A/N: Hello, I'm here again, this time with Chapter 19! Thank you to all my reviewers for last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, too!
Warning: there is some mildly graphic imagery in this chapter in the form of death. I don't think it will upset anyone, but just a heads-up.
Distantly, Anna could hear the sounds of two voices arguing. She rolled her head sideways with a small groan in an attempt to escape the noise that set her already aching head pounding and the two voices faltered and fell silent. Peace achieved, the ranger stilled and began absently wondering where she was and why the heck her head hurt so much. Apparently the pair fighting nearby took her stillness to mean she had fallen back asleep as they began fighting once again- albeit more quietly than before. The voices were familiar, Anna realized as she returned to her senses.
"For the last time: just because you killed it with fire, doesn't mean the meat is cooked," one voice said, definitely male and definitely exasperated.
"I'd eat it," the second voice, also male, said in a matter of fact tone.
An aggravated sigh was heard and then, "I know you would, and you're welcome to the food poisoning. However, I still think Anna, Natz, and I would rather eat food that is definitely safe."
"It is safe! I cooked it and everything!" the second voice defended.
"You didn't cook that cat; you engulfed it in a pillar of fire and it died," the first voice snapped impatiently, "And we already covered this at least five times now! Just go out there and find some fruit or nuts or something." A low grumble followed by the sounds of shuffling footsteps and a quiet sigh was heard and then there was silence.
Anna pried her eyes opened to find she was lying on her back, staring up at patches of a deep orange sky through the branches of a tree. Her camping blanket was underneath her and a rolled-up cloth of some sort was tucked under her head to serve as a pillow. For a moment, Anna just blinked up at the sky wondering hazily about how she got into the middle of a forest. She slowly sorted through the jumbled memories in her head, attempting to piece them together into an order that made sense: robo-squash, tree, bridge, smelled-like-death-flower, poison, blood, Natalie-
"Natalie!" Anna shouted; shooting upright as everything came rushing back with perfect clarity. A yell of shock came from the ranger's right and she twisted sharply to look. Immediately, Anna's head pounded and she fell back down with a groan of pain. The ranger heard the sound of footsteps coming up next to her through the rushing of blood in her ears and she cracked one eye open to see who it was. Lance's worried face swam into view and Anna opened her other eye. Forcing her own discomfort aside, the girl tried to sit up again only to find the gunner's hand on her shoulder holding her down. "Where is she? Did she make it? Is she okay?" Anna asked, green eyes pleading for an answer.
"Calm down, Natz is fine," Lance ordered. He took his hand off of her shoulder when she relaxed as the statement sank in. Anna maintained her stare, demanding details without words. "We neutralized the poison and healed the worst of her wounds. If you had bothered to look to your left instead of giving me a heart attack, you would've seen that she's sleeping right next to you," Lance assured her.
Anna rolled her head to the side and sure enough, there was Natalie sleeping soundly not three feet away. Heaving a sigh of relief, the ranger turned back to face Lance, "Where are we?"
Lance shrugged, "Still in Lankyroot. We got far enough away from that plant, following your directions, to escape from the smell and set up camp." He frowned at her, "You pushed yourself too far with the healing and passed out."
Anna flushed at the mild scolding, but stared defiantly back at him, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving my friends." A gurgling sound from her stomach cut off any argument and, the ranger' flush deepened, "So, what's for dinner? I heard you and Matt arguing about cooked meat when I first woke up."
With a snort, Lance motioned over to a pile of dead cats nearby; one of which was smoking. "Bon appetite, if you want it," he offered sarcastically. "Those stupid fur balls attacked us and I suggested eating one after we beat them and Matt thought we could kill two tasks with one Eruption."
Anna stared at him for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter, head ache and grumbling stomach momentarily forgotten. "That sounds like something he would try," Anna said with a wide grin on her face. The grin faded as Lance stared at her, "Lance? You okay?"
A faint blush rose on the gunner's cheeks and he shook himself. Turning to open one of his Medipacks sitting nearby, Lance fished a small bottle out and poured two capsules into the palm of his hand. "I'm fine. Matt should be back soon with something to eat. In the meantime, here's a painkiller for that headache mana drain always leaves." Anna carefully sat up and gratefully accepted the offered pills and a canteen of water.
The pair sat there in silence until the snapping of branches announced Matt's return. The swordsman walked out of the brush with a small sack in one hand. He waved at the now awake Anna with a relieved smile as Lance stood up to check what he had found for food. The gunner tipped the sack over near the fire and an assortment of mushrooms and nuts poured onto the ground. Anna stiffened as a familiar sweet scent drifted past her nose. The ranger carefully stood up and staggered over to where Matt was about to pop a couple orange mushrooms into his mouth. She half lunged and half tripped into his arm, smacking the fungi out of his hands and into the fire. Lance jumped as the mushrooms turned the flames a bright purple.
"Hey, I was about to eat those!" Matt whined, oblivious to the fact that the fungi had burned a most unnatural color.
Anna gaped at the swordsman in disbelief, "Do you want to be hearing colors and seeing sounds for the next twenty-four hours?"
Matt frowned, not understanding, "We ate those on our last quest with no problems."
Anna turned her incredulous stare on Lance, but before she could say anything a quiet voice spoke up, "I'm not healing you guys if you eat something stupid again. You deserve the food poisoning."
"Hey, I remember you eating them, too. You thought you were a cupboard!" Lance exclaimed defensively.
"How the Hell have you guys survived for this long? Anyone with any level of survival skills knows better than to eat random shrooms off the forest floor!" Anna yelled in exasperation, throwing her arms up in the air.
Suddenly it sank in who had spoken. Anna's arms fell back to her sides and the three near the fire twisted to stare at where Natalie lay. The mage looked back at them, her eyes reflected her exhaustion, but they were alert.
"Natz, you're awake!" Matt shouted, scrambling over to her side. He looked her face over carefully, "How're you feeling?"
Natalie huffed, blue eyes glinting with amusement, "Well enough to know better than to eat whatever it is you brought back." She chuckled at the put-out look on Matt's face. The mage glanced passed him to where Lance and Anna stood nearby with matching looks of concern. "I feel fine. I'm just tired," she assured them.
"You should eat and drink something before you go back to sleep," Anna said. She glanced back at the pile of 'food' Matt had brought back, "Unfortunately, it looks like you'll have to deal with dried meat."
"That's fine, just bring it over-" Natalie's sentence broke off as she yawned widely making the other three also yawn. "Sorry. I was saying hurry up before I conk out," she finished.
Lance yawned again and turned to dig some food out of his pouch only to spin back when Anna fell over backwards. "Anna?" he asked frantically. Matt peered over his shoulder worriedly and Natalie sat up to stare at her.
The girl blinked, but didn't respond for a few seconds. Suddenly, she smiled sheepishly, "Mind helping me back to my blanket? Apparently, I shouldn't be walking around yet."
"You don't say?" Lance snorted with a roll of his eyes. He slipped his arms behind her neck and knees and hoisted her up to carry her the short distance to her bed. "Don't get back up until tomorrow," he warned her.
Matt brought over a handful of jerky for Natalie and Anna and the four ate quietly. It wasn't long after that Matt curled up on his side next to Natalie and started snoring quietly. The mage rolled over to press her back to the swordsman's and fell asleep as well.
Anna grinned at the sight, "They're cute together." Lance nodded in agreement and settled down with his back against the trunk of the nearest tree. Anna watched him quietly, smiling faintly as he nodded off. She frowned as a thought occurred to her, "I didn't set any wards and Lance fell asleep." Feeling pretty good since the painkillers had set in Anna decided to try getting up to set the wards. She listened intently to Lance's breathing to make sure he was actually asleep before quietly sitting up. Lance didn't stir so the ranger carefully and silently stood. She made it all of three steps before the gunner's voice came from behind her. Anna froze guiltily.
"What part of 'don't get back up until tomorrow' did you misunderstand?" Lance's voice was low to avoid waking Matt and Natalie, but no less irritated sounding.
Anna turned to face him, unable to meet his accusing red gaze. "I just thought I'd set some wards since it looked like you were asleep," she mumbled, shifting as she felt Lance's glare on her.
"I'm fine, get back on that blanket," Lance said dismissively. He mentally groaned as he saw Anna's face harden in defiance.
"Not until I set the wards. Everyone's tired, even you, from hiking through this jungle; never mind about fighting that stupid plant. It will only take a minute," Anna insisted, jaw set stubbornly.
The gunner pointed at her abandoned blanket, "I said I'm fine. Bed. Now. It isn't a hard concept."
Anna stared at him in disbelief. Her face settled into a glower, "That does it. I'm sick of you telling me I can't do something when it's obviously the right thing to do. I'm sick of you ordering me around like some kind of damned dog. I'm sick of you insulting my intelligence." Anna's voice had been steadily rising during her tirade, and she was ignorant of her two resting friends who had woken up to stare at her. "I'm sick of your overprotectiveness! I'm aware of my limits and I know I can get these wards set and back to bed just fine! I don't know what your problem is," a mild lie, she was fairly certain she knew what Lance's issue was, "but stop trying to keep me on a leash! I. Don't. Need. You!" The last shouted word echoed through the trees. Anger lent extra strength to Anna's limbs and she swiftly set about placing some wards before she stormed back to her blanket, hissed a 'goodnight', and turned her back to the gunner with the blanket over her head. Exhaustion swept through Anna as the rage filling her vanished and she fell asleep.
Matt stared at the ranger in disbelief, wondering what the heck had happened. He glanced at Lance who had been oddly silent during her rant, but shrugged when he couldn't make out the gunner's expression from where he sat. The swordsman lied down again and was soon out once more.
Meanwhile, Natalie stared at Lance with one brow raised. Her face softened sympathetically as a sudden flare from the camp fire chased away the shadows covering the gunner's face to reveal a stricken expression. "Apologizing and offering an explanation would be a good idea," Natalie suggested before she curled back up against Matt and fell asleep.
Lance stared at Anna's sleeping form for a long while, turning Natalie's advice over in his mind before deciding that it was sound. He curled up under his own blanket and fell into a restless sleep.
DDDDDD
The next morning saw an awkward tension had fallen over the party. Anna was already up and gone when the other three woke. A brief note sitting on top of her folded blanket informed them that she had gone hunting. When the ranger returned she refused to even look at Lance as she skewered the cat she had caught and killed lurking nearby and set it over the fire. A short while later and she announced the food was done in a clipped voice, but left them to get their own portions.
Natalie arched a pointed eyebrow at Lance who nodded faintly in understanding. He turned to apologize to Anna only to find she was already done eating and stood on the far side of the clearing, ready to go. Suddenly not hungry anymore, Lance gave an enthusiastic Matt the rest of his roast cat and silently got ready to go as well. The gunner tried to make eye contact with Anna, but the ranger turned her back on him under the guise of scanning the forest for any possible trouble until Matt and Natalie joined them.
During their hike through the Jungle, Matt and Natalie tried to spark some form of conversation, but Anna's responses were clipped, often mono-syllabic, and half the time Lance didn't respond at all. It wasn't long until the couple gave up trying to get the arguing pair to talk and decided to converse with each other quietly.
Soon the four broke out of the trees to find themselves standing before the ruins of what was once a grand temple. A colonnade once extended to the entrance, but time and the elements had toppled many of the white marble pillars and they now lay on their sides, cracked and nearly covered with plant-growth. Vines grew up the sides of the white building and dangled off the roof and clumps of grass grew in the crack in the walls. Large statues of cats with angelic wings stood on either side of the entrance to the temple as though guarding whatever lay within.
Anna's stony glare lightened as she took in the spectacular sight. She sprang up the worn marble steps and disappeared inside. The other three followed close behind the excited ranger, gazing up in awe at the carved relief featuring cats and man side-by-side set over the mantle of the door. The three stepped inside the abandoned temple to find two pedestals flanking the door with beautifully formed rings of some kind of pure white metal etched with gold sitting on them. Four orbs inlaid with rubies and featuring angelic wings hovered around each ring, held there by some kind of ancient magic.
Soon the adventurers' attention was drawn to the altar set against the back wall. A hole in the ceiling cast a beam of light down on four sets of cobweb-coated armor that rested on the low platform. Three weapons leaned up against it. A cracked and dusty mural covering the wall behind the ancient equipment depicted a group of humans and cats allied in a struggle against…
"Is that Godcat?" Natalie asked in a hushed tone.
Indeed the large blueish-white form dominating the right side of the image could only be the creator of cat and man. She had Her arms raised against the army and there was a reddish shadow behind Her almost covered by Her image.
Matt shrugged and moved forward to inspect the ancient armor and weaponry set out before them, "So, were these used in that battle?"
Anna stood next to him and picked up the massive, gleaming angel wing bow. She could feel the holy energy radiating out of the weapon. "They must've been. I've never felt such strong magic from a weapon's enchantment before," she said, wonder coating her words. She traced her fingers over the carved wings that made up the arms reverently before she decided that she would use it in their next battle and slid her Crimson Dragon into her Adventure Pouch. She picked up the black dress that had been carefully laid out on the altar behind the bow and noted that it slid like liquid shadow over her hands. The dress and a pair of obsidian hair clips were also stashed.
"Dibs on the Golden Armor," Matt said, scooping up the dusty golden plate-mail and its matching golden helm.
Lance stood next to him and rolled his eyes before he admired the chest piece of his new armor. The orange scale mail and its helm looked as though they had actually been forged from a dragon's scales. Lifted the armor, he was surprised to discover just how light it actually was. The gunner made a face at the sword leaning near the armor, "Here Matt, you can have the blade; I'll take this armor."
Matt grinned and snatched up the longsword. Age had not rusted the enchanted blade and Matt easily slid the sword from its sheath to reveal that not only was the hilt etched with glowing runes, but so was part of the blade. "Nice," Matt murmured giving the slender yet deceptively heavy sword an experimental swing. A trail of light magic sparkled along the arc of the slash.
Natalie held up a long skirt made of white silk stitched with gold and carmine thread and its matching top. She admired the craftsmanship for a moment before carefully folding them and stuffing them away in her Adventure pouch. Next she held up the gleaming silver staff that was leaned against the altar in front of the clothing. Silver wings stretched out on either side of a gleaming crystal that radiated light mana at the head of the rod. A small ruby was nestled at the joints of the wings. "It's beautiful. And powerful," Natalie whispered.
Lance stepped closer to the mural and ran a hand over one of the cracks, "These cracks have too clean of edges for them to be natural." He stepped back again to stare up at the mural. "Maybe I'm imagining this, but they look like giant claw marks."
Anna stepped back to stand next to him, their spat momentarily forgotten. "You're right; they do look like some giant creature used this wall as a scratching post."
The temperature of the temple plummeted and hissing laughter echoed in the party's minds. They stiffened as a wave of unholy power swept over them. As one, they spun around to see Godcat hovering before them. Unlike in the Crystal Caverns when She had appeared as a bluish-white feline with arms, legs, emanating a brilliant white glow, the Godcat that hovered before them now seemed to suck light away, leaving only a stygian shadow tinged with a bloody red outline and pair of burning eyes. The magic sweeping over them was not the cold, impassive might they had felt before. This time, they could feel the ancient power battering them, its waves promising bloody and painful destruction.
"This one's different from the last one," Natalie murmured, griping her new staff tightly.
Lance and Anna moved closer to Matt and Natalie, eyes locked on the threat that had appeared. "Not another glowing cat," the gunner said, "one was bad enough!"
A spitting voice echoed through their minds, "I came here to admire My servant's desecration of this disgusting monument of My imprisonment. I did not expect to have the pleasure of ending the rats who would attempt to prevent My return."
Natalie swallowed heavily at the blatant threat coloring the immortal cat's words. She raised her new Seraphim staff and cast Shine. Instead of a blinding flash of light surrounding her enemy, however, a runic circle appeared beneath the floating cat and holy energy blasted up from the floor. Natalie's jaw dropped at the massive Judgement that engulfed Godcat and she cast a glance at her new staff. "It must give holy attacks a major power boost," the mage realized. The pillar of light faded, but Godcat was nowhere to be seen.
Lance's eye darted around the temple, searching for their foe. He couldn't see Godcat, but he could sense Her malevolent energy nearby, mocking them. The gunner tightened his grip on his gunblade and brought it up to bear on a flicker of shadow hovering near Matt. "Matt! Get down!" Lance yelled. The swordsman dove to the floor just as the cat slashed past his head; a claw mark made of pure shadows tore the air above Matt before they rippled and vanished. A shot rang out, but the goddess merely fazed through the bullet.
Matt growled and swung his Rune Blade in a gleaming arc towards Godcat. The sword passed through Her form as She once again fazed to dodge the blow, but seemed to have trouble materializing again. He blinked as Her body flickered uncertainly for a moment before solidifying once more.
"My, you are pathetic. In the time you've spent here, trying to hit Me I have destroyed entire armies." The mocking voice of Godcat slithered through their minds as She melted back into the shadows once more. A glowing red ring formed under Anna and the ranger flung herself to the side just before the pillar of unholy energy burst upwards, sizzling as it split the air.
Anna rolled up to her feet and nocked three arrows on her new bow. She stood stock-still until she sensed a stronger disturbance in the ancient power surrounding them. The ranger swung around and unleashed her arrows in a Combo Shot right as Godcat materialized. The arrows flashed with light as they flew towards the goddess. There was a spitting-hiss before the cat flickered out of sight once more and two arrows shattered against the wall of the temple. "I hit Her!" Anna said in shock even as she turned her head around to see where the goddess would appear next. A chill ran through Anna as she felt an ethereal paw settle against her spine, as cold as death.
"Anna!" Lance yelled. He took a one step forward before something caused him to halt abruptly. The gunner paled as he seemed to listen to something.
"I admit I am impressed, girl. If only you had been the one My servants had approached instead of that worthless fool." Godcat purred silkily into Anna's mind sending a shudder through her entire body. "The boy harbored quite an impressive desire to see you destroyed; a human after My Own heart. He sought out My faithful and offered himself to kill you four, you know. He had an impressively devised plan, too. Of course, he was too weak actually to carry it out." Godcat's voice extended to the whole party, "A shame, really; though, I suppose I should be pleased that I get to enjoy destroying you four personally."
Horrifying images flashed through their minds. Matt slumped against a wall, with Heaven's Gate impaled in his torso. Natalie face-down in a large pool of her own blood, her staff broken in half next to her limp hand. Lance lying broken on the ground; his red eyes staring sightlessly upwards a trickle of blood running between them. Anna with her neck twisted at an unnatural angle and her face pale in death.
"Know that what I show you now are only the simplest of My ways to kill you pathetic humans. The weapons you found here might have been enough for the fraction of power I could send, but they will not protect you when next we meet." The threatening paw at Anna's back vanished along with the aura of destruction.
Silence fell broken by the clattering sound of Natalie dropping her Seraphim staff to wrap her arms around herself, shivering. Matt sheathed his sword and pulled the mage into a tight hug, faintly trembling as well. Anna stood frozen; her face a mask of shock as her glazed eyes stared blankly forwards, seeing something that wasn't there. Lance hesitantly stepped closer to the ranger. He reached a hand out and set it lightly on her shoulder. The contact caused Anna to jolt; her green eyes slid into focus on Lance's face. She gave him a small fake smile and stepped back from the gunner whose hand fell back to his side.
Lance swallowed the faint feeling of hurt at her rejection and turned to ask, "Is everyone okay? No injuries?" Nods came from everyone.
Anna's face set in determination, "She hasn't been completely released yet. If she had, we'd be dead. There's still time to get to the last Jewel." She met each of her friend's eyes briefly and saw resolve on each of their faces. "Let's hurry to Goldenbrick; we're almost there."
Natalie gave Matt one more quick squeeze and scooped up her dropped staff. The four headed for the exit only to stop as the decorative rings by the door glowed and drifted in front of the door to block the way. The four scowled at the pair and Lance immediately fired a dark shot at left-hand ring. The dark magic engulfed the enemy, and when the attack dissipated the ring had fractures running along its surface. Matt lunged forward and swept the ring into the wall where it shattered. Natalie cast a Pulse spell on the second ring, weakening the construct for Anna to finish off with an Aqua Arrow.
The four barely glanced at the destroyed guardians of the ruins as they dashed past them and back into the trees. A few minutes of jogging and Matt commented that he could smell salt. Their pace increased and they broke out of jungle to find themselves standing on a sheer drop off overlooking the vast blue ocean. A strong sea-breeze tossed the group's hair and clothing as they stood side-by-side, staring out across the water. Down a steep path to their right, they could see the low, flat, baked-brick buildings of their destination; Goldenbrick Resort.
A/N: Well, well, looks like Lance finally pushed Anna too far. They'll work it out soon, don't worry. ;) I know I said a couple chapters back that I wouldn't cover any extra areas, but I needed some place for the party to get some awesome armor and weapons for their impending battle with a god of creation and destruction. :P
How was the description of the ruins and how was the second Godcat fight? Let me know in a review and I'll see you all next time! ;D