Chapter 5
Friend or Foe?
"This ship belongs to me, myself and I." Fargo claimed. Paul stood bored with his arms across his chest.
"Look, we want to see the Sage of Marbule. Can we?"
"Sorry matey, but there is no Sage on board this ship." Paul grew tired and took the opportunity to use his own methods while he was alone. He drew his blade and pointed it at Fargo's throat.
"Listen very well. This blade belongs to me, myself and I, and if you don't let me see the Sage I'll use my blade to cut your throat. GOT IT!" Paul said coldly. Fargo gulped and nodded. "If you tell anyone I did this you're a dead man Fargo." Paul finished drawing up his blade. Fargo gave the okay and Paul went out to Harle and Lynx who waited for him.
"Well?" Harle asked.
"Let's go to Grand Slam and see the sage." Paul said annoyed. He walked ahead as Harle took notice of Paul's attitude.
"Every day he iz with zat sword he grows more evil. We must stop him from wielding zat blade." Harle whispered to Lynx. Lynx nodded already thinking of a plan.
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Diss looked around Termina as he entered. Soldiers were everywhere, and the blue uniforms seemed to add to their cold nature. He shivered slightly.
"What's wrong mate?" Kid asked quietly.
"I'm just a little jittery, that's all," Diss replied.
"We'll spend the night at the local tavern, then we'll head out in one of the local ships," Serge said.
Diss looked up, it was still mid afternoon. "Does that mean we're free the rest of the day?" Diss asked carefully.
Serge nodded. He smiled as he thought about them cementing the relationship he had pushed them into. Diss and Kid walked down the street towards the vendor's area.
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"What do you humans possibly want from me? Haven't you done enough?" The sage bellowed. Paul knew this was going to get nowhere fast. Paul motioned for the gang to take a hike and left Paul alone with the Sage.
"If I kick your ass right now, will you tell me how to get into the Dead Sea?" The sage nodded preparing for battle. Paul drew his sword and attacked even before the sage was ready.
"You humans always cheated." The sage hissed. Paul retaliated in force rather then words. He kicked the Sage in the head and threw him into a bunch of barrels knocking them all over. The sage slowly got up as Paul grabbed his throat with one fist and lifted him into the air slamming him on the ground. The sage again got up slowly and Paul picked him up with his free hand and slammed him down again. The sage tried to get up and realized how futile it was.
"Very well human." He gasped for air. "Take this crab and let nature take its course." Paul took the crab and walked away. "No thanks." The sage hissed slowly getting up.
"Thanks for practice."
"Practice, human?" Paul nodded to the sage.
"In all honesty I wanted to kill you. But something told me not to." Paul said feeling the locket in his pocket. Paul brushed right past his allies saying to get ready to leave.
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Diss looked at the various carts amazed at what was openly on sale. Kid smiled as she got an idea dragging him down a side street towards what looked like a blacksmith's shop. As they headed to the front door a man dressed in green armor stopped them.
"I know you two." The man said.
"So do a lot of other people what difference does it make to me?" Diss asked. Kid laughed at the remark.
"You two were at Fort Dragonia weren't you?" The man pushed.
"Yer pushing inta business that doesn't concern ya," Kid snapped.
"I don't know what your business here is, but it can't be good," The man said drawing his sword.
Diss pulled out his staff and Kid drew her dagger. Tension seemed to mount in the air as they faced off.
"Listen boy, I don't want to hurt you, but your not leaving me much of a choice," Diss said slowly.
"I'm an Acacia Dragoon, and my name is Glenn," The man said.
"Ya could be the king of the world and it wouldn't impress me much," Kid said.
Diss crouched low and Kid followed suit realizing that Glenn couldn't be talked out of a fight. Glenn slashed at Diss, which Diss not only blocked but also pushed hard with his staff flattening Glenn. Kid jumped on the downed boy bringing her dagger up to his throat.
"I dare ya to try anything," Kid breathed.
"We can't just leave you alone now, but we can't kill you either. So, I think you'll have to deal with this." Diss said kneeling by Glenn. He hit Glenn hard in the face knocking him out. Kid got off of Glenn and stood up looking down at Diss. She gently took his hand in hers pulling him up. Diss got up giving her a kiss before turning to the blacksmith's.
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"The Dead Sea." Lynx muttered as they looked at the mess before them.
"Talk about your fixer upper." Shaun added. Paul began marching ahead. Harle seemed to have enough of Paul's attitude problem.
"What iz ze problem, Paul?" Harle snapped. Paul glared at her.
"Shut up Harle. The only problem around here is you!" Paul barked back. Shaun stepped between them breaking up the tension.
"Zat blade of yours iz cursed. GET RID OF IT!" Harle ordered. Lynx held Paul back as he tried to tackle Harle.
"You're a crazy lunatic." Paul muttered breaking free of Lynx's hold. He walked on to the centerpiece of Dead Sea and as they grew near it looked more and more like a group of buildings smashed together. Harle gave nasty looks at Paul every now and then and Lynx made sure Shaun was well within stopping range in case things got to rough between the two. When they finely reached the center they looked up at the enormous skyscraper.
"This must be where we want to be." Shaun said stupidly. They all marched into the building and were amazed to find the automatic doors still functioning. They walked around what looked like a futuristic mall when they spotted the next destination. When they went through the door they found themselves in a place that looked like a small theatre production. There Lynx felt a great headache when he saw a little child disappeared.
"What iz it?" Harle asked. Lynx shook his head motioning it was nothing. Paul took note of the headache and they walked into another room with a large Airplane crashed making ramp to the above ground. They climbed up the Airplane when again Lynx felt another Headache. Again everyone checked to see if he was all right and again he said it was nothing. Paul noticed a pattern in here and he didn't like it. When they reached the upper level they saw dead Acacia Dragoons including Viper, the Four Devas, and the big shocker, Shaun. Shaun almost fainted when he saw his cold limp body before him.
"You okay, Shaun?" Paul asked concerned. Shaun weakly nodded his head. He gulped moving on. Once again Lynx felt another headache when he noticed the children again.
"Lynx, is it another headache?" Paul asked. Lynx nodded. Paul wanted to leave this place badly. They saw a temporal rift before them and with a large sigh they moved through it,
As they moved through the temporal rift they saw that there was what looked like a deserted courtyard. As lynx moved on he saw all three kids moved onwards over the staircase that marked the northern boundary. He shook his head as he felt the headache return.
"Is it that headache again?" Paul asked quietly.
Lynx nodded and moved on up the stairs. At the top of the stairs a bell rested on the ground under two stone pillars that must have been its original place. Upon reaching the bell stand Paul looked at the plaque on one of the stone columns.
"Nadia's Bell, May our hopes and dreams last forever. 1999 A.D.," he read slowly.
"That was what we hoped until you came Serge. You did this you ruined everything, our hopes, our dreams, everything was ruined and its all your fault Serge!" One of the children said. Everyone there saw the children now and were surprised that they looked furious. They slowly faded as a softer voice came from behind one of the pillars.
"Don't mind them, they are just specters of the future," a familiar man said to the party.
"Welcome to the Tower of Gheddon, Time Crash Ground Zero. It's been a long time Serge," The man said softly. Lynx looked at the man carefully.
"You probably don't remember me. My name is Miguel. I was a friend of your father Wazuki. The last time I saw you was ten years ago." Miguel said slowly.
"Ten years ago you were attacked by a panther. Its poisonous claws had put potent venom into your skin. We had killed it in time to keep it from killing you, but the poison had already gone to work to kill you," Miguel said softly as he remembered what had happened.
"Wazuki and me climbed aboard our ship and set sail for Marbule in hopes that they could help you. During our trip there, a terrible storm rose up and knocked us off course. We found ourselves in the Sea of Eden, at a high tech facility. Wazuki decided we would spend the night there when a voice came from deeper within the facility. He started to heed the voice when I called for him to stop. He turned and told me that I had been a good friend and that I should stay here until he returned," Miguel said softly.
"I've been waiting ten years without any sign of him," Miguel said regaining his voice.
"What is this place?" Lynx asked softly.
Miguel replied, "Every choice that you make destroys a potential future. Those futures condensed into what is today called the Dead Sea. This place is a future that never was, that never will be."
"How is that possible?" Shaun asked cautiously.
"Fate," He said softly, "Fate decides everything. Every action, every word, every thought is predetermined by Fate, Fate rules over everything, determining who will live, and who will die. Fate is a cruel "goddess" not forgiving anyone who stands against her," Miguel went on, "This place is a moment frozen in time, time has no meaning here. You will never grow old and die. Think Serge; you will never have to face tomorrow alone. Join me here and never fear what tomorrow may bring!"
Lynx thought the offer was very tempting, but he also saw the danger that lived in such a life. Slowly he shook his head not taking Miguel up on his offer.
"I see, then you must be after restoring the Temporal Distortion then." Miguel said with a heavy sigh. "To do this you must defeat me to liberate this place. Once you do that the Distortion should be reset." Miguel prepared himself for battle.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Paul blared. Paul really didn't want to attack but this urge told him to rip off Miguel's head.
"Don't hold back, let FATE decide." Miguel said enthusiastically. "Attack me with all your soul if you wish to live." They all knew there was no alternative. Kill Miguel, or be killed. Miguel went right after Lynx punching and kicking using a combo of martial arts skills to knock him out. Paul swung in a diagonal at Miguel who parried with an energy field around his hand that resembled a sword. It was a beam of pure light and he wielded it like a blade. Paul was able to parry most of the attacks but Miguel got to him eventually knocking him out of the fight. Harle and Shaun both jumped Miguel beating them with their fists as Miguel blew them back with bursts of pure energy balls. Harle couldn't withstand the blow leaving Shaun and Miguel left. Shaun lifted a huge boulder over his head and hurled it at Miguel who cut it into pieces with his energy blade. Shaun knew he was going to die if he didn't get help soon. Miguel thrusted himself at Shaun when Paul tackled Miguel and kept punching not letting loose when Miguel was eventually almost knocked out and bleeding.
"Well.Done. You have. grown so strong. Serge," Miguel said weakly.
"Why do I have to always fight?" Paul said to himself. The building began to violently shake when Harle and Lynx came to.
"All done?" Lynx yelled.
"YA!" Paul replied. They all ran to the distortion realizing it was blocked off.
"GRAB HOLD SONS OF MAN!" A dragon roared as he swooped to pick up the party.
Miguel lay on the ground looking up at the sky. He knew he would die, "My dearest Leena.if you only knew how much I loved you." He slowly faded away into nothingness.
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They were all taken to a small island fairly close to Marbule where the Dragon dropped them off landing in front of them. "If thou wishest to defy the Goddess of Fate seek the blessings of all the Dragon Gods," The tall dragon said before flying off to the horizon.
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Diss showed his staff to the blacksmith. The blacksmith looked carefully at it before talking to him.
"Looks like yeh got a mighty fine staff 'ere. Tha actual staff itself is a rare oak. Tha dragon 'ere is pure Silvar, and tha blade has ta be rainbow," the smithy said in awe.
"Rainbow?" Diss asked.
"Yeh, rainbow, rare element that I' ave been lookin fer. Ye prove its existence at tha very least," The smithy said. Diss smiled and thanked the man for his time taking the staff back. As they turned to leave the smithy yelled out,
"I was hopin tha maybe I could buy it offa yeh. Is tha at all possible?" He asked hopefully.
Diss shook his head, "I'm sorry, it was a gift. I just wanted to see what it was made of. Had it for years now, and I just thought I'd stop by since I was in town."
As they left Serge approached them. He had a serious look on his face.
"Listen guys, we're going to have to hold off on the Dead Sea a bit. Its not at the moment we need it to be," He said.
"So what do we do till then?" Kid asked.
"Wait until it clears up, should be a couple of days." Diss smiled. He had hoped to get more time like this. As he and Kid walked back to the Bazaar they talked about how they would spend that time.
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"Look, there's Termina!" Paul shouted. He ran ahead of the others. Harle was getting more and more annoyed with the way Paul was acting. Shaun pushed ahead seeing Paul hurry was never a good sign. Lynx eventually ran after Shaun, and Harle followed suit.
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Diss, Kid, and Serge approached the harbor when they heard a shout. All three turned around to see Paul running full speed up to them. He stopped and shortly thereafter Shaun, Lynx, and Harle showed up.
Diss frowned seeing his two "friends".
"What are you two here for? You guys going to finish what you couldn't in Fort Dragonia?" Diss asked sarcastically.
"What are you talking about Diss?" Shaun asked.
"You guys left me for dead in Fort Dragonia, if it wasn't for Kid and Serge I think you guys would have succeeded." Diss replied coldly.
"What are you talking about Diss, Kid and Serge were there all the long," Shaun said slowly.
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Diss roared. Kid pulled her Dagger realizing a fight could breakout at any minute. Paul looked angrily at Diss.
"YOU KNOW WE WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU BEHIND DISS!" Paul screamed. "WE GO IN TOGETHER, WE GET OUT TOGETHER!" Diss retaliated quickly,
"OH REALLY! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHEN I WAS ALONE IN FORT DRAGONIA!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Paul drew his sword. Harle interrupted,
"NON PAUL! DO NOT UZ ZAT SWORD!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP HARLE!" Paul bellowed.
"Diss, we're your friends man, we'd never leave you behind. You're the boss of us. Remember how pissed you got when we called you that?" Diss slowly looked stupefied until Kid brushed one of his shoulders,
"Remember, these guys left ya for dead." She said to him. Diss' anger came back as he gave up with words. Realizing he had no other alternative Paul and Shaun drew up their weapons.
"So after abandoning me, you're going to kill me? I wont be an easy mark like Christy was," Diss growled.
"WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Paul screamed.
"Christy died because you guys weren't there to help me, now you're going to kill me. I WONT BE THAT EASY TO KILL!" Diss yelled as he slashed hard at Paul. Paul barely blocked in time in order to avoid being cleaved in half. He released his anger as the two men fought as ruthlessly and violently as possible. Kicking when locked together and punching when in close quarters. Shaun watched dumbfounded as the two efficiently hurt each other. Paul finally backed up and threw a bolt of energy at Diss.
Diss laughed, "You must be stupid or something, because you must have never heard of electrical fires." With that he started closing in.
Paul looked around before retorting, "You're right it's useless against you, but not her." He threw another bolt at Kid hitting her squarely. She flew back gritting her teeth as she hit ground. Diss' eyes flared with a new fire as he started attacking Paul with more strength than Paul was ready for. Shaun tried to stop them only to receive a deep gash across his chest as Diss' dragon staff hit him.
Finally Diss disarmed Paul. He looked around for anything and saw the Masamune a full twenty feet behind him.
"Harle! Give me the sword!" Paul shouted desperately. Diss grabbed Paul by his front shirt and head butted him hard. Paul staggered then recovered. Diss again head butted Paul. Again Paul staggered recovering. Finally they both head butted each other, both backing off recovering from the tremendous skull-cracking blow.
Serge's eyes widened as he felt Diss' mind start resisting him. Diss hadn't stopped resisting, but had gone dormant until his friends reawaked him. He thought quickly and saw Kid. He knew she was his only control method he could actually control. He quickly revived her as Diss started backing off from Paul's kicks.
Kid woke up quickly and assessed the battle. As she got to her feet she quickly shouted, "Diss! Firestorm!"
Diss nodded backing up to right next to her. As Paul charged Diss kicked Paul hard in the head knocking him back with the others. He nodded to Kid as she whistled. A huge machine dropped from nowhere onto the ground in front of them. Simultaneously Kid and Diss kicked triggers on the machine both leaning forward. Diss concentrated pouring fire into the machine as a crimson beam began emanating from the machine.
Shaun was sitting up when he saw what was going on. Paul saw just enough to shout on last phrase before they were all blasted back. "OH SHIT!" Paul cried as the beam hit them full force. All that Lynx saw was red before he gave in to his pain. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss sat on the boat as he recovered. His shirt was torn in places where Paul's sword had slashed. Kid sat next to him holding a cloth, she dipped it into a healing salve and started pressing it to his open wounds. Diss cringed from the pain as she gently cleaned his wounds.
"We did it guys! We got rid of Lynx!" Serge cried happily.
"For now," muttered Diss before he hissed in pain.
"Sorry mate," Kid said softly. She continued to clean his wounds as Serge looked at Diss studying him.
'What do you mean for now?" Serge asked.
Diss grimaced in pain before answering, "They aren't dead. I'd know it if they were. My powers let me know when it's enough so I don't drain myself too early in battle. I didn't get that warning at all."
Kid looked sympathetically at Diss. Diss avoided her gaze for a bit looking at Serge. Serge was looking out into the open ocean distantly.
"We need to head to Guldove," He said.
"What?" Diss and Kid asked in unison.
"We need to get to Guldove so that we can stop them from figuring out how to track us." Serge said mysteriously.
Diss picked up on the unspoken meaning and simply nodded. Kid looked from Diss to Serge and back to Diss unsure of what was being left unsaid.
Diss noticed her confusion and explained, "Lynx may try to use the Oracle at Guldove to find out what we're up to. No one can know we're heading to Chronopolis. If they did find out, all we've been working for would be for nothing."
Kid nodded before returning to her work cleaning his wounds. After She finished Diss laid back. Kid laid on top of him using his chest as a pillow as the ship slowly moved towards Guldove.
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"GOD DAMNIT!" Paul and Shaun said together in unison as they got up. Both realized their friend had gone completely insane.
"What is this crap about Christy?" Paul said.
"I don't know what the hell happened to Diss, but he's not himself that's for sure." Shaun replied.
"Speaking of act'ing strange." Harle started.
"SHUT UP!" Paul yelled to her. Harle remained quiet. Lynx slowly got up and brushed off his fur.
"Is everyone okay." Lynx muttered. Everyone nodded.
"What waz zat?" Harle asked.
"Shaun, your technical analysis please." Paul waved his hand motioning him to begin.
"Today kiddies we're going to talk about Firestorm. When Kid combined one of her most powerful attacks with Diss' Flamethrower attack the cannon began to harness the energy and create a beam powerful enough to play hockey with our bodies." Shaun continued. " With that force we all placed our heads between our legs and kissed our-"
"Zat iz enough!" Harle interrupted. Lynx laughed along with Paul.
"Now we need a plan." Paul muttered. A man in green armor approached holding his head in pain.
"Paul, Shaun, Sir Lynx. I am glad I have found you." Paul recognized Glenn.
"Sup?" Paul asked.
"Are you looking for Serge and his cohorts?" They nodded.
"Then let me assist you. I believe I saw the boat heading for Guldove. There is where we should go next." At that point they knew Glenn joined their party.
"Very well. I guess you're tagging along." Glenn seemed uneasy.
"If you don't mind." Glenn replied.
"Not at all." Shaun said. They moved onto a nearby-parked boat, which they took the liberty of stealing. From there they went to Guldove.
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"Be on your guard." Diss said straitening up.
"What for?" Kid asked. Serge looked off into the sea. If they had a motorboat they would reach Guldove in no time.
"When we reach Guldove I want you two to prepare a welcoming party." Serge ordered. Diss and Kid nodded preparing their weapons. Serge was willing to bet a bad thing was going to happen. That Paul character had already interfered with his plans with the Masamune. He was going to give it to Dissinger as a seal to keep him under his control. However, Paul didn't know anything about that sword. So win or lose an obstacle will be eliminated. When they reached Guldove Serge ran straight for the hut when he got an unwelcoming surprise.
"Hello, Serge." Paul said lifting up Serge by his front shirt. He tossed him into Lynx who gave a very twisted grin.
"DI-" Serge was smacked unconscious by Lynx's mighty hand. Dissinger already heard the trouble and ran over while Kid was still exiting the boat. As soon as he got six feet between himself and Kid, Glenn jumped Kid and Harle kicked her in the stomach and put her to sleep with a spell.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Paul chimed. He drew up his sword and pointed it at Dissinger.
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE-" Shaun finished the sentence for Diss.
"So quickly." Shaun paced around Diss. "Easy, we basically upgraded the motor with a higher voltage." Shaun pointed at Paul. Paul grinned devilishly. Diss knew he was out options.
"So your going to finish what you know you can't." Diss hissed. Paul nodded. Diss drew up his staff and pointed it at Paul. "BRING IT!"
Paul dived in a diagonal slash that grazed Diss' shoulder. Diss retaliated with a sideswipe into Paul's gut. Paul swung to chop off his head, but Diss easily parried with a swift motion and tried to sweep Paul. Paul saw it coming and did a back flip over his leg preparing for the next wave. Diss charged and speared Paul hard. He shot a fireball at Paul who laughed as it hit him doing little damage. Paul swung hard diagonally to the left moving up to the right cutting deep into Dissinger's chest. Paul did a little taunting dance as he motioned to let Diss bring it. Diss charged to tackle Paul but Paul jumped up onto Diss' back and flattened him easily. Paul slashed at Diss' exposed back before Diss was able to get out of harms way. Kid came to and beckoned Dissinger to do his Firestorm attack with her. The machine dropped from nowhere and together they hit the trigger. Paul fell flat on his back looking like he was knocked out cold.
"WE DID IT AGAIN!" Kid sang. She gave Diss a quick hug and a kiss. Paul jackknifed up onto his feet and twitched violently. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL? HE AIN'T HUMAN!" Kid looked shocked at the standing Paul.
"Won't quit." Diss muttered as he charged at Paul full force. Paul swung his blade knocking Diss off balance over and into the water. Kid tried a double kick that Paul countered by grabbing her leg and tossing her into a bunch of boxes knocking her out. Diss got back on deck soaking wet looking evilly at Paul. Steam erupted from his body as he focused his pain into more strength.
"Now you pay for Christy!" Diss screamed. Paul's eyes shot blood red as he completely lost himself. Diss tired to punch but was tossed onto his back. Diss avoided the knee smash and kicked Paul in the head. Diss grabbed his arm and wrenched it so Paul fell down. Paul felt a shot of pain fill his arm as he tried to counter the maneuver. Diss let go and Paul took the opportunity to grab Diss by both legs and hoist him up and smash him on his back. Diss cringed in pain grabbing his spine. Paul picked him up again and tossed him into the boxes next to Kid. Diss looked at the downed Kid and grew angry. He got back up and tried to tackle Paul again. Paul grabbed both of Diss' arms and tossed him to the side like a rag doll.
"Shaun, you must help Monsieur Dissinger, or Paul will kill him!" Harle shouted to Shaun. Shaun tried to avoid a really good fight but went to Diss' side and helped him up.
"Why are you helping me?" Diss barely got out.
"We're friends, it's what friends do when one is getting beat up." Shaun stopped a kick by Paul and spun underneath him tripping Paul.
"Wrong day to mess with me." Paul said coldly. Something about him didn't seem right as he slowly got back up. Shaun charged at Paul and managed to get off a kick to the mid section and a double handed smash to his back. Paul got right back up and clotheslined Shaun. Paul stomped repeatedly on Shaun's stomach when Diss tackled Paul. Paul managed to pick up Diss and tossed him overhead onto his back. Shaun jumped onto Paul's back and tired to cut off his blood flow when Paul snapped Shaun's neck so he flew before him. Paul swung the blade in his hand quickly as he looked for his next target.
"Diss, the meteor attack!" Diss nodded once as Shaun called a large rock from the ground and held it high above his head as Diss pumped fire into it creating a flaming rock that Shaun tossed at Paul. Paul glared at the two as the rock hit him. Paul hoisted the rock off him as he sprinted to Diss and kicked him in the stomach slashing up almost cutting his throat.
Serge slowly came to as he saw Shaun and Diss fighting Paul together. Before he shouted an order to Diss Lynx grabbed him from behind and hoisted him over his head tossing Serge into the water. As Serge got up he saw countless shadow cats behind Lynx.
"No, N-N-NOO!" Serge screamed as the shadow cats began to cut and scrape Serge knocking Serge out. Harle gave a satisfied nod to Lynx as they watched Paul and his friends duke it out.
"YOU STILL THINK I KILLED CHRISTY?" Paul bellowed punching Diss multiple times. Diss slowly came to as something inside him clicked. He no longer remembered living in the Hermits Hideaway. He also remembered Serge attacking everyone. Soon the fighting energy left him. Paul continued to punch and kick Diss yelling random things. He looked desperately at Shaun for help. Shaun then realized Diss was back as he sprinted with all the energy left in him. Paul quickly turned around and dodged the spear he was performing and instead of grabbing Paul he hit Diss hard. Both men were trying to get up, but were too exhausted. Paul slowly walked up to them in an evil sort of way. He swung his sword high above head in a deathblow as he looked at Dissinger eyes.
"LOOK AT ME DISS! LOOK AT ME!" Paul screamed. Diss met Paul's gaze and saw a certain fire he never saw before. "YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU COULD BOSS ME AROUND! WELL, NO MORE!" Diss looked behind Paul to see two ghosts appear. One was a girl around Paul's height and age, and another no more then five. The little one stood behind Paul as the older girl walked up to Paul.
"NO.MORE!" Paul said through his grinding teeth. Diss closed his eyes and gritted his teeth baring his throat, waiting for his life to pass his eyes. He waited a moment, and then slowly opened them to see the older girl holding Paul's arm from striking Diss. Diss breathed a sigh of relief.
"Put it down." She said gently. Paul's eyes began to flood with tears as he slowly dropped the sword.
"I've done a bad thing, haven't I?" Paul said choking back his tears. The younger girl moved closer as they both hugged Paul. Paul couldn't hold back his tears if he tried as he broke down sobbing.
"It's okay." The older one whispered in his ear rubbing his back. "It's all over." Diss and Shaun looked in puzzlement as they watched. Harle and Lynx left them alone as they followed Glenn into the building behind them.
Shaun looked at Diss slowly seeing the many wounds that covered his body. He helped him up slowly as Diss slumped. Shaun looked at him concerned as he checked Diss for a pulse. Diss' heart beat strongly, but his breathing seemed haggard. He replayed the scenes as they occurred over and over again. He felt a cold chill go through him.
"I need towels quick, and we need a doctor!" Shaun shouted. Diss groaned as his every nerve lit up on fire.
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Serge slowly got up looking at Paul and the two ghosts, he ground his teeth about to attack and kill Paul when he saw Kid slowly getting up. His only chance to get out of here was closing rapidly. He ran to Kid and dragged her to the motorboat. Kid slowly came to.
"Diss, where's Diss?" Kid asked weakly.
Serge replied quickly, "He's not here. We had to leave quickly."
Kid sat up quickly, "No, we have to go back for him. We can't just leave him!"
With a wave of his hand Serge put Kid to sleep. He would figure out a way to use Kid to get Diss again.
He glared at Paul speaking quietly to himself, "Twice you ruined my plans. Mark my words. You'll never see your precious world again. Even if it means killing myself." And with that Serge started paddling away not daring to start the engine in the event they heard him.
"This ship belongs to me, myself and I." Fargo claimed. Paul stood bored with his arms across his chest.
"Look, we want to see the Sage of Marbule. Can we?"
"Sorry matey, but there is no Sage on board this ship." Paul grew tired and took the opportunity to use his own methods while he was alone. He drew his blade and pointed it at Fargo's throat.
"Listen very well. This blade belongs to me, myself and I, and if you don't let me see the Sage I'll use my blade to cut your throat. GOT IT!" Paul said coldly. Fargo gulped and nodded. "If you tell anyone I did this you're a dead man Fargo." Paul finished drawing up his blade. Fargo gave the okay and Paul went out to Harle and Lynx who waited for him.
"Well?" Harle asked.
"Let's go to Grand Slam and see the sage." Paul said annoyed. He walked ahead as Harle took notice of Paul's attitude.
"Every day he iz with zat sword he grows more evil. We must stop him from wielding zat blade." Harle whispered to Lynx. Lynx nodded already thinking of a plan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss looked around Termina as he entered. Soldiers were everywhere, and the blue uniforms seemed to add to their cold nature. He shivered slightly.
"What's wrong mate?" Kid asked quietly.
"I'm just a little jittery, that's all," Diss replied.
"We'll spend the night at the local tavern, then we'll head out in one of the local ships," Serge said.
Diss looked up, it was still mid afternoon. "Does that mean we're free the rest of the day?" Diss asked carefully.
Serge nodded. He smiled as he thought about them cementing the relationship he had pushed them into. Diss and Kid walked down the street towards the vendor's area.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What do you humans possibly want from me? Haven't you done enough?" The sage bellowed. Paul knew this was going to get nowhere fast. Paul motioned for the gang to take a hike and left Paul alone with the Sage.
"If I kick your ass right now, will you tell me how to get into the Dead Sea?" The sage nodded preparing for battle. Paul drew his sword and attacked even before the sage was ready.
"You humans always cheated." The sage hissed. Paul retaliated in force rather then words. He kicked the Sage in the head and threw him into a bunch of barrels knocking them all over. The sage slowly got up as Paul grabbed his throat with one fist and lifted him into the air slamming him on the ground. The sage again got up slowly and Paul picked him up with his free hand and slammed him down again. The sage tried to get up and realized how futile it was.
"Very well human." He gasped for air. "Take this crab and let nature take its course." Paul took the crab and walked away. "No thanks." The sage hissed slowly getting up.
"Thanks for practice."
"Practice, human?" Paul nodded to the sage.
"In all honesty I wanted to kill you. But something told me not to." Paul said feeling the locket in his pocket. Paul brushed right past his allies saying to get ready to leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss looked at the various carts amazed at what was openly on sale. Kid smiled as she got an idea dragging him down a side street towards what looked like a blacksmith's shop. As they headed to the front door a man dressed in green armor stopped them.
"I know you two." The man said.
"So do a lot of other people what difference does it make to me?" Diss asked. Kid laughed at the remark.
"You two were at Fort Dragonia weren't you?" The man pushed.
"Yer pushing inta business that doesn't concern ya," Kid snapped.
"I don't know what your business here is, but it can't be good," The man said drawing his sword.
Diss pulled out his staff and Kid drew her dagger. Tension seemed to mount in the air as they faced off.
"Listen boy, I don't want to hurt you, but your not leaving me much of a choice," Diss said slowly.
"I'm an Acacia Dragoon, and my name is Glenn," The man said.
"Ya could be the king of the world and it wouldn't impress me much," Kid said.
Diss crouched low and Kid followed suit realizing that Glenn couldn't be talked out of a fight. Glenn slashed at Diss, which Diss not only blocked but also pushed hard with his staff flattening Glenn. Kid jumped on the downed boy bringing her dagger up to his throat.
"I dare ya to try anything," Kid breathed.
"We can't just leave you alone now, but we can't kill you either. So, I think you'll have to deal with this." Diss said kneeling by Glenn. He hit Glenn hard in the face knocking him out. Kid got off of Glenn and stood up looking down at Diss. She gently took his hand in hers pulling him up. Diss got up giving her a kiss before turning to the blacksmith's.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Dead Sea." Lynx muttered as they looked at the mess before them.
"Talk about your fixer upper." Shaun added. Paul began marching ahead. Harle seemed to have enough of Paul's attitude problem.
"What iz ze problem, Paul?" Harle snapped. Paul glared at her.
"Shut up Harle. The only problem around here is you!" Paul barked back. Shaun stepped between them breaking up the tension.
"Zat blade of yours iz cursed. GET RID OF IT!" Harle ordered. Lynx held Paul back as he tried to tackle Harle.
"You're a crazy lunatic." Paul muttered breaking free of Lynx's hold. He walked on to the centerpiece of Dead Sea and as they grew near it looked more and more like a group of buildings smashed together. Harle gave nasty looks at Paul every now and then and Lynx made sure Shaun was well within stopping range in case things got to rough between the two. When they finely reached the center they looked up at the enormous skyscraper.
"This must be where we want to be." Shaun said stupidly. They all marched into the building and were amazed to find the automatic doors still functioning. They walked around what looked like a futuristic mall when they spotted the next destination. When they went through the door they found themselves in a place that looked like a small theatre production. There Lynx felt a great headache when he saw a little child disappeared.
"What iz it?" Harle asked. Lynx shook his head motioning it was nothing. Paul took note of the headache and they walked into another room with a large Airplane crashed making ramp to the above ground. They climbed up the Airplane when again Lynx felt another Headache. Again everyone checked to see if he was all right and again he said it was nothing. Paul noticed a pattern in here and he didn't like it. When they reached the upper level they saw dead Acacia Dragoons including Viper, the Four Devas, and the big shocker, Shaun. Shaun almost fainted when he saw his cold limp body before him.
"You okay, Shaun?" Paul asked concerned. Shaun weakly nodded his head. He gulped moving on. Once again Lynx felt another headache when he noticed the children again.
"Lynx, is it another headache?" Paul asked. Lynx nodded. Paul wanted to leave this place badly. They saw a temporal rift before them and with a large sigh they moved through it,
As they moved through the temporal rift they saw that there was what looked like a deserted courtyard. As lynx moved on he saw all three kids moved onwards over the staircase that marked the northern boundary. He shook his head as he felt the headache return.
"Is it that headache again?" Paul asked quietly.
Lynx nodded and moved on up the stairs. At the top of the stairs a bell rested on the ground under two stone pillars that must have been its original place. Upon reaching the bell stand Paul looked at the plaque on one of the stone columns.
"Nadia's Bell, May our hopes and dreams last forever. 1999 A.D.," he read slowly.
"That was what we hoped until you came Serge. You did this you ruined everything, our hopes, our dreams, everything was ruined and its all your fault Serge!" One of the children said. Everyone there saw the children now and were surprised that they looked furious. They slowly faded as a softer voice came from behind one of the pillars.
"Don't mind them, they are just specters of the future," a familiar man said to the party.
"Welcome to the Tower of Gheddon, Time Crash Ground Zero. It's been a long time Serge," The man said softly. Lynx looked at the man carefully.
"You probably don't remember me. My name is Miguel. I was a friend of your father Wazuki. The last time I saw you was ten years ago." Miguel said slowly.
"Ten years ago you were attacked by a panther. Its poisonous claws had put potent venom into your skin. We had killed it in time to keep it from killing you, but the poison had already gone to work to kill you," Miguel said softly as he remembered what had happened.
"Wazuki and me climbed aboard our ship and set sail for Marbule in hopes that they could help you. During our trip there, a terrible storm rose up and knocked us off course. We found ourselves in the Sea of Eden, at a high tech facility. Wazuki decided we would spend the night there when a voice came from deeper within the facility. He started to heed the voice when I called for him to stop. He turned and told me that I had been a good friend and that I should stay here until he returned," Miguel said softly.
"I've been waiting ten years without any sign of him," Miguel said regaining his voice.
"What is this place?" Lynx asked softly.
Miguel replied, "Every choice that you make destroys a potential future. Those futures condensed into what is today called the Dead Sea. This place is a future that never was, that never will be."
"How is that possible?" Shaun asked cautiously.
"Fate," He said softly, "Fate decides everything. Every action, every word, every thought is predetermined by Fate, Fate rules over everything, determining who will live, and who will die. Fate is a cruel "goddess" not forgiving anyone who stands against her," Miguel went on, "This place is a moment frozen in time, time has no meaning here. You will never grow old and die. Think Serge; you will never have to face tomorrow alone. Join me here and never fear what tomorrow may bring!"
Lynx thought the offer was very tempting, but he also saw the danger that lived in such a life. Slowly he shook his head not taking Miguel up on his offer.
"I see, then you must be after restoring the Temporal Distortion then." Miguel said with a heavy sigh. "To do this you must defeat me to liberate this place. Once you do that the Distortion should be reset." Miguel prepared himself for battle.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Paul blared. Paul really didn't want to attack but this urge told him to rip off Miguel's head.
"Don't hold back, let FATE decide." Miguel said enthusiastically. "Attack me with all your soul if you wish to live." They all knew there was no alternative. Kill Miguel, or be killed. Miguel went right after Lynx punching and kicking using a combo of martial arts skills to knock him out. Paul swung in a diagonal at Miguel who parried with an energy field around his hand that resembled a sword. It was a beam of pure light and he wielded it like a blade. Paul was able to parry most of the attacks but Miguel got to him eventually knocking him out of the fight. Harle and Shaun both jumped Miguel beating them with their fists as Miguel blew them back with bursts of pure energy balls. Harle couldn't withstand the blow leaving Shaun and Miguel left. Shaun lifted a huge boulder over his head and hurled it at Miguel who cut it into pieces with his energy blade. Shaun knew he was going to die if he didn't get help soon. Miguel thrusted himself at Shaun when Paul tackled Miguel and kept punching not letting loose when Miguel was eventually almost knocked out and bleeding.
"Well.Done. You have. grown so strong. Serge," Miguel said weakly.
"Why do I have to always fight?" Paul said to himself. The building began to violently shake when Harle and Lynx came to.
"All done?" Lynx yelled.
"YA!" Paul replied. They all ran to the distortion realizing it was blocked off.
"GRAB HOLD SONS OF MAN!" A dragon roared as he swooped to pick up the party.
Miguel lay on the ground looking up at the sky. He knew he would die, "My dearest Leena.if you only knew how much I loved you." He slowly faded away into nothingness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They were all taken to a small island fairly close to Marbule where the Dragon dropped them off landing in front of them. "If thou wishest to defy the Goddess of Fate seek the blessings of all the Dragon Gods," The tall dragon said before flying off to the horizon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss showed his staff to the blacksmith. The blacksmith looked carefully at it before talking to him.
"Looks like yeh got a mighty fine staff 'ere. Tha actual staff itself is a rare oak. Tha dragon 'ere is pure Silvar, and tha blade has ta be rainbow," the smithy said in awe.
"Rainbow?" Diss asked.
"Yeh, rainbow, rare element that I' ave been lookin fer. Ye prove its existence at tha very least," The smithy said. Diss smiled and thanked the man for his time taking the staff back. As they turned to leave the smithy yelled out,
"I was hopin tha maybe I could buy it offa yeh. Is tha at all possible?" He asked hopefully.
Diss shook his head, "I'm sorry, it was a gift. I just wanted to see what it was made of. Had it for years now, and I just thought I'd stop by since I was in town."
As they left Serge approached them. He had a serious look on his face.
"Listen guys, we're going to have to hold off on the Dead Sea a bit. Its not at the moment we need it to be," He said.
"So what do we do till then?" Kid asked.
"Wait until it clears up, should be a couple of days." Diss smiled. He had hoped to get more time like this. As he and Kid walked back to the Bazaar they talked about how they would spend that time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Look, there's Termina!" Paul shouted. He ran ahead of the others. Harle was getting more and more annoyed with the way Paul was acting. Shaun pushed ahead seeing Paul hurry was never a good sign. Lynx eventually ran after Shaun, and Harle followed suit.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss, Kid, and Serge approached the harbor when they heard a shout. All three turned around to see Paul running full speed up to them. He stopped and shortly thereafter Shaun, Lynx, and Harle showed up.
Diss frowned seeing his two "friends".
"What are you two here for? You guys going to finish what you couldn't in Fort Dragonia?" Diss asked sarcastically.
"What are you talking about Diss?" Shaun asked.
"You guys left me for dead in Fort Dragonia, if it wasn't for Kid and Serge I think you guys would have succeeded." Diss replied coldly.
"What are you talking about Diss, Kid and Serge were there all the long," Shaun said slowly.
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Diss roared. Kid pulled her Dagger realizing a fight could breakout at any minute. Paul looked angrily at Diss.
"YOU KNOW WE WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU BEHIND DISS!" Paul screamed. "WE GO IN TOGETHER, WE GET OUT TOGETHER!" Diss retaliated quickly,
"OH REALLY! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHEN I WAS ALONE IN FORT DRAGONIA!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Paul drew his sword. Harle interrupted,
"NON PAUL! DO NOT UZ ZAT SWORD!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP HARLE!" Paul bellowed.
"Diss, we're your friends man, we'd never leave you behind. You're the boss of us. Remember how pissed you got when we called you that?" Diss slowly looked stupefied until Kid brushed one of his shoulders,
"Remember, these guys left ya for dead." She said to him. Diss' anger came back as he gave up with words. Realizing he had no other alternative Paul and Shaun drew up their weapons.
"So after abandoning me, you're going to kill me? I wont be an easy mark like Christy was," Diss growled.
"WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Paul screamed.
"Christy died because you guys weren't there to help me, now you're going to kill me. I WONT BE THAT EASY TO KILL!" Diss yelled as he slashed hard at Paul. Paul barely blocked in time in order to avoid being cleaved in half. He released his anger as the two men fought as ruthlessly and violently as possible. Kicking when locked together and punching when in close quarters. Shaun watched dumbfounded as the two efficiently hurt each other. Paul finally backed up and threw a bolt of energy at Diss.
Diss laughed, "You must be stupid or something, because you must have never heard of electrical fires." With that he started closing in.
Paul looked around before retorting, "You're right it's useless against you, but not her." He threw another bolt at Kid hitting her squarely. She flew back gritting her teeth as she hit ground. Diss' eyes flared with a new fire as he started attacking Paul with more strength than Paul was ready for. Shaun tried to stop them only to receive a deep gash across his chest as Diss' dragon staff hit him.
Finally Diss disarmed Paul. He looked around for anything and saw the Masamune a full twenty feet behind him.
"Harle! Give me the sword!" Paul shouted desperately. Diss grabbed Paul by his front shirt and head butted him hard. Paul staggered then recovered. Diss again head butted Paul. Again Paul staggered recovering. Finally they both head butted each other, both backing off recovering from the tremendous skull-cracking blow.
Serge's eyes widened as he felt Diss' mind start resisting him. Diss hadn't stopped resisting, but had gone dormant until his friends reawaked him. He thought quickly and saw Kid. He knew she was his only control method he could actually control. He quickly revived her as Diss started backing off from Paul's kicks.
Kid woke up quickly and assessed the battle. As she got to her feet she quickly shouted, "Diss! Firestorm!"
Diss nodded backing up to right next to her. As Paul charged Diss kicked Paul hard in the head knocking him back with the others. He nodded to Kid as she whistled. A huge machine dropped from nowhere onto the ground in front of them. Simultaneously Kid and Diss kicked triggers on the machine both leaning forward. Diss concentrated pouring fire into the machine as a crimson beam began emanating from the machine.
Shaun was sitting up when he saw what was going on. Paul saw just enough to shout on last phrase before they were all blasted back. "OH SHIT!" Paul cried as the beam hit them full force. All that Lynx saw was red before he gave in to his pain. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diss sat on the boat as he recovered. His shirt was torn in places where Paul's sword had slashed. Kid sat next to him holding a cloth, she dipped it into a healing salve and started pressing it to his open wounds. Diss cringed from the pain as she gently cleaned his wounds.
"We did it guys! We got rid of Lynx!" Serge cried happily.
"For now," muttered Diss before he hissed in pain.
"Sorry mate," Kid said softly. She continued to clean his wounds as Serge looked at Diss studying him.
'What do you mean for now?" Serge asked.
Diss grimaced in pain before answering, "They aren't dead. I'd know it if they were. My powers let me know when it's enough so I don't drain myself too early in battle. I didn't get that warning at all."
Kid looked sympathetically at Diss. Diss avoided her gaze for a bit looking at Serge. Serge was looking out into the open ocean distantly.
"We need to head to Guldove," He said.
"What?" Diss and Kid asked in unison.
"We need to get to Guldove so that we can stop them from figuring out how to track us." Serge said mysteriously.
Diss picked up on the unspoken meaning and simply nodded. Kid looked from Diss to Serge and back to Diss unsure of what was being left unsaid.
Diss noticed her confusion and explained, "Lynx may try to use the Oracle at Guldove to find out what we're up to. No one can know we're heading to Chronopolis. If they did find out, all we've been working for would be for nothing."
Kid nodded before returning to her work cleaning his wounds. After She finished Diss laid back. Kid laid on top of him using his chest as a pillow as the ship slowly moved towards Guldove.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"GOD DAMNIT!" Paul and Shaun said together in unison as they got up. Both realized their friend had gone completely insane.
"What is this crap about Christy?" Paul said.
"I don't know what the hell happened to Diss, but he's not himself that's for sure." Shaun replied.
"Speaking of act'ing strange." Harle started.
"SHUT UP!" Paul yelled to her. Harle remained quiet. Lynx slowly got up and brushed off his fur.
"Is everyone okay." Lynx muttered. Everyone nodded.
"What waz zat?" Harle asked.
"Shaun, your technical analysis please." Paul waved his hand motioning him to begin.
"Today kiddies we're going to talk about Firestorm. When Kid combined one of her most powerful attacks with Diss' Flamethrower attack the cannon began to harness the energy and create a beam powerful enough to play hockey with our bodies." Shaun continued. " With that force we all placed our heads between our legs and kissed our-"
"Zat iz enough!" Harle interrupted. Lynx laughed along with Paul.
"Now we need a plan." Paul muttered. A man in green armor approached holding his head in pain.
"Paul, Shaun, Sir Lynx. I am glad I have found you." Paul recognized Glenn.
"Sup?" Paul asked.
"Are you looking for Serge and his cohorts?" They nodded.
"Then let me assist you. I believe I saw the boat heading for Guldove. There is where we should go next." At that point they knew Glenn joined their party.
"Very well. I guess you're tagging along." Glenn seemed uneasy.
"If you don't mind." Glenn replied.
"Not at all." Shaun said. They moved onto a nearby-parked boat, which they took the liberty of stealing. From there they went to Guldove.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Be on your guard." Diss said straitening up.
"What for?" Kid asked. Serge looked off into the sea. If they had a motorboat they would reach Guldove in no time.
"When we reach Guldove I want you two to prepare a welcoming party." Serge ordered. Diss and Kid nodded preparing their weapons. Serge was willing to bet a bad thing was going to happen. That Paul character had already interfered with his plans with the Masamune. He was going to give it to Dissinger as a seal to keep him under his control. However, Paul didn't know anything about that sword. So win or lose an obstacle will be eliminated. When they reached Guldove Serge ran straight for the hut when he got an unwelcoming surprise.
"Hello, Serge." Paul said lifting up Serge by his front shirt. He tossed him into Lynx who gave a very twisted grin.
"DI-" Serge was smacked unconscious by Lynx's mighty hand. Dissinger already heard the trouble and ran over while Kid was still exiting the boat. As soon as he got six feet between himself and Kid, Glenn jumped Kid and Harle kicked her in the stomach and put her to sleep with a spell.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Paul chimed. He drew up his sword and pointed it at Dissinger.
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE-" Shaun finished the sentence for Diss.
"So quickly." Shaun paced around Diss. "Easy, we basically upgraded the motor with a higher voltage." Shaun pointed at Paul. Paul grinned devilishly. Diss knew he was out options.
"So your going to finish what you know you can't." Diss hissed. Paul nodded. Diss drew up his staff and pointed it at Paul. "BRING IT!"
Paul dived in a diagonal slash that grazed Diss' shoulder. Diss retaliated with a sideswipe into Paul's gut. Paul swung to chop off his head, but Diss easily parried with a swift motion and tried to sweep Paul. Paul saw it coming and did a back flip over his leg preparing for the next wave. Diss charged and speared Paul hard. He shot a fireball at Paul who laughed as it hit him doing little damage. Paul swung hard diagonally to the left moving up to the right cutting deep into Dissinger's chest. Paul did a little taunting dance as he motioned to let Diss bring it. Diss charged to tackle Paul but Paul jumped up onto Diss' back and flattened him easily. Paul slashed at Diss' exposed back before Diss was able to get out of harms way. Kid came to and beckoned Dissinger to do his Firestorm attack with her. The machine dropped from nowhere and together they hit the trigger. Paul fell flat on his back looking like he was knocked out cold.
"WE DID IT AGAIN!" Kid sang. She gave Diss a quick hug and a kiss. Paul jackknifed up onto his feet and twitched violently. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL? HE AIN'T HUMAN!" Kid looked shocked at the standing Paul.
"Won't quit." Diss muttered as he charged at Paul full force. Paul swung his blade knocking Diss off balance over and into the water. Kid tried a double kick that Paul countered by grabbing her leg and tossing her into a bunch of boxes knocking her out. Diss got back on deck soaking wet looking evilly at Paul. Steam erupted from his body as he focused his pain into more strength.
"Now you pay for Christy!" Diss screamed. Paul's eyes shot blood red as he completely lost himself. Diss tired to punch but was tossed onto his back. Diss avoided the knee smash and kicked Paul in the head. Diss grabbed his arm and wrenched it so Paul fell down. Paul felt a shot of pain fill his arm as he tried to counter the maneuver. Diss let go and Paul took the opportunity to grab Diss by both legs and hoist him up and smash him on his back. Diss cringed in pain grabbing his spine. Paul picked him up again and tossed him into the boxes next to Kid. Diss looked at the downed Kid and grew angry. He got back up and tried to tackle Paul again. Paul grabbed both of Diss' arms and tossed him to the side like a rag doll.
"Shaun, you must help Monsieur Dissinger, or Paul will kill him!" Harle shouted to Shaun. Shaun tried to avoid a really good fight but went to Diss' side and helped him up.
"Why are you helping me?" Diss barely got out.
"We're friends, it's what friends do when one is getting beat up." Shaun stopped a kick by Paul and spun underneath him tripping Paul.
"Wrong day to mess with me." Paul said coldly. Something about him didn't seem right as he slowly got back up. Shaun charged at Paul and managed to get off a kick to the mid section and a double handed smash to his back. Paul got right back up and clotheslined Shaun. Paul stomped repeatedly on Shaun's stomach when Diss tackled Paul. Paul managed to pick up Diss and tossed him overhead onto his back. Shaun jumped onto Paul's back and tired to cut off his blood flow when Paul snapped Shaun's neck so he flew before him. Paul swung the blade in his hand quickly as he looked for his next target.
"Diss, the meteor attack!" Diss nodded once as Shaun called a large rock from the ground and held it high above his head as Diss pumped fire into it creating a flaming rock that Shaun tossed at Paul. Paul glared at the two as the rock hit him. Paul hoisted the rock off him as he sprinted to Diss and kicked him in the stomach slashing up almost cutting his throat.
Serge slowly came to as he saw Shaun and Diss fighting Paul together. Before he shouted an order to Diss Lynx grabbed him from behind and hoisted him over his head tossing Serge into the water. As Serge got up he saw countless shadow cats behind Lynx.
"No, N-N-NOO!" Serge screamed as the shadow cats began to cut and scrape Serge knocking Serge out. Harle gave a satisfied nod to Lynx as they watched Paul and his friends duke it out.
"YOU STILL THINK I KILLED CHRISTY?" Paul bellowed punching Diss multiple times. Diss slowly came to as something inside him clicked. He no longer remembered living in the Hermits Hideaway. He also remembered Serge attacking everyone. Soon the fighting energy left him. Paul continued to punch and kick Diss yelling random things. He looked desperately at Shaun for help. Shaun then realized Diss was back as he sprinted with all the energy left in him. Paul quickly turned around and dodged the spear he was performing and instead of grabbing Paul he hit Diss hard. Both men were trying to get up, but were too exhausted. Paul slowly walked up to them in an evil sort of way. He swung his sword high above head in a deathblow as he looked at Dissinger eyes.
"LOOK AT ME DISS! LOOK AT ME!" Paul screamed. Diss met Paul's gaze and saw a certain fire he never saw before. "YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU COULD BOSS ME AROUND! WELL, NO MORE!" Diss looked behind Paul to see two ghosts appear. One was a girl around Paul's height and age, and another no more then five. The little one stood behind Paul as the older girl walked up to Paul.
"NO.MORE!" Paul said through his grinding teeth. Diss closed his eyes and gritted his teeth baring his throat, waiting for his life to pass his eyes. He waited a moment, and then slowly opened them to see the older girl holding Paul's arm from striking Diss. Diss breathed a sigh of relief.
"Put it down." She said gently. Paul's eyes began to flood with tears as he slowly dropped the sword.
"I've done a bad thing, haven't I?" Paul said choking back his tears. The younger girl moved closer as they both hugged Paul. Paul couldn't hold back his tears if he tried as he broke down sobbing.
"It's okay." The older one whispered in his ear rubbing his back. "It's all over." Diss and Shaun looked in puzzlement as they watched. Harle and Lynx left them alone as they followed Glenn into the building behind them.
Shaun looked at Diss slowly seeing the many wounds that covered his body. He helped him up slowly as Diss slumped. Shaun looked at him concerned as he checked Diss for a pulse. Diss' heart beat strongly, but his breathing seemed haggard. He replayed the scenes as they occurred over and over again. He felt a cold chill go through him.
"I need towels quick, and we need a doctor!" Shaun shouted. Diss groaned as his every nerve lit up on fire.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Serge slowly got up looking at Paul and the two ghosts, he ground his teeth about to attack and kill Paul when he saw Kid slowly getting up. His only chance to get out of here was closing rapidly. He ran to Kid and dragged her to the motorboat. Kid slowly came to.
"Diss, where's Diss?" Kid asked weakly.
Serge replied quickly, "He's not here. We had to leave quickly."
Kid sat up quickly, "No, we have to go back for him. We can't just leave him!"
With a wave of his hand Serge put Kid to sleep. He would figure out a way to use Kid to get Diss again.
He glared at Paul speaking quietly to himself, "Twice you ruined my plans. Mark my words. You'll never see your precious world again. Even if it means killing myself." And with that Serge started paddling away not daring to start the engine in the event they heard him.