Chapter 5
--_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The desert was more barren then Garet's plate of food after dinner when he had been hungry. It seemed nothing lived here.
"How could your clan live near the desert?" Mia said, wiping sweat off her head. "It's way too hot to live near here!"
Venus glanced back at them. "I know a way through here, but it takes a lot of psynergy to go through it. And it requires a lot of water psynergy as well. Are you all ready?"
"If it doesn' get any hotter, then I guess I am. . . ." Neried thought, and then snickered to herself. Venus glanced at her, and then Neried went quiet.
"I guess. Maybe it wont' get hotter then it already is." Felix said, representing the group.
Venus looked at them for a few minutes, and then said something. "Fine." Was all she said, and then they continued.
The sun seemed to torture them. It glared at them all day. It had no mercy. Ivan had again, collapsed from heat. It took a lot out of the Mercury adepts to keep cooling everyone off.
"We had better get there soon Venus. We can't keep healing everyone." Mia said, sounding exhausted.
"We will get there soon. Don't worry. But there isnt' much too look forward too. Don't expect company." She replied, to add confusion to everyone but Felix. He just gazed in front of them, hoping that some person was there.
Neried fell to her knees. She was panting hard. She had more psynergy than Piers and Mia, but she was being worn out quickly. She had been trying to keep herself alive, while they were trying to keep everyone else well.
Piers helped her up. She spoke to him mentally. "Thank you."
"No problem. We have bigger concerns though." He replied to her. She nodded. One of those concerns was getting to a cool place. That was first and foremost.
Garet was whispering to Isaac. "I think Piers likes Neried. How about you?"
He looked over at the two Mercury adepts. "I guess. Neried will need all the help she can get, after having a childhood like she did. I'm surprised she managed to survive."
Ivan was feeling groggy. "Venus, do you know where we are going?" He asked, sounding abit hopeless.
"We are there." Venus said, stopping all of a sudden, causing all of the others to bump into her. She lifted her hands, and made a glowing gold ball of psynergy. She knelt down, and placed it on the ground. She got back up, and asked for Felix's sword.
"Trust me. It'll get us there." She said, and he reluctantly gave it to her. She took it in her hands, and pointed the sharp end at the ball. She lifted it, and closed her eyes. The sword began to glow. And then she struck it. It shattered, and covered the ground. And then something happened.
The ground suddenly split, revealing stairs.
"Stairs?!?" Everyone but Neried and Venus exclaimed. Neried's eyes went large, and Venus had a smile on her face. Home. She procedded down them, and everyone else followed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was still hot underground, but not enough to kill you. There was a fountain of cold water near by, and they were looking for it. Neried could hear it. Venus wandered off. She came up to a building, and tears came to her eyes.
This had been her home. She looked at it fondly, and with bitter memories. They had been flashing back to her.
~ flash back ~
"Mother! There you are!" Venus had cried out. She had short black hair, and the brown eyes she always had. She ran up to her mother.
Her mother looked over joyed. "My little flower. . . . . . how has your training been going?"
"Very well. I can lift the sword of the village elder!" She exclaimed.
"That's wonderful!" Her mother replied, sounding relaxed and happy. She cloesed her eyes in joy.
~ end flash back ~
She had happy childhood memories here. And now all of it was gone. Even her mother. She wiped the tears away. Felix walked up to her.
"Are you sure your alright?" He asked her.
"I'm fine Felix. You don't' have to bug me about this. I'll be alright. I'm just having some. . . .. . . memories coming back. Nothing to worry about." She said, and she tried to get away from him as soon as possible.
He looked where she had just left. "She needs help. She can't deny it." He thought. Jenna caught up to him, and then looked where he was looking.
"What's wrong Felix?" She asked her elder sibling.
"Venus. She keeps trying to deny something." Felix said, sounding frustrated.
"She'll open up when she's ready brother. She needs time." His sister said. And he knew she was right.
"How come girls are always right?" He asked her.
Jenna giggled. "Because we are!"
~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~
Neried looked at all the buildings. Death and Destruction ruled this place now. No humans had been here in years. And she hoped it would be like that for a long time. She looked at her other companions.
They were tired. And gathering on water supplies.
"Where do you think we should rest?" Mia asked Venus. She looked around. A lot of the place was rubble. You couldn't' really make a place to rest here. Soon she sat down on a rock.
Neried walked over to Venus. She pointed to the heart, and then did the sign for pain. And then she made a question mark.
Venus shook her head."No. It's not much of a pain." She whispered to Neried. She made her companion look confused. "I'll explain when I'm ready Neried." She got up, and walked away. Neried watched where she was going. And then she sighed.
Venus came across a big, but crumbled building. It had lots of markings. "The temple where the protector slept. . . . . .I wonder if it's still here." She pondered, as she gazed upon the building. "It was supposed to protect us. And it didn't." She thought bitterly.
"Venus?"
She turned around and saw Isaac. "What do you want?" She responded.
"What's wrong?"
"I get that question enough already! Would you people stop asking me?!?" She yelled at him. She then pushed by him, and stomped off, going off in a random direction. He looked at her.
"She needs help. Wether she wants it or not."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
"I'm worried about Venus. She's been distant and angry, and sad all day. We have to help her." Jenna said to Neried. It was hard for Jenna to tell if Neried was listening, but Neried replied.
"She's having a rough time. Wouldn't you, if you had to come to your old and destroyed home?" She asked, by writing it in the dirt. Jenna looked at that for a few moments, and then responded.
"I guess I would. But shouldn't she open up to people?"
"You wouldn't' open up to people when you have gone through what she did. I was lucky she even told me. She barely gave me any details though. The only way would be to mind read her." Neried wrote in the gravel. Jenna looked at it again.
"But only Ivan and Sheba can mind read. And that would be like ruining her privacy."
"Then we shall wait Jenna." Neried wrote, ending the disscussion. She got up, and walked away. To find Venus.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Why can't they just leave me alone?" Venus kept thinking to herself, as she silently cried. It was hard enough on her as it is being here. But being asked what was wrong a gazillion times made it worse.
"Because they're worried. I can take it!" She said out loud.
"You can't. And that's why your crying." A voice said out of no where. She looked around.
"Who's there?" She said. Neried revealed herself. She hit her chest gently, trying to ask Venus if the pain hurt more.
"You know you can talk. Why don't' you?" She asked her seemingly mute friend. Neried looked at her funny, and Venus sighed. "What ever. The pain isnt' going away." She said, trying to get her friend to go away.
Venus then remembered the voice she heard. "Did you actually say something?" Neried nodded. And then put on finger up to her lips. Meaning to keep that a secret.
"Why?"
Neried pointed to her ears. And then her mouth.
"You listen better when your mouth is shut? That doenst' make any sense Neried." Venus said, after seeing Neried sighning. Neried just sighed, and then made the sign for out, and noon.
"I guess we could leave at noon. That's not a bad idea actually. I'll go tell the others." Venus said, knowing what Neried had just asked, and she got off her rock, and go find the others. Where ever they were.
Neried looked at the fountain near by. She walked over to it. And then looked in the water. She saw her reflection. "What do they think of me?" She thought. She looked up and saw a stone tablet. She went up and examined it.
(on the tablet) Last of our clan, touch your hands here, And gain the power of your ancestors
Neried scanned it again. "What could this power be?" She thought.
Venus found them. By her old home. "Hey guys." She mumbled. They looked over at her, and greeted her.
"Neried and I think we should leave at noon. What about you guys?" Venus asked them, and most of them just shrugged.
"Why noon?"
"Neried suggested it."
Garet sighed. "I don't know HOW you two communicate! I can't get a thing she says when she moves her hands around!"
"You haven't had to learn sign language Garet. . . . . .otherwise, you could have whole conversations with her." Venus said. She grunted in frustration. Sometimes these people were so frustrating. . . . .
"Where IS Neried, anyway?" Mia asked Venus. Venus looked blank faced.
"I don't know." She mumbled. Mia slapped her forehead, and walked off to find the third Mercury adept of the group.
"Why is the tablet here? Maybe Venus should see this! She could probably make sense out of this thing!" Neried thought in her head, as she looked at the tablet over, and over again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Piers: have you come up with that psynergy yet?
WP: Yep. Now I just need people to review.. . . . . . . are other people actually reading this?
The desert was more barren then Garet's plate of food after dinner when he had been hungry. It seemed nothing lived here.
"How could your clan live near the desert?" Mia said, wiping sweat off her head. "It's way too hot to live near here!"
Venus glanced back at them. "I know a way through here, but it takes a lot of psynergy to go through it. And it requires a lot of water psynergy as well. Are you all ready?"
"If it doesn' get any hotter, then I guess I am. . . ." Neried thought, and then snickered to herself. Venus glanced at her, and then Neried went quiet.
"I guess. Maybe it wont' get hotter then it already is." Felix said, representing the group.
Venus looked at them for a few minutes, and then said something. "Fine." Was all she said, and then they continued.
The sun seemed to torture them. It glared at them all day. It had no mercy. Ivan had again, collapsed from heat. It took a lot out of the Mercury adepts to keep cooling everyone off.
"We had better get there soon Venus. We can't keep healing everyone." Mia said, sounding exhausted.
"We will get there soon. Don't worry. But there isnt' much too look forward too. Don't expect company." She replied, to add confusion to everyone but Felix. He just gazed in front of them, hoping that some person was there.
Neried fell to her knees. She was panting hard. She had more psynergy than Piers and Mia, but she was being worn out quickly. She had been trying to keep herself alive, while they were trying to keep everyone else well.
Piers helped her up. She spoke to him mentally. "Thank you."
"No problem. We have bigger concerns though." He replied to her. She nodded. One of those concerns was getting to a cool place. That was first and foremost.
Garet was whispering to Isaac. "I think Piers likes Neried. How about you?"
He looked over at the two Mercury adepts. "I guess. Neried will need all the help she can get, after having a childhood like she did. I'm surprised she managed to survive."
Ivan was feeling groggy. "Venus, do you know where we are going?" He asked, sounding abit hopeless.
"We are there." Venus said, stopping all of a sudden, causing all of the others to bump into her. She lifted her hands, and made a glowing gold ball of psynergy. She knelt down, and placed it on the ground. She got back up, and asked for Felix's sword.
"Trust me. It'll get us there." She said, and he reluctantly gave it to her. She took it in her hands, and pointed the sharp end at the ball. She lifted it, and closed her eyes. The sword began to glow. And then she struck it. It shattered, and covered the ground. And then something happened.
The ground suddenly split, revealing stairs.
"Stairs?!?" Everyone but Neried and Venus exclaimed. Neried's eyes went large, and Venus had a smile on her face. Home. She procedded down them, and everyone else followed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was still hot underground, but not enough to kill you. There was a fountain of cold water near by, and they were looking for it. Neried could hear it. Venus wandered off. She came up to a building, and tears came to her eyes.
This had been her home. She looked at it fondly, and with bitter memories. They had been flashing back to her.
~ flash back ~
"Mother! There you are!" Venus had cried out. She had short black hair, and the brown eyes she always had. She ran up to her mother.
Her mother looked over joyed. "My little flower. . . . . . how has your training been going?"
"Very well. I can lift the sword of the village elder!" She exclaimed.
"That's wonderful!" Her mother replied, sounding relaxed and happy. She cloesed her eyes in joy.
~ end flash back ~
She had happy childhood memories here. And now all of it was gone. Even her mother. She wiped the tears away. Felix walked up to her.
"Are you sure your alright?" He asked her.
"I'm fine Felix. You don't' have to bug me about this. I'll be alright. I'm just having some. . . .. . . memories coming back. Nothing to worry about." She said, and she tried to get away from him as soon as possible.
He looked where she had just left. "She needs help. She can't deny it." He thought. Jenna caught up to him, and then looked where he was looking.
"What's wrong Felix?" She asked her elder sibling.
"Venus. She keeps trying to deny something." Felix said, sounding frustrated.
"She'll open up when she's ready brother. She needs time." His sister said. And he knew she was right.
"How come girls are always right?" He asked her.
Jenna giggled. "Because we are!"
~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~
Neried looked at all the buildings. Death and Destruction ruled this place now. No humans had been here in years. And she hoped it would be like that for a long time. She looked at her other companions.
They were tired. And gathering on water supplies.
"Where do you think we should rest?" Mia asked Venus. She looked around. A lot of the place was rubble. You couldn't' really make a place to rest here. Soon she sat down on a rock.
Neried walked over to Venus. She pointed to the heart, and then did the sign for pain. And then she made a question mark.
Venus shook her head."No. It's not much of a pain." She whispered to Neried. She made her companion look confused. "I'll explain when I'm ready Neried." She got up, and walked away. Neried watched where she was going. And then she sighed.
Venus came across a big, but crumbled building. It had lots of markings. "The temple where the protector slept. . . . . .I wonder if it's still here." She pondered, as she gazed upon the building. "It was supposed to protect us. And it didn't." She thought bitterly.
"Venus?"
She turned around and saw Isaac. "What do you want?" She responded.
"What's wrong?"
"I get that question enough already! Would you people stop asking me?!?" She yelled at him. She then pushed by him, and stomped off, going off in a random direction. He looked at her.
"She needs help. Wether she wants it or not."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
"I'm worried about Venus. She's been distant and angry, and sad all day. We have to help her." Jenna said to Neried. It was hard for Jenna to tell if Neried was listening, but Neried replied.
"She's having a rough time. Wouldn't you, if you had to come to your old and destroyed home?" She asked, by writing it in the dirt. Jenna looked at that for a few moments, and then responded.
"I guess I would. But shouldn't she open up to people?"
"You wouldn't' open up to people when you have gone through what she did. I was lucky she even told me. She barely gave me any details though. The only way would be to mind read her." Neried wrote in the gravel. Jenna looked at it again.
"But only Ivan and Sheba can mind read. And that would be like ruining her privacy."
"Then we shall wait Jenna." Neried wrote, ending the disscussion. She got up, and walked away. To find Venus.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Why can't they just leave me alone?" Venus kept thinking to herself, as she silently cried. It was hard enough on her as it is being here. But being asked what was wrong a gazillion times made it worse.
"Because they're worried. I can take it!" She said out loud.
"You can't. And that's why your crying." A voice said out of no where. She looked around.
"Who's there?" She said. Neried revealed herself. She hit her chest gently, trying to ask Venus if the pain hurt more.
"You know you can talk. Why don't' you?" She asked her seemingly mute friend. Neried looked at her funny, and Venus sighed. "What ever. The pain isnt' going away." She said, trying to get her friend to go away.
Venus then remembered the voice she heard. "Did you actually say something?" Neried nodded. And then put on finger up to her lips. Meaning to keep that a secret.
"Why?"
Neried pointed to her ears. And then her mouth.
"You listen better when your mouth is shut? That doenst' make any sense Neried." Venus said, after seeing Neried sighning. Neried just sighed, and then made the sign for out, and noon.
"I guess we could leave at noon. That's not a bad idea actually. I'll go tell the others." Venus said, knowing what Neried had just asked, and she got off her rock, and go find the others. Where ever they were.
Neried looked at the fountain near by. She walked over to it. And then looked in the water. She saw her reflection. "What do they think of me?" She thought. She looked up and saw a stone tablet. She went up and examined it.
(on the tablet) Last of our clan, touch your hands here, And gain the power of your ancestors
Neried scanned it again. "What could this power be?" She thought.
Venus found them. By her old home. "Hey guys." She mumbled. They looked over at her, and greeted her.
"Neried and I think we should leave at noon. What about you guys?" Venus asked them, and most of them just shrugged.
"Why noon?"
"Neried suggested it."
Garet sighed. "I don't know HOW you two communicate! I can't get a thing she says when she moves her hands around!"
"You haven't had to learn sign language Garet. . . . . .otherwise, you could have whole conversations with her." Venus said. She grunted in frustration. Sometimes these people were so frustrating. . . . .
"Where IS Neried, anyway?" Mia asked Venus. Venus looked blank faced.
"I don't know." She mumbled. Mia slapped her forehead, and walked off to find the third Mercury adept of the group.
"Why is the tablet here? Maybe Venus should see this! She could probably make sense out of this thing!" Neried thought in her head, as she looked at the tablet over, and over again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Piers: have you come up with that psynergy yet?
WP: Yep. Now I just need people to review.. . . . . . . are other people actually reading this?