DISCLAIMER: If you thought the last chapter was wack, it's about to get a
whole lot wackier baby! I don't own the Animorphs, I just love them!
I'd like to dedicate this to all you wonderful people out there who actually took the time to review!!! Thanks ya! Love yaz!!!
Tobias POV
"I knew it!" Marco said. "I just knew HE had something to do with all this!"
We all groaned as the Ellimist grinned at us. He was in an andalite body this time.
YES. I WOULD HAVE A HAND IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULDN'T I?
"Uh, could you do away with the sonic boom thing for a while and try to keep it to a minimum roar?!" Marco said, covering his ears.
SORRY. He boomed again, grinning broader. (I came to explain.)
"Good!" Jake said, looking fully interested and awake now.
(Thank the stars!) Ax said.
(You see, Aximili is now the product of an agreement between myself-)
(And Crayak.) I said. If I'd been in human morph, I would have rolled my eyes. Crayak would be in this too. Of course! I should have known! It was so obvious!
"What kind of agreement?" Jake spoke in a low, dangerous tone; he looked tense.
The Ellimist seemed to sigh. Suddenly the room felt darker.
(It was all I could do to save Aximili. You see, Crayak loved the One. It was his favorite pawn.)
"Of course." Marco said wryly. "He would have a pet dog like that."
(He was unwilling to sacrifice the One. I was unwilling to sacrifice Aximili. He is...important.)
(How?) I asked.
The Ellimist's andalite main eyes looked directly at me.
(He is all you have. Therefore, he is necessary to your will to live. I know exactly what would happen if you lost Aximili. And so, if I sacrificed him, I would lose another pawn as well. You.)
(Why do I matter?! What's so important about me?!)
Then he smiled that annoying, I-know-something-you-don't-know-but-you'll- find-it-out-eventually-in-life-and-you'll-just-have-to-wait-till-then- Ellimist smile.
And then he said the most agitating, predictable words in all of history.
(You will see.)
(GRAAAAH!) I yelled in thoughtspeak. Jean actually giggled a little. Then she surpressed it.
Marco looked seriously at the Ellimist, his eyes narrowed.
"But what was the deal?"
The Ellimist actually looked sorrowful.
(Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill will be the new host body to the One, until his death.)
(WHAT?!) I screamed. (WHY?!)
Ax's eyes were wide with horror. Then they turned into a sadistic grin. The One was fighting for control again.
"In exchange for what?" Jake asked flatly, speaking softly.
(For the final freedom of the many souls that the One had consumed.)
There was absolute silence.
I looked over at Ax. He was looking at the floor of the ship. An almost agonized look on his face. He was trembling.
"So..." Jake said. "They're all...really..."
(Dead. Yes. Their souls went where souls were meant to go.)
(In exchange for Ax's!) I yelled.
The Ellimist shook his andalite head slowly.
(No. The One does not have Aximili's soul. There are rules to the agreement.)
(What?) I snapped.
(1. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is indestructible. 2. Aximili-Esgarrouth- Isthill shares control of his body with the One. 3. At the end of a 75 year life span, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill's body will undergo a 24 hour period in which it will un age to infancy, and he will have another 75 year life span until he undergoes the next 24 hour unaging period.) The Ellimist rattled these rules off in a monotone, automatic, almost military voice.
We stared.
(What? I...I don't understand.) I said.
"Whoa! Me neither!" Marco said, looking about as confused as I'd ever seen him. Ax/ the One just stared off into space. Neither seemed to know what to make of it. Neither really had anything to gloat about yet.
(You... you mean...he is...immortal?) Menderash said, eyes wide. Menderash was shaking at the sight of the Ellimist. So were Jean and Santorelli. They weren't as used to him popping up as we were. Jake had probably explained who he was to them, for they didn't seem too surprised to see him. Just scared witless by him.
I wasn't afraid of the Ellimist, but I was afraid of this 'agreement' between him and Crayak.
And Ax...what was he feeling now?!
(No.) The Ellimist said, almost smiling at our simplicity.
"You said he was indestructible!" Jake said.
The Ellimist nodded slowly. (Yes. His new body cannot be destroyed by disease or hunger or weapons. Wounds will heal themselves. Without morphing technology.)
"What's with the whole, 75 year life span, 24 hour unaging?!" Jake asked.
(Aximili will live 75 years at a time. Then, on the dawn of the first day of his 76th year, he will begin to unage. He will revert to infancy, physically...and mentally. He will then begin to live another 75 years.)
"Whoa." Marco said. "That's actually kinda cool! And Crayak agreed to this?!"
I shook my hawk head. There was something mega wrong with all this.
(That's not it guys!) I said. (What about the One? Where will he go when Ax unages and lives again?)
The Ellimist looked Ax directly in the eyes. Ax looked up at him, terrified.
(He will live on, with Aximili, in his body. He is confined to Aximili's body, until Aximili dies.)
"I still don't get it!" Jake said. "How can he die if he can't be killed by wounds, disease, aging, or hunger?! How can he still be mortal?"
Marco clicked. His eyes widened as if something dawned on him.
"Decapitation?" He asked the Ellimist.
The Ellimist nodded and smiled at Marco's quickness. (Yes.)
"What about limbs?"
(Any tissue lost will be regrown.)
We all stood silently. I looked at Ax again.
His form was shaking. He was sobbing. He looked up at the Ellimist.
(Why?)
The Ellimist looked down at him sadly.
(You are one of the pawns I cannot compromise. Perhaps later I could have. But Crayak would not agree. And the One was beginning to be a bit of a problem anyway.) He smiled with his andalite eyes, wryly. (So we made an agreement. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill lives, the souls are freed, the One is stopped, but Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is the lifetime host of the One. However long Aximili lives, anyway.)
"You don't know." Jake said.
(No. But he does have a choice as to it.) The Ellimist said, grimly.
I shook my head not believing. (That's sick! That's not fair!)
"Yeah." Marco said. "It's like the choice you gave Tobias when he got his powers back!"
(No.) I said. (It's even worse! I had the choice between fighting and being safe. Living and possibly dying! He doesn't even have that choice!)
(Yes.) The Ellimist said quietly. (He does.)
(No! He doesn't!) I raged. (You gave him the choice between death, and eternal death!)
I'd like to dedicate this to all you wonderful people out there who actually took the time to review!!! Thanks ya! Love yaz!!!
Tobias POV
"I knew it!" Marco said. "I just knew HE had something to do with all this!"
We all groaned as the Ellimist grinned at us. He was in an andalite body this time.
YES. I WOULD HAVE A HAND IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULDN'T I?
"Uh, could you do away with the sonic boom thing for a while and try to keep it to a minimum roar?!" Marco said, covering his ears.
SORRY. He boomed again, grinning broader. (I came to explain.)
"Good!" Jake said, looking fully interested and awake now.
(Thank the stars!) Ax said.
(You see, Aximili is now the product of an agreement between myself-)
(And Crayak.) I said. If I'd been in human morph, I would have rolled my eyes. Crayak would be in this too. Of course! I should have known! It was so obvious!
"What kind of agreement?" Jake spoke in a low, dangerous tone; he looked tense.
The Ellimist seemed to sigh. Suddenly the room felt darker.
(It was all I could do to save Aximili. You see, Crayak loved the One. It was his favorite pawn.)
"Of course." Marco said wryly. "He would have a pet dog like that."
(He was unwilling to sacrifice the One. I was unwilling to sacrifice Aximili. He is...important.)
(How?) I asked.
The Ellimist's andalite main eyes looked directly at me.
(He is all you have. Therefore, he is necessary to your will to live. I know exactly what would happen if you lost Aximili. And so, if I sacrificed him, I would lose another pawn as well. You.)
(Why do I matter?! What's so important about me?!)
Then he smiled that annoying, I-know-something-you-don't-know-but-you'll- find-it-out-eventually-in-life-and-you'll-just-have-to-wait-till-then- Ellimist smile.
And then he said the most agitating, predictable words in all of history.
(You will see.)
(GRAAAAH!) I yelled in thoughtspeak. Jean actually giggled a little. Then she surpressed it.
Marco looked seriously at the Ellimist, his eyes narrowed.
"But what was the deal?"
The Ellimist actually looked sorrowful.
(Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill will be the new host body to the One, until his death.)
(WHAT?!) I screamed. (WHY?!)
Ax's eyes were wide with horror. Then they turned into a sadistic grin. The One was fighting for control again.
"In exchange for what?" Jake asked flatly, speaking softly.
(For the final freedom of the many souls that the One had consumed.)
There was absolute silence.
I looked over at Ax. He was looking at the floor of the ship. An almost agonized look on his face. He was trembling.
"So..." Jake said. "They're all...really..."
(Dead. Yes. Their souls went where souls were meant to go.)
(In exchange for Ax's!) I yelled.
The Ellimist shook his andalite head slowly.
(No. The One does not have Aximili's soul. There are rules to the agreement.)
(What?) I snapped.
(1. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is indestructible. 2. Aximili-Esgarrouth- Isthill shares control of his body with the One. 3. At the end of a 75 year life span, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill's body will undergo a 24 hour period in which it will un age to infancy, and he will have another 75 year life span until he undergoes the next 24 hour unaging period.) The Ellimist rattled these rules off in a monotone, automatic, almost military voice.
We stared.
(What? I...I don't understand.) I said.
"Whoa! Me neither!" Marco said, looking about as confused as I'd ever seen him. Ax/ the One just stared off into space. Neither seemed to know what to make of it. Neither really had anything to gloat about yet.
(You... you mean...he is...immortal?) Menderash said, eyes wide. Menderash was shaking at the sight of the Ellimist. So were Jean and Santorelli. They weren't as used to him popping up as we were. Jake had probably explained who he was to them, for they didn't seem too surprised to see him. Just scared witless by him.
I wasn't afraid of the Ellimist, but I was afraid of this 'agreement' between him and Crayak.
And Ax...what was he feeling now?!
(No.) The Ellimist said, almost smiling at our simplicity.
"You said he was indestructible!" Jake said.
The Ellimist nodded slowly. (Yes. His new body cannot be destroyed by disease or hunger or weapons. Wounds will heal themselves. Without morphing technology.)
"What's with the whole, 75 year life span, 24 hour unaging?!" Jake asked.
(Aximili will live 75 years at a time. Then, on the dawn of the first day of his 76th year, he will begin to unage. He will revert to infancy, physically...and mentally. He will then begin to live another 75 years.)
"Whoa." Marco said. "That's actually kinda cool! And Crayak agreed to this?!"
I shook my hawk head. There was something mega wrong with all this.
(That's not it guys!) I said. (What about the One? Where will he go when Ax unages and lives again?)
The Ellimist looked Ax directly in the eyes. Ax looked up at him, terrified.
(He will live on, with Aximili, in his body. He is confined to Aximili's body, until Aximili dies.)
"I still don't get it!" Jake said. "How can he die if he can't be killed by wounds, disease, aging, or hunger?! How can he still be mortal?"
Marco clicked. His eyes widened as if something dawned on him.
"Decapitation?" He asked the Ellimist.
The Ellimist nodded and smiled at Marco's quickness. (Yes.)
"What about limbs?"
(Any tissue lost will be regrown.)
We all stood silently. I looked at Ax again.
His form was shaking. He was sobbing. He looked up at the Ellimist.
(Why?)
The Ellimist looked down at him sadly.
(You are one of the pawns I cannot compromise. Perhaps later I could have. But Crayak would not agree. And the One was beginning to be a bit of a problem anyway.) He smiled with his andalite eyes, wryly. (So we made an agreement. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill lives, the souls are freed, the One is stopped, but Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is the lifetime host of the One. However long Aximili lives, anyway.)
"You don't know." Jake said.
(No. But he does have a choice as to it.) The Ellimist said, grimly.
I shook my head not believing. (That's sick! That's not fair!)
"Yeah." Marco said. "It's like the choice you gave Tobias when he got his powers back!"
(No.) I said. (It's even worse! I had the choice between fighting and being safe. Living and possibly dying! He doesn't even have that choice!)
(Yes.) The Ellimist said quietly. (He does.)
(No! He doesn't!) I raged. (You gave him the choice between death, and eternal death!)