Veil of Darkness
Author's Notes: Here it is; the last chapter. I bet you are all shaking in excitement right now. :) Believe me, this took a lot of my free time to type. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: If you're too dense to know that I don't own Rayman even when I mentioned it in the other five chapters, I suggest you stop reading right here, right now. Also, Morphina's true form is slightly based off of the monster designs from Final Fantasy X, (What else could I do? I couldn't just make her a formless shadow with glowing eyes like what people imagine her to be!) but there are differences to keep Morphina from becoming a 'shape-shifting monster from Final Fantasy X'.
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Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain; now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength
A new day has come
-*-*-*-*A New Day Has Come-*-*-*-*
The final embers of the campfire dimmed to a light red glow as the large group of adventurers, except for Jano, slept and rested their strength for what lay ahead at the first lights of day. The hours spent resting were slim, but it beat staying the rest of the night up by a long slide. Some characters, like Sssam and Davis, would wake up every few minutes at the slightest sounds or movements, while others like Freya and Ivy slept like logs. As the others slept, Jano would keep his vigil, scanning the surroundings for any signs of incoming attack. He knew that the two wandering mages had already told Rayman that Morphina would attack at dawn but it was best to make sure that she didn't send an early wave while they slumbered. Jano spent some of his free time during the night by reading the minds of his partners, uncovering some long hidden feelings and secrets from the newer recruits.
After his seventh uneasy awakening, Davis lay forlornly on his back as he stared into the dark canopy of the marsh's trees. He just couldn't sleep, part of his mixed feelings caused by the fact that he still didn't trust Freya and Bad-Rayman. Also, he had the feeling that Morphina would swoop down from the treetops and snatch him away from his friends. "You're okay?" Jano's rough voice whispered from his spot. Davis was startled by his voice, but he was quick to become calm again when he realized it was only Jano. "No, I keep thinking that-" "-monsters will swoop down any minute and snatch you away to be spell-bound by Morphina. I know because I share that thought. Morphina attacked me once, and I barely escaped with my free will. After that, she swore to herself that she'll finish the job someday."
"Will Morphina attack with everything she has?" Davis asked, obviously uneducated in Jano's mind-reading abilities. "Yes. I know her well, as if we were of the same flesh and blood. Morphina is a lot more skilled in planning attacks than Mr. Dark or Razorbeard will ever be. She doesn't create reluctant clones-" Jano pointed to Bad-Rayman sleeping near the campfire next to his partner Freya. "-or becomes so ignorant that she believes that nothing can stop her like Razorbeard did. She knows that without quick planning her cause is useless. She knows that Commanders and slaves are unusable if they aren't loyal to their causes. She will be a tough foe to beat, and I think that we won't completely finish her off."
Davis was frightened at the Guardian's words, but he knew that his words spoke the truth. Sighing, he lay his head down on his 'pillow', which was nothing more than a pile of soft leaves. Soon, his hurtful worrying was the very thing that lulled him to an uneasy sleep. As the large group of friends slept peacefully under the dark canopy of trees, Jano kept the ongoing vigil under the darkness of the comforting night. He maintained his watch even when the break of Dawn became ever closer. He knew that if the heroes were ever caught off guard by any leading attacks, there was no hope of survival for them. That very fact alone was worth losing his rest, Jano thought. He knew that Morphina would also be losing sleep as well; her plans too great to sleep on.
As he spent his time by counting the minutes, one thought remained as clear as a horrible insult. Dawn will decide the fate of the world.
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Morphina paced restlessly in her bedroom like a caged animal. Her plans were all set up, she had Ly to lead, the Veil of Darkness was ready for use, but she still had the feeling that she left an important yet subtle idea out from her plan of the Cave of Bad Dream's destruction. She felt it at the palm of her hand but yet she couldn't grasp it completely. Then she realized that she still hasn't placed her final pawn out into place; the mother of the little brat zombie-tamer that could cause an upset in her plans. She cursed to herself; Rosemary would be the perfect bait to lure Ivy to her doom before Morphina squeezed the final breath from that red- haired annoyance. Just as she was brooding, a scruffy-looking human massager ran into her room.
"Morphina! The army has spotted the first ray of Dawn! We await your next commands, O' Great One!" The poor child was obviously spellbound; not even the Commanders called her 'O' Great One' if they wanted to keep their reputation intact. Morphina turned to the massager, her dark hair falling gracefully on her shoulders like a veil. "Tell them to wait for my orders. They can't just march towards the Cave of Bad Dreams unprepared, you know." She watched the massager run breathlessly down the oaken stairs of her lair and soon afterwards she followed along.
Rosemary can wait for another time, Morphina decided inside her head. Ly will already lure an even bigger prize into my clutches anyways. She knew exactly what she was up against, but Rosemary would probably be overkill during her mission. She wasn't going to give Ivy the pleasure of seeing her mother one last time, even in the state that she's in. She emerged from the large oak tree mere moments after the panting slave ran back to its commander. When she stepped into view, everything and everyone in the army became still. Creatures of every shape and size all turned their attention on Morphina. The Commanders were getting rather tired of waiting, all of them either whistling some unknown tune or impatiently shifting their weight from one foot to another.
"My loyal followers and servants," Morphina started. She had waited many months for this moment. "The time has come to put our planning and careful thinking into action. We are to show no mercy as we march to the location of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Remember two details; destroy whatever is in your path and save the Guardian for me." With a single click of her elegant fingers, thick darkness cloaked the army like a blanket; the Veil of Darkness playing its role of concealment. No more details needed to be issued; time was too short for questions.
"Head towards your goal!" Morphina ordered. "Nothing will stop us!"
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"Huh?" Ivy stirred awake rather uneasily from her deep peaceful sleep. Something had awakened her and Jano seemed aware of its presence. In the distance, Ivy could hear some deep hollow drumming in the distance. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Ivy gazed into the distance, but she saw nothing but the dark night. "Don't even try looking for them; Morphina's army will not attack in broad daylight." Ivy heard the Guardian state knowingly from behind her.
"But I thought Donnia and Rex said that they will attack in the morning..." Ivy whispered. "No matter what time Morphina attacks her prey, her victim will see nothing but darkness. The one reason why she's called a flesh incarnation of death is because one of her powers is a concealment of shadow, nicknamed the Veil of Darkness." Ivy suddenly remembered that in her vision she didn't actually see Morphina firsthand, but only saw the pure darkness that blocked her vision. A shiver ran down her spine. "Awake the others. We need everybody on their feet quickly." Quickly, Ivy rushed to wake the others.
It wasn't long before everyone in the camp was wide awake. The large group sat in a wide circle around the dying campfire, planning their next move. Almost everyone suggested a different kind of stragedy; some wanted to stand their ground and attack from the Cave of Bad Dreams entrance, and others wanted to rush in and attack the army firsthand. Finally, they settled with what Ivy had planned. "We'll use a little of both battle formations since we have a lot of people present. Some will stay here and others will attack the army firsthand. Now, we'll have to figure out who's staying to help protect the Cave." Ivy instructed.
"I'll stay with Globox, the Teensies, Sssam, and Davis." Rayman answered. "The rest of you can attack the army firsthand. After all, it seems that a lot of you want to settle some scores with Morphina." Donnia, Rex, and the two ex-Commanders agreed almost instantly. "Then, I guess everything's settled then. We'll stay here and protect Jano, while you run and take care of Morphina the best way possible." The large group parted into two smaller divisions, one taking a station at the base of the entrance to the Cave, while the other group prepared themselves for battles of almost every kind. Daggers and swords were prepared and Freya even decided to take her zombie chickens with her for distraction purposes. Then, decided not to waste anymore valuable time, the attacking party ran out to meet their opponents.
"Take care, Ivy." Davis whispered to himself as he saw his older sister disappear into the mist. "You're the only family I have left..."
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The run and attack group padded across the deserted wasteland of the swamplands, each one awaiting their first target like a child would await the last day of school. The attacking party consisted of Donnia, Rex, Freya, Freya's three zombie chickens, Bad-Rayman, and Ivy, each one armed with their wits and available weapons. As they ran, the distant war drums changed from dull thumping to loud booming and the swamp became darker. The Veil of Darkness was obviously playing its role perfectly; Ivy even wondered if she would even see a foot in front of her face when she faced Morphina.
"Head for high ground; the Veil of Darkness can only cloak so high off the ground!" Ivy heard Freya harshly whisper from her right side as their vision became more obscured. Ivy agreed silently with a nod so she lead the group up a twisted swamp tree nearby. With all the branches and footholds in the bark, it didn't take long before the group reached the top of the leafless piece of bark. They could easily see the sun winking brightly to the East over the swirling void below them that was the Veil of Darkness. Relieved, Ivy scanned the ground below her.
"Holy...cow..." Ivy choked. Her relief turned into pure terror as she saw the army a few miles away from their perch advancing ahead. The Veil of Darkness made them very hard to see, but Ivy could see that monsters more terrifying than the most sickening nightmare were placed in the front; claws that could turn spines into dust crushed any trees and rocks that might be in their way like fragile toys and teeth as sharp as swords protruding from their maws. Between the monsters, agile Commanders darted from row to row, shouting commands and words of approval. In the sky above them, twisted shapes with wings flapped and glided across the sky like insects, their cries sounding like a harsh Raven's song. Ivy could see that the Commanders were often human or something human-like in shape.
"Get a hold of yourself, Ivy! You're shaking like a leaf." Rex warned from a branch below her. Taking his advice, Ivy sucked in a forced breath and breathed more slowly to calm her fast beating heart. However, the army wasn't the thing that took Ivy's courage away; it was the massive creature that was burrowing in front. A few yards ahead of the army, a large burrowing creature rippled under the crust of the swamp like an earthworm the size of a New York subway train. Ivy realized that the rippling ground was traveling straight towards them! It was traveling at an immense speed so it wouldn't take long for the creature to reach them from their perch.
"We need to get down from this tree pronto!" Ivy shouted. The other four people present immediately agreed after they spotted the moving ground. As they scrambled to get down the tree at their fastest speed, a sudden explosion nearly knocked them off their feet. It felt like the ground up ahead was exploding, kicking up whirlwinds of choking swamp dirt. The tree swayed at the force of the explosion and the group had to brace themselves in the tree's knotted bark. When the dirt cleared, Ivy became aware that something was watching them. Almost reluctantly, she turned her head. "Oh..." Her breath became choked in her throat. A large ugly red-scaled serpent was watching them, its lithe body the width of the largest tree trunks Ivy could imagine. It's enormous underbody was coated with sickening yellow scales that shone like plates of armor. Running down its ropelike back was row upon row of large ridges that could cut flesh like a butcher's knife. The snake's head was big enough for Ivy's house to sit on top of its head comfortably and two large fangs as long as Ivy gleamed near the snake's lips like daggers. But, what caused Ivy's blood to freeze was its one eye in the middle of its head, its knowing gaze piercing into their souls. A sickening hiss rumbled deep within the creature's throat.
"Don't try to fight it, female. You just can't win..." The voice was deep and sadistic. Ivy's blood turned to ice; the same voice from her vision was present. "Morphina," she barely whispered above hearing level. The snake grinned a lethal smile at them. "When you die, the zombie-tamer bloodline will die with you. Everyone in this swamp will get a special taste of my upcoming leadership. The Cave and its Guardian is as good as dead." The creature was indeed Morphina; her mind thinking just like when Ivy met her during her dream. "Not if I can help it!" Rex suddenly called out. A bolt of red flames shot into Morphina's horrible eye like a speeding bullet. The creature that was Morphina shot back its head at the sudden attack and screamed a horrible sound of both pain and hatred. "Now's you chance!" Rex called out. "Head out towards the army. Nia and I will distract her." The remaining five, the two ex-Commanders, their spell-bound pets, and Ivy, leaped out of the tree and landed rather shaken on the swampland.
They immediately leaped to their feet when they heard the monsters approach them at a faster pace. Ivy felt her legs turn into noodles when she saw a large group of monsters, each one looking more gruesome than the next, stood mere inches from her face. A human Commander, obviously oblivious to Freya and Bad-Rayman's side switch and owner of the three mountain bears, called out to them. "Hey, Freya! Can you lend me a hand?" the human replied. Freya replied with a swift kick to the hapless kid's face, knocking the cutthroat out. Immediately, Ivy sprang into action by cutting the bond that the Commander originally had on the creatures. When the monsters snapped out of it, they were free to do whatever they wanted, which happened to be attack the other Commanders and their captive pets. When the bondage is cut even the monsters want to kill Morphina, Ivy thought, this may come in handy.
Soon, the three friends followed a quick pattern of disabling, freeing, and dodging to cut off a good portion of Morphina's army. Occasionally, a large monster would have to be distracted by Freya's loyal zombie pets and sometimes creatures would hound them and try to crush them like insects, only to be outdone by previously freed creatures. As more creatures and people were freed, they would either help Ivy's cause by attacking Commanders or still-bonded creatures, or they would run for their lives into the mists of the swamp. As they wore on, Ivy could still hear the shouts of her two friends Donnia and Rex as they kept Morphina occupied with their magic skills. As the army disappeared under their attacks, a sudden earthquake knocked the three fighters off their feet.
"Oh no!" Ivy quickly realized what had happened. Leaving her friends to hold the rest of the army off, she ran across the battlefields as fast as she could to where she left her two friends Donnia and Rex. Instead of seeing the old swamp tree that Donnia and Rex were last seen, she saw a large gaping hole that looked like a black hole. Then, the truth dawned on Ivy. Like Donnia and Rex were a distraction, Morphina's army was a distraction to hold her off. If she was left alone for enough time, Morphina would then burrow her way to the Cave of Bad Dreams to face off against Jano. Ivy beat the ground her fist in frustration. "How stupid could I get? I left Morphina alone, and I lost two of my friends..." Ivy cursed. Hopelessly, Ivy called her friends' nicknames into the hole, but she heard only silence.
Morphina had dragged Donnia and Rex to their doom...
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Back at the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams, Rayman and his small group of observant watchers waited patiently for any signs of either the advancing army or Morphina herself. They also waited for their friends, but most of them decided that they won't see any sign of them until the entire army was finished off. Boy, were they wrong. "I don't like this..." Sssam whimpered. "It's too dark to be morning, and we don't even know if Ivy is still alive or not. I want to know what's going on out there!" Rayman patted his friend's back. "They're doing quite well if we still don't see any sign of Morphina and her army. In fact, I could rightly say that we'll win this struggle!"
"Oh really?" a disembodied voice replied. There was a flash of silver light and suddenly Ly, Morphina's spell-bound lackey, stood casually in front of the watching eyes of Rayman and his friends. She smiled sadistically. "You still have those annoyingly high hopes with you, Rayman. Face the facts; Morphina is mere moments away from here, Donnia and Rex are as good as dead, those two failures that call themselves Commanders are being torn limb from limb by my army, and Ivy has no one to protect her now. Everyone here in this stinking swamp is as good as dead!" Rayman knew that Ly wouldn't speak that way; he could easily see that she was a slave of Morphina. He stood his ground.
"Ly, please. You know what you're saying is not true... Fight it, Ly!" Rayman yelled, memories of the painful battle he fought against his strongest friend Clark rushing back to him. However, since Ly is a magic creature, maybe their was a chance to break the spellbound without any help from a zombie-tamer. At least, Rayman hoped so. Behind him, some of Rayman's friends shook their heads sadly because unlike Rayman they've experienced some of Morphina's spell-bound creatures and they weren't that easy to help. Ly smile became a grin. "'Fight it'? Is that the best you can do? You very well know that my loyalty to Morphina is a lot stronger than an outburst from a legless wimp that hangs out with mind-reading monsters!"
"Did you come here just to poke fun at us, or do you actually have a purpose of being here?" a Teensie complained. Ly nodded. "Yes, I do. I came here because I was tired of watching Ivy and her friends dealing out damage to my team of monsters, but I'm also here to see the fall of the Cave of Bad Dreams." Rayman was no longer sad at Ly's spell-bondage, but angry that she would say such a thing about the very foundation that one of his friends guarded. He poised to attack the fairy he once was friends with, but Jano held him back.
"She's not thinking clearly; its best to just let her do her own devices for now, Rayman." he whispered behind him. Rayman reluctantly agreed, but he could see that hurting Ly would only make things worse. Instead, he questioned her. "Ly, do you know when Morphina's getting here?" Ly nodded, and Rayman realized he was going to get a straight answer from the impish fairy. "As a matter of fact, she's here right now!" At her words, the ground shook rapidly under their feet, and soon the same giant snake that Donnia and Rex had failed to tame spawned out of the murky green swamp water like a sea serpent. Just like the army, Ly had only been a distraction to make Morphina's appearance a surprise. As soon as Morphina was out of the ground, her body shimmered and melted until it became Morphina's human shape standing right next to Ly too casually to be considered human.
"Thank you, Ly. I wouldn't have made my introduction worth it without you." Morphina stated sadistically. At her sight, Sssam screamed and hid behind some tangled shrubs growing near the Cave's entrance and the two Teensies hid behind Globox's and Davis' backs as the two backed slowly away from Morphina like one would back away from a advancing wolf. Rayman growled and his hands curled into angry fists. Surprisingly, Jano seemed indifferent as Morphina did her best to look intimidating in her lithe human frame. "If I had known that it took this much effort to make the Cave of Bad Dreams rightfully mine, I should've came here in person."
"It'll take more than some of your distractions to let my guard down," Rayman hissed venomously. Morphina instantly shot his argument down. "That's how much it took to bring two mages down to their knees. To tell you the truth, Ivy and her loyal companions didn't stand a chance against me. It felt like killing some insects with a bazooka." She stepped quietly towards the Cave's entrance. "I'll do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can just hand the Cave of Bad Dreams to me, and I'll spare your lives. Or, you can refuse and I'll squash you like the insects you are."
"The Cave of Bad Dreams will never be in the possession of a demon like you!" Jano shouted. "Such big talk for a cyclopic monster like you, Jano. Let's see if you can keep your word!" Instantly, Morphina's body melted and twisted into a monster unlike what Rayman has seen in his entire life of adventuring. With one red eye just like Jano's in the center of her twisted face, a cross between a scorpion and a lizard twice as tall as Rayman stood hunched on four clawed legs, pale tan-colored scales gleaming with toxin covering her flexible body. Large pincers designed for squeezing the life out of victims were protecting her scaled chest area, a scorpion-like tail curled behind her for protecting her back, and a jaw that could bite through solid steel hung open and dripped with saliva and venom.
"What the hell is that thing?" Rayman asked Jano in shock. "It's Morphina's true form; a poison-coated monster that was formed from Polokus's nightmares from long ago. Her skin alone is fatal, and that doesn't do justice for what her jaws can do." Jano had little time to finish his words before the monster that was Morphina lashed out with its tail and tried to pin down Rayman with the tail's poisonous tip. Rayman barely dodged without being stung with a sideward roll and hit the side of the venomous monster with an energy ball. To his surprise, the creature shook the hit off like an insect bite. Before he could charge up another energy fist, he was knocked off the ground by a flash of light.
"Stay out of this, Rayman! Morphina wants to fight Jano, not you!" Ly shouted at her dazed friend. "If you're lusting for battle, then why don't you try your hand on me!" Soon, Rayman was caught up in another fast-paced battle against a familiar enemy, much to his surprise. The fairy creature had caught him off guard; soon Ly was dealing more damage than Rayman could block with her lithe frame. As they fought swiftly, Morphina was slowly advancing towards Jano, a hungered look in her monstrous eye....
Luckily for Rayman, Fate seemed to be on his side. Just as Ly was about to deliver a final blow, a familiar being burst from the underbrush. "This is for Nia and Drac!" Ivy tackled Ly to the ground way before she could recover. The force of the blow sent both of the women skidding across the ground, inflicting rashes and tearing already ripped clothing. When they slowed to a stop, Ivy was the first to regain senses and rise. "Sorry I had to do that Ly, but Jano said that bigger foes had to be tackled before you could free them." She quickly abandoned the confused fairy and ran to meet Morphina.
Whether she was ready or not, she was going to face her fears eye-to eye.
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Ivy felt bile rise to her throat like a tidal wave as she saw the twisted monstrosity that was obviously Morphina approach her friends like a hungry cobra. Davis, Globox, the two Teensies, and Sssam stood their ground, fear no longer present in their systems as the creature came closer. Rayman was now protecting Ly, who was staring at Morphina with a mix of confusion and shock. Morphina was trying to get her hideous claws within reaching distance of Jano, who was ready to stand for the very foundation that held Morphina's prize.
Ivy...Ignore your fear and use your family's inheritance against that abomination! A calm voice whispered into her head which she guessed that was either Ly or Jano. Agreeing to whoever warned her, she ran towards the monstrous thing that approached the Cave of Bad Dreams. Morphina turned her head and, seeing the zombie-tamer running towards her grasp, forgot about her previous prey and scrambled towards the red-haired powerhouse. "You have no chance of surviving, female." Morphina hissed. Globs of saliva hit the ground as she spoke. "I could easily rip you apart as I am right now. What makes you so persistent to be rid of me?"
"You're a pure evil, Morphina." Ivy said. She approached the creature without any trace of fear. Her hands were clenched so tightly to her sides that her knuckles turned white. As she stepped into the monster's area of attack, she spoke sternly to Morphina. "You enslaved too many people of this world. You control innocents; turn them into monsters for your twisted ways. You survive just to see the Cave of Bad Dreams fall under your clutches, and with that you hire cutthroats to run errands for you while your schemes become darker and more twisted. For that, I can't let you touch the Cave of Bad Dreams." With a solid movement of her right hand, Ivy pulled out a dagger once hidden from her ripped clothing. It gleamed unnaturally with a inward glow even in the sheltered swamp. Upon closer examination, even Davis could easily see that the dagger she held belonged to Bad-Rayman.
"You're going to kill me with a dagger? Don't you know that my skin is tough enough to keep swords from piercing it." Morphina informed Ivy. They both had all their attention on each other, and both of them slowly but steadily closed the gap between them. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the two enemies waited for the first one to strike. As they circled the poisoned swamp ground, the dagger shone like a beacon of pale white light. "Jano, what's going on with Ivy's dagger?" Davis asked as the two foes continued waiting. "It's another spell I taught Ivy during her brief training session. It's the Tamer's Light, a spell that transfers Ivy's powers to whatever weapon she plans to use. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask her ex-Commander friend for his dagger before she came back." The Guardian watched the deadly scorpion lizard close the gap separating it from its prey. "Let's just hope she can use it correctly..."
Just after Jano finished talking, Morphina was the first to strike. When Ivy got close enough, the creature lunged open-mouthed at Ivy, saliva and venom dripping from her long fangs. Ivy parried by rolling to her right side and swiped at Morphina's exposed side before she had chance to recover. The knife sliced through Morphina's scales like butter, leaving a deep gash running down her side. The horrifying monster screeched in pain, an ear-wracking sound like nothing Ivy had ever heard before; It reared back wildly and roared, causing the group watching the battle to cringe, and spat a rush of venomous mist that had a biting acid stench at Ivy. She was able to dodge most of the mist, but the fiery sting in her left shoulder told her that she didn't completely dodge the attack. Instantly after contact, venom swept through her veins like fire, filling Ivy with a choking burning sensation. Ivy gasped at the sudden pain but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Swaggering with her glowing dagger in her hand, Ivy ran at the fastest speed possible towards Morphina, dagger in hand.
"Keeeeeraaagghhh!!!!" Morphina screeched again as the dagger dove through her chest. The creature wiggled unpleasantly in pain, but Ivy held on fast as she ignored her own pains of the venom spreading throughout her body. Morphina writhed in distress before she finally shuddered and went limp, head slapping the back of Ivy's neck like a limp rag. Then, the monster began to unnaturally shimmer and evaporate into a dark-purple vapor until the hideous venom-breather was nowhere in sight. The group watched, too terrified to move as the final traces of Morphina disappeared into the canopy.
That was the last thing Ivy saw before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground, dagger still clutched in her hand....
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Ivy woke up once again in the comfort of her own bed. Confused, she stared at the ceiling of her household with a sense of weariness to her body. She was snuggled in the comfort of her bed, but where was the others? Was the whole War of the Souls just a dream like the first attack against Morphina?
"Ivy, you're awake!" Ivy turned her head to the familiar sound of Donnia's voice in surprise. Sure enough, she was sitting on a wooden stool right next to her bed, a cup of mashed herbs in her hand. "Donnia!" Ivy croaked, and then she cut herself off when she realized her voice was unnaturally hoarse from Morphina's poison. "In the flesh! When that hideous serpent fought against us, she grew tired of fighting us and smashed the tree we were in into oblivion. We were both knocked into some bushes, where we lost consciousness. Shortly after, Freya found us and dragged us out."
"How could I be still alive? I was sprayed by monster venom..." Ivy started, but then she saw the skull-shaped mugs sitting near her bed. The Elixir of Life; Jano must've prepared a batch to remove Morphina's venom from her blood. She tried to rise, but the pain of her left shoulder stopped her from moving it. Sighing to herself, she lay back in her goose- down bed and relaxed. Suddenly, a friendly face greeted her from the door. "Dad!?!" Sure enough, Pierce Thorn stood at the door, his gruff face smiling at his daughter. Next to him, Davis stood with a fistful of herbs for Ivy's wound. He seemed really happy that Ivy lived through the experience.
"What you did was truly amazing, Ivy." Pierce stated with half-heartedness. Ivy noticed that a long nylon bandage was wrapped around his stomach, where Bad-Rayman had inserted his dagger into his exposed stomach. It had turned out that the knife's blow wasn't fatal, but it did knock Pierce out. "You're mother would've been proud to see you slay Morphina single- handedly." Ivy shook her head at her father's comment. "No. Without the help of my friends, I wouldn't have done the job correctly. Everyone, including Freya, Bad-Rayman, and Sssam, did their job to make Morphina's downfall a success."
Donnia smiled at this news, but she continued mixing the herbs in the bowl without another sound. "Speaking of your friends, Rayman, the Teensies, Globox, and Sssam left a little while ago. They went back to their homes, but we can expect a visit from one of them every once in a while to see how you're doing, if that's not a problem to you." Ivy shook her head, still settled in the bedding. "The two ex-Commanders are going to leave tomorrow, but they want to make sure you're going to live. They even said that anybody who gets poisoned by demon spew and lives is considered a true fighter." Ivy smiled warmly at this news; she could understand Rayman's traveling nature but she wanted to say goodbye to her cutthroat friends.
"Me and Drac are going to stay and help out around here, but we won't overstay our welcome." Donnia stated warmly. "We'll be here for about another three or four days but then we'll leave to travel the world once again. As far as I'm concerned, the world is our household!" With that, Donnia rushed to Ivy's side and applied a cold sticky paste to her healing shoulder. As soon the medicine was applied, sleep and fatigue overcame Ivy and she went into a deep slumber in the calmness of her household.
Peace was restored to her life once again.
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"Cowards! The lot of you!" Morphina shouted at her remains of her once proud army; Pondscum, a handful of other Commanders, and some still spell- bound slaves they managed to hold on to. The other Commanders either turned tail at the sight of the monsters that had escaped their bond or were slaughtered brutally at the hands of Freya and Bad-Rayman. Morphina, now in her human form once again, was not very happy with her life right now. But, she did have one advantage to her side; everyone thought that they had seen the last of her when Ivy cut her open with her old Commander's dagger.
"Just you wait, Zombie-Tamer. I'll show you the true meaning of fear..." Morphina hissed venomously. Several Commanders backed away from her like she had caught a deadly plague, and spell-bound victims copied their masters' movements. They knew that once she was in this mood, she was hard to calm down. They merely watched as Morphina shouted and cursed to herself in anger.
"The world will bow before me! I'll make sure of it!!!"
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The End
Well, how did you like it? Remember to review! ^^ To tell you the truth, this was the funnest story to type. I loved all the characters for once! (Unlike Stormwing and my Pokegod stories. Some characters...lacked personality...*coughCanyonandQuakecough*) Yeppers, I've left enough information for a sequel, so expect it to come in a short span of time. ^^ However, I'll hold back until I get a copy of Hoodlum Havoc, so that I can tie some of its elements in with the Veil of Darkness sequel. (The dark lums interest me. Maybe Morphina should have some on her side...)
You've read the story, so here's some Fun facts!
*Ivy Thorn's original name was Poison Ivy, but it didn't look good on paper to have a female character named Poison. It also had some Batman references. Big no-no.
*Morphina old final forms: Black shadow with glowing eyes, zombie chicken with battle axe, the same species as Jano, a harpie, a Chinese dragon, the same species as Sssam, and a cat furry.
*Freya's name is not based off of the Final Fantasy IX character Freya, but rather the same name as an old childhood friend. (Although I do think my Freya and the Final Fantasy Freya bear some rather striking resemblances)
*Donnia and Rex were originally going to be my old fan characters Crystal and Snowflake (main characters of Stormwing) but they wouldn't fit the job correctly, so I asked for the audience to send their character's profiles. (And Ryoko D. was the only one who sent any, so they were used.)
*I added the Teensies and Globox to the story after a three hour session with Rayman Arena. @_@
The upcoming stories in the Veil of Darkness series: Under the Moonlight; a past story about Donnia and Rex, Silken Dagger; a past story about Freya, and Concealment of Evil; the sequel to Veil of Darkness.
I'll say it once, and I'll say it again. Review!
Author's Notes: Here it is; the last chapter. I bet you are all shaking in excitement right now. :) Believe me, this took a lot of my free time to type. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: If you're too dense to know that I don't own Rayman even when I mentioned it in the other five chapters, I suggest you stop reading right here, right now. Also, Morphina's true form is slightly based off of the monster designs from Final Fantasy X, (What else could I do? I couldn't just make her a formless shadow with glowing eyes like what people imagine her to be!) but there are differences to keep Morphina from becoming a 'shape-shifting monster from Final Fantasy X'.
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Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain; now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength
A new day has come
-*-*-*-*A New Day Has Come-*-*-*-*
The final embers of the campfire dimmed to a light red glow as the large group of adventurers, except for Jano, slept and rested their strength for what lay ahead at the first lights of day. The hours spent resting were slim, but it beat staying the rest of the night up by a long slide. Some characters, like Sssam and Davis, would wake up every few minutes at the slightest sounds or movements, while others like Freya and Ivy slept like logs. As the others slept, Jano would keep his vigil, scanning the surroundings for any signs of incoming attack. He knew that the two wandering mages had already told Rayman that Morphina would attack at dawn but it was best to make sure that she didn't send an early wave while they slumbered. Jano spent some of his free time during the night by reading the minds of his partners, uncovering some long hidden feelings and secrets from the newer recruits.
After his seventh uneasy awakening, Davis lay forlornly on his back as he stared into the dark canopy of the marsh's trees. He just couldn't sleep, part of his mixed feelings caused by the fact that he still didn't trust Freya and Bad-Rayman. Also, he had the feeling that Morphina would swoop down from the treetops and snatch him away from his friends. "You're okay?" Jano's rough voice whispered from his spot. Davis was startled by his voice, but he was quick to become calm again when he realized it was only Jano. "No, I keep thinking that-" "-monsters will swoop down any minute and snatch you away to be spell-bound by Morphina. I know because I share that thought. Morphina attacked me once, and I barely escaped with my free will. After that, she swore to herself that she'll finish the job someday."
"Will Morphina attack with everything she has?" Davis asked, obviously uneducated in Jano's mind-reading abilities. "Yes. I know her well, as if we were of the same flesh and blood. Morphina is a lot more skilled in planning attacks than Mr. Dark or Razorbeard will ever be. She doesn't create reluctant clones-" Jano pointed to Bad-Rayman sleeping near the campfire next to his partner Freya. "-or becomes so ignorant that she believes that nothing can stop her like Razorbeard did. She knows that without quick planning her cause is useless. She knows that Commanders and slaves are unusable if they aren't loyal to their causes. She will be a tough foe to beat, and I think that we won't completely finish her off."
Davis was frightened at the Guardian's words, but he knew that his words spoke the truth. Sighing, he lay his head down on his 'pillow', which was nothing more than a pile of soft leaves. Soon, his hurtful worrying was the very thing that lulled him to an uneasy sleep. As the large group of friends slept peacefully under the dark canopy of trees, Jano kept the ongoing vigil under the darkness of the comforting night. He maintained his watch even when the break of Dawn became ever closer. He knew that if the heroes were ever caught off guard by any leading attacks, there was no hope of survival for them. That very fact alone was worth losing his rest, Jano thought. He knew that Morphina would also be losing sleep as well; her plans too great to sleep on.
As he spent his time by counting the minutes, one thought remained as clear as a horrible insult. Dawn will decide the fate of the world.
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Morphina paced restlessly in her bedroom like a caged animal. Her plans were all set up, she had Ly to lead, the Veil of Darkness was ready for use, but she still had the feeling that she left an important yet subtle idea out from her plan of the Cave of Bad Dream's destruction. She felt it at the palm of her hand but yet she couldn't grasp it completely. Then she realized that she still hasn't placed her final pawn out into place; the mother of the little brat zombie-tamer that could cause an upset in her plans. She cursed to herself; Rosemary would be the perfect bait to lure Ivy to her doom before Morphina squeezed the final breath from that red- haired annoyance. Just as she was brooding, a scruffy-looking human massager ran into her room.
"Morphina! The army has spotted the first ray of Dawn! We await your next commands, O' Great One!" The poor child was obviously spellbound; not even the Commanders called her 'O' Great One' if they wanted to keep their reputation intact. Morphina turned to the massager, her dark hair falling gracefully on her shoulders like a veil. "Tell them to wait for my orders. They can't just march towards the Cave of Bad Dreams unprepared, you know." She watched the massager run breathlessly down the oaken stairs of her lair and soon afterwards she followed along.
Rosemary can wait for another time, Morphina decided inside her head. Ly will already lure an even bigger prize into my clutches anyways. She knew exactly what she was up against, but Rosemary would probably be overkill during her mission. She wasn't going to give Ivy the pleasure of seeing her mother one last time, even in the state that she's in. She emerged from the large oak tree mere moments after the panting slave ran back to its commander. When she stepped into view, everything and everyone in the army became still. Creatures of every shape and size all turned their attention on Morphina. The Commanders were getting rather tired of waiting, all of them either whistling some unknown tune or impatiently shifting their weight from one foot to another.
"My loyal followers and servants," Morphina started. She had waited many months for this moment. "The time has come to put our planning and careful thinking into action. We are to show no mercy as we march to the location of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Remember two details; destroy whatever is in your path and save the Guardian for me." With a single click of her elegant fingers, thick darkness cloaked the army like a blanket; the Veil of Darkness playing its role of concealment. No more details needed to be issued; time was too short for questions.
"Head towards your goal!" Morphina ordered. "Nothing will stop us!"
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"Huh?" Ivy stirred awake rather uneasily from her deep peaceful sleep. Something had awakened her and Jano seemed aware of its presence. In the distance, Ivy could hear some deep hollow drumming in the distance. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Ivy gazed into the distance, but she saw nothing but the dark night. "Don't even try looking for them; Morphina's army will not attack in broad daylight." Ivy heard the Guardian state knowingly from behind her.
"But I thought Donnia and Rex said that they will attack in the morning..." Ivy whispered. "No matter what time Morphina attacks her prey, her victim will see nothing but darkness. The one reason why she's called a flesh incarnation of death is because one of her powers is a concealment of shadow, nicknamed the Veil of Darkness." Ivy suddenly remembered that in her vision she didn't actually see Morphina firsthand, but only saw the pure darkness that blocked her vision. A shiver ran down her spine. "Awake the others. We need everybody on their feet quickly." Quickly, Ivy rushed to wake the others.
It wasn't long before everyone in the camp was wide awake. The large group sat in a wide circle around the dying campfire, planning their next move. Almost everyone suggested a different kind of stragedy; some wanted to stand their ground and attack from the Cave of Bad Dreams entrance, and others wanted to rush in and attack the army firsthand. Finally, they settled with what Ivy had planned. "We'll use a little of both battle formations since we have a lot of people present. Some will stay here and others will attack the army firsthand. Now, we'll have to figure out who's staying to help protect the Cave." Ivy instructed.
"I'll stay with Globox, the Teensies, Sssam, and Davis." Rayman answered. "The rest of you can attack the army firsthand. After all, it seems that a lot of you want to settle some scores with Morphina." Donnia, Rex, and the two ex-Commanders agreed almost instantly. "Then, I guess everything's settled then. We'll stay here and protect Jano, while you run and take care of Morphina the best way possible." The large group parted into two smaller divisions, one taking a station at the base of the entrance to the Cave, while the other group prepared themselves for battles of almost every kind. Daggers and swords were prepared and Freya even decided to take her zombie chickens with her for distraction purposes. Then, decided not to waste anymore valuable time, the attacking party ran out to meet their opponents.
"Take care, Ivy." Davis whispered to himself as he saw his older sister disappear into the mist. "You're the only family I have left..."
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The run and attack group padded across the deserted wasteland of the swamplands, each one awaiting their first target like a child would await the last day of school. The attacking party consisted of Donnia, Rex, Freya, Freya's three zombie chickens, Bad-Rayman, and Ivy, each one armed with their wits and available weapons. As they ran, the distant war drums changed from dull thumping to loud booming and the swamp became darker. The Veil of Darkness was obviously playing its role perfectly; Ivy even wondered if she would even see a foot in front of her face when she faced Morphina.
"Head for high ground; the Veil of Darkness can only cloak so high off the ground!" Ivy heard Freya harshly whisper from her right side as their vision became more obscured. Ivy agreed silently with a nod so she lead the group up a twisted swamp tree nearby. With all the branches and footholds in the bark, it didn't take long before the group reached the top of the leafless piece of bark. They could easily see the sun winking brightly to the East over the swirling void below them that was the Veil of Darkness. Relieved, Ivy scanned the ground below her.
"Holy...cow..." Ivy choked. Her relief turned into pure terror as she saw the army a few miles away from their perch advancing ahead. The Veil of Darkness made them very hard to see, but Ivy could see that monsters more terrifying than the most sickening nightmare were placed in the front; claws that could turn spines into dust crushed any trees and rocks that might be in their way like fragile toys and teeth as sharp as swords protruding from their maws. Between the monsters, agile Commanders darted from row to row, shouting commands and words of approval. In the sky above them, twisted shapes with wings flapped and glided across the sky like insects, their cries sounding like a harsh Raven's song. Ivy could see that the Commanders were often human or something human-like in shape.
"Get a hold of yourself, Ivy! You're shaking like a leaf." Rex warned from a branch below her. Taking his advice, Ivy sucked in a forced breath and breathed more slowly to calm her fast beating heart. However, the army wasn't the thing that took Ivy's courage away; it was the massive creature that was burrowing in front. A few yards ahead of the army, a large burrowing creature rippled under the crust of the swamp like an earthworm the size of a New York subway train. Ivy realized that the rippling ground was traveling straight towards them! It was traveling at an immense speed so it wouldn't take long for the creature to reach them from their perch.
"We need to get down from this tree pronto!" Ivy shouted. The other four people present immediately agreed after they spotted the moving ground. As they scrambled to get down the tree at their fastest speed, a sudden explosion nearly knocked them off their feet. It felt like the ground up ahead was exploding, kicking up whirlwinds of choking swamp dirt. The tree swayed at the force of the explosion and the group had to brace themselves in the tree's knotted bark. When the dirt cleared, Ivy became aware that something was watching them. Almost reluctantly, she turned her head. "Oh..." Her breath became choked in her throat. A large ugly red-scaled serpent was watching them, its lithe body the width of the largest tree trunks Ivy could imagine. It's enormous underbody was coated with sickening yellow scales that shone like plates of armor. Running down its ropelike back was row upon row of large ridges that could cut flesh like a butcher's knife. The snake's head was big enough for Ivy's house to sit on top of its head comfortably and two large fangs as long as Ivy gleamed near the snake's lips like daggers. But, what caused Ivy's blood to freeze was its one eye in the middle of its head, its knowing gaze piercing into their souls. A sickening hiss rumbled deep within the creature's throat.
"Don't try to fight it, female. You just can't win..." The voice was deep and sadistic. Ivy's blood turned to ice; the same voice from her vision was present. "Morphina," she barely whispered above hearing level. The snake grinned a lethal smile at them. "When you die, the zombie-tamer bloodline will die with you. Everyone in this swamp will get a special taste of my upcoming leadership. The Cave and its Guardian is as good as dead." The creature was indeed Morphina; her mind thinking just like when Ivy met her during her dream. "Not if I can help it!" Rex suddenly called out. A bolt of red flames shot into Morphina's horrible eye like a speeding bullet. The creature that was Morphina shot back its head at the sudden attack and screamed a horrible sound of both pain and hatred. "Now's you chance!" Rex called out. "Head out towards the army. Nia and I will distract her." The remaining five, the two ex-Commanders, their spell-bound pets, and Ivy, leaped out of the tree and landed rather shaken on the swampland.
They immediately leaped to their feet when they heard the monsters approach them at a faster pace. Ivy felt her legs turn into noodles when she saw a large group of monsters, each one looking more gruesome than the next, stood mere inches from her face. A human Commander, obviously oblivious to Freya and Bad-Rayman's side switch and owner of the three mountain bears, called out to them. "Hey, Freya! Can you lend me a hand?" the human replied. Freya replied with a swift kick to the hapless kid's face, knocking the cutthroat out. Immediately, Ivy sprang into action by cutting the bond that the Commander originally had on the creatures. When the monsters snapped out of it, they were free to do whatever they wanted, which happened to be attack the other Commanders and their captive pets. When the bondage is cut even the monsters want to kill Morphina, Ivy thought, this may come in handy.
Soon, the three friends followed a quick pattern of disabling, freeing, and dodging to cut off a good portion of Morphina's army. Occasionally, a large monster would have to be distracted by Freya's loyal zombie pets and sometimes creatures would hound them and try to crush them like insects, only to be outdone by previously freed creatures. As more creatures and people were freed, they would either help Ivy's cause by attacking Commanders or still-bonded creatures, or they would run for their lives into the mists of the swamp. As they wore on, Ivy could still hear the shouts of her two friends Donnia and Rex as they kept Morphina occupied with their magic skills. As the army disappeared under their attacks, a sudden earthquake knocked the three fighters off their feet.
"Oh no!" Ivy quickly realized what had happened. Leaving her friends to hold the rest of the army off, she ran across the battlefields as fast as she could to where she left her two friends Donnia and Rex. Instead of seeing the old swamp tree that Donnia and Rex were last seen, she saw a large gaping hole that looked like a black hole. Then, the truth dawned on Ivy. Like Donnia and Rex were a distraction, Morphina's army was a distraction to hold her off. If she was left alone for enough time, Morphina would then burrow her way to the Cave of Bad Dreams to face off against Jano. Ivy beat the ground her fist in frustration. "How stupid could I get? I left Morphina alone, and I lost two of my friends..." Ivy cursed. Hopelessly, Ivy called her friends' nicknames into the hole, but she heard only silence.
Morphina had dragged Donnia and Rex to their doom...
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Back at the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams, Rayman and his small group of observant watchers waited patiently for any signs of either the advancing army or Morphina herself. They also waited for their friends, but most of them decided that they won't see any sign of them until the entire army was finished off. Boy, were they wrong. "I don't like this..." Sssam whimpered. "It's too dark to be morning, and we don't even know if Ivy is still alive or not. I want to know what's going on out there!" Rayman patted his friend's back. "They're doing quite well if we still don't see any sign of Morphina and her army. In fact, I could rightly say that we'll win this struggle!"
"Oh really?" a disembodied voice replied. There was a flash of silver light and suddenly Ly, Morphina's spell-bound lackey, stood casually in front of the watching eyes of Rayman and his friends. She smiled sadistically. "You still have those annoyingly high hopes with you, Rayman. Face the facts; Morphina is mere moments away from here, Donnia and Rex are as good as dead, those two failures that call themselves Commanders are being torn limb from limb by my army, and Ivy has no one to protect her now. Everyone here in this stinking swamp is as good as dead!" Rayman knew that Ly wouldn't speak that way; he could easily see that she was a slave of Morphina. He stood his ground.
"Ly, please. You know what you're saying is not true... Fight it, Ly!" Rayman yelled, memories of the painful battle he fought against his strongest friend Clark rushing back to him. However, since Ly is a magic creature, maybe their was a chance to break the spellbound without any help from a zombie-tamer. At least, Rayman hoped so. Behind him, some of Rayman's friends shook their heads sadly because unlike Rayman they've experienced some of Morphina's spell-bound creatures and they weren't that easy to help. Ly smile became a grin. "'Fight it'? Is that the best you can do? You very well know that my loyalty to Morphina is a lot stronger than an outburst from a legless wimp that hangs out with mind-reading monsters!"
"Did you come here just to poke fun at us, or do you actually have a purpose of being here?" a Teensie complained. Ly nodded. "Yes, I do. I came here because I was tired of watching Ivy and her friends dealing out damage to my team of monsters, but I'm also here to see the fall of the Cave of Bad Dreams." Rayman was no longer sad at Ly's spell-bondage, but angry that she would say such a thing about the very foundation that one of his friends guarded. He poised to attack the fairy he once was friends with, but Jano held him back.
"She's not thinking clearly; its best to just let her do her own devices for now, Rayman." he whispered behind him. Rayman reluctantly agreed, but he could see that hurting Ly would only make things worse. Instead, he questioned her. "Ly, do you know when Morphina's getting here?" Ly nodded, and Rayman realized he was going to get a straight answer from the impish fairy. "As a matter of fact, she's here right now!" At her words, the ground shook rapidly under their feet, and soon the same giant snake that Donnia and Rex had failed to tame spawned out of the murky green swamp water like a sea serpent. Just like the army, Ly had only been a distraction to make Morphina's appearance a surprise. As soon as Morphina was out of the ground, her body shimmered and melted until it became Morphina's human shape standing right next to Ly too casually to be considered human.
"Thank you, Ly. I wouldn't have made my introduction worth it without you." Morphina stated sadistically. At her sight, Sssam screamed and hid behind some tangled shrubs growing near the Cave's entrance and the two Teensies hid behind Globox's and Davis' backs as the two backed slowly away from Morphina like one would back away from a advancing wolf. Rayman growled and his hands curled into angry fists. Surprisingly, Jano seemed indifferent as Morphina did her best to look intimidating in her lithe human frame. "If I had known that it took this much effort to make the Cave of Bad Dreams rightfully mine, I should've came here in person."
"It'll take more than some of your distractions to let my guard down," Rayman hissed venomously. Morphina instantly shot his argument down. "That's how much it took to bring two mages down to their knees. To tell you the truth, Ivy and her loyal companions didn't stand a chance against me. It felt like killing some insects with a bazooka." She stepped quietly towards the Cave's entrance. "I'll do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can just hand the Cave of Bad Dreams to me, and I'll spare your lives. Or, you can refuse and I'll squash you like the insects you are."
"The Cave of Bad Dreams will never be in the possession of a demon like you!" Jano shouted. "Such big talk for a cyclopic monster like you, Jano. Let's see if you can keep your word!" Instantly, Morphina's body melted and twisted into a monster unlike what Rayman has seen in his entire life of adventuring. With one red eye just like Jano's in the center of her twisted face, a cross between a scorpion and a lizard twice as tall as Rayman stood hunched on four clawed legs, pale tan-colored scales gleaming with toxin covering her flexible body. Large pincers designed for squeezing the life out of victims were protecting her scaled chest area, a scorpion-like tail curled behind her for protecting her back, and a jaw that could bite through solid steel hung open and dripped with saliva and venom.
"What the hell is that thing?" Rayman asked Jano in shock. "It's Morphina's true form; a poison-coated monster that was formed from Polokus's nightmares from long ago. Her skin alone is fatal, and that doesn't do justice for what her jaws can do." Jano had little time to finish his words before the monster that was Morphina lashed out with its tail and tried to pin down Rayman with the tail's poisonous tip. Rayman barely dodged without being stung with a sideward roll and hit the side of the venomous monster with an energy ball. To his surprise, the creature shook the hit off like an insect bite. Before he could charge up another energy fist, he was knocked off the ground by a flash of light.
"Stay out of this, Rayman! Morphina wants to fight Jano, not you!" Ly shouted at her dazed friend. "If you're lusting for battle, then why don't you try your hand on me!" Soon, Rayman was caught up in another fast-paced battle against a familiar enemy, much to his surprise. The fairy creature had caught him off guard; soon Ly was dealing more damage than Rayman could block with her lithe frame. As they fought swiftly, Morphina was slowly advancing towards Jano, a hungered look in her monstrous eye....
Luckily for Rayman, Fate seemed to be on his side. Just as Ly was about to deliver a final blow, a familiar being burst from the underbrush. "This is for Nia and Drac!" Ivy tackled Ly to the ground way before she could recover. The force of the blow sent both of the women skidding across the ground, inflicting rashes and tearing already ripped clothing. When they slowed to a stop, Ivy was the first to regain senses and rise. "Sorry I had to do that Ly, but Jano said that bigger foes had to be tackled before you could free them." She quickly abandoned the confused fairy and ran to meet Morphina.
Whether she was ready or not, she was going to face her fears eye-to eye.
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Ivy felt bile rise to her throat like a tidal wave as she saw the twisted monstrosity that was obviously Morphina approach her friends like a hungry cobra. Davis, Globox, the two Teensies, and Sssam stood their ground, fear no longer present in their systems as the creature came closer. Rayman was now protecting Ly, who was staring at Morphina with a mix of confusion and shock. Morphina was trying to get her hideous claws within reaching distance of Jano, who was ready to stand for the very foundation that held Morphina's prize.
Ivy...Ignore your fear and use your family's inheritance against that abomination! A calm voice whispered into her head which she guessed that was either Ly or Jano. Agreeing to whoever warned her, she ran towards the monstrous thing that approached the Cave of Bad Dreams. Morphina turned her head and, seeing the zombie-tamer running towards her grasp, forgot about her previous prey and scrambled towards the red-haired powerhouse. "You have no chance of surviving, female." Morphina hissed. Globs of saliva hit the ground as she spoke. "I could easily rip you apart as I am right now. What makes you so persistent to be rid of me?"
"You're a pure evil, Morphina." Ivy said. She approached the creature without any trace of fear. Her hands were clenched so tightly to her sides that her knuckles turned white. As she stepped into the monster's area of attack, she spoke sternly to Morphina. "You enslaved too many people of this world. You control innocents; turn them into monsters for your twisted ways. You survive just to see the Cave of Bad Dreams fall under your clutches, and with that you hire cutthroats to run errands for you while your schemes become darker and more twisted. For that, I can't let you touch the Cave of Bad Dreams." With a solid movement of her right hand, Ivy pulled out a dagger once hidden from her ripped clothing. It gleamed unnaturally with a inward glow even in the sheltered swamp. Upon closer examination, even Davis could easily see that the dagger she held belonged to Bad-Rayman.
"You're going to kill me with a dagger? Don't you know that my skin is tough enough to keep swords from piercing it." Morphina informed Ivy. They both had all their attention on each other, and both of them slowly but steadily closed the gap between them. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the two enemies waited for the first one to strike. As they circled the poisoned swamp ground, the dagger shone like a beacon of pale white light. "Jano, what's going on with Ivy's dagger?" Davis asked as the two foes continued waiting. "It's another spell I taught Ivy during her brief training session. It's the Tamer's Light, a spell that transfers Ivy's powers to whatever weapon she plans to use. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask her ex-Commander friend for his dagger before she came back." The Guardian watched the deadly scorpion lizard close the gap separating it from its prey. "Let's just hope she can use it correctly..."
Just after Jano finished talking, Morphina was the first to strike. When Ivy got close enough, the creature lunged open-mouthed at Ivy, saliva and venom dripping from her long fangs. Ivy parried by rolling to her right side and swiped at Morphina's exposed side before she had chance to recover. The knife sliced through Morphina's scales like butter, leaving a deep gash running down her side. The horrifying monster screeched in pain, an ear-wracking sound like nothing Ivy had ever heard before; It reared back wildly and roared, causing the group watching the battle to cringe, and spat a rush of venomous mist that had a biting acid stench at Ivy. She was able to dodge most of the mist, but the fiery sting in her left shoulder told her that she didn't completely dodge the attack. Instantly after contact, venom swept through her veins like fire, filling Ivy with a choking burning sensation. Ivy gasped at the sudden pain but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Swaggering with her glowing dagger in her hand, Ivy ran at the fastest speed possible towards Morphina, dagger in hand.
"Keeeeeraaagghhh!!!!" Morphina screeched again as the dagger dove through her chest. The creature wiggled unpleasantly in pain, but Ivy held on fast as she ignored her own pains of the venom spreading throughout her body. Morphina writhed in distress before she finally shuddered and went limp, head slapping the back of Ivy's neck like a limp rag. Then, the monster began to unnaturally shimmer and evaporate into a dark-purple vapor until the hideous venom-breather was nowhere in sight. The group watched, too terrified to move as the final traces of Morphina disappeared into the canopy.
That was the last thing Ivy saw before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground, dagger still clutched in her hand....
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Ivy woke up once again in the comfort of her own bed. Confused, she stared at the ceiling of her household with a sense of weariness to her body. She was snuggled in the comfort of her bed, but where was the others? Was the whole War of the Souls just a dream like the first attack against Morphina?
"Ivy, you're awake!" Ivy turned her head to the familiar sound of Donnia's voice in surprise. Sure enough, she was sitting on a wooden stool right next to her bed, a cup of mashed herbs in her hand. "Donnia!" Ivy croaked, and then she cut herself off when she realized her voice was unnaturally hoarse from Morphina's poison. "In the flesh! When that hideous serpent fought against us, she grew tired of fighting us and smashed the tree we were in into oblivion. We were both knocked into some bushes, where we lost consciousness. Shortly after, Freya found us and dragged us out."
"How could I be still alive? I was sprayed by monster venom..." Ivy started, but then she saw the skull-shaped mugs sitting near her bed. The Elixir of Life; Jano must've prepared a batch to remove Morphina's venom from her blood. She tried to rise, but the pain of her left shoulder stopped her from moving it. Sighing to herself, she lay back in her goose- down bed and relaxed. Suddenly, a friendly face greeted her from the door. "Dad!?!" Sure enough, Pierce Thorn stood at the door, his gruff face smiling at his daughter. Next to him, Davis stood with a fistful of herbs for Ivy's wound. He seemed really happy that Ivy lived through the experience.
"What you did was truly amazing, Ivy." Pierce stated with half-heartedness. Ivy noticed that a long nylon bandage was wrapped around his stomach, where Bad-Rayman had inserted his dagger into his exposed stomach. It had turned out that the knife's blow wasn't fatal, but it did knock Pierce out. "You're mother would've been proud to see you slay Morphina single- handedly." Ivy shook her head at her father's comment. "No. Without the help of my friends, I wouldn't have done the job correctly. Everyone, including Freya, Bad-Rayman, and Sssam, did their job to make Morphina's downfall a success."
Donnia smiled at this news, but she continued mixing the herbs in the bowl without another sound. "Speaking of your friends, Rayman, the Teensies, Globox, and Sssam left a little while ago. They went back to their homes, but we can expect a visit from one of them every once in a while to see how you're doing, if that's not a problem to you." Ivy shook her head, still settled in the bedding. "The two ex-Commanders are going to leave tomorrow, but they want to make sure you're going to live. They even said that anybody who gets poisoned by demon spew and lives is considered a true fighter." Ivy smiled warmly at this news; she could understand Rayman's traveling nature but she wanted to say goodbye to her cutthroat friends.
"Me and Drac are going to stay and help out around here, but we won't overstay our welcome." Donnia stated warmly. "We'll be here for about another three or four days but then we'll leave to travel the world once again. As far as I'm concerned, the world is our household!" With that, Donnia rushed to Ivy's side and applied a cold sticky paste to her healing shoulder. As soon the medicine was applied, sleep and fatigue overcame Ivy and she went into a deep slumber in the calmness of her household.
Peace was restored to her life once again.
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"Cowards! The lot of you!" Morphina shouted at her remains of her once proud army; Pondscum, a handful of other Commanders, and some still spell- bound slaves they managed to hold on to. The other Commanders either turned tail at the sight of the monsters that had escaped their bond or were slaughtered brutally at the hands of Freya and Bad-Rayman. Morphina, now in her human form once again, was not very happy with her life right now. But, she did have one advantage to her side; everyone thought that they had seen the last of her when Ivy cut her open with her old Commander's dagger.
"Just you wait, Zombie-Tamer. I'll show you the true meaning of fear..." Morphina hissed venomously. Several Commanders backed away from her like she had caught a deadly plague, and spell-bound victims copied their masters' movements. They knew that once she was in this mood, she was hard to calm down. They merely watched as Morphina shouted and cursed to herself in anger.
"The world will bow before me! I'll make sure of it!!!"
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The End
Well, how did you like it? Remember to review! ^^ To tell you the truth, this was the funnest story to type. I loved all the characters for once! (Unlike Stormwing and my Pokegod stories. Some characters...lacked personality...*coughCanyonandQuakecough*) Yeppers, I've left enough information for a sequel, so expect it to come in a short span of time. ^^ However, I'll hold back until I get a copy of Hoodlum Havoc, so that I can tie some of its elements in with the Veil of Darkness sequel. (The dark lums interest me. Maybe Morphina should have some on her side...)
You've read the story, so here's some Fun facts!
*Ivy Thorn's original name was Poison Ivy, but it didn't look good on paper to have a female character named Poison. It also had some Batman references. Big no-no.
*Morphina old final forms: Black shadow with glowing eyes, zombie chicken with battle axe, the same species as Jano, a harpie, a Chinese dragon, the same species as Sssam, and a cat furry.
*Freya's name is not based off of the Final Fantasy IX character Freya, but rather the same name as an old childhood friend. (Although I do think my Freya and the Final Fantasy Freya bear some rather striking resemblances)
*Donnia and Rex were originally going to be my old fan characters Crystal and Snowflake (main characters of Stormwing) but they wouldn't fit the job correctly, so I asked for the audience to send their character's profiles. (And Ryoko D. was the only one who sent any, so they were used.)
*I added the Teensies and Globox to the story after a three hour session with Rayman Arena. @_@
The upcoming stories in the Veil of Darkness series: Under the Moonlight; a past story about Donnia and Rex, Silken Dagger; a past story about Freya, and Concealment of Evil; the sequel to Veil of Darkness.
I'll say it once, and I'll say it again. Review!