Thanksgiving Break rocks! Not only did I get to pig out on turkey and see lots of relatives but I got to do plenty of writing too! Of course, now I have to go back to college and deal with the absolute horror of horrors--FINALS!
This chapter has a few references to my first fic "Against All Odds." I didn't really mean for this to happen, but I kinda wrote myself into a hole. Just thought I'd mention that in case something doesn't sound familiar to any of you.
*Flames of Battle*
After considering their options, the Adepts decided that trying to earn money in the village would take too long. The pay for temporary help in any of the businesses was slim at best; so they chose instead to earn money the old fashioned way–by treasure hunting. Some of the townsfolk talked about ancient ruins not too far away, so the group decided that those might be worth investigating. At the very least they might find some easy monsters that would drop a few extra coins.
So with weapons in hand, they left town and headed in the direction of these ruins. Jenna wasn't her normally chipper self as she was still mildly upset about what had happened last night. She couldn't even look at Garet without stirring up that embarrassment, and since he seemed to be avoiding her, she assumed that the feeling was mutual. It was pretty funny, she supposed, but she was unable to laugh at it just yet.
"How much money do we have to make?" Mia asked.
"Thankfully not as much as we lost," Isaac replied. "I'd say if we make a fast 1500 coins we should be OK. We've made more than that in one day of adventuring before."
Mia nodded in agreement, leaning against his shoulder. He smiled and put an arm around her waist, both of them oblivious to the looks that the two Mars Adepts were giving them. Looks of both jealousy and longing. It's not fair, Garet thought. How come Isaac makes it look so easy and I can't even spill my guts to Jenna? He stole a quick glance at her. If I weren't such an idiot maybe it would be easier. It doesn't matter now–she must hate me for walking in on her last night.
Unknown to him, Jenna was thinking along the same lines. They make it seem so easy, she thought. So why is it so difficult? She looked over at Garet briefly. I should forgive him for last night. I'm sure he still feels pretty badly about it. So he caught a quick look at me without my clothes on–it's not the end of the world.
"How far were these ruins?" Ivan questioned.
"The people I talked to said only a few miles," said Isaac. "With any luck, we'll be there before long."
"It would be nice if we had some signs to point us in the right direction," Sheba said. "This path isn't well marked."
Isaac checked the sun's position. "Well, they said the ruins were due south, and that's where we're headed. We should see some clues soon."
"Oh look, there's a sign," said Mia, pointing.
Ivan squinted at it, since the letters were quite faded. "It says, 'Ahnyana Ruins–Danger.'"
"Danger?" Jenna questioned. "I thought they were just abandoned ruins."
"Maybe they're haunted," said Sheba.
"You believe that kind of crap?" Garet scoffed. "There's no such things as ghosts."
"I'm willing to believe just about anything after all we've been through on this trip," said Isaac. "We'll have to be on guard."
"Right," Mia agreed.
As the group continued down the path, none of them were aware of the two pairs of eyes that were spying on them from deep within the brush.
"Wow, look at this place!" Sheba exclaimed when they'd reached the ruins. "It's amazing!"
It appeared to have once been a small village. At the center of it all was a massive, crumbling temple that nearly touched the sky. Smaller, unrecognizable buildings surrounded it in a tight radius like ancient guards of some secret. Thick ivy vines had coiled themselves around all of the old stones, partially hiding the decay. No one had been here in a very, very long time, and it was like walking right into the pages of a history book. The only sounds were their footsteps and the distant chirpings of birds.
"I wonder what that temple was built for," Mia thought aloud. "It must've been beautiful long ago."
The group members spread out a bit to inspect parts of the ruins more closely. Isaac pulled some ivy away from a placard near the temple, only to discover that it was inscribed with runes that he couldn't read. He traced his fingers over the symbols, wondering what sort of story they told. Mia studied the placard with him. Ivan and Sheba migrated to some of the other dilapidated buildings, discovering broken carvings and other strange objects buried under the ivy. Garet's eyes traveled up the temple and he wondered if it was safe to enter or if it would collapse on his head. He'd never seen anything so tall other than Mt. Aleph. Jenna paced idly around the long-forgotten village paths that circled the temple, admiring the unique scenery and keeping one wary eye on her fellow Mars Adept.
"So where's the treasure?" Garet finally asked.
Isaac moved some more vines aside and discovered an entrance to the temple. "Maybe inside. But it looks a little dangerous."
"Oh, but it is far more dangerous out here in the open," said a foreign voice. The Adepts craned their necks in search of the source of the sound. After a moment, they spotted two shadowy forms standing atop one of the old stone buildings.
"Who are you?" Ivan questioned.
The two shadows leaped into the air and landed before the group. The first was a huge, muscular man with green skin clad in thick armor and holding a gigantic sword. His companion was a woman with red hair and purple-ish skin wielding a lethal-looking scythe. Both of them had abnormally large, pointed ears and deep red flaming eyes.
"Are you the one called Isaac?" the woman asked.
"Who wants to know?" he replied.
"Don't cross us, boy," said the man, taking a few steps closer. "We're not here on a pleasure trip. You see, if you are Isaac, and I think you are, then my companion and I are very interested in you."
"And why might that be?" Mia demanded.
"Because it was a warrior named Isaac and his friends who killed my sister Menardi and her companion Saturos," the woman said.
"And we have reason to believe that this same Isaac killed many of my best fighters in a raid on my village," the man continued. "Somehow he even managed to kill my guard captain Valerdo and steal a Mercury Adept we earned in a fair trade."
"Human beings are not possessions that can be traded," said Isaac. "Now for the last time, who are you?"
"I am Agatio of the Fire Clan of the North," the man said dramatically. "And this is Karst, one of my finest warriors. Now, are you or are you not the one called Isaac?"
The Adepts didn't waver, refusing to be intimidated by these bullies no matter who they were. They drew their weapons. "I suppose I can't keep my identity a secret any longer," said Isaac. "Yes, we are the ones who defeated Saturos and Menardi, and I am the one who raided Tartarus and killed Valerdo. Satisfied?"
"Not quite," Agatio said smugly. He swiftly lunged for Isaac, while Karst immediately sent out jets of flame, forcing the group members to scatter in all directions. The sound of clashing steal echoed all around the ruins as the mighty Fire Clan warrior put all of Isaac's best sword tricks to the test. His weapon clashed against the Gaia Blade again and again, each blow forcing Isaac further back even as he dug his heals into the ground. It took all of the strength he had to keep the enemy sword away from his body, and even then every muscle in his arms quivered, threatening to give out. His feet skidded and tore up the grass as Agatio continued to push him backwards.
"This is one battle you cannot win, boy," the hulking man sneered. His blade ignited and blasted Isaac away into one of the stone buildings and then he sent out an inferno. Isaac jumped out of the way, the flames narrowly missing him, and charged back, casting Quake Sphere. The tremors had little effect, and Agatio met the Gaia Blade ready for more. The shining light of the Titan Blade attack took him off guard, but he immediately countered with a quick burst of fire. Isaac leapt as high as he could, gripping his sword with both hands, but Agatio was prepared and struck him near the ribs. As Isaac crashed to the ground, Agatio prepared to plunge his sword right through him. Luckily, even with blood rapidly seeping from his wound, Isaac managed to roll between Agatio's legs and avoid the deadly thrust. He cast Cure on himself and spun back around to continue his fight.
Karst made it her job to keep the others from interfering with Agatio's duel. Trapped amid a ring of choking flames, the other five Adepts couldn't see their target clearly. Mia did her best to keep the fire from getting too close, but she couldn't seem to extinguish it completely.
"It's too hot!" Sheba coughed through the rising smoke. "I can't focus my power!"
"Mia, do something!" Ivan said.
"I'm trying!" she said, casting Douse again. "It takes time to put out an inferno!"
Garet and Jenna weren't as bothered by the heat as the others, and they were able to keep a closer eye on Karst as she fed the flames. Taking matters into their own hands, they leaped right through the fire to attack. Garet clashed his sword against a surprised Karst's scythe, and Jenna started shooting out her best fiery attacks, even though they wouldn't do much good against another Mars Adept. When Karst attempted to blast Garet away, she found her Psynergy to be less effective as well.
"This'll teach you to mess with us," Garet said confidently as he kept swinging his sword, forcing her back.
"How do you intend to fight me?" Karst asked. "Your powers are just as ineffective against me as mine are against you."
"Brute strength," Garet replied, pressing his attack. "And one other small trick I have." His sword glowed and suddenly unleashed a column of water, soaking Karst and knocking her over. He mentally thanked whatever little voice had told him to carry the Silver Blade today, as now that choice was being well rewarded.
Finally, Mia got the fire under control and she, Ivan and Sheba started unleashing all of their best attacks in every possible direction. A sharp blast of ice and part of a Shine Plasma attack temporarily distracted Agatio from his duel. Karst, already quite wet, was hit by Tornado winds and thrown further back into the ruins. The six Adepts regrouped together and braced themselves for the next stage of the battle.
"Why do these things always come back to haunt us later?" Garet asked. "I figured we were done with these Fire Clan freaks after that Tartarus incident."
"Such is the life of an adventurer," said Isaac, panting slightly. Agatio was a much more powerful fighter than either Saturos or Valerdo, and he rarely left an opening for an attack. Defeating him would hardly be an easy task.
Karst came rushing back bearing her scythe. She set her sights on Mia, figuring the Mercury power should be eliminated first. Mia swiftly cast Ice Missile, and Ivan and Sheba assisted with Shine Plasma. Agatio charged towards Isaac and their blades clashed again, but this time Garet was there to help with both his bigger muscles and his water-based weapon. Jenna, unsure of how she could be of assistance, cautiously worked her way around the frays to get into a better position. A stealth fire attack might be more effective.
Just as it seemed that the Adepts were gaining the upper hand, Karst unleashed an incredible blast of fire, scorching Ivan, Sheba and Mia. Sheba fell, and Mia started to cast Wish to heal the damage, but was halted by another swift shot of flame, rendering her unconscious. Ivan staggered to his feet and cast one Destruct Ray attack before the pain overtook him as well. At that same moment, a vexed Agatio cast his own storm of fire, partially burning Isaac and Garet and knocking them a short distance away. He started to laugh, but was suddenly hit with an enormous fireball. Since it caught him completely off guard, it managed to burn a small hole in his armor and sear his hands. Jenna mentally praised herself for her dead-on attack and started to move to aid Garet and Isaac.
Thoroughly enraged, Agatio set his sights on the one who'd managed to wound him. His hands fully ignited as he aimed with a deadly intent and perfect accuracy. The fire flew from his palms, letting out a war cry as it spiraled towards its target.
Garet was not normally a fast runner, but when he saw the incredible inferno hurtling towards Jenna, he suddenly had the speed of the wind. He grabbed her and immediately unleashed Flash just a nanosecond before the fire hit. The force of the impact was still too great, however, and both of them went flying into one of the old buildings. That made the crumbling structure shake violently and it collapsed, burying both of the Mars Adepts under a huge pile of solid stone.
"Garet! Jenna!" Isaac screamed. The dust had settled and he made a mad dash to the spot. Karst and Agatio were laughing at him madly as he furiously tried to dig his friends out of the rubble, the glint of tears appearing in the corners of his eyes.
"And so it ends," Agatio declared. "You've put up a good fight, boy, but you've finally made your last stand."
"How shall we finish him, Agatio?" Karst asked coyly.
Isaac turned to his adversaries, still not willing to give up. He brandished the Gaia Blade. "Go on, then. Give me your best shot."
"A warrior to the end, aren't you?" Agatio implored. "Very well then. Karst, let's use our special technique."
She snickered. "Fine with me." They both raised a single hand and pointed at Isaac. In a flash, their palms flared up and he was suddenly engulfed in a torrent of lava that popped up underneath him. In a last-ditch effort, Isaac managed to call up Granite to soften the blow, but the intense heat and charring pain overwhelmed him and he saw no more.
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Another patented cliffhanger! ^^;; Please don't kill me! I had no idea what kind of weapons Karst or Agatio actually use, so I just took a guess. I'll try to get Chapter 4 up as soon as possible, but I can't guarantee anything with school constantly threatening to interfere with my writing. *Groan* College can be such a pain in the butt.