My stash of ideas is running low! Hmmm, let's stick in a battle, take up some time.
Mia: *mutters something*
Or, I could have Mia die, that would add some drama too...
Mia: Eep! O.o;;
Just kidding. ^_^
Mia: T_T
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"Hesperia?" Mia repeated, not quite believing what she had heard. "I know that's where we're supposed to be, but we never crossed anything that even resembled a border, much less an ocean..."
"That is what was intended," Picard replied. "The ocean is disguised as ordinary ground, so that Hesperia would not be discovered. It was a way of protecting the lighthouse."
"But wouldn't we have hit water anyway, even if we couldn't see it?" Videll inquired, confused.
Picard shook his head, and his eyes glinted gold in the firelight. "You were following the Psyenergy trail of your friend, were you not?" The girls nodded, waiting to hear more. "The party that had taken him knew the location of the one bridge that crosses it, so that was where the trail took you," he explained. "And who," he added, "do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Mia."
"And I'm Videll."
At hearing their names, the Lemurian's eyes grew wide. "Ah, the ladies Mia and Videll. I was told we would discover you at some point, but I never expected it so soon..."
"What do you mean?" Mia asked.
He shook his head. "I am not the one to tell you that. But now, the reason I have come. Our foreseers in Lemuria had seen a group of five who were seeking our aid, and I was sent to find you, and bring you back to Lemuria. But first, what do you require of us?"
"Our friend Babi has been living on your draught," Mia replied, "and he is running low. We searched for your island, but..."
The Lemurian's eyes darkened. "Babi is a selfish man. But the work he does is good, and he has made friends with the Queen, so I do not have the right to speak badly of him."
"The Queen?"
"Yes; Babi discovered our island a hundred years ago, and made good friends with the Queen. She was the one who sensed that you needed help. I see now that Babi's draught was not the only reason I was needed."
He looked at Isaac and Ivan as he spoke. They already seemed back to normal; their cheeks, which had been flushed with fever, were normally colored, and they were sleeping peacefully. Videll hesitanty ran a finger over first Ivan's forehead, then Isaac's, and found them both startlingly cool.
Mia yawned, and Picard smiled. "The ladies must be tired, after the energy you put into helping your friends."
"I wouldn't say helped," Videll said, her face full of regret. "We didn't save them; you did."
"Ah, but you did help them," Picard told them. "If you had left them as they were, they would not have lasted until I arrived. But you must sleep; tomorrow we leave the mountains."
Everyone was awake, and in good health (much to the relief of the healers). Garet and the other two boys had been informed of last night's adventure, and Picard, Mia, and Videll thanked countless times. Once the tales were done and Picard had been introduced, the plan was laid.
"I know this area well enough," Picard said. "I could lead you out of the mountains without too much trouble, but the monsters we may encounter are very dangerous. You were lucky not to have met any yet; but how long that luck will hold, I cannot predict."
"Well, we have to give it a try," Garet stated, "or we'll just be stuck here for Mars only knows how long."
The others agreed, and they were soon off, Picard in the lead, Isaac and Garet following, Ivan and Videll side by side in the middle of the group, and Mia watching the rear.
Picard proved to be an excellent guide, and they were led through all sorts of shortcuts. Many seemed to go nowhere, when suddenly they were back on an obvious path, seemingly much closer to clear ground than they had been before. The others, trusting the Lemurian but not quite knowing what to make of him, sized Picard up from behind. He was handsome enough, with his long blue hair tied back over his broad shoulders, and a pleasant, kind face. His eyes seemed to be blue at first glance, but if you looked hard enough, they seemed to completely change into a soft, warm gold.
They seemed very close to their destination when Picard stopped in his tracks, hand on his sword. "Weapons out."
Videll and Ivan, Jupiter Adepts that they were, were already in position; Videll with her staff held out in front of her, ready to block any ambush, and Ivan with his Zodiac Wand ready to strike. The others quickly drew out their weapons from their various hiding spots; still nothing. Then the ground gave a sudden violent tremor, and an awful noise met their ears. Another avalanche seemed close at hand, but the snow stayed where it was.
A huge creature, seemingly part of the snow itself, lumbered up from the rear, wielding a huge mace of pure ice. Mia quickly backed up into the group, narrowly missing being trampled underfoot. She held out her hand toward the thing, and at her yelled command, missiles of ice formed out of the air itself, shooting forward and piercing the monster's skin. But the ice was only absorbed into the creature's body, and after a slight pause, it pressed on into the group.
They scattered seemingly randomly, but their battle instinct directed them well. They now had the monster surrounded.
They launched their attacks, Mother Gaia and Inferno hitting the creature first. Then a combination of Sonic Slash and Destruct Ray tore through the air, right on target. Ivan and Videll dropped their hands and jumped apart as the enraged beast fired a wave of ice at its tormentors.
Mia, knowing her Psyenergetic attacks would have no effect on this ice-based creature, stayed on the sidelines, rushing in when healing was needed. Garet needed this most often, as he wasn't fighting near any healer, and she stayed near his side of the battle.
Picard had also given up his Psyenergy, and fought entirely with his sword, using only his healing Psyenergies during the battle. The others were amazed at his skill with the sword, and watched as he continually threw the monster against the wall of the narrow passage they were fighting in.
The Adepts were easily winning, but the creature had taken enough. With an ear-splitting cry, it launched storms of ice all around itself, burying the Adepts under waves of frigid tundra. Isaac had managed to dodge the attack, and attempted to fight the thing; but he wasn't strong enought alone, and was continually beaten back by the monster.
Videll burst free of the ice next to him, followed shortly by Ivan, and they joined the fight. They were doing well, and with a final Clay Spire, the beast lay still.
But not for long.
Suddenly, just as the fighters had begun to relax, the creature spun around, mace solidly aimed at the three Adepts. Videll had seen the attack coming just in time, however, and pushed her friends out of the path of the monster's weapon.
Instead of connecting with the two boys, the mace hit Videll squarely in the chest, sending her flying. She made contact with the wall with a sickening thud; she slid down the rock and to the ground, and stayed there.
Ivan let out a cry as the others emerged from the ice, and tried to go to her, but Mia held him back.
"They need you fighting," she told him firmly. "I'm a healer; I'll go."
Ivan tried to swallow his worry as he turned back to the fight, but it was near impossible. He just managed to stay in the battle without getting wiped out; he was blinded by fear.
The beast was backed by panic and rage, but it was tired. It was starting to be overtaken by the Adepts' power as Mia reached the fallen Videll.
She tried not to concentrate on the severity of the wound; it would only break her concentration. She closed her eyes and cast Pure Ply. Nothing. Getting worried, she gathered her energy into a more powerful Pure Ply; the wound was still unaffected, Videll remianed unconcious.
Panic overtook her; how was this possible? Picard was busy fighting, cut off by the monster. She tried to calm her mind and search for something, anything, that could help; Videll would soon be gone.
Just as she was about to despair, she felt something awaken within her; something that had always been there, waiting. Her eyes opened, glowing a pale blue, and she concentrated everything she had into Videll's being. There was a blue flash, and the gaping wounds closed, Videll's eyes opening. Mia heard the monster fall, as if from far away, and she lay back on the rock wall, everything blurring together in front of her eyes. She heard her friends run up around her, felt Videll sit up next to her, and then knew no more.
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Sorry about the cliffhanger; I really can't write any more tonight. Review and inspire me!