Standing on his right was a man who didn’t look very human. His skin was of a light-blue colour, and many thin lines and small circles and little symbols were all over it. His eyes were the same pretty blue as his skin, and he had no hair. There was also an “E” engraved on his forehead. It glowed a bright yellow, like the colour of the lines and little symbols and shapes that were scattered about him. He wore no clothes at all. Clover couldn’t turn herself from staring down where one key thing that defines a man should be. There was nothing there, and this was quite confusing.
The man to The Lantern’s left was dressed in black and gold. Behind his fancy apparel was a short gold cape.
“Do not think it belittling, now,” The Lantern continued, “but I cannot stay a moment more with you. I will leave you in the care of Electron. He will kill you and collect for me my treasure… Come, Hypno, we cannot let Electron finish before us,” he said, and the two strange men disappeared.
Blade, Clover, Lex and Kyle stared at the strange-looking man that stood before them. Electron, for a moment, just stared at them. His eyes flickered blue and white for that moment. As Lex and Clover readied themselves for battle, Electron finished his assessment.
Having no clue as to what kind of attack to expect from their new enemy, they stepped back a little, forming a semi-circle around Electron. Lex stared at him with even more wonder than the others. Electron… Why is this man named off a subatomic particle? And why does he remind me of Iron Man? The few Chemistry classes he had been to had him know that ‘Electron’ wasn’t a random name. Where the hell are these men from? *When* are they from? They watched as a blue light formed in Electron’s hands and sparks of bright blue fluttered about him. “Electricity,” Lex said to himself.
Yes, Maximo confirmed, a light element that is super-effective against darkness. Suddenly, as Electron held up his hands, two brilliant streaks of electricity bolted toward Blade and Clover.
So fast! Clover panicked. There was no time for any of the witch’s antics. The bolt of electricity blasted Clover, flinging her over meters in too short a time to measure, shocking her wildly. Blade managed to evade the streak of what he knew to be lightning with his well-nurtured speed.
Blade rushed toward the enemy. As he reached close enough to deliver an attack, he jammed his sword into Electron. A massive current of electricity rushed through the blade. Blade’s hair stood erect as the current pushed off the man violently. He landed at Kyle’s feet, his body jolting. Smoke rose from him. He was already unconscious. Electron grabbed the sword that was wedged deep into him. This blade was the first thing to have breached his hull. He flung the sword on the ground as the damaged area on him sparked. Lex flung the spheres he had prepared at the enemy. In an instant, Electron was covered by thick layers of ice.
Lex made a frantic turn. “Clover!” he bellowed, running toward her. Her body was still vibrating wildly. Lex fell by her and grabbed her. “Aah!” He released her at once and flashed his hands, staring down at the burnt-up, stiff looking body. Her clothes were tattered. She looked dead. Kyle ran to his sister, grabbing and dragging Blade with him, dropping his sword.
Lex stood and turned to Electron as he heard loud crackling. He watched the thick ice shatter like glass as sparks of high voltage electricity burst through it. “Maximo! Come on!” Lex blasted, and slammed his eyes shut. When he opened them, they were purely black. Lex quickly summoned up two shadowballs.
“23,000 decamites of dark energy. No threat to the hull,” Electron calculated. Lex hurled the shadowballs at Electron as he emitted two more streaks of bright electricity, one for Kyle and the other for Lex. There were loud blasts. Electron flew back a couple of meters as the shadowballs struck him, but Lex could not avoid the incoming beam of bright power. It blasted him in the chest, immediately flinging him into a state of semi-consciousness. He saw Maximo standing before him, looking around in fright. Then, Lex watched as what seemed like angry bolts of lightning rush at the man of darkness from every angle. Maximo cried out as the streaks blasted him, then everything went black.
“Uh…” Lex groaned as he cracked his eyes open. As his consciousness returned, he heard rushing footsteps and a door open.
“It’s okay now,” a calming voice said to him, a sweet, feminine voice. He slowly sat up.
“…Clover…” he muttered.
“She’s alright. She’s okay,” the voice insisted, somewhat comforting Lex. Lex’s forehead wrinkled as he stared at the pretty young woman before him.
“Is this… heaven? Are you an angel?” the boy asked dazedly. The woman giggled and blushed, hardly able to answer. “Where am I?” he asked, looking around. He noticed that to his left and right were his friends, lying on beds, all bandaged and patched up, wearing clean clothes. He jumped off the bed and rushed past the woman to Clover. With a quivering hand, he gently touched her face. He could see vaguely a white bandage under her clothes, wrapping around her back and chest. She was in a crème-green dress that reached just below her knees. Her eyes were closed. He sighed with unspeakable relief when he noticed her breathing. He rushed over to Kyle and Blade. They were in similar conditions. Lex didn’t even notice the bandages that were about his own body. He turned and looked at the woman again.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“My name is Star. I am a witch, and a healer by profession.”
“But…” Puzzle wrinkled the boy’s face.
“I was in Pirates’ Town yesterday … At least, that place between Pirates’ Town and Waterloo. I heard some excitement, so I went to see the matter. When I arrived, I saw a lightning bender drag you all to the edge of death! Who was that guy?! He looked… alien! I saw how strong he was, so I didn’t look to fight him. I waited for an opening and managed to distract him for a moment, and shifted you all outta there. Luckily, I managed to save all of you!” Star smiled. Her face was friendly and warming. Lex’s eyes were still wide. He ran up to her and hugged her tightly, squeezing the breath from her lungs. The woman laughed, struggling to keep her balance.
“There is no way to repay you for this. If you didn’t come to our rescue, Electron would have killed us all!”
“Electron? You know him?”
“Well…” Lex didn’t even know what to say. “I met him just moments before you rescued us from peril. He works for an enemy of ours.”
“Wow!” Star’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Who are you people? To have such powerful enemies!”
“Lex Leo… Do you know of the prophecy of Trium’s return?”
“Most certainly! I follow it up! He’s almost here, by the way! I can only hope the world will survive! I wonder if the boy with the demon will be able to stand against him.”
“Well… you’re lookin’ at him.” Lex smiled a little, but not quarter as confident as he previously was about facing Trium. Star stepped back with a bemused expression.
“You?! You joke, right?! I saved the life of the boy in the prophecy?!”
“You sure did!”
“What?! Do you have any idea what this means?! I am a part of the most important prophecy of all time!”
“Yeah, kinda know the feeling,” Lex said unexcitedly.
“This means my saving your life is certainly not by chance! Fate has sent me here to preserve you! You will defeat Trium!” Star’s confidence in Lex made him nervous, and his face didn’t hide it. You have the seventh spirit with you, right?!”
“Well, kinda.”
“Kinda? Oh, I see! You have one half!” she said like an eager student who knew her stuff.
“Right, but an Ionide has the other half.”
“Huh? A what?”
“The prisoner!” Lex just remembered, confusing Star even more.
“What pri—”
“Star, I can’t even thank you for all that you’ve done for us, but we must hurry off! Is there any way you can… do your magic gizmo and wake them up?!”
“No!” Star answered in a stern tone that didn’t remot
ely sound natural on her. “They’ll wake when they are fully rested! And you’re certainly not going anywhere by yourself! You’ll be killed!”
“You don’t understand, Star! I have to get to the Magmalian prison! They have a prisoner there that I need!” Of course, Star was confused. “The spirit told me. A very powerful prisoner is held captive that I’ll need on my side should I stand a chance against Trium!”
“The spirit told you that? It talks to you?” Star was quite fascinated.
“Where are we anyway?” Lex asked, ignoring Star’s question and interest.
“South Magma Town.”
“Good, Good! So how far’s the prison from here?”
“There are soldiers there!”
“I’ll take care of them!”
“Uh… Huh? What the--” Kyle held his forehead as he stepped off the bed.
***
“What?! Still no sign of him?!” King Aragan raged, “Send out a bigger search party immediately! Call for everyone! If one hair on my son’s head is hurt, death will not be enough for the Icemaker and his followers! They will know no mercy!” The king’s eyes were fiery and wild, and if any unlucky servant were to make the slightest of a mistake in act or speech, their head would be his.
“Right away, my Lord!”
***
“Star, huh?” Blade smiled a bit, admiring the woman’s splendid beauty.
“That’s right,” the witch confirmed, smiling back at him.
“How old might you be?” Blade asked.
Star went off getting all red again.
“Blade, we must hurry! The Lantern could strike any minute now! We must get to that prison!”
“Right,” Blade said, and got up from his bed, stretching his arms behind him. “My sword!” he suddenly panicked. Star giggled at the fright on Blade’s face, and walked over to a corner of the room, where she struggled to lift the scabbard. Blade reached over to her quickly relieved her of it. “Many thanks, my lady,” Blade said with a laugh. Neither Lex nor Kyle had ever seen Blade so light-hearted. Star laughed.
“When will Clover be awake?” Lex asked. He glanced over at her again. Kyle was at her bedside inspecting her. A low groan came from the girl and Lex ran over to her with great urgency, standing opposite Kyle.
They watched her slowly open her eyes. “Uh… Where am I?” she mumbled. Her voice was faint and she sounded extremely weak.
“You’re okay now,” Lex assured in a comforting voice. “A very nice lady has taken care of all of us.” Star walked over to her bedside. Clover’s vision was blurry, but she saw her.
“She’s still suffering from exhaustion. She needs rest, and lots of it.”
“Who are you?” Clover asked faintly.
“Star,” the woman introduced. “I am healer. Please go back to sleep. Gather your strength.
“Ahh…” Clover closed her eyes and exhaled quite a bit of air, then took another deep breath, and opened her eyes again. “I can’t move…”
“You’ll be alright, Clover. You just need to relax a while longer.”
“Thhank you…” She seemed to be struggling to stay awake.
“The prison’s not too far from here,” Star said.
Blade glanced through a window. “I know this place,” he said. “The prison’s about two miles north. Short walk.”
“I’d shift you there, but it’s really dangerous. Exposing my sorcery might get me killed.”
“No, you stay with Clover,” Blade said, “we’ll walk. We won’t be long either.”
“Alright.” Star looked back over at Clover.
“How long has it been since nightfall?” Blade asked.
“It’s midway between dawn and midnight.”
“Alright… Thank you again for saving my life, Star,” Blade said, bowing slightly.
“The honour is mine, Blade, the legend” she replied, smiling as usual.
“Come then. We are ready,” Blade told the boys. Kyle followed closely as Blade left the house. Lex rushed back over to Clover’s bedside. He whispered her name, touching her soft cheek lightly with the back of his hand. There was no answer. She must have been asleep. She breathed slowly and steadily. She looked so peaceful, so pretty to him. He leaned his head over her and kissed her lips softly.
Chapter 27: Mission on the Hill
The three hurried through Magma Town. There was no thick crowd to slow them down. As the cool night winds graced them, they felt energized and ready to fight. Blade led Lex and Kyle, knowing the route like it was his backyard. This campus of the Araganian prison was built in the least populated part of Magma Town, where people were hardly seen after sundown. Minutes of walking led them to the foot of the hill. They looked up. Standing torches lit the entire perimeter of the compound, and guards could be seen patrolling. Even their chatting and laughing could be heard by Blade and his team.
“Follow my lead closely and move quietly. No talking,” Blade told them. Lex and Kyle nodded. The moon rested just on top of the massive building. As he moved, Blade thought of the companions he had the last time he broke into a prison. He wondered about them. They were men from a village that hid itself from most of the maps. He had seen them in a brawl with Magmalian soldiers of high rank and stepped it and saved the outnumbered men. They were skilled, but too highly outnumbered. Blade had his own reasons for hating Magmalian soldiers.
“Alright, there’s a gate just up ahead on a few square yards of flat land,” Blade whispered. “About a dozen soldiers are based there. There are four of these groups placed at the edges of the perimeter. Look, this is a mission of stealth. Taking on the entire guard squad might be troublesome with you two here. This is the plan for the checkpoint up ahead. I will hold the commander there hostage and transfer the hostage to you, Kyle. You will take control while Lex and I advance.”
Kyle grinned.
“Any sound gets the hostage killed.”
Kyle nodded excitedly and nervously. The jittery boy followed Blade closely up the hill. As the steepness of the hill cleared, a station of soldiers was before them, just as Blade had predicted. A few soldiers were standing and walking about, while others sat on stools. There was also a small cubicle there where the commander sat guarding supplies.
“Greetings!” Blade said, reaching up to them. He glanced back at Kyle, hissing under his breath, seeing the boy had already drawn his sword.
“Commander Lynch!” one of the solders called, alerting the group’s leader. A heavily built man walked out of the cubicle. Kyle gulped, wondering if he could really hold such a beastly-looking man hostage.
“Who are you two?” the commander asked. His soldiers readied themselves to kill.
“Are you Commander Lynch?” Blade asked boldly and in a business-like tone.
“I am. What do you two want, swords up your asses?”
“Agent Cromwell from Special Unit One.”
“What the hell’s a special agent doing here?” Blade heard one soldier ask another.
“Really,” the commander scoffed, quite sceptical of this. There were quiet laughs from some of the soldiers, some of them not even sure if these special agents a few rumours spoke of were real.
“And my companion here is Special Agent Gibbs from Special Unit Two. You were chosen to be a candidate to be recruited next week. We meet with the Supreme General tonight to get some paperwork done. This is as urgent as it is involuntary.” There was a real no-nonsense vibe about Special Agent Cromwell.
“How comes I’ve never heard of this Special Unit One?” Commander Lynch asked a bit nervously.
“Your payroll doesn’t warrant such knowledge. I’m surprised an unimpressive underling like you made it through selection,” Blade said sneeringly.
Lynch glared at the Special Agent. “Tyler!” he called, still staring into Blade’s chilly eyes, “Ask this man some questions! Things Magmalian Soldiers of high ranks are supposed to know!” he commanded the know-it-all in his company.
A lanky soldier nerv
ously stepped toward Blade. “Who was the army’s first U.S.G?” he asked.
“Dammit, we’re screwed,” Kyle whispered almost loudly enough for the commander to hear.
“Lincoln Walks,” Blade answered without flinching. “His cousin, Michael Ranch succeeded him, then his son, Xavier Ranch, who was assassinated by the famed Herculean sniper, Belkam Prime, triggering the second war between Magma Town – then known as Magma Land – and Hercule. This war charged the Magmalian army 316 soldiers, and only 90 Herculeans were reportedly killed in action.”
There was awful silence for quite some time. Even Kyle was stupefied.
“Is—Is all that correct, soldier?!”
The private nodded with wide eyes, unable to speak. He had finally met a man who could challenge him. “Is this what Special Agents are like?” he whisperingly asked himself, amazed with this man’s knowledge.
“How long ago did we attack Zakashi Village?” the Commander asked. “I led that attack myself!”
Blade stared at the man silently for a moment. He heard soldiers shuffling in readiness, pulling his mind to return to the present. “Nine years… eight months… four days have passed since the invasion,” Blade stated.
“Hmm…” the commander was certainly impressed with Agent Cromwell by now.
“Come with me, then. We shouldn’t keep the supreme general waiting,” Cromwell said.
Lynch laughed heartily. “Imagine that, boys!” He left his sword behind, quickly walking toward the serious swordsman. “I’ll never forget you dogs!” he bade them. Blade flashed a glance at Kyle. In haste, Kyle grabbed the frightened commander roughly, already pressing his sword against his neck. “What is this?!” the commander asked nervously.
“Shhh….” Blade put his finger on the man’s lips. The other soldiers surrounded them in promptness, swords drawn. “One sound from any of you and Lynch’s head will roll down this hill,” Blade threatened. “It’s simple. No noise. Everyone. Cubicle. Now.”
“Do as he says,” Commander Lynch told his men. The soldiers quickly packed themselves inside the cubicle.
“The key. Give it here,” Blade told the commander.
The Seventh Spirit Page 38
