Valkyrie's Page of Wonder

January 31, 2010

Fallen Angel - Maerd, Part 4

After traveling for almost an hour they crest a hill and spot the group on the field below. A dozen mages and six guards make up the group. The field was clear except for a few trees far to the east.
“Do you have a plan for this one, Xannon?” Gatomon asks.
“I’m thinking. Give me a moment.”
“Well make it quick if we wait too much longer they are bound to see us.”
“Ok. We split up. Sarah and I will head around to the right, Gatomon and Aaron go to the left. Grey, Roger and Kris will go up the middle to distract them.”
“You’re going to use us as bait?” Roger asks.
“I had to use someone and you are the best candidates.”
“I’m not sure how to take that.”
“Enough,” Gatomon orders, “Let’s get going. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Roger nods and starts working his way across the field toward the group of mages with Grey and Kris following close behind him. Gatomon and Aaron quickly make their way around the left flank while Xannon and Sarah go right.
“Are you sure about this?” Sarah asks as they walk.
“If we can catch them off guard, yes. When Roger gets their attention we have to strike hard and fast.”
Roger casts a fireball ball into the midst of the mages. Half of them instinctively cast a protective barrier around themselves, the others dive for cover. As they get back on their feet they spot Roger and begin their counterattack, but before they can cast their spells the ground around them erupts into flames from Xannon’s Flame Eruption. Three of the mages are caught in the flames and reduced to ash. Several others catch fire and scramble to douse the flames. The guards form up between the mages and Roger.
The unaffected mages search for the source of the Flame Eruption and finally locate Xannon and Sarah. With practiced skill and efficiency, they quickly fire off a several rounds of Flare Dart spells, peppering the area with fire and lighting up the night. Sarah casts a protective barrier to keep them from harm. As Xannon prepares for his second attack, Gatomon and Aaron launch their attack. Gatomon’s ice lance flies across the field and strikes one of the mages in the shoulder, eliciting a scream of pain. Aaron uses a quicksand spell to turn the ground beneath another mage to liquid. He starts to cry out but is cut off as the ground swallows him whole.
Despite their losses the mages quickly regroup and retaliate. Four face off against Xannon and Sarah while the remaining three take on Gatomon and Aaron. One of the mages facing Xannon, summons forth a massive rain storm which assaults Xannon’s location forcing him to cancel his spellcasting and create a protective barrier. Sarah tries to send an attack at the mage, but is blasted with a wall of air from one of the others. She’s pushed backwards but manages to keep her footing.
The three mages that caught fire finally get themselves put out and immediately send a trio of fireballs at Xannon and Sarah. Quick to react, Sarah creates another protective field to strengthen Xannon’s.
“There’s too many of them!” Sarah cries out. “We can’t get in an attack!”

Across the field Gatomon and Aaron have a similar issue where they can’t attack for having to defend themselves from the numerous attacks.
“This was not a good idea!” Aaron yells over the explosion from another fireball. “I don’t know how long I can hold out!”

“Sarah! I need you protect us both while I channel my spell!”
“I don’t know how long I can hold it, against this kind of barrage! I’ll do what I can.”
Xannon nods and drops his barrier while beginning to channel magic into his Fire Bomb spell. As he concentrates harder on the spell he begins to feel the flow of magic through him. The sounds of battle fade away, replaced by the rhythmic beat of his heart and his quick breathing.

Grey, Roger and Kris face off against the six guards. The guards slowly form a circle around the three priests.
“This will be interesting…” Roger states.
One of the soldiers starts to attack but finds himself quickly wrapped up in thorny vines. As they pierce his skin, he cries out in agony, his blood feeling like it was molten lava. Roger quickly jumps in and attacks one of the others but is deflected by his opponent’s sword. With flashes of sparks from the contact, the two battle it out while the third watches Kris for the right moment to attack.
Grey quickly casts Acid Blast at his first target, which splatters across his sword and shield. With a hissing sound, smoke begins to rise from the metal. Immediately the soldier drops his shield and within moments the shield is nothing more than a pile of smoking ash. The sword doesn’t fare much better, sizzling and melting in half. The other one rushes in and begins his assault. Grey does his best to defend against the attack but doesn’t know how long his strength will hold out. He was trained in magic, not physical combat.
Kris faces his two targets with his sword drawn and ready. He waits for one of them to make the first move. Seconds seem like hours until one of them brings his sword up to attack and immediately finds Kris’ sword thrust through the soldier’s chest.
“How did…” the solider doesn’t finish his sentence as he collapses on the ground, lifeless.
The other combatant uses the opportunity to strike, catching Kris’ shoulder as he struggles to remove the sword from the dead man’s metal chest plate. He finally gets the weapon free just in time to block the next attack.

Sarah struggles to maintain her protection spell while Xannon channels his Fire Bomb, seemingly in a trance. She says a quick prayer to Bast and her amulet’s eyes glow green.

Xannon concentrates on the flow of magic in the world around him, directing it through him and into his spell. He senses the fights going on around him and knows how outnumbered they are. He can feel Sarah’s prayer to Bast and the magic flowing from the amulet into her barrier. He says his own prayer to Bast asking for guidance and power. However, instead of gaining more power from his amulet, he feels something deep inside him come alive. Something that was alien, yet very familiar all at the same time. A gentle breeze caresses his face for a moment before becoming a raging wind from deep inside his soul. The wind turns to power which flows directly into his Fire Bomb spell. Shocked and amazed, Xannon casts the Fire Bomb into the middle of the surviving mages.

Gatomon and Aaron struggle to maintain their spells when they sense a giant power boost from across the field. For the briefest of moments, Gatomon senses, more than sees, brilliant white wings around Xannon. He fires his spell and the mages immediately cease their attacks and try to put up their own defenses. Gatomon feels the immense power of the spell and knows that none of the mages would survive it.

Gray, Kris and Roger battle their respective targets when a brilliant, blinding light erupts from the direction of the mages. A massive fireball envelops the field. They shield their eyes from the light and are blasted with a wave of heat. They each respond by casting a barrier around themselves. The soldiers cover their faces but the heat wave is too much and their skin begins to burn and peel off. Cries of agony echo through the explosion. Almost as quickly as it appeared the light and heat fade. The sudden darkness makes them wonder if they went blind, but slowly their eyes readjust and they can see the smoking remains of their targets. They head for the source of the explosion and find a massive crater where the mages used to be. They all stand shocked at the power of the attack and turn to Xannon who seems to be equally surprised.

Gatomon runs over to Xannon and Sarah who simply stare at the crater the Fire Bomb had left.
“How did you do that?!” Gatomon demands. “You should not be able to draw that much power, even with Bast’s help.”
“I…don’t know,” Xannon stammers. “The power didn’t come from me… at least not that I know of. But yet…”
“Next time, learn to control whatever that was! You nearly got us all killed! That was beyond overkill, and twice now that you’ve demonstrated power beyond your normal ability. When we get back to the temple, I want you to see the High Priestess. Perhaps she can help you figure out what is going on.”
She turns away and watches the other approach.
“Come, we need to return to the city quickly. The Town Watch must be told of what we have accomplished before the forces of Kardis find out.”
Gatomon heads off toward the city leaving the others behind. They each look at Xannon, both shocked and scared at the same time. The guys turn and follow Gatomon leaving Xannon and Sarah alone.
“What happen?” Sarah asks, gently.
“Something inside me… something…familiar…yet unknown.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I think… No. Never mind, it’s not possible.”
“What is?”
Xannon pauses and looks over at her.
“Nothing. I want to talk to the High Priestess before I make any assumptions. Come on, let’s go before we lose track of Gatomon.”
Xannon turns and heads off after Gatomon. As he leaves, Sarah feels something different about him. She shakes her head to clear it then runs to join up with him.



The trip through the night back to Maerd was eerily quite. No one wanted to broach the subject of their last fight, mostly because no one, not even Xannon, had an explanation for it yet.
Sarah looks over to Xannon who stares ahead but appears lost in thought, all but oblivious to the world. She reaches out and touches his hand. Instinctively, Xannon grasps her hand tight, the feelings of fear and worry flowing into Sarah. In the back of her mind she can sense something different about Xannon. This was not like him at all. He was supposed to be strong, confident, brash even. Whatever happened had scared him.
Sarah looks back up and sees that they have finally arrived back at the town watch command post. Gatomon strides up to Commander Mala while the rest hang back. Xannon walks over to one of the collapsed buildings where he leans against one of the remaining walls before sliding to the ground. Sarah follows him and sits down next to him.
“What happen back there?” Sarah asks in a whisper.
Xannon looks at the ground for a moment.
“I’ve been going over it in my head since it happened. Right now, all I know is that I asked for help from Bast, but somehow managed to do it myself.”
Xannon looks up to the still dark sky as he searches for the words to use.
“Imagine you were in your room, where you knew where everything was, knew what everything was. Everything that was there had always been there and nothing had ever changed. Now imagine that somewhere in that room something moved of its own will. You didn’t make it happen. It did it by itself. It was alive somehow, and it had been there the entire time, watching, waiting.”
Sarah gets chills and rubs her arms to try and warm back up. She tries to imagine what that something could be.
“I can see why you’re so scared. But I’m sure that the High Priestess knows what’s going on.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Xannon looks back down at Gatomon talking with Mala. “Wait a minute…”
“What is it?”
“Something I read back in school…about angels…”
“You mean the ones that watch over us, Guardian Angels?”
Xannon leans forward searching his memory for the one piece of information that might hold the answer.
“That’s it! The High Priestess! She’s one too!”
“One what?” Sarah asks.
“An Archangel. From what I remember, select people are born with the spirit of one of the first archangels sealed inside them. Only ever one at a time, meaning the existing archangel has to die before another can be born.”
“If that was true, and the High Priestess was an Archangel, then the other High Priests and Priestess would be one too. And from what I remember Bast only has four Archangels.”
“Right, and how many High Priests or Priestesses do we have currently?”
“High Priestess Celeste, High Priestess Rima, High Priestess Cybele and… Hmm…guess only three.”
“Exactly my point, High Priestess Rachana was killed a few years before I was born fighting against High Priest Bram of the forces of Kardis. Since then we have only had three High Priestesses.”
“There is a problem with your logic though. There has never been a High Priest of Bast, only High Priestesses. Plus you and I both know that Gatomon is the favored of Celeste. If anyone is going to be the new High Priestess, it’s her. Perhaps it’s not an archangel inside you. Perhaps it was just Bast giving you a sudden boost of power.”
“Perhaps, but there was something different about it. It didn’t feel like Bast at all.”
“Xannon, Sarah,” Gatomon calls out to them from across the way. “Don’t just sit there, go help the others attend to the wounded.”
“Yes ma’am,” Xannon says as he stands up.
He turns back to Sarah and helps her to her feet.
“I’ll think on this some more and let you know if I have any other ideas.”



After healing several of the wounded soldiers, Xannon and Sarah were beginning to show signs of strain. With no real rest since they left the night before, everyone, including Gatomon, were tired and in need of sleep.
Gatomon walks up with Commander Mala and calls everyone over.
“Word has reached the main group of our attack last night. Initial reports show no immediate plan for retaliation, but we can’t let our guard down. The Temple has been checked out by the engineers and reinforced, but the majority of the living quarters have been destroyed. Only six rooms are deemed livable and they are being reserved for this temple’s priestesses.
“Sarah, do you think your parents will let us stay in their house for the remainder of our operation here?”
“I’m sure they would,” Sarah replies. “They will do whatever they can for the Temple of Bast.”
“Excellent. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to rest just yet. Their reluctance to take action against us has left Kardis’ forces vulnerable to a surprise attack. Commander Mala has more details.”
“Our spies have confirmed that without their major spell casters, the rest of the soldiers are about ready to turn and run. Only the threats of bodily harm from their commanders are keeping them here. If we can take out their commanders, we can end this siege.
“We’ve just learned that they are planning a strategy meeting in two hours near the back of their camp. We need to get a small strike team around their flanks and into position before then. Gatomon has volunteered you all for this mission. In order to increase our chances of success we are going to need two groups, one for the left flank and one for the right. Once you have divided yourselves up meet me back at the command tent.”
Commander Mala salutes then turns and heads back to the tent. Xannon turns to Gatomon then to the others.
“Did you have a plan for dividing us up, Gatomon?”
“Yes, you are coming with me and Sarah. I need to keep an eye on your new power, make sure you don’t do something stupid again. The rest of you will be together. I will take the group around the right flank while you guys take the left. We have to move fast if we want to keep our cover of night at all. As long as we don’t run into any trouble, we should reach their meeting before sunrise.”
“This sounds very dangerous. What happens after we attack the camp?” Kris asks. “Everyone will know where we are, there will be no cover of darkness and there will be three thousand of them and only seven of us. Even if they do decide to retreat, they will kill us in the process.”
“He has a point Gatomon,” Aaron states. “Commander Waterdeep is sending us on a suicide mission.”
“Correction, Gatomon volunteered us for a suicide mission,” replies Grey.
“Quit complaining, all of you!” Gatomon snaps. “I volunteered us for this because I knew we could do it. Don’t forget that while we are working our way around their camp, Commander Waterdeep will be preparing for a full on assault.”
“Oh good, then it will be five hundred and seven against three thousand. I feel much better.”
“If you don’t like it, Kris, you are welcome to stay behind. But this kind of cowardice will not look good on my report to the High Priestess.”
Gatomon storms off back to the command tent. Xannon turns to the others.
“She has a point. She wouldn’t have signed us up if she didn’t think we could do it. And don’t forget that she’s going too. She has just as much at risk here as we do. Now let’s go.”
Xannon turns and follows Gatomon. Sarah quickly follows as well. Reluctantly, Grey, Aaron, Roger, and Kris head for the tent.

Forty-five minutes later, with the morning light already starting to fill the sky, Gatomon, Xannon and Sarah hide behind a small rise at the far back of the enemy camp.
“Do you think they got caught?” Sarah whispers to Gatomon.
“No, they probably encountered a patrol and had to hide out for a moment.”
“Look there,” Xannon interrupts, pointing toward the camp. “It’s an elf. I thought they all served Gaia.”
“Most do,” Gatomon says. “Only a few bloodlines serve the other gods. This is most likely one of the D’Lefin’s, the most famous family serving Kardis. I don’t think either of you have ever faced an elf, but whatever you do, do not underestimate them. They don’t cast spells like we do. They use magic as freely as we use our hands. That one there is most likely at least one hundred and twenty years old already and well versed in all manner of fighting.”
“I could take her,” Xannon states matter-of-factly.
“Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”
“Someone’s coming!” Sarah whispers.
Gatomon and Xannon draw their daggers, ready to pounce on whoever comes around the rise.
Kris stumbles around the corner and collapses on the ground. A massive gash covers his back. Blood soaks his shirt and pants.
“They saw us!” he rasps out through uneven breaths. “Grey and Aaron escaped. They captured Roger. I swore I was going to die before I made it here.”
Sarah begins healing him as best she can.
“Not too much, Sarah.” Gatomon cautions. “We can’t draw their attention. Not yet.”
“If I don’t, he’ll die!”
“They’ll find us!”
“Too late!” Xannon warns. “The elf has detected the spell. She’s coming this way!”
A war horn sounds from across the field. The forces of Bast have begun their assault. The rest of the army grabs their weapons and head for the front. The commanders try to quickly rework their plans.
“Now!” Gatomon yells as she leaps over the rise, releasing two well aimed Freeze Darts.
The darts scream across the short distance to the tent striking two of the commanders in the head, killing them both. Xannon jumps out next and fires of a volley of Fire Darts at the tent and the elf. The commanders burst into flames and being trying to put out the fire but a quick shot from Gatomon ends their lives. The elf deflects the attacks and squares off against Gatomon and Xannon.
“Gatomon! Go find Roger! I’ll handle the elf.”
She nods and heads off in the direction Kris came from. Xannon sends another Fire Dart at the elf to keep her attention. She blocks the attack and laughs.
“Surely that’s not the best you can do, little man. I was hoping for at least a little challenge.”
“Well bring it on and let’s find out how challenging I am.”
Without warning the elf sends a blast of dark energy at Xannon. With quick reflexes he dodges out of the way and fires a Flare Arrow at the elf. Before the arrow reaches her however it veers off course before impacting the ground several yards away.
“You have no idea what you are up against. I am not just another mage for you to play with. I am Verana mia Sotanden D’Lefin, heir to the D’Lefin bloodline and your worst nightmare. No human who has fought me has lived.”
“Then prepare for some firsts. Flame Explosion!”
The ground underneath Verana bursts upward in a fiery pillar. From high in the air, Verana begins her counterattack sending dozens of black darts at Xannon. He quickly throws up a barrier and calculates her landing. He readies his spell and casts it as soon as her feet touch the ground. Thorny vines burst from the ground and wrap themselves around the elf’s legs. The poison tips fail to penetrate her thick boots.
Xannon draws his sword and charges the trapped Elf. She quickly draws a short thin bladed weapon and blocks his attack. She sends a burst of energy radiating outward, knocking Xannon backwards and turning the Hell Ivy to dust.

Sarah finishes healing Kris’ major wounds and helps him to his feet. He winces a little from the pain still in his back and looks over to Xannon.
“You have to help him! She’s the one that attacked us! She’ll kill him!”
“We have to get you out of here. He can hold her off for a little while longer.”
“No!” Kris says pushing away from Sarah. “If he fails it won’t matter how far we’ve gotten, she’ll find us!”
He stumbles a moment before regaining his balance.
“Save him!” He yells, pointing to Xannon.

Xannon is panting heavily from having to defend against her constant attacks. Her skill with the sword was amazing. No one he had met before matched her skill. He fails to block one of her attacks and it clips his shoulder putting a deep gash down to his elbow. He winces in pain and immediately beings a healing spell to at least stitch the wound closed. He senses another spell being cast on him and glances over to see Sarah casting a healing spell.
“No interference!” Verana screams, sending a blast of dark energy at Sarah.
Xannon tries to throw up a barrier around Sarah but only manages to block half the attack, the rest of the wave washes over Sarah. She screams in pain before collapsing to the ground.
“Stupid girl. Her skill was no match for—” Verana’s words are cut off by a powerful fireball from Xannon.
“I will cut you to pieces and burn you to ash!” Xannon yells as he bursts through the fireball’s explosion, his sword pointed at Verana’s throat. She dodges out of the way and comes back up to find Xannon’s blade slicing through the air at her. They begin a frenzied battle of metal and magic with neither one gaining a clear advantage. Soon the landscape is reduced to a charred wasteland from the effects of the spells. They lock swords and stare at each other across grinding steel. The righteous fury in Xannon’s eyes catches Verana off guard and he uses the opportunity to knock her weapon out of her hand. She sends several blasts of energy at Xannon while flipping backwards, away from Xannon. He deflects the attacks and prepares to charge when a horn is heard, then another. Word of their commanders’ death had reached the front and the forces of Kardis were in full retreat. Within moments, dozens of soldiers being racing across the field toward the south east. Xannon fixes his eyes on Verana through the growing dust cloud.
“This isn’t over Verana!” Xannon yells over the growing din of retreat. “I will find you!”
Verana retrieves her weapon and joins the retreat. Xannon watches her leave then turns and fights his way through the flood of soldiers to where Sarah lays on the ground, barely out of the path of the flood. He picks her up and looks to see Kris caught in the retreating mass. Xannon fights his way to Kris and escorts him over to a small tent. Once inside they rest and hope the soldiers avoid trampling them. Within moments the stampede fades to the sound of only a few soldiers then a mighty cheer from the remaining soldiers of the town watch.
Xannon exits the tent and surveys the enemy camp. Dozens of enemy soldiers lie face down in the dirt. Several of the town watch pick through the fallen men, hauling in the survivors for treatment and questioning. One of the soldiers of the watch sees Xannon standing there and calls out for a medic.
“Priest Xannon! Thank the Goddess you’re alive!”
The medic arrives and begins to treat Xannon’s wounds but he roughly brushes him off and points to the tent.
“Take care of them first.”
“But sir, your arm…”
“Them first!” Xannon demands.
The medic nods and heads into the tent.
“You really should get that arm looked at sir. I’m actually surprised it’s still attached.”
Xannon looks over at his arm, remembering that he never got a chance to finish his healing spell. Blood pours from the open wound, his arm and sword covered in his own blood.
“Really, I’m fine. I don’t feel a thing.”
Blackness begins to eat at the edge of his vision and his head starts to spin. Tiny lights begin flashing in front of his eyes before it all fades away to darkness. The last thing he hears before hitting the ground is a female voice calling out his name.

January 30, 2010

Fallen Angel - Maerd, Part 3

After dinner Gatomon leads the group back out of the house and to the east. When they reach the front lines they ask for an update and learn exactly where the enemy camp is set up. After obtaining a few supplies from the quartermaster they quietly begin their trek toward the enemy base. The last rays of sunshine disappear beyond the horizon as the soldiers disappear from view.
As they slowly creep along the edge of the river, the only light coming from the stars above, Sarah walks up next to Xannon and whispers in his ear.
“Are you sure you and Gatomon can do this?”
“You’ve asked me that several times now. Yes, I’m sure we can do it,” Xannon replies as nicely as possible.
“Sorry, it’s just… I’m not sure if I will be able to protect you like I promised. I wasn’t even able to help back in Hirogei. What if I fail and you get hurt?”
“I trust you, Sarah. Believe in the Goddess. She will give you all the power you need.”
“Quiet!” Gatomon says as loud as she dared, “They are right over that hill about one hundred yards. Xannon, do you need to be closer?”
“It would be helpful, are there any hiding spots closer?”
Gatomon peaks over the hill and surveys the land. Except for a few sparse trees the ground was clear. The only way to get closer would be the river.
“Not enough cover. We’ll have to use the river bank. But I’m sure they will have guards posted so we can’t get too much closer.”
“Let’s see how close we can get then. Quiet from here out,” Xannon orders.
Everyone replies with a nod.
Gatomon leads the way up river staying as close to the water as she can. She carefully peeks over the river bank ever few feet to check for guards and to see how far they have gone. As they slowly get closer she peeks over the edge again and sees a pair of soldiers heading their way. She immediately motions for everyone to stop moving and get down.
The light coming from the camp was too far away to reach them behind the river bank making it very hard for the soldiers to see much of anything beyond it except for the stars reflecting off the river. The soldiers stop at the top of the small hill and look around, waiting for their eyes to adjust.
“I told you there was nothing there,” one says to the other.
“I dunno. It’s too dark to see anything clearly,” the other replies. “I just have a bad feeling, that’s all.”
“Bad feelings… You always have a bad feeling about everything. You even had a bad feeling about your last birthday party.”
“And look what happen. The wind caught the stack of napkins blowing them across the burning birthday candles, setting them on fire and nearly burning my parents’ house down!”
“It was a freak accident! There is no way you could have known or felt that was going to happen.”
“Look, Frank. Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean the world isn’t out to get me, ok?”
“I guess if you always expect something bad to happen you’ll eventually be right, huh?”
“Exactly, now let me take another look.”
He carefully examines the river for any disturbances then scans the area where Xannon and the others lie motionless. His eyes fall on Sarah and she freezes, unmoving, unflinching, even her breathing stops. He watches her spot for what seems like hours. Finally Sarah closes her eyes and focuses on Bast silently asking her to avert his gaze.
“Are you done yet, James? It’s getting cold out here and I have a card game to finish.”
James looks around one more time before answering.
“Yeah, I guess so. I still think something is out there though.”
“You keep thinking that. Maybe some day you’ll be right again, just not today.”
Frank heads back to the camp followed by James. Sarah takes a slow deep breath to not cause a lot of noise. Gatomon makes a motion that this is as far as they go. Roger, Grey and Aaron form up around Gatomon while she prepares to cast her spells while Kris and Sarah wait on either side of Xannon.
Xannon kneels down and closes his eyes focusing on the energy around him. At first he feels nothing, but slowly he can sense Sarah and Kris, then Gatomon and the others. He expands his range and they fade to the back of his mind. Soon all the small life forms scurrying around the river bed come into focus. They are as numerous as the stars and even harder to keep track of. He reaches further with his mind and the animals fade away. As he continues to concentrate a large mass of energy is felt from the camp. At first it’s all a massive blur, but slowly it comes into focus, first being divided into camps, then finally as individuals. He mentally travels among the soldiers, learning who their leaders are from how they interact with each other. Suddenly one of the soldier’s signatures begins to fade as Gatomon begins her Suffocate spell.
Using this distraction, Xannon concentrates on one of the lesser soldiers and casts Suffocate as well. He holds the spell until the energy is extinguished. Realizing this tactic will take too long to be effective he begins channeling a localized Vacuum spell, removing the air from an area near the far edge of the camp. All those in that area immediately begin to fade from his mind. He increases the power and range of the spell and focuses on a larger area. More soldiers fade from his mind’s eye as the Vacuum cloud grows.
Sarah waits patiently for any signs of attack but only hears the cries of the soldiers over the hill. Soon the fires begin to fade and die. Thinking the soldiers are trying to mask their presence she slowly and silently pulls out her staff and inches toward the top of the hill. She watches as the frantic soldiers scurry about trying to find the source of the attacks only to suddenly start gasping for breath before collapsing to the ground. The raging fires they were using to warm up and cook food quickly dwindle and die, the embers only glowing for a moment before fading to darkness. The cries of pain and alarm are soon replaced by silence. The entire camp has gone dark. No fires burn and her eyes slowly adjust to the new darkness.
Behind her, Xannon takes a deep breath as if breathing for the first time.
“It is done,” he says after a moment.
The voice startles Gatomon and she looks back to him slightly confused.
“They are dead.”
“All of them?” Gatomon whispers.
“All of them,” He replies flatly.
“But… how?” she asks silently scrambling up the hill next to Sarah.
She looks across the field to the camp and sees no fires and no movement. The only audible sound is their own breathing. She carefully climbs over the embankment and heads for the camp. Sarah silently follows her in. As they approach the silent camp she can see the soldiers lying on the ground, their faces twisted in horror. The stone cold camp fires look as if they had been out for days. Sarah reaches down to touch one of the soldiers and finds his body cold. She shivers and draws back her hand.
“This isn’t what I was expecting. It’s eerie,” Sarah whispers to Gatomon.
Xannon walks past them headed toward the main tent. Sarah follows and they both enter the tent to find the enemy commander slumped over a table. A map lies open with several figures marking troop placement at various points. Xannon walks around the map and pulls the dead body to the floor. He then proceeds to carefully examine the map. Gatomon and the others enter the tent and examine the map as well.
“According the map and what few notes are written here,” Xannon begins, “they were planning a raid tomorrow night. It also appears that their main group of magic users was in this camp until recently. I think they may have headed back to the main group a little over an hour ago. If we hurry we might be able to catch up to them before they can reach them.”
“How did you do it, Xannon?” Gatomon asks. “I had only just begun on my third soldier when I heard you say it was done.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. There are more important things to do.”
Xannon makes a few more notes on the map, including marking where the figures were, then clears it off and folds it up, handing it to Roger for safe keeping.
“Gather whatever supplies you can safely carry. We have to leave soon if we want to catch up to their mages.”
Xannon goes to leave the tent when Gatomon grabs his arm.
“How?” she simply asks.
“Later,” he replies pulling his arm free and leaving the tent.