Chapter 5: Fighting
Karst was leaning back on a recliner, with Felix huddled next to her.
"So... Warm..." Felix muttered.
Karst tried her best not to blush, but Agatio walked into the room, and saw the two of them together. Trying his best not to get noticed, he quickly slipped away.
"If Karst ignores me for Felix, then I will have his sister!" Agatio snarled to himself.
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Jenna, performing her duties as primary maid, was doing Karst's laundry. As she diligently worked, she was oblivious to what was happening around her. She always worked hard, unlike Isaac and Mia, who, even when brainwashed, were still cuddling next to each other at every opportunity, and Isaac would often slave away not only for Karst, but for the 'nurse' as well.
So, this time, Agatio wanted to sneak up on Jenna and surprise her. Thankfully for him, the girl was a very diligent worker, and didn't even notice him, until he grabbed her from behind.
Agatio put his arms around Jenna's chest. "Hey, beautiful." He whispered in her ear.
"Jenna... Is... Busy... Can... This... Wait?" Jenna spoke.
"No. I want ya'!" Agatio said, nudging up against her.
"Jenna... Doesn't... Want... To... Hurt... Agatio..." Jenna glared at him from the corner of her eye.
"But, I want it!" Agatio began to sound quite scary to Jenna, and her hands began to glow with fire.
"Jenna... Doesn't... Want... To... Hurt... Agatio..." Jenna repeated. He could feel beads of her sweat falling onto his skin.
"Jenna..." Agatio began to drool.
Jenna immediately set her hands on fire, and tried to touch Agatio with her burning palms. However, Agatio grabbed her wrists and pulled his face to hers. He kissed her, and the flames in her hands slowly died down.
"Master... Agatio..." Jenna began to moan.
"Yes, Jenna." Agatio smiled.
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As Felix nuzzled himself onto her chest, Karst's eyes were warily surveying the room. "Where's Agatio?" She thought.
"Felix?" She slowly stroked him. Felix got up: "Yes, mistress?"
"Let's go. I have to find Agatio." Karst blushed slightly as Felix brushed his hands against her arm.
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Agatio continued stroking Jenna. "You're so beautiful." Agatio growled.
Jenna nodded and tried to go back to her work, but Agatio grabbed her arm. "No, I'll tell Karst everything. Just, just spend some time with me... You need a break, right?" He asked.
"Jenna... Needs... No... Break..." Jenna spoke in monotone.
Agatio looked disappointed, but Jenna continued: "But... Jenna... Will... Take... Break... For... Master..." She smiled shyly.
Agatio's eyes widened with lust. He went for her neck.
"Master... Agatio... So... Arousing..." Jenna moaned.
Unfortunately for Agatio, Felix and Karst were walking past the room. Felix's good ears heard Jenna's moan. "Agatio... Arousing! I will kill him!" Felix growled.
Karst helped Felix break down the door, and Felix saw Agatio kissing Jenna's neck.
"Get... Off... My... Sister!" Felix snarled.
Agatio stood up: "You took Karst, so I take Jenna. Deal?"
"I told you not to mess around with my slaves! How could you betray my trust like this, Agatio?!" Karst growled.
"Um, er... Sorry, Karst." Agatio looked quite embarrassed.
"Let... Me... Crush... Him!" Felix roared.
"Sorry, Felix. Agatio, to make this up, you'll have to perform several tasks of manual labor for me! Once you've done enough work, I'll clear you of all crimes. Got it?!" Karst snarled.
"Yes, Karst." Agatio bowed his head and waited for her orders.
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Saturos slipped past several more guards with Ivan, Sheba, and Menardi huddled near him. Amazingly, none of Karst's brainwashed guards were able to spot any of the four. However, the cook Piers was walking along, and he saw the silhouette of the cloak psyenergy. Because the brainwashing technique did not erase his memory, Piers immediately knew what the cloak psyenergy was capable of. He immediately called for help.
Isaac and Garet ran to Piers's aid. Karst heard the commotion, and Saturos, Menardi, Ivan, and Sheba were forced to uncloak to preserve their psyenergy for this battle.
"Felix, dearest, you'll have to protect me and fight with Isaac, Garet, and Piers." Karst told him.
"I... Will... Always... Protect... You..." Felix spoke as he stepped beside Isaac.
"So, Saturos, Menardi, you two were never dead after all. Pity, I could have celebrated my takeover of the world with the two of you. But, you had to betray me and join up with those two midgets. I will use your former foes to take you both down. It's so sad that you'll have to drink the potion and become my dear slaves as well, but I guess that's how fate works." Karst sighed as she ordered her four minions to attack!
As Isaac, Felix, Piers, and Garet closed in on Saturos, Menardi, Ivan, and Sheba, Karst ran away with Jenna and Agatio to another room.
"Saturos, don't fail me... We can't let Karst control us and break us apart..." Menardi murmured.
"Stay strong, Menardi. We'll make it. As long as you are beside me, I know we will!" Saturos replied.
"Ivan, we can't afford to lose, can we?" Sheba looked at him.
Ivan smiled at her. "We're not alone, Sheba, and as long as we're together, there will be a way. Even if we have to flee, we'll still overcome Karst someday."
The eight adepts closed in on one another, and, not surprisingly, Saturos chose Isaac as his target, Menardi chose Garet, Ivan chose Felix, and Sheba chose Piers.
Why did Ivan choose Felix? Simple, because both were competing over Sheba.
Why did Sheba chose Piers? Well, because he was the last target left, and no one really hated Piers.
Garet cast Heat Wave at Menardi, but the female Proxian dodged the attack. "Boy, it looks like your spells have not improved. Let me show you true power!" Menardi laughed as she twirled her scythe.
"Supernova!" Menardi yelled. The blast knocked Garet off balance. Menardi followed up with Scramble Beam, and the spell burned Garet's clothing. The pain was too great for Garet, and he went down. Even though Garet supposedly had the power of fire under his control, his skill with Mars Psyenergy could never hope to match Menardi's. Without even using her scythe even once, Menardi downed Garet and, thus, allowed Saturos's party to claim one victory.
Isaac laughed as he raised the Sol Blade. "I... Beat... Saturos... With... Gaia... Blade. Now, Saturos, you... taste... Sol... Blade...!"
Saturos glanced at the sword. "Well, it's shinier and sharper, but can it truly defeat me? Let's see." Saturos smirked.
"Meggido!" Isaac roared. He flew into the air, and a giant meteor came crashing down. Saturos looked up and saw the meteor. Saturos cast "Guard," closed his eyes, and braced himself for the blow.
The explosion caused the ground to shake, startling Felix, Ivan, Piers, Sheba, and Menardi. Menardi looked at the cloud of dust that formed after impact with worry. "Saturos... Don't leave me..." She whimpered as she saw how powerful the meteor was.
Isaac sheathed his sword and laughed: "I... Killed..." But before he could finish his taunt, Isaac heard a yell: "Heat Flash!" Saturos suddenly emerged from the dust and struck Isaac with his blade. Isaac was burned and was deluded. Isaac found that he could hardly aim with his sword anymore, and Saturos fully healed himself with Potent Cure.
"You should never underestimate your opponent, oh Isaac. Let that be a lesson for you." Saturos laughed.
"Stone Spire!" Isaac yelled. However, because he was deluded, his mind could not concentrate on Saturos's position, and the Proxian effortlessly dodged his stalactites. Saturos sighed: "You know, Isaac, part of the reason why you won at Venus Lighthouse is because I knew that Felix would stop you and, secondly, because I realized that Menardi and I were in a hopeless situation when we fused into the Fusion Dragon and were losing. Here, let me show you some of the power that I held back from using. Rising Dragon!"
Saturos made an uppercut in the air, and a huge dragon of fire emerged from the ground. It carried Isaac in its mouth and flew several miles into the air. Once it reached the altitude of the clouds, it exploded, and Isaac flew back down to earth, badly burned and exhausted. Isaac finally landed with a bang.
However, Isaac slowly got up: "I... Can't... Die..." He taunted. "No, and you won't die, but you won't remember anything that happened when I'm done with you." Saturos replied. Saturos cast Rolling Flame, and Isaac was knocked back by the flare, but he was still standing. Isaac raised his hands in the air, and smiled: "I... Summon... Judgement!"
The knight pointed his lion shield at Saturos, charged it, and fired! Saturos was hit by the blast once again, but was still standing. "That attack did not beat me last time, and it definitely didn't beat me this time. Here, let me show you the most feared attack of Prox: Meteor Blow!" Saturos yelled. The burning meteor hit Isaac, and the explosion caused everyone to wince. When the dust cleared, Isaac was still standing.
"Meggido!" Isaac yelled. He lept into the air, and another Meteor hit Saturos. But, not surprisingly, Saturos was not downed.
"Hmn, I suppose you have plenty of energy you can throw at me, but can you take any more hits? I think not. Heat Flash!" Saturos yelled. Saturos whacked Isaac with the flat end of his sword, and the scorching heat downed the mighty adept of Vale.
With Isaac downed, Felix reluctantly stepped forward to face Ivan. "Sheba... Was... Mine!" Felix growled as he raised Excalibur.
"Since when did people claim others? Sheba doesn't belong to anyone. She's the one that decides who she'll be with, and she chose me, so there." Ivan stuck out his tongue. Felix was enraged by the gesture, and charged at Ivan.
"I summon Thor!" Ivan yelled. The lightening bolt zapped Felix, and Thor's Hammer unleashed its electrical wrath upon the hapless Venus Adept.
"Legend." Felix swung his blade, and three violet short swords flew from the sky to strike Ivan. The young Jupiter adept was pinned, and Felix used Echo!
Felix whacked Ivan twice with the Excalibur, but Ivan recovered and attacked with the Kikuchimonji's Asura. The two continued to trade blows, and Saturos nodded in awe. "That runt can take on someone twice his size and draw this fight out for so long. Furthermore, it looks like this runt was winning. Isn't that amazing, Menardi? When we fought him, we could easily down him, but this time, it looks like Felix will be beaten by a long shot."
In fact, at that moment, Felix cast Grand Gaia while Ivan countered with Spark Plasma. As Ivan was thrown into the air by the explosion, Felix was fried by the barrage of lightning bolts.
Ivan slowly got up, and grit his teeth. "Even though this hurts like heck, I can't give up... For Sheba's sake..." Ivan moaned as he slowly began to stand. Felix, however, was still on the ground. "Can't... Move..." Felix thought. Ivan read Felix's mind, and smiled. "Ray!" He taunted. A small bolt of electricity zapped Felix's head, and Felix blacked out.
With Isaac, Felix, and Garet down, Piers reluctantly stepped forward. "Sheba... We... Have... To... Fight... I... Don't... Want... To... Fight..., But... Karst... Queen... Wills... It..." Piers spoke as he raised the Stellar Axe.
Sheba frowned: "I don't want to fight either, so we'll make this quick." She nodded.
"I do hope both Sheba and Piers will be all right. As of now, Isaac will be having a headache when he wakes up, Garet will not remember a thing, and Felix will be fine, once he regains consciousness. I hope that Sheba, like Ivan, will not necessarily maim Piers." Saturos muttered.
Sheba overheard Saturos, and smirked: "Do you think that I don't know how to hold back? Don't worry about Piers, Saturos. He's not going to get too badly hurt. I just have to make sure that he..." As Sheba was blabbering, Piers was readying his psyenergy. "Sorry... Sheba... Megacool!" Piers yelled.
Icicles sprouted from the ground and impaled Sheba's dress. "Piers? Why? I thought you didn't want to fight." Sheba gasped. "Sorry... Sheba... Must... Obey... Karst..." Piers muttered as he raised his hand.
Sheba screamed and pried herself free of the icicles as Piers cast Freeze Prism on her. Sheba jumped about and avoided the falling hailstones. The moment Piers stopped casting the spell, Sheba cast Tempest. Three Tornadoes plowed through the ground in front of Piers, sending him flying in the air. "Destruct Ray!" Sheba yelled. Glowing sparks of electricity merged with one another to form gigantic gleaming bolts that surrounded and fried Piers in midair.
Piers landed on the ground, but he got up. "I... Can't... Lose..." Piers smirked as he summoned Boreas! Sheba was buried in a huge snowstorm. "Sheba!" Ivan cried aloud.
Ivan was biting his fingernails. "Sheba..." He muttered and twitched. Menardi glanced at him: "Why are you so worried? She's quite a strong girl if she could take on the Star Magician. What makes you think that Piers is so much greater than that guardian?"
"Because even though Felix and Piers were downed in that battle, they have still been able to inflict massive damage on their opponents. Piers has so many kills throughout his travels... I'm worried that... That Sheba'll be one of them." Ivan began to whimper.
"Have faith, Ivan. Sometimes, worrying doesn't help ease the pain. Sheba's fought many battles, and I'm sure that she'll make it through this one. Look at you. Saturos and I used you for target practice in the past, but, just now, you beat Felix. Do you think that you could possibly have done so without so much experience under your belt? Have that same kind of confidence in Sheba, Ivan. It'll make you feel better." Menardi nodded.
The pile of snow began to glow with a violet aura. Saturos, Menardi, and Ivan gasped at the intensity of the light. "No wonder why the people of Lavierno called Sheba 'the child of the gods.' The psyenergy that is being released from the snow at the moment is off the charts! Is it just me, or is it a fact that the people of Anemos (or their descendants) are blessed with extremely potent psyenergy reserves? It seems that, if you are a Jupiter adept, you can release a huge amount of psyenergy as long as you are experienced and trained with it. I may call myself a warrior, but I am quite humbled at this natural talent..." Saturos was stunned with awe.
Piers stepped back as the pile exploded. The Mercury adept was instantly blown back by a huge electromagnetic wave that shot out of Sheba's body. Sheba twirled her Atropos Rod. "Now, Piers, I'll make sure that you'll become the Piers that we all knew and admired again. Life Shear!" Sheba yelled. A girl with a huge pair of yellow scissors appeared and closed in on Piers. Piers cast Freeze Prism and Ice Missile on the girl, but both spells had no effect. The girl snipped at Piers with the scissors, and they caught him in the arm. Piers yelled and collapsed on the floor like a rag doll. Sheba sighed: "Forgive me, dear friend, but it's the only way. You'll be revived once Karst stops this madness."
Sheba turned to look at her three allies, who were still gawking at her. "What are you guys staring at? We need to stop Karst, don't we?" Sheba cocked her head to her left and smiled. "Do you have any idea how powerful you are, Sheba? The amount of psyenergy you released to free yourself from that pile of snow was greater than anything I've ever seen or felt. I'm a few years older than you, and I've fought in many more battles than you have, yet even though I have had so much training with my psyenergy, what stuns me is the realization that you are more powerful than I when it comes to psyenergy. You, Master Hama, and Ivan were really something else. I guess it's folly to underestimate anyone's abilities or dismiss them as being weak. Back when I used to easily take Ivan down, I never thought highly of Jupiter Adepts, but after seeing Ivan grow so much, and meeting Master Hama, and watching you, Sheba, I've learned an important lesson... But anyway, we're wasting time. We've got to keep moving." Saturos nodded.
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Violence, violence, and more violence next chapter.
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