Hi again. Sorry again about the wait! I'll try to be good from now on... ^^

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The Adepts looked up... and up... and up. It was a giant...

Rock.

"Oh, wonderful," Garet moaned. "First they send a stampede of monsters at us, and now we have to lift this thing? What are they trying to do, kill us?" He held up his hand. "Don't answer that question."

"Well, we have to move it somehow..." Videll mused, looking up at the huge boulder. It reached up a solid ten feet, and was as wide as the tunnel they stood in. "Lift would be the logical answer, but it's just so huge."

Ivan fingered the lifting gem in his pocket, thanking Jupiter silently that they had been allowed to keep this kind of equipable item. He didn't know how much even Lift could do in this situation, though. They had never encountered an obstacle this big before. It also seemed to be getting hotter as they moved forward, and there was a flickering orange light shining from behind the boulder.

Isaac turned to Ivan doubtfully. "It does look awfully big, but it's worth a try. What do you say, Ivan?"

Ivan had his own doubts, but he stepped in front of the boulder and braced himself. Raising his arms in front of him, he concentrated. A shimmering violet aura surrounded Ivan, then spiraled through the air toward the boulder. Feeling the spell take hold, Ivan gritted his teeth, and started to slowly raise his arms toward the high ceiling of the tunnel.

There was a grating sound as the boulder slowly left its place on the floor of the cave. Slowly, painfully slowly, it rose a few feet in the air. There was that glow again, shining brightly from underneath. The others could see the perspiration forming on Ivan's forehead as the boulder wavered. Then he staggered forward, and fell to his knees as it dropped back down to the floor with a thunderous crash.

Videll hurried forward, and helped Ivan back to his feet. "It's too heavy," he stated regretfully, still leaning on Videll's shoulder. "That's as far as I can get it." He was breathing heavily, and the others could see how much effort it had taken to lift the huge rock even that high.

"Well, maybe if we go one at a time..." Isaac suggested, "or maybe-"

"Whoa, hold on a minute," Videll said, and she sounded worried. "I just thought of something." The others looked at her, waiting for an explanation. "Even if we all manage to get under that thing, how is Ivan going to get under? It'll be hard enough for us, but how can Ivan hold up the boulder and get underneath it? I think it's pretty obvious it takes a lot of energy as it is..." She trailed off.

The group was silent for a moment. Finally Mia spoke. "I think," she said slowly, "I have an idea that might work. Ivan's the best at Lift, but someone else might be able to lift the boulder for a few seconds... at least for long enough for Ivan to get underneath..."

"And then they'll toss Ivan the lifting gem, and he can finish the job from the other side," finished Isaac. Mia nodded.

"But who will lift it?" she asked.

"Well, Garet's the strongest..." Videll said slowly, "but I'm not sure if that's what counts here."

"I can give it a try, at least," Garet said, stepping forward.

"All right," agreed Ivan, pulling the gem from his pocket. Garet took it in his hand, and motioned for Ivan to get ready. Crouching near the giant barricade, Ivan put one foot back, ready to dash underneath the boulder.

Garet closed his eyes. "On the count of three, Ivan. One... two... three!"

Garet raised his hands up, forcing all his strength into the motion. The boulder rose up only about three feet, but Ivan sprang forward with the incredible speed and agility of a Jupiter Adept, rolling underneath the massive weight. Garet just managed to keep it up long enough for Ivan to squeeze under, and there was a ripping sound as part of Ivan's cape was trapped under the falling rock.

"Ivan!" Mia called. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," he called back, "I'm fine - but there's fire over here!"

"What?!"

"Don't worry, It's not going to spread - I think we just have to get past it. But we'll worry about that when we come to it. Can I have the lifting gem, Garet?"

"Okay..." Garet tossed the tiny gem over the rock, and a small thud was heard as it hit Ivan's palm.

"Tell me when I should lift."

"Okay, so how should we do this...?" Mia wondered.

"Well, before we plan anything else," stated Isaac, "only one of us can fit underneath at a time, and I think Videll should go first. That way-"

"Why?" began Garet hotly. "If you-"

"Let me finish, Garet," Isaac said, glaring at his friend. "I was going to say, since those two can share Psyenergy well, Videll could help Ivan if it was needed."

"Sorry," said Garet sheepishly, looking down at his feet.

"That's all right," Isaac sighed. He turned to Videll. "So, will you go first?"

"Okay," she said, assuming the same stance Ivan had. Taking a deep breath, she called to Ivan. "Ready, Ivan? Tell me when!"

Ivan counted off the way Garet had, and the boulder rose, admitting Videll as she rolled underneath. Peeking under, the others could see Ivan's small frame outlined against that fiery glow, and could now see that it was fire, just as he had said.

Videll stood on the other side of the boulder and had to shade her eyes from the light of the fire. It was unbearably hot, and she was starting to sweat just standing in front of it. Looking around, she saw Ivan collapse to his knees on the cave floor.

She rushed over to him, mentally praising Isaac for sending her under first. It looked like Ivan really would need help.

He looked up as she bent down next to him, and gave her a weak smile. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly. He was breathing heavily, and the heat probably didn't help his condition. She instinctively put a hand to his forehead, but knew that was silly. Of course he'd be hot - they were in front of a fire!

"I'll be all right," he assured her as she pulled him to his feet. "It's just - tiring."

Videll managed a feeble smile through her worry, and moved behind Ivan. "Good luck," she whispered, and kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful - don't overdo it. I'm here in case you need help." Isaac called from the other side of the boulder for a Lift, and Ivan got ready, Videll supporting him from behind.

"One... two... three!"

The boulder rose once again, and this time Garet scrambled under, with much less agility than the two Jupiter Adepts had. It took only a few seconds longer to get Garet underneath it, but it felt like ages to poor Ivan. Finally the boulder dropped, and Ivan fell back onto Videll, exhausted.

Garet stood near the tunnel wall, looking smugly at the two of them. They all thought he was so ignorant! Anyone could see they were in love, even him. He leaned back, enjoying the heat of the fire pressing on his skin, and waited.

Videll stood in the heat, supporting Ivan as he recovered. She hated to think how much of his Psyenergy this was using! How was Ivan supposed to get through this alive if his energy was being drained like this? Pushing the awful thoughts from her mind, she waited for her friends to call.

Ivan heard Mia's voice from the other side of the boulder, and slowly stood. He felt as if he was burning. Raising his arms, he slowly counted off for Mia, and concentrated.

The boulder rose much more slowly this time, and Ivan felt the spell weaken. Just as he started to panic, thinking Mia would be crushed underneath the massive weight, power surged through him. Raising his arms higher, the boulder lifted, wavering for a second in the air, then dropped as Mia reached their side of the tunnel.

He wasn't aware of Videll's hand on his shoulder until it left. He sunk to his knees, leaning on his staff, and tried to ignore the burning pain that comes with exhaustion.

Videll leaned against the wall of the tunnel, eyes closed. Now she knew what Ivan felt like - lifting that thing was exhausting! She had only lent a small surge of her power to the spell, but it felt as if every ounce of it was gone.

Opening her eyes, she came to a decision. "Isaac!" she called. "Can you hold on a minute?"

"Sure. Tell me when."

Videll walked over to where Garet and Mia were sitting around Ivan. "This is ridiculous," she told them as she sat down next to him. "If he has to do this again, his Psyenergy'll be gone before we're half through with this test!"

"But what else can we do?" returned Garet. "We're obviously not leaving Isaac behind!"

Videll bit her lip, trying to think as she looked at Ivan. He had his head down, resting on his staff, and she could sense his exhaustion. "I can give him some of my Psyenergy to use; that way he won't have to deplete his at all," she decided. Now that she knew what it took to lift that massive weight, she wasn't going to let Ivan do it alone.

"That's just as ridiculous!" protested Mia. "It won't be any easier for you."

"I know that, but I haven't already lifted that thing four times! We can at least try to balance the work a little more."

"All right..."

Videll's mind was made up, and the others knew not to argue with her. Now she spoke to Ivan as the other two stood.

She brushed some of his soft blonde hair aside so that she could see his face. "Ivan," she called softly, "are you ready?" When he opened his eyes, she helped him stand, and Garet called to Isaac to get ready.

This time, since Ivan had been resting, he could stand and handle most of the spell alone, so all Videll had to do was feed her Psyenergy into his. Isaac rolled under in a flash of color, his yellow scarf fluttering behind him.

Videll let go of Ivan's shoulders, and turned to lean on the wall, Ivan sinking to the floor.

"We'd better rest a little before we go on," Mia suggested, eyeing the two exhausted Jupiter Adepts. "Who knows when we might be jumped by another group of monsters."

Isaac and Garet stood guard while Ivan and Videll rested, Mia watching them to make sure they were all right. After a few minutes, Videll had recovered entirely, and Ivan was feeling well enough to handle a battle.

Now the Adepts turned to the wall of fire that was blocking the tunnel. It was so bright that it hurt their eyes to look at it for very long, even Garet. The answer was obvious, and Mia stepped forward.

With a yelled command and her arms toward the fire, Mia cast Douse, enormous quantities of water seeming to appear out of thin air, pouring down onto the flames with a hiss. The tunnel filled with steam as Mia continuously drenched the fire. It refused to succumb to the water, and repeatedly flared up again, defying the laws of nature. Finally it began to shrink, then dwindled down to nothing. The steam cleared, leaving a very wet, very tired Mercury Adept where it had been.

"They're really trying to wear us out, aren't they?" Mia groaned as she rubbed her temples. "I feel like I just put out ten Infernos!"

"You probably did," Isaac commented. "And they probably are trying to use up our Psyenergy. That will be a problem, too."

"That?" Mia asked, looking up.

The Adepts followed Isaac's pointing finger, and saw what "that" was.

Several very long, very sharp, very shiny blades were suspended on a metal frame several yards in front of them, illuminated in the torchlight. Every few seconds they snapped back and forth, in such a way that anything in between them would be immediately dissected.

Garet groaned, pulling the Halt Gem from a pouch at his belt. The group walked forward until they reached the blades, being careful not to get too close. At least this wouldn't drain as much Psyenergy as the other two obstacles had. Garet lifted a hand, palm toward the whirring blades.

"Halt!"

The blades slowed, then stopped entirely as Garet closed his fist. "Now all we have to do is squeeze through them."

"All we have to do?" Mia repeated, eyeing the razor-sharp blades. "I'm not looking forward to getting through those."

"Well, would you rather stay behind?" Ivan asked as he slipped easily through the metal contraptions. He smiled. Being small had its advantages.

Mia ignored his comment. Videll went next, and, being only slightly taller than Ivan, passed through without incident. It was a bit harder for Isaac and Mia, but they managed. Garet, however, had a very difficult time, and when he finally got through he had several small cuts on his arms and legs.

Mia started to attend to Garet's cuts, but the sight of the drying blood around Videll's hip stopped her. Sighing, she turned back to the rest of the group. She hated having to use her Psyenergy sparingly - it wasn't natural for her to let a cut, especially one as bad as Videll's, go unhealed. But even the gash on Videll's hip wasn't serious enough for her to use Psyenergy on - not even a small Ply.

She shivered. "Is it just me, or is it getting colder?"

Mia was right. Gusts of cold air were pouring in from somewhere in front of them, in the darkness. Cautiously, the Adepts moved forward. Suddenly, the cold intensified, and they were standing at the entrance to a large, snow-covered room. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and pillars of ice connected floor to ceiling. The stone doorway behind them faded, leaving only a wall.

Then the rumbling started. The room began to shake, and ice fell from the ceiling. The noise was unbearable.

"This is getting a little too familiar for my tastes!" Garet yelled over the sound. None of the Adepts got a chance to respond, as the snow underneath them suddenly bulged and exploded, sending them in all directions.

Garet winced as he was thrown into a patch of ice spikes. When he got his wind back, he looked up. Just in time.

With speed he did not normally have, Garet rolled to his right, barely avoiding the Ice Golem's fist. Raising a hand and scrambling to his feet, he fired a Heat Wave straight at the monster's head. It recoiled, emitting a piercing shriek, and lumbered off toward another target.

Videll allowed herself one Destruct Ray as the creature came toward her. Part of the Golem's arm shattered, falling to the ground in shards. Still it came on. Cursing the fact that she couldn't call on her Psyenergy, Videll brought up her staff in a defensive position, dodging as the massive fist came at her. She swung her staff, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever, and the Golem quickly retaliated. Shards of ice formed in the air around the Golem, cutting Videll's face and body. Dropping to the ground, she did her best to avoid the frigid ice storm.

Ivan's voice rang out through the room, and the Golem fell back as it was hit with blinding lightning bolts. Then Ivan leapt into the air, Zodiac Wand held out, in a flash of purple lightning. A Jupiter Djinni's form flashed at the tip of the rod as Squall unleashed her power.

Now it was Isaac's turn. Chunks of rock and earth exploded from the cave floor, turning the snow a muddy brown. The Golem's form was lost in the rage of Mother Gaia as it pounded the monster, but it soon made itself evident as it lunged out of the fading spell, straight at Isaac. The deadly claws made a quick slash, followed by a blast of ice that sent the warrior flying. Mia dashed over to Isaac, where the snow was quickly turning a deep shade of crimson.

Tearing his eyes away from the sight of his wounded friend, Garet thrust a hand toward the enemy. "Inferno!"

The Golem was thrown back several feet, and shrunk considerably in size as its icy form began melting away. When the flames cleared, however, fresh ice began to form around the weakened creature. It began a spell of its own, but Ivan called for Luff, and the icy mist faded.

Now Ivan stepped forward, a determined gleam in his amethyst eyes. He threw a hand skyward, and yelled the words loud.

"I summon Athena!!!"

The room was enveloped in a lavender haze, and time seemed to stop. A pale violet light began to grow in the air, and formed into the shape of a woman. Athena's lovely face looked down on the Ice Golem as she floated in the air, wings spread, surrounded by a bright aura. In a flash of golden light, a brilliant bow appeared in the goddess's hand, strung with an arrow of judgment. She pulled the arrow back, string taut, and fired.

When the light and luster cleared, the Golem was gone. Ivan still stood in the center of the room, arms upraised. Now he lowered them, eyes glowing with exhilaration.

Isaac and Mia stood, and joined Ivan. Videll, covered in cuts, limped over to the rest of the group, as Garet moved in to congratulate everyone.

"Well, that was fun," commented Isaac. "How many more of these things are we going to see?"

"I don't even want to think about it," muttered Videll.

Isaac looked her up and down. "You're not looking too good. Let me do it; we're going to need you at the end."

Isaac held out a hand, and a golden light surrounded Videll. Her cuts closed, the only thing remaining a scar across her hip.

Looking around, the Adepts saw another doorway in the wall of the chamber. Isaac led the way toward it, stepping over shards of ice and wading through snowdrifts. The door led into a hallway, and the hallway into a dark room.

Torches flared, illuminating the small chamber. A pang of sadness hit each of the Adepts as, one by one, they realized what was inside.

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Whoo! That was a LONG chapter. This is gonna take longer than I thought...
Hey, lookie, it's the 24th! It's Christmas Eve! Whoopie!

Jeez, it's really late... early actually. Please review! Pretty please!