At the Ark's Invasion
Jessica had become quite angry following the latest incident with Leehalt. All she wanted to do was beat the Demonic scientist up for simply being himself. The only thing that kept her back was the simple fact that she had no idea where Leehalt had gone. It was getting her no where; just towards the same corner that the location of her father, brother, Vincent's father, or the Filgaia Sample had gone to.
One day, the Blazing Guns headed towards the Ark of Destiny. The plan was to ask some of the members about strange Demonic activity. If some hint towards where Leehalt was could be found, they would gladly take it. Vincent wouldn't rest until his family's suffering was avenged, Jessica wanted to give him what's for, and the other two simply were following their friends. And they didn't know how good such a lead could be. Perhaps they'd find Werner or Elliot investigating the same thing and solve the mystery.
However, because this is Jessica, nothing turned out the way she planned. For the second they got in the door, a strange beast appeared before them. Lyla turned pale and looked like she was going to faint. "By the Guardians, that's a Hydra! They only appear at the side of a Pillar when he needs to be protected while attempting to call the Surge of Gaia. But this isn't the Sacrificial Alter. This is the Ark of Destiny. So how has a Hydra gotten all the way here? I hope Serena and Shane are both doing alright."
"Who cares what it is," Jessica replied, "All I know is that this big creep is blocking my path. Any fool who dares to cross me will die. Hi-Flame!" With that, large fiery streams flew forth from the young girl's hands. They smashed into the Hydra as it began to scream out in great pain. But it was still alive.
"A Hydra is weakened by Fire Elemental skills. It's the only way to counter the immense powers of Healing that it possesses. You guys hit it with your ARMs, Jessica and I can handle the magical part. Aqua!" screamed Lyla. At that moment, flames shot up from under the Hydra; weakening it again.
Laura reminded them, "I can give you some fiery support as well." With that, she loaded a pack of Fire Shells into her ARM. At that moment, she brought out her Sniper Scope to Lock On at her prey. The shell hit like any other shot, however the impact was immediately followed by a burst of flames from the body of the Hydra. Vincent took that opportunity to charge at the beast with a simple flurry of ammo.
With a nod, Lyla Summoned Grudievto the battlefield. As theDragon descended upon the Hydra, hethrust the very ground underneath it upward. That was the last straw. The wounds were just too much for the beast, and it died with a loud shrill screech.
Lyla looked confused. "The Hydra should be stronger than this. I don't think it's the same beast at all. It appears that like the Silver Tiger we faced back at the ruins, this is a simple copy of the creature that stimulates its appearance and abilities, but not the full power. Do you think Leehalt is behind this?"
"Who knows," Vincent added, "If he is, I will be waiting to kill him. My mother and father will find peace when they know what happened. I refuse to allow anyone who harms others with only the excuse that he was in the right to guide him. I mean, how can someone who kidnaps an infant boy, pretends to care for him, and did all of this to be able to take a married woman away from her husband be in the right? It doesn't make sense at all. Is Leehalt really that delusional or does he have a sick and twisted mind?"
"I couldn't care less what he thinks. All I know is that he's gonna die the next time I lay eyes on his sorry hide. Let's get going Blazing Guns! Kill all of the monsters and then we can find Leehalt and make him pay!" Jessica ordered. Everyone gave a shout of agreement. Then, the team rushed into the depths of the Ark's basement to find more enemies. It was time to clean house with all these monsters.
S...S
After about two hours, the team saw something strange. A flash of bright light engulfed them in an instant. Then, when it faded, all of the monsters were gone. Nobody quite knew what was going on. So they resolved to go back upstairs and ask Lamium. He'd be able to tell them what had happened.
However, when the beaten and battered warriors arrived at the top, they all saw the last thing they'd expected to see. The Arkists were chasing some group; they didn't see who since all they saw wasthe group of clerics. About a minute later, the posse came back inside. All wore dejected faces and seemed upset about something. One woman whispered, "How could anyone do such a thing to him?"
Jessica was curious about what had happened. So she approached the leader of the group; the same Albert that they'd given the slip that night in the Library. "Excuse me, we were simply visiting the Ark when this all began and we don't know what went on. Can you please enlighten us to the situation?"
"Lamium was shot," Albert stated, "Killed by those four rogues. We'd hired them out on a few of our missions, after a man in Humprhey's Peak spoke to me on their reliability. But now for some reason they've come here and murdered our founder in cold blood. I'm sorry to have this happen to you when you've come so far to see us. But we need time to mourn and prepare the Wanted Posters for print."
Albert and his fellow Arkists went into the Sanctuary to begin preparations to have Lamium's body buried. However, sneaky Jessica followed them with her Illusion technique. What she felt startled her. It was definitely the air of a Demon. Were the Drifters who attacked him Demons? Or was it something else altogether? The only way to find out for sure was for her team to track down the wanted criminals.
"Definitely a Demon's work. But I don't see how someone in a town would put trust in a group that used Demonic power. So there might be something hidden behind the mask that Albert and his little friends either can't see or don't want to see. Regardless, I don't think talking to them would be of any use. We should get out of here and plan our next move and find ourselves a job," Jessica told the other three.
Laura said, "I'm in agreement. Don't want to stick around here. Let's go find ourselves a tavern and drink to the passing of a great man. You know, celebrate his life and all the achievements. Then we add in a little sorrow over his passing and we get the perfect alcoholic evening. Catch my drift you guys?"
Vincent chuckled. "You just want an excuse to get punch drunk again. But you're right. Staying here won't do anything. Let's just get going and continue on our journey. Don't you agree Lyla?" He took a look at the young Baskar. Lyla didn't say a word; she simply nodded. But she did begin to blush.
So the Blazing Guns left the Ark and took to their Sandcraft. They ended up at Jolly Roger where Laura got drunk in the saloon. And she only didn't end up in bed with anyone because Lyla and Vincent pulled her to her room after she got wasted. Jessica meanwhile thought about what they would do now. Would they try and track the fugitives? Or find new leads towards her father and brother? In the end, she decided to sleep on it. Things always became clearer in the morning, as the sun shone down upon her.
- - - -
Teefa's Last Words...
Well, now we can have the groups meet since the main plot is over. And here's where we get into the deeper part of the romance; wait until Jessica gets her little hands on Jet and Virginia. After all, we can now use people in a more free manner.