El-Hazard is the property of Pioneer/AIC. Ferior. All original characters are property of dooky. Inferior. EL-HAZARD: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Shape of Things So Far- The Bugrom invade Styrenia, whilst their occupation of Dorusland is repeatedly undermined by the Purple Lightning. Nahato discovers that Mari is being used to unravel the mystery of Phantom Tribe powers, and demands she is killed. After pressing Mari on why she is depressed, Nanami discovers the truth- Mari has been in love with her for some time. Princess Formyka arrives safely in Roshtaria, having escaped the Bugrom. Jinnai and Sakura raid Florestica in search of Mari. Sakura begins to attack randomly, seemingly unaware of her actions, and Qawoor is possessed by a malevolent entity. Afura forces it out, and it contacts Makoto. The entity is Arjah, also known as Arundel, Ifurita's creator. Arjah tells Makoto of his desire to live as a human again. Sakura regains her senses, and finds Mari. Unable to kill her, she abducts her. Back at the hive, Diva tells Jinnai she will die sooner than she thought. Shayla's powers have disappeared, following an attack by Sakura. While Alielle encourages Rune to take life less seriously, Mycea takes Parnasse to an anti-Opaque protest that quickly degenerates into a riot. THE NINTH MONTH: THE DEVIL MAKES WORK FOR IDOL HANDS Day 244 The strip lights along the ceiling flickered on and of in a most irritating fashion. Nahato paced down the corridor and confronted one of the guards. "What the hell is wrong with these lights? They're giving me a damn migraine!" "There's a fluctuation in the power grid for this section, sir. The technical team should have it repaired within the hour." "They'd better." He walked on. Things weren't the same since the Opaques left. Any society that lost a quarter of its population was bound to suffer consequences, and for a society as closed as the Phantom Tribe, those consequences were especially severe. Few Opaques had held positions of any real importance. But they all had jobs- jobs which lay suddenly empty after the exodus. Four years on, the Phantom Tribe's infrastructure was still reeling. But they'd pay. They'd all pay. Nahato stepped onto the transience platform and entered a four-digit code into the control panel. Moments later, he rematerialised on an identical platform in the research centre. At least the lights worked here. He approached one of the chief scientists. "Progress?" he demanded. "Minimal contact with the Eye of God should be possible in a few weeks," the man replied. "Of course, we won't be able to control it as such, not unless..." "I understand," Nahato cut in. "Good work. Continue." Over the years, Nahato had learnt to be more patient with his scientists. And in this case, he could well afford it. They had plenty of time to perfect this plan. He thought back to the time, all those years ago, when they had tried to use Princess Fatora to control the Eye of God. The plan had been flawed, and by the time the flaw had been noticed, it was too late to do anything about it. Still, the lessons it had taught them about the Eye's control system had been valuable. No, they wouldn't be making the same mistake again. "Hi," Alielle nodded to Londs as she entered the post room. She was quite visibly pregnant now, and the increased burden was forcing her to move around the palace at more sensible speeds. Londs nodded back. "The papers have arrived, majesty." "Oh, good. And Fatora's magazines?" "Yes..." Londs reluctantly picked up a large brown paper envelope and handed it to Alielle. "Thanks." Alielle was suddenly distracted by one of the newspapers that were laid out on the table. 'ANARCHY!' the front page of the Roshtarian Sun screamed. 'THE PRICE WE PAY FOR ACCEPTING OPAQUE SCROUNGERS.' Beneath it was a large photograph of the riot from two days ago. The editorial staff clearly considered this to be of immense importance, as the publication's more usual fare, in this case a story about a sighting of Princess Formyka at a nudist beach, had been relegated to a lesser headline. "It's sad," Alielle said, staring at the picture. Why can't people just..." Her eyes widened. She picked up the newspaper and studied the picture more closely. "Is something wrong, princess?" Londs asked. "Um, no... nothing to worry about," Alielle replied, still scrutinising the front page. "I'll just get back to Fatora..." She hurried out of the room, with the newspaper in her hand. "Fatora, I've just been looking at the newspapers, and I've found something... well, disturbing." "Hmm?" Fatora looked up from her desk. "No... they haven't cancelled Miss Roshtaria, have they?" Alielle hesitated. "Huh? That's not what I..." "Five consecutive years, I've judged that contest! If they think all-out war's gonna get in the way of..." Alielle sighed. "Fatora, look at the front page." She thrust the Roshtarian Sun into Fatora's hands. "Oh my God..." Fatora said quietly. "Do you see it?" "You bet. 'Princess Formyka caught bathing topless by our hidden camera.' Ha! Hidden camera, my royal ass! She can see the photographer! Look, she's waving on this one..." "No, no, no!" Alielle said, shaking her head angrily. "Look at the photo of the riot. Look there." She pointed at the bottom left hand corner of the picture. "Do you see him?" Fatora raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's your stupid brother. Well, imagine that. He never struck me as the rioting type." "I'll kill him!" Alielle snarled. "Just who does he think he is?" "Aw, calm down," Fatora advised, "There's probably a perfectly... hey, where are you going?" "I'm going to find him," Alielle said on her way out of the room. "And then I'm gonna kill him." Makoto rested his head in his hands. "I still can't understand," he sighed. "Arjah said he was composed of zero energy. But that's got to be a contradiction. By definition, zero energy is... well, an absence of energy. How can something be made of nothing?" "Well..." Ifurita offered, I think I understand." "You do? How?" Ifurita sat down next to Makoto. "You're right that zero energy is nothing. But nothing can still act like something." Makoto looked even more confused than before. "I'm still not following." "Okay. Let me ask you a question. What is black?" He looked at her quizzically. "Well... It's a colour, of course." "And how are colours produced?" This was more familiar territory for Makoto. "Differential absorption and reflection of the visible spectrum by objects. The parts of the spectrum that are reflected make up the colour." Ifurita nodded. "Right. Now, specifically, how is the colour black made?" "Uh, well, black occurs when an object absorbs every part of the visible spectrum, so none of the colours are reflected back." "I see. So what you're saying is, black is an absence of colour." Makoto paused. "Hmm. I guess I am." "But previously you told me that it was a colour. Now you're saying it's an absence of colour. How can it be both?" "It's a... sort of colour," Makoto replied. "I mean, in physical terms it isn't, but we perceive it as a colour... right?" Ifurita smiled. "This is my point. "Black is, in effect, the opposite of colour, but it behaves like a colour in every conceivable way. Zero energy is the same. It acts like energy, see?" "I think I'm getting the picture," Makoto replied. "You and I... in fact, all forms of life, are energetic by nature," Ifurita continued. "We can be envisaged as patterns of high energy in a low energy environment. Arjah is just the opposite. He exists as patterns of low energy in a higher energy environment." "But if that's the case, shouldn't he just heat up and dissipate?" "Yes, if he only existed in this dimension. But zero energy works by pulling energy from this dimension into another. That must be how he keeps himself alive... well, for want of a better word." She moved closer. "Why are you thinking about him, anyway? Shouldn't we be concentrating on the Phantom Tribe?" "You're right. It's just that... when he spoke to me, he said something odd. He said that his influence was increasing. I don't know what that means, but I don't like it." Ifurita sighed. "I'm worried by his presence as well. Knowing that my creator is still here, in whatever form... it makes me uncomfortable." "But you don't remember him, do you?" "No," Ifurita replied. "I have no memory of him, but it doesn't matter. Any man deranged enough to create something as destructive... as I was... is extremely dangerous." Afura, Miz, Fujisawa and Mika sat at their usual table in the Shinonome Diner. Business seemed to be picking up again for the restaurant, and Nanami, Mycea and Tenax finally had enough customers to keep them all busy at the same time. "So, how's Shayla now?" Fujisawa asked. "Annoyed," Afura replied. "She's trying as hard as she can to regain her power, but it's taking longer than we thought." "She'll have to keep trying," Miz frowned. "If things keep going the way they are, we're going to need a fire priestess to defend Florestica." The table went silent for a while. Fujisawa broke the silence. "Hey, Afura, are you going back to the Holy City soon?" Afura nodded. "In a few weeks. Actually..." She turned to Miz. "I was doing some research recently, and... well, have you ever heard any stories about messages from God?" "Let me see..." Miz pondered. "Yes, there is one obscure legend I recall. At a time before the Holy Wars, there was a man who wanted to see God. He arranged for his heart to be stopped, just for a minute or so, and then re-started." "So?" Afura prompted. "Did he see God?" "Yes, according to the legend. He asked God for advice... some words of wisdom that he could take back to the living world. God told him that he did have advice for mankind, but that it wasn't time to give it yet." "And?" "Well, the man persisted, and eventually God agreed to give him the message. But He warned the man that as long as he lived he would never be able to make sense of the message. The true meaning would only become apparent when mankind was ready for it. Then the man's heart was re-started, and he returned to life. He gave the message to his colleagues, but just as God had said, none of them could understand it." "Interesting," Afura said. "I suppose it goes without saying that you don't know what this message was..." "Sadly not," Miz smiled, "as much as I'd like to. But the legend does say this much. It contains seven words." "Seven words, huh?" Fujisawa responded. "That's one short message. God must like to keep it brief." "It's just a silly legend," Miz said. "The Holy Order don't consider it to be true. Why do you ask, Afura?" Afura gave a nervous smile. "Oh, you know me. Always reading up on something." Nanami arrived at the table, much to Afura's relief. "Hi, everyone," she said. "Hi Mika." "Hi Namani," said Mika, who still had some difficulty getting Nanami's name right. "Where's Mari?" Everyone went silent again. It was up to Nanami to reply before Mika got suspicious. "She's on holiday," Nanami said with a fake smile. "Oh. Is she back soon?" "Um... yes. I should think." Mika smiled. "Good. She's going to teach me another song. She said so." There was a collective sigh of relief, as it seemed Mika had bought the story. "Is that so?" Nanami asked. "Mm-hmm," Mika replied. "She said it's called 'Kill Your Boyfriend'!" Fujisawa sighed. "That girl..." Mari peered through the bars of her cell at the strange object opposite. A large, yellowish egg, positioned on top of a cluster of smaller eggs. "Hey Katsuhiko," she said. "Is it me, or is that thing getting bigger?" Jinnai looked up. "None of your business." "It is getting bigger," Mari affirmed. "What's inside it?" "Damn it, will you stop asking me questions? I don't think you understand this relationship at all, do you? You're supposed to be my prisoner!" "I was only trying to make conversation." "Well, DON'T!" Jinnai barked. "I have no interest in making conversation with a friend of Mizuhara's." Mari frowned. "I've told you. I'm NOT one of Makoto's friends. I don't even like him." "You don't?" "No." Jinnai smiled slightly. "Okay. What do you hate most about him?" "I didn't say I hated him. I'm just... ambivalent towards him. What's your problem with him, anyway? What did he do to make you so mad?" "Everything!" Jinnai snarled. "His sole mission in life is to humiliate me! That's why I have to conquer El-Hazard, to finally assert my superiority over that bastard!" "What?" Mari replied. "You mean to say you plunged this whole place into war just to prove you're better than Makoto? Christ, you're nuts." "See?" Jinnai screamed. "You ARE on his side! You've been poisoned by his propaganda! Well, I'll show you, all of you!" Jinnai stormed out. Mari sat back down. "And they say I'm messed up," she sighed. "Ow! Alielle, let me go! What the hell's wrong?" Alielle dragged Parnasse into the room and deposited him on the floor. "What do you THINK is wrong? You big, evil, Opaque-hating..." "Hatemonger?" Fatora suggested from across the room. "Yeah, hatemonger!" Alielle scowled. "Hey, what do you mean?" Parnasse protested. "I don't hate Opaques! What are you talking about?" Alielle held up the newspaper with the incriminating picture. "THIS!" "She's got you there, kid," Fatora said casually. "Let's see you get out of this one." "What were you doing at that protest?" Alielle challenged. "You've disgraced our whole family, Parnasse!" "Wait! Just let me explain!" Parnasse pleaded. "It wasn't my idea! I didn't know there was going to be a protest, I swear! It was... Mycea's idea." "Your girlfriend?" Fatora said, recognising the name. "What, is that her idea of a romantic evening?" He shook his head. "She just has this thing against Opaques." "How long have you known about this?" Alielle asked. "A month or so. I... thought if I kept at it, I could change her." Fatora laughed. "Oh, how cute. You did, did you? Parnasse, trying to change a woman is very, very dangerous. Not to mention difficult. Few have ever managed it." "I did," Alielle remarked. "Huh? When?" Fatora asked. "I changed you, didn't I? I changed you from a shy virgin into a super- confident dominatrix. And then I changed you into a slightly more modest dominatrix, because, well, I had to introduce you to my parents. And then, I..." Fatora looked mildly unsettled. "I had no idea you were so manipulative," she said. "Anyway, the point is, Parnasse, that changing this Mycea girl of yours is going to be extremely tricky. A massive undertaking." "But you can tell me how to do it, right?" Parnasse asked hopefully. "No," Fatora replied. "In all likelihood it's beyond your capability. I don't like the sound of her anyway. My advice is to dump her and find someone who's less of a bitch." "Dump her? But she does have her good points..." he said feebly. "Does she, now?" Fatora responded. "Well... what's the sex like?" Parnasse gulped. "Sex? Uh, well... we haven't... I mean, she hasn't... well, not yet, I mean..." "No sex after three months? That settles it, then. Dump her!" "But..." "Your princess has spoken. Dump that bitch!" Alielle nodded. "I think Fatora's right, Parnasse. You're going to spend forever trying to change her into someone she'll never be." Parnasse sighed. "You know, I was certain that it wasn't her fault. I thought she'd just been misled, and she wasn't really racist at heart. But after what happened two days ago, I'm not too sure anymore..." "Come on, Shayla," Qawoor encouraged. "You can do it." Shayla closed her eyes. "Okay, I think I can feel it now. Here it comes... here it comes..." She grimaced, as her muscles tensed up in anticipation. "Any second now... AAAARGH!" She fell to the floor, exhausted. "I don't think it worked," Qawoor said meekly. "OF COURSE IT DIDN'T WORK!" Shayla screamed. "Never mind," Qawoor replied. "I'm sure it'll come back to you in time." "Shut up!" Shayla snapped as she got to her feet. Qawoor shrank back from her. "I was only trying to..." "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" "No, no, of course not!" Qawoor insisted. "Why would I ever enjoy this?" "I guess it must be pretty funny, seeing me like this. Well, I hate it!" "I can imagine what you must be feeling like, Shayla," Qawoor offered. Shayla growled. "No, you can't! You have NO IDEA! I feel like I've lost a limb or something!" She sat down heavily on a nearby bench. "It's okay, Shayla," Qawoor said sympathetically. "We'll all help you get through this." She placed a supportive hand on Shayla's shoulder. "Don't touch me." Qawoor withdrew her hand. "Okay." "Parnasse?" Mycea gasped. "What are you saying? "I'm sorry, Mycea," he sighed. "But it's obvious we're not suited to each other." She frowned. "You're not STILL mad over me taking you to that protest, are you?" "You had no right to do that! You knew exactly how I felt on the issue and you just went ahead and tricked me into going anyway." "Okay, I'll never do it again," she promised. Parnasse shook his head. "It's not just that, Mycea. You're a bigot." "I'm not!" "You ARE! I can't love somebody who's prepared to hate a whole bunch of people just because it's fashionable to." Mycea gave him a venomous look. "I know what's brought this on," she hissed. "I just explained what brought this on!" Parnasse replied. "It's that blue bitch waitress, isn't it? You have some sort of weird crush on her, don't you?" "What?" The accusation came as a complete surprise to Parnasse. Whilst he did indeed have a habit of looking at other women, in this particular instance the thought hadn't even entered his head. "I know all about people like you," she continued angrily. "My dad says that..." "Will you PLEASE shut up about your dad? Try formulating your own opinions for a change!" "You think you're so clever!" Mycea spat. "But I've got news for you, Parnasse! It's OVER between us!" Mycea stormed off, furious. "Hey!" Parnasse called. "Isn't that what I just said?" Day 259 "Qawoor? Are you in there?" No response. Good. Afura poked her head around the door of Qawoor's quarters, just to double-check they were empty. Cautiously, she moved inside the room. This wasn't the slightest bit ethical, but it had to be done. They'd understand. At least, she hoped they would. Now, just where would Qawoor hide something like this? Afura began checking each drawer in turn. Socks. Underwear. Stuffed animals. Socks. Make up. Socks. How many pairs of socks did this woman own? She opened the wardrobe, and felt around amongst the outfits. Nothing yet. She delved even deeper. Suddenly, her hand brushed against something hard and cold. This was it. Afura removed the small metal cube from the wardrobe, and quickly left the room. Miz reclined in her seat. "Have you seen Afura today?" "She's probably packing," Qawoor replied. "She said she's going back to the Holy City." "And what about you, Shayla?" Miz asked. "How are you feeling?" "Hmph," Shayla grunted. "Shayla still hasn't made any progress recovering her powers," Qawoor sighed. "It's not looking good, is it?" Miz concurred. "Perhaps you should consider asking for a proxy." Shayla seemed horrified at the very thought. "No way! There's absolutely no way in hell that I'm signing over my powers to some trainee junior priestess! Forget it!" "Well, the rules for using proxies are very strict," Qawoor recalled. Miz nodded. "It has to be a time of crisis, and the chief priestess must be seriously incapacitated. It should apply now." "No!" Shayla maintained. "Absolutely not!" Fujisawa looked up, hearing the abrupt knock on the door. "Come in," he called. The door opened, and a familiar figure stepped into Fujisawa's office. "Doctor," he smiled. "Nice to see you again. Have a seat." "Thank you," Amiri smiled weakly. She sat opposite Fujisawa and sighed. "Is there a problem?" Fujisawa asked, concern evident in his voice. "What I have to say isn't easy," Amiri mumbled. "I hope you realise how grateful I am for everything you've done for Cerev. And... I wish I didn't have to do this, but I don't feel like I have any choice." She looked at him decisively. "I want to withdraw Cerev from school." Fujisawa tried desperately to hide his disappointment. "Well, that's your prerogative, of course. Are you sure it's necessary?" "You've read the news," Amiri said morosely. "That riot a few weeks back... and how hardly a day goes by without another unprovoked attack being reported. I don't think he's safe anymore. I'd feel better with him at my side." "I... I know what you mean." "Do you remember what I told you when he first started here? I said I wanted to expose him to reality. Let him get used to it sooner, rather than later. I knew it was going to be hard... letting him out of my sight for the first time, knowing he'd be victimised. But I didn't realise just how hard." "Doctor, I'll be sad to see him go. But I completely understand. If it was my daughter, I'm sure I'd do the same." "It's just a temporary measure," Amiri added. "I mean, he'll be back once this all blows over." "Well, I'll look forward to it," Fujisawa smiled. "And trust me, doctor. This WILL all blow over." Fatora and Alielle exited the conference hall after the mid-morning session. That had been quite the oddest parliamentary consultation Fatora had ever witnessed. "Alielle, did you notice anything unusual about my sister back there?" Alielle suppressed a smile. "Like what?" "Oh, you know... her use of metaphors was a tad more colourful than usual." She stopped and frowned at Alielle. "Something tells me this is your doing." "Okay, okay," Alielle grinned. "I had a little bet with Rune. I bet her that she wouldn't be able to insert certain... words into her speech." "What words, exactly?" Fatora asked. "Um... 'grope', 'rampant', 'onions' and... 'prestidigitation'. "You underestimated her." "I know. Now she gets the night off, and I have to oversee the drafting of emergency tax legislation." Fatora shook her head. "Alielle, what HAVE you done to my sweet, innocent big sister?" Londs approached the pair and coughed politely. "Excuse me, majesties," he said quietly. "We've received a... rather strange message. We're still trying to ascertain its source, but it seems to be addressed to you, princess." He handed a note to Alielle. "Well, what is it?" Fatora prompted. Alielle stared at the message with growing incredulity. "It's from... my mother." "What?" Fatora gasped. "Are you sure?" "I recognise her handwriting. It says... she's bringing the family to the border in six days' time. She has some important news about the Bugrom occupation of Dorusland." A large map illustrating Bugrom and Allied territory marked the centre of the chamber. Jinnai and Nahato studied the display carefully, adjusting the positions of small markers representing Bugrom troops. Diva was there too; her expression was distant, and she gave only the vaguest of acknowledgements to Jinnai's proclamations. Sakura, who was thoroughly bored by all this talk of tactical warfare, picked up one of the markers and began to play with it. "Right," Jinnai said. "Our troops are poised to... hey, put that back!" he snapped at Sakura. "I can't remember where it went." "Oh, give it here!" He snatched the marker away from her, and continued. "We're ready to begin the invasion of Stidiland and Gunan. Now that Styrenia and Dorusland are secure, we can begin transferring troops to our new front lines here..." "Mr Jinnai..." Diva began quietly, "are you certain we have enough warriors to spare for this new operation?" Jinnai smiled back. "Numbers aren't going to be a problem." "Very good," Diva replied breathlessly. "As long as..." She slumped forwards over the map, sending the pieces scattering. Jinnai rushed to her aid. "Diva!" he exclaimed, propping her up. "Are you okay?" "Yes..." she murmured. "Forgive me. I... I am fine now." She looked anything but fine as she struggled back to her feet. As taken aback as Jinnai was, he knew he shouldn't have been too surprised. He knew this was going to happen sooner or later. "Okay," he said, as professionally as he could. "Now, in order to aid our conquest of the Alliance, Nahato has suggested we use some slightly... less orthodox methods to ensure their compliance with us." "Explain," Diva said. Nahato nodded. "Gladly." A lonely figure sat atop the blackened, ruined peak of the Stairway to the Sky. Even the birds rarely strayed this high up. No noise could be heard from the ugly chaos below. The wind was the only sound up here. "So, this is where you've been hiding all this time." There was no point in turning round, as Three recognised the voice instantly. "Ifurita." Ifurita flew over Three's head, and positioned herself a few feet away from her twin. "May I join you?" Three sighed. "If it pleases you." Ifurita sat down next to her. "Are we really that difficult to live with?" she smiled. "I'm very grateful for your hospitality," Three assured her. "Really, I don't mean to..." "I was joking," Ifurita replied. "It's okay, I know you prefer to be alone. But if there's anything Makoto and I can do to make you feel more welcome, you only have to say." "Well..." Three started, "when I am in the house of a night..." "Yes?" "Could you and Makoto endeavour to have sex more quietly?" Ifurita blushed. "Oh! I didn't realise we..." Three smiled. "I was joking. You see? I can do it too." "I see." Ifurita smiled back. They remained silent for a while. "Three..." Ifurita began, "I'm curious. Why do you have so much more knowledge of the Holy Wars than I do?" "I suppose you could call it a difference in ethics between the nations that used us," Three said. "You, for example, were viewed as a means to an end by your masters. You were given the tactical data you required to complete your missions, nothing more. My masters considered this to be an unethical way to treat a sentient being. I was provided with extensive background data on the war, so that I'd know exactly what I was fighting for." "Did it make any difference?" Ifurita asked. "Of course not. Knowing WHY you're fighting makes no difference whatsoever if you have no choice but to do it. If anything, it made it worse. I could see what they couldn't. My masters' lives had been so coloured by death and tragedy that they had long since convinced themselves that they were justified in their hideous actions. But I had no such emotional attachment. I saw the situation for what it was. A ridiculous, futile indulgence of humanity's worst excesses that would only ever result in more misery." She sighed. "And they had the audacity to talk about ethics. There are no ethics in war." Ifurita nodded. "I've never mentioned this to Makoto... but there are times when I wish I'd never existed. When I consider the unimaginable pain I inflicted on millions... The fact that I wasn't in control doesn't make any difference." "Yes, but you put it right. You saved El-Hazard, and you WERE responsible for that action." "I know," Ifurita said. "That's what I tell myself. But even so, it doesn't seem like I've done enough. I don't think I'll ever be able to do enough." Three placed her hand on Ifurita's. "Do you know why I came here? I was content to remain at the shrine forever, until I detected Sakura. I feared that El-Hazard was in danger, and I decided that I had a duty to protect it. To use my powers to save lives..." "I've seen enough war," Ifurita said. "The last thing I want to do is participate in more killing. That's why I will not participate in this war. I will intervene to protect the people I care about if it becomes necessary. But I don't want to start killing again. I'm afraid... afraid that... Three nodded. "I know. You're afraid that if you start again, you won't be able to stop..." "Hey, Afura," Fujisawa said. "Not gone yet?" Afura placed her empty cup on the table. "I'm just about to leave. I was just grabbing a drink before I go." "Well, if you see that Doht guy while you're there..." "Yes?" Afura prompted cautiously. "Tell him he sucks. Boy, I wish someone would smack that guy..." Afura nodded. "Yes, he can be a little obnoxious. I've noticed." She stood up. "Look, I really have to be going. I'm sorry I can't stay and chat." "Okay," Fujisawa smiled. "Have a nice trip." Afura paused, as if the various factions of her brain were locked in debate. Then she turned back to Fujisawa. "Look..." she sighed. "I'm going to tell you something, and I don't want you to tell anyone. Especially Miz." "Well... what is it?" Fujisawa asked, bemused. She leaned closer and whispered. "Depending on what happens over the next few weeks, a lot of things might be said about me, and I won't be in a position to answer them. But I'm only doing what has to be done." "Sure, Afura..." Fujisawa replied. "I mean, I'm sure you'll do the right thing... whatever it is you're talking about..." "Thank you," Afura sighed. "As long as one person still has faith in me, I'll be okay." She turned and walked out of the restaurant. As she left, Parnasse entered. "Hi!" a female voice called. "Where have you been?" Parnasse looked for the source of the voice. "Tenax?" Tenax walked over, smiling. "I don't think I've seen you in here in two weeks." "Well," Parnasse sighed, "it's been kind of awkward. You see, I broke up with Mycea." "Ah." Tenax nodded in recognition. "So that's why she's been so pissed off recently. What happened?" "We just... um... disagreed about stuff," he replied. "You know... at one point she accused me of being infatuated with you." Tenax giggled. "Me? You're kidding?" "I know, it's crazy. I mean, I barely even know you." "That's right," Tenax nodded. "Hey, wanna sit down?" Parnasse took her lead and sat at one of the vacant tables. Tenax sat opposite him. "You're from Dorusland, right?" she asked. "You can tell?" "Well, everyone knows you're sister's Dorusian. Plus there's that diamond thing on your head. It's a dead giveaway." Parnasse felt his forehead. "Oh, right. My sister keeps telling me to take it off. Some political statement she's trying to make. Apparently our government are collaborating with the Bugrom." "Maybe you should take it off," Tenax mused. "If there was something I could do... to show people that I wanted nothing to with the Phantom Tribe... I'd do it." "If you don't mind me asking," Parnasse ventured, "when you left the Phantom Tribe... how did that work, exactly? Did your whole family leave?" Tenax paused. "I don't really... I don't have a family. Not as such. My parents gave me up as soon as they realised I didn't have Phantom Tribe powers. It's the same with most Opaques. We sort of brought each other up." "I'm sorry," Parnasse said, mortified. "I had no idea, really..." "Hey, it's no big deal," Tenax smiled. "I've got Amiri now anyway. She's cool. Of course, she's not quite as clever as she thinks she is... But as soon as I qualify as a doctor, she's gonna make me a partner at the clinic. Yeah, now that I'm in Roshtaria, I feel like I've got a real future at last. I love it here." "You do?" Parnasse was quite surprised to hear such a strong endorsement of Roshtaria coming from an Opaque. "But what about... I mean, you're not always made to feel welcome, are you?" Tenax nodded in consideration of this point. "Well, there is that, I suppose. But I lived underground until I was fifteen, you know. Because I couldn't create illusions, there was no way I could ever come to the surface. So I never did, not until we left. Up until then, I'd never even seen the sky." She smiled again. "I like the sky. I don't think people here really appreciate it. Sometimes when I look at it, I still can't get over the fact that it's there... the fact that it goes on forever." Parnasse was fascinated. Fascinated by the idea that somebody could extract such pleasure from the simple act of looking at the sky; and fascinated by this strange girl who had been through so much, and yet remained resolutely optimistic. It occurred to him that this was the first real conversation he'd ever had with an Opaque. Why was that? They'd been around for long enough. Perhaps, he thought, he was a little afraid of the Opaques too. Not in the same way he was frightened of the Phantom Tribe- but maybe he was afraid of their differences. The Opaques had their own culture, they were adept with advanced technology... plus the obvious difference in appearance. A question, one which had been playing on his mind ever since the first time he saw an Opaque, forced its way to the surface. It was an embarrassing question, but for some reason he was desperate to know the answer. "Um... can I ask you a really stupid question?" "Of course," Tenax replied. "It's... well, please don't be offended... but I've always wondered... do you, um, well... tan?" Tenax laughed out loud. Parnasse shrank back in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!" he said. "I know it was a stupid thing to ask..." "No, no," Tenax giggled. "It just reminded me of something. You see, when we first came to the surface, it was the middle of the summer. Really hot. And living underground, we'd never been exposed to any kind of weather before. Anyway, at the end of this really hot day, I looked at my reflection, and it scared the crap out of me! I was suddenly really dark. It turns out I tan really quickly, but back then I didn't even know what tanning was. Amiri set me straight about it." She sighed. "After laughing at me for about ten minutes." "Hey," she said to Parnasse, "do you tan?" "No, I'm afraid I don't," he replied. "I burn." "Miss Miz! Something awful's happened!" Miz set Mika down on the floor, and turned to face Qawoor. "Whatever's wrong, Qawoor?" Qawoor, having run the whole distance between the palace and Miz's house, supported herself against the door frame and tried to catch her breath. "The prophecy cube..." she panted. "It's gone..." "What?" "The cube with the encrypted form of the Heretic Prophecy. I had it hidden in my quarters. When I checked before, it had gone..." "Alright, Qawoor. Try to calm down," Miz advised. "Did anybody know you were keeping it there?" Qawoor shook her head. "No. No one. Apart from Shayla and Afura." "Well, you'd better inform the palace security," Miz sighed. "But I don't understand why anybody would want to steal the prophecy cube. Very few people even know it exists, and it's useless without the translation..." Afura's transport glided slowly to a halt before the main gates. She looked over the side and saw him. He was already here. "Priestess Mann," Doht called. "Welcome back." She sighed, and climbed down from her vehicle. "Good evening." "Pleasant journey?" Doht asked, trying to feign interest. He's not really interested, Afura thought. "Yes, fine," she said. Doht nodded to one of the guards, who set about opening the gates. "Did you bring the item I requested?" "I have it, yes." "Can I..." "No." Doht frowned. "We'll need to analyse it if we want find the message..." "I'll do the analysis," Afura replied. "If you insist, priestess," Doht conceded. They walked trough the gates, which quickly closed behind them. Day 265 He hadn't been able to do this before. In truth, there wasn't much he had been able to do before. But thanks to Sakura, that was changing. Moving in this manner was a gruelling task, and could take an infuriatingly long time. Inching forwards, being careful to avoid any particles that were too energetic along the way... by the time he reached his target, it was likely to have moved on. Which was why he was moving now. She was asleep. Unsuspecting. She was an excellent vessel. She put up little resistance. She had powers he could use. And besides, she was family. Qawoor opened her eyes and saw blackness. "I... I can't see!" she exclaimed. "What's going on? What's happened to me?" "Relax, my dear Qawoor," the voice said. "I am in control now." "It's you again!" Qawoor shouted, recognising the voice. "Arjah! Makoto told me all about you! You created Ifurita and the Eye of God! You almost killed us in Cretaria!" "Now, Qawoor, there's no need to be like that. I'm not going to harm you. You are my heir, after all." "Heir?" Qawoor echoed nervously. "But of course. You're my direct descendent. You must have noticed that you carry the genetic marker that gives you ultimate control over my weapons." "I don't want anything to do with you!" Qawoor protested. "You're evil!" "Well then I'm sorry, but you have little choice in the matter. I require the use of your body." "My body?" "Don't worry, you'll get it back afterwards. But there's something I need to do first. We're going on a little trip to Dorusland." "But that's part of Bugrom territory!" "Yes, I know. It should make things interesting, shouldn't it?" The palace guards were relatively used to seeing women running through the corridors in their underwear. Although no official explanation had ever been given, it was almost universally accepted amongst the staff that Fatora and Alielle had something to do with it. But this WAS unusual. The guard looked again to check that the woman was who he thought she was. "Priestess? May I ask what you're..." "No," Qawoor said firmly as she ran past him. The explanation for Qawoor's bizarre behaviour was, in actual fact, that she wasn't responsible for it, or even aware of it. She was aware that she was moving, but with Arjah blocking out her sight and hearing as he manipulated her actions, she had no idea where she was heading. "What are you doing?" she urged. "Where are you taking me?" "We're going to borrow a transport. There is a newly commissioned one in the main hangar." "How... how do you know that?" "I know all!" came the response. "Did Makoto fail to mention that?" "Well, he said that..." "That was a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer it because I already know the answer. Makoto told you that I claimed to be omniscient, but that he didn't believe it. I know because I witnessed the conversation, at precisely the same moment that I was witnessing billions of other conversations across more dimensions that your brain could comprehend." Qawoor felt a sudden blast of cold air. "What was that?" "We've arrived in the hangar." She felt herself climbing the steps to what she presumed was one of the transports. "Why Dorusland?" she demanded. "It's simply the most convenient place for me to meet up with an old acquaintance of mine." Arjah, manipulating Qawoor's body, keyed in the release code for the transport. The engines of the Glorious Fatora X roared into life. Fatora rolled over in bed, and extended an arm towards Alielle. Strange. She opened her eyes. Alielle wasn't there. "Alielle?" she called drowsily. "Where are you?" There was the sound of footsteps from behind the door. They were Alielle's footsteps, no doubt about it. Fatora quickly got out of bed and walked over to the door. "Are you there?" Alielle peered guiltily around the door. She was fully dressed, and carrying a small bag. "Going somewhere?" Alielle hesitated. "Um... no." Fatora sighed. "Okay, let's try that question again, but with you giving me a truthful answer this time." "I'm sorry. I wanted to go to the border." "What? The Dorusian border? Are you nuts?" "My mother said she'd be there today," Alielle said. "She's bringing my whole family with her. I have to go and make sure they're all okay." "It's too dangerous!" Fatora insisted. "There are Bugrom all along that border. And in your condition..." Alielle looked defiant. "I'm not an invalid, Fatora." "No, but you're talking about putting yourself at serious risk. I wouldn't want you to go no matter what your condition. I'll send a search party to meet them..." "That's not good enough. A huge search party's going to attract the Bugrom's attention. She might get caught. And she said she wanted to meet me personally!" "Why?" "I don't know, but I know I have to go and find her. I haven't seen her in nine months... I haven't even heard from her since the war started. You can't stop me from going." Fatora threw her hands up. "You're right. I can't." She walked over to her wardrobe. "What are you doing now?" "Getting dressed. I'm coming with you." Diva had not moved from the throne for several days now. She was weakening by the day, and the bugs seemed to have noticed that all was not well. "So Stidiland and Gunan have been conquered?" she asked quietly. "Yes," Jinnai replied. "Meanwhile, I'm preparing to embark on the mission we discussed. Sakura, I could do with your help." Sakura smiled. "Okay! You know me, always ready to..." She froze in mid-sentence. "Miss Tamaro?" Diva prompted. "She's acting weird again," Jinnai growled. "Damn it, why do I have such rotten luck with Demon Gods? The first one defected to Mizuhara, the second one went crazy, and this one... has too many flaws for me to even remember!" Sakura lifted herself off the ground, and flew towards the bottom of the chamber. "Hey? Where the hell do you think you're going? I told you! We have a mission to..." It was too late. Sakura was already out of earshot. Flying at this altitude was not recommended by the transport's manufacturers, but the fact that Arjah was able to trace the movement of every particle in the area meant that he wasn't going to be set off balance by a freak gust of wind. Besides, the Bugrom didn't take kindly to Alliance transports flying into their territory, so it was best to stay as far from the ground as possible. "Where am I?" Qawoor demanded again. "Patience, my dear Qawoor," Arjah replied. "We are over the Dorusian capital. Everything is proceeding as planned. You needn't worry so much. It's not good for you." "Why have you taken possession of me, you... demon?" Arjah laughed. "Demon? Oh, Qawoor, you disappoint me. Surely, a priestess of your standing should recognise a god when she sees one. But in answer to your question, my power is still limited in this world. I require somebody to carry my essence." "A god without power?" Qawoor challenged. "In a way. It's a tragic irony." He seemed distracted for a moment. "Ah. If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." Qawoor was suddenly alone, adrift in the blackness of her subconscious. Sakura blinked twice, and checked her surroundings once more. Yes, she really was standing on a transport in mid-air, opposite the water priestess. The last thing she remembered, she'd been in the hive, talking to Jinnai. Now, without any explanation, she was suddenly here. A thousand questions fought for dominance inside her head. Finally, one of them managed to surface. "Why are you only wearing your underwear?" The priestess smiled back. "I am not who I appear to be. I am your friend, Sakura." "Oh. Okay," Sakura replied, far from convinced. "So how did I get here?" "I summoned you. I know it was rude, but I wanted to speak to you. You see, I've chosen you to carry out a very important task." "Me?" Sakura responded. "Yes. Sakura Tamaro. Born in Kobe, Japan, Earth, on April the First, 1975..." Sakura beamed. "Wow!" "...according to your press release. You were actually born in 1973. Blood type O. Allergic to dairy products and almonds. Height- one hundred and sixty eight centimetres. Weight..." "That's amazing," Sakura interrupted. "You know so much about me! Are you a fan?" "Um... of course! How could anybody not like your music?" By now, Sakura was beside herself with delight. "You're so kind and perceptive! So what's this task you have for me?" "Zero energy," the priestess replied. "Your zero energy powers are most impressive. And you do enjoy using them, don't you?" "Now that I think about it, yeah..." Sakura said. "It does feel good..." The priestess nodded. "In that case, we don't have a problem. I just want you to use those powers of yours as much as possible." "I can do that!" Sakura smiled. "But, uh... how does that help you?" "Oh, I just... appreciate zero energy as much as you do. I won't bore you with the details, but zero energy is most beneficial to my well-being." "This has to be the stupidest thing we've ever done..." Fatora grumbled as the transport sped through the trees. She had insisted on bringing along six heavily armed guards just in case the Bugrom noticed their presence. "I can think of stupider things," Alielle replied. Remember that incident with the holy virgins at Arliman? Or the time you and Formyka tried to set up that international wet t-shirt competition?" Fatora frowned. "What was stupid about that? It was a legitimate sporting event!" Alielle shook her head. "Anyway, I don't see what you're so worried about. I really think you're overdoing it with all of these guards..." "Overdoing it? Do you really believe I'd let you go into a dangerous border area like this without protection?" "I don't want protection, Fatora," Alielle said defiantly. "If I did, I'd get a cat." "You're getting damn well protected whether you like it or not. You can't expect me to just sit back while you take unnecessary risks." Alielle smiled and took Fatora by the arm. "Oh, Fatora... if you have a flaw, it's that you care too much." One of the guards coughed. Fatora looked up. "Was that somebody laughing? It better hadn't be!" The guard at the helm began to slow the vehicle down. "No, your majesty," he replied. "We've reached the designated area. There doesn't seem to be anyone here, though..." "Sakura was supposed to be here. Where is she?" Nahato probed. "I don't know, okay? Now get off my case." Jinnai ducked behind a tree. Nahato smiled slightly. "It really doesn't matter. Now is as good a time as any to reveal the Phantom Tribe's presence in this war. Things are heating up in Roshtaria quite nicely... and this should be enough to push them over the edge." "Would you mind telling me what you're talking about?" "Ssh!" Nahato hissed. "They're here. Get down." Jinnai and Groucho crouched in the undergrowth and peered out at the Roshtarian transport. "We'll take care of the guards," Nahato continued. "Your job will be to secure Princess Alielle." "Fine, we'll... hold on a second. Fatora's the princess. Alielle's just some girl who, um, does... stuff... for the princess." Nahato nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes, I'm well aware of Alielle's former status as a concubine. However, she became a princess almost nine months ago." "What? You're kidding!" "Furthermore, she's now pregnant with the next heir to the Roshtarian throne." Jinnai turned away indignantly. "Okay. Now you're just making stuff up." "In retrospect, I probably should have explained this earlier," Nahato sighed. "But I assure you, it's quite true." "I defy you to explain it," Jinnai countered. Groucho chipped in. "Pnklbrf scwcr hsndngr wstnhdgr svltrdtstp, mswfth scrfrd drngths smprd tpl?" Jinnai and Groucho stared at each other for a few seconds. "Shut up," said Jinnai. "I don't understand," Alielle pondered. "This should be the place." "Go!" said a male voice. Fatora turned to the guards. "Who said that?" Five of the guards shrugged. The sixth collapsed. Fatora frowned. "Am I really that imposing?" Another guard cried out in pain, then fell to the floor. "What the hell?" Fatora looked to Alielle. "What is this?" Alielle observed the guards closely, then suddenly gasped and scrambled towards the help. "I think we're under attack! It's the Phantom Tribe!" She struggled with the helm controls. She hadn't operated one of these things in so long... Behind her, she could hear the guards embroiled in a pointless battle with their invisible assailants. "Why did they have to park here?" she cursed. "How am I supposed to do a three-point turn in a tight corner like this?" Fatora joined her at the front of the transport. "Come on! Hurry!" she urged. Alielle sighed to herself as she wrestled the vehicle under control. "I can't believe I led us into such an obvious trap..." Glancing back, Fatora saw that all of the guards were now unconscious... at least, she hoped they were only unconscious. Now she and Alielle were completely exposed. Something enormous sprang from the bushes, and landed on the deck of the transport. The small vehicle rocked from the impact. Fatora and Alielle looked up in horror at a large purple Bugrom, with none other than Katsuhiko Jinnai on its back. Feeling that she should at least put up some attempt at resistance, Fatora lashed out at Groucho. "Ow!" she groaned. "Damn, I think I broke a finger!" Jinnai jumped down and laughed. "Struggle all you want, princess! I find it highly amusing." Fatora nodded, and kicked Jinnai in the shin. "Hey! That hurt, you bitch!" he screamed. "You'll pay for that!" Jinnai and Groucho advanced. Fatora braced herself, but it was Alielle who cried out. Groucho scooped up Alielle with one arm, and pushed Fatora away with the other. "What the hell are you doing?" Fatora protested. "I think that's obvious enough," Jinnai smiled. "Come on, Groucho!" Alielle whimpered. "I'm sorry, Fatora." Jinnai climbed onto Groucho's back, and the giant insect jumped down from the transport. Within seconds, they were out of view. "No!" Fatora called desperately, struggling to her feet. "Come back!" A small crowd had gathered around the transport, which had literally fallen from the sky a few minutes previously. Ever stranger- it had a Roshtarian insignia, and yet had somehow found its way into Dorusland. But the biggest mystery was the girl who lay unconscious inside it. Some of the people were convinced that she was one of the Muldoon priestesses. Two strikingly similar adolescent boys observed the events from behind a convenient building. "It's Qawoor Towles!" the older boy said excitedly. "Wow!" the younger one said. "Useful!" "Will you stop saying 'useful'? It's very annoying." "So what do we do?" The older boy smiled. "Somebody has to help a beautiful lady in distress." "Me?" "No, moron. Me. Get the mask out." The crowd inched closer to the transport. "We should probably do something, before the Bugrom get here..." a woman ventured. "Leave everything to me!" a voice commanded. The crowd turned to see a small figure with long purple hair and a purple mask approaching the transport. "The Purple Lightning!" somebody gasped. "Could it be?" "Yes! It is I, the friend of Dorusland, the enemy of the Bugrom, the defender of liberty!" "You're much smaller than I imagined," a man said. The hero frowned. "Yeah, well, you're ugly. Now, what have we here?" He stepped onto the deck of the transport. "A fair maiden... yow! In her underwear! Whoa! Yea, it's a good thing I got here when I did!" He struggled to lift the unconscious Qawoor. "Heh... Dude, she's heavier than she looks..." Staggering down, he nodded to the onlookers. "Farewell, my friends! I shall return!" He hurried away with Qawoor over his shoulder. "Hmm..." a woman mused. "I wonder who that really is..." Amiri hurried into the palace conference hall. "I got here as soon as I could. What's happened?" Fatora was sat at the far side of the room, being comforted by Rune. Six soldiers were being interrogated by Londs. Doctor Schtalubaugh greeted her. "I'm afraid there has been a very grave tragedy. Princess Alielle has been kidnapped by the Bugrom." Amiri gasped. "Oh my... How did it happen?" "The princess was investigating an apparent message from her family, when she was captured on the Dorusian border. Princess Fatora was also present, but for some reason she was left unharmed. There is one other factor..." He trailed off uncomfortably. "What?" Amiri prompted. "The princess was only captured due to the intervention of the Phantom Tribe." Amiri nodded. "Well, that's nothing I didn't see coming. I've suspected the Phantom Tribe's covert involvement in this war for some time now." She looked across the room. "How's Fatora?" Schtalubaugh just shook his head. Amiri cautiously approached Fatora. "I could have stopped her..." Fatora said weakly to Rune. "I knew it was a stupid idea... but I still went along with it." "It's not your fault," Rune repeated. "Do you know what the last thing she said to me was? She said she was sorry. Even as they took her away, she was apologising..." Amiri stepped back. Clearly, there was little she could do for the time being. "Your majesty," a soldier said, hurrying into the room. "Forgive the intrusion, but there is a disturbance outside the palace." Nanami, Shayla, Fujisawa and Miz watched the growing unrest from the safety of the restaurant. "That Doht has got some nerve," Shayla said. "Isn't this against the law?" Miz nodded. "That's right. After what happened last month, the palace banned all political rallies in major cities." "And now he's holding a protest right outside the palace gates," Fujisawa observed. "He can't possibly think he'll get away with it." "I'm afraid he might well get away with it," Miz replied. "His new position within the Holy Order gives him significant power. The way I see it, it's almost like he's trying to instigate a direct confrontation between the Holy Order and the Roshtarian government." "But why?" Shayla asked. "That isn't in the best interests of anyone." "Hey," Nanami interjected. "I think he's about to start speaking." "My friends," Doht smiled. "The Roshtarian government tried to prevent this legitimate demonstration because they don't want you to know the truth about the Opaques! I have been in consultation with senior priestesses within the Holy Order, and I can reveal that the coming of the Opaques was foretold in a prophecy!" Miz glanced at Shayla in consternation. "Yes," Doht continued. "I cannot reveal the full details at this time, but the prophecy plainly tells us that the Opaques have come here to undermine our society!" "That's enough!" an angry voice said. Doht was joined on the podium by Londs. "I'm sorry, Mr Doht, but you do not have permission to stage a demonstration here. If you do not disperse it quickly, you will b liable to prosecution." Doht nodded, and turned back to the crowd. "I see... What is the royal house trying to hide from us?" Londs cut in. "Mr Doht, I must demand that..." "I'll handle this." Princess Rune marched up onto the podium. The crowd went silent. This sort of direct intervention did sometimes happen- but it was always Fatora, not Rune. "Your majesty..." Londs said discreetly. "You've already been through a significant ordeal today. Are you certain you wish to..." "Your concern is noted, Londs," Rune interrupted. She walked over to Doht. "Jennown Doht?" "Um... yes, princess," said Doht, who was as taken aback as everyone else by this unexpected turn of events. "I've heard a lot about you. I've waited for a long time to meet you in person." "Well, I'm flattered to hear you say that, your majesty. In fact..." Rune fixed him with a cold stare. "Why must you spread such hatred and anger, Mr Doht? Doesn't it bother you that your short-sighted rhetoric at events like this leads to attacks on innocent people?" Doht paused. There was something different about the princess. Although he had never met her in person before, he had heard her speak many times, and never had she been this outwardly confrontational. He responded to the challenge calmly. "People have to take responsibility for their own actions, princess. I don't condone acts of violence on anyone, but I do have the right to make my views public." "What? That all Opaques are evil? You're an educated man. You must realise it's preposterous to describe a whole group of men, women and children as evil." "No, what I consider preposterous is the fact that you're so intent on protecting them. You must realise it's an unwise political decision to keep voicing support for a band of unpopular refugees. The Roshtarian royal house has enjoyed the full loyalty of the public for as long as anyone can remember. Are you really prepared to throw all of that away for the sake of something pointless like this?" Rune stood her ground. "I don't believe protecting the rights of innocents to be pointless." "Princess, you disappoint me. You're a politician, just like I am. And in politics, you have to go with the consensus sometimes. When will you realise that people here just don't care about Opaques? It's the way things are. People look out for their own kind. Most Roshtarians couldn't give a damn whether the Opaques live or die, and quite frankly, I agree with them." Something instinctive stirred deep inside Rune. How could anybody be so heartless? For a few fateful seconds, years of diplomatic training were bypassed, as she brought her right arm back behind her, then swung it forwards... It wasn't an especially hard punch, but needless to say, it took Doht completely by surprise. When Rune opened her eyes, Doht was lying on his back with a look of total confusion on his face. The crowd was silent, as each individual struggled to comprehend what they had just seen. Inside the restaurant, Nanami and Fujisawa stayed glued to the window. Miz and Shayla, however, had other matters on their minds. "It doesn't make sense," Shayla said for the fifth time. "How could Doht know about the prophecy?" "There's one explanation," Miz sighed, "but I don't like it." "What?" Miz looked away. "Afura. She's the only contact Doht's had with the Muldoon priesthood recently. She seems evasive whenever I mention him. And the prophecy cube disappeared on the same day that she left for the Holy City." "My God..." Shayla gasped. "Miz, I hope you're not saying what I think you are." "I'm afraid so," Miz said solemnly. "It looks like Afura has betrayed us." "Hey, Parnasse... you look a little... um..." As Mycea headed through the garden towards him, it became obvious that Parnasse looked absolutely terrible. "What happened, Parnasse?" He looked up feebly. "It's my sister. She's been kidnapped by the Bugrom." "What? Oh my God, that's awful!" "I don't know who to turn to, Mycea. My sister's gone, my hole family is trapped in Dorusland... even Lady Qawoor seems to have disappeared." Mycea crouched down next to Parnasse. "Well, you know... there's always me, Parny. I've missed you these last few weeks." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's forget about politics, okay?" "Thanks..." Parnasse sighed. Under any other circumstances, he'd have told her to get lost, but right now, he needed the company. Mycea smiled to herself. Oh yes. She was back. Alielle could feel somebody shaking her gently. She blinked up at the ceiling... This wasn't Florestica. The events that had brought her here flashed through her mind. Being led into the forest, the Bugrom ambush... "Damn..." she said quietly. "This can't be right. This must be a dream or something." "I'm afraid not," someone said. "This is for real. At least, I think it is. Actually, I guess it could be a dream... in which case, I'm merely a figment of your imagination. So you probably shouldn't pay too much attention to me." Alielle looked over at her cellmate. "Hi, Mari." Day 267 "Ifurita! No! Ifurita!" "Makoto, what on Earth is wrong?" Ifurita tried to wake Makoto, who was obviously in some distress. "Huh?" Makoto snapped awake, and looked around frantically. Ifurita smiled reassuringly. "Were you having another one of your dreams, Makoto?" Makoto rubbed his temple. "Yeah... It wasn't like the others, though. It was... I don't know, different." "In what way?" Ifurita asked innocently. "Just... Look, I'd really rather not talk about it..." Ifurita studied Makoto's blank expression. He'd always been uncomfortable with his precognitive dreams, but he'd never refused to divulge their content before. Whatever it was that he'd witnessed, it must have been disturbing. Afura regarded the metal cube with a mixture of curiosity and irritation. She held it aloft, and looked at it form every conceivable angle. Somehow, contained within the inscription was the ultimate message from God. And it was a source of immense frustration to her that she was unable to find it. She thought back to what Miz had said... how the meaning of the message would remain hidden until mankind was ready for it. Perhaps she was fated never to find it... Doht strode into the library. "Good morning, Priestess Mann. Have you made any progress with the message?" Afura stood up and scowled. "You idiot." "What?" "We had a deal. I gave you access to the prophecy on the condition that you wouldn't reveal it to the public. And what did I hear yesterday? That you personally released details of the prophecy during a rally in Florestica!" Doht shook his head. "I've stayed true to my word. I said I wouldn't release the text of the prophecy, and I haven't. I merely... mentioned a few of the more salient points." "You knew very well what the deal meant, Doht. Well, I'm through being used. I'm taking the prophecy cube, and I'm going back to Roshtaria." "The Alpha Priestess might not like that." Afura shrugged. "I'm sorry, but she'll have to live with it." Doht smiled. "I'm sorry. It's not that simple. You see, the Alpha Priestess is most dissatisfied with the current state of the Muldoon priesthood. Priestess Shayla is without power, and Priestess Towles has disappeared. Right now, you are the only person preventing her from disbanding the Muldoon priesthood. "Disbandment?" Afura echoed in horror. "That's absurd!" "But quite possible. After all, the Muldoon priesthood only exists for the benefit of Roshtaria, and relations with Roshtaria are hardly a priority following recent... events..." Afura nodded. "Yes, I heard about that too. Speaking of which, that's a very striking black eye you have there..." Doht smiled weakly. "The choice is yours, priestess. If you leave now, you'll most likely be excommunicated for disobeying the Alpha Priestess. But alternatively, you can stay here with me, and work to uncover the ultimate message..." He moved closer to Afura. "I'm sure this unpleasantness will all be over soon. But in the meantime, I think it's best that you remain in the Holy City, out of harm's way..." "Hey, she's waking up!" "Whoa! Useful!" "Dude, shut up!" Qawoor moaned, and squinted up at the unfamiliar surroundings. Two boys were standing over her. "Parnasse?" she said, confused. The older boy laughed. "See? It IS Lady Qawoor!" "I'm not Parnasse," the younger boy said. "And neither's he. I'm Tyrasse Ralielle, and this is Serasse. We're two of Parnasse's brothers." Qawoor sat up and looked around her. The room was full of male and female Parnasse lookalikes of various ages. "Miss Towles!" The oldest of the female lookalikes hurried over. "Are you alright? You were asleep for two whole days!" "I think so..." Qawoor said weakly. "Do I know you?" The woman beamed. "I'm Adena, Parnasse's mother. We met at Alielle's wedding, remember?" "Oh... yes..." Qawoor smiled. "And this must be your family..." "That's right," she nodded. "We've moved to the capital, for one reason and another." Qawoor sat up. "I see. And how did I get here?" "The Purple Lightning, of course!" Adena laughed. "You were rescued!" "You know the Purple Lightning?" Qawoor gasped. "I am the Purple Lightning!" Adena said proudly. "In fact, all of us are the Purple Lightning!" Qawoor examined the smiling faces around her. "They said the Purple Lightning seemed to have the miraculous ability to be in two places at once. Now I understand how..." "We just couldn't stand by and let that idiot Fran sell our people out to the Bugrom," Adena explained. "So we decided to do something about it." "And which of you was it that rescued me?" Qawoor asked gingerly. "That was me!" Serasse said. "And might I add, it was an honour to rescue such a beautiful lady." "Yeah, Lady Qawoor!" Tyrasse added. "It's really useful to meet you!" "Um... 'Useful'?" Qawoor echoed. Serasse shook his head. "Don't mind that. It's just a stupid thing that he says. So how did you end up in Dorusland, anyway?" Qawoor looked puzzled. "In all honesty, I'm not exactly sure." "I'm glad that you finally agreed to this, Shayla," Miz said as they headed towards the restaurant. "I guess I don't have any choice," Shayla replied. "Things are getting worse around here... now Qawoor's gone too, and Afura seems to have turned against us. We need at least one functioning priestess." Miz nodded. "My thoughts exactly." The pair entered the restaurant. "Hi!" Nanami called, hurrying over to them. "How can I help you ladies?" "Actually," Miz said, "we've come to discuss a delicate matter..." "So, you see," Miz continued, "Shayla still isn't able to use her power. Ordinarily, we'd arrange for a proxy to be sent from the seminary." "A proxy?" Nanami said from across the table. "What's that?" "A proxy is usually a trainee priestess who's next in succession anyway," Shayla explained. "It's possible to temporarily confer the power of an incapacitated priestess onto this acolyte." Miz nodded. "But there are drawbacks. Since a proxy won't have had all the necessary training, the Lamp has to do most of the work. The resulting stress means that a proxy can only operate for a short period of time..." "I understand," Nanami said. "But I'm not sure how this applies to me." "We can't obtain a proxy from the seminary right now," Miz said. "I doubt the Holy Order would be willing to co-operate, given its current attitude. Which is why we've decided to look elsewhere..." "We think you can do it, Nanami," Shayla sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... will you be my Fire Proxy?" "She's really dying?" Alielle asked, incredulous. "But Diva's been Queen of the Bugrom since... well, forever. As far as anyone back home can figure out, there's always been a Queen Diva." Mari nodded, then reclined backwards, stretching across the length of the cell. "Well, not for much longer. See that big egg over there? That's the new queen." "Hmm..." Alielle moved right up to the bars and observed the yellow, semi-translucent egg. "What are those little eggs underneath it?" "From what I can make out, those are the last eggs that Diva laid. They're not going to hatch." "Wow..." Alielle said. "Nobody really knows anything about the Bugrom queen. And here we are, about to witness the death of one queen and the birth of another. Just imagine what we could learn..." "That's assuming we ever get the chance to tell anyone." Alielle shook her head in disapproval. "You're not much of an optimist, are you?" "Me?" Mari replied. "Hell, no. What did you expect?" All was not well in the main chamber. Diva had taken ill very suddenly, and was convinced the end was inevitable. She sat down, slumped awkwardly on the throne, as Jinnai, Sakura and Groucho stood around her. There were other bugs in the chamber as well, but their activity and noise had slowed to a bare minimum, in apparent anticipation of the queen's death. "Mr Jinnai..." she said, her voice now reduced to little more than a whisper, "to you, I bequeath my empire. Keep it strong until the new queen is ready to rule." "I will, Diva," Jinnai said solemnly. "Be sure to educate her in the ways of the Bugrom," she continued. "I cannot emphasise how important this is..." "I understand, Diva. Really, don't worry about that." She smiled. "I know that you will find a away, Mr Jinnai. You always have. Regardless of how this may have started, you have truly earned your position as leader of the Bugrom." "Yeah, sure." Jinnai felt it best to agree with this, although he wasn't sure exactly what it meant. Diva suddenly seemed short of breath. Jinnai quickly moved forward. "It's okay, Diva..." "I know," she replied. "I have no reason to be afraid. I am part of a greater cycle... and for as long as the cycle remains unbroken, I will never truly die..." Diva's head fell forwards, and the Queen of the Bugrom was no more. Jinnai couldn't help feeling that the whole of Bugrom history had just died with her. "Sakura," he said quietly, "what do you think she meant when she said 'regardless of how this may have started'?" "I've no idea," Sakura replied. He looked up at Groucho. "I don't suppose you have any insights to offer?" Groucho didn't respond. He remained perfectly still. "Groucho?" Jinnai urged, panic rising in his voice. "Come on, say something!" "Frmbbb..." Groucho said slowly. "What did he say?" Sakura asked. Jinnai tried to calm himself. "He said... 'sleeping'." "You know," Sakura said, looking round at the other bugs, all seemingly frozen in place, "I don't think he's the only one." Jinnai ran from one bug to the next. Each one was as comatose as the last. "Wake up, you idiots!" he demanded. "You can't sleep now, we have a war to fight! Wake up!" TO BE CONTINUED "The Devil Makes Work for Idol Hands" featured- Makoto Mizuhara, Princess Alielle, Princess Fatora, Qawoor Towles, Katsuhiko Jinnai, Parnasse Ralielle, Ifurita, Afura Mann, Miz Fujisawa, Jennown Doht, Masamichi Fujisawa, Shayla-Shayla, Tenax, Arjah, Serasse Ralielle, Mari Kurai, Sakura Tamaro, Nahato, Ifurita Version Three, Queen Diva (R.I.P.), Doctor Amiri, Nanami Jinnai, Mycea, Princess Rune Venus, Londs, Tyrasse Ralielle, Adena Ralielle, Mika Fujisawa, Doctor Schtalubaugh and Groucho. dooky 12 January 2002 (Happy New Year ^_^) Proofreading courtesy of the magnificent Firebird... useful!
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