Sparks of War Chapter 13
The Final Swordian, Crystallion
By Limited Moon
The group hurried into the Swordian R&D Lab. The R&D Lab was devoid of the lava it originally had, it was cool and quiet. Everyone knew, though, that Resmah was in the lab somewhere, forging the Dark Swordian, Crystallion. They proceeded deeper into the lab, and redirected the security mirrors into the main lab. When they entered the large hall before the main room, both doors locked them in...
"I anticipated your arrival, Stahn and company," said a voice from above, it was Resmah's, "This hallway is big enough, perfect for a battle! I used my magic to combine the guardians Tauros and Minotaur and merged them with mechanical weapons. Although it was a hastily done job, it will keep you busy long enough to let me finish!"
"Damnit!" Stahn yelled.
"We're trapped, and we're going to have to fight a monster in a jumbled up mess of a group, we have to get into some kind of order here!" said Lilith.
"Garr, do you have any suggestions?" Philia asked.
"I'll have to study the room for a little while, but I think I can make something work out here!" Garr replied.
Just then, the monster Resmah spoke of descended from what looked like an elevator in the ceiling. It stepped off and the elevator rose back into the ceiling. It's bottom was that of the crab half of Tauros, while the top was the top half of the minotaur, and the rest of it's body was completely mechanical. Many weapons sprouted from it's body.
"That's it!" Garr said, "we have to force that elevator down somehow!"
The monster wasted no time starting to fight. It raised a pincer and the pincer split apart, revealing a laser gun pried into the middle. The group spread out as it began to fire repeatedly into the group.
Stahn charged at the monster and slashed with Aretha at it's pincers, hoping to cut them off. Philia came at it with several of her acidic Philia Bombs. Everyone else charged at it simultaneously, causing much confusion even for the monster.
Resmah had underestimated them, the monster was down within 10 minutes. However, there seemed to be no way out.
"Listen, everyone," Garr said, "we'll have to work together, but I think we can do this, we must pull the elevator down to us so we can ride it straight to Resmah!"
"If one of youse'll give me a boost, I can do it!" Bruiser said, flexing his muscles.
"I'll boost you, just try not to break my back," Stahn volunteered.
They went to work in pulling the elevator down from the ceiling. Bruiser stood on Stahn's back, pulling as hard as possible while the others lent some support by attacking the ceiling area.
Finally, the elevator moved a little, once Bruiser got it loose, he could pull it down easily. It was kind of small, and could only fit four people in the group. Everyone stood looking at it, wondering what to do.
"Everyone," Garr said, "only four people can fit in this, it'll take too long to take each of us up there four at a time, so I have a plan."
Rutee looked at him, "Garr, if I remember correctly, there should be a power generator here somewhere."
"Hear me out, Rutee," Garr said, "Stahn and two others will go up there, while the rest of us, including Bruiser, will have to make our way to the Power Generator in the back and destroy it, this will buy us some time until the auxillary power comes online."
Mary looked confused, "Garr, how do you know so much about this place?! You've only been here once!"
"Igtenos told me a lot, Mary, I know a lot of things from what he told me," Garr replied.
"Then it's settled," Stahn said, "I'll take Mary, and Philia with me, Garr, Bruiser, and Rutee, you guys hurry to the generator."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Resmah was almost finished, he would soon have the power of Crystallion on his side, a power that could return him to the realm of godhood. Where he had been banished. However, he was interupted as Karyl began to fight his consciousness. He held his head and screamed, it was like Karyl was trying to burst from his head and the pain was excruciating. He then concentrated all his power into fighting Karyl and keeping him back, and he succeeded.
Urgh, I must hurry, that fool will ruin everything if I waste another minute, he thought. Just then, he noticed the elevator was moving.
"Damn!" he thought aloud, "they've beaten him! I cannot waste any more time!"
He continued forging, working against time, hoping he would finish before they got to his floor. Then, the room got brighter, and he heard someone teleporting in from behind him, he turned around. There stood Throx.
"So, you show yourself again, Throx," Resmah said, "Crystallion is almost finished, all you have to do is break the last crystal and free the master's spirit."
"YES, IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT YOUR PLAN, RESMAH," Throx said, "GODHOOD...YOU'RE GOING TO ASK MASTER TO RETURN YOU TO GODHOOD..."
"Yes, once he reunites with his -host- he can do anything, anything will be possible, but THIS Crystallion has it's limits...."
Resmah held the incomplete Crystallion and pointed to it's core crystal.
"This crystal holds inside it a magic limiter, this will ensure that Crystallion cannot hold it's true power as long as I am still on this world. If he returns me to godhood, then it will remove itself. I know he wont give it to me if I simply ASK. That's not the way it works in Master's eyes," Resmah smiled and continued forging Crystallion.
"WHAT ABOUT YOUR -HOST-, I'M VERY CURIOUS AS TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE -CONSCIOUSNESS- SUDDENLY LEAVES THE -HOST-, IT INTERESTS ME," Throx said as he watched the elevator shaft.
"Simple, the -host- will die, the only way you can sustain a host when removing a consciousness is in it's early stages, Throx. Soon, the selected -host- becomes dependant upon the -consciousness- to survive. In my case, I became dormant when I entered Karyl. It took the power of a Swordian to awaken me again," Resmah explained.
Stahn and the others soon reached the top floor of the Swordian R&D lab, and found Throx waiting for them and Resmah working behind him.
"Resmah!" Stahn yelled, "you wont be able to finish Crystallion, it's the end of the line!"
"Too late, Stahn," Resmah said, "I finished less than two minutes ago! Throx, the rest of the Crystal..."
He gave Throx the remnants of the final crystal and Throx smashed it to pieces in his hand.
Stahn suddenly fell to the floor and began to hold his head, sceaming as if in agony. Philia and Mary kneeled at his side, trying to calm him down. Throx simply stood his ground and Resmah held Crystallion high, waiting for the master to reclaim his body.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Under the Cavelesian Imperial Castle, the mirror began to shake violently and the ground began to quake. Then, the mirror shattered. Everything was silent for a couple of minutes, then a white light shot out of the mirror, it's force destroying the castle.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I FEEL IT, HE IS COMING THIS WAY!" Throx said.
A bright light shot into Crystallion, and it began to glow with energy. It began to levitate around the room, slashing frantcally as if trying to control itself. Then, it stopped, and faced the blade toward Stahn.
Stahn suddenly got up and jumped away from Philia and Mary.
"What's going on?!" Mary told Philia.
"I don't know, but we must stop this," Philia said.
Stahn's hand wrapped around Crystallion's hilt, and the white glow suddenly surrounded Stahn. His skin began to harden into armor and become red, and a helmet appeared around his head. He shifted until he assumed the form of Talon again.
"Talon?!" Resmah said, "You're the true body of Crystallion?!"
"SO, THIS IS THE MASTER I'VE SERVED FOR CENTURIES..." Throx said, he ten bowed his head in respect and kneeled.
"Stahn!" yelled Philia, "can you hear me?! Let go of Crystallion!"
"Stahn, please!" Mary yelled also.
Soon, the lights shut themselves off, they had gotten to the generator too late. Only the white aura emanating from Stahn was lighting the room. Stahn looked at Philia and Mary, and shook his head.
"NEMPAH!" he yelled, waving his sword from left to right, a flaming blast emitted toward Philia and Mary from Crystallion, Philia and Mary jumped out of the way, and faced Stahn again.
"That power," Mary said, "I have never seen anything like that in my entire life!"
"We're very out numbered and out matched," Philia said, "this is hopeless, we're doomed..."
Just then, Stahn held his head again, and his body began to shift, but he couldn't control himself. Stahn's physical form switched between him and Talon uncontrollably.
"He's fighting him!" Philia said, "Stahn, keep fighting!"
"Philia!" he yelled, "the only way to destroy Crystallion is in my mind, his physical form is indestructable!"
"In his MIND?! How will we do that?!" Mary said.
Throx and Resmah only stood watching with disbelief.
"Stahn, he surpassed the limiter in the core! Amazing! This ruins my entire plan though," Resmah said.
"The only way," Stahn managed to say, "is by letting me...kill you..."
"KILL US?!" Philia said, "I..."
"Trust me, Philia, as you've done since we first met, when everybody else doubted me, you always stood by me, and knew that I would never do anything bad...please Philia, you must do that again...I promise you you'll make it...don't doubt me Philia! Please!!" Stahn pleaded.
Philia looked at the floor, Stahn, she thought, I...I know you would never let anything happen to me, you're right, I...I trust you.
She walked up to the shifting Stahn, and kneeled in front of him, waiting to die, "Philia!" Mary yelled, but she wouldn't listen.
"Mary, you were a very good friend..." she said.
"Damn it! Philia, i'm not letting you go alone!" Mary yelled, she ran over to Stahn and kneeled also, "I can't let you two down!"
"Mary...thank you," Philia said.
"HMM...I...I FEEL DIFFEREN'T RESMAH. I FEEL AS IF EVERYTHING I'VE DONE HAS MADE A BLACK MARK ON MY SOUL, MAYBE I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO FEEL, RESMAH. I HAVE JUST REALIZED HOW SHALLOW MY LIFE HAS BEEN ALL THESE YEARS..," Throx said, "I CAN'T SERVE MASTER ANYMORE, I DON'T THINK I COULD BEAR IT NOW.
"Hmm..." Resmah said, "how can she trust him, that might not even be him talking, yet she has complete faith in him, why Throx?"
"THAT IS WHAT I MEAN, RESMAH, WE'VE FORGOTTEN ALL EMOTION, OUR ENTIRE LIVES HAVE BEEN ONLY FOR HIM, I WANT TO FEEL AGAIN, RESMAH," Throx replied.
"I understand now, Throx, what all of this means...I must leave Karyl, and find a way to return to my original being, so I can start a new life, one where I can live happily, have friends, family," Resmah said.
"YES, LET US LEAVE, THEN, RESMAH...WE SHALL REMOVE OURSELVES FROM OUR HOSTS AND LET THEM LIVE THEIR LIVES, AS FOR STAHN, PHILIA, AND MARY... LET US LEND THEM POWER, SO THE HAVE A CHANCE," Throx said.
"Yes," Resmah said, focusing his power, "Philia, I grant you the power of dreams, use it well!" he shot a beam into Philia, and an aura enveloped her.
"MARY," Throx said, focusing his power, "I GIVE YOU THE POWER OF SPIRITUALITY, I CAN ONLY HOPE THIS IS ENOUGH." He shot a beam into Mary, and an aura enveloped her also.
Philia, looking on as Crystallion regained control, bowed her head, "thank you both, Resmah, Throx..."
Resmah and Throx had disappeared by then, however, and Crystallion regained his control over Stahn. In one quick swipe, Stahn had killed Philia and Mary...
.