//------------------------------// // Nine // Story: Freedom Through Harmony: Book II // by Electricut //------------------------------// Nine Scratch's Journal I watched in curious silence as this un-chronicled event of history played out just before me; the spears-woman and Rainbow Dash dueled Lucius straight to the ground, then the broadsword wielding fighter atop the other roof, Rainbow Dash's elder brother, Ultraviolet, dove to the ground behind the group. With a grimace, he drove his sword forward, straight through the black-cloaked spearman Doc and I were after. Lucius collapsed in a bloody heap a moment later, and it was all I could do not to look away in disgust. The three were soon joined by two more, Applejack and another small child, one with snow white wings and soft pink hair. Fluttershy too? I inferred. I never would have guessed... After a pitifully short threatening session, Lucius began talking, apparently trying to spill every last detail he could before he bled out completely. I guess loyalty doesn't mean much in the Order... I found myself thinking. Lucius told how the Order's overall purpose was serving the Goddess, how their Number Four had run away years ago with a yet-to-be-trained Number Thirteen, and he had hoped to bring back Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and add them to their ranks. He told how the group would not be hunted down for bringing about his demise, of how the rest of the Order did not think very highly of him either, and that they should consider themselves lucky as a result. He finally passed a moment later, but curiously, his body faded away in a mass of black smoke. I cast a curious look back to Doc, and he shook his head sadly. "Lucius gave his whole being over to darkness to gain more power. His very humanity was lost long ago, and what's left of him is now returning to darkness in his death. Such is the unfortunate fate of a summoner such as him. Some, like the princess Luna long ago, master their darkness instead of being destroyed by it, but Lucius was not that lucky." We stayed where we were for a few more minutes while the dust settled. The gold-haired warrior, sister to Fluttershy, left the spear sticking up in the ground near Lucius's point of death, then she and Ultraviolet led the three children away from the battle site, most likely back home. As soon as the coast was clear, Doc strode over to the ornamental golden weapon, plucking it from the dirt and holding it reverently. This weapon was the key to another treasure somewhere, possibly a weapon of even greater power, so I understood his actions. He moved back over to me, and I followed him to an empty alleyway where we could travel out without being seen. "Our next stop is the lock, located in the scenic Island of Evil in Ivoire. Great place to hide things you don't want found, I'll give it that. Once we're done there, we'll rest up at Base C for the night, then get down to real business. Shall we?" ~ Year 915, Ivoire Calendar The Island of Evil got its name for a reason, let me assure you. It never really had much growing or built upon it to begin with, but the scars remaining from the demon Sulfur's attack only four years ago were still very apparent. Jagged scars in the earth ran this way and that, many now filled up with rainwater and forming miniature lakes and rivers connecting to the vast ocean beyond. Places where lava had bled forth from the earth had long since hardened into glossy black rock formations. Skeletons of countless monsters, and also humans, lay strewn about, and there was no shortage of discarded wood and steel in the forms of weapons, armor and decaying vessels on the shore. As dead as the island seemed, monsters of every kind still held sway in parts of the broken land. I unclipped my battle discs from the back of my pack, giving them a spin at my sides to prepare myself for battle. Doc nodded in approval, then pointed north-westward. "The lock is near the coast that way, hidden in a rock in the Dragon's Teeth, the very tip of the reef. There are likely some monster nests between here and there, short a distance as it is, so be ready to defend yourself." I nodded tersely, and the two of us set off quickly for the coast. For several solid minutes we made excellent progress, moving swiftly and efficiently over the grey earth, unimpeded by monster or obstacle. Until the coast was in sight, we were golden, but the sight of the water sloshing onto the rocky shores of the 'Dragon's Teeth' reef also brought the sight of several muscular manticores and skeletal Cerberi prowling around their territory. I counted eight monsters in total from where we were, and readied my weapons with a sigh. I'd have to fight hard, fast and smart to avoid getting clawed to pieces. "Goes without saying I guess, but stay back." I told Doc, taking control. "I see a couple good hiding spots where I can snipe all the Cerberi with lightning spells. After they're done for, I'll take the three manticores head on, one at a time. Shouldn't take too long, really." Doc nodded, bade me good luck and caution, and allowed me to carry out my plan. I dashed forward on the tips of my feet, ducking behind each large rock formation or broken hull on the way. The closer I got to the monsters stalking lazily around, the more apparent their presence became- the cackle of magical energy in the air, the foul stench of power and death. I looked cautiously around the next corner, a Cerberus beast trotting around only a few yards away, and twirled the battle disc in my hand in anticipation. Sparks began to run around the outer ring of the weapon, and when the attack was fully charged, I spun around and threw the disc mightily towards the four-legged skeleton. A bolt of lightning leapt from the disc and struck the Cerberus in the dead-center of its head, driving the unnatural life out of it instantly. I scampered forward and retrieved the battle disc from the ground, then dove for cover at the next rock. Two more Cerberi were prowling around just beyond, unaware of the one I had just killed. I twirled both discs at once and let loose, both beasts dropping to the ground with a satisfying sizzle. I continued on my silent re-killing spree, the last of the five cerberi soon falling to my hand. Now only the manticores remained, and I was ready for them as well. By now one of them had discovered one of the Cerberus bodies, and was sniffing around in search of the perpetrator. Little did the creature know, I was standing right above him, atop the rock just a few feet away, a fire spell blazing on my weapons. They sailed forward in unison, striking the manticore at either side of its abdomen, and with a loud, pained roar, it collapsed in a heap where it stood. I cringed when it called out in pain, not in empathy, but for the fact that the other two would have heard it and would be on me in seconds. Nevertheless, I waited until I sensed them approach, standing stock-still atop the rock, with the remaining two enemies stalking up behind me. When they must have been only a few feet away, I supercharged my weapons with flaming energy and back-flipped clear off my perch, twisted my body to see the two muscular forms below me, and launched the attack at them midair. I twisted back around and came to a rough landing across the way from my enemies, now likely aflame and no longer a threat. But when I turned back to them, I cursed my luck and dropped to a ready unarmed stance again. Only one of the beasts was smoldering on the ground from my attack, the other having avoided the disc entirely. Now he stood between me and my weapons, and he knew it. He stalked around cockily, savoring the kill, sure that I had no means of fight or flight remaining. For a moment I was inclined to agree with him, but I wasn't finished yet, and a moment's hasty planning gave me an idea on how I could make it out. I stayed in my low stance, ready to dodge to the side if necessary, my hands twitching in anticipation. The manticore growled hungrily, my tiny actions pumping him up for the kill. He leapt at me from his back legs, sailing powerfully through the air on a direct collision course with me, and I acted. In the three seconds it took him, I unsheathed Caledscratch, put one hand to the control dial with the other gripping the handle, and pointed it at an angle to the monster like a tiny pike. He sensed the trap immediately, but could do nothing to stop it as he fell, landing on the jagged blade painfully, but not fatally. Gritting my teeth, I turned the dial back, and the sharp steel materialized straight through the manticore, impaling him through the gut and finishing him off. At last time caught up to me, and he fell to the ground with my arms pulled down with him. I pulled Caledscratch from the beast as cleanly as I could manage, then turned the dial back to default. The blood droplets that had collected on the blade now found themselves in empty air, and fell to the ground a moment later. I shook my head, trying not to focus on that particular death, and walked past him to retrieve my battle discs. I then climbed back up the rock to give Doc the OK signal. He hurried down the slope as soon as he knew the coast was clear, coming to a stop near me and checking me for damage. "Sorry, Scratch." He said, "I didn't think they were that tough, otherwise I would have had you take them out from a distance." I waved him aside, almost amused by his unwarranted concern for me. "They weren't. I just made a dumb mistake, that's all. Nothing to worry about. Now, where was that lock? I'm looking forward to a treasure this well-guarded." Doc nodded and set off towards the reef with me in tow. The waves, clear blue and contrasting the dusky grey of the ashy shore, lapped noisily about as we walked. The jagged edges of the reef stood as silent sentinels of the island, positioned at irregular intervals all around the cove, giving the area its name as the Dragon's Teeth. Doc stopped near one of the stones, and I raised an eyebrow curiously at the formation. Most of these rocky spikes were disconnected from the shore, but this one had a land bridge leading to it. We stepped across slowly, reverently, until we were face to face with the stone. "See this slit in the rock?" Doc asked. Sure enough, a small gap was positioned at eye-level to me, about a foot in length and less than an inch in width. It almost looked like... "The keyhole." I stated. "That spear will unlock it?" "Indeed it will." Doc confirmed. "Now stand back; something neat is about to happen, and you'll want to see it." I nodded quickly and jogged a few steps back, while Doc retrieved Lucius's weapon and readied it, as though to stab the stone. Then he thrust the spear forward and into the opening, turned the handle with the head fully within, and stepped back as well. A tremor shook the earth and water directly around it, with us close enough to feel it but not to be thrown off our feet. I watched in interest as another opening began to open in the land bridge before the stone, something rising dramatically from the earth. A fist-sized blue orb with a cloudy interior was first to become visible, with four white marble-sized spheres evenly spaced around it, not physically attached but held in place by some magic. As it continued to rise, I saw that the blue orb was affixed to a staff, shiny white and intricately made, three feet or so long and resembling a chess piece in design. Doc stepped forward stiffly, in total awe of the staff. He stopped just before it, hesitant to even touch it. "The White Staff." He breathed. "Possibly the last of its kind in existence, Black or White. A weapon of cataclysmic power, which probably should have been destroyed eons ago... But I digress. We may need it now." "Another artifact from before The Crash?" I guessed. The craftwork of the item was very reminiscent of other artifacts of the time, plus everything else we had found today was from then. He nodded, then reverently gripped the staff by its handle and cradled it in his palms. "Is it volatile?" "Oh, not really." Doc stated. "This thing was made to be nigh indestructible. It's just the weight of concept... This weapon is fully capable of bringing about Armageddon, you see. Or... at least it was. I do not know if it still has that capacity. Regardless, it remains a monstrously powerful weapon, and should not be treated lightly." Doc closed his eyes and remained silent for a long few seconds, lost in thought, then affixed the staff to his pack. "I believe we are ready to go." He stated, retrieving the Time Tables and adjusting both the time and place destination. "Next stop, Tellius, year fourteen-sixty-five. Shall we?" I nodded excitedly, shifting my own backpack. What sort of state was the great continent of Tellius in? What was this mysterious Order doing, and could we stop them? Whatever the answers were, I felt ready to find them. I clasped Doc's outstretched hand, and the light of travel glinted off my new sunglasses as we left the Island of Evil behind.