The Next Generation 28
Magicman: I've finally figured out how long this will be. I'm aiming for the final chapter to be somewhere in the mid-thirties. I've even figured out a few interesting little details that you'd be interested to know. Heh heh heh. But for now, you may as well read this chapter here.
Smokegirl: *flicking a lighter on and off* Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
The party travelled swiftly through the forest. According to maps they were almost at the fortress. Once there, they planned to sneak in, steal the bombs, and get out again before anyone noticed. A bonus part of the mission was to bring them back to Palas before Veers attacked, but that was deemed a long shot.
And so, dawn found them all travelling in a line down an overgrown path. Jager had cast a minor enchantment to clear up the vines clogging the road but he couldn't do much good. He was a sorcerer, not a druid.
This time Yukari marched in front, swearing under her breath at the forest that seemed to be doing its best to drive her insane. The branches had turned her neatly groomed hair into a tangled mess! Her armour was being scratched and she kept tripping on roots. Naria, who was walking beside her, could hear the girl mutter colourful words describing what she was going to do to the enemy for putting her into this situation.
The rest of the group tramped behind the two in front and Allen brought up the rear again.
Allen was slowly recovering his mind from his two decades in a mental asylum. Bringing it all out into the open last night had helped with that a lot. 'What was it that helped the most?' he asked himself, 'Bringing it all out into the open or not having someone recoil from you in horror?' It was a shame that there weren't more Yukaris in the world. He grinned as a branch tore at her hair and her cursing rose in volume for a moment. He passed a large tree and was suddenly grabbed from behind and dragged off the path. He found himself slammed up against the tree with a knife to his throat.
Needless to say, he way surprised.
He blinked a couple times before looking down at the person who had abducted him so suddenly. He would have sighed but that likely would have cut off his Adams apple. "Hitomi what are you doing?"
Hitomi smiled sweetly. "I wanted to have a talk with you away from the others."
"Was all this drama really necessary?"
"Probably not".
"Oh". Allen hesitated. "Why exactly are you doing this?"
Hitomi's smile vanished like the eye of a storm. "I want to know exactly what you said to my daughter last night and why!" she hissed, malice simmering in her voice.
Allen looked into her eyes carefully. "You really care about your daughter, don't you?" The knife dug lightly into her skin.
"Is that a joke?!"
Allen raised his hands placatingly. "No! I really want to know! Are you concerned for her safety or do you just hate me so much that you want to keep her away from me?"
"I want my daughter to stay away from you because I don't trust you. I have no reason to believe that you won't try that same stunt again that you tried last time!"
Allen looked at her again. "Alright then" he said. "I talked to her about the incident twenty years ago. I told her all about it and what I did. I told her why you hate me...and why I hate you."
Hitomi frowned slightly in thought. "How do I know that you're not lying to me right here and now?"
Allen snorted. "Oh come on! When have I ever lied to you personally?"
"That doesn't mean that you couldn't start at any time!"
"Fine! Don't believe me!" His patience running out, Allen snapped the words without thinking. "You wouldn't care anyway! YOU know what it's like to have a family! YOU know what it's like to come home to people you love! YOU didn't lose your entire family and everyone that you ever loved! That is why I hate you Hitomi Kanzaki! You ruined my last chance at finding happiness by killing her!"
"Now just a minu-"
"I'm not done yet! You took your sword and stabbed it through her stomach and watched her die." Years' worth of fury long pent up finally spent itself and Allen could only stand there, shivering. He managed to continue speaking. "When they first told me that Refina was dead I couldn't understand what I felt. I spent months thinking about it, wondering why I could never stop thinking about her, why I always wanted to be with her. When I realised the truth I wanted to die. But I still had to suffer for my crimes. And so I sat in that asylum for twenty years, thinking about what could have been and what I used to have."
He sighed, brokenly. "I used to have a sister you know. She was taken away when I was a child and I never saw her again. I've thought about it and I think that I wanted you so badly because you reminded me of her. But I couldn't have her back and it made me insane. So I went after you instead. I don't even know if she's alive anymore. But that's no excuse. There's something that I should have said to you long ago and I won't postpone it any more." Allen straightened his head, his blonde hair falling into his face.
"I'm sorry."
There was absolute silence for long moments. Allen could only breathe in and out and feel an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. Finally he became aware that the knife was no longer at his throat. He shook the hair from his eyes and looked at Hitomi.
The seer had lowered her knife and was watching him thoughtfully. Her face was a curious mix of emotions. It seemed as though she was confronting her years long grudge and seeking to defeat it. Then she opened her mouth and spoke. "Apology accepted Allen Schezar." She turned around and ran to catch up with the party which had nearly walked out of sight.
Allen stared at her for a second before following. He felt...better.
***
The old fort sat in the middle of a swamp. It was ancient, having been around since the first kings of Asturia. However, it was kept highly maintenanced. The walls were thick and sturdy and built with stone and wood and the inner fort was constructed into one great keep that could be defended by as few as twenty or so men. The trees nearest to the walls had been cut down to deny any chance of sneaking up on the fortress. Inside the fort itself, all was quiet. One might think it was abandoned if it hadn't been for the column of smoke rising up from the chimneys of the fort's interior.
Well, that and the three leva cruisers hovering overhead, each one carrying enough firepower to outgun any Asturian vessel.
The fort was under surveillance by the small party of commandos. Yukari looked over at Allen. "Well it's your job to get us in there."
Allen nodded and started to move but Jager suddenly pointed a finger into the sky. A fourth leva cruiser had joined the ships already and this one was even bigger than the others. It bristled with guns and weapons emplacements and cut through the air with a deadly grace that belied its massive size.
Hitomi whistled slightly. "That's the Destiny. It's General Veers' personal ship."
"This is bad," Jager said unnecessarily.
They all watched as two shuttles flew from the Destiny's hangar bay and landed within the fort. The massive warship then took up position above the fort with it's smaller cousins.
Naria and Eriya looked at each other. "Do you think that he's on to us?"
"We'd better hope not. Come. There's a back entrance into the fort this way." Allen crept silently through the forest and the others followed him. Jager glanced up at the mechanical behemoth and shivered slightly. There was tremendous power on that ship.
And it was all evil.
***
The secret door was actually the side of a rocky hill deep in the forest. It looked in no way like a door. That is until Allen brushed off some loose dirt and took hold of one of the several irregularities in the rocky face of the hill. The knob of rock twisted in his hand and with a wailing grinding sound the side of the hill opened up, revealing a long dark passageway. Allen stood back and faced the group.
"This is the secret back way into the fort," he said. "We should tie ourselves to each other so we don't get lost. The passage honeycombs through these hills and it would be easy to get lost."
Miguel frowned suspiciously. "Are you sure that you can remember the way through?"
"Yes" Allen answered firmly, glowering at the Slayer.
That said, the group pulled out some rope and tied themselves to someone else in the group. After a few minutes, everyone was roped to someone else and they had all formed a long line. Allen nodded. "Okay then. Lets go." He stepped into the tunnel and was instantly swallowed up by the blackness.
Hitomi walked into a wall. "Ow!" she swore. "Son of a BITCH! Can we get some light in here?"
A soft blue glow began to emanate from Jager's bamboo umbrella, which he had unfolded and now held spread above him, as if to ward off rain.
"Uh thanks" Hitomi managed. The sorcerer simply nodded.
The tunnel into the fortress was long and dark. The only sounds were the shuffling of feet and the gasping of breath. Jager's magic lit the darkness around the little group but beyond the barrier of light was pure blackness that could not be penetrated. No one talked; the darkness smothered all noise. Yukari shivered and clutched her rope. She wished fervently that Mark were here to comfort her.
No one ever knew how long the journey through the dark lasted. It might have been days or it might have been minutes. The oppressing darkness had lent a sense of timelessness to their journey. Eventually, however, their journey came to an abrupt halt as a wall loomed into the magical glow, blocking their path forward.
No one spoke. Allen stepped forward and placed both hands on the wall. He pushed forward and with much effort the concealed door slowly swung open. He stepped into the sudden light that streamed through the blackness and pulled his companions after him.
They found themselves in a long hallway, lit by torches. It was deserted and almost as smothering as the tunnel but at least they could see. Jager extinguished his light and closed the secret door behind him. They all looked at Allen.
The ex-knight spoke in a hushed whisper. "We are in the lower halls of the fort. This is the prison area. We must be as quiet as possible. Just above us is the main guymelef shed. Down that passage", he pointed left, "We will come to some stairs that will lead to weapons storage. It's camouflaged, heavily shielded, and easy to protect. If they're hiding these godforsaken bombs here then that's where they'll be."
"Naria" whispered Hitomi. "Eriya. You two go check out those stairs and see if they're guarded."
The cats nodded and crept down the hall. The rest of the party sat down and rested. Miguel and Gatti talked quietly. Jager muttered softly to himself and pulled the parasol of his umbrella down over his eyes. Allen searched through his pack for a moment then swore.
"Ah damn it!" he whispered harshly. "I must have dropped my food somewhere in the forest." He reached out and caught something that went suddenly sailing through the air towards him. Startled, he unwrapped the small package to reveal a hunk of trail bread and some dried meat. He looked over slowly and saw Hitomi munching quietly on her own trail bread. She looked at him with one eye and a ghost of a smile flitted across her face. Allen nodded his head in thanks and ate quietly.
Yukari stared at the sudden civility between her mother and Allen. Shaking her head in disbelief, she pulled out her katana and a whetstone and began to sharpen it.
The group remained quiet while they waited and prepared. Soon they would try to save Asturia. They were all that stood in the way of General Veers conquering their countries and forcing them all into submission. They tried to ignore the pressure and to just wait calmly, but even so they were all glad to see the cat women return.
"We've found the door to the armoury" Eriya whispered, "But there's a whole troop of Basramians in our way."
"They look pretty busy though," her sister added. "We might be able to sneak past."
"That's the guymelef shed," Allen said. "The armoury is at the end of the hall just before the turn into the room."
"Did you see how many soldiers are in the room?" asked Miguel.
Naria nodded. "There's about ten or so. Plus there's two creepy looking guys in black robes. They gave me a weird feeling."
Yukari's stomach shrivelled and she exchanged an uneasy glance with her mother. 'Creepy' and 'black robes' sounded an awful lot like Kasar and his sorcerers.
Jager was suddenly looking keenly at the cat women. "Did they say anything?"
"Yes. One of the robed guys said something about the attack on Palas being underway. I think he called the other one something like 'master Kasar'."
The Asturian sorcerer eyed them intently. "Are you positive that they were sorcerers?"
Naria looked at him like he was an idiot. "I've lived around sorcerers all of my life. I know one when I see one!"
"But these are true sorcerers" Jager countered. "They use magic, not machinery!"
Hitomi cocked her head. "What are you getting at Jager?"
"I should have been able to sense other users of magic. I should have felt that they were in the fort. Unless they shielded themselves from any detection spells. And that would mean..." The sorcerer trailed off.
"...That they know we're coming" Miguel finished grimly. He drew his sword and spun to look down the hallway. The other companions leapt to their feet and drew their weapons. "How likely is it that these sorcerers can detect us here?"
"I don't know" Jager answered, his voice harsh with rising tension. "It depends on how strong their sorcerers are and how powerful the spell they use is."
A voice colder than the grave froze the air. "I assure you that I have the most powerful of magics at my disposal."
They all whirled to face the voice. Andrakus Kasar faced them with his staff clutched in one hand. At his side was a shorter man dressed in identical robes, obviously an apprentice. Behind them with weapons drawn were considerably more than ten Silver Serpents.
The evil mage smirked. "It seems that the General's hunch has paid off," he said. "He's quite skilled at assessing the facts and making guesses based on those facts." He frowned when he set eyes on Yukari. "I don't know how you managed to break my spell but you are beginning to annoy me! This time I will make sure you are dead." His eyes slowly drifted over the party taking in all of them. When they reached Hitomi his smirk grew even crueller.
"It has been a while, hasn't it Mrs. Albatou?"
"Far too long for my taste". Hitomi responded coldly and pointed her sword at the sorcerer.
Kasar snorted and moved along. Finally he came to Allen and he laughed. His laughter was shrill and mocking and held not a shred of humanity. "Ah Schezar! This explains how Asturia managed to get a commando force right into this base without my knowing! I can't believe that they trusted a washed up knight like you with something of such importance."
"I may no longer be worthy of the title of Knight Caeli" Allen said softly, "But I will not allow a maniacal tyrant and his snivelling charlatan to strike down my country."
The verbal barb struck the target and carried some poison with it. Kasar's smirk melted away into a snarl of hate. "You dare to call me a charlatan?!" His voice was barely human. "ME?!"
Kasar raised his hands and screamed out his rage. An icy cold wind swept through the hallway, pressing back soldier, and companion alike. Over the rush of air his voice could be heard. "I am no charlatan," it cried out, "I am Andrakus Kasar, the most powerful sorcerer in the world! And you are now dead!" The figure of the sorcerer was a black silhouette against the rushing wind. Then the silhouette screamed again and flung forth a hand. A bolt of brilliant green energy scythed through the air towards the companions. The bolt crackled with malevolent intention as it streaked for its targets.
Suddenly the green Death bolt crashed into a wall of whirling blue energy. The two forces met in mid-air, blue and green sparks flaying everywhere along with the scream of to battling magics trying to destroy each other. Then a deafening crack split through the air and everything, the icy wind, the screaming, the sparks, stopped.
The hallway was in shambles. Pieces of stone had broken from the walls and the companions had been scattered across the ground by the sheer force of the wind. The guards had fared no better and were painfully trying to regain their feet. Even the apprentice sorcerer had been flung backwards by the power unleashed.
Jager stood with his umbrella stretched out as if the thin bamboo would protect them from a magical assault, its parasol still flickering with the magic that had been sent coursing through its structure. Breathing hard, he glared balefully at his opponent, Kasar. The evil mage held his staff with its serpent head pointed forward warily. He faced the Asturian with a frown on his face.
As the two sorcerers faced off Hitomi and the companions struggled to their feet. Suddenly Jager turned and shouted "Run!" In the split second that he needed to regain his concentration, Kasar launched another magical attack, which Jager barely managed to defend against. "Run for it!" he repeated. "I can fight him and protect you at the same time! Go!"
"You heard him!" yelled Miguel. "Move it!" He grabbed Allen and ran down the opposite hall. The rest of the companions ran after him. The sounds of confusion could be heard from behind the mages as the apprentice sorcerer tried to regain control of the guards.
"Follow them!" the apprentice shrieked. "Go around the other way and cut them off!"
As they all ran, Yukari turned at the last second to watch the magical battle. Jager was summoning shimmering phantom warriors from nothingness. As they struck out at Kasar a brilliant wall of fire rose up around him and scorched the warriors. The force of their chanting grew and soon their very voices became more powerful than the wind itself. Yukari shuddered at the very power these two possessed and ran.
Magicman: Alright! I like that last scene, if I do say so myself. What do you guys think? Come on, be honest. (
Smokegirl: Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
Magicman: I've finally figured out how long this will be. I'm aiming for the final chapter to be somewhere in the mid-thirties. I've even figured out a few interesting little details that you'd be interested to know. Heh heh heh. But for now, you may as well read this chapter here.
Smokegirl: *flicking a lighter on and off* Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
The party travelled swiftly through the forest. According to maps they were almost at the fortress. Once there, they planned to sneak in, steal the bombs, and get out again before anyone noticed. A bonus part of the mission was to bring them back to Palas before Veers attacked, but that was deemed a long shot.
And so, dawn found them all travelling in a line down an overgrown path. Jager had cast a minor enchantment to clear up the vines clogging the road but he couldn't do much good. He was a sorcerer, not a druid.
This time Yukari marched in front, swearing under her breath at the forest that seemed to be doing its best to drive her insane. The branches had turned her neatly groomed hair into a tangled mess! Her armour was being scratched and she kept tripping on roots. Naria, who was walking beside her, could hear the girl mutter colourful words describing what she was going to do to the enemy for putting her into this situation.
The rest of the group tramped behind the two in front and Allen brought up the rear again.
Allen was slowly recovering his mind from his two decades in a mental asylum. Bringing it all out into the open last night had helped with that a lot. 'What was it that helped the most?' he asked himself, 'Bringing it all out into the open or not having someone recoil from you in horror?' It was a shame that there weren't more Yukaris in the world. He grinned as a branch tore at her hair and her cursing rose in volume for a moment. He passed a large tree and was suddenly grabbed from behind and dragged off the path. He found himself slammed up against the tree with a knife to his throat.
Needless to say, he way surprised.
He blinked a couple times before looking down at the person who had abducted him so suddenly. He would have sighed but that likely would have cut off his Adams apple. "Hitomi what are you doing?"
Hitomi smiled sweetly. "I wanted to have a talk with you away from the others."
"Was all this drama really necessary?"
"Probably not".
"Oh". Allen hesitated. "Why exactly are you doing this?"
Hitomi's smile vanished like the eye of a storm. "I want to know exactly what you said to my daughter last night and why!" she hissed, malice simmering in her voice.
Allen looked into her eyes carefully. "You really care about your daughter, don't you?" The knife dug lightly into her skin.
"Is that a joke?!"
Allen raised his hands placatingly. "No! I really want to know! Are you concerned for her safety or do you just hate me so much that you want to keep her away from me?"
"I want my daughter to stay away from you because I don't trust you. I have no reason to believe that you won't try that same stunt again that you tried last time!"
Allen looked at her again. "Alright then" he said. "I talked to her about the incident twenty years ago. I told her all about it and what I did. I told her why you hate me...and why I hate you."
Hitomi frowned slightly in thought. "How do I know that you're not lying to me right here and now?"
Allen snorted. "Oh come on! When have I ever lied to you personally?"
"That doesn't mean that you couldn't start at any time!"
"Fine! Don't believe me!" His patience running out, Allen snapped the words without thinking. "You wouldn't care anyway! YOU know what it's like to have a family! YOU know what it's like to come home to people you love! YOU didn't lose your entire family and everyone that you ever loved! That is why I hate you Hitomi Kanzaki! You ruined my last chance at finding happiness by killing her!"
"Now just a minu-"
"I'm not done yet! You took your sword and stabbed it through her stomach and watched her die." Years' worth of fury long pent up finally spent itself and Allen could only stand there, shivering. He managed to continue speaking. "When they first told me that Refina was dead I couldn't understand what I felt. I spent months thinking about it, wondering why I could never stop thinking about her, why I always wanted to be with her. When I realised the truth I wanted to die. But I still had to suffer for my crimes. And so I sat in that asylum for twenty years, thinking about what could have been and what I used to have."
He sighed, brokenly. "I used to have a sister you know. She was taken away when I was a child and I never saw her again. I've thought about it and I think that I wanted you so badly because you reminded me of her. But I couldn't have her back and it made me insane. So I went after you instead. I don't even know if she's alive anymore. But that's no excuse. There's something that I should have said to you long ago and I won't postpone it any more." Allen straightened his head, his blonde hair falling into his face.
"I'm sorry."
There was absolute silence for long moments. Allen could only breathe in and out and feel an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. Finally he became aware that the knife was no longer at his throat. He shook the hair from his eyes and looked at Hitomi.
The seer had lowered her knife and was watching him thoughtfully. Her face was a curious mix of emotions. It seemed as though she was confronting her years long grudge and seeking to defeat it. Then she opened her mouth and spoke. "Apology accepted Allen Schezar." She turned around and ran to catch up with the party which had nearly walked out of sight.
Allen stared at her for a second before following. He felt...better.
***
The old fort sat in the middle of a swamp. It was ancient, having been around since the first kings of Asturia. However, it was kept highly maintenanced. The walls were thick and sturdy and built with stone and wood and the inner fort was constructed into one great keep that could be defended by as few as twenty or so men. The trees nearest to the walls had been cut down to deny any chance of sneaking up on the fortress. Inside the fort itself, all was quiet. One might think it was abandoned if it hadn't been for the column of smoke rising up from the chimneys of the fort's interior.
Well, that and the three leva cruisers hovering overhead, each one carrying enough firepower to outgun any Asturian vessel.
The fort was under surveillance by the small party of commandos. Yukari looked over at Allen. "Well it's your job to get us in there."
Allen nodded and started to move but Jager suddenly pointed a finger into the sky. A fourth leva cruiser had joined the ships already and this one was even bigger than the others. It bristled with guns and weapons emplacements and cut through the air with a deadly grace that belied its massive size.
Hitomi whistled slightly. "That's the Destiny. It's General Veers' personal ship."
"This is bad," Jager said unnecessarily.
They all watched as two shuttles flew from the Destiny's hangar bay and landed within the fort. The massive warship then took up position above the fort with it's smaller cousins.
Naria and Eriya looked at each other. "Do you think that he's on to us?"
"We'd better hope not. Come. There's a back entrance into the fort this way." Allen crept silently through the forest and the others followed him. Jager glanced up at the mechanical behemoth and shivered slightly. There was tremendous power on that ship.
And it was all evil.
***
The secret door was actually the side of a rocky hill deep in the forest. It looked in no way like a door. That is until Allen brushed off some loose dirt and took hold of one of the several irregularities in the rocky face of the hill. The knob of rock twisted in his hand and with a wailing grinding sound the side of the hill opened up, revealing a long dark passageway. Allen stood back and faced the group.
"This is the secret back way into the fort," he said. "We should tie ourselves to each other so we don't get lost. The passage honeycombs through these hills and it would be easy to get lost."
Miguel frowned suspiciously. "Are you sure that you can remember the way through?"
"Yes" Allen answered firmly, glowering at the Slayer.
That said, the group pulled out some rope and tied themselves to someone else in the group. After a few minutes, everyone was roped to someone else and they had all formed a long line. Allen nodded. "Okay then. Lets go." He stepped into the tunnel and was instantly swallowed up by the blackness.
Hitomi walked into a wall. "Ow!" she swore. "Son of a BITCH! Can we get some light in here?"
A soft blue glow began to emanate from Jager's bamboo umbrella, which he had unfolded and now held spread above him, as if to ward off rain.
"Uh thanks" Hitomi managed. The sorcerer simply nodded.
The tunnel into the fortress was long and dark. The only sounds were the shuffling of feet and the gasping of breath. Jager's magic lit the darkness around the little group but beyond the barrier of light was pure blackness that could not be penetrated. No one talked; the darkness smothered all noise. Yukari shivered and clutched her rope. She wished fervently that Mark were here to comfort her.
No one ever knew how long the journey through the dark lasted. It might have been days or it might have been minutes. The oppressing darkness had lent a sense of timelessness to their journey. Eventually, however, their journey came to an abrupt halt as a wall loomed into the magical glow, blocking their path forward.
No one spoke. Allen stepped forward and placed both hands on the wall. He pushed forward and with much effort the concealed door slowly swung open. He stepped into the sudden light that streamed through the blackness and pulled his companions after him.
They found themselves in a long hallway, lit by torches. It was deserted and almost as smothering as the tunnel but at least they could see. Jager extinguished his light and closed the secret door behind him. They all looked at Allen.
The ex-knight spoke in a hushed whisper. "We are in the lower halls of the fort. This is the prison area. We must be as quiet as possible. Just above us is the main guymelef shed. Down that passage", he pointed left, "We will come to some stairs that will lead to weapons storage. It's camouflaged, heavily shielded, and easy to protect. If they're hiding these godforsaken bombs here then that's where they'll be."
"Naria" whispered Hitomi. "Eriya. You two go check out those stairs and see if they're guarded."
The cats nodded and crept down the hall. The rest of the party sat down and rested. Miguel and Gatti talked quietly. Jager muttered softly to himself and pulled the parasol of his umbrella down over his eyes. Allen searched through his pack for a moment then swore.
"Ah damn it!" he whispered harshly. "I must have dropped my food somewhere in the forest." He reached out and caught something that went suddenly sailing through the air towards him. Startled, he unwrapped the small package to reveal a hunk of trail bread and some dried meat. He looked over slowly and saw Hitomi munching quietly on her own trail bread. She looked at him with one eye and a ghost of a smile flitted across her face. Allen nodded his head in thanks and ate quietly.
Yukari stared at the sudden civility between her mother and Allen. Shaking her head in disbelief, she pulled out her katana and a whetstone and began to sharpen it.
The group remained quiet while they waited and prepared. Soon they would try to save Asturia. They were all that stood in the way of General Veers conquering their countries and forcing them all into submission. They tried to ignore the pressure and to just wait calmly, but even so they were all glad to see the cat women return.
"We've found the door to the armoury" Eriya whispered, "But there's a whole troop of Basramians in our way."
"They look pretty busy though," her sister added. "We might be able to sneak past."
"That's the guymelef shed," Allen said. "The armoury is at the end of the hall just before the turn into the room."
"Did you see how many soldiers are in the room?" asked Miguel.
Naria nodded. "There's about ten or so. Plus there's two creepy looking guys in black robes. They gave me a weird feeling."
Yukari's stomach shrivelled and she exchanged an uneasy glance with her mother. 'Creepy' and 'black robes' sounded an awful lot like Kasar and his sorcerers.
Jager was suddenly looking keenly at the cat women. "Did they say anything?"
"Yes. One of the robed guys said something about the attack on Palas being underway. I think he called the other one something like 'master Kasar'."
The Asturian sorcerer eyed them intently. "Are you positive that they were sorcerers?"
Naria looked at him like he was an idiot. "I've lived around sorcerers all of my life. I know one when I see one!"
"But these are true sorcerers" Jager countered. "They use magic, not machinery!"
Hitomi cocked her head. "What are you getting at Jager?"
"I should have been able to sense other users of magic. I should have felt that they were in the fort. Unless they shielded themselves from any detection spells. And that would mean..." The sorcerer trailed off.
"...That they know we're coming" Miguel finished grimly. He drew his sword and spun to look down the hallway. The other companions leapt to their feet and drew their weapons. "How likely is it that these sorcerers can detect us here?"
"I don't know" Jager answered, his voice harsh with rising tension. "It depends on how strong their sorcerers are and how powerful the spell they use is."
A voice colder than the grave froze the air. "I assure you that I have the most powerful of magics at my disposal."
They all whirled to face the voice. Andrakus Kasar faced them with his staff clutched in one hand. At his side was a shorter man dressed in identical robes, obviously an apprentice. Behind them with weapons drawn were considerably more than ten Silver Serpents.
The evil mage smirked. "It seems that the General's hunch has paid off," he said. "He's quite skilled at assessing the facts and making guesses based on those facts." He frowned when he set eyes on Yukari. "I don't know how you managed to break my spell but you are beginning to annoy me! This time I will make sure you are dead." His eyes slowly drifted over the party taking in all of them. When they reached Hitomi his smirk grew even crueller.
"It has been a while, hasn't it Mrs. Albatou?"
"Far too long for my taste". Hitomi responded coldly and pointed her sword at the sorcerer.
Kasar snorted and moved along. Finally he came to Allen and he laughed. His laughter was shrill and mocking and held not a shred of humanity. "Ah Schezar! This explains how Asturia managed to get a commando force right into this base without my knowing! I can't believe that they trusted a washed up knight like you with something of such importance."
"I may no longer be worthy of the title of Knight Caeli" Allen said softly, "But I will not allow a maniacal tyrant and his snivelling charlatan to strike down my country."
The verbal barb struck the target and carried some poison with it. Kasar's smirk melted away into a snarl of hate. "You dare to call me a charlatan?!" His voice was barely human. "ME?!"
Kasar raised his hands and screamed out his rage. An icy cold wind swept through the hallway, pressing back soldier, and companion alike. Over the rush of air his voice could be heard. "I am no charlatan," it cried out, "I am Andrakus Kasar, the most powerful sorcerer in the world! And you are now dead!" The figure of the sorcerer was a black silhouette against the rushing wind. Then the silhouette screamed again and flung forth a hand. A bolt of brilliant green energy scythed through the air towards the companions. The bolt crackled with malevolent intention as it streaked for its targets.
Suddenly the green Death bolt crashed into a wall of whirling blue energy. The two forces met in mid-air, blue and green sparks flaying everywhere along with the scream of to battling magics trying to destroy each other. Then a deafening crack split through the air and everything, the icy wind, the screaming, the sparks, stopped.
The hallway was in shambles. Pieces of stone had broken from the walls and the companions had been scattered across the ground by the sheer force of the wind. The guards had fared no better and were painfully trying to regain their feet. Even the apprentice sorcerer had been flung backwards by the power unleashed.
Jager stood with his umbrella stretched out as if the thin bamboo would protect them from a magical assault, its parasol still flickering with the magic that had been sent coursing through its structure. Breathing hard, he glared balefully at his opponent, Kasar. The evil mage held his staff with its serpent head pointed forward warily. He faced the Asturian with a frown on his face.
As the two sorcerers faced off Hitomi and the companions struggled to their feet. Suddenly Jager turned and shouted "Run!" In the split second that he needed to regain his concentration, Kasar launched another magical attack, which Jager barely managed to defend against. "Run for it!" he repeated. "I can fight him and protect you at the same time! Go!"
"You heard him!" yelled Miguel. "Move it!" He grabbed Allen and ran down the opposite hall. The rest of the companions ran after him. The sounds of confusion could be heard from behind the mages as the apprentice sorcerer tried to regain control of the guards.
"Follow them!" the apprentice shrieked. "Go around the other way and cut them off!"
As they all ran, Yukari turned at the last second to watch the magical battle. Jager was summoning shimmering phantom warriors from nothingness. As they struck out at Kasar a brilliant wall of fire rose up around him and scorched the warriors. The force of their chanting grew and soon their very voices became more powerful than the wind itself. Yukari shuddered at the very power these two possessed and ran.
Magicman: Alright! I like that last scene, if I do say so myself. What do you guys think? Come on, be honest. (
Smokegirl: Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
