Note: All my review notes will be at the end of the chapter now, because I don't wanna fill this space with too much stuff, so enjoy the chapter first! ^^ I'm sorry this was pretty late, but we've all been busy, I'm not setting a schedule for my next update, I have Chem midterm coming up and considering that I did worse on my retake, I really need to concentrate. X_X Hope you liked this and on another note, I HAVE NOT forgotten about the eggs. X_X Stop telling me already! XD
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Chapter 37: Willpower…And a Little Luck
"I can't walk anymore!" Willow cried to Ray, "The pressure, it's too strong!!!!"
"I know!" Ray groaned, pushing against the pressure to reach Willow and put his arms tightly around her.
The pressure had been building ever since they started on the Force Field and now that they were close to reaching the end of the Force Field, the vast pressure was coming at them in seismic waves. The pressure was so strong it caused a roaring sensation in their ears and made it incredibly hard to move forward. To make things even worse, the orangey glow around them was like a thick fog and it was hard to keep track of each other.
Hru was doing worse since it was her weaknesses, once she almost got blown away, but luckily Tala had caught her arm and pulled her back on her feet. It was hard for her to breathe or walk with all the energy pressing down on her. Tala hadn't released her ever since that incident. Right now he was holding her arm so tightly that it hurt.
"Tala!" Hru shouted over the pressuring noise, "Let go would you??? I can take care of myself!!!!!!!!"
Tala winced as her voice bellowed into his ear, "No way, you could have blown away last time and there's no way I'm risking that again."
Hru groaned, his grip was too tight to fight and she wasn't sure she wanted him to let go, she was afraid that she might be blown away, "TALA!!!! My arm's going numb!!!!" She sighed in relief as he loosened his grip.
"SORRY!" Tala yelled back.
Kai was urging Kailee forward, "Come on sis, just a bit longer, you can do it."
"It's hard to see!" Carly yelled, "Are we almost there????"
"Enrique?" Johnny asked, pushing Cassandra to the right so that she won't walk the wrong way. Johnny's element had an advantage over Psychic so he wasn't at all affected by the pressure. He could see fine and walk fine. Enrique was also fine since it was his Kingdom. He and Johnny were making sure that they all stayed together as a group.
"About twenty minutes or so," Enrique told him.
"Keep going!!!" Johnny hollered to the others, "Little further. Holly!" Johnny grabbed her arms and yanked her back, "You're straying!"
"Sorry," Holly said, sounding exasperated, "I can't see at all! It's all orangy foggy!"
Johnny sighed, that was about the 20th time he had pulled someone back for straying, if they didn't reach the end soon, he was going to freak in frustration.
"I can't walk anymore!" Kailee cried, dropping on her knees, "I'm so tired and I can't breathe." She started to sob.
"Kailee, come on!!!!" Max urged, putting his arm around her shoulders, "You don't want to spend the rest of the your life here. Come on, get up, I'll help you."
"You can hardly walk yourself!" Johnny said, "Enrique can help you, you just keep going!"
"Johnny!" Enrique yelled, "Where's Carly????"
Panic seized Johnny, he frantically looked around the orange glow, but he didn't see his best friend at all, "CURSE!"
Johnny's loud voice was enough to make anyone jump, they all stopped to look at him.
Johnny swallowed and forced a calm voice, "Did anyone see which way Carly went???"
"No," Tala said, looking worried, "We can hardly see where we're going ourselves!"
"Okay, don't panic," Johnny said, taking a deep breath, "I'll go look for her, you all stay here."
"No, I'll go look for her," Enrique said, "This orange stuff is psychic glow, my eyes adjust well, it'll only take me a few minutes, DON'T move!"
They watched as Enrique disappeared.
"Take a breather," Johnny instructed them, moving over to Hru, "Hey, how are you doing?"
"Okay," Hru said breathlessly, "I'm guessing that I would've fainted long before if I haven't taken the potion. It's okay, Tala's holding too tight though!"
"Sorry," Tala said, trying uselessly to block the roaring in his ears, "Don't want you to blow off."
Hru looked at his face, trying to read what was in his eyes, but like Kai, Tala's eyes were empty, but focused. //He's gorgeous,// Hru realized to herself, //Such bright blue eyes...//
"Ray, what are you doing???" Johnny roared.
"Trying to see what's ahead," Ray explained feebly.
"Well, don't!" Johnny snapped, "We don't need you getting lost too! I'm going to wring Carly's neck when she gets here!"
Willow held on tightly to Ray's arm, "This pressure is so hard..."
"No kidding," Holly agreed, "Hard to breathe."
"Just hang on," Kai said, fighting the pressure himself, "We're all uncomfortable, but we're almost there."
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"CARLY!!!!" Enrique yelled, "CARLY!!!!" He felt a shiver of panic, it was easy to get lost in this place and he definitely didn't want to lose Carly. He quicken his paces and closed his eyes, forcing himself to be calm and concentrated. Slowly, a beam of orange light shot out from his palm and streamed out, guiding the way. Enrique sprinted after the orange beam until he reached...
"Enrique!" Carly snapped, "Let me go this instant!"
Enrique realized that the orange beam of light had wrapped itself around Carly's wrist, freezing her so she couldn't move. He quickly evaporated his Psychic beam and mumbled a feeble sorry to her.
"Thought you were trying to kill me or something," Carly muttered, "Where is everyone else????"
"Back there, waiting," Enrique mumbled, looking crestfallen because she was still mad at him.
"Then what are we waiting for???" Carly exclaimed.
Enrique hurried back, throwing looks behind him to make sure that Carly was still following, until they reached the others.
"CARLY!!!" Johnny yelled, looking furious, "I'm going to kill you!!!"
Carly threw her arms around Johnny and hugged him tightly, "Gosh, I'm so sorry Johnny, I thought I was going to be lost there forever."
Forgetting that he was supposed to be angry, Johnny blushed, "We'd never leave here without you."
"Why did you wander off like that???" Kai demanded.
"I didn't," Carly said stubbornly, making faces at Kai, "I thought we were all going that way and when I looked behind me, there was no one there, it's not MY fault."
"It's NEVER your fault," Kai said, shaking his head, "You never admit it!"
Carly groaned as waves of Psychic pressure washed over them, "Okay, lecture me later Kai, let's get a MOVE on it!"
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Finally, they were all out and standing in the cool refreshing air with no pressure urging them back.
"I forgot how good the air feels," Willow remarked, "Ahh..."
"Finally," Carly snapped, looking back to the orange glowing grid behind them, "Good riddance if you ask me!"
"There's the Psychic Sanctuary," Enrique pointed to the big building in front of them, "Whew, I think we could all use some rest."
"You know," Tala remarked, at last letting go of Hru's arm, "We haven't been using physical force very much in this kingdom, just a lot of mental urging. I think my brain's hurting from all this mental concentration."
Hru rubbed her red wrist, trying to get some feeling into her sore arm. She wasn't going to blame Tala for this, it WAS awfully nice of him to keep an eye out for her. "Cuz it's Psychic, it's all about mental power."
"I prefer to fight," Tala said, shaking his head, looking disappointed.
"Of course you would," Hru rolled her eyes.
They all walked up to the Psychic Sanctuary and let themselves in. It looked much like the other Sanctuary, except the color scheme was orange. A man wearing an orange robe walked out to greet them.
"Greetings young warriors and warrioresses," the man said in a deep voice, "It is a honor to see you again your Highness."
Enrique gulped, praying that Carly wouldn't throw another dirty remark, but Carly merely snorted and turned away from him. Enrique sighed quietly, obviously Carly wasn't going to forgive him anytime soon. "Um...thanks, we have to be on our way soon, we just stopped by to rest."
"Excellent, perhaps you have already guessed but I am the Psychic Mage," the man said, "Will you join me for tea?"
Kai looked flabbergasted, "TEA??? Are you mad? We're trying to save your Kingdom from total destruction and you ask us if we want to have a tea party???"
"Don't be so rude Kai!" Holly hissed.
Enrique looked forlornly at his companions, "Well?"
"I could use a drink!" Kailee huffed, "This world is nothing but trouble!"
"Me too," Max chimed in, "My throat is dry from yelling."
"I suppose it can't hurt," Ray said.
"Waste of time if you ask me," Carly muttered, as the others nodded. They followed the Psychic Mage to another room and all sat down. The mage brewed the tea and started to pour it into their cups.
"No thanks," Tala said, shaking his head, "I don't like tea, I'll pass."
"Picky picky," Hru teased him, giggling when he tilted his head and flashed her a wry smile.
"I don't want any either," Carly told the mage, "No, but thank you, I'll keep a distance."
"It's quite harmless," the Psychic Mage told her, "You have nothing to worry about Ice Warrioress."
"I said no," Carly growled, "And don't talk to me like I'm afraid to drink it or something. I ain't afraid and I don't want any!"
"Of course," the Psychic Mage said apologetically, "Forgive me for persisting."
Johnny shook his head as Carly stiffly sat down again.
"Are there...no monsters here?" Kai asked the Psychic Mage, "Why-" He stopped, annoyed that the Psychic Mage wasn't paying any attention to him.
The mage was staring at the amulets that Ray and Willow have pinned on their shirts, "Those are the amulets...then...then you have reclaimed the Fire and Dark Kingdoms!!!"
"Uh-huh," Ray nodded, with a sweet smile at Willow who blushed.
"That is magnificent!" the Psychic Mage blurted out, looking extremely happy, "The Elemental Galaxy is being restored to its rightful glory, I couldn't be happier!"
"Excuse me," Kai said coldly, "I was asking you a question."
"Of course, of course, my apologies," the Psychic Mage said, finally turning to Kai, "Please go on."
Kai restated his question with as much coldness as he could muster, looking irritated.
"There are few monsters here beside the Psychic Warlock himself," the Psychic Mage said, "He has a few henchmen that he has sent to do his bidding, but other than that, he works alone. There are many Psychic traps here, they do the work of monsters."
"Well, we're going to the Psychic Palace," Enrique said, shrugging, "Monsters or not, it makes no difference."
"I'm terribly sorry your Highness," the Psychic Mage said, "There is no Psychic Palace."
"What??" Kai demanded, "Are you sure??"
"Yes," the Psychic Mage said, nodding, "You see, the Psychic Warlock stripped down the palace long ago and covered the area with his powerful Force Fields."
"Not those again," Kailee groaned, spinning her cup in her hands, "Don't tell me we have to go through more!"
"Then how are we supposed to find him???" Cassandra demanded, looking annoyed as well, "Enrique, you never told us that there wasn't any Psychic Palace."
"I didn't know," Enrique said weakly, looking at the map with an extremely disappointed look on his face, "It's not on here, I forgot to check, sorry."
Everyone was watching Carly, sure that she would explode like a bomb in front of Enrique and damage some part of him. But Carly didn't move or flinch, she just glared at them with a look that plainly said, "You got a problem with me?" Needless to say, Enrique looked very relieved and a tad hopeful.
"Well, now what?" Max asked, taking a sip of his warm tea, "Wow, this is good. I feel like it's healing me in the inside."
Kai raised his eyebrow and took a sip himself, "He's right, you feel something when this liquid goes through you."
Holly nodded, "Yeah, I feel much better now, I'm breathing normally again and I don't feel tired anymore."
"This is a special tea," the Psychic Mage told them, "It can heal people who are mentally exhausted and refresh their minds. It's something that you need right now, Ice Warrioress and Wind Warrior, would you like some?"
"Argh, just one cup then," Tala muttered, ignoring Hru's snicker.
"No," Carly said shortly, her emerald eyes as stubborn as ever, "Thanks, but no."
"Don't be so stubborn," Johnny told her, "Drink some, it'll refresh your mind."
"My mind doesn't need refreshing McGregor!" Carly snapped, "I can still spew out insults faster than you can, does that sound like someone who's mentally exhausted????"
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After they finished their tea (except for Carly who still didn't take any), they thanked the Psychic Mage (except Carly, lol!) and went on their merry way. They continued across a wasteland until they reached the place where the Psychic Palace used to stand. It was empty and eerie, the Force Field there was as strong as ever, they could feel the pressure meters away. But there was no orange glow around the transparent tiles even though the blackness underneath the grid was dangerously visible. It was empty and open, no where to hide.
"Look there," Johnny pointed to the middle of the Force Field, "There's someone there."
"I'll bet you it's the Psychic Warlock!" Kai said, "Who else? That's where we're going."
The minute they stepped onto the Force Field grid, the pressure came at them so strongly that most of them were knocked down, even Johnny who was resistant to Psychic staggered before regaining his balance.
"I can't get up!" Willow gasped. Whenever she tried to stand, the pressure would knock her back down again.
"Me neither!" Holly realized, "It isn't a reassuring thought."
"Curse!" Kai muttered, stumbling as he tried to stand up.
Tala fought the pressure and rose on his feet, "Good thing I'm trained as a pilot, the pressure doesn't bother me that much, it's still a bit - overwhelming though." He reached down and gripped Hru's hand tightly, pulling her on her feet.
Johnny was going to help Carly up, he stopped when he saw Carly fight the pressure herself and stand up without falling. He shook his head, //She never ceases to amaze me, guess her stubbornness is actually some good, her pride won't let her fall...that's Carly.//
Hru was wincing and gasping for breath, "It's...too...strong!!!"
"Take her back outside!" Kai yelled to Tala over the roaring of pressure, "She'll die if she can't breathe!"
"No!" Hru cried, "I'll be fine, I don't wanna wait outside."
"Hru," Tala said firmly, "You won't make it out of here alive, there's too much pressure." His voice ringed with sympathy.
"Take this," Kai said, taking out the potion that the Guardian gave to Hru earlier, "Take a bigger dose this time."
"How..." Hru croaked, grasping the bottle.
"I thought the effect might wear off," Kai explained, "So I brought along some extra."
"Thanks," Hru said, her head clearing after she took the potion in one gulp, "You're a good friend Kai, whew, I feel much better now. It's still pressuring me, but I can walk now...I think."
"No problem," Kai said, pulling up Holly while Ray helped Willow up, hugging her tightly before letting go.
They ventured into the Force Field until they reached the Psychic Warlock. He didn't flinch when he saw them approach, his piercing eyes glowed orange and his mouth curved into an evil smirk.
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Anna: Oh thank you! I'm glad you don't think my characters are too perfect, they're not all my characters tho. :P I only own Carly, :P Read my other fic if you have the time, it's much more intense. :P
Elemental Water Mistress: *cough* Late update, sorry! ^^ Hahaha, Enrique's suffering is just beginning. *insert wicked laughter* Just kidding, you'll find out! ^^
~kai~: I HATE computer problems, believe me, they're nightmare! X_X I wondered if I made Hru too…um…too OOC this chapter, but it was her weakness, so I thought it was only fair.
RBMIfan: Yeah, you got it! Definitely, that's the whole point of Enrique going there! XD, he ain't prepared! ^^
Kerry: Yayz! ^^ *hugz* Everyone thinks Carly's too hard on Enrique, ah, but that's life! ^^
UniGirl: I DIDN'T??? *grumblez* I must've overlooked it, sorry! ^^ I'm not an expert! *blushes*
kai-cutie-angel: Hey hey! ^^ You should update your fic soon! ^^ Tala/Hru is always fun to write!
Reicu: Okay. ^^U Send me some pictures too, lol! ^^
bimbo-blonde: AHHHHHHHHHH! Are you serious???? O_O! Man, I fell off my chair laughing when I read that! ^^ Tala and Hru would both be O_O!
Red48: I will check out that author later! ^^ I have another fic, if you're interested, it's much more intense and more fighting and more fantasy. ^^ Where Your Loyalties Lie, it has some of the characters in here too. :P
~*~Prodigious girl*~*: Okay, tell, Holly I'm sorry about the mistakes and if she'd like, she could help me check them over. X_X I didn't say Ontario food sucks, I said that the food sucked where I was. :P Yup, Carly's bossy and ignorant.
Britt: I'll join you at your grave soon enough. X_X I'm joking though. :P
Becs: *hugz* Random guesses are always the closest ones. X_X Everyone loves Tala/Hru, it's soooooooo weird. O_o
Glowing Amber: Ummmmmmmm…didn't exactly happen, sorry I was really really tried lately. X_X
Emerald skies: *glompz Enrique too* I still love him too! ^^
Beyblader-grl: I hope you liked No Complications. ^^ You did inspire me, somehow. :P I'm sooooooo tired now. :P
Kakashi Lover 4 Life: Yayz, I'm glad it's okay now! Who's the person in your name now?? O_O