The front door to the Mars Lighthouse lie before them, dark and foreboding.
The Lighthouse was enormous, not unlike all of the others the Adepts had
visited, but an aura of evil seemed to surround this one in particular.
"Garet, Jenna? Someone's going to have to open the door. You're both Mars Adepts, so one of you has to do it." Isaac stated.
"I'll do it." Garet stated, walking up to an insignia of a raging flame. He cast Flare on the picture, and the doors slowly opened up, to reveal the lobby of the Lighthouse. The lobby was wide open, spanning the entire first floor. There were no obstacles in the way, save for a few columns and pillars.
"Wow. This place is pretty straightforward, isn't it?" Ivan asked, noticing a staircase leading to the next floor. "It's a lot less confounding than the other Lighthouses already."
"Well, maybe they designed this place with a typical Mars Adept in mind: Quick, To-The-Point, and Simple." Isaac replied.
"What are you insinuating, Isaac?!" Jenna snapped back.
"Not YOU, Jenna. Jeez." Isaac sighed. "I was referring to Garet, Saturos, and Menardi."
"How dare you classify me with the likes of them!" Garet exclaimed.
"Well, the three of you are impatient, hotheaded, and irratating. . ." Jenna replied, smiling.
"But only two of them are evil." Isaac said. "All right, let's go. I can't wait to see what they've got up their sleeves for us now." Isaac and company slowly walked into the Lighthouse, being careful to ensure they weren't setting off any traps. The floor was clear; no enemies, no traps, and no sign of the evil ones. The cautiously moved up to the next floor, which was much like the first. Whomever had designed this lighthouse obviously had the impatient in mind when he did so. Finally, Isaac and the others made it into the third floor, where they were greeted by a large great hall. It looked almost like a battle arena, as it had cages along the sides of the room.
"What the hell is this?" Dargon asked, clutching his long sword in his palm. "I don't like this at all. It feels like a trap." Unfazed, Isaac led the group into the room, where he was followed closely by Mia, Garet, and Felix. As they crossed the hall, Isaac and most of the others could swear they heard the growling of some rather hungry Hellhounds and Fenrirs in this room. However, the only places they could've been were in the cages, and they were all bolted shut. The next hallway lie mere yards in front of Isaac, and he carefully approached the new hall with Mia almost hanging on his shoulder. As Isaac stepped into the threshold of the new hallway, a giant iron portcullis slammed down between most of the group and Isaac and Mia. Now separated into a group of five and a group of two, the new situation posed some major problems for the lot of them.
"Now what?!" Garet exclaimed, banging his hands on the portcullis and swearing underneath his breath.
"Calm down, Garet." Ivan stated.
"I told you this place was a bloody trap!"
"Sharp as a tack, exactly how I remember you, Dargon." The mocking voice of Edward Giles sounded. The man was located on a roost several stories above them, so he was far out of reach for any ranged weapon and would be difficult to target with Psynergy. "Well, I guess I timed the portcullis a little poorly. I see Isaac and Mia managed to slip through. No matter. I hope you five others enjoy a meeting with some of my little friends. See you later. . ." Edward replied, pulling some kind of lever and disappearing from sight. The bars on the cages fell into the ground and about fifteen slobbering Hellhounds and ten Fenrirs leapt from the holding cells and began snarling at the Adepts.
"Damn! The odds are five to one!" Garet shouted, drawing his sword. "Isaac! Get going!"
"But. . ."
"Isaac, if you don't get to the Aerie and release Triad's spirit, this whole trip will be wasted! Besides, you can't get through that gate! Move it!" Felix shouted at him, knocking a Hellhound away from him with his Silver Blade.
"Felix!" Isaac shouted, banging on the gate.
"Isaac, come on. We have to get moving." Mia placed her hand softly on Isaac's shoulder. The Venus Adept turned to face her; his eyes flooded with concern, but he nodded in consent. The two dashed up the flight of stairs, leaving the others to fight the demon hounds alone.
"Good, they've gone ahead! Shine Plasma!" Ivan shouted, casting a blast of lightning into the drooling hounds. Three of the dogs were instantly flash-fried, falling to the ground smelling of rotting and scorched flesh. Jenna raised her Ankh into the air and fired a blast of Eruption into the ranks, sending five dogs into piles of ashes. Her Psy power had been magnified by the power of the lighthouse, and she feel as though she could still tap deeper into her power. Felix decided to shake up the party with an Earthquake, which rattled the floor and sent several dogs off balance, giving Dargon and Garet time to slay them in hand-to-hand combat with minimal retaliation. Twelve of the twenty-five dogs now lie lifeless on the floor of the lighthouse; most of the dead were Hellhounds, while the Fenrirs still stood strong. The remaining thirteen leapt forward and attacked fiercely. Four of them went straight at Dargon, whom was barely able to keep them at bay with his sword and shield. Ivan and Jenna, who had their backs against the Lighthouse walls, were cornered by about five. The other four bared down on Felix and Garet, who could easily defend themselves from two-to-one odds.
Dargon, who was getting a tad overwhelmed, was assisted when a blast of Spark Plasma pounded two of the Fenrirs away from him. The dogs, burned and stunned, were easy prey to Dargon's long sword. He ran the first through in the head, and broke the other's neck with a shield bash.
Felix, noticing his sister in danger, leapt forward with his Silver Blade, and slammed one that was preparing to strike with an Aqua Sock. The dog was instantly drenched in pure water, burning its unholy skin with its purity. Felix pressed his attack and shoved the sword blade into its throat, ending its life in an instant. The other four hounds became confused at the sight of their comrade's death. This was a grave mistake on the hounds' part. A surge of Flare Storm tore through the four hounds and knocked them all to the ground. Garet and Felix were fast with the follow through, and now the four remaining hounds were forced to reconsider their attack. The dogs, realizing their folly, prepared to flee, but Dargon stood in their escape route, shield up and sword ready. The hounds growled at him; they knew well they were trapped. Dargon surged forward, impaling the first Fenrir with his sword and bashing another away with his shield. Felix was quick with the cut on the stunned hound, leaving Garet to finish the final two off with two clean swings of his Swift Sword.
"That was crazy!" Garet exclaimed, panting heavily.
"Tell me about it, Garet! This armor was the only thing that saved my life!" Dargon said, pointing out the dents in the leg pieces of his plate mail. The hounds had tried to bite through the armor, but luckily they didn't succeed.
"Well, at least that's over." Felix sighed, surveying the carnage he and the others had let slip. This battle was tough, but he somehow felt they weren't done.
"I'm glad too." Ivan said. "Now, how do we open that gate?"
"Do you have the Lifting Gem, Ivan?" Garet asked.
"No, Isaac has it."
"How about the Carry Stone?"
"No, Isaac has that one too."
"Force Orb?"
"Isaac."
"Well, damn it, what do you have?"
"The Douse Drop."
"Oh, yeah, let's douse the steel gate with water until it decides it doesn't want to get wet anymore and then open. That's great!"
"Garet, it's not Ivan's fault!" Jenna said to him. Garet turned, but rubbed his temples with his left hand.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry Ivan. . . I'm a little on edge right now."
"It's okay." Ivan replied. "Wait, what was that?" He said, snapping his head back down to the staircase. "I heard something."
"I did too." Jenna stated. A loud rattling sound started coming closer, and from the lower levels came a huge horde of Skeleton Warriors, armed to the teeth, and itching for a fight.
"It's going to be a long day. . ." Garet sighed, preparing for more combat.
**********************************
Isaac huffed in fatigued as he and Mia reached the elevator to the Aerie of the Mars Lighthouse. They had climbed several floors in the lighthouse, encountering several creatures, but nothing too dangerous. There had been a number of treasure chests along the way, but neither Isaac or Mia had any desire to figure out what they contained. Both Adepts were too busy concerning themselves of what waited in front of them; Saturos and Menardi.
"Well, this is it. . ." Isaac said, finally catching his breath.
"Let's go, Isaac." Mia softly replied.
"Mia, this will be dangerous. I don't want you up there getting hurt!"
"Isaac, you've sworn to protect me, which is a promise you've kept, and I promised you I'd always be with you, which is a promise I don't intend to break! Don't try to convince me otherwise, Isaac. My mind is made up."
Isaac smiled. "All right, Mia. I won't try to convince you. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise, Isaac." She smiled warmly. "Let's go. We don't have any more time to waste."
"Right." Isaac said, tone changing stone cold. He drew his Gaia Blade as he stepped forth on the platform. Mia stepped up right behind him, Angelic Ankh drawn, ready to fight. The platform magically gravitated upward, into the sky, to the top of the Mars Lighthouse. After it reached its apex, the two Adepts leapt from hovering platform to platform, finally reaching the main lighthouse floor. They approached the center of the platform, not seeing hide nor hair of their opponents.
"It took you two long enough to get here." A female voice shot out; the vocal sounds could only have belonged to Menardi, who was perched on a column above the sinkhole where the lighthouse light would shine. Saturos was on an adjacent column, and Edward stood across from both of them, longbow drawn and ready to fire.
"I assume you have what we want." Saturos stated.
"Perhaps." Isaac stated. "I assume you have what WE want." Saturos smirked, revealing the Anubis Orb to the Venus Adept. Isaac pulled the Mars Star from his pocket, and revealed it to them.
"Ah, you're smarter than I thought." Saturos muttered, leaping down from the column to Isaac's level. "Give it to me."
"Not so fast. Release the spirits you took first."
"That was never part of the deal, Adept. Triad only, remember?"
"You never stated otherwise."
"I'm altering the deal."
"There will be NO altering, Saturos."
"You're making a mistake, child. Do you have any idea how powerful we are in our own lighthouse?"
"Yeah, I do. That's exactly why I'm not afraid of you or Menardi. Edward's nothing without either of you anyway."
"You are overestimating your power, boy."
"Am I?"
"Let's find out." Saturos said, drawing his bastard sword and slipping the Anubis Orb back in its bag. "Menardi, Edward, the Venus Adept is mine."
"Leave his girlfriend to me." Menardi smirked, leaping to the ground, her scythe drawn and ready to cut. "Are you ready to die, Mia?"
"The question should be directed to you, Menardi." Mia smiled, bringing her Ankh into defense position. "I'm not afraid of you."
"Stay out of our fights, Edward." Saturos ordered.
"As you wish." Edward bowed. "Have fun, both of you."
"Indeed we will." Menardi smirked. She charged forward with her scythe, but Mia caught the scythe in the crease with the rod of her Ankh, muscling with Menardi for position.
Saturos leapt forward with his sword, and Isaac moved to defense, but quickly countered with his own attacks. Forehand, sideswipe, countless swings of the steel were used on both combatants, and each was countered with a defense. Isaac leapt over Saturos's head in attempt to outmaneuver him. Saturos, knowing better, spun around and quickly blocked Isaac's strike.
"You've gotten good, kid." Saturos snarled, in a blade-pushing contest with Isaac.
Mia strained her arms to keep Menardi from advancing; it was a good thing Saturos's partner was a spellcaster and not a melee fighter, otherwise it would've been over long ago. With one bout of strength, she managed to shove Menardi away, giving her enough time to cast Ice Horn on the Mars Adept. Menardi flew back several feet after getting pummeled by hundreds of ice shards; she got up, nearly unhurt, but extremely angry.
"You'll pay for that, you bitch."
"Takes one to know one, Menardi." Mia replied, smiling. "I'm still not scared." She twirled her Ankh into attack position and leapt forward in an attack. She whipped her staff-like weapon at Menardi, whom blocked with the shaft of her scythe. Mia leapt away, and quickly prepared a defense. It was promptly tested by Menardi's scythe, but Mia was too quick and danced out of the way of harm. In response, Mia let loose an Ice Missile attack at Menardi, which caught her dead on. Menardi yelped as a blast of frigid death surrounded her and froze her skin solid. After the storm of cold had subsided, Menardi stood back up and was glowing with the power of Mars.
"Payback time." She said simply, as all of the energy blasted from her body in a hailstorm of fire and brimstone. The attack was nothing Mia had ever seen before, but it hurt like no tomorrow. Mia shielded her face with both arms, and she was blown back several feet by the firestorm. After the hurricane of flame dissipated, Mia stood back to her feet with some effort, her clothes burned in several places, her skin lightly scorched by the Mars Adept's sudden burst.
"Not bad." Mia said, glowing blue. The burns on her face disappeared quickly, and rings of water appeared around the Mercury Adept. "Maybe someone shoud put you out!" The rings blasted toward Menardi from Mia's arms, sending the evil Adept staggering back and soaked with pure water.
"Is that all you have, Mia?!" Menardi demanded, glowing again. "Your powers are weak, Mia. Now you know how Saturos felt at the Mercury Lighthouse!" Mia flinched. Menardi was right; her power was dulling. She could feel the normal loss of her Psynergy, while Menardi didn't seem to be getting any weaker. Her Mercury power was dulled severely as well. Ice Missile wasn't working as nearly as well as it should have, and her Douse attack had done little more than get Menardi sopping wet. Things were looking bad.
Isaac remained equal with his duel with Saturos; both fighters struck and blocked with equal skill and timing. Saturos looked like he was having the time of his life, while Isaac's face showed a grim determination to be the victor of the duel. A layman would say that Saturos would win, given his obvious size advantage, as well as how much bigger his bastard sword was. Isaac, who was smaller and had a long sword, looked at a distinct disadvantage. However, despite the fighters' differences, they seemed equally balanced.
Edward Giles watched both duels carefully, studying the tactics of each warrior and their attack patterns. He determined Isaac was being too defensive, while Saturos wasn't taking his opponent seriously; a critical mistake in such a major battle. Mia was at a disadvantage because the Mercury Element wasn't powerful offensively, not to mention the fact that they were in the Mars Lighthouse, which considerably weakened all Mercury based attacks. Menardi was too foolish and aggressive; she was bound to make a mistake eventually. The archer scoffed at all four of the fighters. While he was friends with Saturos and Menardi, their fighting technique left much to be desired. Saturos had the same attitude in every battle, but Menardi had usually kept a cool head about herself. Apparently there was something about Mia that brought out her worst. It was probably because she was a Mercury Adept, and Menardi had never been fond of them at all. The former mayor frowned. He didn't want this to go on any longer, but he had agreed to stay out of the fight. Sighing, he turned to the battle of Mia and Menardi; it was much more interesting, anyway.
Mia had just been pummeled by several Fireballs, so she wasn't looking too pleasant; before she casted Ply. After a moment, her stature returned to normal, and she unleashed a Glacier spell on Menardi. Frozen and aggravated again, Menardi leapt from her icy imprisonment and shouted to Saturos.
"This bitch is becoming a thorn in my side, Saturos. Get rid of her!"
Saturos turned his head while continuing to duel with Isaac. "Very well, I'll take care of it." Saturos leapt back away from Isaac, only to leap forward again to unleash a Heat Slash on Isaac, muddling his senses for a few moments. Isaac stopped swinging his weapon and tried in vain to focus. Saturos lunged toward Mia with his sword. Using both hands and her Angelic Ankh, she managed to block the attempted vertical cut of Saturos. The metal clanged against her staff, and she managed to hold the blade inches from her face.
"Not bad for a woman, huh?" Mia asked Saturos, mockingly.
"You're quicker on the draw than Menardi, but you missed the point of the attack entirely." Saturos smiled, shoving something against Mia's shoulder with his free hand. A green energy unleashed into the air around them, and Mia fell to the floor, eyes lifeless. Edward turned his head to witness the event, but his eyes and face remained unwavering.
"Game over." Saturos smirked. "One more to go."
"Wait, Saturos. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes what we did to her." Menardi cackled.
"You're every bit as evil as I am. I intended to just put him out of his misery."
"His misery is now only beginning." After Menardi finished her statement, a beleaguered Isaac managed to regain himself and he charged at Saturos, not knowing Mia's fate. Saturos used every ounce of his strength in his arms to knock Isaac back with a defense swing. Isaac got shoved away in a different direction and he tripped over something.
"Damn it, what did I trip over?!" Isaac said, looking up. A look of horror grasped his face as he saw what it was. Looking over his true love, he realized she suffered the same fate as Triad and the Innkeeper. . . he was alone now. His father, his mother, his hometown, and now the love of his life, gone. His emotions flooded over him as he sat next to the lifeless love he once knew. . . what could he do now?
"Garet, Jenna? Someone's going to have to open the door. You're both Mars Adepts, so one of you has to do it." Isaac stated.
"I'll do it." Garet stated, walking up to an insignia of a raging flame. He cast Flare on the picture, and the doors slowly opened up, to reveal the lobby of the Lighthouse. The lobby was wide open, spanning the entire first floor. There were no obstacles in the way, save for a few columns and pillars.
"Wow. This place is pretty straightforward, isn't it?" Ivan asked, noticing a staircase leading to the next floor. "It's a lot less confounding than the other Lighthouses already."
"Well, maybe they designed this place with a typical Mars Adept in mind: Quick, To-The-Point, and Simple." Isaac replied.
"What are you insinuating, Isaac?!" Jenna snapped back.
"Not YOU, Jenna. Jeez." Isaac sighed. "I was referring to Garet, Saturos, and Menardi."
"How dare you classify me with the likes of them!" Garet exclaimed.
"Well, the three of you are impatient, hotheaded, and irratating. . ." Jenna replied, smiling.
"But only two of them are evil." Isaac said. "All right, let's go. I can't wait to see what they've got up their sleeves for us now." Isaac and company slowly walked into the Lighthouse, being careful to ensure they weren't setting off any traps. The floor was clear; no enemies, no traps, and no sign of the evil ones. The cautiously moved up to the next floor, which was much like the first. Whomever had designed this lighthouse obviously had the impatient in mind when he did so. Finally, Isaac and the others made it into the third floor, where they were greeted by a large great hall. It looked almost like a battle arena, as it had cages along the sides of the room.
"What the hell is this?" Dargon asked, clutching his long sword in his palm. "I don't like this at all. It feels like a trap." Unfazed, Isaac led the group into the room, where he was followed closely by Mia, Garet, and Felix. As they crossed the hall, Isaac and most of the others could swear they heard the growling of some rather hungry Hellhounds and Fenrirs in this room. However, the only places they could've been were in the cages, and they were all bolted shut. The next hallway lie mere yards in front of Isaac, and he carefully approached the new hall with Mia almost hanging on his shoulder. As Isaac stepped into the threshold of the new hallway, a giant iron portcullis slammed down between most of the group and Isaac and Mia. Now separated into a group of five and a group of two, the new situation posed some major problems for the lot of them.
"Now what?!" Garet exclaimed, banging his hands on the portcullis and swearing underneath his breath.
"Calm down, Garet." Ivan stated.
"I told you this place was a bloody trap!"
"Sharp as a tack, exactly how I remember you, Dargon." The mocking voice of Edward Giles sounded. The man was located on a roost several stories above them, so he was far out of reach for any ranged weapon and would be difficult to target with Psynergy. "Well, I guess I timed the portcullis a little poorly. I see Isaac and Mia managed to slip through. No matter. I hope you five others enjoy a meeting with some of my little friends. See you later. . ." Edward replied, pulling some kind of lever and disappearing from sight. The bars on the cages fell into the ground and about fifteen slobbering Hellhounds and ten Fenrirs leapt from the holding cells and began snarling at the Adepts.
"Damn! The odds are five to one!" Garet shouted, drawing his sword. "Isaac! Get going!"
"But. . ."
"Isaac, if you don't get to the Aerie and release Triad's spirit, this whole trip will be wasted! Besides, you can't get through that gate! Move it!" Felix shouted at him, knocking a Hellhound away from him with his Silver Blade.
"Felix!" Isaac shouted, banging on the gate.
"Isaac, come on. We have to get moving." Mia placed her hand softly on Isaac's shoulder. The Venus Adept turned to face her; his eyes flooded with concern, but he nodded in consent. The two dashed up the flight of stairs, leaving the others to fight the demon hounds alone.
"Good, they've gone ahead! Shine Plasma!" Ivan shouted, casting a blast of lightning into the drooling hounds. Three of the dogs were instantly flash-fried, falling to the ground smelling of rotting and scorched flesh. Jenna raised her Ankh into the air and fired a blast of Eruption into the ranks, sending five dogs into piles of ashes. Her Psy power had been magnified by the power of the lighthouse, and she feel as though she could still tap deeper into her power. Felix decided to shake up the party with an Earthquake, which rattled the floor and sent several dogs off balance, giving Dargon and Garet time to slay them in hand-to-hand combat with minimal retaliation. Twelve of the twenty-five dogs now lie lifeless on the floor of the lighthouse; most of the dead were Hellhounds, while the Fenrirs still stood strong. The remaining thirteen leapt forward and attacked fiercely. Four of them went straight at Dargon, whom was barely able to keep them at bay with his sword and shield. Ivan and Jenna, who had their backs against the Lighthouse walls, were cornered by about five. The other four bared down on Felix and Garet, who could easily defend themselves from two-to-one odds.
Dargon, who was getting a tad overwhelmed, was assisted when a blast of Spark Plasma pounded two of the Fenrirs away from him. The dogs, burned and stunned, were easy prey to Dargon's long sword. He ran the first through in the head, and broke the other's neck with a shield bash.
Felix, noticing his sister in danger, leapt forward with his Silver Blade, and slammed one that was preparing to strike with an Aqua Sock. The dog was instantly drenched in pure water, burning its unholy skin with its purity. Felix pressed his attack and shoved the sword blade into its throat, ending its life in an instant. The other four hounds became confused at the sight of their comrade's death. This was a grave mistake on the hounds' part. A surge of Flare Storm tore through the four hounds and knocked them all to the ground. Garet and Felix were fast with the follow through, and now the four remaining hounds were forced to reconsider their attack. The dogs, realizing their folly, prepared to flee, but Dargon stood in their escape route, shield up and sword ready. The hounds growled at him; they knew well they were trapped. Dargon surged forward, impaling the first Fenrir with his sword and bashing another away with his shield. Felix was quick with the cut on the stunned hound, leaving Garet to finish the final two off with two clean swings of his Swift Sword.
"That was crazy!" Garet exclaimed, panting heavily.
"Tell me about it, Garet! This armor was the only thing that saved my life!" Dargon said, pointing out the dents in the leg pieces of his plate mail. The hounds had tried to bite through the armor, but luckily they didn't succeed.
"Well, at least that's over." Felix sighed, surveying the carnage he and the others had let slip. This battle was tough, but he somehow felt they weren't done.
"I'm glad too." Ivan said. "Now, how do we open that gate?"
"Do you have the Lifting Gem, Ivan?" Garet asked.
"No, Isaac has it."
"How about the Carry Stone?"
"No, Isaac has that one too."
"Force Orb?"
"Isaac."
"Well, damn it, what do you have?"
"The Douse Drop."
"Oh, yeah, let's douse the steel gate with water until it decides it doesn't want to get wet anymore and then open. That's great!"
"Garet, it's not Ivan's fault!" Jenna said to him. Garet turned, but rubbed his temples with his left hand.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry Ivan. . . I'm a little on edge right now."
"It's okay." Ivan replied. "Wait, what was that?" He said, snapping his head back down to the staircase. "I heard something."
"I did too." Jenna stated. A loud rattling sound started coming closer, and from the lower levels came a huge horde of Skeleton Warriors, armed to the teeth, and itching for a fight.
"It's going to be a long day. . ." Garet sighed, preparing for more combat.
**********************************
Isaac huffed in fatigued as he and Mia reached the elevator to the Aerie of the Mars Lighthouse. They had climbed several floors in the lighthouse, encountering several creatures, but nothing too dangerous. There had been a number of treasure chests along the way, but neither Isaac or Mia had any desire to figure out what they contained. Both Adepts were too busy concerning themselves of what waited in front of them; Saturos and Menardi.
"Well, this is it. . ." Isaac said, finally catching his breath.
"Let's go, Isaac." Mia softly replied.
"Mia, this will be dangerous. I don't want you up there getting hurt!"
"Isaac, you've sworn to protect me, which is a promise you've kept, and I promised you I'd always be with you, which is a promise I don't intend to break! Don't try to convince me otherwise, Isaac. My mind is made up."
Isaac smiled. "All right, Mia. I won't try to convince you. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise, Isaac." She smiled warmly. "Let's go. We don't have any more time to waste."
"Right." Isaac said, tone changing stone cold. He drew his Gaia Blade as he stepped forth on the platform. Mia stepped up right behind him, Angelic Ankh drawn, ready to fight. The platform magically gravitated upward, into the sky, to the top of the Mars Lighthouse. After it reached its apex, the two Adepts leapt from hovering platform to platform, finally reaching the main lighthouse floor. They approached the center of the platform, not seeing hide nor hair of their opponents.
"It took you two long enough to get here." A female voice shot out; the vocal sounds could only have belonged to Menardi, who was perched on a column above the sinkhole where the lighthouse light would shine. Saturos was on an adjacent column, and Edward stood across from both of them, longbow drawn and ready to fire.
"I assume you have what we want." Saturos stated.
"Perhaps." Isaac stated. "I assume you have what WE want." Saturos smirked, revealing the Anubis Orb to the Venus Adept. Isaac pulled the Mars Star from his pocket, and revealed it to them.
"Ah, you're smarter than I thought." Saturos muttered, leaping down from the column to Isaac's level. "Give it to me."
"Not so fast. Release the spirits you took first."
"That was never part of the deal, Adept. Triad only, remember?"
"You never stated otherwise."
"I'm altering the deal."
"There will be NO altering, Saturos."
"You're making a mistake, child. Do you have any idea how powerful we are in our own lighthouse?"
"Yeah, I do. That's exactly why I'm not afraid of you or Menardi. Edward's nothing without either of you anyway."
"You are overestimating your power, boy."
"Am I?"
"Let's find out." Saturos said, drawing his bastard sword and slipping the Anubis Orb back in its bag. "Menardi, Edward, the Venus Adept is mine."
"Leave his girlfriend to me." Menardi smirked, leaping to the ground, her scythe drawn and ready to cut. "Are you ready to die, Mia?"
"The question should be directed to you, Menardi." Mia smiled, bringing her Ankh into defense position. "I'm not afraid of you."
"Stay out of our fights, Edward." Saturos ordered.
"As you wish." Edward bowed. "Have fun, both of you."
"Indeed we will." Menardi smirked. She charged forward with her scythe, but Mia caught the scythe in the crease with the rod of her Ankh, muscling with Menardi for position.
Saturos leapt forward with his sword, and Isaac moved to defense, but quickly countered with his own attacks. Forehand, sideswipe, countless swings of the steel were used on both combatants, and each was countered with a defense. Isaac leapt over Saturos's head in attempt to outmaneuver him. Saturos, knowing better, spun around and quickly blocked Isaac's strike.
"You've gotten good, kid." Saturos snarled, in a blade-pushing contest with Isaac.
Mia strained her arms to keep Menardi from advancing; it was a good thing Saturos's partner was a spellcaster and not a melee fighter, otherwise it would've been over long ago. With one bout of strength, she managed to shove Menardi away, giving her enough time to cast Ice Horn on the Mars Adept. Menardi flew back several feet after getting pummeled by hundreds of ice shards; she got up, nearly unhurt, but extremely angry.
"You'll pay for that, you bitch."
"Takes one to know one, Menardi." Mia replied, smiling. "I'm still not scared." She twirled her Ankh into attack position and leapt forward in an attack. She whipped her staff-like weapon at Menardi, whom blocked with the shaft of her scythe. Mia leapt away, and quickly prepared a defense. It was promptly tested by Menardi's scythe, but Mia was too quick and danced out of the way of harm. In response, Mia let loose an Ice Missile attack at Menardi, which caught her dead on. Menardi yelped as a blast of frigid death surrounded her and froze her skin solid. After the storm of cold had subsided, Menardi stood back up and was glowing with the power of Mars.
"Payback time." She said simply, as all of the energy blasted from her body in a hailstorm of fire and brimstone. The attack was nothing Mia had ever seen before, but it hurt like no tomorrow. Mia shielded her face with both arms, and she was blown back several feet by the firestorm. After the hurricane of flame dissipated, Mia stood back to her feet with some effort, her clothes burned in several places, her skin lightly scorched by the Mars Adept's sudden burst.
"Not bad." Mia said, glowing blue. The burns on her face disappeared quickly, and rings of water appeared around the Mercury Adept. "Maybe someone shoud put you out!" The rings blasted toward Menardi from Mia's arms, sending the evil Adept staggering back and soaked with pure water.
"Is that all you have, Mia?!" Menardi demanded, glowing again. "Your powers are weak, Mia. Now you know how Saturos felt at the Mercury Lighthouse!" Mia flinched. Menardi was right; her power was dulling. She could feel the normal loss of her Psynergy, while Menardi didn't seem to be getting any weaker. Her Mercury power was dulled severely as well. Ice Missile wasn't working as nearly as well as it should have, and her Douse attack had done little more than get Menardi sopping wet. Things were looking bad.
Isaac remained equal with his duel with Saturos; both fighters struck and blocked with equal skill and timing. Saturos looked like he was having the time of his life, while Isaac's face showed a grim determination to be the victor of the duel. A layman would say that Saturos would win, given his obvious size advantage, as well as how much bigger his bastard sword was. Isaac, who was smaller and had a long sword, looked at a distinct disadvantage. However, despite the fighters' differences, they seemed equally balanced.
Edward Giles watched both duels carefully, studying the tactics of each warrior and their attack patterns. He determined Isaac was being too defensive, while Saturos wasn't taking his opponent seriously; a critical mistake in such a major battle. Mia was at a disadvantage because the Mercury Element wasn't powerful offensively, not to mention the fact that they were in the Mars Lighthouse, which considerably weakened all Mercury based attacks. Menardi was too foolish and aggressive; she was bound to make a mistake eventually. The archer scoffed at all four of the fighters. While he was friends with Saturos and Menardi, their fighting technique left much to be desired. Saturos had the same attitude in every battle, but Menardi had usually kept a cool head about herself. Apparently there was something about Mia that brought out her worst. It was probably because she was a Mercury Adept, and Menardi had never been fond of them at all. The former mayor frowned. He didn't want this to go on any longer, but he had agreed to stay out of the fight. Sighing, he turned to the battle of Mia and Menardi; it was much more interesting, anyway.
Mia had just been pummeled by several Fireballs, so she wasn't looking too pleasant; before she casted Ply. After a moment, her stature returned to normal, and she unleashed a Glacier spell on Menardi. Frozen and aggravated again, Menardi leapt from her icy imprisonment and shouted to Saturos.
"This bitch is becoming a thorn in my side, Saturos. Get rid of her!"
Saturos turned his head while continuing to duel with Isaac. "Very well, I'll take care of it." Saturos leapt back away from Isaac, only to leap forward again to unleash a Heat Slash on Isaac, muddling his senses for a few moments. Isaac stopped swinging his weapon and tried in vain to focus. Saturos lunged toward Mia with his sword. Using both hands and her Angelic Ankh, she managed to block the attempted vertical cut of Saturos. The metal clanged against her staff, and she managed to hold the blade inches from her face.
"Not bad for a woman, huh?" Mia asked Saturos, mockingly.
"You're quicker on the draw than Menardi, but you missed the point of the attack entirely." Saturos smiled, shoving something against Mia's shoulder with his free hand. A green energy unleashed into the air around them, and Mia fell to the floor, eyes lifeless. Edward turned his head to witness the event, but his eyes and face remained unwavering.
"Game over." Saturos smirked. "One more to go."
"Wait, Saturos. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes what we did to her." Menardi cackled.
"You're every bit as evil as I am. I intended to just put him out of his misery."
"His misery is now only beginning." After Menardi finished her statement, a beleaguered Isaac managed to regain himself and he charged at Saturos, not knowing Mia's fate. Saturos used every ounce of his strength in his arms to knock Isaac back with a defense swing. Isaac got shoved away in a different direction and he tripped over something.
"Damn it, what did I trip over?!" Isaac said, looking up. A look of horror grasped his face as he saw what it was. Looking over his true love, he realized she suffered the same fate as Triad and the Innkeeper. . . he was alone now. His father, his mother, his hometown, and now the love of his life, gone. His emotions flooded over him as he sat next to the lifeless love he once knew. . . what could he do now?