Message #619646

[BlueAnnihilator]

*Meanwhile, some time after Deke had come through, Blue and the others arrive at the Yule Desert*

Blue: Man, just our luck. It just had to be another desert...

Jawo': No kidding. Could those old crones pick a worse spot to hide a statue?

Lilia: Well, it can't be helped now. Let's just try to make the best of it, okay?

Reese: Yeah! I bet it's not even all that bad.

Jawo': Oh is that right, huh? Well you'll see, Reese. Maybe you'll change your mind once you're burning in agony.

Reese: *gulp* Agony...?

Jawo': That's right. The scorching desert sun casting its deadly rays upon your back, slowly searing your skin as if you were a slab of meat on the skillet. Oh, and you can't forget the blazing sands that eat through your shoe soles like a wild pirahna feeding on its next meal.

Reese: Aaaaah! Nooooooo! I don't wanna burn up!

Penny: Tsch. Oh whatever, Jawo'! You're full of it!

Jawo': Am I, Penny? You might wanna take it from someone's who's been through it before.

Penny: Hmph. I'd sooner listen to a cactus than I would you. Let's go, Reese.

Reese: Uh huh...

Jawo': Okay...don't say I didn't warn you...

*The group continues through the desert. But as time goes on, the heat starts to get to them as their walking pace gradually decreases to a sluggish crawl*

Reese: *panting* Hah...So...hot...ha...

Penny: *panting* Must...Hah...have water...ugh...

*Reese falls to his knees and then flat on his face*

Lilia: Ah! Reese!

*Lilia picks up Reese and gently shakes him*

Lilia: Reese! Reese, can you hear me!?

Reese: I'm burning....in agony...

Lilia: No! We're losing him!

Jawo': Meh, if only you would've listened to me. You should've took initiative and came prepared! Heheheh.

*Jawo' takes out a ice cold can of Sprite and opens it*

Jawo': Now all you can do is watch as I obey my thirst and partake in limoney refreshment.

*Jawo' lifts his can up to drink when Penny snatches it away at the last second*

Jawo': Uh!?

Penny: Gimme!

Jawo': Hey! Give that back, you thief! That's mine!

Penny: Heh, are you kidding me? No way! Maybe this'll teach you not to taunt us like that.

*Penny lifts up the can to drink, when Lilia snatches it away*

Penny: Hey! What gives!?

Lilia: How could you two be so selfish!? Reese needs this more than the both of you!

*Lilia opens Reese's mouth and pours the entire can down his throat. He then slowly opens his eyes*

Lilia: Reese, are you alright?

Reese: *relieved sigh* That's just what I needed! Thanks, Lilia.

Lilia: Sure!

Jawo': That was my drink, you know. *sigh* And my last one...

*The group goes even farther into the desert, but they halt their advance when they feel a rumbling beneath the sand, much like the kind that Deke experienced*

Jawo': Hey...does anyone else feel that?

Lilia: You mean...that rumbling?

Jawo': Yeah, that's it, alright. Sounds like trouble...

Reese: What do you think it is?

Blue: I don't know, but...something about it seems...familiar...

*Moments later, a single Yule Serpent emerges from the sand and immediately spews a stream of fire at the group*

Reese: Aah! It's a desert monster!

Blue: It's coming! Watch out!

*The group leaps to the side, managing to avoid the serpent's attack. After realizing its failure, the serpent retreats back into the sand*

Blue: Phew...that was close. Is everyone alright?

Jawo': I'm good.

Lilia: Me too.

Reese: So am I. But...what was that thing?

Penny: *enamored* Wow!!

Reese: Huh? Penny?

Penny: It...it was...a...a Yule Serpent!

Blue: A...Yule Serpent?

Penny: Yes yes yes! It's a powerful creature indigenous to this desert region! To actually be confronted by one of those here and now! It's like a dream!

Lilia: Penny, you DO realize that it's a dangerous and volatile monster, don't you? *scratches head*

Jawo': *facepalm* Only someone like Penny would be excited to meet a giant snake in the middle of a scorching desert.

Blue: Hmm, well now I know why it was so familiar. We fought a snake just like that one back in the Yanju Wastelands.

Jawo': Oh right, I'm remember that thing...

Penny: *gasp* You guys fought a Yanju Serpent!? No fair! I've always wanted to take one of those down!

Lilia: *sweatdrop* Heh heh, Penny, you're one odd gal.

*Just then, the rumbling commences once again*

Lilia: Ugh! It's happening again!

Jawo': The serpent! It must be coming back!

Blue: Stay alert, everyone! It could come from anywhere!

*The serpent suddenly remerges from the ground right between the group*

Serpent: Hssssssssssssss!!!

Reese: It's here!

Blue: Now's our chance! Let's get him!

Penny: Alright! Leave it to me!

*Penny launches her spinners at the serpent, wrapping them tightly around its body*

Penny: Ah ha! Now I got you!

*Penny attempts to restrain the serpent, but it's too large for her to handle. It trashes around, loosing her grip and flinging her into the air*

Penny: Ah! Uwaaaaaaaaah!!

Lilia: No! Penny!

*Penny plummets towards the ground and plows into the sand below. The impact knocking her unconscious*

Penny: Ugh, rats...

Lilia: Penny! Hang on!

Serpent: Hsssssssss!

*Lilia attempts to run over to Penny, but the serpent spots her and intercepts with a fire stream attack aimed straight for her*

Jawo': Lilia! Behind you!

Lilia: Uh? ...Aaaah!!

Blue: She won't dodge it in time! I have to help her!

*Blue prepares a spell*

Blue: Spread!!!

*A geyser of compressed water shoots upwards from the sand in front of Lilia, causing the fire stream to collide with it instead. The spell acts as a shield and fizzles out the attack, protecting Lilia*

Lilia: Blue! Thanks!

Blue: Heh! *thumbs up*

Reese: Now it's my turn!

*Reese plucks two arrows from his quiver and loads them into his bow*

Reese: Double Shot!

*Reese fires the two arrows at the serpent landing them both in each of its eyes, effectively blinding it*

Serpent: HSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

*In desperation, the serpent spews fire streams in all directions, none of them striking anywhere near the group*

Jawo': Alright, Reese! You did it! The serpent's completely helpless now!

Blue: Okay, Jawo'! Set me up!

Jawo': You got it, Blue!

*Jawo holds up his sword and prepares a technique*

Jawo': Crystal Art: Meltdown!

*Jawo's blade melts down into a liquid, which then slides its way towards the blind serpent and attaches to it. It then spreads, until the serpents entire body is covered in the molten crystal. It finally hardens, ensnaring and encasing the serpent entirely*

Blue: Good work, Jawo'.

Jawo': Now it's all you, Blue! Go for it!

Blue: Yeah.

*Blue prepares another spell*

Blue: Flame Lance!

*A giant spear of flames plunges from the sky and pierces the serpent's now crystallized body*

Blue: And now to finish it! Hmph!

*Blue pulls back his hand, causing the flame lance to explode with a fiery blast. The explosion shatters the serpent completely, sending its crystallized remains scattering everywhere*

Jawo': Yes! We did it! Now that's what I call teamwork. That serpent never knew what hit em! Ha ha!

Lilia: Blue! Guys! You did it!

Blue: Lilia! Penny!

*Lilia rejoins the group, carrying a conscious Penny around her shoulder*

Reese: Penny, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?

Penny: I'm fine, Reese. That stupid snake was stronger than it looks...

Lilia: You should be more careful from now on, Penny. Next time you might get worse than just a bump and a scratch!

Penny: You're right...

Blue: I'm glad to see you're okay, Penny; But we should keep going. We don't wanna run into any more of those things.

Jawo': Right. Who knows how many more of those snakes are lurking out there? We'd best hurry to the tower.

Blue: Let's go, guys. The tower can't be far off now.

*The group continues further ahead into the central reaches of the desert. But they soon come across something the blows their minds*

Penny: Euck! What...are those?

Blue: They're...they're skeletons...

Lilia: But...not just any skeletons. They're Yule Serpent skeletons! three of them!

Jawo': So they're old dusty bones. What's the big deal?

Lilia: *shakes head* Jawo', these bones are too fresh to be those of long-dead serpents...

Reese: Lilia, what are you getting at?

Lilia: Penny...do you know if the Yule Serpents have any natural predators? You know, any other animals that might've done this?

Penny: Hmm...nope. Not that I know of. I'm pretty certain that the serpent is at the top of the food chain in its particular ecosystem.

Lilia: Then that can only mean one thing...

Blue: Someone...a person, had to have done this to them. And whoever did it burned the flesh right off their bones.

Lilia: And fairly recently, I might add. Judging from the tinture of the bones, there was flesh on them just a few hours ago.

Jawo': But I don't get it. What does that have to do with us?

Blue: Think about it for a second, Jawo'. If the serpent has no predators, and the time of death was only a few hours ago, that could only mean that our enemy got here ahead of us. And that he's the one responsible for this.

Reese: Huh? Are you serious, Blue?

Jawo': Wait a minute, don't you think you're jumping to conclusions, here? I mean, heh, it took all five of us to take down one serpent. And you're trying to tell me that one of them could take down three all by himself?

Blue: That's exactly what I'm saying, Jawo'.

Jawo': What!?

Lilia: That's the only logical explanation. Nothing else makes sense...

Jawo': What!? But...that's insane! Not even Shadow could do that! Who could be powerful enough to do something like that!?

Blue: *shakes head* I don't know. But if it turns out...that it really is our enemy who's behind this...

Jawo': Then...we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands...

*Meanwhile, at the Vaughan Tower entrance, Deke arrives*

~~Vaughan Tower Entrance~~

Deke: This must be the Vaughan Tower. It seems I've arrived sooner than I imagined.

*Deke prepares to walk in, when he senses something nearby and stops*

Deke: Hn? What's this...presense...I feel? There are five of them. ...Now I see. It could be none other than Blue's group. Heheh, so they've come afterall. Well, if the desert heat doesn't kill them, I will make certain to give them an intensely warm welcome...

As the group continues on their way to towards the Vaughan Tower, they stumble across Deke's battle spoils. The group gazes upon the incinerated remains in both astonishment and fear, realizing just how powerful of a force they're dealing with. Do Blue and his friends have what it takes to quell Deke's Flames of Destruction? Or will they share the same fate as the three serpents before them?

End Road to the Tower Arc