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!). Most of the other things spawned from my own
imagination, so I'd like credit for such. Enjoy!
Comments, criticisms, compliments to schoudh@eos.ncsu.edu
-------------------------------------
Quest for the Silver Imperium Crystal
by Soumitra Choudhury
Prologue
-------------------------------------
"Finally!" Rei exclaimed, as she placed the jade circlet she
had been studying within the crystal box. By some whim of magic, the
circlet floated in the center, rotating slowly around its
center axis. "Finished!"
Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, Rei stood straight,
stretching out the kinks of kneeling before a display pedestal for
several hours. She glanced around in admiration, proud of herself for
the time she had spent completing her little "museum".
The chamber resembled a hallway of finery nearly matching the
stateliness of famed archives of ancient works, such as the Louvre in
Paris, The walls, floor and ceiling of black marble scintillated in
the soft glow of light that shone from the numerous lanterns lining
the walls. Even with the light, the display room seemed shrouded in
twilight.
Along each wall, display cases were set up upon marble
pedestals, each a crystal box of appropriate length, width and depth
to contain its particular treasure. Even in the dim lighting of the
'treasure room', each case illuminated its contents with an inner
glow, precisely setting off the contours and brilliance of each
object.
At the end of the hallway, within a pit of marble some five
feet deep and in radius, lay the more mundane trinkets of wealth that
she had acquired: gold and silver coins and bars, various items of
jewelry, gems, both cut and uncut, large, small and gorgeous, and for
the civilization of modern times, carefully packed wads of paper money
in yen, dollars, and other worldwide currencies.
For the better part of the last three years, she and the rest
of the girls had categorized, researched and returned those valuables
that had been wrongfully stolen (always in the guise of the Sailor
Scouts, of course). Having reached a lull in the action, for they had
managed to avoid the gaze of any evil monstrosities for quite some
time, traveling around the world to return stolen items from different
countries was a welcome change.
As they returned the long lost artifacts and wealth to their
rightful owners, the Scouts had found themselves being showered with
honors and status they had never dreamed of existed. International
heroes, they were called, and with the publicity, they quickly gained
the international recognition that was due them for so long.
Luckily, even with all of their newly acquired publicity, the
Sailor Scouts remained an anonymous group of teenage super-heroines
that battled the evil forces threatening, of all places, Japan. No
country could locate these beautiful girls, though not for a lack of
trying. Occasionally, Tokyo would be bombarded with a rash of
reporters from other nations, searching desperately for the girls. The
disguise magic never gave, however, nor did Rei's control over her
magic, which she was required to use at various times.
And now, after a few years of publicity, the scouts had
finally returned to the lives of seventeen year old teenagers...
well, almost. Being a Sailor Scout definitely did NOT fit in as a life
of a teenager.
Flipping a stray strand of midnight out of her face, Rei
considered the last object she needed to return, glinting
magnificently in the eldritch glow of the crystal box it floated
in. It was, perhaps, the finest sword she had ever seen: the Silver
Katana of the Nakimura Clan.
Nearly a decade ago, the blade had been lost when, then, an
unknown assassin-thief had stolen into the Nakimura clan's sacred
grounds in Hokkaido, quietly murdered over half the members of said
clan, and then had escaped, carrying away their most holy relic. The
next morning, a nearly equal number of members had perished, though by
their own hands this time. The loss of such a symbol of the Clan's
power meant a devastating loss of honor, something the clan members
would rather die than to undergo. They couldn't know that there was
precious little they could do to stop the Grell, a supernaturally
deadly opponent.
Rei hadn't known too much about the situation back
then. Afterall, she had only been five or six. Her world had consisted
of kindly parents, laughing, and discovering the power to make little
things happen by focusing on it. Even back then, her powers manifested
themselves, though in more childish manners: floating a ball in
mid-air, dolls dancing by themselves, the cookie jar finding its way
into Rei's room.
After an incident where she lost control of her powers,
resulting in the death of her parents, she vowed never to use them
again, and effectively locked them away within her mind.
Ironically, those same powers helped her to recover the
katana.
Cole had volunteered his private plane for the trip to
Hokkaido, just as he had volunteered it whenever her trips required
her to leave the general vicinity of Tokyo. He wouldn't have it any
other way.
Having a wealthy boyfriend who accepted your role as Sailor
Mars AND a sorceress of great power definitely had its perks.
Another thing the Scouts had had to get used to was the
emergence of the Outer Sailor Scouts, and Serena and Darien's future
daughter, Reenie. THAT had been a turbulent time, to say the
least. The Black Moon Family, the Wiseman, Esmeraude, etc., etc. It
was a wonder the Scouts had managed to get through it all, relatively
unscathed.
The Outer Sailor Scouts were an interesting matter on their
own, considering it had been Sailor Pluto who had been the one to
challenge her back when she had the power trip problem. Pluto still
didn't quite trust the beautiful sorceress, and Rei didn't much enjoy
the company of the woman who tried to kill her once upon a time.
Uranus and Neptune were entities on their own, choosing to do
things their own way rather than collaborating with the Inner Scouts,
so the two groups rarely joined forces. Only when the opponents
required so, such as the incident with the alien Ice Queen. Only
Hotaru and Reenie seemed to get along all members of both groups, the
only glue that truly linked the two together.
Rei sighed softly and headed for the door-like
portal. 'Perhaps after we return this last relic, we can have a long
chat,' she thought, considering the implication of having a fully
unified force of Sailor Scouts. As she commanded the extra-dimensional
room shut behind her, Rei raised that to the top of her list of
priorities for when they get back from Hokkaido.
*****
Within the shadow-choked realm of a far off plane, saturated
by the racing thunderheads of a thousand thousand storms, a staggering
fortress floated defiantly in the wake of Chaos. Out of the nightmares
of the maddest of minds, the necropolis spanned the length and breadth
of a desolate city, barren with death, choked in the dust of
millenia. Hundreds of crooked spires rose from the ashes, fractured,
cracked, and dilapidated with age, though some retained the
onion-topped minarets of tarnished silver and gold. Not a soul
traveled anywhere on the dingy, suspended island, for who could
survive such destructive power?
Towering thousands of feet over the dead city stood an eroding
pyramid, hundreds of stories high. Upon each of its four mammoth faces
was etched a symbol: the infinity sign crumbling to dust. Until the
last few moments, the symbols had been dark, corroding as everything
else did.
Now, a pale azure glow emerged from within the geometric
figure's depths, illuminating the symbols until they glowed with a
searing brilliance. Cracks crawled along the walls, creating a spidery
web of light.
Quite suddenly, the pyramid shattered with a roar nearly
overheard above the cacophony of the surroundings. A rain of debris
swept over the city, demolishing those stubborn towers that had not
yet fallen. When the dust and smoke cleared (it didn't take long in
this gale) the structure was no more.
Hovering above the rubble-strewn foundation was a being
fifteen feet in height. Fully clad in polished gold plate armor that
encompassed head to foot, it gleamed in the occasional flash of
lightning. Spikes spouted from elbows and knees in murderous danger,
barbed and deadly. The collar,likewise, was hooked with razors. A
helm, two giant horns gracing each side and sweeping high, obscured a
face, though a slit cut across the otherwise featureless visor. Spiked
and clawed gauntlets that looked sharp enough to rip through the
fabric of reality clenched resolutely at its sides. Within one of the
claws, the being held a smooth jewelry box, large enough to fit in the
palm of its hand. A billowing cloak of blood red fluttered calmly
behind him, unmindful of the raging winds swirling about.
As the being surveyed its surroundings with languid
indifference, the blazing symbol of the crumbling infinity appeared
upon its breastplate. Apparently satisfied, the creature raised its
free claw, and slashed down before it. Where the claw cut, the fabric
of reality did indeed slice open, creating a rift that allowed the
being to step through. The slit sealed shut behind it.
*****
In a hidden valley nestled deep and high in the mountain
ranges of the Himalayas, an ethereally beautiful maiden strolled
listlessly among the tropical foliage. By some stint of magic, not
only was the valley hidden from the eyes of humankind, but the valley
remained a perpetual tropical paradise, sheltered among the tallest
mountains of the world.
Upon the brow of the nymph-like woman, an elegant rune of rosy
purple began to glow after being dark for nearly three thousand years.
Fear emerged from the maiden's eyes. "No," she choked in a
half-sob. "I am still young."
No one answered her plea.
A few moments later, she composed herself, brushed away
imaginary dust from her gauzy dress of snow white cloth, brushed back
her white locks, and raised a delicate finger to the air before
her. With graceful skill, she traced a complex sigil, lighting it with
her arcane knowledge. It floated before her, then began to grow until
it was as large as she. With a look of infinite sadness in her liquid
eyes of violet, she stepped into the rune, and disappeared.
*****
The plane ride back from Hokkaido began uneventful.
The Inner Scouts, minus Reenie, who had opted to stay with her
best friend Hotaru and the Outer Scouts, lounged comfortably in the
private plane, though Lita looked a bit pale. It didn't seem she would
ever get over her fear of flying, though with her parents having died
in one, she could hardly be faulted.
Serena and Mina had promptly fallen asleep, while Ami had
curled up to a suspenseful chapter of Microbiology. Rei stared
disinterestedly out the window beside her, hand clasped firmly with
the owner of the plane, Cole Gishumi, who was speaking softly into a
cellular phone to some businessman.
The return of the Silver Katana had been an extremely formal
affair, with a great deal of bowing, a profusion of gratitude, a huge
amount of honor, ending in the rewarding of a rather hefty check of
one million dollars.
All in all, Rei was rather bored with the entire ordeal. She
was already wealthy beyond her wildest dreams. For that matter, the
rest of the Inner Scouts were wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. She
had ended up splitting most of the money into equal accounts for each
of her friends, and Darien (the Outer Scouts were already rich, and
didn't need anymore). The rest she set aside for emergency Scout
business.
"Lita, you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked in concern
for perhaps the tenth time in the last hour.
It took a considerable effort from her, but the brunette
managed a smile, and nodded carefully, though her knuckles were white
from gripping the armrests so tightly. Her smile immediately faded,
though, as if the effort took away from her concentration.
The intercom toned to life. "We'll be landing in Tokyo
shortly," said the fatherly voice of William, Cole's butler, mentor,
friend, and pilot.
*****
In the cold expanse of space, above the blue-green gem that
was Earth, the fabric of reality rent apart, and the gold knight
stepped out of the rift. It stared down at the planet as the tear
closed shut.
After a moment's ease, it opened the box it held, exposing the
eight fist-sized rough gems, all dirty green like a darkened
forest. At some silent command, the gems burst forward, flying away in
different directions around the world, though none entered Earth's
atmosphere.
The gems slowed to a halt at certain places around the Earth,
and when they did, a pencil thin beam of green shot of one, located
another, and then another, until the eight gems formed the vertices of
a geometric figure surrounding the planet. One gem floated above the
North Pole while another below Antarctica. The remaining six formed a
circle around th equator. Once the cage was complete, the beams of
light shifted in hue to ruby.
The golden knight, apparently satisfied with its handiwork,
began its descent upon the surface, heading for an island called
Japan.
*****
Serena stirred in her sleep, then groaned, and finally shot up
out of her slumber, panic in her eyes. "What's going on?!"
Everyone stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean 'what's
going on'? We're in a plane, and we're getting ready to land in
Tokyo," Rei answered, slightly scoffish. "Surely you're not THAT
forgetful."
Serena ignored her, reaching into her pocket for her
transformation brooch. As she pulled it out, her eyes widened, as did
everyone elses.
The Silver Imperium Crystal's inner light was fading to
darkness.
"What's going on?!" Serena repeated.
Suddenly, the plane was caught in an epileptic seizure,
bouncing to and fro in magnificent turbulence. A shadow flickered past
all the windows on the port side.
Serena and Mina began to scream. Lita whimpered at the
shaking. Only Rei, Cole and Ami seemed in control of their fear.
Over the intercom, William squawked, "Something big just flew
by us really close! I'm trying to get control back!"
Cole, with an amazing display of balance, removed his seat
belt and ran to the cockpit to see what he could do.
The girls remained in their seats, hoping desperately that
they would survive. As much as they were the Sailor Scouts, all of
them knew that even their powers would not save them from a crash.
Or would they?
Rei glanced at the others, then out the window. The plane was
nose diving down at increasing speeds, if the whine of the engines was
any indicator. They were in the midst of clouds, which meant land
would soon follow.
Gathering her will, Rei sent out her magic to grab hold of the
plane. It should have been an easy thing for her to do, but, for some
reason, something inhibited her from using her Art. Straining, a
semblance of panic taking root, Rei pressed harder, gasping at the
effort. It was like pushing through thick mud, a feeling she had never
encountered before. Something strong was holding her magic back.
Sweat streamed down her forehead before the magic broke
through whatever morass was holding it back. Slowly, the force leveled
out the plane, slowing it down enough so that William could gain
control back. The plane shuddered slightly, then regained its smooth
passage as it had for most of the trip. Rei slumped into her seat,
exhaustion draining her. Something was definitely wrong.
"Are you alright?" Ami asked worriedly after undoing her seat
belt to check on her.
The sorceress nodded. "Yeah, but it shouldn't have been that
difficult." Rei returned Ami's look of worry. "Something's wrong with
my magic."
Ami, not knowing what to say, patted her hand comfortingly,
then went to calm down a still screaming Serena.
*****
As soon as Cole's plane came to a halt, the golden knight
stepped out from behind a hangar and stomped forward, crimson cloak
billowing behind it. A few workers who saw it ran away in terror or
gawked in confusion. Still, the hangar was some several hundred yards
away from the small plane.
The first thing William saw was the knight coming towards
their plane as he opened the side hatch door. "What the hell?!" he
hissed, hopping out.
Cole and Rei were next to come out, and Cole immediately
stepped in front of Rei, though he visibly paled in fear. The other
Scouts remained at the doorway, gazing at the giant form heading for
them.
"Quick! We've got to make a run for it!" yelled Mina
as she grabbed Serena's arm and pulled her out. "We need to find some
cover so we can transform!"
As the giant strode forward, one index finger flipped up. A
flash of light burned atop the digit, and was replaced with a razor
sharp throwing star the size of a car tire, balancing smoothly on the
clawed finger. The throwing star spun, glowing brighter as it whirled
faster, then shot through the air with a thin WHOOSH!
William and Cole dove out of the way as the girls sprinted off
just as the spinning blade slashed into the hatch and exploded out the
far side of the plane, ripping through the metal as if it were
paper. The blade then rose into the air and circled back, landing upon
the point of the finger once again.
Rei turned around just in time to see the blade return to the
creature. She hesitate in her steps when she saw how vulnerable Cole
and William were, but discarded it when she saw the knight veer
towards them. Gulping slightly, she hastened away.
Ami caught the glint of light as the blade came flying once
again. "Scatter!" she screamed and dove to the right. The Scouts split
into every direction, tumbling around to the ground. The blade barely
missed taking off Serena's head as she fell to the ground.
The blade would have returned to the gold knight, but it was
blown to bits by the strike of ...
"Deep Submerge!"
The giant knight stopped in mid-stride and turned to the three
new Scouts showing their faces. Off to its right, Sailors Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto stood in defensive stances, the later brandishing
her Time Staff. The girls used the distraction to sprint the final
few feet to the shelter of the hangar they were heading for.
"Who are you?" growled a furious Uranus, taking a step forward
to shake her fist menacingly.
In response, a long pole of glinting metal appeared in the
hands of the knight, a full twenty feet in length. The new weapon
ended in a halberd-like blade of flaming red steel, nearly five feet
in length itself. Twirling the polearm in its hands with considerable
skill, the gold giant strode forward once again.
"World Shaking!"
The globe of amber energy erupted from the ground, streaking
towards the creature, promising maddening destruction. Uranus sneered
contemptuously, expecting a satisfying outcome.
Instead, the halberd swung about until the fiery head
intercepted Uranus' attack. The flames lashed out at the sphere,
engulfed it, and swirled into the amber hue of her attack. Moments
later, the flames returned to the color of sunset. The giant continued
forward.
Growling in irritation, Uranus backed up, taking up the
defensive. Neptune and Pluto spread out flanking the creature, but
staying well out of reach of the formidable weapon. "Hit it when I
do!" Neptune yelled over to Pluto, then raised her hand.
"Deep Submerge!"
Taking the cue, Pluto clenched her staff.
"Dead Scream."
Twin globes of energy, one lavender and the other cerulean,
shrieked for the creature. Bending at the knees, the giant leaped up
with incredible agility and speed for something so huge, swinging its
weapon all the while. At the top of its jump, the halberd parried
Neptune's blast, absorbing it as her lover's.
Still, it was not fast enough to avoid Pluto's attack, which
caught the being on the chest. The temporal energy crackled over the
golden armor, then quietly sluiced away.
The shock Pluto felt nearly distracted her from the descending
creature, halberd held high and in striking position. She leaped away
just as the gargantuan polearm slammed into the ground where she had
stood, shockwaves of force cracking the concrete and asphalt to so
much powder.
Pluto landed in a heap several feet away, groaning slightly at
the impact. She grabbed her forehead, a pounding headache pummeling
her as the shockwaves passed her by.
"Pluto!!"
The green-haired woman glanced up in time to catch the butt
end of the halberd swinging around. She raised her own staff in a
half-hearted attempt to block the strike. Nevertheless, the
hammer-like blow threw her away as a ragdoll, crashing her into the
unyielding walls of the nearby hangar. Hungering darkness overtook
her.
Hissing in rage, Uranus let go another attack, Neptune quickly
following suit. The balls of force raced towards the monster, but
veered off course and merged into the flaming head of the halberd. As
the giant stood up again, it twisted indifferently to the two warriors
and stared down at them. Suddenly, a rumbling voice like shifting
earth spoke to them.
"Where is the Essence and the Stone?"
Neptune and Uranus paused, stunned that the creature could
speak, though it hadn't before. "The Essence and the Stone?" the
turquoise-haired woman questioned.
The golden knight kneeled down upon one knee, gazing at
them. The symbol on its chest flared to bluish life, bathing them in
an eldritch haze. After a minute, the light vanished, and the giant
stood up once again.
"You are not the ones," it grated, turning around and striding
away.
Uranus meant to blast the thing in the back, but Neptune put a
hand on the blonde's arm. "Pluto," she whispered softly, motioning for
the downed Scout.
"What about-"
The Scout of Water indicated quiet, watching the knight stalk
off in the direction of the Inner Scouts. "We have to check on Setsuna
first, then we'll help them." She didn't add that she didn't think
they would do any good. This was a foe that was more powerful than the
run-of-the-mill demons that had plagued them before.
Neither of them mentioned the fact that both were more drained
than they should have been when they transformed and attacked the
creature. The effort told in their pale faces.
Uranus pulled out her communicator and notified the others of
the approaching danger.
*****
Somewhere five hangars down, the Inner Scouts caught their
breaths after their own transformations.
"Why was it so hard to transform?" gasped out Sailor Moon.
No one answered, but Mercury had her computer out in no time,
punching away in a hurry.
Jupiter clicked off the communicator she had out and repeated
Uranus' warning. "It's time to kick some butt! The thing is headed our
way!" The green-eyed warrior tended to get a bit overzealous in times
of battle.
Venus shook her head, bent over to catch her breath. "How are
we going to fight it? I barely have enough in me to throw one chain."
The Scout of Flames shrugged away the question. "It doesn't
matter. We fight because we have to, no matter how tired we are, so
stop complaining. Maybe this walking tin man can tell us why we're so
tired."
Venus was about to retort indignantly when the concrete and
wooden wall they had been sheltering behind quite suddenly burst into
explosive shards, a gleaming fist emerging from the other side. As the
Scouts dove for cover from the painful rain of debris, they all
wondered how the creature had managed to sneak up on them so quietly.
As the girls picked themselves off the ground, unconsciously
taking a stand around their illustrious leader, the gold knight
continued to smash its way through the wall.
"Get back, Sailor Moon!" cried Mars, winding up to throw her
attack. She was joined by Jupiter and Mercury.
"Flame Sniper!"
"Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Oak Evolution!"
A triple burst of primary colors slashed unerringly at the
creature. It parried Mars' flaming attack, but Mercury's and Jupiter's
attack were just too numerous to dodge them all. Bursts of blues and
greens showered into sparks as they slammed into the metallic
armor. The creature staggered back a step, then renewed its forward
progress, kicking away the remnants of the wall separating the
opponents.
Meanwhile, Mercury dropped to her knees, waves of fatigue
swarming over her. Through great gasps of breath, she noticed that her
two offensive companions had acquired the same blast of exhaustion,
though Mars seemed to be weathering it a bit better than the rest.
"What's happened? We shouldn't be so damn tired after one
attack!" hissed Jupiter as Moon came to check on her, keeping one eye
on the knight. Likewise, Venus helped Mercury to her feet.
Mars, through her superior mental training, managed to fight
off the weariness. She didn't know why their powers were so
exhausting, but they were going to be in big trouble if they didn't
manage to turn the tide soon. "Fall back, Scouts!" she yelled, "I'm
going to buy us some time!"
As Moon and Venus helped Mercury and Jupiter back, Mars
concentrated, crossing her arms before her. Fighting with her powerful
will, she pulled the magic from the weave, wove it to her whim, and
released its potency. When she opened her eyes again, she grinned
maliciously at the result.
The ground beneath the giant knight sprouted great earthen
tentacles that swiftly wrapped around the creature's massive
legs. Vainly it tried to move, pulling with vast strength, but the
tentacles held... for the moment.
A second later, the physical drain hit Sailor Mars like a
bullet train, and she collapsed under the strain. Feebly, she tried to
fight off the blinking lights wandering in her vision, darkness
threatening to overtake her.
Instantly, Moon was at her side. "Mars! Are you okay?! Come
on! We've got to get out of here!" She grabbed the dark-haired beauty
by the arms and hauled her to her feet, an amazing feat in Mars' mind.
Suddenly, the knight stopped its struggles and gazed calmly at
the Scouts.
"Where is the Essence and the Stone?"
So surprised at the rumbling voice were they that they
froze. Once again the rune upon its breastplate glowed brightly,
bathing them in the light. This time, though, Sailor Moon's brooch
snapped open, revealing the Silver Imperium Crystal matching the
radiance of the crumbling infinity.
"Give me the Stone," said the giant, still motionless.
"The Stone?" Moon asked quizzically, then glanced down at the
Crystal. "Oh, you mean the Silver Imperium Crystal. Well, you can't
have it! I am Sailor Moon, champion of Love and Justice, and it's my
duty to mmf, mmmfffmmm mmmfff!" Mars' hand over her mouth was a sure
deterrent from listening to THAT speech again.
"You know very well that you can't have the Crystal," Mars
told the giant calmly. "Who are you and why do you attack us?"
A slight shift of the head, and the knight stared at the Scout
of Flame. "I know you, Archmagi," it spoke blandly. "You aided in my
imprisonment those four millenia ago. I have taken precautions that
Nym is not taken again."
Mars blinked. "You must be mistaken. I wasn't alive four
thousand years ago."
"Be that as it may, an Archmagi was present at my
imprisonment."
"So, why did you attack us?" inquired Venus, her curiosity at
this intelligent being overriding her danger sense.
The knight turned to the beautiful blonde. "I will destroy the
Essence and the Stone so that I am never imprisoned again."
"Fat chance. You're going to have to destroy us all if you
want the Crystal," retorted Jupiter hotly.
"If you so choose." Its razor claws slashed several times, and
the tentacles broke apart, reduced to clods of earth. The halberd came
swinging around, whistling through the air as it sought the cleave any
Scout in two.
The Scouts leaped out of the way, much as the Outer Scouts
had, quickly dodging aside. Just before the blade sank into the
ground, bloodless, Nym twisted its wrist and changed the direction of
the swing so that it swung parallel to the ground, blunt side
forward. Just as Mars landed from her previous dive, a sledgehammer
force smashed into her side. Fireworks of agony burst in her mind, and
she distantly heard the shattering of ribs. Quite suddenly it became
difficult to breath as blood flooded into her lungs from numerous
punctures. It wasn't until she landed floppily upon the unforgiving
ground and rolled more than a few times that Mars realized she had
been flying through the air from the impact. The darkness that had
fought for her before engulfed her thoroughly, rich red blood dripping
out of her mouth.
Utter shock settled over the battlefield as the Scouts watched
Mars get tossed away, her side nearly caved in. Nym took advantage of
the momentary distraction and grabbed Sailor Moon.
"You killed her!" Moon screamed into the face of the knight as
he raised her to his visor. Tears of rage and grief fell from her
eyes. "Let go of me! You killed her!" Sobs began to wrack her suddenly
frail body. She sucked in a great gulp of air and screamed, "MARS!!!"
Meanwhile, the other Scouts didn't know what to do. The
creature had struck so quickly, they didn't know whether to cry or to
rage. Grief, concern, anger, all these fought for control, even in the
normally rational Mercury.
"Give me the Stone and no one else will be harmed by my hand,"
Nym said stonily.
None noticed the faint shimmering in the air nearby the fallen
sorceress. The bare outline of a nymph-like woman appeared, kneeling
over Mars. "I have arrived just in time, it would seem, Archmagi," a
breeze whispered quietly into the body. Invisibly, a finger reached
out and traced a delicate rune of whorls, softly illuminating Mars'
forehead in emerald green.
"What will it be, bearer of the Stone?" asked Nym, unmindful
of the intruder who hovered over the fallen Scout.
Sailor Moon sobbed loudly, not quite able to answer. Sailors
Neptune and Uranus ran up at that time, sliding to a halt when they
noticed the predicament. "Let her go!" hissed the volatile Uranus.
Nym ignored her. "I know your whim, little one," he rumbled,
almost kindly, to his prisoner. Moon slowly raised her head. "I know
you can return the life of you friend if you have the power of the
Stone. I have suppressed that power, however, as you most probably
realize."
The knight paused. "I will strike a deal with you. I will
allow you to return your friend's life by dropping the magic
barrier. In return, you will hand over the Stone when you have
finished."
The invisible woman stiffened, but continued to listen.
Moon stared at the helmet emanating the voice in mixed shock,
hope, and fear. "Why... why would you bother?"
"Because, I know how much you friend means to you. I would not
see you grieve as you would assuredly do."
The compassion in the voice stirred the naivete in Sailor
Moon's soul. In fact, so reassuring was the voice, the rest of the
Scouts believed him also. Though silent, they secretly hoped Moon
would accept the deal, for the sake of Rei.
Mentally snorting at the minor charming spell Nym was using,
the intruding female silently maneuvered to a more advantageous
position.
The blonde leader's tears stopped. "If it will bring back
Mars, then... then, yes, I will give you the Crystal when I have
revived her." 'That wasn't so hard,' she thought. 'He's really a nice
guy. Just a misunderstanding, that's all.'
The same thought swept through the remaining Scouts.
"Good," Nym purred, gently putting down his prisoner upon the
ground. He raised one clawed hand to the skies and sent out a silent
command.
Miles up in space, the gemstones surrounding the Earth
flickered, and the connecting beams of light died away.
Instantly, the Silver Imperium Crystal flared to life, and all
the Scouts felt a renewed vigor, a rejuvenation, as the barrier
hampering their powers disappeared.
So too, did the invisible woman vanish, momentarily. She
returned not more than a few seconds later, this time for everyone to
see. Many gasps of surprise followed her entrance as she stood before
Rei's prone form.
She wasn't more than five feet in height, no more than eighty
pounds in weight. Ephemeral, ethereal, the newcomer seemed more an
apparition than a flesh and blood entity. Petite, lithe, and graceful
beyond compare, she covered herself in a willowy dress of snow white,
sleeveless and clinched at the waist by a simple gold cord. The dress
matched her tawny long hair, as white as the dress that clad her,
reaching about her in a wild flaring nimbus. Her skin, a porcelain
delicacy that no human could match, begged to be caressed with gentle
care. Beautiful was a word that crashed maddeningly short of its
target when describing the woman before them.
Upon her brow, glowing with the pulsing beat of a heart, was a
rune of violet hue, the only mark that marred her godlike
beauty. Stern purple eyes glared at the golden knight beneath that
rune. She turned her gaze at the approaching Scouts. "You cannot use
the Stone upon this child, Sailor Moon," she said in a voice at once
lilting with melody and dark with foreboding.
Sailor Moon halted, took in the intruder, and then glared back
in anger. "I can do what I want! Get out of my way!" She stepped
forward, but the wisp of a girl did not move.
Behind them, the gold knight stirred, a jarring hiss escaping
from its armor. "You have come. You are the Essence I search for."
The woman nodded. "I am. You have tricked these young girls
enough, Nymshaloctorax. Return now to your prison, or I will force you
myself." Her command crackled in the air.
Nym snarled, and raised a hand to skies. When nothing
occurred, he snapped a gaze upon her. "What have you done?!" he
roared.
The woman reached into a pocket and removed an object: a
rough-cut gemstone, one of the same that floated about the
Earth. "Resorting to petty manipulation, I see," she remarked slyly,
then traced a small sigil upon the stone. Instantly, it disintegrated
to dust. "Now, you'll have to make another." She added an innocent
smile to her repertoire of disdain. "How long did it take to design
that anti-magic field? Two millenia? Three?"
Meanwhile, the Scouts shook their heads, unable to focus
properly. When their wits recovered, Sailor Moon whirled on the gold
knight. "You tricked me! Why did you pretend to be our friend?"
"Because it would have been the easiest way to get you to use
the Stone at full potential," replied the woman behind her
softly. Moon turned around, her silent gaze commanding her to
continue.
Nym, however, had other plans. Swinging his towering halberd,
he leaped into the air to smite the newcomer. The woman quickly traced
a black rune in the air, which shot forward and struck the creature in
the chest, knocking him off balance to crash to the ground with
jarring force.
"Quickly, Sailor Scouts, hammer him!" she cried, raising her
own hands to traced the destructive sigils. Sailor Moon, feeling that
she could trust this newcomer more than the knight, aimed her Scepter
at Nym. Likewise, the other Scouts drew upon their own powers. This
time, there was nothing to hamper them.
As a barrage of devastating magic descended upon the knight,
he struggled to whip the weapon around in an effort to parry as many
as possible. Neptune's and Uranus' attacks never reached their mark,
but the others sidled through, pounding the gleaming armor
mercilessly. Still, the might was not strong enough to cause
significant harm, as Nym merely shrugged off the bolts of force. "I am
much stronger than you can realize, fools. If you do not desist, I
will be forced to destroy all of you."
"No, Nymshaloctorax, I exist for the sole purpose of
imprisoning you. I am as ancient as you are. Do not make the mistake
of underestimating me." With that, she released another rune that
encased him in a globe of shadows. Rays of black shot out from the
globe, twisting and tearing at the knight. After a moment, the spell
collapsed, leaving the giant to stagger in confusion.
Wildly, he swung half-heartedly at the nearest Scout, who
happened to be Venus. With a slight jump, the flaxen-haired warrior
carried herself out of the way, then launched a blast of energy that
rattled the metallic armor.
As Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Venus and Uranus hampered the
powerful foe, the woman strode up to Sailor Moon. "Your friends will
not be able to hold that up forever. The only true harm can come from
us."
"How?" inquired the younger girl.
"Any use of the Stone will draw his attention, and he will be
able to feed off its power, gaining in strength. Still, it is possible
to overload him with too much, thus weakening him for my
own... strike." The woman's command seemed stern and disciplined, but
a hint of sadness touched her luminous eyes, too subtle for Sailor
Moon to pick up.
"Who are you?" she whispered, getting the foreboding feeling
that something grand was about to happen.
The woman's purple eyes should have reflected the world around
them, so large and polished they were, but nothing emerged. They drew
in the surrounding light and held on tenaciously. "I am the Essence of
Old, the Balance created ages ago to keep the Being before you from
dropping the scales away to oblivion. I-" At this point, she shook
her head, sighing softly. "It is best you do not know of me or
Nymshaloctorax."
A crushing blow hammered the ground as Nym attempted to pound
Uranus flat with a spiked gauntlet, missing by the barest of margins.
"We don't have much time!" the woman warned, foregoing the
interrogative look Moon was giving her. "Get ready!"
Moon grabbed her arm firmly. "What about Mars?"
Softly, almost a whisper, the woman replied, "It is
Nymshaloctorax's fault." She shrugged out of Sailor Moon's grasp and
stepped aside to allow her a clear path to her target.
Serena gaped at the nymph for a moment, tears threatening to
flood, but then she twisted a hate-filled gaze at the gold knight. Her
brooch popped open, and she released the Crystal from its
housing. Gripping it tightly, painfully, she yelled out, "Scouts! Out
of the way!"
All heads turned to the sudden command, including a surprised
Nym. Thin silver beams gathered into the Crystal from the air around
them, a mass of cosmic energy forming.
Just as the Scouts dove for cover, Sailor Moon released the
colossal gout of purity from the Crystal, smashing into the giant gold
knight with a sonic boom. The crumbling infinity blazed to life,
shining like a star. "Yeeeessss...." moaned the voice of their
opponent, swaying to the fill of strength he felt entering him. He
seemed to be enjoying the blast so much, Sailor Moon was forced to
throw an alarmed look at the woman, who merely shook her head.
The remaining Scouts ran over to join their leader. By silent
consensus, they added their own strength to the magnificent flow. The
shaft of light grew brighter, more pure, if that was possible.
Still, Nym seemed to be enjoying it.
The woman turned her gaze from the knight to the group of
Scouts, and then to the body of Mars beyond. A single drop of saline
fell from her eyes before she traced a star-shaped rune of gold into
the air and flung it at Sailor Moon. Like the flutter of a leaf, it
gently rested upon the blonde's brow, linking itself with the crescent
moon symbol.
With a triumphant shriek, she threw herself into the beam of
silver and incinerated into thousands of motes of emerald.
"Noooo!" screamed Sailor Moon, trying to stop the flow, but
something held her back. Something prevented her from turning off the
Crystal's power, as much as she fought against it. On her forehead,
the star-shaped rune glowed fiercely.
The pinpricks of green traveled along the shaft of light, and
burst into sparks as they crashed over Nym, who roared in
pain. Wherever the motes struck, the golden armor seared open, like
acid. From these wounds, a foul yellowish green gas streamed out,
dissipating into the air with a noxious smell.
"I... will not... go!" he screamed, swiping his weapon about,
but hitting nothing.
Suddenly, the halberd disappeared, and Nym raised out both his
battered arms towards the Scouts. Crackling red lightning slashed out
of the fingers, and the warriors leaped out of range, breaking their
connection with Sailor Moon, who simply stepped back a step and
dropped into a crouch, assuming the attack was against her.
The red lightning shot at her, then wrapped around the
Crystal. With a tug, Nym pulled the Crystal from her grasp and closed
his fist over it as it flew to him. The destructive beam collapsed, as
did the stream of the Essence, leaving a horrendously battered knight
in steaming and tarnished armor, cracked holes dotting the suit. Nym
fell to one knee, raising the Crystal in bitter triumph.
"What will you do now?" he gasped out, gathering himself
together. "The only thing that can harm me is mine now! Ha Ha!"
From the air above his head, a web of delicate jade
enchantment materialized and descended with fluttering grace over the
giant. Crawling over the web were more of the emerald motes that had
harmed him early, and they did their job perfectly now. With a note of
surprise, Nym screeched in awesome pain, trying vainly to rid himself
of the encompassing death, but the web stuck to him like glue. The
motes once again exploded over his once gleaming armor.
"HOW!?!" he screamed, struggling desperately.
The Scouts looked at each other, no one understanding what had
just transpired, until a voice yelled out from behind the prisoner.
"I did this, you son of a bitch," Mars hissed, her forehead
glowing with the green rune emblazoned their, her hands directing the
spellweb. Other than the blood covering her sailor fuku, she looked
whole and uninjured, though she seemed to be favoring her right side
slightly. Her eyes, pearl white, glared furiously at the knight.
As one of Nym's arms disintegrated to scrap, he raised the
other, still clutching the Silver Imperium Crystal. "Very well then,"
he sighed sadly, apparently resigned to his defeat, "but know this:
you will not have the Crystal!" He threw the Crystal with fantastic
might, and focused the rest of his arcane energy into accelerating the
artifact away. Like a comet, the gemstone soared at blinding speed
into the sky, quickly disappearing from sight.
Shock was written on everyone's face, even Mars', so no one
saw the final demise of Nymshaloctorax as his armor fell away to the
acidic death, and the foul gas dissipated from within. In the end,
nothing was left of the giant gold knight. The spellweb quietly
vanished, its work complete.
The green rune upon Mars' brow, and the gold one upon Sailor
Moon's also faded away.
"Mars!" the princess cried, shaking off the shock and tackling
the Archmagi in a crushing hug. "We thought you were dead!" Mercury,
Jupiter and Venus joined in, forming a group hug that nearly squashed
Mars .
Smiling a bit wearily, the priestess pointed to her
forehead. "I don't quite remember, but there was something here that
told me how to help defeat that thing." She slipped a bit, caught by
her friends before she could fully collapse. "I don't think I'm quite
well yet, though," she added with a sheepish grin.
Mercury began scanning her, falling into the roll of group
medic, while Uranus and Neptune strolled over. "Where's Pluto?"
inquired Venus. "I thought she was with you?"
Neptune looked worried, but Uranus shrugged. "She'll be
okay. She got in the way of one of Tin Man's weapon strikes, but she
wasn't hurt too seriously. I called Hotaru to look after her."
"Pluto was struck by him and wasn't hurt seriously?" Mars
gawked, flabbergasted. "How in hell did she pull that off?"
Uranus was about to answer, but Neptune interrupted. "I don't
mean to be rude, but what happened to the Silver Imperium Crystal?"
Silence snapped its jaws over the group, and all eyes turned
to the skies. "Mercury, can you scan for it?" Moon asked quietly.
The Ice Scout nodded. "Yes, but it is going to take some
time. I need to configure it for the Imperium Crystal's energy
signature." A flurry of concern passed over her face. "To hazard a
guess, though, if the Silver Imperium Crystal was not destroyed, it's
going to be very far away from here."
"Why do you say that?" Neptune asked softly.
"Well, Nym flung it pretty hard and fast. No one could have
done that without aid."
Sailor Moon shook her head. "Well, we'll bother about it
later. Right now, I want to get Mars back, and I also want to check up
on Pluto." She pursed her lips together, deep in thought, then added,
"I'll have to call Darien in China and talk to him about this also."
Darien had gone to China for a study abroad course that would take the
semester.
With no bubbles or giddiness, no klutzing or ditzy comments,
Moon gathered up her guardians and coordinated their next moves. It
impressed the girls tremendously that their princess voluntarily took
charge of the situation, especially Mars, who had spent the better
part of the last four years trying to push her to be the best leader
she could be.
For her part, Serena felt a great burden drop upon her
shoulders, much greater than before, and that was why she dropped her
airhead attitude.
The loss of the Silver Imperium Crystal meant that the Earth
was going to be terribly unprotected from the elements of evil, a
notion that scared her to the core.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/gulf/4463) (
geocities.com/tokyo/gulf) (
geocities.com/tokyo)