Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun. . . *stares blankly at wall*
Nightmare Alex: Yeah, ummm, it took me a long time to get him to be able to say that. He's suffering from sugar hangover again.
Serac:. . . *drools*
Nightmare Alex: All-righty then. Bag of Fun-Size Snickers to QueenDragonGoddess, and The Faction's Lord.
QDG: Curse it! You saw it coming! Oh well, it still might surprise you how it turns out. . .
TFL: Yes! I won't be attacked anymore. And giving Serac that muffin was an okay idea, until he froze the lake over, and then proceeded to shoot ice spikes all through my house. . . sigh. . . oh well. Here is, the next chapter!!!
********************************************************************************************
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars
Chapter XVIII: Freed from the Darkness, Sheba's Sacrifice
The people of Imil advanced through the flames, and were immediately bombarded by several earthquakes. Diving to the ground, they used a new tactic. Seeing the Vale army in trenches gave them an idea.
The few of them that were left summoned up their Psynergy. "Deluge!"
A tidal wave of water swept across the city, and straight into the trenches, drowning quite a few soldiers. Those who got out of the trenches in time advanced, attempting to gain the advantage of superior numbers in melee combat.
Sheba watched the scene with a slight disinterest. She was only worried about Dark Garet. She had come up with a plan, but it was extremely risky. Risky to the point, that had any of her companions been there, they would have forbade her from doing it.
Dark Garet watched with disinterest at the battle also. He was waiting for someone to attempt to attack him. "Pathetic little worms. . ." he trailed off, watching as Vale's superior numbers began to take their effect upon the last of his drained soldiers. He saw them being cut down, and wondered when they would try to swamp him.
Sheba saw the last Imil soldier fall, bleeding heavily from a slash across the chest. The army looked around for a new target, but found only one. Dark Garet. They hesitantly discussed whether or not to attack.
Dark Garet was getting tired of waiting. After all that fighting, the entire army looked like it might chicken out of fighting him. "Come on. . ." he muttered under his breath, his impatience showing as small blades of grass around him began to slowly light fire.
Finally, the army came to the decision, that if enough of them could engage in hand-to-hand, Dark Garet wouldn't stand a chance. So, betting on their strength in numbers, they charged.
"This is my chance" Sheba said to herself. "I just have to get close enough to him during the confusion to touch him. Easier said than done." She smiled, then jumped off the burning wall, and behind the fray.
"INCOMING! HIT THE DECK!" Isaac yelled, diving to the ground. A split second later, three searing beams came streaking overhead, burning anyone unfortunate enough to still be standing.
"Buh-jeezus!" Isaac muttered. "This isn't looking good."
He stood up and looked over the ramparts. The three Sentinels just kept moving closer. "Alright, use whatever you have, but remember, Psynergy won't work!"
The army attempted to attack. Several people shot arrows, some threw rocks, one or two even used Psynergy to chuck boulders at them.
Unfortunately, none of it worked. The Sentinels still moved forward with the same grim certainty.
"Alright, it's time to try something new!" Isaac plotted. "I need half of you down with me at the lowest chamber of the lighthouse!"
He rushed downstairs, soon followed by several soldiers.
"Ok, what we need is some rope" Isaac explained. "If we can rope them and bring 'em down, then I can hack away at them without worry."
The soldiers stared at him like he was insane.
"What?" Isaac said menacingly. "Anyone have any better ideas?!" he laid his hand on his sword hilt. Not surprisingly, no one did.
Up on the ramparts, Mia was desperately tending to the wounded. "Calm down, I can't heal everyone, even with my wish spells!" she tried to get the soldiers to stop dumping off people to her so quickly.
She was beginning to feel drained. The Sentinels really knew how to pour the heat on.
"Lady Mia!" a soldier called.
"I can't heal you, I'm busy!" she screeched back.
"No, Lady Mia, look!" he pointed over the ramparts.
Mia looked over, and saw several thick ropes attached to one of the Sentinels, a soldier pulling at the other end of each one. Isaac stood in the midst of it, Sol Blade shining red, just waiting to unleash.
"What can you possibly be thinking?" she muttered, smiling at his brave ingenuity.
"Look out!" Mia barely hit the ground in time, as another searing beam smashed against the wall of the lighthouse.
"Well, I hope it works. . ." she muttered under her breath, then went back to healing the wounded.
Sheba slowly advanced on the mass of warriors, trying not to be noticed. She watched as warrior after warrior was thrown into the air, smoldering, burnt beyond recognition. She shuddered, she couldn't possibly imagine the pain they were in.
As she got closer, she dove to the ground, and began to crawl. Slowly, she worked her way through the mass of surging bodies, noticing that less and less people were swarmed around him. She paused, to wipe the sweat off of her face, it was getting way too hot around Dark Garet, and she had the feeling that in a few minutes, he might just explode in Psynergy.
Looking around, she noticed that only a dozen of her soldiers remained. She pressed on, as Dark Garet eliminated all but three of them. Then she saw what she was seeking: a pair of black, smooth boots, spikes sticking out of the toes and the heels.
As Dark Garet picked up the last remaining warrior, and burnt the flesh from his face, she stood up.
"MIND READ!" Sheba entered Dark Garet's mind, just as he turned to see her. Inside, she found quite a mess. Dark Garet was rampaging about, while Garet sat locked in a corner, unable to move. Sheba ran past Dark Garet in a blur, and broke Garet's prison. Sheba and Garet pooled their strength together, and began to fight Dark Garet within the confines of his mind.
"TIMBER!" Isaac yelled, as the first Sentinel started to tip, and then hit the ground with an earth-shattering thud. The Sentinel turned it's face upward, to look at what was happening, and was met by Isaac.
"MEGIDDO!" the Sentinel's head was crushed in, and then the rest of it's body completely crumbled away.
"One down!" Isaac yelled. "Let's get another!"
At the throne of Anemos, Dark Stalfas sat displeased. "Hmph" he let out his dismay. "So they've learned how to take down a Sentinel or two? Fine!"
He turned to his attendants. "Send in the army! They can't fight both at once!"
He looked back at his war map, and the small figurines representing armies and troop strength, and then tipped over the enemy's piece. "They shall fall."
GET OUT OF HERE! Dark Garet boomed inside his head, while being beaten upon by both Sheba and Garet. The battle was fierce inside there, and Dark Garet was beginning to realize for the first time exactly what a monster he was, as he tried to fend off Garet's attacks.
Dressed in the exact same clothes and armor, they looked almost exactly he same. Even Garet's eyes had glazed over with rage, making them the same color as Dark Garet's. And it was all Sheba's fault, for setting him free.
She was sitting back and casting support spells like resist and impact, while Garet pounded Dark Garet mercilessly.
AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!! Dark Garet roared in pain, a blow from Garet's Darksword had hit home, creating a giant gash across his chest.
Yes! Sheba quickly cast another impact, knowing that Garet's strength might run out soon, it had been a long battle.
Garet mercilessly plunged his sword into Dark Garet, until Dark Garet was just a bleeding mass of flesh. But the Garet dropped, dead tired, and Dark Garet attempted to start an offensive. Unable, Dark Garet had a fiendish plan.
Out in the real world, Dark Garet ventured quickly, looking as fast as he could, less his plan be discovered. It took him only a second to spot Sheba, eyes closed in meditation, concentrating on the battle within.
With a mighty thrust, he stuck his Darksword through Sheba's gut, effectively carrying her out of Mind Read range.
Inside his head, Sheba disappeared almost instantaneously. Garet rushed to the surface to see what was happening, and, looking upon the scene, was devastated. He saw Sheba's small form, somehow hanging off of a mammoth Darksword, unable to Mind Read to help Garet out.
Dark Garet roared with laughter again, the awful sound resounding throughout the ruined city. But then, something he did not expect happened. He had been waiting for Sheba to pull herself off the sword, and then flee while Garet and Dark Garet still battled internally.
To his surprise, Sheba gripped the blade, and then, with a grunt of pain, began sliding herself farther down the blade.
NO! Garet cried within his mind. Sheba! Don't do it! I can handle him on my own. . . He realized it was futile, and hung his head in defeat, waiting for Sheba to reappear in his mind.
Sheba pulled herself a full two feet farther down the blade, coughing up blood, a determined gleam in her eyes.
"M-mind. . . read" she managed to stutter, and once more entered Dark Garet's head.
Once inside, she worked as quickly as possible. "HIGH IMPACT!" she shouted, giving Garet the last strength he needed.
Garet sank his sword deep into Dark Garet's helmet, and, with a cry as inhuman as his laughter, Dark Garet disappeared in thousands of beams of light.
"Sheba!" Garet cried, no longer in his head. He threw off his evil helmet, and immediately set the sword down, letting Sheba rest in the grass. "Sheba! Talk to me!"
"G-Garet. . ." she started, but then coughed up blood. Garet opened his mouth to tell her not to waste her strength, but she stopped him. "Garet. . ." she managed again. "I-I'm. . . too far gone."
"No" Garet said softly. "I've already killed Felix, I can't let you die too!"
"I-it wasn't you. . ." Sheba replied, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "It was. . . that monster. F-find. . . Isaac, and Mia. . ."
Garet's eyes flashed angrily.
"N-no. . . you d-don't understand. . ." Sheba's voice got raspier and raspier. "M-Mia. . . sh-she's all. . . broken up. . . over you. . . She w-wouldn't even. . . talk at first. . . She still. . . l-loves you. . . Go to her. . ."
"Are you sure?" Garet asked, and Sheba nodded her head, grimacing with pain.
"They. . . are in C-Contigo. . . g-go" and so Sheba uttered her last words, and as her heart stopped, she saw a blinding light, and from it, Ivan stepped out, beckoning her to the entry.
Garet felt Sheba's body go completely limp. After a few minutes of mourning, he decided to give Sheba a proper burial.
He dug a small hole in the ground, large enough for a pot to fit into, then cremated her, and carefully placed the urn of her ashes in the hole, and buried it.
"Rest in peace" he said, eyes tearing up. "I won't forget what you did for me."
After inspecting the armor he was wearing, he found it to actually be of good quality, and truly impressive makeup. He decided to keep it. Calling forth his Psynergy, he burned bright red and orange flames onto the armor, so it was not black and menacing, but rather looked like flames licking a pure black night sky.
Turning toward Vault, he set off, with two things on his mind, finding Mia, and getting revenge on Alex, for what he made him do.
Nightmare Alex: Yeah, ummm, it took me a long time to get him to be able to say that. He's suffering from sugar hangover again.
Serac:. . . *drools*
Nightmare Alex: All-righty then. Bag of Fun-Size Snickers to QueenDragonGoddess, and The Faction's Lord.
QDG: Curse it! You saw it coming! Oh well, it still might surprise you how it turns out. . .
TFL: Yes! I won't be attacked anymore. And giving Serac that muffin was an okay idea, until he froze the lake over, and then proceeded to shoot ice spikes all through my house. . . sigh. . . oh well. Here is, the next chapter!!!
********************************************************************************************
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars
Chapter XVIII: Freed from the Darkness, Sheba's Sacrifice
The people of Imil advanced through the flames, and were immediately bombarded by several earthquakes. Diving to the ground, they used a new tactic. Seeing the Vale army in trenches gave them an idea.
The few of them that were left summoned up their Psynergy. "Deluge!"
A tidal wave of water swept across the city, and straight into the trenches, drowning quite a few soldiers. Those who got out of the trenches in time advanced, attempting to gain the advantage of superior numbers in melee combat.
Sheba watched the scene with a slight disinterest. She was only worried about Dark Garet. She had come up with a plan, but it was extremely risky. Risky to the point, that had any of her companions been there, they would have forbade her from doing it.
Dark Garet watched with disinterest at the battle also. He was waiting for someone to attempt to attack him. "Pathetic little worms. . ." he trailed off, watching as Vale's superior numbers began to take their effect upon the last of his drained soldiers. He saw them being cut down, and wondered when they would try to swamp him.
Sheba saw the last Imil soldier fall, bleeding heavily from a slash across the chest. The army looked around for a new target, but found only one. Dark Garet. They hesitantly discussed whether or not to attack.
Dark Garet was getting tired of waiting. After all that fighting, the entire army looked like it might chicken out of fighting him. "Come on. . ." he muttered under his breath, his impatience showing as small blades of grass around him began to slowly light fire.
Finally, the army came to the decision, that if enough of them could engage in hand-to-hand, Dark Garet wouldn't stand a chance. So, betting on their strength in numbers, they charged.
"This is my chance" Sheba said to herself. "I just have to get close enough to him during the confusion to touch him. Easier said than done." She smiled, then jumped off the burning wall, and behind the fray.
"INCOMING! HIT THE DECK!" Isaac yelled, diving to the ground. A split second later, three searing beams came streaking overhead, burning anyone unfortunate enough to still be standing.
"Buh-jeezus!" Isaac muttered. "This isn't looking good."
He stood up and looked over the ramparts. The three Sentinels just kept moving closer. "Alright, use whatever you have, but remember, Psynergy won't work!"
The army attempted to attack. Several people shot arrows, some threw rocks, one or two even used Psynergy to chuck boulders at them.
Unfortunately, none of it worked. The Sentinels still moved forward with the same grim certainty.
"Alright, it's time to try something new!" Isaac plotted. "I need half of you down with me at the lowest chamber of the lighthouse!"
He rushed downstairs, soon followed by several soldiers.
"Ok, what we need is some rope" Isaac explained. "If we can rope them and bring 'em down, then I can hack away at them without worry."
The soldiers stared at him like he was insane.
"What?" Isaac said menacingly. "Anyone have any better ideas?!" he laid his hand on his sword hilt. Not surprisingly, no one did.
Up on the ramparts, Mia was desperately tending to the wounded. "Calm down, I can't heal everyone, even with my wish spells!" she tried to get the soldiers to stop dumping off people to her so quickly.
She was beginning to feel drained. The Sentinels really knew how to pour the heat on.
"Lady Mia!" a soldier called.
"I can't heal you, I'm busy!" she screeched back.
"No, Lady Mia, look!" he pointed over the ramparts.
Mia looked over, and saw several thick ropes attached to one of the Sentinels, a soldier pulling at the other end of each one. Isaac stood in the midst of it, Sol Blade shining red, just waiting to unleash.
"What can you possibly be thinking?" she muttered, smiling at his brave ingenuity.
"Look out!" Mia barely hit the ground in time, as another searing beam smashed against the wall of the lighthouse.
"Well, I hope it works. . ." she muttered under her breath, then went back to healing the wounded.
Sheba slowly advanced on the mass of warriors, trying not to be noticed. She watched as warrior after warrior was thrown into the air, smoldering, burnt beyond recognition. She shuddered, she couldn't possibly imagine the pain they were in.
As she got closer, she dove to the ground, and began to crawl. Slowly, she worked her way through the mass of surging bodies, noticing that less and less people were swarmed around him. She paused, to wipe the sweat off of her face, it was getting way too hot around Dark Garet, and she had the feeling that in a few minutes, he might just explode in Psynergy.
Looking around, she noticed that only a dozen of her soldiers remained. She pressed on, as Dark Garet eliminated all but three of them. Then she saw what she was seeking: a pair of black, smooth boots, spikes sticking out of the toes and the heels.
As Dark Garet picked up the last remaining warrior, and burnt the flesh from his face, she stood up.
"MIND READ!" Sheba entered Dark Garet's mind, just as he turned to see her. Inside, she found quite a mess. Dark Garet was rampaging about, while Garet sat locked in a corner, unable to move. Sheba ran past Dark Garet in a blur, and broke Garet's prison. Sheba and Garet pooled their strength together, and began to fight Dark Garet within the confines of his mind.
"TIMBER!" Isaac yelled, as the first Sentinel started to tip, and then hit the ground with an earth-shattering thud. The Sentinel turned it's face upward, to look at what was happening, and was met by Isaac.
"MEGIDDO!" the Sentinel's head was crushed in, and then the rest of it's body completely crumbled away.
"One down!" Isaac yelled. "Let's get another!"
At the throne of Anemos, Dark Stalfas sat displeased. "Hmph" he let out his dismay. "So they've learned how to take down a Sentinel or two? Fine!"
He turned to his attendants. "Send in the army! They can't fight both at once!"
He looked back at his war map, and the small figurines representing armies and troop strength, and then tipped over the enemy's piece. "They shall fall."
GET OUT OF HERE! Dark Garet boomed inside his head, while being beaten upon by both Sheba and Garet. The battle was fierce inside there, and Dark Garet was beginning to realize for the first time exactly what a monster he was, as he tried to fend off Garet's attacks.
Dressed in the exact same clothes and armor, they looked almost exactly he same. Even Garet's eyes had glazed over with rage, making them the same color as Dark Garet's. And it was all Sheba's fault, for setting him free.
She was sitting back and casting support spells like resist and impact, while Garet pounded Dark Garet mercilessly.
AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!! Dark Garet roared in pain, a blow from Garet's Darksword had hit home, creating a giant gash across his chest.
Yes! Sheba quickly cast another impact, knowing that Garet's strength might run out soon, it had been a long battle.
Garet mercilessly plunged his sword into Dark Garet, until Dark Garet was just a bleeding mass of flesh. But the Garet dropped, dead tired, and Dark Garet attempted to start an offensive. Unable, Dark Garet had a fiendish plan.
Out in the real world, Dark Garet ventured quickly, looking as fast as he could, less his plan be discovered. It took him only a second to spot Sheba, eyes closed in meditation, concentrating on the battle within.
With a mighty thrust, he stuck his Darksword through Sheba's gut, effectively carrying her out of Mind Read range.
Inside his head, Sheba disappeared almost instantaneously. Garet rushed to the surface to see what was happening, and, looking upon the scene, was devastated. He saw Sheba's small form, somehow hanging off of a mammoth Darksword, unable to Mind Read to help Garet out.
Dark Garet roared with laughter again, the awful sound resounding throughout the ruined city. But then, something he did not expect happened. He had been waiting for Sheba to pull herself off the sword, and then flee while Garet and Dark Garet still battled internally.
To his surprise, Sheba gripped the blade, and then, with a grunt of pain, began sliding herself farther down the blade.
NO! Garet cried within his mind. Sheba! Don't do it! I can handle him on my own. . . He realized it was futile, and hung his head in defeat, waiting for Sheba to reappear in his mind.
Sheba pulled herself a full two feet farther down the blade, coughing up blood, a determined gleam in her eyes.
"M-mind. . . read" she managed to stutter, and once more entered Dark Garet's head.
Once inside, she worked as quickly as possible. "HIGH IMPACT!" she shouted, giving Garet the last strength he needed.
Garet sank his sword deep into Dark Garet's helmet, and, with a cry as inhuman as his laughter, Dark Garet disappeared in thousands of beams of light.
"Sheba!" Garet cried, no longer in his head. He threw off his evil helmet, and immediately set the sword down, letting Sheba rest in the grass. "Sheba! Talk to me!"
"G-Garet. . ." she started, but then coughed up blood. Garet opened his mouth to tell her not to waste her strength, but she stopped him. "Garet. . ." she managed again. "I-I'm. . . too far gone."
"No" Garet said softly. "I've already killed Felix, I can't let you die too!"
"I-it wasn't you. . ." Sheba replied, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "It was. . . that monster. F-find. . . Isaac, and Mia. . ."
Garet's eyes flashed angrily.
"N-no. . . you d-don't understand. . ." Sheba's voice got raspier and raspier. "M-Mia. . . sh-she's all. . . broken up. . . over you. . . She w-wouldn't even. . . talk at first. . . She still. . . l-loves you. . . Go to her. . ."
"Are you sure?" Garet asked, and Sheba nodded her head, grimacing with pain.
"They. . . are in C-Contigo. . . g-go" and so Sheba uttered her last words, and as her heart stopped, she saw a blinding light, and from it, Ivan stepped out, beckoning her to the entry.
Garet felt Sheba's body go completely limp. After a few minutes of mourning, he decided to give Sheba a proper burial.
He dug a small hole in the ground, large enough for a pot to fit into, then cremated her, and carefully placed the urn of her ashes in the hole, and buried it.
"Rest in peace" he said, eyes tearing up. "I won't forget what you did for me."
After inspecting the armor he was wearing, he found it to actually be of good quality, and truly impressive makeup. He decided to keep it. Calling forth his Psynergy, he burned bright red and orange flames onto the armor, so it was not black and menacing, but rather looked like flames licking a pure black night sky.
Turning toward Vault, he set off, with two things on his mind, finding Mia, and getting revenge on Alex, for what he made him do.