by Luna Lais
"Why have you summoned me here?" Jimmy asked. "Was it merely to tell me this?"
"I am afraid not, Virtue," he replied. "You see, for quite some time I have been trapped in the mountain. As old and as frail as I am, I could not hope to defend myself against the wizardry of the Evil One. One of his minions, fashioned from one of my own dreams, imprisoned me here with a magic that I cannot penetrate. The minion is out there in the world now, doing the will of his master. You are the only one that can defeat and destroy him, releasing me from my prison so that I may return home to Tibet." It was at that moment, a woman stepped out from behind Mjong.
"This is Tina," he said. She smiled, and Jimmy met her gaze. "She and James are the only two people that have been to this mountain cave and know of my existence. They have learned from me as I have learned from them. I trust them with my very life...and they are my humble servants. That is why I ask you to take Tina with you and guard her. She knows this mountain better than I, and will be able to help you to find the wizard." Jimmy looked at her closely. She was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and blue jeans. Around her neck was a chain necklace with a crystal hanging from it. It caught what little light shone in the cavern, and the light revealed a small crack in it. Shaking his head to break his gaze, he looked back at Mjong.
"This would be too dangerous," Jimmy said. "It would be better if I were to bring back the rest of the Triad and..."
"Hero," he interrupted, "you must pay more mind to the words in Legandria. For it tells that today, one of your friends will betray you."
"Who?" Jimmy asked.
"The legend only tells what will come to pass," he replied. "I beg of you to heed this warning. Tina is alot more powerful than you think. Please take her with you...and trust no one else!" Jimmy nodded his head, and Tina walked over to Jimmy. "I feel him gathering his forces on the mountain to the east. Please go there and confront him. Tina will show you the way." Jimmy and Tina turned and began to walk out of the cavern. Mjong's voice trailed as he yelled to Jimmy once more. "Trust no one else!"
* * *
As they walked out of the cave, Tina turned to Jimmy.
"The wizard that imprisoned Mjong is to the east of here," she said. "It's best we travel on foot so we are not spotted."
"Just be careful," Jimmy said to her. They began to walk down another narrow path to the east, heading for the nearby mountain.
"I wouldn't worry so much about me," she said. "I've been on this mountain a long time. I know every inch of it. It was my love for exploring that brought me here in the first place. I work at a retail store in town, so you can imagine how boring life is there. I came here looking for adventure. Could you imagine my surprise when I came across that cave and found a dragon! Mjong took me in and realized my pure heart. James and I look after Mjong, but hopefully now, we can get him back to Tibet to rest with his ancestors." Jimmy became fascinated with her story, and if you could look into his eyes, you would see he was enamored with her. "I've been here a long time...and nothing has happened to me yet. But this wizard...he has the ability to take on any form he chooses. We have to be careful." Jimmy stopped her for a moment and turned her to face him. He removed his helm and looked at her.
"I promise, on my honor as a Knight of Virtue, I won't let any harm come to you," he said to her. She looked back at him and smiled.
"That's sweet," she replied. They began walking again, and walked for quite a while before they came upon another cave. Jimmy put his helm back on and carefully went to go inside. Just then, something landed behind him, he turned quickly, unsheathing his sword, only to find it was Chrissy.
"You nearly scared the crap outta me," Jimmy said to her. "I thought I told you to stay behind."
"I had to come," she said. "Something is not right about this."
"Very well," Jimmy said. "Chrissy, follow me. Tina, stay behind Chrissy. If anything happens, we'll protect you." The three carefully went into the cave. Dimly lit by the torches lining it, the cave was mysterious to say the least. But as they came towards the end of the tunnel, Jimmy spotted a cavern ahead, and something sitting in the middle of it. It seemed strange.
"Stay here," Jimmy said. "There's something there, and I want to check it out." They nodded, and Jimmy approached the cavern. As he got closer, he found it was something sitting with their back to him in a chair, chained up and unconscious. As he got closer, a feeling of dread came over him. He turned around the chair and saw Chrissy, chained up and unconscious, beginning to come to.
"What the hell is going on?" Jimmy asked looking at her. He immediately heard a cackling laugh from behind him. He turned to find what he thought was Chrissy was laughing. It turned into an evil wizard, and he pulled a sword, grabbing Tina and holding her in his grasp.
"You are a fool!" he yelled. "You will never defeat me! The Triad's quest to defeat the Master is a futile one, and the Ultimate Power will be ours for the taking! This world shall give birth to a glorious new one, and all that work against the Master will cease to exist! And you, my dear, will be the first casualty of this war!" Tina pulled her arm free and grabbed the crystal on her necklace. The crystal began to glow, but all at once the wizard stabbed Tina right through her stomach. Blood gushed out of her mouth as she slumped over. He pulled the sword out, and she dropped nearly lifelessly to his feet. Rage came over Jimmy like never before, and the crystal Tina had still clutched in her hand tightly began to glow and resonate.
"That will be the last mistake you'll ever make!" Jimmy yelled as he drew his sword. But suddenly, the crystal began to resonate with his own heartbeat.
By the Orb of Light,
May Wisdom, Power, and Courage unite
Under the power of Triad!
His armor exploded in golden light, and the power filled him with the strength three times that of before. Lightning exploded through the cavern, as the Ultimate Power filled his heart and soul with limitless energy. Grass began to grow around him in the cavern, as the very power of Life itself came forth.
"The Creator gave her life," Jimmy said, glaring at the wizard. "For that alone shall I take that power from you!" The wizard shot Jimmy with electric bolts, but Jimmy kept moving forward, as if it didn't phase him. The wizard raised his own sword and began to fight Jimmy. After several swings, Jimmy's sword cut through his, and he swung quickly, beheading the wizard, then stabbing his sword right through his chest, through his heart. He pulled the sword from his body and slumped to one knee. He started to feel the power leaving him, and only one thought raced through his mind...the power of Life. He used what little strength he had left and ran to Tina, touching her with his sword.
"I am the focal point," he whispered to her. "I promised I would protect you. I won't let you die!" The power of the sword flowed out of him, slowly returning him to normal. The power flowed through her...but it wasn't enough.
"I understand now," she gasped as she took her last breaths. "You must return it to Mjong...the crys..." Just then, the body of the Wizard sprung to life. Jimmy ran to the head and picked it up, and it was reciting incantations. Chrissy was finally on her feet.
"Chrissy!" he yelled. "Catch!" He threw the head to her, and as her eyes glowed, she turned around and caught it. She dropped it, and took her sword, driving it through his skull. The electricity flowed through her, and the mummies that began appearing from the walls began to fall as his life force was drained from him. Jimmy scooped up Tina and began running to the entrance. The crystal on her neck continued to resonate. When they were almost out, the whole cave exploded, and the two were thrown out of the cave and to the ground outside. Jimmy slowly got up and went over to where Tina lay. He turned her over...to see that indeed, she had passed away. He held her tightly, sobbing.
"I promised her!" he yelled. "I promised her I wouldn't let anything happen to her! Why?" His tears rapidly soaked her blood-stained clothes, and moistened the now barren chain around her neck. After a few minutes, he looked up and realized Chrissy was nowhere to be found
. He set Tina down gently and turned to the cave.
"Chrissy!" he yelled. Suddenly there was a rumbling, and the cave exploded. Out of the entrance walked a weakened Chrissy. She fell to one knee, and the power left her, turning her back to normal. Jimmy ran to her.
"How is the girl?" she asked him, coughing. Jimmy just lowered his head.
"She's gone," he said, still teared up. Chrissy let out a sigh.
"I knew we should have both followed you closely," she said softly to him. "I have been spending alot of time trying to figure out Legandria. And that letter had set off something in me I was fearful of. That wizard's power was too great for me...he caught me off guard and knocked me out. Now I know what the passage meant."
An evil lurks in the city
A wonder needs to be released
Virtue must challenge the evil alone
For one of his own will betray him
And a goal will be lost
But a destiny he will find
To carry on that which he started
To do right, to do justice for all.
They dug a grave and buried Tina on the mountain. After saying their goodbyes, Jimmy and Chrissy returned to Mjong to deliver the grim news.
* * *
"I am sorry to hear of her passing," Mjong said. "The warnings in Legandria were clear, but sometimes even the most noble of us make mistakes." Jimmy lowered his head.
"I failed her," he said. "I failed my ancestors by letting her die."
"Do not dwell on such matters," he replied. "Her memory will serve and guide you for the rest of your days. G’riel had seen the past, the present, and the future in you. Her powers dwell within the entire Triad. If you must have worry in your heart, redirect it, and make it something to fight for. Use the light to dispel the darkness in your own heart. Above all else, Virtue, continue to learn and love...and fight for what you know is right. Someday you will come face to face with the Evil One...and he will challenge you in ways you never thought possible. But take heart that those like Tina will continue to guide you...and G’riel herself, in the end, will bestow upon you the full powers the Creator himself meant for you to defeat the Evil One once and for all." At that, they left the cave, and James climbed on his back. "I must return to Everest to spend the rest of my days. Farewell Triad...and remember." He took off and flew into the distance. Chrissy turned to Jimmy.
"Don't let this haunt you," Chrissy said. "Your soul has enough torment in it."
"I can't stop it," he replied. "But I can redirect it. And for the rest of my life I will redirect it into fighting for her...fighting for love." They continued to watch as Mjong faded into the distance, and the sun began to set once again on the mountain.
Chapter 21 - Courage and Emotion
* * *
22
"Wisdom Is The Key"
In the early hours of the day, Jimmy laid awake and pondered the things Chrissy had said to him days earlier. He understood the cycle of life, and in turn love, but he was nowhere near understanding his own place in the grand scheme of things. In his journey though, one of the things he has realized is how important Chrissy was to him as a friend, but also as the cornerstone of their team.
When the time came to wake up, Jimmy packed his things for class and headed out. Once again, however, he was greeted by Ron on the stairs.
"Jimmy," said Ron, "they are having a 'Save The Sperm Whale Convention' in the cafeteria. Looks like we're gonna have to eat out‚."
"Again," Jimmy said.
"You know," he said, "you could always just grab a bag of chips and some soda and come join us by the clock tower." Jimmy thought for a moment.
"You know what," Jimmy said, "I think I will."
"Great!" Ron said, handing Jimmy a bag of chips and a can of soda. "Let's roll." They began walking out to the clock tower.
* * *
As Jimmy and Ron approached the clock tower, Jimmy noticed among the crowd gathered there was Janie. He needed to talk to her anyway, so he walked up to her and sat down.
"So," he said to her, "what have you decided we should do for our presentation? I want to help as much as I can."
"Well," she said, "I've decided we should study the effects of electricity. Conductors, semi-conductors‚."
"No," Jimmy said. "I know what you want to say, and the answer is no. If you want a guinea pig, look to yourself, not me. I've had enough electrical charges through my body, thank you very much."
"Well at least help me find some items for the project," she said. "I need some aluminum, pure sodium, copper, nickel, sulfuric acid, a lemon perhaps, and any other things you think would be a good conductor of electricity. I will work on non-conductors. OK?"
"Alright," Jimmy said, getting up to leave for class. "After class, I'll kinda fly around the world and look for what we need." Janie got up, and they both headed for class.
* * *
Lauren was having issues of her own. Her presentation for Physics wasn't going so well. She sat in the chemistry class room staring at the blackboard at the formulas.
"This is crazy," she said to herself. "I need to come up with something for this project. Damn Jimmy for not helping me with this." She looked at the table of chemicals and began to randomly pour them together in a beaker. Behind her, a small purple dot appeared‚which slowly grew into a small portal. A purple haze emitted from the portal, but Lauren paid no mind as she franticly poured the chemicals. Suddenly, the concoction began to fizzle and boil over. She stepped back, and the substance began to foam over the table and onto the floor. The portal vanished, but the haze made its way to the table and combined with the concoction. It instantly became violent, and disintegrated the table, and began to eat its way through the floor. It began to grow, and Lauren ran out of the room.
Lauren ran into a crowd of people as she ran into the hallway. The crowd saw the door being eaten away and began to panic and run. Lauren reached for her sword, her hand resting on the hilt, breaking the cloaking field briefly, but with the crowd present, she couldn't transform.
"Dammit," she said as she continued to run down the hall. When she came to the stairwell, she had an idea. "If I can get to the chemistry lab, I know something that might blow whatever it is back to the stone age. Maybe then people will be distracted enough for me to transform." She ran up the stairs as quickly as possible as alarms began to sound, and people fled the building. She burst into the chemistry lab just as the blob began enveloping the stairwell, trapping Lauren on the floor above. She quickly looked around and saw the jar with pure sodium. She hid behind the door and raised her sword.
"Power, be my strength!" The sword burst into flames, and it crept down the length of her entire body, setting her ablaze. The flames bonded to her skin, forming the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming her into the Dragon Lady.
"Better than a radiation suit," she commented to herself as she grabbed the chunk of pure sodium with her now armored hand. When the blob reached the lab, she wound up and threw it at the blob. She noticed the sodium fizzle, so she lifted off through the ceiling and through the roof just as it exploded. People below pointed as she flew to the other side of the building. Out of the explosion came the blob‚only now looking more humanoid in appearance.
"I live again!" he yelled. "The Red Witch trapped me in oblivion with my components scattered across the planet, waiting for the day my soul would return to this reality and become one once again! Now the will of the Master will come to pass!"
"I don't think so," Lauren yelled, twirling her sword, then pointing it charged at the monster. The monster leaped from the building to the ground and marched towards Lauren. Her sword blasts slowed him, but didn't stop him. She reached for her TD.
"Chrissy," she yelled, "there's another monster on the loose! Please hurry!" She hit it again. "Jimmy." There was only static. "Where the hell is he?" The monster wound back and hit Lauren so hard she flew up and backwards into the side of the building, then fell to the ground. Chri
ssy appeared as the Dark Woman.
"I see inside of you," Chrissy yelled. The monster turned. "Your weakness is my strength!" Chrissy pulled her coin out and placed it on the hilt of her sword. Storms began to roll in as she raised her sword into the air. The rain poured violently, and the monster began to fizzle.
"I will not be defeated so easily, Wisdom!" he said. He fired a blast of energy at Chrissy, and she was unable to avoid it. When it hit her, she was enveloped in a purple haze, which shrank to nothing as she vanished.
"I will return stronger than ever, Power!" he yelled, "and Wisdom won't interfere again!" At that, he too vanished in a purple haze, disappearing from view. The clouds parted, and Lauren was alone. She desperately reached for her TD.
"Jimmy!" she yelled. "Jimmy, where the hell are you?" But there was still no response. She became distraught at the thought one of her best friends was suddenly gone.