GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 39: The Darkening of the Light

This has been a long time coming. It's the last official chapter of GG. There is an epilogue that ties up the tiny details. It has been some ride and I hope you've enjoyed it.

WARNING: Violence and a MAJOR CHARACTER's DEATH. (I may not be too popular after this one... I've already been growled at by one of my betas. ^^)

Sage staggered onto the front porch, his head in his hands. He ached all over, even in places that he'd never noticed or cared about before. It was difficult to walk in a straight line. That sharing of power was an amazing asset, but it was also incredibly draining. He pulled the small marble that allowed the transfer out of his pocket, surprised that it'd still been in his pocket and that he'd been able to find his clothes and get dressed at all. He'd had to wrap a sheet around himself and stumble around until he'd found his clothing stuffed in a hall closet. At least the blood had dried and the wounds Cale had caused had closed by the time he'd tried to get dressed, so he hadn't had to put up with a mess as well.

Even though his head was pounding, he felt... different. Calm. In control. He could feel the light in every inch of his body. Could feel the warmth and peace it provided. Knew he'd finally found the true power of the small, glowing marble. Knew that it had been necessary for him to lay in darkness to infuse his body with the power of the light.

Apparently he was the last one to make it out to the wooden porch. The others were already out here, all of them except...

Ryo!
Sage whipped his head around to face the burning circus wagon and swore out loud. Not only was the wooden wagon engulfed in flames higher than the house was tall, but he had aggravated the horrible headache behind his eyes thanks to his rapid, unthinking movement.

Not to mention Cale was yelling something unintelligible at a beady-eyed man who was staring incomprehensibly at him. That earned the gaping man a swift, hard shaking and more yelling. This time Sage could concentrate enough to make out Cale's words. "Damon, you son of a bitch! Where the hell is he?!"

The cowboy didn't have to ask who the Sheriff was rambling on about. "I'm here," he sighed as he made his way to the burning wagon.

Beastly yellow eyes caught him in a glare. "Where the fuck have you been?!"

"Excuse me?" Sage began. "Where the hell have you been? I'm the one that's been trying to stumble into his clothes for the last half-"
An explosion rocked the cowboy back, causing him to blindly reach out for the Sheriff's lapel. The blast knocked them both off their feet and into the side of the house, driving the air from Sage's lungs and starving his vision. He could hear Cale snarling with rage as a pair of gentle hands tried to help them both up.

Cye. It was amazing how the Brit had managed to stay upright; he seemed to move as fluidly as water...

Sage accepted the help, but the Sheriff wasn't as gracious. "Get your fucking hands off me. I'm fine," he snarled. One of his clawed hands wrapped around Sage's wrist as the cowboy had started for the burning wagon again. "Where do you think you're going? You're mine."

This couldn't have been at a worse time. Sage didn't want to fight with some self-absorbed, possessive maniac. He had other things to do. Like help Ryo. His violet eyes narrowed in anger. "Get your fucking hand off me," he mimicked. "I do NOT belong to you."

"Leave him alone, Sheriff," Kento's deep voice growled from nearby.

The mountain man looked tired. Extremely tired. So the power transferal hit them all the same way. Kento was leaning against a grim-faced Anubis who fixed the sickly Mayor with a heated glare. Sage couldn't fault the bartender. In that brief instant when they'd all connected, he'd known everything. Including the fact that Anubis had been used as a tool to keep the big man occupied. If Sage had been the one manipulated like that, he would have done more than just glare. Sekhmet seemed properly subdued, however, and apologetically avoided Anubis' gray eyes.

Perhaps it was out of guilt that the Mayor said, "Leave him alone, Cale." Sekhmet wheezed, coughing up a trickle of phlegmy blood. "It truly is none of our concern."

"And what I do is truly no concern of yours, you sniveling snake. I've just about had it with your goddamned uppity bullshit-"

"Cale! Enough! Did you not just feel it? Has it not come to you yet?" Dais stepped from the shadows with a pleased Rowan Strata and a fairly grumpy Kayura.

"What? You as well, Dais? Have all of your wits soured? These are our enemies! We shouldn't be-"

"No. They are not. We've been fools. We've been tricked by those we thought friends." The pale Judge's white eye reflected the firelight.

The dark Sheriff let out a disbelieving snort. "You must be joking."

"Open your eyes, Cale. Look at them. Feel their emotions. Their souls. You have the ability. The blond one freed it for you." Dais' cold stare properly chastised the wayward Sheriff and he let go of Sage's wrist.

"You are all fools." Damon - his dark eyes glittering with the flames of untold power - stepped off the porch. "Every one of you."

"No. I am not a fool." Lady Kayura shoved her way to his side.

"Kayura-" Anubis' voice was soft and stunned - disbelieving.

"We're all a bunch of fucking idiots," Sage swore softly. "Get out of my way. I'm not just going to stand here while Ryo-"

"You'll stay right there, Sage Halo."

"Oh, now what?" the cowboy groused.

The beady-eyed man must have been insane. He'd grabbed his only ally, Kayura, around the throat and was now holding her hostage at gunpoint.

"Kayura!" Anubis cried out.

"Don't come any nearer or I'll shoot her! I swear it!"

"Oh, come on..." Sage started to walk forward.

Damon shot the ground near his feet, causing the cowboy to curse and jump back.

"I mean it! Back off!"

Cale grabbed Sage's upper arm and pulled him back farther.

"What's wrong, Damon?" the smooth Judge purred. "Has our... knowledge of the others dulled your sorcery so that you're having to resort to such low means of manipulation?"

Anubis stepped forward, raising his hands in the air. "Let her go, Damon."

"Anubis-" Rowan said as he reached for the bartender's arm.

"No." Anubis shrugged off the hand. "Why don't you let her go? Take me instead. I'll help you leave. Get you out of here. Get you to safety. You don't need Lady Kayura. Let her go."

Damon pulled back the hammer on the gun. "Come a little closer, whore. See if I'm serious."

"Now look here, asshole-!" Rowan stepped forward, but Anubis put a hand on his chest.

"Please, Damon, just trade her for me. I'll go with you willingly. Please. Don't hurt her."

Tears drenched Kayura's cheeks, tears not from her plight, but from Anubis' daring.

"Anubis..." she breathed. "I- I love you..."

The bartender smiled sweetly. "I know, Kayura. I know."

"Shut up! Shut up, both of you!" Damon's grip tightened around Kayura's throat, cutting off her voice. "I don't want to hear it! Master Talpa just wants the Indian. You others mean nothing to him! I can do whatever I want and I'm going to start by killing this good-for-nothing-"

"No!" Anubis yelled as he lurched forward.

But there was no real need. The gun itself was yanked out of the sorcerer's hand by a blast of water and the beady-eyed man crumpled to the ground from a blow to the head by one burly mountain man.

"Stupid git." Cye couldn't help but kick Damon while he was down.

"Are you all right, Lady Kayura?" Kento asked, holding the woman by her arm.

She nodded once and then ran to Anubis' open arms. "You- Why did you do that?"

"I told you, Kayura. I love you as well, just not how you want me to. You have been like a sister to me all these years. How could I not care for you?"

She cried and hugged him tighter. "Since these people came into town, I've lost the one thing that mattered the most to me - You, Anubis. I lived for you. Would have done anything to stay with you. Keep you with me. Have you. But you were constantly shoving me away. Going off with someone else. And now... now you've got Mr. Strata here. Someone else you've shunned me for. Someone you're leaving me for. Someone who just BETRAYED you! With me!"

"Oh, Kayura, we've all done things tonight we weren't supposed to." Guilty gray eyes focused on Rowan who winked and waved. An exasperated grin. "And although some of us weren't in our right minds," Anubis scowled at Sekhmet who cringed from the accusing glare, "or not," another wink and grin from Rowan, "now is not the time to argue. There is someone we care about possibly in the midst of those flames."

The golden cowboy had already moved toward the burning wagon, shielding his pale face ineffectively with his bare arms. "Get back!" Cale bellowed, tackling the blond, just as the flames burst outward, singeing the hair on the back of his neck.

Sage screamed out, "Ryo!"

Nothing could have survived that blast.

The explosion rocked the burning circus cart and Cale's grip slipped as he moved to shield his eyes from the flying debris. There was something moving in there... A man? Sage watched intently as the burning figure stumbled through the wreckage and fell to his knees. Bright red armor covered his body and generated flames that flared into nonexistence as the man collapsed onto the ground. Cale growled as Sage rushed to the man's side. It was the Indian.

"Where's Talpa?"

Ryo pointed to the burning wagon. "In there. Somewhere."

As the others were busy helping Ryo up, Damon groaned and staggered to his feet. When he could finally focus on the scene in front of him, the sorcerer's eyes went wide and he hissed, "No." Then in a flurry of motion, the dark man pulled a knife from his waistcoat and aimed to throw it at the approaching samurai. Cale wanted to be there but couldn't, his limbs moving in slow motion. "You won't win!" he screeched, but the pale Judge was faster and the knife was slapped from the sorcerer's hand. He screamed in outrage and dove for it, but Sekhmet kicked it out of his reach.

"No. It's over, Damon. We're no longer puppets for your amusements."

But the sorcerer wasn't finished yet. His face went scarlet with rage and he lunged to his feet, running at Ryo. The knife was called to his hand, flying through the air to his outstretched palm as he ran. Cale caught a glimpse of jade and silver. That was enough.

Fury seized Cale and automatically his pistol was drawn and fired before he registered he'd done it. His aim was true: an ugly gaping hole appeared where the sorcerer's face should have been.

But even as the hideous corpse fell to the ground, another figure was emerging from the circus wagon's wreckage. Cold death froze Sage in place, a horrible soul-stealing, cold-burning fury seeping from the nightmarish image of singed hair and burning metal-encased flesh. Harsh, raspy breathing came from behind a red-hot iron mask, smoke rising from charred skin that still bubbled and boiled. The putrefying smell of rotting, dead meat bringing tears to smoke-sensitive eyes.

"Oh, dear lord," Cye muttered.

"Ryo of the Wildfire!" the hideous creature roared. "You- You will pay for this!"

"You won't hurt him!"

Suddenly there was a line of armored troopers in front of Ryo's kneeling form. Cye, Kento, Rowan, and Sage all stood there, metal armors gleaming in the firelight.

Talpa's eyes shone through the metal mask, red blazing fury surrounded by silver heat. "What?! You puny insects think you can defeat me? I don't think so. I've come too far and searched too long for Wildfire to be bothered by loathsome pests like you."

"We won't let you hurt him, Talpa!" Sage challenged. "I've stopped you before; I can do it again!"

With a cry of outrage, the cowboy raised his sword and charged the smoking figure, confident in his abilities, knowing he could fell this worthy opponent even before the man had cleared the wagon's wreckage.

But electric fire shot forth from Talpa's outstretched hand, boring into Sage's armor, frying him from the inside out, turning his cry of victory into a shriek of agony.

Rowan took the opportunity as soon as it was presented, pulling forth his bow and charging his own electric energy into an arrow. He let it loose, sending it straight for Talpa's burning head, but the eagle-eyed Ringmaster saw the projectile and sent it flying back with a wave of his hand. Shock shone plainly on Rowan's face when the bolt hit him square in the chest, knocking him unconscious, and sending him careening backwards.

The underground pipes burst and a huge, spiraling wave of water hurled itself against the garish Ringmaster, threatening to crush him with its brutal force as Cye attacked. But instead, the water subsided and Talpa grinned, his jagged teeth showing through a slit in the mask. "Thank you, Torrent. I needed that."

His hand went out and a bolt of lightning hit Cye's chest, causing the Brit to writhe and cry out just like Sage.

"You bastard!" Kento roared, splitting the ground with a huge iron rod. The ground shook and broke apart under Talpa's feet, but the evil Ringmaster simply floated above the gaping hole.

"Pathetic, Hardrock. But then again, you've never been the thinker, have you?"

Yet another bolt of lightning and Kento was sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Enough!" Dais bellowed, his pale lavender hair streaming out behind him. "We are no longer your servants, Talpa. We won't let you do this!"

The Ringmaster's laugh echoed menacingly. "Oh, really? And how do you plan on stopping me, Judge Dais?"

Sage gaped in amazement as the shimmering outline of armor appeared around Dais' body, a dark, blood-red armor with six claw-like appendages protruding from his back.

"Stop this now! Let them go!"

"Or what? You have no power over me, my dear Judge. It is I who control you."

The electric fire burning into Sage increased and he screamed again.

Then there were webs. Shining, silvery webs everywhere. They wound their way around Talpa's form, holding him in place, freezing his limbs long enough for Sage and Cye to crawl away from the pain.

"This really is annoying, Dais. If you think this will hold me..."

"No one can escape my trap, Ringmaster," Dais' melodic voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You should surrender."

The red eyes narrowed. "I think not. This illusion will not hold me." The electric fire was back, burning its way down every silvery web until it reached the creator. Dais screamed in horror as his own trap was used against him. He fell to the ground.

A ferocious roar sounded to Sage's left and he swung his head just in time to see Cale, surrounded by a wicked armor with savage claws, disappear into a shroud of darkness that enveloped them all. There was nothing to see. No hint of light. Sage could hear the clash of metal against metal and felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Cale had succeeded where the rest of them had failed?

But his hopes were dashed when the darkness flared into brilliant light, and when the stars faded from his eyes, he saw the Sheriff in Talpa's grip, the Ringmaster's hand clenched firmly around his throat.

"You cur. This is the thanks I get for taking care of you! For being your master?!" He threw Cale from him, the Sheriff landing with a sickening thud against the side of the house.

"You never were much to write home about," Sekhmet purred before letting loose a volley of poisonous red-venomed darts from twin blades.

Several of these struck home and Talpa screamed in rage. "You pathetic weaklings!" He swelled up and shot the darts out, right toward Sekhmet who was hit directly in the eye. The Mayor stumbled back and fell to his knees.

"Who else wants to challenge me?!" Talpa screamed.

But Anubis had already launched his attack. A sickle on the end of a chain hit Talpa in the neck, blood squirting from the wound as an electric shock traveled up the metal and into the Ringmaster's body. He cried out and yanked on the end of the chain, pulling Anubis off his feet and to the ground in front of him. He sent his own electric volt down the chain and the bartender cried out, writhing in pain.

Ryo had had enough. "Cut it out, Talpa!" Wildfire got to his feet. "Let's end this now! I'm tired of running and hiding from you! This ENDS today!"

Coiled anger launched Ryo forward, barreling him into Ringmaster Talpa's formidable form. The gruesome man grunted with the force of the impact but quickly recovered and kneed Wildfire in the stomach before punching the Indian in the chin and sending him sprawling backward. Blood dripped from Ryo's mouth, but he wasn't about to give up.

He called upon the fire and his armor burst into flame around him. The armor of Wildfire flared to life in the face of this threat, bathing its bearer in its sacred cleansing flame. "I won't let you leave here alive, Talpa! You won't hurt anyone again!"

"You can't stop me, Wildfire. You and your puny friends are MINE."

"Never! I won't let you hurt them anymore!"

Ryo's twin blades were pulled from their sheaths and he faced Talpa head on.

Sage watched in horror as the Ringmaster's body seemed to grow. A giant of a man with those glowing red eyes and an armor as dark as the night. Monstrous horns sprouting from his helmet and six huge swords slung on his back. Long stringy white hair and skulls for kneecaps.

He dwarfed them all.

Ryo didn't stand a chance.

But the Indian didn't seem to care.

Ryo charged again, streaming fire coming from the end of his combined swords.

Sage watched, amazed, as Ryo threw himself against Talpa's might again and again. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to affect the towering monster, but it did seem to be wearing down Wildfire's strength. Sage wasn't going to let that happen.

He'd done it before, he could do it again. He closed his eyes and searched for that single thread connecting him to Ryo. That small shining thread that pulsed with life and love...

There. There it was. He could feel the link, could feel Ryo's power fading with each blow he suffered at the hands of Talpa.

He wouldn't let Ryo fall.

He called upon Korin, upon the power of light that he held within himself. The bright pulsing beam of hope that nurtured his soul. Then he sent it to Ryo.

It didn't take long before he felt another pulse join his. One of strength and justice. Then another of wisdom. One of trust. Then loyalty. Piety. Obedience. And lastly, endurance.

Then Ryo changed.

Gone was his blazing armor of red. Now his armor burned white hot, the flames as bright as the sun.

Sage shielded his eyes and heard Ryo cry out in a voice not quite his, words that the cowboy didn't know, but could understand in his heart.

The burst of flame that shot from the end of Ryo's twin blades struck Talpa full force, burning a hole in the Ringmaster's dark armor and tearing the gruesome helmet in half. When the fire died down, Talpa's grim physique collapsed to the ground.

Sage didn't waste any time struggling to his feet and making his way over to the falling Ryo. He caught him just before he would have hit the ground. "Ryo?"

Those pale blue eyes could never have been lovelier. "Sage? Wha- What happened?" Ryo rasped as he struggled to sit up.

"You did it, Ryo!" Cye's voice couldn't have sounded as sweet.

"You kicked that guy's ass for sure, Ryo!" Kento couldn't resist picking Cye up and twirling the smaller man.

Everyone was slowly getting up and coming to congratulate Ryo, even the Sheriff, the Mayor and the Judge. Lady Kayura even stepped closer, uncertain as to whether or not she would be accepted. The gray-eyed bartender and the blue-haired Yankee wrapped her in a bear hug.

Sage was so relieved, he kissed Ryo's bleeding lip, causing the Indian to let out a small 'ow,' but the grin lighting up Ryo's face said he didn't really mind.

It wasn't until a chilly wind swept through the area that Sage realized none of them but Kayura had on a stitch of clothing and each of them had a small glass marble clutched tightly in one hand.

"You guys, too, huh?" Rowan said as he inspected the glass trinket in Anubis' hand.

"Yes, although I didn't realize what it was for until this evening." Dais was looking at the firelight through his.

"It seems we owe you all an apology," the Mayor said as he crept forward.

Sage shook his head. "You had no idea."

"But they could still apologize," Kento stated, "by letting us eat that dinner we'd been invited for."

"And letting us borrow some clothing?" Cye added sheepishly.

"I don't know," Cale said as he wrapped his arms around the pale Judge. "This is the best view I've had all week."

"I can't say that I'm minding it," Kayura supplied.

They all shared an easy laughter. Friends through adversity. A common enemy.

Sage kissed Ryo on the temple and froze in place as a sharp piercing pain coupled with the flash of a garish image blinded his mind's eye.

"Sage?"

The circus wagon behind them exploded in shards of blood-drawing wood.

Talpa. The nightmare hadn't died. But he was in need of some serious help. Chunks of flesh hung precariously off his gaunt frame, the remaining half of his crude metal helmet had melted into his skin, welding the hideous thing on that part of his flesh. He was hunched over, one arm hanging loosely at his side, his white hair singed beyond all recognition. A banshee of death.

He held something in his usable hand, pointed it in their general direction. "I'll kill you all!" he shouted.

The first shot rang out, going wild and hitting the ground next to Sage. Immediately, they all sprang into action. Ryo rolled for the jade-handled knife the sorcerer had dropped, Cale's armor flared around his body and he drew his sword.

The next shot was more precise. It was aimed directly at Anubis' heart, but the stalwart bartender was far too busy herding Rowan to safety to even notice.

It was like a bad dream... Sage could see the bullet leaving the gun, knew he was too late to stop that. Kayura, foolish, foolish Kayura, rushed to Anubis' side, too weak to push the bartender out of harm's way, instead throwing herself in front of the bullet to protect the man she loved.

That wasn't the way it was supposed to happen.

In that instant, Sage leapt to his feet and gathered the foolish woman in his arms, realizing too late he wouldn't be able to call the armor in time as he felt the bullet rip into his back. He was doomed and as soon as the bullet exited his flesh, it would pierce Kayura's.

No. He wouldn't let that happen.

Calling on the power of his yoroi, Sage gave it up. His contact with Kayura's body, the way she felt, warm and alive against him... he willed his armor to her and slipped the cold-glowing marble into her dress pocket. And Korin went. It embraced Kayura and clad her in the metal armor before the bullet had torn through Sage's heart and out his chest. The bullet caught in the breastplate's groove, which effectively protected her from danger.

Sage smiled, looked down to see the bleeding wound in his chest, and collapsed to the ground.

What happened next was a bit of a blur... He heard Ryo's anguished cry, followed by Talpa's death shriek as the jade-handled knife found its mark, even as he felt the light leaving his own body. He heard a voice nearby calling to him, whispering in his ear, "Hold on, Sage. Hold on. We're here. Just hold on." A hint of a British accent...

Then Ryo was there, holding his hand, and Sage's vision dimmed to just Rekka's burning flame. "Don't die, Sage, please don't die," Wildfire begged him.

They both knew the time had come. This was the other payment. The other sacrifice. Two must die. Kaos had accepted his fate and would always sacrifice himself so the others could live. Now it was Sage's turn.

"I love you, Ryo," he tried to say as the blood seeped from his lips as well. "I'll always be with you."

"I love you, too," he heard Ryo whisper.

Then Sage was gone.

The caregiving light had been extinguished, leaving only the anguished, soul-tearing cry of the lover left behind.