A/N: Ack, it's been a while, has it not? Many apologies to those who were waiting; I became more focused on my other stories. Again, I'm sorry. But hopefully, this update will cheer you up! It's been a while since I last played Lunar Knights, so a few things might seem out of place... But not too much, hopefully!
Now enjoy!
The first thing Lucian noticed after what seemed like an eternal ride down a descending platform was the increasing heat in the rushing wind. Similar to the days during the Arid Climate, the heat was increasing the farther the platform took them.
"Ugh… it's hot," he heard the brat whine in the darkness. Lucian could barely make out the kid's form in the pitch black tunnel the platform traveled quickly through.
The swordsman snorted. "Hmph. We've gone down pretty far," Lucian muttered.
Before long, the platform slowed its descent and red light began to show from the bottom. As well, extremely hot air came by them.
Lucian was quickly drenched in his own sweat at the unbelievable heat. He was practically suffocating! He made a quick glance at the other, seeing that Aaron was fairing no better.
When the platform stopped at the bottom, Lucian was blinded by the bright glow of lava flowing freely all around. Now that completely explained why it was so damn hot!
Aaron fell to his knees at the unbearable temperature, panting heavily as sweat dripped from his brow. Lucian growled at the boy's easy defeat but was quick to call Ezra for aid.
The Ice Terrennial appeared instantly. Noticing the situation she acted in haste. "Be strong!" she cried. She closed her eyes. Wavering blue energy emerged from her body then flashed with white light.
Lucian flinched at the light but soon felt a pleasing cold wind sting his face. When he opened his eye, he saw the Terrennial glowing with energy to keep a visible transparent bluish sphere around both boys.
"Thanks, Ezra," Aaron breathed in relief when he could no longer feel the intense heat of the lava.
"Are you two all right?" she asked, her tone sounding strained with effort.
Lucian nodded and the gunslinger smiled.
"Yes, thanks to you," the brat answered but his smile soon faded into a worried expression. "But what about you? It seems to take a lot of your power to keep this barrier up."
Ezra lightly laughed. "Indeed… it does."
"Don't worry about her!" Tove chimed in as he appeared. "We will give Ezra our power when she needs it."
Lucian frowned at that. "Then we should hurry and find the Legendary Weapon," he said, taking out the old map. After a brief glance, he furrowed his brow in frustration. "Bah. It's as good as useless," he grumbled. The ancient map was obviously different from the real thing. The cavern was deep in the earth after all. Centuries of ever-shifting magma and lava had transformed the cavern into a completely new area.
With a furious huff, the swordsman crumpled the paper and shoved it in his pocket in haste. "Let's just explore the damn thing. For sure, the weapon would be around the northern chamber… that is, if it's still there."
The gunslinger pouted. "That's not really assuring…" he murmured. A red-eyed glare was sent in the boy's direction, causing Aaron to smile timidly. "Uh, I mean, I hope it's there so this isn't a waste of time!" the young Guild member corrected in a highly sarcastic tone.
"Both of you; do not stray far from each other," Ezra warned, her eyes stern. "I can only maintain a barrier of this size without exerting too much of my energy."
Aaron nodded, giving a smile to the Terrennial then a grin to the older boy. "Looks like I'll be doing all the monster hunting," he teased.
Lucian rolled his visible eye in annoyance and made is way down the single path of rock that was not submerged in glowing lava. Of course, the winter fox barked at him to wait for the brat. In pure reluctance, he grumpily obeyed and slowed his pace.
The Legendary Dark Swordsman was feeling highly anxious with the hostile area. Lava practically surrounded them and the only way through were mere solid rocks that jutted out of the molten earth. Jumping from rock to rock was a risky deal – one misstep and for sure they would be dead in no time flat. Hell, the need to 'ride' a free flowing platform across massive pools of molten rock did not help ease the anxiety of their situation.
Damn it all… why did it have to be lava?!
What made their journey worse than it was were the monsters that lived in the cavern. Obviously, fire-based creatures inhabited the underground. From fire-breathing Hot Dogs to tiny floating bubbles of flames – everything was just out to get them.
Now what could be far worse than having groups of monsters attack at once?
Having no control of the battle as well as having no room to fight. Every path they followed was narrow or a small section of rock. Lucian was deemed the back-up of the two. He could not leave the barrier so Aaron did all the damage. But whatever… The swordsman quietly smirked as he watched the gunslinger shoot down the enemies with such accurate aim. Charged with the power of ice, the boy's cold blasts knocked down most foes easily. The only beasts that were troublesome were those damn hounds.
Aggressive and awful, those fiery dogs were a real pain. Even with shards of ice piercing their hides, those hounds would still stand and attack. A group of two nearly broke through Lucian's guard after Aaron failed to stop them from a distance. Those beasts didn't even have to worry about falling in lava.
After one of the beasts spewed fire at him, the swordsman side-stepped and retaliated with a swift slash of his ice-powered blade. That swing felled the first beast which left one more. However, he was not ready for the second one. It had already lunged at him before he knew it, passing the barrier and knocking him roughly to the ground. Lucian couldn't hold back a cry when he felt searing hot fangs bite into his right shoulder.
Pain surged through his entire body for an instant before the beast jerked its ugly head away when Aaron fired point blank shots at its face. The Hot Dog howled in agony. It attempted to inhale its breath for a fiery attack but the gunslinger shot Ice bullets right into its gaping mouth, instantly killing it.
Seething with both anger and pain, Lucian was already in a sitting position when Aaron knelt beside him. "Lucian! A potion!" the boy cried, handing the swordsman the potion he was given earlier.
The swordsman smacked it away. "Keep it," he snarled through clenched teeth. He pulled one of his own potions out and downed it quickly. For a moment he did not move, waiting for the potion to take effect.
The hot pain slowly disappeared when the potion finally worked. Satisfied, he roughly got up as he ignored the throbbing in his shoulder. The wound had yet to fully heal but it would eventually with the potion's aide.
The gunslinger was frowning at him. "Lucian –" he began.
The other swiftly walked past. "I'm fine. Let's go. Stop wasting time," the swordsman commanded, annoyed by the brat's constant concern. Really, why did the boy have to worry so much about him? It was irritating.
He heard the young gunslinger follow closely behind which was rather a relief – he did not want Ezra to yell at him again. Passing many hazards and overcoming more fiery beasts that did not held as much of a threat as those fire hounds, the warriors succeeded in reaching what seemed to be the final area.
The place was a rounded cavern with lava falling from either sides and into a pool of molten rock. The ground the warriors stood on ended in a crescent shape to the basin of lava. There were no other signs of solid rock or ground for them to move on. Have they reached a dead end?
Lucian gritted his teeth in a furious manner. He scanned the entire area in hope of finding an alternate route. He did not want to return to the surface empty-handed. The time and effort trekking through the hellish place would be stupidly wasted!
"Look! Up there!" Aaron suddenly exclaimed, dabbing a finger over the pool.
Lucian's anger dwindled slightly from the boy's outburst as he squinted across the wavering heat, seeing a ledge and a dark opening that was possibly another area. It was definitely out of reach, however, much to the swordsman's distaste.
"It is too far and too high for you both to reach," Nero explained with a slight frown. "It's impossible."
Lucian scowled and crossed his arms in thought. "There must be another way," he grumbled. "We've come this far. I don't want to leave without finding what we came for."
"But Lucian," the cat Terrennial began to protest, "There's no way to – what?!" Nero was suddenly cut off by a loud roar coming from the pool of lava before them.
Both warriors immediately readied their weapons when the lava pool began to bubble viciously. Soon a large bulge formed as something was surfacing from the depths of molten rock. With caution, Lucian pulled the gunslinger with him to back away from the pool's edge.
Hot, molten rock splattered everywhere as a fiery creature emerged. First, Lucian saw a lion's head then its mane of fire followed by its bright, glowing body. Its burning paws stepped onto the crescent land, smoldering the ground underneath it with its intense body heat. A long tail whipped behind it, its end flaming brilliantly. Lava dripped from the beast's body, melting the ground it touched.
It was obviously a guardian and when there was a guardian, there was something valuable or important nearby. That meant the Legendary Weapon was really behind the beast, high atop that ledge past the open pool of hot lava. How to get there was something to think about later.
The guardian had to be dealt with first. The lion's bright red eyes fell on the two boys and it gave a mighty roar that resounded throughout the entire cavern.
Lucian flinched from the horrid sound, tensing at the ferocity of the flaming beast. The lion was going to be one hell of a monster to beat. With their handicap, Lucian was not too confident that they would be able to survive…
They had to split up, it was impossible to fight the lion head on when the warriors were stuck together.
Quickly, the swordsman glanced at the younger boy, seeing the brat tremble with fear as he held his precious gun tightly within his hands.
Damn kid… The brat was shaking.
"Aaron!" Lucian barked, catching the gunslinger's attention. "You stay far and keep shooting Ice bullets at it! I'll take it head on!"
"Are you insane?!" the kid cried in horror. "It's –"
Lucian snorted. "Just shoot the damn thing!" he growled. Not wanting to hear another word from the brat, he ran out of the Ezra's protective aura. "Alexander! Infuse me with… your power!" he yelled, nearly choking at the last words.
The heat was incredible!
The moment he stepped out of the transparent blue sphere, it felt as if he stepped directly into a burning fire. It was extremely difficult to breathe and very hard to see with the air shimmering constantly from heat. Lucian staggered from the intense conditions, barely able to maintain himself.
Alexander acted quickly. "I will do my best to protect you, Lucian," the Wind Terrennial spoke by his ear, his tone assuring. Gusts of wind surrounded the swordsman, slightly making the conditions more suitable. It was still awfully hot but at least Lucian could marginally breathe better.
He felt Vanargand's power increase with Alexander's element. He rose to his feet just as the lion began to advance on him.
Lucian cursed; he wasn't ready!
Before the beast drew close it was struck on the side by shards of ice. The lion quickly turned towards the one who attacked it and angrily roared. It lunged straight for the younger warrior.
Good… that's how you do it… Lucian silently praised the boy. (He would never actually say it out loud.) With Aaron diverting the lion's attention, it gave the swordsman the perfect chance to attack. In this battle, Lucian had the most disadvantage and needed the gunslinger's help, (though he would never admit it). He saw the boy move while firing his shots at the advancing beast. The lion was visibly irritated but it did not seem to have sustained much harm.
Lucian bared his teeth as he hastily wiped the sweat dripping down his forehead. He held his powered blade tightly within his hand and charged at the beast's exposed flank. It was difficult to run; no matter how strong the wind blew, the extreme temperature was still affecting him. His body felt heavy and his movements were sluggish.
The lion launched itself at Aaron whom deftly dodged to the side. However, the beast recovered quickly and lunged again. The gunslinger was forced to draw out his shield. Due to the guardian's size and immense strength, the brat was easily knocked onto his back.
"Lucian, hurry!" Alexander urged the other. The swordsman drew a quick breath and mustered all his remaining energy to quicken his pace. Just as the beast was about to take a swipe at the fallen boy, Lucian leapt forward and thrust his blade with all his might into the lion's shoulder. The guardian let out a howl of surprise, its red eyes blazing with rage as it turned to see its new attacker.
Lucian could feel the heat coming off the guardian when he neared it. The instant he pierced his sword into its tough, glowing hide, Vanargand became too hot to hold. Before it could burn him, Lucian released his hold on his sword and received a backhanded swipe from the lion's paw.
He flew an uncertain distance away and landed roughly onto the hard rocky surface. The beast had stricken his very chest where it burned with searing pain. The very flesh of the beast was incredibly hot and that short contact was enough to burn through Lucian's clothes.
Cursing under his breath, Lucian cringed at the burn he had received from his carelessness. He was breathless; the heat was exhausting him and it hindered his recovery. Through effort, he struggled to get up. His back seemed hotter than the rest of his body and when he took a quick glance behind him, he found that he was near the lava pool's edge. (He was rather fortunate for not falling into there.)
Just barely on his own two feet, Lucian saw that the lion was still focusing on him despite the gunslinger constantly shooting at it. The guardian was running at him with its pure white fangs bared into a snarl.
Lucian was weaponless – Vanargand lay on the ground where the beast had tossed it. The only thing he could do was guard.
"Lucian!" he heard Nero cry before sensing the cat upon his shoulder. It was then the guardian hit his shield. It had lowered its head and smacked the metal barrier with incredible force, sending the swordsman flying into the air.
He flew some uncertain distance before his back struck something hard, sending a jarring pain throughout his body. Then he felt himself fall. A strong wind began to blow below him. Alexander's voice broke through his disoriented mind, "The ledge! Grab it!"
His hand moved automatically before his mind actually registered what the Wind Terrennial was saying. His hand scraped against rough, warm rock just as he managed a strong grip onto it. Wearily, he opened his eye to see that he was holding himself up on the one ledge Nero had thought was impossible to reach.
The first thing he did was sneer mockingly at the hovering cat who was peering down at him with worry. When Nero saw the look on the boy's face, the feline formed a questionable glare.
Without a word, Lucian heaved himself onto the ledge through sheer willpower since his body had grown tired and weak. Panting heavily, Lucian gave one final glance down at the battle beyond the lava pool, catching the gunslinger's nod, before rushing into the cavern.
Aaron flung himself to the side just as the lion's claws swiped at where he once stood. The boy rolled to his feet and dashed away from the large beast to gain distance. He twirled around quickly, firing a barrage of Ice bullets at the lion's face as it headed straight for him again.
Again, the gunslinger evaded the beast's frontal attack and resumed the same procedure. However, the lion did not rush at him after he got away. The beast instead roared angrily and dug its front paws into the solid rock underneath it. Aaron, not letting the opportunity to pass, kept firing his Solar Knight at the fiery monster.
The boy was frustrated that the beast did not seem injured by his blasts. Wherever an Ice bullet struck the lion, the beast's flesh would turn gray, like rock, for a moment before it resumed its hot glow. Was he doing any damage to the monster? He definitely could not tell. The lion used to flinch from his shots but now it completely ignored them.
Aaron charged up the next shot. He needed to deliver more hurt to the lion with each attack. The boy wanted to take care of the lion before Lucian would return. He did not want the older warrior to suffer anymore injuries.
That stubborn idiot just had to show off, didn't he?
It was obvious that the extreme temperature was too much to fight in and yet Lucian still took the battle into his own terms by drawing the beast's attention mainly to him.
Selfish jerk!
No… Aaron was wrong to accuse Lucian of that… Lucian was only –
"Aaron! Look out!" he heard Toasty suddenly cry out, snapping the boy's focus back onto the beast. He accidentally fired his shot without aiming and the large Ice bullet slammed into the cavern wall instead of its intended target.
The lion had opened its large maw. There was an orange glow coming from the back of its throat. Soon an orb of swirling fire gathering before the beast's opened mouth.
Aaron knew what was to come. He cursed and dove to the side just as the lion released its fiery attack. A large glowing beam just barely missed him… or so he thought. Even though the beam did not hit him, the flaring energy from the attack was enough to cause harm.
The blast penetrated through Ezra's protective sphere and Aaron felt an intense heat swallow up his left arm. Soon, hot pain followed right after, causing the boy to fall over with grief after he landed safely away from the explosive impact of the lion's attack. His ears rang from the loud noise. For a brief moment, the blue aura that surrounded him shimmered then disappeared before reforming again. Aaron had broken into a heavy sweat at the moment the barrier disappeared.
The gunslinger gritted his teeth as he suppressed a cry when he tried to move his stiff, hurting left arm. He took a quick look at it and scrunched his face with dread. His forearm, from wrist to elbow, was singed and bleeding. It pained him to move his arm fully but he had no choice in the matter; the lion was roaring for having missed its target. Red eyes, glowing with rage, pierced right into his very soul.
Aaron was trembling… he couldn't quite understand why. He had fought many monsters and he had faced the Vampires! So why was he so frightened now?
He was weak… that was why.
His Solar Knight was hardly hurting the damn monster.
Toasty appeared in his view. "Don't just sit there, Aaron! Move! It's coming!" he warned, dabbing his leafy appendage at the advancing beast.
Aaron growled in frustration, his hand tightly gripping on his solar gun. When the lion leaped into the air, Aaron rolled off to the side and onto his feet in a quick manner, trying his best to ignore the burn.
He immediately charged his weapon as he ran and once it was complete; he twirled around on his heel and fired at the pursuing monster. The icy blue blast pelted the lion head-on, surprisingly knocking it over. It fell onto its side but was quickly on its feet. Ice had nearly covered its entire face, much to Aaron's pleasure. Revenge was rather sweet.
The boy readied another shot as the beast clawed at its face to melt the ice. He fired the instant it was charged and struck the lion's stone-colored face. It was sent sprawling once again.
A sneer of triumph found its place on Aaron's lips as he prepared another shot. The lion roared furiously and ran amok in blind fury. It did not bother to free the ice that covered it and instead zigzagged all over the place, making it hard to target.
The lion scraped against the cavern wall, rebounded, then stumbled into the pool of lava and disappeared under the surface. "That's not good…" Ezra whispered, her voice weary. "It will be able to heal itself!"
"What?! No!" Aaron exclaimed. All his previous confidence melted away.
"Aaron, stand back!" Toasty cried just before a familiar roar shook the cavern walls.
The boy jumped back just as the lion emerged from the molten pool in a dramatic leap. It landed soundly with a thud with molten rock dripping from its renewed glowing flesh. The fiery mane of the beast was flaring wildly, reflecting the lion's anger.
Aaron stiffened, uncertain of how to continue fighting the beast. He had to make the best of it… Was that what Earnest would say?
Yeah, Aaron had to face the lion and use everything he had.
But the lava pool… The monster could just jump back in to heal itself constantly.
The boy cursed in frustration both mentally and verbally.
I can't fight it alone… He needed the dark swordsman's help!
"Ezra! Imbue me with your power!"
Lucian's voice resounded within the cavern before Aaron even saw the swordsman drop onto the unwary lion's back with a long-shafted weapon. It looked much like a spear from what Aaron briefly saw. The very end of it pierced through the lion's body and into the ground underneath it from Lucian's incredible strength. The swordsman landed beside the flailing beast and quickly stepped away.
Before then, Ezra had already disappeared from the younger warrior's side and exposed him to the choking heat.
Alexander soon took over Ezra's place and provided a windy barrier that did not repel the heat but at least made it easier to breathe.
The beast released a pained cry and collapsed on the spot. It growled and snarled, trying to free itself from the metal stake that held it. Its movements were feeble; Lucian had injured it greatly just from that one attack.
"Finish it!" Lucian commanded the younger boy, his voice hoarse.
Without hesitating, Aaron called for Ezra's power and charged up his gun. His blast struck the weakened monster's face and soon ice formed all around its head. Its fiery mane smoldered weakly and its body began to lose its glow. Before long, all the flames extinguished and the lion had turned into stone where it soon crumpled away into rubble.
Aaron breathed a deep sigh of relief as he fell to his knees. Lucian, however, staggered and fell.
Startled, the gunslinger hurried to the other boy's side and realized that Lucian was highly exhausted. He was breathing heavily and must have fainted. "He needs to cool down," Nero spoke of the boy, hovering over the fallen warrior. "Aaron, dump some water over him."
"Huh?" the boy uttered. It was rather a surprise to have the cat suggest such a thing. "Well… okay." He was reaching for his water canteen with his good hand when Lucian's muffled voice stopped him.
"Don't you even dare, you little brat."
Aaron pursed his lips into a pout. "Nero told me so, so I better do it," he replied with a mischievous grin, canteen in hand.
Lucian slowly rose and managed to sit on the ground, slumping forward. The gunslinger saw the boy's wound – a burn upon his chest from the lion's paw. He gave Aaron a weary glare before snatching the canteen out of the younger boy's hand. He took a big gulp from it and tossed it back. With a sigh, the swordsman brushed a hand through his damp hair and looked through the blue aura and at the pile of rocks that used to be the lion.
The spear Lucian had used remained erected within the pile while his sword was lying just off to the side. Aaron became excited. "That spear is the Legendary Weapon?" he eagerly asked. "Man, it's so strong! You ran it through that annoying monster! And you jumped across that pool? Amazing!"
"Hmph," Lucian snorted in response. "It's a lance," he corrected the boy, his one eye narrowing at the weapon. "It has the same dark properties as Vanargand… It's an ancient weapon." He slowly shook his head. "Why would they hide it down here though?"
Aaron cocked his head to the side. "Who?" he asked. The boy only received a sideways glare and no answer.
"Let's get outta this damn place," Lucian growled, avoiding the question. He unsteadily heaved himself up. "We found what we came for. I've seen enough lava."
The gunslinger nodded, rising to his feet. He flinched when he moved his injured arm and Lucian took notice of it. "It got you, huh?" the swordsman scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "You should've kept moving." That made Aaron glower at him. "You still have that potion?"
"Yeah," the spiky-haired boy answered grumpily.
"Then take it, stupid. It'll heal that burn."
Aaron snorted. "You should take yours as well," he returned evenly. "That burn looks pretty nasty, eh?"
Lucian rolled his one visible eye. "I'll be fine. Hurry up." He slowly made his way to his lance and Aaron followed so Ezra could protect them both.
As Aaron searched through his satchel for his potion, he found something else more pleasing. "Want to try the Cure Bulb?" The young Guild member pulled out the dried fruit and split it in half. He took a small nibble and was surprised at the sweetness of it. "It's good! Tastes just like an Earth Fruit! We should buy more of these!" He stuffed his portion into his mouth and offered the other half to Lucian. "Here! Try some!"
The swordsman pried the dark lance free with both hands and scowled at Aaron's words. He then wrinkled his nose when he saw the portion of the Cure Bulb being offered to him. "You expect me to eat that? Disgusting."
"It's not disgusting, it's delicious!"
"Hmph. I don't care what it is. I'm not touching it." Lucian propped the lance over his shoulder and headed straight for his sword.
Aaron shrugged and ate the rest of the bulb with a smile as he followed. Lucian was really missing out on the good things.
A/N: The guardian lion is not actually in the game; it was something that I placed to make the Legendary Weapon rather important. I mean, come on, who would leave such a powerful weapon in a treasure box, unguarded? It had to be protected. After all, it was Rymer's treasure.
So how did you like the update? Was it satisfying? Disappointing? Crappy? I'd love to hear how it was. Give me some motivation and maybe I'll be able to update faster! ;)