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.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
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."
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