Yes, I screwed up on the uploading - I found out that I saved the last chapter over this one and uploaded them. Silly me.
"That's it, right?" the Dragon Master asked as the Goddess retrieved the forgotten blade. "We saved the world again."
"Um..." Heath tapped a foot on the humming floor. "I believe that we still have to handle this."
"But we stopped them," Hawk argued. It's safe."
"No it isn't."
The group turned to face the Mana Goddess.
"We may have stopped them, but this is still potentially dangerous. Lethal even. If it explodes - which could happen at any time - it will destroy this planet." She looked at each of them. "I'm serious."
"Isn't there a place where we could put it?" Heath asked. "Send it into space so it doesn't affect this world?"
"If I do," said a sombre Goddess, "it will spell the destruction of several other worlds."
"Must one kill other living things in order to survive," Riesz recited quietly. "Must one destroy another world in order to allow one's own world to continue."
"What meaning is there to such a world?" asked Carlie.
"What about putting it back into the sea?" Hawk suggested.
"It has the power to send a tidal wave that will drown at least half of the continents. Just by raising it out of the water it lowered the sea level by half a metre.1
"So that's it," said Heath. "No matter what we do, where we bury it, where we send it, it's going to take someone with it."
"No, wait," Carlie interrupted. "There's still one world where the Mana Stone can go and it won't hurt anybody."
"And that is..."
"Mana Holyland."
"NO."
"Out of the question!"
"Are you crazy?"
"It works."
"EXCUSE ME?" Hawk exploded. "She's suggesting the death of the Holyland and you're for it?"
"There is no other solution!" the Goddess yelled back. "If it explodes here it will no only destroy this planet but commence death on other worlds! It could turn into an asteroid shower for them, or a dust cloud that blocks the sun! Sacrifices never involve innocents, and the Holyland is the only place where an explosion of this magnitude can be contained!"
"Why did you have to suggest this?" Riesz shouted at Carlie.
"BACK OFF," Heath snapped angrily. "We needed solutions and we got them."
"Are you suggesting that you like this idea?" Riesz demanded. "It's - "
"That's it, right?" the Dragon Master asked as the Goddess retrieved the forgotten blade. "We saved the world again."
"Um..." Heath tapped a foot on the humming floor. "I believe that we still have to handle this."
"But we stopped them," Hawk argued. It's safe."
"No it isn't."
The group turned to face the Mana Goddess.
"We may have stopped them, but this is still potentially dangerous. Lethal even. If it explodes - which could happen at any time - it will destroy this planet." She looked at each of them. "I'm serious."
"Isn't there a place where we could put it?" Heath asked. "Send it into space so it doesn't affect this world?"
"If I do," said a sombre Goddess, "it will spell the destruction of several other worlds."
"Must one kill other living things in order to survive," Riesz recited quietly. "Must one destroy another world in order to allow one's own world to continue."
"What meaning is there to such a world?" asked Carlie.
"What about putting it back into the sea?" Hawk suggested.
"It has the power to send a tidal wave that will drown at least half of the continents. Just by raising it out of the water it lowered the sea level by half a metre.1
"So that's it," said Heath. "No matter what we do, where we bury it, where we send it, it's going to take someone with it."
"No, wait," Carlie interrupted. "There's still one world where the Mana Stone can go and it won't hurt anybody."
"And that is..."
"Mana Holyland."
"NO."
"Out of the question!"
"Are you crazy?"
"It works."
"EXCUSE ME?" Hawk exploded. "She's suggesting the death of the Holyland and you're for it?"
"There is no other solution!" the Goddess yelled back. "If it explodes here it will no only destroy this planet but commence death on other worlds! It could turn into an asteroid shower for them, or a dust cloud that blocks the sun! Sacrifices never involve innocents, and the Holyland is the only place where an explosion of this magnitude can be contained!"
"Why did you have to suggest this?" Riesz shouted at Carlie.
"BACK OFF," Heath snapped angrily. "We needed solutions and we got them."
"Are you suggesting that you like this idea?" Riesz demanded. "It's - "