Chapter 12: Why?
The return trip home to Herb Town was a happy one for 'The Five': Helen had fully released the Amethyst crystal, somehow Jack was resurrected, and Helen even faced off against Dragonoir. Evan and Mir found nothing after searching the area. Either Dragonoir and Pheonix had been obliterated, or they were hurled far away, which Evan convinced them was the likely outcome.
The mood in Herb Town, however, was quite somber when they arrived. Near the area burned down by Dragonoir, The Five could see Dr. Kim. Dr. Faymos, as well as the Pandas Mr. Do and Tae Sang huddled around a bed. Upon getting closer, Matthew spotted Lillianne trudging through the village with her head down, dragging her burnt and scratched halberd behind her.
"Lillianne?" Matthew asked as he walked toward her. Lillianne raised her head when she heard Matthew's voice, then all at once dropped her weapon and ran to him. She put her arms around him and held on tight, sobbing into the steel of Matthew's Oaker armor. Matthew looked back to the rest of them and motioned with a jerk of his head for them to continue. As the other four left, Matthew did the best he knew to comfort her while she sobbed into the crook of his neck. Lilin and Phyllia walked up to them, drying their own tears.
"Lilin, what happened?" Matthew asked in a soft tone.
"Keeny is dead. I don't know if you knew, but Keeny's health was always a bit unstable because of her half-fairy heritage." Phyllia explained, looking down at a picture of the girl they had known a few weeks before. Phyllia tried to continue, but the tears clogged her voice. Lilin placed a hand on her back and continued instead.
"When she was a baby, Keeny was stricken with an illness that very well nearly took her life. But her father, the world-famous alchemist De Lang was able to create a cure for her. Unfortunately, it left her immune system practically non-existent, and the illness made her body quite frail. Humanoid-A kept a close eye on her everywhere she went. But just today, she was running around one of her favorite fields to collect flowers when she fell. Whatever she hit was enough to cause massive internal bleeding. Humanoid-A took her to all these doctors you see here as well as Grendal for healing. But even his vast healing powers weren't enough. He said the only thing that could be done for her was to make her as comfortable as possible." Lilin broke down into her own tears as Phyllia tearfully spoke again.
"My Keeny was so full of life, even with her unfortunate draw. She was all I had left, so what am I to do now, Guardian Warrior?!" Phyllia shouted through her tears, hanging onto Matthew's armor as she collapsed to her knees. Matthew couldn't respond; he had met Keeny a few times and had even promised that he would make her his flower girl if he ever got married. But now, she was gone, suddenly and permanently, gone.
"All this power that I'm supposed to have, and yet I can't even save the people here in Herb Town!" His mind screamed, hugging Lillianne, trying to not succumb to tears. Somehow he knew that this was only a small taste of what he would have to face in the future.
The next couple of days went by in a haze as 'The Five' helped prepare Shanks's Ship; changing the sails to black while building a temporary base on the center of the deck. It would be her chariot until they reached the since abandoned palace city of Orbis, where Keeny would be laid to rest in the Fairy's Graveyard.
"What is death?" as Humanoid-A helped Olsen set Snow Roses around the platform, Keeny's favorite flowers. Olsen sighed as he tried to think of a way to explain it.
"Death is… a lonely and greedy thing. It takes people away from you that you never wanted to let go of, never to see them again."
"So, is death a person? If that's the case, then we could go to them and ask for Keeny back." Humanoid-A said with a hope-filled voice, placing the last rose on the platform and securing a string of them to the rim.
"No, it's not a person," Olsen responded flatly.
"Then what is it?"
"Death is like a long, long sleep that you never wake up from."
"Then, Keeny is still alive?"
"No, she isn't. She's gone, never coming back; she will never run again, never smile again, never breathe again. Death… is the absence of life." Olsen gravely finished while draping soft while cloth around the platform.
"So then, I am dead? I can move and talk and run and breathe, but I am a machine programmed with certain human routines. So, am I dead?"
"For you, death would be like removing your power core and never putting it back," Olsen replied, jerking his hand back and sucking on his finger for a moment after pricking it on a thorn. Humanoid stopped and thought about what Olsen had told him, circuits and components buzzing until his shoulders drooped.
"I understand now: Death is… Death is… Death is going away. Just like the flowers that Keeny always picked: no matter how much water we gave them, they wilted. They died. Even the Alchemy of the Zenumists couldn't bring back the flowers. Keeny was like those flowers, only instead of picking them, death smashed her into the ground." Olsen nodded as the android put the very essence of what death was into words. Jenny came up behind him and put a hand on the android's shoulder, trying to seem strong in her own way. Lillianne wandered through the village, looking for Matthew since she hadn't seen him after the preparations had begun: to her, it seemed that he was taking it the hardest.
Other warriors she had seen before always seemed to take a death harder than most. Maybe it had something to do with their knight-like personality and code of protecting the weak. She finally found him kneeling in front of the Elde's grave, holding onto the handle of his sword, the Katar, and resting his head on the pommel. Lillianne knelt next to him, putting her hands together to pay her respects.
"Lillianne, have you ever lost someone you were supposed to protect?" Matthew asked bluntly. Lillianne opened her eyes slowly and shook her head.
"No, I can't say that I have. But you can't let something like this weigh you down from protecting the rest."
"How can you speak as though people are just cattle? I understand moving on from the past, but when the past doesn't let you go, what then?! First Elde and now Keeny. Both were kids that I had a responsibility to protect, and I failed! And now, both mothers will probably never let me forget it!" Matthew asked in a frustrated shout, swinging back and cutting clean through a tree. Lillianne gripped his shoulders hard, turning him to her.
"I understand that you're angry, I really do! But destroying things isn't going to help!" she bellowed. Matthew grit his teeth, looking away from her as his breath stuttered and his top lip quivered.
"Sir Matthew," Aran's voice cut sharply through his thoughts, making the warrior quickly sheath his sword.
"It's time," Aran said solemnly. Matthew looked up at him with hurt and angry ruby eyes before walking to town with his Gaia thundering in the breeze.
"How am I supposed to get through to him, Dad?" Lillianne asked as she watched him walk away.
"Don't try; let him come to you. Right now, everyone in the world is looking to The Guardians for support; I can understand how he feels sometimes. Before I met your mother, there were times when I felt alone. People would look up to me when battles were won, and foes had been defeated. But those same people would cling to me or look down on me when times became bleak. Lilin was the only one to keep my spirit from being crushed. Right now, I believe Matthew feels that he has failed in his duty to protect. The Warriors have always been a type to try and protect everyone they can. In a way, it is a matter of pride. Trust me when I say that he will need your strength; it may even be sooner than you think." Aran said as he patted Lillianne's shoulder and headed back to the village. Lillianne could only wonder when and how she would ever be able to help Matthew.
As Keeny's casket was led up the gangplank to the ship, Phyllia walked next to the small still body, trying to stay straight-faced while walking before the entirety of Ossyria. Even though most of Ossyria now lived in Herb Town, Orbis still housed some of the more stubborn fairies that refused to leave. 'The Five' and their parents boarded, followed by Aran and his family, the Empress, and her knights. Heidrin stood at the helm, offering her words as a memory of the small girl.
"Keeny was a sweet child. Probably the most alive of all of us here: with her clear blue eyes, she would see things in life that no one ever could. I only knew Keeny for a short time, but she taught me more in one day than I had learned in a year of what it meant to live. Now that she is passed, only now can we ever feel the pull of her effect on us all. So now, we go to lay her down, where she will be cared for and watched over by Minerva." The Pirate captains all took their hats off and knelt low before untying the mooring lines and setting Shank's ship into the bay before gliding into Orbis's sky.
"I have no doubt that Grendal will eventually tell them what really happened to the girl," Eleanor stated as The Mage's eyes smiled in response. He waved his hand over a crystal ball, calling up an image of the Pixie Father as questioning whispers hung in the air.
"Mage, Sir. I've sent my Ghost Soldiers into the void of your prison, and one has yet to return. Are you certain the Rubian is located there?" The father asked as a growl emanated from the back of The Mage's throat. Eleanor stepped forward.
"It's the only place Minerva would put something of that caliber and keep it hidden from The Master all this time. Will you need additional help?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and smirking.
"Only if you deem it necessary." The father said when his attention was called back to something behind him.
"Father! Father! They've returned!" the image shifted to a blue glow emanating from a split rock where small black hated pixies came leaping out. Impatient whispers rose from The Mage in a hissing question as one of the little pixies held up a fist-sized magenta gem, swirling and pulsing with some sort of powerful energy within. The Mage's eyes widened in excitement as he reached his hand into the image and then pulled the Rubian back through into his castle.
"I trust that our agreement is still in order, Mage Sir?" the father asked timidly.
"Yes, it is. Eldan, Oberon, is the item ready?" Eleanor asked as she turned around.
"Sure is! Here." Oberon playfully answered as she glided to the image, putting her hand through and giving the Pixie Father a bottle of the potent elixir Minerva had refused him before, The Water of Life.
"Yes, this will do nicely." The father chortled as he pulled the cork and looked down onto the clear liquid when the Mage's whispers hissed sternly around the father.
"Oh, I will remember. Believe me, this is all I need." The image faded. The Mage walked to another room with the Rubian in hand.
"Will leaving him with such power become a problem for you?" Eleanor asked as she followed him, receiving a swirl of confident whispers.
"And what if they free her while they are there?" Eleanor questioned. The Black Mage looked back over his shoulder while a chill spread across Eleanor's skin. Angry whispers explained how Nexus would more than likely not allow her to return to her time without some kind of payment. He continued on to a dark room where a machine hummed somewhere in the shadows. The lights revealed a five-point metal apparatus with the Dark Crystal sitting at the top, a reddish husk on the bottom left point, and a pinkish husk on the right point. The crystals pulsed with color, the husk's residual power reacting to the Rubian. Behind the apparatus stood a machine resembling a giant microscope, with 12 blue bands spinning opposite each other. Below it, pulsing blue energy gathered into a vile.
Approving whispers rose around The Mage as a machine sank down from the ceiling, clicking its fingers and arms as though speaking. The Mage walked to the apparatus, placing the Rubian in the center. Bright red power seeped from it, spreading into each of the five points while the crystals that had been placed sent what little power they had in streams of color to the Rubian. The show didn't last long as the colors faded within seconds. Turning back to Eleanor with a thick cloud of whispers, The Mage motioned to the apparatus behind him.
"So far, nothing has been discovered. I did have the wyvern investigate a lead in Orbis and the cloud park." The Mage nodded slowly, returning to his throne room overlooking Edelstein. The humans mined for the essential Mithril Crystal he would later use to complete the gauntlet. Holding up his hand, a black flame flared into existence, having a picture of someone with broad shoulders and a large head.
"It's taken longer than I would have liked. His mental capacity is less than stellar, which I would have liked to work on more, but since time won't allow for that, I think I've gathered enough data to make him into a fine opponent." With a slow nod, he shook his hand, making the flame go out: things were shaping up just as he had hoped.
Orbis had become quiet and uninviting, cold even. But as the last mooring line was secured, Kriel, her sister Edel and the other fairies of Orbis came to meet them, holding an intricate gold crown of stars and moons. With said crown placed upon Keeny's head, Kriel led the procession to the Graveyard of the Fairies, where thick vines sprouting large pink flowers grew on all the walls. All present shared a memory they had made with Keeny, even Humanoid-A, who was the closest to her, then lowered down into the hole.
Phyllia stayed behind long after everyone had left, kneeling before the gravestone that bore an engraving of the girl's face while Humanoid did his best to comfort her. Helen couldn't help but want to comfort her, but she was stopped by Cygnus, speaking to them all in a grave tone.
"Guardians, Grendal would like a word with you." Helen was apprehensive; why would her grandfather want to send them out on a mission when they had just buried a friend? Lillianne walked with them as they were led back to the ship, where Grendal and the other masters stood in a semi-circle.
"Helen, Keeny's death had nothing to do with injury; she was forced to die. Tell me everything that happened while you were in Mu Lung, don't leave anything out." Grendal's piercing blue eyes made it hard not to recount everything to him. How they had trained, what they had faced, how Evan and Mir had blocked an attack from Dragonoir, even Helen's crystal release.
"I see. So you did use it," Grendal mumbled thoughtfully yet sadly.
"What do you mean, Grampa?" Helen asked. Grendal sighed and shook his head slowly.
"When the Amethyst Crystal's seal broke, you used three very high-level spells; The Genesis Light, Angel's Quiver, and Resurrection." Helen lowered her brow, her eyes flitting back and forth as she tried to remember what she had studied in the past.
"I remember seeing Genesis Light and Angel's Quiver, but I never studied them at length. And I never saw Resurrection in any of the tomes. How did I use those spells?" She asked, becoming worried.
"I believe it is your connection to the Amethyst Crystal. Its power responded to your will by bringing Jack back to you, using a spell similar to that of Resurrection," Grendal answered. Helen's breathing shallowed and quickened. Her heart raced, and skin paled. Questions zipped through her mind; putting her hands to her head, her eyes widened and flitted from side to side. Was the Crystal somehow taking over her? Something else? Would her magic become wild and uncontrollable? Jack pulled her close to him, holding her tightly for a while until she stopped shaking but still remained fearful. Olsen lowered his brow and stared hard at Grendal.
"How does Helen using a spell she has never seen equate to Keeny's death?" He asked, tightening the grip on his dagger's handle. Grendal sighed heavily and swallowed.
"Resurrection is a forbidden spell and has been erased from all magical tomes. When someone dies, their life force joins the flow of life, like a drop in a river. The spell forcefully pulls it back out. But once a life force has joined the flow, it will not give it back without sacrificing another life in its place. There is no way to determine who's life force will replace. Jack's resurrection cost Keeny her life." Helen was mortified, her chest feeling cold and hollow.
"No, that can't be right!" Kyrin walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"As much as you want to deny it, Helen, that is what resurrection requires, nothing less. Believe it or not, my life also has been affected by this blessed curse." She muttered, embracing her tightly as Helen's shaking returned, breaking into a cold sweat and staring blankly. Jack wasn't so happy to be alive anymore and began to even wish that he hadn't been revived. Again and again, Grendal's words echoed in her head.
"There is only one person I know who could use this spell without consequence: The Transcendence of Life, Alice Teasdale." Jenny hung her head for a while until something Kyrin said piqued her interest.
"Misses Waterman, what did you mean when you said that your life had been affected by this spell?" Jenny asked gently, trying to hide her ill-timed curiosity. Kyrin eyes became distant and pain-filled as the memories surfaced.
"We were just beginning our conquest to defeat Pink Bean at the time. But during our first attempt, I died. Back then, Greadal was still researching the deeper secrets of Minerva's writings with Alcaster but didn't know how Resurrection worked. It wouldn't be until later that I found out from my sister Shulynch that our father, Black Bart, died suddenly. Grendal eventually found how the spell worked, and thus found that in saving me, my father's life was taken in its place." Jenny nodded her head as she listened to what Kyrin had to endure. No wonder Kyrin had called it a 'blessed' curse.
"I'm going to look around the city, get a chance to clear my head," Matthew stated, turning and walking towards an older part of the city: ash and dirt gathered in every corner, making the air stifling. As he walked, his mind wandered to what he was really here to do: stop the Black Mage and his terrible rule of terror, or whatever it was that he had planned.
Drawing his Katar, he held it in his hands and looked over it, watching the sun reflected from the blade into his eyes. He raised the sword above his head, air and mana gathering around the guard in one swift motion. It thundered loud as it was driven into the cobblestone street, cracks splitting away from it. Air swirled around his body as mana and ruby power steadily flowed through him to speed his movements, drawing the Lion's Fang and cutting clean through a nearby column. Lillianne followed him, standing behind a pillar almost in fear of the brute force Matthew unleashed.
The pillar she stood behind fell over, exposing her. She quickly flitted to another position with her battle step, barely avoiding the cutting wind that trailed from the blade. Matthew wasn't paying attention to what was around him. He swung so hard that the tip of the sword whistled for a pillar Lillianne stood in front of. She quickly unclasped her polearm to block the swing. Instead, she skidded across the ground, her skin turning bright red when the handle of her weapon slammed into her side. Before the column hit the ground, Matthew repeatedly swung, cutting through the thick roman temple-like columns. But his impacts made the Fang's blade crack and gave way, shattering into hundreds of shards. Letting out a frustrated scream, he turned his head to the sky, fell to his knees, and put his hands on his head, dropping the shattered Lion's Fang to the ground.
"WHY IS IT THE HARDER I TRY THE MORE PEOPLE DIE!" he screamed to the sky, listening for an answer in the winds. Lillianne walked over to him once she had recovered from the shell shock and knelt next to him, hugging his head close to her chest as Matthew broke down to tears, clinging to her. For a while, the two of them simply let time pass while he let out his frustrations, resting his head in the cleft of her chest.
She opened her sapphire eyes from her afternoon nap, being interrupted by a heartfelt shout. Rolling her shoulders, then arching her back, she stretched, scratching her claws through the cloud lined ground while the flames gently burning on her haunches flared to a more intense pulse.
"Now, who could that be?" she thought as she nuzzled the Celion, Lioner, and Grupin cubs she had been watching for her friends Keil, Mabel, and Addison to wake them. The cubs woke, yawning large and going through the same stretch routine that she had, following her as they walked through the garden she had called home for hundreds of years to find what had made the noise. Before long, she had found the source and shook her head, her silver-grey mane swishing back and forth from the motion, but then looked harder at one of the humans kneeling there.
"Isn't that the daughter of Aran?" she wondered, sitting back on her haunches, flipping her tail back and forth as she watched. It reminded her so much of how Minerva held her when she was tired or just lonely. In the distance, something caught her sharp hunter's eyes: her pupils narrowed as her interest was pricked. Left and right, back left, she looked, watching for the little flash of… there it was again. And then it came out into the open, the one thing that she feared more than any raging storm that Minerva could conjure: her clone. Silently she crouched, purring to the cubs to stay back as she shifted her shoulders side to side. If those humans weren't aware of what would attack them, they wouldn't survive. And then something else caught her eye, floating on top of a pillar: a Stellar Pixie.
"In Minerva's Name… they pick the worst times to appear!" she thought to herself, turning her attention back to her clone.
"I can't say that I know what you're going through." Lillianne gently whispered. "
"But, I'm here for you." Matthew grabbed her halberd, threw it aside, and moved to hug her, but instead knocked her to the ground. Slowly, Matthew picked himself up, supporting himself over her and looking deep into her eyes
"Matt, wha…"
"Lillianne, I'm trying my hardest. But no matter what I try, it seems that I can't protect even one girl or one boy from death."
"Matthew, that was…"
"It doesn't matter. It still amounts to the same thing. I won't be able to protect the one thing in my life worth protecting: you. I can't stand to lose you too, not in a million years." Lillianne wasn't sure how to process what he said. She was more a warrior than anything. Sure, she was a girl, and she had a crush on Matthew, but when his feelings had been laid before her in such raw terms, she was speechless. Not knowing what else to do, Matthew slowly leaned down to her, closing his eyes as he neared her lips. Lillianne closed her own in response, tilting her head up. Just before their lips met, a blood-chilling cry split the air around them. Matthew and Lillianne whirled around to see a black lion-like creature lunging at them, claws extended and teeth bared, flames billowing from its paws.
Lillianne rolled left as Matthew moved right, getting up and running for his Katar just as the beast came down where they had been a moment before. Lillianne swung around, driving her halberd into the ground. A wave of ice roared towards the creature. Matthew picked up the nearest thing that looked like a shield, diving away from the ice and readying to attack. Before it hit the beast, another cat-like creature appeared from the pillars and tackled the first one. Matthew and Lillianne watched in confusion as the animals disappeared into tangled clouds of dust. Tails and claws churned in the dust as they fought ferociously, bright blue liquid spraying into the air. Lillianne looked back at Matthew just in time to see a Stellar Pixie raise its wand and conjure up a Nova Spell right behind him.
"MATTHEW!" She screamed, pointing behind him. Lillianne launched into a battle step while her weapon and arms glowed bright blue. Matthew began to turn and pull up the shield, but his movements were too slow as the spell solidified. It began to launch when an ear-splitting blast shattered the air. The magic dissipated, and the Pixie looked down on its marshmallow body to see a bullet hole leaking bluish-black blood. Four more shots echoed, making the pixie twitch and skid back, each bullet snapping off a stone wall behind it.
Jack then thumbed a bullet into the air and caught the spinning shot in the cylinder, flipping it closed. Holding the gun at arm's length, his arm became engulfed in reddish violet light, and the barrel erupted with a thunderous roar. The Pixie stood still until the back of its head exploded in a spray of blood and flesh. Matthew and Lillianne looked back to where the sound had come from to see Helen, Olsen, and Jenny standing behind Jack as he lowered down his gun.
"It's a good thing we decided to check up on you, man. You were nearly fried." Jack called, blowing the smoke off the end of the Rasfelt and reloading the five .45 caliber bullets before dropping it into his holster. Matthew lowered his brow and clench his jaw.
"I had it all under control. It was those two that were distracting me," Matthew replied, pointing his sword towards a dust cloud from which the freighting sounds of cats fighting came from. The battle seemed to end as a long, and pain-filled roar faded into the distance. Carefully the band crept closer, weapons drawn and muscles tense with anticipation. The silence was eerie, almost choking, until a falling piece of rubble made Jenny jump, releasing her bomb arrow and blowing even more dust into the air.
"Why'd you do that?" Olsen hissed.
"How was I supposed to know nothing was there?" she hissed back. Carefully they journeyed further into the dust until Jack tripped on something. No sooner had he stopped falling than something pinned him to the ground, baring its clenched fangs at him. Olsen drew his Sais and crossed them over the back of the creature's neck. Jenny pulled her bow tight, aimed for the heart. Helen spread her hands as flames leaped into existence, hovering over her shoulders and arms. Matthew lowered his stance, sword ready to strike. Lillianne took a wide stance and readied to swing as hard as she could.
"I see, so you are the Guardians of Ossyria." The black lion-like creature said, taking its paws away from Jack's arms and sitting back on its haunches.
"I'm sorry for my conduct; I thought you were my clone. It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances. I am Elliza, former Guardian Beast of Minerva." She continued in a rather pleasant female voice. 'The Five' relaxed, skeptical of Elliza being so personable. Their only encounter with her in the game had been anything but friendly. Helen was the first to break the odd silence.
"Then, do you mean that…"
"Yes, Guardian Mage. The other me you saw was my clone. When Father Pixie ensnared Minerva in her own statue, I became blind with rage. For many days I chased after him, nearly catching him on many occasions. My anger was self-directed for allowing said harm to come to my charge. After two whole weeks, I gave up the search, but my rage still burned. Minerva's Heroes would be the ones to rescue her, and I felt that my anger towards the Pixie Father would only hinder me in the future. So with some magic, I purged myself of the fury.
"However, what was born was what you saw: a clone that knows nothing but vengeance, violence, and slaughter. She only comes out from time to time, and I have tried to defeat her myself. But she either overcomes me, or she runs away after a long and arduous battle to recover from her wounds." Elliza rose to her feet and bowed her head, speaking as though she were having difficulty.
"I ask you, Guardians, will you help me in my quest to set things right? Will you help me lay my rage to rest?" she asked, seeming as though she were admitting weakness. 'The Five' all looked at each other, silently asking one another if they should or shouldn't help her. The battle they had to fight for Mu Gong was still fresh in their minds, and they already knew that fighting oneself was near impossible to win. But Keeny's funeral was still new in their minds and could be a detriment to their concentration.
"Where is she now?" Olsen asked, flicking the pommel of his Sai with his thumb.
"I vaulted her over the edge, down into the mountains of El Nath. Knowing her, she is still alive."
"A fall of that height and she'd still be alive?!" Matthew exclaimed, thinking about the distance it was to the tower's base.
"Yes, injured, but alive. This will be the tenth time I have done so." Helen shook her head; this beast was going to be a formidable opponent. The Goddess' tower was at least 4000 feet tall; no ordinary creature should be able to withstand that kind of fall.
"If you are going to El Nath, then you will need these." Dark Lord said as he appeared from nowhere, holding out some weathered leather cloaks. Dances walked forward with a couple weapons in hand.
"You will also need new weapons now that your Lion's Fang has shattered. Take this, The Mole of Gold, and the Serpent's Tongue spear. When you return, we are going again to Masteria, where a new sword will be forged for you by an old friend of mine." Dances smiled as he set the heavy hammer down and handed the spear to Matthew, who wasn't expecting its weight.
Jenny felt something rubbing against her leg; it felt furry and soft. Looking down, she saw a cat-like creature with a mane of red-tipped fur, its big blue eyes watching her intently, letting out a tiny meow.
"Aww, how cuuuute! It's a junior Cellion! They were cute in the game, but the real thing is just adorable!" she squealed. Jenny squatted down and began petting it. The Cellion rolled over to its back and exposed its belly, tucking its head under and rolling back and forth, purring.
"His name is Alden; it seems he's taken a liking to you," Elliza said, when a stronger purring pulsed in Jenny's ears, making her slowly turn around to see a full-grown Cellion standing over her.
"Um, hi?" She sheepishly asked as the Cellion bared its teeth slightly.
"Keil." Elliza lowered her head and closed her eyes, making Helen feel dizzy for a moment as the two of them telepathically spoke.
"Keil, these are the Guardian's of Ossyria. She wasn't hurting Alden at all."
"They are? It makes sense to why Alden took a liking to her." Keil thought back, tilting her head slightly and closing her lips.
"Alden was always a bit of an explorer. If he goes with her, it won't be the end. I'm sure he'll come back to visit." Elliza explained. Helen's dizziness passed as the two of them stopped talking, and Alden looked up at Jenny with large blue puppy's eyes. He stood up on his haunches and rested on her knee, then looked back to his mother. With a gentle nod from his mother, Alden turned to Jenny and climbed up in her lap, rubbing his head against her chin and purring loudly.
"Are we ready then?" Elliza asked, walking towards Orbis Tower's entrance to El Nath, where they would face the terrible clone of Elliza.
"Hi, mage. Whatcha doin?" asked Oberon as she stood next to him, folding her wings and holding her hands behind her. The Mage looked up from his notes and potions, looking at Oberon for a moment and then turning back to his work. Oberon looked over his shoulder, reading over the text that made up a spell to detect Crystal Husks.
"I see, so the search for the husks has become harder, hasn't it?" Oberon asked but ignored as The Mage worked.
"Well, not that this isn't interesting, but I'm going to go see how Ossyria is doing from my time. Tell Eldan I'll be back in a bit." In a hum of red light, Oberon disappeared through time. The Mage sighed; she was turning out to be a fine young woman, but still naive.
"Don't you think it's time you told her who you really are?" Eleanor asked, leaning against the doorpost while a Grand Skelegon waddled up to The Mage, carrying a glass of her potion. Whispers arose around her, making Eleanor shake her head.
"And what if she finds out on her own?" Eleanor asked threateningly. The Mage stopped writing mid-sentence and looked back to Eleanor, calmly setting down his pen while turning to her with tense whispers surrounding the both of them.
"No, I would never tell her. But she is the inquisitive type: if she were to find out what you are to her, things might not turn out too well for us." Eleanor warned. The Mage only chuckled, narrowing his eyes to her while his whispers became intrigued.
"I just don't want to be forgotten." She said, dropping her head as her eyes looked lonely. The Mage hissed in the back of his throat, turning back to the spell he was working on. He poured various potions and tonics into a vial, swirling the brew in a flask before sipping the cool liquid. When he was satisfied that the potion was complete, he turned to Eleanor and held the vial out to her as she picked herself up from the doorpost and walked to him, swinging her hips dangerously.
"The prototype potion you gave me for the wyverns has been working well. They have just reported back that it has moved to El Nath. With this potion, I'm sure that locating the remaining husks will be more expedient." Eleanor assured as she took the potion.
Stepping out into the icy plains of El Nath was a punch in the face from the warmer interior of the tower. However, the cloaks kept them warm despite their tattered appearance. Alden jumped from place to place in the knee-deep snow, disappearing and reappearing in the drifts. Only his red-trimmed fur gave away his position. It was a short walk to the village from the bottom of the tower, stopping by a shop run by a woman named Hana for a bowl of red bean soup. Once they had eaten, they set out on their way into the snowy fields near the base of the mountains. For hours they searched for any clue leading to the presence of the clone. Elliza squinted down at a divot in the snow resembling a paw print, gently setting her own paw down in it. It was a perfect fit. She called over Jack, the closest to her at the moment, showing him the print.
"I was beginning to wonder if she had fallen all the way down." He said as he called the others over, pointing out more tracks leading deeper into the fields.
"I can follow her scent. Ready your weapons; she could be anywhere. Despite her black fur, she is very adept at hiding, even in the snow." Quietly and cautiously, the group followed her, ever vigilant to their surroundings. Alden even kept his small nose to the ground, watching and imitating Elliza, quickly figuring out what they were doing. Once he caught her scent, Alden began searching for any branch ways of the strange smell they were following.
Another tense hour passed as they trudged through the drifts, periodically seeing wild Hectors running through the trees after their prey or jumping when a bird would fly from a bush. Elliza stopped and stood very still, staring straight ahead. Jenny leaned in close to her and whispered into her ear.
"What's wrong?"
"She's close, very close." Elliza purred. Quickly, Jenny passed the message along, making them all form back to back, waiting and watching. No one dared breathe as they scanned over the snow's surface, looking for any sign of the clone. Olsen was the first to notice something to the south; it was difficult, but he could see flames just beyond the light, under a low pine tree. Clicking his tongue, Olsen motioned to the spot, slowly pulling a handful of shuriken from his Slain, disappearing as he hurled two of them at her paws.
The clone leaped from under the branches just as the shuriken fluttered into the shadows. Matthew took the spear from his back and pointed it up to the sky; bluish-red lightning descended on all of them. Jack clenched his fists as he rushed forwards, twisting his body into a corkscrew, and launched at her. The clone sidestepped as Jenny split off to flank her right. Matthew and Helen charged straight in while Lillianne flanked left. The clone stopped, digging its claws into the ground and hunkering to the ground; Elliza's eyes went wide.
"EVERYONE JUMP!" she shouted. Without hesitation, they all jumped into the air as black stalagmites shot up from the ground where they had stood just a moment before. Unfortunately, Matthew's forward momentum carried him farther than he would have liked but used it to his advantage. Gathering his mana, he thrust the spear forward. Behind and above the clone, Olsen reappeared with a pink ghost surrounding his hand as he descended. Jenny fired a glowing green arrow, kicking up flurries of snow. Helen Teleported to Lillianne and cast a fire spell over her halberd, making it erupt into a firestorm that roared towards the clone.
Just before Matthew hit, the clone blurred and disappeared. Olsen couldn't redirect his punch and accidentally slammed Matthew in the face as the ghost sank into him. Quickly Olsen held up his cloak against the wall of flames headed to them while Matthew unsteadily held up his cape and blocked the incoming arrow.
"Hey man, I apologize," Olsen said, tossing his cloak aside when the last of the flames dissipated.
"Don't worry about it; I just need a moment," Matthew replied. Jenny scanned the area with an arrow drawn, trying to find where the clone had gone. She froze when the clone breathed down the back of her neck, making chills run down her spine. She whirled around to fire, only to have her bow swatted away and pinned her to the ground. Helen drew and fired Sacred Arrow, humming with Amethyst power, and laced it with a freezing spell. Jack gathered Ruby power in his hands, compressing it into a grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the air above the clone. The clone leaped up to avoid Helen's arrow allowing Jenny to roll away. The clone's upward leap moved into the path of the grenade which Jack shot. The clone howled as it was flung to the ground.
Matthew charged, thrusting the spear forwards that only grazed the beast. As the clone reeled from the pain, Jenny gathered emerald power at the end of her arrow and let it go, impacting the clone in the side and exploding. The roar of pain coming from the beast was heart-wrenching as the sapphire-colored blood spilled to the ground.
Helen bit her lip as she struggled against the priestess in her to heal the beast, teleporting above it and drawing another Sacred Arrow, piercing her back between her shoulders. The creature roared again, falling to the ground as Jack rushed in, striking left, right, then back left into a summersault that launched the clone into the air. Jack clenched both hands together, slamming into her head and throwing her to the ground once more.
Lillianne and Helen acted fast, freezing the clone in place. Slowly, Matthew walked up to her and stabbed the spear into the ground, taking the Mole from his back/ He swallowed hard as he looked into the eyes of the creature he was about to kill. He didn't feel like a hero crushing a beast like this, especially something so noble. Maybe there was another way to be rid of this clone rather than killing it. The clone heaved and gurgled as blood trickled from its mouth onto the snow, staining it the same brilliant blue as Jenny's cloak.
"Matthew, hurry, the ice won't hold her forever." Helen urged. Matthew raised the Mole over his head, tightening his grip and taking a deep breath: all he had to do was bring down his hammer, and everything would be over. The more he waited, the harder it was becoming to end this creature's life, until finally he let the hammer drop to the ground behind him and dropped his hands to his head.
"I can't do it," he mumbled. Everyone let the breath they had been holding out as they too couldn't find the steel within themselves to end this creature's life. The clone opened its eyes, forced its way through the ice, and swung her four-inch claws powerfully at Matthew's gut. Out of reaction, Matthew bowed his head and crossed his arms as the snow split apart. A stone casket rose from beneath the snow and surrounded Matthew with a metallic clang. The clone's eviscerating swing at first hit the coffin, then her paw disappeared into it. Something shot from the case and passed through her own gut, tearing everything from inside onto the snow.
Just as quick as the casket had come, it faded away, allowing Matthew to grab the Mole and, in one mighty heave, brought it down on the clone's head. For a few minutes, he stood in shock, letting go of the Mole and staring at the blood staining his grieves as he fell to his knees. Elliza plodded over to him and nuzzled his shoulder.
"It is done, warrior. Clean your mace." Elliza said kindly. Shaken, Matthew rubbed his grieves with snow, cleaning the blood from them, and then cleaned the Mole in the same way before hoisting it onto his back. Jack and Elliza took the body and buried it a short way off behind a rock.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, my other self," Ellliza muttered in a mournful tone. Matthew knelt beside her for a moment to pay his respects. When he stood, he reached to a nearby rock to help him to his feet when something glowed beneath his palm. He turned to see what it was when he was thrown back, flying through trees and banks of snow as though he had been hit. Lillianne flitted from place to place, pushing off using her battle step to find him flailing his legs, head first in a deep snowdrift. Lillianne couldn't help but giggle as she dug him out of the snow, walking him back to the rest.
"What the heck was that?" Jenny shouted as she and the others came running over to him.
"I don't know. Ow, my head. I just went to get up. I leaned against some rock as support, and the next thing I knew, I was flying backward through the woods." Matthew answered, still holding his pounding head. Quickly the group returned to where they had been before to see nothing more than an unusually tall drift of snow. Alden walked up to it, his little nose wiggling back and forth as he sniffed at the snow pile.
Jack tried to brush away the snow, but his hand touched a chain of some kind as he did. The momentary pause was just enough to throw him back like Matthew, only this time it wasn't as far. Helen tried to melt the snow with a fire spell, only to have the same thing happen to her, throwing her right into Jack. Jenny was about to swing her bow and create a wind when Olsen stopped her.
"Let me try." Grabbing an evergreen branch, he was able to stand away from the rock and brush aside the snow to reveal that the 'rock' was actually an ice statue. Thick chains hung around it, glowing an odd blue color with a small bit of rust.
"Is… is that the Snow Witch?" asked Helen, once she returned from being thrown back.
"I guess it is. It's a little bigger than the game represented it. It sent you to town in the game if you touched it though, not throw you back." Jenny surmised as she looked over it, noting the ornate detail in the sculpture of the woman.
"It looks like someone is inside!" Matthew said as he squinted and examined it closer.
"Maybe there is a legend behind her. After All, nothing was said about the one in the game." Jack noted.
"Do you think it's the same as the game? You know, having to offer something on an altar before we can defeat her?" Helen asked as she looked around for something that resembled an altar.
"Don't know. Lillianne, do you know anything about this?" Olsen asked.
"I don't know anything about this. I only went to the El Nath Mountains maybe three or four times and never really noticed if this was here or not." She responded. When she heard a muffled voice coming from the snow witch, she held up her hand to quiet them.
"Excuse me, but are you six The Guardians?" it asked. Olsen looked to Matthew, who shrugged.
"Yes, ma'am, we are," Olsen answered skeptically.
"And the girl with the Violet hair, you are Helen Waterman, are you not?" the voice asked again. Jack raised his eyes brows while Helen was surprised: Waterman? Sure, she loved Jack, but she didn't love him that much yet. Maybe she had the wrong Helen.
"Um, I think you have the wrong Helen. My last name Olman, Helen Olman."
"Right! The Guardian Mage of Ossyria. Wait, what year is this?"
"It's 2011. Are you sure you're ok?" Lillianne asked, leaning closer to the statue to try and make out who or what was within it.
"Ah, that's why. You haven't… well… I'll let you find out yourself. My name is Aufheben, Empress of Ossyria in the year 2215."
"Aufheben? How'd you get back here? Wait, aren't you supposed to be evil?" Jack asked, clenching his fists and readying to fight. Lillianne reached back for her halberd, ready to fight. The game these Guardians kept referencing made her unsure of what she could trust in the world.
"My sister Oberon overthrew me and sent me back in time, trapped in this block of ice. I don't know how long I've been here, but I can only imagine that it's been a while. If you can just get me out, I should be able to return home." Aufheben explained. Helen motioned for them to followed her as she walked a bit away, voicing her concerns to them.
"I know she says she is the Empress from the future, but how do we know that she isn't the way we know from the game? She if she is just trying to use us and is, in fact, a tyrant sealed away in ice?" she said. Jenny put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know this is sounding like a broken record at this point, but the world of Maplestory the game, and this world, while similar in many ways, is very different in others. What if she isn't some crazed android from the future? What if she's actually good?" Jenny questioned. Jack shrugged, crossing his arms under his cloak.
"It's worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen?" Jack asked until he saw Helen's tepid stare.
"Right, sorry, dumb question." Matthew agreed with Jack; they had no way of knowing what this Aufheben would be like. After asking Elliza for further insights on whether she was a sealed tyrant from the past and revealing nothing, they all decided to release her. Drawing his Katar, a cloud of lightning descended on him while light gathered at the guard, humming and pulsing as he forced more and more Ruby power to that one point. With every muscle in his arms feeling as though they would burst, he swung down. It was so hard that the tip of the sword whistled, leaving a contrail behind until it hit the ice with ground-shaking force. When the blade made contact with the chains, they glowed brightly and then threw him back, skidding through a burrow of snow.
Above where Elliza had buried the clone, wyvern circled like vultures attracted to the smell of rotting meat. There was something here, and they wouldn't leave until they got what they came for. One of the wyverns dove to the body and used its rough claws to dig through the snow and dirt to reveal the body. Ducking down in reaction to a noise, it soon went back to his bloody task. With a quick bite out of the skin, the body opened, revealing a glass-like object buried in the beast's chest. The wyvern pulled the item free, then turned and left for their master's castle, squawking to the others that their mission had been completed. No doubt, a good treat awaited them for finding this treasure they had been searching for.
At last, the Pixie Father finished the spell circle to make more of his children. He would overrun Orbis and make it into a paradise for the overlooked Pixies. Fairies always had the better luck, no matter if it was in looks or power. But the pixies had two things the fairies didn't: a leader and numbers. With this bottle of water, he would be able to create an army of his children, and then he would force a female fairy to be his wife so that he would no longer need the Water of Life to create his children. His only debacle was deciding on which fairy. He wouldn't mind if Elma was his wife since she was a good housekeeper, but her wings were so puny. Maybe Neri; she possessed wings similar to that of Minerva, but she was too lean and athletic for his tastes. And then it hit him: Kriel. She would do very nicely. She was graceful and elegant, and her wings, though not as grand as Minerva's, were just right. Yes, she would do perfectly!
Turning his attention back to the spell circle, he activated it with a wave of his wand as the water began to ripple and bubble, droplets shooting from the spout. Upon hitting the ground, the droplets instantly became a new pixie. He would be victorious over Orbis and finally give the Pixies the treatment deserved robbed from them by Minerva.
For the twentieth time, Matthew charged at the chains, using any one of the three weapons given to him, but always with the same result. The chains would glow upon impact throw him back. His armor had become dented, while the Mole and Serpent's tongue showed scorch marks and signs of metal fatigue. Finally, he trudged back and dropped the Mole to the ground in utter exhaustion, holding his hand at Jack.
"You… wanna give it… a whirl?" he asked as he heaved for breath. Jack shook his head. He had just touched the rock and found out what happened.
"There has to be something that we're missing." Helen thought aloud as she put her hand over her mouth, thinking through her list of spells and attacks. Just touching the ice, let alone the chains would send a person flying back. And it seemed that the force with which one was thrown was proportional to the force applied to it. From inside, Aufheben sighed, beginning to lose hope that she would be free of her prison when a thought struck her.
"What if you attacked the chains all at once? Maybe then it would overwhelm and break the spell," she suggested. Matthew heaved a sigh and wearily stood from resting on a nearby rock.
"That could work. If not, we'll all be sent to different parts of Ossyria." Helen surmised as each took a stance: Jenny nocked an arrow while Jack drew back his fist. Helen conjured a fire arrow while Olsen ignited the blade of his Sais into blue mana flames. Matthew drew his Katar, engulfing it with mana, while Lillianne swung her halberd in a figure eight to keep the momentum going in the heavy weapon. From inside, Aufheben began a countdown.
"On three, one…. two…. THREE!" everyone's attack simultaneously hit the ice with ground-shaking force. The chains glowed as brightly as the sun, making everyone shut their eyes as tightly as possible, but still, the light shone through their lids. Once the light subsided, the chain remained unbroken, steaming as the hot chain links melted some of Aufheben's prison.
"It's no use, Matthew: using brute force alone won't break this spell," Elliza said softly as she examined the magical chains.
"Then I guess it really is like the game: something must die so that something else can live," Jenny mumbled as she thought about what she would have to do to some poor animal in the area for Aufheben to be freed.
"If all we need is blood, then the blood of my other half should suffice," Elliza commented. Jack covered his mouth, feeling queasy.
"And how is it that you are so nonchalant about that? Weren't you just saying goodbye to your clone with respect a few minutes ago?" Jack shouted, tumping his chest with his fist to repress his need to hurl.
"I admit that it sounds callous, but rather than killing something else, the blood of my clone could serve instead of that." Helen wanted to argue the point further but forced herself to accept it. Aufheben might be protected from the wind, but not the cold or the magical ice surrounding her. Olsen volunteered to go with Elliza and retrieve the blood, but all that remained were bones in the snow.
"What… happened?" Olsen asked, kneeling down to look over the skeleton.
"Rage fueled her existence. Without that, there was nothing left to hold her together." Elliza inferred as she once again buried the pile of bones, respectfully patting the dirt around the shallow grave.
"Without her blood, we are back to our original problem." Olsen sighed, pulling his arms under the heavy leather cloak.
"Use my blood," Elliza suggested. Olsen raised an eyebrow, shrugging a bit as they returned to the group, telling Helen what Elliza had offered.
"Are you sure? I can't tell if needing blood would just be part of breaking the spell or if the life force attributed to that life would be used to break it. The spell on those chains is quite complex."
"It will be alright, Helen. I do not think any harm will come to my life." Elliza said. Helen sighed: there was plenty that could go wrong, and there may have been something she didn't understand or know about the seal. They were about to proceed when Olsen brought up a good point.
"Where is the alter to put the blood on?" He asked, crossing his arms and jolting when the cold metal of his claw touched his bare arm. Elliza sighed, looking around the area where they stood. Helen thought for a moment, her mind recalling knowledge she hadn't studied. But it felt like a hazy memory from long ago.
"What about just putting it on the chains?" Jenny asked. Helen stepped closer, narrowing her eyes to study the spell in more detail. There was no connection to an outside stand of any kind from what she could see, and the magic seemed to only surround the links.
"It's a good a theory as any." Helen surmised. Matthew made a small cut into Elliza's paw, holding it over the chains and dropping her sapphire blood onto the metal. Nothing happened for a moment until the metal absorbed the blood and began to rust as if years passed within seconds. With a tug by Jack, the chains broke, leaving nothing but the ice.
Matthew hefted the Mole of Gold from his back once more, setting it on the ground while waiting for Jenny and Jack to form a triangular position around Aufheben. Jenny pulled her bow tight against the sinews, gathering mana at the tip of the arrow. Jack focused the Ruby crystal power around his fists, shaking as he forced it around his hands, making his forearms swell. Matthew hauled up the giant square faced hammer, readying a powerful strike as he swung the hammer around himself for momentum. Aufheben began to shiver in anticipation as she counted down for everyone.
"On three: one… two… three!" The thunderous sound of all three attacks hitting made the ground shake. Cracks spread through the ice from the contact points. Aufheben struggled to get free from her icy shackles until, at last, the ice broke away, becoming lost in the deep snow. The sharp cold wind cut into Aufheben as she stepped onto the snow. Quickly Helen wrapped her leather cloak around her while holding a small flame in her hand to warm her further.
"Come on, we'd better her back to town before she freezes," Helen stated, noting that her shoes weren't designed for any kind of cold. Aufheben quickly reached up and stopped her before they left.
"Wait, I f-f-feel I owe you something as a th-th-thanks." She shivered. Jack shook his head.
"Not now. We can figure that out once we get you out of the cold." He commanded. Before long, the group was sitting comfortably around a large fire pit inside the mage Alcaster's house, where they were given hot bowls of red bean soup. While the cold melted away from Aufheben's body, she told them the tale of how she had come to this time and her home back in the future where Oberon now ruled.
"Sounds like we need to get you home as soon as possible," Jack commented, busily slurping the last of his fourth bowl down his throat.
"Yes, concerning that. Without a Timekeeper's Stopwatch, I wouldn't be able to go back." Aufheben explained, making her ruby eyes darken with disappointment.
"Time Keeper's Stopwatch?" Lillianne asked. She had heard legends about the Time Gate but never believed they were real.
"Yes. In my time, there is only one such watch. It is a relic from the days of Olde Sapp, the world before Ossyria. Without it, I would have to pay a toll to the Gate Keeper, Nexus. I don't understand it fully, but that is what I know from the captain's scout." Jenny put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure we will be able to find a way to get you back to where you need to go."
"Even if we could find a way to get you back home, you might need our help. We all would need those stopwatches." Helen suggested. Aufheben nodded her thanks, but still, her thoughts were on the time she was from. What had happened to Asia and Dunas after she had been sent back in time?
"So they managed to free her after all," Eleanor said with a slight tone of surprise. She sauntered to the crystal before the Black Mage.
"Is it still going to be a problem now that they have freed her?" she asked, looking up at the Mage while the corners of her ruby lips turned upwards in an alluring smile. The Mage narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slowly while holding up his hand as an image of Nexus appeared within the flame on his palm.
"Ah, I see; Nexus is the one preventing her passage. Even if she does manage to return to her time, it's too late to prevent anything." Eleanor continued smoothly as The Mage turned his attention to the Pixie Father. Hundreds of Pixies began to swarm all of Orbis, making the stone walkways flex and crack under the weight. The clouds and levi-stones holding the city up were no longer able to support such weight.
"City in clouds fall?" Ergoth asked, stepping into the chamber timidly. The last time he had come, his life had been threatened. The Mage turned to him, hissing whispers filling his ears for a moment as he approached.
"I agree with the master; Orbis will never fall. Sooner or later, that old witch Spiruna will send for the children, and everything will be made right again." Eleanor replied when she sensed that The Mage seemed annoyed.
"That woman? She move once master's return?" Ergoth pointed out. Angry but quiet whispers filled the room for a few moments as The Mage lowered his gaze to the crystal, his eyes narrowing in agitation.
"Shall I go and stop her endless predictions?" Eleanor asked, instead met with The Mage's whispers, halting her eager want to be out of the castle. There was still the matter of the Pixie Father, and he had been a thorn in The Mage's side for centuries. Turning to Eleanor, his eyes and whispers seemed to grin.
"I am yours to command master; what is it you would have me do?" Eleanor answered. The Mage then pointed to a dark section of his throne room as whispers arose once more.
"A potion? In addition to clothes?" Eleanor inquired, walking to the darkened part of the room. The Mage nodded, explaining his mission to her while throwing his hand forward, summoning a bench with various ingredients and schematics strewn across it. As The Mage mixed a potion, Eleanor changed into the set of clothes waiting for her. However, it proved more difficult than she was prepared for, as the sky blue halter and skirt hugging her well-endowed figure tightly.
"Is the potion ready?" Eleanor asked, feeling a bit light-headed. The Mage turned back to her, holding out a vial as she again adjusted the top, trying to keep her bust covered.
"How did she ever wear something like this? It's tiny!" Eleanor complained. The Mage growled in his throat as he held the potion out to her, which she grabbed from and turned to leave, stopping when whispers filled the air around her.
"I would be honored to complete another mission when I return." She said before disappearing in a plume of black aura.
"Alcaster! Let me in! Alcaster! Alcaster!" a woman's dry voice called a voice through the door, sounding frantic as she banged on the door faster and faster.
"Calm down, you old crone. I'm coming." Alcaster said in a dry voice, pulling the bar from the door and allowing an old woman to stumble into the house.
"What took you so long? It's a matter of great urgency!" the woman spat. Alcaster's bushy white eyebrows made his gentle blue eyes disappear as he lowered them.
"Does it have something to do with Orbis falling out of the sky if nothing is done?" Alcaster asked, setting both of his hands on the top of his cane.
"Yes, but this time it is not a prophecy; it really is going to fall! The Pixie Father is overrunning Orbis with his children! The streets are cracking, the clouds are dispersing, and the levi-stones can no longer keep the massive weight in the air! At this rate, Orbis will fall!" Alcaster looked back to the seven seated around his table, walking grimly to it while leaning on his staff as he walked.
"How am I to know that this isn't another one of your attempts to have some unfortunate travelers come to act as your own personal gardeners to keep the pixies away from your rutabagas?" Alcaster asked as he slumped into a chair. The old woman was about to answer when a loud thud came from outside. Lillianne bolted to the window, where her eyes became wide in surprise and pointing out.
"I think she's right this time, Alcaster. A stone from Orbis's streets just hit the ground." She explained, making the others around the table become worried while Alcaster looked around the room at their young faces.
"Guardians, you have heard what Spiruna has said. I ask you, will you stop this overrunning of the Palace City of Orbis?" looking from one to another, they seemed to ask the question telepathically between them. Lillianne smiled as Matthew nodded to her.
"We'll go. Orbis is Minerva's only remaining monument." Lillianne stated, walking to the door and donning her leather cloak as the others did the same.
"I'll go with you; you might need some extra hands," Aufheben said as she stood and reached for her Plasma great sword on her hip. Jenny put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
"No, Aufheben. We need you to stay here in case something causes the pixies to come down." Aufheben sighed; she had wanted to see what the Guardians of this time were like since she had only met the powerful, older versions of them in her present. Nodding reluctantly, she stood with Alcaster as the six of them left for the tower once again, climbing the many stairs and rope ladders to the overrun Orbis with Alden and Elliza close behind.
Finally, they reached to top after battling their way through walls of stellar, lunar, and solar pixies along the way. Olsen elected himself to look at the situation outside of the tower since his abilities allowed him to remain unseen. Quietly he crept through the city, being sure not to brush against any of the thousands of pixies littering the area and be discovered.
Hundreds floated around the city, making target practice out of columns or turning older buildings into rubble. If Olsen looked at the city right, he could almost see the center bowing down. He continued to slink through the city until he came to the Guild Hall, where many more pixies seemed to be standing guard rather than just playing around.
"That must be where the Pixie Father is: it only makes sense to have the most valuable thing protected the most heavily." Quietly and quickly, he returned to the tower where the others were waiting for his report.
"So what did you find?" Matthew asked. Jenny stood as a guard near the entrance of the tower, bow loaded and at the ready.
"It's not good; the center of the city is bowing. I managed to make it to the Guild Hall where I think the Pixie Father is keeping residence." Matthew nodded his head, trying to think up a plan but coming up with nothing that sounded like a good idea except for one.
"If we're going to make it through that swarm of pixies, it needs to fast and heavy. Helen, what would their attacks be considered? Magical or Physical?" Helen thought for a moment.
"I think they would by a physical attack; their magic is used to summon the attack." Matthew nodded, thinking over an attack plan when Jenny started whispering in hisses.
"Quiet! Troops coming!" Quickly they sank into the shadows, pressing themselves against the wall to try and remain as hidden as possible. Three ghost pixies came into the rooms, mechanically looking around and then returning outside to their duties of patrolling the city. Matthew knelt down to a patch of dust on the floor.
"Ok, I have a plan. Lilli, how long does it take for you to charge that ice attack you used when the clone attacked us?" Lillianne shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know; it's different for each beast I face. With these small fries, it should be no longer then about ten seconds or so. But that was just a half-hearted try back then." Matthew nodded and took a breath before beginning, laying out his plan in full, marking out positions in the dust.
"Alright: here's my plan. I'll go out first and use my solar scythe to cut down as many as I can. Once that's done, Jack can provide cover from the front while Jenny and Olsen cover from the high ground on the sides."
"I believe there are columns stable enough to provide a good vantage point along the sides." Olsen interjected, pointing to areas on their 'map'.
"Good. If you two want to go ahead, you can. Helen, I'm going to need you to amplify Lillianne's attack as much as you can. We're only going to get one surprise attack, so we need to take out as many as we can before they start summoning things." Everyone nodded, signifying understanding.
Olsen and Jenny slunk out of the tower, quickly making their way to the columns with Alden right on Jenny's heels. Matthew took off his cloak and was about to wrap it around his arm when the words 'Pensez et donc il est' caught his eye while strange echoing voices pulsed in his head.
"What the heck does that mean?" he thought, looking closer at the words as something in the back of his mind began catching. The words blurred, rearranging themselves into English letters spelling 'think; therefore it is.' Matthew thought back to the incident when he and Olsen had faced off against King Clang and how Olsen's cloak changed into heat resistant shoes.
He closed his eyes, thinking of a shield when the cloak dissipated into fragments of light, surrounding his arm like a golden bracer. Matthew's face fell in disappointment: this wasn't at all what he was thinking of. But since he had no idea how to change it back just yet, he ignored it when a woman's pleasant voice rolled into his mind.
"You have created one of three new forms the Golden Gaia of Light can take. Be warned; once a new form is chosen, it cannot be erased until it is passed on to another. Be mindful of your choices." The voice said, disappearing as quickly as it had come. Matthew shook his head to rid himself of the dizzy feeling, concentrating on the task at hand. He looked for Olsen and Jenny, who signaled that they were ready.
"Alright, here we go." He breathed, looking to the other three, who nodded as Matthew drew his Katar, holding his left arm forward as though he were holding a shield. The sword became engulfed in a blaze of red light, growing to twice its original size as he hurled it through a left cross, unleashing a Solar Scythe that hissed through the air.
The pixies all looked back when the whistling began, only to be cut in two as the scythe ripped through hundreds of pixies, leaving a wide, body strewn path. Matthew stepped back into the tower, allowing Jack into the door, firing his gun at incoming pixies while Olsen and Jenny fired from above. Lillianne tightened her grip as Helen touched a finger to the weapon. Lillianne shivered with borrowed power from the Amethyst crystal, icicles forming on the blade.
"JACK! It's ready!" Helen shouted. Firing his last bullet, he somersaulted into the air as Lillianne hauled her heavy halberd over her head, hitting the ground with a clang. The streets of Orbis erupted into spears of ice as the massive blast surged through the wide path left by Matthew and Jack, freezing dozens of pixies solid.
"CHARGE!" shouted Jack as he landed and sprinted forward, bits of ice being flung into the air as he ran. The first pixie he approached fell victim to his hefty punch, the shock wave shattering a crowd of frozen pixies. Matthew sheathed the Katar and pulled the Mole from his back, slamming through frozen pixies while Lillianne swung in tandem with him. Olsen and Jenny continued picking off those unfrozen as their comrades pressed through the swarm.
Helen summoned powerful lightning bolts, smashing the frozen pixies into snow. Olsen was getting ready to launch into his next throw when something went sizzling past his head. Surprised, he looked down to see a sizeable pinkish violet light erupting below him, realizing that hundreds of magic circles were flowering into existence under him. Mana howled around his legs as he jumped high into the air, barely avoiding the multitude of stellar flares disintegrating the column he once stood on.
He reached for his Sais and landed beside Matthew and Lillianne, cutting down numerous pixies at their rear flank. Jenny, too, had to jump clear as lunar and solar pixies aimed their attacks at her. With a single bomb arrow, she managed to clear herself a landing place beside her friends, watching the rear flank with Olsen while Alden scratched and growled as best he could at their feet. Slowly they kept pushing through the swarm, Matthew and Lillianne punching holes through the enemy lines allowing the others to make up more ground. Matthew tripped over a body of a dead pixie, sending him headlong into an attack that was just beginning to fire. Out of reflex, he held up his left arm and watched in awe as a giant golden shield appeared from the brace. Once the attack had been deflected, it dissipated, allowing him free motion. He heaved the Mole down on the unsuspecting Pixie, squashing it like a melon.
"MATT! YOUR RIGHT!" called Olsen. Matthew pulled up his left arm again, making the golden shield appear from thin air, dissipating after a barrage of stellar flares hurled at him. After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the Guild Hall. All of them panted hard as they hid just around the corner from the mighty building. Matthew and Lillianne leaned against their weapons while Jack slumped to the ground and reloaded his pistol. Jenny wilted down beside him, both checking how many shots remained when Jenny realized that Alden had disappeared.
"How are we all doing?" panted Lillianne as she took a deep breath and stood to her full height.
"That was quite a workout. Trying to stay ahead of those little buggers is harder than it looks." Jack panted in return while Olsen nodded in agreement, spinning a Sai on his finger.
"Olsen, what happened to your arm? It looks burnt." Helen asked, walking over to him and pulling up his forearm where a bright red mark glared up at them.
"I must have been grazed when I wasn't looking," Olsen answered. Helen held her hand over the wound for a moment as a green glow surrounded his arm, healing it within a few seconds. Alden appeared from around the corner, walking up to Helen and standing on his haunches, gently pawing at her hand.
"Alden, there you are," Jenny exclaimed as she stifled a laugh watching him paw at Helen's hand.
"Yes, Alden?" she asked, leaning down and picking up the cub. When he was about eye level with her, Alden squirmed and pushed until his head touched hers. Instantly Helen was thrown into some sort of vision, watching Alden's recent memories as he ran up to the Guild Hall and peered in through a window to see the Pixie Father running to and fro as though making preparations for something. Just as it had begun, the vision ended, making her fall back into Jack's arms.
"You ok, Helen? Your hair and eyes were doing that same weird purple color thing when you touched Shinsoo. Was it another vision?" Jack asked. Helen nodded, telling everything that she had seen while trying to push away the strange feeling in her mind.
"If he's planning something for us, we need to act now," Jenny said, quickly pulling them all close as she explained an attack plan.
"And now for my ghost children. With the Water of Life at my disposal, I'll be able to make hundreds, no, thousands of them!" the Pixie Father laughed excitedly as he etched a few more marks into the floor of the Guild Hall. Something outside pulled his attention away for a moment, but since it didn't seem to be anything worrisome, he returned to his task until he heard it again. It almost sounded like someone knocking on the door.
"Guards? What's going on out there?" he called. When there was no response, he began to wonder, what could be going on out there? Quietly he picked up his wand, the medium for his powers, crept to the door, and slowly opened it. Cautiously he peered out through the crack, only to close it behind him and hold it shut until a mighty wind blew the door down. Lillianne was the first inside, jumping into the air and swinging down hard while fire trailed her swing. The Pixie Father quickly moved out of the way, nearly hit with a Spine Arrow, humming with green power. Before him, the Pirate Guardian rushed to him, fists glowing furiously.
As quickly as he could, he called up a spell, firing a beam of magic to counter his fist. Jack spun to the side, avoiding the attack and elbowing him in the chest, hurling the Father into the wall. Helen brushed her hand against the pouch on her belt and launched poison gasses into the air all around him, making The Father cough and spit as he stumbled from the cloud.
Once he was clear, Olsen squarely planted his fist in his forehead, sinking a greenish pink ghost into his body, making the spherical being dizzy. Matthew followed by digging the end of his fingers into The Father's gut as a black ghost rose from Matthew's back, draining the strength from him. Despite that, the Pixie Father managed to focus enough and gather his mana to fire a beam of magic upon Matthew.
The warrior pulled his left arm up, but when the shield didn't appear, he panicked and crossed his arms out of reflex. Again a metal coffin case appeared from the ground, slamming shut around Matthew with a hollow clang. The beam hit the casket, disappeared into it, then came shooting back at the father with the same intensity, hurling him into the wall. Jenny took advantage of the lull and fired arrows as quickly as possible, pinning the father's arms to the ground. Olsen appeared from thin air, hurling a shuriken at the wand as another spell wove to life on it, knocking it from his grip. Helen drove the end of her Mystic Cane into the floor. She threaded her fingers through a spell before thrusting both hands to the top of the staff. A thunderous roar of lightning leaped from the staff to the Father, where he lay pinned to the ground. Once the father was disabled, Jack pulled his Rasfelt and shoved it into his head while pulling back the hammer.
"Listen closely because I will only ask this once: why are you making so many of yourself?" Jack asked with a growl.
"Why? Why, you ask? Because we pixies are better than fairies! Minerva was nothing more than a human with wings, but we are truly magical beings. I could care less about this city! It's all just because I want to show Minerva what it truly means to be powerful!" He seethed, though it was somewhat muffled as his cheeks and lips were swollen.
"MINERVA IS DEAD!" Helen roared, holding the end of her cane in his face, violent purple flames thundering into existence around it.
"All the more reason I can do as I please! I trapped Minerva in her own statue! That right there proves that Pixies are better than fairies!"
"So you really didn't want to be the Goddess's friend. You just wanted to prove you were better than your creator!" Jack snarled, making The Father laugh heartily.
"Is that what you call her? A creator? She was nothing more than a glorified tool of destruction! Do you know how beautiful Ossyria was before her love turned against her? And now look at it! A collection of islands! And you call her a creator?!" mocked The Father. Matthew growled as he drew his Katar while stomping on his body, raising his sword high above his head. When the father realized that his life was in danger, he began pleading and begging for his life, apologizing for his earlier words. Matthew shook his head, stepping down and picking up what remained of the Father's wand.
"You're not even worth killing." Matthew sneered, handing the wand to Helen, who burned the rod to ashes in a plume of violet flames.
"NO! MY WAND! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG A BLUE WOOD WAND TAKES TO MAKE!?" the father shouted, trying to pull free of the arrows holding his arms down.
"No, and I don't care. At least now, you won't be a threat." Lillianne laughed, following the others as they began to leave.
"Wait! You can't leave me here like this!" The Father shouted. But the six of them gave no response as they headed back to the platform, where the ship that brought them was waiting. The pixies throughout the city had been substantially thinned, and it was no longer in danger. There were still a few of them lingering around, but not enough to be a threat.
"Guys, why are we here again?" Helen asked, stopping everyone from moving before Jenny answered.
"We're here… because a world needs us. The people need us to stop the Black Mage. Taking care of small matters like this may seem arduous, but we need to become stronger by any means necessary to stop him." she replied. Helen shook her head and waved her hand with a disappointed smile.
"I know why we're here in Ossyria. But why are we here in Orbis?" Helen asked. Matthew looked down on the ground and smiled when he saw a white petal from a Snow rose skitter across the cobbled road, blown by a gentle breeze.
"We came here to remember Keeny." He said softly, picking up the petal and walking back to the Cemetery of Fairies with everyone following him, paying their respects properly before leaving to Herb Town once again.
The Pixie Father struggled for a while, trying to free his arms, but with every move he made, the sting of the arrows would stop him. As he resigned himself to his fate, a familiar voice arose outside the hall.
"Oh, you poor thing, here, let me help you," it said. The Father looked up as best he could to see, his eyes becoming wide with disbelief.
"M-M-Minerva! How? When? Why are you alive? The Guardians said you were dead!"
"Then the story they heard was wrong; I am very much alive. I've just been in hiding until my power returns." She said, reaching down and tenderly pulling the arrows from his arms, helping the bewildered and downtrodden pixie upright. Her golden hair flowed down her shoulders to the middle of her back, while the right side of her bangs nearly reached the floor. The light blue halter and skirt she wore gently embraced her athletic body and flowed effortlessly over it. The light in her deep blue eyes was soft, just like her skin, while her gentle face smiled, her pale pink lips glistening in the light that came from the doorway.
"I've come here to tell you that I've been a fool; it wasn't Corus that I loved. It was you: all these years, I've been keeping my true feelings at bay." She said, kneeling down and pressing herself against him.
"Please, can you ever forgive my actions in the past and take me to be yours forever?" the Pixie Father was stupefied: Minerva asking to be his lover? Maybe this is what he had wanted all along, not to destroy her or prove he was better.
"Yes, Minerva, I forgive you," he said, putting his stubby arm around her shoulders.
"Good, because you'll be able to see me every day!" her tone became dark and menacing when something plunged into his chest. The one he had thought to be Minerva held out her arm as a sword of pure magic was driven through his heart.
"Finally, I get to kill you!" Eleanor said as she dissipated the sword and then pushed him away with a blast of concentrated mana.
"You have been a thorn in the Black Wing's side since I can remember, even longer to The Black Mage. And now, you are no longer a problem." She hissed as the Pixie Father slowly slumped to the ground while the strange bluish-black blood oozed from the wound. Eleanor dispelled the potion, her body filling out the clothes once more into her curvy figure. Whispers filled the room for a moment as an image of The Mage appeared beside her.
"Yes, Master, it is done." She replied happily. The Mage nodded his approval, the image disappearing as his mana golem dissipated. Quietly, The Mage walked into the gauntlet room, looking over the whirring machines. Three husks were found, and only one remained; no doubt it would be the hardest to find. It retrieval would complete stage one of the Oblivion Gauntlet, and once it was complete, he would only need to wait for the children to gain their full power.
