10: Flight
The girls stepped out of the fold into a open area, which was flat dull yellow rock. Around they could see the clouds in the blue sky, the whole area they were standing on had to be big enough to fit a normal oval 8-lane 400 meter track on it. After they all were through the fold behind them closed. They stood about a quarter of the way along what now could be assumed to be a sort of arena. Standing at a equal distance from the other end was the black caped figure.
"I assume you wanted us to come here, so tell us what it is you want" Emma called across to it, with no reply. But it pointed to Holly, singled for her to come closer as the figure walked to the middle of the area.
Holly was starting to walk up, clearly a little unsettled a little when Terri grabbed her right arm and spoke "You know how much this seems to be a trap now right?"
"I do, so all of you be ready for anything" Holly looked across all of them as she spoke before glancing at the waiting figure then turning back to look at her friends. "Be prepared for anyone or anything. One police tactic I have over-herd aunt Sophie talk about is deliberately triggering the trap. They use that when they are uncertain of any other possible action without triggering it, so trigger it on your terms, not the trappers terms. tho the police normally use a robot for that, guess I will have to be the trigger for us."
"Be careful then" Rachel quietly muttered, still trying not to be emotional to the others.
"Whatever comes, I'll just beat it to regret being a trap for us" Amy smirked. While Emma gave a nod, but clearly not for Amy's comment.
Holly took a deep breath turning to face the figure and then carefully walked up to them. As she got closer she tried to look for a face under the hood that came down halfway over the head, keeping whatever was in there hidden in shadows, but she could make out some red eyes in there. She stood before it, her tail twitching. The figure held it's right hand out as if wanting something passed to it. It was then she smelt something, something familiar but also off. She had the heart emerge from herself around her neck in a pink glow. Once it was there she stood still, staring at the figure, waiting to see if it would say anything or do something, her tail kept twitching back and forth. After a few moments the hand from the figure shot at the heart, clearly in an angry way, only for Holly to react and grab just below the wrist with her left hand, she carefully pressed the tips of her claws on that hand against the skin to make the person feel some pain but not harm them.
"I didn't give permission for you to take it" She informed them with a intimidating growl, only for her to suddenly realise something off and feel a energy given off by this person that she felt in her when she used her powers. She released the arm of the figure and took a few steps back in shock, her breathing also accelerated. "Impossible, why does you feel like you are my powers?"
Watching from where they were standing the other girls saw Holly backing off. Both Emma and Terri had been using there strong hearing to listen at what was going on. It was when they heard Holly speak in shock Emma spoke up "Something's wrong, she needs our help now."
Just as they started to run towards where Holly was suddenly the 4 black cloud creatures rose out of the ground before them in a line causing them to stop in their tracks a couple of meters from them as then a voice spoke from behind them. "Now girls I can't have you interfering."
The girls turned around and saw Demal standing there with his hood down, next to him stood a dark blue caped figure with a hood over them.
"What is it with people and caped with hoods?" Terri moaned a little. "Surely there are more ways to hide in clothing than a hooded cape.
"Come back for another beating Demal cos I will gladly give it to you" Amy yelled at him as she took up a stance ready to fight.
"Now now girls, I have an appointment with the heart and you won't be keeping me from clamming my key back after the 503 years I have been waiting for" He calmly told them as he then pointed at his creatures. "Besides my Dolgag's will be dealing with you so your friend up there won't be receiving your help." He then clicked his fingers on his right hand which then his creatures then shot at the girls. Rachel quickly raised a shield completely around them which they flew right into to allow them all to turn to face them, all of them positioned themselves to take on them as the Dolgag's then surrounded them with the shield stopped them from actually attacking the girls, but also the shield meant the girls couldn't attack them back. Demal and the figure next to him calmly walked past them as he spoke again "Try not to die too quickly, as I would like you lot to see that fighting me is pointless."
"Ok, we dealt with these before, so we can take them out like before" Emma checked as she spread her arm wings ready and crouched down a bit.
"I'm not so sure it will be as easy as before. Think about it, we caught them off guard last time, they weren't expecting us to be this different to previous guardians by being half-human and not full human, or us have the secondary powers we do which we have found we don't have the ones we are meant to have" Terri was studying their movements and actions and recalling there last encounter, along with what they were told in Kandrakar and had experienced in training. "Look at them, they are waiting for us, Rachel's shield is formed all around us and they know they can't get through. So it shows they have learned, so we need to be better prepared, we caught them off guard last time, and they won't make it so easy now."
"Then that just makes this all the move fun then" Amy smirked as she had a couple of vines from her head grow longer and wrap around her arms and completely over her fists, she also got a couple to grow and go round her legs so she now could hit them with something and stick to her normal preference for fighting, hitting them herself. A green glow was over her vines. "I will just beat them back harder than last time, and if it wants more, I am happy to give it as much of a beating as it can take."
"Why we do the practice right?" Rachel muttered, keeping her hands held out before her to have the shield up."So we know what we can do and how to get better."
"It is." Terri replied seeing Holly was standing where she was, clearly not moving because of whatever shock she was in with Demal approaching from behind. "We take these guys out 1 on 1 like before, as soon as yours is done go help Holly, she will need it more than the rest of us will."
"Right" the other 3 confirmed. Rachel then lowered her shield allowing Amy to jump forwards at the one before her giving it a punch in the head, Emma swung her right arm sending off a strong gust of wind at hers, Terri took flight before spinning around and from her tail a shockwave of water came off it towards her one. Rachel had the one before her fly straight as her, she held her hands before her as the red markings over them ignited in flames and a stream of fire was launched at it.
Holly stood still before the black cloak figure as she muttered "You can't exist, I haven't created anything with my powers." She was both confused and scared by what stood before her.
She was then hit by a black energy blast in the back, knocking her on her front. She looked around seeing Demal walking up to her. "You really should watch your back little guardian" He taunted as he and the blue cloaked figure stood equal distance from her, him and the 2 hooded figures now standing in a triangle formation around her. "Or else you may find yourself in a very vulnerable position."
"What is with that one, why do they feel like they are part of my powers?" She snarled at him as she stood back up, keeping hunched down, looking across the 3 of them he tail swinging back and forth aggressively and giving a deep growl.
"That shouldn't be your concern at the moment" He smirked back at her as all 3 of them held their right hands towards her and all of them launched black lighting from them at her. "You should be more concerned about yourself."
The other girls were having positive results with the Dolgag's. Emma was using her guardian wings to get off the ground, now using a combination of her sonic screech and a tornado to hold her one. Amy had returned her vines back to normal length having given her one several punches and kicks, she now had placed her right hand on the ground as she lifted her left up causing rocked to be lifted out of the ground, then waving that hand around they then flew over the one she was fighting burying it, she kept her powers going so it couldn't pass through them. Rachel had trapped hers in a sphere of fire, shrinking it to have the creature just fit in it, she was burning away the air inside it so it would pass out. Terri meanwhile used the hole in the ground from Amy where pulling rocks out of it to now contain water, she then aimed both hands to her one and shot it with a jet of water forcing it into the new pool.
"Get them in the water then Emma can freeze it solid" Terri called out as she forced her one to say in the pool.
Amy then raised up the rocks that hers was trapped in carrying the one she had over to the pool before then sending the larger ones away and using the small ones to force it in the pool. Rachel stopped the sphere of fire around hers and quickly flew up, positioning herself so the one she had between her and the pool, she then held both her hands opposite each other just before her and then a ball of fire started forming between them, she widened the gap till the ball was about as large as her head, and then she thrust it forwards launched a large stream of flames pushing her Dolgag into the pool, she then switched to her shield to force the 3 in there already to stay in the pool. Emma stopped her tornado and screech, the Dolgag was clearly both dizzy and distorted, she then gave a hard flap of her arm wings like before and sent a blast of air that threw it towards the pool, which Rachel made a hole in the shield so it would go into the water.
Emma then flew over next to the pool in her slow manner then turning to Rachel to speak to her "On 3, lower it. 1...2...3!"
Rachel then stopped her shield allowing Emma to take a hard flap from her wing arms sending out a gust of wind that even tho the other girls were behind her clearly was cold, she did a few more and after a dozen of these the pool was now a large ice block with the Dolgag's stuck inside it.
"Ice created from the use of magic, works a treat, and by the look of how they aren't trying to get out I think they don't like the cold" Terri commented as they turned their attention towards where Holly was, seeing she was down on all fours from being constantly hit by the combined lightning attacks. "Come on, she really needs us." She ordered to the others deeply concerned. They all then took flight and charged straight at them.
"Give me what I want and this will stop" Demal softly told her as he and his 2 companions keeps up the attack on Holly, who was moaning from the pain. "If not, we can keep this up till we get it."
"Get away from her you ridiculously old terror!" Terri screamed at Demal, causing him to look round just in time for Terri to be spinning around so she was able to perform slamming a hardened tail onto his left shoulder, knocking him over and his part of the lightning attack on Holly stopped.
Amy grabbed the one in blue from behind, placing them in an arm lock while Rachel and Emma sent a wave of fire accelerated by a blast of air into the black one knocking them down onto their back, stopping all the attacks on Holly, who was struggling to try and stand as she tried to catch her breath.
"That was a lucky strike for you, little girl" Demal angrily muttered to Terri as he stood back up and launched a black fireball at her. In repose she created a barrier of water in front of her, but the fireball passed right through it hitting her right in the chest, knocking her backwards and down into the ground, the hit felt like she was burned right inside, but she could see no injuries on her, yet she couldn't get up or fly. He then flicked his right arm towards Rachel and Emma who charged at him, Rachel raised her shield, which didn't stop a shockwave that emitted from his hand, just weakened the bit that hit her, knocking her back a few feet and down onto her hands and knees, while Emma was sent flying by it well over the edge of the area they were on. Amy kicked the back right leg of the one she had arm locked, causing it to fall on its knees before turning to face Demal and hold her arms out to the side before swinging them towards him. The ground around him rumbled a little as 2 pale brown vines as thick as his arms shot out of the ground and wrapped around his body, he struggles for a moment as she made the grip tighter.
"Got you" She smirked happily. 'Now best way to hit him hard enough to knock him out without me releasing him as I go up to him for the hit is the problem' she thought.
"Not quite, you have clearly forgotten I have some help around" He smirked back. Amy then herd a sound to her left, she looked over, the black hooded figure had stood up, holding its right hand out it then launched a black fire ball like Demal could, it hit her sending her flying a few feet to the right knocking her hard onto the floor. The vines around Demal loosened so he could just slide out of them, he smiled as he walked towards Holly who hadn't been able to get up from where she was, the blue figure also stood up and then along with the black one the 3 of them walked over and stood before her. They then all blasted her with the black fireball, throwing her back a few feet, there was then a pink energy that engulfed her and the other girls as they all reverted to normal. Holly rolled on to her left side, barely able to catch her breath. Demal and his companions walked over to her as he smiled.
Emma had managed to fly most of the way back to the area they had been fighting on, she was trying to ignore the fact that around it was covered in clouds which meant she couldn't see a floor, but she was flying high up, something she had never done before. She had been flying on her guardian wings when suddenly she glowed pick and when it faded she suddenly started falling. She looked over herself seeing she was back in normal form. "Not now!" she screamed as she fell into the clouds, after a few seconds she came out the underside of them, she could see far below was the base of the mountain, with the cliffs leading down straight into the sea, which she must had had about 20 to 30 seconds before she went into it. 'Ok Emma, guess it's now or never to fly under your own ability, no powers or other wings to save you' she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and tucked her arms in with the wings tucked in, she calmed herself best she could. 'The others need me, I can't let them down, I refuse to fail them!' she screamed out in her mind, more determined to fly then ever before. As she focused on wanting to fly to save the others she felt new instincts take over, she twisted herself to be falling face first. Then only seconds from hitting the water she opened her eyes and quickly spread her arms and wings out, catching the wind and she flapped down hard, stopping her decent and levelled out so she swooped over the water and speeds faster then she had gone before when falling and then she pulled up. 'I can do this, they need me, I will save them' was all that went through her head as she flapped now in a rhythm as she flew up, getting higher and higher as she entered a circling flight for climbing up, all of this was now happening without her thinking about it, it felt natural to her, the feeling that she had herd of from her father, flying was a 2nd nature to them, they don't learn it, they just let it happen. She smiled as she flew up heading back for the top of the mountain the others were on flying as fast as she could.
Back on the mountain top area Demal stood over Holly. He signalled for the one in the black cloak to go and retrieve the heart. It went up right next to her and bent down reaching for the heart that still had its chain around Holly's neck, but the actual pendant that was the heart itself lay just next her head, she tried to reach out weakly with her right arm to try and stop it being taken, but then there was a flash from the heart as the back hooded figure was about to touch it. After a couple of moments it stood back up and turned to face Demal. "It isn't there" a familiar female voice came from under it.
"What do you mean it isn't there?" he questioned it clearly stunned and annoyed. "It must be there, there is nowhere else they would have put it."
"It was never absorbed in the heart" The voice replied.
"No, impossible, they put everything in it that was to be kept out of other's hands. She must have done something to it, make it harder to find" he muttered clearly distraught by this turn of events.
While he was distracted Holly managed to get herself onto hands and feet, lowering her tail she lined up for a charge at Demal and then called to him "Looks like you just had your plan broken apart." She then gave a roar as she leaped at him, ramming into his left side knocking him down, but only for him to push back at her, causing her to forward roll off him, he quickly got back to his feet as she also stood up weakly calling out "Guardians Unite" as the pink, red, blue and green orbs left the heart and quickly engulfed the for girls up there as they all stood back up having just managed to have fully recovered from the attacks that were used against them. The orbs then disappeared having changed them all back to guardian form.
"The 4 of you are no match for me, even if I can't get the key for what I want. Your 4 powers are nothing to mine" He taunted looking across all 4 girls as they all moved together. They were all exhausted, but could feel there energy returning quickly.
"Just as well there is 5 of us you jerk!" Emma's voice called out behind him causing him to turn around seeing her swooping down with her wings spread wide, angling herself so her talons were in a striking position. She came in quickly, her attack aimed at Demal but the black figure quickly and carefully pushed him out of the way, in a way that he was able to remain standing. Emma ended up hitting the black one instead, despite having missing her intended target she grabbed around the arms of the back one as she kept her attacking dive having decided that just taking 1 of the 3 down would do, pushing it onto it's back against the ground and dragging it along a little before she let go and flew over to the others, circling around them as from the heart the grey orb left it, before Holly then absorbed the heart back into herself. The grey orb flew round to meet Emma, and a quick flash later she was back in guardian form and landed in the group receiving a hug from Amy.
"Looks like you won't be getting what you seek" Terri taunted. "Seems someone outsmarted you."
"Despite that, I still have a way to find and acquire the key, and I think I know of where she would have put it if it isn't in the heart" Demal spoke as he calmed down while the back figure rolled over onto their front and stood up, causing there hood which had been shifted out of how they wore it over their head in Emma's attack to fall down revealing their face.
"No way" Amy was stunned as she covered her mouth with both hands.
"But they..." Rachel muttered in shock.
"It can't be them" Emma gasped.
"Since when?" Terri was trying to understood what she saw.
"It is, and it came from my powers it seems" Holly sighed as she was trying to not panic now seeing what she was feeling.
Demal looked on and laughed evilly as the girls stood looking at who the figure in the black cloak was. "Yes, you will be taken out by a creation of your own powers!" he called over to them before laughing out again. The blue figure stood calmly to his left.
Next Time: Who is the person in black?