This is the sequel to my earlier work, "Mars Fire Ignite". If you
haven't read that one, you probably should. Some parts of this come
from my first work.
Also, if you are wondering where this fits in in the Sailor Moon
timeline, don't. It doesn't fit anywhere in that universe. The Inner
Scouts are around 17 years old right now, some two to three years
after "Mars Fire Ignite".
Disclaimer-wise, Sailor Moon and her friends are the property of Naoko
Takeuchi, and they're copyrighted by her, and to a lesser extent, DiC
(those manglers!). Also, there is a good bit of Forgotten Realms
flavor in here, and they belong to TSR (or Wizards of the Coast,
depending on how you look at it). Most of the other things spawned
from my own imagination, so I'd like credit for such. Enjoy!
Note: For those of you familiar with Forgotten Realms, and more
specifically, the drow warrior Drizzt Do' Urden, I would like to make
it clear that Chaszmyr is NOT, I repeat, NOT a copy of that
copyrighted and fabulous hero. Chaszmyr was a character created by my
best friend long before I made him read the Drizzt novels. Both of us
were rather surprised at the likenesses.
Comments, criticisms, compliments to schoudh@eos.ncsu.edu
-------------------------------------
Quest for the Silver Imperium Crystal
by Soumitra Choudhury
Chapter 3: Adventuring Can Be Fun
-------------------------------------
Surprisingly enough, Serena was not the last person to wake
up.
As the faint light of dawn seeped through the sentinel of
trees, the princess hid under her blanket, muttering for someone to
shut the window so she could sleep a bit more. When no one replied,
her eyes crawled open, focused on her surroundings, and she bound out
of bed, transformation brooch quickly finding her hand.
No, Serena most definitely was not the last to wake up.
That honor, strangely enough, fell to Ami. She had mumbled
something about her internal clock being off.
By the time the sun had crested the unseen horizon, eight
individuals were gathered outside the large stone dwelling. Five of
them were clothed in short pleated skirts and nearly sleeveless body
suits, complete with a large bow attached to their chests and lower
backs. To ward off the morning chill, each of the Scouts also wore a
long woolen cloak. By a minor cantrip Serena and Mina had wheedled out
of Szaravel the night before, each cloak matched the color of the
respective Scout: red for Mars, blue for Mercury, orange for Venus,
green for Jupiter, and because there couldn't be any repeat of colors
(at least in Mina's stylistic opinion), white for Sailor Moon.
On the whole, the Scouts looked like the cosmic princesses
that they were.
On the other hand, the three drow were decked out in more
practical terms. Chaszmyr had opted for stealth mode: black tunic,
black trousers, black boots, black cloak. Even his weapon belt and
scabbards were black. A number of small leather pouches hung from his
waist, along with a pair of daggers in his boots. He also had a small
backpack strapped to his back, though it was hidden in the folds of
the cloak. Finishing his ensemble was a quiver of arrows, and a
wondrous short bow that looked as if it were crafted of glass-encased
mist rather than wood.
If Chaszmyr was the Cloak, then Xune most definitely was the
Dagger, or in this case, the Sword. She had don a suit of chain mail
that gleamed in the rays of sunlight. A gift from Chaszmyr to Xune,
the chest area of the mail had a runic symbol worked into the armor,
though the chain links of the symbol were crafted of sapphire. The
symbol had been the mark of the Arabani House, Chaszmyr's family name.
She had added a leather belt to cinch the mail about her
waist, so it seemed Xune wore a dress of chain linked armor, though it
only reached down to her mid-thigh. Knee-high boots and a simple
forest green cloak completed her outfit, creating the image of an
incredibly sexy, if formidable, warrior. Once again, strapped to her
back was her sacred sword, Orthae Abban. Upon her brow rested the
silver and diamond circlet, her holy symbol to her goddess.
Szaravel looked the most vulnerable of the group. Her garb
consisted of a simple, if finely-tailored, velvet grey robe with gold
runes embroidered into the hem, a gold and fluttering sash tied about
her waist, and a plain dawn grey cloak. She carried only her staff, a
five and a half foot shaft of some dark wood, iron shod on the
bottom. The top ended in a bronzed dragon head clutching a three inch
diameter crystal sphere within its jaws. The ruby eyes of the dragon
sparkled vermilion when they caught any light.
"Are we all ready then?" Xune asked, throwing everyone a
glance. Each nodded in turn. "Then, I suppose we should be leaving."
The Scouts joined hands around the drow, took a deep breath,
then cried simultaneously, "Sailor Teleport!"
A flash of white light engulfed them all, blinding them into
shutting their eyes. When the light disappeared a moment later, they
checked their location, caution taking over their movements.
They had ended up on the beach of a small island. To the
soothing sounds of crashing waves and squawking seagulls, they scanned
the horizons for signs of danger, though they needn't have
bothered. The only thing they could see was the pair of mountains that
jut up, side by side, in the center of the island. From this distance
of a few hundred yards, they could see the entrance of what looked
like a canyon or narrow valley between the mountains.
Mercury drew out her computer and tapped on it a few times.
She frowned and glanced around, then tapped a few more times. "This is
strange."
"What?" inquired Sailor Moon.
"I can't get a fix on the Crystal. It's definitely on the
island, somewhere in the center, but there is some sort of
interference preventing me from pinpointing the exact location."
Szaravel raised her staff, and the crystal ball glowed a pale
sickly green. "Yes, there's definitely some magic at work here," she
muttered. "Magic that isn't going to be friendly."
Chaszmyr slid out his blades. "Well, the faster we get this
done with, the faster we can leave. I'll take point and we'll head
towards that canyon. Mercury, I'll need you to come with me to make
sure we're headed in the right direction. The rest of you, stay no
less than fifty paces behind. Xune, I'll let you know what we find as
we go."
"You're going to keep coming back and forth?" Jupiter asked,
unsure of the point in that.
Chaszmyr shook his head. "No, the earrings Xune and I wear
allow us to communicate to each other mentally." He twisted around and
headed off, Mercury in tow.
"Kind of like our communicators, but better, huh?" Venus said,
nudging Jupiter in the side.
The canyon quickly became deep and cloistering. The mountains
made for perfect, sheer cliffs on each side, walling them into a
passage no more than two or three body lengths wide. In addition, this
was no worn down trail of dust and powdered dirt, but rather a
carefully cobbled pathway of interlocking pieces of carved stone.
"The trail should end in another hundred yards," Mercury
whispered, focused on her visor. "There's a large opening into the
base of the mountains up ahead, approximately 20 feet wide and 50 feet
tall. Definitely intelligently made."
Chaszmyr sent the information back to the rest of the group,
tightening his grip on Lyonesse and Azariel. His instincts told him
this was a dangerous place, and rarely were they wrong.
They rounded the last sharp bend in the trail, and stopped,
waiting for the rest. The opening, a gate threshold perhaps, gaped
before them. Forming the mammoth frame were two twisting and curling
statues of huge, detailed serpents. At the top of the gateway, the
heads of the statues entwined, both turned out towards the canyon,
frowning in warning. Each head was bigger than all the Scouts
combined.
"There is a welcoming sight, eh Lady Mercury?" Chaszmyr
muttered in false bravado. The girl shivered, continuing to scan for
danger within the opening.
A few minutes later, the rest of the women arrived. "Whoa,
there's something you don't see every day," Jupiter said, gazing at
the giant serpents.
Szaravel, likewise, peered at the statues. "No need to
worry. They are merely statues."
The Scouts blinked at her comment. "We've run into creatures
that pretend to be statues until you're close enough to intrude upon
their grounds. They aren't easy foes," she added in ways of an
explanation.
"Do we have to go in there?" Sailor Moon asked, a slight
tremor in her voice.
Mercury nodded. "I still can't get a better reading, but I'm
positive it's in there."
"It looks dark," Venus whispered. "Did anyone remember to
bring a light?"
Szaravel tapped her staff upon the ground, and the crystal
sphere lit up like a blazing torch. "Will this do?"
'I have GOT to get me one of those,' Mars thought to herself,
her eyes twinkling in the light, 'or, at the very least, make on of my
own.'
As a group, they entered the Serpent's Gate.
*****
The gate led into a long, vaulted hallway, all finely chiseled
stone blocks. In the light of the staff, they could make out the
bas-reliefs that lined the passage walls: scenes of destruction and
chaos, bloody wars fought between devilish creatures and various
demihuman races, mostly elves. Lands formed and lands fell, but there
was a constant in the murals that defied the changes in time.
In the background of all, a grand serpentine dragon watched,
apparently pleased. It was a dragon like none of them had seen, and
hopefully never would, for even in the murals, the dragon beckoned
their deaths. It was a wingless dragon, yet it soared over Toril, and
if the murals were correct, many other worlds as well. It spied,
manipulated, played with the mortals as if they were pawns to a game
only it knew how to play.
It greatly enjoyed the chaos it created.
The hallway lasted some several hundred feet, before it opened
into a vast chamber of white and black marble. Absolutely empty,
except for the pair of double brass doors across the room from them,
the party could not detect any danger here. Only the floor demanded
interest, for it was made of gold and silver ten by ten foot squares
arranged alternatively, similar to a checker board. In fact, there
were exactly 64 squares, arranged as eight rows of eight.
"Looks like a chess board," Mercury commented, her gaze a bit
distant as she concentrated on readouts from her visor, "but there is
definitely magical radiation saturated throughout this room,
especially the floor. I suggest extreme caution."
Venus sidled up to Mercury and giggled. "Thanks. Next thing
you know, you're going to wave your arms about and yell 'Danger!
Danger!'"
Mercury blinked. Twice.
Szaravel confirmed Mercury's readings. "The whole room is
reacting to my sight. I don't trust this at all. Perhaps we should
just teleport ourselves over to the other side?"
"Is that safe?" Rei wondered aloud. "There might be a trap or
something."
"Of course it's a trap," Szaravel sighed,
exasperated. "Otherwise, we wouldn't worry about it, don't you think?"
Rei fought the nigh overpowering urge to punch her in the jaw.
"Alright then, everyone gather around," Sailor Moon said,
taking Jupiter's and Mars' hand. The drow stood in the middle of the
Scouts' circle, waiting for the flash of light that occurred during
the transfer.
"Sailor Teleport!"
Nothing happened.
"I was afraid of that," Szaravel murmured, mostly to herself.
Mars growled at her. "What?! What were you afraid of?"
"The trap in this room was apparently designed so that you
have to cross the floor. I tried to enact a spell that would allow me
to fly. It didn't work either." She shrugged nonchalantly.
The dark haired sorceress took a step towards the drow woman,
her temper getting the better of her. "Would it hurt you to notify us
of these things beforehand, or are we too stupid for you to care for?"
She clenched her fists, and, unbeknownst to her, Mars' pupils had
faded away, leaving only white. Tiny wisps of flames danced over eyes.
Taken aback by the unnatural display and surprising fury,
Szaravel stumbled back, raising her staff in a warding
gesture. Chaszmyr and Xune interposed themselves before the enraged
woman, and Sailor Moon and Jupiter each grabbed one of Mars'
arms. "Mars, stop. You're overreacting," Jupiter warned in a low tone.
Mars whirled on them, her pupilless eyes wide with
outrage. "I'm overreacting?!? What would have happened if we tried to
teleport and had triggered the trap? We could be DEAD now!"
"Lady Mars," Chaszmyr began, "anger will not help-"
"The hell it won't!" she screamed back. "I'm sick and tired of
that arrogant little twit acting like she's the reason the universe
came into being! You're not! There are others to think about here!"
At this, Szaravel flushed with her own indignation. Shoving
past her guardian parents, she cried, "How dare you-?"
Mars burst into a being of living opalescent fire, and though
the flames did not injure Moon or Jupiter, they withdrew their holds
and jumped back. Chaszmyr and Xune slipped out their blades, wondering
what was going on here.
For her part, Szaravel felt fear. Here was a being far more
powerful than had been expected.
The fire child gave Szaravel one cold, hard look, then turned
to the room before her and raised her left hand, palm facing up. With
what looked like considerable effort, she began closing her hand, ever
so slowly. As she did this, translucent winds of cerulean ripped out
of the floor, streaking about the room, and eventually, to Mars, who
gathered them into her hand as a marble-sized pulsing stone.
When no more energy emerged from the floor, the sorceress
closed her hand over the stone. "Quickly now. Get across the room,"
she commanded, her voice strained in effort.
The Scouts and the drow hesitated for only a moment, then ran
across the room, Mars stumbling behind. When they all reached the
safety of the other side, Mars turned back to the room and
threw the stone. At the apex of its flight, the stone exploded
silently, and the numerous magical gales settled back into the squares
upon the floor.
The flames about the dark haired girl died down, and her
pupils returned. She leveled a piercing gaze upon Szaravel. "I am
sworn to protect Princess Serena. I don't care if you hold your own
life in disregard, but if you ever endanger hers or any of ours with
your arrogance again, I will personally rip your tongue out so you can
never cast another spell again. Do I make myself clear?"
Szaravel nodded meekly.
Mars maintained the look a moment longer, then sighed, swaying
with fatigue. Venus lent her a supportive arm. No one said a word for
an uncomfortable minute or so.
Finally, Mercury coughed delicately. "Perhaps we should
continue with out quest. The signal for the Crystal is getting
stronger," she said in a small crystalline voice.
Chaszmyr checked the huge brass doors for locks, but didn't
find any. He pressed one of them, and it opened, hissingly, like
introducing the world to a long closed crypt. The doorway revealed a
similar corridor to the one that had brought them to the marble room,
though this one smelled faintly of stale air and dust. Chaszmyr
motioned them to follow as he strode forward.
Hanging back, Venus helped Mars onward. "You wouldn't really,
you know, do that ripping thing, would you?" the blonde Scout asked in
a hesitant whisper.
Mars sighed softly. "The princess is the most important person
in our lives, Venus," she replied enigmatically, then chuckled
lightly. "Listen to me. I'm starting to sound like Pluto."
Secretly, that scared her more than a little.
The hallway turned into a ten foot wide staircase leading
downwards. It was fairly obvious no one had been down here for some
time, for the stairs were coated in dust, no footprints but their own
marring the uniform blanket of fluffy dirt. Random strands and nets of
cobwebs arched about, fluttering lazily in the breeze of their
passing. The only noise they could hear was the dull clap of Sailor
Moon's, Mercury's and Mars' footwear on the wooden stairs. Jupiter and
Venus didn't seem to be making too much noise, and the drow were quite
adept at silent movement. Try as she might, Mars couldn't hear the
dark elves' footsteps.
About two-thirds of the way down, there was a sharp crack and
shattering of wood, followed by a string of healthy cursing that would
have shamed even the hardiest of sailors. The sounds came from the
back, and it was Mars who did the cursing.
Chaszmyr sprinted up the stairs with Szaravel in tow for
light. "What is it?"
Venus was inspecting the stairboard Mars had stepped on.
Apparently, the latter's foot had broken through a weak point, causing
her to stumble. She had managed to catch her balance before twisting
her ankle or worse with a fall. "Does it hurt?" the blonde asked,
carefully checking the hole that had caught the sorceress' foot.
"No, no. It's fine. I'll just pull it-"
"No! Wait!" Chaszmyr hissed, having been scanning the aperture
himself. His instincts told him this was no normal break, and the
glint of metal within told him he was right. "Don't move you foot."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"See those wooden shards from the board? Well, just behind
them, underneath, there are some metal razors. No, you can't quite see
them from your angle but trust me. They're facing down at a 45 degree
angle, so your foot wouldn't get cut on the way down. Removing it is
another matter."
Venus called for Szaravel's light and squinted to see. "Oh
yeah. I see them know. That's pretty sneaky, but nothing to worry
about. We'll just do this nice and slow, okay?"
*THUD*
A pair of scimitars and a bastard sword flew to hands while
Mercury's visor dropped down.
*THUD*
*THUD*
"There's something big coming from the bottom of the stairs!"
the blue Scout cried. "Ten feet tall, vaguely humanoid in shape,
composed completely of stone and earthen materials!"
*THUD*
*THUD*
At the very edge of the light given off by Szaravel's staff, a
faint outline of a giant materialized. It took a step upon the
stairs...
*THUD*
... and another...
*THUD*
Craggy in some places, smooth in others, the creature looked
like something patched together with a bunch of dirt and rocks, with
all the strength imbued in such substances. Great bulging arms and
legs exuded with severe power. Huge ham-fists clenched and unclenched
methodically.
Xune and Chaszmyr took up frontal positions. "An earth
elemental!" Xune cried to the others. "Get Mars' foot free as fast as
possible! The rest of you better have some of those powers handy!"
Three steps brought the elemental another ten feet up, where
Chaz and Xune stood stoically. The creature raised its fists to make
quick work of the drow, but each leaped nimbly out of the way.
Chaszmyr whirled in just as he landed, cutting nicks and
gouges where he could, his blades glinting and sparking like a
miniature storm. A rumbling roar echoed from the monster as it turned
its attention to the painful nuisance.
Xune, flanking the monstrosity, raised a hand and shouted,
"Eilistraee grant me the power to strike Your enemies!" Four bolts of
silvery white light erupted from her outstretched fingers and struck
its exposed side, each blast spraying the area with a cloud of earthen
debris.
Meanwhile, Venus continued to work on removing Mars' foot from
the trap while Szaravel held the light, all three of them showing
uncommon poise in the face of such an immense danger.
Mercury and Jupiter took up positions a few steps above the
battling drow, in line with the elemental's head. A few steps above
them, Sailor Moon stood, gawking at the awesome size of the creature.
"Supreme Thunder!"
"Shining Aqua Illusion!"
"Moon Tiara Magic!"
Another roar of pain escaped the creature as frustration
settled into its movements. Too slow to dodge, the three strikes of
Scout power slammed into it, faltering its steps and ripping out
chunks of stone in its gnarled chest. Chaszmyr continued to hamper and
harry it with quick jabs and slashed at its legs and lower torso,
amazing dexterity keeping him out of harm's way. He knew that one blow
from those rock fists of its would mean a great deal of pain.
"Wow!" Jupiter yelled. "For something that big, it sure is
slow! A couple more hits and we'll have nothing but a pile of rubble!"
The creature raised its great arms in a motion to pound Chaz
to the ground, so the drow leapt back out of range.
The motion was a ruse, however. As Chaz jumped back, expecting
the arms to fall like mallets, Xune took her turn to strike with
Orthae Abban. The closer arm came down, then swept back... slamming
into Xune with considerable force.
At the last minute, Xune managed to parry awkwardly with her
sword, but the force of the blow threw her backwards into the air a
good distance. She smashed up against the wall of the passage, and in
her ears she heard several 'snaps' of breaking ribs. Her eyes felt
like they were going to pop out of her head, so much was the pain as
she slid down into a crumpled heap.
A switch within Chaszmyr's mind clicked, and the muscles in
his face clenched into iron. With the speed and strength of adrenaline
running through his veins, and the horrifying thought that Xune had
been injured, Chaz sprinted to the other wall of the passage, leaped
and twisted in the same motion so that his feet landed on said wall,
and sprung up and out, scimitars held wide. As he neared the
elemental, his blades punched forward, and Lyonesse pierced through a
patch of dirt on its right shoulder. Hanging for a moment by his
blade, Chaszmyr pulled his feet under him, scrambled onto its arm, and
jumped lightly onto its massive head where he locked his legs around
its neck. There, he proceeded to pound the creature's head with all
the force he could muster behind his enchanted swords.
A moment of stunned awe ran through the remaining Scouts, but
Mercury snapped out of it quickly. "Jupiter, the arms! We've got to
blow them off!" She raised her hands for another attack, as did the
green Scout.
"Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Oak Evolution!"
The elemental raised its arms once again, expecting to smash
the infernal bug off of its neck. Just as they came down, a hail of
leaf-shaped lightning ripped through its left shoulder, blasting away
that arm, along with a flurry of icy spear-like beams tearing through
its right arm.
Chaszmyr screamed something unintelligible and drove both his
blades into the head all the way to the hilts. The elemental gaped,
then sighed, almost happily. It lost its form, crumbling into a large
pile of debris. Chaz jumped out of the way and ran to his beloved,
already being ministered by Sailor Moon.
"I think... I broke... a few ribs," Xune gasped out feebly,
trying to sit up. Chaszmyr gently held her back down. "Shush. You know
better than to talk. Now stop trying to move."
Sailor Moon blinked back a few tears, catching Xune's
attention. "Why are... you crying? It's... nothing to... worry about."
"But you're hurt! And I don't have the Silver Imperium Crystal
to heal you! We have to get you to a doctor or something!"
Xune smiled comfortingly. "Ah, child. You... are
very... kind. Watch... and learn of... faith." With that, she closed
her eyes and pressed her hands together. "Eilistraee, my Lady of All
Things Generous and Kind, please lend me your healing breath so that
this devoted follower may continue to strive in your divine footsteps
and show the world that there is peace and harmony in all races."
As she spoke, her circlet sparkled silver, and then her hands,
and then her whole body. With awe, Sailor Moon watched as Xune healed
herself of her injuries. As the light faded away, the drow priestess
opened her eyes. "Remember, child. This is not your world. Many things
work differently. It is faith in ourselves and the gods that provides
us with the healing that we require. How can we heal if we have no
faith?"
Chaszmyr chuckled at Moon's incredulous stare. "Enough
preaching, Beloved. They have newly come to our world. Don't give her
more to think about than she already has." To the blonde, he said,
"Unlike Xune, my faith in the gods is somewhat lacking, for I have
seen some of their horrors. Still, I believe in myself, in Xune, and
in Szaravel, and for me, that is enough. Now come, we have a Silver
Imperium Crystal to retrieve."
By the time the combatants had gathered themselves in the
aftermath of the battle, Venus had Mars' foot released. "Darn, you
could have at least waited for us to finish before blowing it up, you
know," she huffed in mock indignation.
Chaz bowed low. "My apologies, Lady Venus, Lady Mars. Had I
but known you would be offended, I would have asked the elemental to
pause in its rampage and join me in a drink or two until you were
ready." Many giggles followed, along with a number of fluttering
hearts at his eloquence. 'Even Cole can get some pointers from this
guy,' Mars thought with a chuckle.
They quickly continued on their way after that, though they
were especially careful for more traps. With the help of a spell by
Szaravel and Chaszmyr's skill at finding such nuisances, they made
their way past four more traps.
After several hundred yards of hallway, the group found
themselves before a simple door of plain wood with a nondescript gold
handle. After a careful check for something explosive, acidic, or
likewise nasty, Chaszmyr picked the lock and clicked open the door.
It opened into a simple room, about twenty feet square, carved
out of the mountain. The ceiling was only about ten feet above them,
smooth as the rest of the room. The only feature of the chamber seemed
to be the exquisitely sculpted fountain in the center.
About ten feet in diameter, the fountain was made of some
shimmering stone carved into two stone snakes that twined about the
sides to form the bowl. The two heads emerged on opposite sides of
each other, and each spilled water out of its mouth into the pool. The
odd thing about the fountain was the whirlpool that churned within it,
down to some dark depth. There were no other exits to the room.
Mercury brought her visor down again. "Well, the Crystal is
here somewhere. We're practically on top of it. I guess we should
spread out and search the room."
They did just that, but after half an hour, it was obvious
that the Crystal wasn't here.
"I thought you said the Crystal was in this room," Jupiter
said, sitting on the edge of the fountain.
Mercury pinched her face, lost in thought. "If not in here,"
she mumbled to herself, "that leaves... the whirlpool?"
"Well, there's no telling where it is now!" Szaravel cried.
"For all we know, that could lead to an underground lake or
something. How are we supposed to get there?"
Venus shrugged. "The Crystal is most probably down there. One
of us can go down there and try to get it. What's so difficult about
that?"
"Have you ever been in a whirlpool?"
"No, but it's not that big." Venus glanced around. "Chaszmyr,
can we use that rope you have? You know, tie it around someone's waist
and lower her in?"
Chaz rummaged in his bag for the rope. "I'll even be the one
to go down," he added confidently.
Mars shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I will go
down. I can prevent myself from drowning with my magic."
"And how will you let us know to bring you back up again?"
"Didn't you just hear what I said? I'll use my magic."
Chaz shook his head. "I'm sure you could, as could Szaravel if
she chose, but such use will drain you of strength, if I'm not
mistaken.
Mars frowned. "Are you saying I'm not strong enough?"
"Of course not. I'm just saying that if there is an easier
way, why not take it?"
Sailor Moon held out a hand to prevent any more arguments from
Mars. "What have you got in mind?"
"Well," he replied, reaching into his backpack once again, "I
just happen to have this," and he pulled out a sapphire blue crystal
helm with an open face.
Mars smirked. "Very pretty."
Chaz smiled deferentially. "Ah, but this is much more than a
pretty helm." He clapped it upon his head, barked a short foreign
phrase, and suddenly, a clear faceplate magically appeared and sealed
off the outside. He began speaking again, but none of them could hear.
"He's saying he can then communicate with me through our
earrings," Xune said, indicating for Chaz to remove the helm.
Mars was fascinated. "Wow! Are there any other little trinkets
of enchantment in that little bag of yours?"
"Ah, but if I told you, I could not glimpse the expression of
surprise upon your beautiful faces," he answered as the faceplate
disappeared. Xune used to his flirting, ignored him. Mars blush
furiously.
Chaz quickly tied one end of the rope to his waist, and handed
the other end to the girls. "Now, I'll tug on the rope when I want to
come back up, okay? Just try not to let go." He slipped the helm back
on, activated its magic again, and climbed atop the fountain wall.
Jupiter, Venus, Xune, Mars and Moon wrapped the rope around their
hands and signaled the thumbs' up sign. He turned around, and dove
in.
The rope unraveled from its pile very quickly, and a few
seconds later, the four girls braced themselves as it grew
taut. "How's he doing, Xune?" Moon asked. "That was a pretty quick
drop."
Xune remained silent for a moment, then answered, "He says
that he can't see anything because the water is so dark, but he
doesn't think it would hurt to let him go. He thinks the water widens
out after a few feet."
"Is that wise? I can create another longer rope with my
magic," Mars said.
Xune went silent again, then returned. "No, he's swinging
about, and he thinks the water is actually falling into another
chamber below this. Not more than a couple hundred feet."
"A couple hundred feet!" Moon cried. "We'll die if we fall
that far!"
"No we won't. It'll just be like falling down a waterfall,"
Xune replied innocently.
Moon looked at her in shock. "You've done that?!?"
"Of course. Haven't you?" Moon blanched and shook her head.
"Hey, it might be fun," threw in Jupiter.
Suddenly, the rope grew slack, throwing the girls back and on
the floor. Xune panicked for a moment, then relaxed. "Well, the least
he could have done was warn us," she muttered angrily.
"What? What happened?"
Xune sighed and stood up, brushing herself off. "Chaz cut the
rope. Apparently we were taking too long to decide."
"Figures," Mars bit back, pulling herself up. "Well, I guess
it's our turns."
Moon sidled up to the dark-haired sorceress. "Uh, Mars? You
wouldn't be willing to, um, you know, teleport us down there or
something, would you?" she pleaded forlornly.
"Oh, why not? Everyone gather around." Xune, Mercury, and
Szaravel moved in closer, while Moon fairly wrapped herself around
Mars' waist. Venus and Jupiter looked at each other, and grinned
impishly.
"If you don't mind, we're going to take the more exciting
route," the brunette said, and dove into the pool, Venus right on her
heels. They faintly caught the two yelling "Wheeeeeee..." before it
faded away in the roar of the water.
Mars summoned a globe of shimmering jade about them. It rose
in the air, then plunged into the whirlpool, holding back the waters
as it descended into the next chamber of their search.
To Continue Later...
(
geocities.com/tokyo/gulf/4463) (
geocities.com/tokyo/gulf) (
geocities.com/tokyo)