attention to her, instead of his morning chocolate fix, he would have heard her
muffled giggle or seen the mischievou gleam in her eye.
Wren got up and went for the door. As she shut it, she called out,
"Oh, right. The kind with wings!" Darian was puzzled by that comment. He sat
down with his cereal and munched contentedly for a few minutes. He slid her
list over.
"Hmm....Sloan Dog Food, right, more fruit," he took a big spoonful of
cereal, "Always Stayfree Ma-a-aaaagh, NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The cereal went flying
across the table. Darian hacked and wheezed to recover from his horrible
scare. He quickly flipped the paper over and was extremely relieved to note
that Wren had written, "Psyche! Just kiddin'!" in large letters. He noticed
the half chewed cereal on the table and pushed the bowl of Count Chocula
away. He just wasn't hungry anymore.
* * * *
Wren was still chuckling to herself as she sat in English class.
Right on cue, Kelly walked by and glared at Wren, as usual. What is her
problem? Wren wondered about that. She has Rob, why does she still hate me?
"Wow, Wren, trying to steal two boyfriends in the same night, and you
didn't get either!" Kelly hissed.
"Oh, as if. You weren't even going out with Rob at the time. Besides,
he asked me. What do you mean, two boyfriends?"
"Oh, I mean Serena's boyfriend, Darian, is that his name? I saw you
two together at the dance."
"You told her? That was none of your business, Kelly! You have no
idea what's going on!"
"I felt it was my civic duty to inform poor Serena that her boyfriend
has it out for another girl!" Kelly laughed.
"You little-" Wren was cut off as the bell rang and the teacher
called for everyone to sit down and be quiet. Kelly smirked back at Wren as
she took her seat near the front of the class.
She probably thinks she got the last word, Wren grinned. We'll see
about that.
The homeroom went through announcements. Then, oral presentations for
yesterday's group assignment started. Wren knew that Kelly had probably
volunteered to do the presentation for her group (It was Kelly's strong
belief that anyone else would just mess the job up) and she wasn't
disappointed when Kelly stood up to deliver the presentation. Wren had an idea
in mind, and no one seemed to be watching...
Kelly adjusted her uniform and patted her hair. She cleared her
throat. Wren mumbled the chant very quietly (the shifting noises and whispered
conversation at the back of the room covered for her). Wren had timed the
spell perfectly: just as she finished it, Kelly opened her mouth to begin,
and suddenly expelled the loudest, juiciest sounding fart anyone present had
ever heard. The class virtually exploded with giggles...even Rob and
especially the teacher. Kelly turned a bright shade of red. Even when the
room had quieted down, Kelly's air of arrogant confidence was completely
destroyed. She stammered through her presentation and almost ran back to her
seat. Wren knew that had been pretty juvenile of her, but ever so much fun.
She also knew the entire class felt Kelly deserved it. It had been a Kodak
moment.
* * * *
Wren was walking near the docks once again, near the same spot where
she had met Melissa and helped the little girl get her doll back. She was
startled when suddenly, rough hands grabbed her and pulled her back into the
shadows of the alley. Her bag was ripped from her back. Wren was slammed
against a wall and looked up into the face of a dangerous looking man, who
grinned at her menacingly. The second man rifled through her backpack.
"Anything good in there?" called the first man.
"Naw, nothing really."
"We'll just have to make her worth our trouble," The man leered at
Wren and the other laughed as he looked at her, too. Wren became very afraid.
"Should be fun." Wren gulped, then realized she wasn't exactly
defenseless...
"You guys have definitely chosen the wrong girl to mess with," she
said in a low voice.
"How so?" laughed the first man as he moved in a step towards Wren,
pressing her firmly against the wall.
"Ohmygod!" yelled the other as he looked at Wren's face. Her eyes had
started to glow with an alarming green colour. The other man looked at her
face and gasped in surprise, too. By then it was a little too late, Wren had
said her spell already. She slammed her hands into the would-be rapist's
chest and he was thrown backwards, knocking aside a garbage can and slamming
into the wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious. The other man backed up a
few steps and turned to run in terror. Wren chanted once again and used
telekinesis to change his course and make him run into the wall at full speed
instead. He fell to the ground as well. Wren breathed a sigh of relief and
collected her bag. The glow in her eyes faded. She peered to see if anyone was
passing by. When she saw that no one was, she quickly hurried out of the alley
and started to go home.
* * * *
"What happened to you? Your uniform is all dirty, it looks like
someone tried to touch---who is he? I'll kill him!" Darian grabbed a handful
of roses from a nearby vase.
"Hold it, I took care of them. They're sprawled in an alley by the
docks right now. I don't think they'll be coming to very soon. Say, where's
Nellie?" The dog should have pounced on her by now.
"I dunno.I havn't seen her. She's probably stuck in the closet again.
You didn't do anything to really maim them, did you?" he said as he put the
roses back and neatly arranged them once more.
"Nope, just telekinesis. No marks, no burns, no wounds."
"That's good. We wouldn't want to---oh no, not again!"
"I felt it again, too. Bowenite's using his figurines again! I think
it's at the park...it's hard to tell, I'm not so good at this."
"Whatever. Between your sense of the magic disturbances and my
ability to find Sailor Moon, we'll be able to find it. To the batmobile!"
"Um, Darian, that was a little weird."
"Yeah, I know. But I always wanted to say that!" he said, a bit
sheepishly.
They ran out the door.
* * * *
The fight was already in progress when Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Magus
arrived at the park to see the Sailor Scouts holed up in a large oak tree.
"Um...what's up, guys?" Sailor Magus asked.
"Get up here! Now!" yelled Sailor Mars.
"Uh, why? What's going on?" Tuxedo Mask queried. Magus looked around.
"Say, do you hear something?" she asked, frowning.
"Get up into the tree now!"
"Climb up!"
"They're coming!"
"Get up!"
"Get up into this tree NOW!"
The Scouts were flailing their arms madly and screaming at them.
Magus realized the sounds in the distance had been...howling?
"Oh my-" Tuxedo Mask whistled under his breath.
Running, full speed towards them, was a pack of dogs, some of them
regular house pets, others feral.
Their eyes were glowing bright yellow.
"Holy sh*t!" shouted Tuxedo Mask as the howling dog pack neared. He
grabbed onto the tree and started to haul himself up.
"What's the matter, Magus?" Sailor Jupiter demanded. Sailor Magus
hadn't moved. She stood at the base of the tree, pale faced.
"I can't," she said simply.
"Why not?! You're gonna get eaten!" Sailor Venus yelled.
"It's just that...I'm...afraid of heights," Magus whispered.
"Don't be a schmuck!" shouted Sailor Mars, "It's climb the tree or
get rabid dogs eating you!"
"Sailor Magus, you have to come up here!" Sailor Moon coaxed. But
Magus just stood, paralyzed with fear. The dogs rushed her. A mean-looking
German Shepherd in the lead hurled itself at her, going for the jugular.
Magus started to back up against the tree...
Tuxedo Mask interposed himself between Magus and the dog, slamming it
backwards with his cane. He grabbed Magus around the waist and leapt up into
the tree. The dog was thrown back a few feet, yelping. However it didn't
discourage the rest of the dogs, who now circled around the tree.
"Now what?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"Why don't you just roast them like usual?" Tuxedo Mask asked. He
still held onto Sailor Magus, who was shaking, her eyes shut tightly.
"Those are house pets, Tuxedo Mask. You don't kill man's best friend,
even if they are possessed by the Negaverse," Sailor Jupiter said.
"House pets?" Magus' eyes snapped open, "Oh no! NELLIE!"
Sure enough, the sheepdog circled with the rest of the yellow-eyed
dogs. Sailor Magus moaned.
"How do we get rid of these dogs? Without killing them or hurting
them?" demanded Sailor Moon.
"Look, the dogs are protecting that dog in the middle," Tuxedo Mask
pointed.
"That's right...I'll zoom in on it with my visor," Mercury touched
her earring and her VR Visor materialized in front of her eyes. She focused
on the dog in the center...
In her vision, a box surrounded the dogs in the center of the throng.
She magnified it a few times...sure enough, one dog was jet black, with eyes
that glowed brighter yellow than the others. It licked its teeth and Mercury
saw that it had fangs, and a green tongue. Sailor Mercury felt a chill as the
dog looked straight at her. She would have described it as a wolf, except the
look of cunning intelligence in its eyes that no wolf could ever have. It
looked as smart as a human!
Sailor Mercury's visor vanished. "It's bad, guys. The leader is in
the center, it's not a dog, it's a-"
"Coin-sith," stated Magus flatly.
"It's really intelligent looking...I think we need a diversion to get
the dogs away from it," Sailor Mercury said.
"Too bad Luna and Artemis aren't here," said Jupiter.
"You'd let those poor little kitties face these awful dogs? They're
practically defenseless!" Sailor Moon shrieked.
"Those 'wimpy cats' also saved our butts a couple of times!" Sailor
Venus said, frowning.
"So, you'd have Artemis run around to get chased by dogs? I can't
believe you, that's so-"
"That's not what I said! I just meant that maybe since-"
"This is no time for fighting!" Sailor Mars broke in.
"Oh, you're one to preach about THAT!" Jupiter retorted.
"C'mon, everybody, SHUT UP!" Mercury screamed.
"Whoa, Mercury....that's almost as weird as that time you slapped
me," Sailor Moon said with surprise.
"Let's not get into that again right now. Look, I'll use my bubbles
to fog it up. MERCURY BU-"
"Hang on. That Coin-sith is smart. It's going to command the dogs to
stay right there. The bubbles aren't going to work on their own." Magus said.
"So? What else do you have in mind?" Sailor Moon asked, "By the way,
Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Magus is fine now. You can let go."
"Just making sure," he mumbled as he stepped away, balancing nimbly
on the branch. Sailor Moon just frowned.
"Uh...you're all going to have to get down there as well."
"What about you? How come you get to stay in the tree?" Moon whined.
"I'm going to cast a spell that will separate the dogs from the
Coin-sith. See, you guys jump, away from the tree and the dogs, forcing them
to scatter. That leaves the Coin-sith unprotected. I circle a wall of fire
around it, as wide as I can. You're all going to have to jump into the
circle -before it closes."
"Before it closes?" Sailor Mars said.
"If you misfire, we're going to have to roast some people's pets,"
Venus said, eyeing a particularily yappy poodle.
"And we're greatly outnumbered by the dogs," Mercury added, "Remember
the sewer fight with the darklings!"
"I just won't misfire, then," Magus replied grimly.
"I'll stay behind to get you into the circle after you've cast," said
Tuxedo Mask, "I can jump that no problem."
"Okay, then. On the count of three," said Sailor Moon.
"One..." they all crouched. Magus began her chant.
"Two..." Sailor Magus felt herself wobble on the tree branch. She felt
her control over the magic slip a little...
"I have to finish the chant or Nellie's roasted," she concentrated
and brought the magic under her control again...
"THREE!" The Sailor Scouts leapt from the tree simultaneously,
scattering. The dogs were thrown into confusion. All of them scattered to
rush at a Scout, as expected. Sailor Magus' fire wall started to circle
around the Coin-sith.
The Sailor Scouts all leapt into the clearing around the Coin-sith
the wall of fire had created. Tuxedo Mask held Magus around the waist again
and easily leapt over the fire wall to join them. The other dogs, eyes
glowing, growled, but none dared to cross the wall of fire.
"Now we blast it!" yelled Sailor Moon, "MOON SCEPTER, ELIMINATION!"
"MERCURY BUBBLES, BLAST!"
"MARS FIRE, IGNITE!"
"JUPITER THUNDER, BLAST!"
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM, SMASH!"
Magus started to chant her energy beam spell, but the Coin-sith
charged her mid-incantation, slamming her across the clearing. She went
flying and would have gone through her own fire wall, if Tuxedo Mask hadn't
caught her in time...
The Sailor Scout's attacks slammed into the hound, totally blasting
it apart. As its form flickered and faded, the yellow glow in the other dog's
eyes faded.
Sailor Magus groaned as she tried to sit up.
"Don't move, I think a few ribs are broken," he said with concern.
"Hey, look guys! I found another figurine in here!"
yelled Sailor Venus as she held it up.
"May I do the honours?" Mars took the figurine and stomped on it. It
made a satisfying crunch. Sailor Magus sighed with relief as Sailor Moon used
the healing magic of the Moon Crystal to restore her.
"Hey, who's that?" Sailor Jupiter pointed to a figure in the
distance.
"Could be a reporter trying to get the scoop on the Sailor Scouts
again," said Mercury with a shrug. Tuxedo Mask suddenly sneezed violently.
Nellie came trotting up moments later.
"Aren't you a little worried then?" asked Magus.
"Not really. When reporters write articles about us, they usually get
fired. People simply don't believe we exist."
"Still, let's follow whoever it is, just to be safe," said Jupiter.
Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars nodded and took off into the bush.
"You seem to have good control over your magic now," commented Sailor
Mercury.
"I think so. It's becoming second nature to me, especially using the
pocket dimension," Wren said.
"You would make an awesome drug dealer," said Tuxedo Mask.
"What?" shrieked Magus in surprise.
"I mean, how could the police find your stash?"
Serena laughed. Wren pulled a rope chew toy from her pocket dimension
and held it out to Nellie. Nellie stayed away from her for a few moments, but
then cautiously started to tug at the toy. Wren smiled.
"She isn't running away!" she said happily. Jupiter, Mars, and Venus
returned.
"We lost him," Jupiter reported.
"He just disappeared!" said Mars.
"No way, I think he just found some secret cave or something," said
Venus.
"No way, he disappeared! One second he was there, the next, gone!"
"Whatever," Tuxedo Mask sneezed five times in rapid sucession, "Can we
go home now?"
"Yuck! Don't use your cape to blow your nose!" yelled Sailor Moon.
* * * *
"So, did you have fun shopping today?" queried Wren with a smile.
"Oh, just loads of it." He stared grimly at the road, hunched over
the steering wheel.
"I don't suppose you actually-"
"Let me put it this way. Can you imagine the weird looks I get,
running through the city in a tuxedo, complete with hat, cape, and a mask?"
"I can imagine."
"Well, that isn't nearly as embarrassing as what you suggested," he
said grimly, "Not even close. I can't even IMAGINE how bad that would be. The
very thought of going to a drugstore and getting -nugh- those, it makes me
virtually quake with fear. All those little old ladies, the clerk..."
"Hey! Punchbuggy!" she laughed and gave him a light punch on the arm,
as per (very odd) tradition when she saw the VW bug.
He turned and glared at her.
"Haven't you caused me enough pain today?"
Wren just grinned.
"You are so evil," he shook his head with disbelief. They drove in
silence for a while. Darian cleared his throat noisily.
"Um, how are you, anyways?" he asked as he stopped at a red light. He
turned and looked at her intensely.
"How am I? Fine, I guess," Wren mumbled as she looked out the window.
"I meant, about your family-"
"I'm fine. Stop worrying."
He started to say something, but the car behind them honked its horn.
Darian turned back and saw it was a green light. He stepped on the gas,
rolling his eyes as the car behind them speeded up to pass them, then cut in
front of them. Typical impatient driver.
He glanced back at her. Wren leaned her head against the window and
carefully stared out. Darian wasn't sure, but she looked very much like she
was trying not to cry. He couldn't keep staring at her while driving.
Darian knew that Wren wasn't as together as she appeared. She had
stopped talking about her parents after that morning in the kitchen and had
developed a bit more attitude to cover up her real emotions. This was how
Darian had reacted, also. It kept him from being hurt but he wasn't so great
at relationships as a result. He knew that she cried quietly at night, when
she thought he was asleep. He was afraid she would wind up like him in that
respect and wanted to help her. But how?
* * * *
"The Coin-sith has been destroyed," said Variscite flatly as Lucinite
entered the chamber.
"Wren Green is becoming a little too dangerous," said Lucinite.
"I think it's time to activate our little surprise," Variscite
replied, "Bowenite will never know what happened."
* * * *
Darian held the apartment door open for Wren. He shuffled off into
the kitchen for something to eat. Beating up the Negaverse always made him
extremely hungry. All the jumping around, he guessed.
Wren shrieked.
Darian looked up and saw her backing out of her room quickly. He
dropped the bread he had been holding in astonishment as a silver-haired
woman in Negaverse uniform walked calmly into the living room after Wren. She
held a stupid looking plush dinosaur toy with a dumb expression on its face.
Darian didn't recognize it.
"Daphne?" Wren mumbled in astonishment.
"Hardly. I am Variscite. I pretended to be 'Daphne' so the Negaverse
could find out more about you, through your stupid brother."
In the blink of an eye, Wren and Darian had transformed into Sailor
Magus and Tuxedo Mask.
"I'll make you pay!" Sailor Magus growled.
"Hardly. I'm not going to waste time fighting you when I have a
perfectly capable minion right here." She held up the stuffie.
"I hope you realize that's a plush toy," said Tuxedo Mask, raising an
eyebrow.
"It would seem so. But that is merely a disguise. Bowenite isn't the
only one who can activate his figurines," she laughed as she tore the toy's
head off. Magus and Tuxedo Mask looked at each other. Magus shrugged. Then,
they charged Variscite.
"Don't be foolish," she snapped as they hit the force field shielding
her. She quickly uttered an incantation as she pulled a small figurine from
the stuffing in the toy, setting it on the floor in front of her. It began to
grow at an alarming rate.
Dark green lightning crackled from Wren's fingertips towards
Variscite, who merely laughed again and teleported out with a flash of silver
light. By then, the figurine had attained a more threatening size.
A seven-foot tall cat-like humanoid with black fur now stood in the
center of the living room. He had a cat's head and a tail, bright green eyes,
and wore loose-fitting brown pants, a red tabard with gold trim over a white
loose-sleeved shirt, a yellow sash, a bit of brown leather shoulder armor,
and sandals. He also had twin katanas. He snapped them into ready position
and crouched a bit into a battle-stance.
"I am Shinobu Fusiyaki, champion of the Rakasta, the fiercest and
most powerful warrior. I look forward to utterly annihilating you both," the
rakasta said in a deep voice, hissing his s's and rolling r's. Tuxedo Mask
readied a rose and Magus began to chant.
* * * *
Lucinite and Variscite clinked their wineglasses together in a toast.
"That rakasta is going to destroy those two," said Lucinite.
"Shinobu is the best. The only only of Bowenite's creations who could
have been a general," Variscite sipped her wine.
Bowenite teleported in with cloud of black smoke and a noise like a
thunderclap.
"I have found it! The Codex Enchantra! The Key! It is mine at last!"
"Ours, you mean," said Variscite calmly as she threw away her wine
glass and started a chant. Lucinite grinned and held out his hand. A wickedly
sharp poleaxe materialized in it. He spun it twice and readied it.
"You do realize that if you continue this mutiny, I will destroy
you," Bowenite said with a sigh and a skeptical look.
"We are tired if taking your imbecilic orders, Bowenite," said
Lucinite.
"Wren Green should have been destroyed weeks ago!" Variscite added.
"Perhaps you should tell us now, exactly where the Codex is, before
we have to hurt you," said Lucinite.
"I think not."
"Very well. We have means of getting answers from you even if you're
dead!" Variscite laughed at launched twin silver energy beams at Bowenite.
* * * *
Magus growled with frustration as yet another magical spell was wasted
on Shinobu. It seemed rakastas had a high level of magic resistance. She
rolled out of the way and crouched, wracking her mind for something to do, as
Tuxedo Mask attempted to whack the rakasta with his cane. Shinobu deflected
his lightning quick attacks with equal speed and relative ease.
* * * *
Bowenite grinned and leapt up to avoid the beams of silver energy. He
flipped in mid air and landed briefly to the right of Lucinite to throw twin
blades of black energy at Lucinite. They slashed into his arm. Lucinite
gritted his teeth and swung the poleaxe in a tight arc that would have
decapitated Bowenite if he hadn't already teleported across the chamber.
* * * *
Sailor Magus' train of thought was interrupted as she suddenly heard
frantic barking.
"No!" she screamed as Nellie went flying at Shinobu, teeth digging
into the cat-man's arm. Shinobu growled and threw the brave dog across the
room. Nellie hit the wall and whimpered. She started to get to her feet but
collapsed.
Tuxedo Mask attempted to use this opportunity to launch a rose at
Shinobu, which blasted into the rakasta's leg. Shinobu found an opening and
slashed his swords in an arc at Tuxedo Mask, who dodged a little but not
enough. Two lines of red blood blossomed across his white shirt and he held
in an exclamation of pain, but blocked with his cane in time for Shinobu's
next attack.
* * * *
"You fools! This is pointless, you die for a pitiful reason!" snarled
Bowenite. He hadn't even been scratched, but the other two were bleeding and
burnt.
"Pointless?!" Lucinite shouted,"I will not spend another day under
your command! One of my power need not take orders from a pathetic loser like
you!" He growled and flew towards Bowenite in an almost berserker rage.
Bowenite neatly sidestepped and slammed the sword which had suddenly
materialized in his left hand into Lucinite's gut.
"I think you were wrong!" he laughed as Lucinite slumped to the floor.
* * * *
So I can't hurt him directly with magic, Magus thought. I'll waste
him indirectly with it.
This decided, she completed a chant and touched Tuxedo Mask's
shoulder. His vision blurred for a second, and suddenly he could move about
three times faster than before, making him a large blur. He moved strongly
on the offensive now. Shinobu wasn't having such an easy time deflecting.
Sailor Magus risked a glance towards her dog, who was still lying in a
heap by the wall. She wanted to help, but knew that they would all die if she
didn't complete the next spell...
* * * *
Serena heard the battle as she stepped out of the elevator. She took
out her communicator.
"Everyone, come quick! Darian and Wren are fighting something in the
apartment!" She put the communicator away.
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
* * * *
"Variscite..." rasped Lucinite. A bubble of green blood burst on his
lips. He groaned. Variscite looked at him, then at Bowenite, who waited
patiently, arms folded across his chest.
"Variscite...," Lucinite looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, "I'm
dying...hold me. I love you..." Variscite raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I don't feel the same!" she said. Lucinite's eyes widened. He
looked as though he had been stabbed again.
"You...don't....care...for me...at all?" he wheezed.
"No," she said simply as she walked by him.
She used me! He thought in fury. She wrapped me around her little
finger! All she wants is the power, the Codex!
"Bitch!" he said, and closed his eyes to die. His form blurred and
disentegrated in a million tiny sparkling red motes.
Variscite and Bowenite took no heed of this, however. Variscite stood
in front of Bowenite, fixing her purple eyes onto his dark brown ones. He was
as captivated by her beauty as Lucinite had been. She broke the connection by
kneeling on one knee at his feet, head bowed.
"Forgive me, Lord. I serve only you," she whispered. Her eyes
gleamed and she grinned. Bowenite didn't even have to see that to know she
was lying through her teeth to save her skin.
"I think not," he said calmly as he decapitated her.
* * * *
Sailor Magus grabbed the remote control from the table behind her and
finished the spell.
Tuxedo Mask occupied Shinobu's full attention now. They feinted,
dodged, parried, and thrusted lighting quick. Magus squinted, but she
couldn't see who was who. She hoped Tuxedo Mask wasn't too badly hurt and
blew them apart with a force beam. The combatants went flying backwards, but
they both went only a few feet before recovering to rush each other again.
Both a little wounded, they were slower now and Magus could tell them apart.
She slashed her sword (until recently the remote control) at Shinobu, who had
once again forgotten she was there because he had concentrated fully on
Tuxedo Mask, and had the satisfaction of seeing him stumble, cut across the
back of his leg. It wasn't terribly deep (Magus had lousy arm strength) but he
was injured enough otherwise that it made the difference. He still managed to
knock the sword from her hand easily, though. It went flying and thunk!
Slammed into the couch.
"That's it. I need a new couch now," Tuxedo Mask muttered, staring at
the sword sticking out of it.
At that moment, the Scouts burst into the apartment, Luna and Artemis
right behind them.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM, SMASH!"
"MERCURY BUBBLES, BLAST!"
"MARS FIRE, IGNITE!"
"JUPITER THUNDER, CRASH!"
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!"
The attacks blasted Shinobu, who fell on his knees. However, he still
hadn't dropped his swords and had started to get up again.
"Oh, for-" Sailor Magus' spellbook materialized in her hand, and she
brought it down on the back of the rakasta's head. Finally, Shinobu was
defeated. He slumped forward and faded. A small figurine was left in his
place. Tuxedo Mask happily crushed it under his heel as Sailor Magus ran
towards her dog. Nellie licked her face weakly.
* * * *
Bowenite sniffed and checked himself for injuries in case he had
somehow been hit and hadn't noticed. Nope.
He smiled.
"The fools would have had so much power if they had stayed under my
control. The Codex Enchantra will be mine, in any case now."
He chanted a spell and a glowing ring of black energy opened in front
of him.
"The Codex Enchantra, right under our noses all along," he mused as he
stepped through the portal.
* * * *
"WREN GREEN." Sailor Magus and the others looked up in surprise, but
the eerie voice seemed to have come from thin air.
"STOP THAT. YOU CAN'T SEE ME. I MUST WARN YOU. BOWENITE HAS FOUND THE
KEY TO THE CODEX ENCHANTRA."
"All is lost!" cried Luna.
"Oh shit," said the less eloquent Sailor Mars.
"THERE IS STILL HOPE YET. WREN GREEN, YOU MUST GO INTO THE MAGIC."
"Uh?" said Magus.
"OH, COME ON, HERE. THINK ABOUT IT. 'GO INTO THE MAGIC', HAVE YOU
BEEN EATING RETARD SANDWICHES AGAIN? IT'S REALLY OBVIOUS. THAT'S IT. I'M
GOING. YOU JUST RUINED THAT 'MYSTERIOUS VOICE GIVING GUIDANCE' THING I HAD
GOING. I'M JUST GONNA HINT, DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT? GEEZ," the voice said.
Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.
"Go into the magic," Magus mumbled with a frown, "The only time
anything ever goes into the magic is when I use my pocket dimension...."
"Agh!" Artemis shouted as he slammed a paw into his forehead.
"It was there all along!" Luna cried, equally distressed.
"It makes sense. I had it last. Where else would I have put it?"
Magus sighed.
"And people say I'm the stupid one in this group," Sailor Moon said,
raising her eyebrows.
"I don't think I can pull it out. I think I have to go in and get
it," said Magus.
"How will you do that?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"I'll concentrate like I do when I put stuff in, except instead of
concentrating on putting an object in, I'll place myself inside the pocket."
"Good luck. You're about to fight Bowenite," said Luna, "And you have
to go alone. We can't follow you into the magic." Magus paled.
"You can do it," said Tuxedo Mask.
"You're the Magist. You have the training and power needed," said
Sailor Mercury. They all gave her a hug.
"You have to hurry and go!" said Artemis. Wren looked at them all
again and opened her mouth...
"No goodbyes," said Sailor Venus, "We won't neeed them. We'll be
seeing you soon." Magus nodded.
She closed her mismatched eyes and concentrated...and went into the
magic.
* * * *
He leaned back and smiled.
"Finally. I suppose now all that's left to do is watch the fight."
* * * *
Wren, no longer Sailor Magus, floated in awe.
She was no longer in a place like any other she had ever seen or
imagined. It was hard to describe: a velvet soft blackness in which coloured
lights and rainbow mists sparkled and swirled with a life of their own. It
was breathtakingly beautiful. Wren was inside magic itself. She felt
refreshed and warm. There was no up, no down, nothing, but she wasn't afraid.
It was like home.
Wren suddenly remembered why she was there, and concentrated on
speeding up. She flew through the magic, searching, until at last she saw it:
a rainbow-coloured semi-transparant globe, swirling with colour and glowing,
which contained a huge book. As she neared, she saw that it was very large,
thick and heavy-looking. The delicate gold worked into patterns around the
edges of the cover looked out of place, but the book was beautiful in its own
way, because it was magic. It hovered high above a large chunk of rock, much
like an asteroid but flat and smooth across the top. It was perhaps as large
as a football field. Wren knew that this barren expanse was the battle ground
and landed.
A man in a gray uniform suddenly appeared opposite Wren. His uniform
was trimmed in black. The man wore black gloves, boots, and had a black
cloak with a red lining. He had cold dark brown eyes and a scar running down
the left side of his face to his jaw. His cloak and long black hair bound in
a braid floated eeriely behind him.
"I am-" he began to speak, his words echoing. Even though he was all
the way across the battlefield, his words carried as though he had spoken next
to her.
"Bowenite." she finished for him, her own words echoing as well in
the realm of magic. He bowed.
"You are Wren Green, also known as the Magist," he said. Wren was
surprised he was being so polite. She had expected, and was still expecting,
an attack right away.
"Yes, I respect you. You have defeated all the foes I have thrown
against you. You have trained well with the magic and have studied the spells
often. You have performed well," he said as he looked her up and down,
smiling. She didn't like that smile and kept her guard up.
"You have great potential. You need a guide though. There is only so
much one can learn on one's own."
"What are you saying, Bowenite?" she demanded.
"I will share the Codex Enchantra with you, and help you learn, for
as powerful as you are, you are still new in the Art."
"If I call you Master?"
"Yes."
"Drop dead."
"Very well, you are stronger than your previous master was. You had
great potential, Wren Green. I use past tense, 'had', because unfortunately I
shall have to destroy you now. I must say I'm disappointed, I've already had
my exercise today killing my two subcommanders, but no matter. Die, Wren
Green!"
Wren gasped as his form blurred into black energy and grew, forming
itself into a new shape, muscular and powerful, with wings that created
powerful gusts of wind, a tail that weaved behind it, clawed hands and feet,
and a snaking neck with a refined lizard-like head. Glossy black scales were
its armor. Glowing red eyes stared at Wren. A dragon.
The dragon that was Bowenite opened its mouth to reveal razor sharp
teeth and a forked tongue. He hissed.
"The power of the Codex! MINE AT LAST!" he rumbled, his voice now
much deeper, rolling like thunder.
Wren raised her head to regard the dragon. Her form wavered, too, but
did not grow. Instead she used the magic to protect herself with armor. She
wore glossy black armor over a night blue bodysuit. Grieves encased her
lower legs, with knee guards. She wore bracers on her lower arms, and her
elbows, shoulders, and torso were also protected by the armoring, which had
simple silverwork on it. A sword hung in a scabbard at her waist. It was
based on the armor that Prince Endymion had worn...
"Now you look like a little knight, how very fitting," laughed the
dragon that was Bowenite. She began to chant. He leapt at the air and dove at
her. Opening his mouth, he spewed forth fire.
Wren swore as she was forced to abort her spell in favor of rolling
away from the dragon. She got far enough away to avoid the blast, but the
heat from the fire still washed over her. Her eyes began to glow green as the
battle truly began.
Wren crouched a moment, then leapt high into the air, higher than any
human could. However, this was the realm of Magic, and here she was as good
as Tuxedo Mask at jumping. Drawing her enchanted sword, she chanted the Haste
spell to make her move quicker. She landed on the dragon's back in mid-air and
plunged her sword down between the black scales. Bowenite shrieked and landed
on the battlefield. Wren withdrew her blade, now coated in slimy green blood,
and jumped off the dragon as Bowenite rolled over on his back to dislodge her.
She wasn't quite fast enough and was hit by a bat-like wing and slammed
backwards.
Wren grunted as she sprawled on the rocky surface and skidded a
little. She stood up again as quickly as she could and jumped upwards as
Bowenite's huge tail swept across the ground.
She gritted her teeth and spat out an incantation as quickly as
possible. Bowenite's claws raked across her chest and she almost lost
concentration but somehow completed the spell through the haze of pain.
A blast of shards of glowing ice slashed into Bowenite's wings,
shredding them so that they were useless for flight now.
The dragon's neck snaked down and his teeth bit into Wren's shoulder
as she attempted to dodge him, slashing her deeply. Wren bit her lip to keep
from screaming. The less Bowenite knew about her condition, the better.
She drew her sword and cast another spell. She disappeared only to
reappear in the same second next to Bowenite's side. She cut into him with
her sword and blinked onto his head, slashing his across his left eye.
Bowenite wailed in pain as she materialized again by his other side. She hit
him again but he managed to kick her away and she slid, careful to keep a grip
on her sword.
Bowenite was beginning to realize the disadvantages of the form he
had chosen. For one thing, it was just too big to miss. He couldn't dodge or
move with a lot of speed, which was his style in his regular form. The
advantage of flight had been eliminated by Wren earlier on in the fight when
she had wrecked his wings. All he had left was raw brute force and spells.
Bowenite's wings may have been useless for flying now, but not
totally useless. He reared up onto his hind legs, snaked his head up high,
and flapped his wings.
The dust on the asteroid-like battlefield rose up into a huge,
choking cloud. Wren started to cough, ruining the chant she had began, and
choked on the dust. Bowenite's tail swung around and swept her off her feet.
Wren continued to choke and leapt high up into the air, frantically spitting
out the spell to complete it while she was still free of the choking dust
cloud. She landed and raised her arms to guide the gusts of wind she had
summoned to whisk the clouds of dusk off the asteroid and into the void of
multi-coloured magic.
Meanwhile, Bowenite had stopped beating his wings and had cast a
spell. Wren, directly in front of him, felt her muscles lock for a moment.
The paralyzation didn't last, and Wren realized she had not been affected by
his spell. There was no reason to let him know that, however, so she froze in
place. Bowenite opened his fanged mouth and took in a deep breath, preparing
to breathe flames again. The rush of wind covered the sound of Wren chanting
a spell at the same time. She had to time this exactly right or she would be
fried...
Bowenite's head extended downwards as he leveled his mouth at Wren.
She had the terrifying view of seeing the glow coming towards her from deep in
his throat, flames roaring down towards her to melt her face off, not to
mention the rest of her....NOW!
Wren snapped her hands out in front of her, shocking Bowenite, who
believed she had been paralyzed, as the green energy beam slammed UP his
throat, destroying the fire in its path, roaring inside him, destroying his
lungs utterly. Bowenite's eyes, one blind and bleeding, opened wide as he
screamed, writheing in the grip of the incredible pain Wren had just caused
him, his deep screams echoing in the void of magic, deafening Wren.
Wren's shoulder and chest burned as she panted for breath. The loss
of blood and all the spells she had cast had weakened her considerably. She
moved over to Bowenite's left, his blind side, and channeled her energy into
a final spell. If this didn't work, or Bowenite recovered from her last
attack in time, she was finished. It was all she had strength to do.
She finished the incantation, wheezing for breath -all she wanted to
do was collapse!- and the blade of her sword blazed with shining green light.
She stepped in front of the dragon's chest as he screamed and raised the
sword above her head.
"This is it," she closed her eyes for a moment to draw all her power
together for her final strike, "Not for the Codex. Not for the Scouts. Not
for Darian. I do this, this which may be my final act in life," -she coughed,
there was blood- "To avenge the deaths of my family! BOWENITE, DIE!" Her eyes
snapped open and blazed even brighter. She screamed in rage, rage for losing
the ones she cared most for, rage of being alone, and swung the sword in a
shining arc, her vision blurring with tears of anger and weariness.
Wren felt the sword bite into flesh and had to close her eyes against
the flare of brilliant white light that blinded her as she followed the
swing through with all her strength! There was a sound like lightning and
thunder together, and a great explosion followed, and she was tossed like a
fragile leaf in a hurricane backwards, all the way across the battlefield, to
the edge of the asteroid.
Wren twisted to her hands and knees and looked up to see Bowenite's
final death throes, as he screamed one last time, a scream that held as his
form disentegrated into roiling black smoke with a thunderclap, and
dispersed. The scream ended. Bowenite was dead.
Tears of joy slid down Wren's battered face as she struggled to get
enough strength to stand. As she stumbled towards the center of the field,
the globe which contained the Codex Enchantra slowly descended. As she came
to a stop before it, the glowing field of rainbow energy disappeared.
Wren tentatively reached out a bloody hand towards the book. As her
fingers brushed the cover, a feeling of peace slid through her. She sighed
and closed her eyes. She had done it.
* * * *
It was close to sunset in the park where Serena, Ami, Lita, Mina,
Rei, Darian, Luna, and Artemis waited. Nellie sat nearby, unusually subdued.
"It's been so long. Where is she?" Lita said, worry apparent in her
voice.
"She'll come," said Serena.
"How can you be so sure? Bowenite was strong, what if she died?"
Darian said.
"To be perfectly honest, she may have very well died," said Luna.
"No. She'll be back, I know it!" said Serena.
"I said, 'No Goodbyes', and I meant it," said Mina.
"I can recall us all saying similar things before going to fight
Beryl," said Rei grimly.
"Don't talk about that now!" hissed Ami as she noticed Darian turn
away. She wondered if he was actually...?
"We can only hope," said Artemis. They were all silent as they
watched the sun set. Suddenly, Nellie barked. They turned.
Standing there was Wren, looking tired but otherwise fine. In her
hands she held a huge book with a brown leather book with delicate gold work.
A large gold mystical rune shone from the cover. She still wore her battered
armor.
"The Codex Enchantra! You did it, Wren!" breathed Luna. The Scouts
ran over to Wren, crying and laughing at the same time as they engulfed her
in a hug. She nearly fell and they withdrew.
"I defeated Bowenite and recovered the Codex Enchantra." she said
simply.
"Where do you go from here?" Darian asked softly, standing apart. He
had not joined in the group hug.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
They all looked up to the sky and saw a figure falling from about
twelve feet above them. Everyone dodged and transformed, expecting a
Negaverse attacker. The figure landed in the center of the ring they formed.
The figure turned out to be a strange-looking man. He was extremely
handsome, with long golden hair brushing his shoulders, delicate features,
and strangely pointed ears, the tips of which poked up through his hair. He
was wearing a large black cloak, black boots, pants, and shirt, with a forest
green tabard over top. The green-lensed sunglasses on his face looked
strangely out of place. As he lay on his back, he looked up at Wren and
spoke.
"I can answer that question," he said, "Wow. This is a really awesome
view, but I think I'll get up now." The Scouts blushed. Those short skirts
had a few disadvantages, and this was one of them.
The guy stood up and brushed himself off.
"You're that guy on T.V that they interviewed!" Wren said as she
looked at his face.
"Yippers. I've been following your progress for a while," he said. He
removed the sunglasses and stuffed them into what Wren guessed was a hidden
pocket in his cloak. He fixed her with a penetrating stare. Wren gasped.
"Your eyes!" she murmured. He blinked. They were the most unusual
eyes any of them had ever seen, not just because they slanted sharply. His
irises were inky black, his pupils a bright crimson colour!
"Um, lab accident," he explained. He bowed and smiled at them
roguishly.
"I should introduce myself. My name is Jantos Silverun-Erendyl, just
Jantos to my buddies. And my enemies, now that I think about it," he frowned,
"Well, everyone calls me Jantos."
"You were the guy in the forest!" said Lita.
"Yeah, you led us on a merry chase!" spat Mina.
"You made me run and fall into a ditch! So we're even!" he stuck his
tongue out at them. Serena giggled. Wren realized that he was actually pretty
young, maybe nineteen or twenty. But those ears and eyes made her worry.
"You can't have the Codex," she stated flatly.
"Why would I want it?" he said flippantly, "I wrote the thing."
Luna's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"Did so! Did you check the 'About the Author' page?" he said to Wren.
She flipped to the back of the heavy book. Sure enough, there was an image
of him grinning up from the page. She read the short summary out loud.
"'Jantos Silverun Erendyl is a strange elven mage who mastered magic
at a young age through many adventures, described fully in the Chronicles of
Magic, Volumes 789-902. He is viewed as the most eccentric mage in the
universe to date, certainly among the most powerful. He is frequently out
dimension-hopping, an explorer at heart. It is recommended he is to be
avoided unless you have at least an average sense of humor.'"
"Oh good, they took the thing about the evil twin out," he said.
"So, what do you want?" Sailor Mercury asked.
"Like I said, I've been watching you. I think you'll be a fine mage.
You'll need help with the Codex, though, a little guidance. Who better to
give it than me?
"This world holds very little for you now. Here, you have to hide
your abilities and practice in secret. There is no one else like you. If you
were to travel around, you would see that there are worlds where magic is
common. It's easier to pick on training and find cool stuff!
"And by the way, if you still don't trust me for some reason, it was
I who stopped Bowenite from scrying on you directly, thus letting you go to
the washroom in private again, and I GAVE THAT HINT THAT LED YOU TO FIND THE
CODEX." They all recognized the voice then.
"Can-?" Wren started to ask.
"Yeah, the dog can come, too!" Jantos said.
"I'd...have to say goodbye. It would be hard to leave," Wren said
softly, "If you guys think this is safe for me."
Luna nodded her approval, as did Artemis.
"I can cast a spell to wipe all memories of you from everyone, so no
one will remember you. Except these people, because-" Jantos was interrupted.
"Because I'll want to return someday," Wren finished, "Very well.
I'll go. Can you wait a bit?"
"Oh, yeah. I'll just be over there. He sat on the bench nearby, which
had only recently witnessed an amazing display of magic, and reached under his
cloak. Somehow, he pulled out a black electric guitar from it (it seemed Wren
wasn't the only one with a pocket dimension) and began playing a soft song
-'Answers' by hHead it sounded like. Wren wondered how he knew music from
this world already and also what spell made an electric guitar that cool
looking. He had a great voice.
She turned back to her friends and gave them all a hug.
"It's been great, you guys. I'll keep in touch." They all blinked
back tears. She then gave Darian a hug.
"You've been like a brother to me. I'll never forget what you've done
for me," she whispered. She felt him press a something into her hand. Her eyes
widened as she realized what it was and she put it in her pocket dimension
immediately, then gently broke away from him and turned to the rest.
"I won't forget any of you...I'll miss you so much," she said huskily.
"We'll never forget you," said Darian softly. Wren called Nellie
over. Darian sneezed.
"At least you have your apartment to yourself again. Free bathroom in
the morning, all the Count Chocula to yourself again, no Nellie to make you
sneeze..."
"And no remote control, just a sword."
"Sorry about that." She looked back to Jantos, who had come to stand
behind her.
"You better take good care of her," Darian told him.
"Or I get a rose through my head. Yup, I know. Y'know, it isn't a
regular type of guy who can make a floral arrangement deadly."
"You remember that."
"Don't worry. I will."
Wren paused a moment, thinking about the rose he had just given her,
then stood on her tip-toes and gave Darian a quick kiss in the cheek.
He smiled down at her. If circumstances had been different...maybe they could
have been more than friends. But he had a wonderful girlfriend in Serena, who
he loved. He knew Wren would find someone else. It was better that she didn't
know that he had developed a bit if a crush on her, too.
"I'll miss you all so much..." she nodded to Jantos, who began his
incantation, and held on to Nellie's leash tightly.
The Scouts and Darian watched as the three forms disappeared from the
park, and from the memories of everyone but those present, just as the sun
disappeared over the horizon.
End of Sailor Moon Magic
* * * *
--
*While many streets are named for trees, or presidents, relatively few are
named for diseases.
*Traditionally, the poorest-selling soup variety has been creme of marmot.
*Chunky toothpaste never quite caught on. -ABRELL AND THOMPSON'S ACTUAL FACTS
(
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geocities.com/tokyo)