FOREVER DESTINY : Ancient Era Arc 1
Before the Beginning
Episode 12:
"Souls of the Light and Dark"
Story Focus: T'myra
By Nekochan
Author's Note
(Grin) If all goes well, this should be the 2nd to last episode in 'Before the Beginning'. That is, if I can keep my focus on what I want to get through to you guys, as opposed to anything that comes to mind. So, we'll see how long this gets.
Yeah, so as of 2/13/05, that's NOT going to happen . . .
Arigatou Minasan! (Thanks everyone!)
Nekochan
(-)(-)(-)
12:15 AM Monday- Outside of N'ngza, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
A sound like that of rushing wind announced the arrival of the orbs of light. The Conduits and Captains appeared, gasping, on the rocky ground.
"T'myra?" Hariel asked.
"Yeah?"
"Next time, let us in on your plans, okay?" he pleaded, walking over to her.
Tamer laughed, "Hey, I was just keepin' ya' on your toes!" Tamer got up and ruffled his hair.
Hariel reached out to and took her in his arms. His facial expression softened and he pressed his left cheek to her right. "You said you wouldn't scare me like that again, Tamer!" he spoke softly, tightening his hold a little.
T'myra sighed, Oh, Cotton . . . She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, Cotton-"
"Excuse me?" a polite voice inquired.
Everyone turned to see an exceptionally pale Acuashy standing and looking outward with a look bordering on terror.
"Where are we?" Acuashy whimpered.
Slowly, everyone else got up and looked at what she was so afraid of. She had been staring at a stunningly dark landscape. There were large mountains with jagged peaks and cliffs that jutted outward in every direction imaginable, and the moon cast an eerie glow over the range.
Hariel let go of T'myra to look at the scene as well, but, upon viewing it fully, he grasped T'myra's hand tightly.
"Oh K'kmaj, he got us here . . . It's-" Saberstryke began.
"Hell," Tamer breathed and then became ecstatic. "We made it! M' Artifact is ova' there somewhere! We're so close! Can ya' feel it? We'll be able t' defeat G'gonstrm after all!"
"This place is so spooky, Miss T'myra-" Acuashy began, buried in Shedosh's arms, but Tamer paid no attention to her.
"Cotton, this is wonderful! We're makin' The Prophecy come true! We're actually doin' it!" she squealed.
Hariel smiled; he'd never seen her this happy. However, he seemed somewhat mesmerized by the dark monuments in front of him. "Hey, Shedosh? What was Tamer's clue again?"
Before Shedosh could speak, Kokuen-oh recited, " 'Good is pressured by Evil, standing strong with all its might; the darkest prison shall shed the light' and 'Second; seek the true self, though the soul may seem dark; if sorrow engulfs you, you'll miss your mark.' "
Everyone looked at him with wide eyes.
"I feel like I have the thing memorized - as if it's a part of me," Kokuen-oh explained, looking slightly bewildered himself.
"Well, I think we've been 'pressured by Evil' fo' long enough. Badamon, G'gonstrm, an' 'ooeva' else thinks that they can resaa'rect the Gizmutan race some'ow needs t' be stopped." T'myra began to walk towards the mountains. "An' I'm just the girl t' do it, too. No 'daa'k soul' o' 'sorra' ' is gonna' stop me, eitha'-"
"Hold on T'myra!" Hariel begged, running in front of her and grabbing her by the shoulders. "We're all in this together. We're exhausted, tired, and maybe even scared-"
"I am!" Acuashy piped up.
"Me too!" Najyana protested.
"Me three!" Sashyrary called.
After a sigh and chuckle, Hariel continued, "I know how much stopping G'gonstrm and Badamon mean to you, but you can't do it alone. Everyone knows that you're brave, strong, and powerful - no one doubts that . . . but no one can go on forever without rest and recuperation. We're already ahead of Badamon and his goons; one night - more like a few hours - won't make much of a difference."
T'myra shifted a little and blushed.
"Come on, let's go into town and rest, huh?" Hariel asked.
"The nearest town to Hell, and here, is probably N'ngza, if I'm not mistaken," K'kedki put in, noticing R'rufu still hadn't spoken a word and was continually staring down at her feet.
"All right then, let's get to N'ngza," Hariel insisted, pulling T'myra to face the group with his left arm around her back and gripping her left shoulder.
"That's the kind of leadership we like to see!" Saberstryke cheered, trying to lighten the mood.
The daa'kest prison . . . Fine, Cotton, we'll go t' N'ngza . . . but ya' neva' said 'ow long I 'ave t' stay there . . .
(-)
1:00 AM Monday- Outskirts of Hell, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
"+Well, that was effective+" Antulpan laughed. He wasn't an experienced sea-merchant, but he had learned enough about the geography of Cheakir to know that it should have taken them at least 6 hours to get from Nabyjacuo to N'ngza. They had made it in a little under an hour and were now on their way to where Antulpan had vividly recalled T'myra's Artifact was located.
"+When you have such expert sailors augmented by magic, travel by water is nothing!+" Saranbo insisted. "+Badamon, what is it that you plan to do here? And why come with all due haste+"
Badamon narrowed his eyes and turned around. His six minions were following behind him as they walked through the caves just above the rumored location of Hell. "+We are here to find the Second Artifact - the last one that has not been claimed by the Conduits - before they have a chance to get it. I'm going to look for it while you six guard the entrance against intruders - G'gonstrm natives or otherwise.+"
"+All by yourself? You mean to say you're going to go looking for an object that has the power of the Dekutan in it by yourself?+" Arago demanded. "+This is that T'myra's artifact that we're looking for! She'll bring all of those brats along with her! She'll stop at nothing to make the Prophecy come true+"
Badamon grinned, his fangs showing prominently. "+The Conduits had spent the day traveling and recovering another Artifact - they have expended their store of energy. Even a Half-Breed like T'myra would need some small bit of rest before coming here; some of her companions - those of Mycuaja - will require substantially more rest if they are to be effective again. No . . . they will not come here for many hours yet.+"
"+I don't know . . . I never did trust her to do sensible things . . .+" Antulpan sighed, "+As badly as I want this whole Prophecy business to be over, she wants it to be complete . . . maybe even more so.+"
"+It doesn't matter-+" Badamon began angrily.
"+Hush+" Both Sandstrikers hissed, bending their legs a little and holding their arms out.
Badamon turned on them. "+How dare you-+"
"+We feel something in the ground . . .+" they both insisted quietly, "+A malicious feeling . . . We are not welcome here+" They directed this to Badamon.
Not long after they had said this, the cave floor beneath their feet began to quake and tremble. Before any of them could react, the floor exploded from beneath them and they fell through the large hole into the darkness below. They were almost instantaneously enveloped in a dark blue aura that slowly descended into the depths; they were hovering towards the middle of the sphere and moving as it moved, though not of their own free will.
Try as they might and as much as they shouted, pounding against the walls of color that surrounded them did no good.
Echoing from the darkness, they heard a feminine-sounding voice laughing haughtily. She spoke words none of them understood, despite sounding very much like G'gonn, but Badamon caught a murky purple gleam from the direction of her voice and he sensed the fearlessness in her voice. He could also feel her aura - that was frightening enough.
Then, like an echo, they heard a voice almost identical to the previous one, but they could tell it was filtering through the sphere.
"+Ha ha ha! You silly little Dekutan-influenced souls! You dare trespass in the Domain of the Gizmutan? You shall be punished for your grievous error, begun by Second Daughter N'kndi+"
None of them wanted to respond. However, they soon lost all control of their situation.
A dim brown light flashed from the direction of the female's voice. Within seconds, they could see the massive rocks that had fallen onto the level below them start to levitate upwards. With every rock that replaced the floor, the room became darker and Badamon realized that this was one darkness none of them would be able to see through.
"+Good work, N'kndi.+"
"+Thank you, Eldest Brother R'nast.+"
That was the last thing they heard echoing through the dark blue aura before the last rock was put into place and the cavern went completely dark.
(-)
1:20 AM Monday- Hell, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
"+What do you think they plan to do with us+" Arago whispered to Badamon. All of them had been very edgy, just sitting there in the dark, waiting for their captors to make a move.
"+I'm not sure . . . But if they're Gizmutan like they claim, then I might know of a way to get us out of here+" Badamon replied in a low tone.
"+How+" Arago barely managed to keep his voice down.
Badamon grinned, knowing Arago couldn't see it, "+You said you would trust me. Prove it now and keep quiet; let me do the talking.+" Badamon heard Arago grumble slightly and huff, but he made no noise after that. Badamon's grin broadened. He stood up slowly, using the side of their spherical cage to keep his balance. "+Everyone remain silent+" Badamon ordered softly, then called out to the darkness, "+Oh Great Gizmutan, our captors! I am called Badamon, the leader of my group here! If it pleases Your Greatnesses, I have some information that may be quite valuable to all of Your Kin. It concerns The Prophecy of the Dekutan, those beings who sealed Your Greatnesses away, here in Hell+"
All eight of them had to shield their eyes when a burst of blue light came into their view a few feet outside of the sphere, in the direction Badamon was facing. "+The one called Badamon - you have the attention of the R'nast, Eldest Son of The Great Gizmu. Speak quickly and tell no lies; if this information is truly as beneficial to the Gizmutan as you proclaim, then your life may be spared.+"
Badamon could hardly contain his excitement. "+Oh Great Gizmu, R'nast, I thank you for your attention. Does Your Greatness know of The Prophecy+"
"+I know of The Prophecy.+"
"+The Dekutan have summoned a group of nine, including five known as the Conduits, four of whom have successfully discovered their Artifacts . . .+"
(-)
1:40 AM Monday- N'ngza, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
After insisting that T'myra put on R'rufu's cloaking ring again, the Conduits and Captains found rooms at a tavern in N'ngza. Before long, the three young Book-hands were sleeping peacefully in one room, Captain Rafakoh and Lord Saberstryke were sleeping in another room, and Kokuen-oh, Hariel, and Shedosh were sleeping in a third room.
Hariel couldn't sleep. She said- No, that's not right . . . she didn't say anything in response to me! He had a feeling that this was going to be the one time that T'myra wasn't going to listen to him. He had to make sure though. So, Hariel got out of bed as quietly as he could, trying not to wake Shedosh, in the same bed, or Kokuen-oh, in the second bed.
-
Kokuen-oh stirred from a visionary dream.
Tamer was talking to the girls about being Captains in The Prophecy. Then he saw her holding a kind of pendant above her head. She brought it down around her neck, and it sparkled, as did a stream of light around her. The pendant itself looked something like a red comma.
-
Hariel quietly walked out of the room and across the hall to where Acuashy, Sashyrary, Najyana, and T'myra were sharing a large room. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
After a moment, Najyana's sleepy and raspy voice called through the door, "(Who is it?)"
"(It's Hariel.)"
The door opened just enough for Hariel to Najya's face. She looked like she hadn't slept very well. "(What's up? Why aren't you with T'myra?)"
Hariel looked at her with a confused expression. "(Why would I be with T'myra? Isn't she in there?)" He pointed to her door.
"(Well, she got up not too long ago and hasn't come back. I figured she was with you.)"
-
Kokuen-oh awoke, but stayed lying down, thinking about what he had read in The Prophecy earlier. It had talked about the Conduits and Captain of Spring . . . could that be R'rufu? And we know Mysti's the Captain of Fall, so which seasons are Acuashy and Najyana represented by? Next he thought about what he saw T'myra doing. Where could she get that pendant? Oh no . . .
-
No- She didn't- Hariel left Najy standing in the doorway, but called back to her, "(Get the girls up, NOW!)"
Kokuen-oh heard him and stood up as Hariel burst in the door. "Did T'myra-" he began, but Hariel cut him off.
"Tamer's gone!"
(-)
Saberstryke hadn't thought he'd be able to get R'rafko to go to sleep, but he knew he had to try. He had already shed his armor and was lying on the bed in his light garments, hoping she would remember why they'd stopped in N'ngza in the first place - for rest and recuperation. As it was, he was growing sleepy from watching her still form just sit there on the edge of the bed, facing the door and fully dressed. The moonlight spilled in from the window, to which she had her back turned, and gave her a melancholy blue aura. It made his heart ache to watch her sit like that.
"R'rufu . . ." K'kedki reached over and touched her on the shoulder, but she didn't seem to notice.
He frowned, sighed, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Then, he stood up and walked around the bed until he was right next to her. As he sat down, he took her hat off with his left hand and set it on her bedside table, moving his arm behind her back to do so. When he brought his arm back, he clasped her left shoulder in his left hand and massaged it gently. He kept his focus on her face at all times; he noticed that she didn't seem to be crying, only very dazed.
"What's wrong, R'rufu?" He figured that he knew the answer, but he also wanted her to be able to get it off her chest.
She stared at the wall in front of her. The door was on the right and two paintings hung on the wall, but she wasn't looking at anything in particular. "My ship . . . my crew . . . my friends . . . they're gone, K'kedki. They're gone . . . I couldn't save them."
He pulled her into his arms and she didn't protest; she leaned into it like a frightened child. He'd seen her act like this only once before, and that was in the Spiritual Caverns, as they'd dubbed it; she'd confessed she was afraid of enclosed spaces. "We're all doing our best to stop Badamon. Sometimes we're not the only ones who get hurt."
R'rufu started crying into his shirt. "But they didn't deserve to be turned into his . . . his puppets!"
"And T'myra's parents didn't deserve to die, either," K'kedki pointed out.
That seemed to strike a cord with her. She looked up into his deep brown eyes and he smiled softly down at her.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then leaned his against hers. "This is hard on everyone, R'rufu, not just you. I know that nothing I say will bring your crew-mates back, but the least you can do is try to make sure that such a thing doesn't happen to anyone else. That's why I'm here, after all; I didn't want such things to continue."
He spoke these words with such a gentle tone and kind expression on his face that it brought a blush to R'rufu's face. In all of her life, she had never expected a reaction like this to come from a Demidon - that is, until she met K'kedki. K'kmaj, how can I repay you for this? I've discovered the diamond in the rough! The rose among a field of weeds!
Slowly, she tilted her head and shut her eyes for a beautifully romantic kiss from K'kedki, who didn't disappoint her. She brought her hands up to his neck and they deepened the kiss, eliciting content sighs from R'rafko. She slowly leaned backwards on the bed, tugging on K'kedki's shirt as she did so. He, in turn, released her from his embrace and propped his upper body up with arms on either side of her shoulders. He wasn't exactly on top of her - just leaning over - but it was enough for him to take the hint as to what R'rafko was asking for.
"You sure know how to cheer a girl up," she teased when they had parted, lightly running the middle finger of her right hand up and down his upper left arm as her left hand fell from his neck to his shirt and continued southward.
K'kedki was spared from responding because a furious knock was heard from their door. He quickly kissed her on the lips and whispered, smiling, "We'll try this again some other time, okay?" She looked frustrated, but he didn't wait for an answer. He stood up at the end of the bed and walked over to the door.
She sat up as well, but didn't look happy about it. That wasn't supposed to happen! Whoever it is better have a damn good reason for interrupting us, or I'll wring their sorry NECK
The Lord Saberstryke opened the door and found Kokuen-oh, ready to start knocking again.
Kokuen-oh took one look at Rafakoh's angry expression and Saberstryke's pleasant smile; it was all he needed to burst into a string of embarrassed apologies. "Oh, Kohmah! I'm so sorry! I've got the worst timing- That's twice now! Oh . . ."
K'kedki couldn't help but start laughing. Then, he heard Hariel's voice.
"Kokuen-oh? What's going on? We have to go now!"
"Gimme a second, would ya'?" Kokuen-oh yelled, still blushing furiously even with his head turned to address Hariel. "We didn't exactly get a 10-minute warning, now did we?" My prophecy had to have come only a minute or two before Hariel figured it out!
The Lord suddenly became serious and Rafakoh snapped to attention, getting up and walking over to stand next to Saberstryke.
"A warning about what? Why are you talking about leaving?" Saberstryke asked.
Kokuen-oh turned back around to face Saberstryke and sighed heavily, becoming more serious. "We think- No, we're pretty sure that T'myra went to get her Artifact."
"By herself?" Saberstryke and Rafakoh gawked together. They blushed slightly and smiled at one another.
"The point is that we have to go after her," Kokuen-oh stated.
Saberstryke became serious again. "Fine, but I'm not going anywhere near Hell without my armor on," the Lord insisted.
"I'll help him put it on; it'll be faster that way," Rafakoh insisted quickly and moved to shut the door as Saberstryke looked at her with a very embarrassed glare.
"Hey!" Kokuen-oh caught the door and looked her straight in the eyes. He said in a low tone, "If you're still in there after 10 minutes, I won't feel bad about interrupting you a third time."
R'rafko looked indignant, but he could tell it was a farce all too easily. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Then, she added in a low tone, "+And I don't need that long, anyway.+"
With that, she shut the door and Kokuen-oh was only barely able to get his fingers out in time. However, he did catch a glimpse of R'rufu launching herself into a very startled K'kedki's arms and locking his lips with a kiss. He couldn't even see her hands, but he assumed they weren't anywhere near the Lord's upper body.
"What was that all about?" Hariel demanded.
"Just R'rafko wanting some time alone with her Lord," Kokuen-oh chuckled, still blushing from R'rafko's last comment and actions. I don't think I gave her a threat . . . I think I gave her a challenge! he sighed, shaking his head to free them of any thoughts concerning what was going on in the room next to him. "At least they're all getting ready at the same time. We'll be out of here in under 10 minutes, Hariel; don't worry."
"Tamer doesn't need half that to get herself into loads of trouble," Hariel snorted. "This is Hell we're talking about!" Why couldn't she just wait a few hours? Now we're all cranky and exhausted! How does she do it?
Kokuen-oh smirked, but he was worried too. "Don't I know it."
(-)
1:45 AM Monday- Hell, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
In one of the deepest caverns of Hell, seven figures stood in a rough circle. They varied in height and color but, for the most part, looked quite similar. They were the Children of the Gizmutan, the highest ranking of their kind save their Great Father and Mother.
The one called Badamon had piqued their interest by speaking to them with amazing reverence. He then revealed to them a great deal of information that puzzled and troubled them. The Seven had then mutually agreed to ponder over Badamon's words and determine his fate appropriately.
"+"D'mri, do you feel that they were telling us the truth?"+" the tallest of the Children asked a much smaller female. His voice commanded respect and he wore a contemplative expression on his face. His skin glistened navy blue and his eyes shone with a deep teal aura.
The female was the shortest of the Seven and barely stood out against the shadows, her glistening body the only giveaway. She put her hands on her hips, shifting her weight onto her left leg, and sneered, the grayed, sea-green aura in her eyes flaring, "+"They were rank with malicious intentions, Eldest Brother R'nast, but they spoke no lies. That doesn't mean what they say is the absolute truth - it could be merely their ignorant belief - but they hid nothing from us. I made sure of that! "+" She chuckled a little at this, then turned to the tallest female. With a smile on her face and amazing sincerity, she said sweetly, "+"Thank you, Eldest Sister T'vda!"+"
T'vda smirked and replied in a deep, sultry voice, "+"You're quite welcome, D'mri; I thought you might enjoy my way of thinking."+" She was the third tallest of the Children, but not by much. Her bright red-orange eyes illuminated her brick red skin as she turned to face R'nast. "+"Eldest Brother R'nast, what do you intend to do about this turn of events? Should we speak with Our Great Father?"+"
"+"I don't think we need to bother Our Great Father with such a trivial matter,"+" a male with dark aquamarine skin spoke up. His dark salmon eyes opened and he addressed the other six, "+"We could easily handle this ourselves. Our Great Father has been quite busy as of late, tending to Mother and all . . ."+"
"+"I agree with N'denz,"+" R'nast said and nodded his head. "+"Our Great Father does not need to know about this just yet. We need to make sure that what that Badamon said is true. He said that one of those Conduits has an Artifact here in Hell. We shall simply capture this Conduit and her Artifact. Then . . ."+" R'nast turned to his youngest brother, who hadn't spoken yet. "+"We will let K'rant take over from there."+"
The deep-purple skinned male looked up at R'nast, slowly opening his vibrant golden-orange eyes. He nodded mutely.
"+"Come on, R'nast!"+" N'kndi yelled from beside K'rant, her peer in height and polar opposite in attitude, "+"If these Conduits are really the Dekutan's Chosen like we think they are and their Artifacts the very things that can be used to cause Our Kin's ultimate destruction, why not just kill them all now and take those items? That would be an incredible present for Our Great Father and Mother!"+"
The only male that had yet to speak took a step towards the brown-skinned female and growled down at her - he was taller than she by a few inches, "+"Watch your tongue, N'kndi!"+" His burgundy skin flexed with anger and the dusk-pink aura in his eyes flared, "+"We always show reverence to our older siblings! If Eldest Brother R'nast wants us to capture the brats, then we'll capture them and that's FINAL!"+"
"+"There is no need to get angry, R'skan,"+" R'nast spoke calmly. Then, he turned to N'kndi, "N'kndi . . . How many times has Our Great Father had to remind you that we do not go around killing every single being that walks into Our Domain? The only reason we went after that Badamon and his group was because they lingered. If we were to reveal ourselves to Cheakir, then what kind of reaction do you think we could expect from the Dekutan?"+"
The other six hissed at the mention of Gods of Cheakir's name and the thought of what they might do.
"+"That's right. We must be discreet!"+" R'nast insisted. His siblings noticed his right knee twitch a little as he clenched his right hand into a fist. Those were where his Runes were, the Arrowhead and the Lightning-bolt, respectively . . . just like on their Great Father. Their Runes were what kept them confined to Hell. "+"Badamon is without a doubt these Conduits' nemesis. There is no way he can possibly know everything about them. We must find out how much they know about The Battle for Cheakir before we make any serious moves."+"
"+"What does that matter, Eldest Brother?"+" N'kndi demanded, emphasizing the last words as she glared in R'skan's direction, who was frowning slightly.
R'nast smiled.
D'mri grinned and laughed. "+"Now you have to tell us, Eldest Brother R'nast! What are you planning? Huh, huh?"+" she pleaded like a child - she was the youngest, after all, and knew it was the way to get R'nast to tell her anything.
R'nast spoke to all six of his younger siblings, "+"If these Conduits are the Dekutan's Chosen, but they don't know about The Agreement with the Dekutan, then how can we be bound by Its rules?"+"
(-)
1:55 AM Monday- Outskirts of Hell, G'gonstrm May 9th- 981 D.A.
It seemed like forever since T'myra had left the city of N'ngza; looking back on it, the city had been brightly illuminated as she had run through it compared to the caverns she was now in. Having made it to the base of the large mountain range that was over the supposed Pits of Hell, T'myra had walked around until she came upon an entrance to the caverns under the mountains. It was in here that she expected to find her Artifact.
'The daa'kest prison' . . . Well, 'Ell is supposed t' be where the Gizmutan were sealed all those yeaa's ago . . . or could it just 'ave meant late at night? Then again, the otha' paa't was somethin' about a true soul that seems daa'k and sorra' . . .
Tamer cautiously avoided any plots of earth that looked weak, for she feared falling into the actual Pits of Hell. She stepped over one, and fell, but she immediately clung to the edge. As she pulled herself up, a kind of glint caught her eye. It was in an immensely dark entrance to another part of the caverns surrounding Hell. Gathering her courage, T'myra made her way through the darkness.
When it got to the point that she couldn't even see the entrance, she began to get a little worried . . . I should be able t' see in this- It's not completely daak-
The ceiling began to sparkle.
"Wow . . . It's so beautiful . . ." she marveled.
T'myra was in complete awe; it was as if someone had cut out a piece of the sky and pasted it in this rock dome of a mountain, just like Tybysa's prayer room in Sahenangell. One 'star' in particular stuck out from the rest. The others twinkled, but this one shone with a brilliant light and it was in an odd color spectrum. It was white at first, then pink, and an amber, a pale yellow, magenta, a light aquamarine, gray, then brown, and a bloodstone-red, next indigo, then back to pink, and the cycle repeated.
Absentmindedly, Tamer reached out for the star with her right hand. When she did, the star seemed to shine brighter and stuck on a dark bluish-green color, which she hadn't seen in the cycle before. T'myra's curiosity grew and she reached out further, figuring she would eventually have to fly up to the ceiling to touch it. The star got brighter and brighter - actually it got bigger and bigger, and Tamer had no idea why. When the light eventually got too bright for her to look at it, she tried to pull away. Finding that she could not, T'myra tugged on her hand as hard as she could.
"Lemee go! Fo' Cuamyjy's sake - stop it!" Tamer cursed, trying to free herself with all her might. It stings, like m' 'and is enveloped in acid!
She realized that her hand was being drug deeper into the small vortex. Her eyes opened wide when she saw a curiously dark light running up her arm.
"+That's it+" T'myra screeched, somehow finding it difficult to concentrate on the source of the eerie aura. "+LE'. GO. O'. M'. FUCKIN'. 'AND+" she yelled, pulling so hard she was afraid she'd rip her own hand off.
A light flared throughout the whole room as Tamer flew into a side of the cave. She shook her head and looked to see if she still had her hand. She found her fist clamped around a comma-shaped, red shell on a kind of rope. It had other ornaments around it, but the shell was the largest object on the rope.
T'myra gawked at it as she walked out of the cavern and back the way she came, Could this be m' Artifact? It was in a daak place . . . but I wouldn't consider it a prison, unless ya' count that stupid STAA- T'myra was cut off as she fell into the Pits of Hell. "+OH SHHIIIIIIITTT . . .+"
Before T'myra could even think about casting a spell or Raging to slow her descent, she was nearly blinded by a light similar to the one she'd experienced only moments before. It wasn't as bright as before, so she was aware of the fact that it was a very brilliant shade of aquamarine, but that didn't change the fact that she was still extremely confused. When the light died down only a bit, she noticed that she was surrounded by an orb much like the one she'd been flown to G'gonstrm in by the Ancient Staff. Then, she realized that the source of the aquamarine-colored light was the charm on the pendant that she now held in a death-grip in her right hand.
She had just taken a look down the rocky shaft she was descending when she felt a very strong power coming towards her at terrific speed. She focused on it and became aware of its location almost immediately. Her eyes widened in shock and slight fear.
Behind me!
Tamer whirled around to face the being that was emanating such a strong aura, but all she saw was a pair of vibrant sunset-colored eyes enshrouded in pure darkness. Her mind started to cloud and she became extremely sleepy. The darkness was closing in on her; the light from her orb and the jewel in her hand was fading. Right before T'myra lost consciousness, she felt herself falling a little ways, but being caught in a pair of strong arms almost immediately after she'd begun to fall. She also could've sworn she heard the sound of wings flapping.
(-)(-)(-)
Continued in: Dreams of Glory
2/12/2005
Dontcha' just hate it when your girlfriend / boyfriend doesn't listen to you? I just love how T'myra got her hand stuck next to her Artifact . . . I feel so sorry for Hariel . . . But, he did see it coming, after all. And T'myra was doing so well at understanding that Hariel meant well by what he said and did.
3/10/2005
So . . . most of this stuff is brand new, do you like it? It's part of my overhauling revision process. Some of this was me working in stuff from other incarnations of the story, but a lot of it came from a massive jolt thanks to my Muse. I like to think that she has a sledgehammer locked away in her closet that she sometimes brings out so she can hit me with it. (Grin) Keep tabs on the Children - they're just as important as their parents and Badamon, etc. Anyway, I really hope you like my latest contribution to Forever Destiny. (Smile) Please leave me reviews, or at least some comments!
4/14/2005
I felt that this was a poignant enough place to stop and let the restructuring carry on the story in the next episode. I added some parts, since this is only my first revision of this episode; Badamon groveling was the biggest thing, as well as some modifications to Badamon and Arago's dialogue shortly beforehand.
Nekochan