The camp was packed away after breakfast, reach consisted of oatmeal. Foce decided two things: She'd want to eat that again, and she was delaying the potions Sarah made her, because she didn't want to ruin the moment.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQdIfWJ2tq
"Sled's ready!" Banshee announced, turning from the ice structure she created.
"This is it." Foce murmured, staring down at the vault that seemed carved from the snow and ice, "The sword created by the Guardian of Light."
Jessie dropped Foce's wide brimmed hat on her head, startling the vampire a little, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay, thanks." Foce turned around and smiled at the hero.
"You're welcome!" Jessie grinned, playfully tipping the hat over Foce's eyes, eliciting a giggled from her friend.
"Heh, is that why she has the hat now?" Banshee snickered, holding up her hands defensively when Foce gave her a playful glare, "All this time I've only seen you as a fearless leader, it's refreshing to see another side to you, Boss."
"I guess I have been hiding for a while," Foce admitted, "but these last few days have been...enlightening?"
Banshee smiled warmly at Foce and Jessie, "This conversation has been inspiring for me, too...I think I'm ready to face humanity again, try to reach out to them."
"We'll be support you the whole way." Jessie promised, thinking for a moment before adding, "Maybe we can meet the others sometime? I've been wondering what they're like."
"You can meet the when we go to the underworld and find the Infinity Guardians, they're all scattered about, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you the tour." Banshee assured.
Jessie nodded as the others piled up in the sled, "That sounds like fun."
The hero led the others inside the vault, she could see the monsters moving in the shadows, "I guess this place still doesn't seem familiar to you?"
"Nu-uh." Foce replied, her hands drifted to the side, "Perhaps yesterday I remembered coming here and forgot, if so I'll remember soon enough."
"I see...Ray, anything on the crystal ball?" Jessie turned to her brother, who only shook his head as he sought out the Guardian of Light's power, "Well, this is still the right place, it's got to be."
"It looks just like the book on the outside." Ray confirmed, placing the crystal ball in his inventory, "Maybe her magic is so thick here that the crystal ball thinks it's right on top of it."
"Something does feel rather...odd about this place." Foce remarked. She turned to the others, who shook their heads or shrugged, "Probably just because I'm a vampire I can sense it better."
"If that's the case, lead on." Jessie waved for her to go forward, "Sarah, is the trap set?"
"Yup, no one's clone is gonna be sneaking up on us!" Sarah confirmed, both thumbs up.
"There's a bunch of monsters up ahead." Foce whispered, "I'll cut them and run, when I give the order, hit them with a blast of fire."
"Right." Feyerous and Ray replied, then stared at Foce inquisitively.
Foce smiled sheepishly as she started to clear up the confusion, "Oh, uh, I meant Feyerous, I remember you used your powers and moved around some, it may help you later if we're surrounded by monsters."
Ray nodded and stepped aside for the large Guardian of Fire, the Foce ran ahead and with a twirl summoned her scythe into her two handed grasp. She drew the monsters' attention and ran deeper into the hall, Feyerous ran ahead of the others so he would be close enough to hear her.
"Now!" Foce shouted, flipping back through the air, using her wings to stay well out of the reach of the monsters that resembled tigers, along with slime monsters that bounced up to try to hit her. She flew over the fiery red beam of light Feyerous unleashed through his eyes and returned to the others.
"Well, that was certainly impressive!" Ray gave Feyerous a satisfactory nod and turned to Foce, "We should have the sword and be out of here in no time."
"I hope so." the vampire let her scythe vanish and her hands disappeared back into her cloak. The path ahead was dark, but she simply focused on her goal, and the familiar sense she got as she proceeded.
There were a few turns, a large open room, a fire that seemed oddly out of place. All of it was strangely familiar, but she couldn't pick out what, it was as if the answer was written plainly on the walls, and she was afraid to see what it was.
"Okay...this hall has too many doors." Jessie decided, glancing around worriedly at the elegant--and mildly imposing--crimson doors, "Who knows how many monsters are in them, or how long it'll take before we find the right one?"
Foce titled her head to the side and reached out to find Jessie's hand. She walked ahead, and when she knew she would be followed, her hand slipped away and she led Jessie deeper into the hallway.
Suddenly two vicious creatures with the face of a mammoth and the body of a jaguar sprang out from either end of the hall. They made a sound between a roar and a hiss with their uncannily human voices that made Foce feel cold. "Phantom Current!" Foce shouted as turned and blasted a stream of midnight purple at the one on Jessie's side. Swiftly she turned to face the other, twirled towards the one clattering it's claws against the floor behind her, and swiftly turned it to shadows as her scythe's blade glided through it on her descent.
She turned empty-handed to Jessie and let out a deep breath, "Are you okay, Jess?"
"U-u-uh-huh..." Jessie stared at Foce, and slowly released her breath, "I didn't even hear them.
"Me neither." Foce let out a deep sigh and turned around, then swung open the door behind, her hands immediately fell to her side, she was crouched and ready to spring up and over whatever came out, but nothing did, instead pure white light shone from within, and brought her to the floor with a light thud.
"Foce!" Jessie scooped Foce up and ran back to the others with her, "Foce, are you okay?"
Foce slowly opened one purple eye and nodded, "I just...need a potion. Lay me down, I'll be okay, get the sword, go! We need it...to save the world."
Jessie clenched her teeth and shook her head, but ran to the door regardless. When she stumbled out a few moments later, she shook her head, "Nothing."
"How is that possible?" Ray growled as he pulled at his hair, "Foce, do you think perhaps it's elsewhere?!"
"I-I sense it...I know it's...it's here." she fell quiet as she finished drinking the contents of the bottle Sarah offered her, and lay prone on the floor.
"Foce!" Jessie picked the vampire up and glanced around, "Guys, let's hurry back, I have a sick feeling in my stomach."
"Agreed!" Romeo nodded, "I feel it too!"
"The air's getting warmer!" Juliet stared at her hands, "Somehow my palms are sweaty."
"Not to mention this place is now literally falling apart." Jacob remarked, watching spiderweb patterns form in the walls.
"Too bad we can't just teleport from here." Sarah sighed as they turned back the way they came.
"Exit...through the light...I sense it spill out!" Foce pointed towards the room where the light knocked her down at.
"Will you make it through that?" Jessie shook Foce a little as her purple eyes slowly closed, they shot open again and she smiled.
"I don't know if my vampire heart can endure it, but it's your best shot...she's here. Monsters on the stairs...we're stuck." Foce snuggled into Jessie and huffed, "Why's it so hot here?"
"That's...fine, everyone, let's go!" Jessie held the vampire close as she led the others into the bright, white room, "Foce, the exit?"
"Up." Foce sighed, pointing at the hole in the ceiling, "I don't know how, but it's our escape."
Suddenly the room started to collapse around them. Jessie knelt down and drew her sword, "Light Absorb! Light Absorb! I can't, there's too much to command for a mere human...fine, I'll just cut a way out of this one!"
The hero leaned down and bit through the shoulder of her sweater, and pulled it up, then slid her sword to the other side of the inside of her shirt amidst and outburst of "Jessie!" from the rest of the party.
She made sure the edge of it cut into her skin, and then swung her blade up. She slid the blade back into her sheathe and bent forward so Foce could drink the blood without using the energy that she almost certainly didn't have.
Somehow they awoke on the deck of the airship, pale feathers scattered across the upper deck.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50hvadTTim
"A-ah...Jessie..." Ray tiredly found his feet, only to fall after a few steps towards his sister.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZzqkBA0dr
"I'll check on her." Sarah muttered, gestured for him to stay there. She sat beside Jessie and smiled when she heard two separate breaths coming from them, she held out two thumbs up and smiled.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAVQZHXeAl
Jacob grunted and tried to push himself upright, "Someone needs to take the helm of this-"
"Please, don't bother yourself." Foce's voice interrupted.
Two of them stood together, just outside the stairs that headed below deck. One looked incredibly happy, while the other looked completely apathetic, "Yes, please rest your weary bones, my future faithful servants!"891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqZaSZPZOj
"Meal, they're a meal, Lover." Thinker reminded her.
Lover suddenly nodded, "Oh, right, Thinker..."
"Whoa...double vision?" Jessie groaned as she stretched and found that it hurt to move.
"Not quite." Thinker replied, smiling as Foce opened her eyes, "I guess you're half dead, huh? May as well finish the job."
Thinker walked up to the pair and Jessie pulled her close, "I won't let you..." she fell to her side and pushed her feet against the deck in a futile effort to get away.
"No, you won't, she will die of my volition, yours is not required." Thinker drew a silver blade and smiled, "I can't promise I'll aim for the heart, but it'll be done soon eno-" she stumbled back as Foce leapt up and swung her hands, the motion pulled her scythe into her grasp and knocked her enemy back.
"I will not die today! Amethyst Lightning!" Foce roared throwing her hands forward, an electric purple blast knocked them both back into the airship, "My friends will not die today!"
She charged after Thinker and stamped her foot to summon a dark curtain around Jessie as Lover approached her with bared fangs, then threw herself from Thinker to Lover. Her arm wound around Lover's shoulder and she pulled her close and turned them around. Lover screamed as Thinker stabbed her with the silver blade, then cried out as Foce threw one copy at the other, then threw her hands forward again, "Amethyst Lightning, Phantom Current!"
She lowered herself to knees and her eyes glowed brightly, "Go...away! Phantom Protection!"891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKa2sRF7is
Foce's purple soul rushed the two across the deck, their ankles tapped the wall at the end, but Foce pulled them over and they fell into the white below them, their cries slowly fading as Foce drew back into her body.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1c1VqFQYx
She let out a heavy gasp and turned to Jessie, "How are we flying?"891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUhu9Ls7w4
"Who can say?" Jessie panted, "I'm just glad that's over."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw4SpayRRN
"I have to finish them once and for all." Foce stated bitterly, "I still don't know how!"891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9dePDTlAC
"We'll find a way." Jessie whispered, crawling over to Foce.891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSL1JJIS5je
Foce knelt down and helped Jessie into her arms, "What happened back at the vault?"891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttfmO9OBKf
"I don't know...but those feathers aren't yours, right?" Jessie chuckled happily, "I think that's a sign from the Guardian of Light, that place is hers..."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWHEjvlV8C
"That's true." Foce whispered, as she brushed the back of her fingers against Jessie's scarlet cheeks, "Jess...I-I can't...I can't believe how happy I am when you're with me, or how lonely I am, even when I just consider what it'd be like if you left me."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo0yho6skI
"I'm extra super fond of your company, too, Foce." Jessie whispered, resting her head on Foce's shoulders, "I've been falling for you for quite a while now, I just...I love you so much, I don't know if I should feel bad for you or what, so..."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2ae50kFwJ
"Jess...you should feel happy for me, because I have you in my arms now." she kissed Jessie's forehead and blushed as the hero smiled at her, "I promise I'll always protect you."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1YMqAuaa4
"Mm, I thought I was gonna keep you safe all the time..." Jessie murmured, giggling as she sat up on her knees, "but I have to say, you're protecting me pretty good so far."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tL5TXph6V
Foce nodded and smiled, "I try."891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNWlinsDg1
891Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERR6arVfrQ
