Disclaimer: I don't own Hamtaro, but I do own the plot of this story and Lunette and Snuff.
A/N: I'm going to release this in parts because this chapter is long! So read and tell me what you think.
Innocent Kiss
Chapter six part one: On final battles, old grudges, and dramatic moments
The clubhouse was a hive of activity. All of the ham-hams were busy preparing for the next day. Lunette, Maxwell, and Panda revised the counter curse seeing as they couldn't cure Laura that night. Oxnard and Dexter were spending some time with Kana, who was shocked and distressed by her best friend's predicament. Cappy, Howdy, Boss, Stan, Sandy, and Hamtaro discussed ways to outwit Snuff, while Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope prepared medical supplies in case one of them got hurt. Travis sat apart from all of this, looking down from the loft next to Snoozer.
"Look at all of this. I wonder if we have a chance here. The biggest problem I can see is the fact that only Lunette knows what that 'cat' can really do. I only encountered him twice, and both times I was in over my head, so to speak," he thought out loud. "I mean, I just learned how to use this magic last night, while he's been doing it for years. So what happens if I can't save Laura?"
"Zu... Zu... Zu... do what your heart tells you, and believe in the strength of love and friendship... yawn... and you won't go wrong," The sleepy hamster said.
Travis started at Snoozer's words. He had forgotten that he was even there. Looking down he pondered the wise words. (He's right. All I have to do is believe in my new friends and myself. I also need... practice.) With new strength and determination he stood up and began to prepare for the biggest battle of his young life. Sliding downstairs in the gondola, he stepped out of the basket and headed over to the main table, where Lunette was flipping through The Magus.
"Arg! I just don't see it! I know there was a way to do this, I just can remember how!" The sliver furred hamster exclaimed. She pulled down her hat and sighed. (Master Sage, why did you have to leave me? I could really use you help right about now...) She thought. Travis gently tapped on the table to get her attention. She looked at her new friend with a small frustrated smile. "Yes?"
Smiling back he asked, "I need to ask you, what exactly should I do to prepare for this? How is a battle between magic users fought?"
"Well, we can't directly affect him. As I was saying before, we can only change, create, or control. As long as he has a charge of magic energy in him, we can't do anything permanent to him. Instead, we will have to slow down, confuse, and dishearten him. Doing so will make him lose his focus and will to fight, and we can save Laura. However, there is one problem. He can directly attack us. Sorcery is different than Magecraft in the fact that the three tenets are: Distort, Disrupt, and Destroy. He used Distort on Laura, who soon won't be human anymore. Unlike Change magic, its sole purpose is to weaken the victim. The only reason you're not in the same boat is the fact I interfered. Disrupt magic is like Control, except it can cause things to behave in ways that nature never intended. And Destroy is like create magic. Very basic, it only breaks things down. However, this can be a double-edged sword and can easily take out the user as well," Lunette answered. "This doesn't mean a mage can't attack, it's just that there are less attack spells for us."
"Whoa! Kind of like the Dark side of the force," Travis murmured. Seeing that his hamster was confused, he elaborated. "I mean they are like evil mages or something."
"Oh no, it's not that Sorcery is evil. Magic is Magic. The user determines what the power is used for. Sorcery is power and Magecraft control. Power is self-destructive without control, and control is nothing with any power behind it. Long ago The Magus's sister book, The Eye of the Beholder, used to be stored with it and both sects worked together. Then there was a falling out when one of Master Sorcerers decided to take all of the power for himself. He consumed most of the others of his sect, stealing their power and lengthening his own life considerably. He stole The Eye and tried to take the Magus, but a brave Master Mage stopped him. Determined, he enlisted the aid of other's who were just as power hungry. There was a great war, and in the end, only a few masters on each side were alive. During the war, those who fell, passed their power to those who didn't, so that the few could live longer. Since my Master give his powers to me, I'm almost immortal, as long as I don't get killed," She said.
"Wow," Travis said in awe. "What else happened?"
"Well, Snuff is one of the last of the ancient sorcerers, and my master was one of the last of the old mages. My master was one of the ones dedicated to peace and balance, while Snuff is an anarchist dedicated to power and chaos. I'm like you Travis. My master was slowly giving his ancient strength while awakening my own powers. But one day..." She shook her head as a sad memory caused her to almost lose her composure. "Well let's say he got hurt badly and before he passed on he gave me this book and his power."
"So how many magic user's are left?" Travis asked.
"I don't know. Not that many. The ones like my former master have been trying to teach new ones, but with the few anarchists around... they always seem to have a way to find them. And with their inexperience..." Lunette shook her head.
"So is that why that cat is still after me?" he asked.
She nodded then added," He also holds a grudge. He had me that night you interfered and you having potential just sweetens the deal, at least in his mind."
"Well this has given me something to think about... I'll try to be ready," He said.
"Go talk to Boss and the others. I'm sure they can benefit from what I told you. Maybe they have come up with something?" She said. Travis nodded and did just that.
Sandy left the classroom, just as Travis was about to enter it. "Hey. How are you like, holding up?" She asked him as he was about to past by.
"Alright I guess, considering what happened," he responded. "How about you?"
"I'm still a bit shaken, but we seem to be close to forming a plan. So I'm hopeful," she said in return. "Well, I better get going. I still have to get some chalk," Sandy when out and Travis enter the classroom. This was a room near the back of the clubhouse that was converted into a lecture hall when the ham-hams wanted to try being in school. Travis walked in and sat on the second tier from the bottom. To his left was Howdy, and across the short path down the middle, were Cappy and Stan. Boss and Hamtaro stood at the bottom next to the chalkboard, and examining a plan that was drawn on the chalkboard. Apparently there was a minor disagreement in one of the details of the plan. Travis interrupted politely and began to tell them about what Lunette said to him about magic.
Meanwhile Sandy walked up on Lunette, Maxwell and Panda who were still stuck on one last problem. They had found out how to counter Snuff's magic, but they didn't have enough power with out using the full moon as an amplifier.
"Well why don't you, like, use something else?" Sandy asked when she heard of the problem. "I mean you said this thing had to do with emotion right?"
"You know, I never thought of that... Sandy you're a genius!" Maxwell exclaimed giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Welllll... I don't know about that..." She said blushing.
"Any new perspective helps," Panda said ushering her over to where they working. And so the afternoon passed quickly. Eventually the ham-hams had to leave to go back to their individual owners. Kana and Oxnard were the first to leave, followed by Howdy, then Pashmina and Penelope. Cappy, Dexter and Stan had to go next; the last to go was Bijou, who parted reluctantly with Travis tagging along. Hamtaro didn't need to leave since it was his owner that was missing, Panda's owner was out visiting family, Maxwell's was on a business trip, and Hilary was out at a meet so Sandy could stay. These last few hams, along with Boss spent the night making the last few preparations. Morning came and with it the ham-hams slowly arrived. The first to return was Travis, and the last was Oxnard with, Kana surprisingly. The girl had returned to humanity the pervious night. She covered for Laura's absence once again, but still feel she needed to do more. Travis was also in his human form. The black haired boy was going to provide transportation, with his bike. The ham-hams were grouped around Kana, who was kneeling and looking at the entrance to the tunnels, when he rode up.
"What are you doing here?" he asked surprised to see her.
"I want to help too, you know. Laura's my best friend, and we promised to stand by each other's sides no matter what. Besides that cat said that everyone had to come..." she answered.
"Well, if you're going to come, you'll need a bike or something. It might help to have two of us that are bigger than that sorcerer." Travis mused.
Kana nodded and said, "Great, I'll be right back!" She dashed off to her house to get her wheels. Meanwhile, Travis glanced around, and finding the coast was clear, shrunk down to rodent size again. He was in time to watch Oxnard and Boss carry out a bunch of backpacks.
"Do you have all of the equipment?" He asked.
"We have the medic supplies, multi-purpose rope, decoys, ham-sized flashlights, ham-sized paw held radios, two sets of long bows and arrows, one crossbow with quivers, one flail, two swords, two wooden staffs, one ribbon, three daggers, and one shovel. Oodlay! Everything checks, Boss," Howdy said counting everything off.
"Ok ham-hams, let's gear up, 'cause we're going to the rescue!" Hamtaro said picking up one of the swords. It was a katana Panda had made, sharpened and reinforced. The black and white ham-ham had spent the night making weapons to defend themselves with.
"This one's mine," Stan said picking up one of the staffs. (I'll look totally cool for the ladies.) He thought, attempting to spin it. Of course, he lost his grip and almost hit Oxnard. The larger ham-ham gave him an annoyed look as he sheepishly picked it back up. Travis picked up the other sword, which was a double-edged long sword. The hilt was long enough for him to use one paw and a half. Howdy and Dexter took both long bows, and Cappy took the single crossbow. Maxwell picked the other staff and one of the bags devoted to medical supplies. Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope picked up the other medical supplies, and the former two ham-hams chose a dagger each. They both agreed not to let Penelope have a weapon, because she was so little. That meant the littlest Ham-ham would have to stay close to someone the whole time. Cappy volunteered since he was bringing one of his larger saucepans, which could be used as armor. Oxnard picked up the fail, and clutched it nervously. Boss was going to use his shovel and Sandy her ribbon, so they didn't need any other weapons.
"Panda what are you going to use as a weapon?" Oxnard asked when he noticed the master builder wasn't going to choose anything. Panda winked and pulled out a small, old fashion revolver.
"I could only make one," he said nervously as when the rest of the ham-hams compared weapons. "It only has eighteen shots, and then I'll have to use this hammer."
"What about you, Lunette?" Bijou asked concerned.
The magic hamster smiled then responded, "I have The Magus and my magecraft. I don't need anything else." Everyone who wasn't carrying a med pack picked up a general purpose bag. These contained rope, a flashlight, and a small hamster doll that could be used as a decoy. Also everyone picked up a radio. Kana arrived with her bike, and after a quick change, picked out a spare med pack and the last dagger. Now that everyone was ready, the ham-hams split up. Howdy, Dexter, Hamtaro, Maxwell, Panda, Stan, and Cappy were going to ride with Travis, while Oxnard, Bijou, Pashmina, Lunette, Sandy, Boss, and Penelope were riding with Kana. After turning Human again, they both picked up the two larger backpacks that contained their new friends, and rode off. The directions Snuff gave Travis lead them into the more affluent section of town. The two cycling kids passed large mansions, both Western-styled and Japanese. They stopped in front of one that looked strangely like a medieval manor house, complete with an encircling stonewall. Travis checked his watch and noticed that they were there on time. Just as he was about to push the intercom next to the large wooden gates, the portals slowly opened. Travis and Kana exchanged a glance, and then wheeled in. The doors slammed shut behind them as soon as they got clear. Both humans leaned their bikes on the wall next to the door, and then let the ham-hams out on the grass near the long ambling path. Two quick changes and everyone did one last check.
"Ok, here's the plan again. We are going to approach the house together. Once there, we split up and search for Laura. If you should bump into Snuff, run don't fight. Try to make some type of commotion, and everyone will try to help you. This is a rescue first and foremost, so we have to make sure that we do that before anything else..." Boss said.
"Ok, everyone ready?" Hamtaro asked. Everyone gave him a nod. "Then let's go!" As the ham-hams scurried up to the house, someone was watching. Snuff reclined on a red velvet pillow, in what looked like a study. Books lined the walls, and a plush carpet lined the middle of floor. The white and grey tom, gazed calmly into a roaring fire. Inside he could see the image of the ham-hams approach. Next to him and also in front of the fireplace was a small sliver cage in which Laura sat.
"So my dear, are you enjoying the show? I promise it will get better." He drawled.
"You're just a big bully! I mean, what did poor Travis do to you?" she responded hotly.
"Little tasty one, he stopped me from getting one of the most powerful sources of magic on this miserable dust ball. And for that he must pay with his life. You are just someone I can use, and when the time comes, dispose off," He retorted.
"But what about the other ham-hams?" She asked, too angry to be scared.
"Them? Lunette may have named one of them her successor. If she has, when I kill her, her powers would be transfer to that person, and not to me. So I have to be certain, and get all of them. Plus, I haven't had hamster in a long while. It's a treat to me." He said giving her a toothy smile. Laura shuddered and backed away from him. "Watch now. They're about to enter the house."
The ham-hams stopped in front of the doors. They were large and ornately carved, with two cat shaped doorknockers. "Ok, we're going to be in four groups of four. So who's going with whom?" Maxwell asked. As the ham-hams discussed who they wanted to travel with, Lunette approached Boss.
"Um... can I a...a...ask y... y... y… you..." She stammered, blushing heavily. "What I mean to say is..."
"Yes?" The burly hamster said while shouldering his pack. "I want to ask if Bijou would be interested in having me in her group." Since he wasn't facing her, he didn't see the look of hurt that flashed across her face.
"Never mind..." She softly said, walking away from dejectedly. Boss stared after her for a second, confused by her change in attitude, but shrugged it off. He had to find his little jewel before Hamtaro did.
In a moment the groups were:
Hamtaro, Pashmina, Dexter, and Oxnard;
Stan, Maxwell, Sandy, and Howdy;
Panda, Kana, Penelope, and Cappy;
Boss, Bijou, Travis, and Lunette.
Travis and Lunette took it the liberty of opening the door with their magic. With a bit of focus and a wave of two paws the doors opened. The ham-hams tighten their grip on their weapons and entered the mansion. This time the doors slowly closed behind them. The first floor opened on to a wide foyer. There were two halls to the sides, and steps leading to the second floor.
"Ok, Panda's group, go to the left, Stan's to the right, and me and Hamtaro's will go up the stairs," Boss said taking charge.
"Hold you horses. Why do you get to go upstairs?" Howdy asked, feeling contentious that he wasn't in the same group as Pashmina.
"Well, if you want to be the most likely one to face the cat first..." Dexter snidely commented. Howdy really didn't have a comeback for that one, so he backed off. That and Travis sent a death glare his way.
"We don't have time to fight. We have to find Laura before something happens to her!" he exclaimed. He headed for the right set of stairs.
"He's right!" Hamtaro yelled heading for the left set. The others paused only a second before heading off as well.
[Hamtaro's group or party one]
Hamtaro waited at the top of the stairs, watching Oxnard helping Dexter and Pashmina. After a moment, he turned to inspect his surroundings. A large oak-paneled door was behind him and to the left, and he was standing on a rich red carpet. To his right a long landing extended, connecting both sets of stairs. The walls were painted dark brown and a crystal chandelier let the whole area. He could faintly see Boss's group on the other side of the landing. When the other three members of his party drew level he lead them under the door. Before them there was a black and white checkered floor. Just as Hamtaro was going to step off of the carpet onto the tile, Snuff appeared in front of them causing the brave hamster to jump back and to draw his sword.
"Hello little one. Your former human friend is very agitated about your safety. So I decided to be kind and warn you. If you understand the rules of chess, you can reach the end of the hallway safely. But be warned, a misstep will cost you!" He said with a smug grin. The image vanished.
"Chess? What's Chess? Some type of game?" Hamtaro asked his friends.
"I heard of it. My owner plays it with a few friends of his. You have these pieces, and each can only move in one way. The object is to trap this one piece called the king," Dexter said. "Come to think of it, the floor here looks kind of like a chess board..." He said looking at the two-tone tiles. Pashmina cautiously stepped on one of the tiles, a black one, and a shimmering image appeared around her. It was in the shape of a white bishop. The image didn't last long before it vanished. The scarf wearing girl-ham squeaked in surprise then blinked when nothing more happened.
"Hey. That wasn't to bad!" She exclaimed in relief.
"If tricks like that are the only thing in our way, then we can rescue Laura for sure!" Hamtaro said, jumping into the white square next to Pashmina. The image of the white knight appeared around him. Oxnard was about to follow Hamtaro into the same square, but Dexter stopped him.
"Wait! I get it now! When we step on the floor, we become a chess piece. So in order to cross we have to move like the piece that flashes around us. Also we each have to stay in one step in one square and one square only! If you had jumped into the square with Hamtaro, who knows what would have happened?!" He exclaimed. Oxnard gulped at the near miss, but still stepped into the black square to Hamtaro's right. Dexter stepped in to the white square on Pashmina's left. Oxnard became a white rook, and Dexter, the white king. As soon as the latter step on to the floor, four figures appeared on the other side of the hall. In the electric light they could see that it was themselves, in inverse colors. Where Hamtaro was orange his double was white, and where he was white, his double was orange. Oxnard was the same, with the grey of his coat inverted with the white. Dexter and Pashmina's were different. Where Dexter had brown fur around his eye like glasses, his clone had black. And for Pashmina, her doppelganger was wearing a blood red scarf. Each had negated eyes, the pupil switched with the whites. All four look-alikes pulled out the weapons of their double and the matching black pieces briefly overlaid them.
"Your move first," Snuff's voice echoed down to them. "And you can't sacrifice in this game, can you?"
"Well Dexter, what do we do first?" Oxnard asked. The gentleham though furiously, then made his first move.
[Stan's group or party two]
Stan was taking point, holding his staff with both paws. Sandy and Maxwell were directly behind him, and Howdy was covering the rear with his bow. The right door leaded to a stone path with clay walls. The ham-hams were puzzled by what it could be at the end.
"What interesting construction," Maxwell noted. "It's completely different from the rest of the house..."
"Max my man, we're dealing with magic. So don't be surprised if something weird comes up," Stan said, totally serious. "This place is very dangerous."
"Stanly, what's up? Like, I haven't seen you this focused before," Sandy said to her twin.
"Don't worry you pretty little head. He's just showing off, as usual," Howdy answered her.
"I wish. You haven't seen this guy in action, Howdy. I thought you would realize that there is a chance we might not come back from this one," The tiger-striped flirt commented. "So we should keep are guard up at all times."
"Just when you think you know a guy..." Howdy murmured to himself after Stan's outburst. Before anything else could be said, a low moan caught everyone's attention. The four hamsters looked around to find the source but only saw blank walls, at least for a moment. A paw made of claw slowly made its way out of the wall to the left of the group. Soon after a hamster made of clay emerged from the surface. It was wearing what look like a leathery chest plate and a small helmet, but the clothing was also made of fired earth. The golem had glowing white eyes, and was carrying a spiked mace in its left paw. Others, each holding melee weapons, soon joined it.
"Well Stan, is this what you expected?" Howdy said readying an arrow.
"Not quite ham-dude, but..." He said doing a few practice swings. "It's nothing I can't handle." Sandy readied her ribbon, and Maxwell leveled his staff as well. The ham-hams stood back to back as the earthen hoard approached.
[Panda's group or party three]
Panda's group wandered aimlessly. Upon entering the door of their choice, they found themselves in a room painted in bright pastel colors. Massive building blocks littered the floor, turning what could have been a colorful but empty room into a labyrinth. The quartet followed the only path formed by the walls of fun, but soon they came to a fork in the path.
"Ok, so which way do we go now?" Kana asked. She looked both to her right and her left and saw no difference in the two directions.
"Maybe we should just pick one at random?" Cappy suggested from under his saucepan.
"But that could end up having us more in circles," Panda commented. The hamster carpenter shook his head, thinking deeply.
"Ookwee?" Penelope commented walking a bit down the left path. Kana looked up from her thoughts and followed, curious to know what had gotten the young hamster's attention. As soon as she drew even with her, something burst through the plastic wall to the left of them. At first glance it seemed to just be cat toy in shape of a mouse. But on closer inspection the object had two very large spinning saw blades attached where the front paw of the toy should be. The object of death turned its beady red eyes on them, as it rotated to face the frightened hamsters. Just as the wheels mounted on the underside of its grey body began to spin, a gunshot rang out. The bullet from Panda's gun hit it right between the eyes, blowing clockwork and stuffing everywhere. The toy made two weak slashes in the air, and then it fell on its side.
"Are you two alright?" Panda asked placing his weapon back at his side.
"A little shaken, but fine. I'm guessing this is the wrong path?" Kana asked.
"I don't know, but that thing came through the wall here. I'm guessing those things are moving through the maze looking for us... It'll be dangerous to stay in here too long." He answered.
Cappy looked up from where he was giving Penelope a much need hug of comfort. "So should we go this way or not?" Everyone turned to Panda, who suddenly found himself in the position of leader.
"Um... Let's keep going this way. We have cleared the way after all," he said nervously. The others nodded and followed him as he took the lead. (Boss, Hamtaro, I'm not sure I can do this. I hope no one gets hurt because of me...)
[Boss's group or party four]
Boss's group had been walking down a white hall. They hadn't encountered any danger, but they were on their guard. Boss was ahead with Bijou and Lunette behind him, with Travis in the rear. Lunette informed them that there was a large source of magic ahead, but for some reason didn't seem like her cheerful self.
"Hey Lunette, are you alright?" Travis asked concerned.
"Oh... I'm alright," She answered distractedly. "Why do you ask?"
"You seem a bit down," He answered. "Is it the battle coming up? If so don't worry about it. After all, we have each other, so we can't lose!"
"Travis... you're very sweet. Please don't ever change," Lunette said smiling softly. She glanced back in Boss's direction and sighed. The large hamster was talking intently to Bijou who was politely listening. (Do I even have a chance?) The group soon reached the end of the hall, which terminated in a large metal gate. The gate was open, and the ham-hams could see a large room in front of them.
"Careful, there probably is something ahead of us," Boss said readying his shovel. The four rodents enter cautiously. The room they were in appeared to look like a coliseum. The walls were painted to look like spectator stands, and it was octagon in shape. In each corner a marble pillar reached the roof. The floor was a strange brown tile and the roof had a chandler hanging from it.
"Thiz iz a ballroom!" Bijou exclaimed. "But eet's very odd."
"Hey that wasn't there a second ago!" Travis shouted. In the middle of the room underneath the hanging light, a dog that looked exactly like Brandy sat. It stared at them coldly. Suddenly the steel gate closed off the entryway. The ham-hams could see that past the Brandy clone another gate existed.
"It seems we have to get pass that dog to leave," Boss commented. "This shouldn't be to hard." He calmly walked forward to pass the dog, but it suddenly started to growl and prepared itself to attack. Boss froze as it opened its mouth. Blue lighting arced inside, and just as reached its peak, Travis blurred forward and tackled Boss aside. Both hamsters narrowly missed being blasted by the bolt of plasma that shot forth. The brown and white dog howled as its flesh burned off reveling grey metal skin. Out of the middle of its back, a gold key slowly spun. Its beady eyes glowed red, and large claws extended from its paws. With a bound it pounced both Boss and Travis, who dodged by rolling in to separate directions. The black hamster drew steel and ran forward to attack as the mechanical menace turned. He managed to score a hit across its front right ankle, before having to roll clear of its claws. He ran away from the monster but it soon caught up to him. Luckily Boss returned his early favor by ramming into its side. This unbalanced it allowing both hamsters to get in a few hits with their weapons. The metal dog jumped away and began to charge the beam in its mouth again. Both Boss and Travis waited to dodge again. Just as the attack reached its peak, chains appeared around its maw and shut it tight. The blast, having nowhere to go, blew back and the whole creature shuttered as the charge raced through it. The Mecha-Brandy staggered then shattered the chains. Flexing its metal jaws, it made sure it could still bite. Some of the metal fangs it had were now missing and there were black spots on its iron hide. With snarl it charged Lunette who was reading a spell from The Magus out loud. With a flick of its head it sent the charging Boss and Travis flying. Just as it reached Lunette, the floor in front of her rose up into a wall, which it crashed into head first. It staggered away but quickly recovered. It turned its attention to Bijou, who had been standing near one of the pillars when the battle begun. Currently she was on her way to check on both Boss and Travis. She looked over her shoulder and into the machine's blood red eyes.
"Thiz iz not good," She said pausing mid-stride. The evil contraption charged her and she quickly found herself running for her life. "HELP!"
Boss groggily stood up and shook the cobwebs from his head. (Ouchichi, that didn't feel too good...) He snapped out of his funk when he heard Bijou's shout. "Bijou? Bijou!" He leapt to his feet and dashed into an intercept course. The dog noticed him coming and tried something new. Spikes extended from its tail. With a flick it sent the lethal steel projectiles in his direction. In a display of field hamster agility Boss darted and weaved through the deadly storm. However this did slow him down and he wasn't going to make it in time. The dog pounced just as the white hamster he was chasing spared a glance back.
(Thiz iz the end!) The French ham-girl thought as the metal claws came for her life. Suddenly Travis appeared and latching on to her warped both them out of harms way. Both hamsters reappeared still moving and had a nasty tumble with Travis ending up on top. They both sighed at the narrow escape.
"Are you Ok?" He asked. She breathlessly nodded.
"Ahem," Lunette said, clearing her throat. Both hamsters realized their compromising position and quickly resituated themselves on their paws blushing furiously. Boss interrupted the little scene and brought them back to reality by flying across the room and landing painfully in front of them. He had some very nasty cuts across his chest. Apparently, the clockwork canine slashed him with one paw, and then backslapped him across the room.
"Oh non! Let me help you!" Bijou exclaimed. She quickly pulled some antiseptic and bandages from her pack and got to work tending the wounds.
"Lunette can you trap him? I have a plan!" Travis said as it charged them. The dog had several slashes in its armor, from both his sword and Boss's shovel. Travis could see the gears and servos moving inside. Which had given him an idea. Lunette nodded and began chanting again. With one quick motion to the heavens, a wall of rock raised up to shield them. But the sliver mage wasn't done. She made three more paw motions and three more walls rose to trap their enemy.
"Will that do?" She asked. Travis nodded and with a wicked smile pointed his sword at the air above the stone square. A small dark cloud quickly formed. Sweet stood out as he contracted. In a flash, water poured out of the localized cloudburst. Not a moment later there was a massive whine, and a blaze of light and a storm of thunder rocked the room. There was a immense explosion which blew both magic users head over paws. Where there was a rock square, now only a crater surrounded by burnt junk existed.
"What happened?" Boss asked now standing. Bijou was a fast field medic and both magic users could see she did an expert job of bandaging the cuts.
"Well, I felt that if it was trapped, it would use that thunder beam thing. So I soaked it with water and since it had cuts in its armor, the electricity traveled from its mouth to its internal parts, which caused it to blow. Simple really..." The soccer-loving boy answered.
"Well let's get going. Snuff won't beat himself," Lunette said. The group nodded, and followed her out the back door of the room.
A/N: I'm going to release this in parts because this chapter is long! So read and tell me what you think.
Innocent Kiss
Chapter six part one: On final battles, old grudges, and dramatic moments
The clubhouse was a hive of activity. All of the ham-hams were busy preparing for the next day. Lunette, Maxwell, and Panda revised the counter curse seeing as they couldn't cure Laura that night. Oxnard and Dexter were spending some time with Kana, who was shocked and distressed by her best friend's predicament. Cappy, Howdy, Boss, Stan, Sandy, and Hamtaro discussed ways to outwit Snuff, while Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope prepared medical supplies in case one of them got hurt. Travis sat apart from all of this, looking down from the loft next to Snoozer.
"Look at all of this. I wonder if we have a chance here. The biggest problem I can see is the fact that only Lunette knows what that 'cat' can really do. I only encountered him twice, and both times I was in over my head, so to speak," he thought out loud. "I mean, I just learned how to use this magic last night, while he's been doing it for years. So what happens if I can't save Laura?"
"Zu... Zu... Zu... do what your heart tells you, and believe in the strength of love and friendship... yawn... and you won't go wrong," The sleepy hamster said.
Travis started at Snoozer's words. He had forgotten that he was even there. Looking down he pondered the wise words. (He's right. All I have to do is believe in my new friends and myself. I also need... practice.) With new strength and determination he stood up and began to prepare for the biggest battle of his young life. Sliding downstairs in the gondola, he stepped out of the basket and headed over to the main table, where Lunette was flipping through The Magus.
"Arg! I just don't see it! I know there was a way to do this, I just can remember how!" The sliver furred hamster exclaimed. She pulled down her hat and sighed. (Master Sage, why did you have to leave me? I could really use you help right about now...) She thought. Travis gently tapped on the table to get her attention. She looked at her new friend with a small frustrated smile. "Yes?"
Smiling back he asked, "I need to ask you, what exactly should I do to prepare for this? How is a battle between magic users fought?"
"Well, we can't directly affect him. As I was saying before, we can only change, create, or control. As long as he has a charge of magic energy in him, we can't do anything permanent to him. Instead, we will have to slow down, confuse, and dishearten him. Doing so will make him lose his focus and will to fight, and we can save Laura. However, there is one problem. He can directly attack us. Sorcery is different than Magecraft in the fact that the three tenets are: Distort, Disrupt, and Destroy. He used Distort on Laura, who soon won't be human anymore. Unlike Change magic, its sole purpose is to weaken the victim. The only reason you're not in the same boat is the fact I interfered. Disrupt magic is like Control, except it can cause things to behave in ways that nature never intended. And Destroy is like create magic. Very basic, it only breaks things down. However, this can be a double-edged sword and can easily take out the user as well," Lunette answered. "This doesn't mean a mage can't attack, it's just that there are less attack spells for us."
"Whoa! Kind of like the Dark side of the force," Travis murmured. Seeing that his hamster was confused, he elaborated. "I mean they are like evil mages or something."
"Oh no, it's not that Sorcery is evil. Magic is Magic. The user determines what the power is used for. Sorcery is power and Magecraft control. Power is self-destructive without control, and control is nothing with any power behind it. Long ago The Magus's sister book, The Eye of the Beholder, used to be stored with it and both sects worked together. Then there was a falling out when one of Master Sorcerers decided to take all of the power for himself. He consumed most of the others of his sect, stealing their power and lengthening his own life considerably. He stole The Eye and tried to take the Magus, but a brave Master Mage stopped him. Determined, he enlisted the aid of other's who were just as power hungry. There was a great war, and in the end, only a few masters on each side were alive. During the war, those who fell, passed their power to those who didn't, so that the few could live longer. Since my Master give his powers to me, I'm almost immortal, as long as I don't get killed," She said.
"Wow," Travis said in awe. "What else happened?"
"Well, Snuff is one of the last of the ancient sorcerers, and my master was one of the last of the old mages. My master was one of the ones dedicated to peace and balance, while Snuff is an anarchist dedicated to power and chaos. I'm like you Travis. My master was slowly giving his ancient strength while awakening my own powers. But one day..." She shook her head as a sad memory caused her to almost lose her composure. "Well let's say he got hurt badly and before he passed on he gave me this book and his power."
"So how many magic user's are left?" Travis asked.
"I don't know. Not that many. The ones like my former master have been trying to teach new ones, but with the few anarchists around... they always seem to have a way to find them. And with their inexperience..." Lunette shook her head.
"So is that why that cat is still after me?" he asked.
She nodded then added," He also holds a grudge. He had me that night you interfered and you having potential just sweetens the deal, at least in his mind."
"Well this has given me something to think about... I'll try to be ready," He said.
"Go talk to Boss and the others. I'm sure they can benefit from what I told you. Maybe they have come up with something?" She said. Travis nodded and did just that.
Sandy left the classroom, just as Travis was about to enter it. "Hey. How are you like, holding up?" She asked him as he was about to past by.
"Alright I guess, considering what happened," he responded. "How about you?"
"I'm still a bit shaken, but we seem to be close to forming a plan. So I'm hopeful," she said in return. "Well, I better get going. I still have to get some chalk," Sandy when out and Travis enter the classroom. This was a room near the back of the clubhouse that was converted into a lecture hall when the ham-hams wanted to try being in school. Travis walked in and sat on the second tier from the bottom. To his left was Howdy, and across the short path down the middle, were Cappy and Stan. Boss and Hamtaro stood at the bottom next to the chalkboard, and examining a plan that was drawn on the chalkboard. Apparently there was a minor disagreement in one of the details of the plan. Travis interrupted politely and began to tell them about what Lunette said to him about magic.
Meanwhile Sandy walked up on Lunette, Maxwell and Panda who were still stuck on one last problem. They had found out how to counter Snuff's magic, but they didn't have enough power with out using the full moon as an amplifier.
"Well why don't you, like, use something else?" Sandy asked when she heard of the problem. "I mean you said this thing had to do with emotion right?"
"You know, I never thought of that... Sandy you're a genius!" Maxwell exclaimed giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Welllll... I don't know about that..." She said blushing.
"Any new perspective helps," Panda said ushering her over to where they working. And so the afternoon passed quickly. Eventually the ham-hams had to leave to go back to their individual owners. Kana and Oxnard were the first to leave, followed by Howdy, then Pashmina and Penelope. Cappy, Dexter and Stan had to go next; the last to go was Bijou, who parted reluctantly with Travis tagging along. Hamtaro didn't need to leave since it was his owner that was missing, Panda's owner was out visiting family, Maxwell's was on a business trip, and Hilary was out at a meet so Sandy could stay. These last few hams, along with Boss spent the night making the last few preparations. Morning came and with it the ham-hams slowly arrived. The first to return was Travis, and the last was Oxnard with, Kana surprisingly. The girl had returned to humanity the pervious night. She covered for Laura's absence once again, but still feel she needed to do more. Travis was also in his human form. The black haired boy was going to provide transportation, with his bike. The ham-hams were grouped around Kana, who was kneeling and looking at the entrance to the tunnels, when he rode up.
"What are you doing here?" he asked surprised to see her.
"I want to help too, you know. Laura's my best friend, and we promised to stand by each other's sides no matter what. Besides that cat said that everyone had to come..." she answered.
"Well, if you're going to come, you'll need a bike or something. It might help to have two of us that are bigger than that sorcerer." Travis mused.
Kana nodded and said, "Great, I'll be right back!" She dashed off to her house to get her wheels. Meanwhile, Travis glanced around, and finding the coast was clear, shrunk down to rodent size again. He was in time to watch Oxnard and Boss carry out a bunch of backpacks.
"Do you have all of the equipment?" He asked.
"We have the medic supplies, multi-purpose rope, decoys, ham-sized flashlights, ham-sized paw held radios, two sets of long bows and arrows, one crossbow with quivers, one flail, two swords, two wooden staffs, one ribbon, three daggers, and one shovel. Oodlay! Everything checks, Boss," Howdy said counting everything off.
"Ok ham-hams, let's gear up, 'cause we're going to the rescue!" Hamtaro said picking up one of the swords. It was a katana Panda had made, sharpened and reinforced. The black and white ham-ham had spent the night making weapons to defend themselves with.
"This one's mine," Stan said picking up one of the staffs. (I'll look totally cool for the ladies.) He thought, attempting to spin it. Of course, he lost his grip and almost hit Oxnard. The larger ham-ham gave him an annoyed look as he sheepishly picked it back up. Travis picked up the other sword, which was a double-edged long sword. The hilt was long enough for him to use one paw and a half. Howdy and Dexter took both long bows, and Cappy took the single crossbow. Maxwell picked the other staff and one of the bags devoted to medical supplies. Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope picked up the other medical supplies, and the former two ham-hams chose a dagger each. They both agreed not to let Penelope have a weapon, because she was so little. That meant the littlest Ham-ham would have to stay close to someone the whole time. Cappy volunteered since he was bringing one of his larger saucepans, which could be used as armor. Oxnard picked up the fail, and clutched it nervously. Boss was going to use his shovel and Sandy her ribbon, so they didn't need any other weapons.
"Panda what are you going to use as a weapon?" Oxnard asked when he noticed the master builder wasn't going to choose anything. Panda winked and pulled out a small, old fashion revolver.
"I could only make one," he said nervously as when the rest of the ham-hams compared weapons. "It only has eighteen shots, and then I'll have to use this hammer."
"What about you, Lunette?" Bijou asked concerned.
The magic hamster smiled then responded, "I have The Magus and my magecraft. I don't need anything else." Everyone who wasn't carrying a med pack picked up a general purpose bag. These contained rope, a flashlight, and a small hamster doll that could be used as a decoy. Also everyone picked up a radio. Kana arrived with her bike, and after a quick change, picked out a spare med pack and the last dagger. Now that everyone was ready, the ham-hams split up. Howdy, Dexter, Hamtaro, Maxwell, Panda, Stan, and Cappy were going to ride with Travis, while Oxnard, Bijou, Pashmina, Lunette, Sandy, Boss, and Penelope were riding with Kana. After turning Human again, they both picked up the two larger backpacks that contained their new friends, and rode off. The directions Snuff gave Travis lead them into the more affluent section of town. The two cycling kids passed large mansions, both Western-styled and Japanese. They stopped in front of one that looked strangely like a medieval manor house, complete with an encircling stonewall. Travis checked his watch and noticed that they were there on time. Just as he was about to push the intercom next to the large wooden gates, the portals slowly opened. Travis and Kana exchanged a glance, and then wheeled in. The doors slammed shut behind them as soon as they got clear. Both humans leaned their bikes on the wall next to the door, and then let the ham-hams out on the grass near the long ambling path. Two quick changes and everyone did one last check.
"Ok, here's the plan again. We are going to approach the house together. Once there, we split up and search for Laura. If you should bump into Snuff, run don't fight. Try to make some type of commotion, and everyone will try to help you. This is a rescue first and foremost, so we have to make sure that we do that before anything else..." Boss said.
"Ok, everyone ready?" Hamtaro asked. Everyone gave him a nod. "Then let's go!" As the ham-hams scurried up to the house, someone was watching. Snuff reclined on a red velvet pillow, in what looked like a study. Books lined the walls, and a plush carpet lined the middle of floor. The white and grey tom, gazed calmly into a roaring fire. Inside he could see the image of the ham-hams approach. Next to him and also in front of the fireplace was a small sliver cage in which Laura sat.
"So my dear, are you enjoying the show? I promise it will get better." He drawled.
"You're just a big bully! I mean, what did poor Travis do to you?" she responded hotly.
"Little tasty one, he stopped me from getting one of the most powerful sources of magic on this miserable dust ball. And for that he must pay with his life. You are just someone I can use, and when the time comes, dispose off," He retorted.
"But what about the other ham-hams?" She asked, too angry to be scared.
"Them? Lunette may have named one of them her successor. If she has, when I kill her, her powers would be transfer to that person, and not to me. So I have to be certain, and get all of them. Plus, I haven't had hamster in a long while. It's a treat to me." He said giving her a toothy smile. Laura shuddered and backed away from him. "Watch now. They're about to enter the house."
The ham-hams stopped in front of the doors. They were large and ornately carved, with two cat shaped doorknockers. "Ok, we're going to be in four groups of four. So who's going with whom?" Maxwell asked. As the ham-hams discussed who they wanted to travel with, Lunette approached Boss.
"Um... can I a...a...ask y... y... y… you..." She stammered, blushing heavily. "What I mean to say is..."
"Yes?" The burly hamster said while shouldering his pack. "I want to ask if Bijou would be interested in having me in her group." Since he wasn't facing her, he didn't see the look of hurt that flashed across her face.
"Never mind..." She softly said, walking away from dejectedly. Boss stared after her for a second, confused by her change in attitude, but shrugged it off. He had to find his little jewel before Hamtaro did.
In a moment the groups were:
Hamtaro, Pashmina, Dexter, and Oxnard;
Stan, Maxwell, Sandy, and Howdy;
Panda, Kana, Penelope, and Cappy;
Boss, Bijou, Travis, and Lunette.
Travis and Lunette took it the liberty of opening the door with their magic. With a bit of focus and a wave of two paws the doors opened. The ham-hams tighten their grip on their weapons and entered the mansion. This time the doors slowly closed behind them. The first floor opened on to a wide foyer. There were two halls to the sides, and steps leading to the second floor.
"Ok, Panda's group, go to the left, Stan's to the right, and me and Hamtaro's will go up the stairs," Boss said taking charge.
"Hold you horses. Why do you get to go upstairs?" Howdy asked, feeling contentious that he wasn't in the same group as Pashmina.
"Well, if you want to be the most likely one to face the cat first..." Dexter snidely commented. Howdy really didn't have a comeback for that one, so he backed off. That and Travis sent a death glare his way.
"We don't have time to fight. We have to find Laura before something happens to her!" he exclaimed. He headed for the right set of stairs.
"He's right!" Hamtaro yelled heading for the left set. The others paused only a second before heading off as well.
[Hamtaro's group or party one]
Hamtaro waited at the top of the stairs, watching Oxnard helping Dexter and Pashmina. After a moment, he turned to inspect his surroundings. A large oak-paneled door was behind him and to the left, and he was standing on a rich red carpet. To his right a long landing extended, connecting both sets of stairs. The walls were painted dark brown and a crystal chandelier let the whole area. He could faintly see Boss's group on the other side of the landing. When the other three members of his party drew level he lead them under the door. Before them there was a black and white checkered floor. Just as Hamtaro was going to step off of the carpet onto the tile, Snuff appeared in front of them causing the brave hamster to jump back and to draw his sword.
"Hello little one. Your former human friend is very agitated about your safety. So I decided to be kind and warn you. If you understand the rules of chess, you can reach the end of the hallway safely. But be warned, a misstep will cost you!" He said with a smug grin. The image vanished.
"Chess? What's Chess? Some type of game?" Hamtaro asked his friends.
"I heard of it. My owner plays it with a few friends of his. You have these pieces, and each can only move in one way. The object is to trap this one piece called the king," Dexter said. "Come to think of it, the floor here looks kind of like a chess board..." He said looking at the two-tone tiles. Pashmina cautiously stepped on one of the tiles, a black one, and a shimmering image appeared around her. It was in the shape of a white bishop. The image didn't last long before it vanished. The scarf wearing girl-ham squeaked in surprise then blinked when nothing more happened.
"Hey. That wasn't to bad!" She exclaimed in relief.
"If tricks like that are the only thing in our way, then we can rescue Laura for sure!" Hamtaro said, jumping into the white square next to Pashmina. The image of the white knight appeared around him. Oxnard was about to follow Hamtaro into the same square, but Dexter stopped him.
"Wait! I get it now! When we step on the floor, we become a chess piece. So in order to cross we have to move like the piece that flashes around us. Also we each have to stay in one step in one square and one square only! If you had jumped into the square with Hamtaro, who knows what would have happened?!" He exclaimed. Oxnard gulped at the near miss, but still stepped into the black square to Hamtaro's right. Dexter stepped in to the white square on Pashmina's left. Oxnard became a white rook, and Dexter, the white king. As soon as the latter step on to the floor, four figures appeared on the other side of the hall. In the electric light they could see that it was themselves, in inverse colors. Where Hamtaro was orange his double was white, and where he was white, his double was orange. Oxnard was the same, with the grey of his coat inverted with the white. Dexter and Pashmina's were different. Where Dexter had brown fur around his eye like glasses, his clone had black. And for Pashmina, her doppelganger was wearing a blood red scarf. Each had negated eyes, the pupil switched with the whites. All four look-alikes pulled out the weapons of their double and the matching black pieces briefly overlaid them.
"Your move first," Snuff's voice echoed down to them. "And you can't sacrifice in this game, can you?"
"Well Dexter, what do we do first?" Oxnard asked. The gentleham though furiously, then made his first move.
[Stan's group or party two]
Stan was taking point, holding his staff with both paws. Sandy and Maxwell were directly behind him, and Howdy was covering the rear with his bow. The right door leaded to a stone path with clay walls. The ham-hams were puzzled by what it could be at the end.
"What interesting construction," Maxwell noted. "It's completely different from the rest of the house..."
"Max my man, we're dealing with magic. So don't be surprised if something weird comes up," Stan said, totally serious. "This place is very dangerous."
"Stanly, what's up? Like, I haven't seen you this focused before," Sandy said to her twin.
"Don't worry you pretty little head. He's just showing off, as usual," Howdy answered her.
"I wish. You haven't seen this guy in action, Howdy. I thought you would realize that there is a chance we might not come back from this one," The tiger-striped flirt commented. "So we should keep are guard up at all times."
"Just when you think you know a guy..." Howdy murmured to himself after Stan's outburst. Before anything else could be said, a low moan caught everyone's attention. The four hamsters looked around to find the source but only saw blank walls, at least for a moment. A paw made of claw slowly made its way out of the wall to the left of the group. Soon after a hamster made of clay emerged from the surface. It was wearing what look like a leathery chest plate and a small helmet, but the clothing was also made of fired earth. The golem had glowing white eyes, and was carrying a spiked mace in its left paw. Others, each holding melee weapons, soon joined it.
"Well Stan, is this what you expected?" Howdy said readying an arrow.
"Not quite ham-dude, but..." He said doing a few practice swings. "It's nothing I can't handle." Sandy readied her ribbon, and Maxwell leveled his staff as well. The ham-hams stood back to back as the earthen hoard approached.
[Panda's group or party three]
Panda's group wandered aimlessly. Upon entering the door of their choice, they found themselves in a room painted in bright pastel colors. Massive building blocks littered the floor, turning what could have been a colorful but empty room into a labyrinth. The quartet followed the only path formed by the walls of fun, but soon they came to a fork in the path.
"Ok, so which way do we go now?" Kana asked. She looked both to her right and her left and saw no difference in the two directions.
"Maybe we should just pick one at random?" Cappy suggested from under his saucepan.
"But that could end up having us more in circles," Panda commented. The hamster carpenter shook his head, thinking deeply.
"Ookwee?" Penelope commented walking a bit down the left path. Kana looked up from her thoughts and followed, curious to know what had gotten the young hamster's attention. As soon as she drew even with her, something burst through the plastic wall to the left of them. At first glance it seemed to just be cat toy in shape of a mouse. But on closer inspection the object had two very large spinning saw blades attached where the front paw of the toy should be. The object of death turned its beady red eyes on them, as it rotated to face the frightened hamsters. Just as the wheels mounted on the underside of its grey body began to spin, a gunshot rang out. The bullet from Panda's gun hit it right between the eyes, blowing clockwork and stuffing everywhere. The toy made two weak slashes in the air, and then it fell on its side.
"Are you two alright?" Panda asked placing his weapon back at his side.
"A little shaken, but fine. I'm guessing this is the wrong path?" Kana asked.
"I don't know, but that thing came through the wall here. I'm guessing those things are moving through the maze looking for us... It'll be dangerous to stay in here too long." He answered.
Cappy looked up from where he was giving Penelope a much need hug of comfort. "So should we go this way or not?" Everyone turned to Panda, who suddenly found himself in the position of leader.
"Um... Let's keep going this way. We have cleared the way after all," he said nervously. The others nodded and followed him as he took the lead. (Boss, Hamtaro, I'm not sure I can do this. I hope no one gets hurt because of me...)
[Boss's group or party four]
Boss's group had been walking down a white hall. They hadn't encountered any danger, but they were on their guard. Boss was ahead with Bijou and Lunette behind him, with Travis in the rear. Lunette informed them that there was a large source of magic ahead, but for some reason didn't seem like her cheerful self.
"Hey Lunette, are you alright?" Travis asked concerned.
"Oh... I'm alright," She answered distractedly. "Why do you ask?"
"You seem a bit down," He answered. "Is it the battle coming up? If so don't worry about it. After all, we have each other, so we can't lose!"
"Travis... you're very sweet. Please don't ever change," Lunette said smiling softly. She glanced back in Boss's direction and sighed. The large hamster was talking intently to Bijou who was politely listening. (Do I even have a chance?) The group soon reached the end of the hall, which terminated in a large metal gate. The gate was open, and the ham-hams could see a large room in front of them.
"Careful, there probably is something ahead of us," Boss said readying his shovel. The four rodents enter cautiously. The room they were in appeared to look like a coliseum. The walls were painted to look like spectator stands, and it was octagon in shape. In each corner a marble pillar reached the roof. The floor was a strange brown tile and the roof had a chandler hanging from it.
"Thiz iz a ballroom!" Bijou exclaimed. "But eet's very odd."
"Hey that wasn't there a second ago!" Travis shouted. In the middle of the room underneath the hanging light, a dog that looked exactly like Brandy sat. It stared at them coldly. Suddenly the steel gate closed off the entryway. The ham-hams could see that past the Brandy clone another gate existed.
"It seems we have to get pass that dog to leave," Boss commented. "This shouldn't be to hard." He calmly walked forward to pass the dog, but it suddenly started to growl and prepared itself to attack. Boss froze as it opened its mouth. Blue lighting arced inside, and just as reached its peak, Travis blurred forward and tackled Boss aside. Both hamsters narrowly missed being blasted by the bolt of plasma that shot forth. The brown and white dog howled as its flesh burned off reveling grey metal skin. Out of the middle of its back, a gold key slowly spun. Its beady eyes glowed red, and large claws extended from its paws. With a bound it pounced both Boss and Travis, who dodged by rolling in to separate directions. The black hamster drew steel and ran forward to attack as the mechanical menace turned. He managed to score a hit across its front right ankle, before having to roll clear of its claws. He ran away from the monster but it soon caught up to him. Luckily Boss returned his early favor by ramming into its side. This unbalanced it allowing both hamsters to get in a few hits with their weapons. The metal dog jumped away and began to charge the beam in its mouth again. Both Boss and Travis waited to dodge again. Just as the attack reached its peak, chains appeared around its maw and shut it tight. The blast, having nowhere to go, blew back and the whole creature shuttered as the charge raced through it. The Mecha-Brandy staggered then shattered the chains. Flexing its metal jaws, it made sure it could still bite. Some of the metal fangs it had were now missing and there were black spots on its iron hide. With snarl it charged Lunette who was reading a spell from The Magus out loud. With a flick of its head it sent the charging Boss and Travis flying. Just as it reached Lunette, the floor in front of her rose up into a wall, which it crashed into head first. It staggered away but quickly recovered. It turned its attention to Bijou, who had been standing near one of the pillars when the battle begun. Currently she was on her way to check on both Boss and Travis. She looked over her shoulder and into the machine's blood red eyes.
"Thiz iz not good," She said pausing mid-stride. The evil contraption charged her and she quickly found herself running for her life. "HELP!"
Boss groggily stood up and shook the cobwebs from his head. (Ouchichi, that didn't feel too good...) He snapped out of his funk when he heard Bijou's shout. "Bijou? Bijou!" He leapt to his feet and dashed into an intercept course. The dog noticed him coming and tried something new. Spikes extended from its tail. With a flick it sent the lethal steel projectiles in his direction. In a display of field hamster agility Boss darted and weaved through the deadly storm. However this did slow him down and he wasn't going to make it in time. The dog pounced just as the white hamster he was chasing spared a glance back.
(Thiz iz the end!) The French ham-girl thought as the metal claws came for her life. Suddenly Travis appeared and latching on to her warped both them out of harms way. Both hamsters reappeared still moving and had a nasty tumble with Travis ending up on top. They both sighed at the narrow escape.
"Are you Ok?" He asked. She breathlessly nodded.
"Ahem," Lunette said, clearing her throat. Both hamsters realized their compromising position and quickly resituated themselves on their paws blushing furiously. Boss interrupted the little scene and brought them back to reality by flying across the room and landing painfully in front of them. He had some very nasty cuts across his chest. Apparently, the clockwork canine slashed him with one paw, and then backslapped him across the room.
"Oh non! Let me help you!" Bijou exclaimed. She quickly pulled some antiseptic and bandages from her pack and got to work tending the wounds.
"Lunette can you trap him? I have a plan!" Travis said as it charged them. The dog had several slashes in its armor, from both his sword and Boss's shovel. Travis could see the gears and servos moving inside. Which had given him an idea. Lunette nodded and began chanting again. With one quick motion to the heavens, a wall of rock raised up to shield them. But the sliver mage wasn't done. She made three more paw motions and three more walls rose to trap their enemy.
"Will that do?" She asked. Travis nodded and with a wicked smile pointed his sword at the air above the stone square. A small dark cloud quickly formed. Sweet stood out as he contracted. In a flash, water poured out of the localized cloudburst. Not a moment later there was a massive whine, and a blaze of light and a storm of thunder rocked the room. There was a immense explosion which blew both magic users head over paws. Where there was a rock square, now only a crater surrounded by burnt junk existed.
"What happened?" Boss asked now standing. Bijou was a fast field medic and both magic users could see she did an expert job of bandaging the cuts.
"Well, I felt that if it was trapped, it would use that thunder beam thing. So I soaked it with water and since it had cuts in its armor, the electricity traveled from its mouth to its internal parts, which caused it to blow. Simple really..." The soccer-loving boy answered.
"Well let's get going. Snuff won't beat himself," Lunette said. The group nodded, and followed her out the back door of the room.
