Dawn and Twilight
A/N: Hello again! I have three things to say.
First and most important is HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELENA! This chapter's dedicated to you on your b-day!!
Second, for anyone who is wondering, 'Pajaros' is pronounced 'pa-ha-ros'. Extra points to anyone who can figure out what it means.
Third…it be 'Talk like a Pirate Day' today, mateys! Arr!
Hail: Ye've got to practice it a bit, say I!
Oh lord…a muse…not Hail, anyone but Hail…oh well.
Triad: You finally read it! After you read this one, no pizza!
Jupiter Sprite: What word? TELL!!! And…heh…you'll enjoy how evil I am in this chapter…
Elena: To Garet? …nah…;)
Akiko: Thanks, but I actually did know that, and…heh…wait until you see what I do with it…
Shiro: No! Don't be dying of the suspense! If you die of the suspense you'll never be reading the rest of the story!!
On with it, or I'll 'ave yer 'eads and load yer bodies into the cannons! Arr!
Chapter Five: Pajaran Duel
Six days had passed in the encampment of the Pajaros tribe. Three of those days had been quite an experience for the four Adepts. Mia had been with Iasa and the handful of Venus Adepts who knew healing Psynergy (though not Isaac) for the majority of that time. Garet, while not discussing various things with either Riali or Dulo (easily the most knowledgeable of any of the tribespeople), had been devising a plan with the two of them and Isaac, joined occasionally, over the past three days, by the Mercury Adepts.
Sheba had been mostly exploring. And worrying. Combination of both, when the situation allowed. After all…if this really was her home…then were these people her family? People like Jaldo, and Korain and Riali? If she truly did belong, would she want to stay, or leave?
And then there was the possibility that she didn't come from Pajaros. Easy enough to think of—Pajaros and Lalivero would have been far, far apart, back when Pajaros was a village. But if not here, then where?
So, to take her mind off these things—though all she succeeded in doing was keeping her mind on them—she decided to walk around a bit. First, up and down both sides of the river—a wide log served as a bridge. Then out a bit into the forest—there were seldom any monsters, and the few there were, Sheba easily defeated.
"Do you think it's wise to go off by yourself like this all the time?" asked Haze.
"Don't you think Isaac and the others will wonder where you've gone?" put in Breath. Sheba frowned.
"You guys worry too much. I'm a member of their team too you know—being youngest and smallest doesn't make me helpless." Sheba had found a rough path, leading into the trees. She was walking on it, and silently thanking the Djinn for removing her concerns from her mind, even if it was only temporary.
"And you're the fastest, and most agile, and lightest, and most mysterious!" offered Blitz. Sheba grinned.
"You left out 'most likely to not listen to orders,'" muttered Gale.
"That's not her, that's Felix," protested Haze.
"Felix gives the orders, you numbskull," said Lull.
"Not since they met up with Isaac. Isaac's the Leader with a capital L and everything!" said Gasp haughtily.
"Hn," was all Wheeze would offer.
"Not that again," grumbled Gale. "Next he'll be on about 'stupid humans' and how there's something to be said for fiery dragons and why it is that being short is not at all a height disadvantage."
"All that from one 'hn'?" asked Sheba incredulously.
"Wheeze has a…a thing going on. Sort of indifferent in an aggressive way," explained Gale.
"It's a long story," said Aroma. "Do us all a favor and be content with that."
"Right."
"How long until you eat, Sheba?" complained Gasp. "You're hungry."
"Thanks for telling me," Sheba said dryly. "I certainly didn't notice myself. I'll get to the end of this path, then stop to eat. I promise," she added when Breath began to protest. "I don't want to hear it from you, either. I might as well have brought Mia along."
"She has a point, Breath," said Blitz.
"I was useful at one point, you know," Breath grumbled. "Way back when the three of you were trekking from Madra to Alhafra, through that awful desert. Useful then, wasn't I?"
"Sure, when Felix ran out of Psynergy," Blitz said. "I was there too, you know."
"Yes, and so was I," said Sheba irritably. "Now would all of you mind? I'd like privacy!"
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"You're positive you want to have a village again, Dulo?" Garet asked. Dulo nodded.
"We know now the benefit of teamwork, of uniting together to face our problems. It is easier to defend a stationary, permanent home than the next random clearing we come upon. We can have better defenses."
"Is there another reason?" asked Isaac.
"There is," said Dulo, smiling faintly. "We want a home again."
"A home isn't a place," said Garet, eyes going distant, as though focused on somewhere far away, and his voice taking on a thoughtful quality. "It's being with the people you love, and who love you back. Being with your friends and family and knowing that you can face anything as long as you have each other. That's home."
Isaac, Riali and Dulo stared.
"So you have a home already, Dulo. Your home is everywhere and anywhere your people go. But we'd be glad to build you a village," he added, seeing the looks on their faces.
"That was deep," said Isaac finally. "Did you get hit on the head or something?"
"Isaac! Can't I be sagely and philosophical for once in my life?"
"No. It's just not you. Maybe this leader thing has gotten to you."
"Stop it, Isaac. All that stuff was serious."
"Speaking of serious," said Riali quietly, "did any of you notice the absence of a certain Adept from the Golem battle?"
"It was many days ago," Dulo pointed out.
"Korain," said Isaac and Garet together.
"Yes," Riali agreed. "He was not with us when the fight began, nor anywhere to be seen when it ended."
"Let's not think about it," Dulo mumbled. "He's got his own agenda and if he wants to go off on his own, may a creature rid us of him for good!"
"Well then we'd best get to building, hadn't we?" Riali asked after a pause, rising and leaving the hut-like building they'd been sitting in. There was a sudden click, and a gasp, and the sound made by someone crumpling to the ground. Isaac, Dulo and Garet hurried outside.
"Riali!" said Isaac, looking at the fallen girl, a thrown knife sunk up to the handle in her stomach.
"Alright," Garet said, eyes flaring, voice furious. "Who did this? Who's responsible?!"
"That would be me, outsider," said a familiar voice. Korain emerged from the trees, with as much anger written on his face as there was on Garet's. "Far more responsible than a buffoon such as you could possibly be as leader of a people."
"Why? She's one of your own people!"
"Any who consort with dangerous intruders like you deserves such. I assure you, once you fall, your friends and Dulo and Iasa will be next. Or perhaps I'll save you for last and let you watch them all die."
"You would never take Iasa!" said Dulo angrily. "She's more than a match for you, and you know it!"
"If that is so, then why was Iasa reluctant to fight the Grand Golem horde?" Isaac asked, pausing for a moment and looking up at Dulo from his position on the ground near Riali.
"Her Psynergy is a powerful thing, to be sure, but she has seen how power can corrupt a person, twist their minds inside out until they can do nothing but crave more power. She prefers to leave the others to it and do whatever she can that doesn't involve climbing the ranks through killing."
"Iasa would fall to me easily, and willingly, if I had one of you alive and captive," Korain said smugly.
"Are you insane?" Garet asked in a strained voice. "You can't possibly win against an entire tribe of Adepts, Korain! There isn't any way! Isaac couldn't even do it, and he's the best there is on Weyard!"
"We shall see," said Korain coldly. "I challenge you, unwelcome leader of the Pajaros, to a duel. To the death. The winner claims leadership, leading however he desires. The loser, of course, dies. I promise to make it quick and painless for you," he added with a sneer.
"Garet, you can't possibly agree to this! He could kill you, and we'd all be lost causes," Isaac said seriously. Garet looked down at his best friend and met a pair of azure eyes that, for the first time Garet could remember since Mars Lighthouse, held concern and even fear in their depths.
"You could handle him, Isaac, if something happened to me," Garet reassured him.
"No, Garet. Don't you see? He's not like the others."
"What do you mean?"
"Korain studies Psynergy that is different from any other," said Dulo solemnly. "He is easily the most dangerous man in the tribe, now that Milas is dead."
"Well, outsider?" Korain taunted. "Do you accept?"
Garet met midnight-black eyes with his own brown ones, knowing that all Korain was focused on was his death and that he'd attempt anything to achieve that goal.
"I accept," Garet said, his voice ringing out into the sudden silence.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"You lied?" Mia asked, shocked. Iasa nodded glumly.
"I'm sorry. I don't like to fight. It just feels so…so wrong. I despise having power, and I don't want to fall into the trap of becoming so greedy for it that I'm never satisfied." Iasa looked up and met Mia's eyes. "Let the others gain power and battle for the place at the top. I'm happy right here."
"Using attacks like Ice Missile and Freeze Prism to save your tribe aren't going to make you power-hungry. Besides, you already do hold the top spot here."
"I…I what?"
"Look, Iasa, I get annoyed with people who play dumb with me. Without you here, how many of your tribespeople wouldn't be alive today?" Iasa seemed about to answer, but suddenly stopped. "I thought as much. You're probably only my age, or just under, but you're easily the strongest person, and the best candidate for leader, in this entire tribe. That says something."
"It says I did not get there on purpose, and I do not want the title."
"It doesn't matter whether you want the title or not!" Mia shouted, her mind carrying her back to that day atop Mercury Lighthouse, when she had realized that going with Isaac, Garet and Ivan wasn't a choice—it was something she had to do. "You've been given it, through actions and words, like it or no, and you've got to live up to that!"
"I do live up to it!" Iasa countered. "I am the only Mercury Adept here, Mia! There is only so much one person can do!"
"Anything's possible," Mia argued. "There's enough time to do everything you need to do, before it ends. There always is. You're in this position because you spent your life doing things you loved, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you set out to be what you are now from the beginning, whether you thought so at the time or not, Iasa. I've seen the way the Pajaros grow silent when you begin to speak, the way most of them trust your decisions as the right ones."
Mia was about to go on, but Dulo came running up to them then, breathing hard and looking quite frightened.
"Dulo?" asked Iasa, standing and putting down what she'd been busy with. "What is it?"
"It's her friend!" Dulo huffed, gesturing to Mia. "Our leader! Garet! He…Korain challenged him…and he's…agreed to a duel…to the death! They're…fighting now…Isaac told me…to come get you, Mia…"
Mia was already off running, Iasa in close pursuit. Dulo turned and followed them, ignoring the images that entered his mind when he thought of the last time Korain had fought an opponent. He didn't want to see Garet end up that way.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"Well at least you aren't hungry anymore," offered Gasp consolingly.
"Point," agreed Haze.
"Hn," said Wheeze indifferently.
"Tell him to stop that before I hurt him," said Blitz threateningly.
"I would, but I'd be afraid of what he'd do to me," mumbled Breath. "Besides, you all still think I'm useless."
"You're not useless," Sheba said in exasperation. "You'll qualify for 'useful' if you can get me unlost."
"That isn't a word, Sheba," said Waft.
"I don't know what time it is, it's getting cold under all these trees, I've been walking all day and I'm out of food. Do you really think I care if 'unlost' doesn't qualify as a real word?"
"Put that way, no," admitted Haze. "Could you maybe look on the bright side?"
"It's dark in the forest," Aroma pointed out.
"What might that bright side be, then?" asked Lull.
"You've got company!" said Haze happily.
"Yes, and I've spent the last hour looking like some sort of Djinn tree," Sheba grumbled. Three Djinn were on her head, one was on each shoulder, two hovered in the air directly in front of her and two rode atop her staff.
"Hey, I hear water," said Blitz, and Sheba stopped, listening. The sound of rushing water was close by, though possibly not as close as Sheba would have liked. Still…she was very thirsty. Turning, she began to head in the direction of the sound.
Quite sooner than she'd expected, she came across the river. Whether it was the same river that ran so near to the Pajaros camp or not, she didn't know without a map. Kneeling beside it, she let her hands fill with water and took a long drink.
"Sheba! Look out!" cried one of her Djinn. Turning back around, Sheba found herself face-to-face with two Wolfkins. Grabbing her staff, she brought it up in front of her defensively.
One of the Wolfkins dove at her. Sheba easily vaulted over it, only to be caught in midair as the second one slammed into her, sending her tumbling down the rocky bank and into the swift river.
"Sheba!" the Djinn were calling, but Sheba, barely coherent and choking on water, couldn't answer. The Djinn followed her at record speed, racing along just above where she was in the water.
Suddenly, Gasp shot ahead and down—down, the other Djinn realized. They were coming to the waterfall. Gasp returned moments later, very wet but looking pleased with herself.
Sheba was vaguely aware of beginning to fall with the water, and of the fall suddenly stopping. She could still hear the roar of the waterfall, but it was beginning to fade, and soon did as she blacked out.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
Garet and Korain faced each other, identical expressions of rage locked on their faces. Simultaneously, they each raised a hand to call on Psynergy.
"Flare Storm!" cried Garet.
"Demon Night!" yelled Korain. A giant wall of flames surrounded Korain and began to close in, never abating, while at the same time hordes of monsters appeared seemingly out of the ground to advance on Garet.
Garet drew his sword and began hacking, fending them off as best he could. A familiar spark lit in his eye, and he raised the Fire Brand high. "Purgatory!" he called, and the weapon's Psynergy destroyed the advancing demons.
Grinning, Garet looked over at Korain in time to see the man step through the flames unharmed. Garet's grin faded into a scowl.
"Inferno!"
"Sabre Dance!" Fireballs pelted Korain repeatedly, but he batted each one aside with his own sword. Shining blades made of some sort of steel-like material were performing a complex dance around Garet, striking at him repeatedly as he tried to dodge.
Korain could not block every fireball, and Garet could not evade every saber. Both of them emerged from their attacks looking the worse for wear.
Garet fought to ignore the dozen or so places where a saber had sliced him, instead trying to focus on the battle. Korain looked as beaten as he felt, which gave Garet at least a little pleasure as he thought about it.
"Thorny Grave!" said Korain, and a beast made of sharp plants leaped from nearby foliage, swinging its lethal arms at Garet. The Mars Adept was unfazed, however.
"Plants burn," he said maliciously. "Unleash Scorch!" The Mars Djinni slammed into the thorn monster, taking it down in a rush of flames.
"You will never be accepted here, outsider!" yelled Korain. "Skull Splitter!" Raising his sword, Korain leapt. Garet watched helplessly as Korain's blade became charged with Venus light and picked up speed. The Mars Adept knew he could never bring his own weapon up in time.
There was a loud metallic 'clang' and the sword connected with Garet's head. He dropped instantly.
"Garet!" Mia and Isaac yelled. Mia began to run to him, Isaac close behind, when she saw something and came to a sudden stop.
A circle of spiky metal lay halved on the ground. The Thorn Crown had been on Garet's head—most Psynergetically-charged armor had the added bonus of becoming both invisible and nearly weightless.
Garet stood slowly, a grin spreading across his face.
"Pyroclasm!" he roared, bringing forth Mars power in all its glory.
"Grand Golem!" called Korain smugly. One of the large pink rock-beasts materialized just as all the fury of a volcanic island chain erupted around Korain. Garet was hit by a Truncheon Fist and thrown to the ground, but managed to kick the Grand Golem back into the fires of Pyroclasm, destroying it.
Several minutes passed. Finally, Garet pulled himself to his feet. Almost immediately, Korain did likewise. Their eyes met again. This is it, Garet thought. It's either all-out now, or never at all.
"You summoned those beasts from the mountains!" Iasa accused.
"That's right," Korain said haughtily. "I always knew you were too smart for your own good, Iasa. After I destroy this punk I intend to remedy that."
"Don't disregard me just yet," Garet said, challenge obvious in his voice. There was a pause, and Isaac could feel a momentous gathering of Venus Psynergy as Korain prepared for his final attack.
"Annihilation!" he screamed, becoming a channel for pure Venus power.
"Liquefier!" Garet bellowed, throwing both arms to the sky and letting his anger fuel his attack.
There was a violent explosion. Red-gold light slammed into Korain just as he leapt to destroy Garet. For a moment Garet thought a being of pure flame was attacking him, swinging a sword of molten steel. Feeling heat beyond anything even he could withstand, he fell to his knees.
It ended. Mia gasped. Both combatants not only still lived, but they were again standing.
"No more Psynergy," growled Korain, looking at his now-sharper sword.
"Agreed," snarled Garet, raising his own weapon. Moving faster than seemed at all possible in their respective conditions, Garet and Korain slashed and struck and blocked, each waiting for the opportune moment—the chance to land the fatal blow.
Garet saw his chance. Korain had lunged forward, eager to kill, leaving him off-balance with his weight forward. Garet ducked the slash and kicked out a foot, tripping Korain so he landed on his face on the ground. With a flick of his wrist, Garet used his sword to throw Korain's far across the clearing. With his boot, the Mars Adept rolled his opponent onto his back.
Korain hissed something, and Garet scowled. "Didn't quite catch that," he said menacingly.
"Kill…me…" Korain growled. "It was…a battle to…the death. Kill me!"
"I will not," Garet said clearly, staring down at Korain with utter hatred.
"What? Have you…no mercy?"
"It's mercy that makes me let you live. It will be up to your next leader to decide how to best punish you," Garet said calmly, though inside he was seething with rage. His conscience and better judgment told him that to kill Korain would be wrong, and he chose to listen to that instinct.
Korain's eyes closed. It was possible he'd die anyway, Garet decided, sheathing his sword and turning to rejoin Isaac and Mia.
He didn't go three steps before he collapsed.
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Ah, the end of another chapter. Two cliffhangers in one! Isn't it wonderful? I am evil, aren't I? Go on…review. If you don't…you may never get the next chapter. *cackles evilly*
Hail: Ye'd best push that review button, matey. Ye wouldn't want me t'get violent, now, would ye? Freezin's fun, say I…
Stop droning, Hail. REVIEW!!!