When Destiny Calls
The Western Continent: Vegacite's Victim
By Cale Kuecker
Summary: When one of their own lies dying, the six searchers must search for the help of a stranger and his cure But the question remains, just why is Hare dying in the first place?
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Monster Rancher, Monster Farmer, or the mainstay characters in the series. Tecmo and the anime company that produced the show do. The story itself, however, is mine, so it better not be reproduced for any sort of financial gain.
Author's Note: So did you guess who the guest characters were? This one may be a bit tricky, but he is there. Take a closer look at the bandaged and rhyming man Daemon talked too. Can you guess who he is? It's Jack the Slayer from the Dreamcast fighting game Power Stone. I know, pretty obscure, but this time the guest should be easy.
************************************************************************
"Drugs... Yech."
-Scooby Doo, from "A Pup Named Scooby Doo"
************************************************************************
"Hare!" Genki cried as the brown lapine fell to the ground in a ball, his body shaking as he groaned in pain. Joshua ran up to the two, moving Genki out of the way so he could examine the monster.
"Geeze, he's burning up," Joshua said as his hand felt the hare's forehead. "Hare what's wrong?
"It hurts, it hurts," the rabbit moaned. "The... the pouch... the pouch that was with me in the bird... I need it."
"I'm on it," Genki called as he raced to the wreckage. The youth searched the cockpit, trying his best to find the pouch. "It's not here!" the worried boy called.
"I saw it fall out when Hare turned the iron bird over. It was too far away for me to save," said Golem.
"Oh goddess it hurts... Make it stop... please!!!" Hare cried as he struggled. Joshua looked down to find a trickle of blood coming out of the rabbit's mouth. A closer look revealed Hare to be biting his own tongue and drawing a lot of blood from I too.
"Woah hold it," Joshua said, grabbing Hare's mouth to force his jaw open. Quickly, the large man jammed a wad of cloth into his mouth to keep it open. Immediately Hare began to thrash, his normally hidden claws extended as he tried get Joshua off him, scratching up both himself and Joshua. "Golem! Get over here and help me hold him down!" The rock giant's large hand pinned the hare to the ground.
"What can I do?" Genki asked. Joshua grabbed his hand, yanking him over to Hare's mouth.
"Don't let him spit out that cloth. Just keep it here so he can still breathe," Joshua said. "Pink Eye, help me find my bag from the iron bird." The duo sped over to the wreckage, looking for the human's backpack. Hare continued to thrash, actually forcing the golem that held him to put another hand over him to keep him still. Tears were coming from the rabbit's eyes as he moaned and screamed into the rag. Finally Joshua found his bag and dug into it, pulling out the smaller white bag where he usually kept medicinal supplies. The human ran back over to the stricken hare as he pulled out a mortar and pestle as well as some white cubes and a few red plants. "Someone get me some water!" the human ordered. Mocchi grabbed a cup from the backpack as he in turn was grabbed by Gray Wolf.
"I can search faster than you, you just grab the water when we find it." With those words, the two were off like shots. It took twenty minutes for Joshua to completely grind up the plants and cubes, just enough time for Gray Wolf and Mocchi to return with the water. Joshua poured the liquid into the mortar's mixture, wetting it down.
"Genki, I'm gonna take the rag out of Hare's mouth and hold his mouth open. What I need you to do is pour the liquid into his mouth. All of it. Don't spill a single drop."
"Gotcha," Genki said, grabbing the bowl. As predicted, Hare began to try to spit out the rag. Joshua simply yanked it out of the rabbit's mouth and quickly held open his mouth. On cue Genki began to pour the green and chunky water into his friend. Gradually the level of the liquid went down as Hare drank the medicine, his shaking and his thrashing subsiding bit by bit. Soon, the bowl was empty as the situation became much calmer than before.
"That should help the pain some, but it won't last forever," Joshua said as he watched his patient relax a little more and more. His eyes opened, though it was evident that he was still in pain.
"Hare what happened to you?" Genki asked.
"Yeah, you were fine one minute and the next you were trying to claw your own eyes out. I've never seen anything like it," Pink Eye said.
"My... my pouch... I need it... please," Hare begged.
"It's gone Hare," Gray Wolf said.
"No... please no..." Hare said as his eyes closed again, and he lost consciousness.
************************************************************************
*A scene opens with a little hare, no more than five, tied to a wheel unable to move as three sets of eyes look down on him.
"Not as tough as you thought, eh runt," a cruel, but distinctly human, voice said as a gloved hand reached down to roughly pet the boy. The restrained monster tried to bite and action that did nothing but make the human laugh.
"Bogs, quit it," another gruff voice ordered. "No reason to make this more difficult than it has to be."
"Yes sir, Mr Hagen sir."
"Let me go," the hare yelled. "When my daddy finds me missing, he's gonna..."
"Do nothing," the man called Hagen said. "You father knows his place kid, he knows not to cross his betters."
"Sir, if we're going to do this we should start," said another human as the knife in his hand glinted in the light.
"By your leave doctor."*
************************************************************************
Night had fallen and the six remaining searchers had set up camp, complete with a roaring fire in the center of the campsite. Pink Eye was busy cooking dinner as Joshua prepared more medicine to use. Genki and Mocchi watched over Hare, who lay on a bedroll under a blanket, a wet cloth on his forehead to help bring down his temperature. Gray Wolf lay on the other side of the fire, his senses alert and ready for trouble while Golem sat nearby, ready to help either party should the need arise.
"So any idea what happened to Hare Josh?" Pink Eye asked as he stirred the soup he was busy preparing.
"Not really. He didn't get hit in the canyon. It's almost like he's been poisoned," the human said. "But, the medicine I gave him should at least let him sleep for the night. With any luck, some of the anti-toxins I'm making here should help him."
"I hope so, I don't fancy having to go through this everyday," Gray Wolf said.
"You're all heart you know that," Pink Eye said.
"I could have suggested we leave him you know," Gray Wolf pointed out.
"No fighting," Mocchi said, an attempt at an angry look on his face. "He needs to sleep."
"I'm not the one who raised his voice kid," the wolf quipped as he laid his head down again.
************************************************************************
*The hare kitten cried and cried as he tried to disappear into a ball while the three human's looked down on him.
"Well Doctor, I assume he'll stop crying at some point, right?" Bogs said.
"We normally don't do this with a monster at this advanced stage, sir. It can prove difficult and in some cases deadly if the treatment is not accepted," the doctor said as he put the now red knife into his bag. "But Mr. Hagen here was so insistent and did offer a lot of money."
"Which you have been paid to take every precaution," Hagen said. Suddenly, the door was flung open by another hare monster. With the back lighting him, it was impossible to tell what breed he was, though Hagen and Bogs knew him anyway.
"What have you done!?" the rabbit asked in an almost growl.
"We've done nothing more than what we do to all the other monsters on our happy little ranch," Hagen said, his voice friendly but with a hint of contempt.
"You're not supposed to do this past the first year, you could have killed him!" the hair said as he gathered the sobbing boy in his arms. A glint of light shows some scarred stitching on the boy's body. "I swear Hagen, if he dies, you'll follow him!" At the hare's words, Bogs reached for his whip, ready to strike.
"Why you wretched..."
"Bogs, the boy here has reason to be upset," Hagen said, looking at the hare-hybrid as he left with the boy in his arms. "But you had best not make that mistake again beast. I do not forgive second mistakes."*
************************************************************************
"Well well well what do we have here?" came a voice from outside the searcher's camp. Gray Wolf's head lifted from the ground in a flash as he looked around for the source of the voice, as the other searchers began to wake up, save for Hare. Sitting on a rock nearby was a small figure that could only belong to the mew breed. Its coloring however was different from normal, being black and gray fur with red eyes that identified it's monol blood.
"An Imp," Gray Wolf growled as his eyes locked on baddy insignia displayed on the interloper's dark gray chest. The cat doll hybrid bounced over to Hare who still lay under the blanket, once more shaking.
"Ooooh, your buddy looks in really bad shape if you ask me," a small paw opened one of the hare's eyes so the imp could look into it. "Definitely a bad case if I ever did see one."
"Get away from him baddy," Genki said, trying to grab the mew hybrid.
"Baddy?" The imp asked as he leapt over the boy, a little confused. "Oh this," he said as he unclipped the medallion. "It's good isn't it. My trainer made this so I could explore without the baddies harassing me. Of course it'd never stand up to a real close inspection, but for the idiots you find just wandering around here, it's good eno... OOF!" Gray Wolf pinned Imp to the ground.
"Yeah right, you expect us to believe that story!"
"Believe it or not it's no skin offa my nose wolfie, but without help your friend there's gonna die of vegicite withdrawal syndrome without help before the sun goes down," Imp countered, a perpetual smile on his face.
"You know what's wrong with him?" Joshua asked as he walked over to the petite monster. "How?"
"A lot of monsters in Moo's army is dependent of treatment for vegicite. They get what they need and suddenly my master's home drops off the face of the planet."
"A chicken's arrangement," Gray Wolf said in disgust. "How can he help those who have enslaved his kind, the coward?" At those words Imp lost the smile on his face as he grabbed Gray Wolf's fur.
"Don't you ever call him a coward. If you'd seen the final stages before a vegicite victim dies, you'd be there in a nurse's uniform to help those poor monsters." Suddenly, the smile returned as Imp continued. "Of course, you'll see it anyway from the hare."
"My friend meant no disrespect, friend Imp," said Joshua. "If you know someone who can help our friend, we'd be very grateful if you told us."
"Well.... all right. Grab long ears there and follow me," the mew/monol said as he leapt into the bush.
************************************************************************
*Hare sat with his father in the cold morning air. The sun had barely begun to rise as several other monsters also sat, waiting outside a large wooden building.
"Daddy, I'm cold and my tummy feels funny," Hare said as he tugged at the elder hare.
"Don't worry son, this'll all be over soon," the elder rabbit answered, holding his son closer. Suddenly, the door of the building opened as Hagen, Bogs, and a man in a white coat came out carrying a bag.
"Ah, it would appear we've kept them waiting," Hagen said as he walked out. A zuum, his eyes bloodshot and his body quaking ran up to the human.
"Skip the small talk Hagen, just give me the stuff," the monster begged, clawed hands on the human's shoulders.
"Now now Singe, you needn't worry, you'll get your prize," Hagen said as he reached into the bag and handed the zuum what looked like a bar of brown chocolate. The lizard greedily ate the bar and immediately began to look much better as his body stopped shaking. One by one, Hagen went to each monster in turn and gave them each a bar. Finally, he came to Hare and his father. "Well well well, it looks like we have a new monster in the lines. And how are you feeling today, little one?"
"My tummy hurts," Hare said, only to receive a derisive snort of laughter from the human.
"Oooh, your tummy hurts does it? Well, I have the cure for that." With those words Hagen once more reached into his bag, pulling out another of the brown bars. "This is a yummy little candy called vegicite. Eat it all up, and I guarantee that nasty feeling in your gut will go away." Hare took the "candy" from his owner, a little skeptical of it's supposed curing ability as he ate it. But... he did begin to feel better.
************************************************************************
Imp bounded through the forest, a huge smile on his face as he lead the searchers down a path that seemed overgrown. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that what could be seen as overgrowth was actually carefully maintained camouflage to hide the trail. The searchers walked single file, with Golem in the middle carrying Hare.
"Are we anywhere close to the end of this trail?" Gray Wolf said, suspecting a trap.
"Calm down calm down, we're almost there," answered Imp. "Hey rock- head, how's your friend's breathing?"
"He's still gasping for breath, but seems to be doing the same," came Golem's slow response.
"Well, that's a good sign at least," Imp said as he bounded through the bushes. "And here's another one, we're here." The mew/monol parted the brush so the searchers could see a small clearing with a cottage sitting at the end of the trail. In three high-powered jumps Imp made it to the door of the structure, knocking on it loudly. "Hey Mr. Norville!! I got some guys to see ya!!" At the imp's words, a tall gangly man opened the door and stepped outside. He looked young, with a small beard and hair of red, as well as a friendly face, despite the beady eyes he sported as well. He was wearing a green shirt and long brown pants with black shoes that made Genki think of a beatnik or a grunge man.
"Like hi!" the man called Norville said in a crackling voice, waving at the six as he walked forward. "I don't get too many human and monster groups this way, least not since Moo took down the kingdom and the continent." Norville held out his hand to Joshua, a smile on his face.
"I wish we had time for pleasantries," Joshua said, as he took the hand. "But we've got an emergency on our hands." Golem lowered Hare to the ground so that Norville could see him. The tall human looked carefully at the lapine.
"Well, what can you expect?" Norville said, his voice loosing a little of it's pleasantness. "You're withholding his vegicite from him, of course he's gonna suffer the withdrawal symptoms."
"Excuse me sir, but what's vegicite?" asked Genki.
"I'm kinda curious about that myself," Pink Eye added. "Your imp said the same word, for all it means to me."
"Save the chatter. Get your 'friend' inside so I can, like, check him and see how advanced his condition is. That way I can figure out, like, what to do," Norville commanded. Joshua took Hare from Golem, whose large body was unable to fit through the door, and he and the others entered. Inside the house looked well lived in, with a nice big table holding the remains of breakfast on it. A fireplace stood in the center of the far wall, and nearby was a bed-like couch.
"Where can I put him?" Joshua asked.
"Just lay him there while I get my things." Norville walked over to a small closet, pulling out of tray of instruments. Imp appeared with a wet cloth he promptly lay on Hare's forehead as his trainer picked up a stethoscope and gently put it to Hare's chest.
"His eyes weren't dilating very well when I looked at them boss," Imp commented. "And he's shaking like a leaf."
"Not good. He's in late third stage, or possibly even fourth. Do we have any of the ingredients for the serum left?"
"Not sure but I can check," said Imp as he once more bounded off.
"So, how when did you make this monster, like, have the procedure?" Norville asked Joshua, a disgusted look on his face. Joshua decided he'd had enough.
"What are you talking about?" the bearded human asked. "First you welcome us and then you take one look at my friend here and become a glacier. Please, tell us what's happening too poor Hare."
"Oh give me a break. Your type of trainer always makes me so sick," said Norville, never taking his eyes off his patient. "You try to act like you actually care about monsters, but all they are to you is possessions to be used up like paper. That's probably why you hooked him on vegicite to begin with. One can only imagine what problems riddle the bodies of these other poor monsters you order around."
"Now wait just a minute," Joshua started.
"What do you mean by 'our type of trainer?!'" Genki yelled, insulted at what was being insinuated. "We do care about monsters, especially these five. They're our friends."
"No one orders me," Gray Wolf said, growling at the human who ignored him.
"A likely story, but this," Norville pointed to Hare's unconscious form, "seems to speak volumes of a different story." At first it appeared that Joshua was going to blow his top, especially considering what Norville was insinuating. But, cooler heads prevail in tense situations, and it was in a calm voice that he spoke his next words.
"What exactly is wrong with our friend?"
"He is suffering from the violent withdrawal effects of the drug vegicite which is used to stabilize the physical alterations used to improve his fighting ability," Norville answered, his voice as neutral as he could make it. "Next time you attempt such a method to increase your monster's combat abilities, I would suggest you fully research ALL the potential side-effects."
"What physical alterations?" Genki asked, completely lost as to what the tall monster doctor was talking about.
"I'm afraid we don't know what you are talking about, sir. My friends and I only just arrived on this continent. Hare is the only one from this place and him we met on the Eastern Continent anyway."
"Then it must have been done by his previous trainer. Who did you buy him from?"
"We didn't, the furball just tagged along," Gray Wolf said, more than a little indignant over what Norville was implying.
"Hmm. Then how has he been surviving. Only humans are able to purchase vegicite. That's one of the reasons it's used so much here, to keep mistreated monsters 'in their place' so to speak. Sufficed to say, your friend will die unless he gets help," said the older man. "I created a serum a few years ago that's able to block the withdrawal symptoms without feeding the addiction. It's not a permanent solution, but it will keep him alive."
"We have a problem boss," Imp said as he stepped into the room carrying a two bottles. "We need more ingredients to make the serum, all we have left is the mistletoe juice and the powdered ramya roots."
"Damn! That's not good!"
"Maybe we can help you get the other stuff you need," Genki said energetically. "He is our friend and we'd do anything to help him."
"Hmph, speak for yourself," Gray Wolf said under his breath.
"There are three more items I need to make my serum, and not one of them is easy to find. Based on this hare's current condition, I'd say we only have until nightfall to collect them," the grungy doctor pointed out the window at the slowly descending sun. "When the sunlight dies, so does he."
"Then what are we waiting for," Genki said, strapping on his skates.
"We need sentren oil from the dion fish in the river, twenty-five sepitul berries. Those grow sparsely in the forest. And finally, rega nuts from the gar tree about three and a half miles from here."
"We'll split up into three groups," Joshua said. "Golem and I will get the fish."
"Mr. Norville knows what the berries look like, Mocchi and I will go with him," Genki continued.
"That makes sense, Pink Eye and I are the fastest, so we can get the nuts," Gray Wolf said.
"Then let's hurry, we don't have much time."
************************************************************************
*"Keep your guard up tough guy," came a voice.
"Like this dad?" a six year old Hare asked as his hands blocked his face. His arms shook in anticipation of his first real lesson with his father.
"Tim, you need to relax. You wouldn't be able to block a feather with that defense," the elder hare-type said. To illustrate the point, a soft and well placed punch broke throw Hare's feeble defenses, lightly tapping the child's cheek. "Remember, relaxation is the key to fluid movement. If you're tense, you'll never move quick enough to keep up with an opponent's attack."
"Okay, I'll try to relax," Hare said.
"Now, try to block my attack." Hare's father launched into a controlled machine gun punch, his fists careful not to actually strike the vulnerable boy's head. Every once and a while though, Hare was able to block one of the punches, as evidenced by the soft grunts occasionally emanating from the boy. Suddenly, Hare doubled over and fell to the ground, groaning and screaming.
"Dad... dad... It hurts... Dad make it stop," the child begged looking desperately at his father. The elder hare-type grabbed his son and sprinted for the main house that dominated an entire section of the ranch, knowing exactly who his son needed to see. Inside the building, the hare ran to a room that sat off to the side, kicking in the door. Inside was what looked like a lab with several test-tubes and containers of different chemicals. In the corner, pouring more liquids, stood a human in a white lab coat.
"Doctor Kain!!" the agitated monster cried.
"What is it? What's happened?" the doctor asked before noticing the child in the lapine's arms. "What happened to him?"
"He just keeled over. I think it's withdrawal."
"That's not possible," Kain said, his eyes disbelieving. "He's had his dose of vegicite, how could he be suffering withdrawal so quickly." The human reached into his bag, pulling out the familiar black bar. "Still, I suppose it's possible. I guess it's better safe than sorry." With those words, the doctor carefully fed the bar to the child, who visibly began to show signs of relief.
************************************************************************
"Here's another one Golem," Joshua said as he tossed the rock giant one of the spongy animals called dion fish. Golem carefully squeezed the one he had, letting it's oil spill into a bucket before tossing the fish back into the river, where it happily swam away.
"I feel a little guilty about hurting these fish for their oil," Golem said.
"Don't it's a lot like sheering sheep for wool. Dion fish have nothing that can be crushed and their oil does help make medicine," Joshua said as he threw another fish to his friend. Suddenly, the human stopped as he heard something.
"Someone is near," Golem whispered. Immediately, the two grabbed their stuff and dove back into the growth of the forest. As soon as they did, two terror dogs appeared. The tiger/monol hybrids both bore a Moo symbol on their chests, and neither one looked particularly friendly.
"All right Maul, we're here. And there's nothing here!" One of the tiger hybrids exclaimed.
"Nothing here NOW Sarin, thanks to you making all that noise," the one called Maul countered. "But my nose never lies, there's a stranger around here."
"Eh it's probably just that mew hybrid that keeps showing up around here," Sarin said irritably. "I ever find out what outfit that twerp belongs to, I have him cleaning baku litter boxes till the day he dies."
"No the scent's human. We better report this to Master Pixie, she's gonna want to know." With those words, the two terror dogs left, leaving Golem and Joshua alone, and a little puzzled.
************************************************************************
A distance away, Genki stood sifting through all manner of foliage in his attempt to find some sepitul berries. So far, he had only managed to find five. Norville had not been kidding when he said the berries were scarce. He himself only possessed three, while Mocchi had been completely unsuccessful in finding any. The little green and red berries only seemed to grow about two to a plant.
"Are you sure these are the berries we need?" Genki asked as he eyed another one of the repugnant fruit.
"Yes. They're rare but they're useful."
"Ouch," Mocchi cried as another thorn stuck his hand before shoving the wounded appendage into his mouth. "I don't like this!" Suddenly, Mocchi's face brightened as he noticed something red nearby. Closer and closer the little monster got, and soon he squealed in glee as he realized he had found seven of the berry plants.
"Way to go Moch, only ten more to go," Genki started, only to find Norville's hand clamping on his mouth.
"Both of you be quiet," the gangly man hissed. In the silence, the boy began to hear the reason for his host's alarm and then he could see them. Two terror dogs, not but a few yards away, were busy sniffing the air and ground, definitely looking for something.
"Damn that Maul," one of the hybrids said. "He had to go sniffing for intruders didn't he."
"I know what you mean Snape. I'd much rather be with the rest of the pack instead of on one of that fool's wild goose chases," said the other as the two walked by.
************************************************************************
Meanwhile, at the gar tree, Pink Eye and Gray Wolf were busy as bees stuffing as many of the dry rega nuts as they could find into Pink Eye's pouch.
"There we go, the last nut," Gray Wolf said as he dropped the dried seed into the bag.
"Finally. I hope that rabbit appreciates what we've done for him," Pink Eye said.
"Geeze, that's kinda harsh Pink."
"He should have told us about this. If he had, we wouldn't be in this predicament now."
"Have you told us everything about yourself? I know I still have secrets I keep to myself," Gray Wolf said. "Everyone has things they're less than proud of in their pasts, you just have to deal with..." Suddenly, Gray Wolf stopped in his tracks.
"What is it?" Pink Eye asked as stood beside his teammate.
"I smell something. Get into the tree... NOW." With a vertical leap, the silver lupine was in the trees as his suezo hybrid companion teleported to the same local. Below them, seven more terror dogs burst into the clearing, sniffing the air wildly.
"They were here," one of the black furred dogs said. "there were two of them, at least that I could tell. A suezo and a... tiger."
"A suezo?" another terror dog asked. "They could be anywhere if that thing teleported."
"So, they had to come from somewhere," the first terror dog said, sniffing the ground. "We'll follow their trail. With any luck, they'll have other refuges we can send to Master Pixie." With those words, the seven took off.
"We have to get the others," said Gray Wolf, as he and Pink Eye bolted away.
************************************************************************
*Hare moved silently through the night air, his bag and pole tied around his chest to allow him freedom of movement. The purebred hare ducked down ever now and again, fearful of the humans who watched to prevent escape. Quietly, the brown furred lapine worked on the lock to the house, smiling as he thought over the plan he'd made. Soon, the lock gave, a cheap lock Hagen had bought, never really considering the possibility of escape. Inside he found food, which he gladly took, but that was only secondary to his true objective. A sharp twist of a knob opened the door to the lab, where the entire store of vegicite for the ranch was kept. Placing his now open back on the table, Hare pulled out a pouch into which he began to stuff several of the chocolate brown bars.
"Well well look what we have here," came a voice from the door. Hare turned around to see Doctor Kain standing in the doorway, an angry look on his face as he held a long machete in his hand. "You trying to follow in daddy dearest's footsteps beast?"
"Get out of my way Kain," Hare said, venom dripping in his voice. "I'm leaving, and you're not gonna stop me."
"They say you're a pretty intelligent animal, so use that 'intellect' of yours and think," Kain said menacingly. "How long do you think you'll survive out there on your own?"
"Long enough with this," said the monster, holding up the pouch.
"Not if I can help it," said the human as he lunged for Hare. The lapine reacted well, grabbing the human's outstretched arm under his own, wrenching it to force Kain to drop the blade. The doctor tried to scream a warning, but before he could, Hare slammed his head into a wall and Kain dropped to the floor, unconscious. Quickly, Hare gathered his things, ready to leave.*
************************************************************************
Imp carefully watched over Hare as the lapine monster twitched and grimaced in pain, scared. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky and Hare was deteriorating.
"Come on Norv, ya gotta get back here," the mew/monol said, a twinge of fear in his normally cheerful voice. The hybrid monster had seen the effects of withdrawal before, too many times in his opinion. Each time it seemed worse as he watched otherwise healthy monsters die in agony over a former owner's need to control them. Imp had even felt the pain, a parting gift from his former master. When Moo's forces had raided Imp's town, they'd razed it, destroying all of the drug. Imp had wandered for days, desperate to find help. The cat doll remembered very well his own agony as he lay on the ground, wracked with pain, haunted by hallucinations for days before Norville had found him, cured him.
"AAAAHHH!" Hare screamed as his body jolted in pain. He was getting worse, Imp could tell. The mew/monol looked over to a small box sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. He knew it's contents well, it was a last resort, in case Norville failed his patients. A small syringe filled with a quick and painless poison that would send it's victim into a peaceful death, truthfully a better fate than the final stage of the drug's withdrawal.
Imp's ears suddenly twitched as the sound of plants being parted came to them. At first, Imp thought his friends had returned, but the amount of care whoever it was was taking to keep quiet killed that notion. Carefully, Imp opened the door to look out. At first, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, but suddenly , a black shape pounced on the ground, ready to tackle the small monster. The mew/monol proved quicker, however, slamming the door shut and locking it to keep the baddies out. At the window, the imp looked out to see eleven terror dogs pacing on the lawn, angry looks on their faces.
"You in the house, come out now," the lead terror dog yelled.
"Uh, sorry, but we're closed for the day. Make and appointment with the secretary and we'll get back to you," called Imp.
"You think this is some sort of game. We are the terror dogs of Master Pixie, the most feared of the Big Bad Four. I, Captain Sarin, demand you surrender yourself and any other occupants of the house immediately," Sarin growled.
"No one else lives here but me," Imp answered back.
"The scents coming from your door seems to speak differently. I count at least seven different scents in the area."
"I'm not a hermit. I do get visitors you know."
"A likely story. Come out now our we'll drag you out... LIGHTNING!!" At Sarin's words, purple energy lanced out of the black dog's horns striking the door and singeing it badly.
*Damn. I can't let them get inside,* Imp thought.
"All right, I'm coming out. But I don't know what you expect to find," said Imp as he stepped outside. The terror dogs took one look at the tiny monster and broke into laughter.
"My my," Sarin chortled. "What a big house for a such a little kitty? And you expect us to believe you live alone?"
"What can I say, I like to live large," Imp said smiling.
"Maul, Turk... Go in an make sure our little friend is alone," Sarin ordered, and the two terror dogs began to comply. Suddenly, they were blocked by Imp, the mew/monol refusing to budge to let them pass.
"I don't let mutts I don't know enter my house," the imp said, his body tensing in preparation for what was to come.
"You're gonna regret that... TORPEDO!" The two dogs fired super quick balls of energy that the mew/monol jumped over. In the air, Imp fired his laser eyes and two red beams lashed out at the duo. Just as with the torpedoes, the terror dogs dodged and Maul leapt into the air to meet Imp, tacking the cat doll in mid air and driving him to the ground. The wolf's slobbering jaws were poised over the smaller monster, ready to bite him in half. "I told you you'd regret fighting..."
"ARCTIC BLAST!!" Came a howl which was followed by a white and ice- blue beam rushing out of the forest, striking Maul and freezing him solid. Immediately, the attack was followed by Gray Wolf bursting out of the foliage, sinking his teeth into Sarin's shoulder as he tackled the black dog. The other searchers were not far behind and they attacked the baddies. Genki rushed up to one of the dark wolves, thrusting out his foot to connect to the baddy's lower jaw as Mocchi in ball form slammed down of his back. Golem grabbed two of the hounds, one in each hand, and began to squeeze, hoping the knock them out from lack of air and avoid killing. Turk jumped at Joshua, energy crackling around his horns as he prepared to call forth his lightning. Before he could say anything, though, a much larger set of lips wrapped around his muzzle, holding his mouth shut as all his energy simply drained away. Pink Eye released his slobbery kiss attack and landed beside the fallen terror dog as Joshua's fist knocked another away. Norville stayed behind, holding onto the precious ingredients looking for some safe route to get back to the cottage.
"AHHH!" Genki screamed as a bolt of lightning surged through his body. Mocchi scrambled to help his friend and trainer, only to feel it as two paws struck him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Gray Wolf had his paws full with three of the terror dogs that had begun to triple team the silver lupine. Gray Wolf could only watch out of the corner of his eye, unable to find a way to save the boy. Suddenly, a brown-furred fist uppercutted the attacking terror dog, breaking his concentration and freeing Genki. Hare stood nearby, gasping for breath as he knelt on bended knee, obviously far from one hundred percent. The uppercut had been a weak and desperate attempt to save a friend, as evidenced by the fact that the terror dog was quickly recovering, and he didn't look happy.
"You don't look so good rabbit. Maybe you need some sauna time," the wolf said as he began to charge his lightning to attack the downed lapine. That was before two hands grabbed the horns and Genki jumped onto the wolf's back.
"Ride 'em cowboy!" The boy yelled as he spurred the tiger/monol's sides.
"Hey get offa me. I'm no centaur!"
"No, you're dead meat," Gray Wolf called, as he launched an ice bullet at the terror dog. The block of ice hit him hard right in the head, killing him. Behind the silver wolf, three mystery disks lay smoking in the ground. Gray Wolf then turned to the terror dog holding Mocchi down and launched a torpedo for the kill. Joshua's dagger found the heart of a sixth terror dog, reducing it to a disk as Pink Eye's eyebeam reduced another to cinders. Sarin, no longer possessing the advantage of numbers, was quick to issue new commands.
"Terror dogs, retreat," the black wolf leader called. The other four remaining canines needed no further incentive and quickly the noticeably smaller pack escaped into the fading night.
"We don't have much time. Get your friend back inside. I'm gonna make the serum now. With any luck, we can save him," Norville said. Genki and Joshua carried Hare back inside and lay him down as Norville began to mix the ingredients. It took a little under an hour before the berries were juiced and the nuts ground, which allowed them to be mixed with the fish oil and the other two liquids before the whole amount could be set to heat on a fire for two hours. The last rays of sunlight began to fade as the medicine was finally ready.
"Shouldn't you let it cool first," Genki asked as he saw the older man pour some of the liquid into a cup.
"We've run out of time kid. The serum is at it's most potent now, which is how we need it if it's to have any hope of saving your friend," Norville explained. "But, at this temperature, it's very likely it will also burn him." The human turned to Joshua and Genki. "I need the two of you hold him completely still so I can pour it into him. Pink Eye, try to use your mind powers to keep him calm, okay?"
"Gotcha," the three said as they took their places. Carefully, the gangly human began to pour the still steaming medication into the hare's mouth. As soon as the hot liquid hit his throat, Hare tried to struggle to close his mouth, but his friends were ready. Imp's small hands held the rabbit's jaws open as more and more of the medicine fell in, sliding down his throat. Finally, it was all gone, and Hare gave a hard shudder before once more relaxing. Norville looked the hare over, sighing as he did so.
"It would appear to be taking affect," the green shirted doctor said. "We'll know for sure if he makes it to morning."
"Is there anything more to we can do?" Gray Wolf asked.
"Sorry but we've done all we can. If your friend's going to make it, he'll have to do it himself. I suggest we settle in, it may be a long night."
************************************************************************
*Hare felt like he'd been running for months, though it had truthfully been only a matter of days. His legs felt like jelly as they pushed him forward, his travel bag hanging from a stick he was using to steady himself.
"Soon... I'll be... far enough... away," the lapine monster grunted to himself. Up ahead, Hare could see what looked like a town. *It'd probably be best to avoid towns for a while. Hagen has too many friends who are likely to return his 'property' to him.* Suddenly, Hare's ears perked up as he a noise came to them. Hare looked behind him to see a cloud of smoke being kicked up. Quickly Hare dove for cover as two wagons pulled by two centaur each came into view. The drivers of the wagons appeared to be a human and a kato. Before Hare could find a better hiding place, the human spotted him, and stopped the wagons.
"Hello?" the human asked, looking Hare in the eye. "Is there any reason you're trying to meld with the ground?" Hare remained silent, unsure of what to make of this friendly sounding human.
"Whatsa matter, don't you know how to talk," the kato asked. That was when one of the centaurs picked up Hare's bag.
"I think I know why he's not talking Ken," he said as he pointed to the red bag.
"A runaway, eh," the man called Ken stated.
"I'm not going back," Hare stated as he fell into a defensive stance, ready for the other five monsters to attack him.
"Makes sense given what some of the beasts who call themselves trainers do to escapees," Ken said. "But, if you're worried about us trying to collect some sort of reward on you, don't. If I did that, I'd have to turn in Tooth here too."
"Ken we better get going. The last thing we need is some hot-shot bounty hunter finding us by accident," Tooth said.
"Okay, Tooth," Ken said as he prepared to start off again. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Hare. "Say kid, you wanna come along? It's not really safe for loners on this road. Bandits don'tcha know."
"I can take care of myself," Hare said indignantly. Unfortunately, his stomach chose just that moment to growl, signaling his hunger.
"Of course you can, but I can also offer some food, if you don't mind helping us out."
"What are you doing?"
"We're gonna try to make it to Ravensway. It's supposed to be the perfect place for a group of entertainers such as ourselves," Ken answered.
"I'm trying to make it to the Eastern Continent. But, I guess I could hang out with you guys, at least until we NEED to part company," Hare said as he put his bag in the wagon. Ken smiled as he offered Hare a hand up to his wagon seat.
************************************************************************
Warm sunlight was the greeting Hare got as he awoke. Slowly his eyes opened, focusing on his surroundings as he tried to get up. His body refused to respond to his thoughts though. He wasn't paralyzed, just too weak to move much. The lapine looked around to find his friends in various places, still asleep. What surprised him most, however, was where Gray Wolf was. The tiger/golem was laying right next to Hare, almost on top of him as he silently slept. It wasn't long before the wolf realized his ally was awake, though, and woke up as well.
"Well, looks like you made it through the night, fur-face," the wolf said. "You lucked out again I'd say."
"Guess you're not gonna get rid of me that easily, huh wolf-boy?" The lupine monster gave a short smile before getting up and waking the others. Norville immediately grabbed his bag and stethoscope. A small hammer helped him test the rabbit's reflexes, which were excellent.
"He's still under the weather," Norville concluded. "But he'll survive."
"I feel so weak, doc. And my chest hurts," Hare complained.
"You'll get stronger, don't worry. You just need to rest," Norville replied. "As to the pain, though, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that."
"Huh?"
"He's a vegicite addict. Vegicite acts on the muscles like a steroid, radically improving them. But without the drug's support, they have to make do with the natural chemicals in the body, which aren't the same. The damaged nerves and such, now lacking vegicite, are simply dealing with the loss. There will always be a certain amount of pain my friend. But, given time, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." With those words, Norville got up and began to pack his things.
"What's going on?" Genki asked.
"Those terror dogs will be back. They know where I live now, so this place is no longer safe. I'd suggest you'd leave too. I don't think you want to get caught here with your friend like this."
"Where will you go?" Was the question Joshua gave.
"I have another home a few miles away. With any luck I'll be able to set up shop again."
"Well, thanks for your help."
"Yeah, I owe you my life," Hare added, trying to shake the human's hand. Norville saw the lapine's attempt and helped, grabbing the limp paw and shaking it for him. Soon, everyone was ready to go. Hare rested in Golem's hands as Joshua once more pulled out his magic stone. He concentrated again, willing the ebony rock to guide him to what he sought. The familiar image of a flaming bird appeared, transforming into an arrow pointing further inland.
"May you find safety elsewhere," Joshua said as he and his friends waved good-bye to the doctor.
"And may you find your quest's successful end as well," the human said as he too left.
************************************************************************
Epilogue
************************************************************************
Thoren sat in the dark on his throne, brooding. In addition to his missing ear, his shoulder is wrapped in a white bandage. Two hands began to glide up the devil hare's back, breaking his dark concentration. A shadow figure began to resolve into the form of a female devil hare. Physically, she was a perfect picture of beauty. Her fur was soft and shiny, hiding the hard body of a seasoned warrior. The copper markings on the female's fur flowed perfectly with the curves of her body. Her face looked warm and loving, despite the vicious fangs that protruded from her upper lip.
"You're so tense Thoren. What is the matter, something on your mind," she cooed softly, her finger directing the male's lips to her own. She gave him a loving kiss, the kind only shared by two lovers.
"There are no problems when you are around, Ravona," Thoren replied, his voice and features loosing all trace of their former harshness. "I suppose you wonder why I summoned you, my little black lotus."
"The thought had crossed my mind," Ravona said as she slid into her mate's lap.
"Master Daemon sent an assignment for you. He's tired of playing games. He needs the others... dealt with and feels you to be the perfect monster to help get his little... 'surprises' into place," Thoren answered.
"Ah, a simple mission for one of my talents."
"I know you won't disappoint me beloved. But Master Daemon needs this done quickly," Thoren said.
"Consider it done, my lord," Ravona replied, bowing as she disappeared in the darkness, leaving behind only a smiling Thoren.
The end
************************************************************************
Well, there you go, hope you liked it. And furthermore, hope you can guess the mystery guest. As to the next chapter, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this. It has been ten chapters, and the searchers have yet to confront a really hard baddy. That's why this chapter marks the end of The Western Continent segment. Be here next time for the new series First of the Four: Pixie Triumphant. Just guess who the villain will be.
The Western Continent: Vegacite's Victim
By Cale Kuecker
Summary: When one of their own lies dying, the six searchers must search for the help of a stranger and his cure But the question remains, just why is Hare dying in the first place?
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Monster Rancher, Monster Farmer, or the mainstay characters in the series. Tecmo and the anime company that produced the show do. The story itself, however, is mine, so it better not be reproduced for any sort of financial gain.
Author's Note: So did you guess who the guest characters were? This one may be a bit tricky, but he is there. Take a closer look at the bandaged and rhyming man Daemon talked too. Can you guess who he is? It's Jack the Slayer from the Dreamcast fighting game Power Stone. I know, pretty obscure, but this time the guest should be easy.
************************************************************************
"Drugs... Yech."
-Scooby Doo, from "A Pup Named Scooby Doo"
************************************************************************
"Hare!" Genki cried as the brown lapine fell to the ground in a ball, his body shaking as he groaned in pain. Joshua ran up to the two, moving Genki out of the way so he could examine the monster.
"Geeze, he's burning up," Joshua said as his hand felt the hare's forehead. "Hare what's wrong?
"It hurts, it hurts," the rabbit moaned. "The... the pouch... the pouch that was with me in the bird... I need it."
"I'm on it," Genki called as he raced to the wreckage. The youth searched the cockpit, trying his best to find the pouch. "It's not here!" the worried boy called.
"I saw it fall out when Hare turned the iron bird over. It was too far away for me to save," said Golem.
"Oh goddess it hurts... Make it stop... please!!!" Hare cried as he struggled. Joshua looked down to find a trickle of blood coming out of the rabbit's mouth. A closer look revealed Hare to be biting his own tongue and drawing a lot of blood from I too.
"Woah hold it," Joshua said, grabbing Hare's mouth to force his jaw open. Quickly, the large man jammed a wad of cloth into his mouth to keep it open. Immediately Hare began to thrash, his normally hidden claws extended as he tried get Joshua off him, scratching up both himself and Joshua. "Golem! Get over here and help me hold him down!" The rock giant's large hand pinned the hare to the ground.
"What can I do?" Genki asked. Joshua grabbed his hand, yanking him over to Hare's mouth.
"Don't let him spit out that cloth. Just keep it here so he can still breathe," Joshua said. "Pink Eye, help me find my bag from the iron bird." The duo sped over to the wreckage, looking for the human's backpack. Hare continued to thrash, actually forcing the golem that held him to put another hand over him to keep him still. Tears were coming from the rabbit's eyes as he moaned and screamed into the rag. Finally Joshua found his bag and dug into it, pulling out the smaller white bag where he usually kept medicinal supplies. The human ran back over to the stricken hare as he pulled out a mortar and pestle as well as some white cubes and a few red plants. "Someone get me some water!" the human ordered. Mocchi grabbed a cup from the backpack as he in turn was grabbed by Gray Wolf.
"I can search faster than you, you just grab the water when we find it." With those words, the two were off like shots. It took twenty minutes for Joshua to completely grind up the plants and cubes, just enough time for Gray Wolf and Mocchi to return with the water. Joshua poured the liquid into the mortar's mixture, wetting it down.
"Genki, I'm gonna take the rag out of Hare's mouth and hold his mouth open. What I need you to do is pour the liquid into his mouth. All of it. Don't spill a single drop."
"Gotcha," Genki said, grabbing the bowl. As predicted, Hare began to try to spit out the rag. Joshua simply yanked it out of the rabbit's mouth and quickly held open his mouth. On cue Genki began to pour the green and chunky water into his friend. Gradually the level of the liquid went down as Hare drank the medicine, his shaking and his thrashing subsiding bit by bit. Soon, the bowl was empty as the situation became much calmer than before.
"That should help the pain some, but it won't last forever," Joshua said as he watched his patient relax a little more and more. His eyes opened, though it was evident that he was still in pain.
"Hare what happened to you?" Genki asked.
"Yeah, you were fine one minute and the next you were trying to claw your own eyes out. I've never seen anything like it," Pink Eye said.
"My... my pouch... I need it... please," Hare begged.
"It's gone Hare," Gray Wolf said.
"No... please no..." Hare said as his eyes closed again, and he lost consciousness.
************************************************************************
*A scene opens with a little hare, no more than five, tied to a wheel unable to move as three sets of eyes look down on him.
"Not as tough as you thought, eh runt," a cruel, but distinctly human, voice said as a gloved hand reached down to roughly pet the boy. The restrained monster tried to bite and action that did nothing but make the human laugh.
"Bogs, quit it," another gruff voice ordered. "No reason to make this more difficult than it has to be."
"Yes sir, Mr Hagen sir."
"Let me go," the hare yelled. "When my daddy finds me missing, he's gonna..."
"Do nothing," the man called Hagen said. "You father knows his place kid, he knows not to cross his betters."
"Sir, if we're going to do this we should start," said another human as the knife in his hand glinted in the light.
"By your leave doctor."*
************************************************************************
Night had fallen and the six remaining searchers had set up camp, complete with a roaring fire in the center of the campsite. Pink Eye was busy cooking dinner as Joshua prepared more medicine to use. Genki and Mocchi watched over Hare, who lay on a bedroll under a blanket, a wet cloth on his forehead to help bring down his temperature. Gray Wolf lay on the other side of the fire, his senses alert and ready for trouble while Golem sat nearby, ready to help either party should the need arise.
"So any idea what happened to Hare Josh?" Pink Eye asked as he stirred the soup he was busy preparing.
"Not really. He didn't get hit in the canyon. It's almost like he's been poisoned," the human said. "But, the medicine I gave him should at least let him sleep for the night. With any luck, some of the anti-toxins I'm making here should help him."
"I hope so, I don't fancy having to go through this everyday," Gray Wolf said.
"You're all heart you know that," Pink Eye said.
"I could have suggested we leave him you know," Gray Wolf pointed out.
"No fighting," Mocchi said, an attempt at an angry look on his face. "He needs to sleep."
"I'm not the one who raised his voice kid," the wolf quipped as he laid his head down again.
************************************************************************
*The hare kitten cried and cried as he tried to disappear into a ball while the three human's looked down on him.
"Well Doctor, I assume he'll stop crying at some point, right?" Bogs said.
"We normally don't do this with a monster at this advanced stage, sir. It can prove difficult and in some cases deadly if the treatment is not accepted," the doctor said as he put the now red knife into his bag. "But Mr. Hagen here was so insistent and did offer a lot of money."
"Which you have been paid to take every precaution," Hagen said. Suddenly, the door was flung open by another hare monster. With the back lighting him, it was impossible to tell what breed he was, though Hagen and Bogs knew him anyway.
"What have you done!?" the rabbit asked in an almost growl.
"We've done nothing more than what we do to all the other monsters on our happy little ranch," Hagen said, his voice friendly but with a hint of contempt.
"You're not supposed to do this past the first year, you could have killed him!" the hair said as he gathered the sobbing boy in his arms. A glint of light shows some scarred stitching on the boy's body. "I swear Hagen, if he dies, you'll follow him!" At the hare's words, Bogs reached for his whip, ready to strike.
"Why you wretched..."
"Bogs, the boy here has reason to be upset," Hagen said, looking at the hare-hybrid as he left with the boy in his arms. "But you had best not make that mistake again beast. I do not forgive second mistakes."*
************************************************************************
"Well well well what do we have here?" came a voice from outside the searcher's camp. Gray Wolf's head lifted from the ground in a flash as he looked around for the source of the voice, as the other searchers began to wake up, save for Hare. Sitting on a rock nearby was a small figure that could only belong to the mew breed. Its coloring however was different from normal, being black and gray fur with red eyes that identified it's monol blood.
"An Imp," Gray Wolf growled as his eyes locked on baddy insignia displayed on the interloper's dark gray chest. The cat doll hybrid bounced over to Hare who still lay under the blanket, once more shaking.
"Ooooh, your buddy looks in really bad shape if you ask me," a small paw opened one of the hare's eyes so the imp could look into it. "Definitely a bad case if I ever did see one."
"Get away from him baddy," Genki said, trying to grab the mew hybrid.
"Baddy?" The imp asked as he leapt over the boy, a little confused. "Oh this," he said as he unclipped the medallion. "It's good isn't it. My trainer made this so I could explore without the baddies harassing me. Of course it'd never stand up to a real close inspection, but for the idiots you find just wandering around here, it's good eno... OOF!" Gray Wolf pinned Imp to the ground.
"Yeah right, you expect us to believe that story!"
"Believe it or not it's no skin offa my nose wolfie, but without help your friend there's gonna die of vegicite withdrawal syndrome without help before the sun goes down," Imp countered, a perpetual smile on his face.
"You know what's wrong with him?" Joshua asked as he walked over to the petite monster. "How?"
"A lot of monsters in Moo's army is dependent of treatment for vegicite. They get what they need and suddenly my master's home drops off the face of the planet."
"A chicken's arrangement," Gray Wolf said in disgust. "How can he help those who have enslaved his kind, the coward?" At those words Imp lost the smile on his face as he grabbed Gray Wolf's fur.
"Don't you ever call him a coward. If you'd seen the final stages before a vegicite victim dies, you'd be there in a nurse's uniform to help those poor monsters." Suddenly, the smile returned as Imp continued. "Of course, you'll see it anyway from the hare."
"My friend meant no disrespect, friend Imp," said Joshua. "If you know someone who can help our friend, we'd be very grateful if you told us."
"Well.... all right. Grab long ears there and follow me," the mew/monol said as he leapt into the bush.
************************************************************************
*Hare sat with his father in the cold morning air. The sun had barely begun to rise as several other monsters also sat, waiting outside a large wooden building.
"Daddy, I'm cold and my tummy feels funny," Hare said as he tugged at the elder hare.
"Don't worry son, this'll all be over soon," the elder rabbit answered, holding his son closer. Suddenly, the door of the building opened as Hagen, Bogs, and a man in a white coat came out carrying a bag.
"Ah, it would appear we've kept them waiting," Hagen said as he walked out. A zuum, his eyes bloodshot and his body quaking ran up to the human.
"Skip the small talk Hagen, just give me the stuff," the monster begged, clawed hands on the human's shoulders.
"Now now Singe, you needn't worry, you'll get your prize," Hagen said as he reached into the bag and handed the zuum what looked like a bar of brown chocolate. The lizard greedily ate the bar and immediately began to look much better as his body stopped shaking. One by one, Hagen went to each monster in turn and gave them each a bar. Finally, he came to Hare and his father. "Well well well, it looks like we have a new monster in the lines. And how are you feeling today, little one?"
"My tummy hurts," Hare said, only to receive a derisive snort of laughter from the human.
"Oooh, your tummy hurts does it? Well, I have the cure for that." With those words Hagen once more reached into his bag, pulling out another of the brown bars. "This is a yummy little candy called vegicite. Eat it all up, and I guarantee that nasty feeling in your gut will go away." Hare took the "candy" from his owner, a little skeptical of it's supposed curing ability as he ate it. But... he did begin to feel better.
************************************************************************
Imp bounded through the forest, a huge smile on his face as he lead the searchers down a path that seemed overgrown. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that what could be seen as overgrowth was actually carefully maintained camouflage to hide the trail. The searchers walked single file, with Golem in the middle carrying Hare.
"Are we anywhere close to the end of this trail?" Gray Wolf said, suspecting a trap.
"Calm down calm down, we're almost there," answered Imp. "Hey rock- head, how's your friend's breathing?"
"He's still gasping for breath, but seems to be doing the same," came Golem's slow response.
"Well, that's a good sign at least," Imp said as he bounded through the bushes. "And here's another one, we're here." The mew/monol parted the brush so the searchers could see a small clearing with a cottage sitting at the end of the trail. In three high-powered jumps Imp made it to the door of the structure, knocking on it loudly. "Hey Mr. Norville!! I got some guys to see ya!!" At the imp's words, a tall gangly man opened the door and stepped outside. He looked young, with a small beard and hair of red, as well as a friendly face, despite the beady eyes he sported as well. He was wearing a green shirt and long brown pants with black shoes that made Genki think of a beatnik or a grunge man.
"Like hi!" the man called Norville said in a crackling voice, waving at the six as he walked forward. "I don't get too many human and monster groups this way, least not since Moo took down the kingdom and the continent." Norville held out his hand to Joshua, a smile on his face.
"I wish we had time for pleasantries," Joshua said, as he took the hand. "But we've got an emergency on our hands." Golem lowered Hare to the ground so that Norville could see him. The tall human looked carefully at the lapine.
"Well, what can you expect?" Norville said, his voice loosing a little of it's pleasantness. "You're withholding his vegicite from him, of course he's gonna suffer the withdrawal symptoms."
"Excuse me sir, but what's vegicite?" asked Genki.
"I'm kinda curious about that myself," Pink Eye added. "Your imp said the same word, for all it means to me."
"Save the chatter. Get your 'friend' inside so I can, like, check him and see how advanced his condition is. That way I can figure out, like, what to do," Norville commanded. Joshua took Hare from Golem, whose large body was unable to fit through the door, and he and the others entered. Inside the house looked well lived in, with a nice big table holding the remains of breakfast on it. A fireplace stood in the center of the far wall, and nearby was a bed-like couch.
"Where can I put him?" Joshua asked.
"Just lay him there while I get my things." Norville walked over to a small closet, pulling out of tray of instruments. Imp appeared with a wet cloth he promptly lay on Hare's forehead as his trainer picked up a stethoscope and gently put it to Hare's chest.
"His eyes weren't dilating very well when I looked at them boss," Imp commented. "And he's shaking like a leaf."
"Not good. He's in late third stage, or possibly even fourth. Do we have any of the ingredients for the serum left?"
"Not sure but I can check," said Imp as he once more bounded off.
"So, how when did you make this monster, like, have the procedure?" Norville asked Joshua, a disgusted look on his face. Joshua decided he'd had enough.
"What are you talking about?" the bearded human asked. "First you welcome us and then you take one look at my friend here and become a glacier. Please, tell us what's happening too poor Hare."
"Oh give me a break. Your type of trainer always makes me so sick," said Norville, never taking his eyes off his patient. "You try to act like you actually care about monsters, but all they are to you is possessions to be used up like paper. That's probably why you hooked him on vegicite to begin with. One can only imagine what problems riddle the bodies of these other poor monsters you order around."
"Now wait just a minute," Joshua started.
"What do you mean by 'our type of trainer?!'" Genki yelled, insulted at what was being insinuated. "We do care about monsters, especially these five. They're our friends."
"No one orders me," Gray Wolf said, growling at the human who ignored him.
"A likely story, but this," Norville pointed to Hare's unconscious form, "seems to speak volumes of a different story." At first it appeared that Joshua was going to blow his top, especially considering what Norville was insinuating. But, cooler heads prevail in tense situations, and it was in a calm voice that he spoke his next words.
"What exactly is wrong with our friend?"
"He is suffering from the violent withdrawal effects of the drug vegicite which is used to stabilize the physical alterations used to improve his fighting ability," Norville answered, his voice as neutral as he could make it. "Next time you attempt such a method to increase your monster's combat abilities, I would suggest you fully research ALL the potential side-effects."
"What physical alterations?" Genki asked, completely lost as to what the tall monster doctor was talking about.
"I'm afraid we don't know what you are talking about, sir. My friends and I only just arrived on this continent. Hare is the only one from this place and him we met on the Eastern Continent anyway."
"Then it must have been done by his previous trainer. Who did you buy him from?"
"We didn't, the furball just tagged along," Gray Wolf said, more than a little indignant over what Norville was implying.
"Hmm. Then how has he been surviving. Only humans are able to purchase vegicite. That's one of the reasons it's used so much here, to keep mistreated monsters 'in their place' so to speak. Sufficed to say, your friend will die unless he gets help," said the older man. "I created a serum a few years ago that's able to block the withdrawal symptoms without feeding the addiction. It's not a permanent solution, but it will keep him alive."
"We have a problem boss," Imp said as he stepped into the room carrying a two bottles. "We need more ingredients to make the serum, all we have left is the mistletoe juice and the powdered ramya roots."
"Damn! That's not good!"
"Maybe we can help you get the other stuff you need," Genki said energetically. "He is our friend and we'd do anything to help him."
"Hmph, speak for yourself," Gray Wolf said under his breath.
"There are three more items I need to make my serum, and not one of them is easy to find. Based on this hare's current condition, I'd say we only have until nightfall to collect them," the grungy doctor pointed out the window at the slowly descending sun. "When the sunlight dies, so does he."
"Then what are we waiting for," Genki said, strapping on his skates.
"We need sentren oil from the dion fish in the river, twenty-five sepitul berries. Those grow sparsely in the forest. And finally, rega nuts from the gar tree about three and a half miles from here."
"We'll split up into three groups," Joshua said. "Golem and I will get the fish."
"Mr. Norville knows what the berries look like, Mocchi and I will go with him," Genki continued.
"That makes sense, Pink Eye and I are the fastest, so we can get the nuts," Gray Wolf said.
"Then let's hurry, we don't have much time."
************************************************************************
*"Keep your guard up tough guy," came a voice.
"Like this dad?" a six year old Hare asked as his hands blocked his face. His arms shook in anticipation of his first real lesson with his father.
"Tim, you need to relax. You wouldn't be able to block a feather with that defense," the elder hare-type said. To illustrate the point, a soft and well placed punch broke throw Hare's feeble defenses, lightly tapping the child's cheek. "Remember, relaxation is the key to fluid movement. If you're tense, you'll never move quick enough to keep up with an opponent's attack."
"Okay, I'll try to relax," Hare said.
"Now, try to block my attack." Hare's father launched into a controlled machine gun punch, his fists careful not to actually strike the vulnerable boy's head. Every once and a while though, Hare was able to block one of the punches, as evidenced by the soft grunts occasionally emanating from the boy. Suddenly, Hare doubled over and fell to the ground, groaning and screaming.
"Dad... dad... It hurts... Dad make it stop," the child begged looking desperately at his father. The elder hare-type grabbed his son and sprinted for the main house that dominated an entire section of the ranch, knowing exactly who his son needed to see. Inside the building, the hare ran to a room that sat off to the side, kicking in the door. Inside was what looked like a lab with several test-tubes and containers of different chemicals. In the corner, pouring more liquids, stood a human in a white lab coat.
"Doctor Kain!!" the agitated monster cried.
"What is it? What's happened?" the doctor asked before noticing the child in the lapine's arms. "What happened to him?"
"He just keeled over. I think it's withdrawal."
"That's not possible," Kain said, his eyes disbelieving. "He's had his dose of vegicite, how could he be suffering withdrawal so quickly." The human reached into his bag, pulling out the familiar black bar. "Still, I suppose it's possible. I guess it's better safe than sorry." With those words, the doctor carefully fed the bar to the child, who visibly began to show signs of relief.
************************************************************************
"Here's another one Golem," Joshua said as he tossed the rock giant one of the spongy animals called dion fish. Golem carefully squeezed the one he had, letting it's oil spill into a bucket before tossing the fish back into the river, where it happily swam away.
"I feel a little guilty about hurting these fish for their oil," Golem said.
"Don't it's a lot like sheering sheep for wool. Dion fish have nothing that can be crushed and their oil does help make medicine," Joshua said as he threw another fish to his friend. Suddenly, the human stopped as he heard something.
"Someone is near," Golem whispered. Immediately, the two grabbed their stuff and dove back into the growth of the forest. As soon as they did, two terror dogs appeared. The tiger/monol hybrids both bore a Moo symbol on their chests, and neither one looked particularly friendly.
"All right Maul, we're here. And there's nothing here!" One of the tiger hybrids exclaimed.
"Nothing here NOW Sarin, thanks to you making all that noise," the one called Maul countered. "But my nose never lies, there's a stranger around here."
"Eh it's probably just that mew hybrid that keeps showing up around here," Sarin said irritably. "I ever find out what outfit that twerp belongs to, I have him cleaning baku litter boxes till the day he dies."
"No the scent's human. We better report this to Master Pixie, she's gonna want to know." With those words, the two terror dogs left, leaving Golem and Joshua alone, and a little puzzled.
************************************************************************
A distance away, Genki stood sifting through all manner of foliage in his attempt to find some sepitul berries. So far, he had only managed to find five. Norville had not been kidding when he said the berries were scarce. He himself only possessed three, while Mocchi had been completely unsuccessful in finding any. The little green and red berries only seemed to grow about two to a plant.
"Are you sure these are the berries we need?" Genki asked as he eyed another one of the repugnant fruit.
"Yes. They're rare but they're useful."
"Ouch," Mocchi cried as another thorn stuck his hand before shoving the wounded appendage into his mouth. "I don't like this!" Suddenly, Mocchi's face brightened as he noticed something red nearby. Closer and closer the little monster got, and soon he squealed in glee as he realized he had found seven of the berry plants.
"Way to go Moch, only ten more to go," Genki started, only to find Norville's hand clamping on his mouth.
"Both of you be quiet," the gangly man hissed. In the silence, the boy began to hear the reason for his host's alarm and then he could see them. Two terror dogs, not but a few yards away, were busy sniffing the air and ground, definitely looking for something.
"Damn that Maul," one of the hybrids said. "He had to go sniffing for intruders didn't he."
"I know what you mean Snape. I'd much rather be with the rest of the pack instead of on one of that fool's wild goose chases," said the other as the two walked by.
************************************************************************
Meanwhile, at the gar tree, Pink Eye and Gray Wolf were busy as bees stuffing as many of the dry rega nuts as they could find into Pink Eye's pouch.
"There we go, the last nut," Gray Wolf said as he dropped the dried seed into the bag.
"Finally. I hope that rabbit appreciates what we've done for him," Pink Eye said.
"Geeze, that's kinda harsh Pink."
"He should have told us about this. If he had, we wouldn't be in this predicament now."
"Have you told us everything about yourself? I know I still have secrets I keep to myself," Gray Wolf said. "Everyone has things they're less than proud of in their pasts, you just have to deal with..." Suddenly, Gray Wolf stopped in his tracks.
"What is it?" Pink Eye asked as stood beside his teammate.
"I smell something. Get into the tree... NOW." With a vertical leap, the silver lupine was in the trees as his suezo hybrid companion teleported to the same local. Below them, seven more terror dogs burst into the clearing, sniffing the air wildly.
"They were here," one of the black furred dogs said. "there were two of them, at least that I could tell. A suezo and a... tiger."
"A suezo?" another terror dog asked. "They could be anywhere if that thing teleported."
"So, they had to come from somewhere," the first terror dog said, sniffing the ground. "We'll follow their trail. With any luck, they'll have other refuges we can send to Master Pixie." With those words, the seven took off.
"We have to get the others," said Gray Wolf, as he and Pink Eye bolted away.
************************************************************************
*Hare moved silently through the night air, his bag and pole tied around his chest to allow him freedom of movement. The purebred hare ducked down ever now and again, fearful of the humans who watched to prevent escape. Quietly, the brown furred lapine worked on the lock to the house, smiling as he thought over the plan he'd made. Soon, the lock gave, a cheap lock Hagen had bought, never really considering the possibility of escape. Inside he found food, which he gladly took, but that was only secondary to his true objective. A sharp twist of a knob opened the door to the lab, where the entire store of vegicite for the ranch was kept. Placing his now open back on the table, Hare pulled out a pouch into which he began to stuff several of the chocolate brown bars.
"Well well look what we have here," came a voice from the door. Hare turned around to see Doctor Kain standing in the doorway, an angry look on his face as he held a long machete in his hand. "You trying to follow in daddy dearest's footsteps beast?"
"Get out of my way Kain," Hare said, venom dripping in his voice. "I'm leaving, and you're not gonna stop me."
"They say you're a pretty intelligent animal, so use that 'intellect' of yours and think," Kain said menacingly. "How long do you think you'll survive out there on your own?"
"Long enough with this," said the monster, holding up the pouch.
"Not if I can help it," said the human as he lunged for Hare. The lapine reacted well, grabbing the human's outstretched arm under his own, wrenching it to force Kain to drop the blade. The doctor tried to scream a warning, but before he could, Hare slammed his head into a wall and Kain dropped to the floor, unconscious. Quickly, Hare gathered his things, ready to leave.*
************************************************************************
Imp carefully watched over Hare as the lapine monster twitched and grimaced in pain, scared. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky and Hare was deteriorating.
"Come on Norv, ya gotta get back here," the mew/monol said, a twinge of fear in his normally cheerful voice. The hybrid monster had seen the effects of withdrawal before, too many times in his opinion. Each time it seemed worse as he watched otherwise healthy monsters die in agony over a former owner's need to control them. Imp had even felt the pain, a parting gift from his former master. When Moo's forces had raided Imp's town, they'd razed it, destroying all of the drug. Imp had wandered for days, desperate to find help. The cat doll remembered very well his own agony as he lay on the ground, wracked with pain, haunted by hallucinations for days before Norville had found him, cured him.
"AAAAHHH!" Hare screamed as his body jolted in pain. He was getting worse, Imp could tell. The mew/monol looked over to a small box sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. He knew it's contents well, it was a last resort, in case Norville failed his patients. A small syringe filled with a quick and painless poison that would send it's victim into a peaceful death, truthfully a better fate than the final stage of the drug's withdrawal.
Imp's ears suddenly twitched as the sound of plants being parted came to them. At first, Imp thought his friends had returned, but the amount of care whoever it was was taking to keep quiet killed that notion. Carefully, Imp opened the door to look out. At first, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, but suddenly , a black shape pounced on the ground, ready to tackle the small monster. The mew/monol proved quicker, however, slamming the door shut and locking it to keep the baddies out. At the window, the imp looked out to see eleven terror dogs pacing on the lawn, angry looks on their faces.
"You in the house, come out now," the lead terror dog yelled.
"Uh, sorry, but we're closed for the day. Make and appointment with the secretary and we'll get back to you," called Imp.
"You think this is some sort of game. We are the terror dogs of Master Pixie, the most feared of the Big Bad Four. I, Captain Sarin, demand you surrender yourself and any other occupants of the house immediately," Sarin growled.
"No one else lives here but me," Imp answered back.
"The scents coming from your door seems to speak differently. I count at least seven different scents in the area."
"I'm not a hermit. I do get visitors you know."
"A likely story. Come out now our we'll drag you out... LIGHTNING!!" At Sarin's words, purple energy lanced out of the black dog's horns striking the door and singeing it badly.
*Damn. I can't let them get inside,* Imp thought.
"All right, I'm coming out. But I don't know what you expect to find," said Imp as he stepped outside. The terror dogs took one look at the tiny monster and broke into laughter.
"My my," Sarin chortled. "What a big house for a such a little kitty? And you expect us to believe you live alone?"
"What can I say, I like to live large," Imp said smiling.
"Maul, Turk... Go in an make sure our little friend is alone," Sarin ordered, and the two terror dogs began to comply. Suddenly, they were blocked by Imp, the mew/monol refusing to budge to let them pass.
"I don't let mutts I don't know enter my house," the imp said, his body tensing in preparation for what was to come.
"You're gonna regret that... TORPEDO!" The two dogs fired super quick balls of energy that the mew/monol jumped over. In the air, Imp fired his laser eyes and two red beams lashed out at the duo. Just as with the torpedoes, the terror dogs dodged and Maul leapt into the air to meet Imp, tacking the cat doll in mid air and driving him to the ground. The wolf's slobbering jaws were poised over the smaller monster, ready to bite him in half. "I told you you'd regret fighting..."
"ARCTIC BLAST!!" Came a howl which was followed by a white and ice- blue beam rushing out of the forest, striking Maul and freezing him solid. Immediately, the attack was followed by Gray Wolf bursting out of the foliage, sinking his teeth into Sarin's shoulder as he tackled the black dog. The other searchers were not far behind and they attacked the baddies. Genki rushed up to one of the dark wolves, thrusting out his foot to connect to the baddy's lower jaw as Mocchi in ball form slammed down of his back. Golem grabbed two of the hounds, one in each hand, and began to squeeze, hoping the knock them out from lack of air and avoid killing. Turk jumped at Joshua, energy crackling around his horns as he prepared to call forth his lightning. Before he could say anything, though, a much larger set of lips wrapped around his muzzle, holding his mouth shut as all his energy simply drained away. Pink Eye released his slobbery kiss attack and landed beside the fallen terror dog as Joshua's fist knocked another away. Norville stayed behind, holding onto the precious ingredients looking for some safe route to get back to the cottage.
"AHHH!" Genki screamed as a bolt of lightning surged through his body. Mocchi scrambled to help his friend and trainer, only to feel it as two paws struck him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Gray Wolf had his paws full with three of the terror dogs that had begun to triple team the silver lupine. Gray Wolf could only watch out of the corner of his eye, unable to find a way to save the boy. Suddenly, a brown-furred fist uppercutted the attacking terror dog, breaking his concentration and freeing Genki. Hare stood nearby, gasping for breath as he knelt on bended knee, obviously far from one hundred percent. The uppercut had been a weak and desperate attempt to save a friend, as evidenced by the fact that the terror dog was quickly recovering, and he didn't look happy.
"You don't look so good rabbit. Maybe you need some sauna time," the wolf said as he began to charge his lightning to attack the downed lapine. That was before two hands grabbed the horns and Genki jumped onto the wolf's back.
"Ride 'em cowboy!" The boy yelled as he spurred the tiger/monol's sides.
"Hey get offa me. I'm no centaur!"
"No, you're dead meat," Gray Wolf called, as he launched an ice bullet at the terror dog. The block of ice hit him hard right in the head, killing him. Behind the silver wolf, three mystery disks lay smoking in the ground. Gray Wolf then turned to the terror dog holding Mocchi down and launched a torpedo for the kill. Joshua's dagger found the heart of a sixth terror dog, reducing it to a disk as Pink Eye's eyebeam reduced another to cinders. Sarin, no longer possessing the advantage of numbers, was quick to issue new commands.
"Terror dogs, retreat," the black wolf leader called. The other four remaining canines needed no further incentive and quickly the noticeably smaller pack escaped into the fading night.
"We don't have much time. Get your friend back inside. I'm gonna make the serum now. With any luck, we can save him," Norville said. Genki and Joshua carried Hare back inside and lay him down as Norville began to mix the ingredients. It took a little under an hour before the berries were juiced and the nuts ground, which allowed them to be mixed with the fish oil and the other two liquids before the whole amount could be set to heat on a fire for two hours. The last rays of sunlight began to fade as the medicine was finally ready.
"Shouldn't you let it cool first," Genki asked as he saw the older man pour some of the liquid into a cup.
"We've run out of time kid. The serum is at it's most potent now, which is how we need it if it's to have any hope of saving your friend," Norville explained. "But, at this temperature, it's very likely it will also burn him." The human turned to Joshua and Genki. "I need the two of you hold him completely still so I can pour it into him. Pink Eye, try to use your mind powers to keep him calm, okay?"
"Gotcha," the three said as they took their places. Carefully, the gangly human began to pour the still steaming medication into the hare's mouth. As soon as the hot liquid hit his throat, Hare tried to struggle to close his mouth, but his friends were ready. Imp's small hands held the rabbit's jaws open as more and more of the medicine fell in, sliding down his throat. Finally, it was all gone, and Hare gave a hard shudder before once more relaxing. Norville looked the hare over, sighing as he did so.
"It would appear to be taking affect," the green shirted doctor said. "We'll know for sure if he makes it to morning."
"Is there anything more to we can do?" Gray Wolf asked.
"Sorry but we've done all we can. If your friend's going to make it, he'll have to do it himself. I suggest we settle in, it may be a long night."
************************************************************************
*Hare felt like he'd been running for months, though it had truthfully been only a matter of days. His legs felt like jelly as they pushed him forward, his travel bag hanging from a stick he was using to steady himself.
"Soon... I'll be... far enough... away," the lapine monster grunted to himself. Up ahead, Hare could see what looked like a town. *It'd probably be best to avoid towns for a while. Hagen has too many friends who are likely to return his 'property' to him.* Suddenly, Hare's ears perked up as he a noise came to them. Hare looked behind him to see a cloud of smoke being kicked up. Quickly Hare dove for cover as two wagons pulled by two centaur each came into view. The drivers of the wagons appeared to be a human and a kato. Before Hare could find a better hiding place, the human spotted him, and stopped the wagons.
"Hello?" the human asked, looking Hare in the eye. "Is there any reason you're trying to meld with the ground?" Hare remained silent, unsure of what to make of this friendly sounding human.
"Whatsa matter, don't you know how to talk," the kato asked. That was when one of the centaurs picked up Hare's bag.
"I think I know why he's not talking Ken," he said as he pointed to the red bag.
"A runaway, eh," the man called Ken stated.
"I'm not going back," Hare stated as he fell into a defensive stance, ready for the other five monsters to attack him.
"Makes sense given what some of the beasts who call themselves trainers do to escapees," Ken said. "But, if you're worried about us trying to collect some sort of reward on you, don't. If I did that, I'd have to turn in Tooth here too."
"Ken we better get going. The last thing we need is some hot-shot bounty hunter finding us by accident," Tooth said.
"Okay, Tooth," Ken said as he prepared to start off again. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Hare. "Say kid, you wanna come along? It's not really safe for loners on this road. Bandits don'tcha know."
"I can take care of myself," Hare said indignantly. Unfortunately, his stomach chose just that moment to growl, signaling his hunger.
"Of course you can, but I can also offer some food, if you don't mind helping us out."
"What are you doing?"
"We're gonna try to make it to Ravensway. It's supposed to be the perfect place for a group of entertainers such as ourselves," Ken answered.
"I'm trying to make it to the Eastern Continent. But, I guess I could hang out with you guys, at least until we NEED to part company," Hare said as he put his bag in the wagon. Ken smiled as he offered Hare a hand up to his wagon seat.
************************************************************************
Warm sunlight was the greeting Hare got as he awoke. Slowly his eyes opened, focusing on his surroundings as he tried to get up. His body refused to respond to his thoughts though. He wasn't paralyzed, just too weak to move much. The lapine looked around to find his friends in various places, still asleep. What surprised him most, however, was where Gray Wolf was. The tiger/golem was laying right next to Hare, almost on top of him as he silently slept. It wasn't long before the wolf realized his ally was awake, though, and woke up as well.
"Well, looks like you made it through the night, fur-face," the wolf said. "You lucked out again I'd say."
"Guess you're not gonna get rid of me that easily, huh wolf-boy?" The lupine monster gave a short smile before getting up and waking the others. Norville immediately grabbed his bag and stethoscope. A small hammer helped him test the rabbit's reflexes, which were excellent.
"He's still under the weather," Norville concluded. "But he'll survive."
"I feel so weak, doc. And my chest hurts," Hare complained.
"You'll get stronger, don't worry. You just need to rest," Norville replied. "As to the pain, though, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that."
"Huh?"
"He's a vegicite addict. Vegicite acts on the muscles like a steroid, radically improving them. But without the drug's support, they have to make do with the natural chemicals in the body, which aren't the same. The damaged nerves and such, now lacking vegicite, are simply dealing with the loss. There will always be a certain amount of pain my friend. But, given time, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." With those words, Norville got up and began to pack his things.
"What's going on?" Genki asked.
"Those terror dogs will be back. They know where I live now, so this place is no longer safe. I'd suggest you'd leave too. I don't think you want to get caught here with your friend like this."
"Where will you go?" Was the question Joshua gave.
"I have another home a few miles away. With any luck I'll be able to set up shop again."
"Well, thanks for your help."
"Yeah, I owe you my life," Hare added, trying to shake the human's hand. Norville saw the lapine's attempt and helped, grabbing the limp paw and shaking it for him. Soon, everyone was ready to go. Hare rested in Golem's hands as Joshua once more pulled out his magic stone. He concentrated again, willing the ebony rock to guide him to what he sought. The familiar image of a flaming bird appeared, transforming into an arrow pointing further inland.
"May you find safety elsewhere," Joshua said as he and his friends waved good-bye to the doctor.
"And may you find your quest's successful end as well," the human said as he too left.
************************************************************************
Epilogue
************************************************************************
Thoren sat in the dark on his throne, brooding. In addition to his missing ear, his shoulder is wrapped in a white bandage. Two hands began to glide up the devil hare's back, breaking his dark concentration. A shadow figure began to resolve into the form of a female devil hare. Physically, she was a perfect picture of beauty. Her fur was soft and shiny, hiding the hard body of a seasoned warrior. The copper markings on the female's fur flowed perfectly with the curves of her body. Her face looked warm and loving, despite the vicious fangs that protruded from her upper lip.
"You're so tense Thoren. What is the matter, something on your mind," she cooed softly, her finger directing the male's lips to her own. She gave him a loving kiss, the kind only shared by two lovers.
"There are no problems when you are around, Ravona," Thoren replied, his voice and features loosing all trace of their former harshness. "I suppose you wonder why I summoned you, my little black lotus."
"The thought had crossed my mind," Ravona said as she slid into her mate's lap.
"Master Daemon sent an assignment for you. He's tired of playing games. He needs the others... dealt with and feels you to be the perfect monster to help get his little... 'surprises' into place," Thoren answered.
"Ah, a simple mission for one of my talents."
"I know you won't disappoint me beloved. But Master Daemon needs this done quickly," Thoren said.
"Consider it done, my lord," Ravona replied, bowing as she disappeared in the darkness, leaving behind only a smiling Thoren.
The end
************************************************************************
Well, there you go, hope you liked it. And furthermore, hope you can guess the mystery guest. As to the next chapter, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this. It has been ten chapters, and the searchers have yet to confront a really hard baddy. That's why this chapter marks the end of The Western Continent segment. Be here next time for the new series First of the Four: Pixie Triumphant. Just guess who the villain will be.