Hello! I can't believe I'm postponing everything now. The recent preparations for my attending high school in the States has caused me to be unusually procrastinate. But don't take me wrong, I was never procrastinate, and you all know it, don't you? Don't you! Not that I'm complaining. I'm doing lots of sports and music and I'm learning my second (actually, my third, after Korean and English, it's Japanese. I'm planning to learn French in college, but that's not the point) language, I'm having loads of fun. Compared to the rubbish I've been doing all the time, this is heaven. The fact that all homework in America are essays only delights me more. I love researching and writing, as you can see from... frommy writing here at FanFiction, of course:)
To number 423601 and cybergurl: Thank you so much to you all. You know I love you. I only hope I can see you more in my next fic which will be hopefully better.
Yes, I know my writing is getting terrible in the end, it's all my fault. I should have planned out it all before I actually began posting, stupid overzealous me. That just taught me a lesson, didn't it? It's the first time that I've worked on a fiction story, and no matter how much you praise me, I know I haven't done my best, I know I'm a writer with uncountable flaws, I'm fully convinced you've seen better, and I'm ashamed to admit it. I'm not being humble, either. I'm beyondsorry to my loyal reviewers for being unable to present the wonderful story you deserve, and one of the things that keeps me going is you, the other is the hope that my next fic will have fewer flaws than the one I'm writing now.
Such a long talk. And it's not even good bye!
Chapter 25: Conclusions
Comprehending what had happened, Keeth held a shaking finger pointed at Spiro and uttered a word that deserves to be censored from this piece of writing.
"Ah," Spiro smiled meaningfully. "Been catching up on Mud Man swear words, haven't you?"
"You-, you-" Keeth was at a loss for words. "You don't deserve to live," he finished simply, as if those five words held some significant meaning of just how pathetic Spiro was.
"Well, that's certainly a surprise," Spiro said as his insane grin widened. "Because I'm just about as alive as you."
"Explain," Keeth whispered furiously.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, EXPLAIN!" Keeth's entire body shook in intense disgust. "Explain what you just did," he added in a calmer voice.
"No explanations," Spiro said, unable to keep his giddyness hidden. "None needed. Because it is an obvious fact that I am the one to triumph." His smile faded as he saw the goblin's anger streaming in rivulets of sweat trickling down his neck. "Now, now, why so down? Surely you do not grieve for his death enough to be as angry as you are now?"
"I'm disgusted of myself," Keeth answered. "I consider myself as putrid as you. I can't believe I've actually been in league with you for so long."
"Oh, really?" Spiro allowed himself the bliss of a sardonic laugh. "So kill me. Go ahead." He nudged the gun in front of him.
"No," Keeth retorted firmly. "I'm not going to become the cold-hearted murderer as you are. And besides, I think there's another person that's actually meant to kill you."
"Artemis Fowl?" Spiro cackled in a crazy sort of way, then managed to calm himself down. "Don't tell me you're blind. You saw me shoot him. He's as good as dead."
"Or is he?" Keeth asked earnestly.
Suddenly feeling a cold spasm of fear, Spiro turned aroundto see absolutely nothing. "Who are you playing at?" he demanded, amazed at his rash cowardice.
"You, obviously."
"I don't have time to share mindless tittle-tattle with you," Spiro said. "I must celebrate the glory of defeating the formidable genius boy. Or at least that's what he had once claimed to be." He chuckled gently, which soon lapsed into a cresendo of peals of insane laughter.
"You're mad," Keeth concluded. "I don't see what there is to celebrate about."
"You idiot. I will soon inform my collaegues that I have done away with him, and to do that I must go back to my home above ground-"
"Only to be convicted as a reckless murderer, and therefore, go back to jail," Keeth finished for him, scowling. "I see you have not earned a single thing from Artemis's death."
Actually, Spiro knew well of that. He knew he killed Artemis out of pure hatred, nothing more. He also was aware of him being a criminal that could possibly earn a life sentence, but the point was that he didn't exactly care-all he could think about for now was his very mind, now saturated in euphoria of defeating his archenemy.
"The best place you would ever be getting is with a shrink," Keeth said, shifting sideways. "Yes, that's definitely the best case scenario."
"Shut up, you ugly goblin, you're ruining my celebration party," To do his part, Spiro actually hummed a song, totally off-tune
."A celebration party alone. How marvelous," Keeth grinned. "Have fun, Mud Filth. It will be the last bit of happiness you'll ever have."
"What are you talking about?" Spiro asked, still singing.
"Oh, nothing," Keeth replied. "Nothing important at all. Don't want to spoil your positively radiant feast, so why don't I just move a bit further away from you?"
Spiro should have noticed something skeptical just then. Obviously, he didn't, so this is how it went. A split second later, a gun bullet pierced through his heart like a dagger and he looked down, his brain suddenly completely blank, trying to understand what had just happened. He had it all worked out, it's just that his mind denied it.
He fell down on the floor, soaked in his own blood, and fumbled for his gun already out of reach. Quick as a flash, Keeth took it away from him and chucked it out the door. As he looked up through eyes that were already going dim, he could make out the bare outline of a slim-framed boy, his face that held the most menacing look that Spiro had ever seen the boy wearing, looking down upon him as if he were a slug the boy had just stepped on the ground...
Bon Voyage. It was the last thing he ever saw.
"So," Keeth turned to face Artemis and managed to form his mouth into a thin smile. "Well, then. It's all over."
"It most certainly is, however difficult it may be to believe," Artemis nodded, still unnerved by what he had just done.
The loudest silence the two had ever heard was accompanied by a low groan from somewhere around the corner of the room. This, most fortunately, caused Artemis and Keeth to divert their attention to a small pixie in a room, very angry indeed(that is, Artemis thought she was angry, but Keeth didn't know whether she was just angry or delirious), clutching her Barbie-blond hair causing a few thick strands to fall to the floor.
"What's wrong, Opal?" Keeth asked, stalking over to the writhing Opal cowering in the corner of the room. "We've done it behind his back. We've finally killed him. Now all we have to do is spilt any income that comes in-"
"And precisely what income do you think will come in?" Opal said. Her hands were already off her hair and now a broad grin was plastered on her face.
"Opal..." Keeth face almost turned soft as he looked at her. "You're not on a date, you're definitely not my girlfriend, it's not like we're going to have a row or anything..."
"I did it," Opal's beautiful face gleamed as if facing the sunlight, and it seemed that happiness was just beginning to overcome her. Then, as abruptly as she had smiled, on her face appeared a dangerous scowl, suggesting that she might prance at the goblin in front of her at any minute.
"What did you do?" Keeth inquired, already fearing for the answer.
"I turned you in," Opal replied without a trace of amusement. "I turned you in to Goblin's Peak. They'll be coming to pick you up any minute." With that, her eyes in a daze, gazed into Keeth's own, which gave him the impression that she was blind.
Keeth laughed; and it was not an evil, insane cackle as Spiro's had been, nor a mirthless one as Artemis's had been so frequently. His laugh was merely a chuckle that was induced after a joke. "Stop pulling my leg, Opal. You couldn't have turned me in, of course you couldn't-" He grinned once again at his stupidity of believing Opal for even one second. "Why- If- if you had gone on talking about me, then you would have been discovered too!"
"Do you really think so? Then you've read my profile wrong," Opal answered, her face indifferent. "I will be transported to the NLE hospital once again. I have to spend about four more years there with a shrink." She laughed bitterly.
Keeth's grin had yet to vanish. "Really? Is that really so? But you gave me your trust, eh? What was that all about?"
It was Opal's turn to laugh. "Trust? Hah!" she spat. "Trust! You dare speak the word! Trust is nothing to be valued, it is merely something that reduces a potent being into utter weakness, something that can demolish anything in an instant!" To prove her point, she croaked a laugh again. "I knew better than to rely on something as foul as that. I'd give no one my trust, ever! I can betray you as easily as you betrayed Spiro, and then, you'll end up just like him."
Keeth's grin had now finally dissapeared, but his complexion was far from that of horror. It was the one of a person who had had a sudden inspiration, a realization. He glanced briefly at a wincing Artemis who has carefully avoiding to see Spiro's body, nor the two of them. He was not succeeding, as the room was far too small.
"Keeth," Artemis opened his mouth, "If we slip away now, I'm sure you'll be able to get away."
"Nope," Keeth replied without turning. "I'm going in. I'm moving in to Howler's Peak. Examining Spiro over these few weeks taught me a lesson. If I continue to live my hell of a life, I'll probably turn out the same as him. I've decided to repent for what I've done.
"Quite a transformation, the two of us, eh? Good prevails over evil. Who would have known that such a simple fairy tale lesson, pardon the pun please, could have come true in real life?"
Artemis squared his shoulders without knowing exactly why. "I assume I'll hear from you soon."
"Oh, I bet you will," Keeth winked with one of his scaly eyelids. "Ship this girl to the hospital for me. If I'm not mistaken, she seems to have gone genuinely mental. Exceptionally so, after that death. Look how quiet she is now." And indeed she was- nothing could be heard from the screaming Opal, for she was staring at the floor spitting out strings of undecipherable words.
"That will be done," Artemis nodded.
And then, as suddenly as it had come, it was over.
R&R XOXOXO Cyberspace
-the unknown, enigmatic Cyberspace with an identity crisis! Ahh! The world will never be the same!
