Sorry, for the really long wait (One month), but exams rolled around and I had to scrap FFN for a while. Since then, it's taken me some time to get re-integrated, especially with forming my YouTube and DeviantArt accounts as well as trying desperately to contribute to the Brony Fandom, but I'm back. Now enough yammering, enjoy and please leave a review.
Chapter 8: Horrifying Fortelling
For the hundredth time, Jainen asked himself why he had to be stuck with his team.
As he walked south towards Rougeport's docks, he let himself be lost in thought, just remembering his days as a student back at Mushroom Medic.
"Certainly was better than now." He muttered. "All I see here are demons, an hybrid and an overconfident show-off."
"And then I left a blazing punch. And boy, did he need an ice-pack after that." Dragon Blazer boasted, referring to some random match he had had some time ago in the Glitz Pit.
Jainen rolled his eyes as he approached the docks. Apart from the gently crashing waves, everything felt peaceful. Wooden crates sat neatly away from the water, while a stone pier stretched to the ocean, the waves rippling in the moonlight.
Jainen sat down on the pier, watching the moon as clouds came and went in the night's wind. He knew he should have been searching for clues, but he felt reluctant to do so. Trying to talk to Valge, who had become unusually secretive and withdrawn since he had last seen him, and being paired up with Dragon Blazer and Violent Jo was beyond his capability, particularly with Dragon Blazer's pride.
"His ego's bigger than the Mushroom Kingdom." Jainen muttered into his hands so that no one could hear.
"Oh, and there was this one time where I had to invade King Bowser's castle, and boy, I thought that thing was fireproof!" Dragon Blazer was proclaiming from afar. "After all, Bowser himself breathes fire, so I would've thought it could withstand my flames, but boy, I was proven wrong!"
Jainen groaned and hit his head against one of the wooden poles next to him. He was starting to grow sick of Dragon Blazer, it had been growing ever since they first met eyes, but Jainen didn't tell anyone about it. And Dragon Blazer's ridiculous stories weren't helping either. Jainen wanted to think it was just a clash of elements, after all, he was an Ice Brother and Dragon Blazer wielded fire, but it felt worse than just elemental rivalry. It felt like...some kind of bitter history, something that couldn't be forgiven. To Jainen, it felt like a war that had never been settled.
Nervous scrapes drew Jainen's attention. Violent Jo was standing aside on her own, scraping her feet against the ground in rhythmic patterns. Jainen had pretty much forgotten about her. She had been so quiet he kept mistaking her for not being there. She seemed unstable, but she was doing her best to hide it.
A gentle ripple went up the pier. Jainen peered through the cracks in the planked floors. Something drifted in the dark, murky waters below, but Jainen couldn't make out what it was.
Reluctantly, he drew a breath and pointed his finger at the moving ripples. A cold breeze drifted through the air, growing colder as he tightened his concentration. A shot of crystal-white energy shot from his hand and wrapped itself around the moving ripple, freezing it solid. Jainen flexed his hand, and the frozen object floated up towards him, before gently placing it down in front of him.
Jainen allowed himself to smile faintly. He didn't like practicing his Ice abilities, but the was plenty capable of using them.
He turned his attention to the frozen object. It was sharp, thin a jagged, much like a frozen two-dimensional lightning bolt, frozen into a dark blue hue.
Jainen mulled over the frozen bolt, trying to identify it, but he couldn't make anything out of it. He touched it and allowed it to melt, slowly turning into the ocean water it once was, until all that was left was a paper-thin puddle of inky blackness.
Jainen raised his eyes, his mind trying to figure out what was in frint of him, if it was anything important. Every sound, from the waves to Dragon Blazer's voice, seemed to fade as he focused on the puddle of black.
"What could you possibly be?" He mused.
The flat puddle started to peel off the plank, breaking apart on the sides and warping into more realistic figures. Jainen could identify four Koopa-esque figures, three humanoids, a Yoshi, a Toad, a Squeek, a Pokey and a Chain Chomp.
An understanding came to Jainen with a shock. He quickly counted the figures. Twelve. The same as himself and his friends. The figures warped again, this time changing into twelve identical spheres, shuffling themselves in such a way that Jainen couldn't even try to keep track of them, before arranging themselves in a straight line.
"Okay..." Jainen said uncertainly. The twelve figures started to vibrate, then six of them started to bubble, then melted into their liquid state, dripping through the cracks in the planks.
Jainen blinked, unable to speak. Fear and angst started to fill his heart. He didn't know where this strange puddle of blackness had come from, but he could understand one thing, something he was too afraid to think about.
Six people were going to die.
He got up and stumbled backwards, desperate to get away from the blackness that was undeniably a product of the demons. He tried to fight it, but he knew, somehow, deep down, that him or six of his of his new friends were going to die at the hands of the demons. He turned and started to run, but he stopped short when a hand grabbed him and pulled him back. For a moment, Jainen was gripped by panic, fearing the worst.
"Where the heck are you running to?" Dragon Blazer's voice said with a hint of mockery.
Jainen's fear turned stale and morphed into something else: A mix of confusion and anger.
"Nowhere." Jainen muttered.
"That's a relief." Dragon Blazer said, obviously not relieved. "We were supposed to stay here and look for clues. I think running away doesn't find any clues."
Jainen pushed Dragon Blazer's hand off his shoulder, starting to grow angry.
"Yeah? Well then, what were you up to?" Jainen shot back. "All I see you do is brag about your adventures, which are probably just a work of your imagination. If you've forgotten -" He mimicked Dragon Blazer's voice. "- we were supposed to stay here and look for clues."
Dragon Blazer's face started to show a hint of irritation. "You better watch your mouth, ice boy." He said angrily, grabbing Jainen by his satchel. "My adventures are more real than you think."
"Proof?" Jainen said, expression rock-hard.
"You want proof?! Just keep me going and you'll end up as a pile of water." Dragon Blazer growled, his eyes and gloves starting to glow violently.
"I'll just turn into water, which will douse you in return!" Jainen taunted angrily.
Dragon Blazer's entire body erupted into flames, leaving only his hands and feet at the ends of a blazing inferno.
"Would you like to tempt your fate?!" He yelled demonically.
Before either of them could react, both were blown off their feet by an electrical jolt that shocked them to their hearts.
Jainen hit the ground and immediately started gasping for breath, his body contorted from the lack of oxygen. His vision was blurry and his head felt like an anvil, and he had to use all his remaining energy just to sit up.
"Stop it!" Jo yelled. Jainen had forgotten she was even there, again. Now, her purple eyes were glowing in a neonic fuchsia, their glow not hiding her anger. Her eyes faded and the makeshift force field that had blown Jainen back subsided with a barely audible warble.
"Jo? You did that?" Dragon Blazer said in astonishment, his body now normal and already standing up. Jo tried to shy away, brushing her hair backwards. She nodded lightly, the anger in her eyes fading.
"Wow. Maybe you're not as weak as I thought." Dragon Blazer said.
Jainen scowled, ready to strangle Dragon Blazer by the neck. He had had enough, and he hadn't even been around the fire elementalist for a full day.
'This feeling of anger isn't normal.' He thought through his hazy wave of anger.
Jo didn't seem offended by the comment. "It was nothing." She muttered, before her face turned hard. "But the two of you need to get along. I know you guys are at the opposite of the element scale, but we've already got plenty of enemies to contend with. You guys don't need one more."
Jainen exhaled nasally, angered but guilty. He knew deep down that she was right, but something in the back of his mind wouldn't agree. Whatever subconscious grudge he was somehow holding, it wouldn't fade, not easily, in the least.
"You're right." He muttered. "I'm sorry." He got up, painfully, and made his way back to his friends. He looked Dragon Blazer in the eyes and tried to hide his confusing inner hatred. He extended his hand.
"Sorry." He said.
Dragon Blazer was reluctant to return the gesture.
"Forget it." He said, turning his back. "I don't need to apologize to the likes of you."
Jainen could barely feel his jaw drop in shock. He turned to Jo with a perplexed, raising his hands then pointing to Dragon Blazer. Jo just shrugged and rolled her eyes. Jainen could read her eyes better than words could have explained.
'Just forget it. There's no point in starting another fight.'
Jainen sighed and dropped his shoulders in frustration. But when he thought about the sign that he had seen, how six of them were going to die, his anger turned into fear.
"Jo." He said, clearing his throat. "I have something important to tell you. I have to tell everyone."
Jo raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Before Jainen could tell Jo what he had seen, the sound of loud, running footsteps echoed throughout the night's air. everyone turned to see Bilic running towards them, his face grim and drenched with perspiration.
"Guys!" He barked, his voice angry and ragged. "We need a meeting! Now!"
Jo and Jainen were taken aback by the suddenness of it all. "What is it?" Jo asked.
"Is there a problem?" Jainen asked, fearing more unpleasant surprises.
Bilic was panting hard, trying to catch his breath. He kept squeezing his eyes shut, letting sweat fall to the ground while he clutched his knees with his hands.
"It's Felix." He said, a scared tone creeping into his anger. "He went off alone, found an abandoned train and went inside. When we got there, he was already out. But then while we were heading back, he just collapsed." His voice dropped.
Jainen tried desperately to not scream in terror. If the sign of his friends dying were true, then he feared that it was already in action. He swallowed and tried to keep himself from shaking. It would do no good for himself or anyone else if he started panicking.
"Where are they?" He asked, trying to keep his voice level.
Bilic took a deep breath and pointed back to the town square.
"They're waiting, now come on! There's no time to lose!" He shouted, already running, leaving the other three to follow.
By the time Bilic, Jainen and the others made it back to the town square, Felix was already getting back up, moaning as he rubbed his head.
"What just happened?" He asked groggily. "I was fine one minute, then poof, I can't remember a thing."
Bilic nodded in his direction, whatever fear he was carrying quickly fading. He spotted Valge by the town square's shop, trying hard to avoid any kind of contact with the others.
Bilic scowled at Valge, growing furious at his friend's rapid mental recession. He had been perfectly fine until the group had joined together, but now he seemed on the verge of sickness, growing increasingly paranoid of everything for a reason no one could figure out.
"Forget him." Bilic growled to himself. "There's bigger problems."
Riley bounded into sight, barking urgently as he came closer. Felix called out to the excited Chain Chomp, who responded by bouncing towards the orange-clad Hammer Bro.
"At least Felix is still acting normally, if being Felix is normal." He muttered. He turned back to the direction Riley had come from, spotting Elise coming towards them, a barely conscious Ms Mowz sitting on her shoulder. Ms Mowz looked on the verge of exhaustion, her arms wrapped in bandages.
"Bilic." She said when she saw him. "I need to tell you something, right now."
"What is it?" He said pressingly. "Tell!"
"Guys!" Came another voice. Bilic scowl deepened. Who else could possibly be showing up? He immediately regretted the thought when he saw Sharp staggering towards them, hardly breathing as he approached the group.
"Guys!" He said, breathing heavily. "Attacked...Zombies...Sky..Jane...Demon...bad..." His voice dropped into a desperate pant.
"Sharp, calm down." Elise soothed. "What happened? Where's Sky and Jane?"
Sharp gulped. Bilic and Elise immediately understood, their eyes growing wide. Elise gasped.
"No, don't tell me something happened." She said weakly.
"Something did happen." Sharp confirmed miserably. "Sky and Jane have been taken."
End of Chapter 8.
Yes, not much action in this chapter, and it looks rushed, but I spent a whole MONTH making tweaks along the way, so don't complain.. if that's okay with you.
All credit to Koopanovic for the rivalry idea. Thanks buddy, it got me out of a dead end!
I might not be updating this story, or any of my stories, much, even though I'm on break. My Laptop recently died, and I have plenty of other projects to work on, FanFiction (with or without Koopanovic) or not. But in no way is this story dead, oh no.
Until my next update, that's all for now.