Outlands
Part 3
By Mieren
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White Blaze raised his head cautiously, his too intelligent eyes closing slowly when an imperious order resounded through his head once again. He rose stiffly to his feet and shook mightily, emptying his fur of the leaves and twigs that had become lodged in the thick white mat. Chimera huffed angrily as she appeared out of the nearby trees. Hours ago, they had received Ritsuko's strange order while they were hunting and had been running ever since, the message still echoing weakly through the air.
They had stopped a moment ago upon hearing a soft order from the ground below them. Uncertain as to who had sent it, they had hidden briefly in the surrounding brush, waiting for the danger they had been warned of to pass. For several minutes, they had remained motionless and silent. The latest echo of Ritsuko's desperate message had roused them from their positions, sending them once again towards a destination that they could sense far in the distance.
Echoes of their three cubs' minds rang in their heads as they drew nearer to the location that they knew did not exist. Flame's fierce roar resounded angrily through the trees, alerting them that he and Shadow were drawing nearer. White Blaze knew instinctively that Mist was approaching from the south, her powerful strides bringing her nearer to them faster than her siblings. Her brothers were far stronger than she was, but she was easily the swiftest of the three, not that it mattered much where they were going.
A flash of blue caught his attention, making White Blaze skid to a halt, Chimera falling into a defensive crouch by his side. Before them stood a sleek tiger, stripes so dark as to refuse illumination by the fiery sun above, remaining darker than the caves under the Dynasty where he had been imprisoned so long ago. The rest of his fur, where it should have been orange or white, shone in a brilliant blend of blues, occasional ripples of silver shining brightly from the strange coat. Oblivious to the extraordinary coloration, White Blaze moved back, both intrigued and terrified of the great cat's impossible eyes. Only the purest obsidian was visible from beneath the graceful brows, no whites or irises tainting the unadulterated black. It didn't help calm his or Chimera's nerves when they noticed that the blue tiger was unmistakably grinning.
The blue cat was bowled to the ground when Mist appeared suddenly, regaining his feet easily and subduing the smaller snow leopard with only a quick glance. He let out a noise that was half growl, half purr, waiting patiently with his onyx eyes locked in a northward direction. Mere minutes passed before Shadow and Flame appeared, each of them staring at the strangely colored great cat before moving to stand beside their parents. Huffing importantly, the blue tiger turned lightly and moved unerringly towards the energy resonance that spoke of Zairian's ledge. More intrigued than worried, White Blaze followed, breaking into a steady lope and rumbling loudly at the others. Chimera was the first to move after him, their cubs falling into her wake immediately afterwards.
The blue tiger continued on their course until they reached a cliff, vanishing silently in a swirl of black fogs to leave the five large cats to stare after him patiently. Unconcerned by the much larger cat's disappearance, White Blaze settled down to wait, recognizing the mental patterns of the blue tiger as that of the warning they had received. His presence had undoubtedly been dangerous with the appearance of the black fogs. Even knowing the origin of the warning, he couldn't understand why the mental sending had come from beneath him instead of from some undeterminable position from beyond the dimension. He knew Zairian's messenger when he saw him even if his cubs did not. He paid his cubs and mate's irate growls little heed as he settled to the stony ground below. There was a reason they were here. He could wait.
---
Shin stumbled to a halt, eyes wide and jaw trembling. Len and Mouri skidded to a stop beside him, nearly causing Sage and Kayura to crash into them from behind. Vera, Katari and Ryoko gathered around the black-haired boy gracefully, though none of them could sense what was going on. Afraid to teleport and terrified that Lanfear was still hunting them, Ryo, Mia, Mana and Ritsuko watched the surrounding area fearfully while Mouri tried to pry some information out of the two boys who seemed to know what was going on. After pushing Ella and Nasuti towards the group, Akira and Gau disappeared into the trees to scout, not waiting for the others to figure out why the youngest children had stopped so suddenly. Before any questions could be asked, Shin spoke.
"Ritsuko."
"Have you found Kento?" she asked hopefully, quickly turning away from scanning the trees to face the young boy. Her husband had still not reappeared after having stayed behind to face Lanfear and she was starting to grow frantic. Her husband was strong, but even he could not stand up to such a dangerous opponent.
"No," he murmured, eyes going slightly unfocused as he stared pointedly at a nondescript area of ground just in front of him. Len was staring at the same spot.
"Then what's wrong?" she asked carefully, unable to see what they were so intently watching.
"He wants to talk to you," Len murmured, pointing to the bare soil.
Before she could ask who he was talking about, a swirl of black mist rose from the ground, exploding into a whirlwind that died out almost instantly, leaving behind an enormous blue tiger. Inhaling sharply, she stepped back, eyeing the massive head that was level with her own. She nearly swore when it grinned.
"Guardian," he murmured respectfully, ducking his head slightly. "Can you contact the armor bearing one?"
Ritsuko stared at him blankly, eyes blanking slightly as she struggled to untangle the flowing language of the beast. She turned imploringly to Mouri.
Still shocked by the beast's sudden appearance, Mouri tripped over his own feet, choking on an expletive as he scooted further away from what he had believed to be a great cat sent to them by some sorcerer. The massive blue head swung in his direction, jaw cracking into a wider smile. After several moments of fighting his vocal cords, he responded shakily as best he could in a tongue that he could barely understand.
"Of which armor bearer speak you?" he stammered. "Taken, five have been."
"I speak of the Master of Life's Loyalties, the Descendant of the noble Shinji from times long past. He may call the staff from his current location with a little help. I ask that the Guardian relay a message for me, as I am unable to penetrate the astral plane."
As Mouri stared blankly, futilely trying to translate what he had just heard, Len glanced away from the enormous tiger and turned to Ritsuko.
"He wants you to send your staff to Anubis and relay a message to him."
Ritsuko jerked in shock, not having realized that the boy could speak the demon tongue, cursing under her breath when Shin nodded in agreement. Vera looked at them quizzically but remained silent, the knowing look on her face leading Ritsuko and several of the others to believe that she could speak the demon tongue as well. Several voices could be heard muttering throughout the group. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she nodded quickly, summoning her staff to hand.
"My thanks, Guardian," he murmured, ducking his head again. "Send him the staff and we shall begin." Shin quickly relayed the message, causing Mana to grumble louder. Mia patted her shoulder comfortingly but was completely ignored.
Chanting softly in her native language, she willed the staff to Anubis, swallowing uncertainly when a shadowy image of the golden staff remained in her trembling hands. Instantly, a misty apparition appeared beside the gargantuan blue tiger, a golden staff in hand and a mortified expression on the deathly pale face. He took one look at the tiger and scooted away from him, eyes straying quickly towards the phantom staff in Ritsuko's hands.
"I'm assuming you need something," Anubis muttered sarcastically, eyes narrowing unhappily as he looked at the blue tiger again. "You realize that the others probably think I'm dead. My body collapsed back in the astral plane, you know."
"I'd not have called you had I not needed your assistance," the tiger murmured, obsidian eyes unblinking. "I regret having to separate your soul from your body in such a fashion, but the need for your heritage is great."
Anubis blinked, brow furrowing as he desperately translated the words. He smiled gratefully when Shin acted as the tiger's translator and repeated the words in Japanese.
"What do you need?" he asked slowly, watching interestedly when Len translated his question into the demon tongue and making a mental note to ask Mieren why she had taught them that language.
"Use the staff to speak through the astral plane to your ancestor's homeland. Call to those born in nature who knew your ancestor. Tell them to go to Zairian's Ledge."
Anubis opened his mouth numbly, eyes turning slowly to look at something that the others could not see. He had to take several breaths before he could steady himself enough to do as asked, the golden staff in his hands flaring into copper flames as he spoke unsteadily through it. His eyes slowly grew wider as the responses to his query quickly grew to overwhelming numbers, all of them echoing one another. We're coming.
"They're coming," he said shakily, uncertain if he wanted a response.
"Good," the tiger purred softly, turning lightly and trotting towards the trees.
"Just one question," Anubis called suddenly, beginning to fade with the increasing distance between the tiger and his misty form. "Who did I just call?" Before Len could translate, the tiger paused, glancing over his shoulder with strangely knowing eyes that caused Anubis to wilt where he stood.
"The descendants of those who raised your ancestor, protected him. They cared for and respected him. They will serve your bloodline well," he murmured, vanishing in a burst of black mist before another word could be uttered. Without his presence, Anubis disappeared as well. The golden staff in his hands vanished in a flash of light, an echoing burst of illumination announcing the solidification of the true staff in Ritsuko's trembling hands.
Sage stood silently for several seconds, staring at the empty ground where his friend had stood. Finally, his temper got the better of him and he exploded.
"What in the hell is it with Zairian's Ledge?" he snapped, eyes flaring emerald in his blind rage. Mouri took a defensive step back. "Why are we sending everyone there? The cats and now an army of only God knows what!"
"It's a place of magical resonance, I think," the elfin sorcerer muttered, ducking behind Gau for safety when Sage stiffened angrily.
"Not quite," Ritsuko breathed, eyes drifting back to the ground in a futile wish for her husband to reappear. She knew that he would have reappeared by now if he had survived the encounter. Until this unholy battle was over, she had to keep her wits about her. She was no use as a simpering widow. She would grieve later.
"What do you mean?" Ella asked before her father could erupt again.
"It's wherever magical energies flow most powerfully through a dimension at any given point in time," Len responded carefully, eyes glued to the ground. His jaw clenched slightly when he finished, features tightening slowly as several seconds ticked on in silence. Vera and Shin moved to his side, eyes locked on the same patch of ground.
"But why are we sending everyone there?" Sage grumped unhappily. Several shrugs and blank looks circulated through the group, causing him to grumble louder.
"What are you looking at?" Gau asked suddenly, eyes flashing to a pale peridot as he strained to sense what the three ten-year-olds were studying so intently. Not sensing what they were so absorbed with, he could only wait patiently.
"A water elemental is following us," Shin murmured, placing one hand on the ground hesitantly. "But it won't speak to us."
"It's too strong to be an elemental," Len argued immediately. Vera shook her head slowly.
"It's not that," she mumbled, eyes fearful. "It's gone mad."
"Elementals can't go mad," Shin countered. "It's not possible."
"For the last time, it is NOT an elemental," Len spat, baring his teeth slightly in frustration. "And Vera's right. It is mad."
"Who cares what it is or isn't?" Ryo growled, pulling Shin and Len apart before they tackled one another. "Is it dangerous?" Shin glared at him angrily.
"Elementals are not aggressive unless provoked," he snapped. Len scowled.
"It's not an elemental! They're not that strong!"
"Does it matter?" Vera whimpered. "It's insane."
"Knock it off," Kayura growled, looking around worriedly. Her eyes occasionally flickered to the bare patch of ground the children were staring at. "While we have a few minutes reprieve, we need to decide what to do."
"Agreed," Mana said stiffly, laying one hand firmly on Len's shoulder. He looked up at her with hollow eyes. Mana's expression softened slightly when she saw the helplessness and fear on the youth's face. "Earlier, you said that Cye hadn't exactly lost. What did you mean by that? Where is he?"
"I'm not sure exactly," he murmured, looking to Shin for help. "I know that he was running from Lanfear just before his presence vanished altogether."
"What about Kento?" Ritsuko interrupted, picking up speed as she continued worriedly. "He's an elemental. He should be okay. Elementals c-can't die. They j-just reform when you hurt them, right?"
Shin swallowed roughly when Len made no move to answer, speaking hesitantly when Ritsuko's troubled gaze settled on him. "He kind of left before he was hurt. But I can't sense him anymore. I don't really know what happened to him."
"He left something, though," Len murmured, looking at the ground uncertainly.
"What?" Akira prompted when he didn't elaborate. Len made a face.
"I'm not sure," he muttered apologetically. "You see… uh… the thing under the ground…"
"The elemental," Shin grumbled.
"…kind of has it at the moment," Len finished, pretending he hadn't heard the irritated correction.
"And how do we get it back?" Gau asked testily, frowning angrily at the ground. "Uncle Kento wouldn't have left anything for us if it weren't important."
"Whoever's the strongest Water Master in the group should ask," Mouri suggested, earning himself a foul look from Len.
"It's not an elemental!"
"Then you ask it!" Shin spat.
"Fine," Len grumbled, sinking quickly into the ground and stopping abruptly when Vera caught his arm.
"Are you nuts?" she asked somewhat hysterically. "That thing is insane!"
"I'll go with him," Mouri said quickly, worried that they were wasting valuable time. He glanced to the ground nervously and prodded it with his mind, biting his lower lip when it didn't even ripple in response. Despite his efforts, he had never managed to control the elemental abilities bordering his own. Akira muttered something thankfully unintelligible and snapped the earth open with his mind, moving over to stand beside Mouri and Len.
"Shall we?" he asked in a strained voice, glancing at the young boy and the elfin sorcerer beside him.
Len nodded and dropped into the earth almost before Vera relinquished her death grip on his arm, Akira following in close pursuit with Mouri behind him in a summoned stone sphere. He erupted suddenly into the clearing Len had opened deep in the earth, making a note to himself to interrogate everyone of Mieren's bloodline about their elemental abilities. Squinting wildly, he grumbled something softly and summoned a small globe of fire to hand to illuminate the cavern, attaching it to a nearby wall. He gasped when his eyes landed on the entity only feet from Len.
Nearly eight feet high at the shoulder stood what appeared to be a horse consisting entirely of water, the silvery form shimmering eerily in the meager golden light. A single massive horn decorated the sleek forehead, extending over two feet in a gentle spiral before coming to a point. A flowing mane fell heavily along the neck, the almost silken strands reaching the surprisingly slender knees. Accenting tufts of would-be fur fell heavily around the glittering hooves. A matching tail swung gracefully behind the massive stallion, the fine point of a tip almost brushing the ground. Too-intelligent eyes shifted slightly to lock onto the golden flames banishing the darkness, narrowing scornfully. Akira blanched and stepped back, bumping into Mouri as he retreated, his eyes never leaving the tip of the massive horn.
Len broke the silence bluntly. "You have something that I want."
"That which was in the hands of the earth shall leave the possession of the neighboring powers only when taken by a power of the light which must not be swallowed by the eternal darkness of the realms."
"Did you catch that?" Akira asked numbly, straining his mind to understand the conversation and failing miserably.
"Not as such, no," Mouri mumbled, eyes wide at the complex sentence he had only minimally untangled in his mind.
A soft huffing resounded sharply through the cavern, the aquatic unicorn's eyes locked on them once more. Showing a great respect for the horn being leveled with them, they fell silent immediately.
"Very well," Len responded coolly, not bothered by the language shift in the slightest. "What would you have me do?"
"That which has been taken into the possession of the light will remain as such until he who is pure in the light claims that which is his," he responded in a soft baritone, returning his gaze to the young white-haired boy in front of him.
Len ground his teeth audibly, struggling not to scream. "Give it to me."
"Would that I allow you to take that which is not yours, you still are not of the proper light to take that which is in my possession."
"Then who?"
"He who is of the proper light to own that which must not be swallowed by the eternal darkness of the realms."
Opening his mouth to spit out something less than civil, Len advanced angrily, pulling up short just before pummeling the watery unicorn in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly in concentration and he spun on his toes and stalked over to where Akira and Mouri stood rigidly. Snagging Akira's hand, he started back.
"Come on," he growled, tightening his grip and applying more strength into pulling when Akira hesitated before following. "He says he wants someone of the proper light to take whatever it is he has. Since your father left it, I'm assuming you can take it without a problem."
"You sure about that?" Akira asked slowly, eyes darting towards the beast towering above him, the thing wearing what could only be called a smug look. Len didn't answer him, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the unicorn's clouded eyes.
"Give whatever you have to him," he said firmly, nodding his head towards the muscular figure attempting to hide behind him. "If Kento had it, then his son has a right to it as well."
Nearly opaque luminescent eyes blinked at him as if bored, but Len held his ground, matching the unicorn stare for stare. Several tense moments passed before he responded in a bemused voice.
"The earth master is of the proper light," he murmured, his softly echoing voice standing Akira's hair on end. "Extend your right arm, demon of the earth."
"Hold out your right hand," Len repeated.
"Why?" Akira asked suspiciously, trying to move behind Len again. The thing liked the kid, not him.
"He's going to give you whatever he has," Len responded testily, pushing Akira in front of him forcefully and jerking out the older man's arm roughly.
Still looking doubtful, Akira shook Len loose and held his arm out steadily. Before he could even blink, a cord of water shot out of the stone below him and wrapped around his extended arm, holding his arm in place from just behind his wrist up to his shoulder. Yelping in protest, he tried to pull free, succeeding only in slipping his feet in place on the dusty stone. Mouri rushed to his side, blazing with summoned fires as he struggled to force the water to relinquish its hold. His powers being far weaker than the watery unicorn's, he was unable to shift the liquid bonds.
Len glanced briefly at the unicorn and nodded, pulling Mouri away from Akira forcefully and holding him back while the elfin sorcerer stared at him with an utterly dumbfounded expression painting his delicate features, astonished that the boy was that strong.
"What are you doing?" he asked stiffly.
"Keeping you out of the way," Len responded calmly, placing a shield around his captive's mind leisurely. Mouri blinked at him, opening his mouth to try to pry some information out of the youth only to be cut off by Akira's horrified scream.
"Len! Tell him to stop!" he cried out, bucking furiously.
Golden flames shot up around him suddenly as he began slashing at the bonds wildly, the water not affected by his blows any more than the surrounding air. Whimpering loudly, he began straining to retract his arm from the unicorn's reach, the smooth tip of the long silvery horn pressed firmly against the back of his right wrist. Len watched with a fixed expression as the razor-like tip pierced the skin just behind Akira's wrist and continued to descend. Akira only grunted stiffly when the horn passed completely through his trapped arm, panting heavily as the massive equine head lowered slowly and steadily until its forehead rested against his arm. Blood trickled down his arm and the watery bonds, but neither the shimmering horn nor the sleek head was clouded by the crimson drops.
Len grunted softly with the effort of holding Mouri in place, the elf struggling fiercely enough to force him to tense his muscles seriously.
"Let me go!" Mouri spat, twisting again in the boy's firm grasp. "Your sister was right. That thing is mad. We have to get it away from Akira."
"This hurts, you know," Akira called out crossly, eyes never leaving the horn piercing his forearm just behind his right wrist. He inhaled sharply when the stallion began pulling back, blood flowing freely down Akira's arm as the long silver horn was slowly pulled free.
"Your bloodline is strong," he murmured, backing into the cave wall and melting into the stone. The last of his words echoed through the cave as he vanished completely from view. "You of the proper light must protect that which you have been given. Fall not to the eternal darkness of the realms, young demon of earth."
Len nodded to himself and released his grip on Mouri, who in turn slapped him and stormed over to Akira. The watery bonds dissolved almost instantly under his will alone, leaving Akira free to jerk his arm back and cradle it gingerly against his chest.
"You're as mad as that thing was," he spat, pressing a wadded fistful of his shirt against his wrist. He allowed Mouri to pull the cloth away to inspect the wound, glaring daggers at Len as he dissolved the woven globe of fire and began raising them towards the surface. Len was too busy staring at where the watery unicorn had been to notice the looks he was receiving, his eyes shifting slightly to follow the movement of the stallion as they neared the surface.
Daylight blinded them suddenly, Ella's worried voice greeting them before they were able to readjust their eyes to the brilliance.
"Did you get it?" she asked anxiously, biting off a curse upon getting a better view of her husband. "You're hurt! What happened down there? Gau!"
Upon hearing his name, Gau made a straight-line dash for Akira, knowing that if he didn't do something quickly, Ella was going to hurt him.
"There was something that looked like an elemental but spoke the demon tongue," Mouri began, waiting for the barrage of questions to begin. He blinked in shock when everyone waited silently for him to continue. Clearing his throat roughly, he continued. Gau was too busy fussing with Akira's arm to pay strict attention, the younger man's worried features quickly shifting to utter confusion and disbelief. "Strangely enough, since neither elemental or demon would dare try it, the thing took on the form of a unicorn meaning that it was either both or neither. Len spoke to it and asked for whatever it was that Kento left. It wouldn't give whatever it had to him, so Len told him to give it to Akira. Len held me back while it bound Akira with some sort of watery shackle and ran its horn through his arm. It disappeared immediately afterwards."
Several dark looks were leveled with Len as he conferred quietly with Shin and Vera, none of which seemed to care or even notice that they had become the center of attention. Akira and Gau were too busy arguing softly to notice any of the glares circulating through the group. Gau's frustrated voice broke the silence a moment later.
"Damn it, Akira! I don't know what you're bitching about! There's not so much as a scratch on you!"
"The hell there isn't!" Akira retorted angrily. "Then why am I bleeding?"
"How should I know? You're not hurt!"
"He's right, Akira," Vera called out suddenly, turning her dark eyes on the two men arguing loudly. "You're not bleeding. You're just bloody. There's a difference."
"What do you mean 'just bloody'?" Mouri asked slowly. "I saw what happened. There's no way his arm can be okay."
"If he had wanted to hurt you, he would have. The hole was gone the moment the horn was pulled free," Len called over his shoulder, returning to his conversation with Shin. After a moment, Vera joined her brother, occasionally gesturing slightly or huffing angrily. She paused to glance around and wave towards Katari and Ryoko, both of which quickly trotted over to join the discussion. He blinked, hesitating on relaying the last thing he had heard, deciding not to block the message. "Zairian sends his regards."
Akira stared at the group of children for a moment with a flatly disbelieving expression, grumbling something under his breath that caused Gau to elbow him sharply. Inventing a few slightly more imaginative phrases than those he had just been using, he extended his arm towards Mouri speculatively, watching Gau redden slightly.
Mouri threw him a look that could have cut steel before summoning a small plume of water to clean the crimson streaks off of Akira's arm. Ritsuko pushed him aside when he suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening and jaw hanging slack. Her features froze in shock, face paling to match Akira's unnaturally pallid complexion.
Set in the back of Akira's arm just behind his wrist was Kento's armor orb, glowing with an unnatural golden tinge. Delicate gold threads extended from the glittering sphere, curling around his arm like tiny intertwining vines. The swirling pattern extended onto the back of his hand and down the back of his fingers, ending just beyond his elbow in a ring composed of the ends of the twisting vines in an almost Celtic pattern.
Eyes disbelieving, he ran the tips of his fingers along the pattern and across the orb, turning questioning eyes to Mouri for an explanation. When the elfin sorcerer only shrugged helplessly, he moved woodenly towards Ryo and Sage, Ella and Ritsuko trailing him protectively. Gau peeked over his friend's shoulder while Sage prodded the orb gingerly, as though afraid it might break. After a moment, he shook his head slowly.
"I don't know what to say," he murmured uncertainly. "I can't even sense that the orb is in your arm despite the fact that I'm staring at it."
Ryo lowered his head slightly to get a better look at the orb, Kayura and Mia peering over his shoulders. Suddenly struck by a thought, he prodded the golden sphere gently with the tip of one finger, sending a small spark of ruby flames across the globe.
"Can you feel that?" he asked slowly, jerking back when the vines along Akira's arm suddenly flared gold.
"Yes," Akira replied testily. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to set my arm on fire."
"Quit complaining," Len called out loudly. "We got what we were after. Now see if you can use the thing. It was fused into the back of your arm for a reason."
"Fused?" Akira repeated numbly. Taking a deep breath to keep from killing Len, not that he was sure he'd be able to if he tried, he looked to Ryo and Sage once more. "And how am I supposed to use it?"
"Just try the usual song and dance," Ryo suggested, shrugging slightly.
"Uh, yeah," Akira said somewhat unsteadily, staring numbly at the softly pulsing golden orb behind his wrist. "Armor of Hardrock. Dao Gi."
A cluster of people quickly formed around Akira expectantly. The armor, however, decided to disappoint them, only flowing from the armor orb like so much molten gold to cover his hand and forearm, stopping just short of his elbow.
"Oh, yeah, that's going to be helpful in battle," he grumped sarcastically.
Mana opened her mouth to ask him about a hunch when she was suddenly distracted, her voice catching in her throat when Shin's startled squall rang through the air suddenly. Len's irritated command followed immediately afterward.
"I told you to hold still, Shin!"
"You should have told me it was going to burn like that!"
"I did! Besides, you can't justify yelping like that when Vera didn't even utter a squeak of protest."
"That's because my vocal cords weren't working at that particular moment," Vera murmured in Shin's defense. Len only huffed angrily, unaware that they had just gained the attention of every person not already in their small group.
"I don't see you doing that to yourself," Shin spat angrily.
"You already know the reason for that. Vera insisted that she claim the powers of our bloodline. She said that she was stronger in that particular matter and I agree with her," Len muttered, temper slowly abating. Realization suddenly dawned on him and he turned slowly, the blood slowly draining from his face as he raised guilty jade eyes to meet his audience. "Um, hi."
"What did you just do?" Mana asked softly, the edges of her temper burning at the edge of her trembling voice. Len swallowed nervously and edged back ever so slightly.
"Prepared a counterattack?" he offered meekly, nervous smile quickly fading away under his sister-in-law's furious glare. Mana drew breath to demand a response when a flash of silver from Shin's direction stopped her short. Slowly, fearfully, she shifted her gaze to stare at the younger of her two sons, Shin quickly folding his arms in a defensive manner.
"Len," she began angrily, stopping thickly when Akira brushed past her stiffly and jerked Shin's right arm out into view. Set in the back of his arm just behind his wrist was a crystal orb, pulsing softly with a fading turquoise light that had once been the reigning color of the Armor of Torrent. Wrapped around his arm was the image of a heavily ridged silver dragon, its head resting on the back of Shin's hand and the long barbed tail wrapping around his upper arm, tip brushing his shoulder. Nodding almost to himself, Akira turned to face Vera.
"And you?" he asked stiffly.
Vera drew herself up importantly, holding out her right arm almost defiantly. Set behind her wrist was the deep blue orb of the Armor of Strata. The coloration continued to deepen as she held her arm steady, darkening into a blue that was nearly black, flecks of silver and opal glittering innocently against the deep navy field. Around her arm in a delicately swirling pattern were flashes of various shades of blues, accented with the occasional streak of silver, pearl and obsidian.
"Where did you even get those?" Mouri asked tersely. Len smirked.
"Someone left them as ornaments on the TV." Several people smacked Ryo in the back of the head.
Hissing angrily, Sage pushed past them and seized Katari's arm, his features slowly relaxing as he gained a clear view of his daughter's smooth wrist. Before anyone could ask, both Ryoko and Len held up their hands to show the absence of brilliantly colored armor orbs.
"And what exactly was the point of doing that, anyway?" Akira growled, eyes tight with poorly concealed fury. "They don't even work!"
As if to prove him wrong, Vera held her arm out tentatively and clapped her left hand over the globe set in her arm, eyes flashing navy as she strained to control the armor. Instantly, molten metal flowed from beneath her hand and coated her right arm up to her shoulder in a sleek layer that looked something like a second skin. Searching streams of metal continued to swirl around her, forming quickly into a darker version of the subarmor of Strata, the white sections of the armor appearing as the deepest obsidian and silver accenting the deep navy coloration in almost delicate swirls. All in all, the appearance of the subarmor was breathtaking, accenting Vera's dark hair and sharp cheekbones to give her a graceful, and almost murderous, appearance.
Shin followed suit quickly just to prove that he could, the sleek subarmor appearing around him in a matter of a few heartbeats. Where the coloration had once been a perfect sea blue and white, silver shone brightly in an almost scaled appearance, pale echoes of ridges and spikes decorating his back and arms. Akira made a face.
"Now I just feel stupid," he grumped, glaring daggers at the white and gold armor that stopped abruptly at his elbow.
"Fused," Mana said suddenly, remembering what she had been going to ask earlier before being interrupted. "Len said the orb was fused into the back of your arm. Before, it had been an independent object, the base point of a spell, right?" she asked, looking to Mouri curiously and receiving a slow, thoughtful nod. She pursed her lips slightly before continuing. "Then that would mean that the words used to summon the armor were a type of simple spell. One that would now be useless since the armor orb is now set in your arm."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Akira asked slowly.
"Your willpower alone should be enough to activate it," she answered in a voice strangely devoid of emotion, eyes shifting to her son. "Right, Shin?"
"Indeed," he murmured, staring intently at the sleek plates of almost molten silver covering him, eyes troubled.
Still muttering darkly under his breath, Akira did as instructed, willing the armor to do something. The answering flash of heat nearly unhinged him, molten armor flooding over him to form his subarmor almost instantly. Like the other two subarmors present, his was strangely sleek and tight fitting, almost like a second skin of molten gold set on a pearly white. Akira's eyes widened in shock and confusion almost instantly, his gaze darting over to Vera and Shin. His expectant eyes quickly spotted the uneasiness and bewilderment painting their faces.
"You feel it too," he said simply, not needing to see their answering nods.
"Feel what?" Ella asked thickly, placing one trembling hand on her husband's tensed shoulder.
"I don't know."
"Len, what did you do to the armor?" Gau asked quickly, kneeling down beside Vera worriedly when she continued to stare into space with a blank look plaguing her young features.
"I only set the orbs in their wrists. It shouldn't be doing anything like this," he said defensively, curiously prodding Shin, who seemed to be too busy studying his armor to notice.
"Let's look at this logically," Ritsuko said softly, turning to Akira. "What do you feel exactly?" He shook his head jerkily.
"It feels almost like it's speaking to me. I can hear something in the back of my mind telling me that my armor can do more." A thought not his own appeared in his head suddenly, not by means of telepathy or magic. It was simply there.
-That is because it can, young earth master.-
Akira jumped, eyes wide and face paling. "Impossible. The earth elemental is gone, isn't it? I mean, didn't it disappear when it saved my dad?"
"What did you just hear?" Ryo demanded. "What are you talking about?"
"The earth elemental," Ryoko muttered, dark eyes glazing slightly. "He's really far from here, though. There are several dimensions between us, at the very least. I can barely sense him at all."
"Mouri," Shin asked suddenly. "How many elementals are there? How many have physical forms?"
"There are ten types of elementals, but I don't know how many of each kind are out roaming the dimensions. And they all have physical forms whenever they choose," he answered uncertainly, paling slightly. "A water elemental is in this dimension. You can sense him, can't you?" Shin nodded.
"Vera?" Nasuti asked quickly, kneeling down beside her husband at the girl's side. "It's just an air elemental. It's okay."
"It's not that," she murmured, the blood draining from her face. "We've stayed in one place for too long. He just told me that we're trapped."
"That's what the water elemental just said too," Shin said, voice growing hysterical. "And I was right, Len. That thing was a water elemental."
"Damn it!" Akira snapped suddenly, eyes flaring with a preternatural golden light. "I knew you were around here somewhere, Dad! I don't know why you're hiding, but it's pointless! I know where you are!"
-Then you'll know enough to leave me alone, Akira. I'm busy.-
"Shit," Akira snarled, features degenerating into a vicious scowl.
"Well?" Ritsuko asked, eyes worried.
"He's okay, but he says he's busy doing something and that we should leave him alone," he spat, glaring daggers at the ground.
"We have more pressing matters to attend to," Mouri reminded them sharply.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to come around to that," a soft voice chuckled emotionlessly. "I swear, one little distraction and you're dead to the world around you."
Vera was the first to spin and launch herself at the source of Lanfear's voice, shifting to dragon form before she had fully pivoted. The deep blue armor around her swirled only minimally, shifting smoothly along with her skin to form what appeared to be a shaded set of metallic scales atop her usual thick hide. Taken aback by the unexpected armoring, Lanfear stumbled slightly and lost her perch in the upper limbs of the tree where she had been hiding. She hadn't fallen more than a few feet before unleashing an attack of her own, the misty blast colliding fully with Vera's exposed stomach as the girl continued to rise into the air. Her scream echoed through the dimension for an instant, her slender form dissipating into nothingness.
Lanfear had barely landed on the ground before a barreling silver projectile slammed into her side, sending her crashing through the nearest tree. Shin continued the assault viciously, not allowing their combatant the few vital moments she needed to gather her wits and regain her feet. Without thinking, he reverted to a more feral form, strangely glittering wings and sinuous tail extending behind him as he shifted abruptly into dragon form, vibrant silvery armor covering him like a second set of scales.
Roaring angrily, Akira leapt forward to enter the fray, stopping short when Len casually pushed him off balance as he passed, knocking him unceremoniously to the ground. He tried to regain his feet with no hope of success, Len keeping him, and all of the others who attempted to move towards the battle, pinned firmly to the ground with his willpower alone.
"What are you doing?" Sage spat, writhing more violently as his icy eyes roved across the whirlwind of fangs and claws in front of him, Lanfear having adopted her dragon form to match Shin. "Damn it, Len! Let us up!"
"I do only that which needs to be done," he murmured, eyes slowly fading out of focus. "You have not the power needed to engage in this battle, little brother."
"Ah shit," Ryo yelled furiously, continuing to buck against energies that neither he nor his friends could see. "This is all we need! Len, snap out of it!"
"The water master, the young dragon, needs no help from those who have no notable powers in this, or any other, realm," Len whispered, blank green eyes lowering to the ground. He seemed oblivious to the battle raging only a few paces beyond him, Shin and Lanfear matching each other blow for blow, the latter not having the time she needed to gather her powers. Instead of moving to help his nephew and quite possibly his best friend, Len only lowered himself to hands and knees, palms flattened to the ground. "Rise, noble warrior."
The reaction to this simple statement was instantaneous and terrifying. The ground below Shin and Lanfear erupted in a geyser of what appeared to be thick, mostly coagulated blood, semi-solid cords and streamers lashing out like barbed whips towards Lanfear's already bloody form. A pain-racked scream rang through the dusty air, flashes of fog shooting towards the pillar of congealed blood instinctively in retaliation. Time seemed to stand still as the tendrils of blood froze and went limp, falling to the ground as holes formed in the column around the foggy projectiles. The pillar slumped to the ground almost instantly, splashing outward in a great wave that froze at the apex of its burst. Len looked numbly to the unmoving crimson wave, the iridescent jade of his clouded eyes shifting to a pearly white as he spoke again over Lanfear's pained panting.
"Not yet, young servant. Your opponent still stands."
"What is that thing, boy? What did you summon? That is not an elemental!"
An answering voice rose out of the air and echoed around them in something beyond a baritone. "I am neither of the light nor the dark. I am that which I wish to be. And young one, heed well the setting sun."
Len rose smoothly to his feet, head swiveling towards the crimson and indigo streaks in the western sky announcing the setting of the sun. Shin nodded slightly in his direction as he resumed his attack, falling back obediently at some unseen signal.
The motionless wave of blood suddenly drew violently in on itself, rushing into a perfect sphere before reforming into a crimson unicorn, obsidian eyes flashing eerily in the meager light of the setting sun. Lanfear jerked away, summoning several tendrils of fog immediately but continuing to back away slowly. She hissed and leapt away fearfully when the hooves, mane and tail darkened to the same unnatural onyx, the unicorn still advancing slowly. Over a dozen ropes of fog lashed out towards the figure of blood, holes forming and closing around the whips as they passed through it. Screaming in frustration, Lanfear levied another attack, her entire being flaring white as she collected and unleashed the culmination of her powers.
An answering white flash erupted from within the bloody unicorn. The crimson and onyx coloration reverted into the purest crystalline, the watery form losing shape and soaking lifelessly into the earth. The moment the water splashed onto the cold ground, a shock wave of pure energy exploded from where the unicorn had stood, knocking everyone free of Len's mind control and throwing them several hundred yards from where they had lain. Only Len and Shin seemed unaffected by the blast, remaining emotionless and unmoving. Lanfear steeled herself, managing to remain upright throughout the blast but skidding backwards several paces despite her efforts. She was advancing again before the last ripples of the blast had faded from the air.
"You were lucky, boy," she snarled. "That thing could have killed all of you."
"It wouldn't have hurt us," Shin murmured, abandoning Len's side to match her advance while the others regained their feet.
"No?" she asked silkily, pausing arrogantly. When Shin's eyes narrowed suspiciously, she continued. "Then what is it doing now?"
Eyes wide with disbelief, Shin turned to a horrible sight. Ryo, Sage and Kayura thrashed uselessly against shackles of shimmering crystal, the silvery unicorn standing unconcerned between them. Gau, Ella and Nasuti led the fiercest attacks against the crystalline beast, Akira straining to use his armor to amplify his powers. Their efforts proved to be utterly useless, the watery unicorn seeming impervious to their blows.
Shin remained rooted where he stood, torn between the decision to help his friends or continue fighting. Growling under his breath and praying that his friends could manage without him, he swung around to face Lanfear just in time to see several cords of fog descending on him at a terrifying rate.
"Coward!" he shrieked, leaping backwards frantically to evade the deadly whips. "Attacking from behind!" Despite herself, Lanfear flinched, one hand twitching towards her heart and a small white scar she and Mieren both still carried on their chests and backs alike.
"You were a fool to turn you back on me," she countered, regaining her steely composure almost instantly. Her lips curved upwards in a malicious smile. "And a fool to unleash such a creature on your friends. Oh, how they suffer."
Shin's eyes instinctively darted towards the unicorn, flashes of onyx beginning to appear and swirl through the once crystalline form. Tendrils of black fog extended in almost every direction from the ever-darkening creature, several of them interweaving to form the beginnings of an interdimensional gateway only a matter of inches from Ryo and Kayura. Akira lay several paces beyond them, silent and unmoving. Even unconscious, he was curled protectively around Ella, who lay bloodied and still beneath him. Sage had partially managed to free himself with Gau's assistance, but still remained bound by almost a half a dozen cords that continued to pull him inch by inch to stand by the forming gateway. Everyone else stood back helplessly as Mouri fought to reason with what appeared to be an elemental, his efforts yielding no results. For the first time since the shock wave, Shin noticed that they were screaming for Len's help.
Len seemed deaf to their cries, his eyes locked on the last traces of sunlight as the sun disappeared from sight. Without warning or apparent reason, he fell to his knees shrieking, arms curled around his abdomen fiercely. Slowly, painfully, he tore his arms from around his midsection and pressed his palms forcefully to his forehead, his cries growing increasingly desperate. Shin twitched guiltily, wishing he could do something.
Too late this time, Shin returned his gaze to his opponent, his scream rising in pitch and volume to match Len's pained howls. He lowered his head slowly, eyes glazing as they fastened on the twin cords of fog passing cleanly through his chest. The world around him seemed to darken and fade to blackness as his heart beat painfully, defiantly, in his chest. The last thing he heard were the cries from his mother and friends as the world around him faded into nothingness.
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To Be Continued…
Seriously guys, review! I spent forever on this trying to keep the saga going after getting a few pleading requests. Show me that you appreciate my efforts. R&R! I swear that I'll abandon this fic if I get no reviews at all. I work 80 hour weeks and I want to know that at least my efforts are appreciated as I give up hours of sleep (getting about 4 a day now) to get this out. -Please- R&R!