Orso Fiction 055

Orso Fiction Chapter 055-Into The Holy Lands
Kevin Holt looked out over Century’s campus. Bear Force One, the family’s helicopter, landed itself in front of the school on autopilot. Kevin did some calculations in his head.

“The Attack is in three days. Before then, we need to retrieve the Primo Guardians, our underclassmen, because they’re the only ones who can fight off the invaders. They’re all off training on sacred ground, with serious security, including a barrier that will kill all electronics.”, Kevin told his team. “The plane will die if we try to cross into the holy lands proper, so we’re going to drop ourselves off a little bit outside of them, and make the trek inside. We find the kids, we get out, and we wait for the helicopter to pick us up again. It will take one day to get all of us there, and one day to get all of us back. That leaves us one day each to find them. If you aren’t where we drop you off 24 hours after we put you on your location, we’re leaving you.”

“You’re bluffing.”, Carly Reed said, yawning. Kevin took a moment to consider this.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

“Let’s just do this.”, Marisa Etheridge said, walking into the helicopter. “We don’t have forever.”

“You’re right.”, Ame Roberts replied. “We’ve already spent enough time here. We should make sure we’re ready for the Attack as soon as possible.”

“I’d like to hand this Zeke guy his ass myself, but he’s Zach’s prey.”, Mike Conway said softly, almost mournfully. “It would be rude to interfere with that.”

“That sounded kind of sweet, Conway.”, Jenny Bosse teased. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Guys, guys”, Sarah Candland interrupted. “Please. We’re supposed to be a good example for the little ones.”

---

Bradley sighed, glass of maple syrup in hand. He downed it in one swallow, and put it down beside three empty barrels. He sighed.

“Godspeed, guys.”, Bradley whispered. “Three days left.”

---

“There they go.”, a figure from atop Century sighed, looking to the person beside him. “Rushing off, and running their mouths. Such children. We’re putting them in charge of getting our front line in place?”

“They’ll do fine. Don’t worry about them”, the other told him in a voice that could only be described as divine.

“They haven’t changed a bit.”, the first said, leaning back. “Still just the same punks they were when they went to school here.”

“You talk like you were much better.”, the second replied, giggling as she pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The orange gem on her ring glinted in the light. “But you were just as badly behaved, Robert.”

Robert O’Neil sighed.

“But I did it with style.”, he answered. “And don’t lecture me like you’re any better.”

“Come on, grumpy.”, Sam Dixon told him. “I heard we have new members, and one of them’s just a little baby. We should go make them feel welcome. We ARE the only Eighters left in the base, and who knows where the Seveners have gone off to. We haven’t heard from them in ages…”

“I’m sure we won’t need them.”, Robert said, standing up. “Not when the people getting our front lines are such responsible, mature…oh. Right.”

“Come on, grumpy.”, Sam said, laughing, dragging him by the arm.

---

Nick Seese, now having vacated his room after Kelley threw him out, wandered the halls with Tatsu. Word of the Niners going for their mission had spread quickly, and he was feeling especially morose. One more mission he wasn’t allowed to go on.

“Stupid Niners.”, Nick complained. “They think they’re so special. They just have a four year lead on me, that’s all.”

“Just who are the Niners?” Ashley Zester asked him. Nick whipped around. How long had that girl been behind him? And how long had he been thinking out loud?

“I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I heard everything.”, Ashley sighed. “Not because I’m following you, because we’re both going to the kitchen, and you’re very, very loud.”

“Did you hear about the-“

“Yes.”

“And what about the-“

“Yes.”

“At least you didn’t hear about the-“

“Yes, Nick. I heard you gloat about all of your petty crimes around the base to yourself like a freak. No one cares. Now… Who. Are. The. Niners?”

Nick was silent for a second.

“You don’t have to be so rude about it.”

Ashley smacked the back of his head.

“Okay, okay. The Niners are the upperclassmen Zach used as inspiration when he was an underclassman.”

“Members that Zach looked up to?”, Ashley asked. “How powerful must they be?”

“I’ve met a few of them.”, Nick said. “And they’re pretty absurd when it comes to power level. They’re not even the strongest members we have, either. There are the Eighters and Seveners, who are even more powerful. Thing is, the older a member is, the more they’ll be able to take on a more important job.”

“Job?”

“I…Do I have to explain everything to you?”, Nick asked. “The family gets its funds through taking on jobs. Various organizations send us requests, and we fulfill them. They pay us, in response. The Seveners are all on jobs that took them out of state. Who knows where they are. Some of the Eighters are gone too, but they come and go a little more frequently. The Niners are usually always around, though. That makes them, along with the Primo Generation, the strongest people you can expect to be in the base on a given day.”

“And then?”

“Well, I presume we would call the next group the Teners. But that name would be stupid. At least one of them is a soprano.”

Ashley stared at him blankly.

“It’s a musical-“

“I know. It was just lame.”

Nick moped for a second.

“Anyway, the Primo Generation is mostly made of Class of Twenty-Ten members. Charlie’s a year older, and Rachel and Nicole are a year younger, but they’re all about the same level of power, right around the Niners.”

“So who is in the Niner group?”, Ashley asked.

“Well, let’s see…The Sky, the leader, is Kevin Holt. Zach told me he’s quite a basketball player, but a terrible Mario Kart player.”

---

Kevin Holt sneezed, and then looked around suspiciously. Someone, somewhere, was insulting his racing skills.

---

“Zach’s told me he saw Kevin as a brother, rival, and a friend, and that he reminded him of someone important from his past.” Nick continued. “He wouldn’t offer any more details than that, and he seemed kind of sad.”

“Weird…Who’s next?”, Ashley asked.

“Next is Ame Roberts, the Storm. Now, you know how Zach is a pretty fearless guy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Zach once told me that the only two things in this world he fears are an angry Ame Roberts, and raspberries.”

“Raspberries.”, Ashley repeated, in that way that suggests ‘That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard’.

“He may have been joking.”, Nick said, honestly not having considered that possibility before. “Anyway, to Zach, Ame was a big sister who pushed him into things for his own good.”

“Such as?”

“Well, it’s because of her that he got into acting. He also coughed out the words ‘junior prom’ when I asked him for more examples. So that was weird.”

“Right…Who’s next?”

“Next is Sarah Candland, the Rain. Zach didn’t tell me much there, but he did blush a little, and he told me that Sarah was a ‘face to launch a thousand ships’ for. I have literally no idea what he meant by that, but he also said that Sarah helped him out of a really sad time in his life, and got him to go out on a limb. Then he kicked me out of his office.”

“So you don’t have any more information?”

“Hell no. I went right back in and asked about the other four. So next is Carly Reed, the Thunder.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. Typical Nick.

“Zach told me that Carly was really popular here, and he ended up assigned to her group all the time for team projects in classes. Eventually, he got to know her, and saw that she was really pretty awesome. He was the book smarts of the team, and she was the street smarts. Also, she teased him about girls all the time. He mentioned that. He was very clear that Carly was good at teasing him. But that at the same time, it helped him, it got him talking when he would have stayed quiet and shy all day.”

“Sounds like the boss was just getting bullied…”

“…I’m sure it was more two-way than that, if I know Zach.”

“Right…”, Ashley murmured. “You said Charlie, the Thunder Guardian, is her age? Which one is stronger?”

“Well, that’s a good question.”, Nick said. “They’re about even, just like all the other Guardian-Niner pairs. Anyway, next is Mike Conway, the Sun. He was the last of the Niners Zach met, and as far as Zach could tell when he met him, his complete opposite. A schedule full of classes’ worth of interaction later, they had formed a friendship. Which kind of amazed Zach, because he was such a scrawny nerd, and Conway was…not that. But Conway took a liking to him, and they came to know each other’s styles so well, they made an amazing team. It’s because of Conway, Zach says, that he gained a broader mind, and a stronger body, trying to push himself to Conway’s level. Even among the other Niners…Conway stands out as ridiculously strong, he was Guardian-level back THEN.”

“The Sun, huh?”, Ashley murmured. “I’d like to meet him…”

“Next is Jenny Bosse, the Mist. She was the first of the Niners Zach met after he arrived at Century. He kind of declared her his big sister, because she really surprised him with her brains. That’s when the boss realized he was a little fish in a big pond.”

“I see…Hard to imagine Zach as a freshman…”

“Yeah…We should talk to these guys, now that I think about it. I’m sure they all have embarrassing stories about the boss. And no one moreso than the seventh member, the Niners’ Cloud, Marisa Etheridge.”

“That name sounds familiar…Etheridge…”

“It should. Marisa is the big sister of the boss’ right hand man and Cloud Guardian, Trevor, and the Sun Officer, Megan.”

“And aren’t those two…really strong?”

“Oh yeah…I’ve trained with both of them…and I never came close…to landing a single blow.”

“And I bet Marisa’s just as strong.”

Nick chuckled.

“Just as strong…Not exactly.”, he said. “Marisa is the first person Zach saw as a big sister, and for the longest time, as a youngling, aimed to get her to acknowledge him as a brother worth respecting.”

“The boss is kind of a weirdo.”, Ashley said solemnly. Nick nodded.

“Yeah, kind of.”

---

“First stop.”, Kevin called, looking out the window. “Conway, you’re up!”

Mike Conway stepped up to the door.

“You sure about this?”, Kevin asked. “We can EASILY land. It would barely take up time.”

“We need them back fast.”, Conway said resolutely. “I’m doing it.”

“Okay. Don’t die.”, Kevin said, pushing him out the door. “You could have at least taken a parachute.”

Mike Conway, never one to let gravity spoil a good time, let out a battle cry, and his fist began blazing with Sun Flames. As he fell, gaining speed, he pulled his arm back. At the last second, he thrust his fist forward, and the yellow flames shot all around him. When the dust cleared, he stood up on the incredibly softened dirt. He brushed himself off, and began to walk.

---

“There goes THE most hard-headed man I think I’ve ever met.”, Kevin sighed. “Let’s see…stop number two is Carly’s…”

---

Mike stopped walking for a second, looking around him, having to squint through the intense light, which had only seemed to grow brighter as he grew closer to the training ground. He reached his hand out to press on a yellow rune on a giant tree. Yellow light rippled around where he had touched.

“Guess this is the place…”, Conway said, pulling out the paper Bradley had handed him. “What was that password…”

He took one last moment to look around, squinting all the while. He was surrounded by a dense forest, with an almost overpowering smell of dirt, and sense of life.

“Seems like a nice place for a hike. Well, no time to waste… Maggie hates it when someone’s wasting time…”, he said, yawning. He unrolled the paper fully, and began to pronounce the password.

“Un cuore di aria, ballare attraverso soffrendo. Io cerco la giustizia.”

Suddenly, all around him, runes in a 10 yard-across circle around him began to glow bright yellow, and they ignited into yellow fire, stretching up past his head. Leaves danced through the flames, seemingly possessed. A shuffling sound drew his attention to 5 yards behind him, where leaves were beginning to gather. Slowly, a tree-like creature as tall as him began to form, arm-like branches extending from where its shoulders would be, roots separating into two distinct, powerful-looking legs. Various branches jutted out from its back, adding to its gnarled appearance. A yellow fire began to burn where its forehead would be, and leaves whirled around its hands. Thousands of specks of bright light covered the leaves on its body.

“I didn’t think the first Devino Sun Guardian would allow just anyone to come to his private training ground.”, Conway said, chuckling. “So this is the Keeper of the Sun Forest that note mentioned.”

The creature let out a strange noise, reminiscent of birds singing at sunrise and leaf-laden branches swaying in the wind.

“I beat you, and I’m allowed to enter.”, Conway said, cracking his knuckles. “Good. Otherwise, this whole mission’d be too easy.”

---

Bradley Ratliff sighed, leaning against the wall of the school.

“Oh, cut it out.”, Taylor Houston said from his left. “They’re going to get them back in time.”

“Obviously. They’re the Niners. That’s not what I’m worried about. How sad is that? I just sent a group on a mission to infiltrate the heavily, magically guarded, personal training grounds of the first Devino Guardians, maybe the strongest people this world has ever known. And that’s the easy part.”

“Being so serious doesn’t suit you.”, Taylor laughed. “Christ, Zach needs to get back soon, or you’re going to have a heart attack.”

Bradley slid down the wall and sat, scratching his head.

“The Arcobaleno told the Guardians they would be able to teach them those awesome moves in one year. They’ve had one month to train. With the Apostles coming to attack us sooner than we planned, our strategy is ruined. What else can we do?”

“I’ve already tried to contact the Eighters and Seveners, but you know how they are. They’re off doing some job or another. Only ‘Seraph’ and ‘Genius’ are still around.”

“But even they might not be able to stop the Apostles if the Guardians fail…”, Bradley murmured. “What a mess.”

“For now, let’s just count on the Niners. Look at how much they’ve done for us so far.”

“You’re right, you’re right.”

“Now, why don’t we go inside, and you can play with your dolls until the Attack.”

“They’re action figures. Please don’t disrespect Sushimaru and Bighoof.”

---

Carly yawned. Kevin had insisted on landing the helicopter and letting her off early, at the base of the mountain, because of the intense thunderstorms overtop the summit. She kicked aside a rock, which skittered down 15,000 feet.

“What a pain in the ass.”, she lamented. “Leave it to Chuck to make me waste my time like this.”

A crash of thunder interrupted her, and she looked, slightly peeved, at the sky. It offered no apology. She squinted at an object several yards up. She sighed and leapt up to it, knocking many more rocks down the deadly fall. She inspected it closely, a glowing green rune on the side of the mountain.

“Here we go…”, she murmured, pulling out the paper. “The password…was…”

“Un corpo di pietra, entrambi fortificare ed invader. Io cerco la giustizia.”

Suddenly, a circle of green runes surrounded her, and a creature of stone, misshapen and bizarre, began to grow from the mountainside. Rocks floated around it, connected to the main body by a stream of green electricity. It roared, a noise with the sudden force of a thunderclap, and the echo of an avalanche. A green fire began to burn where its forehead would be.

“What a pain in the ass…”, Carly sighed. “Chuck, Stimes…You both owe me SO much for making me hike this way.”

---

Ame stood before the red rune on the fallen tree, glowing brightly through the muddy water. The wind picked up again, flinging pieces of fallen trees and rocks around the area, creating small waves in the swamp water.

“Well, it could be uglier.”, she said softly, looking around her, pulling the note from her pocket. “Ah well. If Amy’s been putting up with it for a month, I can handle it for a day.”

“La debolezza di prevalere la forza, come l'orizzonte che continua fino alla fine della terra. Io cerco la giustizia”

Slowly, the wind began to pick up even more, swirling around a single spot in the water, as red runes began to glow around her and the growing storm. A creature of mud began to rise from the swamp, continuously pulsing from the wind that ran through its body. A red flame erupted where the creature’s forehead would be. Ame noticed that the mud was stained red here. People had tried to enter this sacred land, and failed. And they had paid dearly.

The creature growled, an awful, bubbling sound, coupled with the howl of a tornado. Ame assumed a fighting stance. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright, Mr. Primo Devino Storm Guardian… Let me see how well you’ve protected this dump.”, she taunted. The creature lunged at her.

---

“Please, please, don’t be doing anything too reckless, Ame…”, Sarah sighed, paddling her rowboat, as the torrential rain battered her umbrella. “Wow, Stacie, you must be miserable out here. Does this rain never stop?”

Sarah came to a tiny island, about a dozen yards from a much larger one, the real holy land, and docked her boat. She continued to hold her umbrella as she approached the tiny glowing blue rune in a small spring on the island. She began to pull out her note, careful not to get it wet in this downpour.

“La forza di prevalere la debolezza, come una torre che colpisce al cielo. Io cerco la giustizia.”

Immediately, the circle of blue runes surrounded her, and the neverending rain began to converge into a single point. This point grew larger and larger, sprouting arms, legs, and a spherical head of water that jutted from its body at a 90 degree angle, where a blue flame began to burn. It picked up pieces of the land around it, which coursed through its body, never breaking down, only covered in a thin layer of murk. The creature laughed, a noise much like the heavenly flood above her, and yet also the calm of the island around her.

“What a hassle…”, Sarah sighed. “I really don’t want to get my hair wet…I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’ll be fighting you one-handed, Mr. Keeper-of-the-Island.”

---

Jenny groaned. This place didn’t even make sense. She looked up, and saw the distinct appearance of bone-chilling, heavy mist. She looked down, and saw an endless reach of sand, steaming, burning, almost hissing with heat.

“What a miserable place.”, she said, taking a drink from her canteen, not knowing if it was what she wanted or not. “I can’t tell if I’m very hot, or very cold…Very dry, or very wet. It’s PERFECT. This is exactly the kind of place a Mist should train in. The First Mist Guardian of the Devino had the right idea…I’m so jealous, Katie. Maybe my sassy little apprentice and I can work on her training here once this war is over…”

She came to a sand dune where the fog was particularly thick, where an indigo rune glowed brightly, like a lighthouse, and reached for the paper in her pocket.

“Una mente di acqua, riflettere la tranquillità. Io cerco la giustizia.”

In less than a second, the indigo rune circle had appeared around her. The fog began to condense around a patch of sand that was rising, as though carried by an invisible wind. The fog and the sand mixed, weaving each other throughout the whole creation, a creature the size and shape of a man, an indigo fire burning on its forehead. Its components, being so fine, or light, lent the creature the appearance of being able to pass a punch right through it, like a knife through a cup of water, slashing despite the water’s inability to be cut. The creature giggled, with an air of mystery derived from its splashing-like sound, but empty, hollowness. Jenny could almost feel intense heat, and yet cold in its voice.

“I guess you’re not a mirage.”, Jenny said, smiling. “Which means this place comes with free sparring partners. How fun. I can’t wait to drag that little brat I call a student here…Kicking and screaming, if I have to. But first thing’s first…Finding Katie.”

---

Marisa stretched her arms above her. She was honestly only barely awake, but the mission sounded like too much fun to pass up.

“Alright, baby brother Trevor…Where are you hiding?”, she mused, looking around her. The first thing she noticed was that she was several hundred feet up. The second was that she was currently standing on a giant, T-shaped glacier, supported by a thick column of ice. Clouds obscured her vision, but she pressed on, heading for a giant dome of ice, the intense cold not bothering her in the slightest despite her light clothing. Eventually, she came to a chunk of ice jutting out from the rest of the relatively smooth glacier. A purple rune glowed through the frozen water.

“Here we are.”, she chirped, grinning. “Let me see here…What was that password…”

“Un'anima di fuoco, bruciare lontano l'oscurità. Io cerco la giustizia”

A circle of purple runes began to glow all around her, trapping her with the creature being born before her eyes. Clouds began to spiral into the creature, made of ice. It was thin, almost skeletal in appearance, but giving off the impression of incredible strength. A purple flame burst into life on its forehead. The creature opened its mouth, lined with frozen icicle teeth, and hissed in warning, a noise that would chill a normal human being’s blood, freezing them in place in fear. But Marisa heard something different.

“You’re lonely, aren’t you?”, she asked, igniting her ring in purple flames. “You miss your old master, the Primo Devino Cloud Guardian. You wish you could have gone with him to the next life. And you’re tired of having to defend his land against fools with more guts than brains.”

The creature seemed to understand her, but took a step forward regardless.

“You’ve been longing for powerful opponents.”, Marisa continued, pressing the lit ring into the grey box on her belt. “You feel like a drifting cloud. Unbound to a master, floating through the sky with nothing to call your own but this frozen waste.”

A sword burst from the grey box, growing as it emerged. Marisa grasped it, unsheathing it in one elegant motion.

“You felt something, from the last one to pass you, didn’t you? You felt something you couldn’t explain. Like a sense of nostalgia. You already miss the way fighting him felt.”, Marisa said, a little proud of Trevor. “I can’t free you, I’m sorry. But I think I can help take the edge off missing him so badly. That was my baby brother you just fought. He learned everything he knows about swordplay from me.”

The glacier creature hissed again, this time, sounding almost happy, as wings made of cloud erupted from its shoulders.

“It will be an honor.”, Marisa said, bowing her head respectfully.

---

Kevin raised an eyebrow. He had expected this place to be a little more…unusual. It had been a simple landing; Bear Force One was parked a little while away, waiting for him to return to it. But there had been nothing strange about the area. A few trees, a few rocky hills, a little bit of bog further west. To be fair, he hadn’t explored the other side, but now that he reached the center of the area, it was even plainer, and he was a little disappointed. He laid a hand on the massive, ornate door to the dome-like cave on the island’s center, the orange rune glowing through his skin.

“Here we are…”, he murmured. “Zach will be behind this door.”

He had memorized the words on the trip over; there was no reason to look for his paper. Something about the words had stuck in his memory, and he doubted he would ever forget them.

“La perfezione di unire il corpo, la mente e la cuore. Per riunirsi gli elementi. Per unire il cielo e l'inferno, e farli uno con l'anima. Per diventare eroe. Io cerco la giustizia”

The cave began to rumble, and the circle of orange runes appeared around him. He waited, expectantly, for the creature that would rise from behind him. As it took form, he smiled.

“Well, you’re a strange one.”, Kevin said. “You don’t see this every day.”

An exact duplicate of Kevin Holt stood before the original.

“I’ve kind of always wanted to try this…”, Kevin laughed. “But none of the holographic training rooms at the base…can reproduce my power.”

---

Bradley crumpled the paper he was reading to take his mind off the danger.

“It’s already been a day and a half!”, he shouted to the empty room. “I can’t take much more of this!”

“Relax.”, Scott Deisher said, opening his door. “I thought I’d come by to visit, and you’re freaking out. So unprofessional.”

“Oh, shut up.”, Bradley said, swiveling his chair to face away from him. “So says the drifter who can’t make up his mind which school he belongs to.”

“Liberty is my home.”, Scott said. “But Century’s got a charm to it I just can’t help but stay away from. I guess the boss and I have too much history together.”

“I hear you.”, Bradley said, swiveling back around. “What did you want, anyway? You never come just to visit.”

Scott placed a folder in front of Bradley.

“Mail for you. I don’t want you to get your hopes up…but it could be just what we need right now.”

Bradley opened the folder and read the letter enclosed. His eyes widened.

“Scott…I’m dispatching your unit to find this man and bring him here.”

“You don’t run my team…”, Scott yawned, walking out the door. “But don’t worry. They’re on it.”

Bradley smiled. This…made things better. A lot better. But they weren’t out of the woods just yet…the Niners still had to complete their missions.

---

Conway put his fist down as the smoke began to clear.

“That’s the Brilliant Nova Fist.”, he murmured. Several trees crashed around him, but they grew back almost immediately, due to the magic of the land. The Sun Forest Keeper let out a final moan, and dissolved into the plant matter it was constructed of, and the yellow rune barrier faded. “I believe Mary Reiter and Nate Mercer have developed their own variations...I don’t want to sound prideful, but mine is the strongest…Maybe it’s about time I took part in the Tiger-Punching Olympics they’re always talking about…Could be fun.”

He walked further into the forest, into the holy land.

---

Carly removed her arm from inside the stone creature’s core. She shook off the dust that had been torn from its stone body as she had pierced through it with the force of her blow. The creature stumbled back, but began to reassemble itself with the stone from the mountain, leaping along the mountain, keeping its distance. Carly leapt after it, vaulting over the several hundred foot drop, appearing right above it, before it could react. She lifted one foot over her head, and brought it down on the Thunder Mountain Keeper, which rocketed down the mountain, fragmenting into its original parts at each collision as it bounced down fifteen hundred feet. Carly looked up the mountain, and saw the green rune barrier fade.

“And now I’ve broken a nail.”, Carly sighed. “Stimes, you better appreciate this shit I do for you…”

She leapt further up the mountain, into the holy land.

---

The swamp creature moaned as it burned with crimson flame. Ame stood back and watched it flail, and go underwater to douse the fire. Her ring lit with the same crimson fire, and she pressed it into the red box on her belt. A giant falcon, wings burning with red flames, flew out, and hovered above Ame.

“Titania, we’re going to finish this off in one more hit.”, Ame told her bird, who chirped obediently.

As the creature surfaced, Titania chirped once more, and took flight, rocketing at it too fast for it to react, piercing its chest. The bird flew straight through it, burning away the mud before it touched her. Titania somersaulted in the air, and landed on Ame’s outstretched arm.

“Very nice.”, she praised, scratching the bird’s chin as the creature burned, still lumbering toward her, splashing through the mud. “But I don’t think you did it quite hard enough.”

Ame raised her hand, palm facing the Storm Swamp Keeper, and a jet of brilliant red fire shot at the creature, incinerating it completely. The red rune circle faded

“Come on.”, Ame told Titania. “Let’s get out of here.”

She treaded further into the swamp, into the holy land.

---

“How rude.”, Sarah sighed. “Making me abandon my boat like that.”

She now stood atop a dolphin, fins burning with beautiful blue fire. She watched the watery creature across from her with an air of immovable calm.

“Helen, if you please.”, Sarah requested. The dolphin clicked in agreement. Suddenly, the dolphin shot at the watery beast with the speed of a jet ski, Sarah surfing on its back. The second before the attack connected, Sarah leapt above the Rain Island Keeper, as Helen rammed the creature with all its power, slicing it with its flaming blue dorsal fin. The creature moaned in pain as it turned to see Helen continue on, and Sarah land on her effortlessly. Sarah lifted one hand and a burst of blue flames gushed from her palm, liquefying the creature once again. The blue rune circle faded, and Sarah sighed, feeling her hair.

“Still perfect.”, she said to herself, smiling slightly.

She took her first step onto the island, into the holy land.

---

Jenny looked around, smiling at the five copies of the fog-sand creature she was facing

“Now THIS is a mirage…or an illusion. Whichever.”, she said. “You’re not all real.”

The creatures all roared their hollow roar, and shot at her, with increasingly sharpening sand-claws. All ten claws sunk into her, and Jenny coughed a little blood.

“Sorry.”, she said, and faded into indigo mist, an illusion all along. Another Jenny appeared, revealing herself in a cloud of the same indigo mist, and swung an indigo-flame covered bo staff at the creatures. It passed through all of them, which faded into indigo mist. A cackle from behind her, and the claw reaching through her stomach from behind alerted her to the presence of another of the creatures behind her. This Jenny smiled as well, grabbing hold of the claw, and exploded into indigo flames, another illusion. The Keeper, however, didn’t flinch, and faded into mist. Both appeared where they had originally begun their battle, and exchanged strikes with claws and staff. Jenny grinned as the battle intensified.

“Maybe living out in this desert has made your brain a little funny.”, Jenny said. “But I think you’ve fallen for my last trap.”

From behind the creature, another staff shot through the sand beast’s neck.

“Gotcha.”, Jenny said, an air of mischief in her voice.

---

Outside of the psychic illusion Jenny had placed the Keeper in, she watched as the Mist Desert Keeper dissolved into sand and fog once more, and the indigo runes faded.

“How strange…”, Jenny thought. “I didn’t expect psychic illusions, which prey on emotions, to work so well on an artificial construct…maybe…some part of this thing is alive…and it just…WANTED to feel emotions…How strange…But I can’t think about it forever. I’m going.”

She trudged deeper into the desert, into the holy land.

---

Marisa stuck her sword into the ice as the Cloud Glacier Keeper hissed its final breath before collapsing into a pile of ice. The Cloud Niner looked around as the purple rune circle faded away, and smiled.

“Almost there, baby brother.”, she said, grinning despite the cold.

She walked toward the ice dome, deeper into the glacier, into the holy land.

---

Kevin, out of breath, laughed.

“You. Are. GOOD.”, Kevin shouted to his doppleganger. “Damn, that was fun! I gotta come back here, and we can do this again sometime. I see why the Primo Devino Boss put you here. You are a TOUGH dude.

The Sky Earth Keeper let out a noise like steam escaping, and began to fade away, as did the orange rune circle.

“It’s been real, Other-Me.”, Kevin said. “See you next time.”

He turned to the ornate cave door, which opened slowly on its own.

“Here we go. One step closer to getting this whole Apostles deal over with.”

Kevin entered the cave, finding stairs leading him down. He followed them for what felt like an eternity, until he came to the main chamber of the cave. What he saw made his eyes water.

“It’s…I don’t believe this.”, he gasped, looking up. “I’m inside…but that’s the sky I’m looking at!”

“The First Devino Boss and his friends were very talented individuals.”, a voice ahead of him said. “They made something as impossible as fitting a whole world into a cave a possibility.”

Kevin looked ahead to see Mr. Cockley speaking, and Zach Stimely beside him. Zach turned, and grinned when he saw Kevin.

“Killa!”, he shouted, jumping up to greet him. “What are you doing here, man!?”

“There’s…been some problems.”, Kevin said. Before Zach’s smile could vanish, he amended his statement. “Nothing’s happened yet, don’t worry, don’t worry…But the Apostles are moving ahead of schedule. They’ll be at the base in a day and a half.”

“But…I’m not even close to learning the Point of Perfection!”, Zach said, rattled. “What…what can I do?!”

Cockley closed his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair.

“There is…one way.”, he offered. “But it won’t be easy.”

“I’ll do it.”, Zach said, on instinct.

“I thought you’d say that.”, Mr. Cockley said, smiling. He reached into his pocket and drew a glowing orange orb, the size of a ping pong ball. “But I didn’t mean it would be hard for you…I meant it would be hard for me.”

“What do you mean?”, Kevin asked. “How does teaching him this move drain you so badly?”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to show you boys something I wish I was able to forget.”, Mr. Cockley said, squeezing the orb tightly, as it began to glow even brighter. “This is why they call the Arcobaleno “the seven cursed teachers”…Brace yourself, Zach. My curse makes this skill possible…but it doesn’t make it painless…”


 * 36 Hours Until The Attack*

END OF SEASON 1

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