticking out of the ground as he did. Focusing all his energy into one point on a single tone, he landed on a spike and balanced himself there perfectly. After a few minutes of standing there, he wondered what he should do next. If he moved, the spike would go through him and effectively end his life. If he waited and someone found him, he would be vulnerable to their attacks with no way to stop them. Things were not looking good.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something move near the door. "Hey!" he called, hoping it was someone he knew. "Some help here, please? Just don't leave me hanging here!"
"Huh? Oh, hey Marron," said Chocolate, standing in the doorway. "Need some help?"
"If you don't mind." She sent out a wire and wrapped it around his middle, bringing him back towards her with a snap of his wrist. Landing as calmly and gracefully as he always did, Marron glanced around and smiled slightly.
"Thanks. Where does that lead?"
"To a dead end, which is why I was going this way."
"Oh, ok." And that was they way they went.
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Carrot landed splat in the middle of a large room with nothing in it. "Huh, nothings here," he said, checking around him carefully. "No more trap doors, no mean creatures, just a bare room. Whoop-de-do. Boy, did I get off easy- AHH!"
He dove to the side to dodge a spike that buried itself in the ground where he had just been. Glancing around once more and still seeing nothing, he shrugged and headed for the door. "Gees, just a single spike? Even with it I got of easy. This is the cheapest trap- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Carrot was forced to run around and dodge every which way as a whole barrage of spikes came from every direction at him. "AAAAGHHHHH!!!! NO!!!! Not there!!! HEY!! THIS IS SO NOT COOL!!!! AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
At last, he made it to the door with his clothes pretty shredded up and his sword gone from the experience. "Freedom!" he cried, looking around. The one end of the hallway was a dead end, so he went the other direction and hoped for the best. Whistling as he walked, he wondered if there was a banquet hall somewhere where he could get a decent meal before he had to die. Dodging spikes made him hungry, but seeing as how he didn't have any food, he just kept on walking.
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Gateau fell until he hit a pool of water with a SPLASH!! He swam to the surface and looked around, seeing nothing but an opening in the wall that was probably a door a few yards away. Grunting, he began to swim towards it as fast as he could.
HISSSS!
Looking around as he paused for a moment, he saw several shapes glide toward him under the water. "What the- Sploosh!" He was pulled under by something grabbing his legs as he fought for control to get to the surface once more. Latching onto one of the slimy creatures, he pounded its head until it let go, doing the same with the other.
Breaking the surface once more, he was faced with a huge merman that held a trident in his hands. "Oh, you are so uncute," he said, making a face as the merman. The merman just raised his trident and tried to spear Gateau with it.
Gateau dove under the water and grabbed it as it went by, coming up to the surface again and throwing it at the merman. Satisfied that with a trident through the middle, it wouldn't be coming after him any more, he swam the rest of the way to the opening. Pulling himself through, he saw a dead end and a hallway that actually went somewhere. Deciding he had to find the others and his dear Marron, he set out at a good pace and wondered what would happen next.
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Tira landed in a deep pit, not much light coming from anywhere and an eerie silence filling the area around her. "This is it?" she muttered, going over to one of the sides. "A pit? I'm almost disappointed." She pushed aside a huge cocoon thing in search for some hand grips so she could climb out, but instead found a hole behind it.
Looking in, she saw a spider as large as the creature that had tried to kill her earlier. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" She scrambled away to the other side, seeing another hole in it. With her back to it, she heard the sound of mandibles clicking together from it's dark depths. Shuddering, she went back to the middle of the small area and waited for their first move. Spiders were bad enough when they were small, and these huge ones were just creeping her out to no end.
Seeing that neither one had moved, but stared at her with their eight, glowing eyes, she shrugged and lassoed the first one with her string. Dragging it out into the open, she tied it up in a cocoon and left it there, turning to the second one. Doing the same thing, both huge creatures where soon just lying there defenseless as she sent her string up to an outcropping she saw on the rim. Using it to get her to the top, she flipped over the edge to be confronted by 100's of spiders the size of her hand at the top.
"Oh crap..." Two huge thumps behind her told her the two spiders from below were free and at the top with her. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Chocolate and Marron walked down the hall, coming to a large foyer where a ton of halls met together with a large door on one side, a spider engraved above it.
"Hey, guys!" said Carrot, coming from a hallway to their left.
"Carrot, you ok, brother?" called Marron, frowning at his brother's clothes as he did.
"Yeah, just had a run in with some flying spikes. And you?"
"I'm fine."
"Oh, Darling! I was attacked by these vicious hounds and I was so afraid that I'd never see you again!" cried Chocolate, glomping herself onto Carrot as fast as she possibly could. "I missed you so much, did you miss me too?"
He was saved by Gateau bounding down the hall to their right, going and hugging Marron. Both brothers wiggled free and stood back to back, helping the other one stay free of their amorous follower.
"Oh, Marron!" gushed Gateau, "I'm so glad to see your beautiful face once more! I was confronted by this hideous beast, and I told him how much uglier he was than you!"
"Uh, that's nice," muttered Marron, backing away even more. "Shouldn't we try and fine-" SLAM "Tira!"
She stood there with her back to the Spider engraved door, chest heaving as she bled freely from multiple wounds on her body. "Tira!" cried Carrot, rushing to her side. "What-"
SMASH!!!
A hairy leg came through the door right above Tira's head, causing both of them to scramble away as the doors gave way to the multitude of spiders that were coming at them. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Run!" yelled Marron, trying a spell and seeing it didn't work. "Split up if you have to, just keep moving!" He, Chocolate, and Gateau went back down the hall they came from while Tira and Carrot ran for a hallway none of them had been down before.
This was going to be interesting.
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Terrance floated lazily down a hallway, noting the pit of spikes along the way he reminded himself to check their later for any dead bodies. Knowing those fools, one of them would just drop right into it. Hearing the pounding of feat coming towards him and a strange, high pitched screech coming from the same direction, he hid behind a pillar in the shadows and waited to see what would happen next.
Three young people, two guys and a girl, came sprinting down the hall. One of them yelled something about a pit and turned sharply into the room, throwing a wire to a bar at the top. Securing the other two to her, she swung across the room just as the huge spider and all the little ones following it came at them and impaled themselves on the spikes.
"Impressive," muttered Terrance. "There are others, though, I can sense them. Hopefully they will be as much of a challenge, for that pansy Lee was not much fun to play with."
The three young adults landed on the other side and kept going, occasionally glancing back to make sure they still weren't being followed. If they weren't as dumb as he thought them to be, this might actually be more fun then he'd had in a long time...
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Tira and Carrot were still charging down the hall, turning quickly at the first chance and then turning again only to find themselves standing on the edge of a *very* high cliff with nothing below them as far as they could see.
"Oh no...this cannot be happening," groaned Carrot, seeing the Spiders come around the corner at them.
"My sentiments exactly." The pair stood there for a moment, wondering what to do when a line of web was thrown at them.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
"CARROT!!!!" Tira cursed her luck as she dove after him over the edge, hoping there was something other than hard ground below them in the mists that she could not see. For once in this whole trip, luck was on her side. They hit the water hard enough to break bones, but luckily stayed in piece as they surfaced once more.
"You alright?" asked Carrot, chilled to the bone in the freezing water.
"Yeah...I think so...." She began to swim for shore, dragging herself up on the beach and collapsing there as she waited for him to join here there. He did eventually, laying down next to her in the sand.
"I think....we should .....go find the others...." he gasped, tired from running so hard and then swimming for so long.
"Maybe," replied Tira, starting to feel a little sleepy. "Just let me rest of a second, I'm really tired..."
"Huh? Tira?" Carrot forced himself to get up and roll her over, seeing a bite on her shoulder. "Tira! Tira, don't you dare fall asleep on me here. Tira!"
"What?" she mumbled sleepily, almost completely out. "Just let me sleep, dang it, I'm fine."
"No, you're not," replied Carrot, trying to shake her awake. "Tira, you can't fall asleep like this. Tira! Can you here me?!" Getting no response, he wracked his brain, trying to think of something to do. An idea popped into his head, even though he knew it could get him killed, but he went for it anyways.
Rolling her back on her front, he closed his eyes and put his hand somewhere where it should not have gone. Just as he thought, she sat up straight and pounded him to several feet away, glaring at him as she tried to keep her eyes open.
"What was that for?" she demanded, reaching for her whip. "You'd better start talking fast or I'll-"
"You were bit by one of the spiders," he explained quickly, pointing to her shoulder. "And then you were all sleepy and I did the only thing I could think of to keep you awake. Sorry."
"Couldn't you have just shaken me awake or something?" she groused, getting to her feet and grabbing her spindle of thread. "Instead of...yeah..."
"No, I tried that and you just ignored me," Carrot shot back, taking a few steps forward. "Come on, we need to go before those Spiders- uh oh." He looked up to see the spiders climbing down the walls and heading towards them. "Run!"
"Huh? AAHHH!!!" They ran through the garden that surrounded the lake, trying to lose the spiders in the trees and bushes that surrounded the place. Running by another lake, a huge, snake-like monster reared its head out of the water and went for the Spiders, leaving Tira and Carrot to scramble back to the mansion.
Looking at the monstrous building before them, it might as well have been a castle, though. Towers reached high into the sky, and a gigantic wall surrounded the garden they were in, unruly and run over with weeds from not being tended over the years.
"Let's take it slow this time," said Tira cautiously, glancing over at Carrot who was keeping his distance.
"Yeah, maybe we'll be able to find the others real soon."
"I hope so."
"Think they got free of the spiders?"
"Yeah, and I bet they didn't have to dive off a fifth story window to save their partner."
"Hey!"
"It's true."
"Well, they probably didn't have to wake one of their own up by-"
"Shut up, Carrot."
"Yes, ma'am."
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Chocolate, Marron, and Gateau wandered through the halls, seeing a garden below from one of the windows high above. "Where do you supposed your sister and my brother are?" mused Marron, staying as far away as possible from Gateau.
"Don't know," replied Chocolate. Her eyes flashed as she added, "If she even dares touch my Darling I'll-"
"She's your sister," cut in Marron, giving her an odd look. "Wouldn't you know if they were-"
"He's your brother," cut Chocolate, shooting a glare at him. "And you travel with the two of them. Wouldn't you know?"
"Good point. Has she ever said anything?"
"She refuses to comment on it, though she sometimes denies it vehemently."
"Isn't that a big word for you?" asked Gateau.
"Muscle head."
"So?"
"Grrr..."
Marron walked ahead of the two, ignoring the glares they sent at each other as they walked. Glancing to his right, he noticed a huge door through which a sopping wet and very dirty Tira and Carrot emerged. "Hey!" he called out, easily getting their attention.
"Hey, bro," replied Carrot, getting glomped on again by Chocolate despite the fact that he was really messy.
"What happened?" Marron asked Tira since Carrot was busy with Chocolate. "I mean, how did you guys get all wet and dirty like that?"
"We had to jump out of one of the top windows, well your brother fell and I dived after him, into the lake (which we did not see at the time) and dragged ourselves to the shore for a moment. The spiders came, and we started running again, only to have them be taken care of by the Lochness monster which lives in the other lake in the garden."
"I see." He looked around, seeing a pool of water coming from a fountain near by. "Why don't you go clean up over there while I get Carrot free and then he can use it."
"Fine." She watched the tiles as she walked, noticing that a few were taller than others and avoided those, as she made her way over to. The water was warm, and she was soon relaxing in it as she cleaned off the dirt and blood that was caked on her skin. Checking the bite she had gotten, she used her hands to probe it gently. Finding it to be swollen and red, she adjusted the straps of her outfit so it didn't rub against it anymore and got out.
Using her cloak to dry herself (we're not sure where it came from, but it was there) she let Carrot have the pool and started to walk way. "Hang on a sec," said Carrot, grabbing her arm. "I am sorry about earlier. You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Where is Carrot and what have you done with him?" asked Tira immediately. Carrot opened him mouth to protest, but she smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not mad at you. Just keep your hands to yourself from now on, ok?"
"Do I have to?"
"Carrot!"
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
"Just go, Carrot."
"Fine."
"What was that all about?" asked Chocolate, raising an eyebrow suspiciously as Tira sat next to her. Tira shrugged.
"Nothing."
"Yeah, sure it was."
"Chocolate...."
"I'll be watching you sister. You'd better keep your hands off my darling, or else I'll-"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Everyone turned to see Carrot leap out of the now boiling hot water that poured from the fountain, scalding burns covering his body.
"Ouch..." Marron quickly did what he could with his eastern magic and healing skills as Tira watched in the background, wondering if she should use what she knew to help him.
"What are you thinking about?" asked Chocolate quietly, seeing Tira stare at her Darling openly. "You aren't going to-"
"Should I use the healing touch on him or not?" cut in Tira, looking at her sister from the corner from her eye. "You know, zelkova."
"Um, I don't know. Why?"
"He's in pain, Chocolate. Since you're the one madly in love with him, you tell me whether or not I should heal him."
Chocolate looked between her Darling and her sister for a moment, struggle obvious on her face until she sighed and shrugged. "Heal him," she replied, trying to sound indifferent. "He's no use to us like this."
Tira smiled. "As you wish, sister." She walked over to Carrot, who was lying face down on the floor whimpering beside his brother who was trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she whispered, "Don't move. This won't hurt, just don't do anything or Chocolate will have my head." Bowing her head, she remember what Marron's mother had taught her, what she knew of zelkova....
There was a small flash of light as Carrot's burns melted away, leaving bits of red where they had been. He flexed his arms gently, finding the pain was gone and he could move once more.
"Better?" asked Tira, helping him to his feet.
"Yeah," replied Carrot, smiling at her. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She smiled back at him, but glanced at her sister after she and nodded at her as well.
"Tira?" asked Marron quietly, drawing her to the side. "Why didn't you use zelkova on yourself? I mean with a bite like that..."
"I can't," replied Tira, giving him a sad look. "I can heal others, but not myself."
"I see."
"Let's go," said Gateau, sensing another presence near by. "We need to find our way to the main room before things get too ugly."
"He's right," admitted Carrot as he stretched out some, trying to ignore the growl that came from her stomach. "Let's go."
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Lee sat in the middle of the small, cramped orb he was stuck in, wondering if the Misu sisters would get him out anytime soon. He couldn't hear or see anything, but by the way that mists revolved around him he could tell where his boundaries were and didn't wish to see what lay in store for him if he touched them.
A demon. Of all things for this to be...he hadn't been one before, Lee was sure of that. The only problem was: what now? He was stuck here, the others were out there. They didn't know what Terrance was and the distruction he could cause at this point. They were basically sitting ducks, which lead him back to his earlier question: what now?
Lee sat back and sighed, wishing it had been that idiot Carrot who was stuck in here instead of him. If only he knew what was going to happen next...
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There's your chapter number two. Hopefully it'll load the right way the first time. The first chapter should be fixed, if not I'll load it again until it is, k? Please be kind and review, I stayed up late after a long day at band camp to finish this for you.
~crosseyedbutterfly~