Ayame doubled over, a hand placed over her head as she cried out.
Wang-Tang rushed to her side, catching her before she could hit the floor.
"Ayame… Ayame what's wrong?" He asked. Ayame's face was adorned with sudden pain, her fingers tightened over her heart and her breathing was harsh.
"My … my Power Stone…" She whispered as sweat ran down her hair dripping onto the floor.
Falcon took several steps back at the sight of the siren before him, her arms long and scaled like the legs of a bird and ending in talons. Slowly, Julia lifted them up and stared along her arm, gently tracing her tongue along the outer edge.
"Oh it feels SO GOOD to be rid of all that emotional baggage." She declared into the air, spreading her arms out wide. Her hair, put into two long pony tails flowed out behind her, waving as if caught in a nonexistent wind. "Oh right, almost forgot." Quickly she turned around and raised a palm to face Jack. A sudden shockwave passed through the air, a ripple that knocked Kraken off his feet and sent Jack flying backwards over the edge of the town ruins and into the swamp water.
Using the elemental power of the Power Stone of water to its fullest effect, Julia commanded the water; forcing it up. The swamp swelled, spitting Jack up into the air trailing water after him. "This may not be the Dark Stone, but its still fun." She chided, sending bolts of concentrated water rocketing skyward, smacking Jack with full force, knocking him about in mid air.
Falcon watched in horror as she toyed with him, smacking him up and down, do great harm. Despite the fact Jack was a murderer, his screams of pain were more than the Englishman could ensure.
"Julia, stop it!" He carried out as he raced forwards past Kraken's startled pirates. Julia's faced snapped back to face it a wide grim spread over her pale white face; the lips parted showing a row of razor sharp teeth. For a brief moment he saw the same expression he had seen not on her the night before but on the face of Valgas.
Red glowing eyes and sharp almost shark like teeth.
"Don't worry Honey; I'll get to you in a moment." She promised, raising another hand. A torrent of water rose up into the air, squirmed like a snake before smashing itself straight into the Englishman. Knocked off his feet Falcon was hurled back into Gunrock and collapsed to the floor.
Turning her attention back to Jack, Julia clenched a fist and instantly the water around the slayer froze; changing from liquid to solid in the form of ice. Jack simply remained there, completely silent and still, entombed within a pillar of frozen water; reaching out for something to hold onto.
"Well I be a son of a fishmonger." Kraken growled, hoisting himself up to his feet, dusting himself off his coat with his good hand. "This throws a different light on this whole affair." Julia slowly turned her head around on her neck to look at him. The way she did was sickening to look at. Anyone else would have broken their neck twisting it like that.
"Impressive use of magic, little missy." The pirate king said, bowing low in a chivalrous gesture. "And I can see that unlike these other fools you aren't bound by that stupid morale code.
So I be offering you a deal." He reached out his hand towards her. "How about you join up with me and me crew?" She stared down at his hand. "Once all the Power Stones are ours, I'll rewrite history to ensure the pirate age of the 1700's never ended.
So how about it? More treasure, plunder and swag than you can imagine."
"Treasure?" Julia repeated with a raised eyebrow, her body twisting around to match the direction of her face. "What would I want with that?
All I ever wanted was freedom and now I have it." She let her long scaly arms trace out wide. "That stupid little daddies girl sits in the same mental prison they placed me in and with the Power Stone I can gain everything that was ever denied me."
Kraken's friendly expression descended into a deep frown.
"Look missy, I'll be leaving with that Power Stone either way so unless you want your legs ripped off you'll be handing that thar rock over." Julia's wide sadistic grin widened and her talons spread out wide, her legs bending as he readied herself in a crouch.
Kraken clicked his fingers and a vial full of glowing green liquid fell out of his coat arm and handed in his palm.
Julia sprang at him like a pouncing cat, her claws held ready to shred and tear. The pirate king dodged the slash, before smashing the vial on the floor, its contents seeping out.
Instantly the creepers and vines choking the town ruins let got of the old stone and waved like wipes in the air before lancing up and wrapping himself around Julia's ankles, pinning her feet to the floor leaving Kraken out of slashing range.
Growling, WhitePearl slashed the binds around her feet with her claws and advanced on Kraken; only to find more vines snaking up in an attempt to grab her.
The pirate kings claw swung around, the metal blunt edge smashing itself into the girls stomach causing her to double over. That same claw was brought up high before crashing down on the girls back forcing her down to the floor.
"Julia!" Falcon cried out, pushing himself up and scrambling forwards her. Kraken spun around attempting to smash the Englishman in the face with his pincer claw, Falcon pinned the metal hand between his gloves before shoving it out of the way and going on an offensive, delivering two punches against Kraken's chest before driving an upper cut across his chin.
Sent flying backwards Kraken crashed to the ground and only managed to stop himself from falling into the swamp by anchoring his claw in the stone.
"Julia, Julia are you…" Falcon began, tugging at the vines that even now were wrapping themselves around her; pinning her body to the ground.
"Kill 'em boys!" Kraken declared and the pirates, who up until now had been nothing but spectators, charged with dragger and cutlasses drawn.
Ryoma's katana swords flew to his waiting hands and his blades whirled through the air as he met the pirates head on; slicing through their numbers with the skill of a trained samurai.
Gunrock was far more 'hands-on' in his approach to fighting. Any pirate that got anywhere near him were hoisted up into the air before being hurled across the swamp and into any solid objects that got in his way.
"Ooohh, Tough Guy huh?" Octo snarled, charging at the Mexican with a fist drawn back. Gunrock caught it and swung one of his own with his free hand. The two of them tested each other's strength, trying to force the other back.
Gunrock had the advance of height and a larger shoulder width but Octo seemed to have faster reflexes and was superior in overall speed.
Before Gunrock could stop him, Octo knocked his arms aside to deliver a punch across his face that caused the large Mexican to stagger back a few steps.
"Ok Falcon; lets see you bleed!" Puss cried, racing at the Englishman with a dagger drawn. The English didn't even look back, he simply swung his fist up as soon as Puss as nearly on his shoulder. The blow connected and the pirate fell back onto the ground out cold.
"Julia, come on…" The vines had stopped binding her now but the thick covering had pretty much engulfed her body. No matter now much Falcon tore the plants away he didn't seem to be making any leeway in freeing her.
"On your knees before me." A voice stated. He glanced up to see Kraken standing over him with a pistol pointed at his head. "Just how I've always wanted you to be." Before he could fire, talons lanced straight up, slicing through the metal of the weapon and cutting it into several pieces. Kraken staggered back as Julia carved her way out, hoisting herself back to her feet as if she were on puppet strings.
Before Kraken could do anything, Julia advanced forward and slid her claws straight through his coat and into the chest. The pirate king cried out, blood flying from his mouth. Julia retracted her talons and let him fall to his knees, crimson slowly staining his coat.
"Captain!" Octo cried out, only to leave himself open to a right hook from Gunrock that knocked him across the ground a good couple of feet.
Kraken smiled through blood stained lips and laid his good hand on top of the wound. Enacting his own magic, a soft glow engulfed the outline of his hand and slowly, the hole in his flesh began to close. The skin healed over it and the blood staining his clothes served as the only reminder that anything had happened.
"You'll have to do better than that to kill me." He declared, slowly rising up with his metal claw held at the ready. Julia twisted her face into a grin,
"Ok." She replied, raising her claws.
"Julia, that's enough!" Falcon declared, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Without warning, a pillar of water shot up from the swamp and wrapped itself around his body. Once it had a firm grip, it solidified into ice. It came all the way up to his neck and despite every attempt he made, it refused to break.
"Impatient to get started are we my love?" She asked, gently tracing the outline of his face with the back of her claw. "Well don't worry. We'll get going as soon as I sort out his little problem." She drew her tongue along cheek her lips coming very close to his own.
Kraken jabbed his claw forward and Julia slid to the side, avoiding the attack before smashing a kick into the pirate's stomach. Kraken charged despite this and got in close, trying to strike her again with his claw.
Without a Power Stone to call on, he was at a disadvantage fighting her. His only option was to wear her down so her body couldn't handle the flow of energy anymore and rejected the stone. One could not remain in Fusion form indefinitely.
As if sensing his plan, Julia called on the power of water again; the swamp surging up to seep through the cracks in the ground to encircle Kraken's feet. The pirate had only time to hoist one free before it turned to ice, leaving his left foot trapped.
With him pinned to one placed Julia went in for the kill; her claws drawn back in readiness to perform a decapitating move.
Kraken blocked her attack with his claw, before lashing out with his foot causing to back off. Breaking the ice around his foot by smashing it with his claw, the pirate king side stepped to gain more ground.
"We're loosing men sir!" One of the pirates cried out as Ryoma parried away dagger and cutlass thrusts, slashing back expertly with his own swords. The way he moved left them without a single chance to counterattack.
His speed and agility far outranked their own. He was trained in an art of swordsmanship they could never hope to match.
And Gunrock's raw strength was something not a single one of their dwindling numbers wanted to get near.
Kraken saw this and frowned. Several Power Stones were almost within his grasp, he wasn't about to let them go now.
"Really old man, you don't know what your up against do you?" Julia asked, reading the expression on the pirates face. "I don't know what magic you've been able to master during your three hundred year long life, but believe me its nothing compared to what I can do." She waved her talons up and suddenly the entire swamp seemed to be alive, acting to her will.
Dozens of pillars of water shot up from the stagnant swamp surface, rising like geysers to tower high in the air.
Before either Ryoma or Gunrock to stop it, the water rained down on them and froze; keeping them pinned to the spot as the ice formed over their bodies, up over their arms forcing them to stay rigid. The ice even captured Ryoma's katana expanding over the blades to engulf them completely.
Kraken lanced forward with his claw, but a blast of water hit him straight on and solidified around his arm entrapped it in a block of ice. The extra weight being too much to handle his arm dropped down and the pirate king lost his balance, tipping over to crash onto his face.
"Forget the stone Captain, let's just get outta here." Octo declared, hoisting his unconscious brother onto his shoulder; the rest of the crew backing away from Julia as she turned to face them with a wide sadistic grin.
Kraken, while arrogant and proud, knew when he was beaten and he wasn't stupid enough to challenge an opponent when he was clearly outmatched; even though the very thought made his stomach convulse.
"Ok lassie, you win for now." He conceited, using his good arm to take several vials out of his coat. They all contained a purple liquid. "You'll let your guard down eventually and I'll be back for that stone when you do." He dropped them all onto the floor and instantly a thick violet mist clouded him and the pirates that were still alive from sight. When it cleared, they had gone.
"Oooo, I thought that horrible man would never leave." Julia sighed, brushing some hair out of her eyes with a talon. A sudden smile crossed her lips. "Oh yes…" She turned and looked directly at Edward Falcon. "We have unfinished business." She walked towards him slowly, seductively swaying her hips.
Falcon swallowed hard and tried desperately to break the ice holding him in place, but no matter how much he tried he wasn't so much as moving. She cupped his face with her claws and leaned close to him, placing her cheek against his. "I can't tell you how long I've waited for this…" She moved her lips across until they were almost directly over his, a great deal of anticipation clear on her face.
He felt her breath over his face and a mixture of fear and curios arousal passed through him.
Suddenly she became aware of other presences and Julia glanced back over her shoulder. Gunrock and Ryoma were still there, encased in their own icy bonds. Ryoma blinked noticing her scrutiny and glanced away, blushing. Gunrock was trying more to break the ice by flexing his muscles. "But why don't we do this somewhere a little more private?" She brought a claw sharply across the ice at Edward's feet, severing the bottom from the ruin floor.
As of the weight was nothing at all she picked him up and balance the entire block of ice with the Englishman inside on her shoulder. For a moment she paused to stare at the other block of ice nearby containing Jack. The slayer was still reaching out for something to hold onto when the ice trapped him.
She turned away, crouched forward leaping into the air; souring higher and higher with Falcon in his grasp. She crossed over the tops of the trees and vanished, leaving the samurai and the Mexican trapped here.
It was a good five minutes before Apollus and Lord WhitePearl emerged from the swamp, hurriedly out of breath and startled at awaited them when they got there.
"Whatever you do…" Gunrock began glaring at them both, rigid in a very embarrassing position. "Please don't laugh."
-
The shaking feeling of perversion, of change from of things should be, did not leave Ayame alone. It hung over like a futon cover, refusing to leave. The feeling was growing ever more acute as the minutes passed; as if the source of this awful feeling was moving closer and closer.
She said nothing about it, but worried intensely about exactly what her power stone was being used for.
Her Power Stone. Even now the words seemed odd. She could hold such power in a single hand and it could be taken away instantly.
If Wang-Tang was right and the more a stone was used, the more the line between user and the stone blurred; then just how she going to feel when the inevitable time came to hand the stone over to her superiors within the ninja clan? Keeping something like owning a Power Stone from their spies, she knew for a fact, was going to be impossible.
She supposed that perhaps, if she acquired another stone for them when she might be permitted to keep her own.
She shook her head.
No. They simply take both stones.
'Why go back to them at all?' A voice in the back of her head asked. 'Why not stay with these people?' The very idea was foolish, impractical and yet at the same time so wonderful she couldn't bring herself to dismiss it.
She liked these people. Edward Falcon was a kind person, one of the few Englishmen who didn't distrust her simply because she wasn't from his country. Ryoma the samurai, despite her attempts to steal his Stone, hadn't been hostile towards her. In fact he had helped fit in quite a bit being from the same culture.
Julia WhitePearl was a strong willed woman that Ayame felt in awe of, although she was never prepared to admit it.
Gunrock, while an open drunkard and gambler and having the most annoying children on the planet, was just as Accel had said; a good man deep down.
Even Apollus the old butler had treated her with courtesy and kindness.
And Wang-Tang was simply drop dead gorgeous.
Since she had countered this small, but awe inspiring group her life had been turned completely upside down. There was no telling how events would turn out as this quest of there's to find the stone before that monstrous pirate did would affect it even more.
She had Japan in secret.
Even if the Ninja clan were looking for her, even with their network of spies, it would take a while for them to track her.
For the moment at least; she could live out her dream.
Despite the happy thought however that feeling of twisted perversion was starting to grow more acute.
She stepped outside hoping to get some fresh air, hoping that perhaps it would clear her head.
It didn't.
In fact it made her feel worse, staring up at the overcast grey sky, the smell of the surrounding swamp and marshland causing her nose to wrinkle.
Standing there on the front entrance of the WhitePearl mansion, her arm in a sling; Ayame felt could.
Very cold.
So cold in fact that when she started shivering she realized that this wasn't just her own depressed thoughts.
A loud cracking sound reached her ears and she turned to stare as a sheet of ice began to pull itself up over the abandoned Church at the end of the estate grounds. It grew upwards piece by piece before it covered the large wooden door and stone walls almost completely, entrapped the entire ruin in a block of ice.
Ayame didn't need to feel the sensation of perversion to realise it was her stone being used.
"What was that…" Wang-Tang began stepping outside only to have his words frozen in his mouth when he saw the entombed church He swore out load in Chinese, staring at the spectacle in stunned awe.
Within, Julia lowered her arm; the sealing of this private sanctuary now complete. She smiled before turning to face her 'captive audience'.
"What do you think?" She asked. The entire church was covered in ice, blocking all hope of exit. Edward Falcon was trapped.
His body had been cracked out of the ice cube but she had placed restraints made of ice around his arms and legs to stop him from running.
"Ice really isn't your style." He replied, struggling to try and push himself off the alter at the front of the church where she had placed him like a sacrificial lamb.
"I know." She admitted with a sigh. "But it'll keep people out long enough for…" She smiled evilly, walking closer swaying her hips. "For me to make you love me." She was mere inches from him, her claws tracing the outline of his shoulders and face.
Falcon was entire sure of whether he should be terrified or aroused.
She slid herself next to him, scrapping her claws along his inner thigh. Falcon tried to swing the other way but Falcon pointed with a claw and the ice restraints around his legs grew and attached themselves to the side of the alter, now leaving him incapable of moving. "Naughty, naughty." She whispered into his ear, one talon lifting the goggles from his test and tossing them aside.
"Look Julia you're not yourself…" He began, but she silenced him by placing the tip of a claw on his lips.
"Yes I am. This is the real me Falcon. The whimsy girl you knew was simply an outer shell." Her claws drew back sharply, cutting the buttons from his jacket and slicing the shirt underneath, the jacket fell down, revealing that the tips of the claws that left several red marks along his chest. "Now Edward we can either do this the nice way…" She cupped his face with her large palm, her lips mere centimetres from his. "Or the hard way." Julia's claws pressed sharply into his cheeks drawing blood.
Falcon hissed and bit his teeth together trying not to cry out. "Make's little difference to me. Either way I get what I want out of this."
Outside Wang-Tang and Ayame were circling the church trying to find either an explanation for what had happened or a way inside. The entire building was completely engulfed in ice. Even the roof was completely sealed off. There didn't seem to be a single way inside.
But Ayame was utterly sure that her stone was causing it and was inside. Now she was this close to it, she could feel it. A burning longing deep in her gut. It was a similar feeling she had when she was around Wang-Tang but of a more generalized nature.
The Chinese boy picked up a rock and tossed it at the ice. It didn't so much as make a dent.
"This is Power Stone magic without a doubt." He stated, casting a glance up towards the top. "Your stone must be inside." Before Ayame could say anything, there was a loud screeching sound as a car swung up the drive off the estate; Apollus and Lord WhitePearl bundling themselves out almost at once.
Coming out more slowly were Gunrock and Ryoma. Ayame stared at them unsure of what of think let alone say. Their clothes were covered in small patches of frost and there were small chucks of ice attached to the ends. Icicles were hanging from the sharp edges of Ryoma's Katana blades.
Their skin looked far paler than usual and they were moving sluggishly and it was clear when they got nearer that they were shivering.
"What happened to you?" Wang-Tang asked but Ryoma did not reply. He simply stared up at the church with a very deep frown on his face, silently shaking to warm himself up.
Gunrock hoisted something he was carrying on his back up and over his shoulder before placing down on the ground in front of him.
Ayame gasped at the sight and took a step back.
It was Jack, completely encased in a block of ice. The slayer was reaching out, arm and hand extended as if he had been trying to grab a hold of something and that was how the water had frozen around him.
"What did you do to him?" She asked, looking up. Gunrock snorted loudly, relieved of his burden as he sat down on the gravel.
"Nothing, missy. This is miss WhitePearl's doing." He replied, wrapping his large barrel sized arms around himself in an attempt to increase his overall body temperature. "So is this I'm willing to wager."
"Falcon must be inside." Ryoma muttered, staggering forward and tapping his sword blade against the ice to test its density.
"Englishman's probably having the time of his life." Gunrock added, ignorant of the sour glare Lord WhitePearl was sending him.
"You Master!" Apollus yelled, putting his hands against the wall of ice. "Can you here me in there? Young Master Edward?" Ryoma reached into his robes for his stone.
"No, I'll do it." Gunrock told him as he stood back up. "I need to get the blood flowing again to warm myself up." He paused and laughed. "I doubt Falcon will need any exercise to get his blood flowing right now."
-
Her claws were both harsh and gentle at the same time, a paradoxical massage that Falcon found bothdisturbing and strangely erotic.
"The Fusion won't last." He told her as she tore away the last remains of his shirt leaving an exposed chest.
"Won't it?" She asked examining the dell developed muscle in great enthusiasm.
"Your body will eventually have to reject the stone. It can't maintain the form indefinitely." He carried on, hoping that perhaps he could talk some sense into her. Her claws tightened on his shoulder, clawing more marks across his skin.
She was enjoying causing him pain just as much as any pleasure.
"That's a shame." She whispered, slowly tracing her way up along his arm. "Then I'll just have to make this very quick."
Managing to keep some wits, Falcon glanced down to see his jacket on the church floor. His feet were pinned to the alter but there was enough leeway for him to pick the edge of the clothing up with his foot.
Julia was too busy preparing a claw swipe to remove his pants to notice.
Flicking his foot sharply up, he managed to bring the jacket up to his hands. Stabbing forward with an open hang, he plunged into his pocket and took out his Power Stone.
Julia hissed and made a swipe for it but Falcon was already using the stone's power.
"Power Fusion!" His clothes returned to him, reforming over his body to become robotic armour. The ice restraints sprayed apart into water vapour.
By the time the transformation was complete, Julia had withdrawn across the church to a safe distance; claws held out either side.
"Damn it Edward Falcon I was having fun!" She snarled at him.
"I wasn't." He replied. That wasn't the whole truth. In fact he was beginning to fear he had been enjoying bits of it. "Now just give up that stone."
"Now we both know that's not going to happen." She told him, arching her long arms out either side before chagrining.
Falcon parried away the first swipe with the armour on his left arm, before he jabbed forward with a punch that she dodged around.
If he could wear her down enough then eventually her body would have to reject the stone
"Power Missile!" The attack roared across the distance between them missing Julia by a single inch and striking the stone wall behind it. The bricks gave way and crashed down, brining a section of the ice wall behind it down as well. The entire mess collapsed onto Julia, throwing her forward onto her front; her legs pinned.
Angrily she kicked it off herself and staggered back up.
"How could you do that to your true love Edward?" She asked, feigning a hurt expression. "But if you want to play it rough, then by all means let me join in." She held up a hand towards the ceiling and instantly the roof splintered, jagged pieces of ice crashing down towards the Englishman.
The rocket on his back roared to life and flying through the air he dodged them as they slammed into the ground one by one. Flying at her, he tackled Julia to the ground; pinning her arms to her side.
"Oh Falcon." She managed seductively. "Sorry, but I prefer being the dominate one." Her leg lashed out in a kick, striking him sharply across the chest, forcing him off her and backwards a few steps. This was all the leeway she needed to attack, her claws lashing out across his stomach scrapping the red armour trailing sparks in their wake.
"Power Hurricane!" The vents on both arms flew open and the Englishman started spinning, raising into the air trailing glowing orange exhaust that swilled across like a tornado.
Caught up in the updraft Julia was torn around the room, lashing out for something to grab as an anchor. Slammed against the side of the wall, she sank to the ground apparently unconscious. But when Falcon stopped the attack to see, she sprung up, rebounded off the wall and tackled him in mid air; her arms and legs wrapping themselves around him.
Before Falcon could stop her, he felt ice forming all over his body. It spread from his feet first, spreading up his legs and over his waist. Before too long it covered his entire body, entrapping him in a complete block of ice.
Julia let got and let him fall to the floor, completely rigid inside his prison.
"Sorry Edward dear but you were just so pushy." She whispered, kneeling down towards the ice. Suddenly, multiple flashes of light started sparking from within. "Wha.." But this was all she managed to say before the ice exploded.
"Power Explosion!" Missiles flew out in all directions, several of them striking and exploding along Julia's side sending her spinning backwards to crash over an old rotted pew.
Falcon hoisted himself up.
Suddenly the door to the church groaned as pressure was applied to it from the other side before it broke open, the ice binding it shut cracking and falling to the ground.
Gunrock in his Power Fusion form hurried inside, the ground shaking as he moved.
"Falcon!" He called out. Julia snarled, leapt up and flew through the air towards the entrance. Moving at fantastic speed she flew past Gunrock leaving the Mexican in a daze and out the door.
"Don't let her get away!" Falcon declared.
The two of them forced their way outside finding that Wang-Tang, Ayame and Ryoma were there waiting for him.
"That way!" Ryoma declared, jabbing a sword blade towards the hedge maze outside the house. Apollus and Lord WhitePearl were staring off in that directions. "She went in there. She was moving too fast for us to stop her."
"Right let's go." Gunrock began stepping forward, only to find that Falcon was holding an arm out to stop him.
"No. I'll deal with her." He declared, before he quickly made his way towards the entrance of the maze. "Surround it; make sure she doesn't come out another way." He called back. Ryoma nodded and darted around the side to the western corner of the maze while Gunrock went the Eastern. Wang-Tang ran along the far side while Ayame stayed to make sure she didn't try to double back through the first entrance.
Falcon stepped inside, turning his head this way and that to try and catch a glimpse of her. The maze was completely silent.
Passing through the corridors between the hedgerows, he thought at times he saw something out of the corner of his eye but when he turned to face it whatever had been there was gone.
"This so cool." Gunrock's kids were watching everything from out of an upstairs window of the house. Some had even bought a snack from the kitchens.
"Julia…" Falcon called out. "I want to help you."
"If that's true then why won't you love me?" Glancing back, Falcon watched a series of claws racked across his chest; forcing him to stagger backwards. By the time he had raised his arm to use an attack of his own; she was gone, vanishing back into the maze.
"That wasn't love." He replied. "That was just lust."
"What's the difference?" She asked but he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.
"Back in England I'm renowned as a bit of a womanizer. I may not be the best person to ask for the definition of love but I know as hell that wasn't it." He searched the hedgerows for her, looking up and down the corridors as he went. "Love is affection for who someone is, not for how they look or how attractive they may be."
Something struck him from behind, sending him crashing to the ground. Rolling over, Falcon expected to see her standing over him but again there was nothing there.
Staggering back up, Falcon took a few steps back.
"Love the Julia I know had for me." He carried on.
The Englishman could feel her eyes on him but where she was hiding was impossible to tell.
He had to get her reveal herself. "That was honest love." He heard a rustling of leaves behind him. "Love that given time I might have even returned." Falcon snapped around. Standing there with her claws raised ready to strike was Julia, her expression one of stunned confusion. Never, not once, had she expected to hear that. "But only with the Julia I knew.
Not this woman who only wants me for my body." She bit down on her lip, emotions plain on her face. Her claws twitched in indecision, but slowly they were lowered; inch by inch. "Will you let me help you?" She looked him right in the eyes and her hand fell down to her side.
Tears built up before they flowed down her cheek and she fell forward, collapsing into his arms and sobbing.
The outline of her body was surrounded by a white glow, before her transformation vanished and she was reduced back to a nightgown again; her arms gently moving back from birds claws to slender forelimbs. With a soft thud, the Power Stone of Water dropped onto the ground.
"I'm…I'm sorry." She said into his shoulder. He just nodded and dismissed his fusion form.
Ayame watched them for a moment with a short smile on her face before she reached down and picked up her stone, feeling its power flow with her own.
"I must remember to write Valgas a thank you note for that tip." Falcon muttered, putting a hand on Julia's back. Valgas had told him that the stones responded more to strong emotions than conscious thought but hadn't had the chance to test out until now.
From far above, concealed by a thick cloud; the crew of the Prince Octopus watched those on the ground through long brass telescopes and binoculars. Standing on the bow over the figure head the Captain himself glared down at them, his arm still encased in ice.
"Do we attack now captain?" Puss asked, twirling a knife between his fingers. Kraken shook his head.
"No. I've a better idea." He put a boot on the rail and leaned over, a wide sadistic grin spreading over his face. "I was wondering what they were doing in and in Babylon.
These people are trying to beat me to the rest of the stones. I say we let them." He brought his arm up before smashing it down on the side of the rail, the ice around it shattering and freeing the limb from imprisonment.
"'Beggin' your pardon sir, but why?" The large Octo asked.
"You moron, don't you get it?" Puss demanded. "They do all the work and once they have all the stones, we just sail in and take them!" Slowly a look of realization passed over Octo's features.
"Precisely." Kraken laughed. "Why bother to waste Turbine ship fuel going all around the world when we can let those land lubbers do it for us?" He turned his back on the bow and walked down the deck towards the captain's quarters at the back. "I'm quite confident that they'll find the stones and when they do I'll be ready for them." The pirate king did not notice he was being watched.
A crow, black as night, was sitting on the outer rail of the ship, its blood red eyes following his every movement.
So, Kraken had chosen a course of action similar to their own had he? Well, whichever party controlled the stones was of little of importance, so long as the stones were reunited their ownership did not matter.
But Kraken himself was beginning to become a problem. Valgas had invested a lot in this endeavour and he did not want any interference.
A message was sent back for orders and the reply came almost immediately.
"Do nothing, continue to observe and act under previous instructions." The words echoed in the agents head. "The pirate will answer to me if he obtains the stones. Concentrate your efforts on Miss WhitePearl's expedition."
The crow called out loudly once before it flew off the ship and back down towards the ground below.
-
Ayame raised her stone and the ice cracked, breaking apart bit by bit before it sprayed apart completely. Jack dropped to the ground and lay there as if he were dead, steam slowly rising from his body.
Then he moved, pushing himself up until he was one his knees. His eyes slid open. His vision was blurred but once it cleared the first thing he saw was the Power Stone of Water before him.
Acting instinctively he lashed out, trying to grab it but Ayame drew it back out of his reach.
"Momma! Momma!" He cried out, trying to lunge at her. But Ryoma and Wang-Tang held him back by grabbing a hold of his arms before he had a chance to reach for any of his knives.
"So that's why you came back for the stone." The ninja girl began, looking down at the jewel in her grasp.
Then she looked up at the boy again and for the first time she didn't see the murdering Slayer. She saw him for what he really was, a frightened child in search of his mother.
"This stone isn't your mother Jack." Ayame stated, holding the jewel out for him to see. "Look at it." Jack reached for it but when his fingers were just a few inches from it, he hesitated.
All he could see was a cut and polished stone. A beautiful jewel, but no image of his mother created him at the sight of it.
Her voice did not silence those whispering through his head.
The illusion that had sustained him had been shattered. "It's just a stone." Those simple four words slammed hard into Jack's mind like the strikes of sledgehammers and his strength left him and he slumped in the arms of those who held him.
The police sergeant Meadows approached.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Andrew Patterson." He began but Jack just hung there in defeat. "You the right to remain…" before he could finish; Jack jabbed a hold of Ryoma and Wang-Tang's shirts and pulled them sharply together. The two connected heads with a loud crack and there thrown back by the blow. Released, Jack screeched into the air before running as fast as his legs could carry him towards the swamp.
"Halt!" Several of the police called out but Jack was already too far away, moving faster than they could ever hope to. He vanished, slipping through the trees of the swamp.
"He'll not get away from justice." Lord WhitePearl declared. "I intend to make sure that he is held accountable for old man Andrew's death." He rambled verbosely for a moment before realizing that no one was really listening. "Come Julia dear, I should get you back to the city."
"I'm not going anywhere." She replied quite sharply. Lord WhitePearl looked back with a confused expression on his face. "I'm going to stay and finish the expedition for the Power Stones. The expedition I started."
"Miss WhitePearl are you certain that is wise?" Apollus asked her. She nodded once.
"I know you want to protect me father but this is my problem. I won't be able to face it by burying my darker side under a layer of hypnotherapy." The lord looked more distraught than confused now. "We all have demons and I'm going to have to come to terms with mine."
"But…" He started.
"Please daddy." She began again, only this time with more emotion. "This is a battle I have to fight myself." For a moment he was silent but ever so slow his expression of anxious despair was tainted by a mark of pride.
"I understand." The lord said in reply. "Your mother won't like your decision, but…" he took a deep breath. "It's your life not hers." She smiled at him as he walked away.
"Allowing you near a Power Stone ever again is quite out of the question, I hope you understand." Ryoma told her as he gave her a side glance.
"I know." She replied as if it didn't matter. "Come on, you should all get your things together. It a bit of a trip back to where we let the Royal Heaven and we still have that last Power Stone I know the location of to investigate."
"Aye Aye Miss WhitePearl." Gunrock declared and his kids all chorused in.
"Edward…" Julia began. Falcon looked around at her. "Did you tell me you might love me because it was true, or you wanted to talk me out of striking you?" The Englishman did not answer.
This was not because he felt the answer would hurt her feelings.
It was because he didn't know which the answer was, yes or no.
-
The sound of a bike screeching to a halt broke the tranquil quiet of the forest. Accel often found that wherever he went, he broke the status quo. It wasn't necessarily a bad trait; it was just easier to exist when one didn't cause a ruckus. With a sharp tug he pulled his poncho off his face and started up the mountain trail towards the cave on the northern side.
The stars above were bright tonight, hundreds of sparking dots that shone down on him but didn't cast so much as a shadow. Accel liked starlight the best.
But the stars held more than just beauty. There were secrets in them. Secrets revealed to only a few through history.
A thin trail of smoke was slowly rising from a ridge and it didn't take the gunslinger long to reach it. The remains of a fire still scorched the ground, purposely left to smoulder, a sign that the owner of the cave was still here. A craggy dark entrance was concealed in the sheer cliff face, near invisible and undetectable had been not been purposely looking for it.
Accel tipped his hat politely before moving inside. The cave entrance was a dark tunnel with several twists and turns that would usually turn any explorer away, but just past them was a larger chamber with was lit by a single lamp.
The gunslinger pulled himself inside and waited, staring at the canvas screen drawn up to protect the interior from sight. The ends of a bear skin rug were strewn out beyond the vial.
For a couple of moments nothing happened, but eventually a dark shape rose up to block the light casting a shadow onto the canvas.
"Valgas is on the move." Accel stated in the ancient language of the Native Americans.
"I know." Came the reply. "What you fear is correct gunslinger, the alignment in the heavens is about to occur." A large hand brushed the canvas aside, revealing a large man a good head and shoulders taller than Accel with dark brown skin and ceremonial patterns painted over his face and down his chest and arms.
The cave beyond had a simply lamp for light, a bear rug on the floor and horse hair into round objects woven into rings that hung with metallic shards from hooks. A small iron pot stood on the cave floor.
"The shadows have been marshalled."
"I thought as much." Accel sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Valgas is intent on using a collection of people I saw in DawnVolta as his tools."
"The wanderers. I have seen them in the Walk of Dreams." The native replied. A band was tied around his head, a single eagles tipped with red at the end stood rigid at the back. Various golden and bronze trinkets were wrapped around his muscular arms and on his lower body were Buffalo skin pants. "They are the ones whose path for the stones will come into line with our own.
The ones who will gather them travel together. Valgas knows this." The man retreated back into his cave and knelt beside a collection of rags and animal skins that had been serving as a bed. "I must return to my people. The time of dreams is over." He dragged an axe made of wood and flint out from underneath and slid it into the top of his belt.
"I thought you did not like to the shed the blood of fellow men?" Accel asked.
"I do not." The native replied. "But those against us are no longer men." He stood up straight, hoisting a leather bag of provisions up over his shoulder.
"What should we do?" Accel asked.
"A question that does not need to be asked." The native walked over and stared the gunslinger right in the eyes. "You have already made arrangements haven't you?" Accel smiled.
"Well, Valgas isn't the only one you can pull a few strings." The large man laid a hand on the gunslinger shoulder.
"I shall go to my ancestral home land and prepare my neighbours for the trails. Watch over the wanderers Jericho. The whispers of the ancestors and the lines of the stars both tell me they have more roles to play than just as the enemy's puppets."
"I am already watching over them… in a fashion." Accel replied with a short grin. "But don't call me Jericho anymore." He laid his right hand over his heart and the seal placed there. "The name is Accel now."