Categories > Games > Tales of Symphonia > Winds of Fate: A Thousand Needles
Chapter 4- The Miko
0 reviewsTrapped within a mysterious spacecraft, Lloyd and Sheena, cooperating with the Adepts of Weyward, make an attempt to escape and bring Kagome with them, but the cold, dark general, Metal Mario, has ...
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Winds of Fate: A Thousand Needles
Chapter 4: The Miko
Light surrounded the girl, capturing her in an aura of pure white. Her thick, black hair lightly swayed from the energy flowing around her. Her clothes ruffled, and her hands trembled.
"Yea! That's it!" cheered Mia from behind. "You can do it, Kagome!"
Garet was ready at the bars of the prison, his hands out before him in preparation. Flames had sprouted from his fingertips, which had shocked Lloyd and Sheena, half to death. They stood back, and stood silent.
"Now?" Garet asked to girl.
Kagome, her face contorted in concentration, nodded quickly and grunted lightly.
Garet cried out as he unleashed a flurry of balls of fire into the bars, melting them down like candles. The action sprung the Wire Frames to life, and they stampeded through the room, aiming at entering the cell. Lloyd and Sheena had no weapons to battle with, and they felt pretty helpless at the moment. As they watched bolts of lighting and bursts of plasma fry the small set of soldiers that had approached them, they felt much safer than they had moments before. They realized that the electricity was coming from the two small mind readers, Ivan and Sheba.
They waited until their new allies from Weyward exited the cell before they did, and the mysterious girl came out slowly behind them.
"How did you DO that?" Lloyd asked increduously. "Are you guys elves??"
"Evles??" Garet mumbled in confusion. "What-...??"
"No," Ivan answered calmly. "Our planet doesn't HAVE elves..."
"How can you cast magic, then?" Sheena wondered, quite baffled. Back on 'Silvaralla,' only those with at least some elven blood could cast magic. Lloyd wasn't a true elf, but it possible that he had some blood in him somewhere, and Sheena theorized that she had a little in her from an ancestor, as she was a summoner. Her talents seemed useless here, as the Guardian Spirits from her homeworld couldn't hear her call, nor could they come to her aid.
"Because anyone can use Psynergy...Or magic, I mean," Mia said quietly with a shrug. "At least, that's what I think..."
"Anyway, it's not important," Sheba interjected. "What matters is us getting out of this thing and back to Weyward..."
"I'm with her on that one," Garet quickly agreed. "That was nice work back there, uhhh-..." He glanced to Kagome, her name having slipped his mind.
"Thanks...I guess," Kagome muttered back. She was beginning to break out of her cold shell of depression bit by bit. The group began to cautiously trek through the desolate ship, wondering where all the soldiers were.
"You have no idea why they took you?" Lloyd whispered to Kagome from her left in the back of the group. Sheena walked inches to his side. Kagome shook her head slowly, her glazed eyes glancing back at his.
"Well..." She hesitated in thought for a moment. "...I sort of have an idea, but...See, I guess I'm a type of a person called a Miko..."
"A Miko?" Sheena mumbled. "You mean, like a Priestess?"
"Mm hm. Something like that, I guess. The bars, back in the cell- they had some...sheild protecting them. Whatever it was, I could see it, and I guess you all couldn't. It was like a dark cloud of silver..."
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged puzzled expressions before turning their attention back to the girl. During their brief moment of looking at one another, their hands joined together. It was difficult to determine who had made the move, as it seemed they both had at the same moment.
"So I broke a hole in the cloud, and then the others could get us out." She sighed and bobbed her head. "I guess I must have some special powers, or something...Maybe they're stronger than I think they are." She shook her head slowly. (If you have so much 'power', then why couldn't you help InuYasha?)
"That would make sense," Ivan said from ahead, nodding back. "You probably have strength within you that hasn't been awakened. Whoever these cads are, they must know that, and they must also know some way to use those powers you have to their own benefit..."
Kagome shrugged apathetically. What did it matter? They'd taken her away from InuYasha. He could be in great danger- if he was still ALIVE. (Don't think like that,) she scolded herself. (Of course he's alive. He wouldn't die that easily...) She suddenly found herself bumping into Mia ahead of her as her newly found comrades came to an abrupt stop at the corridor's end.
"Sorry," Kagome mumbled quickly, and immediately froze when Mia held her index finger to her lips. There were a few moments of dead silence as Garet and Mia poked their heads around the corner to make sure no one was present. When they felt the coast was clear, they nodded bakwards, signaling the others to follow.
"So, we have a plan, right?" Sheba asked Mia quietly as they continued.
Mia nodded, giving her a glance that was far from birmming with confidence. "By now we've wekanened their forces by a fair amount. With all of us combined, we should stand a chance against them."
"Yea," Garet agreed, his attention focused on his environments. "But first we gotta find our weapons. They've gotta be around here somewhere..."
"Then we can ambush the chief in command and take control of the vessel," Ivan finished. He pointed a finger down a hallway that seemed to be symmetrical to the one they had just been held captive in. "I'll bet that's where they hid our weapons," he theorized. Sheba nodded in agreement.
"If I can get my swords back, that creep who got me won't get away so lucky," Lloyd assured his new teammates.
"Yea, there's no way I'm lettin' that happen again," Sheena added.
"I'm not worried about him," Ivan explained. "It's the leader of this ship that worries me. We never got to see him, but...I could feel a lot of negative energy. You felt it, too, right, Sheba?"
Sheba cringed and nodded quickly as they moved as a group through the dimly lit hallway of blue metal. "It was...unnatural..."
"Whoever they are, we can take him out if we work together," Lloyd concluded with confidence. Sheena smiled at his determined face. It was one of the qualities that she'd fallen in love with- his uncanny ability to see light in any darkness. He radiated so much optimism that some had rubbed off on her. As the lot of them carefully tread onward, Sheena lived through a memory from weeks past.
(Yea...Lloyd's like that,) Genis had said during a conversation she had had one night at a campfire while everyone else was sleeping or off doing their own thing. (His enthusiasm is what'll do him in, I know it will...)
(You make it sound like it's a bad thing,) Sheena noticed.
(I know,) Genis grumbled. (I guess...Well, I just hate it...)
(What?)
Genis huffed and placed his hand on his head, as if thinking about it induced pain.
(I hate watching Lloyd...ya know...be HIM. Because I know that he's going to feel pain in his life because he's a good person.)
Sheena bobbed her head as she tried to understand what he meant. He continued drearily.
(I can't stand humans...I hate them...Wh- not you, or-...Ya know, just humans in general...At least, that's what I used to think. But Lloyd...To him, we're all people, right? Everybody's not like that, but he doesn't think twice about it. It's just a given. Helping people in need...He doesn't need someone to ask for help, he just does it. People like that...they get...stepped on in life...I guess...)
Sheena sighed and shook her head in disagreement.
(I think I see what you mean, but...What makes you think that'll happen to Lloyd?)
Genis shrugged and spat out, (I don't know. I just get this feeling that he'g gonna live his life being honest, and loyal, and sooner or later it's just going to fall apart. I don't want to see Lloyd fall apart because everyone ELSE in the world is a jerk...)
(...So we'll just make sure that doesn't happen,) Sheena concluded, believing the matter could be solved so simply.
(We're not always going to be around,) Genis told her sadly. (It's the truth.)
After a pause, Sheena blurted out, (I will. I'll always be around...)
Genis glanced up at her with wide eyes. (What? What do you mean?)
(...I...I wanna...I wanna be with him...when this is all over...) she mumbled, her face growing red as blood rushed to her cheaks.
(Ummm...) Genis scratched his head. (Well, sure, but...-)
(No, I mean...) She clenched up her fists. (I wanna be there with him...All the time. Through everything...I-I can't explain it...) She tossed her arms down to her sides as she shifted her sitting position from cross-legged to legs outstretched. A nervous and weak laugh came out as she felt foolish for saying such a thing out loud.
Genis dropped his jaw slightly as he processed the comment.
(Wait...What, do you mean, like, you want to MARRY him, or something?)
Sheena covered her face in shame and avoided his gaze.
(I-I didn't say that...I mean, I'm not saying 'no', but-)
(Do you love him?) Genis asked, his tone a solemn style of curiosity.
(...I-I don't know,) Sheena grumbled, drawing a circle in the dirt at her side. (I don't know how to explain it, or what to call it, but...I just want to be with him...)
Genis grinned as he saw the glow in her eyes. Who would've thought that a girl who had tried to assassinate Lloyd would fall in love with him? Irony at its finest, indeed.
(So Lloyd has an admirerer. I'm impressed,) Genis chuckled. (I always thought he was too much of a goofball for ANY girl to like him.) He smiled devilishly. (Then again, Collette's a real klutz, too...)
Sheena felt her heart sink as she reminded of how close Collete and Lloyd seemed to be. Genis, having realized the pain he'd smacked her with, quickly added, (You are, too.)
His brain rushed to say something to make her feel better, but before he could, Sheena shook her head slowly.
(Yea...Lloyd and Collete are a cute couple, aren't they?)
Genis could have sworn he felt a knife puncture his heart, he was overcome with guilt.
(...They're not a couple,) he told her. (I know they're not.)
(...Really?) Sheena asked, not so sure about his answer.
(Y-yea,) Genis blurted out. (Me and Lloyd have talked about it...They're good friends, and everything...)
Sheena couldn't help but crack a smirk through her embarrassment.
(Well...Don't tell anybody what I said, OK?) she pleaded calmly.
(Don't worry,) Genis assured. (I already knew you had a thing for him. I could tell. Know what? I think he likes you, too. Maybe even more than Colette...)
Sheena's eyes popped wide open and she darted her glance his way.
(R-really? You think so?)
(Well, sure. Whenever me and him sit down and have a chat, he always talks about you. He says that he thinks it's real funny how you've become best friends...)
(...Friends...?) Sheena mumbled awkwardly, with a hint of disappointment. (Yeah...)
(You gotta be more patient,) Genis scolded her, picking up her dulled hope. (That's another thing you two have in common.)
"Jackpot," Garet had announced casually when they had entered a small storage room at the end of their small hike, breaking the silence. A stash of weaponry had been stored in a crate in a back corner of the room, and Garet had caught sight of his beloved axe immediately. "Heheh!! Come to papa!" he cried as he dashed for the box and hastily drew a double-edged Mighty Axe out. It was silver with red edges, and its handle was made of iron. Clattering of metal on metal echoed through the relatively empty room, and the others winced at the sound, hoping their cover hadn't been blown.
Mia shot him a scorching glare, her wrists flicked up at her sides. Garet, his expression suddenly turning to one of shame, carefully leaned his axe against the wall and began to pass out 'defensive tools'.
"Let's see..." he mumbled. "Meditation Rod..." He handed a golden staff to Mia. Its tip had a silver gem embedded in it, and two wing-like projections.
"Glower Staff...?" he glanced up to Sheba, who nodded as she grabbed a silver rod with a long, blade-shaped jewel of blue on its end.
"Wind Reaper's you, right, Ivan?" He blindly held out a blue staff with a edge that curved sharply, like a scythe. As the short blonde boy received it, Garet came upon two glowing swords- one a neon red, and the other a brillient blue. He stuck the blue one into the air.
"Whose is this?" he asked.
"That's mine," Lloyd answered, rushing over to take it.
"And this?" The red blade poked out of the crate.
"Uh, that's mine, too," Lloyd mumbled as he slid his first sword into a sheath at his hip. As he carefully placed the red one into its proper place, Garet whistled as he noticed a wooden bow.
"Oh, hey, we got a bowman? Or bow-WOMAN?" Garet glanced to Sheena, expecting her to be the one who wielded such a weapon. Sheena shook her head and waved her palms before her face.
"I haven't touched a bow in years..." she murmured.
Kagome timidly raised her arm into the air, and Garet blinked at her incredulously.
"Seriously?" he said, impressed. "How good are you?" he wondered as he pulled out a quiver full of arrows.
"Well, I-I'm OK, I guess," she mumbled. Mia smiled brightly and hooked her free arm on Kagome's shoulder.
"I'll bet you're better than you think you are," she encouraged.
"I'll try my best," Kagome told her as Garet held out her bow and quiver. She strapped the quiver of arrows around her shoulder with care and clutched her bow tightly to her side with the opposite arm.
"Um...Well, that's it," Garet muttered as he gave the crate a light kick and picked his axe up, pitching it over his shoulder with care as those around him stepped away.
"What?" Sheena mumbled as she quickly hopped over and leaned over the box's side, peering into it. She frowned and furrowed her brows as she reached her arms inside to grab two green petal-shaped cards with intricate designs of gold on them. She flashed them to Garet between her fingers and shook her head. Garet cocked his head to the side and stretched it back a little.
"What the fuck are THOSE supposed to do?" he asled, bewildered. "They don't look like weapons to ME..."
"Guess you'll find out what they do," she said with a smirk as they disappeared with the flick of the wrist.
"So what's our plan, Mia?" Sheba asked, as if to remind Mia of her status as their leader.
Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully as she threw ideas together.
"There are still some of those strange purple soldiers on board," she remembered. "But there shouldn't be THAt many by now...There was also the red one. Lastly, there was their leader. I say we fight together, as one unit. If we need to split up, we'll do so. They'll be able to conquer us easier if we break apart."
"Good idea," Ivan told her, knocking his staff against the metal floor lightly. "Let's be off, then."
No sooner had Ivan said these words did a swarm of violet pour into the corridor they had entered. After a few seconds, the hallway was filled with them, and a flood of purple careened their way.
"Remember- work as one!" Mia hastily spat out as her fingers tightened on her rod.
The band braced themselves for the wave, stepping a little away from each other to make room. Mia, who resided in the rear, said to Kagome, "Don't waste your arrows. Let us take care of these ones, then attack when we get out of here and there's room." Kagome nodded solemnly. "Mm hm."
As Garet, who was the spearhead of their formation, let out a roar and dropped his axe down harshly on one of the bizarre soldiers, the chaos began. Lloyd ripped through two at once with a horizontal cut, and Ivan electrocuted a few with a Destruct Ray, a dazzling blast of lightning bolts. Sheba, who took the offensive with Garet, blasted out swirling gusts of wind from her palm, slamming Wire Frames into one another to clear the path ahead. Mia crushed some with a barrage of shap icicles that rained from above, darting down at a diagonal angle and shattering to pieces. Sheena diced up any of the creatures that got near her with her magical cards. Aside from splashing transluscent fluid all over, they were doing quite well. The real trouble had yet to come, however. As they finally exited the hall and entered the large room where Lloyd and Sheena had entered, they noticed that the numbers of these mindless menaces was dwindling. Amidst the violet throng, a red shape became clear.
Garet and two blondes teamed up on it to dispatch it. Ivan summoned a bomb of plasma from above to shock the crimson Wire Frame and the Frames surrounding it. While it was in a short state of paralysis, Sheba swept it into the air with a Tornado, which roughed up any nearby soldiers. Garet snorted like a bull as he prepared himself, watching the red figure flail in the air helplessly on its way back down. About two seconds before it would impact the ground, Garet raised his axe up in the ait before him, holding it so its blades pointed vertically. The Wire Frame fell through the axe, its skin being ripped like paper. The purple sword of energy it had wielded clattered to the ground and deactivated. Garet felt his body get soaked as quarts of the strange, clear liquid fell in a deluge upon him. He kicked at the lifeless red skin and white, metal wires that had once made up the being's skeleton and laughed.
"Yea, not so bad now, huh?" he taunted, whipping his head to spray liquid from it. Sheba groaned after the majority of the water had collided with her face. She vented her irritablity on a trio of helpless Wire Frames by swing her staff to send spears of light energy into them, shredding their bodies.
The commotion gradually died down as the last of them fell with ease. Standing in a small ocean of purple skin, metal framing, and reflective fluid, the group pulled together into a cloud, each one eyeing their surroundings carefully. The sound of combat silenced, and they could hear an ominous banging approach from above, like rythmic thunder. All eyeballs looked up as throats became dry and tensions rose.
"Ah, great. I see I need a new infantry, now," complained the calm yet authoritative tone of the man above. "I can't wait until our Wire Frame models get updated. They really need a bit more 'oomph,' don't you think?"
There was no answer to his question. Hands squeezed their weapons in readiness for this mysterious foe, and Mia whispered to them, "OK guys...Get ready...All we-"
"Yea, you'd BETTER be ready!"
Mia's body jolted as her heart skipped a beat from the loud response.
"Be ready to hand the Miko to me! Your lives I could care less about, but hers is invaluable to us..."
"...Us...?" Lloyd mumbled, his insides growing uneasy at the thought.
"Yea, US," he bellowed back as the thundering steps came to a stop. "The Squad of Malocution...I see you've had a quick tour of my ship, the Metal Masher. I know she's not as grand as you may have hoped for, but she DOES do her job. However...-"
The group gaped in fear as a silver mass bounded from the bridge above and slammed into the floor with an ear-shattering 'bang'. The figure slowly rose from his knelt position, his glimmering fists balled up at his sides. He wasn't as tall as they'd expected. A slightly chubby man about five feet in height, he didn't appear to be one who was very threatening. His entire body gleamed in the bright lights from above, its surface an unworldly shade of silver that shone like metal. He appeared to be a man, and one with an outfit that seemed very out of place. He wore round, laceless shoes that were more like boots, as well as what appeared to be a pair of overalls- their texture was unevident due to the smooth, cold surface of the person. A shirt was worn along with it, and two gloves covered his hands. His face was sinister as he glared at them with devlish amusement. He had a round head and a bulbous nose that reached out about three inches from his face. Underneath this unreal appendage was a very thick mustache that swayed slightly with each movement the figure made. On his head he wore a cap of metal to match his whole body. It was a simple cap that had a semi circle just above its cap's brim. A block letter 'M' was printed there, and the letter struck a cord of awe amidst the lot. His eyes, though just as colorless as the rest of him, were undoubtedly catching, for one reason or another.
"Visiting hours are over," he announced coldly as he rolled his head around to loosen his neck. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. But you...-" He glared at Kagome darkly. "You're my guest. I have so much to show you...You can't leave just yet..."
"She's not staying here with you!" Lloyd cried boldly.
The slick-skinned man chuckled as he began to march their way, step by step.
"Oh, really? Feh. So you little children are going to execute some daring rescue?" He raised his brows and opened his mouth to gasp with sarcasm. "Well that's just touching. By all means, you try to do that." His fists, which he pulled back slightly, began to glow with red flames. "But If I was you, I'd be more concerned about rescuing YOURSELVES."
Before he could make a move, something happened that caught almost everyone in the room by surprise. An arrow went zipping through the air at this general's head, and during the course of the second or so it was in the air, it ignited in a dazzling array of blue energy and white light. The arrow impacted the metallic man with an explosion about as big as he was, and it blew him backward about twenty feet. He had managed to cross his arms over his faceto block the blow's force, and he went skidding back when it had hit. After a moment or two, heads went reeling backward to see Kagome pointing a bow forward, her right hand back in the air from letting the arrow fly. Her eyes were narrow and fierce, and her teeth were grit with anger.
After a moment of hushed awe, Garet quoted incredulously, "'I'm OK, I guess'?!"
Their enemy frowned as he flung his arms outward- they burst into flame once again as he did so.
"Great," he congratulated her. "That's why you're here, school girl. With every passing minute I see more and more why I was sent to take you. Very promising..." He was cut off by another arrow from Kagome, but he was ready for this one and backflipped to the side as it headed his way. The time for words was over, and the small army of teenage warriors quickly advanced to attack their foe.
A chaotic flurry of magic went flying this way and that as the mysterious metalloid avoided everything that was thrown at him, or at least absorbed the blow with no trouble. He would roll out of the way of a lightning bolt, nail a ball of lava with his bare fist back at its owner, and jump right through a barrage of icicles with no trouble. He stopped holding back his blows after he gave each a chance to attack.
Lloyd challenged him head on with a furious Rising Falcon. He jumped into the air and came darting down at an angle, holding his swords out before him as his body was encased in glowing orange energy.
The metal 'M' simply pulled back his hand and wound up a punch. Sheena gasped from the sidelines, knowing what was about to happen. As a heavy punch connected and sent the boy spinning through the air and smashing into the metal floor, Sheena lunged forth in rage. She rapidly swung her arms around in fluid motions as she circled the man, slashing at his smooth, solid skin with her fiery cards. Her enemy merely stood, watching her move like a ninja. He laughed heartily at her efforts, which seemed futile, as he felt hardly any pain at all. In one swift action, he shot out his arm and grabbed her by the neck. She cried out in pain and choked as her cards fell to the floor and her body was lifted off the ground by a foot or so. She frantically clawed at his hand, her conciousness slowly fading from the lack of air. He shook his head slowly and snickered in amusement.
"A shame. I know one man who would give me far more trouble than the lot you times three." he shrugged as he watched Sheena's face turn red as she struggled, writhing in agony. "Of course," he added, "He IS my equal opposite..."
Suddenly, the man felt a sharp, searing hot pain run down his spine. His grip on Sheena tightened for a second as he felt the impact, but then he carelessly tossed her aside as he felt a weight on him. He pounced into the air and rapidly spun his body around, throwing Garet from his shoulders.
As he landed, he reached his arm back to feel the handle of an axe. He growled.
"Right, then, kids. Playtime's over." He ripped the axe from his back viciously and grunted as he did so. He smiled as he felt the heated metal on his back cool and congeal back together. After rotating his head around on his neck a little, he pulled the axe back and prepare to send it into motion. He suddenly heard the sound of an arrow leaving its bow with his keen senses and whirled around to expertly chop it in mid flight with his blade, feeling the remnants of its energy flow past him. He proceeded to hurl the axe behind him and it wildly spun horizontally as it sped through the air. Sheba launched a Shine Plasma at his body while it flew by her by a safe margin. Ivan had lunged into the way of the blade just as it had been thrown. Mia was standing right in its path, oblivious to its presence- she was casting a regenerative spell to help her allies. She yelled in surprise as Ivan tackled her to the ground. He could feel air from the axe's swirling blade caress his hair as he had done so.
"Oh, good save, little man," the metallic menace complimented.
(What are we going to do??) Sheba demanded mentally, projecting her message to Ivan and Mia.
(I don't know!) Mia replied in a panic as she groaned. Ivan grabbed her hand and helped her back up to her feet hastily. She flicked her puffy blue ponytail behind her head as she tried to grip her staff between her trembling fingers. Ivan grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard to try and calm her- he could feel doubt and fear pulsing from her.
(Don't be afraid,) he told her calmly as he pointed out his staff and sent a bulging bolt of electricity through him. It passed right through his metal body and into the metal floor, causing him to chuckle.
"Well, that tickled," he teased. "It's a start." He didn't move forward, though, because he could feel the presence of Lloyd coming from behind. Just as the boy raised his sword to swing away, the ominous foe hopped into the air and thrust his legs back, smashing Lloyd's gut. As Lloyd double over and fell to the ground on his face- 'clang!'- a thundering clap echoed as two metal hands smacked the floor and propelled their owner ahead. Garet was making his move now, and Mia and Sheba were getting ready to pelt their own attacks his way. Garet let out a battle cry as he flung his fist forward, which was set aflame. 'M' backflipped over his body, but held out his hands to grab Garet's head in mid flip, tossing him into the air. He landed with a fierce 'clunk' on the bridge overhead.
'M' braced himself for the combination attack that looked to damage him. Mia had summoned a large deluge of water, and Sheba had prepared an array of thunderbolts to strike shortly after. The metal 'M' created a half-melted glob of searing hot metal in his palm and whipped it forth. It collided with Mia's chest, toppling her over and inducing a scream. Kagome had snuck around the battle and was ready and able to help cure Mia's injury with her mysterious powers. She didn't have much experience with healing- or using her abilities in general- but now was a good time to start. She dropped her bow and threw her quiver to the ground as she concentrated energy into her hands.
'M' felt the crashing water pour over him and felt little pain from it. He bounded into the air as lighting dashed through the pool left at his feet, and water droplets were sprayed from his body and he twirled through the air and hook a hand on the overhead bridge's sidebars. With his free right hand, he clutched Garet's left leg and dropped his body, dragging Garet with him. As he descended, he grabbed the other leg with his opposite hand and wound up a swing. Garet's bulk sent Sheba's light frame skidding into the ground. Lloyd was making another attempt at attacking, but 'M' used Garet's body as a baseball bat to smack Lloyd into the air and into the giant door. He crashed into Sheena when he landed, who had just been rising to her feet. Ivan readied his staff in an effort to land a blow, but he was surprised when Garet's unconcious body was hurled at him. Kagome, who had managed to remove the burning metal with her powers, gasped in horror as she realized that all of her new-found friends had fallen. Though there was still kick left in them, the metal 'M' sought this opportunity to end the squabble. One by one in quick succession, he chucked each body like a rag doll to the door where Lloyd and Sheena had been thrown. He shook his head as he came to Mia last, as Kagome's body glowed with white energy in her fury. She held her arms out before her in an effort to defend the blue-haired Mercury adept.
With each step the man took, she burned brighter, until he was only inches from her. He craned his head up slightly to stare into her glazed and quivering brown eyes.
"And so the battle ends with equal light and dark," he noted, amused. His cold, icey breath caused Kagome to flinch. "Very fitting. But will the WAR end the same way?"
"What do you want??" Kagome cried out shakily as a tear dripped down her cheeck. "What did they ever do to you?"
"It's not what they did, it's what they were going to do: take you away. And you see, it's my duty at this time to escort you to my Lord."
"What does your 'Lord' want from me??" she hissed.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I guess we'll both find out in time. It'll be something to look forward to...a surprise." He grinned, showing his metallic teeth. Kagome spat into his eye, and he frowned sourly, wiping it from his face. "Very pure-hearted of you, Miko," he grumbled. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and she suddenly felt a flood of freezing cold surge through her, numbing her body as her chest was cased in liquid metal. She fell to the floor and winced, struggling to get back up. 'M' scooped up Mia's body and calmly walked over to the pile of groaning heroes. He flopped her on top of the heap and began to pace a good bit to the right, where a large, red button resided on the wall. He slammed it with his fist casually and leaned against the metal surface to watch. The roaring of machinery burst to life as the platform that the bodies had been placed on began to lower at an angle, and the wall slowly opened up to reveal the cloudy atmosphere of the planet they were passing over. Kagome shrieked as she realized where this was going.
"NOOO!! DON'T!!!" she screamed.
"Oh, calm down!!" The metal 'M' growled loudly over the whirring that was calming down. "With the luck I've got they'll survive," he groaned, shaking his head. "Just like that damn mutt-freak the other day."
Kagome froze at those words, filling with hope. He was talking about InuYasha, she know it! InuYasha was alive!
"Psh. Don't get your hopes up, kid," 'M' told her, his voice echoing throughout the room. "I'm not finished with him yet." He pressed a smaller button below the red one and smiled as the platform the teens were on rotated outward, dumping them all off. They slid and rolled in a mess as they were flung into the air and went sailing downward to the surface far, far below. "That'll do it for now," he chuckled, dusting himself off. "They can be lunch for the Octoroks. But us- we've still got a little ride ahead of us."
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Winds of Fate: A Thousand Needles
Chapter 4: The Miko
Light surrounded the girl, capturing her in an aura of pure white. Her thick, black hair lightly swayed from the energy flowing around her. Her clothes ruffled, and her hands trembled.
"Yea! That's it!" cheered Mia from behind. "You can do it, Kagome!"
Garet was ready at the bars of the prison, his hands out before him in preparation. Flames had sprouted from his fingertips, which had shocked Lloyd and Sheena, half to death. They stood back, and stood silent.
"Now?" Garet asked to girl.
Kagome, her face contorted in concentration, nodded quickly and grunted lightly.
Garet cried out as he unleashed a flurry of balls of fire into the bars, melting them down like candles. The action sprung the Wire Frames to life, and they stampeded through the room, aiming at entering the cell. Lloyd and Sheena had no weapons to battle with, and they felt pretty helpless at the moment. As they watched bolts of lighting and bursts of plasma fry the small set of soldiers that had approached them, they felt much safer than they had moments before. They realized that the electricity was coming from the two small mind readers, Ivan and Sheba.
They waited until their new allies from Weyward exited the cell before they did, and the mysterious girl came out slowly behind them.
"How did you DO that?" Lloyd asked increduously. "Are you guys elves??"
"Evles??" Garet mumbled in confusion. "What-...??"
"No," Ivan answered calmly. "Our planet doesn't HAVE elves..."
"How can you cast magic, then?" Sheena wondered, quite baffled. Back on 'Silvaralla,' only those with at least some elven blood could cast magic. Lloyd wasn't a true elf, but it possible that he had some blood in him somewhere, and Sheena theorized that she had a little in her from an ancestor, as she was a summoner. Her talents seemed useless here, as the Guardian Spirits from her homeworld couldn't hear her call, nor could they come to her aid.
"Because anyone can use Psynergy...Or magic, I mean," Mia said quietly with a shrug. "At least, that's what I think..."
"Anyway, it's not important," Sheba interjected. "What matters is us getting out of this thing and back to Weyward..."
"I'm with her on that one," Garet quickly agreed. "That was nice work back there, uhhh-..." He glanced to Kagome, her name having slipped his mind.
"Thanks...I guess," Kagome muttered back. She was beginning to break out of her cold shell of depression bit by bit. The group began to cautiously trek through the desolate ship, wondering where all the soldiers were.
"You have no idea why they took you?" Lloyd whispered to Kagome from her left in the back of the group. Sheena walked inches to his side. Kagome shook her head slowly, her glazed eyes glancing back at his.
"Well..." She hesitated in thought for a moment. "...I sort of have an idea, but...See, I guess I'm a type of a person called a Miko..."
"A Miko?" Sheena mumbled. "You mean, like a Priestess?"
"Mm hm. Something like that, I guess. The bars, back in the cell- they had some...sheild protecting them. Whatever it was, I could see it, and I guess you all couldn't. It was like a dark cloud of silver..."
Lloyd and Sheena exchanged puzzled expressions before turning their attention back to the girl. During their brief moment of looking at one another, their hands joined together. It was difficult to determine who had made the move, as it seemed they both had at the same moment.
"So I broke a hole in the cloud, and then the others could get us out." She sighed and bobbed her head. "I guess I must have some special powers, or something...Maybe they're stronger than I think they are." She shook her head slowly. (If you have so much 'power', then why couldn't you help InuYasha?)
"That would make sense," Ivan said from ahead, nodding back. "You probably have strength within you that hasn't been awakened. Whoever these cads are, they must know that, and they must also know some way to use those powers you have to their own benefit..."
Kagome shrugged apathetically. What did it matter? They'd taken her away from InuYasha. He could be in great danger- if he was still ALIVE. (Don't think like that,) she scolded herself. (Of course he's alive. He wouldn't die that easily...) She suddenly found herself bumping into Mia ahead of her as her newly found comrades came to an abrupt stop at the corridor's end.
"Sorry," Kagome mumbled quickly, and immediately froze when Mia held her index finger to her lips. There were a few moments of dead silence as Garet and Mia poked their heads around the corner to make sure no one was present. When they felt the coast was clear, they nodded bakwards, signaling the others to follow.
"So, we have a plan, right?" Sheba asked Mia quietly as they continued.
Mia nodded, giving her a glance that was far from birmming with confidence. "By now we've wekanened their forces by a fair amount. With all of us combined, we should stand a chance against them."
"Yea," Garet agreed, his attention focused on his environments. "But first we gotta find our weapons. They've gotta be around here somewhere..."
"Then we can ambush the chief in command and take control of the vessel," Ivan finished. He pointed a finger down a hallway that seemed to be symmetrical to the one they had just been held captive in. "I'll bet that's where they hid our weapons," he theorized. Sheba nodded in agreement.
"If I can get my swords back, that creep who got me won't get away so lucky," Lloyd assured his new teammates.
"Yea, there's no way I'm lettin' that happen again," Sheena added.
"I'm not worried about him," Ivan explained. "It's the leader of this ship that worries me. We never got to see him, but...I could feel a lot of negative energy. You felt it, too, right, Sheba?"
Sheba cringed and nodded quickly as they moved as a group through the dimly lit hallway of blue metal. "It was...unnatural..."
"Whoever they are, we can take him out if we work together," Lloyd concluded with confidence. Sheena smiled at his determined face. It was one of the qualities that she'd fallen in love with- his uncanny ability to see light in any darkness. He radiated so much optimism that some had rubbed off on her. As the lot of them carefully tread onward, Sheena lived through a memory from weeks past.
(Yea...Lloyd's like that,) Genis had said during a conversation she had had one night at a campfire while everyone else was sleeping or off doing their own thing. (His enthusiasm is what'll do him in, I know it will...)
(You make it sound like it's a bad thing,) Sheena noticed.
(I know,) Genis grumbled. (I guess...Well, I just hate it...)
(What?)
Genis huffed and placed his hand on his head, as if thinking about it induced pain.
(I hate watching Lloyd...ya know...be HIM. Because I know that he's going to feel pain in his life because he's a good person.)
Sheena bobbed her head as she tried to understand what he meant. He continued drearily.
(I can't stand humans...I hate them...Wh- not you, or-...Ya know, just humans in general...At least, that's what I used to think. But Lloyd...To him, we're all people, right? Everybody's not like that, but he doesn't think twice about it. It's just a given. Helping people in need...He doesn't need someone to ask for help, he just does it. People like that...they get...stepped on in life...I guess...)
Sheena sighed and shook her head in disagreement.
(I think I see what you mean, but...What makes you think that'll happen to Lloyd?)
Genis shrugged and spat out, (I don't know. I just get this feeling that he'g gonna live his life being honest, and loyal, and sooner or later it's just going to fall apart. I don't want to see Lloyd fall apart because everyone ELSE in the world is a jerk...)
(...So we'll just make sure that doesn't happen,) Sheena concluded, believing the matter could be solved so simply.
(We're not always going to be around,) Genis told her sadly. (It's the truth.)
After a pause, Sheena blurted out, (I will. I'll always be around...)
Genis glanced up at her with wide eyes. (What? What do you mean?)
(...I...I wanna...I wanna be with him...when this is all over...) she mumbled, her face growing red as blood rushed to her cheaks.
(Ummm...) Genis scratched his head. (Well, sure, but...-)
(No, I mean...) She clenched up her fists. (I wanna be there with him...All the time. Through everything...I-I can't explain it...) She tossed her arms down to her sides as she shifted her sitting position from cross-legged to legs outstretched. A nervous and weak laugh came out as she felt foolish for saying such a thing out loud.
Genis dropped his jaw slightly as he processed the comment.
(Wait...What, do you mean, like, you want to MARRY him, or something?)
Sheena covered her face in shame and avoided his gaze.
(I-I didn't say that...I mean, I'm not saying 'no', but-)
(Do you love him?) Genis asked, his tone a solemn style of curiosity.
(...I-I don't know,) Sheena grumbled, drawing a circle in the dirt at her side. (I don't know how to explain it, or what to call it, but...I just want to be with him...)
Genis grinned as he saw the glow in her eyes. Who would've thought that a girl who had tried to assassinate Lloyd would fall in love with him? Irony at its finest, indeed.
(So Lloyd has an admirerer. I'm impressed,) Genis chuckled. (I always thought he was too much of a goofball for ANY girl to like him.) He smiled devilishly. (Then again, Collette's a real klutz, too...)
Sheena felt her heart sink as she reminded of how close Collete and Lloyd seemed to be. Genis, having realized the pain he'd smacked her with, quickly added, (You are, too.)
His brain rushed to say something to make her feel better, but before he could, Sheena shook her head slowly.
(Yea...Lloyd and Collete are a cute couple, aren't they?)
Genis could have sworn he felt a knife puncture his heart, he was overcome with guilt.
(...They're not a couple,) he told her. (I know they're not.)
(...Really?) Sheena asked, not so sure about his answer.
(Y-yea,) Genis blurted out. (Me and Lloyd have talked about it...They're good friends, and everything...)
Sheena couldn't help but crack a smirk through her embarrassment.
(Well...Don't tell anybody what I said, OK?) she pleaded calmly.
(Don't worry,) Genis assured. (I already knew you had a thing for him. I could tell. Know what? I think he likes you, too. Maybe even more than Colette...)
Sheena's eyes popped wide open and she darted her glance his way.
(R-really? You think so?)
(Well, sure. Whenever me and him sit down and have a chat, he always talks about you. He says that he thinks it's real funny how you've become best friends...)
(...Friends...?) Sheena mumbled awkwardly, with a hint of disappointment. (Yeah...)
(You gotta be more patient,) Genis scolded her, picking up her dulled hope. (That's another thing you two have in common.)
"Jackpot," Garet had announced casually when they had entered a small storage room at the end of their small hike, breaking the silence. A stash of weaponry had been stored in a crate in a back corner of the room, and Garet had caught sight of his beloved axe immediately. "Heheh!! Come to papa!" he cried as he dashed for the box and hastily drew a double-edged Mighty Axe out. It was silver with red edges, and its handle was made of iron. Clattering of metal on metal echoed through the relatively empty room, and the others winced at the sound, hoping their cover hadn't been blown.
Mia shot him a scorching glare, her wrists flicked up at her sides. Garet, his expression suddenly turning to one of shame, carefully leaned his axe against the wall and began to pass out 'defensive tools'.
"Let's see..." he mumbled. "Meditation Rod..." He handed a golden staff to Mia. Its tip had a silver gem embedded in it, and two wing-like projections.
"Glower Staff...?" he glanced up to Sheba, who nodded as she grabbed a silver rod with a long, blade-shaped jewel of blue on its end.
"Wind Reaper's you, right, Ivan?" He blindly held out a blue staff with a edge that curved sharply, like a scythe. As the short blonde boy received it, Garet came upon two glowing swords- one a neon red, and the other a brillient blue. He stuck the blue one into the air.
"Whose is this?" he asked.
"That's mine," Lloyd answered, rushing over to take it.
"And this?" The red blade poked out of the crate.
"Uh, that's mine, too," Lloyd mumbled as he slid his first sword into a sheath at his hip. As he carefully placed the red one into its proper place, Garet whistled as he noticed a wooden bow.
"Oh, hey, we got a bowman? Or bow-WOMAN?" Garet glanced to Sheena, expecting her to be the one who wielded such a weapon. Sheena shook her head and waved her palms before her face.
"I haven't touched a bow in years..." she murmured.
Kagome timidly raised her arm into the air, and Garet blinked at her incredulously.
"Seriously?" he said, impressed. "How good are you?" he wondered as he pulled out a quiver full of arrows.
"Well, I-I'm OK, I guess," she mumbled. Mia smiled brightly and hooked her free arm on Kagome's shoulder.
"I'll bet you're better than you think you are," she encouraged.
"I'll try my best," Kagome told her as Garet held out her bow and quiver. She strapped the quiver of arrows around her shoulder with care and clutched her bow tightly to her side with the opposite arm.
"Um...Well, that's it," Garet muttered as he gave the crate a light kick and picked his axe up, pitching it over his shoulder with care as those around him stepped away.
"What?" Sheena mumbled as she quickly hopped over and leaned over the box's side, peering into it. She frowned and furrowed her brows as she reached her arms inside to grab two green petal-shaped cards with intricate designs of gold on them. She flashed them to Garet between her fingers and shook her head. Garet cocked his head to the side and stretched it back a little.
"What the fuck are THOSE supposed to do?" he asled, bewildered. "They don't look like weapons to ME..."
"Guess you'll find out what they do," she said with a smirk as they disappeared with the flick of the wrist.
"So what's our plan, Mia?" Sheba asked, as if to remind Mia of her status as their leader.
Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully as she threw ideas together.
"There are still some of those strange purple soldiers on board," she remembered. "But there shouldn't be THAt many by now...There was also the red one. Lastly, there was their leader. I say we fight together, as one unit. If we need to split up, we'll do so. They'll be able to conquer us easier if we break apart."
"Good idea," Ivan told her, knocking his staff against the metal floor lightly. "Let's be off, then."
No sooner had Ivan said these words did a swarm of violet pour into the corridor they had entered. After a few seconds, the hallway was filled with them, and a flood of purple careened their way.
"Remember- work as one!" Mia hastily spat out as her fingers tightened on her rod.
The band braced themselves for the wave, stepping a little away from each other to make room. Mia, who resided in the rear, said to Kagome, "Don't waste your arrows. Let us take care of these ones, then attack when we get out of here and there's room." Kagome nodded solemnly. "Mm hm."
As Garet, who was the spearhead of their formation, let out a roar and dropped his axe down harshly on one of the bizarre soldiers, the chaos began. Lloyd ripped through two at once with a horizontal cut, and Ivan electrocuted a few with a Destruct Ray, a dazzling blast of lightning bolts. Sheba, who took the offensive with Garet, blasted out swirling gusts of wind from her palm, slamming Wire Frames into one another to clear the path ahead. Mia crushed some with a barrage of shap icicles that rained from above, darting down at a diagonal angle and shattering to pieces. Sheena diced up any of the creatures that got near her with her magical cards. Aside from splashing transluscent fluid all over, they were doing quite well. The real trouble had yet to come, however. As they finally exited the hall and entered the large room where Lloyd and Sheena had entered, they noticed that the numbers of these mindless menaces was dwindling. Amidst the violet throng, a red shape became clear.
Garet and two blondes teamed up on it to dispatch it. Ivan summoned a bomb of plasma from above to shock the crimson Wire Frame and the Frames surrounding it. While it was in a short state of paralysis, Sheba swept it into the air with a Tornado, which roughed up any nearby soldiers. Garet snorted like a bull as he prepared himself, watching the red figure flail in the air helplessly on its way back down. About two seconds before it would impact the ground, Garet raised his axe up in the ait before him, holding it so its blades pointed vertically. The Wire Frame fell through the axe, its skin being ripped like paper. The purple sword of energy it had wielded clattered to the ground and deactivated. Garet felt his body get soaked as quarts of the strange, clear liquid fell in a deluge upon him. He kicked at the lifeless red skin and white, metal wires that had once made up the being's skeleton and laughed.
"Yea, not so bad now, huh?" he taunted, whipping his head to spray liquid from it. Sheba groaned after the majority of the water had collided with her face. She vented her irritablity on a trio of helpless Wire Frames by swing her staff to send spears of light energy into them, shredding their bodies.
The commotion gradually died down as the last of them fell with ease. Standing in a small ocean of purple skin, metal framing, and reflective fluid, the group pulled together into a cloud, each one eyeing their surroundings carefully. The sound of combat silenced, and they could hear an ominous banging approach from above, like rythmic thunder. All eyeballs looked up as throats became dry and tensions rose.
"Ah, great. I see I need a new infantry, now," complained the calm yet authoritative tone of the man above. "I can't wait until our Wire Frame models get updated. They really need a bit more 'oomph,' don't you think?"
There was no answer to his question. Hands squeezed their weapons in readiness for this mysterious foe, and Mia whispered to them, "OK guys...Get ready...All we-"
"Yea, you'd BETTER be ready!"
Mia's body jolted as her heart skipped a beat from the loud response.
"Be ready to hand the Miko to me! Your lives I could care less about, but hers is invaluable to us..."
"...Us...?" Lloyd mumbled, his insides growing uneasy at the thought.
"Yea, US," he bellowed back as the thundering steps came to a stop. "The Squad of Malocution...I see you've had a quick tour of my ship, the Metal Masher. I know she's not as grand as you may have hoped for, but she DOES do her job. However...-"
The group gaped in fear as a silver mass bounded from the bridge above and slammed into the floor with an ear-shattering 'bang'. The figure slowly rose from his knelt position, his glimmering fists balled up at his sides. He wasn't as tall as they'd expected. A slightly chubby man about five feet in height, he didn't appear to be one who was very threatening. His entire body gleamed in the bright lights from above, its surface an unworldly shade of silver that shone like metal. He appeared to be a man, and one with an outfit that seemed very out of place. He wore round, laceless shoes that were more like boots, as well as what appeared to be a pair of overalls- their texture was unevident due to the smooth, cold surface of the person. A shirt was worn along with it, and two gloves covered his hands. His face was sinister as he glared at them with devlish amusement. He had a round head and a bulbous nose that reached out about three inches from his face. Underneath this unreal appendage was a very thick mustache that swayed slightly with each movement the figure made. On his head he wore a cap of metal to match his whole body. It was a simple cap that had a semi circle just above its cap's brim. A block letter 'M' was printed there, and the letter struck a cord of awe amidst the lot. His eyes, though just as colorless as the rest of him, were undoubtedly catching, for one reason or another.
"Visiting hours are over," he announced coldly as he rolled his head around to loosen his neck. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. But you...-" He glared at Kagome darkly. "You're my guest. I have so much to show you...You can't leave just yet..."
"She's not staying here with you!" Lloyd cried boldly.
The slick-skinned man chuckled as he began to march their way, step by step.
"Oh, really? Feh. So you little children are going to execute some daring rescue?" He raised his brows and opened his mouth to gasp with sarcasm. "Well that's just touching. By all means, you try to do that." His fists, which he pulled back slightly, began to glow with red flames. "But If I was you, I'd be more concerned about rescuing YOURSELVES."
Before he could make a move, something happened that caught almost everyone in the room by surprise. An arrow went zipping through the air at this general's head, and during the course of the second or so it was in the air, it ignited in a dazzling array of blue energy and white light. The arrow impacted the metallic man with an explosion about as big as he was, and it blew him backward about twenty feet. He had managed to cross his arms over his faceto block the blow's force, and he went skidding back when it had hit. After a moment or two, heads went reeling backward to see Kagome pointing a bow forward, her right hand back in the air from letting the arrow fly. Her eyes were narrow and fierce, and her teeth were grit with anger.
After a moment of hushed awe, Garet quoted incredulously, "'I'm OK, I guess'?!"
Their enemy frowned as he flung his arms outward- they burst into flame once again as he did so.
"Great," he congratulated her. "That's why you're here, school girl. With every passing minute I see more and more why I was sent to take you. Very promising..." He was cut off by another arrow from Kagome, but he was ready for this one and backflipped to the side as it headed his way. The time for words was over, and the small army of teenage warriors quickly advanced to attack their foe.
A chaotic flurry of magic went flying this way and that as the mysterious metalloid avoided everything that was thrown at him, or at least absorbed the blow with no trouble. He would roll out of the way of a lightning bolt, nail a ball of lava with his bare fist back at its owner, and jump right through a barrage of icicles with no trouble. He stopped holding back his blows after he gave each a chance to attack.
Lloyd challenged him head on with a furious Rising Falcon. He jumped into the air and came darting down at an angle, holding his swords out before him as his body was encased in glowing orange energy.
The metal 'M' simply pulled back his hand and wound up a punch. Sheena gasped from the sidelines, knowing what was about to happen. As a heavy punch connected and sent the boy spinning through the air and smashing into the metal floor, Sheena lunged forth in rage. She rapidly swung her arms around in fluid motions as she circled the man, slashing at his smooth, solid skin with her fiery cards. Her enemy merely stood, watching her move like a ninja. He laughed heartily at her efforts, which seemed futile, as he felt hardly any pain at all. In one swift action, he shot out his arm and grabbed her by the neck. She cried out in pain and choked as her cards fell to the floor and her body was lifted off the ground by a foot or so. She frantically clawed at his hand, her conciousness slowly fading from the lack of air. He shook his head slowly and snickered in amusement.
"A shame. I know one man who would give me far more trouble than the lot you times three." he shrugged as he watched Sheena's face turn red as she struggled, writhing in agony. "Of course," he added, "He IS my equal opposite..."
Suddenly, the man felt a sharp, searing hot pain run down his spine. His grip on Sheena tightened for a second as he felt the impact, but then he carelessly tossed her aside as he felt a weight on him. He pounced into the air and rapidly spun his body around, throwing Garet from his shoulders.
As he landed, he reached his arm back to feel the handle of an axe. He growled.
"Right, then, kids. Playtime's over." He ripped the axe from his back viciously and grunted as he did so. He smiled as he felt the heated metal on his back cool and congeal back together. After rotating his head around on his neck a little, he pulled the axe back and prepare to send it into motion. He suddenly heard the sound of an arrow leaving its bow with his keen senses and whirled around to expertly chop it in mid flight with his blade, feeling the remnants of its energy flow past him. He proceeded to hurl the axe behind him and it wildly spun horizontally as it sped through the air. Sheba launched a Shine Plasma at his body while it flew by her by a safe margin. Ivan had lunged into the way of the blade just as it had been thrown. Mia was standing right in its path, oblivious to its presence- she was casting a regenerative spell to help her allies. She yelled in surprise as Ivan tackled her to the ground. He could feel air from the axe's swirling blade caress his hair as he had done so.
"Oh, good save, little man," the metallic menace complimented.
(What are we going to do??) Sheba demanded mentally, projecting her message to Ivan and Mia.
(I don't know!) Mia replied in a panic as she groaned. Ivan grabbed her hand and helped her back up to her feet hastily. She flicked her puffy blue ponytail behind her head as she tried to grip her staff between her trembling fingers. Ivan grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard to try and calm her- he could feel doubt and fear pulsing from her.
(Don't be afraid,) he told her calmly as he pointed out his staff and sent a bulging bolt of electricity through him. It passed right through his metal body and into the metal floor, causing him to chuckle.
"Well, that tickled," he teased. "It's a start." He didn't move forward, though, because he could feel the presence of Lloyd coming from behind. Just as the boy raised his sword to swing away, the ominous foe hopped into the air and thrust his legs back, smashing Lloyd's gut. As Lloyd double over and fell to the ground on his face- 'clang!'- a thundering clap echoed as two metal hands smacked the floor and propelled their owner ahead. Garet was making his move now, and Mia and Sheba were getting ready to pelt their own attacks his way. Garet let out a battle cry as he flung his fist forward, which was set aflame. 'M' backflipped over his body, but held out his hands to grab Garet's head in mid flip, tossing him into the air. He landed with a fierce 'clunk' on the bridge overhead.
'M' braced himself for the combination attack that looked to damage him. Mia had summoned a large deluge of water, and Sheba had prepared an array of thunderbolts to strike shortly after. The metal 'M' created a half-melted glob of searing hot metal in his palm and whipped it forth. It collided with Mia's chest, toppling her over and inducing a scream. Kagome had snuck around the battle and was ready and able to help cure Mia's injury with her mysterious powers. She didn't have much experience with healing- or using her abilities in general- but now was a good time to start. She dropped her bow and threw her quiver to the ground as she concentrated energy into her hands.
'M' felt the crashing water pour over him and felt little pain from it. He bounded into the air as lighting dashed through the pool left at his feet, and water droplets were sprayed from his body and he twirled through the air and hook a hand on the overhead bridge's sidebars. With his free right hand, he clutched Garet's left leg and dropped his body, dragging Garet with him. As he descended, he grabbed the other leg with his opposite hand and wound up a swing. Garet's bulk sent Sheba's light frame skidding into the ground. Lloyd was making another attempt at attacking, but 'M' used Garet's body as a baseball bat to smack Lloyd into the air and into the giant door. He crashed into Sheena when he landed, who had just been rising to her feet. Ivan readied his staff in an effort to land a blow, but he was surprised when Garet's unconcious body was hurled at him. Kagome, who had managed to remove the burning metal with her powers, gasped in horror as she realized that all of her new-found friends had fallen. Though there was still kick left in them, the metal 'M' sought this opportunity to end the squabble. One by one in quick succession, he chucked each body like a rag doll to the door where Lloyd and Sheena had been thrown. He shook his head as he came to Mia last, as Kagome's body glowed with white energy in her fury. She held her arms out before her in an effort to defend the blue-haired Mercury adept.
With each step the man took, she burned brighter, until he was only inches from her. He craned his head up slightly to stare into her glazed and quivering brown eyes.
"And so the battle ends with equal light and dark," he noted, amused. His cold, icey breath caused Kagome to flinch. "Very fitting. But will the WAR end the same way?"
"What do you want??" Kagome cried out shakily as a tear dripped down her cheeck. "What did they ever do to you?"
"It's not what they did, it's what they were going to do: take you away. And you see, it's my duty at this time to escort you to my Lord."
"What does your 'Lord' want from me??" she hissed.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I guess we'll both find out in time. It'll be something to look forward to...a surprise." He grinned, showing his metallic teeth. Kagome spat into his eye, and he frowned sourly, wiping it from his face. "Very pure-hearted of you, Miko," he grumbled. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and she suddenly felt a flood of freezing cold surge through her, numbing her body as her chest was cased in liquid metal. She fell to the floor and winced, struggling to get back up. 'M' scooped up Mia's body and calmly walked over to the pile of groaning heroes. He flopped her on top of the heap and began to pace a good bit to the right, where a large, red button resided on the wall. He slammed it with his fist casually and leaned against the metal surface to watch. The roaring of machinery burst to life as the platform that the bodies had been placed on began to lower at an angle, and the wall slowly opened up to reveal the cloudy atmosphere of the planet they were passing over. Kagome shrieked as she realized where this was going.
"NOOO!! DON'T!!!" she screamed.
"Oh, calm down!!" The metal 'M' growled loudly over the whirring that was calming down. "With the luck I've got they'll survive," he groaned, shaking his head. "Just like that damn mutt-freak the other day."
Kagome froze at those words, filling with hope. He was talking about InuYasha, she know it! InuYasha was alive!
"Psh. Don't get your hopes up, kid," 'M' told her, his voice echoing throughout the room. "I'm not finished with him yet." He pressed a smaller button below the red one and smiled as the platform the teens were on rotated outward, dumping them all off. They slid and rolled in a mess as they were flung into the air and went sailing downward to the surface far, far below. "That'll do it for now," he chuckled, dusting himself off. "They can be lunch for the Octoroks. But us- we've still got a little ride ahead of us."
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