Round Robin 1.3: The Saga Continues Again

[Mea]

1)

Tiberius threw up his hands, trying to protect himself as the crystalline creature swung. The old man was lifted off his feet and slung across the cavern floor where he slid to a stop, blood oozing from slashes across his chest and belly, and did not move.

However, the attack left the Xanthum wide open, and Daniel made good use of this chance. He snatched up the spear and drove the point into the brittle crystal of the creature's body. The point broke deep into the torso, sending myriads of cracks through its frame. The monster flailed its remaining arm at Daniel who somehow managed to dodge and yet keep hold of the spear.

He heard a CRACK near his legs and saw another crossbow bolt had shattered the Xanthum's right leg. He braced himself as the creature began to tip and drove the spear in harder, widening the cracks.

Marcus and Daniel watched as the Xanthum slowly fell like a small mountain and shatter into bits.

Their victory was short lived unfortunately. Without warning, an unseen force caught the two up and smashed them against the crystal walls.

A figure emerged from the corridor. A female in guard's armor and an evil smirk.

"And so, it ends for you Guardian Marcus," Balthus-in-Robin spoke coldly. "Your pitiful crusade fails. How does it feel?"

Marcus clamped his jaw shut, biting back the retort that burned inside his aching lungs.

"The thought of making you suffer appeals to me," Balthus continued. "And there are many ways to do that, so many ways. In fact, I don't even have to touch you to make you suffer."

Balthus strode over to Daniel. "All I have to do is kill this useless reminder of things lost, and I can do more than pain than a thousand lashes."

"NO!" Marcus gasped out. He tried to pull free, but the force crushed in on him harder.

Balthus-in-Robin ignored the captive guardian, drawing a wicked-looking knife as he approached the pinned half elf.

Defiantly, Daniel met the eyes that used to belong to his best friend. Robin, I know you're still there, he thought as hard as he could, Fight him! Don't let him do this! You can beat him!

Balthus drew closer, the knife ready to stab at Daniel's heart. He reached out with Robin's hands, roughly grabbed Daniel by the shirtfront, dragged him forward...

And kissed him.

Long and hard.

The spell holding him dropped so suddenly, Marcus nearly fell over. He regained his footing in time to see Daniel and Robin (and it had to be Robin) still locked in a passionate kiss. The knife fell from Robin's hand and clattered to the floor, completely forgotten.

"Well," murmured Marcus with a bit of a smile, "I'll be damned. The boy was right."

He knew this was only a momentary reprieve. Balthus wouldn't give up easily. There had to be something they could do before Balthus' spirit could reassert control.

Still, no sense in interrupting yet.

[DerVVulfman]

2)

Campfires dotted the valley. Even in the barren wastes of Tegre, bands of marauders and cutthroats still roamed, practicing their trade. These were not unskilled bandits however. These practiced their trade with devastating skill and lethal accuracy. And some, with forces dark and sinister.

Only from the fires and tents themselves would one discern any presence. Not a soul seemed to stir, if any of the residents had any left. Had anyone stumble across the valley floor, they would soon find their lives cut short by a volley of arrows. Dressed in robes of red and pitch were sentries around the perimeter. With the moonless night, not a shadow was visible.

The center tent was the largest, befitting the master of these darkly clad figures. Using the fur skins of some large wild beast, he slumbered... dreaming of dreams dark and dire. To him, the murder of his parents was a splendid thing. In his sleep the same dream reoccurred. The look of shock and fear in his mother's face as the thin blade worked its way across and through his father's neck. Yet in his waking life, he only wished he could relive that experience.

Far from the tent flap was a table with parchments and trinkets of obscure value. A small chest with his vestments, armor and other belongings resided near his bed. Likewise, a smaller chest with gold rested beside it. And an end table with a small lit candle was at the opposite end of the table.

Yellow light shown from the candle.

It was dim at first like any candle. But the interior soon had an odd violet glow and a low buzzing started to sound. The light became brighter and brighter still as the hum continued to build. Waking with a jerk, the leader turned to face the puddle of wax on his table and the lavender sphere hovering above. And a feminine voice unusually commanding sounded from the orb.

"Olan," the voice spoke. "I have a mission for you."

[kalier]

3)

Robin drew back from Daniel's arms, her eyes locked on his face. "Daniel." She said softly. "I'm going to tell you this, before Balthus takes control again. Do not follow. I'll be fine. Do you understand me?

Daniel gritted his teeth, unable to believe that he was hearing her correctly. "If you think I'm going to stand by, and let your body be taken over by that--that creature!--you don't really know me, Robin. I won't rest until I've freed you!"

"Daniel...You don't understand! You can't handle him! He's too strong! This is a battle I must fight alone."

"And you don't understand, Robin. I may not be strong, but I never give up on my friends. Balthus isn't going to take you from this place, so you don't have to worry about me following you. I'll just rip his spirit from your body. Right here!"

She began to laugh, but it wasn't Robin's laughter that echoed through the corridor. Balthus had returned. Daniel's eyes narrowed, as he backed away. His hand gripped the spear in his right hand, although he knew that he couldn't use this weapon to pierce Balthus' heart. He would end up killing Robin instead, as Balthus would just flee at the moment Daniel tried something like that. To destroy Balthus, he would have to do it on a spiritual level.

Without taking his eyes off Balthus, Daniel peered at Marcus. The old man was breathing hard, clearly in pain. "Can you fight?" Daniel asked him softly.

"I don't think so." Marcus admitted. "I'm nearly at my limit."

"Then do me a favor, find the key to end this. Balthus won't leave this place, if I can help it." He twirled the spear in his hand, extending the blunt end. "You know I won't hurt Robin." He growled at the man inside his friend's body. "But I'm not going to let you take her out of here. Do you understand me, Balthus?!"

Balthus laughed at him. "And what do you intend to do with the blunt side of that little stick?"

Daniel smiled, a sight that chilled even Marcus' bones. "You'll find out in just a moment. Go, I'll handle this. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can." Marcus stared at him hard for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"You hope to find the spell, eh?" Balthus sneered. "Half breed, you don't have a clue. This can't be undone. But you can! However, I won't bother picking on Marcus right now. He can search all he likes, but he's not going to find anything. Besides, I'm going to have fun destroying you."

"You won't get the chance." Daniel told him, raising the spear. "Robin, I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing to her for?" Balthus demanded. His confusion gave Daniel his chance. With the blunt end of the spear, he knocked Robin in the side of her head. For a moment, Robin's eyes were filled with disbelief. Then she fell to the floor.

[Mea]

1)

Daniel stood looking at Robin's unconscious body lying on the floor.

He felt horrible.

It wasn't supposed to go like this. We were supposed to sneak in, steal something, and get out. Guards were supposed to be our biggest problem. Not this...

He glanced over at Tiberius' body. He wasn't sure if the old man was alive or dead, but if he was alive, he didn't want to give the scheming coward a chance to backstab him while he tried to help Robin. But Tiberius was still, which meant for the moment, he was on his own.

Without a word, Daniel set the spear down and knelt by Robin's body. Images flashed through his head. Was it a memory? One of Robin's? He could still see the image of the massive warrior and hear a name... Olan was it? So many things had been messing with his head this day, he wasn't sure what to believe.

He tried to remove the gold ring that was Balthus' seal from Robin's finger.

It refused to budge, held on as if fused to her skin. He expected as much, but he had to try.

There was one option he hadn't tried.

Carefully, he moved Robin's head a little until he saw the cord around her neck.

She still has it, good.

Daniel drew the makeshift necklace out from under her clothes, revealing a small ring looped on the cord. He undid the knot and let the ring fall into his palm. It was small and delicate, just like the one he'd seen in his vision. It lacked any engraving or identifying marks, just a simple silver band with a tiny blue stone in a recessed setting. It looked and felt completely normal.

Robin started to stir. Daniel cursed to himself; he'd wasted too much time. He doubted he'd get a second change if this didn't work.

Please... please let this work, he prayed to any god that might be listening, and slipped the silver band onto one of Robin's bare fingers.

For a moment, he thought he was wrong, that nothing had changed.

Then, something did.

* * *

His ribs ached with bruises from Balthus' last spell, and his body was still weak from blocking out the spirits from Daniel. Plus, it felt like he'd been in these damned crystal caverns hours, maybe a day, and who knows what that was doing to him.

As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, Marcus was hurting.

He'd lingered long enough to see Daniel knock the girl cold, much to his surprise. Then again, the boy was full of surprises. He didn't like leaving the boy by himself, but Daniel had a point - of the two, he was the only one who might make sense of Balthus' notes and maybe see a way to break the unholy link between that damned dead alchemist and the girl.

He just had to find them somehow.

Suddenly, he heard noise coming from back the way he came.

[DerVVulfman]

2)

He was unable to restrain her as she violently twisted her body around on the floor. Writhing in agony, Robin's uncontrollable spasms frightened Daniel as much as her recent, bloodcurdling scream.

He began to panic and tried in vain to grasp her arms as her limbs slashed through the air. Thrashing around uncontrollably, her hands sought and found their mark. Deep scratches from her nails appeared on Daniel's face though he failed to notice. He didn't care. His only goal was to remove the silver ring.

To undo his mistake.

* * *

She blinked her eyes as she tried to clear her vision but it was to no avail. It was still pitch black. There was absolutely nothing around her. There weren't any stone walls, no trees or starlit sky, nothing. Looking down, she couldn't even see a floor.

Robin grimaced at her predicament.

"BALTHUS!" she shouted.

"You're damn elven welp," he replied back. "Damn foolish or damn clever. When I wake up, I will -"

"You will do nothing," Robin interrupted. "If you think I am going to let you run around with my body, you're a bigger blockhead than anyone I know."

She felt his warm breath on her skin as a strong hand grasped her shoulder. Spinning around quickly, she saw the tall, lanky figure of Balthus before her. He appeared younger than he expected. The curly brown hair and smooth skin of his face shrouded the age of this monster.

"My dear grand-daughter," he cooed. "You fail to understand that you have no choice."

Robin met his gaze and glared at him with a mixture of revulsion and fury. "No choice?!" She spat. "I do have a choice."

Balthus smiled and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Really? How so?"

Smiling wryly, Robin replied, "I choose to do this." Then without any more warning, she lifted her knee straight between his legs.

* * *

Jaime and Tommy fought many times on the hilltop. Neither of them would give way. Neither of them would give in. They swung their weapons with ferocity and intent.

Thrust.

Parry.

Swing.

Dodge.

Thrust.

Dodge.

Slash.

Neither of them refused to lose ground to the other. Neither would surrender as their wooden swords splintered upon each other with each blocked strike. Jaime and Tommy played their childhood games on the hilltop.

Low was the rumbling from the valley. Low it was, but growing in intensity. The sound of horse hooves. The sound of men on horseback.

Running to the edge of the edge of the hill, Jaime and Tommy saw the approaching fifty horsemen. The horsemen were dressed in black armor that were and covered in tunics emblazoned with scythes of scarlet. The horsemen carried heavy swords.

Jaime and Tommy never left the hilltop.

[kalier]

3)

Marcus could hear the girl screaming even from where he was. He wasn't certain what was going on back there, but he didn't have time to worry about it.

He'd found Balthus' lab finally, and it was sealed as predicted. He had to find a way through the seal in order to find the spell they needed to break Balthus' hold over Robin. At this point, that was their primary goal. Without Robin's body, Balthus would either perish finally. Or, he would have to seek a new host. The former would be ideal, but Marcus was afraid that it would actually be the latter. However, that would slow Balthus down for a while.

Unfortunately, they might lose him after they extract him from Robin. Marcus shook his head. He didn't have time to analyze this. He had to break the seal.

The only way to break a seal was to figure out how it was made, and try to unravel it. Marcus was expecting it to be complicated, but the more he looked at it, he was amazed by its simplicity. But there was a trap within, and the trap was more intricate than the seal was. The trap was right in the center of the seal, and set to go off the instant some fool touched it.

Marcus wasn't a fool, however. He knew exactly what he had to do to get past the seal. He just hoped that he didn't miscalculate and blew himself up. Daniel would have to rely upon Tiberius then to help him with the spell, and that would only make matters worse. Marcus shuddered at the thought. There were so many ways that Tiberius could intentionally mess it up.

He retreated down the corridor, where the path split into three parts. He drew back his bow, taking careful aim. As he loosed the arrow, he quickly darted behind the wall. He had only a few seconds to do this. The instant the arrow touched the seal, it should set off the trap, and destroy the seal. At least, that was what he was hoping.

However, no sound of a blast came. Cautiously, Marcus peered into the corridor. His arrow was embedded in the center of the seal, but it seemed that it wasn't enough to set off the trap. Either that, or it was set to go off at a human touch. He hoped not. Those kind of traps had only one way to destroy them; a sacrifice.

Balthus would have had to set up one of those, which left Marcus in a bit of a predicament. He wasn't sure what to do. He certainly didn't want to kill himself in order to get through. There had to be another way. He just didn't know what it was, and he had the feeling that he was running out of time.

[Mea]

1)

He suspected this was old magic, much older than even Balthus, and that made it harder to beat. It wouldn't be satisfied until its creator dispelled it or it tasted flesh and blood.

...flesh and blood.

That was the key, wasn't it?

That seal wants flesh and blood, he thought darkly, let's give it what it wants.

First, he'd need something sharp.

And probably a bandage.

* * *

The pain was both surprising and excruciating at the same time.

Balthus, who had grown accustomed to the lack of sensation of his ghostly form could do little but crumple into a ball of shock and eye-watering pain after Robin's surprise kick to the groin.

Robin aimed another kick at his side before he could get up. "This is for making me hurt Daniel! And this is for-" her second kick connected with empty air as Balthus' body faded like smoke.

He reappeared a few feet away and staggered up. "You go to far child!" he growled. "I still have power here!" Though he did not say so, he marveled at where the girl had gotten this sudden surge in strength.

"I can't believe I let you get this far," Robin shouted at him. "I wanted to get you out of my head so bad, I actually believed you about the ring! About EVERYTHING!"

"The ring gave you power too, girl. You used it well"

"Shut up! You tricked me! You lied the whole time, didn't you!"

"What does it matter? It's far too late for you to do anything now."

"NEVER tell me what I can or can't do!"

* * *

Daniel almost had the silver ring when a sharp elbow rammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Gasping for air, he gave up trying for the silver ring for the moment and decided to just try to hold Robin and keep her from injuring herself (and himself for that matter).

With a jolt, Robin sat up, and with an almost primal scream, grabbed Balthus' gold and tore it off her finger, flinging it across the chamber.

With that, her body went limp.

For a moment, the only sound was the "ting... ting... ting..." of gold bouncing across the hard floor.

Daniel shuddered, fearing the worst.

To his relief she was still breathing; however, her eyes stared blankly out and her body was unresponsive and oddly calm. Her finger bled from where she ripped Balthus' seal loose.

He had no idea what to do.

"Robin, please be okay..."

* * *

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"HA!" Robin snapped back. She could sense that with the loss of the ring, Balthus's hold had slipped a little more.

"This changes NOTHING!" he roared, "You will not control this body!"

"And neither will you! We'll keep you in here forever if we have to!"

"We?" For the first time, Balthus sensed another presence. It was soft, gentle, and familiar.

Emilia?

And others too, generations of those touched by his curse. All rallied behind that brat of a girl.

[DerVVulfman]

2)

Darkness there, and the shapes within. Figures surrounded Robin; all women and all full of youth. Not one of them beyond the age of twenty. They glared at their common foe. Glared at him with loathing and rage.

Balthus stood his ground and watched. Laying a comforting hand on her shoulder, Robin's mother stood her ground. So did Balthus's wife, and his granddaughter, Simone. And dozens more came and surrounded her.

He laughed.

"Little girl," he chuckled. "Do you not know?"

Robin stood her ground as he again approached her. Even with the host surrounding her, Balthus was unwavering in his actions.

"They are nothing but memories." He stopped mere inches away to tower over her and grin, even as she scowled back. "They can do me no more harm than you." And with a wave of his hand, they faded away as vapor."Poor girl, they are long since dead."

The voices were always present with her. They comforted her. But with a single action they were gone. Robin stumbled back in disbelief.

"Well, save for your bitch of a mother," he spat out.

Pure hate flashed in her eyes and her hand slashed out and found their mark. "Aaaahh!" she screamed as her nails dug into the flesh of his cheeks.

Balthus stumbled back, almost falling as he lifted his hands to his bloodied face. He screamed in agony as Robin advanced.

Robin, please be okay...

Barely audible, the voice was everywhere yet nowhere.

"Danny?" she whispered. She turned back to where Balthus stood and found nothing.

"Danny!"

* * *

"Danny?" she groaned.

Tears continued to streak Daniel's face even as he heard her voice calling out to him. He cradled her in his arms as he hoped and wished that she would wake from this cursed slumber. She had spoken out before, mumbles of things he didn't understand. Yet he knew she fought back. He wrapped his arms even tighter around her and began to rock her like a child, resting her head against his chest.

"Danny?" she groaned again. Her eyes started to flutter as her eyelids struggled to open.

"Robin?" he whispered back as he softly lifted her head.

"So... tired..." she moaned.

He leaned forward and gently touched her face with his lips. Her arms rose up and slowly wrapped themselves around his neck as she slowly pulled herself up to meet his kiss with her own.

* * *

Tiberius stirred. Pain ripped through him as he realized he wasn't dead yet. He could still win. He could still get his well deserved prize.

Even as hazy and weak his vision was, he could still see. Some yards away he saw the two brats locked in an embrace. The elf-boy sitting on the floor and the girl resting in his lap as they had their arms locked around each other.

Her eyes popped open and glared sternly at him... then squinted as if she considered her new options.

Tiberius went numb with fear as Balthus continued to stare at him.

[kalier]

3)

Get the ring, you fool! Balthus commanded to Tiberius. The stupid half-breed hasn't realized yet!

For a moment, Tiberius was indecisive, but his cowardly nature quickly kicked back in. If he did as Balthus told him, he might be able to... before he could reach for the ring, someone hauled him to his feet by the nape of his neck. "You're coming with me, you little worm." Marcus growled. The annoying traitor picked up the gold ring, and pocketed it. He'd done it without much thought at all, as if he'd just been picking up a coin someone dropped on the street.

He gave Daniel no more than a passing glance, realizing that he should leave the two lovebirds alone. But Tiberius saw an entirely different look behind the girl's eyes. Balthus was furious that he'd failed. Get the ring back, idiot! I can't keep this act going forever!

Tiberius had no idea what Marcus could want him for, but he had no choice but to follow him. He had to get that ring no matter what. If he didn't, it wouldn't take long for Balthus to find a way to punish him.

He wondered how long Balthus could control Robin's body without the ring, though. It seemed as though that had been the only thing that had kept the stupid girl subdued. If Robin resurfaced, Balthus may have a difficult time pushing her back again. He had to hurry before that happened. But how was he...

"What are you doing?" Tiberius asked, when he realized where Marcus had brought him.

"I want you to break the seal." Marcus told him.

"What?! Are you crazy?! The only way to do that is to disarm the trap!"

"I already figured that out." Marcus crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at Tiberius in such a way that made the little worm tremble. "Give me your hand."

"W-what?"

"Your hand!" Marcus snapped, grabbing Tiberius' wrist. "I can't trust you to slice yourself, so I'll do it for you." He dug the tip of an arrow deep into Tiberius's wrist. Tiberius screeched in rage and pain. "Disarm the trap."

"Why the hell should I?" Tiberius demanded, holding his wrist.

"Because the next arrow will find its mark in your heart. You're going to be useful for something, and this is it. Don't make me repeat myself. I don't have any patience left."

[Mea]

1)

He started to protest, but Marcus interrupted, "It's blood magic, Tiberius. A hobby of yours, as I recall." The dark sarcasm in his tone told Tiberius that the Guardian had heard about his "experiments" with the old magics, as messy as they were. "You've got your catalyst, now get started."

"Is that what this is?" Tiberius demanded, holding out his wounded arm accusingly.

"Certainly not volunteering my blood. And I said get started. Time is limited." Marcus leveled the crossbow at the old man, making it perfectly clear that discussion was over.

Tiberius knelt down and began to study the seal while trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his bleeding arm. For a moment, he hazarded a backwards glance and saw Marcus leaning against a nearby wall, crossbow still aimed at him and watching him like a hawk. The ring was nowhere to be seen, either hidden in the clod's fist or possible in a pocket. Damn Marcus. Damn him and all his patronizing bullying. Before this was over, Tiberius would make him suffer tortures immeasurable.

He turned back to the door.

As much as he was loathe to admit, Balthus' work was exceedingly well done. The seal was obviously created by a master, simple, yet perfect. It would lash out at anything living that touched it with a primal fury that the old man had to admire.

And beyond was Balthus inner sanctum - a place full of the master's works, his studies, his notes, even his finest creation... Tiberius' mouth practically watered at the thought of delving into those secrets. They'd be lost on that Guardian clod. Gods, he's probably burn then without a second thought and that couldn't be allowed to happen.

Well, he would break the seal, if he could. And if Marcus is as inept with magic as he suspected, he might even be able to lay a trap and gain the ring as well as all of Balthus' treasures.

* * *

"BALTHUS!! DAMNIT!!"

Robin screamed out into the darkness of her own mind. She didn't care what he said, she could still feel the presence of those who came before her. They were muffled now, like something was blocking them out, but she could still feel their strength coursing through her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't doing a bit of good. Balthus, even weakened, was still managing to cling to his hold on her body and what he was doing made her sick.

He had Daniel wrapped around "her" little finger. She had to do something.

She couldn't regain full control. Not for any length of time.

But maybe if she had a moment...

* * *

Daniel opened his eyes and gazed at Robin, gently stroking her cheek. "Hold on a little longer," he said softly.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"I...want to kill you and eat your organs," she blurted out.

* * *

Well, Robin thought smugly, if that doesn't get his attention, nothing will.

* * *

Daniel blinked. Robin looked as surprised as he did, maybe even more so.

Then he groaned. "Balthus again."