Disclaimer: .hack, .hack characters, and the idea of .hack doesn't belong to me. Just Eon, Shiruba, Denki, Koji, Sora, Aqua, Sijez, and this story do. Axel, Hikaru, Ginny, Aurum, 'The Guild Master', Hunter, and Rei all belong to Miffin. Don't take them, or else a giant muffin will fall from the sky, and squish you!
Yay! It took forever, but I can finally start a chapter with a little humour! It took long enough! XP
I also want to say happy Birthday to Dusk Ado. Since I'm vanishing on his birthday, this is my present to him; a new chapter in .hack/G.U.: Return. So happy Birthday, Puko! Have a good one!
Chapter Note!
禿び狗 means chibi-inu: little or small dog.
Megane-kun: Magane means glasses in Japanese. Some translations say that it means 4-eyes, but I just say that it means glasses-kun. XP
Kuro: means black in Japanese.
Hakama: It's a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Axel refers to Denki's clothes as a Hakama, though they're not exactly a Hakama, since there's a short sleeved jacket over top, and a long sleeved under shirt-sort of thing. If you want to see what a Hakama looks like, go and check it on Wikipedia, or Google it. XP I'm too lazy to show you.
They also seemed to have changed this system since I last updated...so it'll look a little differant from now on I suppose...I'm making it look as neat as I can...I dun like messy things.
I like ice cream, and enjoy the next chapter of the story!
Victory
The target was a simple bull's eye. It was about twenty meters from his current position; a simple enough distance for one with a longbow of all weapons. Reaching into a large, brown quiver on is back, he drew a long, thin arrow; the end spiralling into a drill-like shape; perfect for armoured monsters. Slowly, he fitted the arrow into place, between the strong, marble-shaded wood, and the thin, white string. He held the arrow between his middle and index finger, and drew back far. Longbows required tons of strength to pull, yet it was nothing in The World…AIDA server, or no. He pulled a little bit farther back, taking careful aim of his target. Shutting an eye, Hunter raised the bow to the level of his eye. He loosed.
He would have never guessed what happened next…nor understand it, if anything. The boy came flying from seemingly no where. Who would have guessed that he'd end up going in the exact line of fire…?
WHAM!
Player Rei: -2000HP
The arrow's tip went straight into the boy's skull, and his already motionless body went flying back with the momentum, before finally landing a good distance away from Hunter, whose eyes were large with shock.
It took a few moments, and a couple of pints of red, sticky liquid, for Hunter to realize that he should actually check on his latest…victim... Stepping slowly, he approached the motionless kid, watching for any sudden movements, though doubted that anything would come. It was Rei after all…
Once he was close enough, Hunter stepped around the increasingly large puddle of red liquid, and, with a small, deep breath, he took all of his courage and nudged the boy in the head with his boot.
There was silence. Nothing stirred.
"Great. He's dead…" Hunter murmured, as he slowly took off his cowboy hat, and held it to his chest. "Poor kid, never stood a chance. I've just too good of a shot. Hitting monsters without even aiming for them…" A small tear trickled down Hunter's face dramatically.
"…whatever…" Rei murmured quietly, his purple hair now partially dyed with the red of what appeared to be his blood.
"Holy spiffle-wagons!" Hunter gasped in shock, holding his fingers in a cross-like position. "Evil demon, be GONE!" He demanded.
Silence filled the air once more, before the boy finally managed to turn his unemotional self over, to face the idiotic Archer.
"…I'm lost…" He murmured, with just as much enthusiasm as before.
Hunter regarded the kid for a long moment, before stepping on his chest hard, and grabbing onto the arrow, now lodged within his brain. He yanked back hard. The boy didn't even yelp in shock…
"Aha! My trusty arrow has returned!" Hunter said cheerfully, before twirling it around like a pointed baton. He seemed to have forgotten about the boy and his previous theatrics completely, if not for the light, and equally unenthusiastic "ow" from him.
That made Hunter glare down at him.
"Why'd you get in my way?!" Hunter demanded, conveniently forgetting that Rei had fallen from the blackened ceiling of his Hades room; somewhere that was not even programmed into Hades itself… "Now I missed my bull's eye!" He complained.
Rei was silent…then again, he was always silent. Even Kuroha, who had apparently refused to join Hades without the boy being apart of it with him, could not get him to speak, but the few phrases that he seemed to hold dear.
'I'm lost', 'whatever', and 'ow'. None of which with any hint of enthusiasm…then again, he did go to a school for the…'gifted'…
Hunter scratched the back of his head uncomfortably with the arrow for a moment, before stepping back behind a thick, red line, marking the distance of thirty meters from the target.
He'll be FINE! Hunter assured himself, as he refitted the arrow back into place; not noticing the sticky, red blood on the drilled tip. He won't move unless someone helps him. And with that final thought, he loosed.
How much of a fool he truly was… Who would have guessed, that at that exact moment, Rei would decide to suddenly gain the willpower to move his PC body to sit up…so his head was right in front of the arrow's path for the bull's eye…?
WHACK!
Player Rei: -1934HP
Try-Again ability activated! Remaining HP: 1.
Hunter starred at the kid for a long moment from his starting point; mouth hanging open widely, and cowboy hat tilted.
Something told him that he wouldn't be able to hit the bull's eye with this kid in his room…then again; third time's the charm…
-------------------------Epsilon: Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server--------------------
Axel couldn't believe his ears. They wanted them to choose their side, before they told them anything? How…why would they even mention such a thing?! Weren't they the ones that were trying to destroy The World with their AIDA? Wasn't it them who had put oh so many people into comas? It just didn't make sense, telling him and Hikaru to join them, and become a part of their 'evil plot', for nothing more than a little tidbit size of info. Besides…Ginny and Aurum seemed to already know what those weird…ostrich egg-things were…so why even bother to ask them such a question…? Was there more to it than just that…?
"Don't do it." Ginny warned him sternly; her eyes glued to the two AIDA Masters before her. "They'll turn this World upside down if you allow yourself to be suckered into their lies."
"Don'tchu think I already know that?!" Axel demanded quietly, glaring up at Ginny.
Ginryuu risked looking down at him with the corner of her eye.
"I believe that you know it…I'm just unsure of what you'll say." She explained with a snort.
Axel puffed his cheeks into a pout, before glaring back and Denki and Koji. Denki, like before, was grinning with his sightless gaze towards him. His eyes were glued shut, and he merely hovered leisurely. Koji, on the other hand, continued to nibble at the toothpick in his mouth edgily. His purple eyes shot from themselves, to the strange portal continuously.
"Should we stall em…?" Axel asked Hikaru quietly.
Hikaru opened his mouth to reply, but it was Denki who answered for him.
"Oh no, I think that would be quite rude. Why not hurry onto your choice…? We don't have all day, you know."
"Yeah, no kidding…" Koji murmured darkly, shooting the portal one more look, before spitting out his toothpick, and drawing a newer one from his pocket. "Hurry up and choose. It's just a yes or no." He said angrily, as he placed it into his mouth, and nibbled at it like the first.
"Now now, Koji. No need to be so rude." Denki said calmly, "But I do agree with you. Please, hurry and make your choice, or we'll be forced to make you choose…and I must say, I hate that method…" He explained with a small shrug, making his overly long under-jacket sleeves slide over his hands.
Axel narrowed his eyes, and silently contemplated on what his answer would do. If they didn't answer soon, it sounded like they'd fight again…and if they did answer…then what would happen…? Would they be drafted into Hades, or would they be forced to be a double agent? Or even worse…become infected with AIDA, like themselves… He shivered at the thought of being infected, and having more than Ginny's mind with his own. He couldn't stand the thought of arguing with more than one temperamental computer program.
He looked at Hikaru for advice, but the Knight was leaning over once more; trying not to be sick within the server.
He bit at his tongue for a moment in deep thought, before finally coming to his conclusion. He couldn't allow themselves to get infected. The World was the only place that he could enjoy, other than at school, with the many pranks that he pulled on his teachers. If these AIDA Explicants took it over, where would he have fun, and fulfill his homicidal instincts? Not at school, that's for sure…
Axel stood (or more so floated) straight, and looked at Denki and Koji seriously, his green eyes slit like a cat's.
"I've made our decision." He said sternly. He knew that Hikaru couldn't answer at the moment, and also knew that he'd agree with him full heartedly. He took one last, quick glance at Hikaru, Aurum, and then Ginryuu, before finally looking back to the two of them. "We're not going to help you. We'll never help you. This World's ours, and we won't let it be messed up by you guys, or your AIDA!"
Denki opened an eye slowly, grinning with an air of amusement, before shutting it again.
"I see." He started calmly, cutting off Koji, who was obviously about to protest. "If that is your choice, then there is no helping it, now is there?" He asked, though rhetorically. "We shall take our leave then...but keep in mind, Axel, Hikaru; we didn't make this offer for the soul purpose of 'destroying' The World. We did it for our ideals…or at least, our Master's ideals. The door to Hades is always open to ones that can control the power of a Guardian…remember that…"
Axel frowned at Denki is obvious defiance, before the Blade Partizan spun on the spot, and lifted his hand to snap his fingers. Instantly, the AIDA bubbles vanished, and the area looked perfectly white and pristine, minus the twilit surroundings.
"Let us go then, Koji." Denki said calmly, as he snapped the fingers of his other hand, and a thick, dark purple, black, and navy portal spiralled into appearance.
The Trump Joker hesitated for a long moment, as his purple eyes scanned the two of them one final time, before biting down hard onto his toothpick and turning towards Denki. He jiggled the toothpick between his teeth, up, and down…then up again, before nodding. "Fine…we'll report back…" He muttered defiantly, before stepping through the portal and vanishing from their sight. With a small, cheerful wave, Denki followed after him, before the portal quickly set out into nothingness once more.
Axel blinked in confusion. They left so…cleanly! He had expected that they'd attack them once more, to try to force him to change his mind…but they just…left! To him, it didn't make a bit of sense…but at the very least, they were gone. That in turn, meant their victory over two of the Hades members…didn't it?
Haseo ground his teeth together hard. What was taking them so long?! They should have been within the AIDA server long ago! So why were they still between servers?! Normally it'd take a matter of seconds to cross between a normal server and into an AIDA one, but this time, it was as if they were going in circles somehow, or lost. It was a straight line, wasn't it? Yet, it's been way too long. That couldn't be a coincidence. Someone or something didn't want them in it… The navies and violets suddenly began to disperse before them, and a bright light shone through towards them. Was this it at last?
"That's it!" Kuhn called excitedly. He of everyone seemed to want to dispose of these wrong-doers the most. "Let's go, Haseo!" He called cheerfully, before speeding up past the Terror of Death.
With a small sigh of exasperation, Haseo swivelled his head around to see the other two Epitaph Users. He jerked his thumb towards the light, and with a slight nod from both of them, the three sped up to match Kuhn, before bursting though the light.
The bright contrast of white in the AIDA server made Haseo shut his eyes tightly for a long moment, before slowly opening them once more into the blinding area. He quickly surveyed his surroundings on impulse. Everything seemed to be…fine…where were all of the Hades members?
"HI KURO-KUN!!" Axel called out loudly, making Haseo turn to see him and his tall companion.
Both showed signs of a skirmish, but they also seemed to be fine, other than the burn marks on Axel's limp arm. Quickly, Haseo looked around for their opponents once more, but saw no one…could these two have…beaten them?!
Haseo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as he landed on the long series of hexagonal tiles, and began to approach the two of them. The taller one, Hikaru, was pale, and was holding onto his knees hard, panting. His blue eyes were open, and he was sweating slightly. Haseo wondered what was wrong with him, before he suddenly vomited over the side of tiles. That answered it… Saku made a cry of protest, but Pi silenced her, and stepped into place next to Haseo.
"I don't see any enemies…" She murmured quietly; her eyes shooting around the area as his did previously.
"Neither do I…" Haseo whispered, before watching Kuhn bolt past both him and Pi.
"Are you two alright?!" He demanded, stopping a few feet from them to give them some room. "Where's the enemy?! What happened to you?!"
Axel laughed, and gave a wolfish grin, showing his teeth.
"Where do you think, Pony-boy?" Axel asked, his green eyes slitting slightly, "They're gone. We beat em a lickin'!" He chirped.
"What…?" Haseo couldn't help but ask, and stare at both of them in disbelief. "Don't lie. There's no way that you beat some Hades members, Axel. Not in your life." The Adept Rogue explained, stopping a number of feet away from them. "You're just too…"
"Stupid?" Axel asked cheerfully.
"Yeah—what?!" Haseo asked, unsure of what Axel had just tricked him into saying.
"That's so nice, Kuro-kun! It's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" The Twin Blade said cheerfully.
"…idiot…" Saku muttered.
"You're so nice too, switchy-chan!" Axel sang again.
"Agh…just tell us what happened, Axel." Pi said calmly, holding the bridge of her nose. She too, did not believe that these two would be able to beat a Hades member or more by themselves. They just didn't seem all that…reliable…
"Well," Axel started, "first thing we knew, we were in the actual server, but there were no Alters, so we started to walk around and look for em. But after a while, the card user and the guy with the hakama just suddenly showed up and demanded a fight…we didn't think you'd like us fighting them, so we tried to run, but there were no Warp Panel! Like jeez! Who doesn't put in WARP PANELS?! Anyway, we just summoned Ginny and Aurum, like we've been practising…but those jerks summoned their AIDA Explicants as well!"
"They had Explicants?!" Pi demanded sternly, making Axel flinch back a bit.
"I just said so, didn't I?" He asked indignantly. "They looked like a big flaming raven for the card-guy, and a scale or something for the other guy. Either way, it was hard! It felt like we were fightin' them for hours."
"So you're saying that you beat them…?" Kuhn asked, interested.
Axel paused for only a moment. Should he tell them that they let them go…? No…if they did, who knows how many questions they'd be hounded with later! A little white lie was the best…wasn't it…? Who would it hurt? Definitely not him…
"Not entirely," Axel said with a small shrug, "we got them to a point, but before we could Data crack em, they left, and the next thing we knew, you were here, Ms. Pee!"
There, Axel thought, now it's not ENTIRELY a lie…
Pi leered at Axel dangerously, and he shut his mouth instantly. She then turned her leer towards the giggling Kuhn, and Haseo, who was trying to stifle his laughter as well. They fell silent as well.
"Wow, you must be really strong!" Bo said, sticking his knuckle into his mouth, and cocking his head a bit. "I sure wouldn't want to face you in a fight!"
Axel put his hands on his sides and gave a triumphant smile, before looking around the area. He blinked as he noticed that their little portal had vanished after they arrived to their unneeded rescue.
"So…how do we get outta here…?" He asked, blinking around at the twilight surroundings.
That was one of the reasons that they stayed behind after their encounter…
--------------------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth-----------------------------
"Here." Yata said, as he stopped a number of paces from the Black Market NPC. His calculations were off, as he figured, but thankfully they weren't too far off. He was still able to find it after all… "Now all we need to do is enter the area." He explained calmly, before beginning to hack into the system.
Endrance and Atoli nodded silently, not wishing to risk interfering with his work. Neither of them knew how hard it was to hack, and didn't want to find out either… The area that Yata pointed out began to pulse lightly, and a static sound began to fill the air around them.
Perfect…this is going better than I anticipated… Yata thought with a small grin in the real world. Just a little further now…
Instantly, a small, circular portal opened for him, and he stood straight once more.
"Let's go." He ordered, and without an answer, he entered the portal.
Atoli nodded to Endrance, before quickly entering it as well, and Endrance followed both their leads.
It was dark inside of the portal, as they glided forwards easily. There were light slivers of yellows and oranges in between the contrasting navies and violets of the seemingly endless tunnel, as well as small clouds of AIDA bubbles. Yata took their presence as a definite existence of AIDA within this server, and quickly relayed the information to his two team mates. They glided silently after that, keeping their eyes forward, and their selves ready for anything. Yata couldn't help but eye all of the random clouds of bubbles that they passed. It seemed that the farther they went, the more AIDA there seemed to be…something that did not sit well with him. After working so hard to rid The World of AIDA and Cubia, with the sacrifice of a good friend no less, it was almost heartbreaking to see it back; especially in such great numbers.
Enough wallowing! He told himself sternly, and blinked hard to bring himself back to the tunnel. There are more important things to think of right now! We're here on a rescue mission! Not to mourn!
It pleased him when he saw the bright shine of light in the distant end of the tunnel.
"We're almost there," He said to both of his companions, before risking a look back at them. "Be ready."
-----------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth: AIDA Server---------------------
Eon's hope was short-lived, as Aqua reappeared around the corner and set her eyes on her reflected silhouette. Her silver eyes narrowed, and a devilish grin set itself upon her face.
"Well, well…no wonder I couldn't find you, 禿び狗…" Aqua murmured, as she flipped her fans in a complete circle in her hands, before holding them in an attack position. "Because you were hiding all along…"
Without a moment's notice, Aqua shot a beam of water at Eon, quickly solidifying it into ice as it approached her. She barely had time to unfold her large, silver wings, and hop out of the way, before the ice slammed into her left wing; instantly freezing it awkwardly. The shock made her plummet to the ground immediately, her knees slamming into ground with such force, that she had to bite down hard to not cry out in pain. Eon set her ears back threateningly, but it was well known to both of them by now, that she was little or no threat to the experienced Guardian Master.
"What's wrong? Hurt?" Aqua asked mockingly, as she stopped mere paces from Eon's kneeling position.
Eon ground her teeth together harder, as she tried to lift herself; it didn't happen. Her frozen wing smacked the railing beside her, and she instantly went down again, as frozen feathers shattered off of it. Her knees were no better. She could see small traces of blood seeping from them through the white parts of her pants. Out of desperation, Eon glared up at Aqua and bared her dog-like fangs at her. Aqua only grinned at her sadistically, before reaching down, and lifting her by the black collar around her neck.
"Don't tell me that this is all you've got!" She said, lifting her as high as she could. "How sad. I thought that we Guardian Masters were supposed to be stronger than this…" Eon grunted in pain as her injured wing slowly scraped across the railing, before finally moving up past it. Her eyes slit dangerously, as she glared at Aqua, and tried to kick at her with her legs. She immediately gave up that plan though; once her foot made contact with Aqua's collar bone, a jolt went all the way up her leg, and made her cracked knees sting ten times more than before. "What're you waiting for, 禿び狗? Why don't you just call your Guardian, so I can beat both you and it into the ground! Or is it that you don't know how? Or are you afraid…? Heh…figures. A brat like you could never comprehend its power…" Aqua goaded, making Eon begin to grind her teeth together.
She knew why she wasn't summoning Shiruba. Aqua didn't have to know. It was Shiruba who was looking for the exit for her…though it seemed futile at the moment. Aqua had her three feet from the ground, and she could hardly move her legs, even if she did let go! Not to mention her wing might push her off balance, saying that her legs could support her weight right now…
Aqua's expression suddenly changed from delight to troubled, as she narrowed her eyes slightly, before looking to the side, reading a short-mail. Her head suddenly shot towards the plaza behind her, making Eon swing almost limply around with her.
There, in the middle of the Plaza, a medium-sized, navy-violet portal began to spin into existence.
Aqua swore vulgarly, before gripping Eon by the neck, instead of the collar.
"Damn you G.U. members and your Serpent…" She told the dog girl, her eyes slit to mere lines, and her red hair on end. She began to squeeze, making Eon clutch at her hand hard, attempting to pry it off. "How did you tell them where you are?!" Aqua demanded, now clutching Eon's neck with both hands.
Eon was choking for air, and obviously wasn't about to waste her breath, attempting to answer the angered Dancer. Gathering up all of her strength, Eon managed to bend her right leg up, and twist it into a kick, right into Aqua's face.
Out of shock more so than pain, Aqua dropped Eon to the ground, where she lazily flapped her one remaining wing, and managed to land without too much hurt in her legs, before getting to her hands, and hopping as far away from Aqua as she possibly could. Swearing, Aqua lashed out at the girl with her fans, narrowly missing her nose, as Eon fell backwards, away from her. Instantly, Eon set her hands aflame and launched herself and her now flaming claws at her, ignoring the throbbing from her legs. She threw one claw at her fans, which she blocked instinctively with, but the other around her guard, and to her face, scorching her cheek and right eye.
Aqua screamed out in agony, and backed away from Eon, as the dog girl suddenly lowered her body towards the ground, and smacked her head into her gut hard, making her back up farther, but to Eon's displeasure, she didn't loose her balance as intended.
"You brat!" Aqua howled, now ignoring the short mail her Master had sent her. He told her to keep her conscious, or at least until he knew where her loyalties lied…but this was too much for the temperamental Dancer. She lifted her fans high above her head, and howled the word 'Aqueous' at the top of her lungs. At this distance, the attack would be lethal…
As they approached the light, Yata could hear the spell clearly. Gritting his teeth hard together, he could hear the shrill screech of the ice leave the caster, and most likely towards their rescuee. There was an unbearable moment of silence, where all three Epitaph Users held their breath, before hearing a small wail of agony.
The attack made contact.
"No!" Yata howled angrily, as they finally emerged into the inverted city.
Aqua turned her head instantly; her face twisted into a wolfish grin as her silver eyes set on her three newest targets. One was tall with purple hair…the previous Arena Emperor, if she wasn't mistaken… One had a burette that looked as if it'd roll over her eyes at any moment…a Harvest Cleric… And the final one, the one leading their group by the looks of it, with a strong build, and tanned skin. Seeing him, she turned to face them completely. She knew him. His description matched perfectly. Orange glasses; a Macabre Dancer, like herself… There was no mistaking it. He was G.U.'s leader: Yata.
"Well, well, well…" She murmured darkly, as she flicked her fans open and shut slowly. "I expected rescuers…but not you, of all people, Yata…"
Yata ignored Aqua's comment, and looked past her to Eon, whose eyes were large, as if in shock, staring before herself. Both of her wings were frozen solid; the right one in an angle, as if used as a shield from the previous attack they heard from within the tunnel. She was shaking violently from either the cold or sheer fear from being so close to becoming comatose, and her eyes gave an almost sightless feeling.
He let out a small, disapproving grunt, before narrowing his eyes at Aqua.
"Why did you trap her here?" He questioned sternly, never lifting his eyes from her face.
Aqua teetered her head from side to side for a long moment, as if mocking thought, before shrugging widely.
"Why wouldn't I…?" She questioned rhetorically, a smug grin on her face. "It was my Master's wish, so why should I question it…? It's what your little underlings do in G.U. too, isn't it…?"
"I have no underlings." Yata spat coldly, as his dark eyes glared at Aqua. He feared that if he attacked her from this angle, no matter how well aimed his spell may be, it might hit Eon in the process… "Everyone has a right to their opinion in G.U. I merely coordinate where we will strike the AIDA, and command the Guild, Raven. Members may choose what orders they wish to obey or not."
"Oh…?" Aqua muttered in interest. "How is it that you can be the leader of G.U. with such a foolish ideal?! How can you get anyone to go where you want, if they have the choice not to?! Or is it just because you control that little Serpent of yours, that you're their boss, and get to run the show…? Do you control them with fear, maybe…?"
Yata's eyes widened in shock for a quarter of a second, before regaining himself. He couldn't let her see him off edge…he wouldn't allow the Leader of Crystal Seraphim catch him off guard. He couldn't afford it; especially not now of all times…
"How do you know about that?" He demanded, watching her hard for any lies.
"How do I know about it…? How do I not know about it?!" Aqua asked, "If I can make an AIDA server out of a Root Town, who says that I know nothing of G.U., and your little Serpent of Lore…? Besides, the little Sakaki fiasco a few months back makes it hard not to dig into it…you should really be more careful with top secret info like that, Megane-kun…"
Inwardly, Yata was listing off all of the swears that he ever knew. How could she know about the Serpent of Lore? It was G.U.'s secret. Sure, Sakaki used it to show Skeith a few months back…but still; it wouldn't leak past them just like that!
They must have something… Yata told himself silently. Something…or someone that told them about the Serpent of Lore…but who, or what is it…?
"Curious, I see…" Aqua murmured, her eyes half closed, as if enjoying a day in the park. "Can't blame you for being at least a little confused either... I can't tell you how we know of your little 'Serpent', but I can say that none of your secrets are safe from us, Yata. No one in G.U…no one in The World, is safe from our eyes…" Aqua slowly paced around Eon, as if inspecting a caged animal, before brushing her hand along one of her frozen wings. The dog girl jolted in shock, and seemed to come back her senses, before attempting to snap at Aqua, who easily backed out of the way with a sidestep. "Te-sty…"
Eon growled at her like a beast, as she slowly attempted to fold her frozen right wing back behind her. Feathers crackled and fell, before shattering against the brick floor, but at last, the wing moved back into place. Shakily, Eon forced her hands down, and her leg muscles up. She stood awkwardly, with her knees pressed against each other for support.
"So you can stand…good for you." Aqua said coldly, as she flicked her fans open, and stood between her, and her rescuers. "A fat lotta good that'll do you, if you can't do anything more than that!" She suddenly lunging at her with her fans outstretched.
Eon couldn't tell if it was her, or reflex that made her wings suddenly burst into flame, and move forward to her protection against the Macabre Dancer. Whichever one it was though, it obviously saved her from who knows how many years of a coma… Aqua recoiled backwards once her fans met with the ferocious flames, and slowly paced to the side, forgetting about her three other opponents.
Big mistake.
Yata saw his chance, and quickly howled "Rai Zas!" Instantly, lightning shot from his hands, and flew towards Aqua with deadly precision. She barely had a moment to turn and look, before the powerful electric spell shocked her, making her spiked hair stand on end, and her legs suddenly fall from beneath her; numb. Atoli took this chance, and called out "Pha Repth!" A small green circle snaked its way across the floor, and found Eon's feet within a second, instantly healing her scratches, and cracked knees, as if new.
"Disaster Blade!" Endrance called, as he flung himself at the Macabre Dancer with all of his speed and might, swinging his long, thin sword at her. Flower petals followed his movements, as Aqua narrowly managed to guard with her fans against the first part of the attack, before being thrown back a few feet by the second strike.
She grit her teeth together, before forcing herself to stand once more; her silver eyes surveying all four of her opponents now. Eon had joined them. Her eyes slit, then suddenly went round once again, as the familiar 'bing' of a short mail rang in her ears.
Now of all times! She thought angrily, though thankfully for her, it was only one word long.
'Retreat'.
Aqua scoffed at the mail, before glaring back over to her opponents. The Harvest Cleric was making short work of the brat's wounds, and the Blade Brandier, Endrance, she believed, was standing before her; ready to strike once more. Yata was in the rear, as most Macabre Dancers were; focusing on their magical statistics and abilities. The brat herself, seemed to be watching her closely, though hadn't said a single word since their arrival.
Slowly, Aqua moved her right hand back and forth, unsure of what she should do. If she retreated now, it would seem like she was a coward…but she'd be following orders. If she didn't retreat, and went against the Guild Master's orders…then it would spell trouble for her…the painful type of trouble…
She made a small, deep grunt in the back of her throat, before shutting her fans with a snap, and thrusting them into her leather belt.
"Well, it looks like you got away this time, 禿び狗…" Aqua murmured, as she began to step backwards, into a large, navy, purple, and black portal. "But next time you won't be so lucky… Next time, if you don't call that cursed mutt of yours, you'll be in far worse shape…both here and in the real world!" Eon gave Aqua a sceptical sneer, but the Macabre Dancer wasn't finished speaking. She motioned the portal behind her, as if something important, before continuing. "I didn't trap you here for no reason, kid." She said, narrowing her eyes at Eon; ignoring the fact that three G.U. members were behind her, listening to their one-sided conversation. Right now, it didn't matter to her. All she wanted to do was finish her mission to the best of her ability…even if it meant giving away a couple of secrets… "I did it because it's my job. You can't stay with them. It's not your job. You'll never learn how to completely control Shiruba on your own. Unless you join us, one day you'll go berserk from summoning her…just like an Avatar… Only it won't be nearly as pretty…"
Eon blinked in confusion, she wanted to ask what she meant, but the sudden order of silence within her head made her bite her tongue. Hard.
You can't trust her. Shiruba said quickly, and almost angrily. She could hear the deep growls emitting from inside of her throat, even if she couldn't see her right now. Not wishing to enrage a beast that was easily twenty-some times bigger than herself, she held her tongue. Surely Aqua would answer her question…hopefully…
"What do you mean?" Yata asked, but Aqua merely shrugged.
"This conversation isn't for you, baldy." She said simply, before turning her eyes back to the short Guardian Master once more. "My Master wishes to…employ, you abilities…" She worded carefully. "It can be a win-win situation. You learn how to control Shiruba, and you just need to help him out a bit… Simple, right…?"
Don't do it.Shiruba growled dangerously. Eon could sense her almost blood thirsty anger now, and it made her stomach churn in knots. Why was she so mad…? Sure, she didn't want The World to be destroyed by AIDA, just as much as anyone else…but why get this mad from just the thought of losing The World? Wasn't it obvious that she wouldn't join Aqua, no matter how curious she was…?
"N…No…" Eon murmured carefully, almost choking when she remembered that she could speak.
Aqua was silent for a long moment, before turning to face the portal instead of them.
"I see." She said, almost calmly; starring into the deep abyss of the portal. "If that's your decision, then so be it. I won't stop you…not today, at least… Just remember one thing though," Aqua said, slightly turning her head to look at Eon, "Hades' door is always open to Guardian Masters. It's one of the only places for Guardian Masters. G.U. can't supply you with the sort of training you need to control that beast. It involves more than beating a few monsters into the ground, or expelling some AIDA from The World. You won't survive long in this World, without our training…" And with that, Aqua stepping into the portal, and vanished.
Silence filled the air for a long time, before Atoli finally broke it.
"Are you…okay, Eon…?" She asked quietly, unsure of her healing job.
Eon blinked, and jumped a bit, startled. She was thinking hard on what Aqua had just said. What did she mean, 'won't last long'…? Was it…no…that couldn't be it…
"Y-yeah, I'm fine…now…" Eon choked out the final word, in an attempt to be thankful for her rescue. Even though Yata kicked her out of G.U., he came to save her. How kind. Maybe it was guilt…but either way, she was still on one piece…hopefully… "I'll live now." She assured, before watching Yata move towards her from the corner of her good eye. She stood straight, and glared hard at the Macabre Dancer. Yata didn't stop until he was fully in her small field of view. He was silent for a long time, and Eon could sense Endrance and Atoli holding their breath on this little, unwanted reunion.
"I…apologize for not being here sooner." He stated formally, though Eon couldn't tell what he was thinking with his tone. Nothing gave anything away in his voice, and she decided that he meant that, at least. "If not for my rash decision in the Serpent of Lore, this may have been avoided…" He explained.
Eon was fighting herself from saying something like, 'well duh!', or possibly, 'you think?!' Instead, she nodded curtly.
"I guess so." She said simply, unsure if she should attempt to make him feel worse right now, or cut him some slack. He seemed to regret it…considering how bad she must have looked when they found her. She could barely believe she looked so bad! Normally she was quite good within The World…then again, she didn't normally come to Root Town AIDA Servers, with homicidal Macabre Dancer-water-chicks in them either…
Yata shut his eyes for a long moment, and sighed lightly, before looking at her again.
"But you fought with a Hades member…" He said, reminding her of his previous warning against her battling AIDA, and the consequences.
Eon knew where this was going. She didn't hesitate on her response. She didn't want to leave The World, and she didn't want to be forced out either.
"So you're saying that this is my fault…?" She questioned, looking slowly from him, to Atoli, then to Endrance, before looking back to their leader. "You're saying, right now, that I should have just sat here, and let her put me into a coma then…?"
The force of her words stung Yata hard. That was true. Aqua wasn't going easy on her. She would have been in a coma, if she hadn't fought back…and considering just how strong Aqua was, she shouldn't have lasted that long either, with just one eye…or so he thought…
Yata sucked in a long breath of air through his nose, before speaking again. He'd never been so indecisive, or foolish before in his entire life. Why couldn't he see earlier, that even with a handicap, someone could play The World all the same? He'd even watched Atoli play with only one hand, back when the AIDA stole her Avatar, Innes, from her. Of course that's different than playing with just one eye, but still…she survived this encounter…and it seemed that it was the best choice either way…
"I was wrong," he started, forcing out the words. He knew that he had to say it, even if he loathed it. "I should have never kicked you out of G.U., Eon. It was discriminatory towards your possible incapability's, and judged completely falsely."
Eon watched him closely, half glaring, half intensely listening, before crossing her arms over her chest.
"In English please, baldy." She stated coldly. She wouldn't let him get away with an apology in a completely different dialect from her own. Formality. What kind of apology was THAT?! A sucky one, that's for certain…
Yata frowned slightly, but repeated himself in less formal jabber, before forcing himself into an extremely slight, sorry bow to Eon.
"Please, forgive my mislead thoughts. You are free to rejoin operation G.U. again, and battle the AIDA as you did before." He explained, before straightening, and looking back at her. He was shocked to see her slight frown, and her tail waving slowly, almost angrily.
"You…really think that I want to join G.U. again, after that…?" She questioned harshly. Eon knew that Yata was trying hard to make her forgive him, but even she wouldn't make it that easy for him. He kicked her out of G.U., threatened to take The World away from her, and even took away the only time that she had ever felt needed; in this World, or the real one. How could she possibly forgive him, or anyone else so easily?
A worried frown replaced Yata's previous look, as did Atoli's and Endrance's. What would she do without G.U.? She couldn't track down AIDA without the Serpent of Lore, and she wasn't even that experienced against the AIDA either…
"Eon—" Yata started, but she cut him off before he could try to convince her to rejoin their Guild.
"I'm going to save The World." Eon stated calmly; her eyes strong, and her words unfaltering. She meant it. "I'll defeat the AIDA, but not within your little Guild, Yata. If I have to, I'll even do it alone."
Wow, the end of the chapter, and I did manage to make it on time! Hurrah!
Okay, chapter's over; time to rant, so listen up!
As stated before, Happy Birthday, Dusk! I worked cursed hard to finish the chapter in time for your B-day, so you'd better enjoy it! (Falls over, swirly eyed)
Man, the weekend before last, I worked 11 hours on a demo. For those of you who don't know what a demo is, I shall explain in simplified terms;
Grab a jackhammer, and smack stuff with it, while cleaning up after.
Understood? Good. Here's the unofficial definition:
Demolition: A job in which one releases all anger they possess, while within legal bounds, and with pay.
I got paid, but never actually saw the check, which makes me depressed… (Whines)
Last weekend I worked on and off, but I had a very bad case of ADD, so I didn't get much of the chapter done until that Sunday…then I went off to play video games. I like video games…also; I spent two and a half hours attempting to vacuum up a water leak, which we didn't know was a leak, until afterwards. No wonder it wouldn't stop coming… (Smacks forehead…HARD)
That ADD still remains…
This weekend…today, really (It's a long weekend. WHOO!) I went on a Junk Drop that should have lasted only an hour or so max. It lasted 4 and a half hours… (Fizzle) I dun like working long and hard, especially when I'm not being paid for such things… What's worse, Wednesday was one of those days that everything goes perfectly the first part of the day, then suddenly crashes down on you at the end of the day…in my case, in math class. The final period of the day…how kind… Miffin, who's normally in that class with me wasn't there either, since she vanished to CHINA that morning. T T I was so lonely. I didn't get much of anything done that day…plus, I paid Miffin to edit this chapter, but she left before she could do so…
(Shakes fist) DARN IT MIFFIN!! GIVE ME BACK MY TWENTY THREE CENTS!!
Yeah…also, all of my teachers decided that next week they're going to dump a lot of work onto us; therefore, since I'm not even going to be there any longer that Tuesday (Monday's off), I got all of these hand outs, some that're about 12 pages long, or longer. They need to be finished by the end of Spring Break. I don't see how I can finish them, when Iam vanishing off toJAPAN on Wednesday. (Thus is why I needed to finish this chapter for Dusk before I vanished) I also have what? Three unit finals that I need to take on Tuesday? Well, won't that be lovely… (Fizzle, anger mark, sweat drop)(Starts cramming for the tests, and attempting to do a Bio hand out of things I never learned, but think I can do anyway)(Failing miserably)
Ah, okay, that's enough ranting for me now. (Feels refreshed)
I don't exactly know when the next chapter will be up, since, as stated earlier, I'm going to Japan over the break, and I can't bring a chapter with me. (This computer doesn't have a disk slot…good going, Gateway…) It'll hopefully be up two weeks after I get back, maybe earlier…but I'm unsure about that right now, since a new character is going to be introduced. (If any of you remember my first chapter, I said that I'd take in OC's. If you have any that you want to see in here by strange chance, then send me an E-mail. You all know it. Hard to forget it.) This OC is Dusk's 'Ado'. Not much on him yet (next chapter), but it'll build up…as soon as Dusk sends me attack/tech info and statistics, the chapter will fly by…I hope…
Again, you all know the drill; please Review. I want to go for…40 this chapter, and up! I reached the 100 000 word mark! We should be celebrating! Humour me, please. Tell me how many stupid little errors I managed to miss this time, (It's sooooooo much easier with Miffin and me editing…) or if it was any good. I think it was okay. I'd like more fighting though…bad Aqua! More fighting next time!
Aqua: . . .
…what…?
Aqua: Aqueous!
zeroyasha is unable to continue to the end of this chapter rant, because she has been attacked by a homicidal water-chick. Thank you for your patronage of this chapter. Coming up next is—
Aqua: AQUEOUS!