Note: I do not own Sony Computer Entertainment America or any of its affiliates. Consider this a disclaimer to the ideas/characters presented in this story.
Chapter Two: Lolithia's Tomb, Part One
It didn't take the group long to reach Lolithia's Tomb; Emma had put her invention, the Emma Motor, to work, and created small vehicles called Chariots to transport small groups of people more quickly (hence her decision to organize everyone into groups of three). When they got to the excavation site though, the sight Rudy saw was one he wasn't expecting.
Unlike the Berry Cave, the entrance of Lolithia's tomb was grand, with columns and pillars spanning a good distance from the actual doors to the ruins, suggesting it was once a place of worship or grand importance. Rudy looked at the gates with awe, knowing that he had always wanted to explore such a place since he was a small boy.
I wonder if Grandpa ever went to places like this, he thought, stepping off the chariot quickly. Catherine and Jack followed him, and the older man growled, giving the machine a light kick.
"I hope she doesn't expect us to drive those things back," he complained, "because I sure as Hell won't do it."
"Let me drive it next time," Catherine offered, though it wasn't kind, "I probably won't have nearly as much trouble as you seemed to have."
"Hey, hey, watch yourself, no need to get testy," Jack said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "You trying to push buttons or something?"
"Oh no, sir, merely reflecting unto those their proper treatment."
Jack gave her a queer face. "You always gotta be so cryptic?"
"Must you always be an arrogant brute?"
"Whatever," Jack said, scoffing and turning to join the hordes of men with Emma. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I get my gella."
"Honestly," Catherine huffed, turning toward Rudy. "I haven't seen more than one man since childhood, and I can truthfully say that I did not miss many of them."
Rudy scratched behind his ear awkwardly, avoiding Catherine's pointed gaze. It looked like she was expecting an answer, so he finally just shrugged.
"You don't say very much, do you?"
"I keep to myself," he mumbled in return.
"I see."
They gathered beside Jack (though none of them seemed keen on being there together) and Emma climbed the first few steps of the grand courtyard to the tomb, waving her arms in the air to get everyone's attention.
"Okay, here's the deal: the earthquake let lose a whole farm of monsters from some concealed part of the tomb, and now they've flooded the entire excavation site. Your job is to clear out this place so that my back up team can keep working. Everyone will be paid when we get back to Adlehyde."
"How can you guarantee our money?" one man asked from the front of the crowd.
"Oh, money money money, that's all you're on about. Jeez." Emma folded her arms over her chest, dramatically rolling her eyes. "Japeto here'll give you a memo signed by me that will get you your money. He'll be waiting out front. If you come out before the danger's cleared, though..."
"Excuse me," Catherine interjected, raising her arm high in the air. Everyone turned to her.
"Yes?" Emma said, a tinge of annoyance in her voice.
"What is it exactly you're excavating?" she asked. "It has something to do with the festival, doesn't it?"
"That's for me to know and you to not. Just stay out of any areas that look fragile, and just handle the monsters that you can handle. That'll guarantee your money."
Catherine nodded, but Rudy glanced at her sideways to see a suspicious expression on her face. Rudy felt it, too.
Then Emma turned toward the two grand doors. Two of her assistants flanked either side, yet they were yards apart. "Ready, boys?" she asked. They nodded in return, but the gestures were jerky and nervous. Emma didn't seem to notice or care; she simply snapped her fingers, then the men moved towards the giant door handles and began to pull them open.
Like a raging stampede, the men at the front of the group ran forward with their weapons drawn, as if killing the monsters first was a contest. Jack looked back to his two companions and rolled his eyes.
"Let the pawns go first, I guess."
"Quite," Catherine replied.
After the entire herd of men disappeared within the tomb, Jack led Rudy and Catherine up the steps. They passed Emma and her young assistant, and she gave them a nod. "Good luck, Jack," she said almost sympathetically.
"Yeah, thanks a lot."
"Have more faith in your teammates," Catherine chided. "You'd be surprised to find that Rudy and I are more competent than you'd like to imagine."
"Here's hopin'," Jack mumbled. Catherine scoffed.
She must be trying to hide the fact that Lolithia's here, Jack thought to himself. Or maybe she's not sure either.
"Hey, Hanpan," Jack whispered quietly as he ascended the steps, "you think we should ditch these two at some point and go look for Lolithia ourselves?"
"Absolutely not!" Hanpan retorted. "You don't think they'll be able to help you in battle, so what makes you think they'll survive in there on their own?"
"Just a suggestion, calm down," Jack said said quietly, trying to make sure neither Catherine or Rudy would hear him. "But if we do find anything in particular... you think we should check it out?"
"At your own discretion, dummy," Hanpan said haughtily. "You won't get paid if Emma finds out."
"Agh, whatever."
"Who're you talking to?" Catherine said suddenly beside him, and Jack jumped.
"Holy crow, don't sneak up on me!"
"I heard someone talking," she reaffirmed. "Who was it?"
"No-one, kid, you're just hearing things."
At this point, they'd entered the tomb, and not one man was in sight. In fact, everything had gone silent. The group must've been far ahead battling already. Jack took note of this warily.
"I know you were talking to someone. Now who—"
"Quiet for a second, kid," Jack said, holding up a hand to silence her.
"It's Catherine."
"Catherine, yeah, whatever, pipe down."
Catherine fumed, but he didn't react to her. Rudy stepped up beside him, looking around the cave. "It's quiet," the young man whispered.
"Just what I was thinking," Jack replied quietly. "Keep on your guard."
Jack saw Rudy draw his sword, trying to get it past his traveling sack awkwardly, while Catherine pulled a wand from her cloak. Jack looked to both of them, then said: "If it starts to get hairy, let me take care of things."
He expected Catherine to bite back with some remark, but she nodded firmly, her face stoic and serious. Jack then drew his sword slowly, stepping forward into the dark halls. Torches lit the halls in the distance, but apart from that, there was no light to speak of.
"Hyde," Catherine whispered, and the tip of her wand lit up suddenly, illuminating the room around them. The walls and ceilings were grand, stretching far and high, while more columns and arches lined the corridors. The three of them craned their necks upward to take in the sight, then they looked down again to find themselves surrounded by huge, terrifying beasts.
Jack had never seen anything like it in all his Dream Chaser years. The creatures had to be at least nine feet tall, with fat feathered bodies and leathery black feet. They had beady eyes and beaks, but when one leaned over into Jack's face, it roared like a lion.
"Aipeloss!" Catherine cried, then waved her wand again at one of the beasts that circled them. A cascade of flames shot forth, then blasted against the chest of one of the creatures, knocking it backwards. Jack covered his face from the sudden burst of heat, and nearly missed the sight of a creature lunging at him from his side.
Jack dropped to his haunches quickly, then dove to the side just in time to dodge the charging animal. Catherine turned in her step to see the creature, then flicked her wand in a different shape. The Aipeloss opened its beak as it closed the distance between them, ready to snap her head off her shoulders, when it collided mid air with nothing at all. Jack glanced briefly towards the odd sight; the creature had crumpled against an invisible wall, and soft circles of white light could be seen from where the magic barrier held the creature at bay. It crumpled to the cold floor, growling in pain. Jack got to his feet again, spinning on the next creature.
Rudy held his sword with both hands on either end, using it as a shield to block the attacks of the Aipeloss. It snapped at the blade insistently, and it was all Rudy could do to keep its sharp jaws from dislodging his head. The beak closed on the blade, and Rudy fought to keep his stance in place, struggling against the unbelievable strength of the mutant creature that threatened his life.
"Rudy, duck!" Jack called, then dashed forward with nimble feet. Rudy glanced backwards briefly to see Jack charging him with his sword held high, and out of surprise let go of his short sword, dropping down to the ground on his back. The Aipeloss jerked forward a bit, its feet landing on either side of Rudy, and it corrected itself just in time to see the glint of Jack's blade before he slashed at the creature.
Jack was extremely agile, and so not even he saw the full extent of his attack until he turned back to see the Aipeloss topple forward. Rudy rolled to the side just in time to avoid the crushing weight of the beast. He glanced up at Jack, and both of them panted heavily. Wide eyed, Rudy whispered: "Thanks."
Just then, another explosion of fire erupted in the cave, and the last Aipeloss roared before it crumpled to its death, flaming on the dusty stone floor. Catherine stood above it, not even panting, then put her wand away. Jack watched her for a few seconds, and she simply stared back. He sheathed his sword, and with a growing smile, he clapped slowly.
"I guess I did underestimate you," Jack said, ending his applause. "You didn't even break a sweat."
"No, but I'll pay for it later," Catherine said with a smile. "Casting magic makes me hungry."
Rudy pried his sword from the dead creature's mouth, then tucked it into his sheath as well. Jack watched him brush off his pants, and he couldn't help but think that this kid looked so out of place, like a square forcing itself into a circle. He also thought that the kid was made for something more, but he was trying to avoid that route desperately.
"Not bad, but that thing—Aipeloss, did you call it?" Catherine nodded. "—that Aipeloss woulda had you for lunch if all you were gonna do was block its attacks. You need to have at least a little offensive," Jack said, talking with his hands. Rudy watched him, listening intently. "Take your enemy by surprise, make him think you're going for the front, then take him by the side. I do that every now and again."
Rudy nodded, then looked down, scuffing his boot against the ground. "Sorry."
"Hey, you're not dead, right? No need to be sorry. Just try to stay in the back, if you can."
Jack was trying to say it as kindly as he could, but he could see Rudy practically deflate in front of him. He only nodded briefly in response.
I have to work on my constructive criticism, I suppose. Jack almost chuckled when he wondered what Hanpan would have to say about that.
After the incident at the front of the tomb, the three of them met very few enemies. Catherine walked with Rudy and Jack in silence, only speaking when she had to. She was actually waiting intently for Stoldark to speak to her again, to give her more guidance. Nothing came.
The trio entered a high archway into a large stacked chamber, lit by several torches hanging off the walls. Rubble lay on the multiple levels, some large rocks blocking the pathways from ladder to ladder, leading to the top.
"My," Catherine muttered. "It's huge!"
"Yeah," Jack said, tapping his foot. "So how do we get up?"
The three of them scanned the ladders and ledges. There was no direct way up to the top of the chamber.
"I have explosives," Rudy said quietly. "I could blow out that boulder up there."
Catherine watched Rudy for a second, then looked up to the top of the first ledge, where Rudy motioned to. If Rudy could remove the rubble, like he said, they'd be able to climb up the rest of the way.
"Wouldn't you blow up the ledge with it?"
Rudy shook his head.
"All right, kid," Jack replied, patting him heavily on the back. "Be my guest."
Rudy stumbled forward from Jack's gesture, then cleared his throat as he moved forward. The other two watched him as he climbed over a few stray rocks dotting the ground before he climbed the ladder.
"Doesn't talk much, does he?" Jack said to Catherine quietly. She glanced at him sideways for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he was trying to mock her and him, or if he was making genuine conversation.
"No," she finally whispered back. Rudy was halfway up the ladder.
"Seems too young to be a Dream Chaser, don't you think?" Jack said. "Can't be more than sixteen."
Catherine tossed her hair lightly. "I just turned seventeen today."
Jack turned himself full toward her. "What?"
"Today is my birthday."
"Seventeen, you said?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Oh... damn, I really am babysitting."
"After our battle, you still believe you're babysitting?"
Jack gave her a crooked smile, but his look of disappointment remained. "No, you can hold your own just fine. I'm just starting to feel pretty old."
"Age holds no limitations on skill," Catherine reassured.
Rudy placed something at the top of the ladder, then slid down its length quickly, jumping and running back to the other two.
"I think he means us to find cover," Catherine suggested, backing up a bit in the doorway. Jack followed, and once they were hidden behind the wall, Jack whispered, "Hey, kid—"
"Catherine."
"Yeah, yeah, Catherine... happy birthday."
A loud thundering clap boomed throughout the chamber, and rubble shot off in every direction in the room beyond. A huge cloud of dust burst out from the doorway beside them, and everyone ducked and covered their heads. Once the sound of flying rubble stopped and the smoke cleared, the three of them lifted their heads and looked to the other. Catherine smiled at Jack. "Thank-you," she said, brushing the coat of grey off of her hair.
Rudy didn't say anything, rather he stood and moved back into the large chamber. Jack and Catherine followed, looking at the damage done. Jack did a double take of the ledge above.
"That blast felt like it blew out half the chamber," Jack scoffed. "You just took out the rock."
Rudy nodded, pulling out a small black ball from his pack. It wasn't a ball at all, but a bomb. There was something strange about it, though, like it had been altered. Catherine eyed it carefully, then gasped.
"This is a Tool," she muttered, gently touching its glossy surface while Rudy held it. "Very few people can use these."
She could see Jack look between the two, then he grumbled: "What?"
"Tools are special items that require psychic synchronization," Catherine explained, "and are more powerful than common items. Rudy was able to manipulate the Tool's effects on the ledge."
Jack gave her a queer look, then scoffed again. "Eh?"
"They're slightly enchanted," Catherine affirmed. "You can tell by their aura."
Catherine watched as Jack turned to the Tool slowly, then looked back at her, the same doubtful expression on his face. "I don't see any ah-rah's."
Catherine laughed, a sound akin to chimes. "Of course you can't; you're not a magic user."
Jack shook his head, closing his eyes with a roll. Catherine smiled at him broadly, amused by his reaction.
Rudy put the Tool back in his pack, then moved towards the ladder. The others followed him, and they began to climb the tall structure, trying to reach the doorway on the top. They climbed to the third level before they could see no other way up.
"There's no ladder here," Catherine observed. "The only other way up is on the other side of the platform."
"I like tombs like these," Jack said, eying out the path they would have to take to get to the ladder on the other side. "'Only way up is down' sorta thing."
"Would jumping off that ledge be safe?" Catherine asked warily.
"Yeah, easy-schmeezy, no problem," Jack said, carefree. "Besides, even if we climbed all the way down and went to the other side, there'd be no way to get to that ladder over there, see?" Jack guided Catherine's eyes with his finger, drifting it slowly over the tomb to the far end of the chamber.
"Oh, I see," she said quietly. "Still, leaping from that balcony seems hardly endurable."
"Ah, don't mind your pretty little head, princess," Jack mocked, and Catherine tried desperately to hide the obvious stiffening her body showed when he called her that. "I'll send Rudy down first so that he can catch ya."
Catherine nearly snapped her head in Rudy's direction when Jack said this, and Rudy ducked his head shyly, red tinting his cheeks.
"We should all jump at once," Catherine affirmed. "I would feel more comfortable that way."
"Whatever's best for you, lady," Jack said, lighting the air with a short, amused laugh. "After that light show you gave us up front, I'm sure you'll be fine clearing a ten foot fall."
Catherine didn't want to admit it, but Jack complimenting her skills again stroked her ego, despite the fact that she didn't take particularly well to him (though she was starting to warm to him ever so slightly). Despite herself, a smile tugged at her lips, though she tried to hide it. "Let go of your ego," he had told her. Oh, Stoldark, I wish you would tell me more.
"All right, we doin' this?" Jack stood at the edge of the ledge, looking down over the drop. Rubble scattered across the old marble floor was all that could be seen by the faint torchlight.
Catherine moved next to Jack and Rudy followed close behind her. They stood on either side of the tall man, and he rubbed his callous hands together.
"On three," he said, grasping each their shoulders briefly and giving them a firm squeeze. "One, two—"
They all leapt off the ledge, and fell through the air to the platform below as Jack shouted: "Three!"
They hit the ground, and Catherine was the only one to save her footing. The other two fell into a dive, and Jack landed on his back, depressing the floor tile beneath him. Catherine moved forward to ask him if he was all right, but at that very moment, tall, rock walls shot up from the ground, ten feet on either side, imprisoning them.
Catherine saw Jack look up from his place on the ground, surveying the onyx-like walls with wide eyes. There were no breaks or openings, no way to escape their prison. "Dammit!" he yelled, pounding the floor next to him.
With a growl, he shifted himself upwards, then slowly rose from the ground and off the pressure plate. It still remained depressed, and the walls still stood tall around them. "What do we do now?" Catherine asked.
"What?" Jack snapped back, "you don't have a levitation trick hiding up your sleeve or something?"
Catherine eyed him angrily. "No, I don't."
He growled again, then kicked at the wall. After a second, he stretched his arms out to lean against the cold, smooth rock, hanging his head down toward his feet. Catherine chewed lightly at her lip nervously.
"Well, I guess there's no avoiding this anymore," Jack said wearily, standing up tall and turning to face the two teenagers again. "I try not to tell people about Hanpan, usually because it gets us into trouble. People either don't take well to him, or they literally take him."
"What do you mean?" Catherine said, looking at Jack suspiciously. She saw Rudy giving him the same peculiar stare.
"I can introduce myself, you big oaf!" a familiar voice squeaked. Catherine's eyes lit up and darted to Jack's front pocket. The man threw his hands up exasperatingly, then let them slap against his legs in defeat.
"That voice," Catherine said, "that's what you were talking to at the front of the temple and in Adlehyde!"
"Not what, who he was talking to," it said again, and a small blue rodent popped out from under Jack's front and climbed hastily on his shoulder. It stood on its hind legs, flicked its tail in the air, then said to Catherine: "I'm Hanpan, Jack's partner and handy wind mouse companion."
Catherine felt her mouth hang open and a gasp rush past her lips. She had read about wind mice, but she didn't think any more existed. They were enchanted creatures, or spirit animals, which possessed unfathomable amounts of knowledge and wisdom. In all her years of study, Catherine found the wind mouse to be the most elusive and enticing; it had a fantasy quality to it simply because they were thought not to exist any longer.
"Oh my," Catherine said quietly, then moved forward. "Hanpan, is it?"
"At your service," he said cheerfully, rubbing a small paw across his nose. "We don't trust strangers all that often. I think you would understand."
Catherine nodded, then stole a glance over at Rudy. He had a puzzling look on his face, and Catherine voiced what she considered their concern.
"It is a pleasant surprise to see you have a wind mouse—"
"He doesn't have a wind mouse, I'm his friend."
"Sorry," Catherine said quickly, "but Jack said 'there's no avoiding this anymore'. I'm assuming you would be able to help us, Hanpan?"
"Of course I can!" the mouse said brightly, "they don't call us wind mice for nothing!"
"Do your thing, pal," Jack grumbled, and Hanpan leapt from his shoulder and darted up and over the rocky wall before Catherine or Rudy could even blink.
"There's always a disarming mechanism close by," Jack said, leaning against the wall. "Hanpan thinks it was so others could come in and disarm the trap, just to see the skeletons of the people who failed the first time. Deterrence or some sort of mumbo jumbo like that."
"I've found it!" Hanpan called, then Jack straightened from the wall. The rocks started to descend back into the floor slowly, and to the right they could see the small mouse standing on a depressed floor tile.
"Look before you leap next time, Jack."
"Hey, we talked about the ridiculing thing," Jack said, walking across the old floor. Catherine noticed he was making his steps carefully, though; he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. "You see anything else, Hanpan?"
"My work here is done," he concluded, dashing up Jack's leg onto his shoulder again. "I have to admit, being out in the open with friendly neighbours isn't something I'm used to."
"Yeah," Jack said, turning around to his companions who followed behind him. "You two handled that well."
"I'm quite familiar with peculiar species," Catherine stated.
"What about you?" Hanpan said, pointing his nose at Rudy. "You don't seem to have any sort of opinion."
Rudy seemed to shrug slightly. "I'm pretty open, especially to someone who's different."
Kind of like you, Catherine thought to herself. She immediately felt ashamed for thinking such a thing, but she couldn't deny that it was true.
"Shall we get going, then?" Jack said, pointing up. "If I listen closely, I can hear our coworkers screaming."
It was a joke, but no-one laughed. "Lead the way, Jack."
"My pleasure."