Chapter Four: The Underground Ruins
Dawn had awoken. The starless sky drifted away while the orange light from the sun blazed like fire. Aurora looked at the welcoming sunrise, the breeze whistling to her. She sat on the edge of the docks and watched the moving colors in the sky. Green slept soundly besides her, nestling on her kimono.
She couldn't sleep in the inn, which was owned by Ms. Cartha, the blond-haired woman she met earlier. Mira had said to the trio for helping Klaus with his research, they could stay at the inn free of charge.
The sound of rustling feathers echoed as someone approached her. "Can't sleep, Aurora?"
She looked over her shoulder. Cosmomi fluttered his wings and landed besides her.
"You know, Rachael told you that if you don't get enough sleep, you'll get insomnia," he reminded her.
Aurora just giggled and looked at the ripples wrinkling the surface of the water. "I wonder if...the others are alright."
"Hey, they're tough. I'm sure they're fine," Cosmomi said cheerfully. His smile soon faded. "That's not the reason why you can't sleep, is it?"
"Yeah... Cosmomi?"
"Hm?" The flying cat looked up and saw an expression on Aurora's face that he'd always seen during bad times.
"Why was I chosen as a Dragon Guardian?" she wondered.
The flying cat jumped. "Why are you asking me that again!? I may be one of the Chromatic Creaturea but I don't ever know THOSE kind of answers!"
"I know. If only you and your brothers and sisters hadn't forgotten some of your memories, maybe we could get some answers," she remarked.
"Oh!? Now you're blaming me!?"
"No... It's just…"
Cosmomi's anger subsided as he saw the sadness deepening in Aurora's eyes.
"I thought Angela was supposed to be the next Dragon Guardian. She was always better than me. Always the kind and gentle person she was. Warm-hearted and caring. A Dragon Guardian is supposed to have a kind heart and a strong spirit, like her..."
She paused for a moment and then continued. "I wasn't like her. I didn't have a kind heart or a strong spirit. I was always lively and sometimes shy..."
She glanced up at the sky. "I was always pushed around. Couldn't stand up for myself. I had always cried. Cried for being weak. So why? Why was I chosen?"
Cosmomi looked at her, anxious, his ears flapped downwards. He turned to the sky. "Maybe...because you were both alike."
"Huh?" Aurora looked at him, puzzled.
"As I remember, you were also warm-hearted and strong-willed. Maybe that's why you were chosen. Because you were alike," Cosmomi told her. "That could be one possibility. Not that what I say is necessarily true."
Aurora smiled at her companion and turned to the bright orange and blue sky.
"So, do you want to go meet Klaus? Mira did say that Klaus wanted to talk to you and Mint and Rue today to talk more about yesterday's findings from the atelier," Cosmomi reminded. "Like they say, 'the early bird gets the worm'."
"...No. I'd like to stay here a little longer," was Aurora's reply. Cosmomi nodded and turned back to the scenery.
The sea breeze rustled along Aurora's hair. She sighed while smiling and continued to look at the magic floating among the clouds.
"Finally! You're here," Mint snapped.
Aurora was in Klaus's house and walked downstairs to his study room. Green hopped down the stairs while Cosmomi had soared down and landed on a pile of books.
Rue and Klaus had been waiting patiently, but Mint had been waiting rather impatiently, tapping her foot.
"Thank you for coming, Aurora," Klaus greeted. "We thought you may never come."
"I'm sorry. I was kind of got caught up with something," Aurora apologized.
"Hmph! Well, next time, we're not gonna wait for you if you come late again," Mint snapped. Aurora partially ignored her.
"Do you always have to be so hard on her, Mint?" Rue wondered. He turned to Klaus, knowing the answer to his question was not important right then. "You wanted to see us, Doctor?"
"Well, I finished skimming through the staff we brought back from the atelier," the doctor told the trio.
"Oh. Did you find anything about the relic?"
"Yes. The magician who was living in the atelier was looking for the relic as well. It's written right here: 'My endless pursuit of the Aeon relic continues.' On the next page, he wrote: 'The Aeon relic is sealed by one of the highest orders of Magic. Even my powers are incapable of overcoming it.' "
"The relic is sealed?" Mint questioned.
"So what does that mean?" Aurora wondered.
"The Aeon who created the relic probably feared someone would steal it. So he must've placed a powerful seal to protect it," Klaus explained.
"It's probably very difficult to break it," Rue stated.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Klaus admitted. "After all, the relic was sealed by a powerful Aeon. Like it says in his diary, the magician couldn't break the seal. I don't think we can do anything, either, even if we find it."
"No..." Rue moaned. He looked away.
"You're saying we should give up!?" Mint yelled.
Aurora stayed silent. A pain stabbed her in the heart. 'I was so close...'
"Qwee..." Green whined and looked up at Aurora.
Cosmomi lowered his ears, knowing how his companion felt. 'Aurora...'
"Ahh, it's too early to give up," Klaus told them. "I'm still not finished."
Their attentions turned back to him as their hopes rose.
"What?" Mint questioned.
"You see, the magician wasn't the only one looking for the relic. Listen to this: 'I cannot break the seal. Then I shall seek the powers of the past. Long ago, Grand Magician Elroy and his apprentices also sought after the power of the relic. I must see his research on the relic. I must go to Elroy's atelier in the underground ruins. I have made a key that will grant me access to his atelier. The power to uncover Elroy's secrets is in my hands. But I'm too late... I have fallen victim to a deadly disease. I cannot even walk anymore...'"
"...He couldn't go?" Rue wondered.
"He must've been carrying a terrible disease. He worked so hard and even made a key, but...he was too late. It's very sad..." Klaus said.
"..." 'It must be very disappointing for him,' Aurora thought. 'To have finally found a way to uncover Elroy's secret... Only to fall ill before he could do anything...'
"So how about it? Let's uncover the mystery of the relic together," Klaus suggested cheerfully. "I don't know how far we can go, but I think it's something worth trying. That's the key made by the magician." He pointed to the pink crystal that was lying on the table. It was the crystal from the atelier's vault. "With it, we should be able to enter to the ruins and the atelier. If we can find the atelier, we can find more information about the relic."
"Where are these Underground Ruins?" Aurora wondered.
"They're quite far," Klaus replied. "It would take about half a day to get there by foot. Ok, time to pack up and get going."
However, the moment Klaus got up and took a step, he fell down.
"Ouch..." he groaned.
"Doctor, are you alright?" Rue asked, worried.
"Dang, I guess your ankle isn't healed yet," Mint said.
"Ahh, it's nothing," Klaus assured them. "A twisted ankle isn't going to stop me from chasing my dreams." He got up again but just as he took a step, he fell down on the hard floor again and groaned another "ouch...".
"Hey, you're not young anymore," Mint reminded him.
"It's best that you stay home and rest," Aurora told him. "I'm sure Mira and Elena would worry about you if you came with us."
"But..." Klaus began in protest.
"It's alright," Mint said. "I can just go to the Underground Ruins and get back whatever I can."
"No, I can't let you go by yourself! Those ruins are filled with monsters. It's too dangerous to go there by yourself. It's best that Rue and Aurora go with your."
Aurora and Mint looked at each other then turned away with angry looks on their faces.
'Dammit!' Aurora thought at the same time Mint thought, 'Dang!'
'That means I have to work with this (expletive)!' they thought in unison.
"Uh, are you sure it's a good idea that they should go together?" Cosmomi questioned, a sweatdrop trickling down his furry cheek. No one answered him.
"I guess there's nothing we can do except work together," Rue sighed.
"Alright... Just promise me one thing. Don't overexert yourselves. If it get tough, just come back, ok?" Klaus asked.
"Alright," Rue agreed
"Sure. I can handle these things," Aurora assured Klaus. 'If Mint wasn't coming with me to the ruins!'
"Trust me," Mint told him. "It will be a piece of cake." 'If Aurora wasn't coming with me to the ruins!'
"Well, be careful at the ruins and good luck," Klaus said to the trio. They were off to the Underground Ruins, east of Carona Forest.
In an aperture encircled by tall trees was a stone platform with a strange symbol engraved in it. Despite the fact that it was well hidden away from the world, Rue was able to find it with the help of a broken path that led to it.
"So this is the entrance to the atelier," the princess stated.
"I sense very strong magic here," Cosmomi told them. "And by the looks of this symbol, I'd say it might be Elroy's trademark."
"Trademark?" Aurora echoed.
"Yeah. Most sorcerers use trademarks for many things. I think this is a teleporter."
"Teleporter? You mean this will teleport us to the ruins?" Rue questioned.
"Yes. There are many teleporters all around Cytherea. Some new and some very old. All you have to do is jump on it."
"Okay!" Mint darted to the entrance and turned around. "Listen up! We'll go our separate paths from here on."
"What!?" Rue yelled.
"I don't need two babysitters! I can perfectly take care of myself."
"You can't-" Rue began but Mint cut him off.
"I can't what?" Mint glared at him, her nose a few inches away from his.
"You can't go on your own! There are dangerous monsters down there," he exclaimed nervously.
"Rue's right," the flying cat agreed. "You can't beat those monsters alone."
"Ha!" Mint laughed. "I can just sweep them away with my Magic."
"In your condition? I doubt it," Aurora muttered.
"Hmph!" The princess huffed after giving an icy glare and turned away. "Just don't come after me!"
"Hey! Wait!" Rue cried.
Mint jumped on the platform and glared at them over her shoulder. "By the way, don't try anything funny, or else I'll jump-kick you in the face. Got it?"
She instantly vanished as a burst of blue light surrounded around her. Rue slightly grinned. "Gosh... She's so bossy."
"Sheez!" the flying cat hissed. "...She's like a spoiled princess."
After a short pause, Aurora walked up to the teleporter. Green hopped after her.
"Hey!" Cosmomi cried. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the atelier...alone," she answered.
"What!?" Rue shrieked. "Aurora, you can't-"
"It's ok. I've gone through many obstacles like this and I got out of them without any trouble."
"But Klaus said that we should stick together!"
"...Yes, I know he said that...but...he doesn't know me well enough, nor do you, Rue," she said, smiling at him. He looked at her, with both confusion and anxiousness. "Well, see ya."
"Aurora, wait!" However, before Rue could stop her, she and Green stepped onto the platform in a dash and disappeared in the blistering blue light. The girls had forgotten that he had the key with him.
"Argh!" Cosmomi screamed. "They forgot me!"
Rue kept silent. 'What does she mean I don't know her well enough?'
"Rue, aren't you going after them?" Cosmomi asked impatiently.
"Uh, yeah," Rue said, snapping out of his thought. He walked onto the platform, his Arc Edge ready in his hand. Cosmomi fluttered on his shoulder as the same bright blue light surrounded them.
One minute, he was in a forest. The next, Rue and Cosmomi were looking around in a large cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites above. A passageway was in front of them, leading to them something. The rushing sound of waterfalls echoed in the stone chambers. Moss grew along the rocks. Light reflected off a small lake that surrounded a platform that they stood on. The colors, blue and green bound, together, creating an illustrated waving cyan light within the cavern.
"So this is the Underground Ruins," Rue whispered in awe as he walked down a small flight of rocky stairs. "It's incredible. It's too bad Klaus wasn't here to see this."
"Wow," Cosmomi breathed. He turned to the passageway. "Geez! Aurora could have waited for me but nooo! She just ran off like there is no tomorrow!"
"Cosmomi, what does she mean that I don't know her well?" Rue wondered.
" ...You'll find out in the future," the flying cat told him. "Now can we go?"
Rue headed to the passageway, Cosmomi following behind. Meanwhile, in another passageway of the Underground Ruins...
"Man, it's sure dark here," Aurora stated. She placed her hand on the wall, using it as a lead. Dim light was also her guide but she was sure that sooner or later it wouldn't be.
Green jumped onto Aurora's shoulder and squeaked a "Quee...".
"You're scared too, huh?" Aurora asked the blob. "It's ok. I'm here and I'm lucky to have you here." She looked ahead. "Green, it's been a month since we left home. I think by now you miss all those good fruits, right?"
The green blob nodded its shaky head.
"Don't worry. When we get the relic, bring back Angela and go home, I'll feed you a wheelbarrow full of Dew Mangoes."
"Qwee!" Green squealed in delight, hopping up and down and flapping his ears. Aurora giggled softly but her smile soon faded away.
Drip!
A drop of water dribbled down to a puddle. Green perked his ears up and turned to Aurora. From happiness turning to sadness, Green wiped tears trickling down Aurora's cheek with his left ear.
"Thanks," Aurora said, wiping her stained eyes with her glove. "I'm ok now."
The sound of rushing water caught her attention.
'Water?' She listened carefully to the sound of gushing water and looked ahead. Two paths led to two different directions. She picked up the sound of water splashing on rock from the left. Turning to the left path, she knew that if there was a waterfall, then that would mean there was something below, an abyss.
"Quee! Qrrr...!" Green suddenly growled at something ahead.
"What's wro-" A hissing roar stopped Aurora. She looked up in the darkness. They were not alone.
Three scarlet figures, dotted with maroon spots, hissed in the darkness. They were rather heavy reptilian creatures, with stumpy arms and legs. They each had a powerful fanned-tail. One breathed a flare from its mouth.
'Gudons,' Aurora thought.
Slowly she reached out for the handle of her two-handed sword and slipped it out of its cloth-case. The cloth-sheath fell, turning into two wings of silky clothing attached to the belt on her kimono. She held the blade up, twice her length and half her width. A diamond-shaped gem engraved in the handle and gleamed like a rainbow.
"Green, ready?" she asked the blob.
"Quee!" the blob answered.
The Gudons hissed and darted toward her. But she was quickly than them. Swiftly, she pulled out an orb, red like the flame with a symbol fixed within the glass. In a flash, she hurled it to the jewel of the handle and immediately, it fused with the jewel as one.
"Ragion!" she ordered and in an instant, her Dragonblade took shape. Swiftly, it changed into a scarlet double-edged sword. The gem also turned into a small ruby orb with the symbol of fire.
Green shot spheres of slime at the Gudons, blinding their sights. They tried to scratch away the sticky slime but with their stumpy arms, they couldn't reach the slime.
"Explosion Dance!"
Aurora gracefully dashed towards the first one and swung her sword at it. An explosion detonated the moment the sword slashed at it. The next dance step, she thrust her sword at the second, creating another explosion and finally, with an elegant step, she finished off the last Gudon with a mighty explosion.
The eruptions rumbled through the endless tunnels, shaking a fragment of the ruins.
"What the heck was that!?" Mint yelled. Soon after she said that, the trembles decreased and the walls were at peace. '...Must be nothing.'
Without waiting for a moment, she walked on. Light flickering from crystals on the walls of the tunnel guided her way.
"Dang! Now which way?" Two passageways: one leading to the left and the other leading to the right, were in front of her. "I wish I had a map of this place. Then it would be a piece of cake finding the atelier."
She turned to the left passageway and then to the right. "Hmm..." The only way for her to decide was to guess. "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo. That way!"
She pointed to the right passageway and walked on. "Now that's solved, I can get to the atelier in no ti-" Something hard bumped into her...or she bumped into something hard. "Ouch!"
"Ouch!" someone screamed in the darkness.
"Qwee!" A squeaking sound cried. Mint furrowed one eyebrow and peered into the darkness. There standing was a blob and a girl carrying a two-handed sword in the darkness while rubbing her head.
"You! Why are you following me!?" Mint demanded, not knowing of the sword that Aurora was carrying had turned back to its original form.
"Me!? You just bumped into me!" Aurora shrieked.
"Oh sure."
"Look, if you're going to act this way, then at least don't do it in front of my face!"
"I can do anything I want and I don't need someone to tell me what to do."
"Have it your way," Aurora said and walked on, swinging her sword over her back and let the cloth encase around it. Green followed after her.
'...That sword,' Mint thought. 'Where have I seen it?'
She turned back and found three Gudons lying on the ground. Each had a deadly burn on it. She knew that Gudons have protective skin that could deflect fire and high temperate such as three hundred degrees. How was it possible that they could get burnt? She asked herself.
She looked over her shoulder to see Aurora disappear. 'Could she have... Nah!' She walked pass the dead corpses but stopped.
"Wait a minute..." Mint told herself. "If she came from this path, then I might end up lost again." She snapped her fingers instantly. "That's it! I'll follow Aurora and if we come to the atelier, I'll knock her down and get the treasure. Mint, you're such a genius."
The princess dashed quietly after the Dragon Guardian till she reached the two passageways. Silently, Mint hid behind a large rock and pecked over.
"So, Green, which way?" Aurora asked the blob.
Looking at the left passageway that Mint had came from, Green sniffed the air and turned to the untouched passageway. With a wriggle from its watery nose (if it had one), it pointed its ears at the direction. "Quee! Qwee, qwee!" "That way, huh?"
As Aurora and Green walked onward, Mint cunningly followed them behind. Soon enough, they came across a grotto with a volcano-shaped hole in the center of it. Aurora approached to the hole and cautiously examined it.
"Hmm, I wonder if it's safe to go down there."
With a snigger, Mint gazed over. 'Now's my chance.' She got out of her hiding place and seized her Dual Haloes. 'Say goodnight, Aurora. 'Cause you're going go night-night after I kick your butt!'
Not to her notice, a wild Gudon was walking by and became aware of Mint. Slowly, the reptilian creature waggled up behind her. Before Mint was ready to leap, the Gudon slapped her hard with its tail.
"WHOA!!!"
"Huh? What the-!?" But Aurora's shout was cut short as Mint charged into her and doubtfully, both girls fell into the hole.
"AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"
CRASH!!!
"Ouch!" Mint groaned in bitter pain. "That hurt… Hey, where did Aurora go? Hmph! That (expletive)! She must have gone off to the atelier!"
"Mint," a voice was heard underneath her. "GET OFF ME!!!"
The princess then realized she was on top of Aurora. Quickly, she got up and Aurora groaned painfully.
"Owww... My face... And my back, too!"
"At least you broke my fall," Mint sneered.
"What am I!? A cushion to you!?" Aurora snapped. "And just what were you doing!? Trying to kill me!?"
"Sheez, I was just minding my own business when something just hit me from behind," Mint said defensively.
"Yeah, right," Aurora muttered to herself.
"Qwee!" The Dragon Guardian looked up, where Green was gazing down at her.
"Oh, Green," she called. "Jump. It's okay. I'll catch you." Knowing her, the little blob jumped off and fell safely into her open arms. "Green, are you ok?"
The blob nodded its watery head and bounced out of her arms.
"Now, Mint, what should we..." Aurora turned around to find no Princess standing where she should have been. "...Do? Dammit! Where'd she go now?"
She then found Mint along the newly found passageway, hitting a huge boulder with her Dual Haloes. 'What is she up to now!?'
"Mint! What are you doing!?" The Dragon Guardian dashed up to the princess.
"What does it look like?" Mint snapped after stopping to hit the boulder. "This boulder is in the way!"
"We shouldn't toy with it. That would be playing dumb!"
"Oh, and I suppose you have an idea."
"Uh..." Aurora turned away, failing to think of a plan.
"I thought so."
"Look, it's best to leave it if you don't want to get flatten."
"Oh, who died and made you leader?"
"I'm being serious!"
Suddenly, a rumble caught their attention.
"Huh?" they spoke in unison.
As they looked up, the boulder started to shake fiercely and was about to roll.
"RUN!!!" Aurora screamed, realizing it would roll over them if they didn't move.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Mint yelled. As the boulder gained speed and tumbled along the passageway, Mint, Aurora and Green dashed down the path.
"Qweeeeeeeeeeee!!!" the blob squealed loudly.
"It's gaining on us!" Aurora alerted.
Just as they passed near the hole where they fell in, two hands appeared from the darkness and quickly grabbed their collars, nearly choking them to death. They were pulled to safety and Green rolled away into shelter, avoiding the rolling boulder as it rolled onwards down the path. A crashing sound was heard at the end of the path.
Mint fell to her knees whist Aurora leaned against a wall, both catching their breaths.
"Huff-Huff-Heave-Heave..." Mint panted. "Phew! I thought I was a goner."
"Same here," Aurora gasped.
"Are you two alright?"
The girls looked behind, responding to the voice.
"Rue, you saved us?" Aurora wondered loudly.
Standing behind them were Rue with his Arc Edge over his shoulder and Cosmomi flying nearby.
"You were nearly gonna be squashed," Cosmomi stated.
"You're alright, aren't you?" Rue asked again.
"Yeah, we're ok," Aurora replied.
"How did you found us?" Mint wondered once catching her breath.
"We followed your scent, Mint," the flying cat answered.
"You mean you followed me!?" Mint yelled at Rue's face, enraged that he followed her. "Why did you followed me!!!?"
"I...I..." The boy's tongue twisted as he failed to speak or find the right answer.
"I what!!!?" Mint demanded.
"I..."
"For Heaven's sake, never mind!" The Princess stomped away and down the path to where a new entrance had opened.
"Thanks for helping me, Rue," Aurora thanked. "Sorry for...leaving you at the teleporter like that."
"It's okay." Rue smiled at her.
"Aurora, why did you leave me behind?" the flying cat demanded.
"Sorry, Cosmomi. I thought you were behind us," she laughed tensely.
"Hey! Are you just gonna stand there or not?" Mint's voice echoed.
Rue, Aurora and the creatures walked after her and all approached to a ledge peering over a large underground lake. Flowing over the lake were eight different platforms. Each had a different color and a different symbol. Arranged in a bridge, the last one, a white platform with the symbol of a star was at the far end of the bridge.
"Wow, I wonder how long this lake has been here," Rue said, in astonishment.
With a fluff of the flying cat's wings, Cosmomi soared to the last platform. "Looks like the last platform is the entrance to the atelier." "How can you be sure?" Mint wondered, cocking an eyebrow.
"I sense magic on this one," he answered, landing on the platform. "Come on."
"I hope you're right about this," Aurora said and the trio, followed by Green, jumped onto the bridge and onto the white platform.
"Hey, have I ever been wrong before?" Cosmomi asked offended.
"Yeah, once."
"Hey!!!"
The minute they landed on it, the platform started to move downwards towards the lake. The gentle ripples shook violently as the water spilt open like invisible hands spilt the water open.
As the water broke away, swirling around them, the platform drifted downwards through a bottomless abyss and onwards. A spiral stairway curled in the catacombs as the platform sank deeper and passed the last step of the stairway.
It continued on until it stopped in another bottomless abyss. Four squared pillars stood in the abyss, lined in a large square and leading from there were smaller pillars and two platforms afar from each other.
"Hmm, this place looks weird," Mint said as Aurora and Rue jumped onto one of the pillars. The princess jumped off the platform while the blob hopped after Aurora and the flying cat soared in the air with suspicion in his eyes.
"Something's not right," he said. "I sense strong magic but it's coming from down below."
A quiver beneath their feet alarmed them.
"W-what's going on!?" Aurora shrieked.
Immediately, a giant hideous creature jumped from the abyss and landed on one of the pillars. It was a skeletal dragon. Bared with no skin or organs, it was completely made of bones. In its rib cage was an orange sack and the sound of fire flickering was heard within it like the beating of a heart. It gave out a loud roar that rumbled the walls of the underground cavern.
"What the heck is that!?" Mint yelled.
"My guess is Elroy must have made that to guard this place," Cosmomi stated, laughing nervously.
With a sudden leap, the skull beast jumped and was about to land on the trio.
"Look out!!!" Rue warned and he, Mint and the creatures jumped to the nearest pillar. Aurora, however, didn't make it and was nearly thrown aside by the shockwave. Moaning in pain, she pushed herself up and turned to face the skull beast, which was breathing down at her with its hot breath.
"Aurora!" Rue yelled but she trembled with fear. She couldn't move nor speak. She couldn't reach for her weapon and fight. She froze, eyes locked at the skull beast. In her eyes twinkled fear. A memory streaked in her mind, triggered by the reptilian skeleton and the blazing fire in its sack-like heart.
The monster that attacked her hometown, the night she lost two people she loved most in the roaring flames.
The bloody night that haunted her for ten years.
A flash of platinum feathers darted past her eyes. "Leave Aurora alone, you bunch of bones!"
Cosmomi, the flying cat attacked the beast, scratching it with his claws but each scratch did no harm to it.
"Aurora!" Rue cried and instantly the Dragon Guardian snapped to reality. The skull beast brushed the flying cat away with its bony arm and before Aurora could fight, it grabbed her and threw her to the nearest pillar. Luckily, she landed on the pillar before falling into abyss.
The skull beast turned to the direction of Rue and heaved a deep breath. It let out a mighty breath of fire at him but swiftly he blocked the intense flames with his Arc Edge.
"Hey!" As Rue fought against the force of the brilliant heat, a shout caught the skull's beast's attention. Just as the skull beast turned to its left, Mint came flying at it with a jump-kick in the air. With a hard kick, the skull beast flung into the abyss. Mint, however, fell in too.
"Mint!!!" Rue cried as he dashed to the edge of the pillar.
"Mint!" Aurora yelled, running to the pillar. The duo and the creatures quickly searched around for the confrontational princess.
"Mint!" Rue called again.
"I'm right here!" a reply echoed in the abyss. They jumped with fright but quickly looked for her, knowing that she was alive.
"Where are you?" the flying cat cried.
"Look down, you idiots!" They looked down and found Mint clutching to the edge for dear life. "Pull me up before I fall!!!"
Without hesitating, Rue and Aurora quickly pulled the red-haired girl to safety.
"Are you alright?" Rue wondered.
"Yeah," she finally gasped after catching her breath.
A roar echoed in the abyss and suddenly, the skull beast rose from below and opened its mouth wide. Rue quickly grabbed his Arc Edge and swung it at the skull beast, chopping off its skull. The skull and the headless creature plummeted into the darkness of the abyss.
"That was too close for comfort," Cosmomi spoke.
"Aurora, are you alright?" Rue asked.
"Huh?" Aurora turned to the silver-haired boy.
"You freaked out when that beast was about to kill you," Mint told her, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"
Aurora turned away. "It's nothing. I couldn't fight in range when that monster was so close to me," she lied. Four pairs of eyes stared at her. "Really! I'm fine. ...We should get going." She walked to the white platform that led from the smaller pillars. "Well, aren't you coming?"
They followed after her and got onto the platform. Slowly, the platform rose downwards into the abyss. As they approached deeper, a small but vast arena appeared below them. In the center of the arena was a small hole, surrounded by symbols. Above the arena, their gazes saw an enormous inverted pyramid.
"So, this is Elroy's atelier, huh?" Aurora said, gazing at the splendid sight.
"I wonder how he build something like this," Rue wondered.
"Who cares?" Mint snorted. "Let's just go in."
"You don't really appreciate these things, do you?" Cosmomi mumbled.
"Meow..."
"Cosmomi, we know you're a cat but do you have to meow?" Mint murmured.
"I didn't say anything... Hey! Who you're calling a cat!?" Cosmomi demanded.
"Meow!" Turning around, the trio looked over. Sitting behind them cutely was an unusual cat. It was the size of a dog and had ears of a lynx. Its fur was ginger with golden stripes and entangled near its ear were clips and ribbons.
"A pussy-cat?" Mint uttered. The cat nearly growled, its twitching eyes with anger.
"Hey, where did you come from, little cat?" Rue wondered, scratching the cat's ears. It purred gleefully.
"It must have got lost in these catacombs," Aurora stated. "Poor thing."
The flying cat sniffed the air and eyed at the cat suspiciously. "Y'know, I could have swore I know this cat. Her scent is familiar..."
"What do you mean?" Aurora asked.
Cosmomi drew closer to the large cat and sniffed. "Hmm... She smells familiar... Oh well. Maybe it's nothing."
"Anyhoo, we should get going," Mint suggested, turning to her team, which in fact were playing with the cat. "...They're not listening..."
"It's cute. Wonder what's it doing here?" Aurora wondered, patting the cat. Rue smiled as the cat nuzzled against his cheek.
"Stupid guys," Mint muttered quietly. "Strange how it got here..." She turned away. "Man... Those two are suckers for animals."
With listening the tapping of claws on the polished stones, the cat jumped high and landed onto Mint, bringing her down. "AHH!!!"
The cat licked its wet tongue at Mint's cheek like a dog. The Princess stared surprised by this, but started to giggle. "Heh... Hee, hee!"
"They're sure having fine," Cosmomi said as they cuddled with the newfound friend.
"You're such a cute cat," Mint admitted. This was the second time she had once played with an animal. 'Come to think of it... There was a time I hid and kept a stray dog in the palace...'
"Did you say something?" Aurora asked.
"N-Nothing. Nothing at all," Mint spat.
"Wish there was something I could give her..." Aurora said scratching the cat's ears after turning away from Mint.
"Yeah..." Rue agreed. "Hey. I know." He reached into his bag and pulled out a collar with a halo. "What about this? Elena gave me this."
"Yeah, it's prefect."
Rue slipped the collar around the cat's furry neck and the trio stepped back to see how it looked. Mint giggled softly to herself.
"It's cute," Aurora said.
"Cool!" Cosmomi cried.
"Say, Rue..." Mint whispered to him. "Why would Elena have a dog collar on her?"
"Ha, ha!" Rue laughed timidly. "Well..."
He recalled Elena saying to him that she found it and thought of giving it to him. Aurora, Mint and Rue were utterly amazed.
"Anyway, we should get going," Aurora told them. They all agreed, including bringing the cat along with them and walked to the center.
Taking the violet crystal out of his bag, Rue inserted it into the hole. The crystal started to glow brilliantly as he quickly stood away.
A beam of light shot to the atelier's point and the top of the pyramid disconnected and rose downwards like the pervious platforms. It lowered down to the ground and all jumped onto it. The reversed pyramid carried its passengers to the entrance that led to the inner-self of the atelier.
Whatever awaited them was waiting for them.
Vickie: Chapter 4 is up and going! And can anyone guess who that large newcomer is? Is it:
a) An unusual large cat
b) Fiona the demi-human
c) The guardian of Grand Magician Elroy's Atelier
If anyone gets it right, they win a trip to...
Aurora: ...You don't have a prize for the winner, do you?
Vickie: None... - -; Sorry. Anyway, on with the reviews! Jen! Thank for your killer hug and lovely review! And I look forward to seeing your fanfic...even though I haven't review any stories for the past couple of weeks. J-J BUT I WILL REVIEW!
Aurora: Yeah. Like in a couple of years.
Vickie: Glares at Aurora but continues on with the reviews To Faerie, thanks for the review. And Dark Knight Gafgar, Thanks for your review. And I'll keep it up. And about the crossover that I was talking about. It's just a crossover of Threads of Fate/Chrono Cross. A friend of mine and I are only preparing it. It would take a while though. Anyhoo, thanks for the review! And finally, Pauli, the guy who is helping me with the crossover, thanks for your review.
Aurora: And that lovely talk that the so-called Paul had given to us. Geez, I wish we had a nice (but deadly) present for him.
Vickie: ; Hee-hee. Well! Everyone! READ AND REVIEW THIS FANFIC!!! XD