Sorry about the late update, but I have a valid reason. I've recently had a
hardware update, which allows me to play lots of games I couldn't before,
and my Birthday snuck up on me. You might wonder how that could happen, but
it did. Summer made its mysterious appearance in the land of Vikings, and
I've been taking advantage of that. The ability to walk outside without a
coat is a nice one, I realize. Oh well.
Today's chapter title is 'tainted love', and since many people have done this song, I'll just use the people who made it, 'The Cure'
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Chapter XXVII: Tainted Love
Elena's eyes opened slightly more at what Jarred had said. Carefully, she pried his hands away from his arms when she noticed that his blood was dripping onto her arms. Until that point she had been trying to get Jarred to breath at a normal pace.
"Jarred, you're not a monster. I've killed people too." She admitted regretfully, silently glad that Reno wasn't here to hear her tone.
This only caused Jarred to dig his fingers into his arms deeper. The blood was now dripping onto the deck now, tainting its shiny steel surface crimson.
"You had too. Someone told you to do it." He began pulling his finger through his arms. "I did it without a reason. I just wanted to. I, I've abused my gift, Elena. Killed with it. I got all that I deserve, that day, And now I'm going to be punished again."
Elena forcefully tore Jarred's hands away, surprised at the amount of strength he had for someone recovering from some pretty major wounds and massive spells. Even as she managed to pull his hands away, they seemed to pull seemed to draw upon some unseen force and renewed their effort to harm himself. Eventually tiring of the struggle, Elena just put the warrior's arms around herself, and wrapped her own around Jarred. The black skinned man's eyes opened in shock, and he tried recoiling.
"Jarred, you've done nothing wrong." The Turk said. "If you really were a monster, you wouldn't have helped up in The Siege. You would have used your power against us, with Mech-Head."
Jarred sniffed, tried getting away once more. Elena held on firmly, determined to at least TRY and make Jarred feel better.
"That's what I'm going to be punished for, Elena. I abused my gift again." He suddenly buried his face in Elena's shoulder. "I don't know what half of my magic did. How many people died inside their homes in fear, simply because I was trying to help? How many people didn't have a home to go back to because I destroyed it?"
The Turk was a bit stunned at this revelation. Jarred really did know what he had been doing in the Siege, and regretted it.
"Don't feel bad, Jarred. Imagine what would have happened if you hadn't helped. All those people might have died if we couldn't kill Mech-Head, and we might not have been able to do that without you destroying so many of his soldiers." She soothed.
Jarred made no protest. His sobs slowed and eventually stopped. He pulled his face away from Elena's shoulder, and smiled softly.
"I suppose you're right." He reasoned to himself.
Elena smiled at him.
"Of course I'm right!" She said reassuringly. "And I don't know what you've done earlier in your life, but if you say that you've been punished once, than that's enough. No one is going to take anything away for what you did during The Siege. And if they try, they'll have more than you to go through. AVALANCHE would stand up for you. And if they managed to screw up, then I'D stand up for you."
Jarred's smile widened, and he tightened his arms around her.
"Thank you." He muttered.
Elena floundered a little bit upon realizing that in they were hugging, now tightly. But it wasn't completely unwelcome, either. The young warrior's embrace was a nice feeling. His warmth enveloped her, while his cool breath washed across her face. Elena tightened her grip around Jarred, fervently wishing for the moment not to stop. She looked up into those warm, crimson eyes, filled with life and happiness once again. Remembering what he had said earlier, she found herself looking int0 his right pupil, to see what was written there. To see if it really DID change, of course. Not that his eyes weren't nice to look at...
To her amazement, the letters in his eye had indeed changed, this time spelling 'HOME', in small, but distinct, capital letters. She wondered what that could mean for a second, before discarding the idea to merely look at Jarred once more.
A stray lock of hair fell down into his eyes again, and Jarred grinned at it. This time, however, Elena brushed it away, and Jarred beamed at her in gratitude.
Finally, or too soon in Elena's mind, Jarred let his arms around her fall, and she was forced to do the same. The two stood up at the same time, Jarred smiling innocently, and Elena blushing slightly.
"Aww, the show's over so soon?" A leering voice that sounded suspiciously like Ghost said from the doorway. "I wasted a good ten minutes here, and nothing happened? Tch." Upon seeing Ghost there, Elena's blush worsened tenfold, and something that resembled embarrassed annoyance came over her.
"Is your life really so boring that you have to monitor others?" She ground out. Jarred gave her a questioning glance.
"Uhm, what's so bad about-" He began.
"Quiet Jarred." Elena hushed, not bothering to look at him.
"Righto." He agreed quickly, noticing the dangerous tone in her voice.
"Ghost, if you ever-" She was suddenly cut short by Wraith pushing Ghost to the ground suddenly. The thin gunman groaned in pain. Wraith paid no heed.
"My Prince, we must hasten! Spectre sense the Shadowlord's presence approaching! He has taken wing after us!"
Jarred cursed loudly, and gave Elena an apologetic look.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to borrow Ghost for a minute." The shrouded man whooped at that. "But you can chew him out after I'm done." Something that resembled a moan of horror escaped Ghost's lips, while Jarred peeled him off the floor, and led then into the Highwind. Elena followed after a minute, but only after she was sure she could escape Ghost's leering face.
She shuddered. She could only hope Jarred never spoke about what had happened near any of the AVALANCHE, or she'd never hear the end of it.
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Kahn sat up in his sole refuge, the top of the Highwind, hoping with the very dregs of his soul that neither Nox Seran nor Aeris would find him. And he could only hope that that little hellion Joan wasn't proficient enough with magic to hunt him down. He shivered involuntarily. He furled his wings around himself, keeping the warmth inside him. Or at least keep a lot of it in him. Finding the latches he had created the night before, he dug his claws into them once again, not wishing to roll over in his sleep and fall off the Highwind. Strong as they were, even demons stood a good chance of drowning if they fell into it in sleep. In fact, due to his lack of knowledge of swimming, it was a near guaranty that he would drown, unless the water was less than a few inches deep, in which case he would be flattened like a pancake much less be able to awaken.
Sprawled out across the top of the Highwind, he closed his eyes and said his last prayer against annoying pests.
Something poked his shoulder.
His eyes snapped open once again, and a growl erupted from his throat unbidden.
The something poked him again.
"Oh, dear gods! He groaned. "what did I do that could have landed me this punishment?!"
The spectral face of Aeris poked up trough the steel frame of the Highwind. A wicked grin stood out on her face in the dimming light.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe leading an entire species to its doom, being a shameless of the underestimater, and probably a lot of other things I'm not old enough to know."
Kahn snarled angrily.
"Pompous Cetra. Just because you gave your life for a greater cause you think you can lord over the people who've led less than moral lives."
"Hey! I DO realize that all people can't be modern saints! Its just that you could use your power for so much-"
"Goody-goody two-shoes! Sanctimonious corpse!" Kahn interjected, adding a stream of inaudible curses.
Aeris grinned.
"Okay, so maybe I am a bit holier-than-thou."
Kahn hissed in reply, and a sharp screech rent the air as he dragged a sharp claw through the steel hull of the Highwind.
"You shouldn't do that; Cid'll kick your ass when he sees what you've done already. This ship is his surrogate baby." She warned.
Kahn recalled Cid; The ill-tempered human with the oversized spear and the foulest mouth ever to grace the human race. He didn't relish the prospect of angering the short tempered human. Pointy objects in the hands of angry people usually didn't stay unused for very long.
"I'll remember that." Aeris smiled, and poked his shoulder. He sucked in some air for the massive roar he was going to use.
"IF YOU DO THAT I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND PARADE IT AROUND GAEA'S PEAK ON A PIKE, CETRA WENCH! JUST ONE MORE TIME, ONE MOR- RAGH!" He was abruptly cut off as the Highwind jolted to a stop suddenly, and his claws lost their hold. The demon slid down the Highwind's smooth surface, and plummet towards the ground. He barely managed to unfurl his wings and spread them to avoid hitting the ground with lethal force. He caught a glimpse of AVALANCHE just as he spread his wings.
He beat his scaly wings to keep elevated, and slowly rose upwards. As he came up to the deck railing, he snaked an arm around it.
"Would someone like to tell me why I was thrown violently towards the ground?!" He demanded agrilly, pulling himself upwards.
Jarred, followed shortly by Wraith, elbowed a way through AVANLANCHE. Wraith made for the rope ladder, peeking over the edge with barely showing fear, while Jarred merely hopped over the railing. The black skinned man hit the ground with a light 'thud', but seemed unhurt. Ghost came shortly after, and followed Jarred's example by jumping over the edge. Wraith followed them down the ladder with a look of fear on him.
"Come on, you guys, we gotta get out of here before that horde of demons find us!" Jarred called out from below, a thin clearing in what appeared to be a thick forest. "The Shadowlord can't be that far behind us."
Kahn's eyes went wide.
"He's after us already?! Damn!" He let go of the railing, and followed Jarred down to the ground. As he let go, he caught a sight of Aeris floating through the steelworks towards the AVALANCHE. "Wait up, you black skinned psycho! Or I'll kill you myself!" He yelled as Jarred, Ghost and Spectre took off to the north.
"Go to the cave, everyone! We'll start the summoning!" Jarred cried out in reply, already out of eyesight in the deep forest.
Kahn groaned. He would have to follow the humans on this one. He had absolutely NO clue where he was. He patiently waited for Cloud and his motley array of fighters to reach the ground, and lingered to the back while they walked towards the north. It wasn't too bad. Atleast they knew where they were going. And apart from Yuffie moaning about how sick she felt, it was a pretty silent trip. The only other sounds were Wraith cursing lividly. He seemed to be taking the abandonment of his brethren harshly. And of course, every minute or so Nox Seran giggled furiously at something. Usually someone stumbling over a root in the dark.
Kahn endured it. To be safe from the rest of his kind, any price was affordable. Annoyance was a minor price, anyway.
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Mech-Head grinned evilly, beating hiss wings at a fast pace. The ocean roiled and boiled below, tossing up spray. He lead the Shadowlord, and the rest of the demon army, east. Where, he did not know. But the human known as Reno was now no longer in the Highwind, that much Mech-Head knew. Or if he was, then it was moving very slowly. But there was a troubling thought gnawing at the back of his mind; No island had ever been recorded being in the direction they were travelling. If they were out of the Highwind, what were they on?
Something quaked the air suddenly. Well, not exactly quake, but near it. Sort of a ripple coming from all direction. Severe turbulence. A shockwave, followed shortly by a great intake of air. Every demon subject to the laws of physics flew backwards, and then forwards violently. Mech-Head was the only one who didn't suffer from a physical body, however, and did not have the air driven of him, due to the distinct lack. The others, however, were not so fortunate. Some of the weaker demons even splashed into the ocean, howling out in anger. Mech-Head beat his wings faster, seeking out Reno, and undoubtedly Vincent as well. The demon couldn't see, but he knew the Shadowlord and the Council still followed him, and were matching his pace.
"Gods accursed Half-Breeds!" He heard Faeryn roar behind him. "Gods Accursed Prince of accursed Darkness!"
Ahead of him head see what at first looked like a deep mist, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a jagged mountain range slashing right out of the ocean. Its high peaks rounded in a circle, creating a natural wall around whatever was inside. The demon slowly recognized the Highwind, floating in the air with all its propellers twirling around.
A black spire shot suddenly out of the northern part of the mountains, reaching upwards towards the heavens like a black spear planted firmly in the ground. It seemed to span for infinity, disappearing into the night sky above. Deep purple runes appeared along it, in the forgotten tongue of Half- Breeds. They circled around it, growing in strength until they streamed forth with dark energy of their own. Purple light seeped forth from it, lighting the night heavens with their eerie magnificence. The black spire swallowed the runes, and slowly receded in on itself.
Mech-Head stared at it all with wonder on his face. Magic of such a scale hadn't been worked for... A very long time indeed. Whatever was happening, Mech-Head was glad he wasn't there.
"What in the name of F-%&@ are those stupid Half-Breeds up to now?!" He muttered, and pursued the source of the massive spell. Jarred had to be at the core it.
However, he couldn't help but notice the massive black tower that now stood on the peak of the mountain where the black spire had appeared. It loomed ominously in the horizon, menacing them with its dark majesty. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psin nearly leapt out of his skin when he felt the forces of life implode towards Jarred. Being so close to it himself, he could almost feel the energy sucked right out of him. He looked with open amazement at the spectacle in front of him; The final hold of Half-Breeds, brought back to the planes of the living! He had always thought it stood firmly in the gap between life in death, like the demon afterlife, but he was apparently wrong. Very wrong, it seemed. It had appeared here, of all place and times. And Jarred had summoned it. That old hag was certainly going to bind his arms with chains and teach him every scrap of magic known. And then expect him to do some great deed with it all. Psin nearly felt sorry for his adversary. Nearly.
He reigned his dragon up short, forcing to stay in place by beating its wings quickly.
~What are you thinking, summoning that now, of all times?!~ He demanded mentally, while his mouth cursed Jarred for a fool of the worst kind. ~If I have to draw blade and magic because you didn't think before you acted, I will use them against you, whether I can beat you or no!~
He booted the dragon, and gestured towards the newly summoned tower.
"Gods, I hate you Jarred. I really do."
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Aeris arrived first in the cave, with a panting Cloud and Tifa shortly behind. She gasped at the sight in front of her. Jarred, Spectre and Ghost each stood with a wickedly scythed dagger at their wrist, letting their collective blood seep into a small stone pool, each with their eyes closed, and sombre expressions. Wraith was next in, black eyes flaring with dark energy.
"Get those daggers away before you all turn into bloodless corpses, you fools!" He boomed angrily, flinging his cloak over his shoulders so it served more as a cape than a cloak. Beneath that thick black cloak he wore platinum armour, which gleamed brightly in the dim light. He brought his hands to each other, and they glowed with a black aura. He tore them away, and let it flow towards the trio. As the black aura spread over their wounds, they opened their eyes, and fell to their knees as if they had run hours. The daggers fell to the ground with a metallic clang.
"D, did we do it?" Ghost asked in a nerveless voice, rubbing the rapidly healing wound on his wrist.
Wraith glared at the red eyed man heatedly.
"Did you commit the single most foolish act you could have done? Yes, you did." He spat suddenly. "You shame me with your rash action, brothers. She will be very displeased with the three of you." He caught the puzzled glance of Jarred with ease, and scrunched his brow together. "Yes, you as well, Jarred. Helping your friends is alright, but this seal has remained in place for thousands of years-" He droned on, lecturing the trio as if they had been caught with their hands in a cookie jar and caught by their elder brother.
Aeris looked at Cloud and Tifa questioningly, who shrugged in answer. She turned to the tall warrior, smiling warily.
"Uhm, mister Wraith, we're going to go ahead if you don't mind."
That made Wraith stop in his tracks. His mouth hung open for second before he reeled around to stare Aeris down.
"Nothing enters The Spire, Cetra. Nothing but our people. Nobody but out queen can-"
"Its quite alright, Wraith." A melodious voice sound from a stairway that had appeared in the summoning. "A friend of Jarred's is always welcome, and if he wishes to help a Cetra then it is our honour to help her."
The group reeled to look upon the speaker, while Cid and Barret arrived, followed by Shera, Vincent and Yuffie. A collective gasp went out as they looked at her. Wraith, Spectre and Ghost kneeled instantly, heads bowed, while Jarred reluctantly followed their example. He didn't avert his gaze however.
"Who are you?" Cloud asked weakly, taking her in slowly.
'She' had long silvery smooth hair, and icy blue eyes. She wore a plain, snowy white dress. The most shocking apect of all, however, was how her skin seemed to radiate silvery light. No mark of age marred her beauty, nor any mark of battle. She placed a delicate hand on a hip, and smiled at the group.
Nox Seran arrived them, saw her, and froze. Her smile widened at the sight of the snake demon.
"Ah, Nox Seran, still trying to make sane people jump off buildings?"
Nox Seran seemed to recover, and bowed deeply, but not without a smile of his own.
"But of course, my queen. Still trying manipulating people who don't know better?" He said slyly, cracking his tail against a stone.
Kahn stormed in, an angry look on his face.
"I hope your all happy, you wretched people! You've scared the living daylights out of me that little light show of yours-" He looked around, and noticed the woman standing there. He seemed to swallow his tongue and drop a hot kettle on his foot.
The woman's expression hardened, and she narrowed her eyes. Her lips tightened, and she pressed her hand firmly against her dress.
"Kahn." She said simply.
Kahn in question, was stumbling over himself to keep from falling over in fearful shock.
"Shakal," He sputtered, going down on one knee, much to Aeris's great indignity. "Always a pleasure."
She frowned suddenly.
"I never thought you would sink low enough to actually accept sanctuary, Kahn." She turned around, heading up the stairs. "Follow me, humans, and I will show you where you can sleep tonight. Tomorrow we must discus what can be done. Wraith, show Kahn to his chambers. I trust you know your own way to your room, Jarred?"
With that, she disappeared up those stairs, and the whole of AVALANCHE followed wordlessly. It didn't really seem to be appropriate, after all. Only Aeris and Wraith remained, each for their own reasons.
"Kahn Mora Shakal." She muttered slowly, and disappeared up those stairs as well.
Wraith bore down on Kahn, a hardness about him that spoke exactly what he thought of this..
"On your feet, demon." Kahn obeyed wordlessly, shock and confusion on his face. "I will show you to your room, but the second you displease the queen, I will find you, and nothing will help you." He growled, and lead Kahn up the stairwell.
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oh, the drama. Hey, I actually finished this chapter! It always seemed so far away, and now its finished.
...
Kinda sad, really. It was beginning to be a hobby to muse out what would happen.
Today's chapter title is 'tainted love', and since many people have done this song, I'll just use the people who made it, 'The Cure'
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Chapter XXVII: Tainted Love
Elena's eyes opened slightly more at what Jarred had said. Carefully, she pried his hands away from his arms when she noticed that his blood was dripping onto her arms. Until that point she had been trying to get Jarred to breath at a normal pace.
"Jarred, you're not a monster. I've killed people too." She admitted regretfully, silently glad that Reno wasn't here to hear her tone.
This only caused Jarred to dig his fingers into his arms deeper. The blood was now dripping onto the deck now, tainting its shiny steel surface crimson.
"You had too. Someone told you to do it." He began pulling his finger through his arms. "I did it without a reason. I just wanted to. I, I've abused my gift, Elena. Killed with it. I got all that I deserve, that day, And now I'm going to be punished again."
Elena forcefully tore Jarred's hands away, surprised at the amount of strength he had for someone recovering from some pretty major wounds and massive spells. Even as she managed to pull his hands away, they seemed to pull seemed to draw upon some unseen force and renewed their effort to harm himself. Eventually tiring of the struggle, Elena just put the warrior's arms around herself, and wrapped her own around Jarred. The black skinned man's eyes opened in shock, and he tried recoiling.
"Jarred, you've done nothing wrong." The Turk said. "If you really were a monster, you wouldn't have helped up in The Siege. You would have used your power against us, with Mech-Head."
Jarred sniffed, tried getting away once more. Elena held on firmly, determined to at least TRY and make Jarred feel better.
"That's what I'm going to be punished for, Elena. I abused my gift again." He suddenly buried his face in Elena's shoulder. "I don't know what half of my magic did. How many people died inside their homes in fear, simply because I was trying to help? How many people didn't have a home to go back to because I destroyed it?"
The Turk was a bit stunned at this revelation. Jarred really did know what he had been doing in the Siege, and regretted it.
"Don't feel bad, Jarred. Imagine what would have happened if you hadn't helped. All those people might have died if we couldn't kill Mech-Head, and we might not have been able to do that without you destroying so many of his soldiers." She soothed.
Jarred made no protest. His sobs slowed and eventually stopped. He pulled his face away from Elena's shoulder, and smiled softly.
"I suppose you're right." He reasoned to himself.
Elena smiled at him.
"Of course I'm right!" She said reassuringly. "And I don't know what you've done earlier in your life, but if you say that you've been punished once, than that's enough. No one is going to take anything away for what you did during The Siege. And if they try, they'll have more than you to go through. AVALANCHE would stand up for you. And if they managed to screw up, then I'D stand up for you."
Jarred's smile widened, and he tightened his arms around her.
"Thank you." He muttered.
Elena floundered a little bit upon realizing that in they were hugging, now tightly. But it wasn't completely unwelcome, either. The young warrior's embrace was a nice feeling. His warmth enveloped her, while his cool breath washed across her face. Elena tightened her grip around Jarred, fervently wishing for the moment not to stop. She looked up into those warm, crimson eyes, filled with life and happiness once again. Remembering what he had said earlier, she found herself looking int0 his right pupil, to see what was written there. To see if it really DID change, of course. Not that his eyes weren't nice to look at...
To her amazement, the letters in his eye had indeed changed, this time spelling 'HOME', in small, but distinct, capital letters. She wondered what that could mean for a second, before discarding the idea to merely look at Jarred once more.
A stray lock of hair fell down into his eyes again, and Jarred grinned at it. This time, however, Elena brushed it away, and Jarred beamed at her in gratitude.
Finally, or too soon in Elena's mind, Jarred let his arms around her fall, and she was forced to do the same. The two stood up at the same time, Jarred smiling innocently, and Elena blushing slightly.
"Aww, the show's over so soon?" A leering voice that sounded suspiciously like Ghost said from the doorway. "I wasted a good ten minutes here, and nothing happened? Tch." Upon seeing Ghost there, Elena's blush worsened tenfold, and something that resembled embarrassed annoyance came over her.
"Is your life really so boring that you have to monitor others?" She ground out. Jarred gave her a questioning glance.
"Uhm, what's so bad about-" He began.
"Quiet Jarred." Elena hushed, not bothering to look at him.
"Righto." He agreed quickly, noticing the dangerous tone in her voice.
"Ghost, if you ever-" She was suddenly cut short by Wraith pushing Ghost to the ground suddenly. The thin gunman groaned in pain. Wraith paid no heed.
"My Prince, we must hasten! Spectre sense the Shadowlord's presence approaching! He has taken wing after us!"
Jarred cursed loudly, and gave Elena an apologetic look.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to borrow Ghost for a minute." The shrouded man whooped at that. "But you can chew him out after I'm done." Something that resembled a moan of horror escaped Ghost's lips, while Jarred peeled him off the floor, and led then into the Highwind. Elena followed after a minute, but only after she was sure she could escape Ghost's leering face.
She shuddered. She could only hope Jarred never spoke about what had happened near any of the AVALANCHE, or she'd never hear the end of it.
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Kahn sat up in his sole refuge, the top of the Highwind, hoping with the very dregs of his soul that neither Nox Seran nor Aeris would find him. And he could only hope that that little hellion Joan wasn't proficient enough with magic to hunt him down. He shivered involuntarily. He furled his wings around himself, keeping the warmth inside him. Or at least keep a lot of it in him. Finding the latches he had created the night before, he dug his claws into them once again, not wishing to roll over in his sleep and fall off the Highwind. Strong as they were, even demons stood a good chance of drowning if they fell into it in sleep. In fact, due to his lack of knowledge of swimming, it was a near guaranty that he would drown, unless the water was less than a few inches deep, in which case he would be flattened like a pancake much less be able to awaken.
Sprawled out across the top of the Highwind, he closed his eyes and said his last prayer against annoying pests.
Something poked his shoulder.
His eyes snapped open once again, and a growl erupted from his throat unbidden.
The something poked him again.
"Oh, dear gods! He groaned. "what did I do that could have landed me this punishment?!"
The spectral face of Aeris poked up trough the steel frame of the Highwind. A wicked grin stood out on her face in the dimming light.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe leading an entire species to its doom, being a shameless of the underestimater, and probably a lot of other things I'm not old enough to know."
Kahn snarled angrily.
"Pompous Cetra. Just because you gave your life for a greater cause you think you can lord over the people who've led less than moral lives."
"Hey! I DO realize that all people can't be modern saints! Its just that you could use your power for so much-"
"Goody-goody two-shoes! Sanctimonious corpse!" Kahn interjected, adding a stream of inaudible curses.
Aeris grinned.
"Okay, so maybe I am a bit holier-than-thou."
Kahn hissed in reply, and a sharp screech rent the air as he dragged a sharp claw through the steel hull of the Highwind.
"You shouldn't do that; Cid'll kick your ass when he sees what you've done already. This ship is his surrogate baby." She warned.
Kahn recalled Cid; The ill-tempered human with the oversized spear and the foulest mouth ever to grace the human race. He didn't relish the prospect of angering the short tempered human. Pointy objects in the hands of angry people usually didn't stay unused for very long.
"I'll remember that." Aeris smiled, and poked his shoulder. He sucked in some air for the massive roar he was going to use.
"IF YOU DO THAT I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND PARADE IT AROUND GAEA'S PEAK ON A PIKE, CETRA WENCH! JUST ONE MORE TIME, ONE MOR- RAGH!" He was abruptly cut off as the Highwind jolted to a stop suddenly, and his claws lost their hold. The demon slid down the Highwind's smooth surface, and plummet towards the ground. He barely managed to unfurl his wings and spread them to avoid hitting the ground with lethal force. He caught a glimpse of AVALANCHE just as he spread his wings.
He beat his scaly wings to keep elevated, and slowly rose upwards. As he came up to the deck railing, he snaked an arm around it.
"Would someone like to tell me why I was thrown violently towards the ground?!" He demanded agrilly, pulling himself upwards.
Jarred, followed shortly by Wraith, elbowed a way through AVANLANCHE. Wraith made for the rope ladder, peeking over the edge with barely showing fear, while Jarred merely hopped over the railing. The black skinned man hit the ground with a light 'thud', but seemed unhurt. Ghost came shortly after, and followed Jarred's example by jumping over the edge. Wraith followed them down the ladder with a look of fear on him.
"Come on, you guys, we gotta get out of here before that horde of demons find us!" Jarred called out from below, a thin clearing in what appeared to be a thick forest. "The Shadowlord can't be that far behind us."
Kahn's eyes went wide.
"He's after us already?! Damn!" He let go of the railing, and followed Jarred down to the ground. As he let go, he caught a sight of Aeris floating through the steelworks towards the AVALANCHE. "Wait up, you black skinned psycho! Or I'll kill you myself!" He yelled as Jarred, Ghost and Spectre took off to the north.
"Go to the cave, everyone! We'll start the summoning!" Jarred cried out in reply, already out of eyesight in the deep forest.
Kahn groaned. He would have to follow the humans on this one. He had absolutely NO clue where he was. He patiently waited for Cloud and his motley array of fighters to reach the ground, and lingered to the back while they walked towards the north. It wasn't too bad. Atleast they knew where they were going. And apart from Yuffie moaning about how sick she felt, it was a pretty silent trip. The only other sounds were Wraith cursing lividly. He seemed to be taking the abandonment of his brethren harshly. And of course, every minute or so Nox Seran giggled furiously at something. Usually someone stumbling over a root in the dark.
Kahn endured it. To be safe from the rest of his kind, any price was affordable. Annoyance was a minor price, anyway.
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Mech-Head grinned evilly, beating hiss wings at a fast pace. The ocean roiled and boiled below, tossing up spray. He lead the Shadowlord, and the rest of the demon army, east. Where, he did not know. But the human known as Reno was now no longer in the Highwind, that much Mech-Head knew. Or if he was, then it was moving very slowly. But there was a troubling thought gnawing at the back of his mind; No island had ever been recorded being in the direction they were travelling. If they were out of the Highwind, what were they on?
Something quaked the air suddenly. Well, not exactly quake, but near it. Sort of a ripple coming from all direction. Severe turbulence. A shockwave, followed shortly by a great intake of air. Every demon subject to the laws of physics flew backwards, and then forwards violently. Mech-Head was the only one who didn't suffer from a physical body, however, and did not have the air driven of him, due to the distinct lack. The others, however, were not so fortunate. Some of the weaker demons even splashed into the ocean, howling out in anger. Mech-Head beat his wings faster, seeking out Reno, and undoubtedly Vincent as well. The demon couldn't see, but he knew the Shadowlord and the Council still followed him, and were matching his pace.
"Gods accursed Half-Breeds!" He heard Faeryn roar behind him. "Gods Accursed Prince of accursed Darkness!"
Ahead of him head see what at first looked like a deep mist, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a jagged mountain range slashing right out of the ocean. Its high peaks rounded in a circle, creating a natural wall around whatever was inside. The demon slowly recognized the Highwind, floating in the air with all its propellers twirling around.
A black spire shot suddenly out of the northern part of the mountains, reaching upwards towards the heavens like a black spear planted firmly in the ground. It seemed to span for infinity, disappearing into the night sky above. Deep purple runes appeared along it, in the forgotten tongue of Half- Breeds. They circled around it, growing in strength until they streamed forth with dark energy of their own. Purple light seeped forth from it, lighting the night heavens with their eerie magnificence. The black spire swallowed the runes, and slowly receded in on itself.
Mech-Head stared at it all with wonder on his face. Magic of such a scale hadn't been worked for... A very long time indeed. Whatever was happening, Mech-Head was glad he wasn't there.
"What in the name of F-%&@ are those stupid Half-Breeds up to now?!" He muttered, and pursued the source of the massive spell. Jarred had to be at the core it.
However, he couldn't help but notice the massive black tower that now stood on the peak of the mountain where the black spire had appeared. It loomed ominously in the horizon, menacing them with its dark majesty. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psin nearly leapt out of his skin when he felt the forces of life implode towards Jarred. Being so close to it himself, he could almost feel the energy sucked right out of him. He looked with open amazement at the spectacle in front of him; The final hold of Half-Breeds, brought back to the planes of the living! He had always thought it stood firmly in the gap between life in death, like the demon afterlife, but he was apparently wrong. Very wrong, it seemed. It had appeared here, of all place and times. And Jarred had summoned it. That old hag was certainly going to bind his arms with chains and teach him every scrap of magic known. And then expect him to do some great deed with it all. Psin nearly felt sorry for his adversary. Nearly.
He reigned his dragon up short, forcing to stay in place by beating its wings quickly.
~What are you thinking, summoning that now, of all times?!~ He demanded mentally, while his mouth cursed Jarred for a fool of the worst kind. ~If I have to draw blade and magic because you didn't think before you acted, I will use them against you, whether I can beat you or no!~
He booted the dragon, and gestured towards the newly summoned tower.
"Gods, I hate you Jarred. I really do."
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Aeris arrived first in the cave, with a panting Cloud and Tifa shortly behind. She gasped at the sight in front of her. Jarred, Spectre and Ghost each stood with a wickedly scythed dagger at their wrist, letting their collective blood seep into a small stone pool, each with their eyes closed, and sombre expressions. Wraith was next in, black eyes flaring with dark energy.
"Get those daggers away before you all turn into bloodless corpses, you fools!" He boomed angrily, flinging his cloak over his shoulders so it served more as a cape than a cloak. Beneath that thick black cloak he wore platinum armour, which gleamed brightly in the dim light. He brought his hands to each other, and they glowed with a black aura. He tore them away, and let it flow towards the trio. As the black aura spread over their wounds, they opened their eyes, and fell to their knees as if they had run hours. The daggers fell to the ground with a metallic clang.
"D, did we do it?" Ghost asked in a nerveless voice, rubbing the rapidly healing wound on his wrist.
Wraith glared at the red eyed man heatedly.
"Did you commit the single most foolish act you could have done? Yes, you did." He spat suddenly. "You shame me with your rash action, brothers. She will be very displeased with the three of you." He caught the puzzled glance of Jarred with ease, and scrunched his brow together. "Yes, you as well, Jarred. Helping your friends is alright, but this seal has remained in place for thousands of years-" He droned on, lecturing the trio as if they had been caught with their hands in a cookie jar and caught by their elder brother.
Aeris looked at Cloud and Tifa questioningly, who shrugged in answer. She turned to the tall warrior, smiling warily.
"Uhm, mister Wraith, we're going to go ahead if you don't mind."
That made Wraith stop in his tracks. His mouth hung open for second before he reeled around to stare Aeris down.
"Nothing enters The Spire, Cetra. Nothing but our people. Nobody but out queen can-"
"Its quite alright, Wraith." A melodious voice sound from a stairway that had appeared in the summoning. "A friend of Jarred's is always welcome, and if he wishes to help a Cetra then it is our honour to help her."
The group reeled to look upon the speaker, while Cid and Barret arrived, followed by Shera, Vincent and Yuffie. A collective gasp went out as they looked at her. Wraith, Spectre and Ghost kneeled instantly, heads bowed, while Jarred reluctantly followed their example. He didn't avert his gaze however.
"Who are you?" Cloud asked weakly, taking her in slowly.
'She' had long silvery smooth hair, and icy blue eyes. She wore a plain, snowy white dress. The most shocking apect of all, however, was how her skin seemed to radiate silvery light. No mark of age marred her beauty, nor any mark of battle. She placed a delicate hand on a hip, and smiled at the group.
Nox Seran arrived them, saw her, and froze. Her smile widened at the sight of the snake demon.
"Ah, Nox Seran, still trying to make sane people jump off buildings?"
Nox Seran seemed to recover, and bowed deeply, but not without a smile of his own.
"But of course, my queen. Still trying manipulating people who don't know better?" He said slyly, cracking his tail against a stone.
Kahn stormed in, an angry look on his face.
"I hope your all happy, you wretched people! You've scared the living daylights out of me that little light show of yours-" He looked around, and noticed the woman standing there. He seemed to swallow his tongue and drop a hot kettle on his foot.
The woman's expression hardened, and she narrowed her eyes. Her lips tightened, and she pressed her hand firmly against her dress.
"Kahn." She said simply.
Kahn in question, was stumbling over himself to keep from falling over in fearful shock.
"Shakal," He sputtered, going down on one knee, much to Aeris's great indignity. "Always a pleasure."
She frowned suddenly.
"I never thought you would sink low enough to actually accept sanctuary, Kahn." She turned around, heading up the stairs. "Follow me, humans, and I will show you where you can sleep tonight. Tomorrow we must discus what can be done. Wraith, show Kahn to his chambers. I trust you know your own way to your room, Jarred?"
With that, she disappeared up those stairs, and the whole of AVALANCHE followed wordlessly. It didn't really seem to be appropriate, after all. Only Aeris and Wraith remained, each for their own reasons.
"Kahn Mora Shakal." She muttered slowly, and disappeared up those stairs as well.
Wraith bore down on Kahn, a hardness about him that spoke exactly what he thought of this..
"On your feet, demon." Kahn obeyed wordlessly, shock and confusion on his face. "I will show you to your room, but the second you displease the queen, I will find you, and nothing will help you." He growled, and lead Kahn up the stairwell.
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oh, the drama. Hey, I actually finished this chapter! It always seemed so far away, and now its finished.
...
Kinda sad, really. It was beginning to be a hobby to muse out what would happen.
