- Corazón de
Guatemala -
Ice Guardian and Elite Dragon were dragged
into the depths of Xibalba once more. There were some webs on the floor, but
they were not stepping on them. Since his last visit to that haunted place,
Anael became more careful and instructed Kimi to act the same.
“I don’t like the looks of this…” Hissed
Elite Dragon “Guardian, where do you think your brother and Melchior can be?”
“I have no idea” Answered Ice Guardian “However,
I agree with you: I don’t like the looks of this either…”
Then, the Finn spotted a strange glow beyond
the fog, which was in front of them, and pointed at it so that Anael could see.
Elite Dragon made a sign for the blonde to follow him through the strange fog,
hoping that they could find the other three Knights.
Beyond the fog they could see some craters
covered by those lilac webs. Anael already conjured his sword, and Kimi took
the opportunity to conjure his halberd. Step by step, they proceeded to the
craters.
“Something is very, very wrong here…” Kimi
said “These webs… What are they made out of?”
“I don’t know” Answered Anael “But they are
similar to those which trapped my sister and me… Do you think that Melchior and
Kaiser are aware of it?”
Then, they heard the sound of an explosion
coming northwest of them, up a hilltop.
“Help!” Someone shouted “Auta minua!”
“It’s finnish!” Cried Kimi with a surprised
and worried countenance. “Considering the voice, it is not my brother…It’s Melchior who screams! We must aid him!”
Anael nodded affirmatively and soared to the
area in which they heard the explosion. It was another hostile landscape; a
wasteland covered by lilac webs, dead trees and haunted spirits, which were
spinning and dancing on the grayish sky. They also could see Melchior
downstairs, laying on the ground. His arms were bleeding and he had some bad
injuries on his legs. He seemed to be suffering, for he could stand up.
“Melchior!” The two Knights shouted “We are
coming to help!”
Then, an energy arrow struck near their
feet, forcing Ice Guardian and Elite Dragon to jump and rush to aid Melchior.
The Alchemist was breathing painfully, and Kimi decided to cure the red-haired,
sacrificing, however, his ability of casting shields, leaving their defense on
Anael’s shoulders.
More arrows came, and Anael used his sword,
charged with his electricity, to vanquish them. Elite Dragon started to become angrier
at that game.
“Who are you?!” He shouted.
“T…Tha…las…” Melchior answered and Anael
looked at him without believing “He…he did this… to me…”
“That cannot be!” Anael objected “He is our
friend! My best friend! He cannot…”
Then, Anael looked to the north, where he
spotted a shadow carrying what seemed to be a bow. Then, the fog disappeared,
and Elite Dragon recognized Thalas’ face. His eyes widened, for he couldn’t
believe on such betrayal.
Electro Archer’s outfit was changed. Instead
of his regular heroic outfit, he was wearing a grayish feathered headdress,
plumed anklets, black tribal tattoo on his left shoulder, Arabic beige pants
and a Nightmare Necklace. His eyes were purple and his countenance seemed
wicked.
“Bonsoir,
Elite Dragon.” Electro Archer said in a wicked tone of voice “I am surprised
you have arrived here. I thought I was going to get rid of Melchior before you
could witness the damage I’ve made…” He started to laugh madly.
“Why?!” Anael hissed with anger “Why did you
do that, Thalas? For what reason?!”
“Hatred…” The French Guatemalan answered
preparing to shoot “Pure and simple hate. That’s all. Now, you… You will die in
behalf of my new masters!”
Thalas started to shoot multiple arrows at
Anael, who did his best to keep them away from Melchior and Kimi. The fallen Knight smiled in a sinister way and
decided to approach a few steps while shooting.
The Dragon was avoiding his own lightning powers, for he didn’t want to
harm Thalas. Though he was wicked and brainwashed, still he was Anael’s best
friend; a person Elite Dragon wouldn’t sacrifice.
“Stop it, Thalas!” Anael shouted while using
his sword “You are no evil being! You are not this way! Please, realize that
you’ve been brainwashed! Come back to us!”
The leader of the Knights decided to
approach as well, either cutting the arrows or draining its energy and
converting in his own source of power. He did not notice, however, the
overcharge in his Shaman-Stone. That lack of care would cost more than Anael
would imagine.
“Hah, reckless as always!” Thalas said with
disdain while shooting arrows “If you were as cautious as you and Kimi were
before arriving, you would have notice I have company!”
“What?!” Anael asked confused.
He heard a loud noise behind him; when he
turned his head, it was the sound of something being thrown against a wall. Thalas
was accompanied by two of the Templars: Illumina and Starfire, which were
attacking Kimi and injured Melchior. Kimi made his specialty: a defensive
spell, a frozen wall, which was keeping them safe. However, Kimi’s Stone was
also overcharging and draining the Finnish’s life, weakening him and his wall.
Anael was not certain of how much time he had to save them before Kimi’s life
was lost. Moreover, if Kimi perished, so would Melchior.
Anael cut Thalas’ arrows and decided to aid
Kimi; he fled from his fight to get into another.
“Coward!” Screamed the French Guatemalan “Illumina,
he’s coming after you!”
Illumina Dragon spotted Anael and ceased his
attacks to make a new target of Elite Dragon.
“He is mine!” He said “Starfire, take care
of these two…”
“As you wish…” The white-haired Templar
answered throwing fire beams against Kimi’s wall.
“Melchior…Melchior, wake up!” Kimi screamed
while maintaining the wall “I… I am not sure if I am going to take this any
longer…”
The Salvadorian mage stood on his knees;
most of his injuries were already scarred, but the amount of blood lost made
him weaker, unable to cast any spells.
“You don’t have to save my life…” Melchior
said with weak, low voice “It is me that Thalas wants; me and Anael. You…you can leave…”
“Are you insane?!” Kimi replied with anger “I
will never leave you guys! My brother has been taken, and I promised myself I’d
be back to Guatemala with you, Anael, my brother and Thalas as well!” the
blonde felt weaker and knelt; when he did that, Starfire was able to break part
of the wall.
“Damn…” Melchior said almost fainting “There
must be something I can do…”
***
Anael was being beaten by Illumina, for his
overcharged Shaman-Stone seemed not to be answering to any of Anael’s command.
The only thing that was keeping Anael’s form as Elite Dragon was Iracema’s Sanctified Knight Necklace. Still, it
wouldn’t be enough for the Dragon to face Illumina.
“Give up, weakling!” Illumina Dragon hit
Anael’s belly with his scythe’s grip, and Anael responded cutting his armor
with his sword.
“You won’t stop me!” The Guatemalan started
to attack, but he lowered his guard.
“You fool!” Illumina said “Now I’ve got the
opportunity to shatter your power source!”
Illumina shot against Anael’s Shaman-Stone,
causing it to completely overcharge and break before Anael, who was thrown
against the rocky ground, creating a massive crater and generation a dense dust
cloud.
“Anael!” Kimi and Melchior shouted worried.
Anael returned to his civilian outfit, and
his Stone was shattered in multiple pieces. His sword was losing its glow and
his face looked paler than ever; he was knocked unconscious, and Illumina Dragon
was laughing madly at his achievement.
Thalas went to the crater slowly and triumphantly.
When he arrived near Anael’s body, he aimed the arrow to strike Anael’s heart.
“Game over, ‘friend’” The French Guatemalan
smiled devilishly.
Melchior, who was witnessing it all, held
his Shaman-Stone with strength, closed his eyes and a tear came out.
“Don’t do this, Thalas…” He whispered “Wake up, Elite Dragon! TAKE MY POWERS IF
YOU NEED!” Melchior shouted with all strength he had left, and his Starfire
Shaman-Stone heard his prays, and so did Icicle Stone, who made Kimi’s wall
thicker and stronger.
“What the hell?!” Asked Starfire Dragon “Illumina!
Check this out!”
Melchior and Kimi’s Stones started to glow
intensively and flew away from its owners, becoming rays of light which were
about to hit Anael.
***
Far from that place, inside one of the
craters Kimi and Anael found before, lied Kaiser. The Finn was held in the webs
unable to move his legs and feet, and his head was about to be completely
covered. However, his Voidstar Stone started to glow and its own power released
its owner and teleported him to the fighting scenario; then, the Shaman-Stone
joined the others in order to aid Elite Dragon.
“Kaiser!” Kimi screamed when he saw his
brother “Thanks Heaven you are alright!”
***
“What the…” Thalas’ Stone started to glow
and fight the power of the Nightmare Necklace; the turquoise light threw Thalas
away and the French Guatemalan hit Illumina Dragon, knocking him down; Starfire
Dragon was the only Templar remaining there, and he attracted the Nightmare
Necklace to his hands, waiting for the strange event to end.
The Shaman-Stones got united, and the pieces
of Anael’s original Stone merged with the other Stones and the Sanctified
Knight Necklace. Anael’s new Shaman-Stone was liquid, trapped in a crystalline,
oval-shaped glass with a thick, silver-ish half-moon contour in it. The light
gained a Quetzal shape, involving Anael and giving him his Elite Dragon form
back.
Thalas was still in his wicked version when
Anael’s power upgrade was complete. His friend was holding the Sapphire Sword
with a smile on his face. He looked to the place where Melchior and Kimi were
standing and saw Kaiser handling the whole situation. Anael jumped out of the
hole and landed strongly on the ground, cracking it; his intention was to
intimidate his enemies: Thalas and Illumina Dragon.
“A power up…” Anael said with a provocateur
smile “Just what I needed. Electro Archer! Illumina Dragon! Are you still up to
a fight?!”
Thalas growled at Anael, and so did Illumina
Dragon. Electro Archer started to throw arrows against Anael, who simply
shattered them with his bare hands; Illumina Dragon decided to come close to
Anael and fight him hand-to-hand, but Elite Dragon hit the ground with his left
fist and created a strong shock wave, which hit the Templar and Thalas, who
knelt and seemed to have fainted.
Illumina Dragon was on his knees with anger
in his eyes, for his body started to tremble and not to respond to his command.
He kept screaming horrifyingly.
“You can hurt me” Anael hissed “You can
shatter my source of power… You can kidnap and brainwash a friend of mine… You
can also drag me to this unholy place which resembles Hell, but you’ll never be
able to defeat me!” He lifted his new Shaman-Stone with his left hand “Not if I
am with Kukulkan’s blessings!”
He used his Shaman-Stone’s power to drag
Illumina Dragon elsewhere, far in Xibalba, in the depths of it. Somewhere he
would take too long to find the Knights. Then, he looked at Thalas. His wicked
countenance showed signs of fright, for he seemed paralyzed.
Thalas was starting to fight his wicked side,
screaming as if someone was burning him from inside; he put his hands on his
head as if he were having intense headaches. He was still on his knees.
“I won’t harm you, my friend” Anael was
looking at Thalas with a sweet countenance, smiling as he normally did “The
Quetzal spirit…Lives in this Shaman-Stone… Guatemala’s heart…Is my heart. And I
am going to use it to save your life…Corazon
de Guatemala!”
Elite Dragon’s revamped Stone evoked a
Quetzal spirit which evolved and healed Thalas, taking the evil out of him; Electro
Archer returned to his standard outfit and fainted. Then, Anael’s Stone
reabsorbed the spirit and returned to Anael’s hand. On the following, Anael put
Thalas’ left arm around his shoulder and held his friend by his waist and
walked towards Kaiser, who was holding his brother and Melchior.
“Let’s head back home, DarkStalker” Anael
said “Could you please cast us a vortex?”
To Be
Continued…