RCM- I had a feeling you all would react that way to the sudden turn of events. In fact, I was hoping for it.
Anri- I think you got their interest peaked, just as you wanted.
Sol- This should be fun.
RCM- Yes, and you two know what is about to happen here, yes?
Anri and Sol- Yes sir! We have what we need.
RCM- Good. Then go
Anri and Sol- Later! (both vanish)
RCM- Good. Now then, as you all know, I don't own any of the copyrighted material you find in my story. This upcoming chapter is more of a transitional entry than an action one, as the team adjusts to the Fire specialist's… departure. And, to please another reader, another change will be put into effect. Lastly, I want to dedicate this chapter to UltimateTH and Aria Zephyr, for the help they provided. Now, read on!
Chapter 28
And Then There Were Six…
As the cart roared its way down the tunnels, each Protector struggled to swallow the truth. Clutching the Pirate's Charm, Link wondered if he could have done anything different to save his human ally. Shadow and Rand each looked out with dim eyes toward the walls racing by, one consumed by anxiety, the other with confusion. Tikal wept her heart out on Elric's shoulder, the archer paying silent respect to his fallen friend. The last of them, Lance, still gazed back into the shadows they were fleeing, disbelief, sorrow, and general pain coursing through him at the thought of his childhood partner's sacrifice. "You goddamn son of a bitch… why… why did you have to… to…"
Link turned to the blonde human. "Hugh… he made his choice, and… He proved himself the hero he was destined to be."
Elric opened his eyes, agreeing with the Hylian's words. "It is best we try to cope while fulfilling our mission. I don't think Hugh would want us to grieve excessively…"
Lance snapped around, firing a poisonous glare at the elf. "I've known him a lot longer than you! You don't know what he would or wouldn't want like I do!" The intensity of his sudden outburst shocked Tikal out of her tears, making her look up at the group leader. The look in her eyes quickly stiffled the human's rage. "…I'm sorry Elric. You're right… Hugh did ask that we complete the mission… We can't let his sacrifice be in…"
Lance couldn't finish his sentence, as the cart had violently collided with the guardrail at the end of the tracks. The sudden cease in motion sent the six sprawling to the ground before the fallen cart. Not too far ahead was the light of the outside world. "Wow… that was fast. I thought the tunnel would take at least another 20 minutes."
"What's out there Rand? Do you know?"
"Spriggan. It's one of the few dwarven towns in the outside world." Picking up his axe, he began to walk toward the cave's exit. "We can rest there, regroup." Nodding their agreement, the others followed.
The dwarves took in the weary warriors readily, calling Rand to speak with the local High Council. Lance shut himself in one of the rooms they provided, leaving the remaining four to discuss their options. "So what should we do?"
Shadow looked back toward the section of town by the main gate. "I think I saw an Armory on our way in. We should take a look, see if we can improve our defensive gear." The Darkman's idea was very well received, and they turned to go straight away.
However, a rumbling in Link's pocket stopped him in his tracks. "Go on without me, I have to take this." Running back to the rooms for some privacy, he added "Pick me up something good!"
"Wait, we…" Elric's outstretched hand dropped as the boy shut his door. "…don't know what size you'll need…"
"Come on, we'll guess what he is." With an exasperated sigh, he followed Shadow back to the shop.
Meanwhile, Link pulled out the magic stone, sitting heavily on the bed. Tetra could sense his pain immediately. "Link? What's wrong? What happened?"
Hesitating for a moment, the boy answered "After we collected the Earth Shard… there was an ambush… We were trapped by three powerful mages… They were the ones trying to set the Chaos entity free."
"What?! You already…?"
"No, we couldn't even touch them. All of our attacks were worthless, and they reflected each and every elemental power that we have collected so far. Only the Fire Mage could potentially have been hurt with Water, but…"
Tetra absorbed the scenerio and audibly shuddered. "The other two would block… What did they control?"
"Water and Wind. I'm not sure what those are weak against, but until we get the right shards… Anyways, it looked hopeless. There was a minecart nearby, but we couldn't all get into it and get it moving before the Mages fried us with their magic."
"You're alive now." Tetra pointed out. "How did you escape?"
Link sighed. "Hugh… He used his strongest attack to get the speed he needed to push the rest of us into the cart and send it rolling… but he…" The boy clenched his eyes shut and sighed again, unable to finish.
Tetra gasped. "He stayed behind, didn't he?! He had to know that was suicide!"
"Yeah… we know…"
The pirate captain sat on her side of the connection, speechless. Something didn't add up. "But… but that can't be right… I saw seven… Seven fighting the huge shadow… If Hugh's dead…"
"Then there are only six." Link suddenly remembered something. "Wait… When we got the fourth shard, Farore gave me my second spell… but she also told me not to lose hope with what was about to happen! She knew! She had to have known!"
The noise through the stone told Link that his girlfriend had hopped off the seat she was on, most likely her bed. "The Hugh's choice must have been a part of destiny… If Farore knew it would happen beforehand, then it would make sense."
Before he could respond, a loud knock rang from his door. "Hey kid, how much longer you gonna be? Not even Lance took this long, and he was practically a brother to the guy!"
Scowling at the door, Link sighed. "That's Shadow. A real pain in the ass sometimes, as you can probably tell… I think they may have our new supplies ready. We agreed to get new armor and things like that. You know, just in case…"
"I understand. I love you." Link smiled, a small feeling of relief growing within him. "I know the Gods will protect you until you return. Until then, take care of yourself!" Nodding affirmation before pocketing the Charm again, Link walked over to the door with more energy than he had when he had entered. Though Hugh's downfall had hurt the team, it was clear that his actions also kept the world's chance of survival alive.
Going outside, he observed the new attire of the group. Shadow still wore most of his old equipment, but the chestplate and wristguards had been reinforced with mithril plating. Elric's hunting tunic now covered a light chain-mail shirt, and he also sported brand new plated shoulder guards. Tikal wore her new mithril vest over her old dress, and handed the young Hylian a package. "You left before we could ask you your size, so we made our best guess. If it doesn't fit right, Rand can help exchange it."
Opening his gift, Link beheld a tunic woven so intricately from green threads of mithril that it appeared to be metallic cloth. Unfolding it, he found that it was just the right size. "Wow, nice job, guys! This will fit perfectly… hey, where's Lance and Rand?"
"Aran's armor didn't suit him, so they went back to exchange it. They shouldn't be much longer…" No sooner had Shadow said that, the pair in question rounded the corner with their own new armor. Though the dwarf merely replaced his old dented mithril armor for a brand new suit, Lance's choice made him look more like a professional knight. The youth wore a full chestplate with shoulder guards, plated gloves, and shining new boots. After him looking over, Shadow said with a smirk, "That looks like your father's style. You're definitely an Aran."
Ignoring the ebon warrior, Lance asked "So what do we do now?" Though he did try to mask it, frustration was still clearly evident in his voice. The others looked at each other breifly before answering that they didn't know. "Great. Just great. We can't just sit on our asses all day!"
"May we offer a suggestion?" Turning in surprise, the party saw Anri and Sol hovering a few feet away. Between them was a small white gem, its glow dimly visible in the bright sunlight. "We know what happened and what it will bring. Our master and the other Chaos Mages have agreed that things have grown too far out of hand for you to handle as you are."
"Because of this, we bring you this gem on behalf of the mages. With it, your powers will grow, and you will each be able to harness even more Chaos Control techniques. Some will even be usable by Link."
"WHAT?!" Each and every one of them recoiled fiercely at Sol's words. "Why weren't we given that freedom before?!"
"Because we had all hoped you would be able to collect the shards and save the seal before the darkness grew too powerful. It's clear that the evil is growing faster than Master had foreseen…" The two fairies fluttered uneasily under the party's collective glare of annoyance. "Look, we're as upset at Hugh's fate as you are, but if you don't get stop those Mages, the entire world is doomed. The only way to do that now is to use the more powerful, more dangerous Control moves."
Lance nodded slowly, letting the information sink in. "Alright, then how will we know what our new powers are?"
Anri smiled. "That's where we come in. We will tell you what you can do as your abilities develop, since Master wants us to accompany you from here on out." A murmur of approval arose from the party. "However, he'll still need one of us at the Temple to keep things under control there, so only one of us will be with you at a time. I hope that's okay."
Elric grinned. "That'll be fine. So which one will join us first?"
Sol flew a few circles around his sister. "She will. I need to help clean up a mess I made in the potion room, but if you want to switch, she can warp home and send me."
"Why would we need to…?"
"Each of us know a lot about the things you will encounter, but not everything. If I don't know, there's a chance Sol will. Also, we each have our own additional abilities. For example, I can improve your defenses for a short time with a Guard spell, while Sol can help you escape with Egress. Just don't think we can provide endless support. Our magic has a limit, just like yours, and if we run out, neither of us are any good to you."
"Besides, it would be better that you learn to harness your own abilities instead of relying on ours. Now, if that's everything, I'll be at the temple. See ya!" With a final smile to all of them, Sol shimmered away.
Anri turned back toward the Protectors and set the gem in Lance's pendant, the white stone becoming the dragon's eye. Instantly, the four shards in the pendant's ring flashed with red, aqua, blue, and white light, making each warrior feel stronger. "You'll feel the effects quickly. When we face the next monster, I'll explain your new abilities as we go. For now, I suggest that you rest for a bit. Master sensed that the Dark Mages have returned to Makai for the time being, so we should take advantage of that and regroup."
Link nodded. "I agree. A little recuperation time would be good for all of us."
"Alright, then it's settled." Lance started walking back towards the Inn, gesturing the others to do the same. "We head out at dawn."
End Chapter 28
Sol- It's gonna be a bit weird without Anri around all the time.
RCM- You'll adjust. Now, I have an announcement that I'd prefer I didn't have to give… As most of you know, I'm frequently tied up by school, among a number of other things. I don't have nearly as much time or energy to write this as I once did. So, I'm warning you that my updates will be rather… spread out from here. I have no idea when the next one will be, so I ask that you all bear with me and be patient. I won't stop writing, but without free time… well, I'm sure you all understand.
Sol- We'll see you later.
RCM- Farewell.
