Eyes on Final Fantasy Forums > General > Writer's Corner > [s]Final Fantasy VII: Blood of the Living

[James Leopold]

Good good. Keep it coming. Something tells me that this story is still far from over.......

[Dragon Mage]

Yup, the new chapter is up! I really like this chapter myself, and had a lot of fun writing it. Enjoy! (and JL, there is still far more to write yet! don't worry. )


Chapter 15—Phantoms

The next day, the Phoenix floated above the still smoldering ruins of Wutai. The once proud pagodas were now reduced to ashen rubble. The group watched as the last few fires flickered feebly in homes as dead and gone as their owners.

Crystal stood before the large window of the Phoenix, gazing at the scene of merciless slaughter. Tylas stood behind her and put one hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing that could’ve been done,” he said softly, so only she could hear him. For a long time, she did not answer, taking in the sight of lives that could’ve been saved. Finally she pulled away from Tylas, muttering, “We should’ve warned them.”

Before he could say anything, she snapped at Jazz, “Go to the Ancient Forest. If we’re likely to find any damn tree that was old two-thousand years ago it’s sure to be there.”

“We’re going to search… a whole forest?” Melody asked tentatively, her eyes wide.

“The riddle does speak of ‘branches’ and that is has been around for a long time,” Avona stated. “A forest is the best place to look.”

“Talk about a needle in a haystack,” Jazz added. “And we don’t even have a magnet.”

“Just go there!!!” Crystal shouted at him, and swiftly left the cabin.

This reaction from their leader left everyone feeling uneasy, and for a while, no one would look at each other, instead staring at the destroyed city below. Would this fate consume them all?

“We better get going,” Tylas said after a few moments.

“Yeah. I hear ya bro,” Jazz replied. “All right everyone, lets get moving.”

As he guided the Phoenix away from the remains of Wutai, Tylas left the cabin as well, everyone too distracted with preparations to notice his absence. Outside, on the open deck, Crystal was leaning against the rail, looking out over the ground below. He joined her, standing next to her but saying nothing.

For a long time, nothing but tense silence stretched between the two. Finally, Crystal said, “I’ll kill him for this. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill him.”

Tylas’ throat tightened at her words. What he was feeling, he couldn’t put words to, but he had a suspicion. Not really knowing what he was doing, he took her hand in his. “I’ll help you then. Until the very end.”

She gave him a small, forced smile but didn’t pull her hand away. She enjoyed his company and support. Which was odd when she thought about it—she’d never needed another person before.

* * *

Within a couple of hours, they had reached the forest, which lay just east of Cosmo Canyon. Crystal had been sure to give the city fair warning; even though the city would probably be crushed if attacked, it was better to die fighting than on one’s knees.

The forest itself was hot and humid. The dense undergrowth made travel difficult and was filled with myriad exotic and dangerous plants. Crystal was in the lead, hacking through the vegetation. Within a few hours, everyone was hot and miserable.

However, the mighty jungle was awesome to behold. Trees taller than most buildings towered above the jungle floor, the branches thick enough for two people to walk abreast. Hardly any sunlight reached the ground because of the trees’ widespread canopy, providing at least a slightly cooling shade.

It wasn’t long in their travels until they came upon a large flower. It was easily eight feet across and lay flat upon the ground, thick petals spread wide. At its center was a gaping hole, lined with wicked, sharp spikes.

Crystal stopped before the odd flower and sliced off a branch from a nearby tree. She poked one of the nearby petals with the stick and the flower clamped shut, neatly snapping the branch in two. “Well, we’re not going that way,” Crystal stated, tossing the remnant of the branch on the ground.

“Let’s just go around,” Jazz offered, and stepped into the ticket surrounding the deadly flower. He quickly extracted himself, however, cursing heartily and pulling several sharp thorns out of his skin.

“Not that way either,” Crystal observed wryly.

“If we can’t go around it, why don’t we just go over it?” Moriah suggested, pointing at the huge branches above.

“Uh huh,” Jazz uttered. Looking at the tree braches far above in apprehension.

“You’re welcome to try the thorn bushes again,” Moriah offered sweetly.

Jazz sighed. “Hey, trees, why not? That’s gotta be one of the unique things we haven’t done yet so far.”

Numerous vines made the climb up easy, and they soon found themselves on the lower branches of the huge trees.

Travel was made much easier afterward, not to mention they were able to see much more from such a height. They were making good progress through the jungle, but their quarry still remained unfound.

“Just… what are we… looking for?” Avona gasped. She had to stop and take a sip of tepid water.

“For anything different,” Crystal replied. “The Cetra seemed to make the locations obvious, so it should stand out pretty well.” Avona merely nodded and saved her breath for walking.

Though walking among the branches bypassed the dangers and obstacles of the ground, the canopy proved to have a unique ecology of its own, along with other obstacles. Swathes of thick moss could be slippery if it was wet from morning dew. Hidden vines could trip one up and one had to be careful where one stepped. In addition to the dangerous footing, small creatures made their home in the treetops, and had to be avoided wherever possible, for the sake of making travel easier. Besides, fighting far above the ground was a less-than-comfortable experience.

For three days they searched the jungle. They slept in the canopy on beds of soft leaves, tying a wrist or ankle to a nearby, smaller branch in case one rolled over in their sleep.

During the day, they slogged through the air as much as they did through clumps of leaves on the huge branches. The humidity didn’t improve anyone’s disposition, and they mostly stayed silent for the entire day. The group often took breaks from the trek, as if rest would provide some measure of relief from the miserable jungle air. The breaks were not so much as to allow them to regain some strength, but for them to try and catch his or her breath. The air, thick and heavy with vapor, made it hard to breath, as though a wet cloth were stuck to ones’ face. However, when they were forced to continue again, they still felt short of breath.

It was during one such break that fortune struck. Jazz, in an attempt to make himself more comfortable, irritable bashed a clump of leaves with his triad. A small dragon rose from the leaves, having been concealed there. Its tiny rage at such treatment was clear in the small jet of flame it spat at Jazz.

Jazz jerked backwards and avoided being burnt. But his evasion tactic had unbalanced him and, before anyone could catch him, he slipped on the moss growing on the tree. With a hearty yell of fear, he fell, disappearing into the foliage below. His cry was abruptly cut short, accompanied with an audible thump.

“Jazz! Are you okay?” Melody yelled, leaning as far over the edge as she could without falling over as well. There was no reply.

“Please, say something!” Melody cried.

Finally there came two agonized, hoarse words, drifting. “My…. back….”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry Jazz, we’re coming!” Moriah called.

“You… do that… Found something…”

“What do you mean? What’d you find?” Avona called. He would say no more however until they reached him. Jazz had landed on a branch that was hidden by the thick layers of leaves and surrounding jungle flora. Jazz was lying on his back, staring up at the dappled canopy above. When Melody grabbed his arm in an attempt to help him up, he whimpered.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Melody quickly apologized. “Avona… Avona!” The white mage had just landed on the branch, which Crystal was studying with intense curiosity, and hurried over to the pilot.

While the white mage attended to Jazz, Crystal pointed out to Tylas and Valic what the others had not yet taken notice of, concerned as they were over Jazz. The tree that had so fortunately broken Jazz’s otherwise fatal fall was a soft, glowing white, like the trees of the Sleeping Forest. However, this tree was huge compared to the others. The wide, sturdy branches had grown so that they actually curved back towards the ground. There, the branches twisted and coiled, spreading across the forest floor. White, spade-shaped leaves grew in clusters on the gigantic branches. The tree trunk itself was enormous, easily seven feet in diameter, and towered above its own skirt of branches. To top it off, the entire tree was covered in Cetra runes. Crystal and Tylas exchanged glances. Jazz had literally fell right on top of what they’d been searching for.

“Jazz, good news,” Avona was saying. “Your back is not broken. You’ve just sprained it, that’s all. But we need to move you so I can heal your back, okay? I warn you it’s going to hurt.”

Jazz, whom was quite pale, merely nodded, indicating he was ready. Moriah gently rolled him over to one side, while Melody cradled his head in her attempts to soothe him. Gentle though the women’s treatment was, it still hurt, and Melody could feel him shaking as he struggled to cope with the pain.

Avona quickly began to heal his back, while Melody cooed encouragements and assurances into his ear. She tried to alleviate his pain as much as possible by these methods, and clutched him to her bosom, of which she was not lacking in any means. Within a matter of minutes, Avona was done. When Jazz’s face was revealed to all again, he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Thanks Avona. And thank you, Melody.” His words were accompanied by a devilish grin. Melody gaped at him, suddenly realizing the trap he had so well set up for her.

“Why… you… I thought you were hurt!” she exclaimed, becoming testy.

“Ah, it didn’t hurt as bad as I made you think,” he replied, still with that -eating grin on his face. “But you’d make one hell of a nurse, Mel, I’ll give ya that.”

Torn between anger at the deception and pleasure from the compliment, Melody only crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Hey, you guys.”

Everyone turned towards the sound of Crystal’s voice, who was standing by the giant tree trunk. “If you’re quite done over there, want to have a hand at trying to find out where the Cetra hid that object?”

* * *

Lazarus studied the newest hybrids, scrutinizing them for the slightest flaw. Finally, he nodded to some other hybrids standing to the side, who carried the new ones away and lay them down on the floor with at least eighty others.

This process continued until there were about two hundred mindless hybrids lying on the floor gazing up at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Lazarus easily reached into their living minds, programming them much as Avaric had done. After five minutes, the new hybrids stood up as one and began to busy themselves with putting more human prisoners into the Mako pods.

Lazarus watched with an amused smile as the Wutai survivors fought or begged to be freed before they were pushed into the Mako. He felt a certain satisfaction with his growing army. It had been all too easy to pick up where the Remnant had left off. Furthermore, the alien had greatly improved the method that made the hybrids, so that hundreds of new hybrids were being turned out every two days.

It had simply been a matter of controlling his cells to purposefully manipulate the transformation occurring in the humans’ bodies. Using the DNA of the creature the hybrid was to take on the traits of, and using his cells to direct where the changes would be made, it all went rather quickly. No doubt this accelerated transformation was quite excruciating, but they wouldn’t be able to feel it anyways, lost as they were in a flood of memories.

Not that he cared. Far from it. These indigenous creatures were simply tools to be used, thrown away when they were of no further use.

He almost laughed at a sudden thought. Just think of the bitter irony these humans would feel when they realized they were being wiped out by their own kind! Actually, that idea probably wouldn’t be so surprising. They had been killing each other off for thousands of years, in what they called ‘wars’. He’d never encountered a species so divided that it would turn on itself so. Like an animal shredding itself until it died.

But these matters were none of his concern. Soon, it would all just be a forgotten part of this planet’s history, lost to the unending silence of death. He glanced at the remaining human survivors. Only a couple hundred left now, from the thousands that had been captured. It had only been seven days since Wutai had been destroyed, its’ people turned into hybrids. At such a high rate of progress, it wouldn’t be long until he would destroy the humans, using the hybrids, leaving the planet in pristine condition for his kind.

But the paltry nine hundred thousand hybrids he’d amassed were not enough for the global genocide he had in mind. He needed more humans, of which there were plenty, millions upon millions. His army was not yet great enough to topple Junon or Edge; those cities will fall later. Perhaps…

He turned his fiery gaze to the north.

Perfect.

* * *

“Okay, let’s try this one more time,” Crystal said, massaging her temples. This heat was giving her a headache, which didn’t improve her riddle-solving abilities. “So the last line must mean how to open this thing right?”

“I suppose,” Avona replied, sounding tired.

“All right. So how would one ‘sow love’?” There was silence as everyone pondered this.

Suddenly Jazz laughed. “Maybe you gotta kiss it!” His laughter began to slowly die when no one else joined in. “You guys, it was a joke.”

They exchanged glances, and then looked at him again. Jazz’s smile faded as he realized their intent. “No,” he said firmly. “No. I’m not.”

“You came up with it, you get to do the honors,” Crystal returned.

“No! I’m not going to look like some idiot kissing a tree!”

“Crystal’s right; you did come up with it,” Melody added, trying hard not to grin.

“I don’t give a ! I’m not—Hey! What’re doing?!”

Crystal had one sword pointed at him, and he found himself being pushed towards the tree before that sharp point.

“Jazz, please try to understand,” she began, her voice patient but tired. “It’s nothing personal, really. But, you see, I have one hell of a headache today and I really don’t feel up to any right now. So why don’t you just do the honors and spare us both the trouble, okay?”

She steadily advanced towards him as she spoke, until his back was almost to the tree. Even then, Jazz refused to degrade himself so. He crossed his arms and glared at Crystal over her sword tip. “Bite me. I won’t do it.”

That’s when whatever tenuous thread of patience that Crystal had, snapped. “KISS THE TREE!!” she exploded at him, quite fed up with everything. Her shout set birds to the air and made Jazz jump.

Cursing under his breath, he turned towards the tree and scowled at the glowing bark. He glanced over his shoulder at the others to quell any would-be laughter. Melody was forced to duck her face behind Valic’s shoulder in order for her wild grin to go unseen.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he stepped forward, kissed the tree, and spat on the ground. Nothing happened.

“Try it again. Do something different,” Crystal told him.

Now this was getting to be too much for Jazz. “What the hell do you want me to do?” he cried in exasperation. “Give it some tongue?”

“Sure,” she replied, nonchalant. By now, Melody was hiding behind the taller black mage with both hands clapped over her mouth. Should her hysterical laughter be heard, Jazz would surely lose it. Speaking of which, Jazz’s face had gone as red as his hair, and if looks could kill, Crystal would be a puddle.

Avona stepped between the two. She turned Jazz around so he faced away from the swordswoman. She kept her hands on his shoulders, preventing him from turning or storming away. “Just calm down, Jazz. Calm down,” she said softly, so only he could hear. Jazz closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

“Better?” Avona asked.

“Yeah. Thanks”.

Avona smiled. “Feel up to trying it again?”

“I’m not—“

She quickly interrupted his heated protests. “Jazz how did you feel when you kissed the tree?”

He thought for a moment. “I was angry,” he finally, grudgingly concluded.

“Exactly. Now the riddle speaks of love. That wasn’t very loving, now was it?”

“No…” Jazz grumbled.

“So now you know what to do. And maybe show Crystal a thing or two.”

Jazz considered this, and then grinned. “Thanks, Avona.”

“You’re welcome.” She ruffled his hair then returned to the branch she’d been sitting on.

Jazz once more approached the tree. Now came the hard part: To think lovingly. He closed his eyes and thought hard, raking his mind for inspiration. A few of his favorite songs kept popping up, which he irritably pushed away. He simply couldn’t think of anything.

Suddenly, he had an overwhelming yearning for home. It was hot and miserable in this jungle, and full of bugs. He wanted nothing more than to lay down in his own bed instead of some uncomfortable branch.

Speaking of home, who was taking care of his sister? There was no one to read stories to her or to make sure she was getting proper care. She was still pretty young, only six years younger than him, setting her at fifteen. The doctors said that younger people could often ‘rewire’ the nervous system, so there was a good chance that one day she’d come out of the coma. What if he was gone when she finally woke up? What if…

Jazz opened his eyes. He stepped forward and, for the second time in his life, he kissed the tree.

Upon his touch, the bark pulled apart, as though it were a curtain being drawn aside. The inside of the tree was hollow, creating a small room inside. With in the center of this room was an alter of petrified wood with a simple wooden staff lying upon it.

Jazz wheeled around, pointed one finger at Crystal and said loudly, “HA!”

Melody burst into a fit of giggles, unable to contain it any longer. Crystal merely raised one eyebrow and said nothing.

Jazz proceeded to revel in his achievement by moon walking back and forth across the area between two gargantuan branches. “Oh yeah, who did it? I did! Uh huh. Oh yeah! That’s right!” he chanted, giving the Crystal the victory sign with an expression clearly indicating that the victory was wholly his. Crystal just rolled her eyes and let him continue his dance.

His triumph was short lived, however, when the tree behind him exploded into flames. The blast sent Jazz sprawling forward, but he wasn’t burnt.

An ear-splitting roar shook the air and the dragon that had so suddenly appeared breathed more flame at the group. They scattered, avoiding the sudden stream of fire, and sought cover in the forest. Another jet of flame scattered them further, putting distance between one another. All the attacks had missed and the dragon did not pursue them into the trees, instead coiling around the trunk, half of which was on fire. It roared at the fleeing humans.

The companions plunged into the jungle; unaware they were running headfirst into madness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After Jazz had finally stopped to catch his breath, one glance around him confirmed that he was utterly lost. He cursed under his breath. There was no point in shouting for them, lest he bring that dragon down on his head.

He looked around at the jungle surrounding him. If he’d been going straight the entire time he was running, then Melody, Valic, and Avona should be somewhere to his right. This right? No, this one. Okay. That should mean that Crystal and Tylas should be to his left. Moriah… he had no idea where she was. Last he’d seen she’d taken to the air. He hoped she was all right.

“Jazz…”

He whipped around at the sound of his name, spoken in voice so painfully familiar, even though it was barely above a whisper.

“Who’s there!” he demanded of the silent trees. There was, of course, no answer. He lowered the staff, faking laughter at his reaction. “Jazzy, old boy, you are losing it,” he told himself.

“Jazz.”

There it was again, louder this time. He swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. “Rhapsody?” he asked softly, his voice rough.

“Jazz!” His sister’s voice came to him through the trees. “Help! Please help!” she begged him.

He turned in circles, trying to lock in which direction her voice was coming from. “Rhapsody!!” he cried, and dashed after her.

“Help! Jazzy, help!” He dashed after the sound of her voice. “I’m coming!” he yelled. After a few minutes he saw her running ahead of him.

“We can’t stay here! You have to help!” she called back to him.

“Wait! Slow down!” he called, but she didn’t slow down. He never saw anymore of her than a flash of light off red hair, or a glimpse of clothing. It was all he could do to shield himself from low hanging branches and vines. She was running from something or towards something, but either way, she needed his help. He wouldn’t question what it was. If she needed it, that was proof enough for him.

But damn, she was fast! It must be desperate for such speed, but there would be no point in it if he got lost on th—

Suddenly, there was nothing under his feet but air.

*

Melody wandered through the jungle, ears tuned for the slightest sound. She’d been searching for the others for about fifteen minutes now, and she was getting rather bored. She’d found no trace of her companions. Alone in this exotic, thick jungle made her nervous. She was hot, bored, tired, and wanted nothing more than a long, cool, refreshing shower.

She sat down on a half-decayed log to rest. A little lizard was resting on the log next to her, bathing in the sun. “Looks like it’s just me and you,” she said to it. Its tongue flicked in an out and did not respond.

She sighed and leaned back on the log. Maybe she should just stay put. That way anyone searching for her would find her, instead of her wandering off into the jungle getting even more lost. One thing’s for sure, no one would find her and she wouldn’t find anyone if she stayed here.

She sighed and sat up, looking at the jungle growth around her glumly. Well, better get started. She stood and brushed off her shorts. “See you later,” she said to the lizard. It scampered off into the cover of leaves.

How odd. It’d been perfectly fine sitting next to her. Why would it suddenly run off like that? She was suddenly aware of how silent it was. The jungle was always filled with sounds of minute bugs or animals on the hunt or being hunted. But now it was completely silent.

A strange foreboding came over her; set her hair on end. A cold spread through her and she shivered. It was as though she were suddenly standing in a shadow cast by some creature. Her breath formed clouds in the air that had just been so hot and humid.

She didn’t dare look behind her, every muscle in her body taut. A low, rumbling growl reverberated through her. A claw? Something that looked like a claw at least, from what she could see from the corner of her eye, struck a tree, shattering it. A deep rasping breath blew icy air on her neck.

She ran.

*

Valic carefully picked his way through the tangled undergrowth. Where was everyone? Precious time was wasting as he dawdled here in this godforsaken jungle. Where was Melody for that matter? It was dangerous to be alone in this jungle.

He frowned. She’d been right next to him when they fled the dragon. How could he have lost her all of the sudden?

He came upon a good-sized clearing and took respite from the heat under a tree. This heat was unbearable, especially with these black robes. For about the hundredth time in his life, he lamented the fact that those of his craft were required to wear such limiting robes. They took some getting used to in the beginning, but every now and then there would be a situation where the robes’ prestige were lost due to their downfalls.

He took a sip of water. Such ponderings were a waste. He should focus on finding Melody.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree he was leaning on. If only it weren’t for this heat! It sapped his strength and will, leaving in him a lethargy that was hard to fight.

But fight it he must. For Melody’s sake if not his. He wearily stood and brushed off his robes, with the thought that if Melody were here he wouldn’t be feeling so tired. That woman had immense amounts of energy.

He stiffened, his senses on full alert, a spell on his lips. What was that? He’d heard something, he was sure of it. There it was again, a sharp crack and a rustle, like a tree being knocked down.

The trees on the opposite side of the clearing were shaking violently as something charged through the jungle right at him.

Suddenly, Melody burst out of the trees and was running full tilt towards him. The spell died on his lips in his surprise.

“RUN!” she shrieked. The hair on his neck stood on end as a sudden chill spread over him. With wide eyes, he watched as a massive black form bashed through the trees, chasing the blond. All that he could discern of its form were two glowing red eyes and rows of razor sharp teeth.

He knew what to do. The chill indicated this creature was a being of shadow and ice. He raised his hand, summoning light, heat, bending fire to his behest. The sky darkened with the creature’s approach.

Valic, dumbfounded, looked down at his hands, as if they were the problem. Why hadn’t the spell come? Where had the magic gone now, in his most dire time of need? He tried again to cast the spell that would lay waste to the clearing and hundreds of feet around. Nothing. He’d lost all his power.

Melody grabbed his hand and pulled him with her and the two fled the being of dark, icy wastes. Valic was too numb to notice the branches and leaves slapping into his face as they ran. He had no power. How could he do anything now? How could he protect himself and Melody?

Neither of the two exchanged words, instead saving their breath for running. However, they could only run so long before they had to stop. Valic glanced behind him. The creature was still there, darkness and cold emanating from it.

He blinked. Wait, had it just gone through that tree? Yes, there it did it again. As if his attention had been a signal, the next tree was flattened before the creature’s advance. But he knew what he’d seen. Why had that monster, which had just seconds ago been crushing trees as it chased Melody, suddenly pass through them as if they were insubstantial? Why had it suddenly been corrected when he noticed?

Valic suddenly stopped, his grip iron on Melody’s hand, forcing her to stop as well. “What’re you doing?” she cried in fear, her blue eyes wide.

There could only be one reason why what Valic had seen could be possible. He drew Melody close, shielding her with his body should he prove to be wrong. And if he should be wrong, they’d probably die anyways.

Trembling, Melody listened as the creature came closer. She buried her face in Valic’s robes, and hung on to him tightly. Fifteen feet… ten feet… five…

Then the creature vanished, blowing away on an icy wind that swept over them. Still they clung to each other, Valic having found his light once more, and Melody reunited with her knight that had saved her again.

Neither of them saw the cliff, just a few feet from where they stood, and the hundreds of feet of open air beyond it that they would’ve gone off if Valic hadn’t stopped them.

*

Avona carefully approached the giant tree and stopped, confused. The dragon was gone. The tree was perfectly fine, as if it’d never been on fire. She put her hands on her hips, and frowned, trying to find out what had happened.

She knew the dragon had been there. So where was it now? She glanced around nervously, in case it should be hiding nearby somewhere. She was just at the edge of the clearing of the giant tree, still a ways from the tree trunk itself. If the dragon had gone into hiding, waiting for someone like herself to return, that didn’t explain the flawless condition of the tree. It’d been on fire, she’d felt the heat, seen the flames! What had caused this sudden transformation?

She stepped towards the tree when someone said her name.

“Avona.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she slowly turned around. Standing about five feet from here was someone she knew so dearly. The man was just a little taller than her, fair hair, kind face, and green eyes. Her husband—who died four years ago.

“Avona,” he said again, in a voice just above a whisper. “Yes?” she answered softly.

He walked up to her. “I need your help.”

She sadly shook her head, her flaxen silver hair rippling with the motion. “There is nothing I can do.”

“But you’re the only one that can help. I need you to come, Avona.”

She gently took his hands in hers and kissed them. Oh, she wished she could go with him. But he’d already moved on from this life. “I cannot. You must continue on alone,” she answered him.

“No! Avona, only you can help me now. Please, you must come!”

Again she shook her head and she let go of his hands. “No. Please, go now. Rest in peace.”

“Avona…” So heartfelt and longingly did he say her name it brought tears to her eyes.

“Go,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “And remember that I’ll always love you.”

At her words he smiled and turned into a thousand glittering stars that were scattered on a cool wind that blew through Avona’s silver hair.

*

Tylas leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. He’d been searching for at least half an hour and there was no sign of any of the others. He silently berated himself for running off into the jungle. They all should’ve just stopped and fought the dragon but natural instinct had made them all act differently.

He opened his eyes and distractedly ran his hand through his hair. And now he was hopelessly lost. The others probably had already regrouped and he was out here, walking in circles.

Well, there was nothing for it now. The only thing he could do now was to try and find the others. He pushed himself off the tree and continued on his way.

He had a moment’s warning which was all that allowed him to dodge the attack. The jungle was suddenly crawling with creatures, all of them hungry for his blood. He slashed through them, though they outnumbered him hundreds to one. Well, he’d fight all of them if he had too.

A loud roar made the earth shake and he looked up to see the dragon advancing towards him.

! The thing had followed him! Tylas cut one creature out of his way and ran for it. If he could lose the thing, maybe he could get around it, find the others… but that was a big ‘if’. Right now, he should focus on staying on his feet, with all the vines, logs and half-covered rocks to avoid.

He turned around a huge boulder and saw Crystal standing there. She was deathly pale and was standing in a ring of sharp wooden spikes. Through her foot jutted one such spike, and the slightest movement clearly caused her agony. Her breath came in short gasps as she tried to hold back the pain. Tylas skidded to a halt when he saw her and stared in shock. She held out one hand to him, beseechingly. “Tylas… please, help me.”

*

Crystal sat down on a moss-covered rock and sighed. What a fine predicament she was in. The group had been effectively scattered throughout the jungle, leaving each of them vulnerable to attack.

Though she’d seen no signs of anything stalking her, the situation did not prove to be the most welcome in the least. She sighed again, and brushed some hair out of her face. It’d probably be only a matter of time until some creature crawled out of nowhere and they’d all have to fight again.

Truth be told, she’d prefer this creature just came out and attacked them; just cut to the chase. And there was still this matter of a trap to deal with. That dragon wasn’t the trap or the monster; she was pretty sure it was just a means to separate the group, forcing them to fight alone. If that were the case, she was ready for it.

She loathed this trap business. It was cowardly, to defeat your enemy without a real battle. She held the same opinion of ranged weapons; to kill without endangering yourself was the mark of a coward, and she would never stoop to something so low. However, she had to grudgingly admit, the Cetra did have to use traps in order to ensure the security of such powerful objects. But it proved to be a nuisance when trying to get them so they may serve the purpose they’d been created for.

Crystal pushed herself up and continued her way through the jungle once more. As she pushed aside a tangle of vines, a creature that looked like a cross between a panther and a lizard jumped out at her.

She ducked and it sailed over her. She quickly rolled to the side to avoid its second pounce and sprang to her feet, weapons in hand. The panther-lizard crossbreed launched at her again, and she easily sidestepped and cut it in two.

A second’s warning was all that alarmed her and she whirled around, and just deflected an attack from another twisted looking monster. She quickly cut it down before it could attack her again.

From behind, two more animals swiped at her and she hastily backed up to avoid them. Another animal impeded her retreat, and she soon found herself surrounded by demonic animal-like things that just appeared out of nowhere.

Surrounded on all sides, she wasted no time in wasting them. The swordswoman wrought destruction upon the creatures that leapt at her, dodging and slashing. But for every one she cut down three more replaced it. Despite the damage she was wreaking upon them, she was hopelessly outnumbered.

She glanced around her, looking for an opening she might use to escape. She couldn’t fight like this, surrounded as she was. Let them all come at her from one direction: Yes, she needed to find a better place to fight.

Seeing her opportunity, she slashed two monsters then jumped past five others. She hit the ground rolling and was on her feet running from the growing horde behind her.

As she ran, she looked for somewhere to fight that would give her the advantage. No, no, just trees! She had no other choice but to stand and fight.

Stopping, she wheeled around and kicked a hollow log out of her way, allowing better room for fighting. She faced the oncoming mass of creatures when she heard the log she’d kicked away dully boom. She glanced behind her to see what had made such a noise. There was the log, innocently sitting on a bed of dead leaves.

She frowned. She had heard that thing make a sound, as if it’d been dropped from a great height. And yet, there it was, lying there. Something wasn’t right.

She still had time before the creatures were upon her. She turned and carefully prodded the log with the tip of her sword. The blade glided right through the log as if it weren’t there. She trailed the sword tip through the ground, which was also insubstantial, until the sword was stopped by something. She guided the sword tip along one side, then the other. What she discovered made her shudder. She was standing not a foot from a circular pit, disguised by a very good illusion. Had she taken one more step, she’d have been dead.

Now that she had discovered the deception, she could see the pit clearly. It was fifteen feet across, and at least forty feet deep, with wicked spikes at the bottom.

The creatures were getting closer. She knew the ground covering the pit was an illusion, but were they? She wasn’t taking any chances. Left with no options, she was on the run again, careful to avoid any huge pits as she came upon them.

Her mind raced as well as her feet, trying to sort out what she’d discovered. The ground had been an illusion, making it easy for someone to fall down to his or her death. There must be traps set up all over the place. So if the creatures chasing her right now were another illusion, what was the point?

As she ran on, she suddenly found the answer. Why, it was so simple it was genius. Traps were laid out all over the place. These traps were concealed with an illusion. Then another illusion, like the monsters, were used to chase the unsuspecting victim into the trap.

It was a highly effective set-up. If it hadn’t been for that log, she’d been stone cold dead by now. One thing illusion couldn’t obliterate was real sounds.

But what about all those animal things she’d cut through? She’d felt resistance, hadn’t she? How was that illusion? She pondered this as she rounded a large tree. Well, that could be explained too. Wasn’t an illusion just an impression made upon the mind? Well, with an illusion this good, it could probably give her the impression that she’d felt resistance even though there was nothing there.

Her train of thought was interrupted as Tylas suddenly came into view. He was standing at the edge of a cliff, hand held out to something only he could see. As she watched, he raised his foot and was about to step onto air.

She raced up to him and snatched him back from the edge by the back of his shirt.

He stared at her as if she were a ghost. “Crystal? What the hell?”

“No time, just come!” She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the jungle once more, and he chose to hold all his questions until later. Though all the creatures may not be real, the illusion could mask those that WERE real, she thought bitterly. There could be some nasty things hidden in that massive illusion. The only way to break the spell was to run into an illusion thus forcing it’s disappearance, its nature having been discovered.

Crystal stopped.

“What’s… going on?” Tylas panted. They both watched as the horde drew closer. There was no time for explanation. She could be right, she could be wrong. Gods, she hoped she was right.

The shrieks and roars and growls rose to a horrid cacophony. She turned and said to Tylas, “It’s been an honor to fight with you.”

His only response was to sweep her up into a protective embrace. Though this defense probably wouldn’t do much, surrounded as they were, it was all that could be done. She returned the embrace, and both closed their eyes, waiting for the killing blow as the first few creatures leapt upon them…

Then faded into smoke on the breathless air. All that was left in the humid jungle were the two warriors clinging to each other with more than just fear.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Help!” Jazz yelled for what felt like the millionth time. His voice was hoarse from shouting.

“It’s okay Jazz, we hear you!” Melody answered.

“Melody! Is that you! Gods, finally someone came!” he cried hoarsely. He continued his tirade until Melody, Valic, Avona, Crystal, Tylas and Moriah came into his limited view.

“Ha! Man, am I glad to see you!” Jazz exclaimed.

“Yeah, I would be too if I were in your position,” Crystal remarked, with a faint smile. Melody giggled. “Oh Jazz, how do you get yourself into these situations?” the blond asked playfully.

“It’s not funny!” he yelled. Jazz was delicately balanced on a small outcropping of stone on the cliff face. It was the only disruption in the smooth rock of the cliff face. Gaia had come to the rescue once more.

“Don’t worry Jazz, I’ll get ya,” Moriah said. She vanished from his view then suddenly came falling down the cliff. At the critical moment her wings opened and she was carried upward on a strong updraft. As she passed him, Moriah grabbed Jazz under the arms and lifted him up with her. For a second, he dangled ten feet above open space before Moriah gently lowered both of them to the ground.

Jazz had to sit down, his legs too weak to support him. He gratefully took a drink of water from the canteen that Avona provided. His mouth and throat, which were so terribly dry, begged for water and he happily fulfilled the demand.

“You okay there, Jazz?” Crystal asked, humor in her voice as they watched him quaff the water.

He grunted as he took another gulp of water. “I just can’t get over the fact that I stepped off a cliff that’s all. Otherwise, the skies are clear, it’ll be sunny out and there’s no rain for a long ways off.”

His sarcasm elicited some laughter. They helped him to his feet again and on the way back Crystal described what she had deducted from her own experience in the jungle. Valic added his own knowledge as well.

After Crystal and Tylas had survived their own ordeal, they returned to the giant tree and found Avona, Moriah, Melody, and Valic there. Moriah had immediately taken to the air when the dragon appeared. She circled around and saw no one, so she’d returned to the tree and found Avona there. When Jazz hadn’t turned up, they went searching for him.

“Good thing you found me,” Jazz muttered. Melody laughed.

“Don’t worry Jazz, we wouldn’t leave you behind!”

By this time they’d reached the thick tree trunk, as pristine as they’d left it. And inside was the staff lying upon the altar, just as before.

Crystal peered inside then step aside. “Well, Jazz you opened it. You get to do the honors. Zack says he’s already read the next riddle, so it’s all yours.”

He grinned and swaggered into the tree. He carefully laid his staff on the altar and picked up the Cetra one. It immediately began to transform, the wood turning into a red-amber color, shining in the sunlight. Jazz gave it an experimental shake, and it fell into three pieces, held together by ropes of light. The ends had gold studs on them, adding extra damage to any blow. Jazz grin grew further and he gave a few test swings. Holding it by the center portion, he swung the staff to his right and to his left, the loose ends swinging so fast, that they left a circle in air from their displaced image. Suddenly shifting his grip, he held the staff by one end and swung it around like a whip. The strands of light that held it together stretched a foot as the triad whipped through the air.

Stopping, he held the staff normally once more and it reassumed its staff-like appearance again. “This thing is sweet.”

He did all this while outside the tree, having quickly left the confines of the tree trunk. The others watched admiringly at his skill with the unique weapon. As it was, none of them saw the branch lifting above their heads until it blocked out the sunlight.

Jazz noticed it just in time and rolled out of the way just seconds before the huge branch came crashing down. There was a loud groan, like nothing any animal could ever make. Several more branches rose into the air, and it was all they could do to keep from being crushed under the branches.

Crystal struck out at the tree, her swords biting deep into the wood. The branch shuddered violently and she hacked through it. The divided limb fell to the ground, motionless. But as it fell, two more came swinging at her. She had to fall to the ground to let them pass over and then had to quickly roll to the side in order to avoid another.

Tylas jumped into the fray, lopping off the end of one branch. He jumped onto another branch and then to another, leaving him right next to the trunk. He sank his spear into it and cut upwards, hewing a deep slash in the trunk. A deep groan rapidly rose to a shriek of wood and a limb knocked into him, sending him to the ground.

Valic quickly cast a fire spell, reveling in the return of his power once more. Bolts of fire flew from his fingertips and slammed into one huge branch, setting it aflame. In response, three branches came crashing down on the black mage, only to be stopped by a shield Avona had raised over the two.

Melody shattered one branch with a powerful blow, sending wood splinters into the air. Despite the number of branches they severed, immolated, or otherwise destroyed, more and more kept coming.

“The trunk!” Crystal shouted over the sound of creaking wood and shuddering earth. “Go for the trunk!”

Valic cast another spell that slammed into the trunk, but it proved to be more resistant to the magical flames. Getting to the trunk was by no means an easy task, with a hundred feet of writhing branches between it and the companions.

Moriah swooped down from the air, breathing fire on the trunk, setting clumps of leaves aflame. Several smaller branches rose up to snatch at her. With a startled cry, she quickly winged her way upward. Yet, a lone branch caught her by the tail and started steadily dragging her out of the air. She yelled and pounded the air as hard as she could, to no avail.

Suddenly, appearing from seemingly nowhere, Jazz appeared. He jumped into the air, swinging the staff. The staff split into its three sections and the studded end smashed into the base of the branch that had Moriah by the tail.

The wood gave under the blow and Jazz struck again, whipping the staff around him like a whip. Three more blows and Moriah was freed. By now, the tree was well aware of Jazz being there, and several branches closed in on him. But the redhead was not to be underestimated. Displaying more agility and speed then seen in him yet, he deftly jumped from branch to branch, avoiding the grasping, crushing limbs and even knocking a few out of his way in the middle of a back flip. In short time, he was standing next to Valic and Avona, once more out of the danger zone.

By now, they were all out of the tree’s grasp. The largest branches stretched in vain to reach them. Jazz laughed. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

A loud tearing sound ripped into the air and the companions watched as the tree uprooted itself from the ground. Tons of dirt spilled from the thick roots and the tree easily knocked away its smaller cousins. Jazz summed up everyone’s thoughts at that moment, as they watched the huge tree tower after them.

“Oh .”

Before any action could be taken, one enormous branch swept into the whole group, knocking them to the ground. They all had to stumble to their feet, gasping for air, to avoid the next onslaught of branches. They all fled farther into the trees to buy some time and to catch their breath.

Hiding behind the same tree, Crystal muttered to Tylas, “Let’s bring this thing down.” She quickly told him what to do and he nodded to show he understood.

The two stepped out from behind the tree and Crystal quickly went to engage it. So sudden and vicious was her attack the tree focused primarily on her, never noticing the crimson warrior dashing past her while she kept it busy.

Tylas jumped from branch to branch, getting closer and closer to the trunk, the body of their foe. When he was only twenty feet from the trunk, his presence became known. Branches snatched at his clothes, in many cases tearing off small pieces of cloth.

By now, the others were just coming forward to witness the plan at hand, and rushed to join Crystal. But the swordswoman had already bought Tylas enough time. He launched himself at the trunk, still moving in the air despite the small branch that added a new long gash in his shirt.

Aiming his spear downward, towards the very center of the tree, his spear burst into flame. Muttering words passed down from generation to generation, he came down in the center of the tree, the flame from his spear discharging into the tree. Again the loud squeal of tortured wood rang through the air. The branches twisted and writhed in the air and ten of the largest branches came crashing down on top of Tylas.

Then the self-uprooted tree fell to one side, still and smoking, wrapped in shroud of its own branches. There was no sign of Tylas.

Crystal was already dashing over the twisted branches towards the burning trunk. She cast an ice spell as she approached, the ice immediately melting, putting out most of the flames. She cut away the burnt branches and kicked some away, too hot to handle with bare hands.

The others saw her stop, sheathe her swords, and bend down to reach something. Melody gripped Valic’s hand tightly.

After a bit of a struggle, Crystal pulled a very battered, soot-covered Tylas from the ruins of the tree. Melody squealed and hugged Valic in her delight.

As the two slowly came towards the others, it became apparent that Tylas wasn’t in ideal condition. He kept one hand pressed to his side and breathing was labored. Crystal looped his free arm over her shoulder to aid him across the treacherous area of dead branches. Every time his side was jostled, he gritted his teeth. His steps soon began to falter until he finally collapsed to his knees.

At this sight Avona quickly hurried over to meet the two and helped Crystal set Tylas down carefully on the ground.

Not long before he was on the ground he began to shift uncomfortably, grabbing the tattered remains of his shirt as if it constricted him somehow. It was all the two women could do to keep him from writhing on the ground; fighting something only he could feel.

“Tylas, tell me what’s wrong,” Avona said clearly to him. “I need to know what’s wrong before I can heal you.”

“C-c-can’t br-br-breathe,” he gasped out in a voice that was barely audible.

Avona gingerly touched the side he had nursed and he jerked in pain. “Okay, okay,” she said soothingly. “He’s broken a rib,” she muttered to Crystal, who was trying to keep Tylas from moving, his struggles for air growing more and more desperate.

“Keep him still,” Avona ordered Crystal and held her hands above Tylas and a white glow formed beneath her palms. Tylas choked for air and it was all Crystal could do to keep him sitting upright.

Avona focused intently on her work. It was tricky, mending a rib broken so close to the heart. Like she thought, it’d punctured the lung, tearing a hole in it. Every breath he took let air escape into the body cavity and put pressure on the lung. No wonder he couldn’t breathe. His lungs were being constricted more with every breath.

Avona moved quickly in her healing, trying to prevent Tylas from feeling the worst of such a wound. A little more… a little more… there! She was done.

Tylas let in a deep breath, coughing hard as his lungs once more took up the job of functioning properly. In the course of Avona’s treatment, minor burns had been healed as well, surely a comfort to the warrior.

“I’m okay… I’m okay,” he breathlessly assured the others when the questioned how he was feeling. Then he added, glancing at Crystal, “Next time… you go in… and finish it.”

Crystal could only laugh and agree.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lazarus kicked over the burnt sign that read, “Welcome to Knowlespole.”

The northern city had fallen easily. More prisoners had been captured, thousands, ready to be assimilated into the growing alien’s army. Yet Lazarus had taken care to see that a few survivors were allowed to escape. Their stories of the horrors they’d seen would sow terror and discord. All the better to sunder an already divided world.

Every small town Lazarus had come across during his travel to Knowlespole had been overrun; all those of suitable age and health were taken to be added to the army. The others—the weak, the sick, those too old, and too young—were killed. No doubt the world knew now what grim fate lie ahead.

Lazarus looked around at the burning city, once so full of cheer and hospitality. He laughed. This was simply too much fun.

[eiko guy]

I like this one.

It was a very serious chapter and very entertaining at the same time.

[Dragon Mage]

Sorry it's taking so long for an update guys. I've been really busy with exams and singing competitions. I'm working on it when I can and hopefully we'll see an update soon.