Revelation
XII: Verona Isle
By the next morning Stormsurge was up early and trying to figure out a way to push Zetanus back. The chances were good to be able to kill him, but he can't risk the five of his friends in a battle for one against the horde of sil'lis. He sat in front of a tree lightly hitting his head against the trunk of the tree. Morgan crawled out from her tent and stretched her back. She looked over to see Storm hitting the tree. "Trying to figure out a way to stop Zetanus?" She asked. "Yes." "Carry on. I'll see if I can't find a water hole to clean up at. If there are none to be found, then I wonder if Madeline could make one. Eh whatever. I'll be back. Keep on thinking." "Alright, keep in touch." He said while tapping his head. "I'll let you know if anything happens." Storm returned to thinking of ways for the six of them to turn Zetanus and his sil'lis back to where they came from.
Madeline was still asleep, but her dreams weren't the normal ones she was used to. Her dream showed a flash of light after a clash of swords could be heard. Then there was a storm over a large body of water and a ship careening over the large waves. The last thing she saw was a castle crumbling into an ocean off of a cliff side. The images faded to black and she woke up in a cold sweat from how uneasy the dreams had left her feeling. After calming her breathing and heart beat, she grabbed her dress and switched into it. She looked out from the tent flap to see Storm beating his head against a tree. "You alright Storm?" He looked over at her. "Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out a way to get Zetanus to retreat. I don't plan on going up against his horde with the six of us. It'd be a suicide run." She came out from the tent and created a pool of water to clean her face off. "I see. I guess you'd have to figure out a way to scare the sil'lis or something. If they're not as tough and free minded as Ragha or Mora, they should be easy to spook. That's how wild animals are." Storm stopped hitting the tree and rushed over to give her a hug scaring her a bit, which caused her to douse Storm with a small ball of water. "It was worth getting wet. Thanks for the foundation of the plan Madeline. The next thing is figuring out how to find them and what could give the sil'lis a good scare." Storm returned to the tree, but used it as a back rest instead of a target. Robin was awake and fiddling with her headband. She breathed out in frustration as the fold was out of place somehow. "Stinking fabric; this is the fourth time I've folded you!" She let out a high pitched whistle out of frustration. There was a rustle to her side and she saw that Madeline had doused herself with water while Storm was hanging from a branch. "Sorry. It's the headband fabric; it's gets a little frustrating from time to time when I sleep on it." Storm slid down the trunk of the tree back down to the ground. "That's alright. Would you be able to recreate that using the wind, Robin?" "I think so. It's just a whistle." She replied. "Why do you ask?" "It's the first piece of the plan to get Zetanus to retreat. When Morgan gets back we'll begin figuring out where they are and then we can put it into effect."
Zetanus was still in his tent from yesterday as he was examining maps of the area. "This should be a good town to make an outpost and a holding point. The small farming plots out to the side will provide good places for the sil'lis to make their camps. Yes, that will be where our command post will be and the smaller villages further away will be staging grounds. Soon Verona will be ours and I can hand the reigns over to the true ruler of Verona." He continued to make marks on areas of choice and analyzing the geography of the landscape. He left Ragha to keep the other sil'lis in control while they were starting to get stir crazy from being confined in an area rather than roaming. Ragha mainly sat where he had claimed it to spend his time for the duration of the stay. He was thinking about the past when he was just a scientist working for Seraphus. Back then he had actually felt important when his real master was still alive. The runt that took his place just degrades the sil'lis and emphasizes the failures. Even before becoming this creation due to Seraphus' testing he didn't understand the point of creating a new being. He thought back to the family that he had left behind that wouldn't be alive still. Ragha scratched into the rock as the past memories were coming back after the many years of killing others for the purpose of one being. "I'm not sure if this is the right thing to be doing, but how can I return to how I was?" Ragha noticed Mora returning from the walk around the camp. "They've all calmed down a bit with the promise of moving out soon." "Good. I'm beginning to get edgy to after being in here for so long." "So am I; it's even worse after that jolt Zetanus gave us yesterday. What I wouldn't give to get back at him without the threat of that happening again." Mora said punching a pillar of rock picturing it as Zetanus. "I'd rather just stay alive as far as I can before he decides to just get rid of me." Ragha said.
Storm and his friends were crouched behind a bush viewing the sil'lis horde through a small hole Morgan created with her powers. "Well, we've found them, what's the next part of your plan?" Serena asked Storm. "I need Seamus to create a few tunnels under the barrier and then Morgan will create enough spheres to contain Robin's whistle wind, your fire, and my lightning. She'll move them through the tunnels and as close to the surface on the other side as she can. Seamus will seal the tunnels on our side and the three of us will concentrate on the powers inside the spheres and break out of the ground creating the high pitched whistle, heat, and flash necessary to get them to bolt." Serena pondered how the plan was laid out with a hand on her chin. "Seems like a good plan. Hopefully it will work." "It will. Let's begin!" Seamus slapped his hands to the ground and several tubes appeared in the ground and went down and under the barrier while Morgan created purple spheres for each tunnel. Robin, Serena, and Storm created small balls of their elements and placed them inside to be carried through to the other side. Morgan moved her hands and the spheres closed around the other spheres and they moved into the tunnels on their mission. Seamus closed his hands and the tunnels filled back in behind the spheres as they carefully moved through the darkened holes. "They're in place Storm. Let them loose when you're ready." Storm and the others with powers buried in the earth stood up and raised their hands. "Here goes nothing." Storm said.
The sil'lis were sitting around either fighting over something or just laying around doing nothing. Suddenly the ground started to shake causing a curious few to investigate when the earth cracked beneath them. The black creatures moved back growling and hissing at the cracks when they broke open and a high pitched whistling came out with intense heat and flashes of light. They ran backwards as the thing moved after them. Zetanus pulled his ears down to try and block out the noise. Over the high pitch he yelled out, "WHAT IS THAT SOUND?!" He saw the sil'lis rushing away from the thing and they were starting to pile up on one another trying to break out of the shield. Seeing that the sil'lis had the potential to kill each other in the fray Zetanus had to resort to trying and solving the problem. The black mongoose stepped out of his tent to see what appeared to be a tornado. The wind was still screeching and he could now feel the heat from the vortex. Several flashes appeared and a couple sil'lis dropped out from the swirling wind. He peered further behind the tornado and saw Storm and two others standing beyond the barrier. Fury pulsed through Zetanus seeing Storm still standing and he lowered his arms to scream out, "STOOORRRMSUUURRRGE VAAAIIIRRREEHËËËËIIIIM!" The black mongoose shot a red bolt of energy crashing into the vortex. The unstable amount of power caused it to shudder and dissipate with the whistle stopping and the heat fading with the flashes.
Storm and his friends watched as their plan was halted by the hatred of Zetanus. "It's time for plan b." Storm said lowering his hands. "What's that?" Seamus asked. "We go in swinging!" Storm formed a pocket of lightning in his hand and used it to blast a hole in the barrier before landing inside. He regained his footing and began running towards the hill where Zetanus was. The rest of them jumped in through pulling out their various weapons. Zetanus created a shockwave through the sil'lis ranks that weren't piled up behind him. "GET THEM!" Some of the sil'lis stopped and turned around to see the fresh meat running their way and gladly went back to attack. Storm had his knives out and when a sil'lis hound tried to tackle him, but Storm wedged one of the knives under its chin and rolled over. The sil'lis fell down from the force and slid down to where it was put out of its misery by Seamus who had landed a firm palm to its neck and flipped back up to running on all fours to intercept another sil'lis. Madeline spun her staff around and formed a blade of water similar to a scythe and swung it slashing into a sil'lis. Zetanus watched as Storm came closer and closer putting down each sil'lis that challenged him. He summoned his blackened sword and pointed it at his adversary. "Kill him! Bring me his head!" Several sil'lis lunged at Storm, but he merely used the first sil'lis' head as a jump board to jump over and through the air. "I'm coming for you Zetanus Böromer!" Storm sheathed his right hand knife and gripped the handle of Star. He was finally worthy to wield her, and he planned to use Star to cut down the one who had killed so many others. Zetanus raised his sword and both weapons sent out a ringing sound. The black mongoose pushed against Storm and sent him skidding back with another shockwave. Storm turned his sword around to slash on the back swing, and let his trinity appear on his hand. "Let's have a fair fight Zetanus. Just you, and me." "Don't count on your friends to bail you out Stormsurge." A red fire like energy enveloped Zetanus' left hand as a red diamond symbol appeared on his right hand. Both of them lunged and crossed swords creating sparks of energy to cascade off. Madeline and the others had stopped to battle the sil'lis that were attacking. Seamus was beating down any that came close to him using his martial arts to land cracking back hands, side chops and kicks. Sil'lis dropped like flies when they decided to come close to the tiger. Morgan sat calmly on the ground, but whenever a sil'lis tried to attack they fell to the ground holding their heads or they were sent flying back ward. Madeline cracked skulls or slashed the sil'lis with a razor sharp water blade formed on any side of her staff.
Zetanus pushed Storm to the ground with his sword, but he just smiled up at the black mongoose. "You've forgotten about something." Storm rolled backwards and kicked Zetanus over him. "I've figured out how to use the other power." He held his right hand up in front of his forehead and then swung both his hand and sword down to his side. "Level one: Tempest!" The blue diamond with claw marks appeared again with the arm symbols. The blue energy appeared around Storm as he rushed Zetanus. The black mongoose barely had time to parry the blow, which created an umbrella of the energy over him. "The only difference is that I'm not injured as I was before." Zetanus raised his hand and an emblem appeared in his palm. "We'll fight another time on even grounds." With a flash of red Zetanus disappeared and the entire horde followed shortly after. Storm looked around and saw that the barrier flashed away. With the threat gone Storm calmed the power and ran to join his friends. "Looks like your plan worked Storm. We sent Zetanus and his pack running." Robin said. "Now we're free to move on to Verona Isle. Whatever awaits us there, we can handle it together." Storm said. Madeline nodded. "Together." The six of them went back to their camp and began taking it down to begin moving out. Storm sat on a rock while Morgan began removing the wraps around his chest and shoulder. Afterwards, Storm helped Madeline finish packing the tent back in its bag, and when they had everything they began walking. Roger and Digory crawled out from the bush and looked around. "It looks like we lost that otter fellow." Digory said. "I told you he wasn't an otter. He's a mongoose." Roger replied sharply.
Several days passed by as the group of six elementalists trekked across the lands following instructions from town to town. Every so often they would find elementalists and so they gave them a scroll with information containing what they wanted to know. Each night was spent with ease now that Zetanus had returned to where he had come from. They had stopped for the night and the camp was set up. "We're just another day away from Verona Isle." Morgan said as she marked off another section of travelled area on the map. Seamus propped his feet up on a rock. "Good thing. I can't wait to see how much different it is from other places." Robin pointed to the glow in the distant hills. "If my guess is correct; those are the lights from the capital." "I can't wait to see how the people are. The technology must be so advanced. We've walked through a timeline ourselves seeing the different advances as we get closer." Serena said imagining the steam powered vehicles some people used to move around. "I say we turn in for the night and make sure to get packed quickly. I want to get to Verona Isle as early as we can." Robin said. "I agree. I'll see you all in the morning." Serena killed the flames and everyone broke off to go into their tents. Madeline was about to crawl into the tent, but Storm put a hand on her should to stop her. He held a finger up to his mouth as she turned around so that she knew to be quiet. He looked at the other tents before he spoke into her mind. "Grab a shirt and shorts from your pack. I found a rock pool earlier. It's far enough not to be heard by the others and no one should be able to see us if they're not looking." Madeline replied, "Okay." She quietly rummaged through her bag and pulled out the clothes Storm had spoken of. Storm took hold of her hand and they both stole quietly into the silent night.
Zetanus was brooding in his castle with the glow of the red crystal keeping him company. He was not happy how Storm had outmatched him so easily that day. He had spent so much time investing his time looking for the power he has, but nothing was close to how advanced Storm's power was. The sil'lis that survived the conflict and trap were recovering in the hives below the castle. Some were better off than others while ones that either attacked the elementalists or the ones trampled were worse. Ragha and Mora watched them whimper and howl as they all laid about pathetically. "The sil'lis we made weren't as bad as these. Compared to the old days, these are mere pups and runts of the little." Mora said. Ragha added, "I know. They're more animalistic than the ones before them. Zetanus likes them that way because they behave better and take orders easier. Luckily there are the few that are left from when our generation was wiped almost out of existence. While locked up in the cave, all the sil'lis of our generation fell to the hungry younger generation. They lost their wits and became the animals they are now due to breeding rather than attaching the larva to hosts." The two of them continued to watch the sil'lis tend their own wounds and watch as one would occasionally growl at a passerby.
Storm disappeared over a rock leaving Madeline looking at the spot he climbed over. A rope came down from the other side and she heard Storm's voice again in her head. "Come on up, I'm holding the rope ready to hold it in place." She grabbed hold of the corded strands and began pulling herself up using the rock wall as a type of walkway. She hoisted herself up and onto the flat top and was helped up by Storm. "See that wasn't too bad. Besides, look at the water." Storm pulled the rope up and coiled it into a pile while Madeline turned to see the moon lit pool with stars here and there. A quiet waterfall was to the side keeping the water moving. "Oh wow! The water is so clear." She peered over the edge and down to the bottom lined with smooth stones. "Go ahead and jump in then. I'm just setting aside my pack for your clothes." He turned around to see the silhouette of Madeline's frame as she pulled her dress off. "Here, catch." Madeline tossed her dress to Storm and began putting on the shirt and shorts she had brought along. Storm folded the dress carefully and put it in the bag before he pulled off his shoulder belt before removing his shirt. After he put away those, he took off his shoes and belt from around his waist. "I'll meet you in the water." He heard a small splash as Madeline slid into the cool waters. Storm turned towards the pool and called out, "Here I come!" He took a running jump before diving into the pool. Storm resurfaced to have Madeline wrap her arms around him from behind. "I have you now!" "So you think." He went under and pulled Madeline with him managing to wriggle free from her hold. "I am like an eel. You have no ability to hold me!" She resurfaced treading water a few feet in front of Storm. "Don't forget that I could use my powers to get you. You are in water after all." Storm's smug expression went blank as Madeline smiled mischievously at him with her added note. "I forgot about that part." Storm said as he looked at the water waiting for it to start moving. Madeline moved forward to wrap her arms around the back of Storm's neck. "This is a really beautiful place Storm. It reminds me of the pool in the monastery garden when the harvest festival is going on. The moon reflects its glow in it without disturbing the calm waters." "You're right; it is like the monastery pond. Father Hubert didn't like anyone swimming in it because it was for decoration purposes." "I remember that. Every time a kid would try and get in he would come down on them like a hawk to prevent them from getting in. I wonder if we'll get to be at the monastery for the next Harvest Festival." Madeline rested her head against Storm's upper chest beneath his chin. Storm was lucky enough to stay above the water because he was able to reach the bottom of the rock pool. "You said a while ago that you wanted to spend more time together, and I decided to find a good spot for us to go tonight. That's how I found this place while looking. I thought it was a flat outcrop, but nearly fell into the water when I came up on the other side." Madeline put her back to his chest and closed her eyes. "Good thing it wasn't my idea. You'd be beating up some sil'lis or bandit if I had thought about going somewhere tonight." He buried his nose in her hair before replying, "It's not your fault that Zetanus decided to do that. He was planning to do that as soon as he could find out where I was." Madeline sighed, "I guess so. I just hate how you have a target painted on your back sometimes." "I agree with you. I don't like being an important target to Zetanus and the sil'lis, but look on the bright side. We're one day away from Verona Isle; the capital of Verona and home to the most advanced technology to date and a city of wonder." Storm said trying to get Madeline's mind off of the matter. "I wonder what Verona Isle will look like. Will it have tall buildings made from steel and glass or a low key town with smaller buildings? I guess there's only one way to find out and that's going there to see for ourselves." "Yeah, we'll have to wait and see. We should probably head back and get to sleep so that tomorrow comes quickly." Storm removed his arms from around Madeline's waist and they swam to where they jumped into the pool. Madeline sat on the bank while Storm went to retrieve the pack with her dry clothes. "There you go. I'll be over here trying to dry off my pants. I thought it'd be a good idea, but it turns out that it wasn't a good idea." "Thanks Storm." He smiled and went to the ledge to try and shock the water into evaporating. "Come on, just a small spark to trigger the change, and I'll be nice and dry." Madeline used her powers to pull the water from the clothes she had on and returned it back to the pool. She took off the shirt and folded it on top of the pack. There was a pop from behind her and Storm shot past her and landed back in the pool. She held in her laughter when Storm resurfaced with smudges on his fur. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I just over charged the water and it expanded a little quicker than I wanted." He swam back and Madeline helped him out of the pool. "Let me dry you off this time, instead of trying to do it yourself, and ending up in the water again." Storm flopped onto the rock shore and felt the water move out of his clothing due to Madeline drawing it into a water sphere to put back in the pool. "There that should do it. Just don't go shooting yourself into the water again." Storm shook his head regaining his senses after shocking himself. "Thanks. I thought I'd be able to control a little bit of lightning, but apparently water doesn't care about how much one can control lightning." "It's water Storm; it's a natural conductor of electricity. Of course you're not going to be able to use lightning with it." Madeline said as she began to unfold her dress so she could slip it back over her head. He looked up at Madeline just as she slipped her dress down to her stomach and stood up to let it fall in place. "It's not polite to stare you know Storm." She said after walking to where he had the rope set up again. Storm propped his chin on one of hands looking at her walking away. "Can I help it when one finds an ordinary stone that turns out to be more than just a pebble found out on a road?" Madeline stopped and turned around. "Can I help it if I happen to find a flattering mongoose launched by himself into a pool of water who also knows his way to charming his way into people's hearts?" "I suppose not." Storm got up and held the rope to let Madeline begin her decent down to the ground. "You seem to be torn between trying to get me to stay and wanting to sleep so that we can go see Verona sooner." Storm untied the rope and wound it around his shoulders with the pack before jumping to a tree and sliding down. "I am torn because a part of me likes having our new friends and sister around, but the other part still would like to journey with just you. That can't be helped, though." Madeline took hold of Storm's now gloved hand. "We'll spend some more time together in Verona Isle. I'm sure the others will want to explore the city on their own. We'll want to make a meeting point; of course, but I'm sure we'll get more time together with just ourselves. It will kind of be like it was back at the monastery." Storm smiled as they began walking back to their camp at the idea Madeline had. "I will look forward to that."
A figure sat on the back on a motorcycle riding towards the lights of Verona Isle. The rider wore a brown duster with a fedora to match and a rifle strapped to his back. The rider slowed to a stop and lowered the kerchief blocking the dust during the ride. "Looks like I've finally arrived to Verona Isle for my new job. It will be nice to get off the ranch and use my talents for more than steering animals." The clouded eyes moved slowly as they scanned the surrounding area before the rider moved the kickstand off the ground. With a rattle the rider was off towards the city leaving a small plume behind in the night.
The group of elementalists was up early and ready to start the last leg of the trek to Verona Isle. They travelled silently through the early morning mist rising from the grass' dew. The lights were still visible through the light mist marking their path like a waypoint on a map. The mist eventually dissipated from the morning sunlight. Robin would rotate between flying and walking, but she would mostly fly hoping to catch a better glimpse of Verona Isle's skyline to see how far they had to go. Morgan topped the hill to stop and stare. The others joined her shortly after and Serena picked up the end. "Why are we stopping? I thought we were going straight to Verona Isle." Seamus put his hand on her head and turned it to face what they were seeing. "Oh." Before them stood a vast sea of whitewash buildings, lights, and signs. "This is amazing!" Madeline said. They noticed a road of assorted vehicles moved smoothly into and out from the city. A lake could be seen in the distance with sailboats riding the waves. The six of them began their descent and followed a smaller road into town. Sleek cars that appeared to be hovering moved past them and then there were some that actually were on wheels. There were several shops and restaurants along the entering roads while hotels and inns were further towards the center. There were apartments and small businesses in spots while the bigger incorporations were in a district of their own to accommodate their size. Robin proudly moved ahead and turned around to her friends. "Welcome to the capital of the planet- Verona Isle."