"No..." Serena gasped. "It can't be!"
Fader stepped forward to Serena. Placing a hand gently on her face he lifted her chin so she was looking into her eyes. "Serena," was all he said. It was all the convincing she needed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. It didn't matter that their physical connection was only virtual, the emotional connection was as strong as ever. After a few seconds, Fader broke the kiss. "We have to hurry," he told them. "We don't have much time."
"Fader, what is it?" Serena asked him.
Beezy voiced his concerns as well. "Fader what the hell is going on?"
"There's no time to explain now," he replied. "But I will answer your questions. Right now though we have to get out of here."
"What's that noise?" Vega asked. The others looked around as they too heard the noise as it filled the air, echoing and growing louder and louder.
"It's too late," said Fader looking up out of the canyon into the sky. He turned back to the group. "All of you on guard. They're here."
"What are you talking about?" Dennis said as he looked around. "I don't see anything."
"Scarabs. Swarms of scarabs. They're headed straight for us." A shadow then cast itself over the valley, blocking out the light of the scorching sun. All five of them looked up to see a cloud of black moving across the sky, twisting too unnatural to be real.
"The scarabs," Vega said.
"Hundreds of them," Serena added.
"Thousands actually," a matter of fact voice echoed through the canyon. The group spun around to the source of the voice from above and behind them. They turned from the cloud of insects and into the six eyes of the Insect Queen. She continued. "My children are beautiful aren't they?" She puased briefly to look over the users. "There are more of you now; not that it matters of course, more of you for my babies to feast on."
"Millia..." Vega said in a low voice.
"What?" asked Fader.
Dennis spoke up. "That's Millia. At least it was."
"Not anymore though," the queen said with pride. "If it makes you feel any better she put up a valiant fight."
"She's dead." Fader said. "It's just a virus now."
"You say that so harshly, and with such contempt," she said to him.
"Shouldn't he?" Beezy shouted.
"Not at all my dear," she replied. "You should be honored to join with me. Your avatars will last hundreds of times longer than your corporeal bodies."
"There's no joining," Vega cried out. "There's nothing of Millia in you, she's gone; if she wasn't then it would be her that we would be talking to now."
"You may be right," laughed the queen. "Not that it's going to matter to you; my children will have devoured you all soon enough. Go my children!" With her last shout the cloud of scarabs dove upon the users.
"Everyone watch out!" Fader shouted. "Pull together!" The group of them pulled them into a tighter formation, thier backs together to face the onslaught of manacing scarabs. Fader lifted his staff and aimed at the mass of attacking insects. Vega mimed his actions and aimed her own staff in tandem with his. Together they launched attacks into the insect mass; destroying only a few of the thousands which drerw closer. Serena launched her sword into the swarm, teraing through the small animals, eventually returning to her as Dennis' fireballs added to the growing number of exterminated bugs.
"It's not doing anything!" Dennis yelled. "There's way too many of them."
"I have an idea," replied Vega. She stopped her attacks and lowered her staff.
"Anytime then," Beezy said as he shifted his attention all around. "Becasue if you don't do something then I'm going to."
"Wait for it Beezy," Fader told him. "I know what's she's planning, just trust her." He looked into Vega's eyes. "It's all yours."
Vega turned from Fader and stared at the bugs as they pulled ever closer to the online warriors. Seconds ticked by like hours and the five of them waited anxiously for the fly death to fall upn them. When they became so close that they could see each scarabs individual wings beating Vega shouted out, "Wall of Flame!" A massive flame jet shot up out of the ground, reaching high into the sky, surrounding the users and separating them from the scarabs. Without anytime to react the massive swarm slammed into the burning threshold and were incinerated instantly. The remaining scarabs pulled away from Vega's barrier and began to circle around the wall, like vultures, waiting.
"It's not going to last," Dennis said.
"Dennis is right," agreed Vega. "The last time we used this it lasted only a few minutes at best; and it's not going to be long before they start coming over the top of the wall."
"That's not the only problem," Serena said. "Up there." The others looked at what she was talking about; still perched on hte cliff shelf overhanging the ravine the Insect Queen was still watchign them. Not only that but she was laying egss, and the eggs were mutating shortly after they left her thorax.
"We have to stop her!" Beezy shouted out. "Those eggs are going to add more soldiers to her army and correct me if I'm wrong but aren't they transforming into Cocoons of Evolution?"
"Which means that soon we're going to have a swarm of Great Moths." Serena finished.
"Not going to happen," said Fader with determination. "We're going to destroy those eggs, and the Queen."
"How?" Vega asked. "If I drop the wall of flame for us to attack the Insect Queen then the scarabs will be on us in seconds."
"You don't have to drop the wall," he explained. He turned to Dennis. "You can fly up over the wall to attack." Dennis nodded and took off up into the air, soaring above the upper boundries of the falming barrier."
"He can't take on the Queen all by himself," Vega complained.
"Don't worry," said Fader. "I'm going to help him." before any of them could ask him what he was planning Fader stepped into hte middle of the circle. "Mystic Box!" Instantly he was surrounded by a familiar rectangular box. As quickly as it had appeared it became skewered by several swords. When it opened again Fader was gone and a Cocoon of Evolution was in his place, run through by the series of swords.
Up on the cliff Fader stepped from the other Mystic Box, emerging right next to the Insect Queen. Simulataneously he and Dennis began to attack the remaining cocoons.
"No!" The Queen cried out. "My children!" You'll pay for that!" She shouted at Fader and as she shouted a blast of energy shot out of her mouth straight at him. fader non-chalantly raised his hand, palm outwards and fired his own blast that colided with the queen's cancelling each other out.
"Fader!" Dennis shouted from where he was in the air above the cliffs and valley. Fader looked up at the Baby Dragon. "Jump!" Fader did as Dennis asked and jumped straihgt into the air, removing himself from the line of Dennis' attack. "Burning Land!" the young dragon cried out and let a powerful stream of fire from its mouth engulfing the cliff shelf. The Insect Queen screamed in pain as the fire surrounded her and immolated her eggs.
"You'll pay for that!" She screamed.
"Not today!" Fader shouted back as he was still in the air. As he began to fall back down he raised his staff over his head and a ball of energy formed and colllected, which he smashed down into the Insect Queen as he landed, destroying her instantly. He was quickly on his feet and swung his staff around ready to attack the scarabs ony to see them dissolving into dust in the wind.
"What happened?" Dennis asked as he landed beside Fader.
Down in the valley Vega's Wall of Flame dissipated and she, Beezy and Serena stepped forward. "They must have been her eggs," Serena said. "When she died her 'children' did as well."
"It doesn't matter," Fader siad. "She's gone. And we've got to move. Out here we're too open to attack and..." He never finished his sentence. He was hit from behind and was sent flying into the far wall of the cliff.
"Far too open to attack," said a massive Berserker Dragon, lumbering forward. "You really should be more careful."
Fader stepped forward to Serena. Placing a hand gently on her face he lifted her chin so she was looking into her eyes. "Serena," was all he said. It was all the convincing she needed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. It didn't matter that their physical connection was only virtual, the emotional connection was as strong as ever. After a few seconds, Fader broke the kiss. "We have to hurry," he told them. "We don't have much time."
"Fader, what is it?" Serena asked him.
Beezy voiced his concerns as well. "Fader what the hell is going on?"
"There's no time to explain now," he replied. "But I will answer your questions. Right now though we have to get out of here."
"What's that noise?" Vega asked. The others looked around as they too heard the noise as it filled the air, echoing and growing louder and louder.
"It's too late," said Fader looking up out of the canyon into the sky. He turned back to the group. "All of you on guard. They're here."
"What are you talking about?" Dennis said as he looked around. "I don't see anything."
"Scarabs. Swarms of scarabs. They're headed straight for us." A shadow then cast itself over the valley, blocking out the light of the scorching sun. All five of them looked up to see a cloud of black moving across the sky, twisting too unnatural to be real.
"The scarabs," Vega said.
"Hundreds of them," Serena added.
"Thousands actually," a matter of fact voice echoed through the canyon. The group spun around to the source of the voice from above and behind them. They turned from the cloud of insects and into the six eyes of the Insect Queen. She continued. "My children are beautiful aren't they?" She puased briefly to look over the users. "There are more of you now; not that it matters of course, more of you for my babies to feast on."
"Millia..." Vega said in a low voice.
"What?" asked Fader.
Dennis spoke up. "That's Millia. At least it was."
"Not anymore though," the queen said with pride. "If it makes you feel any better she put up a valiant fight."
"She's dead." Fader said. "It's just a virus now."
"You say that so harshly, and with such contempt," she said to him.
"Shouldn't he?" Beezy shouted.
"Not at all my dear," she replied. "You should be honored to join with me. Your avatars will last hundreds of times longer than your corporeal bodies."
"There's no joining," Vega cried out. "There's nothing of Millia in you, she's gone; if she wasn't then it would be her that we would be talking to now."
"You may be right," laughed the queen. "Not that it's going to matter to you; my children will have devoured you all soon enough. Go my children!" With her last shout the cloud of scarabs dove upon the users.
"Everyone watch out!" Fader shouted. "Pull together!" The group of them pulled them into a tighter formation, thier backs together to face the onslaught of manacing scarabs. Fader lifted his staff and aimed at the mass of attacking insects. Vega mimed his actions and aimed her own staff in tandem with his. Together they launched attacks into the insect mass; destroying only a few of the thousands which drerw closer. Serena launched her sword into the swarm, teraing through the small animals, eventually returning to her as Dennis' fireballs added to the growing number of exterminated bugs.
"It's not doing anything!" Dennis yelled. "There's way too many of them."
"I have an idea," replied Vega. She stopped her attacks and lowered her staff.
"Anytime then," Beezy said as he shifted his attention all around. "Becasue if you don't do something then I'm going to."
"Wait for it Beezy," Fader told him. "I know what's she's planning, just trust her." He looked into Vega's eyes. "It's all yours."
Vega turned from Fader and stared at the bugs as they pulled ever closer to the online warriors. Seconds ticked by like hours and the five of them waited anxiously for the fly death to fall upn them. When they became so close that they could see each scarabs individual wings beating Vega shouted out, "Wall of Flame!" A massive flame jet shot up out of the ground, reaching high into the sky, surrounding the users and separating them from the scarabs. Without anytime to react the massive swarm slammed into the burning threshold and were incinerated instantly. The remaining scarabs pulled away from Vega's barrier and began to circle around the wall, like vultures, waiting.
"It's not going to last," Dennis said.
"Dennis is right," agreed Vega. "The last time we used this it lasted only a few minutes at best; and it's not going to be long before they start coming over the top of the wall."
"That's not the only problem," Serena said. "Up there." The others looked at what she was talking about; still perched on hte cliff shelf overhanging the ravine the Insect Queen was still watchign them. Not only that but she was laying egss, and the eggs were mutating shortly after they left her thorax.
"We have to stop her!" Beezy shouted out. "Those eggs are going to add more soldiers to her army and correct me if I'm wrong but aren't they transforming into Cocoons of Evolution?"
"Which means that soon we're going to have a swarm of Great Moths." Serena finished.
"Not going to happen," said Fader with determination. "We're going to destroy those eggs, and the Queen."
"How?" Vega asked. "If I drop the wall of flame for us to attack the Insect Queen then the scarabs will be on us in seconds."
"You don't have to drop the wall," he explained. He turned to Dennis. "You can fly up over the wall to attack." Dennis nodded and took off up into the air, soaring above the upper boundries of the falming barrier."
"He can't take on the Queen all by himself," Vega complained.
"Don't worry," said Fader. "I'm going to help him." before any of them could ask him what he was planning Fader stepped into hte middle of the circle. "Mystic Box!" Instantly he was surrounded by a familiar rectangular box. As quickly as it had appeared it became skewered by several swords. When it opened again Fader was gone and a Cocoon of Evolution was in his place, run through by the series of swords.
Up on the cliff Fader stepped from the other Mystic Box, emerging right next to the Insect Queen. Simulataneously he and Dennis began to attack the remaining cocoons.
"No!" The Queen cried out. "My children!" You'll pay for that!" She shouted at Fader and as she shouted a blast of energy shot out of her mouth straight at him. fader non-chalantly raised his hand, palm outwards and fired his own blast that colided with the queen's cancelling each other out.
"Fader!" Dennis shouted from where he was in the air above the cliffs and valley. Fader looked up at the Baby Dragon. "Jump!" Fader did as Dennis asked and jumped straihgt into the air, removing himself from the line of Dennis' attack. "Burning Land!" the young dragon cried out and let a powerful stream of fire from its mouth engulfing the cliff shelf. The Insect Queen screamed in pain as the fire surrounded her and immolated her eggs.
"You'll pay for that!" She screamed.
"Not today!" Fader shouted back as he was still in the air. As he began to fall back down he raised his staff over his head and a ball of energy formed and colllected, which he smashed down into the Insect Queen as he landed, destroying her instantly. He was quickly on his feet and swung his staff around ready to attack the scarabs ony to see them dissolving into dust in the wind.
"What happened?" Dennis asked as he landed beside Fader.
Down in the valley Vega's Wall of Flame dissipated and she, Beezy and Serena stepped forward. "They must have been her eggs," Serena said. "When she died her 'children' did as well."
"It doesn't matter," Fader siad. "She's gone. And we've got to move. Out here we're too open to attack and..." He never finished his sentence. He was hit from behind and was sent flying into the far wall of the cliff.
"Far too open to attack," said a massive Berserker Dragon, lumbering forward. "You really should be more careful."