Path To Divinity

megajbb · Post by **megajbb** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:47 pm

good fanfic.

Holy Crap · Post by **Holy Crap** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:07 am

Limely wrote:Sadly, I wrote it in Norwegian, as I usually do with my texts. Which is why I never post them anywhere. I am considering starting to translate them, though, I feel that my English is slowly getting good enough for that...

from what i've seen, you speak english just as well as i do.

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:41 pm

I second that, you're good with English! 8D You should write a book about cereal eating. I'd be the first in line waiting for your dedication! 83

Limely · Post by **Limely** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:23 pm

Aww, I feel flattered. xD; Thank youz~

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:47 pm

NOTICE: Update coming most probably tomorrow, or the day after. 83

Limely · Post by **Limely** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:10 pm

D: *spazzez*

I feel an urge to type randomly out of excitement, but I shall restrain myself.

eorjgftb crkgj øærg

Darn. So much for self-control.

Anyways, basically, I am looking forward to that quite a lot. :3

Holy Crap · Post by **Holy Crap** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:41 am

i forgot where it's up to....

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:48 pm

After promising it about a hundred times, the next part is finally ready for all to read. This is only the one-third of my planned update, the next will come during this week. I hope you'll like it, and deem it worthy of waiting for. ^_^

Oh, and tell me your honest opinion about whether I'm making it too dark or not. It's not like I'll change it (except taking it into consideration for later parts), but I'm curious. ^^; Enough rambling, here it goes! 8D

Warning! This part has quite a lot of dark themes. Read with caution.

Part 3

The Caves of Skops. Most would tremble at the mere mentioning of this name, especially those who had already bravely or foolishly descended into the shadowy bowels of the dreaded tunnels. The ones who entered them and lived to tell the tale, usually spoke of huge treasures, unbelievable beauties...but when one asks them about the supposed monsters that lurked inside, they all fell silent, letting out a tired sigh.

There's been times of peace and tranquility, when the caves were relatively safe. If one knew which tunnels to take, and which to avoid at all costs, the caves were an ideal shortcut, even if a bit risky at some parts. Neither the primal creatures, nor the trespassers crossed each other's paths, thus a silent truce existed between them. However, such fragile treaties could never last forever.

Since then though, no one desired to so much as approach, or even mention the darkened tunnels. Where there had been fairly decent only slightly dangerous routes, were teeming with fierce monsters of all kind, each of them wishing nothing less than to have a bite from any unwary traveler who decided to shorten the way, despite the warnings. Not even the bravest wished to enter them, for nearly all who made an attempt, passed into oblivion.

Few knew what exactly lived inside that maze of life-threatening tunnels, almost perfectly hidden from the eyes of mere mortals. Maleficent forces had long taken residence inside the bowels of those enormous, near pitch-black caves and chasms, tracking down and eradicating anyone who dared venture onto their hunting grounds. Most who, despite the often forceful warnings, dared to enter these horrid depths were faced with a swift, but gruesome death, their fleshless bodies sometimes still lying around; a shocking memento to their foolishness.

In the barely lit caverns and tunnels, even the slightest light, the dimmest of luminosity could very well change the fate of anyone. Light wasn't nearly as omnipresent here, like on the surface. It was actually a slightly uncommon treat, though as strange as it would seem, most creatures lurking here didn't appreciate this gift.

It was more of a curse to them, since it gave at least some slight glimmer of hope to their usually surface-dwelling victims to escape. The light only bothered them, their eyes much more accustomed to the dark than anything else. Nevertheless, they endured it quite well, being the harsh and heartless predators they were. Regardless this tiny ray of hope, they were always the winners in the end.

The situation was an almost common one by now. A group of three advancing in the twilight, though only two of them actually standing. The smell of fear trailed after them, but also the irritating, prickling feeling of power. One of them was much stronger than its size had suggested. Flames danced in this unknown one's usually vivid blue eyes, a sort of primal force pulsing from him, a majestic form of energy even the most bloodthirsty hunters respected.

He would be the hardest to defeat; even from a tiny glimpse they could see the unknown one acted as a guardian to the ones following him. It didn't matter though...powerful as he probably was, no one could stand against the sheer numbers they could call forth. Even he wouldn't keep up against the wrath of the swarm.

Compared to him though, the other two were pushovers, conveniently placed little meals, not requiring them to do even so much as to attack in larger groups. Pure terror emanated from one of them, which only made the surrounding blackened hearts flourish, fear serving as one of the most perfect appetizers known to them. His large form also promised them a quite filling meal, stuffing their aching stomachs, always hungry for flesh and blood.

And the last...that one would put the crown on the menu. Even a light sniffle from the apparent wound this one was suffering from, made their insides burn with a fire only her delicious, mellow blood would extinguish, along with the enticing taste of her young, vigorous flesh. She was of a kind that had never before ventured into their territory; belonging to a species that were always regarded as the greatest of all preys.

As primitive as their imaginations were, even they could see it before their eyes as the weakened fairy would attempt fighting them back, her slender arms flailing in a perfectly futile effort to keep them away from tearing her to tiny shreds. A few sharp bites and she wouldn't even try to use them anymore, at least two of them already beginning to tear off her soft skin, once free from her infuriatingly forbidding body suit.

She'd scream out her lungs; her tormented cries echoing around the tunnels, providing every creature near and far a pleasant, beautiful and throughly satisfying symphony of agony. One or two of them would grab hold of her still kicking legs, shredding the intact part of her cloth, along with her limb. She'd cry even louder, while they would sample her delicious flesh.

But the best...the finest part would be left until the point when she couldn't do anything except scream and writhe, barely conscious and thoroughly beaten. One would slowly climb up her narrow waist, finally perching on the low end of her chest. She'd look with a horrific realization of what would happen and the fact that she could do nothing against it. In one move, the lucky monster would sink its fangs right into the sweetest flesh of her chest, tearing it open, ending her young life for sure, sending her tattered spirit all the way back to Polokus.

They'd only have to get rid of the one leading the group. That tiny little form, that held much more surprises than they would expect, commanding a force rarely bestowed to mortals such as him. Nevertheless, even he wouldn't stand against their overwhelming numbers, with all his skills and abilities. He'd just be another meal on the dinner plate, soon enough.

“Globox!” Rayman turned back sharply, helping his stumbling friend back on his feet. The glute had nearly tripped in a large unseen rock, which would have caused both a quite loud racket, probably a small crater, and definitely a drop in health for Ly. “There you go.” the limbless was sporting the very faintest of smiles and patted his shoulder lightly.

“Thanks...” the glute ventured, in no small part embarrassed of his clumsiness, even more because it would have ended even worse for Ly. The last thing the fairy would have needed at the moment was sinking into the ground by his enormous weight. “I'll be more careful from now on.” he promised, flinching for a moment as he felt a faint movement in his arms.

Gazing down, he noticed that the fairy didn't experience anything out of his stumbling, sleeping soundly at long last. Though she didn't move her legs due to her wound, she was still trying to get the most comfortable, nuzzling into the glute's soft tummy, as if he was the perfect pillow. Rayman's smile grew even warmer as he reached out, gently stroking her bare shoulder.

Ly was sleeping notably better than before, perfectly calm and peaceful like a child, except whenever something made her injured leg move a little, making her wince in her sleep. Globox watched silently as the limbless continued his absent-minded comforting. The glute knew well that they were very close to each other, though differently than she was with Salian. Both were a completely different case and he had an eye for noticing even the slightest signs of these things.

Nevertheless, he knew the limbless cared deeply for the fairy, as he did with all of his friends. It was a trait many respected him for; the way he always made the greatest effort to ensure his friends would live without any commotion or trouble. Still, Globox also knew this was one of his greatest weaknesses as well, as it was to all heroes.

There were some times in the past before, when he could visibly see Rayman suffer, and almost every time because innocents were in peril, and he couldn't do anything. He would not care about his own situation, only rushing to help those in need. He would fight the biggest of foes, the cruelest of villains, just to bring everyone to safety and restore peace.

Though the glute didn't want to break the moment, he also knew the more they remained there, the bigger the probability that Salian would fall into mortal danger, or Ly's condition would get worse all of a sudden. The limbless seemed to have realized this soon enough and fondled her shoulder for only one more moment, before turning towards their destined way again.

“Are you ready to go?” he glanced at Globox. He knew the glute wouldn't stay here, but he had to ask nonetheless.

“Sure, lead the way.” his friend winked, getting a comfortable hold on Ly again, without having to wake her.

Rayman took one more glance at the distance still waiting for them. If he counted well, Salian should have been close by now. He hoped with all his heart that his friend wouldn't run into the spiders again...or worse. The boy only had the faintest idea about fighting, even that thriving mostly from the only half-serious little teachings he'd received from the limbless, as they were holding playful brawls.

The worry was there, eating his heart like acid. He didn't want to be the one who'd have to stand up to Shya and tell her he couldn't save her son...that he'd left him to whatever these infernal caves had to offer against the young boy. He had never left a friend to fate's often cruel hands and he wasn't about to take this up as a new trait.

“Well...off we go then.” he muttered, following the statement already, going forwards. The glute followed him silently, the fairy still sleeping in his arms.

Her temperature suddenly rose rapidly as the gash on her thigh acted up once more. Neither of them noticed immediately that her earlier peaceful expression abruptly turned strained again, sweat already forming on her forehead. Something was eating her yet again...and this time, not only the wound.

She had curled up in the corner of the tiny, barely lit room, her bushy tail rising like a curtain, trying its to hide her. Despite all measly attempts though, her writhing form was the only thing they were looking at. Their shadows were standing high above her, their faint metallic glint in the dim light only making them look even more frightening. The creeks and cranks echoing after each of their movements were far from humorous, making them even more terrifying than before.

She gripped her upper-arm tightly, trying to stop the rapid bleeding, tears running down her dirty face. Her body hurt all over already, but this new wound topped it all at the moment. She kept her eyes shut from the agony, setting her teeth so she wouldn't cry out or sob audibly...that'd only make them even more excited, more keen on planting a few more layers of pain on her.

The fairy could feel their cold gaze, a black suffocating smoke slowly seeping through their skull-like mouths. Whoever designed them, it was clear they were to scare the daylights out of people; looking as though a unmeasurable force rose from the deepest underworld, taking up the husky form they had. Mud, dirt and blood covered their once-shining parts, ragged pieces of clothing dangling on them, making it look like it was only a cruel joke that they were wearing anything at all.

Two were clad in mostly red-orange shaded rags, though even yellow joined in a chequered patter around their chest. The third one showed off in an almost lively green, though faltered by the different stains; amongst the three this one seemed to hold the greatest authority. She had grown to know them, even over a short while...they were her cruel captors.

Chills ran all over her, soft skin tingling, breathing coming in light puffs. The chamber lacked any source of heat, since these monsters didn't seem to be fazed by temperature, only the absolutes dangerous. Her reaction however, amused them quite well. Fairies were mostly used to the climate of the forests, thus as vigorous as they were, they couldn't stand heavier changes.

Since the start of their invasion, her kind had caused the most trouble, always foiling their attempts to rob the planet of its riches. Their elusive nature, great strength and vast knowledge proved to be a force they didn't expect at first. Right after the first few days it was apparent that the fairies were actually almost formidable foes...almost.

When they finally managed to eliminate the Heart of the World, that also spelled the end of the fairy-resistance in whole. And now, another one of them was caught...even though they had to go through another life to actually get to her. Nevertheless, the young fairy had been enjoying their hospitality for a while already, now grasping the wound she'd received only a few moments ago.

The Pirate clad in green raised his hand, letting the dim light illuminate the coal-black hook that served as his melee weapon. Blood steadily trickled down on it, still fresh from the fairy. If it was possible for them, they'd have grinned for sure, but they sufficed with a metallic laughter nonetheless, which only grasped her heart tighter. Finished with gloating over their prize, the leader turned to her once again, the dreaded light in its eyes beaming at her.

“...please...please...don't...” she whimpered in a barely audible tone, unable to stand their gaze silently anymore, looking them in their artificial eyes. Despite her strength she showed before, she knew well by now what they could do to her...and after what happened to her already, she was mortally terrified of them. If she was hoping to see an answer out of them, she had to face the opposite.

Her captors didn't say anything, making it look like they were going to finish off the wounded fairy instead. After all, a slave who couldn't work to his or her best was worth nothing...those had to be disposed of instead, to make place for a replacement. As one, they stepped a bit closer, until she couldn't see anything else, but them. They towered over her, making her remember every fear she ever held. She trembled wildly now, her jade eyes dim from the pain and fear pulsing through her.

One of them suddenly moved, its hand reaching out to grab her. Her heart got stuck in her throat, her eyes widening from the increasing amount of terror in her. The hand didn't stop, getting closer and closer, fresh blood still glistening along the metal fingers. She let a short yelp and curled up again, trying to delay it from reaching her...from hurting her again...

“What in Polokus is going on?” Rayman cried in surprise and spun around again.

“I don't know!” Globox replied loudly, trying to get his voice to reach the limbless.

Ly had started screaming in her sleep all of a sudden, throwing herself around in the glute's hold. He had to grab her tightly so she wouldn't drop on the ground in her rapid movements, but that proved to be a bad choice as the volume of her screams increased, echoing all around the tunnel.

“Sorry, Ly...” the glute muttered, before covering her mouth tightly. That only made matters even worse though. She completely lost it at this point, trashing without stop, trying to scream through the hand muffling her.

Rayman froze for long seconds, completely befuddled of her behavior. He was definite he had already seen reactions like these before. She was still squirming without halt, giving Globox a hard time to keep her in his arms and muffle her at the same time. The limbless suddenly shook off the momentary freeze and lunged forward, grasping her wrists tightly.

The glute only noticed now that her hands were clenched in the shape of claws, her nails almost digging into his tummy. In fact, that was exactly why his limbless friend took action, trying to keep her from harming either Globox or herself. He felt horrible having to see her like this, completely unable to dictate even the slightest of her moves.

“Ly...LY!” Rayman found himself almost shouting the fairy's name, unexpectedly making her motions slow down slightly.

As abruptly as she started screaming, her eyes fluttered open, widening with fear that instant. Rayman could immediately see the absence of realization in her jade orbs; she still thought she was dreaming. Her feverish attempts turned even more feral, only her instincts at work. She was truly in a state of utter, unstoppable panic.

...her hands fettered by something way too strong for her to break...suspended in the air, her head hanging...perpetual darkness sitting all over the place. Cold...so freezing cold it bit into the crimson lines scattered all over her uncovered body, nearly charring them. She couldn't move...couldn't protect herself...only more and more pain pulsing inside of her...

“We've got to do something!” Globox hissed, his voice thick with fear. “If she continues, something will find us for sure!”

His worry wasn't completely without reason. Rayman hoped nothing had already heard her screams, but inside, he already knew that trust was in vain. The best they could have done at this point was to quickly make her snap out of it and run for their lives. Still, she didn't seem to show any sign of stopping. He took a deep breath, muttering a sorry if he would hurt her in any form.

With one swift move, he passed her wrists into one hand to free the other. Her slender hands fitted well in his palm, even two of them didn't hinder him much. With his now free hand he reached out towards her head. Ly's eyes filled with panic once again, her reckless moves increasing in intensity yet again.

...trying to evade the monster's hand, keeping him from catching her...from hurting her again...

The limbless didn't stop, regardless how she tried to break free or scream. He didn't bring his hand back, steadily closing to her head. She flung about wildly, forcing the glute to promptly restrain her, instead of just holding her. He could barely keep his palm before her mouth as she tried to keep Rayman the farthest.

...it was almost there...the powerful grip of that dreaded hand...no...she couldn't let it...she couldn't take anymore pain...more agony....more suffering...

Globox watched with great anticipation, hoping whatever Rayman had in mind would work...if not, they'd soon have much worse to worry about than only Ly's state.

...only a few inches now...she's going to be hurt again...she'll-

All of her motions stopped at once as his hand reached her head. Instead of the pain she expected, the only feeling that coursed through her was a softly delicate soothing. The limbless was fondling her face, like he did only a little while ago with her shoulder. It took only a few moments for consciousness to finally return into her eyes.

The second she could once again recognize her surroundings and the forms that were supporting her, she turned into a shade of red only blood could compare with. Rayman let her wrists go, her hands paled by the strength he had to grasp them with. Globox on the other hand, let go of her mouth, completing her both ashamed and startled expression.

Her breathing was reduced to short pants, her strained body all worn out from her previous rage. She brought her shaking hands, absentmindedly stroking a point on her upper-arm. She took a moment to examine it in the dim light, as if she was searching for something, which Rayman didn't wish to question her about right now. He continued fondling her face, making her flinch.

“It's okay Ly...it was just a bad dream...” the limbless purred gently, tracing her smooth features. He took a few moments to play with her dark-blue locks, similar to the way he used to comfort her when they were younger and she got scared. He still remembered those times quite well, and the way she always denied her fright, only to fail in the end...not to mention the fact that on most occasions, he was the cause of it.

“...are you sure this is a good idea?” the fairy muttered, peeking into the shadowy cave. “Looks kinda scary to me...”

“Aw, come on Ly there's nothing dangerous inside!” Rayman chimed excited, not about to let her bail out of this...especially since she sneaked away from her studies to be with her friends again. “I've been to Skops and back, so believe me when I say there's nothing in there that could harm us.”

“And remember what the Teensies have said about all the treasures and gems that lie in the ground.” Salian joined in, at least as revved up as the limbless was. Those two got along far too well for her safety. “A necklace or a bracelet would look pretty neat on you.” he added, smiling brightly.

The young fairy turned slightly red from the way the two boys trying to convince her. Part of her yearned for the adventure of course, the faint feeling of going against the rules, trespassing into a cave that had been abandoned for who-knows how long. Caves like these were pretty rare in the Glade, making it even more exciting. However, her logical self still wasn't exactly charmed of the idea.

“But what if it's not safe...or if there's something inside. Not to mention it's kind of dark and I don't yet know how to make light...” she listed, unknowingly telling them about what she feared from.

The two boys exchanged a glance, before an evil smirk appeared on their faces at the same time. She couldn't do much more than yelp as they both grasped one of her hands.

“Well, if you're afraid of going down, we'll just have to cure you of that fear.” Rayman snickered, already moving towards the cave, dragging her along.

“What? Hey...-wait! What do you think you're doing?! Let me go!” she cried, a frightful expression taking place on her face. She squirmed in their hold, but it was like trying to break a lock bare-handed. She glanced from the limbless to her other friend, taking another approach. “Sal, please let me go! Sal!” she called, but the boy didn't free her.

“Sorry, but this is for your own good, Ly.” he grinned, keeping a firm hold on her wrist.

“You'll have to do better, if you want him to let you go.” Rayman took a moment to wink at Salian, the two guessing each other's thoughts. “But...I think he could be bribed with a kissy!”

“Yuck! Are you crazy?” Ly protested, looking quite disgusted. The young fairy squirmed again for a moment, but still in vain. “I wouldn't kiss him for anything!” she firmly stated, her cheeks blood-red.

“Then I guess we have no other choice.” the limbless mused, pulling a bit harder. The girl let out a sharp shriek, nearly falling forward into the cave. “Oh, and just so it won't be so easy...” she suddenly felt her hand being freed for a single moment, only to be caught again before she could make an attempt. Her vision went black as Rayman disjointed one of his fists, letting it crawl up and cover her eyes.

She felt them pull on her again and she couldn't do much but comply, following them into the darkness. The more they've descended, the harder it became for her to keep herself under control, instead of trying to break free, even if that meant having to hurt them. She behaved well, though the fear in her grew step by step.

They came to a stop, all of a sudden and she felt a hard push sending her stumbling forward, no longer held by the boys. Though it took her quite a lot of frantic waving, she'd managed to just keep herself on her feet, at least avoiding the humiliation of taking a taste of the ground right upon released.

Not to mention the fact that if her body suit would get dirty, her sisters would immediately find out where she was, and she'd have to listen to another hour-long preaching about how she was ignoring her studies. She didn't want them to get her wrong; she enjoyed learning magic, but she rather went out with her friends...even if that meant sneaking away.

The place was completely pitch-black, so much that Ly couldn't see a thing, even though she'd already gotten used to the dark as Rayman was covering her eyes before. If there had been a little light, the expression on her face would have been completely visible, nothing short of furious. She scowled deeply, glancing around, expecting the two troublemakers to appear soon enough...they were probably hiding around, gloating to each other about how scared she must be.

“Very funny you two, look, I'm laughing myself to death here!” she shouted into the dark, her voice mostly angry, only a tiny bit of fear in it.. “I swear, out of every single inhabitant in the whole Glade, you two have the worst humor one could possibly imagine! You hear me?!” she growled, her jade eyes almost smoldering with childish anger, her tail jerking around in relation to her spurt of aggression.

Since she didn't know where she was exactly, or where she should head towards the exit, she decided to just take a random way towards where she suspected the exit might be, while continuing to scold her playful torturers. She wasn't about to let them go without giving them a piece of her mind.

“I don't even know why in the world do I actually hang out with you immature pair of idiots!” she called out, knowing they had to be listening. “When I get out of here, you'll see! I'll tell Betilla, Shya AND Uglette! No more frolicking around for you Sal, and you Ray can be sure you won't get any of Uglette's specialties in the near future! Not to mention, both of you can expect a good scolding from Betilla!” she threatened, though she very much doubted she'd go all the way to fulfill them.

She suddenly stumbled, falling over a larger rock, landing quite ungracefully on the ground with a loud thump, also earning a little scrape on her leg. That however, only made her even more furious.

“If my suit's torn, I'm seriously going to shred both of you into pieces!” she growled into the darkness. She went a bit further, more cautiously this time. The gloominess was slowly getting to her though, and she soon found herself shaking slightly.

“Okay, this isn't funny anymore!!” she cried, fear now touchable in her voice. “Please, this was very entertaining, but I've had enough of it!” she turned red again from having to result to pleading, but she was getting quite afraid by now. The young fairy wasn't quite used to the dark, and it was starting to seriously creep her out.

A rock fell off the wall nearby, causing a loud echo throughout the cavern. Ly let out a sharp cry and nearly collapsed, only the wall keeping her on her feet. “Please, I don't like this anymore!” the fairy shouted, hoping they'd just pop up before her and laugh...even that would have been better than staying here.

Suddenly, she noticed a small light shining into the cavern, showing her a path. A smile crept on her face, relief flooding her. “About time you two got to your senses.” she scoffed, going towards the light.

She entered another small cove, a large crystal serving as luminosity. The light was broken into many parts by the violet-shade crystal, making it look like a whole rainbow was beaming from it. She knelt down next to it, gazing at this hidden beauty of the underworld. She was marveled by it, the shining reflecting slightly in her jade eyes. Suddenly, the light transcended into darkness, first the core of the crystal, and quickly the rest, two frightful eyes beaming at her.

Ly let out a loud scream, falling back. Without waiting, she crawled backwards only the wall stopped her. The darkness slowly sept out of the crystal, forming into a globe of shadows in the air. Spikes grew out of it after a few moments, as it glared at her once again. The fairy trembled in the base of the tunnel, gazing at the creature with bright fear.

“LY!” she heard someone call her name all of a sudden, two figures lunging into the little cove. Salian dashed next to her, taking her lightly into his arms to take her from the crossfire, while Rayman diverted the attention of the creature.

“It's okay...we're here now.” Salian muttered, hugging the fairy while the limbless prepared to combat her assailant.

“Well...you're one UGLY little critter...” the limbless remarked, taking up his usual fighting stance. The darkness creature glared at the young hero for a few moments, before lunging at him. Rayman was faster however and stepped aside in time for the monster to miss him. “Now I got you!” he grinned, readying his fist...until the creature suddenly phased into the ground.

The grin melted off Rayman's face, concern and anger taking over it instead. “Where did you-WHOA!” he barely had time to lunge backwards, the spiky shadow nearly tearing through him as it appeared under him. He tried to hit it again, but it just phased into the ground again. “This ain't gonna work this way...” the limbless grumbled, glancing over at Ly and Salian.

The fairy seemed reasonably better now, though she was still shaking. Salian looked determined, but Rayman knew him well enough to notice he was at least as frightened as Ly was at the moment. He glanced aside at the crystal and suddenly a bright idea awoke in his mind. He cautiously backed up to it and landed a quick, but powerful hit near the top.

A small, but just enough chunk broke off, landing in the limbless' waiting hand. The shadowy creature rose again, gliding towards Rayman once more. He grinned and whistled to his attacker. “If this works, you're gonna flip, that's for sure.” he grinned, suddenly throwing the crystal-chunk up in the air, just as the creature came close enough to the zone of the crystal's light.

Almost immediately, he shot both of his fists, curving them just as needed. It was only the work of a moment as the two fists hit the chunk at the same time, shattering it into a million tiny shards. As the light of the crystal hit them, every single shard reflected the light, increasing its intensity by magnitudes. The creature seemed in pain and suddenly disappeared in a loud poof.

“Weren't so though after all, were you?” Rayman chuckled, overjoyed by how his plan worked flawlessly.

Remembering where he was though, he spun around and walked back, sitting down to Ly's other side, whom Sal was still holding to calm her down. He could see she was still slightly scared and reached out. She flinched a bit as he touched her face, but allowed him to continue. He gently fondled her face, taking a moment to play with her braided dark-blue hair, bringing her close to smile.

“See, I told you we wouldn't let any harm come to you.” he mused, a tiny bit of pride in his voice.

He could only see a strange light flashing her lambent eyes for a moment, before he was suddenly slapped with great force, Salian right after as well. Both boys held one hand over where she slapped them as she stood up, nothing but pure anger on her face. Her hands were clenched and they could swear they could hear her growling. For a moment, they were both scared of what she would do to them. In the end though, she just spun around and left, leaving the two in near-complete confusion.

She didn't speak to them for two whole weeks after that ordeal, and even then it took them quite a lot of begging to get her to forgive them. Rayman had figured out soon after that Ly didn't like to be seen as a completely helpless and in need of assistance. Over the years, she had proven not once that she had a strong will, and sufficient strength to accompany that.

The only exception from that was the Pirate invasion. She held up for a fairly longer time than he did, but she was caught as well in the end. He still remembered the fear that struck him, when a trio of Globox's kids informed him of the grim news...and even more after he had learned about the murder of Ranika, a friend of Sal's mother.

Though it was never cleared, he suspected to this day that something horrible must have happened to Ly. Though at the very first she seemed alright, after the invasion it became clear that she was actually far from it. She went out with them much less, steadily seeming to bottle up some kind of unspeakable, unforgettable secret.

He had never asked her about it, and nor did Salian. She was more cautious to hide it before Globox so the glute never questioned her about it, but it was still there, like a sort of monster, clawing at her insides, forbidding her to return to her calm, peaceful life. It took a few months before they could see her smiling honestly again, by the time everyone else finally got through the after-effects of the invasion.

The limbless was suddenly alerted by a faint movement, bringing him back into reality. The fairy was nuzzling his hand, making him realize he hadn't stopped stroking her face, even for a second. He gazed at her as she stopped, meeting him in the eyes. She seemed at ease by now, her orbs no longer having fear sitting in them.

“Are you alright?” he was surprised to find his voice lowered to a gentle whisper. The fairy nod quietly, her cheeks still red with embarrassment. He smiled warmly and stroked the blush. “Don't worry...it was only a dream. Dreams can't hurt you.” he reassured with a light wink.

Ly glanced away, a strange light sparkling in her eyes for a moment, close to sorrow. Yes...dreams can't. If they're really just dreams that is... She heaved a tired sigh, before glancing back at him and the glute. “I know...sorry for that...” she muttered, her expression turning guilty again.

“At least you're alright. That's the only thing that matters.” Globox was smiling as well, still holding her well, despite the amount of time he'd been carrying her by now.

He was actually much stronger than most gave credit for, but in contrast to his physical strength, he could never hurt anything, rather anyone. Glutes were naturally a peaceful race, only taking up a fight when it was absolutely necessary, and were reluctant even then. To this day, the only occasion when he purposely fought, was when the Pirates had taken his family. That was a situation even his calm blood couldn't take without boiling to a point where he wouldn't lay low anymore.

The fairy raised her hand a bit, combing the loose locks of her hair before her face to cover her fierce blush. She was smiling faintly, even the pain in her thigh eased to a blunt pulse. However, it was clear that she needed medical attention as soon as possible. It was sheer luck that her wound didn't get even worse and they didn't know how much farther they could push their luck.

Suddenly, a loud voice made all three of them flinch. The sound they least wanted to hear at the moment echoed around the tunnel, getting stronger by the moment...the spine-chilling mixture of a shriek and a snicker, evoking grim memories in all of them. They gazed at each other for a few moments, the same thought in all of them...they had been found.

“Go!” Ray hissed quickly, gesturing towards the bowels of the tunnel for the glute. “Take Ly and run! Run as fast as you can!” he ordered, peering back where the sounds were coming from. Judging from their intensity, the were still a bit away.

“What about you?” Globox asked back, his voice thick with horror. The same primal fear that always struck him was there once again, urging him to run at once, not caring about where, just to get away. However, the concern for his best friend was stronger. “Rayman, don't even think about staying here!”

“If you make a run for it, I'll be able to delay them a bit. You could find Sal and get out of here...” the limbless knew well how faulty his plan was, but it was the only thing he had in mind at the moment. He had to get them away from danger, at all costs.

“Not a chance.” the glute shook his head nervously. “Even if we'd get a head start, I can't find the way out! Not to mention the fact that Sal could be anywhere!” he argued.

“...Ray, please.” both of them glanced down as Ly spoke up for the first time. Her voice was a little scratchy from all the screams, just about audible. “I know you want to help us...but we need you with us...you can't stand up against all those spiders...” she muttered, surprised herself to hear how weak her voice was. She was losing strength fast. “Without your guidance...there'd be no point in sacrificing yourself...you'd only delay the inevitable...” her voice trailed off and she let her head to rest on Globox's tummy, panting lightly. The talking wore her out even more, her energy quite low after her rage.

It worked though. The limbless' gaze traveled to the ground, an obvious sign he was thinking hard. His glute friend glanced behind the frequently, hearing the voices coming closer by the moment. He thought he could see a faint spark in the darkness behind them, when Rayman picked his head up all of a sudden, fierce determination in his eyes.

“Let's go.” he stated simply, prodding the glute.

He flinched and didn't had to be told again, already dashing forwards. Though Ly wasn't on top of her stamina, she flung her arms weakly around Globox, not wanting to fall out. Ray waited a single moment before joining them, all of them now making a run for it. Let's hope we're fast enough... The stakes of this race between them and the spider, were their very lives.

Limely · Post by **Limely** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:22 pm

I already posted a comment on dA, but just for the sake of commenting once more... I luffle upon this. D:

Termonaptir · Post by **Termonaptir** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:12 am

Hmm, hmm, hmm... what can I say about this? I'm very much loving this. I honestly can't say how impressed I am, Zay. You used the adjectives flawlessly. I really must say - Path to Divinity has become one of my favorite fan-fics so far. And trust me... The ways of impressing me are extremely complicated. Therefore, there aren't many people out there who can do the same thing as you. Yes, it did take me some time for me to read the whole thing... But it was all worth it in the end.

Holy Crap · Post by **Holy Crap** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:24 am

i haven't read it yet, but i'll assume its awesome. are they out of the cave yet?

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:59 am

Brayissimo wrote:Hmm, hmm, hmm... what can I say about this? I'm very much loving this. I honestly can't say how impressed I am, Zay. You used the adjectives flawlessly. I really must say - Path to Divinity has become one of my favorite fan-fics so far. And trust me... The ways of impressing me are extremely complicated. Therefore, there aren't many people out there who can do the same thing as you. Yes, it did take me some time for me to read the whole thing... But it was all worth it in the end.

Thank you VERY much. ^__^ I'm happy to know you like it so much...I didn't expect to make such good impression on anyone. I'm flattered to know I managed to provide you with something enjoyable. 83

Holy Crap wrote:i haven't read it yet, but i'll assume its awesome. are they out of the cave yet?

XD No, not yet. Two more segments remain of this chapter, and they'll get out at the end of it 83

Holy Crap · Post by **Holy Crap** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:09 am

damn. oh yeah, why is the green pirate the higher rank? the red ones are supposed to be.
EDIT: read it (ha! it rhymes) very good still. i'd read some before, as you could tell from my above question, but now i finished it. keep up the good work. but could you please post the other ones.......now?!!!

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:57 am

I could post the next part today, but the third still need some working...that'll only be done by tomorrow at best. ^^;; Glad you like it. 83 Oh, and about the Pirate...well...for once I didn't look after the info, merely guessed it on the spot. I was a bit too tangled up in the story to start searching XD

Not to mention I meant the ones that come first, though now that I circle through my memory, I think they're rather orange...ah well, even I can make mistakes, can't I? ^^;;

FAB · Post by **FAB** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:16 pm

nice work

Termonaptir · Post by **Termonaptir** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:13 pm

Oh yes, Zay... There's something else I want to say to you... Err... It's nothing bad or anything... Well, I introduced Path to Divinity to my rather enthusiastic English teacher, and... she says she loves it. Hopefully it doesn't bother you that she spread this fan-fic to some of the other teachers at school... *headslam*

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:53 pm

Brayissimo wrote:Oh yes, Zay... There's something else I want to say to you... Err... It's nothing bad or anything... Well, I introduced Path to Divinity to my rather enthusiastic English teacher, and... she says she loves it. Hopefully it doesn't bother you that she spread this fan-fic to some of the other teachers at school... *headslam*

*incoherent babbling* Khm..sorry. ^_^;; Bothered? CERTAINLY NOT! 8D I'm...kinda at loss of words here. The most I can push out of myself is a thank you, at this point. I'm very, VERY flattered that you found my story good enough to share, and even more that she actually liked it! I mean...what more could I, a simple little fan-fic writer possibly as for? ^___^ Like I said, a million of thankies to you. You're really giving me a good night's sleep here. 83

Holy Crap · Post by **Holy Crap** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:56 am

i would share it too, if i knew anyone else who would be interested (or could be bothered)

Zay-el · Post by **Zay-el** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:27 am

Nah, no problem, I'm not ordering anything. I just feel flattered about it. ^^

Alrighty, since I'm unable to hold myself back, here is the next part for all of you to enjoy! It's a bit longer than the last one, but hopefully it'll be worth it. This part's less violent than the last one, but I still advise reading with a slight caution.

Thankies to everyone who still keeps reading my fic! ^__^

Oh, and Limely, consider this a goodbye gift until you come back. XD

Part 4

One of the worst feelings in the world is when one is faced with the fact that someone who stands very close to them is in peril. No words can properly describe the terror that strikes right to the bones; the way an iron hand clenches around the heart, slowly squishing it. Most mortals constantly wish they never have to experience this feeling; the grim truth when they couldn't help the ones they love most.

The large hall of the Fairy Council magnified even the sound of the tiny footsteps a pair of sandals were making, to loud thumps echoing around. The shadow of a lone person strolled along the wall, following it's owner close by, as if keeping a watch on her...the restless soul traversing through the dim light of the Council, seemingly searching for something...something she knew well she wouldn't find here.

Shya had already come in terms with the fact that she would get into a heated argument with the Teensies, once they'd find out she had left her bed. They'd specifically insisted she'd stay in bed for the night, the very least. Normally, she wouldn't be one to disobey such an order, which she knew they only gave because they cared a lot about her welfare, but she couldn't bear the bed anymore. As soft and comforting it was, right now it felt spiky and confining to her.

She couldn't sleep, she couldn't just lie back without knowing what was going on with her dear Salian. Ever since the failed assassination attempt, none of the Teensies answered her questions directly, making her only more and more worried. She had to know if they were able of locating her son and his friends...she couldn't bear to be so without knowledge of the events, that could very well seal their fate.

The fairy took a moment to glance down at her injured arm. Not long after the attack, the Teensies made a new cast, since the other one was broken by her assailant. She still had no idea who it might have been, and neither did the little blue ones. After all, who would be so cruel, so without heart to attack a wounded, even more, a fairy? Questions on top of questions, and no answer to any of them.

Many of her questions however, were directly tied to the life of Salian and his friends, making it even harder for her to stand the fact that she didn't know anything. The Teensies told her every time to calm down and ease. 'You can't do anything...rest, we'll find them.' She didn't want to rest. She couldn't have rest until she'd have her son in her arms again.

Arriving before the large double-door, she paused for a moment. Loud noises and shouting could be heard from inside, most of the voices belonging to Teensies, although she could make out quite a few female tones, indicating some of her own kin were also inside. Shya let out a sigh and leaned against the heavy door. It gave a loud creek and slowly opened, revealing the total chaos inside.

Teensies and fairies were all around the hall, having arguments second by second, without stop. So far, both sides seemed to have failed to locate the four kidnapped ones, with or without their magic. The Teensies scouted many parts of the world, receiving news every moment from distant members of their kin, but not a word about the missing ones. The fairies in the main time were trying to mentally reach Ly, but had to realize she was either too weak or too far away to be found, let alone respond.

Shya slowly went forwards, and could feel the gazes of many on her, right after the first few moments. She knew they were probably wondering why in the world she got out of her bed, their confused expressions highly indicating that. Regardless the glances though, she didn't care and walked right up to a Teensie, who was busy arguing with one of his own until now.

“Where's Sal?” she asked, her voice slightly raspy and shaky, but not about to accept any beating around.

“Why are you out here? You should be re-” the little one's voice trailed off from the deep scowl he received from the fairy. Knowing he couldn't walk out of this without an answer, he sighed. “We weren't able to find them. We have no idea where they could be.”

The words sat still in the air for quite a few seconds, the fairy's mind slowly comprehending them. Her son was nowhere to be found, regardless how much they've tried...how much they've promised. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to calm herself in vain. Stifled whispers started traveling around the chamber, though she couldn't hear what they were saying.

Some suddenly fell silent, while the rest continued, but the fairy was too much in thought to care about it. The whole chamber let out a gasp as her arms struck forward all of a sudden, grabbing the Teensie by his fancy clothing. Ignoring the prickling feeling in her broken arm, Shya lifted the creature into the air, a wild flame dancing in her violet eyes.

“You promised me!” her words came out as a mixture of a scream and a growl. “You said you'd find him! I believed you, all of you!”

Despite the obvious fear the Teensie felt, he hung his head a bit, unable to bear the raging accusation in her eyes and words. The rest of the chamber glanced away a bit, knowing they were guilty in the failure as well.“We tried...” he muttered weakly, his voice sounding quite sorry, not to mention terrified.

“Tried?“ the fairy's voice turned even harder, her chest and shoulder quivering slightly, both from the pain in her arm, and the desperation filling her heart. “You didn't promise to try, you promised to find him! He's been taken by Mr. Dark, to probably one of the most horrible places one could imagine, and you could only try? You're talking about four lives here!” she suddenly began to shake the Teensie in her arms, her words changing into violent sobs. “He's going to die because of your ignorance! You're going to kill him! You-”

She couldn't finish the last of her accusation, as she suddenly felt a huge strike at her face, so hard it made her drop the Teensie she was holding and fall flat on the ground. It was lucky she fell on her unarmed hand, otherwise she would've seen not only stars, but probably the twin moons as well from the pain. Shya put a hand over the spot where she was slapped and glared up to see who attacked her.

The fairy felt a slight twinge of fear as she was suddenly met by a figure wearing a green-yellow robe with stars and moons on it, waves of scarlet hair flailing around her shoulders, and a pair of green orbs nearly glaring at her. Whispers traveled around again, all of them having one name in common, though Shya could identify her well. The one whom every single inhabitant of the Council revered and respected...Betilla, the Elder fairy.

“You really think this is going to solve anything?” she spoke up, her voice like a thunderstorm, silencing everyone else in the hall, even the tiniest whimpers. “Going around and accusing everyone, nearly hurting those who wish to help you the most? I've expected more self-control from you, Shya!”

The fairy lowered her gaze to the ground, getting bright red all of a sudden, even more than from the slap. She only realized now what she had done, how selfish she had just been and immediately knew Betilla was right. She had no right to accuse anyone in this room...they were trying everything to bring them back, not just wasting time.

As she raised her head, she suddenly found a hand reaching out; the same that sent her to the ground only a few moments ago. “Here...you shouldn't be lying on the ground after all you've went through.” the older fairy offered, her voice as comforting as always, her serious expression already eased. Shya took a moment before she finally reached for the hand, letting Betilla help her up.

She nearly collapsed once she was on her feet, her anger spurt taking a lot out of her. Betilla supported her stand, glancing back at the Teensie she dropped. He seemed quite stirred, but quickly pulled himself together.

“Examine the stone I brought...Dark must have used it to teleport Rayman and the others. Decipher the markings and I'm sure you'll be able to find them.” she instructed, the rest of the creature's kin already getting to work.

She let Shya have a comfortable hold on her, before guiding her out from the chamber. Once alone in the corridor, the older fairy began to lead her towards her own quarters. “Come...let's get you calmed down a bit.”
- - -
“Okay...I think we're clean...” Rayman whispered, peeking out into the dark tunnels. He raised his hand before Globox, instructing him to wait until he'd call him.

The limbless slowly stepped out of the large crack they've used as refuge, glancing around to make sure they were safe. The crystals that were scattered all around the cave-system were more scarce here, thus came the expected decease in luminosity as well. Luckily, after having already spent some time in these caves before, Rayman's eyes adjusted quickly to the faint twilight that enveloped them.

He listened well to any noises, even the most subtle ones to determine how safe their situation was. Nothing...the only sound that he was clearly audible, was Globox's stressed panting. He didn't blame the glute though; they had been running for long minutes, and he even had to carry Ly all the way.

A relieved sigh involuntarily escaped him as he made sure they were alone. The spiders seemed to have lost their track again, for now at least. He was about to turn back, when a tiny little voice hit him. A sound he didn't really want to hear, for it would only spell danger to them. But it was there alright...a faint squelch echoing around, getting stronger by the moment.

Rayman turned towards Globox for a moment, gesturing to the glute to keep quiet and stand still. He complied, though shaking slightly, obviously afraid of whatever his friend was planning. The limbless could see that despite the suppressed fear in Ly's eyes, she suddenly clung a bit more to the glute.

Without waiting, he turned towards the sound and dashed forward. The fairy listened closely as he went off, but couldn't even hear his footsteps after a moment. Rayman scurried hastily, not wanting the lone spider to find its way back to its group. He already had a plan too, drawn hastily in his clever mind. To approach the beast and take it down without noise, he had to outsmart it.
- - -
The spider slowly squelched towards where Globox and Ly were hiding, his fangs flashing sometimes as light flickered on them. he didn't know why, but the primal hunting instinct told him that some kind of meal would await him there for sure. Since he had never been deceived by these feelings before, he decided to take a chance. He was hungry anyway.

Suddenly, a low sound of tapping reached his ears, making him flinch. He glanced around the tunnel, but couldn't see anything remotely hostile, though he couldn't be sure...he'd been tricked before. Despite being of a kind that was well accustomed to the darkness, they still needed some slight from of light to see perfectly. He glared around, but still couldn't spot anything.

The tap was there all of a sudden, making him spin around, glaring around his proximity. Still nothing, but even with his primitive thinking, the spider realized this couldn't have been a coincidence. He let his fangs show more, raising himself to look bigger. If anything, this would scare off his would-be assailant.

He could hear the sound of a rock crackling close by and spun around yet again, already confident that whoever was trying to attack him, had failed. The creature was completely befuddled when he found nothing...nothing at all, just a simple, chipped rock. If he had known how, the spider would have shrugged, thus he just turned back towards his original destination.

The creature never expected to see a huge fist upon turning back, nor to be hit so violently. The strength of the punch sent him tumbling a few feet, not to mention dazing him. Bloodlust quickly came over him and he rose, ready to let out a call for his group. Before he could start on the shriek though, a large strike came down his corselet, destroying the most fragile point of his body. He quivered for a few moments in shock, prior to dropping dead on the ground.

Rayman stood up wiping his hand a bit, the spider's thick, almost black blood staining his glove. He growled a bit under his large nose, before giving the dead spider a small kick in frustration. He hated it when something stained his gloves. It was one of his prime accessories he hated to see ruined of perfection in any way. He smirked a bit at the thought of how angry he got over a little stain, but allowed himself this little selfishness.

He suddenly remembered that Globox and Ly were still hiding and ran back towards the crack. Upon reaching it, he found the glute leaning back against the tunnel wall, shaking in fear, Ly still having her arms around him, trembling no less. At first they could only see the very outlines of Rayman, the strange form making the think it was a spider standing up. Ly whimpered and buried her face into the glute's tummy, while he clasped the fairy tighter.

“I'm not that scary...” Rayman remarked, the light of a crystal illuminating his full form as he stepped out of the shadows. The slight smirk was still on his face, but not mocking their fear one bit. Ly turned towards the limbless and smiled, a faint blush creeping on her face again.

“No, but you'd have all the right to be slapped for that!” she snapped, scowling slightly. Still, her smile ruined the angry expression she was showing. “That was a very bad joke!”

“And the best part is that I didn't even intend to joke.” he shrugged, his smirk easing into a smile. “Are you okay to go, Globox?”

The glute nod lightly, coming up to Rayman, smiling as well. The two glanced at each other for a moment before they took off yet again, heading towards where the limbless suspected Salian would be. They hoped the boy was still alright, even better, searching for them. Neither of them wished to so much as think about the probability that something might have happened to him.

Ly gazed before herself with a faint sorrow growing inside as Globox carried her. As much as she knew the glute was doing this because he cared about her, it really made her feel kind of ashamed to be such a burden to them. She was beginning to feel like she was a rock tied to her friends, continuously pulling them back...and it really made her heart sink to feel like this.

The fairy kept sulking for a few more moments, before getting a grip on herself. Her gaze hardened, her hands clenching slightly. She glanced up, making sure Globox wasn't paying much attention to her right now. Knowing she had no power to attempt a healing spell, she just tried to move her leg, disguised as a motion like she was simply uncomfortable.

She managed to get her unharmed leg to move a bit, though it was quite numb from not being used in so long. She froze as Globox shifted his hold slightly, but it was just like she expected; he thought she was just uncomfortable. She let out a long, deep sigh, bracing herself for what she was about to do.

Ly nod a tiny bit, as though she was backing up her own decision and acted. Forcing the sore muscles of her injured leg, she attempted to move it a little bit. She could move it from left to right without any pain she couldn't stand with a little teeth-gritting, thus provided the necessary boost to her confidence she needed to initiate the next phase.

Though her wound still hurt a lot, she was slowly getting accustomed to it and ignored it for the time being. I've been through worse... She wanted to be back on her feet again as soon as possible, so she wouldn't hold his friends back so much. She sighed again before acting, this time trying to bend her knee, knowing that would work her thigh as well.

The pain that suddenly struck her was of a magnitude that very much surprised her. She couldn't think much about it though, having to divert all her strength into keeping herself from crying out. She almost bit into her lower lip again, before she remembered how she'd overdone it last time, and set her teeth instead. Her hands clenched again, so tight her knuckles paled. She closed her eyes, feeling a teardrop leak through her eyelids.

The wave of agony dulled after a few tormenting minutes, allowing her to open her eyes again. The drop of tear slowly streamed down her face, her breathing back into the short pants it was before, though she kept them as quiet as possible. It was sheer luck Globox didn't notice her ordeal, nor did Rayman...she didn't really want to start explaining it to them. The glute seemed to be deep in thought either way, probably thinking of his family again.

Her idea seemed much less appealing now, but she wasn't about to give up...she was of a more stubborn nature. She took a deep breath and set her teeth, ready to try again. Slowly, she attempted to bend her knee again, careful to stop once she wouldn't be able to take it anymore. At first it went quite well, the wound only stinging a little bit more than it did already. Nothing she couldn't take with a slightly pained shrug.

Then it all went wrong. Large beads of sweat were beginning to form on her forehead, her logic going a bit dim...and that was all it took. She counted the breaking point wrong and the same burning agony struck her again, eliciting a batch of tears, along with badly suppressed hiss.

As if that wasn't enough, the sudden strike of pain made her muscles twitch, her knee involuntarily bending a bit more. She could only just hold back the lung-tearing scream of agony that wanted to burst out, her face quickly turning-blood red. She thought she could hear something snap and the next moment she was horrified to see a thin stream of crimson blood slowly leaking from under bandage, getting thicker by the moment.

That was the point where both Globox and Rayman became too suspicious and checked on her to see if she was alright. Her friends' eyes widened, the glute's arms trembling for a single moment, threatening to drop her.

“What the-What in Polokus have you done?! ” Rayman nearly roared, looking like he could barely control himself.

Ly only realized now that her leg was still in the same bent position, making it completely obvious as to what she was doing. She tried to say something to her defense, but the pain kept shifting in intensity; unbearable and switching back and forth. She couldn't do much but sob, and try to keep her consciousness intact.

The limbless didn't waste precious moments and moved up to her. Without saying a word he straightened her leg once again with a easy, but forceful move, lacking the gentleness from before. The fairy let out a sharp cry of pain, Globox realizing himself too late to muffle her. Rayman tugged at the knob of her bandage and quickly untied it, letting out a short hiss once the wound was revealed.

He conducted pretty fast that her attempt to move her leg has broken a still healing vein, the gash filling with blood yet again. He didn't even had to ask Globox, who already began summoning a cloud, knowing the limbless had to clean out the wound all over again. The fairy's face paled slightly from seeing the amount of blood that was flowing from the wound; her very life force steadily dripping off her thigh. She only realized now just probably how much she'd made the situation even worse.

It was lucky that Rayman had used both of her sleeves to bandage her wound, thus only one of them got bloody. He threw a glance at Globox, who understood the gesture and let the rain fall. Ly thought her eyes would roll into the back of her head, the water feeling like molten lava being poured into her wound.

Rayman began to clean out the wound all the way again, having to deal with much more flesh blood this time, making his job harder. He soon had to realize the already bloodstained sleeve would become nearly useless after this, thus only used that one to suppress the bleeding. He kept the other one clean, letting the rain soak it. It took a few minutes, but he finally managed to stop the bleeding and clean out the wound fairly well.

He slowly tied the watered cloth back around her thigh; the cold making her wince and whimper in pain yet again, her eyes twitching even after she had closed them. The limbless managed to clean the bloody sleeve a bit in the fading rainfall, enough to tie it above the other, though keeping it from touching the wound directly. He took a deep breath and sighed, before looking at the fairy, who had just dared to open her eyes now...and she was immediately terrified of his grim expression.

“Do you have any idea of what you just did?” he questioned, his voice sounding almost demoniacally low. The fairy slowly shook her head, her face all red from the pain, the shame and her tears. “You nearly killed yourself, that's what!” he shouted into her face, making her recoil until Globox's tummy seated her head.

“I...I just-”

“You what? What? I'm listening Ly, tell me just what the hell were you thinking?” even Globox flinched to this now. He could count on one hand how many times he had heard Rayman cussing before.

The fairy's lips moved a bit, showing she was trying to say something, but either didn't have the strength or will to say it out loud. She let out a short cry as the limbless suddenly grabbed her chin, and leaned into her face, his expression of such fury she'd never seen from him before. She was truly afraid from him now...a feeling she had never expected to feel about him.

“If I hadn't stopped it, you would have bled to death, you idiot!” he growled, the word striking into Ly like a lancet. “Is that what you want? Killing yourself? Is it?” he nearly roared.

“....no...” the fairy's voice was a barely audible whimper. She wasn't scared of the limbless now...she was terrified of him, only thick fear sitting in her jade eyes.

“No?” Rayman repeated, his expression not easing one bit. “Then why did you move it? You think I was joking when I said you shouldn't move it? Why did you think I've stated it in the first place?! Yo-”

“Enough!” Globox shouted suddenly, making both of them flinch. “Let go of her, Rayman. Now.” he ordered, his look so threatening like never before.

The flame in the limbless' eyes disappeared all of the sudden and he let go of Ly's chin with a loud gasp, as though he had touched fire. His expression quickly transitioned from furious to a mixture of confusion...and not small amount of fear. He mumbled something which the fairy couldn't properly understand, dizzy from the loss of blood and the shouting.

Ly thought she could see horror taking place in Rayman's eyes, but she wasn't sure about it. The limbless looked at his hands for a few moments, before suddenly running off into the route before them. It was only a matter of seconds for even his steps to lower to gentle taps, finally disappearing fully.

“What just...happened?” she muttered, her voice as weak as it was when she first awoke after the splinter.

The glute didn't answer at first, obviously needing to calm down after such a sudden spurt of anger. He didn't do this often, only when the situation absolutely needed it. He took a deep breath, before looking down at her, scowling. “That was one of your worst ideas, ever.” he stated, his voice still a bit hard.

Ly knew his accusation was valid, which made her feel even worse. She glanced aside, trying to plant her face into his tummy, but he didn't let her. “I know...” she whispered, feeling tears dwell up in her eyes again, this time not from the pain, but from knowing she'd made a grave mistake. She closed her eyes, guilt washing over her like a tidal wave.

She could suddenly feel Globox's tummy touching her face, his arms bringing her closer to him. She glanced up and saw that the glute was smiling warmly now, his scowl gone as well. The fairy's shoulders began to quiver violently, before she planted her face firmly into soft belly, trying to at least muffle her sobs.

Globox started slowly rocking her back and forth, similar to the way he did with his kids when they were scared or sad...after all, even by her species standards, she was still just a child. He felt the fairy flung her arms around him, holding him closest as possible, weeping into his tummy, unable to stop herself. He shifted his hold a bit until he could softly stroke her blue hair to ease her raging heart.

She continued to cry for long minutes, freeing her heart from the guilt and desperation that had been pooling inside it. She pulled back a bit and glanced up at him with her eyes full of tears. “I'm sorry...I didn't...mean to...I just...felt like...a burden...” she muttered, her voice continuously breaking into choked little hiccups. She could only say so much, planting her face back into his tummy.

The glute kept rocking her slowly and leaned down to her. “Shh...I know, you didn't mean any harm...” he purred, his role as a father once again coming up, enhancing his natural instinct to comfort his friend. “And even if I had to carry you for a whole week, you'd never be a burden to me...or to anyone else...” he whispered softly, continuing to stroke her hair again.

Ly continued to weep for a few more minutes, before her tears finally began to dry up, her sobs calming, her shaking shoulders settling down. She nuzzled his tummy a little more, the warmth and softness of it bandaging her scarred heart. Though she was slowly calming down, there was still something that kept her from perfectly doing so.

She had no idea as to how she'd get along with Rayman after this...she feared the worst, that she'd just managed to lose one of her very best friends, just because of a dumb mistake she had made. The limbless acted so...angry, only moments ago, so much unlike his regular behavior. At this point, she seriously doubted he'd ever forgive her.

“He's going to calm down.” Globox spoke suddenly, making her flinch. She gazed up into his eyes, a look of surprise on her face. “You're still one of his best friends...he's just worried a lot because of our safety, and whether we'll find Sal. He didn't mean a word out of what he had said.” the glute seemed to have perfectly guessed her thoughts.

She blushed slightly, feeling completely open once again. In earnest, this was an unnerving thought, but she found a bit uncomfortable as well. There were parts of her soul she couldn't allow Globox, or anyone else to see...things she didn't ever wish to reveal. Maybe, one day she'll be relieved of even those, but for now, she wanted to keep them as a secret.

Ly let out a soft sigh, letting the glute rock her some more. Though she wasn't crying anymore, the glute knew well she was far from at ease. She let her head rest on his tummy and closed her eyes, slowly but surely getting through the whole ordeal.

“Rayman!” Globox suddenly called, making her flinch yet again.

She glanced towards where the glute was looking with a slight fear, not knowing what to expect from the limbless. Strangely though, he didn't seem angry or frustrated at all...instead he actually looked frightened!

“Globox...Ly...” he muttered upon reaching them, his eyes still wide with shock, his face pale. Both of his friends looked quite worried, neither remembering any occasion when he was like this. “...you have to see this too.” he whispered.

The glute and the fairy glanced at each other, before back at Rayman. He seemed very stirred about something, and they couldn't help but feel a sort of instinctive worry. Globox finally got up with Ly, following the limbless to what he had to show. They had no idea what they were about encounter.

Silently following the concerned limbless, they soon themselves at the entrance of an enormous cavern. Globox had to suppress a shriek as he caught sight of what lurked here. In the far end of the cave, an ominous form shifting amongst a bed of crystals. A creature none of them wished to see right now.

His attention was quickly averted as Rayman pointed out something that truly sent chills down his spine. Ly's eyes turned to nearly a double as she noticed it too; her mouth open to a gasp. For amongst a circle of spiders, an all too familiar figure was lying...a figure none of them wished to see right now...not like this.
- - -
She trembled slightly as the sweet liquid ran down her throat, warming her from head to toe. Holding the cup carefully, she took another sip of the steamy, dark-brown drink, her usually sapphire lips painted brown as well. The hot current slowly flowed down into her stomach, it's invigorating heat bringing a healthy red back into her paled cheeks.

“I had a feeling you'd like it.” Betilla smiled warmly at Shya, taking a sip of her own. “It's not something you can get just everywhere...”

Shya knew well what the Elder fairy meant. What she was drinking now, was a quite rare treat in these lands. Chocolate of the finest, directly from Candy Château, brought all the way to the Fairy Council...one of the finest delicacies one could possibly wish for. Every year when the Eve of Polokus was to be celebrated, Teensies from all around the world would come into the Glade to bathe in the Heart's emanation and wish for a fine and prosperous year together.

Right now, she was probably the only one in the entire Glade, except Betilla of course, who could enjoy the sweetness of this luxury. Since the Eve was still months away, this was probably the last batch of this fine treat Betilla must have stashed after the last one. Shya suspected the Elder fairy might had actually received it through personal arrangements, which the fairy's sudden smirk only seemed to prove.

“It's fascinating what you can achieve with fame and a simple glance...” she mused, winking at the younger fairy from above her cup.

“Betilla...” Shya shook her head lightly, giggling to her remark. “You're one of the most beautiful fairies in the world and you use your looks to get chocolate.” she scowled accusingly at the Elder fairy, though she still kept smiling.

“Everyone to their own...” Betilla giggled as well. She was happy to see she was unnerving finally. The older fairy's expression was of that compassionate and understanding woman Shya had grown to respect more than anyone, only second to Polokus. “Not that you wouldn't be able to find someone.” she added. “You're still only a few decades old...if all goes well, you could live at least a thousand years, at very least.” she gave another warm glance, which looked a bit sorry this time. “...and Sal could use a father.”

Mentioning her missing son, the fairy's mood dropped a lot. She gazed into her half-empty cup, watching as the thick chocolate lazily rippled, stirred from her shaky hand. The fairy was still terribly worried about him, the hysterical outburst she had earlier only adding guilt into her heart. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, its owner obvious.

“Don't worry...” the Elder fairy reassured warmly. “The stone I found is the one Dark used to teleport them. The Teensies will decipher the markings in an hour, tops. He'll be back in your arms in a matter of minutes.” she patted her shoulder lightly. “And anyway, I have faith that his friends would do anything to protect him if there might be danger. You know quite well yourself what force Rayman possesses.”

“I...think you're right.” Shya raised her free hand, placing it on the older fairy's. “Thank you Betilla...” she whispered, a shadowed smile forming on her face, her eyes watering just a tiny bit.

“You're welcome.” Betilla winked. “You were always one of my favourite students anyway...and I still remember how scared you were of me when you first showed Salian.” she chuckled lightly.

Shya blushed deeply this time, her face in perfect crimson. That specific memory was still vivid, always replaying before her mind's eye, whenever the Elder fairy asked about her son. She was so worried about her reaction, that she delayed showing the boy until Ranika finally convinced her. After all, she still had only the faintest ideas about how she'd raise him. However, her fears were actually without reason, as everything happened like a dream.

Her sapphire hair flowed after her like a curtain as she ran through the halls and passages of the Fairy Council, her soft steps not making a single sound, except a very faint tapping. She glanced back for a moment to see if she had managed to lose her pursuer, panting from the long dash. She really hoped she had managed to finally get rid of her friend, who had been relentlessly trying to talk her into something she didn't really want to do.

She listened closely to any suspicious sound, but there were none. Ranika was probably still trying to determine which direction she headed, looking for her through the maze-like Council. Grinning, she spun back forward and dashed forward, only to run into something about her size, knocking her on the ground.

“Ouch...” she rubbed her aching waist, glaring at whoever she bumped into. As she glanced up, she was suddenly met by a cross-armed fairy lightly scowling at her, her green lips raised to a smirk. “Betilla!” Shya exclaimed, crawling back a bit, her face already posing in bright crimson.

“Though I'm not against a little workout, but the Fairy Council is not a racing track, Shya.” the revered fairy mused, lending the blushing girl a hand. “That's something for outside.” she winked, her smirk eased into a simple smile. She looked slightly tired, but still lively as always.

“Uh...I'll remember that...” Shya muttered, hanging her head a bit, brushing her sapphire locks to cover her blood-red face. She once again pondered for a moment about telling the Elder fairy, but discarded the idea and just bowed slightly. “I'll see you later, Betilla.” she hastily turned around to leave.

“Shya, a moment of your time, please.” Betilla called before she could leave, the fairy glanced back, looking quizzical. “I've heard from Ranika that you wish to tell me something important. What might that be?”

The younger fairy's eyes turned to their double, involuntarily muttering a curse, not completely unnoticed by Betilla. Shya pondered hard about what to say, while the usual doubts came up, urging her to inform the fairy about the child she had found...maybe she would be able to help her raise him.

But what if not? What is she would take Salian and give him to a family where he could be complete, with not just a mother, but also a father, maybe even brothers or sisters? What if Betilla deemed her too immature to take care of a child? What if she'd never be able to see him again?

She quickly discarded these thoughts however. She just knew Betilla would never do that...the Elder fairy had the warmest heart she had ever encountered, aiding everyone in need. She doubted she would ever take her son like that. Finally deciding, she took a deep breath and gazed into the fairy's green eyes.

“I need to show you some...one.” she almost said 'something', but remembered soon enough that she was talking about her son, not an object she had found lying around. She gestured to the fairy to follow her and took off towards her chamber.

“Well...can't say I'm not intrigued about this.” Betilla mused, following Shya as she silently guided her towards her room. She noticed the younger fairy looked quite flustered, the blush still on her face. “Shya, if you found someone you like, I'm not against it.” she caught up with her, grinning slightly. “Just don't ask me to wed you two...I'm not qualified for that.”

“What? No!” the fairy exclaimed, shaking her head, her blush getting a tiny bit deeper. “I assure you, that's not the case!” she quickly stated, giggling. Reaching her door though, she fell silent. Her hand was already on the doorknob, but she was still scared of showing her secret.

Betilla noticed her discomfort and reached out, resting her hand on Shya's shoulder.” Come on.” she smiled warmly. “You've come this far, and you've got me pretty interested. You shouldn't back out now, so close.” she winked lightly, giving her the little push she needed.

“All right...” she quietly counted to three, took a long, deep sigh and opened the door.

Her room was nothing extraordinary, compared to the rest of her fairy brethren. It was basically the same rectangular little room, with a bookshelf in one corner, a drawer with a mirror on it in the other, and her bed in the far corner of it. She even had the same kind of rug covering most of the marble floor, except for its colour; blue and yellow patters chasing each other. The only thing that was truly uncommon however, was the small crib next to her bed.

Betilla's eyes widened slightly as she saw the crib. “Shya...” she gazed at the once-again blushing fairy with confusion in her eyes. “Don't tell me yo-”

“No, no way, of course not!” the younger fairy protested even before Betilla could finish, blushing once again. “I...found him during the Eve of Polokus, in a basket. I couldn't see anyone whom he might have belonged to, nor anyone of his kind...so I decided to bring him back.” she muttered, her gaze lowering to the ground. The fear inside her began to awaken again, fuelled by the Elder fairy's slightly serious expression.

“And raise him as your own...” Betilla finished. Even though Shya didn't say that, it wasn't hard to conclude. She shook her head a bit, sighing. “Shya, I honestly don't know what to say...” she mused, not completely sure about it herself. “Even if I look through the fact that he's not your child, there are still a number of problems left, which of the biggest one is that I doubt you actually know what you're doing...”

“I do!” Shya cut in, the fear in her converting into a slight anger. How could Betilla say this? She loved Salian with all her heart! “I'm going to raise him either with or without your approval, you can be sure of that!” she spat, only realizing a moment later that she was actually arguing with the most respected member of her kind.

Though she was disrespectful and rude, raising her voice like that, Betilla only gave a smile Shya found to be almost sad. “You misunderstood me...” she explained, shaking her head a bit. “Affection is one thing Shya, but what about the rest? I'm only afraid that you don't even know the very basics of having a child. The Eve was only a day ago and though it might seem that all is right at the moment, you'll see that raising a child is not as easy as it sounds. Love is essential and must be given without restriction...but alone, it's not enough...”

The younger fairy thought hard about what to say to this, when her pointy ears twitched lightly for a moment, hearing Salian whimpering slightly. She nod at Betilla to excuse her and went over to the crib, taking the squirming boy out. He wasn't really crying, more like just simply sensing she was close by and wanting his mother to hold him. Shya sat down on her bed, backing up until her back was resting against the wall and began to gently rock him in her arms.

Nearly forgotten feelings began to stir inside Betilla, emotions she had long since experienced...also invoking the never-ending longing she still felt to this day. Though it brought a warmth into her heart to see Shya so happy with him, it also let loose a bitter flood, charring her soul. With a quick sigh, she brutally suppressed these feelings and went over to the pair, sitting down next to Shya.

She took her sweet time to examine the boy, and could easily see why the younger fairy couldn't resist taking him. An aura of calmness seemed to surround the little infant, as he kept squirming, only to finally find rest in Shya's arms. His mother giggled slightly as the boy brought his tiny hands up and reached out, clinging to her.

As he opened his eyes, Betilla was marvelled to see the pair of jade-green orbs sparkling at the two of them. His eyes reminded her a lot of a fairy who was born this morning, having eyes similar to this. She couldn't quite remember her name though, she wasn't there at the precise moment when she got one.

The older fairy slowly reached out, but stopped abruptly. “May I?” she asked, glancing at Shya...after all she was the child's mother as things were at the moment. The fairy smiled warmly and nod.

Betilla smiled back and gently let her hand fondle Salian's face, stroking it tenderly. The boy didn't even flinch to it, accepting the touch of the Elder fairy without the slightest whimper or anything. The fairy could feel her eyes watering slightly, a different scene playing in her head than what was at the moment...only the child had blue eyes.

She shuddered suddenly as she felt as though a bolt of electricity travelled through her. She gazed at the child with wide eyes, only to see as he was lightly grasping her little finger. “I think he likes you already.” Shya giggled at the startled fairy.

Betilla stared at the infant for a while, trying to determine what happened actually. She thought that for a moment, the boy gained access to her magic reserve, though the idea itself was absurd. Still, the feeling that coursed through her was almost familiar...a probability that unsettled her even more

As she gazed into the gleeful pair of eyes though, she pushed aside those feelings. He was perfectly innocent, untouched by any force. Of course, she still had doubts, but they couldn't possibly be true...no, that could never happen. Nevertheless, she decided to talk to Polokus about it, since she knew there was some kind of disturbance during the Eve.

“So...” she suddenly heard Shya speak up again, gazing at her with a somewhat worried expression. “Do you think I can...raise him?” she muttered, fearing her answer. The fear involuntarily made a tear run down her cheek.

The Elder fairy gazed at her younger brethren for the longest time, carefully thinking it over. She had a heart of gold, her affection and caring for the boy pure as water. Betilla smiled warmly and gently removing her hand from Salian's playful hold, fondled her face, wiping the tear away. “You have my blessing.” she nod, sealing both her and Salian's fate. “I'll do whatever I can to help this little infant grow into a healthy young man.” she promised.

Shya gazed back at her with a gratitude that couldn't possibly be measured. Salian didn't let the moment last long however and gave word to it with a slight whimper, already missing his mother's affection. “Thank you...” was all she could muster to say, before leaning down, cooing over the tiny child...who was now officially her son.

“You were right...it wasn't nearly as easy as I expected...but I'm confident I qualified in the end.” Shya mused, sounding like a much-tried mother, rather than the unsure girl she used to be.

“Yes, I think you did a very good job.” Betilla assured, smiling. “Salian has truly grown to be an energetic, yet loving young man...not to mention as far as I know, he's beginning to develop emotionally as well.” she winked insinuatingly. “At least, that's what I conclude from the discussions I had with Ly over the past few months.”

“He's been all over her since the moment he saw him in the Council.” Shya chuckled, remembering the boy's reactions around her.

They were both only about six years old and were downright scared of each other at first. However, only after a few hours they started talking...and the next moment half of the Fairy Glade was looking for them when they ran off playing, and didn't turn up until early evening. Since then, they've spent a great deal of time together, especially after Shya let the Teensies continue teaching her son.

“Half of the times Ly mentions Sal, she goes rose-red.” Betilla laughed, the talks she had with Ly still vivid in her memory...especially times when the young fairy asked about love...a topic she was careful to avoid these days, since Betilla always kept grinning at her when it came up, and it only made her feel even more embarrassed. “I give them about half a year...I don't think their first kiss will be any later than that.” she mused.

Shya giggled to her prediction, but her mood dropped fairly quickly. Both Ly and Salian coming into discussion, it only reminded her that they still might have been in danger...in which she couldn't do anything to help. Betilla noticed and leaned forward, patting her shoulder again.

“One hour.” she stated. “The Teensies will have the markings deciphered in one hour and after that, only a simple portal and they'll be back again. Don't worry...he'll come back.” she reassured, grasping her shoulder a bit to show her support.

The younger fairy gave a long sigh, gazing at the her with the gratitude she still held for the Elder fairy. “This will be the longest hour of my entire life...” she muttered, her thoughts centered around her son, whom she would see in an hour's time. Hopefully...

Limely · Post by **Limely** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:33 am

I wish I had, but I don't have time to read it now. D: They'll come to pick me up in half an hour, and I've gotta load some music into my mp3-player. So I've pasted it into a Word-document, and I'll read it on the car-ride or something. x3

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