"But Kamek... If these are my memories, why didn't I have them?"
"I don't know, Teela, I don't know." And with that, all of the shadow things themselves suddenly were flung at Teela. She screamed, and went transparent as they began to swarm around her like Fuzzies would Mario, or even Punies.
"KAMEK! WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!"
"Teela, they are yours. They belong with you. Let them do what they wish..." And Teela didn't say another word, only revealing herself now fully. The swarms of shadows disappeared as soon as they touched Teela, almost being absorbed by her even. In several seconds more, Teela was on her knees, breathing heavily, hands pushing into the room that was now bare and white. She simply looked up, staring around, several of the swirls of colors being removed from here. They were of what had just happened, though Teela quickly looked up, grabbing them.
"W... Where?" Teela looked up. The naive, innocent look was gone; her glare was put forth as she looked around.
"Teela." She turned briskly to Kamek. She nearly jumped at the sight of him. "You have no idea what you've been through, do you?"
"I do know. The memories... of myself... they are with me. The simple me... Kamek, I thank you for helping me."
"You're still not conscious..."
"Kamek... I am not. I am dying, as you said. I am fading; I do not, however, feel the pain. I don't know how I am standing here. My own mind... I never... was able to walk it like this... You know, literally walk the halls of my mind... I was able to think, not personally... dig, with my own two paws, through my own imagination... to find things... I couldn't. I don't know how this is possible..."
"Don't worry, Teela. I know. We'll sort this all out. Now that you're... whole again, things will certainly be a lot easier..."
_
Setting: Outside the Lab, Time: 5:28
Karma crept along the wall of the lab building, remembering the foes they were about to take on... Five of them; Birdo, Shy Guy, some sort of experiment, a Koopa, and some sort of demon. She repeated it in her head... She was supposed to take on the Koopa and the Shy Guy...
"One..." Reema was beginning the count she was supposed to execute to signal them to charge... Was Karma ready for this? She didn't have Teela... or Venoma. Teela could be dead for all Karma knew... And Karma understood that all to well. "Two..." It would be now or never. Whether Teela would be to die or to live, Karma would live to see either one. Karma clenched her fist; for some reason, she was shaking... "THREE!!!"
They ran around to the front. Reema and Karma completely kicked down the door, Reema beating on it at least once or twice with her axe. Ludwig looked around. He had lost the bow and arrow; how was he to fight? This made him feel so vulnerable... He then decided, quickly, this was close range; it'd be no use anyway. He then smiled; he felt the heat creeping upon his esophogus, flaring up at his throat. He ran in after Karma and Reema, his blue hair whipping around wildly.
The Koopa was the first to attack. He swerved towards Reema; she jumped right over him, her axe above her head. The anger swelled inside of her, beating it up into her throat. She... felt odd. This... was a new feeling. She almost felt like she was going to throw up, but it was hot, and tasted slightly like steam or smoke... She snarled, ignoring it completely. She aimed for the demon woman... she looked quite young, at least nineteen, but Reema didn't care how old she appeared. She was a demon, she deserved no-mercy defeat. That was what "demon" meant to Reema.
Ludwig looked to the Birdo as he removed his glance from Vara. His eyes seemed to contain no life, like it had been sucked out of him. His face was blank and expressionless. He instantly shot an egg at Ludwig; it hit Ludwig in the stomach, sending him flying backwards and landing uncomfortably into Karma as she was glaring at the Koopa and the Shy Guy. The Shy Guy shot flames at her, but being as she was hit by Ludwig, they missed. Karma pushed Ludwig up quickly, knowing there was no time to glare. Ludwig knew he wasn't going to fall for that again...
The Koopa pushed his head out of his shell quickly, his black hair making it obvious of the silver energy around him. He... was a Magikoopa? Karma was now unsure... Maybe it was her eyes... The Koopa split... One... Two... Three... But Karma quickly spotted a small device in all of their hands. He had pressed a button... It was a machine. He was a regular Koopa...
Ludwig watched the Birdo, not removing his glance to look at anyone or anything else. But the Birdo issued a hand signal to the strange creature that looked more like a blob... It was silver; its black eyes had a cold, hard stare as it looked at Ludwig. Ludwig looked slightly puzzled, but smiled. He drew himself, very uncomfortably, into his shell, speeding blazingly fast at the strange blob. Bad mistake; he seemed to be caught in it. He emitted a high-pitch scream as the blob began to form over him. He suddenly let out a roar of flame in his scream; the blob seemed to recoil suddenly. Ludwig, half in and half out of his shell, toppled backwards. The Birdo had recoiled as well, looking to Ludwig as a smirk formed on his face. He was a bit clumsy; however, they were stupid.
Reema locked eyes with the demon woman as she smiled.
"'Tis the trash 'aos 'as 'alking about," she muttered, her smirk widening as Reema glared, her eyes piercing. Her throat itched with heat; her tongue seemed to want to roll out and get air.
"It's the strange woman who can't talk properly." Reema replied, not really caring what this demon had to say. The woman laughed.
"It's a Yoshi... a kid? Tell me, child, how old are you?"
"Hehe... As old as you, my friend." This misled the woman slightly. In a blink of an eye, Reema had moved from half a room away from the demon woman to right in front of her. She tried to bring her axe to the woman's side, but the woman jumped right over her, bringing her black boot into the back of Reema's head, causing her to fall forward. Reema caught herself, placing one hand on the ground to break her fall; she backflipped back towards the woman, the woman glaring. Reema was more flexable than she had known...
"Quick," the woman noted as Reema shrugged. "So am I." And with that, Reema found herself staring face to face with the woman in less than a half an second.
"Demon..." Reema muttered to herself as the woman laughed maniacally.
"You seem disgusted with yourself, speedy."
"I'm not scum, like you. I am a ninja," Reema replied; in another second, she had brought her axe around her in a sort of circular pattern. Reema was then covered in a ninja suit; it was white, with a golden chain around her neck. Golden chains lined her ankles as well; the demon woman was caught off guard as to how she'd done that...
The Shy Guy dove at Karma; she jumped, bringing her foot back around and making contact with it directly in its side. Bad mistake; it was apparently made of some sort of very hard substance underneath that dark blue cloak. Karma fell on the ground, her knees hitting the tile harshly. She screamed in pain; tears began to fall from her face, she trying to hold them in. She could take any sort of attack; that was more or less a counter...
Reema looked to Karma, trying to move quickly as the demon woman suddenly blocked her.
"I don't think so." The demon woman's smirk was beginning to get on Reema's nerves. Reema brought her fist into the demon woman's stomach. Her fist didn't only collide, she continued to push it in. Reema could feel some sort of organs moving back as she punched the woman. The demon woman was hit with such an impact that blood welded up into her mouth, being thrown right into Reema's face and down her body...
Reema smelled it; it reeked horribly of evil and... blood. It flared at her nostrils; she felt her stomach lurch... Someone else's blood all over her... She seemed mortified by it... Suddenly Reema felt really sick; she felt something lurch inside her own stomach...
Reema felt it... It creeped up into her throat... It was right below the heat... She was going to spew...
The liquid rushed up suddenly; but as Reema's mouth suddenly opened, the demon woman continuously throwing up blood, it was not only stomach fluids and digested food... Flames, a wide arrange of flames, in several colors, erupted forth. The demon woman was burning suddenly, and the stomach content burned her even more. The acid from Reema's stomach melted the demon woman's skin...
Ludwig yelled as Karma was on the ground. They were both glowing a sort of bluish color. The Koopa near Karma laughed as he looked to Karma and Ludwig.
"Metbond," he stated simply, his laughter mocking Karma. She growled, the darkness of her face increasing as she stood back up. Someone was laughing at her torture... Being here, stuck with Ludwig, was not something she wanted...
Karma charged forth towards the Koopa, bringing her foot to his face. Saliva flew into the air, blood suddenly dripping from the Koopa's face where Karma's foot claws had scraped him.
Ludwig felt the pain ease as he still stood, his foot still throbbing, however.
"Reema..." he called; the flames refused to ceased for her. She was still throwing up, the blood on her still drying. "Bring it here..." Reema was basically struggling. She couldn't breathe, her airpassages filled with too many substances to name, burning her esophogus all the way up...
Karma sent another foot towards the Koopa as the Shy Guy aimed at her. The Shy Guy dived at Karma, missing terribly, knocking dreadfully close to Reema. It caught fire slightly, suddenly panicking as the flames began to deteriorate its cloak.
Ludwig drew into his shell. Reema couldn't bring the flame to him; he'd bring her what needed to be flamed...
Painfully, Ludwig stuck into his shell, the energy building up as he sped forward. Just as suspected, the blob gripped onto him, not slowing him down in the least. He sped right to Reema; the flames were being spread everywhere as she toppled around now, keeling to her knees, holding her stomach, though only making herself more sick. She touched more of the blood... Reema felt her head strickening... Lack of oxygen... She couldn't think straight...
Ludwig stopped abruptly right underneath the flames, the blob melting on top of his shell... He felt his shell growing hot... He knew it would be scorched... His perfectly green shell...
The Koopa ducked back into its shell as Karma jumped up, bringing her foot back down onto it. She felt the energy within her race; she knew this would be painful, but it would surely work. As the Koopa was spinning towards her, she jumped up and back, bringing her foot behind her. When the Koopa was about to strike again, she brought her foot back forwards. It collided with the Koopa, sending it rocketing back forwards and into the wall. The pain throbbed in her foot some more... It was completely numb; she had broken something, it was obvious. She couldn't feel any part of her foot...
The Shy Guy was floating around, spinning madly as it crashed into walls. It only made the fire worse... More and more oxygen only made more combustion. It was a flaming Shy Guy now, and it crashed into one of the walls. The floor had already begun to catch fire; the tile was burning slowly, but burning nonetheless. The walls caught fire rapidly...
The Birdo stood there, pretty much looking to the demon woman; she was only half a corpse now. The Koopa was knocked out by the wall that had been set abaze. The Shy Guy had just stopped moving a few seconds ago; it was burning as well. Ludwig had moved away from Reema, his shell slightly on fire though being put out as the blob melted right off of him; it was like water running right off of himself. Ludwig stood up, feeling cramped from being shoved in his shell, but he was happy to be out. His shell, however, was uncomfortably warm...
Ludwig looked to the Birdo, smiling. He charged forth, his mouth filling with the hot flames quickly. He lunged himself forward, bringing a weak punch forth and blowing flames into the Birdo man's head. An otherworldly scream was heard as Ludwig backed away, watching the Birdo's entire body explode suddenly into flames.
The building was set abaze. Ludwig looked to Vara quickly... Reema was lessening in her situation, but still she was unable to breathe. She flailed her arms wildly. He could see she wanted to help Karma, but she didn't want to cover her in flames and acid...
Ludwig rushed over to Vara, breaking the tube harshly. He pulled Vara out; she was heavy to him... But he had to carry her... He tried to lift her up... impossible...
He grabbed her wrists, dragging her. The wall beside him was not yet set on fire.
"Reema, bring yourself over here. Melt... the wall." Reema understood. She ran over quickly, the acid melting through the material of the building exactly on contact. Ludwig suddenly felt a seering pain on his arm as he looked back to find Karma's arm on fire. He pretty much tossed Vara out through the small hole and ran to Karma, grabbing her wrists quickly as well, then dragging her to the hole in the wall. He kneeled, patting out the flames as she remained motionless. He knew she was unconscious...
Reema motioned him to leave through the hole, flailing her arms towards Vara. A bit of acid bled down Reema's face as she wiped it; it was weakened by her saliva. Her mouth felt so hot, her throat sore, to a point at which she could not speak.
As Ludwig tried to drag Karma by her feet, he suddenly felt a pain shoot through his ankles. She had... broken something... he felt it. He wondered why he wasn't unconscious himself... It had probably happened too fast for her to even think about it...
The middle of the ceiling caved in as Ludwig dragged Karma out by her shoulders. Reema grabbed Vara by the waist and completely lifted her up, holding her axe in her other hand. Ludwig was slightly amazed, but then again, being able to lift up that axe had to give her some sort of strength. It was about a little more than half Reema's size anyway... and yet Reema lifted it with ease...
As the four figures moved away from the building, two were watching off in the distance.
"Shot, you see somethin'?" Wreckless asked as Shot nodded.
"Looks like fire..."
"Should we check it out?"
"I guess..." Shot replied as they rode on the hoverdisks quickly. Both were clutching the sides of them, being as they were on their knees; they looked pathetic. They soon slowed down...
As Ludwig moved across the meadow, dragging Karma's motionless body, he kept glancing to the building. Explosions were heard from inside of it... Reema sped up. Ludwig wanted to do the same... but Karma was too heavy for him. It's not that she weighed a lot; he wasn't pure muscle...
Reema noted the ceiling had completely collapsed... she was glad to be away from it. After she decided they were a fair enough distance away, she stopped, Ludwig catching up a few moments later. They watched as the building erupted into even more flames; the chemicals inside feeding the fire. More explosions were heard, and the grass around the building caught fire even quicker...
"Reema... We're never going to escape that!" Ludwig screamed as Reema gave him a cross look, he knowing she was begging to differ. She dropped the axe, placing Vara on the ground softly. She headed to Karma, kneeling down. Ludwig dropped her.... Reema shook Karma suddenly.
"KARMA!!!" she screamed right next to Karma's head. Karma moved slightly, but not much. Reema then held her throat; it cleared a bit more as she swollowed her own spit, and yet it burned furiously. Reema shut her eyes, knowing she would concentrate on the pain leaving.
"GET UP, YOSHIBUTT!" Ludwig screamed, not in the least enjoying this. He watched the grass around the building... more of it was catching fire.
Karma sat up, suddenly cringing as she held her ankle.
"It's broken..." she grunted, though the words barely came out.
"Do your arms work?" Reema asked strictly. Karma nodded. "Good. I'm going to pick you up. But you're gonna have to hold Vara. Can you do that?"
"You can't hold that much!" Ludwig laughed as Reema shot him a challenging glance.
"You're right," Reema admitted, pausing. "Then, Karma, can you hold my axe?"
"I... guess..." Karma replied. Reema handed her the axe - it was a bit heavy - and Reema lifted her up with ease, though holding her with two hands. Reema's look of a struggle was apparent. Ludwig looked to Vara. He didn't even know if she were alive... That sent chills up his spine.
Ludwig struggled as he grabbed Vara by her shoulders; his arms were already burning. He then thought of himself pathetic and weak... And he knew it was true. He could completely take down Roy because he was slightly bigger; but he couldn't ever, so he himself now thought, lift Roy up and throw him somewhere far.
"Shouldn't... we wake her up?" Ludwig now noticed as Reema rejected the idea.
"No. She may be knocked out for a reason. She may be filled with some sort of evil substance or some unknown experimetal chemical."
"But... I thought she was a sage?" Karma asked as Reema looked down to her.
"She is. But that doesn't mean... well...." Reema paused, rethinking her original thoughts. She then realized she was the one who had made the mistake. It'd make no sense to ruin the most important key in one's plan... "I'm sorry. We should attempt... to... I dunno... wake her up."
And Ludwig nodded, glancing back to the building. The grass was blazing, burning the green chlorophyll in every blade so easily... He wondered what would happen to the forest... It would surely burn.
Up above them loomed Wreckless and Shot, watching curiously. They were closer, in hearing range now, listening intently.
Reema placed Karma on the ground and knelt down beside Vara. Her body looked so frail... She seemed powerless. Yet Reema had done some reading on the legends and sages... They were powerful. Reema then debated; this sage was reincarnated, and Reema wondered just why Venoma's clone was a girl. It was a little odd. Was the DNA fused, or was it not normal DNA combination? Reema knew all too well normal cloning involved taking DNA from one parent, putting it into a cell with no nucleus, and inserting it into another host to be born... But this clone was a sage, born with other knowledge. Or maybe Vara had been around longer than Reema thought... Maybe she was born when Venoma was...
"Reema?" Karma stared at the blank look on Reema. Reema shook suddenly, coming out of her thoughts, not the least bit startled.
"Anyway. Yes. I'll wake her up." Reema shook Vara. She wondered how long Vara had been out like she was... "I remember..." Reema paused, shaking her head. "Never mind." An image persisted through her head. Memories... And she shoved them away. "Her name... Vara?"
"Indeed," Ludwig replied as Karma nodded.
"Vara?" Reema asked as Karma watched. "You need to wake up." She seemed to be pleading. "I want you to please wake up. We're here to save you, Vara. I know inside you're probably scared, wondering what is happening to your body. Vara, you're in there. I'm here for Teela. Being as I'm sure you're a sage, I know you can probably see through all of the things I've said to and about her. You can also feel the friendship and caring I now have for her once more... But... You also know I feel bad about all I've done. You know I want to do anything now to have her forgive me. You know my brother is gone; you know the pain of loneliness I've been through. But you also know that I know the mistakes I've made. You... You know it, Vara. You know so much. I know so little. I am here for Teela.... I don't want you to get up for me, but I'm asking you to get up for Teela... I will do anything for her forgiveness, her commands are my current mission. I'm seeking her friendship... She's been there for me... I want to be there for her. You know how much she's done for me... You can feel my emotions, my thoughts... Vara, maybe not consciously... But I know you're feeling this right now... My words, the thoughts and feelings with them... Teela... has... saved me many times. From too many things. And yet she used to say I've done more.... Vara, please. If you're not going to wake up because of all the negative thoughts that have ensnared me... I want you to wake up for the friendship I am seeking from Teela. Teela wants you alive, Venoma wants you alive... We all want you alive. So... please... Live. Wake up..."
Karma's jaw was practically dropped. There seemed to be a rivalry between Teela and Reema... She knew it was there. And now Reema was practically spilling her heart out, all for Teela... Karma didn't know what to say. She wondered if Ludwig even cared.
Vara shook slightly. Reema looked to Ludwig. Ludwig looked to Karma, who in turn looked back to Vara.
"Wake... up." Ludwig pleaded. "I have no idea why I wanted to come... Because... Yes... If I recollect correctly... Your brother, Venoma... He made a point. I've locked everything away... I need to get out and enjoy the world, Vara. I am here for your brother, as well as for Karma, who is here for Teela, who was here for her. Teela wants to be here, Vara. Please... Can't you feel that we need you?! We don't want you the way they do. Can't you... Please just open your eyes?"
"Teela came here for me. She brought us all here together here, Vara. And we're all going to get through this together. Together... Teela brought us here... We're here for you, as well as Teela, and she's going to be here for us." Karma paused... Vara shook slightly, but her eyes still refused to open. "Vara... For all of us, you need to get up. Wake up, you're not dead."
Reema shook Vara one more time, all of them watching her intently. Vara's eyes opened suddenly, and she practically jumped up, scaring Reema slightly.
"What?" Vara asked as Ludwig looked at her strangly.
"You had no idea what we were saying, do you?"
"Was I sleeping?" Vara asked as Reema picked up Karma and started to walk away.
"Reema?" Karma asked as Ludwig looked to Vara, and followed Reema.
"I'll explain," Reema somewhat clarified as she began to walk faster. "We need to find somewhere safer..." Clapping was heard as Ludwig swerved around. Reema froze as Vara looked puzzledly to the two figures that suddenly stood behind them.
"That was rather touching... Slightly," Shot said annoyingly as Wreckless nodded obediantly.
"Ah, those were the ones... we took hostage." Reema then placed Karma on the ground, the Yoshi-Koopa standing on one foot, using Reema's axe to balance herself. Reema seemed defensive as she walked and stood in a challenging position, seemingly daring Wreckless and Shot to try anything.
"Excuse me?" Shot asked as Wreckless glared.
"You heard what I said," Reema replied as she looked at Wreckless. He was staring at her blood-covered ninja suit. He didn't recognize her at all... Her face was covered, her entire body either blood red or white... Or a brownish color to which the blood had completely dried. She suddenly jumped up, twirled, and landed on bent knees, one hand on the ground. Her ninja suit was gone; it seemingly just disappeared. She looked up darkly as Shot suddenly had a look of epiphany; he realized it was Reema.
"YOU! YOU WERE WITH THAT ORANGE-HAIRED GUY!!!" Shot seemed really ticked.
"Took you long enough to notice..." Ludwig replied under his breath; Wreckless heard and shot him an evil glance. "Oh, I'm so afraid," Ludwig replied to Wreckless as he rolled his eyes.
"You guys burned down Chaos's lab?" Shot asked as Reema nodded, shrugging.
"You got a problem with that?" Ludwig inquired slightly as Karma laughed. He had an attitude for once...
_
Setting: Illusion Village, Time: 5:28
Night crept upon the large village, darkness beginning to spread as the sun was going down. Tech and Skystice stood in by a fence, the trees behind the fence towering. They had just entered the village, but they were to remain there in the alleyway.
"I wonder how Ribbon is..."
"Sheesh, is he your only concern? That's a bit wrong," Skystice joked as Tech glared, but he then started laughing.
"Well, I'd have to be pretty desperate."
"It's not like Chaos had any more women on the team... I wonder what he'd use them for," Skystice joked some more as Tech shrugged.
"There was one. But she got killed, so... Yeah. Never mind."
"Was she pretty?"
"I don't know. Never seen 'er. I just know she was killed."
"Maybe... er... never mind."
"You were thinking you wanted to go dig her up, weren't you?!" Tech asked angrilly as Skystice shrugged.
"You said it."
"Whatever... Don't even think about it... You're annoying." And with that, Tech walked away.
"Where you goin'?" Skystice asked as Tech shrugged.
"Anywhere to get away from you..."