The group traveled through the dense green forest, where spider and insect monsters abound, but high above was a large snake in a tree. Suddenly it snapped forward, eyes on Kokoso, who froze in terror as it lunged at him.376Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9tghByxs9
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"Titan's Wrath!" Noel yelled, punching the head of the snake, sending it out of the air and into a tree. She rushed forward and flicked the back of her hand at it, jumped forward and activated her jets for a few seconds to jostle it as it snapped forward, and swung her elbow backwards to slam into it's head as it fell behind her.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I54dfIzpz
"Kokoso, are you okay?" Maria stepped between him and the monster, claws ready to block, "Come on, big snake, but we'll send it packing!"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVIItgfuUZ
"I...I--of course, sorry, it just caught me off guard!" Kokoso ran forward and drew his sword.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡfamLV1lYpU
"I get it now, it's a basilisk." Autumn explained, "It can cause temporary paralysis just by staring into your eyes! They say that many basilisks gathered together to create the gorgon."376Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuddW991KVx
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"Look at her!" Byrd marveled, "She's swinging electric cables from her wrists and flying through the trees!"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71shpaRlWS
"I think she's not going to let us have a turn." Kokoso sighed.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡBASpdS2UqM
"Does she know how dangerous it is?" Maria wondered.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFXUZYPHgs
"Oh, no." Autumn stomped her foot, raising a wall as lightning flew from the basilisk's eyes, striking out at them like a thousand serpents.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡQs9VrSkoOo
"Wolfe Rush!" Maria jumped over the wall and flew through the lightning, dark, transparent wolves surrounded her, protected her, and vanished as they were struck by the lightning. She found Noel holding her hands out, staring into the basilisk's eyes, muscles twitching across her face.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡnb5fiTwhO7
"Reverse Siphon!" Noel suddenly cried. After staring into it's eyes for a while, in which it struggled to break free, she stepped forward, kicked the basilisk's chin, flipped through the air, she finished by blasting a spiral of water and stream of lightning that left the monster shaking erratically.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqr1fxi9jr
"Noel!" Maria watched Noel stare at the fading monster and nudged her shoulder.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEcZbc6Zrg
"I thought it was was going to drain the life right out of me." Noel replied.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEsjJbvxm6
"Yeah, basilisks drain you until you're dead." Autumn winced and shook her head, "As though being frozen in place wasn't bad enough...if there's a powerful monster like a basilisk here, then we'd better be careful going forward."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdoOY82JLi
"They are growing stronger...I wonder why?" Maria furrowed her brows as she remembered what happened with the phoenix, "I always thought that whatever made the monsters more powerful was in the middle of the woods, and then when we found the Refractory Construct, I was sure that was it."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LQeJxnNO1
"You're not wrong, the Refractory Construct is being used to make the monsters stronger," Spring explained, "Unseason's linked with us, we're linked with the Refractory Construct, she used Historia's gates to focus her magic, and used the Refractory Construct to access and distribute Gaia's power to the monsters, she used us to make the monsters stronger, but that could only take place on the first day of every corresponding season. Through this network, she probably planned to use the monsters--have her followers do the heavy lifting, since she's a little restrained at the moment--to do something along the idea of taking out Gaia."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsiYISEVsL
"Spring," Maria asked worriedly, "what would have happened that day, if the red in the sky stretched all around the sky?"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJGc4jE653
"Oh, that...if it reached any further, it would have picked up the pace, and if it went all around the world, then the Spring link on Unseason would have shattered, allowing her to manifest herself more fully...but she needs a body first, so long as she doesn't get her hands on one of those, she's like a talkative, puppeteering, locked up, chained, declawed, clip-winged, muzzled chimera, perfectly safe!" Spring assured.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlwlVFbmUg
"But a chimera all the same." Autumn added, "She needs to die, or we're all at risk, if her minions can turn us into monsters once, then they can do so again...the process requires siphoning our souls into a flask, they're working with a magician."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWdU2ASU3M
"I used a siphon," Noel confessed, "on the snake just then...I didn't know I had it in me until I attacked."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdiR66r2iK
"It's best if you don't do that again," Spring advised, "or at least don't finish the enemy off with it, sometimes the soul gets trapped inside the caster, though it's a good way to not get killed, there's three different siphons, magic, stamina, and life, basilisk uses all three...it's lucky you didn't gaze into it's eyes at first."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo39oaPGeh
"Honestly? I was afraid of it's eyes, so sickly yellow and...and I was angry and scared because it could attack out of nowhere!" Noel clenched her fists and closed her eyes, "You guys are the only people I've got, and somehow I get the feeling I was never so...alive before...and even I only think that right now, I don't want to lose you guys!"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP2pnFZvdo
"Noel," Maria lifted Noel's chin and frowned, "you're crying?"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGpX53VRCF
"I am," Noel ran the tip of her finger under her eye. She didn't know why, but she smiled, "it's odd, I feel like I remember things, but there's no...sights, only feelings."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kAuTEnIz3
"You've still got nothing, then?" Maria inquired.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPPHL7wO42
"No...we should hurry, this isn't a good place to camp, and it'll be dark soon." Noel started ahead, eyes on the trees ahead.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡn85JqGtL1P
"Maybe two someones should stay in the air." Maria turned to Byrd and Spring, "You got your glasses ready, Byrd?"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6mv3FI3v9
"They're not good for combat or flying, but yeah," Byrd sighed and took out his glasses' case, "they're right here...I guess Cat's staying on the ground?"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3foOJSLLxp
"We need her here, you two can warn us of danger ahead," Autumn looked up at the trees, "probably too dangerous to travel through the trees."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMOgtA4EJm
"We can always dive in with our spears," Spring pointed out, trying to reassure Byrd, "so they're safe."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgSIe9gJHp
"I'm not worrying." Byrd replied firmly.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZPFqmRR0d
"Good, then let's go, stay safe, guys!" Spring sprang into the air, following shortly after was Byrd, and they watched over the trees below for any movement.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fO42gwKZn
"Now the rest is up to us," Autumn sighed, "there could be lizards and bees and all kinds of fun stuff here, and don't think we'll find any honey...I'm pretty sure monsters don't need to eat...I mean, doesn't mean they won't try, there are animals in there somewhere...poor things."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJ3dUslC2n
"Or spirits." Maria whispered fearfully.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIiIjne7WR
"Yeah...or spirits." Autumn agreed.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvmV3CuaMX
Byrd flew down to the others and dropped next to them, "Five spiders ahead, two horned beetles after that, and past that the trees are too thick to see anything, Spring's staying up there to lend tactical support."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡegzeG9ws2A
"Her wind powers are pretty effective," Autumn mused, "especially when she can spear the enemy without being targeted."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWhQWfx8vN
"She likes to flyby and stab on her way up." Kokoso added.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52dXqkeLIB
"So, what's our plan of attack?" Maria turned to Cathryn expectantly.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zw4Ti9mh1
"I think we should hit them with ice, harden their shells and shatter them with lightning." Cathryn proposed, "As for our formation, I suggest our claws dual wield elements, Kokoso will freeze them with his sword and shield, I'll work on my spider while he works on his part, then he'll yell for a switch, and we'll switch, while Noel follows the examples of the claws...except with what I expect are energy guns of a sort, Byrd, you'll try to inflict poison where you can, start with Kokoso's, that way you can freeze it faster."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGSqMIZE0U
Maria nodded, "Good plan, I'll number them from left to right and send you guys in."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡslQO2UN5FQ
"We're ready when the spiders are," Kokoso turned to Byrd, "how close are we?"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbn9bAHQiS
"Very, Spring's up there, pointing at them." Byrd waved at Spring, who was pointing with her flaming spear.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIO9z3Swea
"Yeah, I hear them crawling." Noel frowned, "They're so loud."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PwUWI8thZ
"It's a good thing we can hear them," Cathryn remarked, "but if they're hanging in a tree, we have problems."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyZsDMqnKl
Maria spotted the five spiders ahead and groaned, "Okay, no way I'm naming out who gets which one, they're all clustered together, but we're not moving in one at a time-"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXepTAUvZN
"I'll hit them with water and freeze it," Noel stepped forward and held her hands out, "just say the word."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mk6mAAD7c
"Have at it, afterwards we can move in, Cathryn you can get the one in the front, Byrd and Kokoso can get the one in the back, I'll take the center, Autumn can have the far right, Noel can take on the far left." Maria turned to Noel, "Fire when you're ready, Noel."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxwDCLRIR8
"Ice Flower!" Noel yelled, shooting two beams of water in the midst of the spiders, which exploded in icy spikes on the ground."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡVt29Gggdgs
Cathryn ran along behind the others and lifted her axe, bringing it down on the spiders head as the others reached their spiders.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf8FxKWM2i
Noel clenched her fists, water sputtering between her fingers, and icy spikes rose from them, stabbing the monster with every punch until the ice snapped, and then she flicked her wrist at the monster to strike with her lightning, using the time she staggered the monster with to replace the ice spikes.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3W9mhCi0G
Kokoso was lifted by Byrd and Cathryn jumped over her spider to strike the blue-white spot on Kokoso's monster, shattering it with her axe, and when they traded out again Byrd was working on Autumn's spider, poisoning them all before the battle was done.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡpz1C9mdkyl
"That was easier than I expected." Maria exhaled slowly as the monsters began to burn away.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡNF8sGP11MJ
"We fought well, we struck quickly, disallowed them a chance to recover or to interfere with a friend's adversary," Noel pointed out, "but in the end, it was only so easy because we worked together...that scares me."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSor9zfn7Z
"Cliche and sappy!" Kokoso and Byrd laughed together.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡxExL6L2RTH
"All very good points," Maria nodded, "striking like we did made them easier than they would have been."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqdAaZ4p0j
"And with practice, you'll be able to handle two of those each, without enchantments," Autumn remarked, "just think how far you've come, with just four of you, you each became way stronger by beating the phoenix, alone you might not be much of a threat, but together you can challenge those stronger than you!"copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5U7pQouDu
"Which means even a spirit as power as Unseason...hard to imagine fighting someone stronger than these monsters, but she's way stronger than them, right?" Maria inquired.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD8w4kvuYD
"Right, she's so strong, the four of us couldn't take her out." Autumn agreed, "But now I'm stronger than I was, and with you guys, I'm even stronger than the four of us were back then, but Unseason's gotten stronger, too, feeding Gaia's power into these monsters, who in turn give her strength by existing, and every monster you beat...sure, it becomes an animal again, returns to it's true form, but for how long until Unseason corrupts them again? You'll see soon how it's done."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAgVgNXnjx
"Let's go, the beetles are just a yards ahead." Byrd informed.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLa8ItcLD1
"Noel," Cathryn turned to Noel, "if you can cross your arms and hit both of them with lightning beams and uncross them, then they'll colloid, Autumn and Maria can take turns running between them, scratching their sides, I'll get the one on the left, Byrd and Kokoso will fight the right one like they did the spiders, after Byrd's poisoned them he should relieve Spring of her sentry, she must be getting tired. Noel, when the enemy recovers, warn us to clear out and smash them together again."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwlfVTBGqY
"If you have two lightning...output things on your wrists," Byrd added, "one's probably enough if you pull one of them into the other."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE7GL2P7o4
"I have two...everything in the right's in the left, I'm perfectly symmetrical." Noel said tiredly.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZnKwXRmCy
"Something wrong?" Maria asked worriedly.copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmXgwr3vuv
"I don't think so...I think I was trained to be ambidextrous, or why I was selected for the program, maybe." Noel turned to find Maria looked more worried than before, "I don't know, that just came out, I wasn't thinking, it was like when I attacked the bears back then, it--please, believe me."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo5lrnEMR9
"I do, I'm just worried, to hear you were in a program."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0bDU7PfdE
"I don't remember what it was called, I'm sorry."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHRzgBKI9J
"It's okay...let's go get the beetles, if something comes up," Maria turned to Noel, "you can tell us after the fight, and explain the best you can."copyright protection372ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbjthmYRn1
Noel nodded and followed them to where the next battle awaited, worried and relieved at the same time.376Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVn1ErvKU0g
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A/Ns: 1/29/2017376Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5QdEi6S0D
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