A Story And Addendum For Memoirs Of The Heroes. (Previously "Memoirs Of An Adventure's Child."))
(All Characters Are Ficticious And bare no resemblence to living people. Any resemblence to fictional characters is only by chance.)
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When I awoke, I still felt the pain that I had experenced from the Haniwa
that looked like Jena. I looked around and saw that I was still in
the castle, but in a huge room. I started to wonder if this was St.
Marius' throne room, but the lack of furnishings told me it was not.
It was then I noticed that my weapons were still with me, as well as my
armor. I started to wonder if St. Marius had become so confident
with his plan that he didn't fear us anymore. I then noticed that
the arsenal part was gone. He must have taken it. I hoped that
he had not gotten Vet, or Li. I hoped that they were safe, but for
some reason, I couldn't help but think that I was hoping for too much.
My concentration was broken when I noticed a door opened.
It was a large door and then I saw St. Marius. He came out into the
area where I was. There was a smile on his face. He stepped
away from the door and I saw Li, chained to the wall. She seemed
to be covered in full body armor. St. Marius turned to me and said,
"Well, boy, you have made yourself a real nuisance. You have killed
many of my Haniwa, but luckily I still had Jena. You were your own
trap. One never forgets the first person they fall in love with.
But, I am prepared to offer you a deal."
A deal with the devil, I had always learned, was a dangerous
thing. I looked at St. Marius and said, "What do you want?"
I figured I would play along until he let his guard down, and then strike
him so fast he would collapse.
He looked at me and said, "I know that you will not surrender
without a fight, so all you have to do is defeat me, and Li will be free."
He seemed to eager to fight me. He knew something, or was up to something.
I stood and drew the Seven Sword. He had something
planned and I was not going to let him get away with it, and I knew that
he want revenge on Vet and myself. "What about Vet? I'm not leaving
here without her."
"If you want her to live, you must surrender for I have
her guarded by my Haniwa, especially the one that used to be her mother.
That one has been ordered to kill her if I die. As for Li, she might
not be so lucky to live through our fight." I watched as St. Marius
pushed a button on what looked like a key. All of a sudden, the room
filled with a scream and I saw Li in agony. I realized that she was
wearing the one device of Roturet. "Eventually, she will submit and
beg me to feast on her existence. At that time, the Haniwa will take
her to the feeding chamber. If I die, she will be carved up into
small pieces then." He smiled and then said, "So boy, which is, surrender
or fight."
He knew the answer, but I said it anyway, "I will make sure
that you threaten no one ever again." With that I charged him with
the Seven Sword. Just as I went to strike, he held up a sword and
stopped the strike, but his sword took the blow. He then struck me,
in my left leg. I had left it unguarded and fell to the floor.
I scrambled away from St. Marius. I thought why the Seven Sword didn't
hurt him, and how he was able to stop it.
"Boy, you cannot harm me. I am invincible, you must
submit. You will never survive." He was right. Every attack
he made was lethal, but for some reason, I was still alive. I couldn't
figure it out. As the fight continued, I had gone through ten Seven
Swords, and still couldn't hit him, and when I managed to hit him, he hit
the sword with such a force that it broke the sword. St. Marius knew what
I was going to do before I even did it.
I looked him in the eye, and even thought Li was still screaming,
I said, "I will defeat you before harm can befall my friends." I
tried to run to her, but St. Marius took a slash at my right leg, knocking
me down in pain. For once, I watched the wound and saw it healed
instantly. After all the fighting, I was slowly starting to tire and I
realized the truth. I pulled out the Revenge Sword and slowly advanced
towards St. Marius. It was the first time I was going to try this,
but it was worth a try, for if I failed I feared I would have to submit.
I started to jump toward St. Marius when I heard Li shout,
"Please stop. I can't take it anymore. I submit." Out
of the corner of my eyes, I saw the Haniwa enter the room, and approach
Li. St. Marius let out a laugh and slashed at my throat. As
the blade crossed my throat, I slashed at St. Marius with the Revenge sword.
St. Marius' head went flying off, and as I suspected, it wasn't St. Marius,
but the robot, and it was wearing a HoloHelmet. I had to work quick.
I searched for the key to the suit and watched. The Haniwa were marching
her helpless body down a hallway. She was still screaming, begging
for the pain to stop. I found the key and ran after them, but with
the Xcalabur drawn. I took care of this sword, since it was my luckiest.
With a scream of rage I took out each Haniwa and saved Li.
From the last I slayed, I receive a Seven Sword, but the fourth in the
group ran. I ran to Li's side and searched the suit for the keyhole,
so I could deactivate the suit. After a frantic search, and trying
to keep Li from injuring me, I found the keyhole right at her neck.
I inserted and turned the key. Instantly, she gasped a sigh of relief.
Her torment, her pain was over, as was mine. Li looked at me and
hugged me. I returned the hug and I could tell that she was greatful,
due to the force of the hug. She didn't want to let go, but I said, "We
have to continue, my love, for everyone's sake, and most importantly, Vet's.
She must be in terrible danger."
She nodded and then tightened her grip. It was fear
that was in her grip, as St. Marius' image appeared. His voice seemed
to echo through the hall. "With Ki's energy, I have regained some
of my Mana abilities. Although I have yet to awaken all of my lost Mana
abilities, but Vet will give me the power I need. I am surprised
that you figured out that it was the robot you were fighting."
I looked at the image and said, "She will never give in
to you. She knows what you are, and she will do everything in her
power to stop you."
The image looked at me and laughed. "She doesn't even
know the extent of her powers. She, as well as yourself and your friends,
are special mortals. Ki had never the chance to obtain the power
Vet has now. Soon my lost Mana will be regained, and I shall have
all my power returned to me." With that the image disappeared, and
Li was sobbing.
I looked at her and said, "We won't let him win. He
has to get through us before he can get her."
Li looked at me through tear filled eyes. "But he
already has her. He had me begging to be his slave. He must
have something like that planned for her." I had feared that St.
Marius would be telling Vet that we had submitted, that we were now his
slaves. I then thought of a worse fate for Vet. St. Marius
might be trying to make her his bride, but I couldn't tell Li this.
I then noticed that the suit Li had on had started to slip, as if it was
no longer in contact with her body. She grabbed at the collar and
said, "I think we better find my stuff. I just noticed that I am
wearing just this cursed outfit."
I looked at her and nodded. I then said, "I think
I saw a chest in the room where you were chained up." We walked back
there, due to the fact that if we ran, the suit would have fallen from
her and that would have been embaressing for her. We reached the
room and found the chest. In it was her armor and her weapons.
Li looked at me and said, "Could you guard the door, love,
we aren't married yet." My father had always taught me to be a gentleman,
so I went to the door. I looked out as I heard her changing.
I thought about what our life was going to be together. I felt that
we would succeed in stopping St. Marius. I couldn't help but think
that after this was all over, I could live a normal life for a while.
I thought of what Vet was risking as she left her husband and children
to save their lives. I had lost touch with them, but I had realized
how much had changed for her over the time. She, out of all of us still
left, had risked the most.
With my eyes forward, I said to Li, "Vet had the most to
lose out of all of us. She was risking returning to her family to
stop St. Marius. She knew that he was evil and would not even fall
for his tricks. How could he have caught her?" I felt a hand
touch my shoulder. I turned my head to see Li standing at my side.
Li had a tear at her eye as she said, "The same way he caught
us, but who would have such an impact on her. You told me about Jena
when we started courting, but who else could affect and pull her into a
trap."
It hit me like a bolt from the blue. "Her mother.
Vet's mother had disappeared, died when she was young. I'd bet any
amount of gold that St. Marius kidnapped her mother. I bet that the
Haniwa that caught each of us was that person in real life."
"You mean to say that Ki is now his slave." Li's eyes
started to fill with tears again.
I looked her in the eyes and said, "Yes, and the only way
to save her is to kill St. Marius, for then she can rest."
Li looked at me and then said, "Then we better find him,
and quickly, for Vet's sake." I nodded and we ran into the maze of
the castle.
After an hour, we still hadn't found the right path, or even
the way out of the part of the castle that St. Marius dubbed the dungeon.
I was almost frantic, as was Li, until I heard a voice. My first thought
was that St. Marius was trying to trick me, but then I realized that the
voice was Vet's. "Rich, I don't know if you can hear this.
I don't know if you are still alive. St. Marius tells me you and
Li are his slaves now, but I can't be sure. He has Roturet helmet
on me. He's using my abilities on me. He keeps saying that
he won't kill me, unless I don't give in. He says that if I want
my children to survive, I must marry him. I'm scared, Rich.
I hope you can find me. He says that I haven't even reached my full
abilities. I don't know what he means. He just started using
the helmet on me. He has used ESP on me. I was so confused
that I almost gave in. I wish I could tell you where I am.
If Li is anything like Ki, she can see the way. Rich, please help
me. I want to see my children again. I want... He's looking at me.
He's going to do something." At that, I heard her scream in pain.
I didn't know she could communicate via a mental link. I then heard
her say, "The pain, my body is on fire. Help me. Stop him,
Rich. I'll hold out, but he said that if I don't give in by the time
he uses the Flare, he's going to enslave me." Her voice left me,
and I could tell that she was in complete pain. Apparently, he only
used the Fire on her. If I remembered right, that was a low powered
ability.
I turned to Li and said, "St. Marius is wasting no time
in trying to control her. He has told her that we are his.
She thinks he's lying, but she told me that she is afraid that he speaks
the truth. She said all this telepathically. I didn't know
that she could do that."
Li looked at me and said, "How old is she?"
I had to think for a moment. "Vet is about 30.
Why?"
"Even for a mutant, the Mana to do Telepath is way over
her head. Normally, only mutants about 100 can do that. I should
have noticed that before, since she used Flare, which normally doesn't
surface unless one is 50. Maybe because she is a chosen one that
allows for this, but most mutants never reach full abilities until age
1000, but no mutant has ever reached that age. She must have a hightened
rate of evolution. She is a super-mutant." Li's face went pale.
Something scared her.
I grabbed her shoulders and said, "What's wrong, Li?
What has you spooked now?"
Li looked at me though vacant eyes and said, "A prophecy.
'When the first of excelled mana bears children, good and evil will begin.
On the day of independence's door, the angels will soar. One whose
will is right, one who is a symbol of the night. On that day, one
parent will die, the night at their side.' If Vet survives this quest,
she might die, if she had twins." My eyes went wide at that moment.
In that breif moment, I thought about just leaving the Vet to St. Marius,
for she would die upset if it were by her child's hand, but then I realized
that it might not be Vet, but Skiz.
I looked in Li's eyes and said, "I hope that the prophecy
can be avoided. But now, Vet said that you can see the way."
I wondered if that had anything to do with the Mana abilities that Ki and
Li probably had.
Li nodded and said, "I think I know what she is talking
about." All of a sudden there was a red haze covering her eyes and
she said, "Follow me, and have your weapons ready. There will be
a couple Haniwa waiting, one per intersection. We should get to Vet
and St. Marius in no time." At that she took off, and I followed.
We had to find Vet, and save her from the years of imprisonment.
We had taken out about fifty Haniwa by the time we reached
the doorway to St. Marius' throne room. I had picked up about five
more Seven Swords, and we watched from the door. He was walking over
to Vet and loomed over her. I heard him say, "Give in, Vet.
I promise not to kill you. I have taken a liking to you. Your
power will give me all I need to control the world. As you know, I will
spare the lives of your children."
Vet had tear running down her cheeks. It was obvious
that she was still in pain. We heard her screams as we neared the
room. She looked at him and said, "I won't ever give in to you.
I rather be killed than be your bride. You will kill my husband if
I promise to serve you." She then screamed in pain. I could understand
why. St. Marius had pushed a button on a device in his hand.
I watched as a servere frost covered her body. I remembered the sight
of the monsters that we fought, who she used that spell on. As the
ice melted, she was shivering in pain.
St. Marius turned to face her and said, "Do you submit,
Vet? There is only one spell left to use. You can image what
that will do. If you don't give in after that, I shall steal all
that makes you live." He was about to touch the button, and I decided
to strike. He still had his back to me and I charged him, and with
the Seven Sword, I slashed his left arm. He dropped the device and
spun around. He faced me and said, "You! I figured that you
would have never have reached her." I noticed that the blood from
the wound was red, green and blue.
"Your reign of terror is over, St. Marius. You will
die today." I had pulled out a second Seven Sword to confuse him.
He didn't know which had hit him. I swung with both. He blocked
the one I had just pulled out, and his right arm got sliced by the one
I had used. St. Marius screamed in pain.
He looked at me and said, "Haniwa, get him." At once,
his followeres started to advance. Li had chosen that time to jump
into the battle and attack. She kept the Haniwa busy. I struck
again at St. Marius while he was giving the order, cutting his left leg.
I spun quickly and switched the swords.
I looked at St. Marius and he was charging me. He
gave me a kick that knocked the sword out of my left hand. As I spun,
I sliced his right side with the Seven Sword I had been using. I
jumped back and said, "Your terror is at an end. You will die, Hani."
I had hit him four times. I spun around again and pulled out another
Seven Sword.
He started to advance carefully. He said, "Child,
you will fail. You will never have the chance to deliver the final
blow." He was trying to make me lose confidence in myself.
I noticed that Li had managed to run over to Vet. For the first time,
I noticed that Vet was chained to the wall. Li was managing to set
her free. St. Marius heard the chains being release and spun to see
what was happening. In that time, I took two more swings, one to
the neck, one the back. I almost had the last shot, but St. Marius
swung around and hit me, knocking the Seven Sword out of my hand and onto
the floor. The other was useless, cause the force of his swing broke
it. He grabbed me by my throat and lifted me into the air.
Li had run over and hit him in the back of the head.
"Let him go, you monster." He reached around and grabbed her by her
hair. She screamed in agony and I heard St. Marius laugh.
"You children don't understand. I am going to control
all, and you cannot stop me. Vet, when they join me, they will hold you
while I drain the power from you. I will be the master of all."
I couldn't see Vet, but I hoped that she was going to do something, because
soon, Li and I would become his next meal, and servents.
I heard the sound of chains in front of me, and then Vet
said, "Not this lifetime!" Then, a splash of red, green, and blue
came from St. Marius' body. His eyes went wide as the last thing
he did was look at the sword through what used to be his heart. He
dropped us and collapsed. Vet had delivered the final blow, the one that
killed St. Marius.
Before his evil corpse disappeared, St. Marius said in a
raspy voice, "I will return." We knew he wouldn't. His death
sent him to the void, and all his followers crumbled into dust. We
had succeeded. The was a flash of light from the Seven Sword.
When we faced it, there was an image there. It appeared to be that
of one of the two beings from the beginning.
"My chosen warriors." It said, and then I knew that
it was Redor. "Thank you for stopping the first incarnation of Shaoc.
He may already have used the energy to transfer his essence to his second
incarnation, but his third incarnation is in hiding. That is who
took the 'Timebomb'. You have saved the world, for now. The
third incarnation is not a threat yet, but you will know when the second
incarnation appears." With that, Redor disappeared from sight.
I then knew that what we faced was only the tip of the iceberg.
******************************************************
When we had left the Mana Net, Isis was waiting. She
ran over to Vet and said, "Vet, I have some grave news. Last night,
one of your children became ill. You must rush home." Vet had
a scared look on her face and she ran off to the elevator.
Li turned to Isis and said, "Isis, I think that the child
that is ill might be Shoac's second incarnation. The spirit of Redor
told us that the third incarnation stole the 'Timebomb'." Isis's
face went white in shock.
I then said, "Isis, if what Li said was true, then who ever
is ill might kill her. Which child is ill?" I was concerned
for Vet's life now, for she said that people thought her children were
angels.
"The child that is ill is JaNa, Vet's daughter." Isis
said that as if she was pronouncing a death sentence. The twins were
four years old right now. For them, the day of independence's door
was fourteen years away. Vet was not going to enjoy hearing that
her daughter might kill her.