Sparks of War Chapter 8
Selene Strikes Back!
By Limited Moon
Stahn looked around, the quake caught everyone by surprise and began a mass confusion around the empty Terazzi. He could only see Philia barely keeping her balance as the quake only became more intense. He was barely keeping his own balance.
"What's going on?!" he managed to yell, but noone could hear him as the rumbling was too loud.
The buildings themselves sank into the street, not even leaving a small hill where they had been, just water. Soon every building was gone and all Terazzi was now was a platform maze surrounded by water. The rumbling stopped and Stahn finally managed to clear it's confusion out of his head. He looked around, to Stahn's right Philia was looking for her glasses on the ground, Garr was getting up off of the ground to Stahn's left, but Karyl was nowhere to be found. Just then, he gasped as another quake hit. In what was the center of Terazzi rose out of the water a large temple, light blue in color, it had a large amount of steps leading up to it's entrance. When the rumbling stopped again, Stahn could find no one.
"Aretha, what on earth just happened?!" he yelled at his Swordian.
"This isn't a normal quake, as you can see. It was caused by magic, most likely Selene's," Aretha replied.
"Hmm...maybe everyone is already inside, what do you think?"
"Most likely, Stahn."
With that, he ran towards the temple. The path was twisting and turning, but nothing too hard to figure out. Once he was at the temple, he ran up the steps and into the entranceway.
Noone was here at all, it was only a large throne room with a lone sword in the middle. Stahn scratched his head.
"Nothing?" he said to himself.
Just then, three bubbles appeared, he could see Garr, Chelsea and Philia inside them. They were caught too.
"SELENE!" he screamed.
In response, a burst of light entered the room, and Selene materialized inside it. She smiled.
"Welcome, Stahn," she said.
"Free my friends now, Selene!" Stahn yelled at her.
"Heh, it wouldn't be fair to let you fight me, it's an instant loss. So i'll give you a chance, Stahn," she replied.
"A chance?!"
"Yes, free this swordian and you'll get your friends back."
"Stahn!" yelled Aretha, "that Swordian, don't!"
"Ah, Aretha, I see you have your memory back," Selene said.
"Grrr, you shattered the crystal of life, didn't you?!" Aretha responded angrily.
"Heh, not too bad, and the crystal of spirituality will be shattered also once Dorien is freed, but if Stahn dosen't free Dorien...their deaths will be slow and agonizing!" Selene said, smiling.
"Aretha, what do you mean?" Stahn said to the Swordian.
"Urgh...there are four crystals which each hold the balance of light and darkness that keeps an evil spirit sealed, I was never told what spirit was sealed...but it has enough power to destroy Atamoni and that's all I know!"
"Aretha, you know much more than I thought, but he has to or his friends will die," Selene said to the Swordian.
"Stahn...," Aretha told him, "Free Dorien for your friends, but once you do you must promise me you'll help me and Dorien protect the crystals of Physical Power and Psychic Power..."
"I will, Aretha, I accept your terms Selene, i'll free this Swordian."
"That's a good boy," Selene said, winking.
Just then, the Swordian in the ground began to glow and a gigantic crab appeared in front of it.
"This is Tauros," Selene began, "guardian of the Swordian of Dark Holiness. Have fun, Stahn...ahahahaahaha!" she disappeared in another beam of light, and Tauros began to ready it's claws.
"Get ready, Stahn!" Aretha yelled to him.
Stahn jumped to the side as Tauros' claws swiped at him, he tried to hit Tauros while it was readying another attack, but the shell kept him from doing any damage.
"Aretha, do you see any weak points?!" he yelled, dodging another slash from Tauros' claws.
"The eyes, get the eyes and render it blind, but once you do theres no telling what it will do, Stahn," Aretha told him.
Stahn complied and immediately jumped at the eyes when Tauros was off guard. "NEMPA!" he screamed as he began a whirlwind slash into the air, then when he landed, he yelled "SEMPUU JIN!" to trigger the fire effect. However, Aretha could only provide him with a Dark Wind spell to combo with his tornado slash. It was enough though, and the eyes were lopped off of the gigantic Tauros.
Tauros began to thrash uncontrollably in a response to the pain it recieved, and it didn't help that it couldn't see anymore. Stahn was bashed into the wall by a claw and tried to get up. He then saw something strange happen to Tauros. It's shell split open, and a praying mantis creature emerged from it, but didn't leave the shell.
"What kind of creature IS this?!" Stahn yelled.
The mantis used the crab half of Tauros as it's legs and fought with it's new torso. It quickly walked over to Stahn as he got up and tried to slash him. Stahn saw the oncoming blow and jumped out of the way. He then decided to try and get the mantis-part's head. He jumped at it, slashing frantically and not caring where the sword went. He ended up lopping the entire new torso off of the crab, and it exploded in a burst of light.
Stahn got up an dusted himself off. He then went towards the Swordian in the ground, and pulled it out.
"ahahahahahaaa!" he heard as Selene materialized.
"Very good, Stahn," she said clapping.
"Just give me my friends back and go away," Stahn muttered.
"OH, them," Selene snickered, "here ya go!"
She snapped her fingers and Garr, Chelsea and Philia were released from the bubble prisons and returned to the ground, they were unconscious.
"Wait a minute," Stahn said, "what happened to Karyl?"
"Karyl? I don't understand. I'll see you again, Stahn...ahahahaah!"
Selene then disappeared. Stahn looked at his friends, then at the new Swordian he just acquired, "she must...have him..."
"Aretha...?" the Swordian Dorien said.
"Dorien...before you jump to conclusions..." Aretha began, but then another quake began.
"Huh...?" Stahn said looking around.
"NO!" Aretha screamed, "THE TEMPLE! Selene is making it sink again!!!"
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