Skan had fought another mental battle with Tirkul, translated to a physical fight. But unlike last time, he lost very easily. And Tirkul was not happy.
"Bite me," Skan mumbled.
"Skan, do you understand what you have done?"
Skan was silent. He was fully aware, that as a madman, he had killed almost a half dozen people. And without even realizing he was doing it. Tirkul, after the mental battle, had taken over Skan, and since no one SAW Skan do the murders, Tirkul manipulated Skan's body to pretend tobe searching for the killer.
"You shall be punished for fight me, Skan. And I know just the way." Tirkul accessed Skan's memory for images of people, people Skan knew well. "Your family consisted of a runaway father you never met, and an incompetent mother. Later, a group of Tohr-Kreen natives." Pictures of Skan's Mom, with her flowing long blue hair, and of T'kahyl, the giant praying mantis who taught Skan the art of machinery, appeared before him. "But neither one will do you as much damage as these three can."
Three pictures showed up. "For your entire life, Skan, your brother was legally dead. But, you now know he is very much alive." Tad Erreden's picture. "A son you never had, even if only five years younger than you, a boy you raise and teach as if you're own." A picture of Alexander, the boy Skan had apprenticed. "And finally, the sister you never had." Kitra's picture, too, showed up.
"You bastard..." Skan growled. Tirkul's haunting laugh filled his mind.
Skan adjusted his coat and his sunglasses absently. Three people to kill. Kitra was already dead, and that left two. Tad and Alex. They were both often at the Engineer's Guild, an excellent place to start with Skan's high ranking.
Laughing, Skan pulled out his stone. In a flash of blue light, he was gone.
"This is it!" Thom said in awe. "Cancer!"
Kitra walked up a small dais, to the pedestal above. The Zodiac Stone Cancer, identical to Aquarius but only red and adorned with the sign of cancer, hovered a foot above the pedestal, glowing with magic.
Kitra's hand reached up to take the stone, and as she did so, a deep, monstrous groaning filled her ears.
"Don't worry about that," said Thom. "It happens every time the Stone is taken from it's resting place. It happened to Skan and Luren, too."
Kitra did not want to hear that. If it DID happen to Skan, and Luren, two people who succumbed to the powers of the Stone...
"I know," Kitra said indignately. "What do you think I did to reach Takumi class magic user? I study magic as much as I use it!"
Thom scowled, and just as he was about to say something, a phone began ringing from inside his cloak. "That's the Engineers Guild," Thom informed Kitra. "It is only to be used on extreme emergencys."
Thom flipped the phone opened and put it to his ear. "Uh, huh. What!? Are you sure? ....Read that description by me again. ....Damn! We'll be right there!"
Thom tucked his phone back in his cloak. "Kitra, Tirkul is at the Engineer's Guild!"
"What?!"
"He is demanding to see Alexander Sescuan, Skan's apprentice, and Tad Erreden!"
Kitra rushed over to Thom, the stone in pocket. "Come on," she said roughly, grabbing his arm. "Let's go."
One minute they were there, the next, gone, with nothing to mark there exit. Thom's phone clattered against the stone floor, forgotten.
"Where is Alexander!?" roared Tirkul from the main hallway of the Engineer's Guild. His body glowed with the blue magic that marked him as a Zodiac Brave. "Where!?"
A trio of soldiers for the Engineer's Guild rushed towards Tirkul, but a blast of water sent them back, dead before they hit the ground.
"Thom! Help!" yelled a Guild Member, Zanial Triance, on the phone. "A monster is attacking the Engineers Guild! It's big and blue, like a mix between Leviathon and a naga. Yes, Thom! It has a big dorsel tail, long snout with teeth, horns, and uses water magic! ...Ok, but hurry! And bring Skan and Nisemeisho with you if you can!"
For some odd reason, Zanial could not reach Skan. This was NOT a good time to lose ones phone!
Zanial rushed in with some soldiers to attack the demon. Zanial was a tall, feline hybrid with black and white stripes, so had extreme speed. But, like all the rest, he was knocked back. He and several others fought tenaciously, however.
"What's happening?" asked Alex, huddled into a little ball. He was in the far corner of the toom, out of Tirkul's sight. Jeff, another high ranking Guild member, stood over him protectivley, a little Jigglypuff at his side.
"I don't know," said Jeff, keeping his Wondershut gun at ready. "Just stay here, Alex. Skan is coming, I saw Zanial call his friend."
Alexander nodded. "Is that demon... trying to kill me?" he asked, his voice quivering a bit in fear.
Jeff didn't respond at first, then he looked down at Alexander. "Yes, Alexander. We don't know why. Just stay there, ok? You're being very brave."
Alex didn't feel brave. If he was, he would fight with everyone else!
"Hurry, Skan..." he whispered, completely in the blue that it was Skan with which everyone fought.
"STOP!!!" yelled Skan. Tirkul ignored him. Skan tried another mental battle, but was easily beaten.
"Tirkul, stop!" screamed Skan. "I'll do whatever you want. I... I'll surrender myself entirely to you, just STOP THIS!"
Tirkul chuckled. "Really, now? I get you all to yourself? You understand, that means your mind will be completely eradicated. You would be dead in all aspects."
"Please.... just.... stop...."
"What the Hell is going on!?" yelled Tad, slamming through the Guild doors, to see dead bodies piled around, and even more falling. The source of the kills was a large blue demon in the center of the room.
With him was Nisemeisho, the man who was late to Skan's meeting. Nisemeisho clutched a naginata tight in his hands. "I don't know, Tad, but it appears to be another Zodiac Demon. Look!"
Tad understood. He felt this same feeling when he fought Ixtchil. "Let's trash it!" he said, cracking his knuckles. Nisemeisho didn't respond, the two of them just charged towards the demon, roaring wordlessly.
In a flash of bright light, they were forced back. From the center of this light emerged Kitra and Thom. "Stop this madness!" Kitra ordered.
"No!" said Tad. "This is my brother's place, and his friends, I won't let another damn demon trash it!"
Thom blocked Tad from going any further. "No," Thom pleaded, don't fight it!" Meanwhile, Kitra and Nisemeisho were conducting a sort of staring match. Thom wasn't sure he understood why Nise looked down, almost afraid and with anger in his eyes, instead of doing anything. But Kitra DID stop them, it was all that was needed.
"That demon IS Skan!" Kitra said, flinging a hand out towards Tirkul.
Tad was about to speak his disbelief, when Tirkul spoke up first.
"Ah, so my secret is out. It seems you two do not die so easily. A problem easily solved." Tirkul put his hands together. Behind him, each puncuated with a flash of pale yellow light, was transported over a dozen demons. The solders of the Guild froze for only a moment, then war brokw out. Utter chaos filled the room, demons fighting humans.
The only people not fighting were Tirkul, Kitra, Thom, Tad, and Nisemeisho. Even Alexander joined in on fighting the demons, a small gun in each hand.
Kitra held the Cancer Zodiac Stone out. It pulsed with its red magic, and before Tirkul could make an attack, he was held fast by several red magical cords, in a full nelson. He roared in anger.
"Kitra, you are the body chose for Esacus! Why do you fight me!? Esacus, you are a traitor!!"
Only Kitra understood what he was saying. She turned to face everyone else.
"I will begin a process," she explained. "That will take a very high level of mental energy. Enough that Skan's and my own's combined could not accomplish. I will need your help. But just a warning. If I fail, everyone in the link WILL die, including me and Skan. A best, Tirkul will die, but so will all of us. Who will aid me?"
No one hesitated to join in. Kitra nodded. "Good. Now, hold hands and stand in a semi-circle behind me and Skan. Yes, like that."
Kitra walked up to Tirkul, and took a deep breath. The demon roared in pain as she held the glowing Zodiac Stone up to his face. She began chanting in an ancient tongue. As he spoke, red energy crackled from the stone. Tirkul began to scream.
Above each person, exluding Tirkul, a red ord of energy hung suspeneded. For every phrase Kitra said, the orbs connected themselves to other orbs by thick threads of magic. All the orbs then converged into Kitra, then shot from her body to the stone.
The stone exploded, taking in everyone who was part of the magic. When the explosion fell, only Skan stood, held up by his magical holds, unmoving. Kitra and her group were all in similar situations, on the ground.
Above Skan's head was the Zodiac Stone Aquarius. A deep, inhuman voice groaned, then the stone fell harmlessly to the ground.
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