DDSS1303
10-21-2008, 07:22 PM
*shrugs* Eh, might as well. Maybe now that all the forums merged into one category I might get more replies.
If anyone wants to read my other fan fics, go here:
http://hyperactivemothman.deviantart.com/
The Prophesy of the Gems
http://th71.deviantart.com/fs28/300W/i/2008/111/6/7/The_Prophecy_of_the_Gems_by_HyperactiveMothMan.png
Prologue
There was darkness in the tunnel. If there were stalagmites or cave creatures or anything at all, no one was able to see them. All was still. All was silent. All was dark.
A bright light suddenly filled the cavern. Formations that had taken millions of years to grow were suddenly illuminated by the glow of a white portal. THe portal was enormous, filling up an entire wall.
A dark figure was suddenly thrown out of the portal. He coughed for a moment, his hand immediately going to his chest, expecting a bloody hole to be there. But there was none. He was confused for a moment. The last thing he remembered was the vampire stabbing him with the Fire Blade, the blade that should have been his.
A vengeful anger filled the mage's heart as he stood up. With the light of the portal behind him, his dark cloak and huge hat seemed to cast the cave in shadow once again. His yellow eyes peered at his surroundings.
Everything suddenly came back to him. He had died several years ago. Neshae, the brother of his arch enemy, Rayman, had stabbed him half to save the world and half for revenge for their parents' deaths. Dark had spent the last few years in the spirit realm. But why was he back now? He turned around to look at the portal. Why had he gone through it in his body completely healed? Intending to find out, he turned away from the portal and started through the cave.
Aside from discovering the reasons behind his return, the mage had another objective to fulfill. He would pick up where he left off. He would slay the two limbless rats that caused his death, steal the Snake Cross Amulet from the limbless ***** that was always a step out of his reach, and then take over.
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Chapter 1
"Awwwwwww! They're so cute!" Aneishen wailed.
Rayman had met the weather sorceress before during their battle with the witch, Figuya, but it had been a while since then. This was the first time for her to meet his children.
Yehaiel was in Rayman's hands. His son was a year old and had inherited Rayman's blonde hair and deep blue eyes, but also Ly's limbs and fairy tail. THe one-year-old looked up at Aneishen curiously and sucked on his thumb.
Amej, Yehaiel's twin sister, was asleep in Ly's arms. She had the same purple hair and green eyes that her mother had, but was limbless like her father.
"When are you gonna have some little babies?" Aneishen's gaze fell upon a tall figure standing next to Rayman.
Neshae snapped from his trance. Being Rayman's twin brother, he looked generally a lot like him. But not being an identical twin, he also looked very different. Like Rayman, he was limbless, but his hair was black and his eyes were green. Instead of a purple shirt with a white ring on the chest like Rayman wore, Neshae wore a black shirt with a red bull's eye on it. And where his brother's shoes were yellow with an orange swirlie, his were green with splotches of gray. THough the biggest difference between the two were the large bat-like wings that wrapped around his body almost like a cape. Neshae had been bitten years ago by a vampire and been turned into one.
"Huh?" He asked, only just realizing he had been asked a question.
"Eh, he'll have them sooner or later." Alaesia spoke for him.
Alaesia and Aneishen looked close enough to be sisters. Both had black hair, though Aneishen's was considerably longer than Alaesia's. Alaesia's hair was only about the length of Ly's. Aneishen's hair also had streaks of silver going through it, sparkling like her violet eyes in contrast to Alaesia's orange ones. While Aneishen was clad in mostly black leather, Alaesia wore more casual clothing of jeans, a green shirt, and black tennis shoes. Around her neck were two necklaces. THe one on the outside of her shirt was a gold chain with a "D" charm. THe necklace that was hidden under her shirt was a black chain that held a blue cross of two snakes bound together by a ring that surrounded them.
Aneishen shrugged and returned her attention to Rayman's children. "You're just too cute!" she told Yehaiel who continued to stare at her.
"Hate to break up this nauseatingly sweet overly cute moment here," Neshae said, "but I'm starved. There anything to eat around here?"
Aneishen almost seemed to cringe, the thought of Neshae's fangs piercing her neck flashing through her mind. "What did you have in mind?"
Neshae shrugged. "I dunno, a burger maybe? I'm hungry for just about anything. I haven't eaten since three in the morning and you day people have me up already well into the afternoon now."
Suddenly, Ly tensed. "Something just happened..." she said, catching everyone's attention.
"WHat?" Rayman asked. Being a fairy, Ly was able to sense the presence of magic in the air, such as when a spell had just been cast.
"I don't know." Ly said, "But it isn't anything good."
As if to prove her words, there was a sound of shouting down the hall. A man dressed in a sand colored cloak skidded to a halt and turned to race down the hall towards the small group. His hair was dark and short and his eyes white and sightless. In his hand he carried a staff which he did not seem to need just then. Behind him, the person who was shouting came into view and ran after him. She was dressed in a light blue dress, her hair and eyes both gold.
"Shigyu!" the woman called. "WHat are you doing?"
Shigyu did not listen to the woman. Instead he came to a stop when he apporached the group. He leaned against his staff as if her were tired and stared into space.
Bujit, Shigyu's wife, came to a stop next to him. "What's going on?" she asked. Despite being blind, Shigyu knew exactly where he was going and who he was standing next to. He did not answer her. Instead, continuing to stare somewhat towards the ground, he began to do what he was well known for.
"THe diamonds have collided with us." he began. "The trio of gems must find the bone of a thousand men. The dark sapphire returns and comes for the light. The five worlds must be warned for a sixth world has approached. The white onyx summons the ruby lord. And all shall bow before him. A dark emerald shall come and tempt the light emerald. Fire ruby and light sapphire shall be betrayed. Amethyst hurry and prepare for battle. In the end, diamond must return with bone, for no one should return once sent back. Only then can the ruby lord shatter while sapphires shatter the onyx."
"Um..." Bujit said. "I....am not sure what all that meant." Shigyu was well known for his insight to the past, present, and future, but he spoke in riddles. Only his wife, Bujit was able to understand him and translate his prophecies. But this time, even she was slightly confused. "But something not very nice is apparently going on.
Shigyu suddenly straightened. He looked directly at Alaesia for the first time. The intensity of his sightless stare unnerved her, sending a chill down her spine. He pointed to his right. "THe Prophecy of the Gems begins. Hurry. If Tempistus returns and helps them, we may not succeed."
"Tempistus?" Alaesia asked. "But didn't Dark kill him years ago?"
Shigyu was silent. He once again leaned against his staff and stared at the floor.
Bujit took him by the arm. "COme on, let's go tell Fhuyt what you saw."
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Chapter 2
Fhuyt paced around his office. His light hair was tied back to keep out of his face while he thought. His pointed ears twitched occasionally in concentration. Alaesia, Shigyu, and Bujit stood in the room with him. Alaesia leaned up against a wall by his desk while Shigyu and Bujit sat in a pair of leather chairs along another wall. On the other side of the room from the two was a long bookshelf and on the back wall was a giant map of the known regions of their world. Shigyu miraculously managed to repeat his prediction word for word and also added a line about one thousand diamonds bringing the ruby lord.
"Well it's obvious that the gems represent certain people..." Fhuyt said more to himself than the rest of them. "Who they are I can't say. But what interests me the most is the 'bone of a thousand men' and the prediction of Tempistus' return."
"THe diamonds have collided with us..." Alaesia repeated. "Maybe someone broke through to the spirit world."
"That doesn't make much sense either, for ghosts and other spirits can travel from the spirit world to any world they choose and back." Fhyut said. "However, if someone managed to raise the dead that might be interesting."
"So what is this 'ruby lord'?" Alaesia asked.
"Well if the diamonds represent people being brought back from the dead and a thousand of them bring him, I'm afraid it has to be some powerful spirit lord. And since the prophesy obviously wants us to defeat him he can't be good." Bujit suggested. "But why one thousand diamonds? If this person wishes to raise the ruby lord wouldn't he just raise him first and be done with it?"
"Maybe he has no control over the spell and is merely waiting for him to appear somewhere among the diamonds." Fhuyt said.
"Either way, it sounds like we have to defeat him so lets figure out what this bone thing is." Alaesia said.
Fhuyt nodded. "Any ideas, anyone?"
"I'm kind of interested in how one thousand men share the same bone." Alaesia said in a slightly joking tone.
"Inheritance?" Bujit suggested.
"A family passing down a bone through the generations?" Alaesia winced. "Isn't that a little gross?"
Fhuyt looked up suddenly and started walking toward a bookshelf across the room from Shigyu and Bujit. "Unless it's a weapon. And weapons made for defeating the undead are usually made of bone." He took a book from the shelf and opened it, flipping through the pages.
After a moment he began to read speak. "Legend of the Starbone. It says that the ancient Ianishians created a throwing star boomerang out of the skull of their first deceased leader, Aopheir. It was fused with five gems, each one representing the magical elements fire, water, air, earth, and spirit. With the power of the first four gems the fifth would be activated and used to seal up portals to the spirit world. It was passed down through the clan for generations, always going to the heir to the throne. At one point there were four who wished to claim the throne and each tried to take the Starbone, causing it to break into five pieces. It was decided that the center piece would remain in their temple and whoever could put all five pieces back together would gain the throne. Unfortunately, none were willing to give up their pieces and loose their change to rule and so the Starbone was never fixed. But this is the only thing that even resembles a bone of a thousand men."
"So we find the pieces and this portal to the spirit world that dead people are supposedly popping out of and throw it in?" Alaesia asked.
"Along with a sacrifice." Fhuyt said. "Both the book and the prophesy say that a 'diamond' has to be returned to the portal with the Starbone."
"So when we do that do all the people who came out die again?" Alaesia asked.
"I'm not sure. I doubt it. It closes the portal, not undoes the spell. But we must find them quickly before this 'ruby lord' comes out. And Lord knows when Tempistus will come out and join them like Shigyu said."
"So where are the pieces?" Bujit asked.
"I'd assume in the land of the Ianishians." Fhuyt said, pointing at a spot on the map. "Ianishua. Very large place. I recommend we split up once we get there to save time." He turned around to face the three again. "Get the others ready. We leave tomorrow."
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Chapter 3
"Catch!" Globox shouted as he threw the ball through the air. It flew a good distance before being caught by a smaller glute, who was then burried by the others. The Baby Globoxes squeaked at each other, each one trying to get the ball away from the other. Finally, the one who had caught the ball crawled out from under the pile, ball still clutched in its hands. It ran back towards Globox, preparing to throw the ball back to his daddy.
The other baby globoxes scrambled to their feet to try to catch their brother before he could make the throw. He wound his arm back and threw the ball to Globox, knowing his victory was at hand.
It was not Globox who caught the ball, however. Another person had entered the small clearing without the globoxes noticing. A clawed hand caught the ball in midair before it could reach Globox. The glutes stared in horror at the intruder. It was humanoid like in appearance with thick, brown skin to make it invincible and long, thick claws on its hands and feet. An ugly face with a big mouth looked down at the babies from under the hood on its head. There was no doubt in their minds what this creature was. It was a knaaren. And not just any knaaren, Globox saw, but Reflux, the knaaren Rayman had defeated long ago.
Seeing their terror, Reflux chuckled and squeezed the ball, causing it to pop and deflate. "Where is Rayman?" he asked. "I got a score to settle with him."
The group of people stood outside the Shades Against Evil building, a soft breeze blowing past them, warning of ill fortune. Rayman, Ly, Aneishen, and Alaesia were going to return to Rayman's world to take Yehaiel and Ameaj home. Ly would stay and prepare for any trouble in their world while Alaesia teleported Rayman back to this world so they could catch up with the rest of the group later. Aneishen was just going so she could see some more of Rayman's world. Dorithmir, Fhuyt, Shigyu, Neshae, and Bujit were going to start the journey to find out where the pieces of the Starbone were kept. All they were waiting on at that moment was Fhuyt.
When he finally arrived, he seemed a bit rushed. "Okay, Rayman, you need to go back to your world, right?" Rayman barely had time to nodd before he continued. "And you two will meet the rest of us on the way, correct?" Alaesia nodded. "Okay, one portal coming up."
He held out a hand and the mist from the ocean next to them came together and swirled, changing to black, gold, and purple. "Good luck to you." he said before Rayman jumped through.
When Rayman reached the other side of the portal, he saw all the Globoxes in a clearing looking up in horror at a knarren.
What?! Rayman thought. Not knaaren in the forests again. He remembered well what happened last time knaaren appeared in the forests. It was a moment later that he recognized the knaaren.
"Rayman!" Reflux smiled at him. Alaesia and Aneishen came out of the portal, followed by Ly holding Yehaiel amd Ameaj. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." He dropped the deflated ball and walked towards Rayman. "I've been waiting a long time for this!"
Rayman got between Reflux and his children, determined to protect them no matter what. But in reality, he wasn't sure what to do. The only times he had been able to defeat Reflux he had only broken his staff or the sceptar stolen from the knaaren king. What killed Reflux in the past was the magic backfiring when the sceptar exploded.
But then that brought another problem. Reflux was supposed to be dead.
Before the knaaren reached Rayman, he suddenly was lifted off the ground by some invisible force. Rayman didn't need to turn around to know that Alaesia had picked Reflux up with her soul powers. At least Reflux's body still had a soul. Otherwise her powers would be useless against him.
With the ease of one of the baby globoxes throwing the ball before it was deflated, Alaesia flung the knaaren into a tree. While Reflux was out of the way Ly ran to Globox.
"GLobox, take the kids and get out of here." she told him. "It's not safe for them here. And from the looks of things it won't be for a while."
Globox nodded and took the two twins in his arms. Then he and the baby globoxes fled the scene, leaving Rayman, Alaesia, Aneishen, and Ly alone with Reflux.
"What is that thing?!" Aneishen asked.
"A knaaren." Alaesia told her. Reflux got back to his feet and roared at the small group. "They're invincible so magic isn't going to help us much." She picked Reflux up with her soul powers again and flung him against another tree. "Though we can wear him out a bit if I keep this up."
WHen Reflux stood again he reached up to the sky, calling clouds to the clearing. Lightning flashed, coming to the ground and striking the ground next to Rayman. He jumped to the side, remembering the two attacks Reflux was combining. Aneishen tried to make the lightning strike Reflux instead, but the knaaren merely put up a transparent shield of power to block the attack. Meanwhile, everyone was having to dodge lightning strikes.
"Keep shooting lightning at the shield!" Rayman called to Aneishen. "I have an idea!"
Aneishen nodded and continued her lightning attack. Sure enough, the longer she held it, the smaller the shield seemed to get. Eventually it disappeared entirely.
Reflux seemd caught off guard for a moment. He shook his head and began shooting yellow balls of energy at Aneishen. Alaesia quickly got in front of the weather sorceress and put up a fire shield of her own, making the balls of energy bounce off in different directions. Some of them hit Reflux, causing him to cry out in pain and surprise.
Seeing this, Rayman wound up his fists, shooting them at the balls and causing them to shoot back at Reflux. Ly picked up a stick and started batting the balls at the knaaren as well. The knaaren stopped shooting at Aneishen and swayed back and forth for a moment, dizzy from the damage. But then he shook his head to clear it and glared at Rayman.
The knaaren's limbs began to grow bigger and bigger as his body grew taller. Large lumbs nearly covered his skin as he grew many times his original height.
"How is he doing that?" Alaesia asked Rayman. "I thought the way he was able to do that last time was because he had the sceptar."
"I thought so too." Rayman said. "But apparently, the sceptar gave him all the power he needed. Andre was the one who still needed the sceptar afterwards.
With an unearthly shriek, Reflux brought one of his massive, clawed fists down to the ground, sending the four into the air.
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Chapter 4
While Rayman and his friends were up in the air, one of Reflux's hands came around and hit them, sending them all flying. As they crashed to the ground, Reflux prepared to do it again.
A burst of flame suddenly rose from the ground between them and Reflux, however, causing Reflux to take a step back in surprise. The flame took a familiar shape, the shape of a figure in a long cloak and really big hat. The fire suddenly disappeared, becomming that figure.
Dark turned to Rayman, glaring at him. Then he saw the Snake Cross Amulet around Alaesia's neck.
"Looks like we were right." Alaesia said. "The dead are comming back."
"Yes." Dark said. "I have returned. And this time I will have that amulet and destroy you all."
Alaesia's hand went to the amulet. "Not if I can help it."
"You think--" Dark began, but was cut off.
"Rayman is MINE to kill." Reflux said, having shrunk down to his original size.
Dark turned around to face Reflux. "That is where you are wrong. I have a score to settle with Rayman."
"So do I." Reflux said.
"Well you can have his remains." Dark said, turning back around. "But I am going to take the final blow."
Reflux picked up the dark mage. "No, I will!"
Dark threw an irritated glance at Rayman, annoyed about the delay, then finally said, "We'll settle this somewhere else." Then the two suddenly vanished in a burst of flame.
Sudden heat behind the group made them jump and turn around, but the fire was gone as quickly as the fire that had taken Dark and Reflux.
"Everyone okay?" Rayman asked.
"I think so." Alaesia said. "But...where's Aneishen?"
Everyone looked around, unable to find the weather sorceress. When the truth finally hit them, they stared at each other in slight shock.
"He took her too." Ly said.
Aneishen opened her eyes, not sure where she was. The floor she lay on seemed to be made out of some kind of chocolate, preserved to keep it from melting and to be as strong as tile. The walls were similarly constructed, only they were made of some kind of cream with bits of yellow candy.
Where am I? She wondered. There was a door made of chocolate cake with icing on the top to her right and a window to her left. She stood up and went to the window first and her jaw dropped. As far as she could see everything was made out of either cake or candy of some kind. She was in a great fortress in the middle of this amazing land, several stories above the ground.
"Welcome," said a voice behind her. Aneishen turned around to see Dark standing in the room. "To the Candy Chateau."
"Why did you bring me here?" Aneishen asked him.
"I was originally going to just kill all of you and take the Snake Cross Amulet from you, but the blasted thing has apparently accepted that girl as its master, making it useless to me unless it is given freely." Dark said.
"And you think Alaesia's going to give it to you to free me?" Anaeishen asked skeptically.
"If she ever wants to see you alive again." Dark said, then he was gone in a burst of flame like before.
Aneishen tried to open the door and escape, but it was locked. Her attention then turned to the window again. It was time to get out of here.
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Chapter 5
Aneishen brought the cotton candy clouds together from the sky and formed a platform to stand on. When it was solid enough she climbed out the window and stood on the cloud. Controling the could was difficult since it was more candy than cloud, but eventually she managed to lower herself to the ground. Then she took off, running along a path made of the same candy that the walls of her prison were made of.
Suddenly, the path changed to slippery, white, whipped cream and she slid off her feet and down hill. When she finally got to her feet at the bottom she saw a clown holding a giant hammer. She stood ready, prepared to fight.
The clown gave her a curious look, then hit the ground with his hammer, causing a vibration that knocked Aneishen off her feet.
"Didn't see that coming..." she grumbled, seeing the clown come closer with a creepy, overly happy look in its face. She scrambled to her feet, only to be knocked to the ground again by the clown's hammer.
Just as the hammer was about to hit her while she was on the ground, a burst of flame surrounded her and a pair of hands grabbed her waist. The clown sheilded its eyes and took a step back, moaning over its lost prey. Just as quickly as it had come, the fire vanished, taking her with it.
She was thrown to the floor of the same room she had been in before. Dark stood over her, a furious look in his eyes. If he didn't need her as bait she would have sworn he'd have killed her right now.
"Thanks." she said.
"Don't try that again." Dark said coldly. "You may have strong abilities, but there are things here that you aren't prepared for. Next time you may not be so lucky." He muttered something about stupid kids before leaving her alone yet again.
I'm not a kid. She thought, crossing her arms, I'm into my twenties now. She dediced she wouldn't try to escape again. Not just yet. Maybe she could learn a bit more about the land from Dark, or maybe figure out how to control the cotton candy clouds for a bit longer so she could just fly out. Whatever she was going to do, it wouldn't be today.
Rayman, Alaesia, and Neshae made their way towards the Candy Chateau. It was where Dark's lair had been when he had first stolen the Heart of the World, or as some called it, the Great Protoon. Rayman figured he'd still be there and that was where they'd find Aneishen.
The group had decided to split up. Ly was going to go to the Fairy Counsil to get the fairies and anyone else ready for battle. If the dead was rising, there would be a battle. Rayman, Alaesia, and Neshae were going to rescue Aneishen, then meet up with the others, who were going to go ahead and find the Starbone.
Though along with the dread of what enemies might rise and attack them, Rayman couldn't help but feel an anxiety for a whole other reason. If they waited long enough to destroy the portal, would his parents come out of it?
Dark had destroyed Rayman's planet years ago. Rayman, his mom, and Neshae were among the few who escaped. His father had been killed just before the planet's destruction, and his mother had died to protect him. He wanted more than anything to see them again, to show them who he had become, his wife, his children, to have his family back.
Also, Rayman didn't really feel like he'd had enough time with his father. He remembered being a little kid and playing games with Baeein many years ago. Something would happen and he felt it was his job to go save the world. He could be gone for days at a time, sometimes even longer.
"Rayman, you still with us?" Neshae's voice woke Rayman from his thoughts.
"Huh? Yeah." Rayman answered.
Neshae sighed. "You're thinking of Mom and Dad, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Rayman nodded.
"Me too."
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Chapter 6
It was not long before the small group reached Ianishua. It was a very richly built city, its buildings seeming to be carved out of stone with intricate carvings on the inner and outer walls. Fhuyt could not help but gaze in awe at the history that these walls told.
These structures must be hundreds of years old... He thought to himself as the pirest led him deep into the temple. Behind him were his companions, Dorithmir, Shigyu, and Bujit.
"Not much further." the bald priest said, his white robe sweeping the stone floor behind him. He stopped at a door and took a torch off the wall. "But the rest of the journey won't be as pretty as it has been."
Fhuyt nodded and followed the priest as he opened the door and stepped down a staircase that led into drakness.
The walls were damp and the floor was slippery, despite being made from same seamless stone that everything else was made of in this city. The five had to be careful when decending into the gloom.
When they finally reached the bottom of the steps they were comfronted with a large, stone door. In the center of the handleless door was a round sphere that glittered with a white light.
The priest held his hands up behind him, gesturing the four to halt, then continued to the door. He removed the sphere and it stopped glowing. The only light in the room was now the torch light.
There was a scraping noise, like stone grinding against stone, and the door slid open, to reveal a brightly lit chamber. It was then known where the dampness came from.
Five waterfalls cascaded on the edge of the circular room. The water flowed along little paths of stones of red, green, blue, white, and yellow, to five platforms in the center of the room. Plants, moss, and ivy grew along the wall and between the waterfalls, though the source of the light remained unknown. Four of the pillars were empty, while the one closer to the white stoned path held a single shard of bone.
The bone was yellowed with age and appeared to have four limbs broken off of it. In the middle of it was a round, white diamond.
"This is the temple where we keep the center piece of the Starbone." the priest said, allowing the group to enter the room. "Though it may not leave the temple until it is healed, you may bring all the pieces to it and then take it with you."
"Shouldn't one of the decendants of the princes be the one to heal it?" Bujit asked.
The priest smiled as though the thought were funny. "You will need all the luck you can get just getting the pieces from them. Don't trouble yourself with trying to get three of the families to back off and let one take the throne. Besides, we've lived rulerless for many years and we have done just fine. Just get the pieces of the Starbone back here so you can heal it and use it to defeat the evil upon us."
Fhuyt nodded. "Thank you for showing us this room and allowing us to find the pieces." He said. "But we have one more favor to ask of you. Where did the princes go?"
"Ah." the priest said as if he had planned on telling them and merely forgotten. "The family of Dheius was split into four separate families when four could not decide who among them would rule. It was their greed that split them apart. But now each family dwells in a different direction. Each an equal distance away from Ianishua so that neither would be at more advantage to get to the throne. Each a days walk away.
"The family decended from Prince Aquemin, guardians of the shard of the Starbone infused with the blue water sapphire, have gone West. The family of Prince Infermin, guardians of the shard containing the red fire ruby, journeyed South. THe family of Prince Solinio, guardians of the shard with the green earth emerald, went North. And last, the family of Prince Breazen, guardians of the wind shard, now live in the East."
"Thank you for your time, father." Fhuyt bowed. "But we have a long journey ahead of us and must begin it."
"I understand." the pirest smiled. "You are welcome back here anytime. Good bye, and good luck." As they walked back up the slipery stepps, the priest stayed behind and relplaced the sphere back into the hole in the door, causing it to close again.
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Chapter 7
When night came was when Aneishen made her next move. She wasn't going to let Dark use her to get the amulet. She may not be able to leave the fortress, but she could make Dark think she had and just hide until her friends came to rescue her.
As she suspected, the door was locked. Oh well. She thought and managed to call lightning from the cotton candy clouds. She zapped the door with the lightning she had called, melting the chocolate and allowing her to slide it open.
She stuck her head out the door and looked both ways. The candy hallway was completely empty. She crept out and started down the hall.
There was a voice further down the hall. Aneishen's heart leapt and she quickly turned into a flower as close to the wall as she could get.
Dark walked from behind a corner, going across the intersection in the halls and out of sight. Who he was with more or less surprised Aneishen.
The person looked very much like Rayman but his skin was grayish-purple. His hair and clothing was also purple, but in various shades. His eyes were almost a glowing yellow. Aneishen guessed that this was Rayman's evil twin, Dark Rayman, created yet again.
The last time Dark Rayman was created, he had been made to get stronger every time he was killed. And Rayman still managed to beat them. Aneishen wondered what new upgrades Dark Rayman had gotten this time. She decided to follow the two and find out. That way she could warn Rayman when they met again.
Aneishen shifted back to her human form and crept behind Dark and Dark Rayman, staying as far behind as she could, staying just close enough so they were sill in earshot.
"Are you sure she can't get out again?" Dark Rayman asked.
"I'm sure. The candy of this fortress is inedible and she has no way to melt it. And she won't make it out the window again. I have minions patrolling outside this time." Dark told him. "And she'll be checked on regularly. I will make sure she stays here."
"Okay, fair enough." Dark Rayman said. "Now when can I go kill Rayman?"
"You'll get to soon. I want them to get a little closer first. When they are ready for the ambush I'll have them separated. I'll pick off the others one by one and you can kill him. Then we can force Alaesia to give me the amulet and get rid of her and the brat we captured. Then the world is ours."
"Okay. Now what about the knaaren?"
Dark waved the question away. "He's powerless against me. I have him down below right now. I'll take care of him later. Besides, he may be of use to us if we can persuade him to join us."
"Wait a minute..." Dark stopped. He turned around.
Aneishen was just barely quick enough to turn into a flower again. But Dark noticed her this time. He slowly walked towards the flower growing in such an unusual place. Aneishen prayed that he didn't find out what she was.
"Weeds." Dark grumbled and raised a foot over her. "You can never get rid of them."
Aneishen silently swore and rolled to the side. While Dark hesitated in surprise, she shifted back into her human form and ran down the hallway.
She did not get far before a wall of fire sprouted from the ground in front of her, causing her to stop. She turned around and glared at her captor.
Dark Rayman looked like he would have liked to say "I told you so." But he knew better. He just watched as Dark approached Aneishen. She stood ready, prepared to fight him if she had to.
"So you can turn into plants too?" Dark asked.
"I can do many things that you don't know of." Aneishen said coldly.
Dark grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eye. "All I need is you to be alive when your friend comes to rescue you. I don't need you to be in top condition. So if you would like to avoid pain beyond your imagination, I suggest you stay put." He waved for Dark Rayman. "Go ahead and put her in another room. One that she is less likely to escape from."
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Chapter 8
Neshae took the first watch as Rayman and Alaesia fell asleep for the night. The campfire still roared, casting a red-orange glow on the three travelers. Thousands of stars twinkled in the dark purple sky around the two moons. It was a beautiful night to go hunting.
"Neshae..." a voice said, coming from behind him.
Neshae turned around and saw a green mist hanging over the ground. He drew his Fire Blade, wondering what it was.
"Come..." the voice said. "I have something for you." The mist started to move away form the camp fire.
Neshae thought for a moment, wondering whether or not it was a trap. In the end, he shrugged and followed the mist.
After a while of walking, the mist finally stopped and turned into a beautiful woman wearing a green dress. She almost kind of reminded him of Figuya, but her dress was green instead of blue and her hair was dark green and straight instead of black and curly. Not to mention she was alive and Figuya had been killed a while back.
"Neshae." She said. She raised her left hand as if holding a platter and a barrel of cheesey poofs appeared in thin air.
Neshae's face lit up. "I'm listening."
The cheesey poof barrel floated to Neshae and landed on the ground before him. He sat on the ground took off the purple lid, and started eating the crunchy balls of cheese.
"I thought you might like those." The woman smiled. Her voice seemed to echo from all around him. "My name is Eris. I am the goddess of chaos."
Neshae saluted. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you have a shrine nearby you can be sure to get an offering from me."
Eris smiled. "I have a special task for you. I have chosen you because I know that like me, you love causing chaos."
"You got that right." Neshae said.
"When your friends find all the pieces of the Starbone and heal it, I want you to give it to me." Eris told him.
"Why?" Neshae asked.
"Never mind that." Eris said. "I have plans for it. You'll get it back. And in return I will give you the best shot of caffeine you have ever had. The chaos that will unfold shall be grand. You'll have hundreds running away from your greatness in terror."
"You gots me interested." Neshae said. "So where do I find you when they have the Starbone?"
"A little ways south of the temple the Center Bone lies in. I'll be waiting for you there. And no need to tell anyone about this. They might not let you take the Starbone."
"Alrighty then." Neshae said. "Just make sure I get it back. I kind of need it."
"Oh you will." Eris smiled. She vanished in a swirl of mist. "You will."
Neshae stood up and picking up his cheesey poofs, he made his way back to the campfire.
If anyone wants to read my other fan fics, go here:
http://hyperactivemothman.deviantart.com/
The Prophesy of the Gems
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Prologue
There was darkness in the tunnel. If there were stalagmites or cave creatures or anything at all, no one was able to see them. All was still. All was silent. All was dark.
A bright light suddenly filled the cavern. Formations that had taken millions of years to grow were suddenly illuminated by the glow of a white portal. THe portal was enormous, filling up an entire wall.
A dark figure was suddenly thrown out of the portal. He coughed for a moment, his hand immediately going to his chest, expecting a bloody hole to be there. But there was none. He was confused for a moment. The last thing he remembered was the vampire stabbing him with the Fire Blade, the blade that should have been his.
A vengeful anger filled the mage's heart as he stood up. With the light of the portal behind him, his dark cloak and huge hat seemed to cast the cave in shadow once again. His yellow eyes peered at his surroundings.
Everything suddenly came back to him. He had died several years ago. Neshae, the brother of his arch enemy, Rayman, had stabbed him half to save the world and half for revenge for their parents' deaths. Dark had spent the last few years in the spirit realm. But why was he back now? He turned around to look at the portal. Why had he gone through it in his body completely healed? Intending to find out, he turned away from the portal and started through the cave.
Aside from discovering the reasons behind his return, the mage had another objective to fulfill. He would pick up where he left off. He would slay the two limbless rats that caused his death, steal the Snake Cross Amulet from the limbless ***** that was always a step out of his reach, and then take over.
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Chapter 1
"Awwwwwww! They're so cute!" Aneishen wailed.
Rayman had met the weather sorceress before during their battle with the witch, Figuya, but it had been a while since then. This was the first time for her to meet his children.
Yehaiel was in Rayman's hands. His son was a year old and had inherited Rayman's blonde hair and deep blue eyes, but also Ly's limbs and fairy tail. THe one-year-old looked up at Aneishen curiously and sucked on his thumb.
Amej, Yehaiel's twin sister, was asleep in Ly's arms. She had the same purple hair and green eyes that her mother had, but was limbless like her father.
"When are you gonna have some little babies?" Aneishen's gaze fell upon a tall figure standing next to Rayman.
Neshae snapped from his trance. Being Rayman's twin brother, he looked generally a lot like him. But not being an identical twin, he also looked very different. Like Rayman, he was limbless, but his hair was black and his eyes were green. Instead of a purple shirt with a white ring on the chest like Rayman wore, Neshae wore a black shirt with a red bull's eye on it. And where his brother's shoes were yellow with an orange swirlie, his were green with splotches of gray. THough the biggest difference between the two were the large bat-like wings that wrapped around his body almost like a cape. Neshae had been bitten years ago by a vampire and been turned into one.
"Huh?" He asked, only just realizing he had been asked a question.
"Eh, he'll have them sooner or later." Alaesia spoke for him.
Alaesia and Aneishen looked close enough to be sisters. Both had black hair, though Aneishen's was considerably longer than Alaesia's. Alaesia's hair was only about the length of Ly's. Aneishen's hair also had streaks of silver going through it, sparkling like her violet eyes in contrast to Alaesia's orange ones. While Aneishen was clad in mostly black leather, Alaesia wore more casual clothing of jeans, a green shirt, and black tennis shoes. Around her neck were two necklaces. THe one on the outside of her shirt was a gold chain with a "D" charm. THe necklace that was hidden under her shirt was a black chain that held a blue cross of two snakes bound together by a ring that surrounded them.
Aneishen shrugged and returned her attention to Rayman's children. "You're just too cute!" she told Yehaiel who continued to stare at her.
"Hate to break up this nauseatingly sweet overly cute moment here," Neshae said, "but I'm starved. There anything to eat around here?"
Aneishen almost seemed to cringe, the thought of Neshae's fangs piercing her neck flashing through her mind. "What did you have in mind?"
Neshae shrugged. "I dunno, a burger maybe? I'm hungry for just about anything. I haven't eaten since three in the morning and you day people have me up already well into the afternoon now."
Suddenly, Ly tensed. "Something just happened..." she said, catching everyone's attention.
"WHat?" Rayman asked. Being a fairy, Ly was able to sense the presence of magic in the air, such as when a spell had just been cast.
"I don't know." Ly said, "But it isn't anything good."
As if to prove her words, there was a sound of shouting down the hall. A man dressed in a sand colored cloak skidded to a halt and turned to race down the hall towards the small group. His hair was dark and short and his eyes white and sightless. In his hand he carried a staff which he did not seem to need just then. Behind him, the person who was shouting came into view and ran after him. She was dressed in a light blue dress, her hair and eyes both gold.
"Shigyu!" the woman called. "WHat are you doing?"
Shigyu did not listen to the woman. Instead he came to a stop when he apporached the group. He leaned against his staff as if her were tired and stared into space.
Bujit, Shigyu's wife, came to a stop next to him. "What's going on?" she asked. Despite being blind, Shigyu knew exactly where he was going and who he was standing next to. He did not answer her. Instead, continuing to stare somewhat towards the ground, he began to do what he was well known for.
"THe diamonds have collided with us." he began. "The trio of gems must find the bone of a thousand men. The dark sapphire returns and comes for the light. The five worlds must be warned for a sixth world has approached. The white onyx summons the ruby lord. And all shall bow before him. A dark emerald shall come and tempt the light emerald. Fire ruby and light sapphire shall be betrayed. Amethyst hurry and prepare for battle. In the end, diamond must return with bone, for no one should return once sent back. Only then can the ruby lord shatter while sapphires shatter the onyx."
"Um..." Bujit said. "I....am not sure what all that meant." Shigyu was well known for his insight to the past, present, and future, but he spoke in riddles. Only his wife, Bujit was able to understand him and translate his prophecies. But this time, even she was slightly confused. "But something not very nice is apparently going on.
Shigyu suddenly straightened. He looked directly at Alaesia for the first time. The intensity of his sightless stare unnerved her, sending a chill down her spine. He pointed to his right. "THe Prophecy of the Gems begins. Hurry. If Tempistus returns and helps them, we may not succeed."
"Tempistus?" Alaesia asked. "But didn't Dark kill him years ago?"
Shigyu was silent. He once again leaned against his staff and stared at the floor.
Bujit took him by the arm. "COme on, let's go tell Fhuyt what you saw."
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Chapter 2
Fhuyt paced around his office. His light hair was tied back to keep out of his face while he thought. His pointed ears twitched occasionally in concentration. Alaesia, Shigyu, and Bujit stood in the room with him. Alaesia leaned up against a wall by his desk while Shigyu and Bujit sat in a pair of leather chairs along another wall. On the other side of the room from the two was a long bookshelf and on the back wall was a giant map of the known regions of their world. Shigyu miraculously managed to repeat his prediction word for word and also added a line about one thousand diamonds bringing the ruby lord.
"Well it's obvious that the gems represent certain people..." Fhuyt said more to himself than the rest of them. "Who they are I can't say. But what interests me the most is the 'bone of a thousand men' and the prediction of Tempistus' return."
"THe diamonds have collided with us..." Alaesia repeated. "Maybe someone broke through to the spirit world."
"That doesn't make much sense either, for ghosts and other spirits can travel from the spirit world to any world they choose and back." Fhyut said. "However, if someone managed to raise the dead that might be interesting."
"So what is this 'ruby lord'?" Alaesia asked.
"Well if the diamonds represent people being brought back from the dead and a thousand of them bring him, I'm afraid it has to be some powerful spirit lord. And since the prophesy obviously wants us to defeat him he can't be good." Bujit suggested. "But why one thousand diamonds? If this person wishes to raise the ruby lord wouldn't he just raise him first and be done with it?"
"Maybe he has no control over the spell and is merely waiting for him to appear somewhere among the diamonds." Fhuyt said.
"Either way, it sounds like we have to defeat him so lets figure out what this bone thing is." Alaesia said.
Fhuyt nodded. "Any ideas, anyone?"
"I'm kind of interested in how one thousand men share the same bone." Alaesia said in a slightly joking tone.
"Inheritance?" Bujit suggested.
"A family passing down a bone through the generations?" Alaesia winced. "Isn't that a little gross?"
Fhuyt looked up suddenly and started walking toward a bookshelf across the room from Shigyu and Bujit. "Unless it's a weapon. And weapons made for defeating the undead are usually made of bone." He took a book from the shelf and opened it, flipping through the pages.
After a moment he began to read speak. "Legend of the Starbone. It says that the ancient Ianishians created a throwing star boomerang out of the skull of their first deceased leader, Aopheir. It was fused with five gems, each one representing the magical elements fire, water, air, earth, and spirit. With the power of the first four gems the fifth would be activated and used to seal up portals to the spirit world. It was passed down through the clan for generations, always going to the heir to the throne. At one point there were four who wished to claim the throne and each tried to take the Starbone, causing it to break into five pieces. It was decided that the center piece would remain in their temple and whoever could put all five pieces back together would gain the throne. Unfortunately, none were willing to give up their pieces and loose their change to rule and so the Starbone was never fixed. But this is the only thing that even resembles a bone of a thousand men."
"So we find the pieces and this portal to the spirit world that dead people are supposedly popping out of and throw it in?" Alaesia asked.
"Along with a sacrifice." Fhuyt said. "Both the book and the prophesy say that a 'diamond' has to be returned to the portal with the Starbone."
"So when we do that do all the people who came out die again?" Alaesia asked.
"I'm not sure. I doubt it. It closes the portal, not undoes the spell. But we must find them quickly before this 'ruby lord' comes out. And Lord knows when Tempistus will come out and join them like Shigyu said."
"So where are the pieces?" Bujit asked.
"I'd assume in the land of the Ianishians." Fhuyt said, pointing at a spot on the map. "Ianishua. Very large place. I recommend we split up once we get there to save time." He turned around to face the three again. "Get the others ready. We leave tomorrow."
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Chapter 3
"Catch!" Globox shouted as he threw the ball through the air. It flew a good distance before being caught by a smaller glute, who was then burried by the others. The Baby Globoxes squeaked at each other, each one trying to get the ball away from the other. Finally, the one who had caught the ball crawled out from under the pile, ball still clutched in its hands. It ran back towards Globox, preparing to throw the ball back to his daddy.
The other baby globoxes scrambled to their feet to try to catch their brother before he could make the throw. He wound his arm back and threw the ball to Globox, knowing his victory was at hand.
It was not Globox who caught the ball, however. Another person had entered the small clearing without the globoxes noticing. A clawed hand caught the ball in midair before it could reach Globox. The glutes stared in horror at the intruder. It was humanoid like in appearance with thick, brown skin to make it invincible and long, thick claws on its hands and feet. An ugly face with a big mouth looked down at the babies from under the hood on its head. There was no doubt in their minds what this creature was. It was a knaaren. And not just any knaaren, Globox saw, but Reflux, the knaaren Rayman had defeated long ago.
Seeing their terror, Reflux chuckled and squeezed the ball, causing it to pop and deflate. "Where is Rayman?" he asked. "I got a score to settle with him."
The group of people stood outside the Shades Against Evil building, a soft breeze blowing past them, warning of ill fortune. Rayman, Ly, Aneishen, and Alaesia were going to return to Rayman's world to take Yehaiel and Ameaj home. Ly would stay and prepare for any trouble in their world while Alaesia teleported Rayman back to this world so they could catch up with the rest of the group later. Aneishen was just going so she could see some more of Rayman's world. Dorithmir, Fhuyt, Shigyu, Neshae, and Bujit were going to start the journey to find out where the pieces of the Starbone were kept. All they were waiting on at that moment was Fhuyt.
When he finally arrived, he seemed a bit rushed. "Okay, Rayman, you need to go back to your world, right?" Rayman barely had time to nodd before he continued. "And you two will meet the rest of us on the way, correct?" Alaesia nodded. "Okay, one portal coming up."
He held out a hand and the mist from the ocean next to them came together and swirled, changing to black, gold, and purple. "Good luck to you." he said before Rayman jumped through.
When Rayman reached the other side of the portal, he saw all the Globoxes in a clearing looking up in horror at a knarren.
What?! Rayman thought. Not knaaren in the forests again. He remembered well what happened last time knaaren appeared in the forests. It was a moment later that he recognized the knaaren.
"Rayman!" Reflux smiled at him. Alaesia and Aneishen came out of the portal, followed by Ly holding Yehaiel amd Ameaj. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." He dropped the deflated ball and walked towards Rayman. "I've been waiting a long time for this!"
Rayman got between Reflux and his children, determined to protect them no matter what. But in reality, he wasn't sure what to do. The only times he had been able to defeat Reflux he had only broken his staff or the sceptar stolen from the knaaren king. What killed Reflux in the past was the magic backfiring when the sceptar exploded.
But then that brought another problem. Reflux was supposed to be dead.
Before the knaaren reached Rayman, he suddenly was lifted off the ground by some invisible force. Rayman didn't need to turn around to know that Alaesia had picked Reflux up with her soul powers. At least Reflux's body still had a soul. Otherwise her powers would be useless against him.
With the ease of one of the baby globoxes throwing the ball before it was deflated, Alaesia flung the knaaren into a tree. While Reflux was out of the way Ly ran to Globox.
"GLobox, take the kids and get out of here." she told him. "It's not safe for them here. And from the looks of things it won't be for a while."
Globox nodded and took the two twins in his arms. Then he and the baby globoxes fled the scene, leaving Rayman, Alaesia, Aneishen, and Ly alone with Reflux.
"What is that thing?!" Aneishen asked.
"A knaaren." Alaesia told her. Reflux got back to his feet and roared at the small group. "They're invincible so magic isn't going to help us much." She picked Reflux up with her soul powers again and flung him against another tree. "Though we can wear him out a bit if I keep this up."
WHen Reflux stood again he reached up to the sky, calling clouds to the clearing. Lightning flashed, coming to the ground and striking the ground next to Rayman. He jumped to the side, remembering the two attacks Reflux was combining. Aneishen tried to make the lightning strike Reflux instead, but the knaaren merely put up a transparent shield of power to block the attack. Meanwhile, everyone was having to dodge lightning strikes.
"Keep shooting lightning at the shield!" Rayman called to Aneishen. "I have an idea!"
Aneishen nodded and continued her lightning attack. Sure enough, the longer she held it, the smaller the shield seemed to get. Eventually it disappeared entirely.
Reflux seemd caught off guard for a moment. He shook his head and began shooting yellow balls of energy at Aneishen. Alaesia quickly got in front of the weather sorceress and put up a fire shield of her own, making the balls of energy bounce off in different directions. Some of them hit Reflux, causing him to cry out in pain and surprise.
Seeing this, Rayman wound up his fists, shooting them at the balls and causing them to shoot back at Reflux. Ly picked up a stick and started batting the balls at the knaaren as well. The knaaren stopped shooting at Aneishen and swayed back and forth for a moment, dizzy from the damage. But then he shook his head to clear it and glared at Rayman.
The knaaren's limbs began to grow bigger and bigger as his body grew taller. Large lumbs nearly covered his skin as he grew many times his original height.
"How is he doing that?" Alaesia asked Rayman. "I thought the way he was able to do that last time was because he had the sceptar."
"I thought so too." Rayman said. "But apparently, the sceptar gave him all the power he needed. Andre was the one who still needed the sceptar afterwards.
With an unearthly shriek, Reflux brought one of his massive, clawed fists down to the ground, sending the four into the air.
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Chapter 4
While Rayman and his friends were up in the air, one of Reflux's hands came around and hit them, sending them all flying. As they crashed to the ground, Reflux prepared to do it again.
A burst of flame suddenly rose from the ground between them and Reflux, however, causing Reflux to take a step back in surprise. The flame took a familiar shape, the shape of a figure in a long cloak and really big hat. The fire suddenly disappeared, becomming that figure.
Dark turned to Rayman, glaring at him. Then he saw the Snake Cross Amulet around Alaesia's neck.
"Looks like we were right." Alaesia said. "The dead are comming back."
"Yes." Dark said. "I have returned. And this time I will have that amulet and destroy you all."
Alaesia's hand went to the amulet. "Not if I can help it."
"You think--" Dark began, but was cut off.
"Rayman is MINE to kill." Reflux said, having shrunk down to his original size.
Dark turned around to face Reflux. "That is where you are wrong. I have a score to settle with Rayman."
"So do I." Reflux said.
"Well you can have his remains." Dark said, turning back around. "But I am going to take the final blow."
Reflux picked up the dark mage. "No, I will!"
Dark threw an irritated glance at Rayman, annoyed about the delay, then finally said, "We'll settle this somewhere else." Then the two suddenly vanished in a burst of flame.
Sudden heat behind the group made them jump and turn around, but the fire was gone as quickly as the fire that had taken Dark and Reflux.
"Everyone okay?" Rayman asked.
"I think so." Alaesia said. "But...where's Aneishen?"
Everyone looked around, unable to find the weather sorceress. When the truth finally hit them, they stared at each other in slight shock.
"He took her too." Ly said.
Aneishen opened her eyes, not sure where she was. The floor she lay on seemed to be made out of some kind of chocolate, preserved to keep it from melting and to be as strong as tile. The walls were similarly constructed, only they were made of some kind of cream with bits of yellow candy.
Where am I? She wondered. There was a door made of chocolate cake with icing on the top to her right and a window to her left. She stood up and went to the window first and her jaw dropped. As far as she could see everything was made out of either cake or candy of some kind. She was in a great fortress in the middle of this amazing land, several stories above the ground.
"Welcome," said a voice behind her. Aneishen turned around to see Dark standing in the room. "To the Candy Chateau."
"Why did you bring me here?" Aneishen asked him.
"I was originally going to just kill all of you and take the Snake Cross Amulet from you, but the blasted thing has apparently accepted that girl as its master, making it useless to me unless it is given freely." Dark said.
"And you think Alaesia's going to give it to you to free me?" Anaeishen asked skeptically.
"If she ever wants to see you alive again." Dark said, then he was gone in a burst of flame like before.
Aneishen tried to open the door and escape, but it was locked. Her attention then turned to the window again. It was time to get out of here.
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Chapter 5
Aneishen brought the cotton candy clouds together from the sky and formed a platform to stand on. When it was solid enough she climbed out the window and stood on the cloud. Controling the could was difficult since it was more candy than cloud, but eventually she managed to lower herself to the ground. Then she took off, running along a path made of the same candy that the walls of her prison were made of.
Suddenly, the path changed to slippery, white, whipped cream and she slid off her feet and down hill. When she finally got to her feet at the bottom she saw a clown holding a giant hammer. She stood ready, prepared to fight.
The clown gave her a curious look, then hit the ground with his hammer, causing a vibration that knocked Aneishen off her feet.
"Didn't see that coming..." she grumbled, seeing the clown come closer with a creepy, overly happy look in its face. She scrambled to her feet, only to be knocked to the ground again by the clown's hammer.
Just as the hammer was about to hit her while she was on the ground, a burst of flame surrounded her and a pair of hands grabbed her waist. The clown sheilded its eyes and took a step back, moaning over its lost prey. Just as quickly as it had come, the fire vanished, taking her with it.
She was thrown to the floor of the same room she had been in before. Dark stood over her, a furious look in his eyes. If he didn't need her as bait she would have sworn he'd have killed her right now.
"Thanks." she said.
"Don't try that again." Dark said coldly. "You may have strong abilities, but there are things here that you aren't prepared for. Next time you may not be so lucky." He muttered something about stupid kids before leaving her alone yet again.
I'm not a kid. She thought, crossing her arms, I'm into my twenties now. She dediced she wouldn't try to escape again. Not just yet. Maybe she could learn a bit more about the land from Dark, or maybe figure out how to control the cotton candy clouds for a bit longer so she could just fly out. Whatever she was going to do, it wouldn't be today.
Rayman, Alaesia, and Neshae made their way towards the Candy Chateau. It was where Dark's lair had been when he had first stolen the Heart of the World, or as some called it, the Great Protoon. Rayman figured he'd still be there and that was where they'd find Aneishen.
The group had decided to split up. Ly was going to go to the Fairy Counsil to get the fairies and anyone else ready for battle. If the dead was rising, there would be a battle. Rayman, Alaesia, and Neshae were going to rescue Aneishen, then meet up with the others, who were going to go ahead and find the Starbone.
Though along with the dread of what enemies might rise and attack them, Rayman couldn't help but feel an anxiety for a whole other reason. If they waited long enough to destroy the portal, would his parents come out of it?
Dark had destroyed Rayman's planet years ago. Rayman, his mom, and Neshae were among the few who escaped. His father had been killed just before the planet's destruction, and his mother had died to protect him. He wanted more than anything to see them again, to show them who he had become, his wife, his children, to have his family back.
Also, Rayman didn't really feel like he'd had enough time with his father. He remembered being a little kid and playing games with Baeein many years ago. Something would happen and he felt it was his job to go save the world. He could be gone for days at a time, sometimes even longer.
"Rayman, you still with us?" Neshae's voice woke Rayman from his thoughts.
"Huh? Yeah." Rayman answered.
Neshae sighed. "You're thinking of Mom and Dad, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Rayman nodded.
"Me too."
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Chapter 6
It was not long before the small group reached Ianishua. It was a very richly built city, its buildings seeming to be carved out of stone with intricate carvings on the inner and outer walls. Fhuyt could not help but gaze in awe at the history that these walls told.
These structures must be hundreds of years old... He thought to himself as the pirest led him deep into the temple. Behind him were his companions, Dorithmir, Shigyu, and Bujit.
"Not much further." the bald priest said, his white robe sweeping the stone floor behind him. He stopped at a door and took a torch off the wall. "But the rest of the journey won't be as pretty as it has been."
Fhuyt nodded and followed the priest as he opened the door and stepped down a staircase that led into drakness.
The walls were damp and the floor was slippery, despite being made from same seamless stone that everything else was made of in this city. The five had to be careful when decending into the gloom.
When they finally reached the bottom of the steps they were comfronted with a large, stone door. In the center of the handleless door was a round sphere that glittered with a white light.
The priest held his hands up behind him, gesturing the four to halt, then continued to the door. He removed the sphere and it stopped glowing. The only light in the room was now the torch light.
There was a scraping noise, like stone grinding against stone, and the door slid open, to reveal a brightly lit chamber. It was then known where the dampness came from.
Five waterfalls cascaded on the edge of the circular room. The water flowed along little paths of stones of red, green, blue, white, and yellow, to five platforms in the center of the room. Plants, moss, and ivy grew along the wall and between the waterfalls, though the source of the light remained unknown. Four of the pillars were empty, while the one closer to the white stoned path held a single shard of bone.
The bone was yellowed with age and appeared to have four limbs broken off of it. In the middle of it was a round, white diamond.
"This is the temple where we keep the center piece of the Starbone." the priest said, allowing the group to enter the room. "Though it may not leave the temple until it is healed, you may bring all the pieces to it and then take it with you."
"Shouldn't one of the decendants of the princes be the one to heal it?" Bujit asked.
The priest smiled as though the thought were funny. "You will need all the luck you can get just getting the pieces from them. Don't trouble yourself with trying to get three of the families to back off and let one take the throne. Besides, we've lived rulerless for many years and we have done just fine. Just get the pieces of the Starbone back here so you can heal it and use it to defeat the evil upon us."
Fhuyt nodded. "Thank you for showing us this room and allowing us to find the pieces." He said. "But we have one more favor to ask of you. Where did the princes go?"
"Ah." the priest said as if he had planned on telling them and merely forgotten. "The family of Dheius was split into four separate families when four could not decide who among them would rule. It was their greed that split them apart. But now each family dwells in a different direction. Each an equal distance away from Ianishua so that neither would be at more advantage to get to the throne. Each a days walk away.
"The family decended from Prince Aquemin, guardians of the shard of the Starbone infused with the blue water sapphire, have gone West. The family of Prince Infermin, guardians of the shard containing the red fire ruby, journeyed South. THe family of Prince Solinio, guardians of the shard with the green earth emerald, went North. And last, the family of Prince Breazen, guardians of the wind shard, now live in the East."
"Thank you for your time, father." Fhuyt bowed. "But we have a long journey ahead of us and must begin it."
"I understand." the pirest smiled. "You are welcome back here anytime. Good bye, and good luck." As they walked back up the slipery stepps, the priest stayed behind and relplaced the sphere back into the hole in the door, causing it to close again.
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Chapter 7
When night came was when Aneishen made her next move. She wasn't going to let Dark use her to get the amulet. She may not be able to leave the fortress, but she could make Dark think she had and just hide until her friends came to rescue her.
As she suspected, the door was locked. Oh well. She thought and managed to call lightning from the cotton candy clouds. She zapped the door with the lightning she had called, melting the chocolate and allowing her to slide it open.
She stuck her head out the door and looked both ways. The candy hallway was completely empty. She crept out and started down the hall.
There was a voice further down the hall. Aneishen's heart leapt and she quickly turned into a flower as close to the wall as she could get.
Dark walked from behind a corner, going across the intersection in the halls and out of sight. Who he was with more or less surprised Aneishen.
The person looked very much like Rayman but his skin was grayish-purple. His hair and clothing was also purple, but in various shades. His eyes were almost a glowing yellow. Aneishen guessed that this was Rayman's evil twin, Dark Rayman, created yet again.
The last time Dark Rayman was created, he had been made to get stronger every time he was killed. And Rayman still managed to beat them. Aneishen wondered what new upgrades Dark Rayman had gotten this time. She decided to follow the two and find out. That way she could warn Rayman when they met again.
Aneishen shifted back to her human form and crept behind Dark and Dark Rayman, staying as far behind as she could, staying just close enough so they were sill in earshot.
"Are you sure she can't get out again?" Dark Rayman asked.
"I'm sure. The candy of this fortress is inedible and she has no way to melt it. And she won't make it out the window again. I have minions patrolling outside this time." Dark told him. "And she'll be checked on regularly. I will make sure she stays here."
"Okay, fair enough." Dark Rayman said. "Now when can I go kill Rayman?"
"You'll get to soon. I want them to get a little closer first. When they are ready for the ambush I'll have them separated. I'll pick off the others one by one and you can kill him. Then we can force Alaesia to give me the amulet and get rid of her and the brat we captured. Then the world is ours."
"Okay. Now what about the knaaren?"
Dark waved the question away. "He's powerless against me. I have him down below right now. I'll take care of him later. Besides, he may be of use to us if we can persuade him to join us."
"Wait a minute..." Dark stopped. He turned around.
Aneishen was just barely quick enough to turn into a flower again. But Dark noticed her this time. He slowly walked towards the flower growing in such an unusual place. Aneishen prayed that he didn't find out what she was.
"Weeds." Dark grumbled and raised a foot over her. "You can never get rid of them."
Aneishen silently swore and rolled to the side. While Dark hesitated in surprise, she shifted back into her human form and ran down the hallway.
She did not get far before a wall of fire sprouted from the ground in front of her, causing her to stop. She turned around and glared at her captor.
Dark Rayman looked like he would have liked to say "I told you so." But he knew better. He just watched as Dark approached Aneishen. She stood ready, prepared to fight him if she had to.
"So you can turn into plants too?" Dark asked.
"I can do many things that you don't know of." Aneishen said coldly.
Dark grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eye. "All I need is you to be alive when your friend comes to rescue you. I don't need you to be in top condition. So if you would like to avoid pain beyond your imagination, I suggest you stay put." He waved for Dark Rayman. "Go ahead and put her in another room. One that she is less likely to escape from."
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Chapter 8
Neshae took the first watch as Rayman and Alaesia fell asleep for the night. The campfire still roared, casting a red-orange glow on the three travelers. Thousands of stars twinkled in the dark purple sky around the two moons. It was a beautiful night to go hunting.
"Neshae..." a voice said, coming from behind him.
Neshae turned around and saw a green mist hanging over the ground. He drew his Fire Blade, wondering what it was.
"Come..." the voice said. "I have something for you." The mist started to move away form the camp fire.
Neshae thought for a moment, wondering whether or not it was a trap. In the end, he shrugged and followed the mist.
After a while of walking, the mist finally stopped and turned into a beautiful woman wearing a green dress. She almost kind of reminded him of Figuya, but her dress was green instead of blue and her hair was dark green and straight instead of black and curly. Not to mention she was alive and Figuya had been killed a while back.
"Neshae." She said. She raised her left hand as if holding a platter and a barrel of cheesey poofs appeared in thin air.
Neshae's face lit up. "I'm listening."
The cheesey poof barrel floated to Neshae and landed on the ground before him. He sat on the ground took off the purple lid, and started eating the crunchy balls of cheese.
"I thought you might like those." The woman smiled. Her voice seemed to echo from all around him. "My name is Eris. I am the goddess of chaos."
Neshae saluted. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you have a shrine nearby you can be sure to get an offering from me."
Eris smiled. "I have a special task for you. I have chosen you because I know that like me, you love causing chaos."
"You got that right." Neshae said.
"When your friends find all the pieces of the Starbone and heal it, I want you to give it to me." Eris told him.
"Why?" Neshae asked.
"Never mind that." Eris said. "I have plans for it. You'll get it back. And in return I will give you the best shot of caffeine you have ever had. The chaos that will unfold shall be grand. You'll have hundreds running away from your greatness in terror."
"You gots me interested." Neshae said. "So where do I find you when they have the Starbone?"
"A little ways south of the temple the Center Bone lies in. I'll be waiting for you there. And no need to tell anyone about this. They might not let you take the Starbone."
"Alrighty then." Neshae said. "Just make sure I get it back. I kind of need it."
"Oh you will." Eris smiled. She vanished in a swirl of mist. "You will."
Neshae stood up and picking up his cheesey poofs, he made his way back to the campfire.