In the medical lab of Resistance Headquarters, Ayame is finally awake. She is not her usual bright, happy self though. Surrounded by Leah, Neifirst, Hahn, JiEin, Elly, Labyrinth and various technicians, she is hearing the full story of Danielle's actions. Although she could see some of it through her mental prison, she was not fully aware of everything that had went on. As she hears more and more, first from JiEin, then from Leah, and finally from Labyrinth, her heart sinks more and more. Closing her eyes, tears begin streaming down her face as JiEin recounts her alter-ego's battle with Zionus' troops.
"They hit Danielle with a stunning ray, and Leah and I ran to help her. After she had been anti'ed, she got back to herr feet and obliterated the soldiers. Then X showed up and began to battle her."
Leah gazed at her, noticing the tears. Leaning over, she hugged her, then began gently stroking her hair as Ayame broke into wrenching sob. "Hey honey...it's ok. We know you couldn't control what was going on. No one blames you for what she did..."
Pulling away all of a sudden, Ayame sat up straight, her eyes blurry with tears." I blame me for what happened! She's a part of me, and I couldn't stop her. From what you told me, a lot of innocent people got hurt. I nearly killed all of you. I blew up Mr. JiEin's restaurant. I went into one of those places you never told me to go to. I even beat up uncle X! I'm a monster!" She broke down, slumping onto the bed and crying softly. Leah reached for her, but Neifirst surprised everyone by leaning over and grasping her by the shoulders. She shook her softly, til Ayame opened her eyes and looked up.
"Ms...Ms Neifirst?" Ayame said, her eyes wet and red with tears.
"Kid...snap out of it. We all make mistakes. It's when you fail to correct the mistake that it becomes a problem. Danielle is a part of you, and hiding from that will only make it worse."
"But she did all those horrible things. I don't know how I can stop her... I don't even know exactly where she came from."
Neifirst released her, then put a hand on her chin, pressing upward so Ayame was forced to gaze into her eyes.
"Danielle is you when you get angry, right?"
"But...I don't know how! Getting mad makes me feel all funny inside..."
Raising her left hand, Neifirst backhanded her across the face. Leah leaped forward, but was stopped by an outstretched hand from Nei. They exchanged a look, and Leah sat back down.
Ayame's head turned, but she snapped her gaze back to Neifirst and unconsciously began charging a Foie. Neifirst simply looked at her and smiled.
"That fury in your eyes... it's a part of you, no matter how much you want to deny it. You are a conduit, just like me. Our emotions give us strength. To deny that is to deny who we are. You nearly killed yourself by not learning that. You are young, and innocent. You never had to learn how to really defend yourself. You made a mistake, because of youth and inexperience. If you fail to correct it, that's when it becomes a problem. Are you going to let Danielle continue to be this shadowy figure that dominates you, or are you going to take back your rage?" Neifirst stared at her, surprised when Ayame held her gaze unflinchingly.
"Teach me how, Nei. Teach me to control my power, please." Ayame said. She still looked weak, but a look of determination was settling across her features. " I don't want this to happen again."
Neifirst turned to the doctor, who had just completed his scan of Ayame. "Well, how is she? Can she be up and moving around again?"
After surveying his readings, he said."Yes, she seems to be fine. Moving around will help her work the last of the sluggishness from her system."
Neifirst turned to Labyrinth. "Lab, do you have a training room we can use for a few hours?"
Leah opened her mouth to speak as Ji, Elly and Hahn watched in mute surprise. "Nei, you can't be seriously..."
"Yes, I am. She needs training. What's to say the next tiny little thing that upsets her won't cause another killing spree? We need to train her while her other personality is still regenerating from it's battle. This may be one of our few chances..." Turning to Ayame, she asked " Do you still want to go train? I won't go easy on you..."
Ayame sat up a bit straighter, keeping her eyes locked on Neifirst. "Yes, Ms. Nei, I do. Can we go now?"
"Sure...if your aunt will so graciously allow us." Neifirst said, shooting a glance at Leah.
"I...Ayame, if you really want to, and the doctor says you are ready, then..." Leah said, her posture admitting defeat.
JiEin spoke up. " I wish to accompany you, Neifirst. You are suicidal, and I can be rebuilt more easily than Leah if things go awry. Besides, I would like to give Elly a chance to study some of the new abilities I seem to have developed."
Nei let out a harsh laugh as Ayame got to her feet. "Yeah,JiEin...you could say that. But this may be fun." As Ayame stood unsteadily, she swayed forward, Neifirst reaching out to catch her before she hit the floor. Steadying her one-handed, she released her as she regained her balance. "Easy there, kiddo. You don't get to fall down til we get started."
As Ayame and Neifirst walked to the door, Keiko in cat form leaped at Ayame. She caught her in midair, and held her for a second before releasing her. Keiko curled around her legs, purring softly before resuming her humanoid form.
"Hi, Ayame! Glad to see you're feeling better. I may join you after I eat lunch. Lab, is there any food around here?"
As Lab prepared to answer, he was interrupted by a loud growl from Ayame's stomach.
"Um...I'm kinda hungry. Can we eat first, Ms. Nei?"
"Sure, why not. You'd probably pass out from hunger soon anyway. Let's go."
"I can cook, if there are proper facilities" JiEin said as the group left the Medical Lab.
"Please do. Our kitchen and cafeteria is this way." Labyrinth said.
"Umm...Mr. Lab? I hate to bother you...but could I take a shower and change clothes somewhere? I'm all icky and dirty." Ayame said, surveying herself in a window as they walked in the vast complex.
"Very well. I'll show you to a room. The cafeteria is through those doors, everyone." The group split, as Lab led Ayame to a room. "Everything you require should be in this room, Ayame." With that, he left her. She quickly stripped and began to shower.
Inside the cafeteria, JiEin is as overawed as a robot can be. "These kitchens are as well equipped as my restaurant!" He swiftly began to prepare a meal as the others gathered around.
Thirty minutes or so later, the delicious smell of well-cooked noodles is wafting through the air, as clouds of delectable steam billow gently from the kitchen. The group at the table, consisting of Neifirst, Keiko, Leah and Elly are discussing Zionus' latest actions, when the cafeteria door opens. Ayame walks in, but she is barely recognizable as herself at first. She is dressed in a black, red and purple outfit that is rather revealing in several places, advertising her newly transformed body. Her long purple hair is hanging freely down her back. With the grime and dirt from Danielle's battles and her transformation removed, she is stunningly beautiful.
She walks over to the table and sits down as the other four stare at her. "Hello, everyone!" She says brightly, as JiEin brings in a stack of bowls and a wok full of noodles. He pauses to stare at her for a second. I am so very glad X is not here...he'd be hitting on his niece. He sets the food down, passes out the bowls, then leaves them to serve themselves. Returning to the kitchen, he brings an enormous plate of spring rolls, setting it down on the table. "Enjoy!" he says, then wanders back in the kitchen to finish his kung-fu movie.
The five dig in to their food, the silence broken only by the sounds of very intense eating. After they finish, Ayame looks up from her empty bowl and sighs. "That was wonderful. I can't believe I ate so much..."
Elly rubs her stomach, and stretches. "Yes, JiEin is an excellent cook."
"Yeah. Ayame, I've got a question for you..." Keiko said.
Ayame looked up from the chopsticks she had been playing with."Oh, what is it Ms. Keiko?"
"When did you grow up? I saw you not two months ago, and you were about a foot and a half shorter and had the body of a little kid. When did you grow up, kiddo?"
Ayame looks at her for a second, puzzled, before a flash of recognition crosses her face. "Oh, yeah! Dr. Hahn removed the blocks on my growth in the lab, then speed-aged my body to the age it should be at. I'm a lot more powerful now, too. Even without Danielle's conduit..." she said, as her tone became solemn.
"Well good, kid." Neifirst said, as she lazily picked her teeth with the splintered end of one of her chopsticks. "As soon as your food settles, we get to go test your limits. Should be fun..."
"Neifirst, don't get carried away. I'm going to be watching in case anything goes wrong, Ayame. Don't be worried." Leah said, glancing at Neifirst.
"I'm not, Auntie Leah. This will be fun." Ayame said, as JiEin entered the room.
"So...are we ready?" He asked as he gathered up the dishes
After everyone answered in the affirmative, he spoke once more. " I must do the dishes, then we can go." Ayame sprang up and ran to help him. "I'll help, Mr. JiEin!" Elly stretched and followed her, and within about fifteen minutes the kitchen was clean again.
The group parted ways, with Keiko going off for a nap, Elly heading back to her lab, and the others going to the training area.
Stepping inside the control room, Leah watched as JiEin, Neifirst and Ayame entered the VR room. Labyrinth appeared behind her, and began to pull up the simulation they requested.
Inside the VR room, the calming vista of a forest plateau overlooking a vibrant sunset appeared. JiEin walked off to the side to observe, as Neifirst and Ayame faced each other.
"Ayame...I want you to try and hit me, ok? Punch or kick, or whatever...just try to hit me." Neifirst said, crouching slightly into a battle stance.
"Ok, Ms. Neifirst. Are you ready?" Ayame said, smiling at her. When Neifirst nodded, Ayame sent a Foie straight at her chest. The impact of the flaming sphere slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. Before she could stand, the damage had been healed by Ayame's Resta.
"I meant physically... lets try this again, without the techniques." Neifirst said, gritting her teeth.
She then began to instruct Ayame in hand-to-hand combat techniques, as Leah and Labyrinth looked on. JiEin was the practice dummy, after Shifta and Zalure had been applied.
On Dezolis, Sage is awakened by the rattling of pots and pans. He slowly uncurls from his blankets to see Yokote and Lorna bustling about, making breakfast. He looks over to Lissandra, who is sleeping soundly, and Brom, who is currently deactivated in the corner. Covering his head with the blankets to block out the accursed light of day, he is surprised by a mental caress from Lorna.
"Wake up, sleepy head. I saw you move. Yokote and I are making breakfast, then we need to head off to find the Landale, as we discussed last night. And... you aren't as good at bluffing as you think you are. -"
Sage let out a low groan and rolled over. Ah...just a few more minutes...that's all I ask.
In the mines, a group of three hunters is searching for something. The large red RAcast in the lead blasts a leaping Sinow Red to the ground with his Guilty Light. The floundering machine is swiftly finished off by a jet black Hucaseal wielding a Double Cannon. Behind the Hucaseal, a massive fireball flies from the tip of a Windmill cane to incinerate the Dubchich attempting to attack her from behind. The Windmill is held by a small, pale, dark-haired Fonewearl dressed in red and yellow. The Racast speaks in a deep synthesized voice. " So...how many times have we done this hunt, Raiden? "
The Hucaseal answers, her lilting voice belying her incredible combat ability. "Far, far, far too many. I hate Baranz..."
"Well, at least you get to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the mines, right Striker? Except the atmosphere sucks, and the current residents are not at all friendly..." The tiny Fonewearl known as Cranberry interjected.
"Yeah. I think some of these are my distant relatives...' Striker answered. The group of hunters continued on to their destination, as a fierce battle loomed far aboveground.
A group of around fifty soldiers level their Yasminkov rifles at X and the Dreamchasers, as their leader Eriror draws his Zanba. X's clone is simply standing beside Eriror, smirking. He is unarmed, a mirror image of X. X's dark hair, green eyes and black bodysuit are mirrored in the clone's blonde hair, cold blue eyes and white clothing. He faintly glows with power, even to the naked eye.
Nova sketches a faint hand signal at Axios and Kiara, who both nod slightly. X is in the lead, and doesn't see it. He stares intently at the clone, seemingly thinking. Eriror readies his Zanba, but before he can signal his troops to open fire, the clone speaks.
"Why do you stare at me so intently, mortal? Are you saddened by the fact that the potential your devilish soul wasted has been put to use by the light? Fear not, for your death will be quick."
X smirks, and replies. "Nah, I was just thinking how glad I am that I never decided to go through with bleaching my hair. Blonde hair looks terrible on me. You look like a deformed fusion of anatomically incorrect male and female dolls. You, my friend, are fugly. So fugly, in fact...that you don't even seem good enough to have a name."
"Silence, fool! I am the sum of all things. I...am Sigma."
Elsewhere, an elite squad of deadly Capcom lawninja is dispatched to remove two intrepid fanfiction authors...anyway, back to the plot.
"Wow, that's real cute. I'm not sure if it's your name or your disturbingly genderless appearance, but I find myself strangely discouraged from attacking you. I don't like to hit girls, you see..." X quips, as Sigma quakes with rage.
"I am your exact clone, you insolent wretch!"
"Hardly. I'm much cooler looking, more handsome and a better fighter. I can't do that cool reverbrating voice thing, though. And...isn't 'exact clone' a bit of a misnomer? More like...'exact clone that was kidnapped and beaten severely with the ugly stick for about a month before being released to die'. Too bad you are too worthless to warrant a mercy killing. If I was Zionus, I'd want a refund... " X says, taking a battle stance.
"You insolent fool! Die!!" Sigma says, as a pulse of white light comes off of him. A single pristine white wing shoots from his back as a glowing aura surrounds him. He begins to hover, held aloft more by his own power than his inefficient single wing as the Dreamchasers look on in shock.
X simply smiles, and replies "Wow, that's nice. But you see...I can do that too. Zionus' gene chefs should have studied the blueprints more closely. There is only one X! X releases all the rage that had built up during his period of being mind-controlled. Seeing Zionus controlling his body like a puppet while his conscious mind was helpless had driven him nearly insane with rage.
With an outlet for his emotions, his conduit is reawakened with a vengeance. Calling upon his link to the darkness, the familiar black aura appears around him, and a lone, black feathered wing shoots from his back. Wow...this is a lot more draining than usual. I hope I can keep up the transformation... he thinks, but no trace of his worry shows on his face.
Sigma raises his hand, and a blinding white halo of light appears from midair in front of him. Angelic Scream! he cries, as the halo shoots toward X.
Heh, sorry pal. No one copies my attacks and gets away with it! Well...no male, anyway. X raises his hands, and channels energy for a massive Demon Roar. He fires, and the black halo of energy shoots toward Sigma's attack, intercepting it in mid-air. As the Demon Roar left his hands, X slumped slightly. Firing that was really draining. That was harder to summon than my Hyper Demon Roar. And the thing is...it's normal sized! What the hell...?
The opposing attacks collide in mid-air, sending off a bright shower of light. X seems to be straining to his utmost to fuel his attack, as Sigma barely flinches. The Dreamchasers then make their move as Sigma begins to gloat.
Ha, fool! Do you see? I am the superior one! Mwahahaha-" Sigma's ranting is interrupted by a bazooka shell from Nova detonating at his feet. The shell is boosted in power by Axios and Kiara's technique energy, and additionally had a freeze trap attached Nova had stolen from one of Zionus' guard robots. The immense explosion knocks the troops to the ground, who are frozen a second later. Eriror manages to barely leap away in time, as Sigma is buffeted by the shock wave. Squinting to avoid the glare, Eriror sees X collapse to the ground, his wing fading. With X's resistance gone, Sigma's attack slams into the ground, creating an enormous crater and killing a few of the soldiers that escaped the bazooka shell. When the smoke clears, X and the Dreamchasers are gone.
Inside the VR training room, Ayame is going through a series of punches and kicks aimed at JiEin, as Neifirst looks on. With Deband on JiEin and no Shifta boost to the unarmed Ayame, she is incapable of actually doing damage to him.
"No, no. Straighten your wrist out more. Like this." Neifirst says, as she walks up and delivers a punch towards JiEin's face that is swiftly blocked.
After a few more tries, with both JiEin and Neifirst giving her pointers, Ayame was able to throw at least a half-decent punch.
"Well...let's try something else, Ayame." Neifirst said, as she walked over to the center of the clearing, motioning for Ayame to follow. Ayame bounced up and down, excited.
"Ooh, ooh! What now?" She asked. This is a lot of fun.
"I want to see how quickly you can cast your techniques. JiEin and I will both attempt to attack you, and I want you to try and incapacitate us, or avoid the attack. We won't actually try to hurt you. Well...not lethally, anyway." Neifirst said, a grin spreading over her face. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah! But I don't want to hurt you..." Ayame said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Relax, Ayame. I'm sure that unless you really try to harm us, any damage you do will be relatively minor." JiEin said, taking a stance beside Neifirst. "Ready, Ayame?"
"Yes. Let's go."
Neifirst rushed at Ayame with a kick, but the momentum of her strike was swiftly reduced by Ayame's Jellen. Ayame was able to block the kick, but was forced to rapidly backpedal to avoid a punch from JiEin. He hadn't put any real force behind it, and the Jellen made it so it wouldn't do any appreciable damage.
Running to avoid a flurry of hits from Neifirst, she struck back with a Foie that knocked Nei back a good five feet, leaving her scorched and moaning on the ground. As JiEin leaped at her, she countered with a Zonde that struck him in mid-air, overloading his systems and sending him plummeting to the ground with a loud crash.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, you two. Here, let me help..." A quick Reverser and Anti later, and the two slowly got to their feet. Ayame looked on remorsefully.
"That was...really impressive. What level Foie was that? It felt like I got hit by a meteor." Neifirst said, rubbing her head.
"Um...level 50."
"50!? You're kidding me. Those were only theoretical..." Neifirst said, a look of disbelief on her face.
"Nope. The Zonde was level 50 too. Dr. Hahn helped develop them. He gave them to me when I grew up. All of my techs are level 50 now..."
"Impressive. Well...you are decent in hand-to-hand, and your techniques obviously need no work. Let's work on the conduit thing..." Neifirst said, walking gingerly back to the center of the clearing.
Bracing herself, Neifirst pointed her hand at a grove of trees and began gathering energy. A pinpoint of darkness appeared over her hand, before forming into a miniature Demon Roar and shooting towards the trees. As the blast left her hand, she seemed drained. Two of the ten trees in the cluster she was aiming at were blasted to splinters. "Ayame...can you try that?"
"Try what?"
"Firing what your 'uncle' calls a Demon Roar. It's a manifestation of the conduit power in physical form. Using the power of Darkness, it creates an incredibly powerful chain-reaction, resulting in a large amount of energy being released for comparatively little technique energy. If you were using normal techniques to equal the devastation of a Demon Roar, it would take much more technique energy to do. It takes more all at once to fire, but in the long run is more efficient. The only problem is that we aren't used to pouring that much power at once into a single technique, so it's rather draining. It converts technique energy to destructive force in a ratio much higher than any other technique, but it takes so much technique energy to generate that it's harder to use than other normal techniques."
"Oh. I've seen it before, I just can't do it." Ayame said forlornly.
"Why not? You have the technique energy for it, and you are a conduit. You should be able to fire off these things like that Foie you fried me with."
"I've tried...I can't. It doesn't work for me."
"Focus all your anger. It gathers strength from emotion. The stronger the emotion, the more the power of Darkness can be tapped into. You have to have a certain level of emotion to draw enough energy from Darkness, and your technique energy gets burned to keep the pathway open. Think about...how angry Zionus makes you when he makes you fight X." Neifirst suggested.
"I'll try, but I don't think it will work..." Ayame said gloomily, as she turned to face the stand of virtual trees that Neifirst had assaulted. JiEin looked on, turning his scanners on Ayame to measure how much energy she was putting off.
Peculiar...Neifirst seemed to need to use all her energy to fire off that single small attack. Ayame used nearly double that in the Zonde she cast at me without even flinching. It seems that she should indeed be able to do this easily. X would probably be a better teacher at this than Neifirst, if he were here. Nei has never been able to fully control her conduit power. She is probably not the best to be teaching Ayame, but at the moment she is all we have. This should prove to be...interesting.
Ayame stared at the trees, braced herself in an unconscious imitation of Neifirst, and seemed to be straining to gather power. Nothing happened, though, at least not on the surface.
To JiEin's scanners, it was obvious that she was burning an incredible amount of energy, with no visible effect.
Deep within Ayame's mind, Danielle was inside the psychic 'movie theater', reviewing old memories. What is that brat doing, anyway? She's using up technique energy like it's water. And why is she acting all childlike and annoying again? I thought we had a deal worked out...Oh! I get it now...Heh, makes more sense. Well, I'd better keep a close eye on this. If she drains herself into unconsciousness, I can get out and have a little fun. I can't believe that Neifirst smacked us. It'll be interesting to see if she can actually activate the conduit. I doubt it though...she's too weak-minded.
Ayame flared with energy for a brief second, and a silhouette of black wings appeared in mid-air. When she collapsed heartbeats later, the wings swiftly disappeared. Neifirst rushed over to her, applying a Moon Atomizer and a Trifluid, then steadied her as she got to her feet.
Astonishing! It seems as if she almost awakened the conduit through sheer energy output. X always said he needed to boost his power with emotion, otherwise he couldn't activate it. Ayame seems to be able nearly to achieve it on pure technique energy alone. That's amazing. JiEin thought, as he continued to watch.
Inside the observation room, Leah looks on, startled. That...it felt just like when X uses his conduit. But he said that Darkness feeds on emotion. The stronger the emotion, the less draining it is to the technique reserves. Ayame seems to be trying very hard, but the emotion just doesn't seem to be there. However, the fact that she is nearly capable of summoning the conduit power simply by throwing a lot of technique energy around is incredible. If X had her technique reserves, he could likely beat Zionus by himself. If she can learn even half of his control, her power will be frightening. Oh, X...where are you?
Ayame stood unsteadily, blinking. "Ow...my head hurts."
"You almost did it. I think you have the hang of it, now you just need to get good and angry and you'll have it." Neifirst said, smiling. "What makes you really angry?"
"Um...when the ice cream man is out of chocolate pops? That's really annoying. Why sell ice cream if you run out of the good kind?"
"Arggh! This kid is hopeless." Danielle screamed inside her head. In a more distant part of Ayame's mind, a shadowy figure looks on. My younger self seems to grab control at the most inopportune times. When Danielle and I defeated Dark Falz, I was briefly in control. However, as soon as my body regained consciousness, my younger and more immature self regained control. I think I could almost do this, if I had control at the moment. But there is never a good time. We seem to always go from happy to angry. When happy, Ayame is in control. When angry, Danielle. I never get a chance to step in. Perhaps if my younger self even acknowledged my existence, things would be easier.Oh, well...
"No, Ayame. That's not anger. That's a nuisance. What about when you are fighting? Do you ever get angry then?" Neifirst said, a look of exasperation clouding her features.
"No. If I get angry, I might really hurt someone. Hurting people is wrong..." Ayame said, looking at Neifirst with a completely oblivious expression on her face.
On Dezolis, Sage has finally been dragged from his comfortable bed by the combined efforts of Lorna and Lissandra. Lissandra had awoken fully-recovered, and though she seemed a bit surprised by Lorna's attire, soon helped in awakening Sage. Lorna ripped the blankets off him as Lissandra grabbed him and dragged him from his bedroll. Ten minutes and two very strong cups of tea later, he finally stopped hating the world in general. The group dined on a quick breakfast, then readied their supplies.
The snowstorm of the night before had abated, leaving the world outside a soft, gently gleaming white. Brom reactivated himself as Lorna was searching her cave. He was hit by a flying shirt as Lorna dug through her clothes trunk.
A few minutes later, with the majority of her cave in disarray, Lorna proudly held the shining Aero Prism aloft. "Aha! I thought I put this thing away somewhere. It is said to help us find the path to Rykros. Now all we need is transportation."
"There are reports of an ancient ship not far from here. We could try searching there." Yokote suggested.
"Sounds good to me. Oh, and this food was really good!" Lissandra replied, finishing her breakfast.
"Seems like a plan." Brom replied. Damnable rotting sacks of meat. How long does it take to get ready...?
Sage, although still not entirely able to walk around without bumping into things, seemed to be at least somewhat awake. "Sure, that'll work. I just need a while to wake up..." His sentence was interrupted by Lissandra bashing him with a pillow at the same time as Lorna threw his backpack at him.
Twenty minutes later, the group was packed and ready to go. Lissandra and Sage got on one snowmobile, Lorna and Yokote on another, and Brom on his. They set off towards Reshel.
On Ragol, X and the Dreamchasers are speeding through the forest as fast as their legs will take them, dodging branches and tree roots. After getting a safe distance away, they stopped beside a dense group of trees to catch their breath.
"Well...now what, Nova?" Kiara asked, leaning against a tree.
"Hmm...there is a cave system here that leads to the mines. We could take that through, to get around Zionus' interference shield. I'm certain there are either functional teleporters back to Pioneer 2, or a spot where we can telepipe back." Nova said, after pondering for a moment.
"Wow, the mines. We always have so much fun there..." Axios quipped.
"This sucks. Not only did Zionus create that fugly clone of me, but he drained all of my power to do it. He even had the nerve to copy my attacks. That bastard. I'm going to kill him so painfully, there hasn't even been a word invented to describe it yet. Is there anything we can do to get me back to normal...? " X asked, a whining tone becoming apparent in his voice.
"Not at the moment, no. Hopefully...we'll be able to figure something out. But right now, we need to hurry. Our distraction probably won't hold them for much longer." Nova said, starting down the path.
A brief trip on the snowmobiles brought Sage's group to the town of Reshel. As they approached the city, they were hailed by the city guards.
"Halt! Please show identification. We have had bandit problems recently, and we must constantly be on our guard."
Lissandra dismounted the snowmobile, and threw back her hood. "I am Lissandra, an Esper. We come seeking knowledge. My companions are Sage, Yokote, Brom and Lorna."
The guard on the right removed his helmet, smiling at Lissandra. "Liss, it's Stefan. How have you been?"
A flash of excitement crossed Liss's face, and she ran to give Stefan a hug. "Stefan, it's so good to see you again!"
Sage looked on, a suspicious look on his face. As he turned away, he caught Lorna's eye. She had an amused little grin on her face.
Releasing Stefan, Lissandra turned to the group. "This is my hometown of Reshel, and this is my cousin, Stefan."
Oh, good. Her cousin...Sage thought.
"And why do you care? You seemed very interested in Lorna, last night."Lutz spoke into his mind.
"Shut up, Lutz. Please. I'm very tired."Sage replied, as Lissandra headed back towards the group.
"You can park your vehicles inside the town walls." The other guard said, as Stefan replaced his helmet.
Doing as they were instructed, they gathered their belongings, locked up the snowmobiles and ventured into Reshel. Lissandra looked around intently, taking in the details. "I haven't been back in a long time. I'd like to look around for a bit."
Sage thought for a moment. "Hmm...well, we need to get information on the whereabouts of that ship that is supposedly around here. Do you know who might know?"
"The mayor, most likely. He is a wise and just man. I'll show you to the town hall, where his office is. Follow me.'
With Lissandra leading the way, they swiftly came to the town hall. Lissandra approached the guard at the entrance, a grizzled middle-aged man in red armor.
"Krassus? It's Lissandra. Is Mayor Grahf in?"
The man looked at her blankly, then replied, a smile spreading across his face. "Lissandra! How are you?"
"I'm fine. My companions and I need to speak to the mayor, please."
"Oh...did you not hear? Mayor Grahf retired. The new mayor is the mayor's former assistant, Jacen."
"Oh. Well, can we speak to him, please?"
"He's not in right now. Come back in two hours, please. I'd suggest you find an inn or something while you wait."
"Very well. Thank you, Krassus. We'll return in two hours."
The group continued down the main road, coming to an inn shortly thereafter. As they walked inside, they were met by a matronly looking lady who embraced Lissandra. "Liss! It's so good to see you again."
"Good to see you too, Aunt Kyra. My companions and I need a room for the night, and we were wondering if you could accommodate us."
"Why, certainly! We haven't had many visitors lately, so nearly all our rooms are open." She proceeded to show them to their rooms. With the recent dearth of customers, they each had a room to themselves. After stowing their gear, they went downstairs for a late lunch.
As the group heads downstairs for a late lunch, Brom goes into his room. "I'm going to power off for a while. I'll be awakening in about two hours." Ignorant fleshbags. I'm not sure why I haven't killed them yet.
"Ok, Brom. See you in a while." Sage said, as he followed Lorna, Lissandra and Yokote downstairs. Seating themselves at a small table, they were quickly approached by Lissandra's aunt. She was carrying a tray with four bowls of stew. After placing this on the table, she returned with bread and drinks. The four began to eat. A few minutes later, Lissandra's aunt came back over to their table.
"Lissandra, dear, will you be able to stay with us more than a day or two? I so look forward to seeing you."
"I'm not sure. We are here on an errand, actually. We are going to meet with the mayor after we eat. Krassus said that he wasn't in at the moment."
"Yes. The new mayor is often busy..." Liss's aunt said, a worried look beginning to cloud her features. "Anyway, who are your new friends?"
"Oh, my apologies. This is Sage, the new chosen one of Lutz. Yokote is an Esper Guardian, and Lorna let us stay at her home when we got caught in a blizzard last night. Our other companion, Brom, is upstairs resting. He's an android."
"Well, nice to meet you. I've got to go get started on dinner. We usually have more customers trickle in as the evening wears on. Good luck with the mayor." With that, she headed back towards the kitchen.
Thirty minutes later, they were finished with their meal. Lorna stretched and sighed. "Ah...that was delightful."
"Yes, very. It was even better than the food in that other inn, back in Tyler." Sage said, finishing off the last of his tea.
"Even better than the food at the mansion," Yokote replied.
"This inn has survived mainly by my aunt's cooking skills. So, are we ready to go see the mayor?"
"Yes, I suppose. Why did your aunt look so worried when you mentioned that, though?" Sage said, getting to his feet.
"The old mayor was a wise, kind man. His assistant was greedy and overly ambitious. I knew him as a child. He's...not very fond of me, I'm afraid." Lissandra said.
"Well...I'm sure we can convince him to help us." Lorna stated. "It may just take some...persuasion."
The group left the inn and headed to the Town Hall. They were ushered inside, and met by a tall, thin man with lanky dark hair and a scowling face.
"I am Mayor Jacen. What is your business in Reshel, travelers?"
"We are looking for the whereabouts of the Landale. It was supposedly left in a subterranean complex near here, and we were wondering if you knew where it was." Lissandra replied.
"The Landale, eh? Lissandra...you know that's nothing more than a fairy tale, like all the other legends. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."
"But... we were assured it was near here."
"It is nothing more than a legend, I'm afraid. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a very busy man. I trust you can find the way out on your own. Good day." Jacen turned on his heel and strode rapidly away.
"Well...he was certainly helpful." Lorna said, a frown crossing her face.
"Yes, well...Jacen has had a grudge against me since we were adolescents. Anyway, perhaps we could look around town some. I haven't been back in a while, and maybe someone else will know something." Lissandra replied as they left the town hall.
"Sure. I could swear that I heard it was last spotted near Reshel. It has to be near here." Lorna said, beginning to look frustrated.
"Relax, Lorna. I'm sure we can find something. Lissandra, should we all go with you, or no?" Sage said.
"Hmm...good question. Probably not, actually. I can get more out of people without a group around. They treat me as a kind of local celebrity here since I was trained by the Espers, but going around with a large group might be intimidating. You can stay at the inn, if you like, or simply wander around town a bit." Lissandra said, turning to Sage.
"Ok, sure. I guess we'll see you at dinner, then."
"Alright. See you in a while. Hopefully I can find something out." Lissandra said, as she turned and began walking down the street.
Yokote, Lorna and Sage went into the inn. Inside Jacen's office, he was railing at a large, unkempt man.
"Dammit, Blake! That Esper and her friends may ruin everything."
The bandit leader got to his feet. Reaching up to his shoulder, he grabbed the axe that hung at his massive back. Lightly caressing the hilt, he spoke. "Hmph. We've been taking out your opponents before, and you've paid us well. But this..."
"You said your subordinates in Tyler were taken out by an android, right?"
"Yes. Only a few of my brother's men escaped. My brother was not among them. Damn that android! If I find him...I'm going to break him."
"Well...Krassus informed me that the had an android with her. Androids aren't exactly common around here, so it's likely the same one."
Blake let out a snarl of glee. "Yes! If it is, I may do this one for free."
"Not only that, but you get to keep our agreement secret, kill an Esper Guardian and I get to finally have my revenge on that stupid girl."
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Jacen opened it, and an aide leaned in, whispering something in his ear. Jacen laughed, a high, piercing sound devoid of any actual mirth. The aide quickly left, and Jacen turned to Blake with a leering grin on his face.
"They've split up. Lissandra is wandering the town alone, the android is in the inn powered down, and the other three are near the inn. How quickly can your men strike?"
"Hahahaha! Nice initiative. We can grab the girl within ten minutes. I've been meaning to try out an artifact we picked up, anyway. It cancels an Esper's powers. Do you want us to kill the men?"
"No. Not yet, anyway. Take the droid and Lissandra. You can also capture the skimpily dressed woman, if you like. The droid is yours to do with as you like. Simply incapacitate the men, and leave them. I want to have a bit more fun at their expense, first. Lissandra is not to be harmed too much. The other woman and the droid are yours to play with as you wish."
"Thank you. I'll tell my men to grab them now. What about our payment...?"
"You get revenge, a new toy and your usual fee. I'll pay you after completion of the job. Now, go."
Blake left the room, schemes already forming in his head.
Inside the inn, Yokote approaches Kyra. "Milady, is there a place where I could practice my swordsmanship?"
Turning from her cooking, she thinks for a moment. "Why, yes. There is a space behind the inn that was formerly used for tournaments held by the city guard. It should work."
"Thank you, milady." Yokote left the inn and went outside. There was an enormous flat expanse of ground, with a raised practice ring in the center. Calming himself, he stepped to the center of the ring. He withdrew two black cylinders from his belt, and began stretching, running through an elaborate kata to ready himself. He then flicked the activation studs on his sabers, extruding the gleaming purple blades. He started off slowly, gradually moving into an effortless dance of spinning blades. Anyone watching could have easily seen the invisible opponents he dueled with. Lost in the trance of his skill, he was nearly dead to the world.
Inside the inn, Sage and Lorna were sitting at a table. Lorna was idly twirling the cinnamon stick in her cider, as Sage slowly drank his tea.
"So, Sage darling...what would you like to do? We probably have a few hours before Lissandra gets back, and Yokote is busy. Would you like to 'renegotiate' our deal from the other night...? That could be fun, and we have plenty of alone time."
Sage nearly choked on his tea."I thought we settled that."
"Yes, dear. But...your childish bluff was so transparent I didn't even have to try to see through it." Lorna smiled brightly at him.
The blush on his face was evidence enough that she was right. "I..." he stammered.
"Relax, hon. I can tell I make you uncomfortable. If it bothers you that much, I'll stop. But, fear of a thing only makes it harder to face..."
Sage was bright red at this point. His answer was interrupted by Lorna standing and taking his hand. "Come with me. I haven't had a good snowball fight in a long time."
"Snowball fight?" Sage looked puzzled.
"Yes, why what did you think I was talking about? Silly boy. Let's go." Lorna practically dragged Sage outside. Flinging him aside, she raised her hands together, cupped them, and breathed gently. A perfectly formed sphere of snow appeared, which seconds later was flung directly at Sage's face. His hasty dodge saved him from being pelted, but the one she threw seconds later impacted him in the chest. Her third missile was telekinetically deflected as he crouched to make his own projectile. Coming up with a snowball in his hands, he threw it at her, guiding it with his powers to hit her in the shoulder.
"Alright, that's it. You are so dead." Lorna said, brushing snow off her bare shoulder.
Their furious mock battle continued. Downtown, Lissandra exited the house of an old friend. Waiting for her were fifteen large, rather unkempt looking men. Bandits! But how did they get in here? I have to contact the others.
"Sage, I need your he-" Her mental message was cut off by a pink beam that struck her in the side. It left a tingling in her side, and an empty feeling throughout her entire body. Oh, no! They seem to have cancelled my powers somehow. I think that was one of the anti-magi beams I've heard about. I can't even use any techniques...
Drawing her Caduceus, she braced herself for a fight. The first three bandits to approach her were swiftly knocked cold, but as her attention was on the group in front of her, one clubbed her from behind. As she slumped to the ground unconscious, Blake knelt and picked her up.
"Ok, boys. Stow her in the Ice Digger, and place guards over her. The rest of you, come with me. We're going to get that damnable robot." Blake handed Lissandra to one of his liutenants, as more bandits appeared. A group of about twenty headed down the street towards the inn where Brom and the others were staying. The few guards that saw them had been either threatened or bribed into silence, and the townspeople cowered behind their doors, thankful that the bandits were not targeting them.
The group of foul miscreants headed towards the inn. Yokote finished his training, and deactivated his sabers. He went inside, as Lorna and Sage's battle was interrupted by Sage grabbing his temples and slumping to the ground. Lorna felt a sharp pain in her head seconds later as well.
"Did you feel that?" Sage asked, as he slowly got to his feet.
"Yes, I did. I also thought I heard a mental message, but it was too faint to pick up. Did you catch it?"
"Somewhat. I think Lissandra's in trouble." As he shook his head to clear it, he was simultaneously screamed at by Lutz and shocked to see a large group of people headed down the street towards him. Sage, look out! Those are the same bandits that...
Lutz's reply was cut off as Sage was hit in the chest by the pink beam. He felt a searing pain in his head as the mental bond with Lutz was violently cut off. It felt as if a knife blade had been shoved into each of his temples. Letting out a moan of agony, he slumped to the ground as the horrific pain completely immobilized him.
Lorna turned to the group of bandits, fury in her eyes. "Who are you, and what do you want?" I have to keep them away from Sage. He's completely defenseless. Why didn't I sense them, though? Gah. I was having too much fun to really pay attention. Hopefully Yokote and Brom can do something. Until I find out what happened to Lissandra, I don't want to run the risk of losing their trail. Perhaps I should play along. They don't seem all that dangerous, anyway.
"You, lady. You'll make a nice toy. We want your droid friend too." Blake said, stepping forward. Lorna backed away, appalled.
"Hardly! I'm not that type of girl. What did you do with Lissandra?" Lorna said, rage blazing in her eyes as she began to chant an ice spell.
"We captured her for a friend of ours. Now, will you come along quietly, or do we have to rough you up?"
Sage, darling...you owe me big for this."Fine, I'll come quietly." At least this way, I can lead Sage and the others to us. Actually, I may not need to. As soon as I find her, I could probably get the both of us free. This may be fun... I haven't had a good workout in a while. Lorna was led off by three of the bandits, as the rest of the group stormed into the inn, leaving Sage passed out in a snow drift.
Yokote rushed downstairs at the sound of Kyra yelling.
"What is the meaning of this?" He was answered by five bandits turning and opening fire on him. Although not lethal, enough damage was done to make him pass out. The bandits delivered a swift kick or three to his immobile body as they went upstairs.
After about five minutes of searching, they found the room where Brom was deactivated. At the sound of them coming in the room, he sprang up, drawing his daggers. Five of the bandits fell to his whirling blades, but the group that came in after that was able to immobilize him with a EMP. They dragged his defenseless frame out of the inn and met up with their leader. Throwing the deactivated Brom into the vehicle, they headed back to their base.
Lorna was tied up next to the unconscious Lissandra and the deactivated Brom. Hmm...I suppose I should wait until these two are up and moving about before breaking these bonds. I can't cover all of us if they are defenseless. Besides, I think these bandits may know where the Landale is. Sage...please wake up soon.
On Ragol, X and the Dreamchasers have made it to the cave. Stopping to catch their breath, they hear the sound of dozens of footsteps running towards them. They rush into the cave, and are nearly bowled over by a wave of heat.
"Man...now Zionus' troops have probably found us. What a great rescue..." X complained.
"Well, since you seem to be so grateful, perhaps you'd like to stay with them." Kiara shot back. Running deeper into the cave, they heard echoing footsteps. Lava was seeping from the ground in some places, and there were signs of development here and there.
Axios turned and cast several Foie spells at the door they just passed through. Although it was now welded shut, it was only a matter of time before Zionus' troops broke through it.
"So, any bright ideas?" Axios said, resting from his exertions.
"We keep running. There should be a teleporter back to Pioneer 2 in the mines. I just tried a telepipe, and the distortion field is still active here as well. Let's go." Nova said. The group continued their flight as Zionus' troops were approached by Sigma and Eriror.
"Blast this door down, immediately." Eriror commanded his troops. Sigma simply stood there, fuming.
In the VR training center, Ayame has rested from her exertions, and is ready to try again.
"Ms. Nei...you said anger lets you use the conduit, right?" Ayame said, turning to face Neifirst.
"Yes, supposedly."
"Well... I can't make myself mad. I tried. You're going to have to do it." Ayame said, a forlorn expression on her face.
"Very well. Prepare yourself." Neifirst rushed at Ayame and began assaulting her with a series of punches and kicks. Ayame managed to block several of the hits, and Neifirst felt a thrill at her accomplishment. I'm actually really impressed. She learned quickly. I don't really want to beat on her, but it is the only way to draw out her power.
JiEin, Leah and Labyrinth looked on as Neifirst and Ayame fought. With each hit Ayame was unable to block, the more frustrated she got. The look on her face soon turned from disappointment at failing to a slow anger. Inside her mind, Danielle was absolutely gleeful. About time they wised up. The memories are nice, but a trip outside is far more fun than sitting around here. It shouldn't take long for her to lose control, and me to take over...
Sage awoke inside the inn, in a bed. The pounding of blood in his temples made his head ache, but at least the horrific stabbing pain was gone. Opening his eyes, he sees Kyra standing over him. The guard from his original approach to the city, Stefan is standing with her.
Oh, good chosen one. You are awake. We were worried. Your friend is still out. He was shot several times. His armor absorbed most of the damage, but enough got through to still knock him out." Kyra said.
Sitting up, Sage felt the world spin. As he slumped to the side, he was caught by Stefan, who steadied him til he regained his balance.
"Take it easy. You seem to have taken a hard hit." He said.
"Where are the others?" Sage asked, a slight tone of panic becoming apparent in his voice.
"Lissandra, the android and your lady friend were all taken Your other companion is in the other bed, over there. He is still out." Kyra said.
"Alright. I think I can stand. We have to go after them..." Sage swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood a bit unsteadily.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them. There are only about three guards in the entire city that aren't in league with the bandits. Of those, one is now dead and one has a family to protect. I can accompany you, though..." Stefan began.
Sage held out a hand. "No, that's ok. You need to stay here and make sure we have a place to retreat to. I'm going to wake up Yokote." Sage walked over to Yokote, and with a quick Resta healed him. Yokote opened his eyes and sat up. "Sage...what happened? I was shot, and..."
"The same people that attacked us captured Lissandra, Lorna and Brom. They are bandits, and apparently in league with the mayor. We need to go."
Just then, Lutz seemed to awake in Sage's mind. The anger reverberating through him was evident even without him speaking. "Those pathetic excuses for humanity must pay. They hit us with an anti-magi beam, sealing away your mental and technique powers. It broke the link to me, and if it hadn't worn off when it did I would have eventually disincorporated. We must go."
Sage answered in the affirmative, then got a message from Lorna. "Glad you're awake, sleepy. We've been captured and taken to their base. I can guide you to it."
"Are you all okay?"
"Yes...I'm fine. Lissandra has been taken into a room by the mayor, and although she's rather angry, she seems fine. Brom...has disappeared. I presume I'm supposed to be the entertainment for the bandits..."
"Oh, no. We'll hurry."
"Relax. I was simply waiting for you to regain consciousness. I'll have us out of here in a bit. Hurry, or you may miss the fun."
Sage relayed the message to Yokote as they headed for the snowmobiles.
Inside the VR training room, Ayame is sparring with Neifirst. Although Neifirst is scoring hit after hit, Ayame is not getting angry enough or desperate enough to awaken her conduit. After about twenty minutes of this, Neifirst finally stops.
"Sorry, kid. It just...doesn't seem to be working. You aren't giving it enough emotion. It can't work unless you are angry or desperate."
"How do you know all this, Ms. Nei, if you can't fully control your power?" Ayame said, slouching forward with her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
Neifirst, breathing heavily, scowls and replies "Mostly from watching X, in all honesty. I can summon a Demon Roar, but I don't have a strong enough link to do more than that, no matter how much energy I give it. You are the opposite. You have a nearly unlimited channel to the Profound Darkness, you just can't open it. I guess we'll have to try something else..."
The VR simulation ended, and Hahn entered the room, accompanied by Labyrinth and Leah.
"You did wonderfully, Ayame." Hahn said.
"Thanks, Dr. Hahn. I just wish I could learn to control my power." Ayame said, a forlorn look crossing her face.
"Perhaps you can. Take a short break, then come back here in an hour. I've been working with Labyrinth, and I have a surprise for you." Hahn said.
"Ooh, ooh! A surprise. Yay!" Ayame said, beginning to bounce up and down in anticipation.
"You have to come back in an hour to see it, though. And I can't promise you will like it, but it should help you explore your powers a bit more." Hahn said, as Ayame left with Nei, JiEin and Leah.
"Thanks, Dr. Hahn!" The group left, heading to the cafeteria for JiEin to prepare another delicious meal.
On Ragol, X and the Dreamchasers are fleeing rapidly through the caves. They made it past a section filled with magma, through a beautiful underground cavern filled with waterfalls, and were now deep inside the subterranean complex. There were traces of development from Pioneer 1 scattered here and there.
Nova called them to a quick rest. They had been running for quite a while, and their sealing of every door they passed through seemed to have greatly hindered Zionus' troops in their pursuit.
"Well...we are almost to the mines. Hopefully the distortion field won't extend that far down, and we can escape."
Kiara looked up, breathing heavily. "I hope you're right. If not...we're trapped."
"Yeah, like rats in a maze. "Axios replied, sitting down to catch his breath.
"Dammit! If I was at even half of my normal strength, I could take on all of that idiot's troops..." X began.
"Yeah, we know. We've heard that about ten times already, and wasted breath that we should have been using to run." Kiara replied sharply.
"Besides, X...when you used your conduit power up there it made you pass out. Doesn't exactly sound like a worthwhile chance to take." Axios said, slowly getting to his feet.
"Hmph. Fine. Don't believe me. It doesn't look like I can do anything to prove you wrong at this point. I can't even fire off a Foie at this point, much less a Demon Roar."
Nova looked at him strangely. "So, why don't you use a fluid?"
"Zionus wasn't exactly big on keeping me supplied. I don't have any. Besides...I never needed them before. Stuff dropped too quickly." X replied, a slightly smug look returning to his face. Before he could start on another tirade, Nova cut him off.
"Well, I carry extra. Here you go. Perhaps this will help regain your power." Handing him the capsule, he watched as X used the Trifluid inside.
"Wow, thanks. I feel a bit better already."
Gathering their supplies, the group headed deeper into the caves. After about ten minutes, they came to a large, abandoned elevater. Activating it after a few minutes of fiddling with the console, they boarded it just as it began it's decent. They were lowered into the darkness of the mines as up above, Zionus' troops drew ever closer.
On Dezolis, Yokote and Sage are racing towards the bandit hideout on their snowmobiles, led by Lorna's mental message.
"Well, good to know they didn't disable the snowmobiles. Things here don't seem to be all that bad, yet. That annoying mayor showed up and went into the room where they were holding Lissandra. She still seems angry, but rather unhurt. Her powers haven't returned yet, though. As for me...the other bandits seem to think I'm the entertainment. If you don't hurry, I'll have to change their minds myself."
"Ok, we are going as fast as we can. What about Brom? Have you seen him?"
"Unfortunately, no. He seems to be deactivated. From what I can tell, the bandit leader seems to have some sort of grudge against him."
"Hmm...well, if he is damaged he is the easiest of all of us to repair. If you can free him before we get there, please do."
"Hahaha. Sage, darling...I'm shackled to a post in a room with about fifty bandits leering at me. I think they are betting on who gets to 'have a go' at me first. But, I'll get right on doing your job for you, hun."
The sarcasm in her mind voice was so sharp it hurt.
"Well, it's not my fault you are far more appealing to the bandits than me. I think it's your outfit. If I hadn't been completely incapacitated with what felt like a dagger through my head, I would've stopped them."
"Tsk, tsk. And now you are blaming the victim. What kind of Esper are you, anyway?"
"At the moment, the pissed-off kind. Yokote doesn't seem too happy about being blind-sided either. Well, we should be there shortly. Any information about the defenses, or do we just go in blind?"
"Did I mention the whole 'shackled to a post' thing? I haven't exactly had time for detailed reconnaissance. I wouldn't worry about it, though. These guys don't seem too bright. Relax, Sage... this will be fun."
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Don't worry. I can tell you are very upset about them kidnapping Lissandra. Do I not matter...?" she said, her voice taking on an amused tone.
"Um...anyway. I'd suggest you try to break free on your own. Then, if you can...find Liss and Brom. We will arrive in about two minutes. Be careful."
"Alright...have fun."
Lorna broke the mental contact and went back to surveying her current situation. She was shackled by her wrists to a large metal support column in the center of a dingy, cluttered room. The room was filled with dirty,ugly, apparently unwashed bandits. They were leering at her and making various crude gestures. When one got a little too close, she simply smiled at him.
"Hi, there. I'm not really into this whole bondage thing, so do you think you could find it in your heart to let me go?" she said, flashing a brilliant smile at the nearest bandit.
"Heh, we're just gonna have a little fun with ye first."
That's what you think... I'm tired of this. These shackles are starting to chafe. Time to make my daring escape.
At this point the first of the bandits stepped forward and lunged at her in a clumsy embrace. Lightly dancing aside, she spun to her left around the pole, sending out one bare foot to trip him. He stumbled forward, smacking his face on the column. She heard a wet crunch as his nose was broken. He looked at her and snarled, his face a red mess from the streaming blood of his broken nose.
On Dezolis, Yokote and Sage are racing towards the bandit hideout on their snowmobiles, led by Lorna's mental message.
"Well, good to know they didn't disable the snowmobiles. Things here don't seem to be all that bad, yet. That annoying mayor showed up and went into the room where they were holding Lissandra. She still seems angry, but rather unhurt. Her powers haven't returned yet, though. As for me...the other bandits seem to think I'm the entertainment. If you don't hurry, I'll have to change their minds myself."
"Ok, we are going as fast as we can. What about Brom? Have you seen him?"
"Unfortunately, no. He seems to be deactivated. From what I can tell, the bandit leader seems to have some sort of grudge against him."
"Hmm...well, if he is damaged he is the easiest of all of us to repair. If you can free him before we get there, please do."
"Hahaha. Sage, darling...I'm shackled to a post in a room with about fifty bandits leering at me. I think they are betting on who gets to 'have a go' at me first. But, I'll get right on doing your job for you, hun."
The sarcasm in her mind voice was so sharp it hurt.
"Well, it's not my fault you are far more appealing to the bandits than me. I think it's your outfit. If I hadn't been completely incapacitated with what felt like a dagger through my head, I would've stopped them."
"Tsk, tsk. And now you are blaming the victim. What kind of Esper are you, anyway?"
"At the moment, the pissed-off kind. Yokote doesn't seem too happy about being blind-sided either. Well, we should be there shortly. Any information about the defenses, or do we just go in blind?"
"Did I mention the whole 'shackled to a post' thing? I haven't exactly had time for detailed reconnaissance. I wouldn't worry about it, though. These guys don't seem too bright. Relax, Sage... this will be fun."
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Don't worry. I can tell you are very upset about them kidnapping Lissandra. Do I not matter...?" she said, her voice taking on an amused tone.
"Um...anyway. I'd suggest you try to break free on your own. Then, if you can...find Liss and Brom. We will arrive in about two minutes. Be careful."
"Alright...have fun."
Lorna broke the mental contact and went back to surveying her current situation. She was shackled by her wrists to a large metal support column in the center of a dingy, cluttered room. The room was filled with dirty,ugly, apparently unwashed bandits. They were leering at her and making various crude gestures. When one got a little too close, she simply smiled at him.
"Hi, there. I'm not really into this whole bondage thing, so do you think you could find it in your heart to let me go?" she said, flashing a brilliant smile at the nearest bandit.
"Heh, we're just gonna have a little fun with ye first."
That's what you think... I'm tired of this. These shackles are starting to chafe. Time to make my daring escape.
At this point the first of the bandits stepped forward and lunged at her in a clumsy embrace. Lightly dancing aside, she spun to her left around the pole, sending out one bare foot to trip him. He stumbled forward, smacking his face on the column. She heard a wet crunch as his nose was broken. He looked at her and snarled, his face a red mess from the streaming blood of his broken nose.
"Oops, sorry about that. Looks like you tripped. I'd suggest you clean this place up a bit. It's far too dimly-lit, and lined with stuff for people to trip over. Here...let me fix that." She continued her spin around the column, coming back around to tie the bandit to the column with the slack of her restraints. She looked at his nose, then clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Aw...let me kiss it and make it better." She leaned in and kissed him, draining his life energy as she did so, embracing him with her shackled hands and holding him up until he slumped, drained and unconscious.
Turning away from him, she froze her restraints and broke them with a flick of her wrist. She then proceeded to freeze the chains that held the bandit the the pillar, encasing them in thick ice.
"There, now you won't hurt yourself." She said, brushing her hands together. "Anyone else want to play?" she asked mockingly, turning to the twelve or so bandits arrayed in the room. The ragtag group drew their weapons and advanced on her.
With a muttered word, a small cylinder appeared in mid-air. She reached out to grasp it, then as she fed it power, it grew into a staff made of clear blue ice. Sending a final pulse of energy into it, frigid spikes grew from both ends, as a brief manifestation of translucent ice crystal armor appeared over her body. A split second later, it faded, leaving her clad in her silver bikini and white cape. Spinning her staff around a couple of times, she settled into a combat stance.
The bandits advanced on her, confused yet intrigued by the fate of their comrade. One spoke to another. "I'm not sure whether to kiss her or hit her..."
"Heh, let's do both. Get her!" This over eager bandit leaped forward, swinging a club at her. She easily dodged his first swing, then parried the next two with her staff. The other bandits simply watched. The man's fourth swing impacted with her forearm, hitting her magical armor mere inches from her flesh. As he drew the club back, the armor faded into invisibility again. When he next swung, she grabbed the club and froze it, then squeezed it until it shattered. Laughing, she lightly kicked him in the shin and backed away from his counterattack.
"Ha, looks like your weapon broke. It was too big anyway. You must be trying to compensate for something..."
She hastily dodged his headlong rush, stepping aside to let him nearly hit the pillar. Tossing her staff casually off to the side, it hovered in mid-air at a guttural command from her. She crouched, raising her hands, and beckoned for the bandit to come at her. He tackled her, hitting her at the waist. She fell backwards, rolling with him and flipping him over her head, then landed lightly on top of him. Pressing him to the ground amidst cheers from the bandits, she drained his soul with a kiss.
Getting to her feet from the comatose bandit, she called her staff to her side.
"Now boys...who wants to be next?"
In another room of the bandit hideout, Liss is sitting in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. Jacen, the bandit leader Blake and two other bandits are in the room with her.
Blake turned to Jacen and spoke. "Well, I did what you requested. Here's the girl. I'm going to go get my revenge on that damnable robot. Have fun."
"You will be well-rewarded. Have your men wait outside. I wish to be alone with the ." He said, turning his harsh gaze on Lissandra, who simply scowled back. Blake and his two bandits left the room, leaving Jacen and Liss.
"Jacen, you coward! Why did you kidnap me?" She said, fury blazing in her eyes.
"Because, my dear...the last time we met, you scorned me. I poured my heart and soul out to you, and you rejected me. No one treats me with impunity... Now that I am powerful, I will get my revenge."
"Jacen...you are a moron. We were kids. I didn't want to date you then, but I pitied you. I have absolutely no empathy for you now. You are abusing your power, and usurping the mandate given to you. That is detestable..." Liss said, glaring at him.
"Stupid girl. You should have joined me. You could have ruled with me. But, you chose to reject me, throwing me aside like everyone else always did. I will make you pay for that..."
"You are insane. I refused to go to a dance with you. I hate dancing. That's not a reason to kidnap someone. Besides...what 'rule' are you delusional enough to think you have? You are the mayor of a tiny little village, and a walking bank-book to a group of inbred bandits. That's not power, that's...pathetic."
"Silence! I will make you pay for your rejection. I'm going to make you wish you had joined me. Death will be a welcome release that is slow in coming.... Hahahahaha." He began cackling.
He's a bigger idiot than I thought... oh, well. Luckily, he's not very good at tying knots, either. I've got just enough slack closer, Jace.
Jacen stepped forward to mock her. As he did so, she broke the bonds tying her to the chair. Raising the flimsy wooden chair, she nailed him in the face with it, knocking him to the ground unconscious.
Rubbing her wrists to get the blood flow back, she silently thanked the bandits for using a half-rotted rope. Grabbing her Caduceus from the corner, she opened the door and stepped out. Although her techniques were still disabled, her staff-fighting skills were not. It was the work of about thirty seconds to subdue the two guards.
I wonder if they captured everyone else. I hope not... She began to make her way through the complex, looking for an exit.
Yokote and Sage have made it to the bandit base. They stop on a hill overlooking the entrance to the building, and Yokote scans the area with binoculars.
"Well, Sage...it looks like there are about twenty guards outside the building, clustered around. It looks like they are drinking and gambling around a fire. I suggest we just rush them. We will break what little order they have, and we can go right into the base." Putting away his binoculars, he turned to Sage.
"Sounds good to me. I can cloak our approach until we are right up on them, and increase the confusion and panic they will have. Lutz is cooperating, so I can use his power as well..." Sage said.
Yes, well...I'm not exactly happy with these scum either. The technology they have found could be dangerous in the wrong hands. We must wipe them out so they cannot abuse the innocent anymore. Lutz said into Sage's mind.
"Ok, Yokote...I'm going to telekinetically boost your strength. It's like a Shifta technique, but more effective. However, you have to be fairly close to me to get the effect."
"Very well. And how are the others faring?"
Sage closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Yokote felt a wave of strength rush through him.
"Lorna's free, and rather enjoying herself fighting the bandits. I don't know about Brom and Lissandra. We need to go."
Mounting their snowmobiles, they charged the camp. Sage reached out with his powers and blocked the sounds and sights of their approach from being processed easily. It was difficult, muddling so many minds at once, but since they were distracted it was doable.
Yokote crashed his snowmobile into a group of bandits, leaping free at the last second as he ignited his sabers. The group of five he hit collapsed on the ground in a twisted, moaning group. He landed lightly on the ground, turning to face the remaining fifteen.
He brandished his sabers and charged them. The few that were able to get their weapons out fell first as he went into an elegant, deadly saber dance. Mere heartbeats later, there were ten bandits lying still on the ground.
The remaining five turned to run, but were bowled over by a TK wave from Sage. As they slowly got to their feet, Yokote rushed them, cutting them down mercilessly.
The one bandit still standing fell to a kick to the temple from Yokote as he rushed past
Sage parked his snowmobile, and dismounted. As he headed towards Yokote, he saw that there was surprisingly no blood on the ground.
"Yokote...did you kill them all?" he asked, a slight tone of worry entering his voice.
"No, Sage. My Sabers were on stun. A hit from them simply incapacitates voluntary nerve impulses for a few hours."
"You have sabers with stun effects here? Wow..."
"I built them myself. Anyway...let's go."
The two headed inside the bandit hideout, stepping over the stunned bodies of their foes.
Lorna is greatly enjoying herself. There are about ten comatose bandits lying on the ground, all drained by her. They had actually been foolish enough to attack her singly or in pairs. The lone bandit turned to run, fearing for his life.
She intercepted him before he made it to the door, collapsing her staff and placing it on her belt. Teleporting it from her belt to hover midair in front of her had been extravagant, yes, but it never hurt to impress. Hmm...I think I scared him. Oh, well. This won't take long. Grabbing her latest meal, she placed a finger over his lips to stifle his screams. Looking into his eyes, she answered his terror with a bright smile. Hmm...this one's a bit cleaner than the rest. I'll take my time with him.
Lorna embraced the man, who drooped slightly as she began to drain his energy. She kissed him deeply, his eyes going from panic to pleasure in the space of a few seconds. She held him, draining him of both his soul and his life energy, then lowered him gently to the ground. He began to softly snore as she stepped over him.
Hmph. That was over far too quickly... I wish I could find one who could actually sustain a link for more than a few seconds...
Upstairs, Blake and the other bandits have the deactivated Brom in a corner, and are beating on him.
Not much damage has been done to his shell, but the bandits don't seem to care.
Blake finally stops after attempting to cut off Brom's arm with a power saw. "Gah...damnable robot. I wish I could hear him scream. Hey, turn on his vocal systems..."
That was the last mistake Blake ever made. The idiotic bandit flipped Brom's main power switch, reviving him. He sprang to life and crushed the unfortunate bandit's windpipe with his hands, letting him drop to the ground with a sickening thud. He then drew a pair of daggers from compartments in his forearms, and began to cut a swathe through the assembled group of bandits. Blake had time for one scream before he died...
I thought I couldn't hate those rotting meatbags anymore than I already did. Hmph. I wonder if they saved me the trouble of killing the others. Probably not. Might as well go find them.
Lorna dashed from her room, colliding with a white-robed figure in the hall. They fell in a tangle, both quickly getting to their feet in battle stances.
As they recognized each other, Lorna and Lissandra relaxed.
"Liss, you're ok!"
"Yeah, but my powers are still inactive. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Yokote and Sage are on their way, and..."
"Lorna, we made it inside. Have you found Liss and Brom yet?"
"Yes, I just ran into Lissandra. Literally... still no sign of Brom, though."
"Correction. Yokote and Sage are here. Let's go find Brom, and meet up with them." The two continued to the main hall, where Yokote and Sage were facing off with the main group of bandits. They watched for a moment as Yokote and Sage took on all challengers. Yokote cleaved any bandits in reach with his twin sabers, as Sage blasted away with his guns. With Lorna and Lissandra joining the fray, the bandits soon realized their mistake. The few still standing went to flee, but were incapacitated by a combined mental assault from Sage and Lorna.
"About time. We were getting bored..." Lorna said, greeting Sage and Yokote.
"I'm glad to see you are ok. Any sign of Brom?" Sage asked, as Yokote deactivated his sabers.
His question was answered by screams from deeper within the building, as a group of blood-stained and generally mauled bandits fled from something.
Lorna and Lissandra belted the two bandits that fled past them, knocking them to the ground. The third suddenly dropped, a look of agony on his face as he toppled forward in mid-stride. The hilt of a Red Dagger extended from his back as Brom casually strode up to greet them.
"Hmph, what took you so long?" He said as he retrieved his dagger from the corpse at his feet.
"We were busy. Are you alright?" Sage asked, looking him over.
"Other than some minor structural damage, I'm fine..."
His sentence was interrupted by a loud clanking sound. Whirling towards the darkened interior of the base, they saw a large bipedal metal weapon walking towards them. Jacen could be seen in the cockpit. It turned it's machine guns toward them and fired, causing them to scatter. Over the speaker, Jacen's voice could be heard.
"Mwahahahaha. With this LifeDeleter I modified, I am invincible. Now die, pathetic insects!" He opened fire with all the weapons of the robot as they dove for cover.
Liss and Sage crouched behind a pillar. "So, any plans?" Liss asked him.
"Not at the moment, no. The armor on that thing looks pretty thick."
As Liss threw back her hood for a better look, Sage saw that her formerly blond hair was actually a light chestnut brown.
"Um...this isn't exactly a good time to ask...but when did your hair change color?" Sage asked, a puzzled look on his face.
" I normally change it with my powers. However...they are still blocked. So...I have my natural hair color back. Worry about that later. We have a heartbroken little child at the controls of a deadly weapon to take care of..." Liss said, scowling in the general direction of Jacen's weapon.
In one of the training rooms of the Resistance Headquarters, Labyrinth and Hahn are working to add in a new simulation to the computer's database. Just as Labyrinth finishes feeding in the data he had collected, Ayame reenters the room, skipping happily.
"Hello, Dr. Hahn. Hello, Mr. Labyrinth." Ayame says, smiling at them.
"Hello, Ayame. We just finished. If you would go into the simulator, we will show you the surprise. However...I want to warn you before hand. This may make you uncomfortable. We wish to test your limits. Doing so will require subjecting you to a large amount of stress. If you do not wish to go through with this, tell us now. We cannot stop the simulation in the middle of it's run." Hahn said, gazing at Ayame.
"Ok...I still want to try it. I want to see if it will help me learn how to control my power." Ayame replied, a look of resolve crossing her face.
"Very well. Be careful, Ayame." Hahn said, opening the door for her to enter the simulator. As she stepped inside, Leah, JiEin and Nefirst entered the control room.
"So, Dr. Hahn...is this safe?" Leah asked, as JiEin and Neifirst settled into comfortable positions to watch.
"Yes, perfectly safe. But Ayame cannot know that. If she knows, then she won't release her full power. We must make her think she is in mortal danger. The simulation we have prepared should be sufficient to do that..." Hahn replied.
"Ready, doctor?" Labyrinth asked.
"Yes. Are the shields enabled?" Hahn asked him.
"Yes. If things do go wrong, the room will be flooded with an immobilizing gas that should render her unconscious."
"How do you set up all this stuff?" Neifirst asked Labyrinth.
"I have been working on this base for a while, now." Labyrinth replied. With a nod from Hahn, Lab activated the program.
Inside the VR field, Ayame was surrounded by blackness for a second. Pinpoints of light appeared, coalescing into the Pioneer 2 skyline. A beam of white light appeared in front of her, and a figure emerged.
A startled gasp could be heard from both Leah and Ayame. Inside the VR field was a perfect replica of X, dressed and armed in the same manner as when he was controlled by Zionus.
"Eep!" Ayame yelped, barely managing to avoid X's first swing of his Tsumikiri J-Sword. "Uncle X...why are you here?"
The simulation of X did not respond, but continued advancing towards her. With each attack he mounted, she was slower and slower to avoid. She began to fight back half heartedly at first, singing him with a Foie. He slid backwards, easily blocking the powerful fireball with his sword.
As Labyrinth increased the percentage of X's actual ability the simulation used, Ayame began to fight harder. At about 80 of X's observed potential, Ayame made a strategic error. Hitting him with a Zonde, she knocked him to the ground. Approaching him to Rabarta him, she was caught by surprise when he leaped up and stabbed her, the virtual blade penetrating her chest. Ayame let out a soundless scream and crumpled to the floor.
Leah whirled towards Hahn with fury in her eyes. "If you've hurt her, I'll..." Hahn stopped her with an outstretched hand.
"Leah, she is like my daughter. I wish no harm to come to her. If Danielle doesn't appear, she will simply sleep off the effects. If she does, we get a chance to study her. Please watch..."
As they watched, Ayame began to glow with a faint red light. The transformation was faster this time, and within moments the fierce red aura faded to reveal the figure of Danielle. Stretching, she let out a laugh as her wings sprouted.
"Ah, finally...I was getting bored in there. I'm never letting the brat control us again." She blasted the simulated X to atoms with a wave of her hand, then turned to the assembled audience.
"Hello in there. I guess you are thinking that this energy shield will protect you. I hate to disappoint you, but it won't. I could break it with but a thought. However...you caught me in a good mood. Let me fight that Nei woman and I may not kill you all."
Neifirst rushed to the door, and went into the field before anyone could stop her. Danielle lowered to the ground and stretched a few times before settling into a lazy combat stance. Neifirst rushed at her as Danielle watched calmly.
On Ragol, X and the Dreamchasers enter the mines. Bits of broken machinery are scattered here and there, but a trail of destruction can be seen. It is obvious that someone had passed through recently...