(Dew): Okay. I've got the beating stick...
(Char): ...I just burned him. Fire is better...
(Dew): We had a suggestion for triple punishment, too... maybe we should-
(Char): Hurt him four times?
(Dew): How do you get that from triple?
(Char): Bonuses.
(Dew): Ah. Sounds good.
[many hours pass]
(Char): [dragging Omniflyer in] And we're done...
...pwetty birdies... flyyyyyy
(Dew): He's in pretty bad shape. Think he can write?
(Char): [puts him in front of the computer] Have you read his normal stuff? There'll be no noticeable difference.
(Dew): I like it. Moving on...
Review Responses:
Jupiter Sprite: Sure, Jenna and Garet could have died there, but... do you really want to see more characters die? I mean, so far Isaac's dead... and soon, so will- actually, moving right along...
Mercury Adept: I don't like that beating stick...
Fire Dragons: ooohh... you're psychotic. [smiles] I want some of the happy dandelions, too!!
Two quick notes:
Firstly, we're coming to the climax of Light's Shadow! Yes, you guessed it, Light's Shadow is going to become the first of an ongoing series of fics (mostly because there's going to be too much going on to properly convey in one fic). You can expect another couple of chapters in this (hopefully two or three, tops), and then we'll see where the story goes from there. Enjoy!
Second, there is some slight adult language in this chapter (as in, some swearing in a sentence later on). If you don't appreciate this, I have forewarned you, and take no responsibility in what results of it should you choose to read.
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"Alex?" Mia asked timidly, looking at the calm young man. They were sitting outside at the base of the Mercury Lighthouse, just sheltered from the wind that they could enjoy the scenery without having to worry about the bitter cold of night. The moon was waning, a sliver of a crescent floating in the sky above.
"Yes, dear Mia?" he answered quietly, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
"Why are we here?" she asked, drawing her cloak tighter around her.
"Can't I just... enjoy a nice, quiet night with the girl whom I love?" he replied, still unblinking. She blushed and warmed slightly, despite the cold.
"You're too sweet, Alex," she smiled back.
Alex reached a hand deep into his pocket, and came out with a fist clenched around something. He moved his other hand over it to conceal it, and then looked back at Mia. "May I... have your hand, Mia?" She flushed.
Mia withdrew a hand from her cloak and extended it toward him gently. He took it with his right hand and lowered a small box into it with his left. "Open it," he whispered. Mia stared at the box in shock, unable to process what she was feeling, nor to remove her eyes from it lest it disappear.
"You might be more impressed by what's in the box, dearest," Alex smiled gently, his voice soothing and warm against the chill of the night. Mia swallowed dryly, then opened the lid slowly. She gasped.
A beautiful gold necklace was resting inside the box. There was a small pendant attached to it, with a small sapphire in the centre. To either side of it was a pair of diamonds. It shone in the light with the lustre of a shiny medallion laying aside a fireplace.
"Oh, Alex..." Mia trailed off, staring at the necklace. Alex simply smiled, and lowered an arm around her.
"I thought... it might suit your eyes," he said smoothly, drawing her near. She placed it around her neck and laid her head to rest on his shoulder.
"What have I ever done to deserve you?" she whispered aloud, with all the passion of a young girl in love.
Alex simply looked down at her and smiled, flashing his white teeth. "I think the better question," he said softly, into her ear, "is whatever did I do to deserve you?" Mia blinked, and looked up right into his eyes. She snuggled a little closer, willing to sit in silence for a few moments.
"It's a... nice moon tonight," she finally said, after some time. Alex glanced up at Luna.
"Second most beautiful thing I can see here," he said, looking back at her. Mia flushed a deeper red.
"Flattery will get you-"
"Alone and close to you?" he interjected. Mia smiled again.
"Possibly," she said coyly.
Alex grinned, and looked at her seriously. "You're very beautiful tonight... and every night, I suppose." Mia giggled.
"Alex..."
"And every day of every week, and month..."
"Oh..."
"In fact, every day of the year, you're the most beautiful flower of Imil... with you here, I see no reason to ever leave," Alex said sincerely, staring into her eyes and running a hand through her hair.
"Will you... stay with me?" Mia wondered aloud.
"I'll never leave," Alex stated, pulling her close until their noses were nearly touching, and they were staring eye-to-eye.
"Alex..." she said again, unable to find words to express her feelings. He found them first.
"I won't leave, Mia," Alex said. "I love you."
"Oh, Alex," Mia said, trembling from her heart or the cold, she couldn't tell which. All she could do was slowly lean in to him.
Lean in closer to kiss him.
"Alex, I lo-"
- - - - -
"Bastard!" Mia cried at the sky above and the swooping figure that neared her.
"Oh, Mia," Shalex grinned. "My, dear, dear Mia..."
"Never," Mia growled, sending wave after wave of Mercury Psynergy into the air toward him, "ever call me that again!"
Shalex laughed and carelessly dodged Ice Missile after Missile after Missile. "You used to enjoy it so much, though." Mia flushed furiously. His taunting seemed to be pushing her to her limits, and giving her an endless supply of Psynergy to command. She sent more and more potent spells into the air, but they continually missed their mark. Picard ran toward her.
"Mia! You're losing focus!" he warned her. "You're going to burn yourself out!"
"Mercury Adepts," she hissed, "don't burn."
Picard didn't back down. "But they do get tired. And you're pushing that!" Mia shook her head.
"We can debate this sometime a psychotic demigod isn't flying right for us. Now are you going to help me or not?" she cried, casting yet another Ice Missile that fell short of its target as Shalex swung in a wide loop around it.
"This is not good," Picard muttered to himself. "We can't stand up to him by ourselves... he's got everything we do and more," he reasoned as he drew his blade and stared up.
"So find me our Mars Adepts... Mars burns Mercury, I should know," she retorted. "Where are Garet and Jenna?" Picard scanned his eyes over the whole of the battlefield.
"I think I see them over there... they're... lying down? In the middle of the...? Oh, dear Mercury, that doesn't look right..."...
"Picard!" Mia exclaimed. "A little focus here?"
"Ivan would have a field day with this..."
"Picard!"
"All right, all right!"
- - - - -
"Move!" Ivan cried while grabbing Sheba and dragging her into shrubbery. Moments later, a platoon of Keunam Fighters marched past in the opposite direction they were going.
'Nice save,' Sheba thought, squeezing Ivan's hand as a sign of thanks.
'We got lucky,' he replied. 'But now I'm concerned about Feizhi and Sean.'
"They'll be okay," Sheba said, watching the last Fighters disappear to the distance. "They have their Psynergy, they'll be just fine."
Ivan frowned and stood up, offering a hand to Sheba to help her. "You know, I can't remember ever seeing Sean use Psynergy, except for calling up that small gust of wind on the boat. Are we sure he can use it effectively?"
Sheba took his hand and pulled herself up, furrowing her brow and looking at him. "You've got a point. Of course, he's an expert swordsman, too." She looked at him with a grin, then added, "I wonder why you're that concerned about it... maybe you're jealous of Sean?" She traced a dainty finger along Ivan's cheek, then down across his chin and away as she walked off toward the shrine.
"Wh-" Ivan stuttered. "Me? Jealous of... I... what?!" Sheba smiled.
"After all, he's got quite a few personality traits a girl could find interesting," she smirked, enjoying the twisting expression on Ivan's face. "He's kind, and funny, smart and talented, he's an Adept," she trailed as she walked farther.
"This is just totally not my day," Ivan said, shaking his head as he walked after her. Sheba chuckled and promptly turned around, and kissed him. Ivan blinked. "On the other hand, I'd like my last statement stricken from the record." The two walked hand-in-hand toward the shrine, which had finally come into view and within reach.
The shrine was made of the same material as the lighthouses on Weyard; that means it was elaborately decorated, and covered with a very powerful aura that you could feel resonating in your very soul. The stones leading up to the platform were alternating in colour: some were a faint purple, and others were a faint red, which strangely seemed to look nice together. The entrance to the shrine was sealed shut by a large glowing barrier that alternated between purple and red. Ivan smiled.
"Looks like it's half Jupiter," he said, smiling at their fortune.
"Looks like it's half Mars," she said, frowning at their fortune. Ivan folded his arms.
"Always the optimist, huh?" She furrowed her brow and shifted her weight onto one foot as she thought.
"Sorry... it's just that it's useless to us right now unless we get Garet or Jenna here," she said dejectedly.
Ivan paused for a moment, then said, "Wow."
"What?" Sheba wondered, tilting an eyebrow at him.
"I never thought I'd see the day when I was alone with you and I wanted Garet around..."
- - - - -
"You know, this is getting boring," Jenna said from her position bound atop Garet.
"We've been here for five minutes," Garet pointed out.
Jenna frowned. "There's a fight going on, and we aren't part of it." Garet paused.
"I am so bored..."
Felix bounded over to the pair of them and cast a Quake attack at the enemy soldiers nearby. "That'll give us a few seconds while they regain their balance..." He started yanking at the Psynergy ropes. "Do I have to keep an eye on you two all the time?" he muttered bitterly. Garet frowned.
"No one's asking you to free us, you know..." he replied. Jenna grinned.
"Actually... I am quite comfortable here," she said, snuggling into Garet's shoulder.
Felix frowned, and punched Garet square in the nose, then followed up with a Cure to heal him.
"Felix!" Jenna cried.
"What the heck is this rope made of?" he asked, as though nothing had happened to Garet at all and his sister hadn't spoken.
"Probably the same thing as your fist..." Garet muttered. "That thing's hard!" Felix shot another Quake attack into the enemy ranks to buy a few more seconds, as some soldiers were back on their feet.
"They said it's made of Jupiter Psynergy. Unbreakable," Jenna recalled. Felix positioned Garet and Jenna very carefully, and shot a small Ragnarok through the rope, which immediately snapped.
"Show me the day when a Jupiter rope can stand up to a Venus sword, and I'll show you the day Flint can shut up for five seconds," he muttered.
"That wasn't funny at all," Garet said, getting up and stretching.
"Shut up," Felix muttered.
"Hey, I thought I saw you running to the other side of the field," Jenna recalled. "Why'd you come back?" she asked as the three of them assumed defensive positions.
Felix afforded himself a rare laugh. "I heard you yelling at Garet. I enjoy that." Garet fumed indignantly, but chose not to reply.
"So," he said instead. "Let's get this straight. There's a couple hundred of them."
"Yup," Jenna answered.
"And three of us."
"Yup."
"Doesn't seem fair, somehow."
"Nope."
"We'll have to even it out."
"Yup."
"Maybe I shouldn't draw my sword..."
- - - - -
"Get down here, Shalex!" Mia cried. "Get down here and die!"
"Is that my only option?" he replied, touching down on the ground a few meters from her.
"Yes!" she cried, dashing at him and swinging her staff.
Shalex chuckled and ducked. "D'you know what's fun, my dear Mia?" She clenched her teeth. "Jupiter Psynergy." At his words, he shot a Ray at her, which she rolled sideways to dodge. She leapt up and swung with her staff vertically. Shalex lifted his arm and blocked it, then caught it under his arm. "D'you know what's even more fun than that? Advanced Jupiter Psynergy. Take a trip to the centre of your mind!" He shot his hand out and grabbed her face, sending pure Jupiter Psynergy racing into her body. He let go of her and stepped back, and she fell limp to the ground.
"Mia!" Picard cried, charging at Shalex with his sword. "What did you do?!"
Shalex only laughed as he used his fabled Sword of Hilda to counter all of Picard's attacks. "She's still alive, if that's what you're wondering. However, she's fighting her own inner demons and fears in her head. She won't get out until she can get past her own barriers."
"You monster!" Picard cried, attacking Shalex with every trick of ancient Lemurian swordcraft. Shalex was matching him blow for blow, however.
"Oh, come now. Relax," Shalex replied cooly. "Let's just relax and talk, shall we? In fact, Mercury Adept to Mercury Adept/demigod, let me ask you something..."
Shalex grinned evilly. "Do you think she likes me?"
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(Dew): Shalex is a freak.
(Char): And I still hate that name...
(Dew): It is stupid.
Details, details.
(Char): Geez, enough happened in that chapter, too...
(Dew): Flashbacks, traps, romance, Garet-bashing (literally). Keep that up and you might be considered a good author one day.
Hmm... I wonder what I am, now...?
(Char): I have a book of adjectives here we can start with.
...let's not.
To the rest of you... looks like my reviews have been down the last couple of chapters. I don't want to beg for reviews like some... review... begger... but I do want reviews because they help improve the quality of my work! So come on, guys... constructive criticism time!
Review!