By the time the bus reached their stop, Drake and Erika had both fallen asleep on the bus, and jolted awake when they felt the vehicle lurch to a halt to let people off. They got up and walked off the bus, which let them off just two blocks from Erika's house.
"So...your house, or mine?" asked Erika
"Well, we're closer to yours...but it's your choice. It's been a long day...we should get somewhere and rest up a bit." said Drake
"My house it is, then." beamed Erika, leading the way.
Upon entering Erika's house, they both did a quick check for signs of life before settling into the living room and plopping down on the couch. Erika procured a book seemingly from thin air and Drake sat, stroking her hair while she read. "So," she started "When do you wanna tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" asked Erika
"What do you mean? About today, with Triton and all?" asked Drake
"Exactly." said Erika "Fill me in on what happened after that vile woman and Fern attacked me."
"So you noticed it was her, did you?" he started "Well, Triton took us to his...place, and then he told me all about Pos..er, Neptune, and where we can find him. He doesn't know where Zeus is...but Neptune should. I think they have some sort of system where only one other one of them knows their location...like, they all know where they are, and the location of one other...and you have to track them all down to find them all."
"Well...where is Neptune then?"
"Apparently, he's in or near Lake Okeechobee." said Drake, amused.
"Hmmm, well, he is supposed to be the god of water." she said
"Technically, the sea...but water is more accurate." Drake said. "But this makes it a lot easier for us to find him...being that Okee is only like 2 hours away...depending on the route you take."
"I wouldn't know...I've never been anywhere near there."
"Well, I've got a few friends there...they used to live around here but they moved to the lake area when their dad opened a new branch of the family business...a boating shop."
"Well that's cool...you can just say you're going to visit them, so your parents won't suspect anything, right?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking...but what about you?"
"I'll just say I'm going to the lake with some friends for the weekend or something...my parents don't really care too much about stuff like that." said Erika, droping her head a little.
Saturday came and with it brought a new adventure for Drake and Erika. Drake got the car for the weekend, his parents were gone to their high school reunion and only needed one. They headed out down I-275 and hit I-4, then went down I-75 until they found the right exit to take them across the state. It had been an hour and a half and they were still on the West coast, so Erika was getting a little impatient.
"I thought you said it's only like 2 hours to the lake?" she said
"Relax, Erika...it's been an hour and a half and we've covered most of the ground...but ti might be 2 and a half hours...depending on the traffic along the main roads."
Sure enough, an hour later, They were parked on the shore of the lake, looking out and taking in the sights. The lake sparkled in the sunlight, nearly blinding Drake when he stepped out from behind the tinted windows of the Highlander.
"So, where do you think he is?" asked Drake
"No idea...he could be anyone...anywhere. You remember how Triton was disguised, right?"
"True...hey, there's an old man in a fishing boat out in the middle of the lake...you see him?" asked Erika.
"Yeah...you think that could be him?"
"I think there's a good chance." she said, just as a young couple jogged past them, the man wearing a blue wetsuit and the girl in a skimpy bikini that looked like the "how to wash" tag was the biggest piece of material on it. They kept going a few yards and came to a stop at the lake's edge, where the girl sat down on a blanket and he picked up a rope cuff off the beach and strapped it to himself, then hauled the windsurfing board off the beach and into the water, where he took off and headed towards the center of the lake.
Drake and Erika walked along the beach a while, they ahd dressed appropriately with shorts and T-shirts with their swimsuits underneath. Flipflops clacking in the sand, they trudged along the edge of the lake, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious and trying to get a better look at the old man in the rowboat. They finally got out of the direct sunlight when they approached the North side of the lake, after a half hour's walk. Suddenly, Drake stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" asked Erika
"Well, I was just looking out there and I saw that windsurfer again...but I realized...there's no wind today. I know for sure there was no wind by the shore when we first saw him...his sail didn't even blow or anything." said Drake pointedly.
"Yeah...I guess, but we don't know about out on the lake...there's bound to be some wind."
"Yeah, maybe...but I know there wasn't any before...did he seem at all odd to you?"
"Well...He looked young...but he looked old for his age, if that makes sense."
"Exactly what I was thinking...he looks younger than he probably is...like, a lot younger. I'm beginning to think that the old man is just that...an old fisherman who likes it out on the lake." said Drake
"You might have a point...maybe we should try and talk to him...see if we can pick up on anything." said Erika, turning around.
"Yeah," said Drake, following and heading back towards the car. "I'll keep an eye on him, hopefully he'll be near the shore when we get there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But why would they come here, Belinka? I don't see anything remotely important looking here...it looks like they're just here to goof off and frolic in the sun." said Fern, looking out from her high collared jacket.
The radio pipped back 'I'm not one hundred percent sure either, Fern...but I know something important is in the area...I just don't know what."
Fern glanced abck at Drake and Erika, they had turned around. "They're turned around...looks like they're going back to the car."
"Well, looks like you should move in closer." said Belinka over the radio
Fern palmed the oar and started rowing, her fishing line trailing behind her boat. She noticed the windsurfer make another pass by her. He seemed to have some sort of fascination with Fern, or at least she thought so. "Odd...there's no wind out here right now...how is he moving so fast?" she mumbled to herself while continuing to row.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, look, the old man is heading in to shore too, it looks like. I guess we might be able to get two birds with one stone, eh?" said Erika
"Yeah, I guess...have you noticed that the wurfer keeps circling past the boat? It's like he's keeping an eye on him." said Drake
"Yeah, I saw that...weird. Maybe they know each other or something."
Right about the time they got within shouting distance of the surfer's girlfriend, they noticed that he was heading for shore too. He pulled up on the beach right as they got about 20 feet away. Drake decided to make his move.
"Hey! Excuse me, sir...how's the wind out there? We were thinking of going out there later on if the wind's decent." asked Drake
The man stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and looked Drake dead in the eye, then looked at Erika. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw Erika. "Well, the wind's starting to die down right now...it might nto be a good time to go out there, or you could get stuck." he said. "I haven't seen you two around here before...new in town?" he asked them
"Well, we're from out of town, actually, visiting some friends of his." said Erika, nodding at Drake.
"Ah, whereabouts might you be from, then?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"Err, we're from Tampa, just drove down today." said Drake
The man thought a second, then stepped in closer, where his girlfriend couldn't hear.
"Did my son send you to see me, kids?" he asked
END CH 23
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Chapter 22: The Real Ice Palace
Triton Lead Drake into the room and walked over to the couch. "Set her down on the couch," he said, sitting down "we can talk while she's out. Yes, she'll be fine," he said, reading the worried look on Drake's face "she's just unconscious and she had a small concussion."
"A concussion?! You call that fine?" said Drake, alarmed. He set her down on the couch and sat next to her, propping her head up in his lap.
"Well, if it weren't for her crystal, sure, she would have been injured pretty badly." said Triton
"What do you mean?" asked Drake
"Well, I figured you knew by now." he said, bemused. "The crystals all imbue their Bearers with special abilities, rather, abilities other than those aligned with their respective elements. most, if not all of the crystals grant a certain degree of health benefits, such as healing a little faster and such, but one of the key exploits of the Water crystal is that it has fantastic healing powers, able to extend out to another person. More than likely, that immense power is working subconsciously to heal her from the inside out."
"Whoa, that's pretty cool. What about mine?" asked Drake
"Well, you would heal a little faster, probably shown by the fact that those explosions didn't even appear to phase you at all. Any damage you took on the outside was healed extremely fast, or you didn't take any at all. Your crystal specifically has a special ability; you are impervious to life-threatening wounds." he said, with a grave look on his face.
"And is that bad?" asked Drake, seeing the look on Triton's aged face.
"Well, in the past this has lead to a certain arrogance in the Bearers of the Thunder crystals... Many Bearers before you have lost their lives because of overconfidence in their abilities. You see, you're immune to life-threatening wounds...those woulds that would surely kill you, such as a massive wound to the heart, or being in an explosion so massive and terrifying that it would literally obliterate every cell in your body."
Drake let that last part sink in for a moment. "So, I'm immune to severe injuries, like they won't affect me at all? What about minor injuries like cuts and scrapes?"
"Here lies the downside... you can still receive those types of injuries as you could before. This is how many of your predecessors met their downfall. They figured they were impervious to all attack and ignored all of their small wounds...those wounds which ultimately claimed their lives." said Triton.
"I can definitely see how that could happen." said Drake "But I'm determined to not meet the same end of all the others, though. I have knowledge on my side."
The Ice Lord merely nodded and glanced at Erika.
"So, I take it you're either seeking me out for training, or for information...which is it?" Triton asked.
"Well," said Drake "We're primarily trying to find your uncle and father, I guess. Erika and I need training, but with the masters of our own elements. Although, it would be nice to know where or how to find you if we ever meet up with the person with the Ice crystal."
"Hmm, firstly, the Bearer of Ice probably won't make it here for quite some time...he's only just received his crystal today."
"How do you know that?" asked Drake
"I can always keep track of the Ice crystals, Drake. I was the one who created the original, and the pieces are still linked to me, though the bond has grown slightly weaker with time and distance. If you'd like, I could give you his information to give to Beschermer...I'm sure it would help him out greatly." Triton paused. "Anyway, moving on to the other issue at hand. Zeus and Neptune will be tricky to track down... they like to move around a lot, being the lords of the skies and seas... they have plenty of room to roam about. I would suggest going to Neptune first, as I can help you in locating him more than I can with Zeus. Neptune being my father, I always have a way to contact him if I need to."
"That's what we were hoping, at least for Neptune. So, do you know where he is now?" asked Drake
"Oddly enough, he's vacationing away from the sea at the moment. He's in some lake south of here...the big one. I was never good with names of places."
"Okeechobee?" asked Drake, excited.
"Yeah, that's the one...weird name, but it's memorable, I suppose."
"That's good...I have a friend down in Okeechobee, I know the area fairly well."
"Good, good...I assume that once she's back on her feet, Erika will be of use there in the water...she should be able to find him pretty quickly. Now, unfortunately, I can't be of much help with Zeus, Drake...I know his last known location...but that was fifty years ago."
"And you think he will have moved since then, eh?" asked Drake
"Most definitely...he likes to change locations every decade or so...sometimes even a few years. I can tell you where, but I honestly don't think it will help."
"Nah...that's fine. I'm sure Neptune might be able to help us when we find him...he might have a more current location."
Another hour went by and Erika slowly roused, the crystal had healed her completely and during their conversation, Drake heard faint sounds of Erika's light snoring. "Morning, sunshine...have a nice nap?" asked Drake from his position next to Erika.
Yawning, she sat up and placed her body against his, putting her head on his chest. "Yeah, except the dream about Fern and this other...person." she said
"Well, it wasn't a dream...you got knocked out and Triton brought us here to his um...lair?"
"I prefer to call it the true Ice Palace, Drake." said Triton, seemingly appearing out of thin air behind them
"I already got all the information and all we need from Triton, we can go as soon as you feel up to traveling. It'll be dark soon and we need to get home." Drake said
"A-Alright." she said, still yawning. "Will we be seeing you again soon, Triton?" asked Erika
"Well, I suspect you'll probably be the ones to bring the Ice Bearer here once you've located him...so let's just say 'see you then.' " he said
Drake and Erika rose off the couch and walked to the stairs and on up out into the sunshine of Tampa Bay. The door closed behind them and the wall sealed up. No one would be able to tell anything was there unless they already knew about it.
"Well, back on the bus, I suppose. I'll fill you in once we get back home...you look beat. Go ahead and sleep on the bus, it's a short ride back anyways." said Drake
"Mmk." said Erika, getting in line to get on the bus that had just pulled up. "Just don't you fall sleep too, or we'll miss the stop." she said, grinning. She knew that even if they missed the stop, that'd just be more time for her to sleep in his arms.
"A concussion?! You call that fine?" said Drake, alarmed. He set her down on the couch and sat next to her, propping her head up in his lap.
"Well, if it weren't for her crystal, sure, she would have been injured pretty badly." said Triton
"What do you mean?" asked Drake
"Well, I figured you knew by now." he said, bemused. "The crystals all imbue their Bearers with special abilities, rather, abilities other than those aligned with their respective elements. most, if not all of the crystals grant a certain degree of health benefits, such as healing a little faster and such, but one of the key exploits of the Water crystal is that it has fantastic healing powers, able to extend out to another person. More than likely, that immense power is working subconsciously to heal her from the inside out."
"Whoa, that's pretty cool. What about mine?" asked Drake
"Well, you would heal a little faster, probably shown by the fact that those explosions didn't even appear to phase you at all. Any damage you took on the outside was healed extremely fast, or you didn't take any at all. Your crystal specifically has a special ability; you are impervious to life-threatening wounds." he said, with a grave look on his face.
"And is that bad?" asked Drake, seeing the look on Triton's aged face.
"Well, in the past this has lead to a certain arrogance in the Bearers of the Thunder crystals... Many Bearers before you have lost their lives because of overconfidence in their abilities. You see, you're immune to life-threatening wounds...those woulds that would surely kill you, such as a massive wound to the heart, or being in an explosion so massive and terrifying that it would literally obliterate every cell in your body."
Drake let that last part sink in for a moment. "So, I'm immune to severe injuries, like they won't affect me at all? What about minor injuries like cuts and scrapes?"
"Here lies the downside... you can still receive those types of injuries as you could before. This is how many of your predecessors met their downfall. They figured they were impervious to all attack and ignored all of their small wounds...those wounds which ultimately claimed their lives." said Triton.
"I can definitely see how that could happen." said Drake "But I'm determined to not meet the same end of all the others, though. I have knowledge on my side."
The Ice Lord merely nodded and glanced at Erika.
"So, I take it you're either seeking me out for training, or for information...which is it?" Triton asked.
"Well," said Drake "We're primarily trying to find your uncle and father, I guess. Erika and I need training, but with the masters of our own elements. Although, it would be nice to know where or how to find you if we ever meet up with the person with the Ice crystal."
"Hmm, firstly, the Bearer of Ice probably won't make it here for quite some time...he's only just received his crystal today."
"How do you know that?" asked Drake
"I can always keep track of the Ice crystals, Drake. I was the one who created the original, and the pieces are still linked to me, though the bond has grown slightly weaker with time and distance. If you'd like, I could give you his information to give to Beschermer...I'm sure it would help him out greatly." Triton paused. "Anyway, moving on to the other issue at hand. Zeus and Neptune will be tricky to track down... they like to move around a lot, being the lords of the skies and seas... they have plenty of room to roam about. I would suggest going to Neptune first, as I can help you in locating him more than I can with Zeus. Neptune being my father, I always have a way to contact him if I need to."
"That's what we were hoping, at least for Neptune. So, do you know where he is now?" asked Drake
"Oddly enough, he's vacationing away from the sea at the moment. He's in some lake south of here...the big one. I was never good with names of places."
"Okeechobee?" asked Drake, excited.
"Yeah, that's the one...weird name, but it's memorable, I suppose."
"That's good...I have a friend down in Okeechobee, I know the area fairly well."
"Good, good...I assume that once she's back on her feet, Erika will be of use there in the water...she should be able to find him pretty quickly. Now, unfortunately, I can't be of much help with Zeus, Drake...I know his last known location...but that was fifty years ago."
"And you think he will have moved since then, eh?" asked Drake
"Most definitely...he likes to change locations every decade or so...sometimes even a few years. I can tell you where, but I honestly don't think it will help."
"Nah...that's fine. I'm sure Neptune might be able to help us when we find him...he might have a more current location."
Another hour went by and Erika slowly roused, the crystal had healed her completely and during their conversation, Drake heard faint sounds of Erika's light snoring. "Morning, sunshine...have a nice nap?" asked Drake from his position next to Erika.
Yawning, she sat up and placed her body against his, putting her head on his chest. "Yeah, except the dream about Fern and this other...person." she said
"Well, it wasn't a dream...you got knocked out and Triton brought us here to his um...lair?"
"I prefer to call it the true Ice Palace, Drake." said Triton, seemingly appearing out of thin air behind them
"I already got all the information and all we need from Triton, we can go as soon as you feel up to traveling. It'll be dark soon and we need to get home." Drake said
"A-Alright." she said, still yawning. "Will we be seeing you again soon, Triton?" asked Erika
"Well, I suspect you'll probably be the ones to bring the Ice Bearer here once you've located him...so let's just say 'see you then.' " he said
Drake and Erika rose off the couch and walked to the stairs and on up out into the sunshine of Tampa Bay. The door closed behind them and the wall sealed up. No one would be able to tell anything was there unless they already knew about it.
"Well, back on the bus, I suppose. I'll fill you in once we get back home...you look beat. Go ahead and sleep on the bus, it's a short ride back anyways." said Drake
"Mmk." said Erika, getting in line to get on the bus that had just pulled up. "Just don't you fall sleep too, or we'll miss the stop." she said, grinning. She knew that even if they missed the stop, that'd just be more time for her to sleep in his arms.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Chapter 21: Follow Your Dreams
Drake dodged her first blow, grabbing her ankle and sending a small jolt of electricity into her leg. That seemed to put her temporarily out of commission, and Drake started running down the street, trying to get to Erika. A jet of flame shot past him and he saw Fern standing up, bracing her left leg. "You'll pay for that!" she screamed, then erupted in flames and ran towards Drake at full throttle.
Drake's eyes widened and he shot a bolt of lightning at her, which bounced of the superheated flames of her shield. She was gaining on him fast, so he figured there was nothing to lose. He formed two intense balls of energy in his hands and combined them, then shot them back at Fern with all his might. the flame and electricity collided and produced yet another massive explosion. Holy Moses! Drake thought. I don't see how she coulda survived that!
He kept on running as the heat from the explosion caught up with him and knocked him down, knocking the wind out of him. The explosion had sucked up all the oxygen in the immediate area, including the oxygen in Drake's lungs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika was running for her life. She was so intent on running that she didn't notice the root in front of her feet and she tripped and fell, just as she reached another hill. The flying object was now closing in again, the gap was shortening every second. She came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, wedged up against a rock and a log. The fire was right above her now, and she could feel the heat.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" chortled a voice from the fire. "I have you now, little miss disappear. I don't know how you managed to get away the last time, but your little friend isn't here to protect you now. I took care of him personally." the voice said, chuckling to itself at the end.
"Wh- Who are you?!" Erika screamed. She had no idea what she meant by her getting away, and her 'little friend' protecting her, but she didn't care right now. "What do you want from me?!"
"Oh you know what I want... Why else would someone like me be chasing you? I want that pretty little crystal around your neck. It's either that, or I just kill you and then I get it anyways...your choice." said the voice with an icy tone.
"What do you mean, 'someone like you?' Do you have-" she started.
"No, foolish girl, I'm not a Spirit Bearer. And no, I can't kill you, not yet. I was hoping it would scare you into giving up." said the voice, still shrouded in flames.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake recovered from the explosion in a few seconds and looked to where Erika had been. She was at the bottom of the hill against a large rock. Whoever else it was with Fern had cornered her and was getting ready to attack. "Oh hell no you don't!" screamed Drake, and scrounged up the most powerful shot he had ever made before, throwing it at the flaming attacker. He then took his lightning and used it to propel himself at Erika, just in time to block the light from the explosion and take most of the hit.
Whatever it was attacking her was gone with the explosion, and Drake was left there on the edge of a crater, still smoldering and smoking, crouched over with the wind knocked out of him again. Drake looked down at Erika and saw her unconscious, the wind getting knocked out of her had been the last straw on top of her exhaustion.
"Erika, please wake up. Please be okay!" he yelled.
"She will be fine, she's only unconscious. But we must get the two of you to safety. Please follow me, Drake." said an aged voice from behind them.
Drake turned around and saw the old man from before, standing there with his hand outstretched to grab Drake's. He took it and stood up, then bent down and hoisted Erika into his arms. "Lord Triton, I presume?" he asked, his voice strained.
"Indeed, child. Now we must get the two of you to safety...I'll take you to where I come to rest when I'm here. We'll talk there where we won't be overheard." said Triton
"Alright...where is that?" asked Drake
"The entrance is over there, behind the Palace." he said, pointing to the Forum.
"So I was right...you liked it when ti was the Ice Palace, huh?" asked Drake, walking towards the Forum.
Triton chuckled. "Yes, I did quite like the name...made me feel more at home there. I used to go there in the middle of the night and lounge around on the ice for a bit...but then security got tight and I've had to be more creative about how I get in." he said
They arrived at the rear entrance of the ice palace and there was just a wall where Triton stopped, nothing special at all about it, right? Wrong. Triton stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a key chain that looked like a small fork. it grew to the size of a hockey stick and became a crystalline, frozen trident. He raised it in the air and the wall split open to reveal a stairwell. "This will probably be the last time I use this place...technology i getting better and it's only a matter of time until they find this." he said.
Triton's Trident lit the way and Drake followed him down a few flights of stairs. They came out into a dark hallway which led down a ways with a light at the end. The light was a crystal at a doorway with an Ice Crystal painted on it. Triton opened the door and they walked into a fantastic room lit with crystals. It looked like a Throne room, only it was smaller and where the throne would be, there was a wraparound couch set in an alcove.
"Welcome," said Trident "to the real Ice Palace."
Drake's eyes widened and he shot a bolt of lightning at her, which bounced of the superheated flames of her shield. She was gaining on him fast, so he figured there was nothing to lose. He formed two intense balls of energy in his hands and combined them, then shot them back at Fern with all his might. the flame and electricity collided and produced yet another massive explosion. Holy Moses! Drake thought. I don't see how she coulda survived that!
He kept on running as the heat from the explosion caught up with him and knocked him down, knocking the wind out of him. The explosion had sucked up all the oxygen in the immediate area, including the oxygen in Drake's lungs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika was running for her life. She was so intent on running that she didn't notice the root in front of her feet and she tripped and fell, just as she reached another hill. The flying object was now closing in again, the gap was shortening every second. She came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, wedged up against a rock and a log. The fire was right above her now, and she could feel the heat.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" chortled a voice from the fire. "I have you now, little miss disappear. I don't know how you managed to get away the last time, but your little friend isn't here to protect you now. I took care of him personally." the voice said, chuckling to itself at the end.
"Wh- Who are you?!" Erika screamed. She had no idea what she meant by her getting away, and her 'little friend' protecting her, but she didn't care right now. "What do you want from me?!"
"Oh you know what I want... Why else would someone like me be chasing you? I want that pretty little crystal around your neck. It's either that, or I just kill you and then I get it anyways...your choice." said the voice with an icy tone.
"What do you mean, 'someone like you?' Do you have-" she started.
"No, foolish girl, I'm not a Spirit Bearer. And no, I can't kill you, not yet. I was hoping it would scare you into giving up." said the voice, still shrouded in flames.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake recovered from the explosion in a few seconds and looked to where Erika had been. She was at the bottom of the hill against a large rock. Whoever else it was with Fern had cornered her and was getting ready to attack. "Oh hell no you don't!" screamed Drake, and scrounged up the most powerful shot he had ever made before, throwing it at the flaming attacker. He then took his lightning and used it to propel himself at Erika, just in time to block the light from the explosion and take most of the hit.
Whatever it was attacking her was gone with the explosion, and Drake was left there on the edge of a crater, still smoldering and smoking, crouched over with the wind knocked out of him again. Drake looked down at Erika and saw her unconscious, the wind getting knocked out of her had been the last straw on top of her exhaustion.
"Erika, please wake up. Please be okay!" he yelled.
"She will be fine, she's only unconscious. But we must get the two of you to safety. Please follow me, Drake." said an aged voice from behind them.
Drake turned around and saw the old man from before, standing there with his hand outstretched to grab Drake's. He took it and stood up, then bent down and hoisted Erika into his arms. "Lord Triton, I presume?" he asked, his voice strained.
"Indeed, child. Now we must get the two of you to safety...I'll take you to where I come to rest when I'm here. We'll talk there where we won't be overheard." said Triton
"Alright...where is that?" asked Drake
"The entrance is over there, behind the Palace." he said, pointing to the Forum.
"So I was right...you liked it when ti was the Ice Palace, huh?" asked Drake, walking towards the Forum.
Triton chuckled. "Yes, I did quite like the name...made me feel more at home there. I used to go there in the middle of the night and lounge around on the ice for a bit...but then security got tight and I've had to be more creative about how I get in." he said
They arrived at the rear entrance of the ice palace and there was just a wall where Triton stopped, nothing special at all about it, right? Wrong. Triton stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a key chain that looked like a small fork. it grew to the size of a hockey stick and became a crystalline, frozen trident. He raised it in the air and the wall split open to reveal a stairwell. "This will probably be the last time I use this place...technology i getting better and it's only a matter of time until they find this." he said.
Triton's Trident lit the way and Drake followed him down a few flights of stairs. They came out into a dark hallway which led down a ways with a light at the end. The light was a crystal at a doorway with an Ice Crystal painted on it. Triton opened the door and they walked into a fantastic room lit with crystals. It looked like a Throne room, only it was smaller and where the throne would be, there was a wraparound couch set in an alcove.
"Welcome," said Trident "to the real Ice Palace."
Chapter 20: Great Ball of Fire!
After a few minutes of relaxation, Drake looked at his watch. "Whoa, if we want to go looking for him today, we should probably get going. The Ice Palace is what, half an hour drive from here?" asked Drake
"Yeah, it's about a half hour. It'll be nice if we can figure out some way to travel with our powers...like, I don't know...flying or something, that'd kick butt." Erika said
"Well, we'll work on it...and I think I might know a way to do it...but we'll talk about it later. should we drive, or take the bus? I know there's a route that's just a few minutes away from here and it goes straight to the Forum, drops of fin the parking lot."
"If it'll get us there in about the same time, sure...don't have to worry about parking." she said
A few minutes later, they were standing up from the bench at the bus stop and getting on. It would be a 40 minute ride, which was fine with them because it was close enough and they didn't have to worry about the car getting stolen or anything. Downtown Tampa and near the port can be a nasty place sometimes, especially in the late afternoon and early evening. Erika started yawning after a few minutes, and by the time they were halfway there, she had fallen asleep on Drake's shoulder.
Upon arrival at the Forum, Drake roused Erika and they got off the bus. "Hey Sleepy, come on this way...we should be able to get in over here." Drake said
When they got to the doors, there was an old man blocking their way, standing in the middle of the door. He looked like he was trying to get as much of the arctic breeze from the air conditioner as he could, standing right under the door vent. "Um, excuse us sir, but could we get by you please?" asked Erika
"Wha- Oh yes, of course, sorry my dear." said the old man, moving aside. He glanced at them as they walked past and apparently saw the crystal hanging around Erika's neck. His eyes bulged for a moment, just long enough for Drake to catch it, but Erika pulled him through and the old man walked outside and walked toward the parking lot.
"Did you notice anything funny about that old man?" asked Drake
"Hmm, no, not really. Seemed like he was just trying to cool off. it's a scorcher out there today." she said.
"Yeah, I guess... Hey, I think we should split up...if we separate, there's a better chance of us getting in past security down there...I know they don't let people in unless there's a game or something."
"Alright...call if you find anything...or anyone." she said, tapping her front pocket where she kept her phone. She smiled and winked at him then walked off towards the left corridor, leaving Drake to assume the right path.
Drake managed to slip by security when they glanced away and made it to the rink. It was as cold as he had ever felt it in Florida, just below freezing in the upper levels. He continued to search for the better part of an hour but saw nothing or no one out of the ordinary. That's when it hit him..."The old man!" Drake exclaimed under his breath, amazed at his stupidity. He flipped his phone open and called Erika. Her voicemail came straight on, which didn't surprise him because he knew there were places in big buildings like this with reproachable reception. "Hey, Rika...I think I found him, well...kinda. I'm gonna go back outside and look around a bit...meet you outside. Hasta!"
Drake wandered outside and found the parking lot on the side the old man had walked to, but didn't see him around. "Hmm, maybe he left. But I'm sure it was him! He had electric blue eyes, like ice! he was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans...Ice colors. it had to be...and he was standing there under the frigid air!" he mumbled to himself.
Just then, a large explosion and Drake saw a fireball shooting out of the building, heading across the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika wandered aimlessly around until she found a hole in the security, she sneaked past them, then scurried around in the back, finally coming to the rink. She looked all over and saw no one there. Then she saw Drake on the other side, talking into his phone for a second, then closing it and walking away quickly, back towards the doors.
Hmm, I wonder who he was talking to. she thought
Erika took one last look and walked back out into the hallway, where she suddenly felt a lot warmer.
"Well well, little Erika came looking for the Ice Lord after all. Just so you know he's not here. He is coming here though, so I'm gonna wait for him. That is, after I make sure you won't be around to see him." said Fern, a flaming hit ball of fire erupting from her palm and shooting at Erika.
Erika knew she couldn't get her water bottle out in time so she jumped out of the way, barely dodging the fireball. She dodged another and ran down the hall, stopping at a dead end she had forgotten about.
"Way to go, smart one!" said Fern
Fern shot another ball of flame at Erika and Erika just dodged it. This time, the fire singed her shirt at the shoulder, and it kept going right into the wall. It went right through the wall and hit something metallic. Seconds later steam erupted from the hole. Water! thought Erika. She managed to form a little bit of water out of the steam and shot it at Fern, who took it out with a fireball, and lunged at Erika with another fireball which kept going and went through the hole. Instantly there was an explosion and Erika and Fern were propelled through the wall and outside, apparently they had been against the outer wall of the building. They shot through the sky in a flaming ball of people and steam, which Erika used to make a quick and think water shield. They landed across the street on the grass, making a huge, charred crater. They kept rolling and skipped a couple times into a grassy area.
Fern stood up, unscathed, and Erika let down her shield as she arose, fine as well. "I see you've learned a few tricks." said Fern
"Oh yeah I have." said Erika.
Fern lunged at her again and they were both running, Fern chasing Erika. they ran for a few hundred feet and Fern caught up with her. She shot a fireball at Erika's feet and she tripped, losing her melted right shoe in mid air. She rolled down a small hill and stopped at the bottom, out of breath and bruised. She looked up and saw something in the air, no, two somethings in the air. they were on fire and they were coming for her. She stood up and ran for her life. She knew one of them was Fern, but the second was a mystery to her.
As she ran, she noticed one of them break off and fly back towards the Forum. Drake! she thought. Almost against her will, she kept running, knowing that if she turned around, she'd be toast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake stood in total awe as he saw the fireball strike and eventually turn into Fern and Erika. he stood transfixed as he watched them fight each other and Erika turn and run, by the time he caught himself doing nothing, they were already more than a hundred yards away, and Erika had just tripped on a fireball. He saw out of the corner of his eye something flying through the air towards the two and Fern leapt up into the air and joined it. A few moments later, one of them broke off and headed back towards Drake. "Fern, it's gotta be." he said to himself. He ran out to the road to meet her, where she stopped in mid-air above him and dropped to the ground, ready to strike.
"I'd be more worried about yourself than your girlfriend, Drake...Lady Belinka doesn't intend to hurt her...too badly. She must be kept alive for a while longer, at east...until we can gather the spell components to steal her crystal. Now you, on the other hand...I intend to beat you into a bloody pulp." she said playfully, then jumped at him, fists blazing.
"Yeah, it's about a half hour. It'll be nice if we can figure out some way to travel with our powers...like, I don't know...flying or something, that'd kick butt." Erika said
"Well, we'll work on it...and I think I might know a way to do it...but we'll talk about it later. should we drive, or take the bus? I know there's a route that's just a few minutes away from here and it goes straight to the Forum, drops of fin the parking lot."
"If it'll get us there in about the same time, sure...don't have to worry about parking." she said
A few minutes later, they were standing up from the bench at the bus stop and getting on. It would be a 40 minute ride, which was fine with them because it was close enough and they didn't have to worry about the car getting stolen or anything. Downtown Tampa and near the port can be a nasty place sometimes, especially in the late afternoon and early evening. Erika started yawning after a few minutes, and by the time they were halfway there, she had fallen asleep on Drake's shoulder.
Upon arrival at the Forum, Drake roused Erika and they got off the bus. "Hey Sleepy, come on this way...we should be able to get in over here." Drake said
When they got to the doors, there was an old man blocking their way, standing in the middle of the door. He looked like he was trying to get as much of the arctic breeze from the air conditioner as he could, standing right under the door vent. "Um, excuse us sir, but could we get by you please?" asked Erika
"Wha- Oh yes, of course, sorry my dear." said the old man, moving aside. He glanced at them as they walked past and apparently saw the crystal hanging around Erika's neck. His eyes bulged for a moment, just long enough for Drake to catch it, but Erika pulled him through and the old man walked outside and walked toward the parking lot.
"Did you notice anything funny about that old man?" asked Drake
"Hmm, no, not really. Seemed like he was just trying to cool off. it's a scorcher out there today." she said.
"Yeah, I guess... Hey, I think we should split up...if we separate, there's a better chance of us getting in past security down there...I know they don't let people in unless there's a game or something."
"Alright...call if you find anything...or anyone." she said, tapping her front pocket where she kept her phone. She smiled and winked at him then walked off towards the left corridor, leaving Drake to assume the right path.
Drake managed to slip by security when they glanced away and made it to the rink. It was as cold as he had ever felt it in Florida, just below freezing in the upper levels. He continued to search for the better part of an hour but saw nothing or no one out of the ordinary. That's when it hit him..."The old man!" Drake exclaimed under his breath, amazed at his stupidity. He flipped his phone open and called Erika. Her voicemail came straight on, which didn't surprise him because he knew there were places in big buildings like this with reproachable reception. "Hey, Rika...I think I found him, well...kinda. I'm gonna go back outside and look around a bit...meet you outside. Hasta!"
Drake wandered outside and found the parking lot on the side the old man had walked to, but didn't see him around. "Hmm, maybe he left. But I'm sure it was him! He had electric blue eyes, like ice! he was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans...Ice colors. it had to be...and he was standing there under the frigid air!" he mumbled to himself.
Just then, a large explosion and Drake saw a fireball shooting out of the building, heading across the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika wandered aimlessly around until she found a hole in the security, she sneaked past them, then scurried around in the back, finally coming to the rink. She looked all over and saw no one there. Then she saw Drake on the other side, talking into his phone for a second, then closing it and walking away quickly, back towards the doors.
Hmm, I wonder who he was talking to. she thought
Erika took one last look and walked back out into the hallway, where she suddenly felt a lot warmer.
"Well well, little Erika came looking for the Ice Lord after all. Just so you know he's not here. He is coming here though, so I'm gonna wait for him. That is, after I make sure you won't be around to see him." said Fern, a flaming hit ball of fire erupting from her palm and shooting at Erika.
Erika knew she couldn't get her water bottle out in time so she jumped out of the way, barely dodging the fireball. She dodged another and ran down the hall, stopping at a dead end she had forgotten about.
"Way to go, smart one!" said Fern
Fern shot another ball of flame at Erika and Erika just dodged it. This time, the fire singed her shirt at the shoulder, and it kept going right into the wall. It went right through the wall and hit something metallic. Seconds later steam erupted from the hole. Water! thought Erika. She managed to form a little bit of water out of the steam and shot it at Fern, who took it out with a fireball, and lunged at Erika with another fireball which kept going and went through the hole. Instantly there was an explosion and Erika and Fern were propelled through the wall and outside, apparently they had been against the outer wall of the building. They shot through the sky in a flaming ball of people and steam, which Erika used to make a quick and think water shield. They landed across the street on the grass, making a huge, charred crater. They kept rolling and skipped a couple times into a grassy area.
Fern stood up, unscathed, and Erika let down her shield as she arose, fine as well. "I see you've learned a few tricks." said Fern
"Oh yeah I have." said Erika.
Fern lunged at her again and they were both running, Fern chasing Erika. they ran for a few hundred feet and Fern caught up with her. She shot a fireball at Erika's feet and she tripped, losing her melted right shoe in mid air. She rolled down a small hill and stopped at the bottom, out of breath and bruised. She looked up and saw something in the air, no, two somethings in the air. they were on fire and they were coming for her. She stood up and ran for her life. She knew one of them was Fern, but the second was a mystery to her.
As she ran, she noticed one of them break off and fly back towards the Forum. Drake! she thought. Almost against her will, she kept running, knowing that if she turned around, she'd be toast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake stood in total awe as he saw the fireball strike and eventually turn into Fern and Erika. he stood transfixed as he watched them fight each other and Erika turn and run, by the time he caught himself doing nothing, they were already more than a hundred yards away, and Erika had just tripped on a fireball. He saw out of the corner of his eye something flying through the air towards the two and Fern leapt up into the air and joined it. A few moments later, one of them broke off and headed back towards Drake. "Fern, it's gotta be." he said to himself. He ran out to the road to meet her, where she stopped in mid-air above him and dropped to the ground, ready to strike.
"I'd be more worried about yourself than your girlfriend, Drake...Lady Belinka doesn't intend to hurt her...too badly. She must be kept alive for a while longer, at east...until we can gather the spell components to steal her crystal. Now you, on the other hand...I intend to beat you into a bloody pulp." she said playfully, then jumped at him, fists blazing.
Chapter 19: The Ice Palace...in Tampa?
Drake and Erika trained on into the afternoon using a few pointers they got from Beschermer. They had been making good progress until Koichi appeared from behind the tree he was sitting at, holding his locator device. "Master, I believe it should be up and running to the new specifications in about ten minutes." said Koichi
"Very good, my friend... I guess our time here is almost up. Carry on, Koichi." said Beschermer as Koichi walked back over and sat down. "Now, before we depart, I have one final piece of information you might find useful. I do know the present location of one of the ten Masters."
"Really? Who?" asked Erika
"Unfortunately, it is neither of the ones that you need to seek out. However, you might be able to track this master down and procure the locations of Zeus and Poseidon, err, Neptune. Anyway, the Master I know of is Lord Triton. He is the son of Poseidon and was given dominion over Ice. I daresay he at least knows the whereabouts of his father, and probably his uncle, Zeus as well."
"Well that's a start, for sure! Now, where is Triton?" asked Drake
"Well, if you can believe it...he's vacationing in Tampa Bay right now. He is at home in the water, and since his alignment is with Ice, he likes to frequent places where they have lots of ice. He visits places like your Ice rings and cold storage facilities. He is particularly fond of your Ice Sports Forum, I hear."
"Haha, he would like a place that used to be called the Ice Palace wouldn't he?" said Erika
"Really? No wonder." Beschermer chuckled to himself. "Anyways, if he is not there, he is more than likely out in the bay, though it seems odd that he would be here of all places, because your water is very warm."
"Well, I guess since he has power over ice, he can keep himself cool, if he needs to." said Drake
"Indeed." said Koichi, popping back out from the tree. "Sorry, Erika." he said, for she had nearly jumped out of her shoes, she was so startled. "Anyways, master, I am done...we can leave any time."
"What does it say, Koichi? Where is our next destination?" asked Beschermer
"Hmmm," he stared at the screen, somehow able to make sense of the blips and dots and lines. "I'll need to check with a real map to be absolutely sure of the exact location, but we're heading in the direction of Europe. There's no readings as far south as central Chile, in South America. Once you go past there, there's not much room to look. Also, I'm picking up a cluster of readings in that direction, to the far Northeast."
"Alright, well I guess we should head out. Drake, Erika...if you feel up to it, it would help greatly if you could manage to track down Triton for me. It won't be blatantly obvious who he is should you see him...but under careful observation, his identity shall be revealed to you." said Beschermer
"Right." said both of them.
"See you soon, I hope." said Drake
"Keep in touch." said Erika
"Oh yes, do keep in touch, Oaf." said a voice from a distance, slowly getting closer. "And thank you so much for all the information. Lady Belinka will be most pleased to hear of Triton's location." the source of the voice appeared from the bushes and stood before them.
"Fern, I should have known." said Erika. "See Drake, I told you..."
"Yeah... you did, Rika. I'm sorry." he said
"Haha, are you still upset about ym little ruse? Of course I was sent here by Belinka...how else would three Bearers end up in the same place at once so soon?" Fern chided
"Leave us at once, child!" roared Beschermer. "And tell your mistress I know what she's up to...and she won't be able to get it. I'll make sure of that personally." he raised his hand slightly and his palm started to glow brightly in a prismatic variety of colors.
"You would dare harm a Bearer? Lady belinka said you wouldn't even be able to use your powers yet." said Fern
"Does that mean that she can't use hers, I wonder?" asked Beschermer. "No matter, leave us at once or I shall be forced to decimate you here and now."
Fern's eyes widened, seeing the intense expression on his face. 'He's serious' she thought. "Fine, but next time you won't be so fortunate." she said, turning and bounding off into the woods that backed up to the clearing.
"I want you two to keep an eye out for her, she'll be lurking about, trying to get you alone and pounce. Also, no doubt she'll be looking for Triton...or she'll have her associate with the Ice crystal looking soon, if they have been found." said Beschermer
"We'll be on the lookout, and especially now, we have to find Triton, soon." said Drake
"Again, thanks for everything, and we'll be watching out for her, Beschermer." said Erika
"Then I leave you now, be safe." he said.
And then they were both gone in a flash of the same rainbow of light Beschermer had shown earlier.
"I wonder if we can do that?" asked Erika
"Doubt it...anyways, let's get going...your house?" Drake asked
"Yeah, let's rest up a bit...then we can plan our search for Triton." she said
"Very good, my friend... I guess our time here is almost up. Carry on, Koichi." said Beschermer as Koichi walked back over and sat down. "Now, before we depart, I have one final piece of information you might find useful. I do know the present location of one of the ten Masters."
"Really? Who?" asked Erika
"Unfortunately, it is neither of the ones that you need to seek out. However, you might be able to track this master down and procure the locations of Zeus and Poseidon, err, Neptune. Anyway, the Master I know of is Lord Triton. He is the son of Poseidon and was given dominion over Ice. I daresay he at least knows the whereabouts of his father, and probably his uncle, Zeus as well."
"Well that's a start, for sure! Now, where is Triton?" asked Drake
"Well, if you can believe it...he's vacationing in Tampa Bay right now. He is at home in the water, and since his alignment is with Ice, he likes to frequent places where they have lots of ice. He visits places like your Ice rings and cold storage facilities. He is particularly fond of your Ice Sports Forum, I hear."
"Haha, he would like a place that used to be called the Ice Palace wouldn't he?" said Erika
"Really? No wonder." Beschermer chuckled to himself. "Anyways, if he is not there, he is more than likely out in the bay, though it seems odd that he would be here of all places, because your water is very warm."
"Well, I guess since he has power over ice, he can keep himself cool, if he needs to." said Drake
"Indeed." said Koichi, popping back out from the tree. "Sorry, Erika." he said, for she had nearly jumped out of her shoes, she was so startled. "Anyways, master, I am done...we can leave any time."
"What does it say, Koichi? Where is our next destination?" asked Beschermer
"Hmmm," he stared at the screen, somehow able to make sense of the blips and dots and lines. "I'll need to check with a real map to be absolutely sure of the exact location, but we're heading in the direction of Europe. There's no readings as far south as central Chile, in South America. Once you go past there, there's not much room to look. Also, I'm picking up a cluster of readings in that direction, to the far Northeast."
"Alright, well I guess we should head out. Drake, Erika...if you feel up to it, it would help greatly if you could manage to track down Triton for me. It won't be blatantly obvious who he is should you see him...but under careful observation, his identity shall be revealed to you." said Beschermer
"Right." said both of them.
"See you soon, I hope." said Drake
"Keep in touch." said Erika
"Oh yes, do keep in touch, Oaf." said a voice from a distance, slowly getting closer. "And thank you so much for all the information. Lady Belinka will be most pleased to hear of Triton's location." the source of the voice appeared from the bushes and stood before them.
"Fern, I should have known." said Erika. "See Drake, I told you..."
"Yeah... you did, Rika. I'm sorry." he said
"Haha, are you still upset about ym little ruse? Of course I was sent here by Belinka...how else would three Bearers end up in the same place at once so soon?" Fern chided
"Leave us at once, child!" roared Beschermer. "And tell your mistress I know what she's up to...and she won't be able to get it. I'll make sure of that personally." he raised his hand slightly and his palm started to glow brightly in a prismatic variety of colors.
"You would dare harm a Bearer? Lady belinka said you wouldn't even be able to use your powers yet." said Fern
"Does that mean that she can't use hers, I wonder?" asked Beschermer. "No matter, leave us at once or I shall be forced to decimate you here and now."
Fern's eyes widened, seeing the intense expression on his face. 'He's serious' she thought. "Fine, but next time you won't be so fortunate." she said, turning and bounding off into the woods that backed up to the clearing.
"I want you two to keep an eye out for her, she'll be lurking about, trying to get you alone and pounce. Also, no doubt she'll be looking for Triton...or she'll have her associate with the Ice crystal looking soon, if they have been found." said Beschermer
"We'll be on the lookout, and especially now, we have to find Triton, soon." said Drake
"Again, thanks for everything, and we'll be watching out for her, Beschermer." said Erika
"Then I leave you now, be safe." he said.
And then they were both gone in a flash of the same rainbow of light Beschermer had shown earlier.
"I wonder if we can do that?" asked Erika
"Doubt it...anyways, let's get going...your house?" Drake asked
"Yeah, let's rest up a bit...then we can plan our search for Triton." she said
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Chapter 18: It's All Greek to Me
"I'm in position." said a shadowy figure hiding quite well among the trees and bushes. "I don't think they suspect I'm here. They've just started talking, so I'll cut communications until after this is done. Fern out." she said, tapping a small device in her collar twice, turning it off.
Hmm, it seems like they've at least caught on to the general plan...I'd be shocked if they managed to figure out the true intentions of Lady Belinka. Aha! So the oaf hasn't found any more of them yet...good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, you're leaving, and it'll be good, bad, and Switzerland at the same time? And there's something wrong with the crystals?" asked Drake
Beschermer chuckled. "Well, no, I have many things to tell you that fit into this category...hence the different types of news." he said. "First off, I'll tell you more about the young lady I found in San Francisco. Her name is Fuu, and she possesses the Pure crystal of Wind. She is about your age...maybe a year younger or so. I don't know that she really knows much about it yet, but she did recognize the symbol, as you did...and she holds it in high regard because loosely translated, her names means Wind. I'd say that's a fitting choice, eh?"
"So, you just basically watched her and didn't talk to her or anything? kinda seems pointless to me." said Erika
"Well, the primary mission was to simply locate her and assess her situation. I needed a name and a way to contact her...once I've found the rest of you, I'll be sending out communications to them all explaining in as much detail as their individual situations require."
"Oh, okay... so why didn't you do that with us?" asked Drake
"Well, I had planned to talk with her at first, but when I realized the severity of the situation- and I'll go into that in a minute- I decided to get moving and get to the others."
"And by severity of the situation you meant...what exactly?" asked Drake
"Exactly my next bit of business. While the crystals were sealed away, someone came in and performed a sort of sealing enchantment on the crystals again...though this is a different kind of sealing than was already on them. You see, the crystals were physically sealed within the temple, while this new spell was not affecting the physical qualities or location of the crystals, but their power. As things stand now, the crystals are sealed at a certain point, once your powers grow to that extent, you won't be able to progress any further."
"And how did you not realize that from seeing ours, but you did when you saw hers?" asked Erika
"Well, this part I'm unsure of...but for some reason, hers still shows finite traces of the spell that was placed on it. The crystals that you two possess do not, which leads me to believe that someone attempted to life the spell from some of the crystals, but gave up after at least two fruitless endeavors. Attempting to dispel the seal left a new trace on yours, which I can now see that I'm conscious of its presence. Yes, the two of yours' have clearly been worked on...by a powerful being, I'd wager. This level of magic requires the utmost care and practice, only a weathered magician or sorcerer could even fathom that they could perform such a spell. It is unfortunate that they failed...or we would, at this moment, have a significant advantage over Belinka's forces."
"So, is there any way to break the seal then? I mean if whoever it was failed...is there anyone alive that actually can do it?" asked Drake
"Well, this brings me to some other important information for you. How much do you know about ancient mythology? In particular Greek mythology."
"Umm, not so much...all I really know from Greek stories is like Hercules and Jason." said Erika
"Well, I'm no expert, but I'd say I have an above average knowledge of Greek Mythology." said Drake
"Well that's good...you can probably help explain some of this to Erika. Now, you know of the various gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. In particular, the Greeks placed 12 of them at a higher importance than the rest." said Beschermer
"The 12 Olympians." said Drake
"Right, how many of them can you name Drake, I'm actually rather curious. The more you know, the more it may shock you when I reveal this."
"Well, there's Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hera, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite, and...what's that, ten? I can never remember the other two." said Drake.
"Very good, Drake, I'm actually impressed... The other two are Hestia and Demeter, by the way."
"There we go...I don't know why I can't remember them..."
"Anyways...of the twelve, a few of them, as well as some of the others that you've probably heard of, some minor gods and such, were set apart even further. They were the masters of the ten elements, and the ones who created the original Spirit Crystals. You really only need to know about two of them for now, the two who commanded your respective elements. Any guess as to who control's Thunder?"
"That'd be Zeus, right?" asked Erika
"Right you are...and Water?"
"Poseidon." said Drake
"Right again... now, first you should know that the literal versions of Zeus and Poseidon as well as the other gods and goddesses are not quite accurate. They were based off of real beings who controlled the various elements and other such things, but their deity forms are glorified or horrified a bit more than was really necessary. Their true names aren't even close to these names, but most of them still prefer to go by at least one of the names given to them by one of Earth's cultures. The being that Zeus is based on actually likes to be called Zeus, while Poseidon prefers his Roman name. Between Roman and Greek, most of the gods like one of those names."
"I can see why he'd like his Roman name better..after all, he got a planet named after him. So did Zeus, but I guess he likes the shorter name, eh?" said Drake
"Yeah, well 'Neptune, king of the seas and the big blue planet has a nice ring to it.'" he said. "Anyways, the reason I'm telling you this si because after I locate all of the Bearers, I am going to track down these ten, partly because together, the ten of them should be able to break this new seal, and partly because I can only give you so much instruction...the best to learn from is the one who created the power in the first place, right?"
"I'd think so." said Erika
"So, you're sending us to Zeus and Neptune to continue our training?" asked Drake
"Yes, I think that would be best...like I said, I can only do so much for you. I think that I'll place highest priority with those two, because you two are almost to the point where I can't help you anymore...my knowledge can only stretch so far, and it's almost to it's limit."
"Well, if you think it's best...okay." said Drake
"Wait, will we be separated?" Erika asked with a frantic expression on her face. Drake's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't thought of that...Drake wasn't sure if he could stand being apart from Erika for such a long time now that he had finally found her.
"Well, that depends on them." Beschermer said. "After all, like in the stories, they are brothers...so they might consider training you two together...I'll mention it if ad when I find them. I'll not make any promises, but I'll see what I can do."
They sat there a few minutes, discussing random details of their new mission, when Drake spoke up and said: "Hey, Beschermer, just curious...who are the other eight gods?"
"Well, since you have a good amount of knowledge about them already, I wonder how many you can guess." he said. "Have a go at it."
"Alright, well...I would think Hephaestus would be Metal, Prometheus for fire, maybe Hades for Darkness, Artemis was goddess of the forest or something, right?"
"All correct. In fact, I can't really think of the Greek names for any more...they prefer to go by any number of names...no knowing what they prefer this century. However, you need not worry about any but Zeus and Poseidon for now."
"So, when do you leave again?" asked Erika
"As soon as Koichi can get his locator device working properly. He's reworking it to have a better range."
"Well, what'll we do in the meantime? Should we practice or something?" asked Drake
"Sure, I'll see if i can squeeze a few more helpful pointers out of my brain."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fern listened in awe to Beschermer's story...she had no idea how far back this all went. She was certain Belinka had been lying to her and left out details now, more than ever. Still, this changed nothing, she still had a job to do, and it was but half over now. Now she had to try to get in close enough to attack without detection. Stealth was the key here...if she was detected she was to abort immediately, just like the last time.
She pressed the communicator's switch in her collar to turn it on. "Fern here, phase one complete...you've got a bit of explaining to do later, Lady Belinka. Preparing to move in. " she said in a low voice, barely audible to herself, but the microphone in the device was so sensitive that she had to barely even more than whisper to be heard.
"Don't talk in that manner to your mistress, child. You might not get the chance to live to regret it." said the cold voice on the other end.
"Whatever. Fern out." she said, turning the comm link off again.
She's mad that I know more than she's told me...I wonder if she even knew it all...Oh well, time to get this over with, she'll be pleased if I can get at least one of those crystals.
Hmm, it seems like they've at least caught on to the general plan...I'd be shocked if they managed to figure out the true intentions of Lady Belinka. Aha! So the oaf hasn't found any more of them yet...good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, you're leaving, and it'll be good, bad, and Switzerland at the same time? And there's something wrong with the crystals?" asked Drake
Beschermer chuckled. "Well, no, I have many things to tell you that fit into this category...hence the different types of news." he said. "First off, I'll tell you more about the young lady I found in San Francisco. Her name is Fuu, and she possesses the Pure crystal of Wind. She is about your age...maybe a year younger or so. I don't know that she really knows much about it yet, but she did recognize the symbol, as you did...and she holds it in high regard because loosely translated, her names means Wind. I'd say that's a fitting choice, eh?"
"So, you just basically watched her and didn't talk to her or anything? kinda seems pointless to me." said Erika
"Well, the primary mission was to simply locate her and assess her situation. I needed a name and a way to contact her...once I've found the rest of you, I'll be sending out communications to them all explaining in as much detail as their individual situations require."
"Oh, okay... so why didn't you do that with us?" asked Drake
"Well, I had planned to talk with her at first, but when I realized the severity of the situation- and I'll go into that in a minute- I decided to get moving and get to the others."
"And by severity of the situation you meant...what exactly?" asked Drake
"Exactly my next bit of business. While the crystals were sealed away, someone came in and performed a sort of sealing enchantment on the crystals again...though this is a different kind of sealing than was already on them. You see, the crystals were physically sealed within the temple, while this new spell was not affecting the physical qualities or location of the crystals, but their power. As things stand now, the crystals are sealed at a certain point, once your powers grow to that extent, you won't be able to progress any further."
"And how did you not realize that from seeing ours, but you did when you saw hers?" asked Erika
"Well, this part I'm unsure of...but for some reason, hers still shows finite traces of the spell that was placed on it. The crystals that you two possess do not, which leads me to believe that someone attempted to life the spell from some of the crystals, but gave up after at least two fruitless endeavors. Attempting to dispel the seal left a new trace on yours, which I can now see that I'm conscious of its presence. Yes, the two of yours' have clearly been worked on...by a powerful being, I'd wager. This level of magic requires the utmost care and practice, only a weathered magician or sorcerer could even fathom that they could perform such a spell. It is unfortunate that they failed...or we would, at this moment, have a significant advantage over Belinka's forces."
"So, is there any way to break the seal then? I mean if whoever it was failed...is there anyone alive that actually can do it?" asked Drake
"Well, this brings me to some other important information for you. How much do you know about ancient mythology? In particular Greek mythology."
"Umm, not so much...all I really know from Greek stories is like Hercules and Jason." said Erika
"Well, I'm no expert, but I'd say I have an above average knowledge of Greek Mythology." said Drake
"Well that's good...you can probably help explain some of this to Erika. Now, you know of the various gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. In particular, the Greeks placed 12 of them at a higher importance than the rest." said Beschermer
"The 12 Olympians." said Drake
"Right, how many of them can you name Drake, I'm actually rather curious. The more you know, the more it may shock you when I reveal this."
"Well, there's Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hera, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite, and...what's that, ten? I can never remember the other two." said Drake.
"Very good, Drake, I'm actually impressed... The other two are Hestia and Demeter, by the way."
"There we go...I don't know why I can't remember them..."
"Anyways...of the twelve, a few of them, as well as some of the others that you've probably heard of, some minor gods and such, were set apart even further. They were the masters of the ten elements, and the ones who created the original Spirit Crystals. You really only need to know about two of them for now, the two who commanded your respective elements. Any guess as to who control's Thunder?"
"That'd be Zeus, right?" asked Erika
"Right you are...and Water?"
"Poseidon." said Drake
"Right again... now, first you should know that the literal versions of Zeus and Poseidon as well as the other gods and goddesses are not quite accurate. They were based off of real beings who controlled the various elements and other such things, but their deity forms are glorified or horrified a bit more than was really necessary. Their true names aren't even close to these names, but most of them still prefer to go by at least one of the names given to them by one of Earth's cultures. The being that Zeus is based on actually likes to be called Zeus, while Poseidon prefers his Roman name. Between Roman and Greek, most of the gods like one of those names."
"I can see why he'd like his Roman name better..after all, he got a planet named after him. So did Zeus, but I guess he likes the shorter name, eh?" said Drake
"Yeah, well 'Neptune, king of the seas and the big blue planet has a nice ring to it.'" he said. "Anyways, the reason I'm telling you this si because after I locate all of the Bearers, I am going to track down these ten, partly because together, the ten of them should be able to break this new seal, and partly because I can only give you so much instruction...the best to learn from is the one who created the power in the first place, right?"
"I'd think so." said Erika
"So, you're sending us to Zeus and Neptune to continue our training?" asked Drake
"Yes, I think that would be best...like I said, I can only do so much for you. I think that I'll place highest priority with those two, because you two are almost to the point where I can't help you anymore...my knowledge can only stretch so far, and it's almost to it's limit."
"Well, if you think it's best...okay." said Drake
"Wait, will we be separated?" Erika asked with a frantic expression on her face. Drake's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't thought of that...Drake wasn't sure if he could stand being apart from Erika for such a long time now that he had finally found her.
"Well, that depends on them." Beschermer said. "After all, like in the stories, they are brothers...so they might consider training you two together...I'll mention it if ad when I find them. I'll not make any promises, but I'll see what I can do."
They sat there a few minutes, discussing random details of their new mission, when Drake spoke up and said: "Hey, Beschermer, just curious...who are the other eight gods?"
"Well, since you have a good amount of knowledge about them already, I wonder how many you can guess." he said. "Have a go at it."
"Alright, well...I would think Hephaestus would be Metal, Prometheus for fire, maybe Hades for Darkness, Artemis was goddess of the forest or something, right?"
"All correct. In fact, I can't really think of the Greek names for any more...they prefer to go by any number of names...no knowing what they prefer this century. However, you need not worry about any but Zeus and Poseidon for now."
"So, when do you leave again?" asked Erika
"As soon as Koichi can get his locator device working properly. He's reworking it to have a better range."
"Well, what'll we do in the meantime? Should we practice or something?" asked Drake
"Sure, I'll see if i can squeeze a few more helpful pointers out of my brain."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fern listened in awe to Beschermer's story...she had no idea how far back this all went. She was certain Belinka had been lying to her and left out details now, more than ever. Still, this changed nothing, she still had a job to do, and it was but half over now. Now she had to try to get in close enough to attack without detection. Stealth was the key here...if she was detected she was to abort immediately, just like the last time.
She pressed the communicator's switch in her collar to turn it on. "Fern here, phase one complete...you've got a bit of explaining to do later, Lady Belinka. Preparing to move in. " she said in a low voice, barely audible to herself, but the microphone in the device was so sensitive that she had to barely even more than whisper to be heard.
"Don't talk in that manner to your mistress, child. You might not get the chance to live to regret it." said the cold voice on the other end.
"Whatever. Fern out." she said, turning the comm link off again.
She's mad that I know more than she's told me...I wonder if she even knew it all...Oh well, time to get this over with, she'll be pleased if I can get at least one of those crystals.
Chapter 17: The Swiss News
Another night came and went and it brought Drake to Erika's front door once more. Erika answered his knock almost immediately, which made Drake suspect that she was standing at the door waiting for him. "Hey! Come on in, want something to drink?" she asked excitedly.
"Er, naw, I'm good. Besides, we kinda need to get going soon, if you're ready...Beschermer will be waiting at the park for us. He called me this morning and let me know they got here alright." said Drake
"Alright, I'm good to go. Glad they got here alright...but I'm not sure what they would be worried about anyways."
They set out for the park and made their way down streets and alleyways, having to detour twice around their path of choice because of traffic accidents. The TPD cars were everywhere, blocking intersections, directing traffic, etc. "This is ridiculous," said Erika "You'd think that the officers would at least try and get another lane open so traffic could actually move."
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the park. Drake had an unshakable feeling that they were being watched, but tried to dismiss it after looking around and seeing no one but kids playing and elderly people feeding the birds. Upon arriving at their meeting place, Drake and Erika saw no one there. They looked around and saw nothing anywhere, but by the time they had come around to face straight again, Beschermer was standing there in front of them with a young boy about their age with extremely pale skin, black liberty-spiked hair, metal studded black clothes and a few dozen piercings.
"It's good to see you both again," said Beschermer "I trust your training has been going well?"
"Yeah, I'd say we're doing pretty spectacular considering we barely know what we're doing." said Erika, a grin spreading across her face. "By the way, umm, who's your friend?"
"I'm guessing this is the legendary Koichi, am i right?" asked Drake
"Right you are, Drake." said Koichi "I like to change my appearance from time to time, and I couldn't help but copy this dude I saw at the train station downtown...fascinating. And it's nice to meet you both, by the way." he said, smiling.
"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way...I need to talk to you two seriously for a moment...there's quite a bit to go over and I really don't have the time to explain it properly...that could take days of storytelling and explanations. Please, for the time being, settle for the abbreviated version." said Beschermer
"No problems here..." said Drake, looking to Erika who nodded.
"Well," he said, sitting down Indian Style on the ground "I have some good news, some bad news, and some news that's somewhere in between. Which would you like first?"
Everyone else sat down as well, forming a loose semi circle.
"Let's go with Switzerland then...I suppose." said Drake. "Rather, the neutral." he explained, seeing the bewildered looks on Koichi and Beschermer's faces.
"Right, well the neutral issue here is that you need to keep training. I know you already know this, but you don't fully grasp the situation and the necessity for your training. There very well may come a time in the near future when you will need to use your talents in combat, fighting against those with the corrupted crystals."
"So, does that mean that Belinka is gathering up allies like we are?" asked Erika
"Yeah, and building her own team of Spirit Bearers to fight us?" continued Drake
"I don't know for certain, but I do know that in the past, it has always, without fail, come to blows between the two sides. The very nature of the corrupted crystals is to turn their holders spirits to the Dark. It's the same with your crystals... in some ways, you are purer and overall more good than you were before, because they bring out the good qualities in you. Light and Darkness are always at war with each other...neither can survive without the other, even though they try to destroy the other, it's a very complex relationship."
"So, does that mean we can't defeat the others, and that they can't defeat us? What's the point in that?" asked Drake
"No, that's not quite what it means...You can be defeated, as can they...but should you fall, your crystal would be passed on to another who would take over for you, much like you gained the crystal, a seemingly random person would be delivered your crystal in some spectacular fashion."
"So, our powers just keep getting recycled after we're defeated or lose them?" asked Erika
"Yes, and up until the last generation of Bearers, it was a never ending battle that had raged on for millenia." said Koichi
"So, what happened last time?" asked Drake and Erika in unison.
"A way was devised to contain the crystals and seal them away, never to be used again. A series of enchantments and wards were placed on them throughout the process. Once a crystal was lost to a bearer, and before it moved to another there was a short delay...an extremely short period of time where the crystal was still physically free from a bearer. During that time, the spells were put into place and the crystals were restrained form moving on. From there we took them and hid them away and sealed them in a secret temple in the North."
"And that's what you're trying to do this time, ultimately?" asked Drake
"Originally, yes. The plan was to acquire the corrupted crystals first, then hopefully you would give yours up willingly, then we would seal them all away again. Soon after I met you two, however, I had an epiphany. If we could either destroy or somehow combine the dark crystals with yours...we wouldn't have to wory about them resurfacing again in the future."
"Wait, so our crystals can combine with the corrupted ones? Wouldn't that like, infect ours too?" asked Erika
"You'd think that, but there's actually a good reason that it wouldn't. Originally, there were ten crystals to begin with...one for each element. After a few generations of the original Spirit Bearers, a mighty sorcerer devised a plan to acquire the crystals, which he accomplished. he performed a tricky bit of magic on them over a period of time and he managed to split all of the crystals into two separate but equal parts; good and evil, yin and yang, etc. Now, just as in nature itself, the elements were nto only at war with each other, but with themselves. That one sorcerer took the dyamics of the Spirit Crystals and turned into a living example of how nature works."
"So, with some special magic, the crystals can be recombined?" asked Erika
"Yes, they can be combined back into their original forms...Neutral elements able to be wielded by any who come across it. Both sides of the conflict will no longer have every element on their side...it all gets much more complicated for each side, which also slows down the tension and brings the overall conflict down to a fraction of what it once was."
"OK...so that was all the neutral news?" asked Drake
"Alas, it was but the tip of the iceberg...but that's all you need to hear for now. I think I'll move on to the bad news, which we've already touched on a bit." Beschermer said "Like you asked, Belinka is indeed planning to organize the Bearers of the Corrupted Crystals into one of the warring factions of olden times. Unfortunately, this means that we must do the same. Now, by their very nature, they will not be as secretive or considerate of human life as we are...they generally won't care about attacking in the middle of a crowded area full of average folks. We all need to be ready when the time comes to handle this threat. Unfortunately, until I can locate the others, I won't be around much...which brings me to the good news."
"How does you not being here bring us good news?" asked Drake
"Well, it's mainly good news mixed in with a bit of bad to neutral news, actually." said Koichi
"There have been a few developments that I was unaware of until I saw the Bearer in San Francisco... somebody tampered with the crystals while they were sealed in the temple."
"Er, naw, I'm good. Besides, we kinda need to get going soon, if you're ready...Beschermer will be waiting at the park for us. He called me this morning and let me know they got here alright." said Drake
"Alright, I'm good to go. Glad they got here alright...but I'm not sure what they would be worried about anyways."
They set out for the park and made their way down streets and alleyways, having to detour twice around their path of choice because of traffic accidents. The TPD cars were everywhere, blocking intersections, directing traffic, etc. "This is ridiculous," said Erika "You'd think that the officers would at least try and get another lane open so traffic could actually move."
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the park. Drake had an unshakable feeling that they were being watched, but tried to dismiss it after looking around and seeing no one but kids playing and elderly people feeding the birds. Upon arriving at their meeting place, Drake and Erika saw no one there. They looked around and saw nothing anywhere, but by the time they had come around to face straight again, Beschermer was standing there in front of them with a young boy about their age with extremely pale skin, black liberty-spiked hair, metal studded black clothes and a few dozen piercings.
"It's good to see you both again," said Beschermer "I trust your training has been going well?"
"Yeah, I'd say we're doing pretty spectacular considering we barely know what we're doing." said Erika, a grin spreading across her face. "By the way, umm, who's your friend?"
"I'm guessing this is the legendary Koichi, am i right?" asked Drake
"Right you are, Drake." said Koichi "I like to change my appearance from time to time, and I couldn't help but copy this dude I saw at the train station downtown...fascinating. And it's nice to meet you both, by the way." he said, smiling.
"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way...I need to talk to you two seriously for a moment...there's quite a bit to go over and I really don't have the time to explain it properly...that could take days of storytelling and explanations. Please, for the time being, settle for the abbreviated version." said Beschermer
"No problems here..." said Drake, looking to Erika who nodded.
"Well," he said, sitting down Indian Style on the ground "I have some good news, some bad news, and some news that's somewhere in between. Which would you like first?"
Everyone else sat down as well, forming a loose semi circle.
"Let's go with Switzerland then...I suppose." said Drake. "Rather, the neutral." he explained, seeing the bewildered looks on Koichi and Beschermer's faces.
"Right, well the neutral issue here is that you need to keep training. I know you already know this, but you don't fully grasp the situation and the necessity for your training. There very well may come a time in the near future when you will need to use your talents in combat, fighting against those with the corrupted crystals."
"So, does that mean that Belinka is gathering up allies like we are?" asked Erika
"Yeah, and building her own team of Spirit Bearers to fight us?" continued Drake
"I don't know for certain, but I do know that in the past, it has always, without fail, come to blows between the two sides. The very nature of the corrupted crystals is to turn their holders spirits to the Dark. It's the same with your crystals... in some ways, you are purer and overall more good than you were before, because they bring out the good qualities in you. Light and Darkness are always at war with each other...neither can survive without the other, even though they try to destroy the other, it's a very complex relationship."
"So, does that mean we can't defeat the others, and that they can't defeat us? What's the point in that?" asked Drake
"No, that's not quite what it means...You can be defeated, as can they...but should you fall, your crystal would be passed on to another who would take over for you, much like you gained the crystal, a seemingly random person would be delivered your crystal in some spectacular fashion."
"So, our powers just keep getting recycled after we're defeated or lose them?" asked Erika
"Yes, and up until the last generation of Bearers, it was a never ending battle that had raged on for millenia." said Koichi
"So, what happened last time?" asked Drake and Erika in unison.
"A way was devised to contain the crystals and seal them away, never to be used again. A series of enchantments and wards were placed on them throughout the process. Once a crystal was lost to a bearer, and before it moved to another there was a short delay...an extremely short period of time where the crystal was still physically free from a bearer. During that time, the spells were put into place and the crystals were restrained form moving on. From there we took them and hid them away and sealed them in a secret temple in the North."
"And that's what you're trying to do this time, ultimately?" asked Drake
"Originally, yes. The plan was to acquire the corrupted crystals first, then hopefully you would give yours up willingly, then we would seal them all away again. Soon after I met you two, however, I had an epiphany. If we could either destroy or somehow combine the dark crystals with yours...we wouldn't have to wory about them resurfacing again in the future."
"Wait, so our crystals can combine with the corrupted ones? Wouldn't that like, infect ours too?" asked Erika
"You'd think that, but there's actually a good reason that it wouldn't. Originally, there were ten crystals to begin with...one for each element. After a few generations of the original Spirit Bearers, a mighty sorcerer devised a plan to acquire the crystals, which he accomplished. he performed a tricky bit of magic on them over a period of time and he managed to split all of the crystals into two separate but equal parts; good and evil, yin and yang, etc. Now, just as in nature itself, the elements were nto only at war with each other, but with themselves. That one sorcerer took the dyamics of the Spirit Crystals and turned into a living example of how nature works."
"So, with some special magic, the crystals can be recombined?" asked Erika
"Yes, they can be combined back into their original forms...Neutral elements able to be wielded by any who come across it. Both sides of the conflict will no longer have every element on their side...it all gets much more complicated for each side, which also slows down the tension and brings the overall conflict down to a fraction of what it once was."
"OK...so that was all the neutral news?" asked Drake
"Alas, it was but the tip of the iceberg...but that's all you need to hear for now. I think I'll move on to the bad news, which we've already touched on a bit." Beschermer said "Like you asked, Belinka is indeed planning to organize the Bearers of the Corrupted Crystals into one of the warring factions of olden times. Unfortunately, this means that we must do the same. Now, by their very nature, they will not be as secretive or considerate of human life as we are...they generally won't care about attacking in the middle of a crowded area full of average folks. We all need to be ready when the time comes to handle this threat. Unfortunately, until I can locate the others, I won't be around much...which brings me to the good news."
"How does you not being here bring us good news?" asked Drake
"Well, it's mainly good news mixed in with a bit of bad to neutral news, actually." said Koichi
"There have been a few developments that I was unaware of until I saw the Bearer in San Francisco... somebody tampered with the crystals while they were sealed in the temple."
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Chapter 16: The Scorched Rock
After dropping their school stuff at Drake's as usual, the two made their way to the park. "You know," said Drake "I'm not so sure this is the best place for us to practice."
"I know what you mean." said Erika, looking around. "There's gotta be some place, maybe a little smaller, but way more private. Maybe we could find an old warehouse or something...some sort of building."
"That'd be nice...How about we ask Beschermer what he thinks?"
"Sounds good to me." she said "Now, let's get on this."
"Right." he said, stopping and taking a deep cleansing breath. He held out his hands to his side, looking like he was holding two things, seeing which weighed more. Then flashes of light erupted in his palm, giving way to sparks of electricity. Two balls of energy appeared in his hands and Drake moved his hands quickly towards a large rock, shooting the lightning at it, leaving a scorch mark on each side.
"Looks like you need to work on your aim, Drake." said Erika playfully.
Erika walked to Drake's right side, positioning herself facing a side of the rock that Drake wouldn't be able to hit and took out her bottle of water. She removed the water and started sending minute amounts of it shooting at the rock quickly, looking like liquid bullets. She hit one dead center of the rock, chipping away a small section about the size of a penny. The rest missed completely.
"And looks like you need work on your focus. You lost control of the others once you made contact with the first. You need to be able to keep control of them all simultaneously, no matter where they are." said Drake
"You're one to talk, mister. At least I hit the thing in the center." she said defensively
"Hey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I was trying to help. I didn't mean to like, scold you or anything. I was trying to give some advice. See how I send them both out at different times, but they make contact?" he said, shooting two more bolts at the rock, this time hitting dead on with one and narrowly missing the center with the second.
"Well, you're getting better." she said "I'll admit that."
"Har har." he said
They continued to practice for another few hours, both progressing quite a bit in the short time. They were now both able to hit the center of the rock with reliability, about nine out of ten times. "I think that'll do nicely for today..." Drake said triumphantly, coming off a streak of twenty three perfect shots. "Heck, I even managed to improve the speed and intensity of my shots, plus I can create them twice as fast now." he said, smiling.
"Yeah, I'm pooped." said Erika "You made a lot of progress today...I wish I could recover as much water as I used...I could have kept going longer."
"Well, the sun was out when we first started, and it was really hot. A lot of your water evaporated really fast, before you could get it back. We'll have to keep water supply in mind for our new practice area." he said
"Let's get on back to your place...I kinda want to get home." she said wearily.
"Are you alright, Erika? Maybe you overdid it a little. You weren't in the shade, like I was." he said.
"Yeah I'm okay...maybe a little something to drink at your house and I'll be fine."
"Alrighty then. I guess we'll come back here in the morning." he said, starting to walk off. "You know what, you don't look so good, maybe I should piggy back you to my place."
"No, really, I-" she started, but he was already coming at her. "Fine." she said, defeated.
Drake dipped under her arm and stood in front of her, her legs wrapped around him and arms around his chest.
It took them a little longer than usual, naturally, but they made it home to Drake's and got her a drink. "Here, have some Powerade. It'll rehydrate you and get your electrolytes back to normal." he said, handing her a small blue bottle. "No pun intended, of course." he said, noticing the gears in her mind begin to work.
Her eyes rolled, and she grabbed the bottle, taking a swig. "Ah. Thanks...It did help a lot."
"So, are you wanting to go straight home now, or you wanna stick around a bit?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know..."
"Think it over a bit, I'll go upstairs and grab your bag." he said, walking up the stairs.
A few minutes passed and Drake descended with Erika's bag in hand. "Sorry, nature called. I thought it would be rude not to answer." he said, a grin spreading across his face.
"Ugh, I don't know how I put up with you." she said jokingly, rolling her eyes at the joke.
"You know you loved it." he said "And probably because I'm so devilishly handsome."
"Well, I'll give you that," she said, blushing a bit. "You are the cat's meow." she purred, hoping he caught that.
He laughed loudly, then walked over to where she was sitting, placing the bag on the table next to Erika's half drunken drink. "So, what's the plan?" he asked
"Well, I think I kinda want to go home. I'll call you a little later tonight though, after dinner. Of course, if that's aright." she said, a hint of shyness peaking it's head.
"Of course it is..call any time you want, you know that."
"I know, it's just it'll be kinda late by then, and I figured you might wanna get rested up for tomorrow morning." she said
"Even if I'm asleep, it's fine. I'll make sure and wait for your call before I head to bed, how's that." he said, noting the look on her face. She didn't seem too comfortable with waking him up.
"Deal." she said, standing up and grabbing her bag and the drink.
They made it back to her house a few minutes after seven. Her sister was just pulling in the driveway when they walked up, a plastic bag in her hand. "Hey guys, just a sec, I'll open the door." she said.
Drake and Erika settled in to the house, talking for a few more minutes about general stuff like school, homework, and their plans for the weekend.
"So, see ya at eight?" asked Erika
"I'll be here." Drake answered cheerily.
They said goodbye and Drake headed out for home, little did he know the impending danger both he and Erika were in.
~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, on an eastbound train somewhere in the Southern United States...
Beschermer clasped his head in his hands, grunting and moaning.
"What is it, master?!" asked a concerned Koichi.
Grunting once more and steadying himself, he raised up. "I just got an intense feeling. I think that Belinka's forces are growing. There's something wrong though...I can't put my finger on it, but there's something bad intended for the kids, and us, I suppose." he answered.
"What will we do, master?"
"Well, for now we stick to the plan. We head to Drake and Erika first, then I think we'll head down to South America, then Africa. It should be a lot easier to find the people we're looking for in those places, as there is less livable areas to check." he said.
"Sounds god to me." commented Koichi, who looked like a young Polynesian boy he had seen in San Francisco.
"And," Beschermer started "You should keep working on your device. Increased range and sensitivity would be a major help. I'd hate to arrive on a continent only to find that there's not even any of the people we're looking for there."
"Of course, master, I've got a few ideas about how to boost the range in the works...I'll implement them once we reach the area that those two are in."
"Good, we'll be there in about eight hours, go ahead and get some sleep, I'll make sure no one bothers us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hooded, shadowy figure stepped out from behind a tree across from Erika's house and pulled out a crimson flip-top cell phone, quickly pressing a speed-dial number and raising it to their ear. The house was currently vacant, so no one would see that anyone was there; the perfect place to watch.
"Speak." said the cool female voice on the other end, after half a ring.
"I'm staking out across from the Water Bearer's home. From what I've been able to gather, they have not made physical contact with them yet. However I heard them mention that they are meeting them tomorrow morning." said the figure, now stepping back behind the tree.
"Well, track them down in the morning and determine where the two are heading next. Also, I'm sure that oaf will have the two give a demonstration of their powers to see where they are at, and probably give them new material for training purposes. I want you to get a video of them using their powers. Send it to me via the secure account I provided you with, we don't want that video falling into the wrong hands. Delete the video from your device once I have received it." replied the voice.
"As you wish, Lady Belinka." said the figure.
"That is all. Good luck tomorrow." said Belinka before hanging up the phone.
"Well, I'll need to be a bit more stealthy than last time...I don't want tog et caught this time, they might suspect my true motives." The figure said, walking up to the gate on the side of the house and jumping it.
They headed to the back of the house and slid open the sliding door on the back porch. Walking in to the kitchen, they grabbed a bottle of water from the freshly stocked refrigerator and headed into the bathroom. They removed their hood, revealing long, flowing red hair and brilliant green eyes and the face of an eighteen year old girl. "Fern, You've got your work cut out for you." she said to herself.
END CH 16
"I know what you mean." said Erika, looking around. "There's gotta be some place, maybe a little smaller, but way more private. Maybe we could find an old warehouse or something...some sort of building."
"That'd be nice...How about we ask Beschermer what he thinks?"
"Sounds good to me." she said "Now, let's get on this."
"Right." he said, stopping and taking a deep cleansing breath. He held out his hands to his side, looking like he was holding two things, seeing which weighed more. Then flashes of light erupted in his palm, giving way to sparks of electricity. Two balls of energy appeared in his hands and Drake moved his hands quickly towards a large rock, shooting the lightning at it, leaving a scorch mark on each side.
"Looks like you need to work on your aim, Drake." said Erika playfully.
Erika walked to Drake's right side, positioning herself facing a side of the rock that Drake wouldn't be able to hit and took out her bottle of water. She removed the water and started sending minute amounts of it shooting at the rock quickly, looking like liquid bullets. She hit one dead center of the rock, chipping away a small section about the size of a penny. The rest missed completely.
"And looks like you need work on your focus. You lost control of the others once you made contact with the first. You need to be able to keep control of them all simultaneously, no matter where they are." said Drake
"You're one to talk, mister. At least I hit the thing in the center." she said defensively
"Hey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I was trying to help. I didn't mean to like, scold you or anything. I was trying to give some advice. See how I send them both out at different times, but they make contact?" he said, shooting two more bolts at the rock, this time hitting dead on with one and narrowly missing the center with the second.
"Well, you're getting better." she said "I'll admit that."
"Har har." he said
They continued to practice for another few hours, both progressing quite a bit in the short time. They were now both able to hit the center of the rock with reliability, about nine out of ten times. "I think that'll do nicely for today..." Drake said triumphantly, coming off a streak of twenty three perfect shots. "Heck, I even managed to improve the speed and intensity of my shots, plus I can create them twice as fast now." he said, smiling.
"Yeah, I'm pooped." said Erika "You made a lot of progress today...I wish I could recover as much water as I used...I could have kept going longer."
"Well, the sun was out when we first started, and it was really hot. A lot of your water evaporated really fast, before you could get it back. We'll have to keep water supply in mind for our new practice area." he said
"Let's get on back to your place...I kinda want to get home." she said wearily.
"Are you alright, Erika? Maybe you overdid it a little. You weren't in the shade, like I was." he said.
"Yeah I'm okay...maybe a little something to drink at your house and I'll be fine."
"Alrighty then. I guess we'll come back here in the morning." he said, starting to walk off. "You know what, you don't look so good, maybe I should piggy back you to my place."
"No, really, I-" she started, but he was already coming at her. "Fine." she said, defeated.
Drake dipped under her arm and stood in front of her, her legs wrapped around him and arms around his chest.
It took them a little longer than usual, naturally, but they made it home to Drake's and got her a drink. "Here, have some Powerade. It'll rehydrate you and get your electrolytes back to normal." he said, handing her a small blue bottle. "No pun intended, of course." he said, noticing the gears in her mind begin to work.
Her eyes rolled, and she grabbed the bottle, taking a swig. "Ah. Thanks...It did help a lot."
"So, are you wanting to go straight home now, or you wanna stick around a bit?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know..."
"Think it over a bit, I'll go upstairs and grab your bag." he said, walking up the stairs.
A few minutes passed and Drake descended with Erika's bag in hand. "Sorry, nature called. I thought it would be rude not to answer." he said, a grin spreading across his face.
"Ugh, I don't know how I put up with you." she said jokingly, rolling her eyes at the joke.
"You know you loved it." he said "And probably because I'm so devilishly handsome."
"Well, I'll give you that," she said, blushing a bit. "You are the cat's meow." she purred, hoping he caught that.
He laughed loudly, then walked over to where she was sitting, placing the bag on the table next to Erika's half drunken drink. "So, what's the plan?" he asked
"Well, I think I kinda want to go home. I'll call you a little later tonight though, after dinner. Of course, if that's aright." she said, a hint of shyness peaking it's head.
"Of course it is..call any time you want, you know that."
"I know, it's just it'll be kinda late by then, and I figured you might wanna get rested up for tomorrow morning." she said
"Even if I'm asleep, it's fine. I'll make sure and wait for your call before I head to bed, how's that." he said, noting the look on her face. She didn't seem too comfortable with waking him up.
"Deal." she said, standing up and grabbing her bag and the drink.
They made it back to her house a few minutes after seven. Her sister was just pulling in the driveway when they walked up, a plastic bag in her hand. "Hey guys, just a sec, I'll open the door." she said.
Drake and Erika settled in to the house, talking for a few more minutes about general stuff like school, homework, and their plans for the weekend.
"So, see ya at eight?" asked Erika
"I'll be here." Drake answered cheerily.
They said goodbye and Drake headed out for home, little did he know the impending danger both he and Erika were in.
~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, on an eastbound train somewhere in the Southern United States...
Beschermer clasped his head in his hands, grunting and moaning.
"What is it, master?!" asked a concerned Koichi.
Grunting once more and steadying himself, he raised up. "I just got an intense feeling. I think that Belinka's forces are growing. There's something wrong though...I can't put my finger on it, but there's something bad intended for the kids, and us, I suppose." he answered.
"What will we do, master?"
"Well, for now we stick to the plan. We head to Drake and Erika first, then I think we'll head down to South America, then Africa. It should be a lot easier to find the people we're looking for in those places, as there is less livable areas to check." he said.
"Sounds god to me." commented Koichi, who looked like a young Polynesian boy he had seen in San Francisco.
"And," Beschermer started "You should keep working on your device. Increased range and sensitivity would be a major help. I'd hate to arrive on a continent only to find that there's not even any of the people we're looking for there."
"Of course, master, I've got a few ideas about how to boost the range in the works...I'll implement them once we reach the area that those two are in."
"Good, we'll be there in about eight hours, go ahead and get some sleep, I'll make sure no one bothers us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hooded, shadowy figure stepped out from behind a tree across from Erika's house and pulled out a crimson flip-top cell phone, quickly pressing a speed-dial number and raising it to their ear. The house was currently vacant, so no one would see that anyone was there; the perfect place to watch.
"Speak." said the cool female voice on the other end, after half a ring.
"I'm staking out across from the Water Bearer's home. From what I've been able to gather, they have not made physical contact with them yet. However I heard them mention that they are meeting them tomorrow morning." said the figure, now stepping back behind the tree.
"Well, track them down in the morning and determine where the two are heading next. Also, I'm sure that oaf will have the two give a demonstration of their powers to see where they are at, and probably give them new material for training purposes. I want you to get a video of them using their powers. Send it to me via the secure account I provided you with, we don't want that video falling into the wrong hands. Delete the video from your device once I have received it." replied the voice.
"As you wish, Lady Belinka." said the figure.
"That is all. Good luck tomorrow." said Belinka before hanging up the phone.
"Well, I'll need to be a bit more stealthy than last time...I don't want tog et caught this time, they might suspect my true motives." The figure said, walking up to the gate on the side of the house and jumping it.
They headed to the back of the house and slid open the sliding door on the back porch. Walking in to the kitchen, they grabbed a bottle of water from the freshly stocked refrigerator and headed into the bathroom. They removed their hood, revealing long, flowing red hair and brilliant green eyes and the face of an eighteen year old girl. "Fern, You've got your work cut out for you." she said to herself.
END CH 16
Friday, August 1, 2008
Chapter 15: Bugged
Drake and Erika sat on the bench for a moment in silence. Then, just as Drake was about to speak, his phone beeped. He had somehow missed a call. He debated whether or not to check it, then grabbed it and flipped it open. The missed call was from Beschermer. "I'll wait a few minutes and see if he leaves a message." he thought. Moments alter, another beep. 'NEW MESSAGE' displayed on his screen.
"Erika, I'm sorry, but this will have to wait a little longer. Message from Beschermer, could be important." said Drake
Erika looked up at him and smiled feebly. "Alright...we can talk later." she said
Drake dialed voicemail and stood up, walking over to the water fountain a few feet away.
"Drake, this is Beschermer. We've located another and we're on our way back to you. No more in north America, so we'll be moving on soon. Don't want to give away too much, because we could be listened in on. We'll talk in person tommorrow, I believe you said you have a three-day-weekend?" ~CLICK~
"Well, it sounds like they've found another one like us... and they'll be here in the morning to talk to us. They're moving on to another continent, I guess...no more here in North America. I guess we can't have all the fun." he said
"That's good. Hey, I've got class in a few minutes...walk me to my locker?" she asked
"Yeah, sure." Drake answered. "I guess we can talk on the bus or something...our class together this afternoon isn't a good place to try and talk, we'll get caught."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mistress Belinka!" said the excited young woman. "I've intercepted a phone call from Beschermer to the boy with the Thunder crystal...apparently they've found another crystal, the last one in North America."
A shadowed figure moved in the corner of the room, making it's way into the light. "Nice work, Claire. That saves us the trouble of looking for any more in North America...did he say where they were going next?" said Belinka.
"No, mistress. He mentioned something about not wanting to reveal too much, in case they were being overheard or intercepted. He simply said he would be back in the area to talk to them, and they would be leaving again soon." said Claire.
"Doesn't miss a trick, Beschermer...We need to find out where he's going next... so we can track a different area entirely. Send an agent to follow them wherever they go, while we go somewhere else. We'll cover twice the ground that way, and do half the work." she said, laughing.
"Marvelous plan, Mistress. shall I contact the child of flame to watch the others?" asked Claire
"Yes, I think it's best to do that. Get her to find out where they're off to next. Tell her to maintain her cover, I think that kid with the Thunder spirit still thinks she has the potential for good." she said, a grin on her face. "I mean, I'm the one who sent our darling Inferno there to begin with..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake's next class was one with Fern, and he was surprised to see her sitting in her seat next to him when he walked in the classroom. She had the tiniest hint of a smile on her face when she saw Drake walk in, then it vanished in an instant. She saw him notice it. Drake sat down and prepared himself for yet another class, just trying to get through it so he could talk to Erika again.
The class went by fast enough, it was uneventful and boring. Drake and Erika met up outside their last class, which they had together. Another uneventful class went by and Drake and Erika parted ways after, going to their respective lockers to get ready to go home. They met at the bus and sat in their new usual spot, in the back.
"Finally!" Erika exclaimed. "I've been dying to get away from that wretched place for what seems like forever!"
Drake chuckled. "I know what you mean...I've been waiting to talk to you." he said
"About what?" asked Erika, hoping against hope that her heart wasn't about to be broken.
"About...well, about us, I suppose." he said licking his lips so they wouldn't stick together and gum up his words.
Erika silently sat there a moment. "Alright, go ahead." she said
"Well...Like you said this morning, we're friends. And then all this happened today. It kinda got me thinking, well, I had already kinda been thinking..." he started.
"Oh crap, here it comes..." she thought
"I- I think we could...well, if you feel the same way, that is. We could maybe be more."
Erika's heart was racing. "Wait, seriously?!" she asked
Drake's heart sunk. "Well, only if you wanted to...it's ok if you d-"
"No, no I do!" she said
"Really?" asked Drake, a smile appearing on his face.
"Well, yeah! I'd been kinda thinking for a while too, but I figured it might be too early to bring it up."
"Alright then, great! Um, well, there's not really much different, I suppose, is there? I mean we've kinda bonded pretty well really fast." he said
"Well, now we can actually show it in public, I guess. I don't know. We'll talk about it later, I guess. I think we need to get in some extra practice tonight if he's coming in the morning." said Erika
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well...?" asked Belinka.
"I made the call, it's been taken care of..." said Claire.
"Excellent." she said.
END Ch 15
"Erika, I'm sorry, but this will have to wait a little longer. Message from Beschermer, could be important." said Drake
Erika looked up at him and smiled feebly. "Alright...we can talk later." she said
Drake dialed voicemail and stood up, walking over to the water fountain a few feet away.
"Drake, this is Beschermer. We've located another and we're on our way back to you. No more in north America, so we'll be moving on soon. Don't want to give away too much, because we could be listened in on. We'll talk in person tommorrow, I believe you said you have a three-day-weekend?" ~CLICK~
"Well, it sounds like they've found another one like us... and they'll be here in the morning to talk to us. They're moving on to another continent, I guess...no more here in North America. I guess we can't have all the fun." he said
"That's good. Hey, I've got class in a few minutes...walk me to my locker?" she asked
"Yeah, sure." Drake answered. "I guess we can talk on the bus or something...our class together this afternoon isn't a good place to try and talk, we'll get caught."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mistress Belinka!" said the excited young woman. "I've intercepted a phone call from Beschermer to the boy with the Thunder crystal...apparently they've found another crystal, the last one in North America."
A shadowed figure moved in the corner of the room, making it's way into the light. "Nice work, Claire. That saves us the trouble of looking for any more in North America...did he say where they were going next?" said Belinka.
"No, mistress. He mentioned something about not wanting to reveal too much, in case they were being overheard or intercepted. He simply said he would be back in the area to talk to them, and they would be leaving again soon." said Claire.
"Doesn't miss a trick, Beschermer...We need to find out where he's going next... so we can track a different area entirely. Send an agent to follow them wherever they go, while we go somewhere else. We'll cover twice the ground that way, and do half the work." she said, laughing.
"Marvelous plan, Mistress. shall I contact the child of flame to watch the others?" asked Claire
"Yes, I think it's best to do that. Get her to find out where they're off to next. Tell her to maintain her cover, I think that kid with the Thunder spirit still thinks she has the potential for good." she said, a grin on her face. "I mean, I'm the one who sent our darling Inferno there to begin with..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake's next class was one with Fern, and he was surprised to see her sitting in her seat next to him when he walked in the classroom. She had the tiniest hint of a smile on her face when she saw Drake walk in, then it vanished in an instant. She saw him notice it. Drake sat down and prepared himself for yet another class, just trying to get through it so he could talk to Erika again.
The class went by fast enough, it was uneventful and boring. Drake and Erika met up outside their last class, which they had together. Another uneventful class went by and Drake and Erika parted ways after, going to their respective lockers to get ready to go home. They met at the bus and sat in their new usual spot, in the back.
"Finally!" Erika exclaimed. "I've been dying to get away from that wretched place for what seems like forever!"
Drake chuckled. "I know what you mean...I've been waiting to talk to you." he said
"About what?" asked Erika, hoping against hope that her heart wasn't about to be broken.
"About...well, about us, I suppose." he said licking his lips so they wouldn't stick together and gum up his words.
Erika silently sat there a moment. "Alright, go ahead." she said
"Well...Like you said this morning, we're friends. And then all this happened today. It kinda got me thinking, well, I had already kinda been thinking..." he started.
"Oh crap, here it comes..." she thought
"I- I think we could...well, if you feel the same way, that is. We could maybe be more."
Erika's heart was racing. "Wait, seriously?!" she asked
Drake's heart sunk. "Well, only if you wanted to...it's ok if you d-"
"No, no I do!" she said
"Really?" asked Drake, a smile appearing on his face.
"Well, yeah! I'd been kinda thinking for a while too, but I figured it might be too early to bring it up."
"Alright then, great! Um, well, there's not really much different, I suppose, is there? I mean we've kinda bonded pretty well really fast." he said
"Well, now we can actually show it in public, I guess. I don't know. We'll talk about it later, I guess. I think we need to get in some extra practice tonight if he's coming in the morning." said Erika
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well...?" asked Belinka.
"I made the call, it's been taken care of..." said Claire.
"Excellent." she said.
END Ch 15
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Chapter 14: Zephyr
"What do we do now?" asked Koichi
"We must get a closer look at that crystal, Koichi." said Beschermer. "I don't know how, maybe you can go and talk to them, ask them a generic question and strike up a conversation."
"At once, master." said Koichi, standing up and walking over towards the group, stopping at a bookshelf first. He glanced over at the table and noticed the title of the book the girl was holding, "Les Miserables" and made his move.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be almost finished with that book?" he asked the girl. "Sorry, it's just I noticed you had it and there aren't any other copies on the shelf where it belongs." It just so happened that the correct shelf was right along the wall where they were all sitting, and the spot was empty.
"Oh, no, sorry. I just started it. I should have it back in a few days though, maybe you could check back then. I'm a fast reader, so mine will probably be back before most others." answered the girl. "By the way, my name's Fuu, and this is John and Tristan." said the girl with a hint of an oriental accent.
"My name's Ken. Fuu, huh? Doesn't that have something to do with "wind" in Japanese?" Koichi asked, intrigued. He glanced down at the table and there it was, the pure crystal of Wind, crystal clear with accents of a light blue/green hue. It was beautiful. Koichi quickly looked away and out of the corner of his eye saw Beschermer shift in his seat.
"Why yes, actually. How would you know that?" she asked. Koichi had once again changed back to the boy from Tampa, who was clearly nowhere near close to being of Japanese descent.
"Well, I'm a bit of a nerd...and I'm into Japanese culture and all that." he said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and thanks for the talk. I'll be sure to check back later. Hasta!" he said, walking off to pretend to look at another shelf before grabbing another random book and sitting back with Beschermer at their table.
~~~~~~~~~~~
10 minutes earlier:
Fuu, John, and Tristan were sitting at a table in the library when a boy about sixteen, with green eyes and black spiky hair and an older man, likely his father, walked up the stairs and sat down at a table a few yards away. Fuu watched them a moment and then resumed talking with her friends. They were talking about a school project that they had to do this week, coming up with a concept for the mandatory Science Fair. They all hated it, but it was being forced on them, and grades were being given. They had to do it.
Tristan glanced around the room a second and then stooped in close to whisper. "Listen, Fuu...how long do you want me to hold on to this thing for you?" he said, his hand reaching for his pocket.
"Well, I guess you can give it back now...I just wanted to hide it from Stacy while she was in town... she's obsessed with jewelry and I know she would have wanted it if she had seen me with it." Fuu answered.
"Great, I don't really like it very much, it seems really heavy in my pocket. It's almost like it's trying to get out." he said, reaching in his pocket and taking out the crystal and putting it on the table. "What's that symbol on it, anyways?"
"It's the ancient symbol for Wind, or Air, depending on the dialect or culture you're referencing." she answered.
A minute or two passed and the boy from the other table got up and walked over to the shelf a few feet away, looking on the shelf she had gotten her book from a few minutes ago. He then walked over and started talking to Fuu.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be almost finished with that book?" he asked. "Sorry, it's just I noticed you had it and there aren't any other copies on the shelf where it belongs."
"Oh, no, sorry. I just started it. I should have it back in a few days though, maybe you could check back then. I'm a fast reader, so mine will probably be back before most others." Fuu answered. "By the way, my name's Fuu, Fuu Ishida and this is John and Tristan." she said with a hint of an oriental accent. Her father was an American, while her mother was Japanese. They had met when he was in Japan for a school trip, and they had kept in touch and eventually married.
"My name's Ken. Fuu, huh? Doesn't that have something to do with "wind" in Japanese?" asked the boy.
"Why yes, actually. How would you know that?" she asked.
"Well, I'm a bit of a nerd...and I'm into Japanese culture and all that." he said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and thanks for the talk. I'll be sure to check back later. Hasta!" he said, turning and walking off to grab another book from the shelf and then sitting back down with his dad.
Fuu had a strange feeling about they boy. He had seen him glance at her crystal a few times during their short conversation, and then at the mention of her name, had recognized that it meant the same as her crystal's symbol. She was certain he was more than he appeared to be.
"That was random, huh Fuu?" asked John
"Yeah, and I had no idea that's what your name meant...no wonder you like that crystal thing so much." said Tristan.
"Yeah, that's one reason..." she said, glancing over at the boy again. He was talking with the older man who she thought was his father. Now she thought it might have been him that sent Ken to talk to her, maybe to find out about the crystal.
"Hey, we need to get to school, eh?" asked John, standing up and grabbing his pack.
"Yeah, let's go." answered Fuu, putting her crystal in her pocket and pulling her pack on, following John and Tristan down the stairs and out of sight of the two strangers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koichi and Beschermer saw the three get up and walk out. They had gotten enough information on the subject and decided not to pursue them.
"Her name's Fuu Ishida. She's the bearer of the crystal." said Koichi. "I'm sure of it."
"How can you be sure...the boy had it to begin with." asked Beschermer.
"Well, her name's Fuu which roughly translates to Wind...plus the boy gave it to her. he seemed to not want to hold on to it. And she goes to the school down the road. I saw the name on her backpack. If we need to find her, we can always go there."
"Fair enough...I think we've got all we need. I'll call Drake and tell him we're on our way back. I need to give those two a little more training before we go. I think they're ready to move up a level in their elemental control." he said.
"Alright then, how will we get back this time?" asked Koichi
"There's not always going to be an easy way to travel, for now we'll travel on foot. But on our way back this time, we'll use our abilities...we'll be there by nightfall." he answered.
Beschermer pulled out his cell phone as they walked outside and into the California sun. He dialed Drake's number to inform him of the situation. Unfortunately, he didn't pick up so Beschermer left a message. "I forgot, they're at school now, there's a time difference here." he said, embarrassed. "Maybe he'll call at lunch or something..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake led Erika out into the hallway and spotted an empty bench. They sat down and Erika leaned on his shoulder, quietly sobbing. She was beginning to calm herself, breathing hard and the tears gradually stopped after a few minutes. "Erika, this might not be the best time, but there's something I want to talk to you about..." said Drake "It's kinda important, and I'm not sure how much long I can wait with things going at this rate."
"Sure, what's up?" she asked, mentally preparing herself to get gently let down, her heart broken again. She was sure he was going to say it was just too much, and they should stop hanging out.
END Ch. 14
"We must get a closer look at that crystal, Koichi." said Beschermer. "I don't know how, maybe you can go and talk to them, ask them a generic question and strike up a conversation."
"At once, master." said Koichi, standing up and walking over towards the group, stopping at a bookshelf first. He glanced over at the table and noticed the title of the book the girl was holding, "Les Miserables" and made his move.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be almost finished with that book?" he asked the girl. "Sorry, it's just I noticed you had it and there aren't any other copies on the shelf where it belongs." It just so happened that the correct shelf was right along the wall where they were all sitting, and the spot was empty.
"Oh, no, sorry. I just started it. I should have it back in a few days though, maybe you could check back then. I'm a fast reader, so mine will probably be back before most others." answered the girl. "By the way, my name's Fuu, and this is John and Tristan." said the girl with a hint of an oriental accent.
"My name's Ken. Fuu, huh? Doesn't that have something to do with "wind" in Japanese?" Koichi asked, intrigued. He glanced down at the table and there it was, the pure crystal of Wind, crystal clear with accents of a light blue/green hue. It was beautiful. Koichi quickly looked away and out of the corner of his eye saw Beschermer shift in his seat.
"Why yes, actually. How would you know that?" she asked. Koichi had once again changed back to the boy from Tampa, who was clearly nowhere near close to being of Japanese descent.
"Well, I'm a bit of a nerd...and I'm into Japanese culture and all that." he said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and thanks for the talk. I'll be sure to check back later. Hasta!" he said, walking off to pretend to look at another shelf before grabbing another random book and sitting back with Beschermer at their table.
~~~~~~~~~~~
10 minutes earlier:
Fuu, John, and Tristan were sitting at a table in the library when a boy about sixteen, with green eyes and black spiky hair and an older man, likely his father, walked up the stairs and sat down at a table a few yards away. Fuu watched them a moment and then resumed talking with her friends. They were talking about a school project that they had to do this week, coming up with a concept for the mandatory Science Fair. They all hated it, but it was being forced on them, and grades were being given. They had to do it.
Tristan glanced around the room a second and then stooped in close to whisper. "Listen, Fuu...how long do you want me to hold on to this thing for you?" he said, his hand reaching for his pocket.
"Well, I guess you can give it back now...I just wanted to hide it from Stacy while she was in town... she's obsessed with jewelry and I know she would have wanted it if she had seen me with it." Fuu answered.
"Great, I don't really like it very much, it seems really heavy in my pocket. It's almost like it's trying to get out." he said, reaching in his pocket and taking out the crystal and putting it on the table. "What's that symbol on it, anyways?"
"It's the ancient symbol for Wind, or Air, depending on the dialect or culture you're referencing." she answered.
A minute or two passed and the boy from the other table got up and walked over to the shelf a few feet away, looking on the shelf she had gotten her book from a few minutes ago. He then walked over and started talking to Fuu.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be almost finished with that book?" he asked. "Sorry, it's just I noticed you had it and there aren't any other copies on the shelf where it belongs."
"Oh, no, sorry. I just started it. I should have it back in a few days though, maybe you could check back then. I'm a fast reader, so mine will probably be back before most others." Fuu answered. "By the way, my name's Fuu, Fuu Ishida and this is John and Tristan." she said with a hint of an oriental accent. Her father was an American, while her mother was Japanese. They had met when he was in Japan for a school trip, and they had kept in touch and eventually married.
"My name's Ken. Fuu, huh? Doesn't that have something to do with "wind" in Japanese?" asked the boy.
"Why yes, actually. How would you know that?" she asked.
"Well, I'm a bit of a nerd...and I'm into Japanese culture and all that." he said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and thanks for the talk. I'll be sure to check back later. Hasta!" he said, turning and walking off to grab another book from the shelf and then sitting back down with his dad.
Fuu had a strange feeling about they boy. He had seen him glance at her crystal a few times during their short conversation, and then at the mention of her name, had recognized that it meant the same as her crystal's symbol. She was certain he was more than he appeared to be.
"That was random, huh Fuu?" asked John
"Yeah, and I had no idea that's what your name meant...no wonder you like that crystal thing so much." said Tristan.
"Yeah, that's one reason..." she said, glancing over at the boy again. He was talking with the older man who she thought was his father. Now she thought it might have been him that sent Ken to talk to her, maybe to find out about the crystal.
"Hey, we need to get to school, eh?" asked John, standing up and grabbing his pack.
"Yeah, let's go." answered Fuu, putting her crystal in her pocket and pulling her pack on, following John and Tristan down the stairs and out of sight of the two strangers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koichi and Beschermer saw the three get up and walk out. They had gotten enough information on the subject and decided not to pursue them.
"Her name's Fuu Ishida. She's the bearer of the crystal." said Koichi. "I'm sure of it."
"How can you be sure...the boy had it to begin with." asked Beschermer.
"Well, her name's Fuu which roughly translates to Wind...plus the boy gave it to her. he seemed to not want to hold on to it. And she goes to the school down the road. I saw the name on her backpack. If we need to find her, we can always go there."
"Fair enough...I think we've got all we need. I'll call Drake and tell him we're on our way back. I need to give those two a little more training before we go. I think they're ready to move up a level in their elemental control." he said.
"Alright then, how will we get back this time?" asked Koichi
"There's not always going to be an easy way to travel, for now we'll travel on foot. But on our way back this time, we'll use our abilities...we'll be there by nightfall." he answered.
Beschermer pulled out his cell phone as they walked outside and into the California sun. He dialed Drake's number to inform him of the situation. Unfortunately, he didn't pick up so Beschermer left a message. "I forgot, they're at school now, there's a time difference here." he said, embarrassed. "Maybe he'll call at lunch or something..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake led Erika out into the hallway and spotted an empty bench. They sat down and Erika leaned on his shoulder, quietly sobbing. She was beginning to calm herself, breathing hard and the tears gradually stopped after a few minutes. "Erika, this might not be the best time, but there's something I want to talk to you about..." said Drake "It's kinda important, and I'm not sure how much long I can wait with things going at this rate."
"Sure, what's up?" she asked, mentally preparing herself to get gently let down, her heart broken again. She was sure he was going to say it was just too much, and they should stop hanging out.
END Ch. 14
Chapter 13: Telephone
Drake awoke the next morning and looked around him, groggily. It took him a moment to realize he had no idea where he was. Then it came to him; he was still at Erika's house! Somehow they had fallen asleep on the couch last night during the movie and slept through the night. Drake looked down and saw a huge blanket covering the two of them. "Her sister must have come home." Drake thought.
All of a sudden a wave of panic washed over Drake. He had to call home and explain what had happened, his mom was sure to be royally pissed by now. He worked out what he would say in his mind first, then he lifted Erika up a little, just enough to get off the couch without waking her up. He set her back down and covered her again, walking out into the hall and dialing home.
"Hello?" a young female voice answered sleepily.
"Sophie?" Drake asked, before continuing. "Listen, does mom know I'm not there?"
"Umm, she got in real late last night. She went straight to bed and crashed."
"Good, I'll be home in about 20 minutes...will she still be out, you think?" he asked
"Yeah, I think so. But...you're gonna owe me big for covering this up...first, i want a full explanation when you get here. We'll talk after school about the details." she said
-CLICK-
"Wonderful, now I'm gonna have to do her slave work for a month or something..." Drake thought.
Drake walked back in the living room and was surprised to see Erika sleepily staring at him. She stood up and shuffled over to him, stopping inches away from him. "I'm sorry I got you in this mess," she said "I should have known we would fall asleep. If you get in trouble, please...blame it on me." she said, grabbing him and giving him a hug. "Now you need to get home A.S.A.P. mister, the quicker the better. I'll see you on the bus, kay?"
Drake was speechless. His mind was swimming and all he could manage was a weak "Kay," before grabbing his bag and walking out the door. He turned and smiled at Erika, standing in the doorway, and managed to regain his composure. "See ya in a bit! And don't worry...I'll take the fall if something happens. I don't want you getting involved if possible." he said, turning and running in the direction of the park.
Drake passed the park and kept on running all the way to his house. "Maybe I should go for Track." he thought. His sister was waiting by the front door and quietly opened it for him, letting him in.
"Go on and get a shower and ready for school...we'll talk at breakfast." said Sophie.
"Kay, I'll be down in a few. And thanks, even though you're totally using me, you're helping because deep down, you care." he said with a sarcastic grin.
Drake showered and got dressed, slipping his pack back on and heading downstairs. Sophie had just poured herself a bowl of cereal and had set an empty bowl by the next seat. Drake walked in and sat down, getting his food as well. "So," she said "Where were you? Or should I say...who were you with?"
"I was at Erika's house," he began, noting the surprised look on her face and quickly explained. "We were watching a movie last night, and we fell asleep on the couch. I woke up this morning and called right away."
"Well well, my little brother finally got some action."
"It's not like that..." he said
"Yeah, I bet. Look, I don't blame you...she's pretty, smart, and she's kinda in with the popular crowd. She's your ticket in, if there is a ticket for you at all. Whatever you two were doing, I don't care...just be safe, kiddo. I don't want to be an aunt anytime soon."
"Yeah, and I want to be an uncle?"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." she answered.
Drake glanced at the clock and saw it was almost time for the bus. He cleaned his bowl and put the stuff away before walking out the door. He could hear the bus in the distance and determined the bus was about 3 minutes away. As if by magic, exactly three minutes later the bus came into view, a block away. It pulled up to Drake's house and opened the door so Drake could get on. He walked to the back, as usual, and sat down, scooting over to make room for Erika to sit when she got on. "Wow, maybe this is more than I thought...first last night, it kinda turned into a date, then that hug this morning...that was more than a regular hug, and now I'm making room for her to sit with me without even knowing it." he thought.
The bus continued on it's path, picking up a few more kids, most of whom sat near the front. Soon it stopped at Erika's and she got on. She walked to the back, smiling at Drake, then sat down next to him and set her bag down next to his on the floor in front of them. "Saved me a seat, I see." she said, grinning.
"Not like anyone else would have sat here anyways, but yeah, I made sure to leave your spot." he grinned.
"You're lucky I sat with you, mister." she said "Otherwise you would have been keeping a seat for someone sitting in the front."
Drake paused.
"I'm kidding silly, of course I wanted to sit with you. Why wouldn't I? We're...friends." she said carefully. "Right?"
"Uh, yeah...friends." Drake said as the bus lurched forward again, heading off to school.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you okay, Drake?" asked Erika when she saw him before their first of two classes together. "You're acting kinda weird."
"Yeah, I'm fine." answered Drake, realizing he was glaring at the ground.
"Well, if there's something bothering you, don't feel bad about sharing with me. I'm a good listener."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Ugh." grunted Erika, slamming her tray down on the cafeteria table in front of Drake.
"Umm, you okay there, Erika?" Drake asked
"I'm fine, I guess. Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Some anal retentive person started a rumor about us..." she said, a tear forming in her eye
"What kind of rumor?" Drake asked, immediately thinking of his sister.
"A nasty one, an untrue one, one about us last night. Everyone in the school's saying we had sex last night!" she whispered the last part, face welling up with tears.
"Sophie." he said, his eyes narrowing.
"Huh? You're sister? You think she started it?" she sobbed
"I'm positive. I'm gonna go chew her ass out right now."
Drake marched over to where his sister sat, in the middle of the cafeteria. "What the hell is your problem, Soph?" he demanded.
"What's yours? What did I do now?" she answered
"You know very well what you did, the whole school's talking about it now." he said.
The rest of the table stood up and shuffled away, wanting to get out of there A.S.A.P.
Sophie grinned. "As much as I'd love to take the credit for that, it wasn't me. I haven't told a single person." she said
"Oh yeah, then who the heck did? I haven't told anyone else about what happened, and she's absolutely devastated about it, so she clearly didn't either." fumed Drake
"I've got no idea...maybe someone saw the two of you at her house last night or something. Please believe me, it wasn't me. I promised I'd keep it quiet, and I made sure not to mention to anyone, even when people asked me about you two." she said. "Maybe it got out of control, like that kids game, telephone. The story could have changed a hundred times as it was passed from person to person. And you know how some of the idiots are here...not a brain cell to their name."
Somehow, Drake believed her...he couldn't explain it, despite all evidence to the contrary, Sophie didn't start this. Now he had to find out who did...the easiest way is to ask around and see who people heard it from, eventually he might reach the true source, if people weren't covering for them. He walked back over to Erika, who was discreetly crying, making sure not to look at anyone. "Erika, it wasn't her...but I'm going to do everything i can to find out who it was. Someone had to have been spying on us last night, there's just no other way." he said
She dabbed her eyes with her napkin. "I'll help too. If it's that serious, you're gonna need help." she squeaked.
Drake was fuming. How could someone do something like that? What justification or proof did they have to start a rumor like that, and why would someone start it, even if it was true? Erika was still silently crying, and Drake couldn't stand it. He wanted to comfort her, but in this crowd, it would only make the rumors worse, somehow. "Come on, let's get out of here...away from all these people." he said, leading her out into the hall.
END Ch. 13
All of a sudden a wave of panic washed over Drake. He had to call home and explain what had happened, his mom was sure to be royally pissed by now. He worked out what he would say in his mind first, then he lifted Erika up a little, just enough to get off the couch without waking her up. He set her back down and covered her again, walking out into the hall and dialing home.
"Hello?" a young female voice answered sleepily.
"Sophie?" Drake asked, before continuing. "Listen, does mom know I'm not there?"
"Umm, she got in real late last night. She went straight to bed and crashed."
"Good, I'll be home in about 20 minutes...will she still be out, you think?" he asked
"Yeah, I think so. But...you're gonna owe me big for covering this up...first, i want a full explanation when you get here. We'll talk after school about the details." she said
-CLICK-
"Wonderful, now I'm gonna have to do her slave work for a month or something..." Drake thought.
Drake walked back in the living room and was surprised to see Erika sleepily staring at him. She stood up and shuffled over to him, stopping inches away from him. "I'm sorry I got you in this mess," she said "I should have known we would fall asleep. If you get in trouble, please...blame it on me." she said, grabbing him and giving him a hug. "Now you need to get home A.S.A.P. mister, the quicker the better. I'll see you on the bus, kay?"
Drake was speechless. His mind was swimming and all he could manage was a weak "Kay," before grabbing his bag and walking out the door. He turned and smiled at Erika, standing in the doorway, and managed to regain his composure. "See ya in a bit! And don't worry...I'll take the fall if something happens. I don't want you getting involved if possible." he said, turning and running in the direction of the park.
Drake passed the park and kept on running all the way to his house. "Maybe I should go for Track." he thought. His sister was waiting by the front door and quietly opened it for him, letting him in.
"Go on and get a shower and ready for school...we'll talk at breakfast." said Sophie.
"Kay, I'll be down in a few. And thanks, even though you're totally using me, you're helping because deep down, you care." he said with a sarcastic grin.
Drake showered and got dressed, slipping his pack back on and heading downstairs. Sophie had just poured herself a bowl of cereal and had set an empty bowl by the next seat. Drake walked in and sat down, getting his food as well. "So," she said "Where were you? Or should I say...who were you with?"
"I was at Erika's house," he began, noting the surprised look on her face and quickly explained. "We were watching a movie last night, and we fell asleep on the couch. I woke up this morning and called right away."
"Well well, my little brother finally got some action."
"It's not like that..." he said
"Yeah, I bet. Look, I don't blame you...she's pretty, smart, and she's kinda in with the popular crowd. She's your ticket in, if there is a ticket for you at all. Whatever you two were doing, I don't care...just be safe, kiddo. I don't want to be an aunt anytime soon."
"Yeah, and I want to be an uncle?"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." she answered.
Drake glanced at the clock and saw it was almost time for the bus. He cleaned his bowl and put the stuff away before walking out the door. He could hear the bus in the distance and determined the bus was about 3 minutes away. As if by magic, exactly three minutes later the bus came into view, a block away. It pulled up to Drake's house and opened the door so Drake could get on. He walked to the back, as usual, and sat down, scooting over to make room for Erika to sit when she got on. "Wow, maybe this is more than I thought...first last night, it kinda turned into a date, then that hug this morning...that was more than a regular hug, and now I'm making room for her to sit with me without even knowing it." he thought.
The bus continued on it's path, picking up a few more kids, most of whom sat near the front. Soon it stopped at Erika's and she got on. She walked to the back, smiling at Drake, then sat down next to him and set her bag down next to his on the floor in front of them. "Saved me a seat, I see." she said, grinning.
"Not like anyone else would have sat here anyways, but yeah, I made sure to leave your spot." he grinned.
"You're lucky I sat with you, mister." she said "Otherwise you would have been keeping a seat for someone sitting in the front."
Drake paused.
"I'm kidding silly, of course I wanted to sit with you. Why wouldn't I? We're...friends." she said carefully. "Right?"
"Uh, yeah...friends." Drake said as the bus lurched forward again, heading off to school.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you okay, Drake?" asked Erika when she saw him before their first of two classes together. "You're acting kinda weird."
"Yeah, I'm fine." answered Drake, realizing he was glaring at the ground.
"Well, if there's something bothering you, don't feel bad about sharing with me. I'm a good listener."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Ugh." grunted Erika, slamming her tray down on the cafeteria table in front of Drake.
"Umm, you okay there, Erika?" Drake asked
"I'm fine, I guess. Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Some anal retentive person started a rumor about us..." she said, a tear forming in her eye
"What kind of rumor?" Drake asked, immediately thinking of his sister.
"A nasty one, an untrue one, one about us last night. Everyone in the school's saying we had sex last night!" she whispered the last part, face welling up with tears.
"Sophie." he said, his eyes narrowing.
"Huh? You're sister? You think she started it?" she sobbed
"I'm positive. I'm gonna go chew her ass out right now."
Drake marched over to where his sister sat, in the middle of the cafeteria. "What the hell is your problem, Soph?" he demanded.
"What's yours? What did I do now?" she answered
"You know very well what you did, the whole school's talking about it now." he said.
The rest of the table stood up and shuffled away, wanting to get out of there A.S.A.P.
Sophie grinned. "As much as I'd love to take the credit for that, it wasn't me. I haven't told a single person." she said
"Oh yeah, then who the heck did? I haven't told anyone else about what happened, and she's absolutely devastated about it, so she clearly didn't either." fumed Drake
"I've got no idea...maybe someone saw the two of you at her house last night or something. Please believe me, it wasn't me. I promised I'd keep it quiet, and I made sure not to mention to anyone, even when people asked me about you two." she said. "Maybe it got out of control, like that kids game, telephone. The story could have changed a hundred times as it was passed from person to person. And you know how some of the idiots are here...not a brain cell to their name."
Somehow, Drake believed her...he couldn't explain it, despite all evidence to the contrary, Sophie didn't start this. Now he had to find out who did...the easiest way is to ask around and see who people heard it from, eventually he might reach the true source, if people weren't covering for them. He walked back over to Erika, who was discreetly crying, making sure not to look at anyone. "Erika, it wasn't her...but I'm going to do everything i can to find out who it was. Someone had to have been spying on us last night, there's just no other way." he said
She dabbed her eyes with her napkin. "I'll help too. If it's that serious, you're gonna need help." she squeaked.
Drake was fuming. How could someone do something like that? What justification or proof did they have to start a rumor like that, and why would someone start it, even if it was true? Erika was still silently crying, and Drake couldn't stand it. He wanted to comfort her, but in this crowd, it would only make the rumors worse, somehow. "Come on, let's get out of here...away from all these people." he said, leading her out into the hall.
END Ch. 13
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Chapter 12: Trolley
Somewhere in the Nevada Desert, two lone figures walked briskly in the moonlight. They were careful as to not stray too far from their chosen path, so they wouldn't get too close to any cities. These two figures were moving quickly, methodically, and purposefully; they were on a mission, a mission of immense importance.
"Master, what are we to do in the case of the corrupted crystals?" asked Koichi.
"My friend, I've told you...in most of these cases, and in particular those of the corrupted crystals...we are to abstain from contact with them. We will locate them, tail them to determine their identities and where they live, and be sure that they are safe and otherwise unknown. For the time being, the main focus of our duties is to locate the new bearers and to create and maintain a list of their identities and last known whereabouts." said Beschermer.
"Shouldn't we warn them? At least the bearers of the Pure Crystals?" asked the younger.
"The time will come for that, but we need to at least track them down as quickly as possible. When we move on to a new continent, we will need to look into a new mode of transportation...but the matter of obtaining the amount and type of currency we will need is a difficult one. Drake and Erika might be able to help us out in some way with that..." answered Beschermer.
It was almost sunrise when the two reached the outskirts of their target destination, the place where the closest crystal now resided, according to Koichi's heightened senses, and the equipment he had managed to fabricate to manifest his powers. They had been led to California, San Francisco, to be exact.
"Somewhere in this city lies another crystal, master." said Koichi. "Hopefully soon I will be able to tweak this contraption to be more specific as to which crystal we are looking for. For now, we will have to make due with our senses, I suppose."
"Ah, that would be nice, my friend... make sure to work on that as soon as you can." he said, heading off towards the heart of the city.
Koichi had another particularly useful ability in his repertoire; the ability to change his physical appearance at will. He could make himself look like a more human version of himself, or any other person in the world that was around his size. He could change any individual part of his appearance to match that of any he had seen before, adding to his bag of tricks with every human he laid eyes on. This particularly came in handy when entering a big city. Hiding his draconian appearance was critical when moving among average humans, as it would give both he and Beschermer away if his true form had been seen.
Today, he was sporting the look of a young boy, roughly sixteen years old with short jet black hair that was spiked up in the latest fashion and piercing green eyes. His imitation of a boy he had seen back in Tampa was spot on, down to the last freckle. He needed to work on portraying actual people, as it was bound to affect someone, somewhere eventually...causing someone to think they had seen that individual a world away when they had, in fact never left their hometown within months or years. Today, he felt a little lazy and went with this kid who had worked in a music store across the street from the hotel they were staying at.
Koichi looked down at his instrument, it had a greenish screen with a brightly colored map of the area within10 miles. They had narrowed it down within 8 miles of their target, but needed to wait until they got within 5 to reduce the range, thus enlarging the map. "Their location hasn't changed at all in the past two hours, master." he said
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they were at school. it seems a nice chunk of this generation is turning out to be children and young adults." he said
"Good point." replied Koichi
They saw a sign advertising a free Trolley ride in exchange for taking a survey about the city and decided to check it out. "Koichi, quick, change your appearance to look more Japanese, so your name fits you better. You don't look like a 'Koichi' to me." Beschermer said with a grin on his face.
The young kid walked down an alley and reappeared moments later, now looking like a Japanese tourist, here to see the sights. They walked to the booth and sat through the whole speel about what they were doing today and how they could get a free Trolley ride by just answering a few questions and providing their names. They filled out cards in the names 'Koichi' and 'Ben' Sugimura. Luckily, Beschermer had the look about him that allowed him to pass for virtually any race on the planet. Once they answered a few vague questions about the city, rating the sights, food, etc on a scale of 1-10, they were thanked and given a special token that was to be presented to the Trolley man when their trolley came and they were ready to go.
The trolley ride was fairly relaxing for the two, they took in the sights and sounds of the city, keeping an eye on their target, a small blinking dot on the monitor. They were now within 2 miles and could see almost exactly where the person was. They had it pinpointed to a large building, somewhere near the East side of it. Soon the trolley was within a hundred yards of where they needed to get off to cut across, so they got up and walked to the trolley man, telling him where to let them off. "No problem guys, that's actually one of the scheduled stops anyways!" said the man, easily amused.
They got off and crossed the street quickly before the next wave of traffic hit. five minutes later, they had reached their target area. The building was a library, an excellent place to observe someone undetected. Koichi pinpointed the location to the second floor, east wing, so the walked in and browsed a bit before heading upstairs.
When they reached the top of the stairs, they found three people in the area they needed to search. Unfortunately, the machine could not determine which of the three, they were in close proximity...all sitting at a round table along the wall. The two set up at a table a few yards away, both sitting where they could watch, yet seem like they were actually doing something. Koichi walked over and got a couple books to pretend to read.
"Which one is it, Master?" Koichi asked.
"I...I'm not sure. Whoever it is, they have the crystal on them, but it's not visible. None of them are wearing anything around their necks, and none have bracelets or anything. It's probably in a pocket." answered Beschermer, glancing in their direction before looking at his book.
"Master, look at the boy on the left's leg pocket. There's a bulge about the size of a crystal, do you see it?" he asked
"Mmm, that I do. That is more than likely our target, I just wish I could see it, even for an instant. We need to identify it before moving on." he said
Just then, as if on cue, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled something out, showing it to his friends. His arm was in the way for a moment, but then it was clearly visible to Koichi, just for a moment. The boy then placed it on the table, and out of their sight.
"Did you notice what color it was, Koichi?" Beschermer asked
" It was a light color...either white or a light blue color." he answered.
"Well, that narrows it down to one of six crystals then...he possesses one of the spirits of either Light, Ice, or Wind."
End Ch. 12
"Master, what are we to do in the case of the corrupted crystals?" asked Koichi.
"My friend, I've told you...in most of these cases, and in particular those of the corrupted crystals...we are to abstain from contact with them. We will locate them, tail them to determine their identities and where they live, and be sure that they are safe and otherwise unknown. For the time being, the main focus of our duties is to locate the new bearers and to create and maintain a list of their identities and last known whereabouts." said Beschermer.
"Shouldn't we warn them? At least the bearers of the Pure Crystals?" asked the younger.
"The time will come for that, but we need to at least track them down as quickly as possible. When we move on to a new continent, we will need to look into a new mode of transportation...but the matter of obtaining the amount and type of currency we will need is a difficult one. Drake and Erika might be able to help us out in some way with that..." answered Beschermer.
It was almost sunrise when the two reached the outskirts of their target destination, the place where the closest crystal now resided, according to Koichi's heightened senses, and the equipment he had managed to fabricate to manifest his powers. They had been led to California, San Francisco, to be exact.
"Somewhere in this city lies another crystal, master." said Koichi. "Hopefully soon I will be able to tweak this contraption to be more specific as to which crystal we are looking for. For now, we will have to make due with our senses, I suppose."
"Ah, that would be nice, my friend... make sure to work on that as soon as you can." he said, heading off towards the heart of the city.
Koichi had another particularly useful ability in his repertoire; the ability to change his physical appearance at will. He could make himself look like a more human version of himself, or any other person in the world that was around his size. He could change any individual part of his appearance to match that of any he had seen before, adding to his bag of tricks with every human he laid eyes on. This particularly came in handy when entering a big city. Hiding his draconian appearance was critical when moving among average humans, as it would give both he and Beschermer away if his true form had been seen.
Today, he was sporting the look of a young boy, roughly sixteen years old with short jet black hair that was spiked up in the latest fashion and piercing green eyes. His imitation of a boy he had seen back in Tampa was spot on, down to the last freckle. He needed to work on portraying actual people, as it was bound to affect someone, somewhere eventually...causing someone to think they had seen that individual a world away when they had, in fact never left their hometown within months or years. Today, he felt a little lazy and went with this kid who had worked in a music store across the street from the hotel they were staying at.
Koichi looked down at his instrument, it had a greenish screen with a brightly colored map of the area within10 miles. They had narrowed it down within 8 miles of their target, but needed to wait until they got within 5 to reduce the range, thus enlarging the map. "Their location hasn't changed at all in the past two hours, master." he said
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they were at school. it seems a nice chunk of this generation is turning out to be children and young adults." he said
"Good point." replied Koichi
They saw a sign advertising a free Trolley ride in exchange for taking a survey about the city and decided to check it out. "Koichi, quick, change your appearance to look more Japanese, so your name fits you better. You don't look like a 'Koichi' to me." Beschermer said with a grin on his face.
The young kid walked down an alley and reappeared moments later, now looking like a Japanese tourist, here to see the sights. They walked to the booth and sat through the whole speel about what they were doing today and how they could get a free Trolley ride by just answering a few questions and providing their names. They filled out cards in the names 'Koichi' and 'Ben' Sugimura. Luckily, Beschermer had the look about him that allowed him to pass for virtually any race on the planet. Once they answered a few vague questions about the city, rating the sights, food, etc on a scale of 1-10, they were thanked and given a special token that was to be presented to the Trolley man when their trolley came and they were ready to go.
The trolley ride was fairly relaxing for the two, they took in the sights and sounds of the city, keeping an eye on their target, a small blinking dot on the monitor. They were now within 2 miles and could see almost exactly where the person was. They had it pinpointed to a large building, somewhere near the East side of it. Soon the trolley was within a hundred yards of where they needed to get off to cut across, so they got up and walked to the trolley man, telling him where to let them off. "No problem guys, that's actually one of the scheduled stops anyways!" said the man, easily amused.
They got off and crossed the street quickly before the next wave of traffic hit. five minutes later, they had reached their target area. The building was a library, an excellent place to observe someone undetected. Koichi pinpointed the location to the second floor, east wing, so the walked in and browsed a bit before heading upstairs.
When they reached the top of the stairs, they found three people in the area they needed to search. Unfortunately, the machine could not determine which of the three, they were in close proximity...all sitting at a round table along the wall. The two set up at a table a few yards away, both sitting where they could watch, yet seem like they were actually doing something. Koichi walked over and got a couple books to pretend to read.
"Which one is it, Master?" Koichi asked.
"I...I'm not sure. Whoever it is, they have the crystal on them, but it's not visible. None of them are wearing anything around their necks, and none have bracelets or anything. It's probably in a pocket." answered Beschermer, glancing in their direction before looking at his book.
"Master, look at the boy on the left's leg pocket. There's a bulge about the size of a crystal, do you see it?" he asked
"Mmm, that I do. That is more than likely our target, I just wish I could see it, even for an instant. We need to identify it before moving on." he said
Just then, as if on cue, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled something out, showing it to his friends. His arm was in the way for a moment, but then it was clearly visible to Koichi, just for a moment. The boy then placed it on the table, and out of their sight.
"Did you notice what color it was, Koichi?" Beschermer asked
" It was a light color...either white or a light blue color." he answered.
"Well, that narrows it down to one of six crystals then...he possesses one of the spirits of either Light, Ice, or Wind."
End Ch. 12
Monday, July 28, 2008
Chapter 11: Orange Chicken
As Erika and Drake made their way to Erika's house, Drake had the recurring feeling that they were being watched. Not only watched, but followed. He kept glancing back every minute or so, but there was never anyone within view. "I hope I'm just paranoid..." Drake thought.
After a nice walk, they reached their destination and Erika peeped inside before letting Drake in. "Just wanted to be sure my sister was gone...hehe." she said.
"Am I not allowed to meet her or something?" asked Drake
"No, it's not that...it's just that she's...not very nice. I know she wouldn't leave us alone the whole time you're here. You'll meet her eventually, if you keep coming over."
"Okay...and what about your mom, she's out of town, right?" asked Drake, hoping he didn't sound like he was trying to take advantage of her empty house or anything.
"Yup, but she'll be back in a couple days...then my sister will be a little nicer too." she smiled back
They both scrounged around a while and couldn't find anything to put together an actual meal from. Erika pulled out a Chinese restaurant menu and asked if he liked Chinese. "You bet I do!" he answered. "But let me buy...from the looks of your food situation here, you might need the extra cash to survive until your mom gets back." Drake said, smiling.
"But I can," she started
"Please, it's my treat..." he pleaded.
"Fine, but next time I buy." she said, a playful grin spreading across her face.
Drake smiled. "So, what do you usually get?" he asked
"Well, I typically get a Pint of Orange Chicken, with some White Rice and an egg roll. But I'm not picky...look and see what you want, and I'll have that." she answered.
"Actually, that's what I always get too, haha. How about a Quart of each and a couple egg rolls?"
"Sounds good! I'll order for ya." she said. "They deliver, so we don't have to worry about going after it."
Erika picked up the phone, dialed the number and winked at Drake before leaving the room. Drake plopped down on the couch in the living room and relaxed a minute.
"Is this...turning into a date?" he thought. "I don't wanna do something dumb here and ruin my chances later on...better play this slow and see if she's thinking the same way."h
Erika came back in the room a minute later and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. "Go ahead and flip through and find something you wanna watch, anything's fine with me." she said. "Oh! Do you want something to drink? We've got water, milk, Coke, Sprite, Apple Juice and Mountain Dew." she said, ticking them off on her fingers.
"Um, only if you're already getting yourself something...if not, don't bother, I'm good for a while." he said
"Oh, it's no trouble, and yeah, I'm getting me a drink."
"Alright then...a Sprite sounds good. Thanks." he said, beaming.
Erika hurried into the kitchen and brought back two cans of sprite, handing one to Drake and then laying down on the couch, resting against him. Drake's eyes widened for a second, he was surprised by what she had done. He caught himself and looked down at her. She was looking up at him, smiling. "What is it, Sprite cold?" she asked.
"Nah, it's nothing." he said, smiling back at her.
They sat and watched an episode of Scrubs, and right after the credits ran, the doorbell rang. It was the delivery girl from the restaurant with the food. Drake answered the door and paid the girl, but noticed a flirty grin on her face. "Thanks for the food." he said, beginning to close the door.
"My name's Misty," she said. "What's yours."
"Uh, Drake..."
"Do you think you might wanna-" she started. She saw Erika standing behind him with a menacing look on her face. "Umm, nevermind. bye!" she turned and scuffled back to her car.
Drake turned around to see what she had been looking at and saw Erika there, smiling.
"What were you doing to her?" he asked.
"Nothing, nothing at all." she said, beaming. "She just saw me here with you and decided she was out of luck, I guess."
"Mhmm, I'm sure that's it." he said, making a mental note to roll his eyes when she wasn't looking at him.
They got their food all set up and went back to the couch to eat. "Mmm, I haven't had Orange Chicken this good in a long time!" said Drake
"Yeah, there's something different. Maybe they changed the recipe or something." Erika said.
Outside, a hooded figure stood outside the window behind Drake and Erika. They had seen the Delivery girl walk up and had high-tailed it for the back of the house.
"Hmm, I guess they really are getting along pretty well, huh. I guess I'll have to do something about that. Drake's going to be mine, and mine alone." said the figure
The figure slowly walked away from the window and then took off running toward the street, then ran down the street, into the darkness.
END Ch. 11
After a nice walk, they reached their destination and Erika peeped inside before letting Drake in. "Just wanted to be sure my sister was gone...hehe." she said.
"Am I not allowed to meet her or something?" asked Drake
"No, it's not that...it's just that she's...not very nice. I know she wouldn't leave us alone the whole time you're here. You'll meet her eventually, if you keep coming over."
"Okay...and what about your mom, she's out of town, right?" asked Drake, hoping he didn't sound like he was trying to take advantage of her empty house or anything.
"Yup, but she'll be back in a couple days...then my sister will be a little nicer too." she smiled back
They both scrounged around a while and couldn't find anything to put together an actual meal from. Erika pulled out a Chinese restaurant menu and asked if he liked Chinese. "You bet I do!" he answered. "But let me buy...from the looks of your food situation here, you might need the extra cash to survive until your mom gets back." Drake said, smiling.
"But I can," she started
"Please, it's my treat..." he pleaded.
"Fine, but next time I buy." she said, a playful grin spreading across her face.
Drake smiled. "So, what do you usually get?" he asked
"Well, I typically get a Pint of Orange Chicken, with some White Rice and an egg roll. But I'm not picky...look and see what you want, and I'll have that." she answered.
"Actually, that's what I always get too, haha. How about a Quart of each and a couple egg rolls?"
"Sounds good! I'll order for ya." she said. "They deliver, so we don't have to worry about going after it."
Erika picked up the phone, dialed the number and winked at Drake before leaving the room. Drake plopped down on the couch in the living room and relaxed a minute.
"Is this...turning into a date?" he thought. "I don't wanna do something dumb here and ruin my chances later on...better play this slow and see if she's thinking the same way."h
Erika came back in the room a minute later and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. "Go ahead and flip through and find something you wanna watch, anything's fine with me." she said. "Oh! Do you want something to drink? We've got water, milk, Coke, Sprite, Apple Juice and Mountain Dew." she said, ticking them off on her fingers.
"Um, only if you're already getting yourself something...if not, don't bother, I'm good for a while." he said
"Oh, it's no trouble, and yeah, I'm getting me a drink."
"Alright then...a Sprite sounds good. Thanks." he said, beaming.
Erika hurried into the kitchen and brought back two cans of sprite, handing one to Drake and then laying down on the couch, resting against him. Drake's eyes widened for a second, he was surprised by what she had done. He caught himself and looked down at her. She was looking up at him, smiling. "What is it, Sprite cold?" she asked.
"Nah, it's nothing." he said, smiling back at her.
They sat and watched an episode of Scrubs, and right after the credits ran, the doorbell rang. It was the delivery girl from the restaurant with the food. Drake answered the door and paid the girl, but noticed a flirty grin on her face. "Thanks for the food." he said, beginning to close the door.
"My name's Misty," she said. "What's yours."
"Uh, Drake..."
"Do you think you might wanna-" she started. She saw Erika standing behind him with a menacing look on her face. "Umm, nevermind. bye!" she turned and scuffled back to her car.
Drake turned around to see what she had been looking at and saw Erika there, smiling.
"What were you doing to her?" he asked.
"Nothing, nothing at all." she said, beaming. "She just saw me here with you and decided she was out of luck, I guess."
"Mhmm, I'm sure that's it." he said, making a mental note to roll his eyes when she wasn't looking at him.
They got their food all set up and went back to the couch to eat. "Mmm, I haven't had Orange Chicken this good in a long time!" said Drake
"Yeah, there's something different. Maybe they changed the recipe or something." Erika said.
Outside, a hooded figure stood outside the window behind Drake and Erika. They had seen the Delivery girl walk up and had high-tailed it for the back of the house.
"Hmm, I guess they really are getting along pretty well, huh. I guess I'll have to do something about that. Drake's going to be mine, and mine alone." said the figure
The figure slowly walked away from the window and then took off running toward the street, then ran down the street, into the darkness.
END Ch. 11
Chapter 10: Practice Makes Perfect
"So, what do you make of Fern?" asked Erika.
"Well, I'd like to believe her...and part of me does, but we both know that eventually, it will happen. The only way to prevent that is for her to give up the crystal or for it to be taken from her." said Drake.
"There's an idea..." she said
"Well, I have the feeling that it's not quite that easy to remove a crystal from its bearer. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some condition like it can't be passed on while the previous bearer is alive, or something like that." said Drake
"Wow, you might have a point there... and we don't want her dead...just not to be evil. What should we do?" she asked
"Well, Beschermer said to just keep an eye on her...he must know the exact conditions that need to be for that to happen, and he decided ti would be best for her to keep it, for now at least. I say we keep to the plan."
Erika cursed herself for not having the courage to ask what she really wanted to, but she reasoned with herself that it might be too early to ask something like that...after all, they had only known each other since yesterday. She was an idiot for even considering it, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day progressed as usual, no interruptions or attacks on them during classes. Fern seemed to behave normal, only she clearly showed contempt for Drake now, as opposed to her blatant flirting in class the day before. She was now flirting with the guy in front of her in an obvious attempt to make Drake jealous.
"She's making an idiot out of herself now," Drake thought "That guy's a creep anyways. And what is she getting at trying to make me jealous? Whatever feelings I might have had for her have clearly passed on...and she knows how close Erika and I are getting, she's an idiot."
Drake and Erika had arranged to meet on the bus after school, as it was easier for them both. Both of their lockers were about the same distance from the bus stop, but on opposite ends of the school, and since they were going there anyways...why not?
Drake leaned against the pole with the "Bus Stop" sign attached and waited for Erika to show up. A couple minutes passed and he saw her face appear among the throng of kids making their ways from school to their various means of transportation. "Hey, what kept you?" he asked as she arrived by him and they started to walk on to the bus.
"Well, I was good to go and had just closed my locker and started to walk away...then I saw Fern walking in my direction." Erika answered. "She had a twisted look on her face, like she had just had the greatest idea in the history of the planet. Then when she got close to me, she bumped into me and knocked everything out of my hands and then walked off, laughing all the way down the hall."
"That's terrible!" Drake exclaimed "Good thing for her I wasn't there...did you say anything to her?"
"Well, i started to, but she walked off, and I kinda got surrounded by people. It seems like she's turned a lot of people against me too...she had her little minions surrounding me, keeping me from chasing after her." she said
"That's just plain wrong..." Drake sighed "But you're okay, right?"
"Well, I got this bruise on my arm from my book slamming into me, but other than that I'm fine, thanks." she smiled at Drake, showing him her arm.
"We both need to avoid her as much as possible...and try and make out who her 'friends' are...I know a few people that will be safe to be around, but they're not exactly your type of friend." he laughed. "As much as you claim not to be in the popular crowd, you're still used to hanging with popular kids and living the privileged life at school...most of my friends, if you can call them friends, are nerds, geeks, and losers... but they're almost 100% guaranteed not to turn to the dark side." Drake mentally slapped himself for making a Star Wars reference in such a serious conversation.
"No, really...that's fine. I'd like to meet your friends." she smiled
They got off at the stop by Drake's house again. They pretty much decided to do their training by Drake's house, then make their way to Erika's later and hang out if there wasn't anyone there. They made their way to the secluded park area and sat down under a shady tree.
"Okay, I think we should start out with that thing he told us to start...about controlling our powers outside of our immediate area." said Drake
"But...I don't have any water. I'm like useless right now." said Erika
"Here, I thought you might not have one." Drake smiled, pulling a water bottle out of his pack. "If you can, try and keep a bottle of water or something on you at all times. That way you can train anywhere, and if you're in a tight spot, you've got something to work with."
"Thanks." she smiled "I'll make sure to do that..."
Drake made a small ball of electricity in his palm, then slowly tried to move it away from him. It moved a little, then began to fizzle out.
"This is harder than it sounds...the farther it is from you, the more you have to concentrate, and the more energy I have to put out." said Drake
"But it's a little different for me." said Erika, balancing a sphere of water on a finger. "I'm not actually creating mine, it's already here...so I only have to concentrate on keeping it in the form I want and all that."
"Yeah, you got the easy power." said Drake, laughing. He lost concentration and the ball fizzled out and vanished. "Crap!"
As the hours flew by, they both progressed quite a bit and could maintain a distance of two feet.
"I wonder if shooting a small bolt out is any different than maintaining it here...it should be easier, right? I mean, I'm just shooting it out, and not controlling it after I release it." said Drake
"Sounds right to me...give it a shot." said Erika "And ignore my bad jokes." she blushed.
Drake laughed. he focused a second, and a ball of energy appeared in his hand. he looked around and found a large rock about 10 feet away. "Good a target as any, right?" he asked himself. He took careful aim and willed the energy in the direction of the rock. It shot out of his hand and hit the ground right in front of the rock. "Well, it's a miss, but it's a good start. It was a lot easier than focusing on maintaining it that whole time. A little practice and I should get pretty good at aiming that."
Erika wasn't as confident in her ability to control the water, and didn't want to waste any of it, so she kept practicing with her water orb...adding a little water every so often.
Drake noticed it was 6 o'clock and stood up. "We should probably get going to your place...it's gonna get dark in a half hour or so." he said.
Erika put the water back in the bottle and got up, brushing her pants off and walking over to Drake, grabbing his arm. "You wanna stay for dinner? My sister's out at a party tonight, so I have to fend for myself...I could use the company." she smiled at Drake.
"I'd love to." he smiled, starting out towards Erika's house with her in tow. She seemed reluctant to let go of him for some reason...
END Ch. 10
"Well, I'd like to believe her...and part of me does, but we both know that eventually, it will happen. The only way to prevent that is for her to give up the crystal or for it to be taken from her." said Drake.
"There's an idea..." she said
"Well, I have the feeling that it's not quite that easy to remove a crystal from its bearer. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some condition like it can't be passed on while the previous bearer is alive, or something like that." said Drake
"Wow, you might have a point there... and we don't want her dead...just not to be evil. What should we do?" she asked
"Well, Beschermer said to just keep an eye on her...he must know the exact conditions that need to be for that to happen, and he decided ti would be best for her to keep it, for now at least. I say we keep to the plan."
Erika cursed herself for not having the courage to ask what she really wanted to, but she reasoned with herself that it might be too early to ask something like that...after all, they had only known each other since yesterday. She was an idiot for even considering it, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day progressed as usual, no interruptions or attacks on them during classes. Fern seemed to behave normal, only she clearly showed contempt for Drake now, as opposed to her blatant flirting in class the day before. She was now flirting with the guy in front of her in an obvious attempt to make Drake jealous.
"She's making an idiot out of herself now," Drake thought "That guy's a creep anyways. And what is she getting at trying to make me jealous? Whatever feelings I might have had for her have clearly passed on...and she knows how close Erika and I are getting, she's an idiot."
Drake and Erika had arranged to meet on the bus after school, as it was easier for them both. Both of their lockers were about the same distance from the bus stop, but on opposite ends of the school, and since they were going there anyways...why not?
Drake leaned against the pole with the "Bus Stop" sign attached and waited for Erika to show up. A couple minutes passed and he saw her face appear among the throng of kids making their ways from school to their various means of transportation. "Hey, what kept you?" he asked as she arrived by him and they started to walk on to the bus.
"Well, I was good to go and had just closed my locker and started to walk away...then I saw Fern walking in my direction." Erika answered. "She had a twisted look on her face, like she had just had the greatest idea in the history of the planet. Then when she got close to me, she bumped into me and knocked everything out of my hands and then walked off, laughing all the way down the hall."
"That's terrible!" Drake exclaimed "Good thing for her I wasn't there...did you say anything to her?"
"Well, i started to, but she walked off, and I kinda got surrounded by people. It seems like she's turned a lot of people against me too...she had her little minions surrounding me, keeping me from chasing after her." she said
"That's just plain wrong..." Drake sighed "But you're okay, right?"
"Well, I got this bruise on my arm from my book slamming into me, but other than that I'm fine, thanks." she smiled at Drake, showing him her arm.
"We both need to avoid her as much as possible...and try and make out who her 'friends' are...I know a few people that will be safe to be around, but they're not exactly your type of friend." he laughed. "As much as you claim not to be in the popular crowd, you're still used to hanging with popular kids and living the privileged life at school...most of my friends, if you can call them friends, are nerds, geeks, and losers... but they're almost 100% guaranteed not to turn to the dark side." Drake mentally slapped himself for making a Star Wars reference in such a serious conversation.
"No, really...that's fine. I'd like to meet your friends." she smiled
They got off at the stop by Drake's house again. They pretty much decided to do their training by Drake's house, then make their way to Erika's later and hang out if there wasn't anyone there. They made their way to the secluded park area and sat down under a shady tree.
"Okay, I think we should start out with that thing he told us to start...about controlling our powers outside of our immediate area." said Drake
"But...I don't have any water. I'm like useless right now." said Erika
"Here, I thought you might not have one." Drake smiled, pulling a water bottle out of his pack. "If you can, try and keep a bottle of water or something on you at all times. That way you can train anywhere, and if you're in a tight spot, you've got something to work with."
"Thanks." she smiled "I'll make sure to do that..."
Drake made a small ball of electricity in his palm, then slowly tried to move it away from him. It moved a little, then began to fizzle out.
"This is harder than it sounds...the farther it is from you, the more you have to concentrate, and the more energy I have to put out." said Drake
"But it's a little different for me." said Erika, balancing a sphere of water on a finger. "I'm not actually creating mine, it's already here...so I only have to concentrate on keeping it in the form I want and all that."
"Yeah, you got the easy power." said Drake, laughing. He lost concentration and the ball fizzled out and vanished. "Crap!"
As the hours flew by, they both progressed quite a bit and could maintain a distance of two feet.
"I wonder if shooting a small bolt out is any different than maintaining it here...it should be easier, right? I mean, I'm just shooting it out, and not controlling it after I release it." said Drake
"Sounds right to me...give it a shot." said Erika "And ignore my bad jokes." she blushed.
Drake laughed. he focused a second, and a ball of energy appeared in his hand. he looked around and found a large rock about 10 feet away. "Good a target as any, right?" he asked himself. He took careful aim and willed the energy in the direction of the rock. It shot out of his hand and hit the ground right in front of the rock. "Well, it's a miss, but it's a good start. It was a lot easier than focusing on maintaining it that whole time. A little practice and I should get pretty good at aiming that."
Erika wasn't as confident in her ability to control the water, and didn't want to waste any of it, so she kept practicing with her water orb...adding a little water every so often.
Drake noticed it was 6 o'clock and stood up. "We should probably get going to your place...it's gonna get dark in a half hour or so." he said.
Erika put the water back in the bottle and got up, brushing her pants off and walking over to Drake, grabbing his arm. "You wanna stay for dinner? My sister's out at a party tonight, so I have to fend for myself...I could use the company." she smiled at Drake.
"I'd love to." he smiled, starting out towards Erika's house with her in tow. She seemed reluctant to let go of him for some reason...
END Ch. 10
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