Disclaimer: I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.
Finally – chapter five is finished! I have to say that this was by far the hardest chapter to write for the story so far. Admittedly though, one of the things of the things that I said in the ending notes for the last chapter didn't turn out to be true: first off, not all of the secrets are revealed here. This is due to the fact that this chapter somehow turned out much longer than I had expected – 20 Microsoft Word pages to be exact, so I didn't go quite as far as I had originally planned to. Since this is a rather intimidating amount of words, I have divided the chapter into 3 parts to make it easier to read. Well, in any case, enjoy!
Chapter Five:
Part One – The Dark Sapphire
"Oomph!" Lolo moaned at the sting as her face hit against the cold, grimy floor. The young Priestess just laid there helplessly – dizzy and disoriented from their uncomfortable ride. She winced as she felt Theo's hand smack the back of her head, him being poured out of the tilted cage almost directly on top of her. He groaned painfully only for a moment, before all at once jumping up as suddenly as he had fallen.
"No! – Wait!" Panic grasping him as the situation set in, Theo made a blind dash for the door they had been carried through.
But he was just a bit too late – he reached the bars just as the puppets clicked the door shut from the outside. A growl rumbled in his throat, though all that he could do was watch with his face pressed against the bars as the soulless creatures scurried down the hallway – Ussannis presumably calling his back toys. With a cry of rage, Theo banged his left foot hard against the steel poles, spitting out angry curses. Lolo stared blankly, her pulse still pounding.
After a few more moments of kicking and hissing, Theo's strength gave way to depressive weariness, and he rested his head dejectedly against the locked door, silence falling over him like a dark cloud.
Lolo, now finally beginning to recover from the shock, slowly approached the pathetic creature and laid a concerned, gentle hand on his back, trying to make sure that he was all right. His fur was damp with sweat and she could full his hot skin even through his coat. "Theo…?"
At first there was no response, but eventually he slowly turned his eyes toward her and let out a regretful moan. "Damn it…" He backed up from the useless exit and plopped to a set on the dirty floor, almost in a collapse. Lolo slowly kneeled down and sat next to him, eyeing the disgusting ground distastefully.
After a few more moments he seemed to calm down a bit. Assuming that he was okay, Lolo took to gazing about the room they were held in more closely.
It was definitely a cell. The walls were made of stone just like the floor, and they were covered in dust, mold, and who knew what else – including a dark red stain that looked like blood in one corner. She shivered. The only place that had actual bars was the door – all the other borders were solid. She began to feel a bit claustrophobic, but that was the least of their worries right now.
"What do you think Ussannis wants us for…?" She asked reluctantly, or rather, more like her thoughts escaped her lips. But her companion just shook his head. "How would I know!" He snapped, his breath coming heavily with his stress. For a moment it looked as if he was about to go pound on the door again, but in the end he just put his head in his hands despairingly. "Some fine predicament this is…"
"I wonder if he sent the puppets after the other's as well?" Lolo continued to wonder out loud, turning to her companion. "I hope they're safe…" Theo shuffled backwards, nearing the wall to use it for a backrest – they were probably going to be there a while. "There's was more of them back at camp – even if they were attacked, they may have been able to fight off the puppets." She nodded with a sigh, praying for all of them to be all right – the group didn't need anymore tragedies.
But what of her and Theo now? What was Ussannis going to do with them – was their mission going to end in the same way it had for Marris?
Marris… She had completely forgotten about him…and the fact that she was with the person that was the leading suspect in his murder.
"Theo…can I ask you something?" He nodded. "What?"
"Who do you think killed Marris?" Perhaps it was an odd time to ask such a question, but she had to get it off her chest – to rid herself of that nagging worry. She tried to catch his eyes – hoping to read his expression for the answer to his innocence, but he quickly turned away without further response. Her eyes widened. "It wasn't you, was it?" She asked in alarm, slightly taken aback by his un-willingness to answer the question. "No! Of course not!" She immediately regretted her sharp reaction when she heard the hurt in his voice. "But then, who do you think…?"
Still no answer. She gazed at him questioningly. "Fine! If you really want to know, then I think, no, I know that it was Klonoa!" Fury and discomfort blazed in his eyes as he spoke the name. Lolo felt a pain stab her heart. She almost immediately knew that Theo was right.
Her eyes threatened to water again. Somehow, amidst the confusion of being captured, she had almost forgotten about the Dream Traveler and all his lies. She still couldn't believe it… For years she had thought of him as her best friend, but in the end it turned out that she'd been used all along… She recalled Klonoa's reaction after the murder. Yes, it had to have been him. He'd been quick to accuse Theo – almost too quick. A shiver crept down her spine as she remembered the look in his eyes. … – What an evil person he turned out to be!
Lolo felt empty inside – far too hollow to be angry. She'd failed incredibly during the entire mission, and her most trusted friend had turned out to be a deceptive killer. A miserably sigh escaped her mouth.
And now here she was, held captive by the very enemy she had set out to help defeat…probably waiting to be executed in who knows what sort of horrible way. She really was a failure – a failure and a fool! And more than anyone, she'd let herself down.
"Lolo, are you all right?" She looked up in surprise, feeling a reassuring touch on her shoulder. "Huh? Oh…yes…I'm fine." He gave her a look full of concern, but her own mind was still playing over the past.
"Wait!" She suddenly cried out unexpectedly, a realization hitting her as she went over the preceding events. "You knew that it was Klonoa that had killed Marris all along, didn't you? You knew what he was really like right from the beginning – from before you even got on the ferry! That's why you always acted so strangely around him!" Theo gazed at her in surprise. "Why didn't you say something?" She asked accusingly. It took him a moment to answer.
"He…he would have killed us all Lolo! You saw what kind of power he has!" She recalled the strength that Klonoa had demonstrated during their first fight with some of Ussannis' puppets, before Theo had joined the group. Yes, he would have killed them all, and had no problems doing it. But if he knew, then why did Theo? "I don't understand!" She protested. "You still wanted to go on the boat with us when you knew we were traveling with a murderer? And you said you wanted to join the group, but why, if you knew… – what were you trying to do? It has something to do with him, doesn't it?"
He nodded reluctantly, trying to decide how much he should tell her. "I..I was trying to stop him… I still am…"
"Stop him! Stop him from what?" A chill crept up Lolo's spine as she realized that she actually didn't know why Klonoa had come on this quest at all – no one would have been able to make him. Was he planning something? – What motive could he possibly have for coming on this miserable journey? It was a terrifying unknown.
Theo remained silent. "Well?" She pressed.
Just as he was about to speak, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall toward them. The two both turned to look just as four more of Ussannis' monsters came into view, the fairy modules again.
The puppets un-bolted the creaky door and held it open a crack, two of them squeezing in through the opening. Lolo and Theo backed up against the wall fearfully, unsure what Ussannis' servants wanted.
Theo found himself instinctively reaching toward his waist – where a belt would be if he were wearing one, but all he felt was his damp fur. Of course! For a moment he had forgotten once again that he had no weapon. Damn! – If he had been with a sword, he probably would have been able to fight off the soul-less creatures quite easily, and then escape through the un-locked door, but…
The two puppets approached slowly toward their captives, un-intelligible hisses forming in their throats. Both of the frightened prisoners watched their attackers' fingernails morph into sharp razors as they reached out for them.
With a different sort of growl, Theo raked his own claws over the face of one of Ussannis' toys. But it was to no avail – the spirit-less monster could feel no pain. The thing lunged forward and gripped both of white creatures' shoulders, holding him in its grasp as he snarled an angry yell.
Lolo turned to flee in a panic, but she didn't get more than a few steps before the second puppet pulled her back with its arms around her stomach. She let out a frightened scream, though knowing full well that no one was there to come to their rescue.
Both of the captives were dragged out of the cell, the creeping hands of the remaining two puppets grasping them as well as they were carried past the door that the monsters had previously been guarding.
Lolo could hardly walk with the hands of those things all over her, but she tried to retain as much dignity as she could – though it was difficult with her face covered in dust and her hair sticking out at all sorts of awkward angles.
Her eyes gazed around at the halls they were traversing through. Mostly, the passage looked like the inside of the cell her and Theo had been held in, but with a few fancy, yet oddly out of place, stained-glass windows placed in the walls – letting in an ethereal sort of light, and giving the place a haunting chill.
Ussannis hadn't built this place. It had been here since Lunatea's ancient times – probably used for rituals, and as a prison for the "un-holy". It had been long since abandoned however, as the older, more barbaric ways began to fade into the pages of history books. Ussannis had merely been quick to snatch the opportunity for such an intimidating base.
Lolo spared a glance back at Theo, he didn't look any better off than her. He stared vacantly ahead as his feet stumbled along with those of his offenders, a miserable look on his downcast face. For a moment, he noticed Lolo looking back at him and lifted his head to return her gaze. But the movement caused him to lose pace, and Lolo cringed as her companion let out a quick gasp and fell flat on his face – being lugged along the floor by the puppets before being painfully yanked up by his arms.
Lolo looked away, feeling bad. She kept her eyes to herself and her surroundings for the rest of the desolate walk.
The intricate, wooden door they eventually came to towered above the group at the height of about a small building. Lolo's heart beat a mile a minute as she gazed up at the daunting structure, the monsters having stopped moving.
One of the creatures that had been keeping hold on Theo suddenly let go carefully, walking up to the door. Using its un-natural strength, it slowly pushed both sides of the tall, creaky entrance open easily. It then walked back to Theo, and they took their captives forward.
Lolo felt like she was walking to the guillotine as she was marched through the shadowy opening. Her heart was cold and heavy, but she had no choice but to go on. Will I ever walk back through these doors again? Or will this dark room be the last place I'll ever set foot in? She wondered desolately.
The passage eventually led to a single large room, with delicate glass designs on both the floor and the ceiling, aside from just the windows on the wall. The space was shaped like a circle, and on the end directly in front of her, Lolo caught site of a cloaked silhouette sitting in a large, stone chair – a relic that was covered in detailed engravings.
Though the figures' identity could not be made out in the darkness, she knew who it was instantly.
After a few silent moments, the strange creature stepped down from his resting place and walked slowly up to his prisoners. Despite the covering, Lolo could now see that the person approaching her looked somewhat like a large coyote, but with a slightly more human-looking face. He had gold markings winding their way throughout his body, adding contrast to his long, gray fur. Especially odd designs covered his face, almost making it seem as if he was wearing some sort of glasses or a mask. And a large, deep blue stone was set into a pendent around his neck. He looked to be about middle-aged, but in reality, he didn't appear all that threatening – despite the nasty sneer on his face.
"Ussannis!" Theo spat in anger, trying to wriggle free from the monsters' grasp. The magician looked over his captives and stepped back a moment, giving them one last discerning gaze. Lolo startled as sudden, un-expected laughter split the silence in the hall. The laugh was casual, but had a strange, self-pitying tone to it. The two prisoners stared at their enemy in surprise.
Ussannis put a hand to his forehead in frustration, bending over exhaustedly and over-dramatically. "Worth-less things they are…" With a snap of his fingers, the magician sent his soul-less slaves to oblivion – their un-natural forms dissipating as they vanished without so much as a flinch. "Well, so much for all my hard work…a waste of energy indeed."
Free from the puppets, Theo charged forward instantly – claws un-seethed. Ussannis expected as much. With a defensive raise of a hand, the opposing white creature found himself crashing head-long into a solid barrier created by the magician's magic. Theo fell backwards with a thud.
"Nice try kid. Surely you didn't think I'd be that much of a push-over, now, did you?" The magician shook his head as he took a few steps closer again. "So, you two are all my puppets captured, huh? Pity. I put so much of what's left of my strength into those modules, but what good did it do me? They couldn't even accomplish one simple little task."
"And what might that have been?" Asked Lolo, speaking up for the first time. She tried her best to sound calm.
Ussannis smiled. "The Dream Traveler. That's who they were after. They were supposed to bring him to me so I could force him to help me with my gem." He put his hand over the dark, azure stone that rested on his chest. "There is a limit to my powers, you see? But, if I could harness this stone properly, I could be invincible. The catch is that I can't use it alone – I need him to awaken it for me!" The magician hung his head slightly. "But now what? I used up most of what remains of my magic to create those damn puppets, and I still don't have the Dream Traveler in my control – hence my sapphire is still useless to me. I'm in a bit of a dilemma now, aren't I?" He ended his rant in a sigh.
"What? …But…it doesn't even work like that!" Theo spat out. "You will never be able to control the stone! Even if he was to awaken it for you, you still wouldn't be able to harness its power – only he could! The magic of the Dark Sapphire will only respond to the Dream Traveler alone!"
"Nonsense. I'm quite skilled. I'm sure that I could work my spell over it. I have just as much magic left as what he has ever had." Ussannis voiced was unfazed.
Theo shook his head. "You're wrong! You don't understand! If you have him end its dormant state, it will still be useless to you! He will be able to use it though – and he will – against you! He will take everything you have! …Including you life."
Ussannis just giggled again, in a strange, creepy sort of way. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you sound concerned for me! No need to worry though. I'm a perfectly capable adult, I know what I'm doing just fine." He spoke as if he were talking to a pre-school child.
"No! You don't! Keep it away from him!" Theo insisted desperately. Lolo was deeply confused as she struggled to follow along with their conversation. A 'Dark Sapphire'? Wait! Hadn't the High Priestess and Friedole mentioned something like that a long time ago? She recalled them talking about it, a few days before the trip. That was that magic gem that only Klonoa could use, wasn't it?
A sinking feeling hit Lolo in the stomach. Klonoa. No one had been worried about the stone before – for everyone had assumed that he would never use the evil thing. But they had been wrong…hadn't they? Klonoa was not who he had appeared to be. Power – that must be what he was after! That was his motive! Theo was right, she realized – Klonoa was after the sapphire!
"Now, now. Don't fret, I'm sure I will find a way to take advantage of the stone – I just need to have him…start it for me." Ussannis still sounded as collected as ever.
"You just don't get it! The sapphire will work only for him – he'll gladly let you lead him right too it! – It's what he's wanted all along! And if he does get hold of it, he'll kill us all!" Theo cried out despairingly.
Now Ussannis looked slightly annoyed, his face wrinkling in an ugly fashion. "You're quite the imaginative little liar, aren't you? But now I've had enough of this!" He snapped his fingers again, and this time another four puppet-guards came running to the doorway. "I'll have you kept here with me as hostages, I can use you to make sure the Dream Traveler co-operates when he and the others get here. For I'm well aware that they're on their way – I have scouts all up the mountainside. They must think pretty well of themselves – being able to walk right up, practically to my front door, without encountering any resistance what so ever. Little do they know what awaits them inside!" The deranged magician chuckled wickedly to himself.
At his order, the puppet-guards took hold of Lolo and Theo and dragged the struggling captives down a small passage that began at the other end of the room, obscured behind Ussannis' stone chair. They had been walking only a few feet before they dead-ended at a tiny cell, barely big enough for the both of them to fit in.
Of course, the life-less monsters took no notice of this, and the two were roughly shoved inside the small space. Ussannis puppets bolted the latch, but stayed nearby to the door – as if awaiting some order from Ussannis – the tip of his cloaked head still barely visible over the back of his chair.
They were caged once more.
Part Two – Darkness AwakenedTheo's mind whirled in a mixture of panic and depression – he had failed to convince Ussannis.
Did I react in the right way? He questioned himself. Perhaps I should have told him about my ability to awaken the sapphire, and then lie to him and say that I would help him use it if he gave it to me… But…he wouldn't have believed me, would he? And if I had tried to explain how it's possible, both he and Lolo would have assumed that I was lying anyway. …Aside from that, I'm sure he would never have trusted me if I told him I'd work with him either – I mean, what motives would I have?
Both him and Lolo sat quietly, lost in thought. Not that they had much choice – the roof was only about a foot over their heads – they wouldn't have been able to stand up completely even if they had wanted to. They also were awkwardly close together – for the cell they were in now was hardly bigger than the cage they had been carried in before. The tiny room quickly grew uncomfortably hot as well, warmed by their breath and body heat, but Lolo ignored all this as she pondered further over the conversation that had just taken place.
They were sure in a bad situation, weren't they? They were to be used as a ransom to make sure Klonoa obeyed Ussannis' orders – but he didn't care about what happened to them – Ussannis' threats wouldn't stop him! She could only pray that the magicians' demands for their safety didn't differ from the Dream Traveler's convenience – for what would Ussannis have done with them then?
A small sting echoed in her heart. Despite it all, she couldn't quite suppress the small hope that perhaps it hadn't all been an act. That maybe, somewhere deep down, Klonoa really did care a bit for her. After all, they had been through so much – would he really let Ussannis kill her?
She felt a tear run down her face. Even through her anger, some of her old feelings for him still lingered, as hard as she had tried to push them away. Her mind just couldn't comprehend it all!
Her thoughts returned to what Theo had said. Was Klonoa really planning to dispose of them all after himself he got a hold of the stone? If that was true, then there was obviously no hope of him caring a thing about her. She was just being foolish…
Nevertheless, some part of her still couldn't picture him as a murderer – even though her logic knew she might well end up dieing at his hand. What a pitiful creature she was…
Any strength she had left was suddenly gone, and once again, she felt her distress and pain coming out as raged sobs.
Theo struggled to turn toward her in the crowded space. "Lolo, are you all right?" He asked stupidly, knowing that neither one of them were really 'all right'. "Yes…I'm fine." Lolo tried to wipe her tears away. "But…is he really that much of a killer Theo?" The white creature winced, realizing exactly who she was talking about. And yet he had no idea how to answer. In the end, he wound up just gazing at her sympathetically.
"How did you know?" Lolo looked back at Theo, straight in the eyes – pulling him again out of his thoughts. "How did you know what he had planned?"
"…" Theo's voice trailed off, the courage and resolve he had had earlier gone. He found himself just staring at the ground silently. "Tell me!" She demanded in a surprisingly harsh voice. Theo wasn't sure he'd ever heard her sound like that before.
He should tell her, he knew that – for with the odds so terrible this might be his only chance. But…how could he? If he did try to explain, she wouldn't believe him anyway – she'd only get angry, and think that he was also trying to hurt her…
Instead Theo just shook his head, as if to dismiss the subject. "They'll be time to explain all that later, but it's nothing major – you don't need to worry about it." He said passively. "Right now we need to get out of here somehow while we still can, or there wont be a later."
Lolo sighed, realizing that he was right. "You promise you'll tell me then?" If we even survive much longer… She added silently to herself, but kept those words out of her question. "I promise. But Lolo, do you think there's anyway you could undo this latch?" "What?" She stared at him in confusion. The lock couldn't be reached from the inside of the cell, and aside from that, it could only be opened with a key.
"Do you know any sort of…skill that could help us?" She hung her head solemnly as she realized what he was asking. "I don't think I…I mean, I studied something like that, but…" "Why don't you just give it a try – after all, we have nothing to lose…" Theo prompted gently. "I…I…can't. I've been failing this whole trip, why would things be any different now…" She turned away, feeling humiliated, and even a bit guilty, for her own incompetence. "Lolo…just stop worrying about what all the others have said. They don't know what they're talking about! You've studied and practiced hard – I'm positive that you can do it!" He smiled encouragingly.
She still didn't understand Theo, or the things he said. He still talked like he was an old friend…
"…All right… I guess I could give it a shot. I mean, I can't make things any worse, can I?"
There wasn't much room, but Lolo shuffled into the corner as best she could. She held out her left hand toward the lock of the door, and put her right on the place where she could feel her heart beat, and closed her eyes. She consciously blocked out any noise that flittered into her ears, though that wasn't hard since the area was pretty much silent except for the rhythm of Theo's breathing. She also let the feel of the grimy cage and its musty scent fade from her consciousness just as she was taught – for only when her mind was completely cut of from her physical senses could she feel the strange sort of magic within her. She let the image form in her head of what she wanted most – a way for them to escape.
A pleasant, warm sensation spread through her body as she focused, the words she was taught at last coming back to her. The odd combinations of letters and sounds she spoke flowed out of her mouth without conscious effort – the Verse of Will, it was almost like a song! And she loved it all!
Theo watched wide-eyed. Not understanding a word that she was saying. A halo of light formed an aura around her shaking, outward hand, and he could see another glow pulsating from her chest – the light piercing through the fingers she held near her heart. He was a bit surprised, all this for what was actually relatively simple skill in comparison to what the higher level Priestesses could do.
He still couldn't picture himself ever being able to manage anything like that. Even when he had once had the ability, he had been afraid of the power he had inside. A hollow feeling nagged at him from within. He was the failure, not her. Would he even be able to do what he had in mind?
Theo jumped out of his reminiscence as Lolo let out a sudden gasp. At the same moment, a blaze of white fire burned from a place in front of the cage. Theo covered his eyes with his arm, shielding them from the bright blaze. He heard the sound of motion, and a slight shriek from the puppets, but it was cut short.
When he opened his eyes again, the soul-less creatures were gone, and the door was hanging open on its hinges. It had worked.
Lolo sighed wearily, her eyes still closed as she began to collapse over forward in exhaustion. He caught her by her shoulders, holding her up tightly. It was only a few moments before she lifted her head to look at him. "You did it Lolo!" Theo cried excitedly, before quickly lowering his voice, casting a weary glance back at the tip of Ussannis head. Surprising really that the magician hadn't seemed to notice any of this. "The door is open, and the puppets are gone too!"
She sat up straight and looked toward the open exit, as if not quite able to believe it herself.
"Come on!" Theo beckoned quietly, already climbing out of the cell. After a few blinks, Lolo quickly followed – feeling quite pleased with herself for once. She stopped for a moment to stretch when she emerged – it felt so good to be able to stand again!
They both treaded softly toward the end of the passage, until they got nearer to Ussannis. They both stared cautiously at the back of his un-moving head, still wondering why he hadn't noticed all the noise. The sound of snoring could be heard from just up ahead, Lolo couldn't help a smile.
"He's asleep!" She kept her voice down, but it was hard not to laugh. "At a time like this? What an idiot!" Theo found amusement in it as well – the magician had to be quite over-confident to take a nap while waiting for the invaders. And quite a heavy sleeper he seemed to be as well!
"Are we gonna sneak past him?" Lolo inquired, having no ideas herself. "But where do we go from there?"
"We have to get the sapphire." Theo said simply. "What?" Lolo passed him a glance. "But how are we going to do that? He has it around his neck!"
Theo thought for a moment. "Well, if he slept through us escaping, then he must be in a pretty deep sleep. Maybe we could just take it!" Lolo looked at him like he was crazy, but Theo was already tiptoeing forward. "Theo, no!" Lolo called out quietly. "If he wakes up we'll be locked right back up again!" He passed her a glance. "But we have to get it before he does, otherwise they'll be no stopping him!" Lolo wondered how they would keep Klonoa from simply taking it from them – was Theo planning on destroying the jewel? She decided that now was not the time to discuss it, however, for Theo was now only a couple feet away from Ussannis' sleeping form.
He took a quick, nervous look back at her. She shook her head desperately, but he only gulped before reaching out his right arm. He slowly and carefully grasped his fingers around the chain resting on Ussannis' shoulders, trying to touch the magician's skin the least possible. He began to gently lift the necklace up over their enemy's head.
A shriek echoed through the halls, much louder than the cry the other puppets had given when Lolo destroyed them – for the long network of halls amplified it into an eerie wail, causing them both to jump. Ussannis' eyes burst open with a startle. Theo froze in horror.
"What?" For a moment he stared at Theo incomprehensively, still recovering from the shock of waking up and gazing upon his captive's face. Another yowl resonated through the area. With a jump, the magician directed his attention involuntarily in the direction of the sound. He felt a quick tug at the back of his neck, and felt something frizz up his fur backwards as it was pulled over his head – in his confusion, he realized too late what it was. He turned to see Theo bolting away as fast as he legs would carry him, Ussannis' azure pendant hanging from his right hand.
"Hey! You little - !" He jumped up to pursue the obnoxious little thief, but at that moment another soul-less moan split the air, a bit closer now.
"Shit!" He cursed. He was in a pickle, it seemed. His leverage had just escaped with his all-important gem, and the invaders were apparently rampaging down the halls at that very moment, destroying his monsters as they came. What was he to do? He was pretty much defenseless now – without either his ransom or his stone. For a moment his mind swirled in panic, stiff and frozen.
Theo bolted up to Lolo, who had been watching the whole thing with wide eyes. "Come on, we've gotta hide! We can't let him get a hold of the sapphire!" He snatched up her hand without stopping, pulling her quickly along with him. "But where?" She asked breathlessly, her heart beating just as fast as her feat were pounding on the cold, stone floor. "No matter what we do, Klonoa will find us at some point, wont he? And what about the others? What if he turns on them?"
"He will." Theo answered dryly. "But probably not until he gets his hands on this!" He held up the sapphire proudly, it's shinning dark blue surface set alight by the dim light that was shinning through the colorful glass windows.
Her eyes stretched for a moment, captivated by its hypnotic beauty. "But wont the others wonder why we're running?" She piped up, worry creeping back in. "If they find us first, we'll…I'll have no choice but to explain to them. He'll attack for sure then though, I hope that it doesn't come to that…" Theo panted breathlessly.
Lolo studied her companion through the strands of hair that kept falling over her face and covering her eyes. She looked like a mess now, but she didn't care. "Then what are you trying to do? – Are you going to try to break the stone? Please, explain it to me at least!" She was beginning to get frustrated with his vagueness. He blinked, and turned his face straight ahead, away from her gaze. "No, the sapphire is indestructible, it can't be destroyed. …I'm going to try to awaken the stone myself and get it to 'bond' with me before he can ever get the chance!"
"What? But I always thought that only the Dream Traveler could do that – you said so yourself even! Are you saying now that that's not true?" "No! It is true. But…" He faltered. "But what?" She repeated, pressing him to continue. "…I'll explain later. There's no time for this right now! We need to find somewhere safe for the moment, so I can do this! Believe me, I will be able to!" That is, if I can control what power I do still have within me… He added silently to himself.
Lolo sighed inwardly despite herself, once again he was right – but once again he had also avoided the subject.
It was about two minutes later when they ducked through the doors of a small room off to the side of the main passage. It wasn't exactly hidden, but it was the best they could do.
Theo walked over in the corner, gazing at the pendent he held in his hands. "Are you really going to try this?" Lolo questioned, leaning against the opposite wall in exhaustion.
She looked toward the exit wearily, terrified at the thought that they might be being followed. Yelling could be heard in the distance, colored in many different voices – including those of Ussannis and Klonoa, as well as her un-suspecting companions. Was it just her though, or did it seem like they were slowly getting closer?
Theo nodded. But was that a bit of fear in his eyes? Lolo watched him curiously as he held out the jewel high in front of him. What was he going to do? Was this a sort of magic? She wondered.
Oh please let me be able to do this! I know that I have the ability to, and it's the only reason I'm even here now, and yet…I…I don't know if I can…
Still holding it up, Theo turned the gem around in his hands so that he could see his own image appear in its dark azure depths, as was customary for this ritual. All the same, he didn't particularly like the sight his reflection though – at least, not with that face looking back at him.
The white creature tried desperately to remember what he had been told to do – so much depended on this! He tried to blur out the rest of his vision and focus only on the sapphire, but his hands were shaking. I need to calm down, otherwise I wont be able to…
"Theo, is something wrong?" He heard Lolo ask in concern, but he tried to ignore her voice and focus.
He stared straight at the center point of the stone, trying to mentally awaken the deadly fire within it, to summon it to him. But he didn't feel anything, was he even doing it right? – It should have come easy!
He felt a small, strange sensation begin to stir inside of him, tickling his senses. His heart started beating faster, his fear distracting from his will. No, I need this to happen! I…
Theo slowly and tensely moved the sapphire down, holding it against his heart. His eyes now closed. He should've felt heat, why was the stone as icy to the touch as usual?
Come on…! Damn thing! – What's wrong?
"They're coming Theo, hurry!" He heard Lolo's frightened voice echo on the edge of his mind. He went ahead with the final words. "Stone of the Ages, hear my voice! I, the Incarnate of Dreams, command you to bring forward the darkness you have taken in once to save me – the midnight thoughts in the hearts of all souls, I call that power to me now! Awaken!"
Nothing happened.
Theo looked at the sapphire blankly, a bit upset.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Lolo asked hurriedly, worry in her voice. "I…I don't know…" Theo didn't lift his gaze. "So…it didn't work…" Lolo wasn't sure whether she was surprised or not.
Theo shook his head, a sad, shameful expression in his eyes. "It should have, but…I…" The white creature looked like he was about to cry.
"But Theo! Are you sure that you even have the potential to awaken it at all, I mean, you really aren't the Dream Traveler, after all! Why should it have worked for you?" Lolo spoke quickly, still not understanding quite what Theo was trying to do.
"I know it can work for me – otherwise I wouldn't even be here now! If I can't do this, then I'll have failed everything!" His eyes started to water. "I never could do anything involving magic like this, I still can't! Even now, when it all depends on me, I'm the same failure that I always was!" He hung his head in despair and disappointment, angry with himself.
Lolo looked toward him, taken aback by his sudden loss of confidence. "Theo! Come on, snap out of it! – We have to run!" Lolo cried desperately, the voices getting closer. She reached out a hand, as if to pull him out of his slump.
"No!" He stumbled back, away from her. "Let me try again! I have to do this…and I know I can!"
Lolo started to wonder if Theo was beginning to lose his mind – so dead set on doing something that was probably not even possible…
A scream echoed from Lolo's mouth all around the small room and out through the halls as two sweaty palms grasped her shoulders unexpectedly – the creeping fingers making her skin crawl. "Hehe, didn't even hear me coming, did you?" Ussannis.
"Let me go!" She screamed in rage, kicking wildly. "Ussannis, you –" Theo growled, getting into an offensive stance.
"Stop! Don't you touch her!" The rest of her companions, lead by Friedole, came charging quickly toward the fiend – weapons drawn. Ussannis whirled calmly around to face them. "Uh-uh-uh!" The magician let go of Lolo's left shoulder for only an instant, but the next thing she felt was the sting of cold steel against her neck. Theo and the others stopped dead in their tracks. Eyes open wide with horror.
"You all better cooperate now, or the pretty little girl's head comes off!"
Lolo's face was filled with terror, her whole body shuddering at the words. The blade vibrated delicately and dangerous against her throat as she shook, ready to tear through her neck at any moment. She gazed helplessly at the others, shock and fear in her eyes.
Everyone stood stock-still, unable to do anything but glare with hatred at their enemy, their eyes full of poison. There was nothing else they could do, unless they were willing to sacrifice the young Priestess' life.
Ussannis extended the hand that wasn't holding the knife towards Theo, as if beckoning him to put something into his empty palm.
At first, the white creature instinctively moved the precious sapphire away from the villain's reach, but Ussannis made a face and pressed the sharp edge harder into Lolo's flesh. She let out a terrified scream as she felt it begin to pierce through her skin. A blood drop trickled down her neck, and down into the opening of her dress towards her chest. "Well?" Ussannis smiled innocently, still holding the blade tight.
Horror took the place of logic in Theo's mind, dark yet recent memories flashing by like lightning bolts.
He hastily handed over the gem, having no other choice – he couldn't bear to see his friend suffer such a fate. "Ah, I thought so." The magician grinned.
Theo's eyes watched Lolo worriedly, full of concern and fear for her, but he couldn't help but feel dread pour over him – the gravity of what he'd just set in motion sinking in.
Ussannis turned back to the others, focusing his gaze on Klonoa, who was standing just behind Friedole. "Now that that's over with, Dream Traveler, how about you come and awaken this lovely stone for a sorry magic user?"
"Is that?" Leorina's eyes opened wide, the sky pirate recognizing the priceless treasure immediately.
"Yes, indeed it is. The Dark Sapphire." The magician's expression twisted into a sneer. "A smart girl you are indeed. And you, 'long eared one', you are going to get it to obey me!" Suddenly his gaze turned deadly serious. "And you'd better not try anything funny now, just awaken my sapphire and hand it over… – unless of course you want this little ladies' blood spilled on your hands!" He pulled the terrified Lolo closer to him, his face touching hers in false affection.
A smile played across the Dream Traveler's face for just a short moment. "Oh dear… I guess that means I don't have any choice now, doesn't it?" He sounded anything but dismayed.
"But, Klonoa you can't! –" Friedole's voice called out, as if a bit startled by the Dream Traveler's willingness. "The Dark Sapphire's power must never be channeled by any hands, regardless of whose! It is Lolo's own fault that she was captured… …Her fate cannot be helped…"
Cries of dismay and surprise arouse from his own crowd. Their leader would really leave the Priestess to die?
Lolo felt a cold, dull ache deep within her own soul. Friedole had been right all along – she really was just burden on the group. Just when she had started to understand her skills, she had wound up in her enemy's hands.
She wasn't going to make it out of this, she knew that. Not even Klonoa really cared about her – he would awaken the stone for his own reasons, but then he would betray Ussannis, and what would the magician do then? Not to mention that his demands were impossible, he never would be able to use the gem's magic himself…
Lolo still couldn't place her mind around the fact that her life was to end in this dark, damp place…but it was true, there was no way out for her – just another casualty of conflict. In the overall scheme of things, it was insignificant, she realized. Her death would be no loss to her companions… Was it selfish of her to wish for help?
She felt wetness down her face as a single tear damped her cheek, dripping off to the floor. Her sobs, however, stayed locked inside, in a private place within her heart. She was glad, she wanted to be look brave in the end. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was too afraid to cry…
Klonoa never did answer Friedole, instead he simply walked up and took the sapphire from Ussannis grasp, just like an obedient child.
His eyes lit up with a dangerous glow as he scrutinized the dark blue gem he now held in his hands, hungry for the power it contained. At last – the Dark Sapphire was his!
Now for a bit of fun.
He took a few steps back, getting to a place where there was some room. He also put his ring around his arm like a bracelet, so that it would be out of the way. He didn't need it this time.
For a moment, it looked almost as if Ussannis was going to try and take the stone back, noticing the change in the Dream Traveler's expression. It as worrisome indeed, but…he wouldn't do anything with his companion at risk, would he?
"No! Klonoa, don't!" Friedole yelled, his voice distraught as he made a quick motion forward. But there was no stopping the Dream Traveler now – he finally had what he wanted. What'd he'd been after the whole time. He'd succeeded.
Klonoa lifted up the stone in the same manner Theo had, but with him there was no hesitation.
A small prick of blue light appeared, pulsating from the sapphire's center – the same shade as the color that began to appear in the Dream Traveler's eyes. The glow increased as he lowered it down, holding it against himself. He closed his eyes as he began to speak – the same words that had failed Theo earlier.
The white stranger watched in awe. How could it be that he made it look so simple? Why was it that that evil creature so much more skilled than him? More at home with the natural Dream Traveler powers than he'd ever been?
Flames of every imaginable color sprouted from the gem, curling around the body of its awakener. The fire consumed him as the flames slowly became darker in appearance, forming a cocoon of threatening light, with petals of fire reaching out like a newly opened flower.
No one spoke, no one moved. All completely captivated, and a bit afraid. None where particularly pleased.
All at once, the flames shot up like a pillar, the tips licking the stone ceiling, leaving black scorch marks like scars. Everyone jumped back in fear, holding their hands in front of their faces defensively.
And then…the light dwindled, and faded away, as if nothing had ever happened. The Dream Traveler was left completely unharmed, the azure shade brighter than ever in his eyes, and the Dark Sapphire still in his hands – the blue glow still emanating from within it's heart.
He chuckled slightly, as his expression darkened. "It's mine! The power is mine at last!"
Part Three – Confessions Of A KillerTheo stiffened in dismay, there was nothing they could do now. He had failed his mission…and it was all his own fault. No sword, no nothing. He hadn't even put up a fight. All he could do was watch now. He almost hoped that the monster would send him back first, before he had to witness the rest of the evil that the killer would do…
Ussannis looked slightly taken aback. "But you must give it to me now! …Or have you forgotten?" The magician started to press the blade into Lolo's neck with more pressure again, she braced for the worst.
"Go ahead." Klonoa answered simply, his voice cold. "Huh?" Ussannis blinked in confusion, surprised by the reaction. "I said go ahead. Kill the girl if it pleases you. I don't care."
"Klonoa?" Leorina looked at him strangely. She had never been particularly close to either him or Lolo, but she did know them both well enough to know that they meant a lot to each other. What then, was Klonoa doing?
Lolo still flinched at the words, despite the position that she was in, and the fact that she'd known it was coming. It was just so ironic, like the finale of an old tragedy. How pathetic, to have the person you thought was your best friend to look straight at you in the end, and tell you that your death meant nothing to them.
"Uhh…" Ussannis stuttered, shocked. He back looked over at Lolo, her whole body shaking in his arms, and her eyes dampened with fear. He blinked blankly, almost hesitantly. What good would killing her do – it didn't sound like it'd change his mind. And she was just an innocent girl…
"What a soft-heart you have! You really are a fool, magician." Klonoa continued, in an almost hauntingly harmless voice. "Chasing after an impossible dream! I could never have made the sapphire work for you, even if I had wanted to. It only works in the hands of the Dream Traveler. And I never would have joined with you either, you could never have gotten a captive that I cared enough about …power is the only thing that matters. You see, I'm the smart one. I get what I want. I worked around the forces of nature, instead of ignoring the obvious facts – I'm not that naïve. Though by birth I was denied the ability, I did what I had too, and discovered a way that I could make the Dark Sapphire truly mine!"
The gem started to brighten, pulsing dangerously. Klonoa lifted it up to eye length. "Now how about I give it a try!"
Ussannis let out a startled gasp as he was lifted up into the air, a blue aura surrounding his body. Lolo felt the blade brush against her neck as she began to slip, Ussannis' own hands pulled away from her. With a thud, she all at once found herself again on the cold stone ground, blood dripping from her throat.
"…Put me down, please! I'll…I'll help you! Please!" Ussannis' begged, his whole face pleading with horror. Klonoa's eyes only narrowed "I'm afraid it's much to late for that. Farewell, magician!"
A blinding light illuminated the dark room as Ussannis, still levitated, was hurled backwards at Klonoa's silent command. A splintering sound split the frightened silence, the crowd ducking down as thousands of colorful shards of glass were sent flying throughout the room in a display that could almost be called beautiful.
When they looked up, there was a gaping, jagged hole in on of the stained-glass windows, the tips stained a liquid red. There was no sign of Ussannis.
All eyes turned toward the wreckage, their expressions filled with a mix of terror and amazement.
Lolo put a hand to the place where the sting emanated from her neck, feeling blood dampen her sleeve. …She was still alive. Ussannis had been killed before he could do away with her himself.
It was a strange feeling indeed to be still be living when she had planned to be dead by then, but still she felt no happiness – how long would her reprieve last? She wondered solemnly. Perhaps she was only spared for a worse, much more humiliating fate.
Her head swarmed as she gazed up at the person that she used to consider her friend, a sick feeling in her stomach.
But what had he meant by what he had said before the murder of Ussannis? About not being able to use the stone at birth? But why would that be? – He was the Dream Traveler after all. It was all moving so fast…what an inconvenient time for her mind to feel so frozen.
"Wasn't that an amusing display?" Klonoa turned toward the group, them all watching him speak as if in a trance. "…Well, thank you all so much for helping me here, you've made this all quite easy. And a whole lot more fun as well! Especially you, Priestess!" He said, pointing to Lolo. "You proved to be quite a source of entertainment!" She fumed inside, but it was sort of a numb, dry anger. She couldn't bring herself to care about anything anymore, what was there left that mattered?
"But, oh well." The Dream Traveler continued. "As enjoyable as you've all been, I suppose I don't have any further need for you. If I spared you it'd only come back to haunt me in the end…now, wouldn't it? Sorry, but this is it for all you fools!"
He raised up the sapphire again, a deadly fire glinting in his eyes. He could feel energy swarming into him and his gem as he summoned up the strength he needed for his desired spell – a terminal blast of a spell that would that would destroy all the nuisances at once.
"Raise your weapons! Attack – now!" Friedole cried, snapping out of his shock with urgency.
In a single quick motion, Klonoa whipped the ring off of his wrist and swiped it across the air with his empty hand, creating a sort of shield in front oh him while he prepped his assault – similar to what Ussannis had done before, but charged with azure energy.
The arrows that Aquette had fired from her place near the wall bounced off the supernatural barrier violently, bursting into blue and black flames as they were propelled back at the archer's attacking allies. The fire they carried erupted into explosive plumes as the arrows made contact with the walls and ground. A few yelps of pain could be heard as the group was forced to make a hasty retreat.
"Say your last goodbyes now." The Dream Traveler ordered calmly as the sapphire began to pulse faster and brighter – his attack almost complete. He held out the stone towards his once-companions.
"No!" Friedole yelled in panic, him and his army scattering for the door, but it slammed shut with a bang and clicked closed before they could escape to the safety of the halls.
They all turned back around in surprise as the Dream Traveler let out a sudden, unexpected hiss of dismay from where he stood, the pulsating light ceasing. He toppled to the ground as Theo pummeled into his back – the white stranger having lingered behind in the shadows the whole time, and therefore avoiding Klonoa's frontal shield.
The sapphire fell from the fiend's grasp and rolled slowly across the floor towards the place were Lolo still sat, never having moved during the commotion.
Klonoa lurched back, teeth bared, as Theo struggled to hold him down. "Lolo, grab it!" Theo yelled out desperately.
For a moment she did nothing, still partially in shock. But the piecing wail that escaped Theo's mouth as he was thrown off his foe and knocked hard against the cold, stone wall brought her back to her harsh reality all at once. Lolo instantly swiped up the evil gem, unsure of what to do with it.
She looked around quickly, scrutinizing her surroundings – at the same time aware of Klonoa's cold stare bearing into her from behind as he took a few steps closer.
She thought rapidly, should she toss it out the window perhaps? "Lolo, give it to me!" She barely heard her leaders voice over the noise in her head. "Silence!" Klonoa screeched, creating another shield, this time behind him – blocking him and Lolo off from the rest of the world.
The barrier was a bit weaker without his direct access to the sapphire, but he could still draw from it somewhat, Lolo feeling the gem grow hot in her hands as the shield was formed.
"Give it, girl!" Her once-friend demanded as he yanked the Dream Traveler's traditional sword from his belt, a wave of blue light instantly rushing through it and transforming it into a more crystalline form – creating an appearance that was much more gallant and threatening. She was cornered.
She cast a look back at her friends, all of them watching helplessly from the other side of the cut-off.
Theo lay motionless where he had fallen, a pool of blood forming beneath him.
The Priestess closed her eyes and put a hand on chest again, feeling her lips mouth the words of one of the incantations she had learned long ago, the words coming back to her now in her odd calm.
Suddenly a white light lit up the surface of the barrier, fighting the dark azure magic that lingered there. Klonoa looked back in surprise as his barrier broke, opening up the area behind him. He spun just in time for his saber to crash against that of Leorina. The two stared at each other poisonously.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Leorina spat out, parrying an angry lunge on his part. He only smiled at the question as he jumped back, giving his blade a whirl again. Lolo felt the sapphire grow warm for a second time as streaks of dark fire emanated from his sword, knocking back Friedole, Icarus and a couple others who had come up from behind.
Free from assault for an instant, he once again faced Lolo. "Hand it over, now, or you will be the first to go!" He held out an empty palm with one hand, and with the other held the blade threateningly in front of her, his eyes full of menace.
In one quick moment she made her decision. The Priestess quickly turned toward the broken window and tossed the sapphire defiantly, sending it flying through the air and out through the hole in the glass to the depths below the tall room.
"What? Why you little – !" Klonoa's whole face blazed with anger and surprise as he shoved the sword into her chest, ready to pierce her through – his favorite way of killing.
His other hand slammed her in the stomach as he turned away for a moment, swiping Vioris and Eneste to the side with his blade as they charged him in hopes of saving their companion – the delicate ears that were now his easily picking up the sound of their footsteps.
He was still powerful, even with the sapphire he was bonded to lying covered in snow hundreds of feet below him.
"And now where were we?" He asked mockingly as he moved his weapon back towards Lolo, his face leaned towards hers. His voice was strained and cracked with frustration, and his eyes still blazed cold blue fire.
"Klonoa don't!" Lolo pleaded desperately, not wanting to die at his hand. "I know that you've said you've never cared about me, but after all the things we've been through, and all the time we spent together, you can't just – !"
And, much to her surprise, he pulled his head back, relaxing his blade just ever so
slightly. A wicked sneer formed across his face, completely unsuited to his present form. He laughed.
"You're all such gullible idiots." His eyes darted around, addressing the whole crowd. "You never did figure it out, none of you! And I don't even consider myself that good of actor. Well, let me tell you something, I guess I owe that to you. The person you call 'Klonoa' is dead. I killed him, that night before this journey started… I killed him and I stole his body, his life – his very identity! My name is Gemini, and I did it so that I could have access to the Dark Sapphire and it's magic – so that I could literally become the Dream Traveler. That weakling never even made it to the meeting – your friend's been dead for days, and you never even realized. You never knew that you were aiding his killer. …I almost feel a bit sorry for him."
He smiled teasingly as he spoke the last sentence, relishing in the gasps of terror that rose from all around him. Lolo gazed up at him in horror, completely appalled. It almost felt like her heart stopped beating right then and there, but she could still hear the sound of her raged breathing. In fact, that's all she could hear.
Klonoa was dead? That thought echoed over and over in her mind, as if bouncing of the void that had just opened there. This familiar-looking, yet evil creature in front of her was not the real Klonoa after all!
For a short, sweet moment, she was almost happy. That meant that what he had said before wasn't valid – that the cruel things spoken to her had not been the true Klonoa's words. He hadn't been deceiving her! It had been just a cruel game started by a dark outsider…he really had cared for her…
And yet she'd never even noticed when he'd died. The chaos of emotions running through her head shifted now as guilt washed over her. She had never realized that her friend had been replaced by his own murderer. And she had believed everything that the killer had said. …How could she have ever thought that Klonoa was capable of horrible something like this? She felt what was the beginning of tears start to dampen her face.
Satisfied, the fiend called Gemini turned now towards Aquette, who backed up at his glare. "And I did away with your obnoxious little friend as well." He said simply. "Marris, was it?"
The leopard-girl's eyes widened in terror, a shocked, but helpless fury rising on her face.
Lolo's solemn reverie ended abruptly as she felt the sharp-edge begin to press harder into her again, the murderer turned back towards her. "Now don't cry." He said scornfully, noting her watery eyes. "You'll get a chance to apologize very soon!" And with that he took his free arm and held her down against the wall, knocking the air out of her.
She shrieked as his hand pressed into her chest – the idea of being even touched by a killer's soul in her friends' corpse making her feel sick. She turned away, avoiding looking at his face. Though he was leaning in so close that she could feel the breath from a body that should have been dead falling over her. For a moment, she truly thought that she was going to throw up.
"Lolo!" She heard her voice yelled out in fear, but the sound echoed around the edges of her senses, drowned out by her fury and disgust. She could feel the edge of the sword beginning to pierce her skin, and she heard the whisper as she was told by a familiar voice that she'd be given the exact same death as her friend.
Suddenly, the grip on her relaxed as the murderer let out a screech. She opened her eyes to see him reach back and pull an arrow from his shoulder, gazing back at Aquette – his stolen eyes blazing with rage.
The leopard-girl charged forward with an almost hysterical look on her face, having snatched Eneste's sword before the vixen even realized what had happened. "I'll make you pay for what you did to my Marris!" Aquette cried, having come out of her shock, but still not thinking even close to clearly.
Gemini turned and braced himself, switching hands with the one pressing against Lolo and holding his own saber ready. The frenzied girl would be easy to dispatch.
"Aquette no! Stop! Stay back!" Friedole came running up from behind throwing himself between her and her foe with his own blade.
Distracted, Gemini let go of Lolo completely, doing a quick turn and coming back around with the saber lower than expected, avoiding Friedole's parry as the blade drove straight into his midsection, cutting through his flesh. The group's leader let out a horrible scream as he collapsed and fell to the ground in front of them limply, blood spilling from his stomach as Gemini withdrew his sword.
Aquette screeched at the sight, realizing what she had done as reality returned to her senses.
Lolo watched horrified as the killer committed another murder right in front of her eyes, having scurried to the back wall after he had taken his hand away. She couldn't help but to think of Klonoa as she watched the scene – he had faced a similar fate. She though about how she had felt when she had thought that her life was going to end – when Ussannis had held the knife against her throat, and just moments ago when Klonoa's own killer had held the blade to her chest.
He had said that that was the way he had killed her friend.
She put a hand near the place where the sword had been raised against her. Had Klonoa felt the same feelings and fear that she had?
Memories of their past flooded her mind, and of the times that they had shared – a pain stabbed her in the heart as she imagined the pain he must've felt that night, and how it had all lead to such a miserable end for his life. She recalled her friend's smile – the one that she had seen so many times before…it was so different from the fiendish sneer that was on the same face now. She passed a glance at the place where Theo lay motionless, a new hole opening inside of her – she didn't know whether he was still alive or if the only other person that would talk to her was now dead as well – killed by the same person. She also spared a gaze towards Aquette, tears dripping down her spotted cheeks as she shook Friedole's still shape desperately, the fiend having hurt her twice now.
How could anybody be so cruel?
Lolo's sudden outburst of grief turned to ire, her hands beginning to shake with fury. More words formed on her lips, guided by her rage. Words she had since before long forgotten…
Gemini watched with dark enjoyment as the leopard-girl tried frantically to rouse her leader, knowing full well that he wouldn't be getting up. Only then did he realize that he had let go of Lolo. Oh well, he figured she wouldn't be too hard to get a hold of again.
He turned back to look for her when he suddenly felt a sharp-edge swipe across his side. He jerked and found himself face to face with Leorina once again. "Not so fast now, you have to much innocent blood on your hands for me to let you go without a fight!" The killer grimaced in annoyance. He was ready to attempt to tear the sky pirate through as well when he felt another blow to his back, and glanced back to see Vioris standing behind him, wielding his axe-like weapon.
Gemini back flipped around, still drawing from the distant sapphire as he let the flames streak from his saber, knocking back Vioris and a few others that had come running up with weapons drawn. Leorina stumbled back, still retaining her footing.
The killer screamed in frustration. "Just give it up, all of you! Even without the gem in hand, you stand no chance against me and my magic! I'll have each one of you torn limb from limb!"
"…You bastard!" He instinctively turned towards the shadows, startled by the angry female voice. "You killer! You bastard!" Lolo was standing near the back wall, the darkness illuminated around her by the soft glow emanating from her hands – white light burning on her wrists.
The Verse of Light – an ultimate level enchantment. It was a difficult skill, but she had accomplished it without even thinking about it in her craze.
She charged toward her friend's murderer without warning, holding up her right hand in his direction. She impulsively raised up both of her wrists against Gemini's blade as he swiped it towards her face – the blade never reaching her frail arms as a small shield of her own was created.
Lolo shoved a hand forward to her startled enemy's chest, a wave of light flowing into his body from her palm and causing him to fall back as if he'd been electrocuted, white sparks dancing in his fur.
A bit surprised, Gemini still managed to recover quickly, looking at the Priestess with a mixture of amusement and amazement. "Well, well, that's pretty fancy now isn't it?" He remarked in his usual scornful tone. She barely noticed, rushing him headlong in her rage – sending forth a wave before she even reached him. He jumped it clean over casually, not taken quite so off guard the second time. "I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that!"
Leorina came up from behind, but again he nimbly ducked of to the side, slashing his attacker.
"You think you know my power? You haven't even seen the half of it!" Tired of these games, Gemini closed his eyes, a blue and black glow beginning to radiate from the Dream Traveler's body. Demon-like wings sprouted from his back all at once, causing his attackers to stumble back in surprise. His tail stretched out behind him, and his fangs sharpened, becoming more noticeable. His claws grew out, curling dangerously, and when he opened his eyes Lolo gasped in shock. They had no pupils, just a pure, luminous ice blue.
Everyone gazed at him with horror – and this was without direct contact with the Dark Sapphire! Lolo could hardly believe that it had ever been possible for Klonoa to become such a monster.
Gemini laughed wickedly, launching himself with the saber in one hand and claws
unsheathed in the other. She made the barrier with her wrists again as he came upon her,
but his strength was hard to match – she couldn't hold him off for long.
She dodged and turned as he lunged, catching his assault with her shield as he aimed for her soar neck.
"Lolo, run!" She heard several voices call towards the place where they had entered this desolate room. She spared a quick glance over towards her remaining companions. The door was open. As Gemini used his power to morph, and especially without the sapphire in hand, he had not been able to maintain the curse on the exit.
She broke away from him – so abruptly that her attacker almost toppled over. But then something made her stop. She gazed back at Theo, still lying as motionless as ever. She couldn't leave without him, not after what they had been through earlier together.
Lolo turned back and ran toward the white creature, his once pure fur now stained pink with his own blood. She didn't have time to check his pulse as she bolted back toward the door, hauling him along with difficulty.
She couldn't help but gaze over at Friedole's still form as she retreated, but there was nothing she could do. He was too heavy, and besides, they all knew for sure that he was dead anyway…
Aquette had found neither a pulse nor a heartbeat when she had been trying to wake him, and he clearly wasn't breathing. The body was just a corpse now, she told herself. Even still, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She glanced down at the limp shape she was heaving along now, it's feet dragging on the floor. For all she knew he could be dead too… But somehow, she just couldn't leave him there.
"Lolo, come on!" Eneste called back to her from down the hall with urgency in her voice as the Priestess ran through the exit that led to the place that her and Theo had escaped through earlier. The rest of the group was already far ahead.
She never was quite sure how, but she did eventually manage to catch up, completely out of breath.
"I'll carry him." Leorina called back, the strongest of the remaining members of the group. Her 'career' definitely had some benefits physically. Lolo, the effects of her skill beginning to fade, carefully passed Theo over to her, finally stopping for a moment to take in some air. It was then that she realized something.
"Hey, we're not being followed are we?" She looked back at the halls, they were as silent and empty as always. "It doesn't seem so." Leorina answered simply. "With those wings of his I presume that Gemini flew out through the broken window to look for that sapphire." Lolo shivered, if that was a glimpse of his power without it, what would it be like when he was holding it in right in his hands?
"Still, we best get out of here as fast as possible." Leorina ordered, seeming to have involuntarily become in charge. "All of us entered through a hole in one of the walls down a passage that is pretty much straight ahead – we'll exit there. We need to rest somewhere safe tonight and come up with a different strategy against Gemini – he's a menace to the well-being of all Lunatea." Lolo nodded mindlessly, her thoughts elsewhere.
Klonoa, I'm sorry...
Well, there you have it. Note that the next chapter should be substantially shorter, consisting largely of the ending I originally had intended for this. I hadn't actually planned to have this upcoming chapter at all, but I think it's probably for the best to add one more in – I think that it would be just too much to add on here. Anyway, please review and tell me how this turned out!