Blade Saga
Part Three: Chasm and Dekum
By Kat Warrior
"So, we're drawing life from each other?" Rayman asked. As many times as he turned what Chasm said over in his mind, it didn't make any sense at all. How was that possible? Chasm had explained it, but it was still just too strange to him.
"That's right," Chasm replied, "Our blood mixed on the sword you have in your hands. That makes us brothers in a sense, but because of that, and because you freed me, we are currently drawing oxygen, blood, and nutrition from each other. While that might not affect either of us right now, we're becoming weaker and weaker. This will continue until we're both dead, unless."
"Unless?" Rayman echoed, "Unless what? How do we stop it? Didn't you say before that one of us must die?"
"That's right. One of us would have to kill the other. We could die from other causes, yes, but unless one kills the other, the one who died would still be taking from the one who was alive. Do you understand now?" Chasm was trying not to sound impatient or rude, but explaining the fact that they were both practically on Death Row made him edgy.
Rayman sighed. "So I guess we have to fight each other, huh? Well, to be honest I don't have the time. I need this sword to save a friend of mine."
"And I have some freedom to enjoy," Chasm added, "We do have some time, you know. This thing won't kill us for at least three days. We'll grow weaker and weaker during that time, but at least we know our deadline. no pun intended."
"So, I guess we'll have to meet up again after I save me friend then," Rayman decided, "After that, I can accept death I guess. Unless I die saving her."
"Let's hope for both our sakes that you don't," Chasm said as he started out of the cave, "Now if you'll excuse me I've been in here quite long enough." Frustrated and unsure about the situation, Rayman followed him.
As they neared the cave's exit, Rayman was able to get a better look at Chasm. Even walking behind him he could pick out some details about him. His skin was indeed snow-white, and his garment was a tattered brown shirt. He had on plain black shoes and fingerless gloves. His attire far from suggested his background, or at least his background as Ly had described it.
"Hey! You're not Rayman!" Globox's surprised voice declared as they stepped out, "What did you do with him?"
"I'm right here!" Rayman called to him with a smile, exiting the cave right behind Chasm, "This is Chasm. I freed him from this." Rayman held up the sword, the sunlight causing the smooth, blue surface to glow.
"Hey, nice sword!" Globox declared, "Is that what we came all the way up here for? Well, I'd say it was worth it!"
As Globox chattered on about the weapon, Ly approached Chasm.
"Are you the one Grandfather told us about?" she asked quietly, "Our grandfather spoke of you many times; the one who went up into the mountains to study the sword that helped deliver our people and was trapped while up there."
"Yes," he replied, "I'm Chasm, the philosopher. Surely you must be Dekum's kin. You look very much like him and his wife, Iris."
"That's right," she answered, "The one who made the sword is my grandfather. He's still alive, you know. When he tells us stories with you in them I can tell that he was very fond of you."
Chasm was silent for a while. He glanced over at Rayman and Globox, still looking over the sword and discussing it. Then he looked back at Ly. "So Dekum is still alive. That's good to hear. But I must warn you, Miss, that Rayman and I are drawing life from one another. In the next few days, he may start becoming weaker for no apparent reason. So will I. You'll need to give him extra support if you want to save your comrade." He looked around the terrain, lost in though. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have at least one hundred years to catch up on before it's too late."
Chasm very politely dismissed himself from the group and took off at an impressive speed down the hill. Rayman and his friends watched him silently until Globox spoke.
"Should we go after him?" he asked eagerly.
"Nah," Rayman replied, "He's not going to hurt anything. not in a way that we can prevent, anyway. Well, we're killing time just standing here. Ly, where do you think Arachnid is?"
"We should start looking at the mountain he was trapped in. Hopefully we'll find a clue as to how he got out and where he escaped to. We could start by going back down the mountain around it, but it would be shorter to go over the mountain and down the other side, though going over and down will most likely prove to be more difficult and tiring." She turned to Rayman. "In the condition you might be in, going around might be even more hazardous."
Rayman sighed. "Don't worry about it, Ly. If we hurry, I should be just fine by the time we get to that other mountain. Well, let's go!"
"Rayman!" Globox called as they set off at a quick walk, "What did Ly mean? Is there something wrong with you?"
Rayman looked up at him with sad eyes. He didn't want to tell Globox he was dying, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to his best friend, either.
"Well, Globox, I hope you're ready to listen, because this explanation could take a while."
***
Chasm, despite knowing that he was dying, couldn't help but smile as he rushed down the mountain. He had thought that everyone he had known in his life would be dead, but there was hope. If Dekum was alive, he might be able to help both him and Rayman out of their predicament. He just hoped the old fairy would recognize him and not think himself to be dreaming or hallucinating.
He neared the bottom of the mountain and was able to see the forest in much better detail. It had changed a great deal in one hundred years, and his smile turned to a frown when he noted that there had been a fire rather recently. Perhaps Dekum could explain it to him.
When Chasm was finally under the shelter of the trees, he took a break. He had been running for the past few minutes and was rather tired. He let his body drop to the ground rather gracelessly at the trunk of a tree and closed his eyes. Normally, with such dire situations as the one he was in, Chasm would have been in a hurry to see his old friend. But, also being rather wise, he knew that unless he rested he would be too tired to speak with Dekum.
***
The three travelers managed to get over the peak of the mountain and start down the other side without any problems. Rayman knew he was weakening, but was glad that he couldn't feel it yet. He still felt strong, and so urged his friends on to make sure that he still had a lot of strength left when he fought Arachnid. He did, however, allow them to stop for lunch. After all, he wasn't the only one who needed strength to continue.
As they ate their lunch, Rayman kept looking at the sword. It certainly was a work of art, but he really didn't know how to use it. But maybe, since he was drawing life from Chasm he was drawing knowledge, too? Or maybe using the sword would be like an instinct. He picked up the blade to examine it again, this time being more careful not to cut himself.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes," Ly assured him, "That's how my grandfather made it. The sword will bind itself to you and allow you to use it however you want. It becomes your slave as long as you use it for good."
Rayman smiled at her. "Not to worry," he assured her, "The only one I plan to hurt with this is Arachnid."
"But Rayman," Globox started, speaking for the first time since learning of his friend's odd condition, "What about Chasm? Won't you have to--"
Rayman shook his head gravely. "I can't do that, Globox. I couldn't use this to hurt Chasm! Not after it cost him so much to study it. To tell you the truth, I don't think I could hurt him at all, let alone kill him. I just wouldn't feel like I was doing the right thing." He looked up and forced himself to smile. "But let's not worry about that now." He stood and dusted himself off with one hand and held the sword with the other. "Let's just focus on saving Tily!"
***
"Come to me, my prey," Arachnid's low voice purred as he rested in his lair. He couldn't see Rayman, but a scout had informed him that he and his friends were drawing nearer to the mountain. It was, in fact, the same mountain that Arachnid had been trapped in, but one of his children had discovered a way out of it only a week ago. Arachnid could have chosen to relocate, but decided against it. He wanted Rayman and Ly to find him, after all. Yes, in only a day or two he could take their powers and then, since their bodies would be useless, he could eat them.
But he wasn't counting on Rayman having the sword. While the scout had told him that Rayman was approaching, the scout hadn't seen the sheathed sword and didn't know that Chasm had been freed or that he even existed.
***
While the forest had changed greatly over the period he'd been gone, Chasm was thrilled to see that the Fairy Council had not. The structure continued to glow with mysterious radiance, lighting up the evening air around it. Since it was quite unlikely that it had changed on the inside anymore than it had on the outside, finding Dekum's hall was likely to be easy. Chasm remembered the lay-out as if he had only visited the day before.
He received odd looks from a few residents as he made his way around, but no one stopped him. Chasm could feel his heart beat faster as he neared Dekum's hall. He just hoped that the old fairy would recognize him. Once he passed through the doors to the hall, it was all Chasm could do not to charge excitedly at the old fairy.
There sat Dekum on what appeared to be a rather large, glowing mushroom. The old fairy had colors and stripes much like Ly's, but he had wings like Tily's, except crumpled and wrinkled, and a bushy tail. He wore a loose blue robe and held a gnarled staff in his hand. His face was weathered and wrinkled and he had a long, white beard, but his eyes still sparkled with the liveliness of all fairies. He stood slowly as Chasm approached him. He smiled and floated down from the mushroom over to him.
"Ly contacted me mentally and told me you were coming," Dekum stated, his voice low and husky. "I have waited for your return with great anticipation, my child."
The old fairy held his arms open and Chasm rushed into them, small tears of joy streaming down his face. At last, if only for a short while, he was home.
***
Rayman, Ly, and Globox stood in a row, looking solemnly up at the natural citadel that was Death Mountain, where Arachnid had been trapped for many years. The mountain was so tall and thin that it looked like a jagged dagger stabbing the night sky.
"Before Arachnid tried to take over out world it was the most beautiful sight," Ly sighed, "It was once called Mt. Rose. But now."
"It looks like the devil himself lives there," Rayman finished. "But maybe, once Arachnid is gone for good, it'll be beautiful again."
"Maybe," Ly murmured, "Maybe after many centuries it can be what it once was. but let's rest now. It will be a long journey to the mountain's entrance and we need all the rest we can get." She looked at Rayman and he knew that she meant mostly him when she said "we".
"We're coming Tily," Rayman murmured as he settled down to sleep.
***
A/N: Alright! I'll admit it! I have a serious case of writer's block! I'm sorry this chapter was so lame! Arachnid, Chasm, and Dekum are © to me. Steal them and pay.
Update: Writer's Block all gone! Hopefully, the next chapter will be written and posted soon!
Part Three: Chasm and Dekum
By Kat Warrior
"So, we're drawing life from each other?" Rayman asked. As many times as he turned what Chasm said over in his mind, it didn't make any sense at all. How was that possible? Chasm had explained it, but it was still just too strange to him.
"That's right," Chasm replied, "Our blood mixed on the sword you have in your hands. That makes us brothers in a sense, but because of that, and because you freed me, we are currently drawing oxygen, blood, and nutrition from each other. While that might not affect either of us right now, we're becoming weaker and weaker. This will continue until we're both dead, unless."
"Unless?" Rayman echoed, "Unless what? How do we stop it? Didn't you say before that one of us must die?"
"That's right. One of us would have to kill the other. We could die from other causes, yes, but unless one kills the other, the one who died would still be taking from the one who was alive. Do you understand now?" Chasm was trying not to sound impatient or rude, but explaining the fact that they were both practically on Death Row made him edgy.
Rayman sighed. "So I guess we have to fight each other, huh? Well, to be honest I don't have the time. I need this sword to save a friend of mine."
"And I have some freedom to enjoy," Chasm added, "We do have some time, you know. This thing won't kill us for at least three days. We'll grow weaker and weaker during that time, but at least we know our deadline. no pun intended."
"So, I guess we'll have to meet up again after I save me friend then," Rayman decided, "After that, I can accept death I guess. Unless I die saving her."
"Let's hope for both our sakes that you don't," Chasm said as he started out of the cave, "Now if you'll excuse me I've been in here quite long enough." Frustrated and unsure about the situation, Rayman followed him.
As they neared the cave's exit, Rayman was able to get a better look at Chasm. Even walking behind him he could pick out some details about him. His skin was indeed snow-white, and his garment was a tattered brown shirt. He had on plain black shoes and fingerless gloves. His attire far from suggested his background, or at least his background as Ly had described it.
"Hey! You're not Rayman!" Globox's surprised voice declared as they stepped out, "What did you do with him?"
"I'm right here!" Rayman called to him with a smile, exiting the cave right behind Chasm, "This is Chasm. I freed him from this." Rayman held up the sword, the sunlight causing the smooth, blue surface to glow.
"Hey, nice sword!" Globox declared, "Is that what we came all the way up here for? Well, I'd say it was worth it!"
As Globox chattered on about the weapon, Ly approached Chasm.
"Are you the one Grandfather told us about?" she asked quietly, "Our grandfather spoke of you many times; the one who went up into the mountains to study the sword that helped deliver our people and was trapped while up there."
"Yes," he replied, "I'm Chasm, the philosopher. Surely you must be Dekum's kin. You look very much like him and his wife, Iris."
"That's right," she answered, "The one who made the sword is my grandfather. He's still alive, you know. When he tells us stories with you in them I can tell that he was very fond of you."
Chasm was silent for a while. He glanced over at Rayman and Globox, still looking over the sword and discussing it. Then he looked back at Ly. "So Dekum is still alive. That's good to hear. But I must warn you, Miss, that Rayman and I are drawing life from one another. In the next few days, he may start becoming weaker for no apparent reason. So will I. You'll need to give him extra support if you want to save your comrade." He looked around the terrain, lost in though. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have at least one hundred years to catch up on before it's too late."
Chasm very politely dismissed himself from the group and took off at an impressive speed down the hill. Rayman and his friends watched him silently until Globox spoke.
"Should we go after him?" he asked eagerly.
"Nah," Rayman replied, "He's not going to hurt anything. not in a way that we can prevent, anyway. Well, we're killing time just standing here. Ly, where do you think Arachnid is?"
"We should start looking at the mountain he was trapped in. Hopefully we'll find a clue as to how he got out and where he escaped to. We could start by going back down the mountain around it, but it would be shorter to go over the mountain and down the other side, though going over and down will most likely prove to be more difficult and tiring." She turned to Rayman. "In the condition you might be in, going around might be even more hazardous."
Rayman sighed. "Don't worry about it, Ly. If we hurry, I should be just fine by the time we get to that other mountain. Well, let's go!"
"Rayman!" Globox called as they set off at a quick walk, "What did Ly mean? Is there something wrong with you?"
Rayman looked up at him with sad eyes. He didn't want to tell Globox he was dying, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to his best friend, either.
"Well, Globox, I hope you're ready to listen, because this explanation could take a while."
***
Chasm, despite knowing that he was dying, couldn't help but smile as he rushed down the mountain. He had thought that everyone he had known in his life would be dead, but there was hope. If Dekum was alive, he might be able to help both him and Rayman out of their predicament. He just hoped the old fairy would recognize him and not think himself to be dreaming or hallucinating.
He neared the bottom of the mountain and was able to see the forest in much better detail. It had changed a great deal in one hundred years, and his smile turned to a frown when he noted that there had been a fire rather recently. Perhaps Dekum could explain it to him.
When Chasm was finally under the shelter of the trees, he took a break. He had been running for the past few minutes and was rather tired. He let his body drop to the ground rather gracelessly at the trunk of a tree and closed his eyes. Normally, with such dire situations as the one he was in, Chasm would have been in a hurry to see his old friend. But, also being rather wise, he knew that unless he rested he would be too tired to speak with Dekum.
***
The three travelers managed to get over the peak of the mountain and start down the other side without any problems. Rayman knew he was weakening, but was glad that he couldn't feel it yet. He still felt strong, and so urged his friends on to make sure that he still had a lot of strength left when he fought Arachnid. He did, however, allow them to stop for lunch. After all, he wasn't the only one who needed strength to continue.
As they ate their lunch, Rayman kept looking at the sword. It certainly was a work of art, but he really didn't know how to use it. But maybe, since he was drawing life from Chasm he was drawing knowledge, too? Or maybe using the sword would be like an instinct. He picked up the blade to examine it again, this time being more careful not to cut himself.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes," Ly assured him, "That's how my grandfather made it. The sword will bind itself to you and allow you to use it however you want. It becomes your slave as long as you use it for good."
Rayman smiled at her. "Not to worry," he assured her, "The only one I plan to hurt with this is Arachnid."
"But Rayman," Globox started, speaking for the first time since learning of his friend's odd condition, "What about Chasm? Won't you have to--"
Rayman shook his head gravely. "I can't do that, Globox. I couldn't use this to hurt Chasm! Not after it cost him so much to study it. To tell you the truth, I don't think I could hurt him at all, let alone kill him. I just wouldn't feel like I was doing the right thing." He looked up and forced himself to smile. "But let's not worry about that now." He stood and dusted himself off with one hand and held the sword with the other. "Let's just focus on saving Tily!"
***
"Come to me, my prey," Arachnid's low voice purred as he rested in his lair. He couldn't see Rayman, but a scout had informed him that he and his friends were drawing nearer to the mountain. It was, in fact, the same mountain that Arachnid had been trapped in, but one of his children had discovered a way out of it only a week ago. Arachnid could have chosen to relocate, but decided against it. He wanted Rayman and Ly to find him, after all. Yes, in only a day or two he could take their powers and then, since their bodies would be useless, he could eat them.
But he wasn't counting on Rayman having the sword. While the scout had told him that Rayman was approaching, the scout hadn't seen the sheathed sword and didn't know that Chasm had been freed or that he even existed.
***
While the forest had changed greatly over the period he'd been gone, Chasm was thrilled to see that the Fairy Council had not. The structure continued to glow with mysterious radiance, lighting up the evening air around it. Since it was quite unlikely that it had changed on the inside anymore than it had on the outside, finding Dekum's hall was likely to be easy. Chasm remembered the lay-out as if he had only visited the day before.
He received odd looks from a few residents as he made his way around, but no one stopped him. Chasm could feel his heart beat faster as he neared Dekum's hall. He just hoped that the old fairy would recognize him. Once he passed through the doors to the hall, it was all Chasm could do not to charge excitedly at the old fairy.
There sat Dekum on what appeared to be a rather large, glowing mushroom. The old fairy had colors and stripes much like Ly's, but he had wings like Tily's, except crumpled and wrinkled, and a bushy tail. He wore a loose blue robe and held a gnarled staff in his hand. His face was weathered and wrinkled and he had a long, white beard, but his eyes still sparkled with the liveliness of all fairies. He stood slowly as Chasm approached him. He smiled and floated down from the mushroom over to him.
"Ly contacted me mentally and told me you were coming," Dekum stated, his voice low and husky. "I have waited for your return with great anticipation, my child."
The old fairy held his arms open and Chasm rushed into them, small tears of joy streaming down his face. At last, if only for a short while, he was home.
***
Rayman, Ly, and Globox stood in a row, looking solemnly up at the natural citadel that was Death Mountain, where Arachnid had been trapped for many years. The mountain was so tall and thin that it looked like a jagged dagger stabbing the night sky.
"Before Arachnid tried to take over out world it was the most beautiful sight," Ly sighed, "It was once called Mt. Rose. But now."
"It looks like the devil himself lives there," Rayman finished. "But maybe, once Arachnid is gone for good, it'll be beautiful again."
"Maybe," Ly murmured, "Maybe after many centuries it can be what it once was. but let's rest now. It will be a long journey to the mountain's entrance and we need all the rest we can get." She looked at Rayman and he knew that she meant mostly him when she said "we".
"We're coming Tily," Rayman murmured as he settled down to sleep.
***
A/N: Alright! I'll admit it! I have a serious case of writer's block! I'm sorry this chapter was so lame! Arachnid, Chasm, and Dekum are © to me. Steal them and pay.
Update: Writer's Block all gone! Hopefully, the next chapter will be written and posted soon!