Sporking of Adrift In Despair, Chapter Three
So many of you have said that this story is kinda depressing. GOOD! That means I'm getting an emotional reaction out of you people! Yep. Every time I think about this, I get the urge to stab myself in the face. ^_^ A warning though: this story's going to continue to get darker as it goes (trust me, it'll all come together later). Will to live… fading…
Garet, Jenna, Ivan + Sheba (bursting in through dorm room door): Wait a minute! Panty raid!
Me: o.O What are you guys doing here?
Jenna: We have a bone to pick with you, author girl!
Ivan: How come Isaac and Chuck Norris get all the make out scenes? Because they’re unfortunate enough to be Midnight’s favorite characters?
Me: ! I don’t know what you’re talking about…(swiftly shuts dorm room door and locks it) Didn’t they already burst in? So, really, she’d be locking them in with her.
Garet (rapping on said door): Come on outta there, Midnight! We want in on some of the action! ”I brought the whipped cream and everything!”
Sheba: You’ve got four other characters with romantic needs too, you know! ”It’s orgy time, girlfriend!”
Me (timidly from within): Actually, it’s five with Picard. Will you guys pipe down? It’s 3AM and you’ll wake my neighbors…
All: WE DEMAND MAKE OUT SCENES TOO!
Me: -.-;;; The RA is not going to like this. Eh, just invite her to join in. Anyway, on with the show…
Disclaimer: I don’t own Golden Sun, but if I did I’d speed up getting the Lost Age translated!
*The Descent*
The sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the air. White foam washed up against the rock on the beach where Isaac sat. He was watching Chuck Norris as she waded into the sea, holding up her robes to try to keep them dry. Chuck Norris was dainty like that. The rolling waves tried to get them wet anyway, but she didn’t care but she just glared at the waves and they receded. Even the ocean doesn’t mess with Chuck Norris. She had a look of complete ecstasy on her face as she stood there in the midst of her element, the surf splashing her and the ocean breeze carrying the strands of her long blue mane in all sorts of wayward directions. Thus rendering her bald. She turned back to Isaac and laughed playfully as another wave bumped against her. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her so happy since that bump on the head that caused him to lose his memory ever fifteen minutes, and that made him happy in return. A wide smile spread across his face as he listened to her laugh and watched her twirling around in the water.
"Come on, Isaac!" she called to him. "Don’t just sit there-come and join me! The ocean feels so good!" Mia had joined the Teen Girl Squad.
"All right," he laughed. He got to his feet and met her halfway to where she’d just been standing. No sooner had he taken her hand than the turquoise water suddenly turned bright red. At first Isaac thought it was caused by the sunlight, but then realized that it had turned to nighttime. A tanker of cherry snow cone syrup had crashed on a reef in the dark, since there was no Lighthouse nearby.
"What in the world…?" Chuck Norris asked, looking around. "What happened?"
"I don’t know," Isaac replied. "Let’s go find the others to be safe."
She nodded in agreement and followed him out of the oddly tinted surf. Just as they got to the point where the waves stopped stretching across the shore, he heard her cry out. He instantly turned around to see. She’d tripped over a rock on the beach and a large gash had appeared on her leg.
"I can be so clumsy," she said. Her clumsiness had caused a lot of trouble for them. Isaac had to keep explaining that Chuck Norris really had walked into a door and that he wasn’t actually beating her.
Isaac went to her, smiling slightly because he found her injury to be hilarious, and cast Cure to heal the minor injury. But instead of healing the gash, his Psynergy burned her skin. Surprise burnination? She let out a cry of pain and he jumped back in astonishment.
"I’m sorry!" he exclaimed. "I don’t know what happened-I only cast Cure!"
"Don’t worry," Chuck Norris said calmly. "It’s not that bad. Plenty of people get along just fine with one leg. I’ll get a peg leg and pretend I’m a pirate. Arr!" She began to cast Ply to heal it herself, but the burn on her leg suddenly started to rapidly spread all over her body. Her anguished cry thundered across the beach as her lily-white skin continued to be charred to black. Mm… Well-done Adept, my favorite! In a panic, Isaac tried his powers again but they only made her pain worse. Isaac fails at life. He stood there watching in helpless horror as her skin was seared to black and flaked away. Her flesh, hair, and organs soon followed, and then lastly her bones, until all that remained of Chuck Norris was a pile of black ashes. Isaac scooped them up, put them in a tasteful urn, and kept the urn on his coffee table.
Isaac stared at the cinders in stunned disbelief, unable to form any kind of coherent thought. Unblinking, unmoving, he saw the sea wash up and carry the ashes away. The red water left a trail in the sand that looked exactly like blood. Chuck Norris’s blood. The italics? Not mine. I think they’re hysterical, though. The whole ocean was made of her red blood. Biblical.
A sinister laugh brought Isaac out of his horrified stupor. He looked up to see a large black blob floating in the sky. Is it blob!Alex? It was puffy and rippled like an ordinary cloud, but this was no cloud. This was evil manifest. it had a pair of narrowed and glowing red eyes that stared down at him. Seriously? Jeez, I feel like I’m sporking a Goosebumps book. As it laughed, it also revealed a huge red mouth with a jagged outline to look like long teeth. OM NOM NOM!
"What are you?" Isaac demanded as the shadow chortled at him. "What do you want?"
"Only to see you suffer!" it cackled. It shot out a long black tentacle, which twisted around Isaac’s neck, gradually squeezing tighter and tighter… It is can be tentacle pr0nz tiem nao?
Isaac’s neck snapped awake from the nightmare, a thin layer of cold sweat coating every inch of his skin. Just a dream, he thought in relief. He slowly drew in a long, deep breath to relax his tense muscles. Chuck Norris was sleeping soundly beside him, her breathing steady and even, her snores shaking the walls. The room was pitch black; indicating that sunrise was still awhile away he had gone blind.
Another nightmare…what was wrong with him? You want the short list? This one had been at least as chilling and vivid as the one from last night. It was silly to be having such terrible dreams when everything around him had a sense of secure normalcy. Did Lemuria give off some strange vibration that affected his mind? No, because the nightmares had actually started when he’d still been at sea. These dreams were solely a product of his mind. What was going on? Contrived, schmoopy plot?
He rolled over onto his side and carefully wrapped his arms around Chuck Norris so as not to disturb her. The last time he had disturbed her, she had kicked him so hard he crossed half the continent. It bothered him most of all that she kept dying in his dreams-and always at his hands. Why was that so? It certainly didn’t make any sense that such a thing would occur. He loved her more than anything else and wanted only to be by her side and keep her safe. Were these dreams premonitions? Horrible thought! The mere idea of anything bad happening to her made him feel like he was dying. He could find a way to handle any torment that might cross his path, but he knew he would never be able to come to terms with losing his precious soulmate should it ever happen. Cheer up, Isaac. You can always be married to her on the astral plane.
Chuck Norris…he thought as he got as close to her as he possibly could. I love you more than words can say. Isaac frequently resorted to puppet shows to express his love. Please don’t ever leave me. If something should happen to you…I don’t know what I’d do! Open a barbershop and turn your customers into pies? He tried not to think about it lest the emotions stirred up by such thoughts become too strong to keep under control. All I want is to stay here with you like this. That’s all. He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to return to him, hoping that the nightmares would choose to leave him alone this time.
************
"Wake up, sleepy head," Chuck Norris giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and opened his eyes, smiling.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Sexy time! Early enough for me to escape to my room without being seen." She snuggled against him. No means no, Isaac! "How nice to wake up this morning and find you right tight against me! Is this going to be a recurring thing?"
"Only if you want it to be," he said shrewdly. He didn't want to tell her why he'd positioned himself like that. After all, why should nightmares bother a warrior such as himself? He was too old and experienced now to be afraid of his dreams.
Chuck Norris smiled broadly. "You make me so happy, Isaac. I want us to stay like this for always."
"Funny," said Isaac as touched his forehead to hers. "I was thinking the exact same thing." He drew her into a long kiss as they lay there side by side. Just as the desire within the kiss started to escalate he felt her body contort and got an odd taste in his mouth. Chuck Norris had just thrown up a little in her mouth. He pulled away and immediately jumped when he looked at Chuck Norris.
Blood was flowing out of her mouth in thick rivers, running down over her face, down her neck, and staining the white linen sheets. Ew, vampire vomit. The stark contrast between the colors made the red brighter than normal. Terror and stunned horror held Isaac's mind in an iron vice. What could he do? Her life essence was gushing out all over! Oh, for Pete’s sake. Who, in a situation like this, would call it “life essence”? It’s blood, people, seriously. He couldn't focus his curative powers with the shock and fear holding onto him so tightly. All he could do was stare at her. Her eyes met his and she reached up and touched his face with a hand that was also bleeding profusely. Her blood was all over him, all over her, and all over the bed. It felt hot and he could actually see the thin smoke rising up off of his skin as the crimson droplets burrowed into him like hot embers. The gentle, blood covered hand flopped helplessly to the bed and the shining aqua eyes became dull and clouded as Chuck Norris gave a choked cry and died. I like this fic now!
"Wake up, sleepy head," Chuck Norris giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and instantly sat bolt upright, panting heavily. He'd been dreaming again! DANGIT! It took a few moments for this realization to sink in. Chuck Norris stared at him in concern.
"Isaac, are you OK? I didn't mean to startle you."
"N-no, it's fine," he said, finally catching his breath. He could've sworn he'd been awake before! Was he going crazy? His head wouldn't stop spinning. Just like that girl from The Exorcist. Then he noticed the worried look on Chuck Norris's face and smiled slightly to reassure her, though it clearly didn't work because Isaac’s face starting gushing blood - NO WAIT JUST KIDDING!.
"Is something wrong? You seem upset."
"I'm sorry, Chuck Norris. I don't mean to worry you. It's nothing, really." Isaac was afraid of worrying Chuck Norris. He knew it could only end in pain.
She didn't believe that for a moment. "You don't have to hide things to protect me. Something's wrong with you--I can feel it! Please tell me what's the matter. I want to help." Mia had connections to the Imilian mob. If Isaac needed someone to “disappear”, he had only to say the word.
"I'm all right!" he said more harshly than he intended. She gasped in surprise at his tone.
"Isaac…" Her soft voice sounded hurt. "Why are you shutting me out? I love you!"
He quietly sighed. He always messed these things up. Not only were his dreams tricking him but now he'd hurt Chuck Norris's feelings too! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Hurting Chuck Norris’s feelings is stupid, to be sure. He hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Chuck Norris. I'm not trying to shut you out, but there isn't anything you can do. Come on, you’re my damsel in distress love interest. You can’t do anything right. This is something I have to sort out on my own, OK?"
She shook her head but returned his warm embrace. "No. You shouldn't have to go through things all by yourself--not when there are so many of us who care about you. Like… Uh… That one guy… What’s his face… Or, um… Well, there’s probably at least someone who gives a crap about what happens to you. What's wrong, Isaac? You can tell me no matter what it is. Just please let me help!"
”I’m gay,” Isaac said. He watched as Mia’s expression froze for a good ten seconds before she burst into tears. He cackled to himself. Well worth the price of admission.
Isaac kissed her. Damn these dreams! Now they were starting to interfere with the surest thing he had! He hated to make Chuck Norris worry, but he couldn't let her in on something so foolish. Isaac was right, of course. He was a man. There was no way he would be caught dead talking about his feelings or crap like that. They were only nightmares--why were they bothering him so much? It's not like dreams could really hurt him or anyone else. Someone never read Goosebumps as a child. But they were so vivid and frightening, and they seemed to specifically target his darkest and deepest fears. Well, duh, they’re NIGHTMARES. It was incredibly taxing on both his mind and his body to go through those feelings of sorrow, loss, and helplessness again and again. He had seen Chuck Norris die twice in one night, and the images from that still struck a vein of absolute terror within him. Unlike the absolute joy they inspire in me.
An even more horrifying thought crept into his mind. What if all of these nightmares really were premonitions? Wrong Adept type, Isaac - unless the twist in this fic is that you’re a Heart Adept. What if all of them--Chuck Norris, Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and Sheba--would be taken from him? What if his mother didn't want to see her selfish son again? What if his father's spirit was cursing his very existence? What if he would be despised, empty, and alone for the rest of his life? What if MTV canceled America’s Next Top Model? No…anything but that! If he had to be punished for his mistakes let it be anything other than living with the kind of endless despair such isolation would bring. Well, if it were up to me, this whole fic would be in the ninth circle.
Chuck Norris thought she felt his hands trembling. It was clear as day that something was bothering him, and she wanted to help no matter what it was. She followed him to the reefer den and was fatally shot by Bill Jimmy Isaac. Why did he insist on keeping this to himself? Didn't he trust her? Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to, Chuck Norris.She had to get him to open up before whatever troubled him got out of control. "I'm here for you, Isaac. Don't ever doubt how committed I am to you--to us." She reminded him of her earlier promise to mace rape anyone who would come between them.
"I would never," said Isaac. He smiled as he looked at her eyes filled with warmth and trust and blow-in insulation and cigarette butts. "I'll be all right as long as I have you." He looked out the window where the first rays of light were coming into view. "We'd better get going before the others wake up."
"All right," she said reluctantly.
Isaac got up and pulled his clothes on, shoving the nightmares out of his head for the time being. The events of the day would help take his mind off of all of it. They were going to Chuck E. Cheese for Ivan’s birthday! He bent down to pick up his scabbard and then casually glanced back to where Chuck Norris was watching him from the bed. She was covered in blood and stood over the slaughtered carcass of a young goat, sacrificial knife in hand. He jumped back and turned away.
"Isaac?" she questioned. "What's the matter? What is it?"
He cautiously looked back at her. The blood was gone. That Spray ‘n’ Wash sure did the trick! "Nothing," he said, shaking off what he thought he'd seen. Must be letting my imagination run away with me, he thought. I'm awake now. OR WAS HE????? Everything's fine.
Chuck Norris bit her lower lip. What had he seen? Something's wrong…terribly wrong! Hey, that’s my line! she thought. I'll have to keep a close watch over him today. I'm going to get to the bottom of this somehow.
************
"And, like, Babi , like, sent us to Lemuria for his draught, right? And I was all like, ‘omigod, girlfriend, you totally need it! Wrinkles, like whoa! Makeover time, am I right?" Ivan finished tittered. He'd been explaining to Picard what had brought them to Lemuria, though hadn't mentioned any details about the Lighthouses or Felix. Most of the details he had mentioned concerned cute city guards and where to go for the bikini waxes.
"I see," Picard said thoughtfully. "I think I remember Babi. Did he travel with a man ”special friend” named Lunpa by chance?"
"That's what he told us," said Garet. "What do you mean you 'remember' him? Babi said he came here almost a hundred years ago! That's impossible!"
Picard laughed quite heartily. "Impossible perhaps for any of you, but not for Lemurians. We’re this RPG’s requisite “better than you” race, like elves in a lot of other stories. The draught Babi had is common here. Everyone drinks it, including me."
The others looked stunned. "Then how old are you, Picard?" Jenna asked.
He shrugged. "When you've been alive for a long time, you stop counting the years. Let's just say I'm a lot older than I look." Which was a point of aggravation for him sometimes. It was so embarrassing to get carded whenever he tried to get into a club or buy some smokes.
"Wow…" Ivan trailed. "What's it like to live for so long?"
"Doesn't it get terribly boring?" Sheba added. Lemuria has Weyard’s highest suicide rate.
"A long life has many benefits," said Picard. "One good thing is that it has allowed me to learn more powerful Psynergy techniques before my body aged beyond its prime. Becoming a stronger fighter is never boring." He winked at the girls. “I have also been able to learn other techniques, as well.”
"No wonder you're so strong," Jenna said. "You must have so many years of training behind you! I'll bet no one could ever defeat you! Not without going Super Saiyan, anyway."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," Picard said. "Every warrior has his weaknesses no matter how hard he trains. I'm sure all of you must know that." Isaac hadn’t, but now that he did, he planned to attack Picard’s weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE!
Garet groaned. "Sheesh. You make all that hard work we've done look like nothing. And here I thought I was a force to be reckoned with." Cheer up, Garet, there’s a pie eating contest out in the boonies somewhere that you’re sure to win!
Picard smiled. "Don't be foolish. For ones so young, I'm amazed at your incredible power. Few Adepts ever become as strong as you, even in Lemuria."
"You're too kind, Picard," said Isaac. Such words were especially flattering coming from a warrior of such strength and experience.
"I'm only telling the truth. Now, do you still want that draught for Babi?"
"Can we really have it?" Ivan asked. Of course, he didn’t want it for Babi. There were a lifetime’s worth of cute lifeguards with shota complexes at Apojii’s beaches that he wanted to stay young for.
"Of course," Picard replied. "There's a never ending supply. It comes from a well outside of town. I'll show you." He started walking.
"How can we ever repay you for your hospitality?" Chuck Norris questioned, smiling at him.
"Your smile is payment enough, Lady Chuck Norris," said Picard, also smiling. He led them back into the woods but in a different direction from the port. He planned to get them good and lost before beginning the slaughter. The trees weren't as thickly packed here and nearly all of them had lost their leaves. "Winter's fast approaching. We'll have snow on the ground before you know it."
"Now there's something to look forward to," Garet complained. "Bad enough we have to sail across the sea but now it'll be freezing too!"
"Wimp," Jenna accused.
"Wimp?!" Garet exclaimed. "That's a fine way to talk to the guy who took on Saturos and Menardi!"
"I was talking to you, not Isaac," she teased. Garet was visibly agitated.
"If you weren't a girl I'd…I'd…"
"You'd what?" Jenna implored. "Don't hold back just because I'm a girl. I could kick your ass in a fight any day!"
"Jenna, please!" Sheba begged. "Control yourself!" She knew that Jenna got turned on by this kind of talk, and the last thing they needed was for Jenna to have another “incident” like the one that got them thrown out of the last town they’d visited.
"Ha!" Ivan laughed. "I'd pay money to see that fight! I'd love to watch Garet get his ass kicked by a girl!"
Garet glowered at Ivan. "One more crack like that and I'll blast you into next week!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Ivan challenged.
"Guys!" Isaac cried. "Knock it off! We're supposed to be allies, remember?"
Picard was suppressing his laughter. Chuck Norris sighed in resignation. "My apologies for the deplorable behavior of my friends, Picard," she said. Mia wished they would stop embarrassing her. She’d never get to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table at this rate!
"No need for apologies, Lady Chuck Norris. I find their antics very amusing. Your travels must be anything but boring!"
"Yeah, a regular laugh riot," Isaac muttered. Though he loved Garet like a brother They’re Incest!, that wasn’t to say the Fire Adept couldn’t be bothersome at times, and it was only worse with Jenna around to provoke him. Why did those two have to be so true to their element? Accursed Martian mating rituals. Isaac sighed to himself and decided to brush the matter off, looking around at the unimpressive scenery instead. Lemuria got burned! He’d always imagined Lemuria to be more mystical. Though the island was cloaked in a mysterious fog and the village looked ancient, the rest of the place was disappointingly plain. Oh well. Maybe it looked better during the summer months. Isaac’s review on travel.com wouldn’t be favorable. Three stars, tops.
Out of the corner of his eye he thought he spotted something. He turned his head in the direction and gaped in surprise. It was a big, bulbous black shadow--just like the one that tried to kill him in his dream! How did it get here? Wasn’t it a figment of his imagination? It looked at him with the same evil red eyes and sneering red mouth. Isaac narrowed his eyes. Whatever this thing was, it sure didn’t look friendly. Don’t judge a book by its cover, Isaac. Hater. He couldn’t let it escape. It was different, so it deserved to be persecuted! Perhaps this thing was causing his nightmares! He had to get answers. Without another thought, he lunged for the creature.
He caught it off guard, but the thing was strong and didn’t go down easily. Isaac could hear the startled cries of the others as he wrestled the shadow to the ground and rolled a short distance with it, finally pinning it underneath him. He punched it hard in the space between its eyes and its mouth. It made some sort of grunt and flipped him over, sending him crashing into a tree a short distance away.
"Ow!" he heard Garet moan. "What the hell was that for, Isaac?"
Puzzled, Isaac looked up and to his astonishment saw Garet, not the shadow beast, lying in the grass nearby! What had just happened?
"What’s gotten into you?" Jenna demanded. "Are you OK, Garet?"
Garet sat up. His lower lip was bleeding slightly but other than that he seemed fine. "Lucky for me Isaac’s right hook still needs some work. Gotta wonder why Garet doesn’t get more appreciation. Fellow just shrugs off a punch to the face. That’s pretty hardcore, you gotta admit. Sheesh! All of that just for squabbling with Ivan and Jenna? Is this some new form of keeping the peace?" Isaac had made a unilateral decision that time-outs just weren’t cutting it anymore.
Isaac’s eyes went wide as he realized what he’d done. There hadn’t been any shadow creature--he’d attacked Garet! But he was so sure of what he’d seen! How could he have let this happen? How could he have blindly attacked his own best friend? He slowly rose to his feet, feeling foolish, ashamed, and downright frightened all at once. They weren’t going to hold him accountable for his own actions, were they? He was the hero, after all! "Garet, I...I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me."
Garet shrugged nonchalantly as he too stood up and wiped the blood from his lip. *swoons* He laughed slightly. "Well, maybe I deserved it. But kindly warn me the next time you want to hit me, OK?"
"Sure," Isaac said with a forced grin. Inwardly, however, a current of fear made his blood run cold. To dream was one thing, but to let his imagination affect him this much when he was awake was quite another. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his friends yet he’d just attacked Garet like an enemy! How could he have let his mind play such tricks on him? And worse still, what if he had used his sword instead of his fist? To answer that, I would have to reach through the computer screen and smack you around like the little psycho you are, Isaac.
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Me: Damn I hate school! Just as I'm getting to the juicy parts I have all of these stupid projects to do! -_-; *sends wads of cash to all Midnight’s professors*
Garet: That’s it, I’m blasting this door down!
Jenna, Ivan + Sheba: GO FOR IT!
Me: Hey wait a minute you guys! I’ll have to pay for that if you break it!
All (including sporker): We don’t care!
Me: o.O Cripes. I guess I have to go play negotiator now. R&R and I’ll get Chapter 4 up, assuming these guys don’t kill me first… Best of luck, Adepts!
Garet, Jenna, Ivan + Sheba (bursting in through dorm room door): Wait a minute! Panty raid!
Me: o.O What are you guys doing here?
Jenna: We have a bone to pick with you, author girl!
Ivan: How come Isaac and Chuck Norris get all the make out scenes? Because they’re unfortunate enough to be Midnight’s favorite characters?
Me: ! I don’t know what you’re talking about…(swiftly shuts dorm room door and locks it) Didn’t they already burst in? So, really, she’d be locking them in with her.
Garet (rapping on said door): Come on outta there, Midnight! We want in on some of the action! ”I brought the whipped cream and everything!”
Sheba: You’ve got four other characters with romantic needs too, you know! ”It’s orgy time, girlfriend!”
Me (timidly from within): Actually, it’s five with Picard. Will you guys pipe down? It’s 3AM and you’ll wake my neighbors…
All: WE DEMAND MAKE OUT SCENES TOO!
Me: -.-;;; The RA is not going to like this. Eh, just invite her to join in. Anyway, on with the show…
Disclaimer: I don’t own Golden Sun, but if I did I’d speed up getting the Lost Age translated!
*The Descent*
The sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the air. White foam washed up against the rock on the beach where Isaac sat. He was watching Chuck Norris as she waded into the sea, holding up her robes to try to keep them dry. Chuck Norris was dainty like that. The rolling waves tried to get them wet anyway, but she didn’t care but she just glared at the waves and they receded. Even the ocean doesn’t mess with Chuck Norris. She had a look of complete ecstasy on her face as she stood there in the midst of her element, the surf splashing her and the ocean breeze carrying the strands of her long blue mane in all sorts of wayward directions. Thus rendering her bald. She turned back to Isaac and laughed playfully as another wave bumped against her. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her so happy since that bump on the head that caused him to lose his memory ever fifteen minutes, and that made him happy in return. A wide smile spread across his face as he listened to her laugh and watched her twirling around in the water.
"Come on, Isaac!" she called to him. "Don’t just sit there-come and join me! The ocean feels so good!" Mia had joined the Teen Girl Squad.
"All right," he laughed. He got to his feet and met her halfway to where she’d just been standing. No sooner had he taken her hand than the turquoise water suddenly turned bright red. At first Isaac thought it was caused by the sunlight, but then realized that it had turned to nighttime. A tanker of cherry snow cone syrup had crashed on a reef in the dark, since there was no Lighthouse nearby.
"What in the world…?" Chuck Norris asked, looking around. "What happened?"
"I don’t know," Isaac replied. "Let’s go find the others to be safe."
She nodded in agreement and followed him out of the oddly tinted surf. Just as they got to the point where the waves stopped stretching across the shore, he heard her cry out. He instantly turned around to see. She’d tripped over a rock on the beach and a large gash had appeared on her leg.
"I can be so clumsy," she said. Her clumsiness had caused a lot of trouble for them. Isaac had to keep explaining that Chuck Norris really had walked into a door and that he wasn’t actually beating her.
Isaac went to her, smiling slightly because he found her injury to be hilarious, and cast Cure to heal the minor injury. But instead of healing the gash, his Psynergy burned her skin. Surprise burnination? She let out a cry of pain and he jumped back in astonishment.
"I’m sorry!" he exclaimed. "I don’t know what happened-I only cast Cure!"
"Don’t worry," Chuck Norris said calmly. "It’s not that bad. Plenty of people get along just fine with one leg. I’ll get a peg leg and pretend I’m a pirate. Arr!" She began to cast Ply to heal it herself, but the burn on her leg suddenly started to rapidly spread all over her body. Her anguished cry thundered across the beach as her lily-white skin continued to be charred to black. Mm… Well-done Adept, my favorite! In a panic, Isaac tried his powers again but they only made her pain worse. Isaac fails at life. He stood there watching in helpless horror as her skin was seared to black and flaked away. Her flesh, hair, and organs soon followed, and then lastly her bones, until all that remained of Chuck Norris was a pile of black ashes. Isaac scooped them up, put them in a tasteful urn, and kept the urn on his coffee table.
Isaac stared at the cinders in stunned disbelief, unable to form any kind of coherent thought. Unblinking, unmoving, he saw the sea wash up and carry the ashes away. The red water left a trail in the sand that looked exactly like blood. Chuck Norris’s blood. The italics? Not mine. I think they’re hysterical, though. The whole ocean was made of her red blood. Biblical.
A sinister laugh brought Isaac out of his horrified stupor. He looked up to see a large black blob floating in the sky. Is it blob!Alex? It was puffy and rippled like an ordinary cloud, but this was no cloud. This was evil manifest. it had a pair of narrowed and glowing red eyes that stared down at him. Seriously? Jeez, I feel like I’m sporking a Goosebumps book. As it laughed, it also revealed a huge red mouth with a jagged outline to look like long teeth. OM NOM NOM!
"What are you?" Isaac demanded as the shadow chortled at him. "What do you want?"
"Only to see you suffer!" it cackled. It shot out a long black tentacle, which twisted around Isaac’s neck, gradually squeezing tighter and tighter… It is can be tentacle pr0nz tiem nao?
Isaac’s neck snapped awake from the nightmare, a thin layer of cold sweat coating every inch of his skin. Just a dream, he thought in relief. He slowly drew in a long, deep breath to relax his tense muscles. Chuck Norris was sleeping soundly beside him, her breathing steady and even, her snores shaking the walls. The room was pitch black; indicating that sunrise was still awhile away he had gone blind.
Another nightmare…what was wrong with him? You want the short list? This one had been at least as chilling and vivid as the one from last night. It was silly to be having such terrible dreams when everything around him had a sense of secure normalcy. Did Lemuria give off some strange vibration that affected his mind? No, because the nightmares had actually started when he’d still been at sea. These dreams were solely a product of his mind. What was going on? Contrived, schmoopy plot?
He rolled over onto his side and carefully wrapped his arms around Chuck Norris so as not to disturb her. The last time he had disturbed her, she had kicked him so hard he crossed half the continent. It bothered him most of all that she kept dying in his dreams-and always at his hands. Why was that so? It certainly didn’t make any sense that such a thing would occur. He loved her more than anything else and wanted only to be by her side and keep her safe. Were these dreams premonitions? Horrible thought! The mere idea of anything bad happening to her made him feel like he was dying. He could find a way to handle any torment that might cross his path, but he knew he would never be able to come to terms with losing his precious soulmate should it ever happen. Cheer up, Isaac. You can always be married to her on the astral plane.
Chuck Norris…he thought as he got as close to her as he possibly could. I love you more than words can say. Isaac frequently resorted to puppet shows to express his love. Please don’t ever leave me. If something should happen to you…I don’t know what I’d do! Open a barbershop and turn your customers into pies? He tried not to think about it lest the emotions stirred up by such thoughts become too strong to keep under control. All I want is to stay here with you like this. That’s all. He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to return to him, hoping that the nightmares would choose to leave him alone this time.
************
"Wake up, sleepy head," Chuck Norris giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and opened his eyes, smiling.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Sexy time! Early enough for me to escape to my room without being seen." She snuggled against him. No means no, Isaac! "How nice to wake up this morning and find you right tight against me! Is this going to be a recurring thing?"
"Only if you want it to be," he said shrewdly. He didn't want to tell her why he'd positioned himself like that. After all, why should nightmares bother a warrior such as himself? He was too old and experienced now to be afraid of his dreams.
Chuck Norris smiled broadly. "You make me so happy, Isaac. I want us to stay like this for always."
"Funny," said Isaac as touched his forehead to hers. "I was thinking the exact same thing." He drew her into a long kiss as they lay there side by side. Just as the desire within the kiss started to escalate he felt her body contort and got an odd taste in his mouth. Chuck Norris had just thrown up a little in her mouth. He pulled away and immediately jumped when he looked at Chuck Norris.
Blood was flowing out of her mouth in thick rivers, running down over her face, down her neck, and staining the white linen sheets. Ew, vampire vomit. The stark contrast between the colors made the red brighter than normal. Terror and stunned horror held Isaac's mind in an iron vice. What could he do? Her life essence was gushing out all over! Oh, for Pete’s sake. Who, in a situation like this, would call it “life essence”? It’s blood, people, seriously. He couldn't focus his curative powers with the shock and fear holding onto him so tightly. All he could do was stare at her. Her eyes met his and she reached up and touched his face with a hand that was also bleeding profusely. Her blood was all over him, all over her, and all over the bed. It felt hot and he could actually see the thin smoke rising up off of his skin as the crimson droplets burrowed into him like hot embers. The gentle, blood covered hand flopped helplessly to the bed and the shining aqua eyes became dull and clouded as Chuck Norris gave a choked cry and died. I like this fic now!
"Wake up, sleepy head," Chuck Norris giggled. Isaac felt her lips against his and instantly sat bolt upright, panting heavily. He'd been dreaming again! DANGIT! It took a few moments for this realization to sink in. Chuck Norris stared at him in concern.
"Isaac, are you OK? I didn't mean to startle you."
"N-no, it's fine," he said, finally catching his breath. He could've sworn he'd been awake before! Was he going crazy? His head wouldn't stop spinning. Just like that girl from The Exorcist. Then he noticed the worried look on Chuck Norris's face and smiled slightly to reassure her, though it clearly didn't work because Isaac’s face starting gushing blood - NO WAIT JUST KIDDING!.
"Is something wrong? You seem upset."
"I'm sorry, Chuck Norris. I don't mean to worry you. It's nothing, really." Isaac was afraid of worrying Chuck Norris. He knew it could only end in pain.
She didn't believe that for a moment. "You don't have to hide things to protect me. Something's wrong with you--I can feel it! Please tell me what's the matter. I want to help." Mia had connections to the Imilian mob. If Isaac needed someone to “disappear”, he had only to say the word.
"I'm all right!" he said more harshly than he intended. She gasped in surprise at his tone.
"Isaac…" Her soft voice sounded hurt. "Why are you shutting me out? I love you!"
He quietly sighed. He always messed these things up. Not only were his dreams tricking him but now he'd hurt Chuck Norris's feelings too! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Hurting Chuck Norris’s feelings is stupid, to be sure. He hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Chuck Norris. I'm not trying to shut you out, but there isn't anything you can do. Come on, you’re my damsel in distress love interest. You can’t do anything right. This is something I have to sort out on my own, OK?"
She shook her head but returned his warm embrace. "No. You shouldn't have to go through things all by yourself--not when there are so many of us who care about you. Like… Uh… That one guy… What’s his face… Or, um… Well, there’s probably at least someone who gives a crap about what happens to you. What's wrong, Isaac? You can tell me no matter what it is. Just please let me help!"
”I’m gay,” Isaac said. He watched as Mia’s expression froze for a good ten seconds before she burst into tears. He cackled to himself. Well worth the price of admission.
Isaac kissed her. Damn these dreams! Now they were starting to interfere with the surest thing he had! He hated to make Chuck Norris worry, but he couldn't let her in on something so foolish. Isaac was right, of course. He was a man. There was no way he would be caught dead talking about his feelings or crap like that. They were only nightmares--why were they bothering him so much? It's not like dreams could really hurt him or anyone else. Someone never read Goosebumps as a child. But they were so vivid and frightening, and they seemed to specifically target his darkest and deepest fears. Well, duh, they’re NIGHTMARES. It was incredibly taxing on both his mind and his body to go through those feelings of sorrow, loss, and helplessness again and again. He had seen Chuck Norris die twice in one night, and the images from that still struck a vein of absolute terror within him. Unlike the absolute joy they inspire in me.
An even more horrifying thought crept into his mind. What if all of these nightmares really were premonitions? Wrong Adept type, Isaac - unless the twist in this fic is that you’re a Heart Adept. What if all of them--Chuck Norris, Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and Sheba--would be taken from him? What if his mother didn't want to see her selfish son again? What if his father's spirit was cursing his very existence? What if he would be despised, empty, and alone for the rest of his life? What if MTV canceled America’s Next Top Model? No…anything but that! If he had to be punished for his mistakes let it be anything other than living with the kind of endless despair such isolation would bring. Well, if it were up to me, this whole fic would be in the ninth circle.
Chuck Norris thought she felt his hands trembling. It was clear as day that something was bothering him, and she wanted to help no matter what it was. She followed him to the reefer den and was fatally shot by Bill Jimmy Isaac. Why did he insist on keeping this to himself? Didn't he trust her? Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to, Chuck Norris.She had to get him to open up before whatever troubled him got out of control. "I'm here for you, Isaac. Don't ever doubt how committed I am to you--to us." She reminded him of her earlier promise to mace rape anyone who would come between them.
"I would never," said Isaac. He smiled as he looked at her eyes filled with warmth and trust and blow-in insulation and cigarette butts. "I'll be all right as long as I have you." He looked out the window where the first rays of light were coming into view. "We'd better get going before the others wake up."
"All right," she said reluctantly.
Isaac got up and pulled his clothes on, shoving the nightmares out of his head for the time being. The events of the day would help take his mind off of all of it. They were going to Chuck E. Cheese for Ivan’s birthday! He bent down to pick up his scabbard and then casually glanced back to where Chuck Norris was watching him from the bed. She was covered in blood and stood over the slaughtered carcass of a young goat, sacrificial knife in hand. He jumped back and turned away.
"Isaac?" she questioned. "What's the matter? What is it?"
He cautiously looked back at her. The blood was gone. That Spray ‘n’ Wash sure did the trick! "Nothing," he said, shaking off what he thought he'd seen. Must be letting my imagination run away with me, he thought. I'm awake now. OR WAS HE????? Everything's fine.
Chuck Norris bit her lower lip. What had he seen? Something's wrong…terribly wrong! Hey, that’s my line! she thought. I'll have to keep a close watch over him today. I'm going to get to the bottom of this somehow.
************
"And, like, Babi , like, sent us to Lemuria for his draught, right? And I was all like, ‘omigod, girlfriend, you totally need it! Wrinkles, like whoa! Makeover time, am I right?" Ivan finished tittered. He'd been explaining to Picard what had brought them to Lemuria, though hadn't mentioned any details about the Lighthouses or Felix. Most of the details he had mentioned concerned cute city guards and where to go for the bikini waxes.
"I see," Picard said thoughtfully. "I think I remember Babi. Did he travel with a man ”special friend” named Lunpa by chance?"
"That's what he told us," said Garet. "What do you mean you 'remember' him? Babi said he came here almost a hundred years ago! That's impossible!"
Picard laughed quite heartily. "Impossible perhaps for any of you, but not for Lemurians. We’re this RPG’s requisite “better than you” race, like elves in a lot of other stories. The draught Babi had is common here. Everyone drinks it, including me."
The others looked stunned. "Then how old are you, Picard?" Jenna asked.
He shrugged. "When you've been alive for a long time, you stop counting the years. Let's just say I'm a lot older than I look." Which was a point of aggravation for him sometimes. It was so embarrassing to get carded whenever he tried to get into a club or buy some smokes.
"Wow…" Ivan trailed. "What's it like to live for so long?"
"Doesn't it get terribly boring?" Sheba added. Lemuria has Weyard’s highest suicide rate.
"A long life has many benefits," said Picard. "One good thing is that it has allowed me to learn more powerful Psynergy techniques before my body aged beyond its prime. Becoming a stronger fighter is never boring." He winked at the girls. “I have also been able to learn other techniques, as well.”
"No wonder you're so strong," Jenna said. "You must have so many years of training behind you! I'll bet no one could ever defeat you! Not without going Super Saiyan, anyway."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," Picard said. "Every warrior has his weaknesses no matter how hard he trains. I'm sure all of you must know that." Isaac hadn’t, but now that he did, he planned to attack Picard’s weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE!
Garet groaned. "Sheesh. You make all that hard work we've done look like nothing. And here I thought I was a force to be reckoned with." Cheer up, Garet, there’s a pie eating contest out in the boonies somewhere that you’re sure to win!
Picard smiled. "Don't be foolish. For ones so young, I'm amazed at your incredible power. Few Adepts ever become as strong as you, even in Lemuria."
"You're too kind, Picard," said Isaac. Such words were especially flattering coming from a warrior of such strength and experience.
"I'm only telling the truth. Now, do you still want that draught for Babi?"
"Can we really have it?" Ivan asked. Of course, he didn’t want it for Babi. There were a lifetime’s worth of cute lifeguards with shota complexes at Apojii’s beaches that he wanted to stay young for.
"Of course," Picard replied. "There's a never ending supply. It comes from a well outside of town. I'll show you." He started walking.
"How can we ever repay you for your hospitality?" Chuck Norris questioned, smiling at him.
"Your smile is payment enough, Lady Chuck Norris," said Picard, also smiling. He led them back into the woods but in a different direction from the port. He planned to get them good and lost before beginning the slaughter. The trees weren't as thickly packed here and nearly all of them had lost their leaves. "Winter's fast approaching. We'll have snow on the ground before you know it."
"Now there's something to look forward to," Garet complained. "Bad enough we have to sail across the sea but now it'll be freezing too!"
"Wimp," Jenna accused.
"Wimp?!" Garet exclaimed. "That's a fine way to talk to the guy who took on Saturos and Menardi!"
"I was talking to you, not Isaac," she teased. Garet was visibly agitated.
"If you weren't a girl I'd…I'd…"
"You'd what?" Jenna implored. "Don't hold back just because I'm a girl. I could kick your ass in a fight any day!"
"Jenna, please!" Sheba begged. "Control yourself!" She knew that Jenna got turned on by this kind of talk, and the last thing they needed was for Jenna to have another “incident” like the one that got them thrown out of the last town they’d visited.
"Ha!" Ivan laughed. "I'd pay money to see that fight! I'd love to watch Garet get his ass kicked by a girl!"
Garet glowered at Ivan. "One more crack like that and I'll blast you into next week!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Ivan challenged.
"Guys!" Isaac cried. "Knock it off! We're supposed to be allies, remember?"
Picard was suppressing his laughter. Chuck Norris sighed in resignation. "My apologies for the deplorable behavior of my friends, Picard," she said. Mia wished they would stop embarrassing her. She’d never get to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table at this rate!
"No need for apologies, Lady Chuck Norris. I find their antics very amusing. Your travels must be anything but boring!"
"Yeah, a regular laugh riot," Isaac muttered. Though he loved Garet like a brother They’re Incest!, that wasn’t to say the Fire Adept couldn’t be bothersome at times, and it was only worse with Jenna around to provoke him. Why did those two have to be so true to their element? Accursed Martian mating rituals. Isaac sighed to himself and decided to brush the matter off, looking around at the unimpressive scenery instead. Lemuria got burned! He’d always imagined Lemuria to be more mystical. Though the island was cloaked in a mysterious fog and the village looked ancient, the rest of the place was disappointingly plain. Oh well. Maybe it looked better during the summer months. Isaac’s review on travel.com wouldn’t be favorable. Three stars, tops.
Out of the corner of his eye he thought he spotted something. He turned his head in the direction and gaped in surprise. It was a big, bulbous black shadow--just like the one that tried to kill him in his dream! How did it get here? Wasn’t it a figment of his imagination? It looked at him with the same evil red eyes and sneering red mouth. Isaac narrowed his eyes. Whatever this thing was, it sure didn’t look friendly. Don’t judge a book by its cover, Isaac. Hater. He couldn’t let it escape. It was different, so it deserved to be persecuted! Perhaps this thing was causing his nightmares! He had to get answers. Without another thought, he lunged for the creature.
He caught it off guard, but the thing was strong and didn’t go down easily. Isaac could hear the startled cries of the others as he wrestled the shadow to the ground and rolled a short distance with it, finally pinning it underneath him. He punched it hard in the space between its eyes and its mouth. It made some sort of grunt and flipped him over, sending him crashing into a tree a short distance away.
"Ow!" he heard Garet moan. "What the hell was that for, Isaac?"
Puzzled, Isaac looked up and to his astonishment saw Garet, not the shadow beast, lying in the grass nearby! What had just happened?
"What’s gotten into you?" Jenna demanded. "Are you OK, Garet?"
Garet sat up. His lower lip was bleeding slightly but other than that he seemed fine. "Lucky for me Isaac’s right hook still needs some work. Gotta wonder why Garet doesn’t get more appreciation. Fellow just shrugs off a punch to the face. That’s pretty hardcore, you gotta admit. Sheesh! All of that just for squabbling with Ivan and Jenna? Is this some new form of keeping the peace?" Isaac had made a unilateral decision that time-outs just weren’t cutting it anymore.
Isaac’s eyes went wide as he realized what he’d done. There hadn’t been any shadow creature--he’d attacked Garet! But he was so sure of what he’d seen! How could he have let this happen? How could he have blindly attacked his own best friend? He slowly rose to his feet, feeling foolish, ashamed, and downright frightened all at once. They weren’t going to hold him accountable for his own actions, were they? He was the hero, after all! "Garet, I...I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me."
Garet shrugged nonchalantly as he too stood up and wiped the blood from his lip. *swoons* He laughed slightly. "Well, maybe I deserved it. But kindly warn me the next time you want to hit me, OK?"
"Sure," Isaac said with a forced grin. Inwardly, however, a current of fear made his blood run cold. To dream was one thing, but to let his imagination affect him this much when he was awake was quite another. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his friends yet he’d just attacked Garet like an enemy! How could he have let his mind play such tricks on him? And worse still, what if he had used his sword instead of his fist? To answer that, I would have to reach through the computer screen and smack you around like the little psycho you are, Isaac.
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Me: Damn I hate school! Just as I'm getting to the juicy parts I have all of these stupid projects to do! -_-; *sends wads of cash to all Midnight’s professors*
Garet: That’s it, I’m blasting this door down!
Jenna, Ivan + Sheba: GO FOR IT!
Me: Hey wait a minute you guys! I’ll have to pay for that if you break it!
All (including sporker): We don’t care!
Me: o.O Cripes. I guess I have to go play negotiator now. R&R and I’ll get Chapter 4 up, assuming these guys don’t kill me first… Best of luck, Adepts!