Argh. The muse hiring process went... not good. Here's one of the candidates.
Me: Your name please?
Muse: What do you mean my name? I'm blonde, I have spiky hair, Icast Venus Psynergy and I'm the hero of your favorite game. Who else could I be?
Me: err... Link?
Muse: All right, that's it. I'm leaving.
Needless to say, my house was attacked by wild plants anda great hole leading to the bowels of the earth appeared in my backyard. Stupid Ivan.
Anyway, I'm still muse-less. That means nobody is constantly forcing me to write more of the story, which is cool, seeing as most muses tend to attack/beat the living bajeezus out of writers. And here's episode 16. Enjoy!
Episode 16: Venus Lighthouse
With the battle won, the ships of the Anemos landed all around the battlefield, and the giants called for a council. The first (and most important) decision for the Dragon Tribe would be to choose a sucessor, since King Shinryu had no relatives.
"I'll take the crown, for now" said Atlas "It will be returned when one of you proves to be worthy of it. I'll keep it safe".
And second, decide where to strike. The latest information showed Venus Lighthouse as the next target. King Raniel and King Imil had already launched an attack on Xian and Izumo, and the Demons from those areas had already been banished back to the outer spheres.
"That means" said Joe "That despite their efforts, the Demons have not yet found a single djinni".
"That's curious, to say the least" said Leng. "If they have sent assassins looking for us, and they can undoubtely travel wherever they want to, it's difficult to imagine that the Djinn have eluded them for this long".
"We will leave troops here to defend Indra" said Atlas "I want the five of you looking for the missing djinni".
"Five?" said Bril.
"Yes, Bril, five" said Max "You have shown great power handling that Djinni. Haven't you wondered why there are only four djinn hunters?"
"Well, I thought it was because..."
"It's because we earned this job" said Lise "Unleashing a Djinni requires great self-control and a pure heart. You have proved that you can be one of us".
"And that's why I'm naming you Bril, the Djinn hunter" said Atlas "And I expect great things from you".
Bril blushed. "I don't think I deserve this title" He thought.
"You do, Bril" said Atlas. Bril almost jumped in surprise, and then He remembered. The Anemos are the race of Jupiter. They are blessed with the power to read minds.
"Exactly" said Leng "Welcome to the team, Bril".
Bril blushed.
Joe was right when He said that the aid of the Anemos was necessary, even if no one thought that they would actually help. Not only did they left troops in the plains, making sure that no monster or demon from Osenia passed through to Gondowan. King Atlas actually managed to build a flying ship for them. Although very small compared to the ones from the Anemos, it was still a great vessel if compared to any other built with human hands. There they spent their last night in Gondowan.
But with sunrise, an unexpected visitor joined them in the ship.
"Varla!"
"Yes young lady. Atlas said that you will need my aid".
"Are you sure about this?" said Joe "We could use your strength, but only if you realize the dangers that we'll face".
"Aw, come on, Joe" said Max "He wants to join us. He's probably as strong as we are. I say we give a great welcome to our new friend: Varla the Dragoon!".
"More like the swordsmith, since that's my job" He said almost laughing.
"Okay" said Lise "Master Varla, could you please forge a weapon for me?"
"Only if it's a sword" He said. Lise didn't liked the idea, but she agreed.
"I see that all of those weapons and armors need a quick reparation" He said "I'll take care of it".
"All right" said Joe "Next destination: Venus Lighthouse. Brace yourselves!"
Bril was about to ask "What do you mean with brace ourselves?" when the ship took off, flying at an incredible speed. Joe was really putting his heart in the ship. But even at that speed, it felt like quite a cozy ride, and the ship flew lazily among clouds and the usual mountain range, heading northwards.
"Now two, five, three" said Joe, stabbing and slashing with his sword. Lise tried to do the same movements, but she failed miserably.
"I can't!" She cried, falling on her knees. Joe frowned.
Varla was truly a master of the forge. In a few minutes, He managed to create a light sword (without powers, of course) so Lise could practice. Varla had just taken a fragment of steel he had brought, and creating an extremely hot fire with psynergy, melted it and gave it form with a huge mace that He had brought. Then Lise casted an ice block to surround it, and the sword was complete in a few minutes. Since then, Joe had been teaching her the basics, since Leng insisted that He wanted to take the helm.
"You are not fighting an enemy, Lise" Joe said " What I want, and what you need, is strength in that wrist".
Lise stood up again, and tried to follow along with Joe's pace. Eventually, her hands were all sore, and her wrists were aching.
"We're getting there" said Leng "Just a couple of minutes".
Max was looking overboard, polishing his mace. But Bril's face was a shade of deep-sea. He was afraid of heights.
"Great" He said answering to Leng "I can't stand a minute more of this".
Leng was right again. In a few minutes they saw clearly the giantic tower known as Venus Lighthouse, with it's familiar golden beacon, which was strangely brighter than ever..
Venus Lighthouse stood in the great plains of northern Gondowan, directly east of Lemuria, and south of the Hephaestus's Stronghold. At it's feet, the great Lalivero, The Crystal City. It's houses and streets were of marble, and the palaces were full of crystals that were dug from the Suhalla Range, to the Northeast. And finally, to the East, the Great Eastern Sea. The city was a giant square, with three walls separating the outer city, mid city, and inner city. These were of marble too, and they were covered with golden designs and paintings of mythical battles. They were very wide, allowing (according to the people who lived in it) for up to twenty horses to stay under it, all of them between the two sets of gates for each wall. And finally, in the middle of the city, the great Lighhouse of Venus.
But what they caught their attention near the Lighthouse was not the great city, or the Diamond Palace, the resting place of the previous Kings, a little further to the North. It was the great army of sea monsters and sea-dwellers surrounding the city of Lalivero, and the Lighthouse itself. They saw the great army of Lalivero fighting hordes of giant monsters. Those felled in battle were inmediatly revived by their companions, since every single person in the city was a Venus Adept, although not all of them had developed their skills as to be useful in battle. The siege had started some time ago, since the Golden walls had already fallen in some places, and the monsters were invading the city, along with sea-dwellers.
"This is terrible" said Varla "The battle of Gondowan was just a diversion. They are attacking the Lighthouse!"
"I should have seen it" said Leng "There was no point in attacking Dragon's Den. This was their objective".
"But they didn't knew that we would be here" said Max, grabbing his Mace and Shield "I suggest we land on that hill, and from there we launch an attack. The upper terrain will give us the advantage".
Bril and Lise agreed. But Joe had another idea.
"Let's land inside the city" He said "That way we will have the protection of the army, which we will help too. And in a worst case scenario, we can save a few of them with the Ship".
Leng and Varla agreed with this plan. The others nodded.
"But I have to say" said Max "That I prefer fighting in open terrain. It gives me an advantage, y'know".
"Hold them! Stand Firm!"
A man with strange clothes and brown eyes was shouting orders in the city. He had long brown hair. His eyes were of a very dark brown, which people often confused with black. Although a few could swear that in certain occasions his eyes were black, and full of a mindless rage.
"Now!" He said "Attack!"
The soldiers around him raised their hands, and the earth filled with several rays of Golden Light. The monsters that had entered through the city gates soon regretted it, as the Gaia spells felled several of them in the blink of an eye. When the attack finished, there were few monsters or sea-dwellers alive. The soldiers charged and slayed them, killing them all. Several other Adepts quickly raised another gate, made of rocks and stones.
But the monsters struck again, this time from the left side of the gates. They were everywhere, and their numbers were far too much for the few remaining soldiers. And, overnumbered, they had no option but to retreat into the mid-city. But they didn't saw the great flying vessel, landing just behind the gates.
"Here I come!" cried Max. He jumped from the ship and began to fight the monsters. Bril and Leng jumped after him, while Joe, Lise and Varla jumped last. Their powers were enough to regain the lost terrain, and the city soldiers returned. Their captains were amazed.
"Halt there!" shouted the brown haired man. The six warriors turned to see him.
"He's a werebear!" said Lise. The man blinked a few times, but nodded.
"You're correct. I am a werebear from Izumo" He said "But what about you? Who are you, and how could you built such an incredible flying ship?"
"We're friends of King Atlas, of the Anemos" said Joe "He had this ship built for us. And we're your allies. Leave these monsters to us".
"I wish you good luck" He replied coldly "But I also wish you had come earlier. We've had many losses. But they won't get past this barrier!"
And when the soldiers had repaired the outer wall, they retreated to the mid-city, leaving them alone on the battlefield.
"What are they doing?" said Bril "You mean that we have to take this entire army all by ourselves?"
"And we will, young Bril" said Varla "These monsters are no match for mere fishermen, unless they come in large numbers. Even if there were thousands of them out there, they won't stand a chance against us. Not while the Sea is that far away". And He was right. The monsters seemed tired, and the sea-dwellers were exhausted.
"The waters give them life" said Joe "But the Sea is not here for them. This is going to be easy".
While they were saying this, the monsters had been ramming the outer walls, trying to enter through an already defeated spot. And when Joe finished, the gates were launched forward with terrible force, and the monsters entered the city. But they were very weak already, making for a massacre instead of a battle. And suddenly the monsters retreated, leaving the city very quickly. Leng (who had been busy killing most with the aid of his swift sword) jumped to the walls. Varla followed him.
"Oh no..." He said.
"This can't be good" said Leng "Everyone, I need you up here!"
Everyone climbed the walls, save for Max, who had been creating a stronger barrier. And when He jumped with the others, He blinked a few times to make sure that his eyes were working properly.
What once was called the Lalivero Plains was no more. Instead, the Sea was advancing quickly towards the city. And thousands of the most deadly sea-monsters were coming with renewed strength.
"We better leave this place" said Bril "We can't beat that army. There are thousands of them!"
"No Bril" said Joe "We must fight. If we leave now, there won't be any chance for the Lighhouse". The others nodded.
"We have to make a plan" said Varla "Listen carefully: Lise, I want you to freeze the water as soon as it gets near the walls. That will flush them out. But more water will come, so I want you to keep freezing it, as long as you can".
"Got it"
"Leng and Bril, I want you up here to use your most powerful Psynergy against those that come out first. There will be dozens of them, so use large area spells. Got that?"
"Yes sir" said Bril. Leng just nodded.
"Max, Joe and myself will be behind the gates, to fight those that manage to survive the attack. Joe, I want you to focus more on Psynergy than Sword fighting. That goes for you too, Max".
Both nodded.
"This whole plan relies on Lise's Psynergy" said Varla "Therefore, young lady, I must give you this". He reached inside his bag, and gave her a star shaped crystal.
"This Psy Crystal will replenish your Psynergy" He said "Use it when you're absolutely tapped, and not a moment sooner. Got that?"
"Yes" She said. She grabbed the star and put it in her bag.
"Now, Leng and Bril, if for any reason Lise cannot keep freezing the water, I want you to take her to the ship, and then come for us".
"Got it" said Leng. Bril nodded.
Leng was sure that there was something wrong with the plan, although He couldn't realize what. Bril felt it too. He felt like Varla was underestimating the monsters from the depths. But He kept quiet.
And when the waters reached the gates. Lise focused her psynergy on it. Slowly, the waters turned into ice. The howling of the monsters trapped in the ice was horrible. But they quickly broke free and jumped out of the water.
But then, several thunderbolts fell on them, and a tenths of fireballs came out of nowhere. The monsters were pushed back to the sea. Most had burns or terrible cuts and slashes. But they kept coming, and they began to ram the gates. Meanwhile thunders kept falling on them, killing several dozens. Until at last, another wave came but it was soon frozen. Lise was doing her job well.
"What did Max put on those gates anyway?" asked Bril. Leng shrugged.
"I have no idea, but it better lasts" He said "I'd hate to become monster snack".
"Me too" said Bril "I'd like to... Shine Plasma!"
Several more thunders struck the monsters. Leng attacked those closer to the gate, while Bril took care of the ones that jumped out of the water.
And finally, with a small explosion, the monsters destroyed the gate. But Leng saw a huge fire ball burning those around the gates to ashes, which were soon scattered to the winds, thanks to the tornadoes casted by Bril. The monsters began to enter, although very slowly.
"Watch out, Max!" said Varla.
Max just jumped above the monster behind him, and hit it with his mace. The monster fell dead, adding to the pile already around them.
Joe, meanwhile, was fighting against a huge sea serpent. The monster surrounded him, and tried to squeeze him to death, but Joe just focused his Psynrgy into several bolts of fire, which were shot all around him. The bolts pierced through the Serpent's skin.
"Whoa, what spell was that?" said Varla.
"It's a variation of the Liquifier spell" He said, while jumping to hit another kraken. "And here I thought that the Dragon Tribe were masters of every spell in the book".
"That's not in the book, Joe" He said "To create a variation of a spell requires much concentration. I'm beggining to understand why they call you the best djinn-hunter out there".
"Hey, I resent that!" said Max "I'm as good as that kid. He's only lucky".
Varla fought, strangely, without weapons. He didn't needed a sword, as his claws were strong enough to cut through the monster's hides. And his fire spells were very powerful.
"Stand back!" he cried "Eruption!"
Suddenly, just outside the gates, Leng saw two volcanoes appearing from nowhere. He smiled and kept casting his Spark Plasma.
But right then another wave came, and Lise (who had been freezing the waves until know) ran out of psynergy. She tried to cast a simple spell like ice, but even that was impossible.
"All right then" She thought "Time for a quick refilling" And she reached for her bag. Just with grasping the Psy Crystal, she felt her enery returning, and the crystal dissapeared.
The waves kept coming. One after another they crashed against the cave, the sea was rising against the city, but Lise kept them frozen. The monsters had trouble entering the gate, since there were so many dead bodies in there.
But, suddenly, a huge tidal wave began to form on the horizon. It came slowly against the city, despite Lise's attempts to freeze it. And when it reached the city, it turned into a large vortex, where a familiar figure stood. The until now calm wind suddenly became a raging storm all around the city
"It's Poseidon!" said Leng "We need to get out of here!"
"This is the King of the Sea-dwellers?" said Bril "What is He doing here?"
Lise tried to cast Her Ice spells against Poseidon, but they were useless against the barrier that stood all around him.
"We meet again, djinn-hunters" He said, with that deep, booming voice. He raised his trident, pointing it against Lise.
"Ocean Fist!"
"Zephyr!"
Bril took Lise and jumped off the wall just in time. The watery tornado struck the tower, making huge cracks on the archway, and tossing everything in it towards the sea.
He brought her where they were hiding, under one of the towers.
"Ocean Fist!"
"Tempest!"
Leng casted one of his most powerful Wind spells. The four tornadoes stood against Poseidon's, which slowly lost strength, and dissapeared.
"The waters are still rising!" said Max "Poseidon is going to flood the entire city if we don't stop him this time!"
Joe nodded. Varla killed another hydra before they all left the tunnel. But before leaving, Max created another wall to keep the monsters busy for a while. This storm was more powerful that the one He had unleashed against the ship, and the city was almost flooded already.
"Typhoon Blow!"
"Heat Wave!"
This time, Bril casted a current a fire against the powerful psynergy. The cold bubbles were destroyed by the fire, but Poseidon kept attacking.
"Typhoon Blow!"
"Inferno!"
Joe and the others arrived just in time. His Inferno attack was powerful enough to overcome Poseidon's spell, and attack him, but again, the barrier stood in his way.
"We are powerless against this guy" said Varla "That shield blocks all of our attacks".
"There's got to be a way..." said Max, while Poseidon was preparing another attack.
"I told you what my orders were" He said, focusing his power on the trident, which began to create a blue aura all around him "And this time, I won't fail. Watery Grave!".
Another Tidal Wave shook the city's walls. One after another they slammed the city's only protection, making a thunderous noise.
"This is it" said Bril "We're done for".
But right then, a fleet appeared on the horizon, coming from the Northeast. They had great wings attached to their hulls, just like theirs, except that these ships had a dragon's head carved in the front, and they were smaller. Then from the ships a barrage of Ice Missiles was sent against the monsters, killing them by thousands. Sudenly, the one in front raised a blue banner, with golden borders.
"That ship..." said Leng "That ship... That's the Morning Star! That's Marina's Flagship!"
"Marina?" said Joe "You mean, Empress Marina of Lemuria?"
"Of course!" He replied "She's safe!"
"You look a little too happy about that" said Max. Leng blushed a little.
But the ships, which had been gaining terrain, were slowed down by the monsters, which began to board them. But the Lemurians were some of the greatest adepts on Weyard. The monsters decided to retreat to the city, and they began to ram against the walls harder than ever, until the walls finally gave in. Hundreds of monsters entered the outer city, but suddenly, from the mid city, the clear sound of silver trumpets was heard, and the city's army charged.
The soldiers struck fiercely, and the monsters that had come first found death in an instant. The others were trapped between the walls and their might, and were killed. But more came, and they fought for every inch of terrain. The soldiers began to break lines, retreating, but Joe and the others, having recovered their strength, decided to help, and the monsters were pushed outside.
"Thanks again" said the brown haired man. His eyes were full of that joy for the battle that only true warriors had "We've been watching you, but no one expected you to survive against those monsters!"
"And we still haven't" said Lise "Poseidon is still there!"
She was right. Poseidon, although too large to enter the city, was still summoning his tidal waves against the fleet. But Leng smiled.
"Don't worry" He said "Queen Marina has a weapon that no creature of the Sea can resist. And then we'll strike!"
The ships had reached the city now, and, even as Leng spoke, a trident of considerable proportions was shot from the Morning Star, hitting Poseidon's barrier. And with a the sound of a shattering glass, and a huge explosion, the barrier dissapeared.
"This is our chance" said Joe, drawing his sword "Let's go".
And he jumped from building to biulding until he reached the wall. The others quickly followed.
"Inferno!" He cried. The Fireballs shot against Poseidon, hitting his body, arms and sides. The mighty ruler of the Seas screamed in pain, when the others casted his own attacks.
"Grand Gaia!"
"Eruption!"
"Spark Plasma!"
Poseidon seemed hurt, but his eyes sparkled for a split second, and his own trident began to glow again. But then, Varla the Dragoon, who until now had kept his human form, turned into a huge red dragon with golden eyes. And before Poseidon could unleash his powers again, a fiery breath hit him, turning his trident into ashes, and burning his left arm. Poseidon roared, and dissapeared under the waves. The few mosters that were still alive quickly followed, retreating from the battlefield.
The lighthouse was safe. For now.