Sword of the Stars Part 12
Uncertain Future
"What on earth--?"
At the sound of Yohan's troubled voice, Duo awoke from dozing in the saddle. He raised his head from his chest and glanced ahead at Bolt. Quatre had stopped the stallion and the mage was gazing at the sky. Duo halted Cloud before the white passed the other horse.
"What's wrong, Yohan?" he asked, gazing up at the sky, too. It was nightfall, and dark clouds filled the skies and rain threatened to come down.
The old mage frowned worriedly and searched the clouds. "I...I sense something coming. Something evil."
Wufei tightened his grip around Duo's waist. "Netherworlders?"
Fear crept up Duo's spine. Talpa or Ling coming for him? He had barely survived a duel with Talpa, and Ling--almost powerless--had dealt with him easily. He didn't want to face either of them again. He glanced cautiously at Yohan, but the mage was shaking his head.
"No. Talpa and Ling cannot travel this fast. This is...perhaps some kind of magic?"
"You mean you don't know?" Quatre asked. "I thought you were a wizard!"
Yohan shrugged apologetically. "No two arts of magic are the same, child. There are different styles and different ways of casting spells. I know nothing of Netherworld Magic, only that it is drawn from the Dark Lord himself." He paused. "I *can*, however, tell you that whatever is coming at us, it is not living." Yohan pointed ahead of them. "I suggest we move faster. It will be upon us soon."
The old man sounded so calm, Duo observed. He glanced at Quatre. The blond looked reserved, as well. He calmly flicked the reins and urged Bolt forward. Duo followed on Cloud, sensing Wufei settling himself into a comfortable position. Even the Cleric wasn't acting worried. Was he the only one who felt as if his heart were about to leap out of his throat?
As Cloud and Bolt tore across the open fields, thunder roared and lightning shot across the sky. Then the rain came. It poured down mercilessly. Duo struggled to keep his eyes open as the water pelted them. The wind picked up, giving a chill to the air. Duo's wet hair fell into his eyes.
"Keep going!" Yohan cried. "It is almost upon us! I can feel it! It is almost he--"
Duo didn't hear the rest of the mage's sentence. A loud, gusting sound filled his ears, and he was thrown violently from the saddle. He heard Wufei cry out as he flew over Cloud's head and fell on his side on the wet ground. He covered his head, fearful the horse would run him over, but thankfully, Wufei seized the reins and pulled the white to a stop.
"Duo, what happened?" he cried.
Duo pushed himself up and unsheathed his katana. "Something's here!"
Quatre leapt off Bolt and took his staff from the saddle. He twirled it once and searched around. "What is it? *Where* is it?"
"It's here," Yohan insisted, scrambling his short body down from Bolt. "I can sense it. But I cannot see--ugh!"
Yohan was cut off and hoisted into the air. As if the wind had carried him, the mage flew twenty paces and crashed painfully to the ground. Quatre gasped and spun around in circles, trying to find the source of the danger. Suddenly, he screeched and flew into the air upside-down, up ten feet or so, and then fell to the ground on his back. He attempted getting up, but fell back weakly. Wufei scrambled down from Cloud and raced toward Quatre first. As he did, Duo felt something with the impact of a tree trunk ramming into his back. He cried out and fell forward, almost losing his footing. Before he could recover from the first strike, he was hit again in the stomach, then on his right, and then on the left. The onslaught continued, ramming him from side to side. When his stomach couldn't stand any more punishment, he was rammed once more in the back and sent to the ground.
With a groan, he pushed himself up to his knees. He gripped his katana tightly and forced himself to his feet. Quatre was on his feet again and Wufei was helping Yohan stand. The mage shook his head and stared at Duo in shock, pointing anxiously behind him.
With a start, Duo turned around to see what Yohan was trying to bring to his attention. Black smoke was swirling together in a spiral and a black shape was beginning to form. Gasping, Duo backed up, staring at the creature forming before them in shock.
Quatre swallowed loudly. "What *is* it?"
"I don't know," Yohan said. "I don't know." The blackness fused into the shape of something that looked like a giant...crab of some sort.[1] It snapped its pincers together and made its way toward them. Duo tensed his muscles and prepared to fight, even though he had no idea how he was going to deal with it.
When it opened its pincers and tried to strike him, Duo leapt into the air, somersaulted, and came down with his katana pointed at the crab's eye. However, the katana went right through the black form. His heart sank. What could he do if he couldn't strike it?
Before Duo could move, the crab's pincers seized him roughly. He felt two of his ribs crack loudly, and he winced in pain. He dropped his katana and tried to pry the pincers away, but he couldn't touch them either. He saw Quatre racing toward the crab with a determined expression. "No, Quatre!" he shouted, wincing as his ribs contracted. "Don't! You can't strike it!"
The other warrior either didn't hear him, or simply chose not to listen. He tried striking the crab with his staff, and was swatted away like a fly by the other pincer.
"Quatre!" he heard Wufei cry.
The pincer tightened its grip on him, and he cried out loudly. How many ribs was that now? He wondered. Four? Five? Then, fireballs sailed through the beast. Duo turned his head. Yohan's robes were flapping about in the wind, and he was hurtling magic spells of all kinds toward the creature.
"This isn't enough!" the mage cried. "It's not doing anything!"
The crab began to shake him. Duo grit his teeth as waves of pain swept through his body. Then, white lightning struck the creature, blinding Duo. The pincer opened, and Duo fell to the ground. He turned to see where the white lightning had come from. An old woman in wizard's robes stood not twenty feet away, sending waves of white lightning raining down on the crab. Yohan simply watched for a moment, and then joined her.
Wufei appeared at his side and laid a hand on his chest. A warm, tingling feeling filled him and the pain lessened until it was gone. His ribs were healed. He seized his katana before allowing Wufei to help him up and drag him away. Quatre joined them, and they stared as the creature screeched and tried to escape the lightning. Soon, it shrank back into a little cloud of black smoke and flew away.
Quatre leaned heavily on his staff and panted lightly. The rain had plastered his hair to his head, and he was dirty. Wufei was also soaking wet, and his robes were muddy. Duo glanced at Yohan. The mage was staring at the newcomer. She bowed her head to him and smiled gently.
"You are a Stardragon Mage," she said. It was not a question.
"As are you," Yohan replied. He bowed his head to her. "I thank you for your help. But may I ask what you are doing out here?"
"My house is not far," she explained. She lifted the reins of the horses. "I took the liberty of recovering your horses for you."
"Thank you," Yohan said.
She raised a hand. "Think nothing of it." She stared at Duo and smiled. "So the Warrior has come again. You have found him, mage-brother." She handed the reins to Quatre and traced the star on Duo's forehead with her finger.
"You are indeed the one...but you are so young." Before anyone could reply, the old woman turned and motioned for them to follow her. "Come to my home for tonight. You are all filthy. You all need hot baths and warm meals."
Duo glanced questioningly at Yohan. The mage nodded. Taking Cloud's reins, Duo and the others followed the old woman.
It wasn't long before she stopped them. "My house is here," she said, gesturing to the empty space before them.
Duo frowned, confused. "But there's nothing here."
"Isn't there?" With a wave of her hand, a large cottage appeared before them. "I don't like crowded areas," she explained, "but being alone out here isn't a good idea either. Come, come, I'll prepare the baths."
She opened the door and motioned for them to go in ahead of her. Quatre went first, followed by Wufei, Duo, and finally Yohan.
TBC...
[1] Have any of you ever played or seen the show "The Legend of Zelda"?
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