Chapter 18: Only Half
"That snowstorm was a lot shorter than you said it would be." Sparx said walking into the cave.
"First of all, I said they seemed to be endless. And second of all, I never said they all lasted for a long time." Sage countered.
Gibson was about to say something when they all tripped and slid down a long icy tunnel. Sage slid down sideways, Gibson went down backwards, Antauri was upside down sliding along the wall, and Sparx was going all over the place. The tunnel let out in a rather large part of the ice cave. The three cyborg monkeys and the Ixen dropped ten feet on the hard ground below them. It was pitch-black.
"Who ever is on top of me, please get off," requested Sage, sounding a little annoyed.
"Sorry Sage, I would, but I can't," It was Antauri.
"And why is that?"
"There's someone else on top of me."
"Well, I can't get up either," said Gibson.
Sage made an orb of light so they could see. Sparx was at the very top.
"Oh, so that's why it didn't hurt when I landed." He said in realization.
They just looked at him and he jumped down.
"So, where are we anyway?"
"We're in the base of the cave. From here it brakes off into three different paths." Sage answered dusting herself off.
"Which one do we go through?" asked Gibson.
"The one on the left."
"Okay then, let's go," said Sparx leading the way through the cave, even though he didn't know where he was going. The others followed close behind. After a few hours of walking, crawling, and climbing through the frozen cavern, the four came to an area much like the one before, only smaller. Sparx wasn't leading anymore, Sage was.
"Can we please stop? I'm tired." Sparx whined, dragging himself out of a tunnel.
"Whiner." Gibson mumbled loud enough for Sparx to hear.
"Hey, it's hard to lead you three."
"Oh please, you didn't even 'lead' us halfway here."
"Like you would know,"
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"You couldn't lead your way out of a paper bag!"
"Are you saying I have poor leadership skills?"
Sage rolled her eyes. "All right, we'll stop here for the night." She had to admit she was getting tired too.
"Thank you," Sparx ceased his insults, plopped down on the floor and instantly fell asleep. They didn't have to worry about Antauri's demon; none other than Krystal already restrained it. The problem was, that was never a good thing. Sage sat against a wall and dimmed the orb of light that floated near her, so the others could sleep. She sat there thinking, simply thinking, and letting her mind wander. She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice Antauri walk over and sit next to her.
"Sage?" he spoke in a quiet voice, breaking Sage from her pensive state.
"Oh, hi Antauri. I didn't see you there" she said
"Is something amiss? You appear to be…vexed"
"No, I was just thinking." She looked down at the ground.
"What about?"
"Different things. I always seem to reflect at night."
"Do you always look apprehensive when you think?"
"……"
He paused "Sage, if there's something troubling you, you can tell me."
She sighed, "It's nothing, Antauri. Really." She didn't want to tell him now but she'd have to tell him soon.
Antauri knew there was something she wasn't telling him but he didn't press it any further. Just then, Sage yawned.
"I was starting to think you would never tire-out," he commented, changing the subject.
"I get tired. Guardians are just good at not showing it."
Once morning came, they all realized it was the last day. The day the poison would finally destroy Antauri. He was well aware of this and it repeated in his mind over and over, it was the only thing he could think about. The four were pretty much silent, thinking the same thing. Not long after they'd started their search that morning, something went wrong. Walking through a narrow passageway, Antauri felt something and ran straight into a wall. It was already happening.
Sparx and Gibson, who were behind Antauri, witnessed this.
"Hey Antauri, you okay?" asked Sparx.
"What happened?" questioned Gibson.
Antauri rubbed his forehead "My vision suddenly became…unclear."
Sage had already stopped. She looked at Antauri. His eyes were even darker now than before. She realized what was happening "It's the poison, but it's too soon. We need to find the cure, stat."
The others nodded. They traveled through the cave, at a near running pace. Within a few minutes they came across a section of the cave with a glowing dark blue light. They all stopped and stared in awe at the brilliant illumination. Sage cautiously went over to the source of the light. It was a mystical sapphire incased within the ice.
"Gibson, can you break through the ice?" she asked.
"No problem." He activated his drills and easily retrieved the gem.
"Well, do whatever it is you have to do to it and give it to him." Said Sparx.
"I probably should have told you this sooner but, this is only half of the cure."
Gibson, Sparx, and Antauri stood there gaping.
"What else do we need?" inquired Gibson.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this have to do with what was disquieting you last night?" Antauri asked Sage.
"Yes." She answered sheepishly "We need a small amount of blood from the person who placed the curse on Antauri."
"What? And just how are we supposed to get Krystal's blood?" Sparx frantically asked.
"The only way we can." Sage calmly replied.
Note: There is a reason Sage is a little scared or worried about getting the other part of the cure. I don't know if it's obvious or not but there is a reason. Hope you like this even though nothing really happened. Please R&R.