Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Sailor Moon, Trigun, Evangelion, Lupin the Third, Outlaw Star, Rurouni Kenshin, G-Gundam, any other Gundam Series, Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, any movies, books, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Notice to Readers: To understand certain parts of this story, you'll have to read the other stories before this one. It is recommended by not required.
The DarkTower:
Anime's Unite
Chapter 16: The Eastern Group
The Songstress
- - -
Nightfall was coming upon the Fellowship of the Gundam. The coming darkness reminded them too much of the previous two days that they had spent down in the Mines of Midas. Thinking about being in that place only brought back the very sharp and painful memory of loosing their light of hope, Gandalf the Gray. Even with Link the Elvish Warrior leading the way to the Dark Tower that lie to the West of the Misty Mountains the Fellowship felt lost, like a family that had lost their father. Of course, everyone dealt with the loss in their own way, but Johan simply dealt with it in quiet despair.
"We can't stay here for long." Link had told them as soon as they exited the Mines of Midas, "Otherwise the Obsessed will discover us, we must keep moving."
A normal person would ask that they stop and allow them to deal with the loss of Gandalf in their own way, but the members of the Fellowship were more warrior-like and so they agreed with Link in that they should head onward. After all they had dealt with losses like this in the past. Loss of family, ones closest to them, and even some close calls that had brought them to the edge of madness. Yet, even with those things they had known the importance to continue fighting on, even in the bleakest of situations.
The sun had already gone down and night was just starting. The walk to the East with Link as their guide was a very relaxed one. Walking in that direction felt much easier than when the Fellowship made their way to the Gates of Midas. It felt like they were walking downhill. Then again, it was like Johan's father, Han Rodriguez once told him as a child, Meho, sometimes it's easier to go down the ladder than to go up it, but that doesn't mean it's always the right way.
Link had told the Fellowship that there was a town in the foothills of the Misty Mountains. A town called "Bre", which was a small town that was established when the forests were being cleared. So in essence it was a town filled with lumberjacks, trappers, as well as farmers. The Fellowship knew that it would be a good place to stop because of how small the town is, the Obsessed probably have no dominion over it or to be more accurate that they don't care to have control over it.
The one thing that took their minds off of what had happened was the view that they got. It was just beautiful from their vantage point, especially at such a time as sunset. From the slopes of the Misty Mountains they could view Mydar as far as the eye could see. They saw forests that spanned for hundreds of miles, rivers that twisted and turned like snakes in the grass, and more mountains to the North. The ThrenodyMountains they are called, Link had told them as they were coming upon the town of Bre. Yet, there was one feature that stood out among everything. From the vantage point that they were at, with the tree tops stretching above them, they could see the very thing that they were questing for…the Dark Tower. It sat at the very center of Mydar upon its own island in the middle of a great lake. The tower was a black streak that stretched up to the sky which was black and cloudy in contrast to the bright sunshine beyond the edges of its personal dark storm. They stood in awe seeing its spires and turrets spiking out from its side like a tree that had a very traumatic growth life. Occasionally there was a flash of lightning that came down upon the tower illuminating its sides just for an instant, but it was still black with that flash of light coming down upon it. They were told that they were still over a hundred miles away from it, and yet the thing to so large and tall that they could see it as clearly as the trees next to them.
The Fellowship felt a mixture of thunderstruck awe as well as great fear, like neighborhood kids looking at an old house that everyone in the neighborhood spins stories about it being haunted. The kind of place that tough kids dare each other to go in and steal something as an initiation into a gang.
"The truth is there." Johan thought as a few more bolts of lightning came down upon the tower like paths of water.
"We're here!" Link called out and the Fellowship descended down the slopes and into the town of Bre.
- - -
The town of Bre really wasn't much, it was just a simple little town with its buildings made of wood and surrounded by a sea of trees. Every building in Bre was simple, one floor, two at the maximum, a total of about ten in all. Each of them constructed by logs like typical log cabins, stone chimneys that spouted out grayish smoke and the smell of barbeque was very prominent in the air as the Fellowship walked into town. The townspeople were busy at their own tasks, stacking firewood, chopping firewood, cooking, eating, or drinking.
The ones that were outside down those outdoor activities noticed the Fellowship as they came into town. The thing that everyone in Bre had the greatest attention to was the one leading the Fellowship, the elf, Link. They all stopped and looked at him as if he was the most beautiful thing that they had set their eyes upon, including the women. There was even some whispered discussions amongst those outside wondering what an elf was doing on the western side of the Misty Mountains.
"Here's what we'll do." Link said to the others, "the Preventer Teens, all of you try to find us some lodging, while the rest of us will try to get some supplies together."
"Sure." Hikaru answered
"We'll meet you at the Inn," Link said the Preventer Teens, "it shouldn't be too hard to find."
The Preventer Teens consisting of Hikaru Peacecraft Yuy, William Maxwell, Paul Marquise, Kaworu Nagisa Winner, Julia and Leto Peacecraft Rodriguez, headed down the dirt road that went straight through the town to where they found the inn. Link was right that it wasn't too hard to find because it was the tallest building in Bre…two floors high. Outside there was the sign for the place, "The Slaughtered Lamb". The picture on the piece of wood that swayed in the breeze from its iron hooks disturbed the Preventer Teens. Upon it they saw the head of a lamb that was freshly cut off and its yellowish eye still open showing off the odd shaped pupil that lambs have. There was still blood coming from its neck as it pooled in the plate that it was depicted upon, with a fork driven right into its neck as if holding it down to the plate.
"If that's the welcome sign," Paul Marquise said in high highly educated voice, "I'd hate to see what the closed sign looks like."
Leto shrugged, "Let's go in anyway."
And so, Leto was the first to walk in.
The Preventer Teens followed and they saw the kind of place that the Slaughtered Lamb was. They came into a place that was very open with a few wooden pillars, wooden floors, tables, and chairs. They already felt the blazing heat from the fire that was roaring on the far wall. In front of them was a small stairwell that went up to the second floor. Next to it was the bar where upon it was a large leather-bound book filled with named and dates. From behind the bar came an elderly man with a bushy mustache that was as gray as the balding hair upon his head.
"What can I do for you kids today?" He asked, "Just passing through?"
"Yes." Hikaru answered as she came, "We'd like to book a room. There are more of us, how much room do you have?"
"I have about eight rooms each with four single beds, three rooms with one single in each, and two rooms with king beds. How many of you are there?"
Hikaru had to think about this question, there was the Preventer Teens, that made six, then there was their families, the Preventers, that made eleven, and the Shuffle Alliance which made seven, and then there was Link. In total that would have made their party of twenty-four.
"Twenty four of us." Hikaru answered
"Quite a lot of you." The Innkeeper raised his equally bushy eyebrows, "Where you headin'?"
Hikaru knew better than to answer truthfully about a mission like this, especially with so much riding upon it. It was another small skill that she learned from her father; stealth and guile, and so she answered in a vague way.
"We're not sure, just yet." She answered
"Well, the room rates are flat all across. How long will you be staying?"
"Probably not too long."
"Very well then." The Innkeeper said, "Just sign your name here." He pointed to a blank space upon the ledger. Hikaru took the feathered quill and signed her name in the blank space.
"The others should be arriving shortly." She said as she and the others headed into the bar/restaurant area, where they sat at the only empty table they could find. Everywhere else was packed with men, all of them drinking beer and God knows what else. Laughing and cavorting as if they didn't have a care in the world that their lands were occupied by a great scourge.
The Preventer Teens sat down and not a word was spoken among them. At least not for a few minutes, every one of them just like the other members of the Fellowship had quite a lot of time to think about their time down in the Mines of Midas. Some of them could still see the dirt, ash, and soot on their hands like old chimney sweeps that would cover themselves in black ash. All they could think about was their time back there in the mines. Even the residual effects of running from that beast…that demon had stuck with them like a really bad nightmare that won't let go though the whole day. It's a kind of experience that makes one afraid to sleep again.
"What can we do now?" William asked very morosely of the Preventer Teens
"What other options do we have?" Paul pointed out, "the only option for us is to continue to the Dark Tower."
Julia shook her head, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I just got the creepiest feeling from looking at that tower from the slopes."
"What'd you mean, sis?" Leto asked as he reached across the table and took his sisters hand for physical and emotional support.
"It's like that place wants us to come to it, like how a Venus fly trap wants a fly to land in its petals so that it could be eaten. And I think that tower has some kind of hold on our dad."
"I know what you mean." Hikaru agreed, "You're dad has been starting to act strangely ever since we started out on this quest."
"Whatever it is," Kaworu spoke up, "It's there and we have to face it, whether we like it or not."
Leto nodded, "Agreed. We must face our fear and allow it to pass through us."
"I'm just worried about dad." Julia said as she tightened her grip on Leto's hand for his emotional support, "I'm worried that he may die on this quest."
Leto gripped back, "Our dad's stronger than that, sis. We have to have faith in him."
As the hubbub of the Slaughter Lamb continued, the door burst open and in came a man exhausted of breath as he tried to tell the innkeeper something. All conversation and activity ceased as all eyes and ears were upon the man who came in.
The Preventer Teens listened.
"He's coming." The man gasped for air, "He's coming."
"Everyone!" The Innkeeper announced, "Clear our best table for our Lord Stoat."
The way he said guest of honor, he didn't seem to say it with excited anticipation like the coming of a celebrity that was a town's favorite visitor. It was more like agitated fear, the kind of voice someone uses when they're boarding up their house in anticipation of a tornado. Or that it was something of…a scourge that was coming to visit the town of Bre, the Preventer Teens watched as the people within the Slaughtered Lamb cleared away the best table which was near the fire, not too close, but not too far away. Then everyone else cleared away from the table as if they were the Red Sea being parted as the guest of honor came in. The Preventer Teens saw the look of quiet panicked fear that the patrons of the Slaughtered Lamb had as the guest of honor came in.
The guest of honor was a man who was dressed in a long black cape that reached down to his ankles. The material of the cape seemed reflective like satin that shined off the highlights of the fire. Within that cape was a lining of a very deep red, somewhere between crimson and ox blood. The Innkeeper of the Slaughtered Lamb came over and took off the man's cloak as if he was his personal servant. Underneath that cloak the man was dressed in a deep purplish suit that seemed very reminiscent of the kind of clothes that the composer Mozart would wear, but at another angle the clothes the man known as Lord Stoat seemed like one of the Sank Kingdoms Formal Uniforms. Seeing that, the Preventer Teens felt disgusted by that. Then at his side was a great sword, it looked large enough for Argo Gulski to wield, while at his other side was a long coiled whip. For his features, he had long bleach blonde hair as if it were a lion's mien combed and pulled down the back of his head and passed his shoulders. His pointed nose was almost like an evil madman out of some old cliché novel, yet his eyes were narrow as he surveyed the scene.
Yet, the thing that repulsed the Preventer Teens was what was crawling on the floor at his side. On her hands and knees and as naked as the day she was born was a young woman who had long auburn hair with its tips touching the floor. Her body was covered in scratches and cuts that were bleeding while other wounds had already somewhat healed with dried up blood around them. Even more so were bruises all over her body that made her skin seem like the coloring of a blueberry pancake, yet they couldn't see her face because of how she held her head and how long her hair was. From beneath her long hair came a chain that reached up to Lord Sloat's fist, but he acted as if owned the whole town as he strutted into the Slaughtered Lamb. The woman on the floor was about to raise her head and show her face in the light of the fire.
"Keep your head down, slave." He snarled at the woman on her hands and knees as he gave a sharp kick to her side. And as the woman on the floor took the kick, the Preventer Teens heard a muffled cry as if something was in her mouth and she couldn't let out a full scream of pain. Sloat gave off a minimally orgasmic moan as he heard the cry of pain.
"You know that noise you make gets me going." The prince cooed to his slave, he took the chain and gave it a yank as he and his slave made their way over to the table. As he sat down, Stoat's back was towards the patrons of the Slaughtered Lamb while his vision was set forward right towards where the Preventer Teens sat.
"Innkeeper!" He shouted
"Yes, sire!" The innkeeper came forward groveling at the princes feet must in the same way as the slave who kept her head down.
"Do you have any ropes within this place?" Stoat asked, his tone very dark and seductive
"Yes, sire." The innkeeper said
"Bring them to me." The Prince ordered
And the Innkeeper dashed away.
The Preventer Teens waited with nervous agitation, and as quickly as the innkeeper left he came back with ropes in a twined circle in his hand. He handed them to Lord Stoat as he took the chain that led to the naked woman.
"On your feet slave!" Stoat commanded and the woman complied, her legs shaking from her thighs down to her calves. As she did Stoat looked up to the ceiling at the thick wooden beams that ran from one side of the room to the other. He unraveled the rope and threw one end over the beam just above the naked woman's head. He strung the rope around her neck and then threw the ropes over the beam again. He then tied up her wrists in such a way that it seemed that if she tried to lower them she'd choke herself.
As Lord Stoat looked at his slaves body he let out another one of those little moans as he squeeze the most precious parts of her body. First her very firm breast, then the cheeks of her buttocks, but when he was there feeling the shapeliness of her buttock he raised his palm and spanked her. Each sound echoing throughout the room and everyone in the Slaughtered Lamb watching, but it was the members of the Preventer Teens that were the most disgusted by what they were witnessing. How could a man treat a woman like this and in such a public way?
Even Leto felt repulsed by what he was seeing but it wasn't the final straw that would snap him. The anger that had built up inside him made him want to get out of his chair and do something about that man named Stoat.
The rage inside him was like the fire in the fireplace that was burning hotter and hotter with each log that was being thrown into it like with each passing moment that Stoat sexually abused and tortured that young woman.
Stoat stepped back and reached to his side and pulled out that long coiled whip. He allowed it to unravel to the floor; with it uncoiled he reached up and brought the whip down against his slaves back. Each crack made the naked woman cry harder but it was still muffled, showing that whatever it was that was in he mouth, it wouldn't come out easily.
Every muffled cry made Leto hate Stoat even more. It wasn't until the fifth crack of the whip that it happened. It was the final straw that had broken Leto's self-control. The whip came down against the woman's back making her scream out another muffled cry and for Leto who stood the closest could hear the woman crying from behind whatever was gagging her. He could even see blood trickling down her back as if it were water in a shower.
The proverbial straw in Leto's consciousness had snapped.
He couldn't figure out at the time what had come over him, but at the same time he knew that something had to be done. He couldn't stand seeing that woman tortured, nor could he stand Stoat who seemed to get an orgasmic jolt each time he cracked the whip. He moved across the room with a speed that would have only rivaled his sisters' track records. He dashed in what seemed to everyone in the room as a blur. In that haze of anger and hatred he went for his beam saber, he activated it and its bright green glow contrasted against the yellowish-orange glow of the fire.
Letoi's saber came to the hand of Stoat that held the whip. It's blade cutting through the wrist, through bone, muscle, veins, nerves, cartilage, and skin. It came out of the other side, Stoat's hand fell to the floor spilling out the blood that was still in the vessels of the hand. The man had a look of such surprised shock as he looked to the one who had deprived him of his best hand.
"Enough!" Leto snarled and then said more calmly with that fire in his eyes, "that's enough."
"How dare you strike at me, you peasant!" Stoat said cradling his handless limb, "I am Lord Stoat of the Obsessed! Striking at me means death to you!"
"Sure." Leto uttered as if saying 'whatever' to that threat, he left Stoat and went to the bound and naked woman near the fireplace. He took his saber and cut the ropes. As he did the woman had fallen onto her knees and hands. Leto went down to her brushing her auburn hair out of the way so that he could see her face. Her face looked red showing how much she had been crying. In her mouth was a red ball that was attached to leather straps. Leto reached around and felt a buckle, there he loosened it and took the ball out of the woman's mouth.
"It's alright." Leto whispered, "No one will hurt you again."
The naked woman wrapped her arms around Leto as she cried, "Thank you! Oh, thank you my prince!"
Leto chuckled, "I'm no prince, but I certainly am a knight." He took his elvish cloak off of his back and wrapped it around the naked woman. He brought her over to the table where the other Preventer Teens sat.
"What's your name?" Leto whispered
"I am Callina the Songstress." The woman whispered back
Leto set Callina down in a seat next to his sister, Julia, he then looked at her.
"Watch her for a moment, sis." He asked
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take care of Lord Stoat." He said with seriousness in his eyes unlike anything the Preventer Teens had seen in him.
Leto walked over to Stoat who was still nursing his wound.
"You were saying?" Leto asked as he held his beam saber that he had deactivated. He placed it back upon his belt as Stoat began to muster his words against him.
"You little nave!" He insulted, "I'll have your head for this, I'll…"
Leto had drawn his sidearm and fired one shot to the floor near Stoat's feet. There was a deafening silence in the room. As Leto did what he did…he felt possessed, a kind of righteous anger and fury to seek out justice against the unjust.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break you concentration?" Leto asked in dark sarcasm
Stoat looked at Leto with great fear as the young boy holstered his sidearm.
"Allow me to retort to your boast." Leto paused, and then started up again, "Describe my appearance."
"What?" Stoat asked
"What country are you from, Stoat?" Leto asked his voice rose higher
"What?" Stoat asked out of fear of what may happen next
"What isn't a country I ever heard of!" Leto shouted, "Do they speak English in what?"
"What?"
"English, asshole!" Leto shouted, "Do you speak it?"
"What?"
"Say what again!" Leto shouted louder as he drew his beam saber and brought the tip of its blade close to Stoat's face, "Say what again! I dare you! I double dare you, asshole! Say what one more time! Describe my appearance!"
Stoat began to breath in short bursts as he tried to make an answer, "You're young." He answered continuing to make short gasped breaths.
"Go on!"
"You have black hair."
"Do I look like a bitch?"
"What?"
Leto drew his side arm with his free hand and fired one shot into Stoat's left leg, "Do I look like a bitch?" Leto asked even louder
"No!" Stoat screamed as he tried to recover from the shock of his wound.
"Then why did you threaten me like your bitch?"
"I…" Stoat was about to retort but Leto interrupted
"Yes, you did! Yes, you did, Stoat!" Leto corrected. "You tried to threaten my life, and that's something that I don't like, especially when you treated this young woman like a bitch. I should just kill you right now!" He took aim right at Stoat's head, "But you know, you really caught me on a bad day. Had this been more of a conventional meeting in battle your ass would be dead before you hit the ground. So, I'm sparing you today and you should be grateful for that much. Now get your ass outta here before I change my mind."
Leto turned his back as he holstered both his saber and sidearm, but Stoat had other plans. With his only good hand he drew his sword and came up behind Leto. That would be his gravest mistake. Leto heard the noise of steel rubbing against steel, and his ears picked up the sound of Stoat's footsteps coming towards him. With the same speed that he used on Stoat when he sliced off Stoat's hand, Leto activated his beam saber and sliced through Stoat. His blade slicing through Stoat's metallic blade and then through Stoat's neck cleanly cutting off his head that rolled across the floor. As he deactivated his beam saber Leto announced to the patrons of the Slaughtered Lamb.
"A battle has been won against the Obsessed." He said, "He will not darken anyone's home ever again."
The Patron's of the Slaughtered Lamb applauded as the body of Lord Stoat was taken away and free food was brought to the table of the Preventer Teens.
- - -
It had been about a little more than fifteen minutes since the very gallant Leto Rodriguez had taken down the sadistic Lord Stoat. Their reward for ridding the town of such a menace was the free food and drinks all around; of course the Teens had to drink water since none of them could drink the ale that the Inn had. Still, there was the issue of Callina, when the thoughts came around to that, the rest of the Fellowship of the Gundam came into the Slaughtered Lamb. They had brought several tables together and the Preventer Teens had explained what it was that had happened in the last half-hour. Leto did most of the explaining about how Stoat had tortured the young woman named Callina, who was sitting between him and his sister Julia curled up in the cloak that Leto had given to her.
"And that's how it happened." Leto finished
"That's quite something for a boy like yourself to do something like that." Chibodee complemented, "Very reminiscent of the days when I was that age in New York City."
"Still, it was rather reckless to turn your back on him." Johan said to his son, "Especially since you had sliced off his hand, but you were willing to spare him, and that's something I can be proud of you, meho."
"Thanks dad." Leto smiled, "But now we have to think about our friend here."
"What did the Madame say her name was?" George asked
"Callina the Songstress," The young woman had said, "I am one of the guards to the one true King of Mydar."
"Just like Gandalf." Domon had said to the rest of the Fellowship
Callina perked right up when she heard that, letting her cloak drop down a little bit showing off the cuts and bruises all over her body, "You saw Gandalf?" She asked, "How is he? Is he with you?"
The Fellowship was silent when she had asked these questions about Gandalf the Gray. It just brought them back to that painful day back in the Mines of Midas when he had fallen down into the chasm with the Black Beast of Ahhh.
"He's dead isn't he?" She asked sullenly, but the Fellowship didn't have to answer. Callina could tell from the looks on their faces that the answer to her question was yes. Then again, there was comfort in that, she knew that in brining these good men and women through the Misty Mountains, that it was all for a good and noble cause. She knew also that these special men and women would be the ones that her master had spoken of, that they would be the ones to bring freedom back to Mydar.
"We can't stay in this town for long." Callina said to the Fellowship, "No doubt, when Lord Stoat doesn't go back to the Dark Tower, more Obsessed will come." She looked as though she were getting ready to get up, but Rain stopped her.
"You're not going anywhere in the condition your in, dear." She said, "You need to have a doctor examine you."
"Very well." Callina said like a child settling for only one scoop of ice cream instead of two.
"Wait, Rain." Link said, "What about the gift that the Princess Zelda gave to you?"
"That's right." Rain agreed as she went to her side and pulled out that bottle of red liquid, "The Faeries Water."
"Just take one sip." Link had advised to Callina.
Callina reached out to take the bottle, but before she could take it, Rain had taken out the cork for her like a devoted wife opening ketchup bottles for her one handed husband. With the Faeries Water uncorked, Callina took it and carefully took one sip from it, and then something happened in the candlelight and fire's glow of the Slaughtered Lamb. They watched as the wounds that were exposed of Callina began to heal upon their own as if the cuts and bruises were being unmade. Wounds closing in, bruises giving away to her porcelain like skin, but the blood still dried upon her that flaked away like cracked glaze on an old doughnut. Even her face, the redness from her crying was starting to disappear.
"Wonderful gift from the Elves." Callina complemented as she handed back the bottle of Faeries Water to Rain.
"The next thing that she needs to take care is to get some clothes." Julia suggested
"Here, take these." Link said as he reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a handful of paper money, "It's the currency of Mydar, this is about one-hundred plenax, I think that should be enough for one good set of clothes."
Julia took it, "Leto and I will take her and take care of that."
"Thank you all." Callina smiled, "As soon as this has been taken care of, I feel that we should leave Bre as soon as possible."
"Where would we go from here?" Quatre asked
"From here we head to the west, to the City of Nash." Callina said
"The city near the Dark Tower." Link uttered, "That's quite a ways from here."
"We don't have a lot of choice." Callina pointed out, "We have to go."'
"In that case." Domon stated, "As soon as you get some clothes, we'll head to the City of Nash."
"We'll come straight back here as soon as we've picked clothes for Callina." Leto said as he, his sister, and Callina walked out the door of the Slaughtered Lamb.
Of course such a logging and lumberjack town as Bre wouldn't exactly have anything really super fancy for a woman like Callina. Still, with the money that they had, they needed to find something for her. After all, she couldn't go from Bre to the City of Nash without a stitch of clothes on, and no shoes for that matter. To add onto that, Leto also needed his cloak back as soon as they had gotten some clothes together for Callina.
There was only one general store that sold things like foodstuffs, supplies, as well as clothes. They never quite stocked in anything in dress fashion for the ladies, mainly because there were a good number of ladies in Bre that were lumberjacks as well. So they had to settle upon those lumberjack-like clothes for Callina, a pair of sturdy pants, a long shirt, a pair of boots, and a long cloak for the cold nights. The total of that came up to about fifty planex, Link was right, it was enough, and as soon as they had left and came back to the Slaughtered Lamb, the Fellowship of the Gundam were ready to leave.
- - -
The forest outside of Bre was already dark with the sun already set and the stars already out shining their magnificent brilliance like diamonds caught on a velvet background. Down in the forest itself it had felt as if the Fellowship had wandered into a black hole with the darkness that surrounded them, with only the stars above them. The shadows of the trees like childhood monsters that parents always say aren't there but the children know that they know that they are there. At last with the town of Bre in the distance, the Fellowship decided to make camp, which in the forest that they were in, it wasn't hard to find wood, and starting it wasn't that hard either, just a touch from the beam saber and the fire started. No one in the Fellowship was hungry, the people at the Slaughtered Lamb were more than grateful to give them free food and drinks. They could have had free room and board but Callina told them that they had to leave because the Obsessed would grow suspicious if Lord Stoat didn't return. It seemed rather odd that because of this the only option was to go straight to them, directly into the lion's den, but what other options did they have. Very few as they sat around the fire and thought about it. They took this quest to help Johan bring the sword to the Dark Tower and they all swore to help him in this endeavor. As the hours passed the situation seemed to grow as dark and bleak as the forest around them.
Even Johan, though he never said it aloud, because he was never one to complain or whine about anything that he had volunteered to do. He thought to himself that he wished that this had never happened to him, that all he wanted was to just be back home, back to where life made sense and was simple at that. Feeling the hilt of the sword that Johan volunteered to carry her reminded himself that in the land of Mydar would be his answers, the answers of the tears, and the answers of why all these different worlds had crossed over into the one where he and the Preventers roamed. It was then in thinking of home that Johan tried to think of pleasant things as Gandalf the Gray had suggested.
"The smell of the ocean." Johan thought, "Haruka's lavender perfume, the view from the Sank Kingdom Institute of the ocean at sunset, making love…"
As Johan tried to think of another pleasant thought he suddenly felt something all around his body. In a sense it was like a cold breeze, but at the same time it wasn't. With a cool breeze in the middle of the night it would only be felt upon the exposed parts of a person, the face and hands. What Johan felt at that moment was both around in and within him. It chilled him. Then just as instantly as it came upon it, it changed. It felt warm, like the sun had just come out to mid-day and was bringing down its radiance to those upon the earth. What was it?
"Does anyone else feel that?" Johan asked aloud
"Feel what?" Domon asked
"I don't like this." Johan said, "I don't like it at all. It feels like something's going to happen I can feel it within me."
"What do you feel?" Rain asked like a doctor asking her patient for the symptoms of their ailment.
"At first I felt cold, but now I feel warm." Johan repeated, "But it's not on my skin, it feels like its coming within me and the intensity is growing."
There was a pause amongst the Fellowship.
"I feel it too." Heero said, "I think something's coming."
"More of the Obsessed?" Callina asked
"No." Johan said, "It feels different…." He tried to grasp at the words like memories that were long since gone, "It's like that feeling when you walk into a quiet room and someone left the screen of a computer on. You don't know what it is but you can feel it."
"I'm starting to feel it too." Duo said, "I think its getting closer."
"Everyone draw your weapons." Domon commanded as the Fellowship rose to their feet and activated their beam sabers. The rainbow of beam colors illuminated the nearest trunks of the trees around their campfire. All of them on full attack mode ready to strike at whatever was out there in the darkness. Their backs towards the fire as if it was the most precious thing that they needed to protect. That same hot and cool internal sensation could be felt by every member of the Fellowship, even Callina the Songstress started to feel it.
"Where is it?" Johan asked himself as the green beam of his saber illuminated every bit of his front like a flashlight that a kids holding to their face to scare their friends at a Halloween ghost story telling.
Then something occurred to him. He didn't know what it was, but for one reason or another Johan felt the drive to look up. As if some quiet voice kept yelling at him to do so. Looking up to the starry sky to see the stars and the nebula-like clouds around them, there was something odd. There was a star there that was bright then all of them. As Johan's eyes were drawn to it, he didn't know but it was growing larger and larger until its sized had rivaled the moon itself. That was when the danger sense of his soldier-like reflexes kicked in.
"Everyone!" He shouted, "Look up!"
All the eyes of the Fellowship looked up and there they saw the light that had descended from the sky. It came down and illuminated the treetops like a miniature sun but it glowed like the moon. They watched as it came closer and closer and closer until it was on top of the fire, so close and within the Fellowships reach that they could reach out and touch it.
The rate of descent of this fallen star was so fast that it was falling, until it was near the fire, and that was when it stopped for just a moment as if it wanted to look at the Fellowship. Then it sunk into the fire as if it were another log to be burnt for a few more hours of heat and light. That was when the fire turned a bright blue much like the color of Heero's beam saber or the fire of a blow torch. Then the blue fire changed to white and its light became as bright as the sun itself.
The Fellowship covered their eyes so not to be blinded by the fires unusual glow from the fallen star. From a skewed view they could see the light dying down like the light of a flare starting to fade. They all looked back and floating above the flames of the fire was a man dressed in long white robes, in his hand was a tall white and smooth staff. They could see his face, his hair long and very straight, the same with his beard, long, white, and straight. The features of his exposed face were old and wrinkled from years of age. They could see who it was at last.
"Gandalf." Callina uttered
"Gandalf." The man in white said gently as he descended down to the ground away from the flames that had returned to their red, orange, and yellow glow. "Yes, that is my name."
"What happened to you?" Callina asked
"There will be time to explain that." Gandalf smiled, "But for now, do you have anything to eat?"
To be continued…