(A/N: sorry for the lack of updates. I'm suffering from a severe case of
writers block -.- *shrug* oh well, here it is. Hope you like it and PLEASE
review!!!)
The lizard looked into the town but the three were already out of sight, he grit his teeth a bit then sneered wildly. He pulled a small phone out of his pocket and punched in a few numbers, "We've got them, guards assemble," he said quietly. With that several strong looking guards stepped out of the 5 feet thick stone gate, all wearing a sneer. The lizard shouted a few commands in a strange language then traced a symbol in the air with his finger. All the guards grunted, showing they understood.
With that the lizard took a pouch out of his pocket and out of it pulled a handful off crimson colored powder. He sneered as he threw it into one of the torches nearby and the flame changed crimson as well then burst into the air, sending a combination of red and purple mist over the town. The mist covered the town like a blanket and slowly all the ghouls disappeared into the ground, snickering like mad. When they all were gone a death like silence covered the town with the still swirling mist, with only the sounds of the spirit users footsteps echoing as they hurried over the cobblestones. After letting out another battle cry, the guards split up, several running in each of the spirits directions.
~*~
Neokogine had stopped further down the alley, figuring they were safe by now. She was trying to think of where the others could have gone when ears perked at the nerve splitting silence, but she quickly snapped back to reality at the battle cry. The guards saw her and started down the alley after her, but she was far ahead of them. She smirked quickly then turned and ran down the alley, still the guards kept after her.
~*~
Garnox had stopped in the shadows of the sewers, looking at the open sewer drain thinking, 'Crap I should have-' but his thought was interrupted when several guards jumped down the hole and glared sharply. He backed further into the shadows, knowing they wouldn't be able to see him there. The guards stumbled around in the darkness, running into wall, stepping in sewage waste, and hitting their heads on low pipes. It took all his strength to keep from laughing. Just as the guards were beginning to leave something very strange happened. Suddenly the mark on his face began to glow the color of magma, yet when he touched it felt as if nothing was there. Quickly the guards looked over in the shadows and saw his mark glowing bright, they ran towards him. 'Not good,' he thought to himself as they drew closer, he jumped up to a pipe then climbed a ladder up to the surface again.
~*~
Mingna didn't stop; she kept running for dear life. They guards hadn't even found her yet but she was too scared to stop let alone fight. The guards easily heard her running and several jumped out of windows at her. She screamed as they number of guards grew larger and they formed a circle around her.
~*~
Neokogine continued down the alley, actually enjoying the chase, she glanced back at the guards out of the corner of her eye and smirked, seeing them tier quickly. But her smirk quickly died and she grit her teeth in pain, feeling a sudden shock on her spirit sign as it began to glow blue. She shook her head, dismissing the pain and suddenly decided to have some fun. She sneered and stopped, turning to face the guards who were still chasing after her. They looked dumbfound at her, wondering why she didn't run, but still charged towards her. With a smirk Neokogine took out her sword, held it at her side, and held out her hand to the guards, daring them to come closer.
~*~
While this was going on Garnox had heard Mingna's cry and looked in that direction. He was far ahead of the guards chasing after him and thought of nothing but helping Mingna, though he wasn't sure why. Something inside seemed to be tugging at him. He jumped onto a few trashcans then ran along them towards her. After climbing over a fence he ran in front of her, ready to protect her from anyone. Mingna looked up at him, she had been sitting in a corner, hugging her knees, and crying. She blushed a bit, hating to be found in this state, epically by Garnox. Garnox didn't notice this, he was blocking blows the guards kept throwing at him but didn't want to kill them, his spirit sign was still shining brightly.
~*~
The guards charged at Neokogine, who just smirked and jumped up out of their reach and landed behind them. Before they knew what was happening, she had turned and sliced away with her sword, smirking the whole time. The air was filled with blood as she continued, not wasting any time killing them all. Her sword turned dark for a brief moment then quickly changed back, she shot it a look then glanced back over her shoulder at the dead guards and the alley full of blood. A few more guards turned down to the alley and saw her then all the dead bodies, slowly they backed away. Neokogine stood in the center of the alley and closed her eyes, then quietly said, "I don't think so." With that her eyes shot open, somewhat darker than before. She jumped swiftly up to the fire escape and ran along the edge to the end of the alley, where she jumped down in front of the guards, landing upright.
~*~
Garnox continued blocking the blows with ease, at least until the number of guards got larger. He grew tired and weaker with each defend and realized they had to get out of there. Quickly he pulled Mingna to her feet and pushed her up the fire escape, following after her. Some of the guards followed them but wouldn't for long. As soon as the 2 had made it to the top of the fire escape Garnox kicked the ladder the guards were following them up on, making it and the guards fall to the streets bellow. "C'mon," Garnox said as he continued along the ledge.
~*~
Neokogine sneered at the cowering guards that slowly backed away from her. She casually walked closer to them, not wanting anything else at the time but to fight. "What's wrong boys? Scared?" she said sneering a bit wider. Before they could answer she had throw her sword at them and the air was filled with crimson again as they fell to the ground. With a slight look of satisfaction Neokogine walked over and pulled her sword out of them, their eyes staring blankly up at the darkening sky.
Garnox saw Neokogine and then all the dead guards scattered around the alley, "What did you do?!" he asked shocked that Neokogine would actually do such a thing.
She smirked a bit then looked up at him, Mingna had appeared behind him and clasped her hands over her mouth, letting a little squeak escape. "Only what should have been," Neokogine said, kicking one of the lifeless guards over.
He glared at her, "How could you?! They probably weren't even gonna kill us." Neokogine closed her eyes and smirked, "Probably isn't the same as weren't. We can't take any chances while we poses the spirits," she looked up at the moon above, "Even if it means the cost of lives."
Mingna looked down at her, shocked to know that that was the way her real friend truly was. Garnox couldn't believe what he was hearing but realized she did have a point. The guards defiantly weren't chasing them to play poker, they were after something much more valuable, the spirits. "Whatever," he said shaking his head, trying to not think about all the other lives Neokogine would slay if that was her point of view. Though Mingna was still a bit shaken, realizing her friend thought it that way; she nodded then sat down on the ledge, letting her legs dangle off.
Neokogine glanced over at them, not really caring what they thought of her, let alone what she thought. She put her sword over her shoulder then started walking down the alley again. The black ghouls rose from the ground again and continued with their daily routine as if nothing had happened, paying no attention to the guards scattered everywhere. A few purple lights illuminated the dark streets and a mystic tune danced through the night air. Neokogine gave a short sigh then turned back to the others, knowing she couldn't leave them alone; from everything she knew about them they couldn't even find their way out of a paper bag.
Garnox shot her another glance and noticed she looked somewhat darker than the way he had always seen her. Not darker in color, but in personality. It feels strange when you think you know a person and suddenly you realize their true colors.
Neokogine leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Without looking up at them, she said, "Put the past behind you. What's done is done and it can't be redone." They said nothing for a while, just shot each other a glance once and a while. Neokogine stood upright again and started back into the bustling town streets, not sure of what she was looking for. Mingna looked at Garnox questioningly, as if asking if they should follow or not. He jumped down from the fire escape and followed after Neokogine, Mingna followed his lead.
They walked deeper and deeper into the crowded town. Halfway down another street there was some sort of old run-down hotel off to the side. Neokogine stopped when something about the place caught her eye. Above the falling off door were all seven-spirit signs. "Should we go in?" questioned Mingna. "As long as nobody finds out we should be fine. Why would anyone want our spirits anyway?" Neokogine said, still not really wanting to break into a conversation.
Slowly she raised her hand to knock, but before she made a sound an old raspy voice said, "Enter." Garnox and Mingna exchanged a look of worry but Neokogine just gripped the broken doorknob and pusher the door open. There was nothing but darkness inside; you could barely see 3 inches in front of your face. Neokogine stepped through the doorway and the darkness thickened. Mingna grabbed onto Garnox's hand and was shaking slightly, worried about what lie ahead. He stepped thought the doorway, hesitating slightly, and Mingna followed at his heels. Once they were all inside the door slammed shut, and Garnox screamed like a sissy again. Neokogine lit her sword, casting a flash of light through the room and examined its properties. The room had nothing but an old and ragged armchair, pushed off into the far corner. "Who called us?" Mingna said shouting in the direction of the chair, still shaking a bit and holding Garnox's hand tightly.
"There is no need for yelling," the voice said from the chair, sounding a bit raspier than before. Slowly the chair turned, revealing the speaker. It was a short elderly woman who obviously did not get enough sleep because she had wrinkles and black rings under her eyes. Also she was extremely short, about up to Garnox's waist. "I have been waiting for the spirits to arrive," she said with a small sneer, which made all the wrinkles on her face grow, if possible, larger than before. Neokogine braced herself to fight; she was really not in the mood for a fight but refused to turn down a challenge. Garnox would have done the same but Mingna was clinging to him tightly with fear, whimpering slightly. The old hag closed her eyes and calmly added, "So you all are the spirit users, eh? Yes I see why you were chosen. You each have different personalities, and when you all come together you have an unstoppable force. But apart. you will perish.
Neokogine glared at the old hag thinking, 'I can take care of myself. Those others are nothing more than a waste of data.' She shook her head, erasing the thought, and then asked, "How do we know we can trust you?" The hag must've known this was coming because without thinking she said, "Because I know everything about all of you," She smirked and continued, "You are Neokogine a.k.a Amanda Cyr, 15-years-old, allergic to peanuts, 7th grade, grade point average 3.75, homeroom teacher Mrs. Cass, fell asleep in Science class 4 times to date, started last years food fight, and you have an annoying habit of being too curious."
"How did you know all that?" Neokogine demanded, a little creped out by everything this old bag knew. The woman stayed calm, "Possibly its because I am Mrs. Cass." Mingna squeezed Garnox so tightly at this that it made his tongue pop out. The hag gave a short sigh then continued, "When you first enter this game you are transformed into what you are thinking of. Only the person who has a soul of light is the can attain light spirit, same for all the others. Sadly I was thinking about my grandma at the time. DON'T YOU DARE UTTER A WORD OF THIS TO ANYONE AT SCHOOL!!!!" One thing that made the hag Mrs. Cass was that they both were hyperactive.
Finally she settled down a bit, "Well, where are the other spirits?" She just didn't have a clue did she? "We haven't found them yet," Garnox blurted out. Mrs. Cass's eye started to twitch and she grit her teeth with furry. Before Mrs. Cass could start shouting R ratter dialogue Mingna added, "We just started playing and met each other today, and that was by luck."
Jungian closed her eyes and began to think. After a long silence she said, "Nothing is by luck, it is all by destiny." Typical, even out of school Mrs. Cass made no sense.
"Now I have done a thorough search of this town and there are no spirits here. But I've heard a rumor that there was one spotted in Jahronar Veta; it's a nearby town to the north. Be careful the king has probably sent the azul guards there already. Remember, your hearts contain your spirit to stop all; you just have to find out how to unleash it. Together you are undefeatable. separated. you are vulnerable to death," she solemnly said.
Slowly her chair turned back to the wall. "You may leave now," she said waving her hand. Mrs. Cass was too stubborn to get more info out of, so they left more confused than before. Neokogine glared at her for a moment longer then turned and left the old shack, the others followed; thought not nearly as angry.
It was extremely brighter outside than in the hut so it took a minute to take in their surroundings. Garnox was evidently tired because he was barely able to say, "Well she said, um, nearby town, to north, cheese." He leaned against an old wooden barrel, head drooping to one side. Mingna sat on a box, while Neokogine leaned on a wall and stuffed her hands deep into her pockets, where she clenched them into fists. 'What else does that hag know that she wasn't telling us?' she thought to herself, not really paying attention to her surroundings. | |
"Freeze," several voices shouted at them. Neokogine snapped back to reality and whirled around, and braced herself to fight. Mingna, who was hugging her knees, gave a little shriek then looked at whoever said that. Garnox wasn't tired anymore, because when he saw the thousands of guards surrounding them it was if he just had 13 cups of mocha latte. The guards glared at them, looking more vengeful than ever.
"Out of my way, move it, move it," the lizard guarding the gate shouted as her pushed his way through the guards and smiled. "I told you the spirit users were here. They thought they could fool me. Nobody can fool the great Kredlin."
Neokogine glared at him and swung her sword at his face, just as she had planed, her sword left a small scar straight down his face. "Apparently we at the gates. Now get lost or die," she said angrily raising her sword, not afraid to kill more guards. Mingna and Garnox looked at each other then followed her lead and grabbed their weapons, though they didn't want to actually kill.
The coward lizard hid behind one of the guards and clasped his hands over the scar on his face. "The king wants to see you. Guards get them!" he shouted and the guards sped towards them. They were strong and fast but Neokogine figured she could easily out match them.
Garnox spun his sword around and killed four of them. These competitors were nothing like the dinosaur Neokogine had killed earlier; these were real players. But these guys wanted to kill them so it was fair.
Mingna got one of the guards to chase after her. He was close behind her but she ran directly towards another guard. Just as both of the guards raised their swords to kill her she dropped to the ground and slid between the guard's legs; making the two guards stab each other. What a way to go.
They had surrounded Neokogine, clearly knowing that she was the biggest threat from her attack earlier. She was doing her best to kill them off, but every time she killed one more came over. She quickly thought about what the hag had said, 'your heart contains a spirit to stop all, and you just have to find out how to unleash them.'
Something inside her unlocked, and she knew exactly what to do. Suddenly Neokogine began to glow a faint blue, she tossed her sword up, caught it, and shouted, "LIGHT SHINING KINDEL!" A blinding light emerged from the sword, filling the area. Ear-piercing screams were heard, a familiar one included.
Finally the light died away and the only living people in the alley were Garnox, Mingna, and Neokogine. Neokogine had used almost all of her energy to unleash that attack, but it was worth it. The lizard and all the guards were lying face down dead. She was sitting slouched up against the wall breathing deeply.
Mingna and Garnox helped her to her feet, but she swayed unevenly so she used her sword for balance. Yep, in this game you can get hurt. They were all cut in areas but the victory felt good.
"We need to rest," Neokogine said weekly. "Is there any safe place though?" Mingna quietly asked, nobody specific. She had gotten a small slash on her leg and there was some blood dripping down it. Garnox leaned against the barrel once again, "Geeze you'd think that Mrs. Cass would of at least told us where we could rest." Mingna beamed with happiness, "Garnox you're a genius!" They hurried as fast as they could back to where Mrs. Cass's shack once stood. Now all that was there were bits of rubble and junk. "Damn! That attack you used destroyed her house. Know where are we supposed to go?" Garnox shouted at Neokogine, he was clearly mad. Mingna glared at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears, "Forget where we're going to stay you dumb moron! What about Jungian!?"
They began digging through the rubble. Mingna worked quickly and quietly, a few tears escaping her eyes every once and a while. Garnox looked extremely worried as he helped move aside junk. But Neokogine kept a solemn face; she didn't see the point of being worried while there was work to do. The sun was completely gone and they still hadn't found a trace of her. 'Something tells me we're going to have a substitute after summer holidays,' Neokogine though as she kicked over the last piece of un-searched area. She never meant to kill Mrs. Cass, thought she did hate her; the attack was the only way to defeat the azul guards, who wanted to kill them.
The first to face the fact was Neokogine. She told the others to stop the pointless search, as it was just a waste of time. Mingna felt like crying, Mrs. Cass was her favorite teacher. "We have to get to Jahronar Veta, we should find another spirit there," Neokogine said as if nothing had ever happened, looking in the direction of the town.
Mingna glared up at her, eyes still glossy with tears. She wasn't going to take it anymore and shouted, "What's wrong with you?! You were never like this in real life! You think you're so tough because you aren't afraid to kill or you can unleash your spirit! That doesn't mean you can tell us what to do!" Neokogine shot her attention down at her, she was quite taken aback; Mingna had never stood up to her before. Mingna sat down and hugged her knees hoping Neokogine wasn't mad at her?
Garnox was about to go talk to her but Neokogine held him back, this was her doing and she had to fix it. Sluggishly she went over and sat beside Mingna. She took a deep sigh; she wasn't use to apologizing, but said, "Listen Mingna, you never knew me outside of school. In there they have rules but this is the real me. I never meant to kill Mrs. Cass. But, what's done is done, and it can't be redone." Mingna looked at her and felt a little better.
Neokogine stood up and looked directly at Mingna with a blank face, then held her hand down to help her up. Mingna felt better knowing her friend wasn't mad at her. She took her hand and Neokogine pulled her to her feet.
After a few seconds of silence Neokogine turned and started back to the main gate, where thankfully they didn't have to worry about Kredlin anymore. Garnox and Mingna followed closely, not wanting to be seen by any more guards. Once outside the gate Mingna went to the nearest tree and grabbed a couple of oranges. The apples they had been carrying had gone bad and had to be tossed. The moss on the tree pointed them in the direction of the town.
It was getting late, really late. Neokogine's parents were probably home by now but there was no place to stop. If they stopped in any old place the azul guards could find them and do who knows what. Neokogine had to rest; though she didn't show it she was still weak from unleashing her spirit. She didn't like to show weakness if you did you would be taken advantage of. One of the guards had got a good hit on her left arm and it sort of hurt to move it.
A half an hour later they found an old animal lair. It was very small and smelt funny; but it was hidden and way off the trail. There was just enough room for the three to stretch out so they lay down, saved, and went home.
(well that's it for this chapter. I promise to have the next one up within a week.)
The lizard looked into the town but the three were already out of sight, he grit his teeth a bit then sneered wildly. He pulled a small phone out of his pocket and punched in a few numbers, "We've got them, guards assemble," he said quietly. With that several strong looking guards stepped out of the 5 feet thick stone gate, all wearing a sneer. The lizard shouted a few commands in a strange language then traced a symbol in the air with his finger. All the guards grunted, showing they understood.
With that the lizard took a pouch out of his pocket and out of it pulled a handful off crimson colored powder. He sneered as he threw it into one of the torches nearby and the flame changed crimson as well then burst into the air, sending a combination of red and purple mist over the town. The mist covered the town like a blanket and slowly all the ghouls disappeared into the ground, snickering like mad. When they all were gone a death like silence covered the town with the still swirling mist, with only the sounds of the spirit users footsteps echoing as they hurried over the cobblestones. After letting out another battle cry, the guards split up, several running in each of the spirits directions.
~*~
Neokogine had stopped further down the alley, figuring they were safe by now. She was trying to think of where the others could have gone when ears perked at the nerve splitting silence, but she quickly snapped back to reality at the battle cry. The guards saw her and started down the alley after her, but she was far ahead of them. She smirked quickly then turned and ran down the alley, still the guards kept after her.
~*~
Garnox had stopped in the shadows of the sewers, looking at the open sewer drain thinking, 'Crap I should have-' but his thought was interrupted when several guards jumped down the hole and glared sharply. He backed further into the shadows, knowing they wouldn't be able to see him there. The guards stumbled around in the darkness, running into wall, stepping in sewage waste, and hitting their heads on low pipes. It took all his strength to keep from laughing. Just as the guards were beginning to leave something very strange happened. Suddenly the mark on his face began to glow the color of magma, yet when he touched it felt as if nothing was there. Quickly the guards looked over in the shadows and saw his mark glowing bright, they ran towards him. 'Not good,' he thought to himself as they drew closer, he jumped up to a pipe then climbed a ladder up to the surface again.
~*~
Mingna didn't stop; she kept running for dear life. They guards hadn't even found her yet but she was too scared to stop let alone fight. The guards easily heard her running and several jumped out of windows at her. She screamed as they number of guards grew larger and they formed a circle around her.
~*~
Neokogine continued down the alley, actually enjoying the chase, she glanced back at the guards out of the corner of her eye and smirked, seeing them tier quickly. But her smirk quickly died and she grit her teeth in pain, feeling a sudden shock on her spirit sign as it began to glow blue. She shook her head, dismissing the pain and suddenly decided to have some fun. She sneered and stopped, turning to face the guards who were still chasing after her. They looked dumbfound at her, wondering why she didn't run, but still charged towards her. With a smirk Neokogine took out her sword, held it at her side, and held out her hand to the guards, daring them to come closer.
~*~
While this was going on Garnox had heard Mingna's cry and looked in that direction. He was far ahead of the guards chasing after him and thought of nothing but helping Mingna, though he wasn't sure why. Something inside seemed to be tugging at him. He jumped onto a few trashcans then ran along them towards her. After climbing over a fence he ran in front of her, ready to protect her from anyone. Mingna looked up at him, she had been sitting in a corner, hugging her knees, and crying. She blushed a bit, hating to be found in this state, epically by Garnox. Garnox didn't notice this, he was blocking blows the guards kept throwing at him but didn't want to kill them, his spirit sign was still shining brightly.
~*~
The guards charged at Neokogine, who just smirked and jumped up out of their reach and landed behind them. Before they knew what was happening, she had turned and sliced away with her sword, smirking the whole time. The air was filled with blood as she continued, not wasting any time killing them all. Her sword turned dark for a brief moment then quickly changed back, she shot it a look then glanced back over her shoulder at the dead guards and the alley full of blood. A few more guards turned down to the alley and saw her then all the dead bodies, slowly they backed away. Neokogine stood in the center of the alley and closed her eyes, then quietly said, "I don't think so." With that her eyes shot open, somewhat darker than before. She jumped swiftly up to the fire escape and ran along the edge to the end of the alley, where she jumped down in front of the guards, landing upright.
~*~
Garnox continued blocking the blows with ease, at least until the number of guards got larger. He grew tired and weaker with each defend and realized they had to get out of there. Quickly he pulled Mingna to her feet and pushed her up the fire escape, following after her. Some of the guards followed them but wouldn't for long. As soon as the 2 had made it to the top of the fire escape Garnox kicked the ladder the guards were following them up on, making it and the guards fall to the streets bellow. "C'mon," Garnox said as he continued along the ledge.
~*~
Neokogine sneered at the cowering guards that slowly backed away from her. She casually walked closer to them, not wanting anything else at the time but to fight. "What's wrong boys? Scared?" she said sneering a bit wider. Before they could answer she had throw her sword at them and the air was filled with crimson again as they fell to the ground. With a slight look of satisfaction Neokogine walked over and pulled her sword out of them, their eyes staring blankly up at the darkening sky.
Garnox saw Neokogine and then all the dead guards scattered around the alley, "What did you do?!" he asked shocked that Neokogine would actually do such a thing.
She smirked a bit then looked up at him, Mingna had appeared behind him and clasped her hands over her mouth, letting a little squeak escape. "Only what should have been," Neokogine said, kicking one of the lifeless guards over.
He glared at her, "How could you?! They probably weren't even gonna kill us." Neokogine closed her eyes and smirked, "Probably isn't the same as weren't. We can't take any chances while we poses the spirits," she looked up at the moon above, "Even if it means the cost of lives."
Mingna looked down at her, shocked to know that that was the way her real friend truly was. Garnox couldn't believe what he was hearing but realized she did have a point. The guards defiantly weren't chasing them to play poker, they were after something much more valuable, the spirits. "Whatever," he said shaking his head, trying to not think about all the other lives Neokogine would slay if that was her point of view. Though Mingna was still a bit shaken, realizing her friend thought it that way; she nodded then sat down on the ledge, letting her legs dangle off.
Neokogine glanced over at them, not really caring what they thought of her, let alone what she thought. She put her sword over her shoulder then started walking down the alley again. The black ghouls rose from the ground again and continued with their daily routine as if nothing had happened, paying no attention to the guards scattered everywhere. A few purple lights illuminated the dark streets and a mystic tune danced through the night air. Neokogine gave a short sigh then turned back to the others, knowing she couldn't leave them alone; from everything she knew about them they couldn't even find their way out of a paper bag.
Garnox shot her another glance and noticed she looked somewhat darker than the way he had always seen her. Not darker in color, but in personality. It feels strange when you think you know a person and suddenly you realize their true colors.
Neokogine leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Without looking up at them, she said, "Put the past behind you. What's done is done and it can't be redone." They said nothing for a while, just shot each other a glance once and a while. Neokogine stood upright again and started back into the bustling town streets, not sure of what she was looking for. Mingna looked at Garnox questioningly, as if asking if they should follow or not. He jumped down from the fire escape and followed after Neokogine, Mingna followed his lead.
They walked deeper and deeper into the crowded town. Halfway down another street there was some sort of old run-down hotel off to the side. Neokogine stopped when something about the place caught her eye. Above the falling off door were all seven-spirit signs. "Should we go in?" questioned Mingna. "As long as nobody finds out we should be fine. Why would anyone want our spirits anyway?" Neokogine said, still not really wanting to break into a conversation.
Slowly she raised her hand to knock, but before she made a sound an old raspy voice said, "Enter." Garnox and Mingna exchanged a look of worry but Neokogine just gripped the broken doorknob and pusher the door open. There was nothing but darkness inside; you could barely see 3 inches in front of your face. Neokogine stepped through the doorway and the darkness thickened. Mingna grabbed onto Garnox's hand and was shaking slightly, worried about what lie ahead. He stepped thought the doorway, hesitating slightly, and Mingna followed at his heels. Once they were all inside the door slammed shut, and Garnox screamed like a sissy again. Neokogine lit her sword, casting a flash of light through the room and examined its properties. The room had nothing but an old and ragged armchair, pushed off into the far corner. "Who called us?" Mingna said shouting in the direction of the chair, still shaking a bit and holding Garnox's hand tightly.
"There is no need for yelling," the voice said from the chair, sounding a bit raspier than before. Slowly the chair turned, revealing the speaker. It was a short elderly woman who obviously did not get enough sleep because she had wrinkles and black rings under her eyes. Also she was extremely short, about up to Garnox's waist. "I have been waiting for the spirits to arrive," she said with a small sneer, which made all the wrinkles on her face grow, if possible, larger than before. Neokogine braced herself to fight; she was really not in the mood for a fight but refused to turn down a challenge. Garnox would have done the same but Mingna was clinging to him tightly with fear, whimpering slightly. The old hag closed her eyes and calmly added, "So you all are the spirit users, eh? Yes I see why you were chosen. You each have different personalities, and when you all come together you have an unstoppable force. But apart. you will perish.
Neokogine glared at the old hag thinking, 'I can take care of myself. Those others are nothing more than a waste of data.' She shook her head, erasing the thought, and then asked, "How do we know we can trust you?" The hag must've known this was coming because without thinking she said, "Because I know everything about all of you," She smirked and continued, "You are Neokogine a.k.a Amanda Cyr, 15-years-old, allergic to peanuts, 7th grade, grade point average 3.75, homeroom teacher Mrs. Cass, fell asleep in Science class 4 times to date, started last years food fight, and you have an annoying habit of being too curious."
"How did you know all that?" Neokogine demanded, a little creped out by everything this old bag knew. The woman stayed calm, "Possibly its because I am Mrs. Cass." Mingna squeezed Garnox so tightly at this that it made his tongue pop out. The hag gave a short sigh then continued, "When you first enter this game you are transformed into what you are thinking of. Only the person who has a soul of light is the can attain light spirit, same for all the others. Sadly I was thinking about my grandma at the time. DON'T YOU DARE UTTER A WORD OF THIS TO ANYONE AT SCHOOL!!!!" One thing that made the hag Mrs. Cass was that they both were hyperactive.
Finally she settled down a bit, "Well, where are the other spirits?" She just didn't have a clue did she? "We haven't found them yet," Garnox blurted out. Mrs. Cass's eye started to twitch and she grit her teeth with furry. Before Mrs. Cass could start shouting R ratter dialogue Mingna added, "We just started playing and met each other today, and that was by luck."
Jungian closed her eyes and began to think. After a long silence she said, "Nothing is by luck, it is all by destiny." Typical, even out of school Mrs. Cass made no sense.
"Now I have done a thorough search of this town and there are no spirits here. But I've heard a rumor that there was one spotted in Jahronar Veta; it's a nearby town to the north. Be careful the king has probably sent the azul guards there already. Remember, your hearts contain your spirit to stop all; you just have to find out how to unleash it. Together you are undefeatable. separated. you are vulnerable to death," she solemnly said.
Slowly her chair turned back to the wall. "You may leave now," she said waving her hand. Mrs. Cass was too stubborn to get more info out of, so they left more confused than before. Neokogine glared at her for a moment longer then turned and left the old shack, the others followed; thought not nearly as angry.
It was extremely brighter outside than in the hut so it took a minute to take in their surroundings. Garnox was evidently tired because he was barely able to say, "Well she said, um, nearby town, to north, cheese." He leaned against an old wooden barrel, head drooping to one side. Mingna sat on a box, while Neokogine leaned on a wall and stuffed her hands deep into her pockets, where she clenched them into fists. 'What else does that hag know that she wasn't telling us?' she thought to herself, not really paying attention to her surroundings. | |
"Freeze," several voices shouted at them. Neokogine snapped back to reality and whirled around, and braced herself to fight. Mingna, who was hugging her knees, gave a little shriek then looked at whoever said that. Garnox wasn't tired anymore, because when he saw the thousands of guards surrounding them it was if he just had 13 cups of mocha latte. The guards glared at them, looking more vengeful than ever.
"Out of my way, move it, move it," the lizard guarding the gate shouted as her pushed his way through the guards and smiled. "I told you the spirit users were here. They thought they could fool me. Nobody can fool the great Kredlin."
Neokogine glared at him and swung her sword at his face, just as she had planed, her sword left a small scar straight down his face. "Apparently we at the gates. Now get lost or die," she said angrily raising her sword, not afraid to kill more guards. Mingna and Garnox looked at each other then followed her lead and grabbed their weapons, though they didn't want to actually kill.
The coward lizard hid behind one of the guards and clasped his hands over the scar on his face. "The king wants to see you. Guards get them!" he shouted and the guards sped towards them. They were strong and fast but Neokogine figured she could easily out match them.
Garnox spun his sword around and killed four of them. These competitors were nothing like the dinosaur Neokogine had killed earlier; these were real players. But these guys wanted to kill them so it was fair.
Mingna got one of the guards to chase after her. He was close behind her but she ran directly towards another guard. Just as both of the guards raised their swords to kill her she dropped to the ground and slid between the guard's legs; making the two guards stab each other. What a way to go.
They had surrounded Neokogine, clearly knowing that she was the biggest threat from her attack earlier. She was doing her best to kill them off, but every time she killed one more came over. She quickly thought about what the hag had said, 'your heart contains a spirit to stop all, and you just have to find out how to unleash them.'
Something inside her unlocked, and she knew exactly what to do. Suddenly Neokogine began to glow a faint blue, she tossed her sword up, caught it, and shouted, "LIGHT SHINING KINDEL!" A blinding light emerged from the sword, filling the area. Ear-piercing screams were heard, a familiar one included.
Finally the light died away and the only living people in the alley were Garnox, Mingna, and Neokogine. Neokogine had used almost all of her energy to unleash that attack, but it was worth it. The lizard and all the guards were lying face down dead. She was sitting slouched up against the wall breathing deeply.
Mingna and Garnox helped her to her feet, but she swayed unevenly so she used her sword for balance. Yep, in this game you can get hurt. They were all cut in areas but the victory felt good.
"We need to rest," Neokogine said weekly. "Is there any safe place though?" Mingna quietly asked, nobody specific. She had gotten a small slash on her leg and there was some blood dripping down it. Garnox leaned against the barrel once again, "Geeze you'd think that Mrs. Cass would of at least told us where we could rest." Mingna beamed with happiness, "Garnox you're a genius!" They hurried as fast as they could back to where Mrs. Cass's shack once stood. Now all that was there were bits of rubble and junk. "Damn! That attack you used destroyed her house. Know where are we supposed to go?" Garnox shouted at Neokogine, he was clearly mad. Mingna glared at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears, "Forget where we're going to stay you dumb moron! What about Jungian!?"
They began digging through the rubble. Mingna worked quickly and quietly, a few tears escaping her eyes every once and a while. Garnox looked extremely worried as he helped move aside junk. But Neokogine kept a solemn face; she didn't see the point of being worried while there was work to do. The sun was completely gone and they still hadn't found a trace of her. 'Something tells me we're going to have a substitute after summer holidays,' Neokogine though as she kicked over the last piece of un-searched area. She never meant to kill Mrs. Cass, thought she did hate her; the attack was the only way to defeat the azul guards, who wanted to kill them.
The first to face the fact was Neokogine. She told the others to stop the pointless search, as it was just a waste of time. Mingna felt like crying, Mrs. Cass was her favorite teacher. "We have to get to Jahronar Veta, we should find another spirit there," Neokogine said as if nothing had ever happened, looking in the direction of the town.
Mingna glared up at her, eyes still glossy with tears. She wasn't going to take it anymore and shouted, "What's wrong with you?! You were never like this in real life! You think you're so tough because you aren't afraid to kill or you can unleash your spirit! That doesn't mean you can tell us what to do!" Neokogine shot her attention down at her, she was quite taken aback; Mingna had never stood up to her before. Mingna sat down and hugged her knees hoping Neokogine wasn't mad at her?
Garnox was about to go talk to her but Neokogine held him back, this was her doing and she had to fix it. Sluggishly she went over and sat beside Mingna. She took a deep sigh; she wasn't use to apologizing, but said, "Listen Mingna, you never knew me outside of school. In there they have rules but this is the real me. I never meant to kill Mrs. Cass. But, what's done is done, and it can't be redone." Mingna looked at her and felt a little better.
Neokogine stood up and looked directly at Mingna with a blank face, then held her hand down to help her up. Mingna felt better knowing her friend wasn't mad at her. She took her hand and Neokogine pulled her to her feet.
After a few seconds of silence Neokogine turned and started back to the main gate, where thankfully they didn't have to worry about Kredlin anymore. Garnox and Mingna followed closely, not wanting to be seen by any more guards. Once outside the gate Mingna went to the nearest tree and grabbed a couple of oranges. The apples they had been carrying had gone bad and had to be tossed. The moss on the tree pointed them in the direction of the town.
It was getting late, really late. Neokogine's parents were probably home by now but there was no place to stop. If they stopped in any old place the azul guards could find them and do who knows what. Neokogine had to rest; though she didn't show it she was still weak from unleashing her spirit. She didn't like to show weakness if you did you would be taken advantage of. One of the guards had got a good hit on her left arm and it sort of hurt to move it.
A half an hour later they found an old animal lair. It was very small and smelt funny; but it was hidden and way off the trail. There was just enough room for the three to stretch out so they lay down, saved, and went home.
(well that's it for this chapter. I promise to have the next one up within a week.)