Ch 15: Heroes Assemble!

Gathering together at the Seeker's tower, Angelorum Lux's entire team along with a good number of their allies meet in preparation for the next step in the battle to save the world.

            As everyone else ate and talked amongst themselves, Alexander and Serius pulled Elizabeth aside. Moving over to the outside water pump where they were sure to be out of earshot of the others, as they arrived, Elizabeth asked, “Well, well… What might this be about?” Getting to the point, Alexander said, “I’m afraid that Marcyl will have to be kept under our protection until all of this is over.” With a slight laugh, Elizabeth said, “Not happening! I am grateful for the way you came to our rescue, but Marcyl is my student, and the academy is her home.” Crossing his arms, Alexander sighed and said, “Yes, she is your student. Yet as a mere teacher, you cannot hope to protect her against Altera Veritas. The academy is her home, it’s true. But it is already proven she is not safe there. Instead of stubbornly ignoring the simple facts, why don’t you consider your options more carefully?” 

Elizabeth donned a stubborn look and refused to meet his gaze, but then Serius said, “I know you do not wish to place her in danger, but you must understand that Marcyl is already in great danger. She holds part of Vas Initio’s power, and Alastor has many ways of gathering information. He will know if she returns. Letting her go home is simply not an option.” Deliberating a moment more before heaving a sigh, Elizabeth said, “Very well, I will allow it under two conditions…” Raising an eyebrow questioningly, Alexander said, “Conditions?” Adjusting her glasses and glancing in the direction of the cafeteria, Elizabeth said, “First of all, I want Johnny and Erika returned to the academy.” With a nod, Serius said, “Of course. That was our intention as well.” Smirking, Elizabeth continued, “Second, I will be accompanying you as well.” Surprised, Alexander said, “What about your duties as Headmistress?” Without hesitation, Elizabeth replied, “I’m well aware I’m likely needed now more than ever back at the Academy after everything that has happened, but if Marcyl must go with you, then as her teacher and guardian, I must watch over her. Are there any objections to my conditions?” Shrugging his shoulders, Alexander said, “If you’re truly willing to face such a journey, I suppose it’s not a problem. What do you think Serius?” Serius simply replied, “It’s agreed.”

            Defiantly, Pyro said, “No way!” Having been called into the tower by Elizabeth and told that they would be returning to the academy while Marcyl and Elizabeth would be staying, Johnny and Pyro weren’t making things easy. Donning a cocky grin, Johnny said, “For once, I’m with Pyro. You ain’t getting rid of Johnny Spark so easily! This here’s the perfect opportunity to show the world just how bright Lorem Academy’s number one star can shine!” Clearly not on the same wavelength, Pyro turned to him and said, “Are you crazy man?! You almost died! That guy is after Marcyl’s scepter, so we should just give it to Angelorum Lux and go home! I know Grey is already too involved, but Marcyl has nothing to do with this!” Crossing her arms with a stern expression, Elizabeth said, “This isn’t up for discussion! I don’t like it any more than you, but Marcyl is in this just as deep as Grey is now. The scepter is nothing but a representation of the power within Marcyl. It cannot simply be given away!” 

Eyes wide in disbelief, Pyro said, “You’ve gotta be kidding…” Standing next to Elizabeth, Marcyl cheerily said, “Don’t worry Pyro! As long as Grey and his friends are there, I’m sure it’ll all be okay!” Johnny chimed in, saying, “Yeah, with my fated rival around it’ll be a cinch, so why can’t I-” Johnny was cut short as Pyro bonked him on the head and exclaimed, “Shut it already you moron!” As the two started to squabble, Elizabeth sighed and said, “I can understand your concern Erika, I really do, but this is out of our hands. I will look after her as best I can, but you must go back to the academy. After the attack, I’m sure they will need everyone to help put things back together so that everyone can return to their daily lives. I didn’t want to say this, but there were likely casualties from the battle as well. Aren’t you worried about your friends at home? What about your mother Johnny?” Reality dawning on them, Pyro, Johnny, and Marcyl turned pale at these words, Marcyl gasping, “Oh no, Tory! What if he was…?!”

            Suddenly the door opened and Claire stepped in. Seeing them all with dire looks on their faces, she said, “Oh my, is there something wrong?” Not seeming to have noticed her, Johnny muttered, “Mom…” Straightening her glasses nervously, Elizabeth said, “It’s nothing, you may take them back now.” Understanding the situation, Claire said, “You need not worry Johnny, your mother is alright. The shop is a little messed up, but I’m sure with your help it will be back in order in no time.” As Johnny heard this, a wave of relief washed over him. Hoping to hear good news as well, Marcyl quickly asked, “Um, Miss Claire? Do you know if Tory is ok? He’s the demonfolk boy who was with us at the church.” Nodding, Claire said, “He and his mother were saved by Fox and Serius. They’re both fine, though they’re quite concerned about what happened to you all.” Looking to Johnny and Pyro, Claire added, “I know you don’t want to be separated from Marcyl, but you’re both needed back home. Grey and the others are waiting outside to send you off, so if you’re going, then now’s the time.” 

With that Claire exited the tower. After a moment, Johnny turned to Elizabeth and said, “Alright, you win this time Headmistress. If my fated rival starts slacking off though, you’d better believe I’ll be back!” Watching Johnny go, as the door closed behind him, Pyro hesitantly said, “Marcyl… be careful…” Smiling, Marcyl said, “Yep yep! No worries! Oh hey, maybe we can keep in touch by cell phone!” Looking at her in confusion, Pyro said, “Since when do you have one? You always save your money for snacks.” With a pouting expression, Marcyl said, “Are you saying I eat too much?!” Pyro simply laughed nervously. Clearing her throat, Elizabeth said, “You’d better get going Erika.” Nodding and turning to go, as Pyro reached the door, she paused as Marcyl called out, “Say hi to Tory for me!” Turning back for one last wave, Pyro quickly followed after Johnny and Claire.

            Carrying a rolled up piece of carpeting into the rebuilt Daemonholm clothing store, Tobias’ Garments and Accessories, Schmitt called out, “Hey Tobias, where’d ya want this here carpet again?” An old looking demonfolk with ram-like white horns, along with white hair, eyes, mustache, and goatee, turned to Schmitt and straightened the collar of his black tuxedo as he said, “Ah, thank you Schmitt! I needed it over by the dressing rooms if you would.” With a big grin, Schmitt said, “Gotcha!” Carrying it over to the dressing rooms, as he saw Rufus sitting against the wall with his gray colored cat Ian in his lap, Schmitt said, “Hey now, we got work to do here Rufus! Quit slackin!” A young man with dark skin, gray eyes, and light brown hair wearing rectangular glasses, a brownish gray hat with a feather stuck in it, a brownish gray coat and collared shirt, and dark brown pants, Rufus jumped to his feet with a nervous laugh. Having expelled Ian in his haste to get up, the feline flailed about in the air, but then gracefully landed on his feet only to glare at his owner menacingly. 

Unrolling the carpet, Schmitt said, “Gimme a hand here. You hold onto one end and I’ll use this here staple gun in my pocket to staple it down.” With a sigh, Rufus grabbed hold of one of the ends and held it while Schmitt pulled out the staple gun and started stapling the carpet down. Watching Schmitt work, Rufus said, “When are we gonna be done doing all this construction work Schmitt? I’m an Ace Reporter you know, I’m not built for jobs like this.” With a sparkle in his eyes, he added, “My element is where the action is! Bravely venturing forth into dangerous situations to get the scoop of all scoops!” Chuckling, Schmitt said, “Just hold yer horses for a while. With Teramis floatin round up in the sky, I’m sure the others are gonna be busy for a lil bit. Sides, even though it was Mythra who accidentally blew the place to hell, it’s only fair we do somethin to make things right with the people of the city.” Hanging his head in defeat, Rufus said, “I guess that’s true. Still, I don’t see why it’s just you and me…” Shooting another staple into the carpet, Schmitt said, “What, I ain’t good company? This here’s a man’s work, wouldn’t sit right by me to drag Saria and Bella into this. That, and the troupe’s busy with their show and all that stuff, so it’s just us.”

            Suddenly a voice said, “Oh? Am I intruding then?” Turning to see Claire walk up to them, Schmitt grinned and said, “Claire! Alexander told us over the phone about how they all made it to yer tower, but what in blazes are ya doin here?” Smiling warmly at them, Claire said, “I’ve come to bring everyone back to the tower. We’re going to be planning our next course of action, so if it’s not too much trouble, I was hoping you could get everyone together.” Holding onto the carpet with one hand, Rufus pumped a fist in the air and said, “Yes! Finally!” Standing and withdrawing a cell phone from his other pocket, Schmitt said, “Well sure! Lemme get in touch with the troupe. Think Bella oughta be back from her morning training in the mountains by now, and Mana should know where Saria’s at.” 

As Schmitt dialed, Rufus let the carpet go and grabbed Ian, sticking the cat firmly on his hat as he said, “Say Claire, we’re gonna be taking one of those crazy magic portals this time, right?” Nodding, Claire said, “Yes. I would have opened one for you last time, but as I said, the magical forces generated by the portal would have affected the cure for the poison Alexander contracted from Blood King.” Nodding merrily, Rufus said, “Oh yeah, I remember now! So, anything special I should know when taking a magic portal somewhere? I mean, it’s not like there’s any chance I could get my molecules mixed up and come out dead or anything right? What am I saying, that’s silly!” As he laughed, Claire chuckled as well, and then she said, “Such a strange sense of humor you have Rufus! No, you don’t have to worry about something like that. However, I do suggest you keep your appendages close to your body and remain still once you step into the portal. Otherwise you could lose an arm or a leg…” 

His laughter quickly diminishing as he turned pale, Rufus stuttered, “Y-y-you’re k-kidding right?” Unable to suppress her laughter, Claire said, “Of course! Really Rufus, there’s nothing to worry about.” His color starting to return to him, Rufus heaved a sigh of relief. Speaking on the phone in the background, Schmitt was saying, “Gimme a sec, I’ll ask her.” Looking over at Claire, he asked her, “Where are we meetin to take the portal Claire?” Thinking a moment, Claire said, “Anywhere as long as we won’t frighten anyone. If they’re already there, I suppose we could just meet them at the Obsidian Citadel.” Speaking into the phone again, Schmitt said, “Ok, ya’ll just stay put and we’ll come to you.”

            Walking down the hall towards the VIP lounge where Gibolu and the rest of the troupe were, Mana closed her cell phone and said, “They said they’ll come here.” Walking with her were Saria and Bella. A half halman girl with red eyes, short pink hair, and cat ears, Saria wore a white shirt, a brown skirt, and short green cloak. She had a holster attached to her back by brown leather straps that were fastened around her upper body, and secured in it was a memento of her mother, a compact elven bow folded up for easy carry. Bella was a sprite that resembled an elf, and usually wore a calm and somewhat annoyed expression. She had deep golden eyes, long ears, and long hair tied in twin ponytails that was black except for her front bangs, which were gold colored. She was dressed in a black one piece skirt with a sleeveless zippered vest over it, a pair of long black heeled boots with gold designs on them, and a pair of long black gloves, also with gold designs on them. 

Turning to Saria with a smile, Mana added, “Guess that means you get to see your brother again Saria! It’s so great that they found him safe and sound, isn’t it?!” Having been depressed to the point of complete isolation after the events at Gatria, Saria’s mood had vastly improved upon hearing of Grey’s return, and while Scott’s betrayal was still hard on her, something else was on her mind. Having been lost in thought, Saria didn’t answer, and then Bella nudged her with her elbow. Startled, Saria exclaimed, “Ah! W-what?” Bella crossed her arms in irritation and said in her surprisingly beautiful yet soft voice, “Space case… Don’t you want to see your big brother?” Correcting her, Mana said, “Actually Bella, they’re twins.” 

Quickly coming to a halt, Bella tilted her head in confusion and said, “What? How does that work?” As both Saria and Mana stopped and turned to her in confusion, Mana said, “How does what work?” Pointing at Saria, Bella replied, “They don’t look anything alike. Plus, she’s a girl and he’s a boy. Saria… is a girl, right?” Saria turned red and donned an indignant look, while Mana simply burst into laughter. Turning slightly red as well, Bella quickly said, “Don’t laugh… I was created with magic. How am I supposed to know?” Crossing her arms angrily, Saria said, “We’re fraternal twins!” Clearly even more confused, Bella asked, “Fraternal? Is that like being nocturnal?” As Mana clutched her sides and laughed harder, Saria simply muttered, “No…”

            Gibolu’s troupe and the rest of the team who had been in Daemonholm appeared in the forest clearing around the Seeker’s tower, and as he took a look around, Ace said, “You know, it’s to the point that I’m not even fazed by something like this anymore.” After a quick check to make sure Ian had remained atop his hat, Rufus exclaimed, “Wow Claire, this magic of yours is awesome! Your place is all the way on the other side of a continent, but it didn’t even take a second before we went from there to here!” While Claire simply waved away Rufus’ praise, Ace stared at him in embarrassment as he thought, “And he’s known these guys longer than I have? I swear, some people…” Then he merely rolled his eyes as Gibolu quickly added, “Indeed, that spell was quite extraordinary! As a fellow practitioner of magic, you have my applause Ms. Claire. Have you ever thought about going into show business?” 

Seeing Grey and the others coming over to them from the cafeteria, Schmitt called out, “Hoho, Grey! Good to see ya in one piece kid!” Laughing as he walked over to them, Grey answered, “Was there any doubt?” Waving at them all as they approached, Gibolu said, “Greetings and salutations one and all!” Nudging Saria, who had been staring intently at Grey upon seeing him, Mana said, “Hurry up and go see him!” Slowing as he drew near, Grey met Saria’s gaze and said, “Saria…” She suddenly rushed forward, and before Grey realized what had happened Saria had thrown her arms around him. Seeming on the brink of tears as she clung to him, Saria said, “I thought I’d lost the only family I had left!” Putting his arms around her as well, with a smile Grey said, “Stupid. I’m not going anywhere.” 

For a while the others watched them with smiles on their faces, but suddenly bursting into the scene, there were stars in her eyes as Marcyl exclaimed, “Ohhh! So this is your sister Grey?! She’s really pretty!” Both Grey and Saria turned to her, and Saria said, “Who…?” Before Grey could say anything, Marcyl said, “I’m Marcyl, a student from Lorem Academy! I’m sixteen, I use water based healing magic, I like cake, pie, candy, just about anything sweet, and I’m Grey’s number one fan!” Finished with her introduction, Marcyl eagerly asked, “So how about you? What’s your name? You guys are twins right? Are you an energist like Grey? What’s your power? Is that a bow on your back? It looks cool, could you show it to me?” Looking as though Marcyl’s barrage of eagerness was making her dizzy, Saria fumbled for words, finally saying, “I… I’m Saria…” Marcyl started to say, “That’s a nice name! So how about-” Suddenly coming up beside Marcyl and grabbing her by the arm, Elizabeth said, “I warned you to behave yourself Marcyl…” As Elizabeth dragged her off, Marcyl whined, “Awww, c’mon Elizabeth! I was just being friendlyyyyyy!”

            Spying Richter, Rufus rushed forth and struck a pose as he said, “Master Richter! Rufus Lenscap, Ace Reporter, has returned!” As the others stared in embarrassment, Richter seemed to be mulling over his performance a moment. Finally, Richter shook his head and said, “I can tell you’ve been practicing, but it’s still not quite there yet. You not only need the proper mix of enthusiasm and coolness, you need to learn how to adjust their levels to fit each situation. Don’t get discouraged though, announcing one’s return with an introduction is one of the most challenging scenarios. I tend to avoid it myself, not that I can’t manage it.” Bowing his head, Rufus said, “Yes Master!” 

Heaving a sigh as their antics continued, Mythra muttered, “It looks like Richter’s School for Introductions is back in business…” Standing next to her, Alexander donned a mischievous grin as he said, “No need to hold back. With a title like Mythra the Spellweaver, how could you possibly not want to join the class?” Smirking, Mythra slyly replied, “Is that so? What’s your excuse then, oh Gabriel the Immortal?” Alexander grinned even wider as he said, “Oh, I already graduated.” Eyeing him strangely, Mythra muttered, “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or pity you…” 

Meanwhile, as Bella walked up to Serius and Fox, she said, “Here’s the sword. Lucky I found it again…” Seeing Deus Amictus strapped to her back, bits of snow and ice still on the hilt, Serius said, “As I said when we split up, in its sealed form, Deus Amictus’ power is much harder to detect. I told you to hold onto it, you didn’t have to bury it…” Taking the sword off her back, Bella sounded annoyed as she replied, “Extra luggage…” Laughing at this, Fox said, “Some badass chick you are.” Just as Bella was about to give him a piece of her mind, he grinned and added, “Still, good job holdin down the fort! I knew you’d be fine.” Taken aback, Bella quickly crossed her arms defiantly and looked away from him as she said, “Firefart…” Hanging his head dramatically, Fox exclaimed, “Oi, not you too?! Ganging up on me like that just ain’t right!” Taking the sword, Serius said, “At any rate, it’s good that we left it behind. If Alastor had managed to obtain it, all might have been lost.”

            Suddenly rushing up to the three, Amy said, “Bella! I brought you a souvenir!” Turning to her with a curious look in her golden eyes, Bella said, “A souvenir? Is it black? I prefer to wear black.” As Amy took out the kitsune ball and offered it, Bella couldn’t hide a slight look of disappointment as she said, “A rubber ball? I’ve seen kids playing with those when I lived in the city slums, but…” In an indignant tone, Mai’s voice shouted, “IT’S NOT A RUBBER BALL!” Bella nearly jumped out of her skin, and Fox looked startled himself as he exclaimed, “What the hell?! A talking bouncy ball?!” Angrily, Mai said, “It’s not a bouncy ball lamebrain! This is MY kitsune ball, and if you think I’m gonna lend my power to you people, you’d better start showing some respect!” 

Hearing this, Amy said, “You can lend us your power with the kitsune ball?!” Sounding like she regretted having let this slip, Mai said, “D****t! Well kinda, but it would take someone with really strong spiritual abilities, like a really tough spirit energy user.” Offering the kitsune ball to Bella again, Amy said with smiling eyes, “Great! Sounds like it will be useful for Bella after all!” Still unsure she wanted it, Bella took Mai’s kitsune ball begrudgingly and said, “I do train every day, but…” As Bella held it in her hand, Mai’s voice sounded impressed as she said, “Damn sunshine! I agree you need some work, but this is some serious potential you’ve got!” Having been listening with interest, Serius said, “So you’ve encountered a kitsune Amy? I’ve heard stories of them, but to have obtained an actual kitsune ball…” 

Suddenly everyone heard Alexander call out, “Alright, everyone please settle down. It’s time to get down to business.” Then Claire suddenly stepped up beside him and said, “Not so fast Alexander. They were running a little late, but a short while ago, another group of heroes arrived. They’ve been waiting patiently in the tower for me to announce their arrival.” Caught off guard by this revelation, Alexander simply said, “Another group?” Nodding, Claire smiled and said, “Yes, sorry for not informing you sooner. I assure you that they have come here to support you as comrades, so once they introduce themselves, I want you all to try and let go of any past misgivings you may have had with them.” Before Alexander could question her further, Claire turned to the tower and called out, “We’re ready you three!” The tower door opened, and three familiar faces stepped out.