Moments later, the bout between Rico and the Masked Fencer had begun.
Rico reached onto his belt and pulled out two golden daggers that radiated with the rays of the sun. He twirled them in both hands and then stood ready in a fighting stance.
"I won't even break a sweat with you," the fencer spoke arrogantly.
"We'll see about that…" Rico replied as his daggers began to glow a golden light. He threw the daggers straight into the air and towards the direction of the sun, where they would be lost from sight.
"What kind of parlor trick is this?" the fencer asked.
The daggers then swooped down and struck into the ground around the fencer. One dagger lied in front of him as the other stood behind him.
"Golden Touch!!!" Rico shouted as he lifted his arms upwards.
The light from the daggers created a circle around the fencer and then exploded with that same golden light.
"All right!" Rico yelled, "This'll teach you not to underestimate this Guardian!"
When the smoke from the explosion cleared, the fencer was nowhere in sight.
"What?!" Rico gasped. He then looked up towards the sky to see the fencer hurling down.
The fencer raised his saber to the air, it began to glow with blue energy. He flew down towards Rico and made a quick slash. Rico became trapped in a cage of ice. To finish it off the fencer made a lunge, in a fencing type manner, with his weapon and cracked the ice, "Freezing Cut!" The ice broke away, knocking Rico down and ending the fight.
"That attack!" Jesse shouted from the dugout, "It is him!"
"You fought hard Guardian," the fencer spoke, "But that isn't enough to beat me."
Rico, scratched and bruised, grimaced in pain as he spit blood from his mouth.
"The first finalist of the Tournament of Arms is…The Masked Fencer!!!" the announcer yelled loudly, his voice echoing throughout the stadium and causing the crowd to roar.
"Well if I couldn't stop him…I guess he'll have to do," Andre mumbled, "I bet it doesn't feel so great to lose big brother."
The four cloaked men leaped across from rooftop to rooftop, carrying the unconscious Summoner. They stopped at a particular rooftop to find Nakome standing there.
"Nakome, what are you doing here?!" the leader yelled at her.
"You shouldn't be here," the tall man said.
"Why are you taking him away?!" Nakome cried, "He is the nicest…!"
"Nakome! You know we won't hurt him!" the female reassured her, "This is for his benefit!"
"I know that but…" Nakome stuttered.
The tall man picked up the young demi-human and carried her in his arms, "Come, we'll take you back to the dirigible."
Moments later they leaped onward across the city.
Jesse slashed downward, to the right then left and up once more to finish off the brawny male archer, who was his semifinal opponent.
The crowd cheered for the rookie as the announcer shouted, "Sir Jesse is in the final round!!!"
"This is quite splendid," L'ariel smiled.
"Yes it is, but…" Chekhov wondered, looking around the balcony, "Where is Lord Anthony?"
"I can't imagine why he would want to miss this," Janga added.
"He hasn't been back for a while," Andre stated.
"You don't think something's wrong, do you?" Julie asked him worriedly, "I'm sure he just went to the restroom or something…"
"I don't know…I know he would've been here to watch Jesse battle…" Andre pondered, still ill from the drink.
"Perhaps we should search for him before the final round," Dogurasu suggested.
"Yes," Julie agreed.
Julie, with Andre leaning against her for support, and Dogurasu made their way down the staircase. Instantly, Julie saw the headband that was left on the floor, "Look!"
Dogurasu picked it up and handed it to Julie.
"Oh no…" Andre gasped.
"No! Anthony!!!" Julie cried, "Anthony, where are you?!!"
"You must calm down," Dogurasu told her, "You are his Guardian. You must search for him."
Julie took in deep breaths to help calm herself down, "Ok…All right."
"I will stay here and keep an eye on your battling Guardian," Dogurasu stated, "You must go and find Lord Anthony. I fear with the Summoner Murders about…"
"Don't say it!" Andre yelled weakly.
"Andre, you should stay…" Julie began.
"No!" he spoke up, "We've…got to find Anthony!"
"Ok," Julie agreed, "We'll be back as soon as we can!" Helping Andre along, the two of them rushed off into the city.
"Uhh…" Anthony groaned as his eyes slowly opened. He could feel the wind going across his face and his body being held over someone's shoulder. He could feel himself going up and then back down again as if he were leaping. His vision was a bit hazy at first, but became crystal clear as he looked straight below him. Whoever held him had just leaped straight across a rooftop, enabling Anthony to see the city a few hundred feet below him.
"What the…?!" he gasped.
"Be quiet," the leader of the four cloaked individuals spoke.
After hurdling over a couple more building rooftops, the group of kidnappers stopped and walked over towards the center.
The leader let Anthony stand on his own two feet. That is when Anthony noticed his hands were bound behind his back.
"Who are you people?" Anthony inquired.
"It is not of any importance," the female told him.
"Ika, contact the dirigible," the leader ordered.
"Yes, of course." the short man, called Ika, replied quickly. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a purple sphere. It began to glow as he spoke into it. "This is Ika with the recovering team. We're all set to board with the cargo," he spoke.
"Roger…We'll be there in just a few minutes…" a male voice spoke from within the sphere.
Anthony struggled to break his hands free, but it was no use. "Let me…!" he began to shout when looked over his shoulder to see the taller man and Nakome, "What?! Nakome?!"
She looked at him sadly and almost ashamedly.
"Nakome, run!!" Anthony shouted.
She shook her head.
"She is with us," the tall man stated.
"Eh?!" Anthony gasped.
Sparkling confetti was shot out into the stadium, as the crowd cheered. The music from the band played a joyous and celebratory type of music for the two opponents that walked out onto the arena.
Jesse walked out first, waving to the crowd and basking in the recognition.
The masked fencer wasn't too far behind. He simply walked stalwartly across the area.
"Here we are ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer shouted excitedly, "This is what we have all been waiting for! The final round has arrived!!!"
The audience went wild with anticipation.
"Who would've ever thought that this newcomer, Sir Jesse, would make it this far?!" the announcer told the crowd, "But, he has shown great skill and promise throughout the entire tournament! Now he faces his greatest challenge! Another unfamiliar face, in more ways than one!"
The masked fencer looked upwards towards the balcony in which the Maesters sat, but Dogurasu was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't you run and hide now…" he said under his breath, "When I'm through with this guy, I'm coming after you…"
"The Masked Fencer has disposed of his opponents with so much ease! Will it be the same for this young Guardian?" the announcer said with such drama in his voice.
"I can't believe it…I'm in the finals!" Jesse thought to himself. He looked back towards the balcony to see if his friends were still there cheering him on. Instead, what he saw was the Maesters looking worried as they spoke with highly ranked soldiers and guards. It seemed like they were dispatching them out somewhere.
Jesse's friends were nowhere in sight.
This made Jesse grow with worry.
Dogurasu came out onto the balcony to speak with the Maesters. He whispered something into each of their ears and then sat down once again. They returned to being poised and calm, as not to worry anyone else.
"Where did they…?" Jesse began to say.
"There you are…" the masked fencer grinned as he watched Dogurasu sit down.
"Now, finalists…are you ready?!!" the announcer yelled to them.
Jesse turned to face his opponent who stood rigidly across from him. Jesse pulled out his blade and stood ready for battle.
The masked fencer reached over to his belt to pull out his fencing saber. He slashed down with it and then pointed it at Jesse, with his other hand behind his back.
"Fighters…!!!" the announcer began.
The two opponents gritted their teeth and dug their feet into the ground as they waited for the final words.
"GO!!!" the announcer finished.
Both Jesse and the masked fencer leaped over towards one another with their weapons in front as they clashed swords, signifying the commencing of the final round and this battle.
Julie and Andre, leaning against her, were beginning to reach the city proper. They steadily made their way across the streets.
Andre soon fell onto the floor weakly as Julie rushed to his aide.
"Andre!" she cried, "You should've stayed back at the stadium! You're not well enough!"
"I'm…ok…" he grimaced, "I can…make it."
"But, Andre…" Julie sighed.
Andre eyes widened with surprise as he stared straight up into the sky. Soon enough, a large shadow overcastted the both of them and much of the area. Julie looked up along with him to see a burgundy and golden-lined dirigible with wooden propellers flying overhead.
"What's that doing here?" Julie wondered.
"Wait…you don't think that might be…" Andre began to suggest.
Julie nodded, "Come on. We need to hurry!" She helped Andre back onto his feet as they tried to hurry as fast as they could towards the direction in which the dirigible went.
"There's our ride!" Ika pointed out.
The dirigible was closing in towards the direction of the building in which they stood.
"It won't be long now," the leader stated.
Nakome ran over towards Anthony.
"Nakome!" the tall man called out to her.
Anthony, his hands still bound, knelt down to her eye-level. "Nakome, what is this?" Anthony asked her kindly, as he always did.
"I'm sorry Lord Anthony…" she replied with tears in her eyes, "But, really! This is for your own good!"
"For my own good? What do you mean? These people are kidnapping me," Anthony wondered.
"No, no, no! Lord Anthony, they're not going to hurt you! I promise!" Nakome reassured him, "They're going to save you!"
"What?" Anthony gasped.
Jesse swiped downward with his blade as the masked fencer stepped out of harm towards the side. Jesse spun around and struck once more. This time the masked fencer blocked the sword with his own weapon. He pushed Jesse back just a bit. Jesse bent down and tried to trip him with his right leg. The masked fencer somersaulted backwards into the air, escaping the attempt. As soon as he landed, Jesse went after him, lunging in with his sword. The masked fencer stepped off to the side and, with his saber, pushed Jesse's weapon towards the ground. He held it there.
"Well, I must say…you're the only opponent to be able to last this long," the masked fencer spoke cockily, "Too bad you won't last long enough."
"Urgh!" Jesse grunted. He stuck his sword straight into the ground. This was an unexpected move to the masked fencer. Jesse leaped upwards and pushed himself off of the vertically standing sword to kick the masked fencer across the face.
The masked fencer was knocked to the ground, but he immediately stood back up. He smirked, "This is really interesting."
"It's about time someone kicked that pedestal from underneath you," Jesse told him.
"We'll see how long you can spew out words of disillusioned encouragement to yourself," the fencer grinned.
Immediately after, the fencer went in to strike. He struck his blade forward, then to swung to the right, then the left as the young Guardian blocked each blow. He swiped his saber beneath Jesse, as he leaped over it, and then upwards over Jesse's head. Before Jesse realized it, the masked fencer hit him with an uppercut right in the chin.
Jesse was pushed back a couple of steps. The fencer then kicked him in the chest and elbowed him in the face. Jesse fell to the ground, injured. His cheek was bruised as his lip bled.
The masked fencer leaped back a bit and then held his saber high above his head. He began to shout out, "Blade…!!!" At the very tip of his weapon, an immense arrow made of red light started to form. As soon as the arrow was complete, he finished, "…Arrow!!!" He swung down with his blade, heaving the arrow at Jesse.
Jesse's eyes widened as he saw the attack make its way towards him. Soon enough, the arrow struck into the ground before him. The impact launched Jesse across the arena and into the stadium walls. He lied weakly on the ground, leaning against the wall. He opened his eyes very slowly to only see the smoke that had been left behind after the attack.
As soon as the smoke cleared, the masked fencer could be seen walking towards Jesse.
Jesse had scratches and bruises all over his body. He wasn't sure what he could really do now.
The masked fencer stood over him and then struck down with his fencing saber. Jesse mustered up enough strength to grab his own sword and block the attempt. The two of them struggled to gain the upper hand. However, it didn't look good for Jesse, especially in his condition.
"Game, set, and match for you…" the masked fencer stated.
"It doesn't look good for the novice Guardian folks!" the announcer shouted, "It may seem the winner of this year's Tournament of Arms has already been decided!"
The masked fencer pushed down even harder with his blade. "Now I will win this tournament and be able to stand face to face with Dogurasu! I'll finally get to kill him!" he told Jesse.
"So you…are the assassin!" Jesse replied, struggling to keep up his strength.
"That's right," the fencer said, "I'll get to finish my job off once and for all. And there's nothing you can do about it. But, I do commend you for your efforts. It was a good show you put up. You have no real strength."
"That's…not true!" Jesse shouted.
"What?" the fencer asked.
"I do have strength! You may draw your strength from whatever hatred and animosity you have towards Dogurasu! But, me…I get my strength from my friends! They were here supporting me and pushing me onward! I would never have made it this far if it wasn't for them!" Jesse explained. His voice was filled with passion and potency.
Rico, who had been treated for his injuries, was taken up to the Maesters' balcony as a reward for his efforts. He was led in by a couple of guards as he then stood next to Dogurasu's seat.
"Welcome Sir Rico," Dogurasu said politely.
"I'm glad you could join us. How do you fare?" L'ariel asked him.
"I'll be fine milady. Thank you," Rico replied.
"It seems you have made it for the conclusion of this final match," Chekhov told him.
Rico looked across the arena to see the masked fencer standing over Jesse. "It really doesn't look good for him," he stated. He looked around for a moment to see where Anthony and the other two Guardians had gone. "Wait a minute. Where is my brother and his friends?" he asked.
The four Maesters looked to one another.
"They shall be back soon," Dogurasu answered him, "Do not worry."
Rico wasn't sure what to really think of that. He could tell they weren't telling him something.
Janga lifted to her feet rapidly as she shouted, "Look! Something is happening to Sir Jesse!"
The Maesters, along with Rico, paid close attention to the events that were beginning to transpire.
Jesse's sword began to glow a bright yellow light that gleamed like the sun's rays. The masked fencer was pushed back by this light, as Jesse managed to return to his feet, causing the light to cease for a moment.
"My friends are what keep me going, even now!" Jesse yelled loudly.
"This can't be…! He's releasing more power from his blessed weapon!" the fencer thought to himself, "So soon he is releasing its abilities!" He was amazed and surprised at what he was seeing. It was almost unheard of to see a novice Guardian with as little experience as Jesse already begin to release so many of his blessed weapons innate abilities. The masked fencer could not believe his eyes.
Jesse held his sword in front of him horizontally. He ran his other hand across the blade, creating a yellow light around it. Just as he does for his Gusting Wave attack, Jesse held his sword back at his side. "Tornado Spin!!!" he yelled, while beginning to spin around. As each second passed, the speed picked up. The increasing velocity was so fast, that a cyclone was beginning to be created around his body. Soon enough, Jesse swung his sword, launching the cyclone at the masked fencer.
The masked fencer crossed his arms in front of his face, trying to block the oncoming attack. He could not hold his ground, however, for the tornado picked him up from the ground and sent him across the almost half of the arena.
The crowd lifted to their feet and roared loudly. It was an unexpected turn of events and they were loving every single minute of it.
"Look at that folks!" the announcer added, "Sir Jesse has gained the upper hand in this final round, even when all seemed bleak! This young man has will! What is it that keeps him going, even now?!"
The masked fencer was scratched across his cheek as he helped himself onto his knees. He looked across the way to see Jesse steadily making his way towards him.
Even with Jesse being as injured as he was, he still found the strength and the drive to keep himself going. The intense look in his eyes reflected all of this.
"This is amazing!" Rico shouted, cheering at the same time.
"Sir Jesse was splendid!" L'ariel added.
"He might win this match and the tournament!!" Chekhov yelled excitedly.
"Hmph…this boy is stronger than I had presumed…" Dogurasu thought to himself as he watched on.
The masked fencer stood onto his feet and pointed his sword at Jesse. "This ends now!!!" he yelled angrily.
Jesse stood in his sword stance, "You read my mind!!!"
The dirigible had cast its enormous shadow over a large portion of the area. The citizens from below stared from below, in awe of the ancient vehicle that had existed long ago. It stopped over the building in which Anthony was being held by the four cloaked men.
"They're here," the leader spoke.
"Prepare to board," the female added.
Anthony knew there was little time left for someone to come to his rescue. "Nakome, please! How can you say that they are trying to save me?!" Anthony pleaded, "They are about to take me away!"
Nakome was remorseful, but she knew what is in her heart to be true, "I promise you Lord Anthony! This is for your own good! You have a chance to live now!"
"What? What are you saying?!" Anthony cried.
"The ladder is being deployed," Ika told them.
In a matter of seconds, a long ladder made of wooden steps and sturdy rope rolled out of the dirigible and stopped just above the rooftop.
"Come, let's go," the leader ordered.
The female kidnapper climbed first, followed by Ika.
The tall man walked over to Nakome, "Come Nakome."
She nodded.
The tall man bent down and placed her on his bag in a piggy-ride type fashion. He walked over to the ladder and began to ascend.
"You're coming with me," the leader stated. He walked over to Anthony.
"No! Please, let me go!!" Anthony shouted.
The leader grabbed at him as Anthony attempted to get away. However, the leader was stronger and quickly placed Anthony's body over his shoulder. He jogged over to the ladder and began to steadily make his way up into the dirigible.
At that very moment, Julie and Andre had just came out from the stairway of the building that led to the rooftop. They stopped to see the four cloaked men getting away with their dear friend.
"Anthony!!!!" they both shouted loudly.
Anthony turned his head to them from high above, "Julie, Andre!!!"
"His guardians are here!!!" the leader yelled to his men.
"We need to hurry!" the female told them.
"Nakome, go with them," the tall man told her.
Nakome climbed over his shoulders and continued up the ladder with the other two leading the way.
"They're getting away!!" Andre yelled.
"No! Anthony can't…! I won't let them take him away from me!!!" Julie cried with so much passion and tears in her eyes, "Anthony, hang on!!! I'm coming for you!!!"
She began to run towards the ladder.
"Julie, wait!!!" Andre called out to her. He then noticed something happening to Julie's body. Her body glowed of four distinct colors as she made each and every step towards the ladder.
First it was red, then blue, followed by yellow and lastly white. One after another they glowed throughout her entire silhouette. Something magical was beginning to occur that no one expected to happen.
Julie stopped when she reached the bottom of the ladder. She could feel a new kind of power surging from within her core. Without thinking twice, she knew what she needed to do. She raised both of her arms high into the air as she gazed off into the sky. Her voice echoed throughout as she called out a new spell, "Thundara!!!"
The puffy white clouds that hovered above the dirigible began to conform together as its color changed to a troubling gray. The clouds began to flash with electricity as it released bolts of lightning that came down and gathered together in front of the leader that carried Anthony and the tall kidnapper. The immense ball of electricity struck through the ropes above them, snapping them.
"Ahh!!!!" the two kidnappers screamed as they began to fall towards the ground.
Ika, the female kidnapper, and Nakome watched from the cargo bay of the dirigible. They watched as their comrades began to fall.
"Oh no!!" Ika shouted.
As the leader fell, he lost his grip over the bound Summoner. Anthony was released as he fell separated from his kidnappers.
"Anthony!!!" Andre cried.
Julie then pointed her arms forward in the empty area of the rooftop where the three of them were going to land. Once again, her voiced echoed with power, "Watera!!!'
Magical water spiraled around the center of the area and formed into a large sphere of that same water. Anthony was the first to land as he fell on top of this sphere. Julie controlled her magic so that Anthony would not be harmed by the spell and allowed Andre to quickly run in and grab his comrade. Once they had left, the two kidnappers fell. Julie allowed them to fall straight into the sphere of water. Without another breathe, the sphere of water exploded, injuring the two of them.
Andre took Anthony to the side, "Are you all right?!" His voice was filled with worry, but relief as well while he hugged his dear friend.
Anthony smiled, "I am all right. What about you? You should not be here! You're still ill from the poisoning…"
Andre grimaced a bit, but did his best to ignore it. He pulled out his lance. "Don't worry about me. Just turn around," he told him. Anthony turned his back to him as Andre used the blade of his weapon to break the binds that Anthony was under.
Anthony rubbed his wrists, "Thank you." He then raised his right arm into the sky as his moon inspired staff materialized out of magic white light.
"Ugh…" Andre grunted. He was beginning to feel a little dizzy.
"Andre!" Anthony cried. He helped Andre to lean on him. "I knew you weren't ok!" he yelled.
"I'll be…fine…" he said, "But, Julie…Look."
Anthony turned over to where his best friend stood.
Julie stood a few feet away from the washed up kidnappers. "This should teach you not to kidnap my friend," she said sternly.
"You don't know what you're doing!" the leader yelled as he stood onto his feet.
"We were helping your Summoner!" the tall man added.
"You speak nonsense! I'll send you back to wherever it is you came from!" Julie shouted. She swiped her arm to the side as she yelled, "Fira!!!" With the spell having been said, several pillars of thick orange flames struck up from beneath the kidnappers, blowing them back a few more feet and singing some of their clothes.
That was when Anthony noticed something that the others did not. As he watched the leader of the kidnappers stand back onto his feet after having taken that attack, he saw where the flame magic had burned through some of his clothing. He saw brown fur instead of skin.
"He isn't human! He must be…!" Anthony thought.
"You're…making a big…mistake!" the tall man told Julie.
"No! It was your mistake in thinking you could get away with this!" she replied. Julie then extended her right arm forward as dozens of sharp and pointed blue icicles formed in front and behind her, "Blizzara!!!" Moments later, the icicles shot out forward and hit both of the kidnappers, knocking them back down to the ground.
Julie gave the two of them one last disgusted look and then walked over to her friends. Her disposition changed when she saw Anthony safe and sound. "Anthony!" she cried, embracing him.
"Thank you Julie…" Anthony sighed.
"Julie…your magic…" Andre said in disbelief.
"I reached the 2nd level…" Julie stated. She even seemed a bit surprised.
"You don't…understand anything, do you?!" the leader yelled angrily and weakly after having taken all of those blows. He and the tall kidnapper helped one another onto their feet.
The three heroes turned to speak with them.
"What I understand is…that you were trying to kidnap my friend!" Andre yelled, still feeling ill. He tried to muster up his strength to let these criminals have a piece of his mind.
"We weren't going to hurt you milord! I do promise you that!" the tall one reassured him.
Anthony looked at him with different eyes. He could sense that he was being truthful. He also still remembered Nakome and what she had told him. Perhaps these men were not trying to do him any harm after all. But, their true purpose was still unclear.
"You can't just swoop in and take him like that! That is illegal and charges will be pressed against you! It is considered to be kidnapping! Don't you see that?!" Julie explained to them. She was very much frustrated with them.
"Please, you have to understand that we had the best intentions!" the leader pleaded.
"The best intentions…for who?!" Andre yelled, joining in the argument.
Anthony was silent. His eyes seemed distant all of a sudden. He stared out into nothingness as everything around him, in his own mind, was dead silent for just a second.
"You all must be behind the Summoner Murders!" Julie shouted to them.
"No!! That isn't…!!" the leader tried to explain.
"How do we know that…?!" Julie began to yell. She stopped when she heard Anthony's staff fall to the floor. She turned to him. "Anthony, what is it?" she asked worriedly.
Anthony's entire body was trembling hysterically. He could barely speak or make any sound at all. He brought his shaking hands up to his head and held it as if he were in pain.
"Anthony…!!" Andre cried, holding his stomach.
Anthony began to pant and breathe heavily, "It's…It's…" He stuttered uncontrollably. Something was most definitely wrong.
"Anthony, what's wrong?!" Julie asked, raising her voice a bit. She was beginning to grow frightened.
"What is wrong with Lord Anthony?!" the leader asked worriedly.
"This is none of your concern!" Julie told him.
"It's coming…! It's coming!!" Anthony shouted.
"What?" Andre wondered. He couldn't understand what she meant.
Tears formed in Anthony's eyes as they streamed down his cheeks. The fear that he was feeling was like nothing he had ever felt. His knees shook so much that he fell to his knees.
His friends knelt down next to him trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Anthony, you're scaring me!" Julie cried.
"What is it?" Andre asked him, "What's coming?!"
Anthony's eyes widened as more tears fell from his eyes. He turned over to Andre grabbed him tightly by his vest. "It's coming Andre! And…and it will not stop!" Anthony told him. Anyone would be able to hear the fear in his voice, possibly even feel it.
"Please, Anthony! Tell us what's wrong!" Julie pleaded to him.
"I feel it…I can feel it…Its taste for blood, annihilation…destruction…" Anthony said nervously and softly, "It is coming with all of that in mind for each and everyone of us in this city…"
The two wounded kidnappers watched the scene from across the way. Neither of them knew exactly what was going on.
"He keeps saying 'it'…" the tall kidnapper pondered, "You don't think he's talking about…"
"But, how could he sense such a thing? I have never heard of any Summoner with that kind of empathic ability…" the leader added, "Then again…" He looked carefully at Anthony's terrified face. "The only time I've ever seen anyone that horrified…is when…" the leader began to say.
"Aggh!!" Anthony screamed, holding his head in grimacing pain.
"Anthony!!" Julie cried.
"It's getting closer!!!" he yelled loudly. As he screamed, little did he know that the Mark of Yevon that was imprinted upon his chest began to glow a dim white light.
"What is?!" Andre asked him once again. Even though he was still ill from the poisoning, all of it seemed to numb up for the moment with all of the worry and fear he was feeling for his friend.
Anthony stopped for a moment. He looked to each of them and gazed off towards the horizon. He knew exactly what was coming. There was only one thing in this world that could horrify him that much.
He told them what it was with a tone that drove shivers up his friends' spines, "…Sin."
Back at the arena, Jesse and the masked fencer stared down at one another just a dozen feet away. Each of them held their weapons with a tight grip, as they both slightly bent their knees. They were preparing for their next moves.
The masked fencer wasted no more time. He stepped off with his back foot and began to dart towards Jesse.
Jesse responded by doing the same and heading towards his opponent.
Each of their heartbeats were quick, anticipating what was to come next. Both Jesse and the masked fencer raised their blades as they approached each other. Just a couple of feet away from each other, they were about to strike. That was until the ground shook forcefully and loudly, knocking them to the down.
They both slowly stood back up and looked around for the source.
"What the…?" Jesse began.
The ground shook once more, then again, and again, and continued to do so in a sporadic fashion.
The four Maesters stood up from their throne-like seats. They all looked around the stadium to see if they could see anything.
"What is going on?" Janga wondered.
"Something is not right here," Chekhov added.
"Sir Rico, do you have any idea what the source of this shaking could be?" L'ariel asked him.
Rico shook his head, "There's no way this is an earthquake. I have no clue milady."
Dogurasu didn't seemed worried at all. He simply stood there, playing along with his fellow Maesters. He almost had a bit of a smug on his face. "Didn't expect you to show up," he thought to himself.
The audience in the stadium seating all slowly began to rise to their feet. They all grew worried and waited for what was to come next.
The masked fencer walked around a bit as the ground continued to shake. "These tremors…" he said aloud, "The time in between each one…It can only be one thing…!"
"What?" Jesse asked him, "What are you talking about?"
Just as Andre and Julie were helping Anthony back onto his feet, the ground shook once again, causing them to stumble a bit.
"This is Sin?!" Julie gasped.
"It…It can't be…" Andre said in disbelief.
"Ugh…" Anthony grimaced a bit as he squinted his eyes, "I can feel it…! It's close!!"
The doors that led up to the building rooftops flung open as a squad of guards ran out with spears in their hands. They headed towards the Summoner and his two Guardians. The doctor who had treated Andre was not too far behind.
Three of the guards headed towards the two kidnappers. They stopped a few feet in front of them and pointed their weapons.
"Halt!!" they shouted.
"Milord, are you all right?" the guard that remained asked.
Anthony nodded, "I-I'll…I'll be fine."
The ground shook again.
"Agh!" Anthony cried in pain.
"Lord Anthony!" the doctor shouted worriedly, "What is wrong?"
"Just before the tremors started, Anthony started to…I guess, receive these 'feelings'…He says Sin is approaching!" Julie explained.
"Sin?!" the guard gasped.
"Here you go, Anthony…" Julie said politely, handing him his headband that was left behind.
"Thank you," he replied, putting it back on. Just as he had finished putting it back on, the ground began to shake constantly. Now it seemed more of an earthquake. The earth simply would not stop rumbling.
"What now?!" Andre yelled, stilling holding his stomach and sweating only slightly.
"Agh…!!!" Anthony cried, "It's here!!!"
The leader of the kidnappers reached into his pocket and pulled out another sphere that was an exact replica of the one Ika had used before. He spoke into it as it glowed. "What's the status?!" he asked.
"There's an abnormal rip in space forming just in front of the stadium! Our sensors are going haywire! We can't make out what it is!" the voice from within replied. He seemed utterly panicked and confused.
"The…stadium?" Andre asked.
Everyone turned over to the stadium's direction to see a type of dark portal opening.
"What is that?!" the doctor gasped.
The portal was as pitch black as anything could possibly be. Bolts of violet, green, and blue colored lightning pulsated throughout. Soon enough, the portal dissipated, leaving a massive being. This colossal creature was known as Sin.
The beast was exactly what had been depicted in the murals at the Orlami Temple in which Jesse had seen. It was taller and larger than the entire stadium. Its plentiful beady eyes blinked as it opened its enormous snout to roar across the skies, forever echoing. It had four legs, with fin-like shapes at the end and one immense tail. It stood boldly just as the sturdiest of mountains.
"Sin!!!!" the three guards shouted.
Even from that rooftop, they could hear the panic beginning to form in the streets. Men, women, and children of all ages scurried throughout screaming the creature's name.
"It really is Sin…" Anthony said softly to himself.
The leader looked at his sphere once again to see it shining. He lifted it up closer to his mouth as he spoke, "What is it?"
"The cavalry will be arriving shortly," the man whispered, "Look to the sky."
The leader and his tall comrade looked up towards the dirigible to see two navy blue colored hang gliders heading in their direction. In a matter of seconds the two flying rescuers swooped in to snatch up their comrades.
"They're getting away!!!" one of the three guards shouted.
"Damn!" Julie yelled.
The female kidnapper held the leader as they ascended up towards the dirigible, "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. He looked back towards the rooftop to see the young Summoner watching him with such gentle eyes, yet confused eyes. He looked away a bit ashamedly, "Be safe milord."
The two hang gliders entered the dirigible as the immense blimp began to slowly fly away, picking up speed as each propeller turned.
"The kidnappers escaped," another guard stated.
"Do not be concerned with them," Anthony reassured them, "Their intentions…they were…"
"To kidnap you?" the leader of the guards asked him.
"Yes, but not in the way you think!" Anthony tried his best to explain.
"We…ugh…!" Andre grimaced a bit, as he stepped forward, "…don't have time for this right now! Jesse and Rico…they're…!!"
"Andre's right! We must go help them!" Julie agreed.
Anthony nodded in agreement, "Right."
"We shall assist in getting the citizens to safety," the third guard spoke.
The four guards began to make their way to the exit. As the first three descended, their squadron leader stopped and looked back to Anthony. "Milord, we will be reporting this incident to the Maesters. Do not worry. We will have those culprits arrested for this."
Anthony was silent. He knew it was not the time or the place for this discussion.
The squadron leader left soon after.
"Come! We must hurry!!" Julie shouted. She ran towards the exit.
Anthony picked up his staff from the ground and followed her.
Andre was just about to do the same when he began to feel sharp pains in his stomach once again. "Agh!" he cried, holding his stomach.
"Oh Sir Andre!" the doctor shouted as she rushed to his aide, "This was why I came here!" She reached into her white lab coat and pulled out a test tube filled with a crystal blue liquid. "Here, take this," she told him.
Andre took the test tube and gulped down the liquid inside. In a matter of seconds, he lifted to his feet with his strength returning to him. "I'm…I'm cured!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks to you, we were able to find a cure for Zell Weed poisoning!" the doctor smiled.
Andre took his lance from his back and twirled at both sides. He then held it firmly before him.
"Now, go Sir Andre!" the doctor heeded, "Your friends need you!"
"Right!" Andre nodded as he rushed off after his friends.
