Chapter Nine

Lolosia, a small costal town several dozen miles north north east of Battleon, was completely unexpecting their next visitor would wipe the humble fishing village off the map of Lore.

Serras came down hard. She landed officially some coulpe dozen meters south west of the village, and slid the rest of the way in. She had not come to a full stop before she felt a twang in the back of her skull. After she had restored her ability to open her eyes, she looked up. She had run right into Maria. She had her foot poised right where the twang of pain was in her head. Maria, to her best guess, had stopped her slid with only one foot.

"You look like shit." Maria taunted, putting her arms on her hips. Serras managed to clamber to her feet unsteadily, she clutched her knotted stomach with one arm. The battered woman reached for her weapon which, at her last guess, was still sheathed on her back. "Looking for this, are we?" The Guardian asked, twirling the sword on her finger perpetually. Serras was seething at this point. She could feel her blood boiling with rage.

"How did you get my sword?" She barked, her fists clenched threateningly. Maria smiled, drawing her finger across the edge.

"Very simply, actually. I took it when you landed. You should watch your worldly possessions more carefully. Oh, there's someone I want you to meet." She finished, putting the sword in the sheath that once held her Guardian Blade. Perfect fit.

"What's up, Maria?" A soft female voice asked. She came walking out of Captian Rhubarb's hut. Her hair was the same style as the Boosted Guardian, but more reddish. She had slightly softer tones in her eyes and skin. Her voice was more caring then her friend's, but she looked more structuarly sound.

"And who are you?" Serras asked, clutching again her side.

"Me? Oh, I'm no one. I'm just your worst nightmare of insanity! Haha!" She called, slamming her fists on her hips, laughing. "Owies…" She moaned, rubbing her sides where her fists landed.

"This is Crystal Lion. She's been itching to fight you. And I though, I'm kinda tired, so I'd let her have a go at you. Hope you don't mind." Maria replied, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed.

"A normal human. This should be interesting." Serras sighed, releaved. "And slightly amusing." Maria burst out into gut-splitting laughter. Tears of shear joy flowed out of her eyes. "What are you laughing at, monstrosity?" Serras continued.

"Crystal? NORMAL? Oh, that's great. No, she's anything but normal. If you want normal, you should pick a fight with Atrix. He's good, just not special. Crystal's…well. You're a smart Mage of Despair. You can figure it out." She continued to laugh to herself, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Shall we?" Crystal Lion asked, with that distinctly Maria smug look on her face. The battered shell that was once Serras stood, salvaged what strength she could must, and drew her fists, her last weapon. "You're a good sport." She rose a hand, forming and energy ball in her palm. It stayed airborne until she drew it into herself. The air became scorching hot, igniting some of the Lolosian building aflame. Serras had to struggle from passing out from heat stroke.

When all the heat had settled, Crystal was gone, and in her place was a big furry behemoth. It looked like a werewolf with huge bat wings and two gigantic fangs protruding from her mouth. No doubt that was Wolfwing's doing. She was Lore's first; and subsiquently only, Werepyre. With a twinge of a smile, she struck. Hard and fast. The blow had just about knocked the living dead out of Serras, knocking her back, and over. She lay winded on the ground for a good ten seconds.

"What are you!" The woman shouted, trying to block the attacks. Crystal said nothing, but just struck blow after blow. After delivering a crushing downward piledrive, Crystal followed up with a swift strike to her legs, which knocked her to her stomach. The Werepyre stopped.

"What?" A soft voice came from Serras. It was not like her.

"Nice try!" Crystal growled, raising her fists up.

"Wait a second, Crystal. I think this is no ploy. Let me see." Maria responded, standing and striding towards the downed Serras. She crouched down and lifted her head. She scanned her face for anything odd. Her cold, hard frown had long dissapated. Her eyes were now filled with fear. Her lips were trembling and she had a distinct look of bewilderment. "Who are you, little one?" The Guardian asked, looking into her eyes.

"My name is Serras Nerra. I'm from Granemor." She continued, her eyes scanning the area. "Where am I, and who are you? You're scary…"

"This is Lolosia on the east coast. I'm Maria." She replied, standing to face Crystal. "I think you knocked the Mage of Despair unconcious, leaving the real Serras intact." Maria noted, returning to help Serras up.

"Crazy talk. Granemor has been a ghost town for hundreds of years." The Werepyre waved away the possiblity.

"Yes, but you forget. The Mage of Despair has been sealed away for about three hundred years. So, it's feasable that Serras is Granemorian." Crystal had to admit that Maria spoke the truth. If the timeline fits, then the possiblities the Serras was as she claimed was a good ninty nine percent.

"What about The Mage of Despair." When Crystal spoke these words, Serras' eyes grew huge.

"Please! You must kill me! You don't know what could happen if I'm allowed to live! Please!" She pleaded. Maria raised an eyebrow. This girl was afraid. She looked not eighteen, and she had such fear and so many secrets.

"Well, you heard her, Maria." Serras' voice changed again. It was the Mage of Despair back awake. "I'm a threat to all of Lore. Despite the fact that you're here." She smiled. "All though, I take solice in knowing that if you kill me, you'd be doing nothing but removing the only object that stands in the way of Lore's destruction: Yourself." She said smugly. "Allow me to explain. I am but a faximily of the Former Mage of Despair. The real Mage lays dormant inside the Blade of Insight, waiting for a body strong enough to house Her great power. I am a scout. I was designed to cull the weak and harness the strong. The strongest warrior of the century will become what Serras is now.

"This body is weak. Simply transitory. She stumbled upon my hiding spot one day, and in order to stay alive, she agreed to house me. Well, when she saw my destructive nature, she went to every wise man and shaman from here to Vamphook Spyre searching for someone who could kill her; and me in the process. Needless to say, this proved to be her undoing. The Council of Elders in Granemor decided to seal her within a tomb outside. Well. In doing this, they had inadvertanatly poisoned their own water supply, wiping that pathetic excuse for a town off of the map. And now, I am free. You would do best to listen to her, Maria. It could save Lore." Serras ended. Maria clenched her fist.

"I'll make you a deal." The X-Guardian spoke. Serras perked up. She liked deals. Expecially ones that catered to her fancy. "If you revoke your hold on Serras, I'll let you take me." Crystal reacted faster the Serras.

"Maria! You can't do that! You'd kill us all! Do you know how much power you house in your body! That form alone defies anything anyone could possibly dream of! And you plan on throwing it at the feet of a power monger bent on destruction?" There came a pause. "I won't allow it. I—I'll kill you before I'd let you fall pray to Serras!" She shouted.

"Crystal. You've got the heart of a lion. You're strong willed and beautiful. Don't throw your life away. If Serras, and that's a big if, if Serras did take control of me, no one could even hope to stop me. It would be like Akriloth all over again. Only stronger. Don't waste what you have plenty of." She turned back to Serras. "My bargain stands."

"Sacrifice your own life and the lives of those you love for one silly, naïve little girl? You really are a sad excuse for a Guardian. What would your sister think about this?"

"She'd say I was a chip off of the old block. Take it or leave it."

Everything stopped.

Maria was standing in amongst the frozen forms of her comrads and enemies alike. She was playing tape in amongst the paused ones. Then, before her, the only one to ever make her scared, the one whom everyone seems at the end of the line appeard. He, was Death. He sat on a ghostly throne, twirling his scythe as always.

"Well, well, well. Well. Well, well, well, well, well, well, well. Well." He repeated the same word.

"Hello Death. Nice morning." Maria replied, sitting. He stood.

"I'm dissapointed in you, Maria. You sacrifice yourself, only to give me more work then I need. But, as you of all people should know, I'm a stickler for favors. So, I'm willing to give you a deal, mkay?" He asked. The Guardian nodded.

"Revoke your deal with Serras, defeat her, and I will release everyone who was sent to me via her. I must have her soul. Such a person of strength would be a---find addition to my collection. How is that. Do we have a deal." Death asked. Maria thought. She could usually find some loophole in Death's deals she could exploit, get her end, without nessecarily holding up her end. Without one in mind, she agreed. She wanted Aria back, the only person who understood her. Next to Safiria, of course.

"Done and done, Death. One beat up Mage of Despair, coming right up."

"Good girl." Death replied. He reached back and pulled a TV remote from his pocket (Don't ask how Maria knew what a TV was, she just did. And, does Death have pockets?) "And; play." He pushed a button and the action continued.

Serras turned her back, arms crossed. She was smug in saying: "I commend your value, but I wouldn't do what you are about to do. Not in a million years." She smiled. "But, I acc-" Maria cut her off by a takedown to the back of the head. She collapsed and began to gasp for air. Maria then drew her new Blade of Insight. She pointed it straight at her neck.

"Do you admit defeat?" Maria asked. Serras coughed some and asked:
"What?" Maria repeated her question. "Why would I do that?"

"Because between Crystal and I, we could knock you silly for months on end, and never be out of aggression we could use to kill you. Admit defeat and you walk a way a winner. And alive." Serras began to think. She had never been truly beat before, so she didn't know what defeat felt like. Would she be able to keep her existance, or would Maria just kill her on the spot. After some considerable diliberation, she replied:
"Yes. I admit defeat. What happens now?" She asked.

"HEY DEATH!" She called into thin air, never moving her eyes. There came a poof and the creature called Death appeared.

"Yo." He droned upon arrival.
"I held up my end and defeated Serras. Now hold up your end." Death grimaced. He chuckled slightly.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were joking there. Funny, Maria." The Guardian gave him the 'I'm not joking' look. "You didn't even kill her! That's not what I wanted!"

"Maybe not, but that's certainly what you said. Your exact words were: 'Revoke your deal with Serras, defeat her, and I will release everyone who was sent to me via her.' I held up my end and defeated her. You never said kill her." Death thought about this. She had a point again. He looked at her through slitted eyes.

"Damn." He mumbled. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! You got me again! You win this round, too, Maria! But just don't expect me to do you any favors for a while! I'm mad! So mad, I'm going to go prevent anyone from using Power Word Die for the next month and a half!" He vanished. Maria smiled.

"Defeating me is all well and good, but it won't last. The real Mage of Despair is in that sword. As long as it exists, it is trouble. And it cannot be destroyed. It will take you over and turn you into what I am now." Maria thought at Serras' words. She might be right. Maria had to ditch the weapon.

"Can you teleport?" She asked Serras, who nodded. "Well then, do it. Get out of here. Cause no more trouble, and you can go about your pathetic existance. Agreed?" Serras nodded again. The Guardian lifted the sword, letting Serras free, who vanished.

With her last bit of strength, she turned towards the Eastern Ocean, drew the Blade of Insight, and pitched it into the ocean. Having nothing to feed her X-Boost with, she collapsed, all of her inhuman aspects dissappeared, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Maria?" Natalya shouted as she watched her fall to the ground. The group of Amani, Grodd, Leeroy, Galanoth, Atrix, Cyrus, and Natalya rounded the hill.

"Hey! She's de-dragon'd!" Leeroy noted.

"Dragon? Where? I don't see one! WHERE'S THE DAMN DRAGON?" Galanoth shouted. Grodd, Cyrus, Amani and Atrix pounced on Galanoth and all got three punches on him.