Skan shut off the visot before darting out to the dock of the airship. Thom was right ahead of him, and Nisemeisho and Teron awaited them at the door.
"I'm afraid the Gears can't fit inside," Teron said. "And the rest of the temple, according to our probes, also can't fit inside. We'll have to go on foot."
"No." said Skan.
"No!!" Teron was taken aback, and Nisemeisho cocked his head, demanding an explanation.
"No, no," said Skan. "Thom and I will go in our mechas. You two will wait outside in your gears in case trouble arrives."
Teron opened his mouth to talk, but Nisemeisho was faster. "Skan, if there is trouble, you may not be able to come out. Your mechas are fast, but designed for the desert. We will go in. At least to be an extra set of eyes." Teron nodded vigorously.
Skan shook his head. "Remember then Balrog? No. If something powerful lays in wait there, one of both of you will be killed before we know it. The mecha's active response system will be able to catch on quicker than your eyes and ears!"
Teron and Nisemeisho exchange glances. "Fine," said Teron. "But you guys can't fight something as powerful as the Balrog!"
"So we will run away," agreed Skan. "Look, this is wasting time. Get in your Gears and wait for us to come out, victoriues, or with enemies at our heels!
As Skan and Thom walked away, neither heard Teron whisper, "If you come at all..."
Luren walked confisently down the Highwing's halls. Skan was the only one who could recognize him, and he was gone. No one would notice him being any different, other than his gray coat that hung to his knees.
Luren barked a laugh, and an elderly man fiddling with some controls looked up with a grin of shared amusement, which quickly faded in seeing a curved blade spring into Luren's hand. Luren ended the man's misery with a well placed thrust.
At seeing the probes, Luren knew where to go. Better than Skan, who didn't see them at all. So, unnoticed, he sheathed the blade in his coat and darted into the temple's entrance.
"Omega to Golaith. Goliath, do you copy?"
"I copy, Omega. Communcations go. Over."
"OK, Skan, you ready?" asked Thom, piloting Omega.
"As ready as every! Let's go!" said Skan, skillfully piloting the silver mecha. He began looking around, the mecha's body pivoting on the still walking legs. Skan saw a dark shape zoom into the temple, but before he could investigate, he recieved a call from Seth.
"Skan," said his mechanic, "I got some news. Joseph E. Grant, a mechanic on the Highwing, was just foudn dead. Murdered, by a sword. Also, one man seemed to be making several requires about you. He was wearing a long gray coat, and din't show up in our member's information system."
Skan's blood froze. "Seth," he said slowly, "did the man have any scars?"
"I was getting to that, Skan! Umm...yes, in fact. On the right side of his face, from his neck to his head, in a pretty straight line. Why, does it mean anything?"
Skan swore softly.
"Skan?
"Seth, put an order out on my name. This man is to die on sight."
"Aye sir!" and Seth's transmission blinked out.
Skan radioed Thom and filled him in on what just happened. "Keep in mind for any suspious activity," Skan said, remembering the dark shape.
The hallway opened into a room. Expecting Pisces, Skan was dissapointed when it was only a large room, the sign of Pisces, a stick figure fish, filling the pink walls and almost making them black.
"Search the room," Thom ordered. A little bit indignant at being ordered around, Skan complied. But in only a few seconds, Thom said, "Skan, look! There are lit torches in this room!"
Skan blinked and paid closer attention to the walls. Yep, there were torches. And...a few humanoid shadows...crouched as if to attack. "Thom, look at these shadows!"
Their cover borken, the three B'rogh seemed to jump out of nowhere. THey were eight feet tall, matching the mecha's in height. Each B'Rogh was a gray color, with only one eye centered in its head. It was hairless, and extremely muscular. They carried a three inch thick, ten foot long spear of metal, that, properly thrusted, could damage even the mecha's metal bodies.
Instantly, both Thom and Skan used the mecha's powerful legs to leap high into the air, several feet over the B'rogh, and landing behind their charge. The B'rogh turned around, and all three were pelted with bullets that did minmal damage to their thick hides. Then the beasts split up, one at Thom and two at Skan. Just as well, as Skan was better with a mecha.
Skan's mecha slid between the two B'rogh, the spears clinking off the mecha's armor, hitting at a wrong angle. Only one B'righ charged this time, and again, Skan leaped high over it, the mecha body pivoting 180 degrees as it did so. By freak occurance, Golaith landed on the other B'rogh, the one waiting fo Skan's slide. The massive creature died, but one of the legs was jammed up by its incredible size and solidness, and the cockpit was engulfed in sparks. The left mecha leg broke through the floor and popped into the cockpit, right next to Skan.
Skan tried to get a lock on the monster, now charging, but couldn't. So, unable to move, the mecha was pierced with a spear thrust, one that missed Skan's head by scant inches.
Skan fired his bullets rapidly, and caugh the B'rogh in the eye. It roared a death scream and fell over.
"THOM!" Skan barked. "Leap into the air, NOW!"
Thom complied, to Skan's amazement, and Skan responded by firing all of his missiles on the last B'rogh, not waiting for a lock. They exploded, and even though the B'roghs body wasn't seen, the blood splattering over Goliath's windshield told Skan what he had done.
Luren slid past the toom as the mechas and the B'rogh fought. There was a crawlspace, one that he could just barely crawl through. It was the only exit, so he took it.
In the next room, with a sigh of relief, Luren saw a pedestal. Hovering above it was a perfectly spherical, flawless stone. It was a dark, dark blue. On it, engraved in black, was a fish shape like those on the walls.
Luren picked it up and a deep voice seemed to groan in reaction. He grinned and tucked it into his pocket.
Skan followed Thom through the crawlspace they had found after a quick search. They were both silent, eager for the Zodaic Stone.
However, Skan didn't expect what he saw.
In the room was an empty pedestal. Next to it was a man in a gray coat that otherwise was a copy of Skan's. His back was turned, but at hearing Skan and Thom, he turned around.
"Luren!!" Skan said, yanking his whips free. Thom took out his spear. Luren smiled villianously and held out a hand, bowing a little.
"Shall we dance?"
Thom answered by roaring and throwing himself at the man, spear first. Thom didn't have anytime to smear on some poison, but the spear was still deadly.
But Luren moved like a snake. He sidestepped Thom's thrust and grabbed on the spear, pivoting. Thom and spear alike flew several feet. Thom thudded into the wall and the spear clanged a few feet from him. But judging by the limp way Thom slid down the wall, Skan knew he wasn't going to be using it now.
Skan held one whip behind him, ready to bring it around in a powerful arc. THe other arm was held in front of him.
Despite his 'ready position', Skan was still cut off guard as Luren attack. The man barrelled into Skan, knocking him several feet.
Skan thumbed blood from the side of mouth as he scrambled back to his feet. He had dropped a whip, but before Luren cuold move again, Skan lashed out with a whip.
The man made a snake look stiff. He snatched the whip before it hit his face, pulled it tuat, and used his other hand to help throw the whip. Skan, still holding on, was thrown several more feet. He slid. Skan got to his hands and knees and coughed blood.
Looking over, he saw Luren reach into his coat and bring out a wickedly curved blade. HE meant to end this.
And he almost did. As he raised the sword to finish Skan, a spear, thrown, protruded from his shoulder. With a cry, Luren roared, "NO! I-I have Pisces! I am a..a Zodaic Brave! I-CANT-LOSE!!!!" and with that, in a small slash of blue light, he was gone. Thom's spear thudded into the ground.
Luren gasped in pain. The Zodiac Stone hadn't taken him far, just to the room where dead B'rogh bodies lay.
Just as Skan came out through the crawlspace, Luren collapsed. "Is this....how it ends??"
Seeing Luren out on the floor, Skan decided the whip in his hand might not be neccessary. That wound looked leathal, in time. Skan felt no pity.
Luren stirred, at the Zodaic Stone rolled out from his pocket. Then, it hovered six feet in the air. It sparkled, both a bright, unnatural light, and a deep, clear, musical sounds, for a second. Then, it spoke.
"Holder of the Holy Stone...promise me..."
Skan gasped. The stone spoked! He read of this in Mustadio's Journal. He couldn't let this happen!
"Holder of the Holy Stone...promise me...that your spirirt will combine with my flesh to live forever!"
"NO! Luren, don't!" roared Skan, snapping his whip to the side and creating a loud cracking sound.
"I...promise....." moaned Luren. "Help....me...."
The stone fell to Luren, and it sparkled again. Then, an aura of blue light, though faint, sorrounded the stone, and Luren. Spirits flew from the edge of the light and into the stone. Then the aura dissapeared and lightning crackled from the stone, only a foot long and in random positions. Then, it exploded in white light, rocking the room, blinding Skan. However, Skan could still see the blue spirits escaping as it exploded. As this happened, it said, "I am Ixtchil...the devil!"
The white light of the room faded, and in Luren's place stood...the Zodiac Monster of Pisces.
It looked like a ten foot long leech, but with several huge differences. Two feet at the bottom where folded back, and acter as a foot for it to balance on. Another two, at the top, was folded forward. That was the face. It was equipped with horns, two sets of red eyes on either side of the face, and a mouth, with another mouth inside. It had two arms, streched out like tentacles, in their flexibility, but ending in deadly scythes. On top of the base of the scythes were small mounds of flesh, a groove that had a small hole in the front. The hole was currenlty filled with a long spike, dripping green with venom. It was obvious that these spikes were actually SHOT out. The demon, Ixtchill, looked like an extremely dangerous foe.
Skan, in what he hoped was bravery more than stupidity, held his whip out in front of him, one hand gripping the handle, the other pulling about six inches of the whip taut, but Ixtchill took the challenge with a laugh.
"Easy now! Save that-for when we meet again!" And the monster was gone in a flash of blue light.
Skan stood, shaking, from shock, disbelief, and adrenaline. But mostly, Skan shook with fear.
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