Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.
CHAPTER 4-Lu Chao Returns
Ah yes, true love. It took them a while and many trials, but the two Keepers have finally gotten together. Arrathir seems to have some doubts about their relationship, but he'll come around eventually. If they fail, it will undo everything they have worked so hard for.
The union of the Keeper of Black and Red Mana could work either way for me. It is indisputable that their power will grow as their two mana types become entwined. I will be watching these events as they unfold. All will be lost if something is not done soon.
Arrathir felt something tickling his nose. He sneezed loudly, tearing himself from his slumber. Squinting against the morning sun filtering through the foliage, Arrathir realized one of Eva's ears was right under his nose and tickled his nostrils as it flicked now and then. Gently prying Eva off him, Arrathir got up, stretching his muscles. Pain shot through every nerve in his body, sending him to the ground, twitching in pain.
Ow…
Take it easy, Arrathir. Your injuries haven't completely healed.
No shit! I hadn't fucking noticed! I thought Khell healed me!
He healed your injuries, but your muscles still took serious damage, hence the pain. It's as if you'd done a lot of strenuous exercise.
Getting up slowly, Arrathir made a mental note not to push himself until he was fully healed. The pain reminded him of the previous night: Eva's proposal and his hesitance to take her as his mate.
The problem is Eva and I have never really had time to bond properly. Everything's been so crazy since the Awakening that we never had time to ourselves to just be together.
Well, there is a solution to that: elope.
Doesn't that involve running away and getting married?
Fine, cut out the getting married part. Just run away with Eva for a few days, socialize and get to know her better.
That's…not a bad idea, Chikuro!
I do have my moments, eh?
What do you think Eva's going to think of this?
I think she'd jump at any opportunity to spend time alone with you.
As Arrathir was about to turn around to wake Eva in order to share his idea with her, he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist, embracing him gently.
"Morning," said Eva in a sleepy voice as she rested her head on Arrathir's back.
"Hey," said Arrathir, turning to face the fox-girl "Sleep well?"
"Better than ever," said Eva "Because I was with you." Perching on her toes, she kissed the blushing Keeper.
"Eva, I've had…"
Ahem!
"Fine, we've had a great idea," said Arrathir, rolling his eyes.
"We've?"
"Chikuro and I," said Arrathir "We should forget about everything: the Keepers of Mana, Chihowaido, the Awakening and all the rest for a few days. Run off just the two of us to spend time together, eh?"
"You want to elope?" questioned Eva.
"Well, except for the whole getting married part, yes."
"Wow," said Eva "I never pictured you as the romantic type, Arrathir. This is a pleasant surprise."
"You don't think I'm romantic?" asked Arrathir.
"In general, no," said Eva "But you have little instances of romanticism now and then. Hey, don't worry," she added, seeing the downfallen look on Arrathir's face "I like you that way. That way, you always catch me off guard when you have your moments."
"You don't like romantic guys?" mumbled Arrathir.
"Not if they're romantic 24/7, no," said Eva "That would get boring pretty quickly."
"So, you think this is a good idea?"
"Of course!" said Eva "I think this could really help our relationship. Plus, now that the Awakening is over, we deserve a break."
"When should we leave?" asked Arrathir.
"Right now," said Eva "Before Khell or Charles wakes up."
"Shouldn't we tell them where we are going?" asked Arrathir.
"Nah," said Eva "They'll figure it out on their own. Plus, if we told them, they'd probably try to stop us."
"You've got a point," said Arrathir "OK, first let's grab some supplies."
The tow Keepers headed for the campsite where their food bags hung in a tree, out of the reach of scavengers. As they approached the campsite, they saw Khell was already awake and was sitting beside the now-extinguished campfire with his back to them, meditating.
"Shit!" said Arrathir "This is going to complicate things. We can't get past him without being noticed. If only we could mask our mana somehow."
"I can't mask my mana," said Eva "But I can alter it."
"Eh?"
"I'm a shape shifter, remember?" said Eva "So if take Charles' form, it should make my mana appear blue and that should let me grab some food without Khell reacting."
(OK, Chiruu: how do I go about with this?)
(It's a lot like summoning. Just imagine Charles as if he were a creature you were trying to summon. Then picture yourself turning into him. Focus on the transformation and the shape shifting process should begin)
Nodding, Eva closed her eyes and began picturing Charles in her mind. She retained the mental image and began rotating it, observing it from every angle. She felt prickles run all over her skin as the transformation began.
Arrathir had seen a lot of weird things during the course of the Awakening, but Eva's transformation took the cake.
Her hair shortened and facial hair grew all over her chin. Her fangs shortened to long canines and pushed slightly outwards, mimicking Charles' slightly deformed teeth. Her breasts melted into her chest and she grew several inches in height. Her arms and legs thickened and when she opened her eyes, Arrathir saw her irises had shifted from green to blue.
The transformation completed, Arrathir found himself facing a fox-eared Charles wearing Eva's dress. The effect was somewhere between comical and disturbing.
"How do I look?" asked Eva, only it was still her voice coming out of Charles' mouth.
"The ears and the tail might be a giveaway," said Arrathir.
Eva's hands shot up to her ears. She frowned.
(What's going on, Chiruu?)
(I was afraid of this. Since you're a hybrid, your shape shifting skills aren't as advanced as a full-blooded kitsune's. Therefore, your transformations will always be incomplete.)
(OK, but why didn't my clothes or voice change? When we turned into Khell to trick Arrathir they did)
(That was because I was controlling the transformation. You're inexperience, so you can only alter your physique)
(Khell's not going to fall for this)
(Here, give me a second)
Eva felt a slight tingle in her throat as her vocal cords rearranged themselves. Her dress split down the front and the sleeves lengthened. The green shifted to a deep blue, leaving Eva wearing a replica of Charles' cloak.
"How about now?" she asked, her voice deeper.
"Prefect," said Arrathir "As long as Khell doesn't spot your ears or tail. Keep the tail under the cloak and if need be, put up the hood to hide your ears. Don't talk to him unless he talks to you. Just get in and get out."
"Here I go," said Eva "Wish me luck."
Eva crept as stealthily as she could towards the food bags, keeping a wary eye on the green Keeper. Reaching the tree where the bags were suspended, she leapt up to the branch from which they hung and grabbed one of them, slinging it over her shoulders. She also grabbed a water skin and added it to the contents of her bag before jumping back down, landing on her toes to minimize the noise.
Eva glanced nervously at Khell; he hadn't moved from his spot beside the charred remains of the campfire. Giving Arrathir a thumbs-up, she began making her way back to the other Keeper. As she skirted a pile of dry leaves, she stepped on a branch, snapping it with a crack. The sound would have been inaudible to human ears, but to Eva, it rang out like a gunshot. She froze; remaining stock-still while praying Khell hadn't heard the noise.
"You can drop the illusion, Eva," said Khell after an interminable silence "And tell Arrathir to get out from behind that tree."
Eva was stunned: how could Khell have seen though her disguise. She looked over at Arrathir, who shrugged in defeat and came over to her. Sighing, Eva reverted back to her true form.
"Did you really think a simple shape shifting trick could fool me?" asked Khell. He sounded irritated, but an amused glint sparkled in his eye.
"That was kind of our hope," said Arrathir.
"Well, you failed," said Khell "Now, mind explaining what you were doing, sneaking about and stealing our rations?"
""We wanted to run away for a few days to take some time off from the Awakening and sort out our relationship," admitted Eva.
"Why didn't you just say so?" asked Khell.
"We were afraid you'd try to stop us," said Arrathir.
"Why would I?" asked Khell "You're two very capable summoners. You'd don't need my help at all times. You did a great job with the Awakening, so now take some time for yourselves. Go have fun!"
"That was easy," said Arrathir after they'd thanked Khell and left.
"I think he understood that we were going through with our plan, whether he liked it or not," said Eva "So he went along with it."
"So, where should we go?" asked Arrathir.
"The valley's pretty big," said Eva "Come on, let's go exploring!" Grabbing Arrathir's hand, she led him off into the forest.
Khell waited for a few minutes after the Keepers had vanished before summoning Ishnarak, the wurm appearing with a low growl, its long, snakelike body wrapped around the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Follow them, girl," said Khell "Don't be seen, but if they run into trouble, intervene or come straight back to me if you can't handle it."
The wurm affectionately nuzzled her master's cheek before slinking off into the forest. Satisfied, Khell busied himself preparing breakfast.
When Charles awoke, he immediately got up to check on Arrathir. He knew Eva had returned; he'd felt her mana the previous night, and he was curious to see if the two had patched things up.
Reaching out with his mana, he tried to locate the black Keeper, but came up blank. He tried again, this time searching for the furious rage of Eva's mana, but with no more success. Frowning, he broadened his range, extending his search as far as he could. The search was difficult, given the large presence of red and green mana around. Finally, he managed to catch a hint of black mana among the maelstrom of red and green mana. Worried, he headed back to camp to find Khell.
"Eva and Arrathir are missing," he said as he reached the campsite, where Khell was coaxing the fire back to life "I think I found Arrathir, but the signal was very faint."
"Don't worry," said Khell "They just left on a little honeymoon for a few days."
"You knew about this?" asked Charles "And you let them leave?"
"They're both Keepers of Mana," said Khell "They can handle themselves."
"We are under constant threat!" said Charles "Chihowaido is on the loose, not to mention our unknown enemy is still active. We have no idea who or what the next threat could be! We need to stick together for safety."
"I couldn't have stopped them if I'd tried," said Khell "They're young and in love. They just need time to sort out their relationship. I sent Ishnarak to follow them in case anything happens."
"Ishnarak?"
"My wurm," answered Khell.
"If we separate from each other, we are more vulnerable," said Chiburuu, coming out in sprit form "Two Keepers are less of a threat than four. We've been getting off easy: most of the enemies we've faced thus far were using tribal decks with little to no real strategy. Something tells me that now the Awakening is over, our enemies are going to come at us with everything they've got. As we stand, the Keepers are nowhere near to their full power and I know there are summoners out there who could be on par with our current power, perhaps even stronger."
"Chikuro and Chiruu can protect themselves," said Khell.
"I do not doubt their power," said Chiburuu "I doubt their strategies. Currently, all the Keepers are using very basic dueling techniques which could be easily defeated by an experienced summoner."
Chiguriin was about to rebut when he suddenly froze.
"Do you sense that?" he asked.
"Yes," said Chiburuu "There is a strong presence of white mana nearby."
Khell and Charles' hands burst into flames as they readied their mana in case of an attack.
"Who's there?" asked Khell "Show yourselves!"
"Put out your mana, Keepers," said Lu Chao, stepping out from behind a tree "It is only I."
"Justicar Planeswalker," said Khell, bowing to Lu Chao.
"Oh no," said Lu Chao "It is I who should be bowing before you." He took a sweeping bow. "It is an honor to meet you again, Keepers of Mana. Your quest is at its end. The Keepers have been awakened and even as we speak, the balance of mana in the Multiverse is being restored. We are eternally in your debt."
"We aren't done yet," said Chiburuu "There is still the matter of Chihowaido."
"Yes, the white Keeper," said Lu Chao, shaking his head sadly "That was the purpose of my visit. The Keeper of White Mana seems to have been led astray and, seemingly, has the intention of undoing what has been done."
To be continued…
Author's Note: So, Lu Chao's back with more bad news. Meanwhile, Arrathir and Eva are off romping in the woods, alone. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination, eh?
Until next time…