15: Fire
Rachel walked out of her fold, immediately feeling her powers fluctuate, she decided to ignore this, knowing when Holly came through it would be sorted. While she waited she looked around. The sky was darkened by black clouds and the ground was a pale black that was hardened lava and towering around her was a tall mountain that formed a triangle with one corner missing, the other 2 had tall peaks on them. She realised that she was standing inside a mark of the fire guardian. She then felt her powers stabilise as she heard footsteps behind her and the fold closing.
"Wow, this is something" Holly exclaimed as she looked around. "Oh and sorry for the delay, was getting those astral drop things summoned so we aren't missed at home."
"Not a bad thought, don't want to get in trouble. But least it looks like we are in the right place" Rachel quietly replied as then suddenly a explosion was heard from one of the peaks. Looking towards it they could see smoke rising up. "Wasn't this place meant to be dead?" She nervously asked.
"It was" Holly replied a little shocked. "So let's check up there then, something must be happening." She then got her wings to flap away and jumped up a little, only for her to land back on her feet. She looked around and then tried again, with the same results. "What, something is blocking me from flying." She was suppressed by this more than the explosion.
Rachel then tried herself with the same results. "Walking it then" She muttered as then the pair of them walked off towards the peak the explosion happened.
The route was a decent rock-hard solidified lava slope as they made their way up. Having walked in silence since they started Holly decided to ask something that was on her mind "So what brought up what you said earlier?"
"Said what?" Rachel nervously replied.
"The keep off my friend thing" Holly smiled to her.
"I just, well..." She stumbled finding words. "It just seemed what someone should do for someone they cared for."
Holly just smiled more, walked around before Rachel as they started into a gorge. She turned around walking backwards as she then spoke. "If you are doubting if any of us would do the same for you, we would, we are all friends, and I personally think that together we have our 5 hearts as 1. United together as we do this."
"You mean like heart to heart type stuff then?" Rachel questioned to herself as she smiled back.
"Yep, remember we are all linked now, as both guardians and friends, so we will always be together, even apart to help one another" Holly added as she then saw something above, falling boulders. She then yelled to Rachel "Like now!" She then pushed Rachel back hard, causing her to stumble a couple of feet back then falling down onto her bottom. The boulders then fell on top of where Holly was.
"Holly!" Rachel screamed out as she got up and ran over to the boulders. They were all different sizes and piled up a good couple of feet high. She tried lifting them out the way but unable to lift them she switched to creating a shield, but not able to make one strong enough, they had packed themselves together tight.
"Looks like that is 1 down, 1 to go" A familiar voice spoke from above.
Rachel looked round to her right and up seeing Demal standing on a ledge with Jessica standing there. Bother were in there cloaks with the hoods down. She gritted her teeth as she then yelled back to him. "You are going to regret that!" She then thrust both her hands towards where he stood, sending out a large stream of flames from each. The flames engulfed him and Jessica, but once she stopped she saw they were unharmed.
"Now, now, don't waste your power all on me, as you will need it to deal with her" Demal smirked, having created a shield around him and Jessica when the flames came at them. He signalled to Jessica with his right hand.
"Guardian will be dealt with master" Jessica spoke in her emotionless voice as she leaped down from where she stood onto the ground before Rachel. She then removed her cloak, revealing something had changed on her, she had a dark red scorpion like tail now that was nearly as long as her legs, finger nails had been replaced with short black claws and a small pair of fangs could be seen in her mouth. Her back also had a small pair of wings like the cloned Will.
"What have you done to her?" Rachel was stunned by what she saw as she yelled at Demal.
"Only what she originally wanted, the power to defeat half breeds" Demal laughed as he spoke. "She never said that she couldn't be physically altered to be such a weapon. Now my girl, keep her distracted long enough for me to find the key part, and if you get the chance, destroy her and the one trapped."
"Understood master" Jessica replied before charging forwards at Rachel.
Rachel just managed to see Demal walk off calmly before she had to focus on Jessica. She raised her shield just as Jessica reached her so she slammed right into it. While she was a little stunned from the impact with the shield Rachel then aimed both hands at the floor before Jessica and launched fire at it. The fire created a wall between her and Jessica who covered her face with her arms. She then started to back off from the fire wall as Rachel kept it close to Jessica increase the distance between them.
Jessica was pushed back up against the wall of the gorge they were in. She then noticed the flames were only about 10 foot high. She took flight using the wings she now had, flying up above the wall and quickly diving at Rachel throwing some of her black fireballs at her as she came down.
"We can fly in here?" Rachel muttered as she saw the fireballs come down at her, quickly changing from the fire streams to throwing fireballs at the ones coming at her. As the fireballs collided they exploded creating a large area of smoke, allowing Jessica some cover to re-position herself in her dive to come through just from Rachel's left, too fast for her to block. Jessica grabbed Rachel's arm and lifted her up into the air, her new tail swing round over her right shoulder with the stinger tip coming right down to hit Rachel in the gripped arm. Rachel quickly had that arm become red hot causing Jessica to release it, dropping her and making the tail just miss her arm as she then had her wings flap away to fly up before Jessica.
"Jessica I know you are a jerk to those like me but look at yourself, Demal has made you what you hate, granted I haven't seen any species what that tail but you really want this?" Rachel questioned her.
"I act as my master wishes" Jessica's emotionless reply was what Rachel was afraid of hearing, she was completely under Demal's control with no-one seemingly able to get through to her.
"Even as a mind slave she is just as annoying" Rachel muttered to herself as Jessica flew at her. Rachel dived sideways to dodge Jessica as she had a fireball form in her left hand, she sun around launching the fireball into Jessica's back, sending her down into the ground.
Jessica started to stand herself up as Rachel launched a stream of fire, cutting away some of the hardened lava and causing it to fall on top of Jessica. Having done that Rachel gave a sigh of relief as she flew back across to the pile Holly had fall on her. Just as she was starting to move some more small bits of bolder that was there she heard the one she had fall break apart, turning around she saw black fire just disappearing and Jessica fly out from where it was and tackle Rachel onto the pile of boulders. Jessica then pinned down Rachel as he stinger came around again, striking down at Rachel's left arm.
Rachel closed her eyes and prepared herself for the hit, but it didn't come. After a couple of moments she cautiously opened her eyes and seeing the stinger tapping against some of her plated skin. 'Didn't know it was that hard' Rachel thought to herself as she then kicked out with both her feet at Jessica knocking her back a bit, quickly using her left hand to grab the stinger, using the momentum of Jessica stumbling back to help her stand up, she then immediately placed her right hand on the stinger as well. She then had the red markings on her hands glow brighter as they also became covered in flames, constantly getting hotter and hotter. Jessica started to moan a bit in pain, tho still without actual emotion. "Call this helping you not become something that you deeply won't want to be" Rachel told her as the heat from her hands caused the stinger to break apart, the tip of it breaking away in her hand. The part that remained on the tail dripped some green liquid that fizzed a little on the ground as it landed, that was clearly a poison.
"I just thought that was just for show" Rachel muttered to herself a little surprised at what she saw. Then deciding that it probably wasn't a good idea to keep Jessica close by she then pulled her round and placed both her hands up against the outfit Jessica had on around where her tummy would be. She then launched a large stream of fire from her hands sending Jessica flying off into the distance, through the gap in the mountain area that made the fire symbol. After watching for a couple of moments to make sure Jessica wasn't returning Rachel turned around and went back to trying to dig Holly out.
Under the pile of boulders Holly was lying on the ground in the darkness, she could feel her left hand near her face, so she summoned the heart from it, the glow from it lit up the area where she was. Looking around she was in effectively a little cavern now, the ceiling was only a few inches above her with only a little moving room left and right. She was trapped on her side with her right arm pinned down beneath her as she was lying on her front. She could also feel her tail and legs were pinned down by the boulders. She could hear something outside.
"Hello!" She called out, coughing a little from inhaling some dust that had been blown up from the incident. "Who is out there?"
There was no reply, only her voice echoing was herd. But after a moment a faint female voice replied "Hello, looks like you got yourself into a situation."
Holly was a little startled as this reply came, then all of a sudden a boulder above her moved, some little bits from it fell, like a dust onto her head. "Rachel, that you out there?" she called.
"Your friend is coming" The voice spoke again. Then after a couple of moments the place was filled with a red glow from above as a boulder became very hot, but it quickly was lifted away, allowing what light there was outside in. Holly closed her eyes for a few moments because of the change in light, opening them as her eyes adjusted. Looking up she could see Rachel standing over the hole.
"You ok?" Rachel smiled down.
"My legs and tail are trapped under more of this stuff" Holly replied as the heart was absorbed back into her. "And was that you talking to me?"
"No I had been focusing on getting you out, I haven't spoken." Rachel replied as she looked in, trying to work out a way of getting Holly out.
"Then who did?" Holly muttered out the question.
"That would be me youngsters" The voice Holly had been hearing spoke as next to Rachel a spirit emerged from the ground, it wore the same as the others spirits, had the hair in a long tail that came over her right shoulder and then half-way down her torso. She also had a darker shade of cyan for what would have been her skin. "Sorry for not showing myself sooner but I didn't think you would have liked just having a head for company in there."
"You must be Taranee right?" Emma quietly asked. "How did you know we were here?"
"I am indeed Taranee." She replied with a smile. "As for knowing, I felt the heart of Kandrakar arrive on this world, so that would the guardians were here, and on a world that hasn't had life on it for a long time would mean they were coming to see me."
"Then you must know why we are here then" Holly spoke to her.
"My key part I assume" Taranee was clearly confidant. "So who is trying to use it now, because there was a reason Phobos didn't use it in the end."
"Your old friend Demal is back" Holly replied. She and Rachel quickly informed Taranee of what they knew.
"So to prevent him getting the other parts good old Yan Lin has got you all to come to retrieve our parts" Taranee hadn't been too happy to hear what had happened.
"Yes, but he is here, caused the rockslide that had Holly trapped and I had to fight off Jessica, who he has done some changes to physically" Rachel informed them.
"If you had to deal with Jessica he is going to wherever Taranee has her body" Holly realised.
"I not leaving you trapped there" Rachel informed Holly.
"Retrieve the part first, I will be fine" Holly informed her back. "Anyway once you have it I can fold it to Kandrakar with a message for help from the others when they are done. And in the meantime I will be able to zap anyone who comes to that hole."
"As much as I don't like abandoning her either she is right" Taranee turned to Rachel, speaking to her softly. "She is positioned well to protect herself if threatened, and I know where we are going, so we shouldn't be too long."
Rachel looked down where Holly was, who smiled back to her. "I will be back for you, what friends are for right" Rachel spoke in a more cheery voice.
"Exactly" Holly said happily "Now go before it is too late."
Rachel nodded as she set off following Taranee through the gorge, running after her. As they went along she did ask her a question that had been on her mind "Why can't we fly outside this gorge here?"
"One of the defence spells placed here, nothing can fly in the open. This gorge is one of the few areas inside the mountains that you can." Taranee replied as they came out of it before one of the mountain peaks, having been going uphill the whole time.
They entered the mountain peak through a small tunnel, corners and paths leading off it were everywhere and it was dark, only the glowing red marks on Rachel lit the area up a little, but a little light was all she needed, as she could see well in the dark. She followed Taranee through a maze of tunnels before she eventually spoke again "You mentioned no life on here for a long time, what do you mean?"
"When I was placed here there was no native species, this was a empty planet, but I did keep watch over the world." Taranee told her as they continued. "But about 60 years later a species not too different to you arrived via a fold, they spent about 200 years here, living around the magma streams coming from the volcanoes when they were flowing. But once the lava started to stop they left. While they were here they spent the time forging things from materials they brought in from folds. Going by how they were, I would guess they may be a species that goes from world to world, tho not certain why however."
"Like me?" Rachel was drawn in by this.
"Mostly, they were more boulder like and without hair, but had those lava lines over them and were the same sort of plated covering" Taranee informed her, a little uncertain as to why she needed to know. "What is the reason to you wanting to know them, I man you appear to be a cross with them."
"I have grown up in a orphanage, and my non human DNA side in unknown" Rachel told her a little disappointed. "Did you get any idea where they went or what they called themselves?"
"Sorry I don't to either of those, I kept myself away from them, watching from afar" Taranee apologised. "I am sure you can understand I didn't want to draw attention to my burial site in this labyrinth of tunnels."
Rachel sighed as she got that reply "I understand the need to keep yourself hidden given what you needed to keep out the way." She kept her disappointment as to possibly finding out more about her past to herself.
They eventually reached a small chamber, just big enough for maybe 6 people to get around a stone coffin in the middle, on top of it was the fire guardian mark.
"We beat him here it seems" Taranee gave a sigh of relief. "Can you open it up please, I would but cant interact with the real world."
"Sure thing" Rachel nodded as she walked round to the right hand side and started to push on the lid. She pushed fully against it and it slowly began to slide over, eventually tilting over and falling to the floor. Inside the coffin was the remains of a skeleton, clearly worn by time, and within the ribcage was the gold U part of the key that Taranee had kept hold of all these years. Rachel looked at the part as she spoke "Thought it was stored as a magical energy within you."
"It was, but once I died and my body was no-longer generating a magical energy to store it within, it took physical form again." Taranee replied, clearly not unsettled by looking at her own remains. "Go ahead, take it."
"Thank you" Rachel replied as she reached in and took the key part carefully from within the remains of Taranee's body. She looked at the part as she held it. "We best get back to Holly then."
"Yes, we best, the sooner she can send that part to Kandrakar the better it will be for everyone" Taranee agreed. "And then she can be recovered."
The 2 then hurried out of the chamber, Rachel following Taranee back through the maze of tunnels, both wondering where Demal had got to, with the head start he had he should have gotten to the chamber first. Rachel thought that he could have gotten lost, but given he could track the key part to the world it was on it was most likely he could track it to where it was exactly, because of this she kept checking over her shoulder encase he was behind them. Taranee had an uneasy feeling that Demal was planning something, considering he may have let them have the key part for now.
They exited out into the open and made their way into the gorge and along it till they got to the spot Holly had been trapped under. As Taranee flew over the pile and Rachel climbs over it they noticed something was wrong: the hole that Rachel had made to get to Holly was now bigger and the pile was smaller. As they looked in they saw the inside had been broken apart, clearly from something getting in. There was blast and scorch marks all over the place, clearly there had been a bit of a fight.
"You think she?" Rachel would have had her eyes wide open if they could.
"No, she is more important to him alive if we have the key part" Taranee told her, trying to keep her calm. She looked around, there were drag marks along the ground heading off down the gorge in the direction Rachel and Holly originally came in from. "Follow the trail and we will find them."
"Hold on, I am coming" Rachel muttered as she jumped down and ran off, following the trail with Taranee following behind her.
Rachel followed the trail of drag marks back to pretty much where she and Holly arrived on the planet. Rachel stopped near where she saw the trail end, about 2 meters before her stood Demal with Jessica to his right. On the ground unconscious by their feet was Holly, Demal had his right hand over her with a fireball in it. Taranee floated up behind and to the left of Rachel
"So glad you could come guardian of fire, and I see you brought my old friend Taranee" Demal teased. "Now I also assume you have the key part, so here is the deal, give me the part or you can say goodbye to the heart keeper. I will give the pair of you a moment to think it over."
"How good is he at keeping his word?" Rachel asked Taranee.
"What are you thinking?" Taranee asked back a little concerned.
"Combined only 1 part is needed to be kept from him right, so if I do this trade I am certain that the others will have got their part, so he will have 2 useless parts." Emma muttered what she was thinking. "So is he the sort to keep his word, because if not I will just have to think of something else."
"So far he has always done, but this is the biggest standoff with him I have ever known, so I can't be certain as to whether he would" Taranee replied.
Over with Demal he smiled at the position he had placed Rachel in, while below him Holly started to recover. She looked around a little dazed. Demal saw her waking up. "Don't think of anything stupid" He told her as he kicked her over to face Rachel, placing his foot on her to keep her down, Jessica also did the same, her tail swinging round revealing her stinger had been fixed, keeping the tip of the stinger near Holly's neck.
"Rachel, don't give it to him" Holly called out still recovering. "I am not as important as that thing." Demal then pressed his foot in on her side making her moan a little in pain.
"Of course if I do take this one out, you will be without power" Demal smirked as he spoke. "And I can take the heart to add to my powers."
"Wrong about that" Taranee giggled as she called across to correct him. "You kill a guardian the heart isn't available to be taken, it will just bond itself to the nearest one to it. I was told what happened with the last team so think about it, you had your creatures take out the previous team, yet they didn't take the heart, because it then bonded itself to the next member that was closest. So in this case you take Holly out it will bond to Rachel."
"Silence!" Demal screamed out in anger, launching the fireball across the area, too quick from Rachel to raise her shield in time to block it or for Taranee to dodge, it hit Taranee straight on, sending her flying back out of sight.
"No!" Rachel screamed out as she turned around, lowering her shield as she looked in the distance where Taranee was sent. She was then suddenly hit from behind, knocking her onto the ground, front first.
"Rachel!" Holly called out, having seen Demal charge over from her, wrapping his right arm in dark energy and hit the back of her neck. In response to her calling out Jessica then used her tail to slap Holly across the face. Holly then tried to get up only for Jessica to kick her down at full force, causing her to roll over (which when roiling over her back because of the spikes wasn't very comfortable) ending up facing Jessica who then blasted her with a fireball.
Demal reached down as a barely conscious Rachel, taking the key part she had preciously kept in a firm grip in her right hand. He picked the part up and stood over her as Jessica walked over. He then turned to her and smiled "You did well my girl."
"I serve master" She replied.
"And you do that well, but I think there maybe some alterations to your body are still needed to perfect you in your service to me" He smiled at her. "But we shall deal with that once we return, hopefully my dear Wilhelmina, the Dolgag's and the new one did their part." They then both took a few steps away from Rachel and before them a fold opened that they both stepped though, with it closing behind them.
Rachel dragged herself to turn around and look towards Holly. "Sorry, he took it from me" She weakly called across to her.
"He placed you in a position that you shouldn't have been in" Holly weakly spoke as she got herself up and then stumbled over to Rachel, collapsing to the ground next to her. "Besides it was my fault for getting caught, I should have done more."
Rachel sat up and sighed. "I don't want to lose what I have gained over the last week."
"I am not going anywhere fast, and I doubt the others are" Holly smiled to her.
"You seem so cheery mostly considering what you lost when young and what you are capable of" Rachel commented in a bit of disbelief. "Sorry, you aunt told me when I was first over there."
"Typical of her" Holly giggled a little. "But it is all she has done for me. Both my parents worked in jobs that meant they put their lives on the line of danger, dad was a fireman and mum was a police armed response officer. Aunt Sophie has raised me along that belief that should someone be in danger and you have the ability to help then you should, regardless of the cost to yourself. And in regards to my other side, well I try to not let that be who people think of me as, a person who is dangerous, so by being kind and friendly they can see I am not someone to fear."
"Seems you are lucky to have her then to be around for you" Rachel smiled back to her.
"Think you are right. Despite she is only my aunt, I love her like she was my mother. One day you will find out about where you come from originally" Holly rested her right hand on Rachel's left shoulder.
"Well I know now at one time they were on this world, Taranee told me they spent some time here, but it was a long before I was born however" Rachel replied, slightly cheered up. "They came after Taranee arrived and left after a while, she believes they are a travelling species."
"That is still some good news right, that they should be out there somewhere" Holly said a little exited as she stood back up, looking into the skies. "They may give you a origin, but won't be able to change what makes you who you are, that is all to do with decisions you make. And looking at you standing here, even if you never find them, you have a family, us guardians, the sisterhood made up over the decades as overseer Will described it."
Rachel also stood up, and as she looked up she then smiled "You are right, they may be out there somewhere, but I do have a family with all of you." She smiled to Holly as the placed a arm around each other's shoulders.
"Hope I am not interrupting something" Taranee spoke a little exhausted as she came up behind them.
"Not really" Holly replied as she looked at her "You all right?"
"His magic seems to be able to harm a spirit, but it isn't anything that will be permeate" Taranee replied.
"Well I think we spent too much time here" Rachel said as she remembered that Demal got away. "And sorry Miss Taranee he took me down and got away with the part."
"Trust me, I think he would have done anything to anyone in your position to get what he wanted, and considering you watch someone sent flying, that is going to draw your attention to want to know that they are safe, and he could have done far worse to the pair of you" Taranee told her in a cheery voice. "But I do agree we should get moving, and report this."
Rachel smiled back as Holly summoned the heart and then opened a fold allowing all 3 of them to go through, closing behind them.
Next Time: Return to Kandrakar.