The Guardian Crusade

Volume III

 Chapter 19

            Rayne stood in the middle of the room, Nalia’s voice echoing through her ears as she stared at the aura before her.  It was green, like a dwarfs aura should be but there were streams of a bright violet colour and the only other place she saw that aura was from Pixca.  The room did not give her a positive feeling.  Something cried out to her, called to her, but she just didn’t understand what it was.  Closing her eyes she let her mind go, it searched for something, anything that was here and could show her what happened.  Just as she had given up hope that nothing had been around something flashed into her mind.  The screaming was loud and painful and as she looked down she saw Nick on the floor.  Not even giving a thought to his lack of attire she watched as he pulled himself up and then fell again.  He grabbed his head in pain and she watched in horror as his eyes became bloodshot. Then the veins bled into his irises turning them blood red.  Then it was over and Nick turned to his dresser as he spoke. 

“What about the Dryad?” He asked and then a moment later a small smile etched from the corner of his mouth.

“Dryad?” Rayne thought. “Me?”

When she blinked she was back in the room and now Nalia and Alex were beside her asking her if she was ok.

“Something has happened to Nick.” She spoke quietly.

“Mela did this!” Nalia snapped.  “He said she was putting magic or power or something into him…” She told them.

“What did you see Rayne?” AJ asked and she looked at him and then at Nalia.

“I saw him, he was in pain, he tried to stand up but he fell, he started screaming again and then it just stopped.”  Then she remembered what happened to his eyes. “His, his eyes they started bleeding, they changed and his Aura.” She paused.

“What about it?” AJ replied in shock.

“If what I saw was correct, his Aura is changing.  We need to get to Pixca and see if she senses anything.”  Rayne told them.

“Like she would help.” She heard AJ mumbled and she sighed to herself.  She wished he would let his anger towards Pixca go but she knew him. Pixca had hurt him intentional or not she still hurt him and that was something Alex had a hard time forgiving.

“Where did he go?” Nalia asked and Rayne took a deep breath, she knew this was gonna get bad.  Looking around the room she picked up on pieces of it heading towards the door and she headed that way.  As the three of them walked out into the hallway Rayne looked around. Scanning through the colours sorting out the brighter ones from the faded ones, her eyes darted around as she followed the one with the purple specks. 

“Wait” AJ spoke from beside her and she looked at him.  “There’s magic here.”

“Magic?” Nalia said confused. 

“It goes down that way” AJ said pointing and Rayne looked but she knew where it led, the Aura went the same way.

“That’s where the Aura goes.” Rayne told him as he looked at her.

“Winnol Globe room” AJ replied.

As the three made their way towards the globe room doors a screamed echoed through out the hallway, the floor began to shake and all three Guardians dropped to ground.  Rayne looked up and saw the walls rumbling, dust and dirt falling from their settled state.  The scream was still screeching in her ears and then she heard someone yelling.  When she looked up she saw Kevin, his wife and the others coming out of their rooms.

“What the hell is going on?!” Kevin yelled as AJ grabbed her arm and helped her up.  She turned to Nalia.

“I don’t know.” AJ replied as she helped her friend to her feet.

“We should get to Pixca, she will know.” Rayne told them as another tremor rumbled through the hall.  She turned to Alex. “You should teleport and get there now, incase she needs help.”

“Rayne.” AJ said not really wanting to go there at least without her.

“Go Alex we will be right there.” She said with a light understanding smile.  When he had disappeared she sighed to herself, glad he wasn’t going to put up to much fight, and then they made their way down the hall to the globe room.

AJ popped up in the park, near the front gate, when he got his bearings and looked around he saw Nick standing in front of him.  His friend’s back was to him so he moved to get a better look, to make sure his friend was ok.

“Nick?” AJ said but as the words left his lips his jaw dropped.  Nick was holding Pixca by the throat and the all too familiar drain spell flowing strong around his hand and arm.  “Nick!” AJ snapped and took a step forward but a dark green flash of light flashed in front of him and sent him falling to the ground.

“Not today Alex” Nick hissed but his eyes didn’t break from Pixca.  “Sit back and watch, I know you’d get enjoyment out of it.”

“What the fuck are you doing!?” AJ snapped as he climbed to his feet and wondered why Pixca was just letting him drain her.

“Doing something I should have done back in Ashmourn, something that I was meant to do.” Nick replied as AJ ran his hand along the magic barrier.

“What are you talking about?” AJ asked and Nick slowly looked him.  His eyes, they were no longer blue, they were no longer the dark colour they had become, they were red, blood red, and AJ wondered if that’s what Rayne meant when she said they were bleeding.  “What happened to you?”  But Nick didn’t answer he just turned his head back to Pixca.

“Lokin, sends his regards.” Nick spoke in a deep, eerie voice and AJ watched as Pixca’s eyes went wide. 

“No, Nickolas…” AJ heard her whimper and then a scream broke from the woman’s lips. AJ realized the first one had come from her too.  He sent out a frost bolt, reluctantly, at his friend but it shattered when it hit the magic barrier. 

“Nick stop!” AJ shouted.

A giant burst of energy shot out from the two people standing in front of him and it sent AJ flying back into the trees.  His body slammed against something hard and as the air left his lungs he knew instantly it was a tree trunk.  As the air entered his lungs again and he pulled himself to his knees, he looked up and saw Nick on a knee and Pixca lying on the ground in front of him.

“No” AJ whispered as he realized what Nick had done.  “Nick!” AJ shouted as he slowly got to his feet.  “Nick what did you do?!” AJ yelled.

Nick said nothing as he knelt staring at the body.  His friend started laughing but it wasn’t like his usual laugh, it was deep like his voice had become, and there was a sick twisted tone.  AJ’s friend looked at him and smiled.

“I thought she would have put up some kind of fight.” Nick said as AJ walked closer to him.  “So I guess it’s me and you now.” Nick spoke.  “Sucks too, cause I wanted Rayne to watch.”

“Nick…” AJ said a little breathless still not believing what he had just seen his friend do.

“What do you care, you hated her anyways.” Nick snickered as he stood up straighter. “But like I said you’ll be joining her shortly.”

Before AJ could say anything, before he could react, Nick’s drain spell wrapped around him, wrapped around his chest and started sucking everything from him.  With a grunt AJ was able to send out a wind spell that had distracted Nick enough that he stopped the spell.  Quickly AJ sent out a fire bolt and then a frost bolt.  Nick had blocked both but was still taken back by AJ’s quick spell casting.

“Forgot what kind of Mage you were, been so busy moping and whining over Rayne hadn’t seen you fight in a while.” Nick scoffed with a sigh and then a shadow bolt came towards him but AJ was ready for it and quickly dodged to his left out of its way.

“Nickolas?” AJ heard Nalia say and he looked to his right and saw both girls standing there. Rayne looked more rattled than Nalia but he realized Rayne could see Pixca, Nalia couldn’t.  “Nickolas are you alright?” She asked.

“Nalia stay back.” AJ said quickly as he watched her take a step towards Nick.

“AJ’s just playin’ babe you can come over here.” Nick replied.

“Nali don’t.” Rayne said sharply.

“What is going on?” Nalia asked Nick. “Why did you leave the room?”

“Had to get some air?” Nick replied.

“Rayne get her out of here.” AJ said as he looked at his wife and then something hit him in the chest, sending him flying to the ground.  His chest squeezed tighter and tighter and he coughed trying to catch his breath. He took a deep breath in, forcing the air into his lungs an as he breathed out he started coughing again.  With more concentration AJ pulled in another breath as he slowly started to get up. His eyes focused on the scene in front of him.  Nick and Nalia were going at it.  Her swords spun around her as they came crashing at Nick but then he realized Nick was blocking them, with his own arms.  There were no deep wounds, no arms being severed, no blood, not even a scratch.  Just the sound of the swords ping as it connected with what ever Nick had protecting him.  As her leather boot came up and slammed into his stomach, she kicked him back and he fell hard onto the flower garden behind him.  AJ looked at Nalia as she stood strong, ready for his counter attack, her swords were steady but ready at her side, and then she turned her head slightly, as if listening for something.  Then he saw it, the bandage around her eyes, with the way she fought he had forgotten what had happen to her.

“Rayne? Alex?” She called out and it made Nick chuckle.

“Rayne? Where’s Rayne?” He thought to himself as his eyes broke from the two.  He looked over too where the girls had been and saw her standing, barely, with her hand against the side of her head and her arm wrapped around her stomach. AJ looked back at Nick when he heard him moving and saw his friend starting to get up. 

“Alex?” Nalia said.

“I’m here” He said quickly as he looked back to Rayne.

“Where’s Rayne?” She asked.

“She’s fine.” AJ replied. “At least not hurt.”

“What do you mean?” Nalia replied and he could hear the concern in her voice.

“She feels it.” Nick spoke up and the two looked at him.  “The loss of Pixca, the loss of her Master.”

“Pixca was hardly a Master.” AJ scoffed.

“Not to us but to her.” Nick replied as he nodded to Rayne. “Come on Alex, are you really that much of a dipstick to see it?” He laughed.  “Anything Pixca wanted done she did it.”

“And what does that make you?” Nalia spoke up before AJ could respond.

“Me?” Nick replied a little confused.

“Are you not some pawn of Lokin?” Nalia asked.

“Nope” Nick replied.

“You seem so sure.” Nalia said and AJ heard a laugh in her tone.

“This is my power, given to me by Lokin.” Nick told them.  “In return I kill Pixca and kill The Dryad.” He said as he nodded to Pixca.

“Nickolas…” Nalia spoke sadly.

“So now it just leaves the three of you.” Nick sighed.  “I’ll kill you two first, make the Dryad watch and then I’ll kill her.”

“And then what?” AJ asked.

“And then it’s time to go cut down a tree and get some fire wood, you know cause it’s cold in Tokia.” Nick said as he jokingly shivered.

“You kill the tree and this place opens up again.” AJ snapped.

“Well duh” Nick replied.  “Lokin wants to go home, he wants me to go to but I’m sure I can talk him into letting me stay someone has to run this place.”

“Right, as if the Drak’nor would let this place go, they want it back which means everything gone, trees, plants, castles, people, everything gone.” AJ said as his voice got louder.

“Don’t worry about me, in fact in about thirty seconds you’ll be dead so it won’t….” Nick was interrupted by a fury of swords coming at him but they were actually only two, just Nalia’s.  It caught him off guard and he fell back into the bushes and the trees.  As Nalia raised her sword Nick smiled and then vanished disappearing into the shadows.  Nalia gasped with shock, stepping back and dropping the sword.

“I-I…” Nalia said as she slowly looked at AJ.

He looked back at her. “I saw it too, he just….” AJ couldn’t bring himself to say it. “What happened to him?”

“Mela…” Nalia said as she looked back in the direction Nick was.  “He said she put some kind of power into him, he thought he had over powered it but…” She paused and her head lowered a little.  “Where’s Rayne?” Nalia asked him as she turned quickly.

“She’s right here” Nick voice broke the silence and both of them spun towards him. 

He stood behind Rayne his arms wrapped around her and the bright pink and purple drain spell engulfing her.  AJ stepped forward as he stared at his wife, she was barely standing on her own, her eyes started to roll into the back of her head and she lightly moaned.

“So much life in her.” Nick smiled as he looked at AJ.

“Nick let her go!” AJ snapped

“Yeah right” Nick scoffed.  “You know maybe I’ll just kill…” Nick was cut off by a bright beaming light as it slashed across him.  He dropped Rayne instantly and AJ ran to her catching her before she hit the ground.  Looking up he saw Nick backing away still visibly hurt by the spell that just hit him.  But where did it come from? He started to look around and as eyes darted to the front entrance he saw them.  Brian, Howie, and their wives, Kristin and Kevin, standing with his arm stretched out staring at Nick.

“Better get gone.” Kevin said staring at Nick.

“Or what you’ll kill me?” Nick laughed.  “Still talkin’ a big game old man but when it comes down to it you can’t deliver.” He smirked.  AJ saw Nick’s expression turn to disappointment and then for a moment saw frustration.  Looking around AJ noticed the area was getting darker and darker and then a loud screeching noise broke through the dress.  AJ’s reaction was to cover his ears and make sure Rayne was safe in his arms.  When he looked up he saw the sun was shining again and Nick was gone.

Rayne mumbled something and he looked down at her.  Her eyes were barely open and she was reaching up for him.  “I’m getting you to the Springs beautiful hang on.” He said to her.

“No” She replied and AJ looked at her with a yeah right expression.  “The Tree…” She whispered.  “Go, please hurry.”

“What, the tree?” AJ replied still unsure what she was talking about.

“The Tree Alexander, Rossi is coming. Hurry.” She said her voice barely audible over the regular sounds of wind, birds and rustlings leaves around them.  Her eyes closed and he checked her breathing really quick.  She was ok, and he wondered if she had just pasted out.

“Is she alright?” Nalia asked as she knelt down beside them.

“She’s talking about the tree she said Rossi is on his way there.” He told her.

“How are we going to get an army there in time, even if we use what is left of Kalica’s, it would still take us a couple of hours by Gryphon to get there.” She explained.

“We can go.” AJ said to her.

“Wait the two of you against Rossi and how many?” Kevin gasped out and AJ looked at him.

“If Rossi destroys that Tree, I lose her, forever because now there’s no one to bring her back.” AJ snapped and everyone but him looked at Pixca.

“Nick did this?” Brian asked.

But AJ ignored him.  “Kevin take her to the Springs.” He said as Kevin knelt down in front of him. 

“Alex” Kevin said still not wanting him to go.

“Nali you ready?” He asked standing up as Kevin took Rayne.

“Ready.” She replied as she held out her hand.  AJ took it and within a milla second they were standing at the Great Tree.  His eyes darted around the area and that’s when he saw them, hundreds of them coming right at them. He heard the ‘shing’ of Nalia drawing her swords and he looked quickly beside him.  They stood ready at her side and he could tell she was tuning into the sounds around her.

“There’s a lot.” AJ said as he looked back to the sea of Dwarves.

“They are dwarves Alex, one Tohil spell and they will take off like a kite in a wind storm.” She replied as he head tilted to him a little. “Try and save Rossi for me” She said before raising her swords.