Holmcross Project Deep: Cornered
Rudy Roughnight had arrived in Court Seim for the second time after coming back from the Epitaph Of The Sea. The trip itself didn't really provide much more in the way of knowledge about his past, but he learned a great deal about Zepet's works.
~~~~~~~~~~
A world-famous scientist and weapons expert, Zepet Roughnight was known for his innovations in the military field. Back when he was younger, he used to be part of a research-and-development team for the kingdom of Arctica. He became famous by producing powerful psychic-enhanced weaponry that could be mounted on the hand or arm. The weaponry, which he called ARMs, could easily destroy targets at a distance. Their sheer destructive power rivaled that of an entire army of soldiers. But the ARMs were not perfect, and there were many deaths attributed to them. Soldiers either could not psychically synchronize with them, or the machines rejected them altogether. On the battlefield against the Demon Race, they would not work as designed, leaving some soldiers open for attack without any defense. The king then deemed ARMs inefficient and unworthy in combat, leaving Zepet humiliated and rejected. After the total failure of this new weaponry, he was banished from the kingdom and told never to return again.
But ARMs never went away. Their presence only got stronger, as Arctica's research-and-development teams and a hand-picked group of scientists from around the world secretly worked on improving them. Numerous volunteers (and if there weren't enough of those, some homeless folks were taken) underwent extreme tests and trials to perfect usage and alignment success rates of ARMs. A lot of these test subjects ended up dead or paralyzed. Some couldn't walk or speak after what they underwent, changing their lives forever. In the end, it was a total failure. ARMs couldn't be handled by just anyone. Only special beings had a strong enough brain pattern to control the force of ARMs...only a certain type of being could bear ARMs. This being was...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, hey Rudy,", Nicholi said with a wide smile. "So, what happened? Find anything interesting about 'Old Man Zepet'? You were gone for a while, and I was starting to think you may have bit the big one!"
"...Bit the...big one?" Rudy looked at him as if he didn't understand.
"What? You've never heard that expression?"
"Uh...no."
"Well, my boy!", Nicholi said, putting an arm around him. He then lit up a small pipe and began to puff away. "You must have hit your head or something!"
"Well actually, I~~"
Nicholi interrupted him. "Aah, it's fine. Just fine. Hey, you know," Nicholi got in real close. Rudy could smell a slight tinge of Old Shotgun on his breath. "You know, my boy...I think Jane could take a real liking to you! Heh-heh-heh, you sly dog!" He slapped the young lad on the back, knocking him forward a little. "Oh....whoopsie! Looks like I don't know my own strength! Oh well!"
"Uh," Rudy looked at him, not knowing exactly what to say.
"It's all right! It's all right! I...I can understand you." He then began to stumble down the hallway, towards his workshop under the house.
"Err," Rudy commented. "That was a little strange. Oh well, I don't think Nicholi will mind if I stayed here tonight. Well, hopefully not. Besides...in his shape, he may need some help." Rudy walked into one of the guest rooms and crashed into a nearby bed, exhausted from his trip.
~~~~~~~~~~
"You know, I hope my dad isn't drinking again, like he usually does when he's home alone," Jane exclaimed.
"He probably is," McDullen responded in his trademark baritone voice.
"And that guy...that little runt I ran into that day! What did he want with my father?"
"Who knows? You should ask him when you get back," he said.
"Geez...just ticks me off thinking about it! My dad, drinking himself into an early grave!"
"..." McDullen silently listened to her vent.
The duo stood side by side, trying to see the horizon through the fog on the edge of the ship. Sailors hummed and whistled while they stored and moved around barrels and boxes, and the calm, crisp air felt refreshing to both of them. Nicholi had charted a ship owned by a man named Drake, from the town of Port Timney. Drake was a little lecherous of sorts, but nevertheless kind and courteous to his guests. A wealthy man who made his fortune in the shipping business, he was good friends with Nicholi and regularly visited the town of Court Seim to sell crates of foodstuffs to feed the orphans. However, he was ruthless when it came down to business, and his prices weren't cheap. But as a favor to a longtime and preferred customer, Drake offered to ferry Jane Maxwell and her manservant to Saint Centour free of charge. Drake came over to talk, and they both greeted him by shaking his hand...
"My my, Ms. Maxwell! All the way out to Saint Centour? That's the furthest you've been from home for a long time," joked Drake.
"Maybe. I've been further, though. Remember Baskar?"
"Oh yeah, that little trip," he recalled. "I remember the natives running us off the land because they hadn't ever seen a ship up that close! They must've thought it was a sea monster or something!"
"Ha-ha-ha! That was pretty amazing, though," she replied.
"Oh well...those were the days...you were so much younger back then. You used to be running all over the world, looking for treasure and stuff. But you've changed into a good-looking woman. I'm amazed."
"Gee, can't you be a little more subtle than that?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, you're right," he said as he gave up. "Oh well, I tried. But honestly, you've changed. Now that you have your hands full with the children, it's like you've become a different person. I'm sure your mother would be proud of how her daughter turned out." There was a slight pause right after that comment. "Oh well, I have to get back to work, managing these lazy clods I call sailors. Talk to you later," he said as he walked off. Jane smiled and turned back to the sea, a little shaken. McDullen noticed this and tried to comfort her.
"Umm, Miss Jane...it must still hurt."
"No, it's fine. Really, I'm okay."
"Are you sure? I don't think Drake should've said something like that directly to your face."
Jane again told him that she would be fine. "It's fine, really. It's in the past. And to get over the past, I must be strong." She looked up at him and smiled. "And besides, I'm not too worried about myself right now. I'm worried about getting my hands on some gella so I can feed the kids of the orphanage."
"Me...me too," added McDullen. "It'll be all right. We'll find some way."
"I believe you...I do."
Jane just stood there, looking at the sea for a minute. Then she turned around to face her servant. "Umm...would you mind it if I wanted to be alone for a while," she asked him politely.
"Are you sure, Miss Jane? I mean, I can stay with you if you wish."
"No, it's okay. Really." She walked off, headed toward the passenger section of the ship. "I'll be in my cabin. Tell me if Drake wants to see me. Until then, I'll be resting up." She walked down under the ship, leaving McDullen alone on the deck, with the exception of the other sailors.
The sea had began to toss a little, something that no one but McDullen really even noticed. It wasn't too much of a change, at least nothing that indicated an approaching storm or tidal wave. If he had been in his cabin, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the slight change in movement of the ocean. But he had. And now McDullen was worried about what the future held for the inhabitants of Court Seim. It was unclear why, but a premonition of something terrible happening overwhelmed him.
"An omen," he wondered, as the ship quietly sailed onward.
~~~~~~~~~~
The following morning back in Court Seim, Rudy woke abruptly to loud clanging noises reverberating through the mansion. "What in the hell," he thought as he rubbed his temples and rolled sleepily out of the comfortable bed. He put on and laced up his boots, leaving the guest room and heading down the hallway towards Nicholi's small basement workshop. The master of the house was hard at work, hammering what looked to be a large weapon of some sort. "What? Why are you banging away at that thing this early in the morning?", he asked him.
Nicholi stopped working and looked up, obviously a little offended. "It is my house, Rudy. And since Jane and McDullen are out on business, I have all the free time I need to finish my work." Having said that, he resumed hammering down on the large weapon, paying no mind whatsoever to the lad.
"Gee, sorry I asked...don't get mad."
Not looking up at him, he responded. "I'm sorry, Rudy...but I just don't have the time to fix and build ARMs while they're here. You know how it is...complaint after complaint about how loud it is, about how I'm disturbing the children...like I said, this is my only free time. I'm sorry if I woke you."
Learning that he was working on an ARM, Rudy was now interested. "That's an ARM? Wow, it's pretty big!"
Nicholi stopped work again to acknowledge his interest. "You think so? Yeah, it's one of the biggest ARMs I've seen in my life...I'm surprised you haven't seen anything more powerful."
"Well, all I had was a cannon...but it wasn't like I needed a ton of firepower, though."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. After all, what good is firepower if the wielder cannot even use it effectively?"
"I agree with you..."
They just stood there, staring at each other for a moment. Then Rudy asked him, "Hey, is that even finished yet? How strong is it?"
Nicholi responded with a grin. "Actually, it is finished. But I was just getting all of the kinks and lumps out of the barrel portion of it. When you fire this thing, it tends to mess up the paint job and the structure of the barrel. As for your second question...it is quite powerful. The Bazooka is a long-range, anti-air ARM. It can hit and vaporize multiple targets in an instant. As I recall, there is another ARM even more powerful, but I forgot its name..."
"Oh...that's too bad. I wanted to see more of your stuff."
Nicholi flashed him a little grin, then again resumed banging away at the ARM. Rudy pulled up a nearby stool, sat down and decided to watch him at work. As he watched the sparks fly off the large metal cylinder with each blow of the hammer, he desired to own and to maintain an ARM even more. Now, Rudy was starting to feel regretful about leaving his portable cannon on the western continent. As much as it reminded him of his past, and about what his true purpose was for being built, he still had a strong connection to it. "Why did I leave it behind," he asked himself.
Nicholi stooped yet again, swearing he heard something. "Hmm? Did you say something?"
"Uh...no."
"...Must be my ears from all this clanging and banging then." Rudy had already formed a plan. As Nicholi raised the hammer to resume work, Rudy chimed in with some information from a day gone past.
"You know...you were drunk yesterday."
The hammer dropped and was about to hit, but Nicholi caught it before it landed a blow. He turned his head toward the sitting man, responding nervously to the comment.
"D...Drunk, you say...?"
"Yes. You were very inebriated."
"Umm...really?"
"Yes. I thought you'd pass out in the middle of the mansion lobby, what with you stumbling all around and slurring your words."
"Well, umm...I can maintain myself even in the harshest drunken stupor," he replied.
"I guess you can. But still...I'm surprised you don't have a headache yet, with all of the banging and stuff. I'm even more surprised that you can even work when you should be in bed. You know you should be in bed...right?"
Nicholi looked strangely at him now. He knew that the younger man was actually plotting something now, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Finally, he just came right out and asked him what was on his mind. "Are you planning to do something?"
"No. Why do you say that," the one with blue hair said with a grin.
"Oh, now I know you're plotting something!"
"No I'm not. Really."
"Yes, you are! Why did you just grin like that?"
"I didn't grin. What are you talking about?" He still had a big grin on his face though.
"..."
"What?"
"...You're a strange kid, Rudy." He turned around to continue working. Rudy's plan had failed. Or so he thought. He wasn't quite prepared to throw in the towel just yet. Getting up from the small stool, he walked right over to him, sneaking up behind him in a tip-toe fashion. Sensing that his personal bubble was being invaded, Nicholi turned around and saw him.
"What in the hell are you doing, Rudy?"
"Uhh...nothing."
"Mmm-hmm. Okay. You're not doing anything." Nicholi was now onto his plan. "Listen Rudy. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out what you were planning on doing." Rudy hung his head in shame, mad and embarrassed that he was found out. He listened to Nicholi's little lecture. "You know Rudy, stealing won't get you anywhere in life. You may want something so bad that you lose your head and do something stupid in the process. I know you want this Bazooka so badly that you were willing to knock me out and steal it from right under my nose. Well my boy, that's not the way the world works." Rudy returned to the little stool in the corner.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell. I really am."
"I know you are, Rudy. I know. But still..."
"Can you forgive me?"
"Yes.", he said with a sigh. "But promise me that you'll never ever try and steal something that's not yours ever again. Do you hear me?"
"...Yes."
"Good. Now~~"
Rudy interrupted him to ask a question. "Can I please borrow your Bazooka?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Jack and Cecilia, after 4 long and arduous days of travel through the Baskar Region, had finally reached Zenom Mountain. This specific mountain is the place where the souls of the departed come to pay homage to the Guardians of yore before they ascend towards the heavens...or so the people of Baskar thought. Once every month, three villagers are made to climb the mountain and pick flowers from the summit. 'Zenom Brahs', as the people call them, are imbued with the Guardians' power. When the flowers are brought back, they are replanted into the ground and tended to with the utmost care. This in turn brings the gods' powers to the earth, enriching the lives of the people by helping to grow ripe crops. Zephyr, the heart of the West Wind and the Guardian of Hope, spreads over the mountain, helping more flowers to grow. The cycle repeats itself every month, and the villagers have fared well by doing this. But with the sightings of foreign monsters on Zenom, the sudden start of a seemingly never-ending blizzard and the disappearance of the Chief's only son, no one has been there since 3 months ago.
The chilly mountain winds blew harshly as the magician and swordsman ascended the steep and narrow edges of the peak. At about halfway up the mountain, the two decided to set up tent for the night, since climbing in the freezing winds would prove to be a bad idea. Inside the tent...
"Jack, let me ask you something."
Jack got up from under his fur covering. "Yeah, what is it?"
"About your past..."
"Forget it," he quickly snapped, as if he almost expected her to inquire about it.
"Why? What could be so bad about it? Come on, please tell me," she protested.
"Cecilia...I'm sorry, but I can't. But I promise someday that I'll tell you." He got back under the covers and went to bed. Hanpan hopped up beside Cecilia and whispered to her so that Jack couldn't hear.
"Cecilia, it's okay. He's not mad at you."
"But~~" Cecilia lowered her voice when she saw the man under the covers toss and turn, trying to get to sleep. She put her face directly near the wind mouse. "But I was just wondering about it. I mean, Jack seemed really reluctant to help me in Aldehyde and all...so I thought that maybe if someone could be there for him..."
Hanpan nodded in agreement. "I know just what you mean, though. Jack is a loner by nature. I'm really the only friend he has right now.
"How does he cope with whatever it is that hurts him," she asked.
"Well, it's certainly not easy, that's for sure. He has to preoccupy his time with other things, like treasure hunting, or~~"
"Finding Guardians," she said, finishing his thought.
"Right."
Cecilia sat there for a minute in silence, not sure what to make of the entire scenario. She was appreciative of the mysterious swordsman's help, but she was also curious about his past. Finally, she decided to ask the closest source available about it...
"Hanpan," she asked with a soft smile. "Could you tell me?"
"What? You want me to tell you?"
"Well, if you don't want to. I don't want to sound meddlesome or anything..."
"...Well," he thought aloud. "I can't tell you much. Even he hasn't told me everything about what happened." Cecilia got in even closer to listen well to him.
"So what do you know?"
Hanpan sighed, then told her everything that he knew. "Listen. The only thing I know is that he's from Arctica."
"Arctica," she gasped. "How? I thought that everyone died there."
"Everyone except for him. It tears him up inside to know that he was the only one who survived the calamity. It's killing him."
"I see...Jack was the only survivor from the attack of the Demon Race on Arctica. That's why it's so painful for him to talk about. I never knew..."
"I didn't either, until we talked to the Baskar Chief. I just put it together just then. The destruction of Arctica overnight and what he told us about the demons and the Demon Queen...it hit me just then."
"Oh my," she said softly.
"I honestly think it changed him. He told me a little after we met that he used to be 'a different person'. Whatever that means."
"Ahh," is all she could say."
The girl and the small blue critter just sat there for a moment. Hanpan announced that he was going to go to bed, and he hopped up into Jack's coat jacket. Cecilia returned to her side of the tent, now understanding a little more of Jack's tumultuous past. As she lay there silently, thinking about this new tidbit of information she received, she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning the two continued up the snowy, beaten path of Zenom Mountain, unaware of what they may find at the top. Wave after wave of monster attacked them, more so than the usual fare, and they both sensed evil in the winds. Someone...or something was already here, something horribly corrupt and dark. As they approached the summit, what they saw before them was shocking.
"Oh...my god...the statue has been," Cecilia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.
"It's...destroyed," Jack said, wincing in regret. "Damn, we were too late."
Cecilia and Jack approached the destroyed Guardian Statue. The girl touched it with her hand, seeing if she could sense the remaining power of the Demon Queen's heart or the Guardian that inhabited the statue. Alas, there was no power left. She hung her head in shame, unable to cope at how she missed the opportunity to stop the Demon Queen from returning. Suddenly, a malicious, deep and demented laugh pierced the winds, putting the two travelers on alert.
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa! Stupid, filthy humans! You came all the way here...for nothing! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," a voice spoke.
Jack whipped around to look behind him. "Who's there? Show yourself, coward!"
"Oh please...don't rush me. I'll kill you very, VERY soon. But I want to have a little fun first!"
Cecilia walked over to stand side by side with Jack. "It's...you...you're the one who did this! Why? Why did you destroy the Guardian Statue?"
"To bring back that which was so cruelly taken from us...to resurrect our Queen of Darkness...we will destroy all Guardians! And you will have to die, because you are standing in our path of taking over this accursed land!"
"Your Queen," Cecilia asked. "Who is that? Who is your Queen?"
"You will have to beat the information out of me, girl! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!"
Both Cecilia and Jack looked up simultaneously to see a large figure looming over them on a small cliff. The figure leapt off, attempting to crush them under its weight. They both scurried to evade the attack, being knocked over by the shockwave that the creature made when it hit the ground, landing on its feet. Hanpan was knocked out of Jack's pocket, and he went flying over to the side of the cliff. The very mountain itself seemed to shake under its weight, as Cecilia and Jack stumbled to their feet to see who their enemy was. A gargantuan green goblin wielding a destructive looking flail stared at them with its narrowed and sinister eyes, breathing heavily in the snow-cloaked air. It was the one who attacked Aldehyde, killed dozens of its citizens, and stole the Tear Drop from Cecilia. It was the one who called himself...Belselk.
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," the evil monster laughed again. "I will crush you and smash you and kill you for fun...I will annihilate you with my flail..." He began to slowly walk over to them, as they began to back away from him. "I made you...and I can destroy you...I am the omega, the end to all of your dreams...I am the mighty Belselk! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!" He started to violently swing his flail over his head, gaining momentum very quickly. Jack turned to Cecilia, telling her to escape.
"I can handle this beast," he yelled at her. "Go! Run to safety, now!"
"But Jack...I want to stay and help you. You can't beat this thing alone."
"Damnit, Cecilia! Run! He's coming!"
Belselk released the pent-up power behind the large steel ball, aiming it toward the Princess. Jack dove in front of her, deflecting it away from her. As he lay there on the ground, he yelled at her to escape.
"Leave, Cecilia! Now, before you get hurt!"
"Jack, I~~"
"Cecilia," Hanpan said as he ran over to her. "I'll stay here. You have to get out of here!"
"Run! Now," he screamed. Jack Van Burace got back up and faced the demon, preparing to fight. He held up his sword to attack. "Agony, sorrow....lend me your strength, now! Meteor Dive!" He released a powerful Fast Draw technique, leaping high up into the air and crashing down with blunt force onto Belselk's cranium. The demon was temporarily stunned, stumbling backwards in pain.
"Aarghh," the creature moaned, rubbing its head.
Jack turned back toward Cecilia, begging her to flee. "Please, Cecilia...run away!"
"N-No...I can't do it!"
"Damn," he replied. "Cecilia, this is too dangerous for someone like you! Get off of the mountain, before you get killed!"
Cecilia thought about running away and listening to Jack's orders. She started toward the summit exit, but she suddenly stopped.
"Wait a minute," she said. "The Guardians..."
"Cecilia! Go on! Get out of here," Jack yelled some more. Belselk had recovered from the crushing blow to his head and set his sights on Jack's exposed back. Dropping its massive weapon and charging at him with full force, the vile beast made a desperate attempt to kill the swordsman. Jack turned around just in time to receive the brunt of the attack to the front of his body. Belselk drove the battered and prone warrior into the mountain wall, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him slumped to the ground. As it stood over him, breathing heavily into his face, it turned its hideous and contorted face to Cecilia. Hanpan tried desperately to wake Jack up from his unconsciousness.
"My my, little Princess...you're alone with me now. No more games, little lady!"
"N-No...stay away from me," she said, backing up. "You monster...I hate you!"
"That's no way to talk to your killer," Belselk retorted in a darker tone of voice. He was visibly getting angry now, walking towards her with intent. "I'm going to murder you, Cecilia...just like I murdered all of those little kids in Aldehyde."
"You're disgusting...you beast."
"Look at this," he said with a sick grin as he pointed to his right hand. "This is the hand that killed the citizens of Aldehyde. This is the hand that murdered your poor, precious subjects. Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa...let me show you what I did to one particular little boy." He picked up a large branch that had fallen off of a tree on the cliff above them. Putting his thumb and his index fingers on the branch, he crushed it without hardly exerting any strength whatsoever. Cecilia flinched at the snapping sound it made.
"Did you see that, little Princess," he asked with a sadistic smile. " I crushed that boy's neck like I did this branch! And then he fell like a rag doll to the ground! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa! It was so easy...you humans are so frail and so easily broken, like toys. I can't have any fun with one of you for a while, so I go through a lot of toys in one day..."
Cecilia broke down and started to cry at what she just heard. "You monster...leave Filgaia alone."
"I can't, girl. I must kill you." Belselk reached his muscular, demonic arm over and grabbed his flail off of the ground. He raised it over his head, preparing to bring the bulbous spiked head of the chain crashing down on the frail and distraught woman. "This is the end of your life, Sorceress! For the Demon Race! For Mother! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa!" Suddenly, an aura of light surrounded the Guardian Statue. Belselk turned around to see, and Cecilia was paralyzed in fright. The Guardian Statue's aura grew even brighter, and then the statue exploded, bathing the entire summit in light.
"Urrrgh, I can't see! I can't see," roared the goblin.
"What is...this light," Cecilia said, shielding her eyes. "It's so warm..."
Jack came to when he heard the explosion of the statue, and Hanpan hopped into his coat pocket. He automatically shielded his eyes also when he opened them up. "Uughh, what is....this? I feel warm..."
The light remained for a few more moments, then faded away to reveal a mysterious figure floating in midair a small ways away of the summit grounds. The remaining light surrounding the figure faded out, exposing a large brown creature that looked like a dragon. One of its horns was broken, and it glared down at the Princess and the demon.
"Innocent One...protector of the light...I am Denogenos.," it said in a soft voice.
"Denogenos...a Guardian," she gasped.
"A Guardian? I thought I destroyed the Guardian Statue," Belselk roared.
"I am the Guardian of Mountains and Terrain. Innocent One, I will lend you my powers, if you choose to use them. I am at your aid, young one."
"A Guardian...inside the statue...I thought you were gone," Cecilia said.
"Release my powers, Innocent One. Let your light shine forth to purify the darkness that approaches."
She got to her feet, as did Jack. The light had a healing effect on the two travelers, and they felt refreshed. Belselk was gaining its vision back, and it set its sights on the Princess. "You...wench! Die!"
Cecilia turned to the beast and invoked a chant to release the power of the Guardian. "Protector of Mountains...a sea of endless land and terrain...I command you! Wash the evil that encroaches on Filgaia away!"
Denogenos raised its massive arms in the air, opening its mouth. Inhaling the blizzard of Zenom Mountain, he exhaled and released a torrent of thin, jagged stones that resembled spears. Cecilia and Jack got up to flee the summit before the stone spears could make impact on the ground. Belselk could do nothing but look up towards the sky and see his imminent doom arriving.
"The end...I'm through," is all it could say as it hung its head.
Dozens of sharp, slender and long stones rained down on the mountain. Belselk was pierced numerous times through the heart, head and abdomen as each spear drove him backward a little. When the rain of stones ended, Belselk stood there a bloody mess, stumbling around and bleeding. Jack and Cecilia returned to witness the demise of Belselk as he stumbled toward the edge of the seemingly endless ravine of Zenom Mountain. He looked up one final time and uttered a few final words at the two of them.
"You...cannot...prevent...Mother. You are...are...powerless...to...stop her...revival."
Belselk took one final step back, plummeting off of the side of the ravine. Jack and Cecilia walked over to the edge, looking over the side. It was so foggy and snowy that they couldn't even see a bottom to the cliff. Cecilia stood nervously on the edge, prepared for anything that could possibly occur, like Belselk's return.
"Is...is it dead," she asked Jack apprehensively.
"Probably...it was one tough monster," he replied.
"..."
"Cecilia~~"
"It's okay," she interrupted. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken. How about you?"
"Just peachy," Jack quipped, managing a little smile.
"Hmm, you're always fine," she said, trying to lighten up the mood.
They both turned to the Guardian, Denogenos. Jack held Cecilia close to her, comforting her after that terrible attack. They looked on at the Guardian as it silently floated in the blizzard, staring at them with its fiery red eyes.
Rudy Roughnight had arrived in Court Seim for the second time after coming back from the Epitaph Of The Sea. The trip itself didn't really provide much more in the way of knowledge about his past, but he learned a great deal about Zepet's works.
~~~~~~~~~~
A world-famous scientist and weapons expert, Zepet Roughnight was known for his innovations in the military field. Back when he was younger, he used to be part of a research-and-development team for the kingdom of Arctica. He became famous by producing powerful psychic-enhanced weaponry that could be mounted on the hand or arm. The weaponry, which he called ARMs, could easily destroy targets at a distance. Their sheer destructive power rivaled that of an entire army of soldiers. But the ARMs were not perfect, and there were many deaths attributed to them. Soldiers either could not psychically synchronize with them, or the machines rejected them altogether. On the battlefield against the Demon Race, they would not work as designed, leaving some soldiers open for attack without any defense. The king then deemed ARMs inefficient and unworthy in combat, leaving Zepet humiliated and rejected. After the total failure of this new weaponry, he was banished from the kingdom and told never to return again.
But ARMs never went away. Their presence only got stronger, as Arctica's research-and-development teams and a hand-picked group of scientists from around the world secretly worked on improving them. Numerous volunteers (and if there weren't enough of those, some homeless folks were taken) underwent extreme tests and trials to perfect usage and alignment success rates of ARMs. A lot of these test subjects ended up dead or paralyzed. Some couldn't walk or speak after what they underwent, changing their lives forever. In the end, it was a total failure. ARMs couldn't be handled by just anyone. Only special beings had a strong enough brain pattern to control the force of ARMs...only a certain type of being could bear ARMs. This being was...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, hey Rudy,", Nicholi said with a wide smile. "So, what happened? Find anything interesting about 'Old Man Zepet'? You were gone for a while, and I was starting to think you may have bit the big one!"
"...Bit the...big one?" Rudy looked at him as if he didn't understand.
"What? You've never heard that expression?"
"Uh...no."
"Well, my boy!", Nicholi said, putting an arm around him. He then lit up a small pipe and began to puff away. "You must have hit your head or something!"
"Well actually, I~~"
Nicholi interrupted him. "Aah, it's fine. Just fine. Hey, you know," Nicholi got in real close. Rudy could smell a slight tinge of Old Shotgun on his breath. "You know, my boy...I think Jane could take a real liking to you! Heh-heh-heh, you sly dog!" He slapped the young lad on the back, knocking him forward a little. "Oh....whoopsie! Looks like I don't know my own strength! Oh well!"
"Uh," Rudy looked at him, not knowing exactly what to say.
"It's all right! It's all right! I...I can understand you." He then began to stumble down the hallway, towards his workshop under the house.
"Err," Rudy commented. "That was a little strange. Oh well, I don't think Nicholi will mind if I stayed here tonight. Well, hopefully not. Besides...in his shape, he may need some help." Rudy walked into one of the guest rooms and crashed into a nearby bed, exhausted from his trip.
~~~~~~~~~~
"You know, I hope my dad isn't drinking again, like he usually does when he's home alone," Jane exclaimed.
"He probably is," McDullen responded in his trademark baritone voice.
"And that guy...that little runt I ran into that day! What did he want with my father?"
"Who knows? You should ask him when you get back," he said.
"Geez...just ticks me off thinking about it! My dad, drinking himself into an early grave!"
"..." McDullen silently listened to her vent.
The duo stood side by side, trying to see the horizon through the fog on the edge of the ship. Sailors hummed and whistled while they stored and moved around barrels and boxes, and the calm, crisp air felt refreshing to both of them. Nicholi had charted a ship owned by a man named Drake, from the town of Port Timney. Drake was a little lecherous of sorts, but nevertheless kind and courteous to his guests. A wealthy man who made his fortune in the shipping business, he was good friends with Nicholi and regularly visited the town of Court Seim to sell crates of foodstuffs to feed the orphans. However, he was ruthless when it came down to business, and his prices weren't cheap. But as a favor to a longtime and preferred customer, Drake offered to ferry Jane Maxwell and her manservant to Saint Centour free of charge. Drake came over to talk, and they both greeted him by shaking his hand...
"My my, Ms. Maxwell! All the way out to Saint Centour? That's the furthest you've been from home for a long time," joked Drake.
"Maybe. I've been further, though. Remember Baskar?"
"Oh yeah, that little trip," he recalled. "I remember the natives running us off the land because they hadn't ever seen a ship up that close! They must've thought it was a sea monster or something!"
"Ha-ha-ha! That was pretty amazing, though," she replied.
"Oh well...those were the days...you were so much younger back then. You used to be running all over the world, looking for treasure and stuff. But you've changed into a good-looking woman. I'm amazed."
"Gee, can't you be a little more subtle than that?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, you're right," he said as he gave up. "Oh well, I tried. But honestly, you've changed. Now that you have your hands full with the children, it's like you've become a different person. I'm sure your mother would be proud of how her daughter turned out." There was a slight pause right after that comment. "Oh well, I have to get back to work, managing these lazy clods I call sailors. Talk to you later," he said as he walked off. Jane smiled and turned back to the sea, a little shaken. McDullen noticed this and tried to comfort her.
"Umm, Miss Jane...it must still hurt."
"No, it's fine. Really, I'm okay."
"Are you sure? I don't think Drake should've said something like that directly to your face."
Jane again told him that she would be fine. "It's fine, really. It's in the past. And to get over the past, I must be strong." She looked up at him and smiled. "And besides, I'm not too worried about myself right now. I'm worried about getting my hands on some gella so I can feed the kids of the orphanage."
"Me...me too," added McDullen. "It'll be all right. We'll find some way."
"I believe you...I do."
Jane just stood there, looking at the sea for a minute. Then she turned around to face her servant. "Umm...would you mind it if I wanted to be alone for a while," she asked him politely.
"Are you sure, Miss Jane? I mean, I can stay with you if you wish."
"No, it's okay. Really." She walked off, headed toward the passenger section of the ship. "I'll be in my cabin. Tell me if Drake wants to see me. Until then, I'll be resting up." She walked down under the ship, leaving McDullen alone on the deck, with the exception of the other sailors.
The sea had began to toss a little, something that no one but McDullen really even noticed. It wasn't too much of a change, at least nothing that indicated an approaching storm or tidal wave. If he had been in his cabin, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the slight change in movement of the ocean. But he had. And now McDullen was worried about what the future held for the inhabitants of Court Seim. It was unclear why, but a premonition of something terrible happening overwhelmed him.
"An omen," he wondered, as the ship quietly sailed onward.
~~~~~~~~~~
The following morning back in Court Seim, Rudy woke abruptly to loud clanging noises reverberating through the mansion. "What in the hell," he thought as he rubbed his temples and rolled sleepily out of the comfortable bed. He put on and laced up his boots, leaving the guest room and heading down the hallway towards Nicholi's small basement workshop. The master of the house was hard at work, hammering what looked to be a large weapon of some sort. "What? Why are you banging away at that thing this early in the morning?", he asked him.
Nicholi stopped working and looked up, obviously a little offended. "It is my house, Rudy. And since Jane and McDullen are out on business, I have all the free time I need to finish my work." Having said that, he resumed hammering down on the large weapon, paying no mind whatsoever to the lad.
"Gee, sorry I asked...don't get mad."
Not looking up at him, he responded. "I'm sorry, Rudy...but I just don't have the time to fix and build ARMs while they're here. You know how it is...complaint after complaint about how loud it is, about how I'm disturbing the children...like I said, this is my only free time. I'm sorry if I woke you."
Learning that he was working on an ARM, Rudy was now interested. "That's an ARM? Wow, it's pretty big!"
Nicholi stopped work again to acknowledge his interest. "You think so? Yeah, it's one of the biggest ARMs I've seen in my life...I'm surprised you haven't seen anything more powerful."
"Well, all I had was a cannon...but it wasn't like I needed a ton of firepower, though."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. After all, what good is firepower if the wielder cannot even use it effectively?"
"I agree with you..."
They just stood there, staring at each other for a moment. Then Rudy asked him, "Hey, is that even finished yet? How strong is it?"
Nicholi responded with a grin. "Actually, it is finished. But I was just getting all of the kinks and lumps out of the barrel portion of it. When you fire this thing, it tends to mess up the paint job and the structure of the barrel. As for your second question...it is quite powerful. The Bazooka is a long-range, anti-air ARM. It can hit and vaporize multiple targets in an instant. As I recall, there is another ARM even more powerful, but I forgot its name..."
"Oh...that's too bad. I wanted to see more of your stuff."
Nicholi flashed him a little grin, then again resumed banging away at the ARM. Rudy pulled up a nearby stool, sat down and decided to watch him at work. As he watched the sparks fly off the large metal cylinder with each blow of the hammer, he desired to own and to maintain an ARM even more. Now, Rudy was starting to feel regretful about leaving his portable cannon on the western continent. As much as it reminded him of his past, and about what his true purpose was for being built, he still had a strong connection to it. "Why did I leave it behind," he asked himself.
Nicholi stooped yet again, swearing he heard something. "Hmm? Did you say something?"
"Uh...no."
"...Must be my ears from all this clanging and banging then." Rudy had already formed a plan. As Nicholi raised the hammer to resume work, Rudy chimed in with some information from a day gone past.
"You know...you were drunk yesterday."
The hammer dropped and was about to hit, but Nicholi caught it before it landed a blow. He turned his head toward the sitting man, responding nervously to the comment.
"D...Drunk, you say...?"
"Yes. You were very inebriated."
"Umm...really?"
"Yes. I thought you'd pass out in the middle of the mansion lobby, what with you stumbling all around and slurring your words."
"Well, umm...I can maintain myself even in the harshest drunken stupor," he replied.
"I guess you can. But still...I'm surprised you don't have a headache yet, with all of the banging and stuff. I'm even more surprised that you can even work when you should be in bed. You know you should be in bed...right?"
Nicholi looked strangely at him now. He knew that the younger man was actually plotting something now, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Finally, he just came right out and asked him what was on his mind. "Are you planning to do something?"
"No. Why do you say that," the one with blue hair said with a grin.
"Oh, now I know you're plotting something!"
"No I'm not. Really."
"Yes, you are! Why did you just grin like that?"
"I didn't grin. What are you talking about?" He still had a big grin on his face though.
"..."
"What?"
"...You're a strange kid, Rudy." He turned around to continue working. Rudy's plan had failed. Or so he thought. He wasn't quite prepared to throw in the towel just yet. Getting up from the small stool, he walked right over to him, sneaking up behind him in a tip-toe fashion. Sensing that his personal bubble was being invaded, Nicholi turned around and saw him.
"What in the hell are you doing, Rudy?"
"Uhh...nothing."
"Mmm-hmm. Okay. You're not doing anything." Nicholi was now onto his plan. "Listen Rudy. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out what you were planning on doing." Rudy hung his head in shame, mad and embarrassed that he was found out. He listened to Nicholi's little lecture. "You know Rudy, stealing won't get you anywhere in life. You may want something so bad that you lose your head and do something stupid in the process. I know you want this Bazooka so badly that you were willing to knock me out and steal it from right under my nose. Well my boy, that's not the way the world works." Rudy returned to the little stool in the corner.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell. I really am."
"I know you are, Rudy. I know. But still..."
"Can you forgive me?"
"Yes.", he said with a sigh. "But promise me that you'll never ever try and steal something that's not yours ever again. Do you hear me?"
"...Yes."
"Good. Now~~"
Rudy interrupted him to ask a question. "Can I please borrow your Bazooka?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Jack and Cecilia, after 4 long and arduous days of travel through the Baskar Region, had finally reached Zenom Mountain. This specific mountain is the place where the souls of the departed come to pay homage to the Guardians of yore before they ascend towards the heavens...or so the people of Baskar thought. Once every month, three villagers are made to climb the mountain and pick flowers from the summit. 'Zenom Brahs', as the people call them, are imbued with the Guardians' power. When the flowers are brought back, they are replanted into the ground and tended to with the utmost care. This in turn brings the gods' powers to the earth, enriching the lives of the people by helping to grow ripe crops. Zephyr, the heart of the West Wind and the Guardian of Hope, spreads over the mountain, helping more flowers to grow. The cycle repeats itself every month, and the villagers have fared well by doing this. But with the sightings of foreign monsters on Zenom, the sudden start of a seemingly never-ending blizzard and the disappearance of the Chief's only son, no one has been there since 3 months ago.
The chilly mountain winds blew harshly as the magician and swordsman ascended the steep and narrow edges of the peak. At about halfway up the mountain, the two decided to set up tent for the night, since climbing in the freezing winds would prove to be a bad idea. Inside the tent...
"Jack, let me ask you something."
Jack got up from under his fur covering. "Yeah, what is it?"
"About your past..."
"Forget it," he quickly snapped, as if he almost expected her to inquire about it.
"Why? What could be so bad about it? Come on, please tell me," she protested.
"Cecilia...I'm sorry, but I can't. But I promise someday that I'll tell you." He got back under the covers and went to bed. Hanpan hopped up beside Cecilia and whispered to her so that Jack couldn't hear.
"Cecilia, it's okay. He's not mad at you."
"But~~" Cecilia lowered her voice when she saw the man under the covers toss and turn, trying to get to sleep. She put her face directly near the wind mouse. "But I was just wondering about it. I mean, Jack seemed really reluctant to help me in Aldehyde and all...so I thought that maybe if someone could be there for him..."
Hanpan nodded in agreement. "I know just what you mean, though. Jack is a loner by nature. I'm really the only friend he has right now.
"How does he cope with whatever it is that hurts him," she asked.
"Well, it's certainly not easy, that's for sure. He has to preoccupy his time with other things, like treasure hunting, or~~"
"Finding Guardians," she said, finishing his thought.
"Right."
Cecilia sat there for a minute in silence, not sure what to make of the entire scenario. She was appreciative of the mysterious swordsman's help, but she was also curious about his past. Finally, she decided to ask the closest source available about it...
"Hanpan," she asked with a soft smile. "Could you tell me?"
"What? You want me to tell you?"
"Well, if you don't want to. I don't want to sound meddlesome or anything..."
"...Well," he thought aloud. "I can't tell you much. Even he hasn't told me everything about what happened." Cecilia got in even closer to listen well to him.
"So what do you know?"
Hanpan sighed, then told her everything that he knew. "Listen. The only thing I know is that he's from Arctica."
"Arctica," she gasped. "How? I thought that everyone died there."
"Everyone except for him. It tears him up inside to know that he was the only one who survived the calamity. It's killing him."
"I see...Jack was the only survivor from the attack of the Demon Race on Arctica. That's why it's so painful for him to talk about. I never knew..."
"I didn't either, until we talked to the Baskar Chief. I just put it together just then. The destruction of Arctica overnight and what he told us about the demons and the Demon Queen...it hit me just then."
"Oh my," she said softly.
"I honestly think it changed him. He told me a little after we met that he used to be 'a different person'. Whatever that means."
"Ahh," is all she could say."
The girl and the small blue critter just sat there for a moment. Hanpan announced that he was going to go to bed, and he hopped up into Jack's coat jacket. Cecilia returned to her side of the tent, now understanding a little more of Jack's tumultuous past. As she lay there silently, thinking about this new tidbit of information she received, she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning the two continued up the snowy, beaten path of Zenom Mountain, unaware of what they may find at the top. Wave after wave of monster attacked them, more so than the usual fare, and they both sensed evil in the winds. Someone...or something was already here, something horribly corrupt and dark. As they approached the summit, what they saw before them was shocking.
"Oh...my god...the statue has been," Cecilia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.
"It's...destroyed," Jack said, wincing in regret. "Damn, we were too late."
Cecilia and Jack approached the destroyed Guardian Statue. The girl touched it with her hand, seeing if she could sense the remaining power of the Demon Queen's heart or the Guardian that inhabited the statue. Alas, there was no power left. She hung her head in shame, unable to cope at how she missed the opportunity to stop the Demon Queen from returning. Suddenly, a malicious, deep and demented laugh pierced the winds, putting the two travelers on alert.
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa! Stupid, filthy humans! You came all the way here...for nothing! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," a voice spoke.
Jack whipped around to look behind him. "Who's there? Show yourself, coward!"
"Oh please...don't rush me. I'll kill you very, VERY soon. But I want to have a little fun first!"
Cecilia walked over to stand side by side with Jack. "It's...you...you're the one who did this! Why? Why did you destroy the Guardian Statue?"
"To bring back that which was so cruelly taken from us...to resurrect our Queen of Darkness...we will destroy all Guardians! And you will have to die, because you are standing in our path of taking over this accursed land!"
"Your Queen," Cecilia asked. "Who is that? Who is your Queen?"
"You will have to beat the information out of me, girl! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!"
Both Cecilia and Jack looked up simultaneously to see a large figure looming over them on a small cliff. The figure leapt off, attempting to crush them under its weight. They both scurried to evade the attack, being knocked over by the shockwave that the creature made when it hit the ground, landing on its feet. Hanpan was knocked out of Jack's pocket, and he went flying over to the side of the cliff. The very mountain itself seemed to shake under its weight, as Cecilia and Jack stumbled to their feet to see who their enemy was. A gargantuan green goblin wielding a destructive looking flail stared at them with its narrowed and sinister eyes, breathing heavily in the snow-cloaked air. It was the one who attacked Aldehyde, killed dozens of its citizens, and stole the Tear Drop from Cecilia. It was the one who called himself...Belselk.
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," the evil monster laughed again. "I will crush you and smash you and kill you for fun...I will annihilate you with my flail..." He began to slowly walk over to them, as they began to back away from him. "I made you...and I can destroy you...I am the omega, the end to all of your dreams...I am the mighty Belselk! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!" He started to violently swing his flail over his head, gaining momentum very quickly. Jack turned to Cecilia, telling her to escape.
"I can handle this beast," he yelled at her. "Go! Run to safety, now!"
"But Jack...I want to stay and help you. You can't beat this thing alone."
"Damnit, Cecilia! Run! He's coming!"
Belselk released the pent-up power behind the large steel ball, aiming it toward the Princess. Jack dove in front of her, deflecting it away from her. As he lay there on the ground, he yelled at her to escape.
"Leave, Cecilia! Now, before you get hurt!"
"Jack, I~~"
"Cecilia," Hanpan said as he ran over to her. "I'll stay here. You have to get out of here!"
"Run! Now," he screamed. Jack Van Burace got back up and faced the demon, preparing to fight. He held up his sword to attack. "Agony, sorrow....lend me your strength, now! Meteor Dive!" He released a powerful Fast Draw technique, leaping high up into the air and crashing down with blunt force onto Belselk's cranium. The demon was temporarily stunned, stumbling backwards in pain.
"Aarghh," the creature moaned, rubbing its head.
Jack turned back toward Cecilia, begging her to flee. "Please, Cecilia...run away!"
"N-No...I can't do it!"
"Damn," he replied. "Cecilia, this is too dangerous for someone like you! Get off of the mountain, before you get killed!"
Cecilia thought about running away and listening to Jack's orders. She started toward the summit exit, but she suddenly stopped.
"Wait a minute," she said. "The Guardians..."
"Cecilia! Go on! Get out of here," Jack yelled some more. Belselk had recovered from the crushing blow to his head and set his sights on Jack's exposed back. Dropping its massive weapon and charging at him with full force, the vile beast made a desperate attempt to kill the swordsman. Jack turned around just in time to receive the brunt of the attack to the front of his body. Belselk drove the battered and prone warrior into the mountain wall, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him slumped to the ground. As it stood over him, breathing heavily into his face, it turned its hideous and contorted face to Cecilia. Hanpan tried desperately to wake Jack up from his unconsciousness.
"My my, little Princess...you're alone with me now. No more games, little lady!"
"N-No...stay away from me," she said, backing up. "You monster...I hate you!"
"That's no way to talk to your killer," Belselk retorted in a darker tone of voice. He was visibly getting angry now, walking towards her with intent. "I'm going to murder you, Cecilia...just like I murdered all of those little kids in Aldehyde."
"You're disgusting...you beast."
"Look at this," he said with a sick grin as he pointed to his right hand. "This is the hand that killed the citizens of Aldehyde. This is the hand that murdered your poor, precious subjects. Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa...let me show you what I did to one particular little boy." He picked up a large branch that had fallen off of a tree on the cliff above them. Putting his thumb and his index fingers on the branch, he crushed it without hardly exerting any strength whatsoever. Cecilia flinched at the snapping sound it made.
"Did you see that, little Princess," he asked with a sadistic smile. " I crushed that boy's neck like I did this branch! And then he fell like a rag doll to the ground! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa! It was so easy...you humans are so frail and so easily broken, like toys. I can't have any fun with one of you for a while, so I go through a lot of toys in one day..."
Cecilia broke down and started to cry at what she just heard. "You monster...leave Filgaia alone."
"I can't, girl. I must kill you." Belselk reached his muscular, demonic arm over and grabbed his flail off of the ground. He raised it over his head, preparing to bring the bulbous spiked head of the chain crashing down on the frail and distraught woman. "This is the end of your life, Sorceress! For the Demon Race! For Mother! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa!" Suddenly, an aura of light surrounded the Guardian Statue. Belselk turned around to see, and Cecilia was paralyzed in fright. The Guardian Statue's aura grew even brighter, and then the statue exploded, bathing the entire summit in light.
"Urrrgh, I can't see! I can't see," roared the goblin.
"What is...this light," Cecilia said, shielding her eyes. "It's so warm..."
Jack came to when he heard the explosion of the statue, and Hanpan hopped into his coat pocket. He automatically shielded his eyes also when he opened them up. "Uughh, what is....this? I feel warm..."
The light remained for a few more moments, then faded away to reveal a mysterious figure floating in midair a small ways away of the summit grounds. The remaining light surrounding the figure faded out, exposing a large brown creature that looked like a dragon. One of its horns was broken, and it glared down at the Princess and the demon.
"Innocent One...protector of the light...I am Denogenos.," it said in a soft voice.
"Denogenos...a Guardian," she gasped.
"A Guardian? I thought I destroyed the Guardian Statue," Belselk roared.
"I am the Guardian of Mountains and Terrain. Innocent One, I will lend you my powers, if you choose to use them. I am at your aid, young one."
"A Guardian...inside the statue...I thought you were gone," Cecilia said.
"Release my powers, Innocent One. Let your light shine forth to purify the darkness that approaches."
She got to her feet, as did Jack. The light had a healing effect on the two travelers, and they felt refreshed. Belselk was gaining its vision back, and it set its sights on the Princess. "You...wench! Die!"
Cecilia turned to the beast and invoked a chant to release the power of the Guardian. "Protector of Mountains...a sea of endless land and terrain...I command you! Wash the evil that encroaches on Filgaia away!"
Denogenos raised its massive arms in the air, opening its mouth. Inhaling the blizzard of Zenom Mountain, he exhaled and released a torrent of thin, jagged stones that resembled spears. Cecilia and Jack got up to flee the summit before the stone spears could make impact on the ground. Belselk could do nothing but look up towards the sky and see his imminent doom arriving.
"The end...I'm through," is all it could say as it hung its head.
Dozens of sharp, slender and long stones rained down on the mountain. Belselk was pierced numerous times through the heart, head and abdomen as each spear drove him backward a little. When the rain of stones ended, Belselk stood there a bloody mess, stumbling around and bleeding. Jack and Cecilia returned to witness the demise of Belselk as he stumbled toward the edge of the seemingly endless ravine of Zenom Mountain. He looked up one final time and uttered a few final words at the two of them.
"You...cannot...prevent...Mother. You are...are...powerless...to...stop her...revival."
Belselk took one final step back, plummeting off of the side of the ravine. Jack and Cecilia walked over to the edge, looking over the side. It was so foggy and snowy that they couldn't even see a bottom to the cliff. Cecilia stood nervously on the edge, prepared for anything that could possibly occur, like Belselk's return.
"Is...is it dead," she asked Jack apprehensively.
"Probably...it was one tough monster," he replied.
"..."
"Cecilia~~"
"It's okay," she interrupted. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken. How about you?"
"Just peachy," Jack quipped, managing a little smile.
"Hmm, you're always fine," she said, trying to lighten up the mood.
They both turned to the Guardian, Denogenos. Jack held Cecilia close to her, comforting her after that terrible attack. They looked on at the Guardian as it silently floated in the blizzard, staring at them with its fiery red eyes.