Adventures in Adept Training
Chapter 17
All of the tents caught ablaze at once, flickering light burning away the darkness and bringing to life a roar of sound that filled the basin to overflowing. Warriors seem to simply appear in the confusion, metal armor reflecting the light of tents smoldering like unholy suns. They drew their weapons, cutting into the ill prepared army like reapers gathering in the harvest.
"To arms! To arms!" a soldier riding through the smoke and flame screamed. "To ar-"
A large scythe stained with blood and soot arched up, catching the rider in the chest and sweeping him from his saddle.
Isaac stared out at the massacre, a strangely empty look on his face.
"Don't do anything stupid," Menardi warned him, pressing the manacle on her right wrist into the back of his neck.
"They need me to lead them," he replied quietly. "I am their General...it's my duty...I can't let them die-"
"Duty or not, you going out there now would be useless," Saturos reminded him, at apparent ease leaning against the cave wall. "You would be killed before you could do a single thing."
"But-"
"There's nothing you can do except waste the efforts that the people here put into saving your life," Saturos opened his eyes. The red irises glowed in the firelight like brilliant rubies. Isaac sighed in defeat, allowing Menardi to push him to the opposite side of the cave.
****
Alex felt like throwing up. The stench of burning flesh was overwhelming, the massacre in front of him almost more than his mind could take.
He tried to hold back the horror and pain clawing at the back of his eyes, casting ply on yet another member of the warrior clan. All around him people were screaming and dying, pleas for mercy and life filling the basin like the smoke still rising on the air that made his eyes sting and his lungs hurt.
Finally, when he was about to collapse from the overwhelming images around him, Agatio pushed him towards a small cave in the hillside. "The people we are trying to save are in there. Stay with them."
Alex nodded dumbly and ran for it, stepping over and around corpses and mangled bodies pleading with their last breath for life. Just as he got to the cave, an arrow hit him in the small of his back, and he was thrown forward.
He landed hard on his stomach, the air knocked out of him. He felt pain explode near his spine, and if he any breath had been left to him he would have screamed. A pale blue light filled the cave, and the pain subsided.
After a moment he rose to his hands and knees and looked around him.
Picard was kneeling next to him, a tired look in the Lemurian's golden eyes. Sheba and Garet were sitting near the back, Isaac was hovering worriedly near him, and two members of the Mars Clan that he didn't recognize were leaning against the wall closest to him.
"Who's this?" the female, who's features could barely be picked out in the gloom, asked.
"A friend," Picard replied shortly.
"Oh," the female nodded. "So, how are things out there?"
****
Kyle's boots slid on the grass at the edge of the basin, and he stopped short of tumbling over the edge.
The bottom was filled with fire and blood. He heard Felix, Jenna, and Ivan gasp.
"C'mon!" he urged them, and began climbing down the slope.
They all hesitated for a moment, then began to follow him.
****
"Looks like it's time to make our grand entrance," Saturos hissed, leaving the cave. He was quickly followed by Menardi. She turned and motioned to the other prisoners, who quickly got upright and exited the cave behind her.
There were still a few fights going on, but those promised to not last long. A large, lean female was interrogating Feh, and being questioned by an equally large male...
"Garet!" Jenna screamed when she saw him.
The male backhanded her across the face. "Shut up."
"Where is Karst?!" the female screamed at Feh.
"Sh-she's in Vale...at Sol Sanctum..." Feh answered shakily.
"For what purpose?" her crimson eyes flashed dangerously.
"To create the ultimate weapon," Feh replied shakily, drawing himself to his full height, a fierce pride in his eyes. "With it we will crush Gondowan...so I have been promised by the elders of Vale!"
She sliced his throat with one swift movement. "What do the other prisoners have to say?"
"They have no information," the male growled, putting the edge of his braodsword up against Jenna's cheek.
"Then kill them," she replied.
He smiled, pressing his broadsword gently. Jenna whimpered, blood running down her cheek.
Even as Garet was aware that Alex was yelling at them to stop, and Saturos and Menardi seemed to have realized that the condemmed prisoners were not the enemy and were motioning wildly at the male to stop, he could feel fire rising inside of him. The familiar red misted his vision, and the last thing he did rationally was to tug a broadsword from the broken corpse of a soldier.
****
Agatio took his broadsword away when he heard Saturos's command to stop. Alex ran past him and put one hand to the girl's cheek, blue sparks healing the damage he had done there.
A bright flash of light caused him to turn around. One of the Adepts that had accompanied Saturos and Menardi was standing in the middle of a now cleared space, the rocks around him cracked and blackened. The Adept raised his sword, his eyes burning scarlet.
The other Mercury Adept cast Freeze Prism. Water collected in the air above the Mars Adept, froze and crashed down on him all in the blink of an eye. The ice shattered and melted before it even reached him. The Mercury Adept cursed, then turned to Agatio.
"Your sword, please," he held out on hand.
Agatio clutched his sword possessivley, until the leader barked an order to him, then quickly handed it to the Adept hilt first. Smiling, the Adept took it from him, tested the balance, then swung it once before turning around and walking slow, measured steps toward the Mars Adept.
****
Eee...scary! But promises of a quick update, since I've been sort of
planning this...
Isaac: ::in gold "Aki...your mom scares me..."::
...Where have you been?
Isaac: ::in silver "I mean, she's just randomly walking into your room
and leaving! That's just weird!"::
::shrugs:: Anywho, review! And...hopefully I won't take forever to
update...
Chapter 17
All of the tents caught ablaze at once, flickering light burning away the darkness and bringing to life a roar of sound that filled the basin to overflowing. Warriors seem to simply appear in the confusion, metal armor reflecting the light of tents smoldering like unholy suns. They drew their weapons, cutting into the ill prepared army like reapers gathering in the harvest.
"To arms! To arms!" a soldier riding through the smoke and flame screamed. "To ar-"
A large scythe stained with blood and soot arched up, catching the rider in the chest and sweeping him from his saddle.
Isaac stared out at the massacre, a strangely empty look on his face.
"Don't do anything stupid," Menardi warned him, pressing the manacle on her right wrist into the back of his neck.
"They need me to lead them," he replied quietly. "I am their General...it's my duty...I can't let them die-"
"Duty or not, you going out there now would be useless," Saturos reminded him, at apparent ease leaning against the cave wall. "You would be killed before you could do a single thing."
"But-"
"There's nothing you can do except waste the efforts that the people here put into saving your life," Saturos opened his eyes. The red irises glowed in the firelight like brilliant rubies. Isaac sighed in defeat, allowing Menardi to push him to the opposite side of the cave.
****
Alex felt like throwing up. The stench of burning flesh was overwhelming, the massacre in front of him almost more than his mind could take.
He tried to hold back the horror and pain clawing at the back of his eyes, casting ply on yet another member of the warrior clan. All around him people were screaming and dying, pleas for mercy and life filling the basin like the smoke still rising on the air that made his eyes sting and his lungs hurt.
Finally, when he was about to collapse from the overwhelming images around him, Agatio pushed him towards a small cave in the hillside. "The people we are trying to save are in there. Stay with them."
Alex nodded dumbly and ran for it, stepping over and around corpses and mangled bodies pleading with their last breath for life. Just as he got to the cave, an arrow hit him in the small of his back, and he was thrown forward.
He landed hard on his stomach, the air knocked out of him. He felt pain explode near his spine, and if he any breath had been left to him he would have screamed. A pale blue light filled the cave, and the pain subsided.
After a moment he rose to his hands and knees and looked around him.
Picard was kneeling next to him, a tired look in the Lemurian's golden eyes. Sheba and Garet were sitting near the back, Isaac was hovering worriedly near him, and two members of the Mars Clan that he didn't recognize were leaning against the wall closest to him.
"Who's this?" the female, who's features could barely be picked out in the gloom, asked.
"A friend," Picard replied shortly.
"Oh," the female nodded. "So, how are things out there?"
****
Kyle's boots slid on the grass at the edge of the basin, and he stopped short of tumbling over the edge.
The bottom was filled with fire and blood. He heard Felix, Jenna, and Ivan gasp.
"C'mon!" he urged them, and began climbing down the slope.
They all hesitated for a moment, then began to follow him.
****
"Looks like it's time to make our grand entrance," Saturos hissed, leaving the cave. He was quickly followed by Menardi. She turned and motioned to the other prisoners, who quickly got upright and exited the cave behind her.
There were still a few fights going on, but those promised to not last long. A large, lean female was interrogating Feh, and being questioned by an equally large male...
"Garet!" Jenna screamed when she saw him.
The male backhanded her across the face. "Shut up."
"Where is Karst?!" the female screamed at Feh.
"Sh-she's in Vale...at Sol Sanctum..." Feh answered shakily.
"For what purpose?" her crimson eyes flashed dangerously.
"To create the ultimate weapon," Feh replied shakily, drawing himself to his full height, a fierce pride in his eyes. "With it we will crush Gondowan...so I have been promised by the elders of Vale!"
She sliced his throat with one swift movement. "What do the other prisoners have to say?"
"They have no information," the male growled, putting the edge of his braodsword up against Jenna's cheek.
"Then kill them," she replied.
He smiled, pressing his broadsword gently. Jenna whimpered, blood running down her cheek.
Even as Garet was aware that Alex was yelling at them to stop, and Saturos and Menardi seemed to have realized that the condemmed prisoners were not the enemy and were motioning wildly at the male to stop, he could feel fire rising inside of him. The familiar red misted his vision, and the last thing he did rationally was to tug a broadsword from the broken corpse of a soldier.
****
Agatio took his broadsword away when he heard Saturos's command to stop. Alex ran past him and put one hand to the girl's cheek, blue sparks healing the damage he had done there.
A bright flash of light caused him to turn around. One of the Adepts that had accompanied Saturos and Menardi was standing in the middle of a now cleared space, the rocks around him cracked and blackened. The Adept raised his sword, his eyes burning scarlet.
The other Mercury Adept cast Freeze Prism. Water collected in the air above the Mars Adept, froze and crashed down on him all in the blink of an eye. The ice shattered and melted before it even reached him. The Mercury Adept cursed, then turned to Agatio.
"Your sword, please," he held out on hand.
Agatio clutched his sword possessivley, until the leader barked an order to him, then quickly handed it to the Adept hilt first. Smiling, the Adept took it from him, tested the balance, then swung it once before turning around and walking slow, measured steps toward the Mars Adept.
****
Eee...scary! But promises of a quick update, since I've been sort of
planning this...
Isaac: ::in gold "Aki...your mom scares me..."::
...Where have you been?
Isaac: ::in silver "I mean, she's just randomly walking into your room
and leaving! That's just weird!"::
::shrugs:: Anywho, review! And...hopefully I won't take forever to
update...