Thursday, June 7, 2007

Tabula Rasa

Chapter 16

“I don’t know. We’ve just been here for an eternity. No apparent reason.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what seemed like hours of struggling our way through the sand and wind and all sorts of traps we finally found our way to the Colosseum. It’s huge. The wall that’s facing us is made to look like a human (face, arms, torso, but nothing below the waist) and it makes me feel really small. Something this big in the middle of a desert? I wouldn’t believe it if I weren’t standing right in front of it.

“Is that the Colosseum?”

“Yup.”

“…can something like this really be here? Who’s the madman who built this?”

“They had a better weather when that was built.”

“Which was when?” Malice shrugs.

“1000 years at least? How should I know? This isn’t my territory. Ask Kaoru and Kyoto when we get back.”

“So we just find this Nabooru, kick some demon-ass and where outta here?”

“Exactly.”

~*~*~*~*~

The Colosseum is huge. The hall we arrive in through the door is about the size of a big house. A few statues here and there but otherwise it looks like it’s just one room. No other ways but to go outside. Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought…

“Just so you know, this place is full of hidden doors, traps and all the like so stay alert. You never know what can jump on you around the corner…”

“You sure know how to make a relaxed atmosphere.” Malice smirks.

“With years of experience.”

“So where’s the leader of the BB?”

“That’s what we’re here for, aside from the supposed demons.”

“Do we split up?”

“Hell no. You’d be a goner before an hour has passed. No, we stick together.”

We walk up the stairs. I don’t see any doorways…

“Now what?” Sam scratches her head and Malice starts walking around and checking the walls and statues. Then I notice something on the wall left from us.

“What’s that hole over there?” I point at it. Malice walks over to it and looks through it.

“Looks like a way in rookie. Good job.”

“So we crawl through?”

“Yeah. It’s not that hard, right?”

“Well who goes first?” We look at each other.

“Rock-paper-scissors?”

“Sure, why not.”

After a few rounds of the said game Sam is picked to go first. She mumbles something I can’t understand and crawls through the hole. After a while she says it’s okay to go and we crawl through the hole.

“Okay, what is this?”

We’ve entered a large hall with a picture of sun on the wall. Sun has closed eyes. In the corner of the room is a snake-shaped mirror. There are also cubes that have moons on them. Sunlight comes in through a hole in the ceiling.

“Can you think logically?”

“What?”

“Who didn’t understand that we need to lighten up the damn sun?”

“But look at those cubes. They block the way!”

“Well we just gotta figure this out before the sun outside sets. Otherwise it’ll be a long night.”

Sam nods and we start walking through the room and re-arranging the cubes. After some time we manage to clear to way for the mirror.

“Okay, now we push it so that the light reflects to the sun…”

We start pushing the mirror to the center. The light lights up the sun and it opens its eyes. It also looks like it’s smirking at us. Freaky.

“And there we have another door!”

In the next room we face a disturbing sight. Lizards. Big, walking lizards. With really big knives.

This really isn’t my day.

-Oh c’mon rookie, there’re only three of them! One for each!-

-I hate lizards.-

-Well just go ahead and kill them, the faster you do it the faster it’ll be over.-

-…I hate you.-

-Love you too rookie but we’ve got some lizards to squash, now don’t we?-

Sam is already taking aim at them with her bow.

-Just say when you’re ready.-

“Hey! You there!” The lizards turn around. I curse at Malice in my head. Sam shoots an arrow right through one lizard’s skull. It falls down with a cry and disappears in purple flames. The others are already running over to us. Malice smirks yet again and a shadow rises up to suffocate another big green demon.

“Rookie! Don’t just stand there!”

I barely manage to dodge a knife. Sam’s arrow pierces through the last demon. It disappears in flames like it’s comrades.

“Rookie! Why didn’t you take out your weapon?!”

“I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t?!”

“I don’t have a weapon! I’ve tried to take one out but there simply is none!”

Malice curses. “So we have a soul-keeper with no weapon and because of the location no powers! This is just great…”

“I don’t think that’s a serious problem-”

“Fine! You look after her.”

We don’t say a word to each other until we arrive to a hallway. Long, red carpet is covering the floor. There are torches on the walls. In the end of the hallway is a tall figure with long, red hair and white clothes.

“Nabooru! Long time no see, how’ve you been?”

Nabooru turns around in shock.

“Who let you come here?!”

“Oh yeah Saleec and one of the guards were a bit reluctant to let us through but we’re from the Office and we have a right to come here.”

Nabooru curses. “Those incompetent little-”

Suddenly we hear giggling.

“Look who we have here! The great Nabooru and some brats from the Office! And one can’t even defend herself here!”

“Ooh you’re right brother! Pathetic beings, aren’t they? No idea of real power…”

“No, they don’t have any clue as to what’s really going on…”

“Shall we tell them brother?”

“No, let’s play with them for a while!”

There’s a flash and in front of us are two little boys on brooms. Both wear robes. They look like twins. Nabooru’s eyes widen in shock.

“Who are you?! Where are the Witches?!”

“Oh those old farts?” The boy giggles.

“Those senile old farts are long gone! We surpassed them a long time ago!”

“We sure did brother! Should we show these four how we did it?”

“No, but let’s play with them!” Both giggle. “Oh dear we almost forgot to introduce ourselves!”

“I’m Seth, the wizard of the sand!”

“And I’m Hesel, the wizard of the wind! Kneel before our might!”

“Hell no.”

Seth and Hesel stop their bragging and look at Malice.

“Brother! It’s the Coffin Dancer!”

“Oh my, it truly is!”

“We’ve heard rumors!”

“Yes we have!”

“Of the powerful Coffin Dancer who dances her victims to the arms of Death!”

“Yes! A woman you should fear!”

Malice yawns. “Thanks guys, but we’re busy so-”

“We demand a battle!”

“No we don’t!”

“COWARD! OF COURSE WE DO!”

“YOU CAN DEMAND A BATTLE BUT I WON’T!”

“WHY YOU LITTLE-!”

“As interesting as your fight would be, we’re still busy so can you two go play somewhere else?”

“PLAY?! Did you hear that brother?!”

“I did! You dare to call this a play!”

“I sure do. Now scram.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking brother?”

“Frogs?”

“NO YOU IMBESILE!”

“Then wha- oh. OH! That!” The other buy rolls his eyes.

“Yes brother. THAT.”

The boys start to fly in a circle around us. They go faster and faster until they’re only a blur. Then there’s nothing. I’m falling in the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~

“Look Angst!”

“…”

“There’s someone over there!”

What the…?

“Hello! Are you awake? Look Angst it’s moving!”

“…”

I sit up. Something must’ve happened to my eyes since everything is in shades of grey and black.

“Welcome to…where are we again Angst?”

“…”

“FINE. Well anyways, we haven’t had guests in a while!”

“…what happened?”

“You saw those who defeated the Witches of the Desert.”

“OH NOW YOU DECIDE TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH! AFTER YEARS OF SILENCE-!”

“My head hurts…”

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to shout.”

“…where am I?”

“We don’t know actually. We’ve just been here as long as we can remember. Which is a really long time.”

“Where’s Malice? And Sam? Where are they?”

“In the palace of the Queen of Sand.”

“Huh?”

“Oh yeah you call it the Colosseum, right?”

“Then how am I here?!”

“The transportation was blocked before the others were teleported.”

“How do I get back?!”

“That’s a bit more complicated.”

I blink. I’m being hysteric and that doesn’t happen often.

“Who are you?”

“Oh I’m Ai and this is my companion Angst.”

“Love and Fear?” This is getting too absurd…

“Bingo, and on the first guess!”

“And what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know. We’ve just been here for an eternity. No apparent reason.”

“Great.” I stand up. “So how do I get back to my friends?”

“Should we tell her Angst?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. You have to go to the Grey Woods. That’s all we can say.”

“You can’t tell me or you don’t know?”

“Can’t tell. You have to go through this on your own.”

As if I ever get help in anything…

“Fine, where are these Grey Woods? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

The girl the other one called Angst points at the black treetops at the horizon. I wonder how she knows where she’s pointing at with that blindfold on.

“Those are black woods.”

“No, they’re grey. You haven’t seen them in daylight.”

Figures.

~*~*~*~*~

After Ai and Angst drop me off at the woods (I still think they’re black) I walk for about a few hours until I arrive in to a wide opening. What’s the weirdest thing about it is that it’s in color. Colorful flowers, butterflies, green grass, blue sky, blue lake…and grey trees. Should’ve seen that one coming.

“Who is it?”

I look around and see a girl at the edge of the lake. She’s got a long, brown hair and a blue dress. Her baby-blue eyes look at me. She smiles. The white scarf on her shoulders is moving with the wind.

“What’s your name? No, don’t tell me, it’s Anya, right?”

“How’d you know?” She laughs.

“I know all about you.” She walks over to me and leans in closer. “Even better than you do.”

“What do you want?”

“I want” her sweet smile turns into an arrogant smirk, her eyes turn yellow and her pupils look like they were stolen from a cat “to kill all the little idiots who make the mistake of coming here!”

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A/N:

Me: Zzz...
Kaoru: She's tired.
Sam: *pokes at me*
Me: Zzzz...
Anya: It must've been the tea and the spice cake...
Me: Zzzzz...
Malice: WAKE UP!
Me: *snaps awake* Huh? What?
Kaoru: You have to make the A/Ns.
Me: Don't have any.
Sam: Sure you do!
Me: I don't. I'm tired, it's burning hot outside and I want more tea. So stop bothering me!
Malice: Blame yourself, you made us!
Me: *bangs head to the wall* Darn.

Me: So until the next chapter folks...zzz...
Everbody else: *rolls eyes*


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