Holy water cannot help you now
See, I have to burn your kingdom down
And no rivers, and no lakes can put the fire out
I'm gonna raise the stakes; I'm gonna smoke you out
Lyrics to 'Seven Devils' performed by Florence and the Machine

Elements of Great Design Part 55

"I am not alone here," a gravely voice informed with a curl of anticipated malice. Flames danced before the eyes taking in the image of the speaker's Commander floating before him in a wavy 'mirror'.

Nodding firmly in that mystic eyehole, Chaos replied, "Excellent. They made even better timing that I had thought they would." A stern glare fixing on his minion, the beast warned, "You know full well what is on the line in securing the Fire Stone, Ifrit. While I have no doubts in your abilities, I must remind you how displeased our Master will be should you allow that weapon to slip through our fingers." [1]

A displeased growl rumbled from deep in the other demon's chest. "I am aware, but I must also express my displeasure at having to guard against two Keepers that are currently in possession of their Elemental Stones. If they have any idea as to how they can be used against those of us who are here waiting for them, I am afraid that our task at hand will be most difficult."

Chaos waved a clawed hand in the air dismissively and replied, "Yes, I am not about to take that for granted. However, Abaddon will not accept any excuses should you be sent back to his clutches as a failure in this mission. What is more, Mistress Mariemaia is particularly worried about Earth and Fire should their paths cross again. Any who let her down will have to deal with all in our ranks, beginning with me."

Ifrit grunted uncomfortably, but held his physical composure as he nodded, "Yes. That is also something of which I am quite clear." Drawing a deep breath and snorting flames through its nostrils, the monster stated, "I will be off to see that my guests receive a pleasant... and short-lived welcome." The last words were uttered with a vicious smirk.

"Few others are as hospitable as you, brother," Chaos grinned back in kind. At that, the spell between them faded into the air to end the conversation.

Slowly turning to face the glowing world around him, the guardian of the Fire Stone snarled trough his gritted fangs, "Now to see firsthand what the Alliance is really made of."

*   *   *   *   *   *

In another corner of the world...

With a deep sigh, Relena's blue eyes blinked open. It took only a heartbeat for her to recognize the feel of Trent's arm around her. The sensation of their naked, entwined bodies beneath the covers of their now shared bed was new. But that was something that she was quickly getting used to and enjoying.

His free arm folded and propping the back of his head up, the Fighter was staring up at the ceiling of their tent in deep thought. Smiling against his chest from where she remained curled against him, the Queen asked softly, "Where are you now?"

Blinking widely, Quinze turned his head towards his new lover in genuine surprise over having missed her waking. "I'm sorry," he told her sincerely.

Gently taking hold of the Sovereign's chin between his fingers, he leaned down to press their lips together in a sound kiss that he mentally dove into so that his darker thoughts could be set aside in light of the bright moment he should have been completely consumed in.

Peacecraft hummed in pleasure just before their mouths separated. Folding her arms on the chest beneath her to rest her head on them, she smirked, "The work of a Fighter is never over, even at times like this, is it?"

"Not in times of war, unfortunately," Trent sighed, inwardly relieved that his distraction did not cause any hurt feelings. The very last thing that he wanted was to put a damper on what was easily one of the most amazing experiences of his life.

After decades and decades of pining over Relena, never would he have believed that he would ever experience making love with her as intensely as they had the night before. It was better than anything that he could have ever dared to imagine.

Though it was not the foremost consideration that morning, it was still on his mind and so Quinze was able to state honestly, "A messenger came not long ago to pass along word that there is going to be a raid tonight that I will need to oversee. I am going over what I need to do before the raid that I am leading tonight. There will be a lot to oversee these next hours before nightfall."

Until he was sure that he would be able to tell the Queen that he was contemplating a way to act against the wishes of her close friends- Treize and Lady Une ¨C the Fighter was not about to tell her of what was really plaguing him.

Raids were far from troubling, despite the great amount of danger that was involved in running them. They were more a release of frustration, allowing the otherwise hunted to be the ones on the prowl of their oppressors. In the thick of the night, the volunteers to charge into the belly of the beast were able to enjoy cutting their numbers by the dozens before enough of the monsters were alerted enough to retaliate.

No. It was the end game that Trent would now always have on his mind when it came to handling of the head of the serpent.

Concerned as she was, Relena remained strong and nodded in understanding. "I will not see you before you have to leave, will I?" she inquired, but the tone of her voice clued in to how she already assumed the answer.

"I wish that I could tell you yes," Quinze frowned. "We will be cutting our preparation time close to dusk. And the more darkness we have, the better the odds of not compromising ourselves out there."

Forcing a wider grin, the Queen crawled up to kiss him deeply. Breathless at the end of the passionate exchange, she requested, "Then be sure to bring me a new necklace of fangs to wear proudly."

Unable to help his own smile no matter how preoccupied he was, the Captain winked and replied, "As you wish, my love." Slowly shifting to leave the bed, he gathered the clothes that he had discarded after greeting the messenger that had woken him earlier.

Gathering up his sheathed blade, Trent looked to the quiver of arrows and bow that were leaning against the frame of the mattress. Reminded once again of his shortcomings when it came to using the weapon, he turned away from it at the same time that his best friend finished dressing herself to follow him outside.

At no surprise, Alex and Meiran were in the middle of expressing their own farewells in the clearing that housed the next row tents when Mueller emerged with Dorothy from the Oracle's shelter. The sight came as such a shock that their friends all paused to look on in disbelief.

Clearing her throat, Catalonia brushed back her notably disheveled hair behind her shoulders as she fixed the lot with a glare. Meanwhile, her recently established lover could not have looked more pleased given the smug grin he gave his comrades. "And what is so interesting about two adults spending the night together?" the gifted snapped, arms folding across her chest though her face flushed a brilliant red.

"Nothing at all," Relena giggled.

Meiran bit her lip to fend off the fit of laughter threatening to bubble out and quickly added, "Nope. Not a thing." Trent and Alex shook their heads vehemently. The last thing any of them wanted on their hands was an irritated Oracle.

Brushing down the front of her black robes, Dorothy eased and focused on her smug companion. "I will be able to see if you dare to brag about what had transpired between us," she warned in a carefree singsong that still managed to convey how very real the threat was. As the smile from the Fighter evaporated in a panicked expression, she chuckled and gave his lips a quick peck. "Be sure to not disappointment me on or off the battlefield."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Mueller sputtered. Swallowing roughly, he still sweetly took her hand to kiss it with a deep bow at his waist.

Gently nudging Quinze, Alex snickered under his breath, "So our brother has finally met his match." Laughing along with him, Trent nodded.

Joining his fellow Fighter, the retired woman fiend narrowed his eyes at their amused expressions. "Yea, yea, yea," he half-heatedly growled, tightening the slack of the pack that was slung over his shoulder. "Let's get going already." Brushing past them with an uncharacteristic blush, he never looked back to notice their widely blinking eyes.

The Captain snickered, "Well, you heard him." Sure to take a quick moment to pull Relena into a hearty kiss, he shared a loving smile with her and spun to lead his friends through the encampment.

Away from their mates, the mood instantly became one of business for the soldiers, their falling back into their responsible roles as defenders of the White Fang.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Duo rubbed the back of his neck as he assessed the burning realm that stretched out for miles ahead of the young warriors. "There won't be any turning back as soon as we climb down from these cliffs," he commented softly as he turned to face his lover. "Getting down to that walkway is going to be a challenge without drawing attention to ourselves before we're ready to handle whatever is waiting for us."

Already clear on the disadvantage that they were at, Heero grunted with a deep frown on his face. Shaking his head, he declared, "We will need Wufei in the fight first to get us down there as quickly as possible. From there, we can only hope for a long enough gap in the fight to bring Anna back to end it."

Rising from his crouch over the embers of the campfire that he'd extinguished, Trowa raised a hand that brought on a sharp gust of air to eliminate the smoke lest their enemies see the sign of life.

A deep sigh resonated from his chest while he remained just as focused on what lay for as far as they could see. "Mariemaia's forces are finding ways to give themselves the advantage more and more every time we have to meet them," he murmured.

"Makes you wonder what going after the Earth Stone is going to be like," Quatre all but whispered. He winced at the tired glares from his teammates that fell on him. Fidgeting with his veil, the only piece of his long-sleeved and long-panted attire that had not been switched for lighter clothes, he smiled sheepishly, "Not that it would be anything we can't handle..."

Though he never said the words, the others knew that he silently added, 'I hope.' And they could not fault him for that when even they were uncertain if they had what they needed to acquire the last two weapons that they needed to face the Sorceress.

Refusing to let his fellow troops to start doubting themselves when they were about to embark on another struggle, Heero righted himself and said, "We have the Water and Air Stones to help us. That is a lot more than any army Abaddon might send can say."

Mentally, the Fighter was thankful that he sounded confident enough in the sentiment.

Shrugging, Duo mumbled under his breath, "That is better than nothing working in our favor." At the sight of a dark figure making its way towards them, his violet eyes fell on the black wolf walking briskly towards the group. Smiling down at his 'brother', the Black Mage greeted, "Hi, Wufei."

Before anyone else could welcome the Monk back in their presence, the lot watched as he circled around Heero to get his full attention. His cobalt eyes blinking, Yuy's confusion grew when he felt a furry muzzle nudge against the back of his legs. "What are you trying to tell me?" he asked, only to find himself being turned to face where Anna was standing near the cliff's edge.

"O-oh," the soldier stammered in realization. Meeting the liquid onyx eyes watching him, he stated more than asked, "She needs me?"

Never one to understand how the Keepers of Fire and Earth could communicate when Chang was in his altered state through mere glances, Heero was suddenly taken aback to find himself comprehending what the troubled wolf was conveying to him with a soft whimper and a soulful stare...

Anna was most definitely in need of something that she was not requesting outright. And whatever that was, Wufei had chosen the Fighter to see to it.

Shallowly nodding, Yuy left the remainder of his team behind to quietly near the redhead. If she had heard him nearing, she never turned her eyes onto him. Her eyes remained fixated on the thin strip of land leading through the fire pits of erupting volcanoes and other burning obstacles along the way to the Fire Stone.

There was little argument in the thief's voice when she finally spoke, "Wufei sent you to check on me. No matter how hard I try to hide myself to protect his feelings as well as my own, he could always see right through me."

Unsettled by those words, Heero slid close enough to his sister that their shoulders were touching. Keeping a close watch on her blank expression, he inquired softly, "What is it, Anna? You know that you can always talk to me if there's something wrong."

Finally meeting his gaze with her own that had begun to shimmer against her best defenses, the Fire Keeper's mouth opened and closed before she shook her head with a huff. "I hate showing weakness," she smiled sadly. "It just hit me how much is riding on me and I hate to admit it but I'm worried I am not up for this..."

Biting her lip, Chang whispered brokenly, "And I just wish that I could have a hug from Wufei, or to hear something encouraging from him before we have to go in and I can't."

In that instance, Heero understood why the Monk had chosen him to be the one to handle this. As a Fighter, he would be the one that Anna would respect the most absent her husband to reassure her abilities when it came to battle.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yuy pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her temple. By her ear, he whispered, "None of that is a sign of weakness. And you are more than fit for this, sister. There is not a question in my mind to whether or not you can handle anything that tries to stop you from any mission you set yourself on. And when the day is over, Wufei is going to be so damned proud of you for how you handle yourself here."

On the brink of becoming emotional himself, he concluded, "Just like we are all proud of you."

Sniffling, Anna cling onto him every bit as fiercely and buried her face in his shoulder. "Thank you, brother," she mumbled against him. When they pulled back, she giggled softly and wiped away the tears that had fallen down her face as she lowered her head out of embarrassment for a moment to catch her breath.

Quickly regaining her composure, she rolled her shoulders back and lifted her chin in her usual confidence. "Okay," she nodded firmly, a small smile tugging the corner of her lips. "I'm ready now." In her saying that, the remainder of the Alliance had walked into the scene.

Wufei let out a low grunt as he leaned heavily against his wife's leg. Smirking, Anna reached down to bury her fingers in the thick, black fur at the back of his neck. "Let's do this," she announced, her free hand reaching into a pouch at her waist to pull out the vial containing a familiar, dark potion inside.

Moving in fast, Quatre draped the white Monk robe over the beast and stepped back while Maxwell stepped forward, violet eyes glowing.

"You lead us in the charge, love," the thief announced with a wink to her wolf just before she removed the cork stopper and threw back the poisonous drink. In the instant that she fell lifelessly, Duo opened his right hand to reveal the glowing spark of her soul just as Chang shifted in time to catch her body in her arms.

Carefully lowering her onto the stone bed at his feet, Wufei tied his garment closed as he glared out to the stretch of burning miles before them. "It will be my honor, Firefly," he commented in response to her last words. Snapping his head back to the others, he yelled over the explosions from the volcanoes below, "Have your weapons ready and hang on!"

Hands gripped onto their hilts and staffs, their owners crouching down in defensive stances.

Bringing his hands up to ball together into one large fist with a loud clap, the Earth Keeper brought the ground beneath them down in a massive, deafening landslide that carried them safely down towards the walkway within seconds. In the quake, Heero fought to keep upright as he and his family surfed down the side of the great cliff.

Momentarily stunned by the incredible shift of their perspective once they found themselves amidst the near blinding glow around them, the team had enough time to adjust before their unassuming enemies leapt from seemingly everywhere to fall upon them.

Dressed in protective armor that protected them from lava and flame, the hoard of Mariemaia's demons snapped and snarled towards their challengers. Though the gear made it a little more difficult for the warriors to cut through in the attempts to deliver death blows, they also had white and black magic on their side.

The first to take a strike with his powers, Duo aimed the blade of his scythe at the onslaught. Violet eyes glowing once again, he sent off a shockwave of dark rings that knocked away the shielding armor from the initial lines of attackers before they were thrown from the narrow stretch of land. Knocked into the lava that engulfed the edges, those hideous creatures howled and screamed in agony as they were charred to their bones.

"Well now, I cannot have you outdo me!" Quatre laughed over the commotion. Raising his hands, he called upon a ball of brilliant light that crashed down into the middle of the oncoming army, destroying over a mile of the walkway to bring down with it countless beasts in the process.

A dark smirk curling his lips, Wufei held fast onto his Chef's knife, praising, "Nicely done." Locked onto the damaged bridge, he shifted the two separated ends to stretch forth until they met in the middle of the gap in a clean repair.

Then, the dark soldiers were upon them and the Alliance fought in a stretched out semi-circle to gain as much ground as they could while protecting Anna's prone body. Progress was slow, even in light of the elements coming into play. However, progress was also steady.

Cutting into the back of the neck of a Behemoth that had nearly broken the line between him and Duo, Heero cried out in the effort of freeing his bloodied sword. The sight of balls of fire leaping from the lava with clawed hands and fanged, grinning faces that were fixed on him and his teammates, brought the Fighter to pause as a sharp gasp shot from his lungs. [2]

"Those are new," was all that Yuy had time to breathe when the burning orbs came at them in a blazing shot.

Pale-faced, Winner shrieked, "Trowa! Call on the Air Stone so that this works!"

Already knocked out of his focus on protecting himself at the surge that was coming, Barton's green eyes glowed at assuming what his lover was up to. As soon as the ten-mile-high wave that Water Stone assisted in casting off, so was the Air Keeper able to call upon a blizzard gale that encased everything that the water touched in a blockade of ice... bringing the frozen globes to fall from the sky.

In the exceptional heat from of the fiery land, the other monsters that had been trapped where they stood melted away along with their icy cell. Spinning to face each other at the brief reprieve, Quatre and Trowa shot their arms overhead while cheering in elation.

No sooner had that incredible charge been halted did another begin with even more demons fueling it. Wincing, Duo warned, "Um, I hate to break up the celebration, but we still have our work cut out for us, guys."

Wufei dropped to his knees in a blink, slamming a fist onto the rock bridge. At the impact of his hand, a loud crash filled the air at the earthquake that literally rippled its way down the stretch before them to knock the oncoming recruits from their feet. Many of the beasts were tripped up enough to fall into the lava, but the attack only infuriated the countless more that were still coming.

Turning to face his braided brother, the Monk shouted, "My powers will not be as effective as Anna's would be from here out! We need her now while we have the chance!"

"Right!" Maxwell yelled back. Rushing to the thief's body, he carefully lowered the chiming soul back into her chest.

Back arching and eyes wide, the redhead gasped harshly back into the world of the living. Placing herself in a few blinks, Chang pushed herself up onto her feet as she looked onto the reinforced army that was rushing onto her tiring teammates.

A lopsided smirk spread its way across the Fire Keeper's face. "Finally," she muttered to herself, "time to put my years of training to real use."

TBC...

[1] Ifrit

[2] Final Fantasy villains, Bombs

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