Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, everbody!
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Claimer & Disclaimer: There are four chapters before this one. Kindly take a hint, will you?
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((Master?))
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He groaned. As if nearly breaking his spine in half wasn't enough, now he was hallucinating. Yuugioh could have sworn he had just heard Laurel calling for him.
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((Master!))
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Something slid down the nearby slope.
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((Oh no, oh no. Please don't be dead,)) he heard as something scooped him up.
"C'mon Boss, stay with us," Luster piped up, anxious.
-"Ow," Yuugioh mumbled.
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((Thank goodness, you're still alive!))
Laurel, who was holding him gently in her arms, was hurriedly checking him over for injuries.
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"What's - going on," he managed to ask.
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"Another god and his Creature arrived! He and Alastor are ripping the island apart," Lupine said after going to take a look.
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Yuugioh tried but couldn't find the energy to protest as Laurel gingerly carried him back to the Temple. The storm was wreaking havoc there too.
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"Help! Save us! We're under attack," the villagers were screaming as lightning set the houses on fire. Pausing to use a quick healing Miracle on Yuugioh, Laurel left him at the Temple and raced back to the village to help put out the flames.
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Feeling mostly back to normal after a minute, Yuugioh floated to the top of his temple. He could hear the screams and curses from the not-too-distant battleground, and they seemed to be getting closer every moment.
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"They'll destroy us as well, and not before too long either," he hissed.
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The setting sun caught his eye.
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/Please,/ he cried privately, /Someone - anyone - help us!/
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He wasn't sure why he said it, but as the sun winked out below the horizon a new source of light began glowing on the ground near the village. He went to check it out. The source of light was a glowing hole in the ground.
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"Check it out, it's sucking stuff in!"
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A few trees, some cows, and a villager got pulled inside. Then the villager shot back up.
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"Wow! There's a whole new world through there," he yelled before getting re-sucked in.
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"That's it," Lupine said, "I'm going through for a look!"
Without a backward glance he zipped inside.
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"He's braver den I thought," Luster said, "He's gone through! What a nutcase."
-"I heard that," Lupine said as he reemerged.
"I saw it - there's a new land there. We should send as much as we can, then go ourselves."
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Luster couldn't resist trying to get the final word in.
"What da hell. Do we wanna live forever?"
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"Well, actually…" Lupine trailed off.
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The mass emigration was a chaotic affair. Many of the villagers were killed by falling trees and stray thunderbolts. A few started running the wrong way and couldn't be called back.
Those who didn't suffer either grabbed as much as they could and leapt right into the vortex.
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"Dey sure got a lot of faith in you, Boss," Luster said.
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Laurel ripped up small trees and grabbed herd animals to send with them, while Yuugioh emptied the Village Store. He had to pause occasionally to put out fires that started on the Store, but finally it was empty.
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He flew off just in time as Tap-Tap the now bleeding and busted up black sheep landed on the remains of the building. Dekos's Creature paused to snap at him before going to finish off his adversary.
Laurel dived into the vortex right before him, and it was a dizzying ride until it spat them back out. As soon as they exited the vortex vanished.
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After the raging noise of battle, this new place was eerily quiet.
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((Where are we?))
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"Someplace without a war going on - that's good enough for me," Yuugioh said firmly.
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"This is quite the surprise indeed," interjected a new voice.
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Yuugioh whirled to see a pair of lights behind him.
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"Not two of dem," Luster complained.
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Laurel growled at the lights. The bright blue one laughed in a more feminine voice. The one that had spoken before glowed silver.
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"Who are you," Yuugioh growled, his temper very short.
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"This is the goddess Layweh, and I am the god Kazul." The silver one's color pulsed slightly.
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"Welcome, newcomer."
