Chapter 23:Scorched Earth...

The Daina's attack shook the towers very foundation as the control center was obliterated...A moment later the entire fortress was plunged into complete and utter darkness. The first phase of the plan had been successful, the internal defense systems were temporarily off-line. However, they would soon be restored at least partially...Justice, Moo and StoneClaw had waited for this moment and wasted no time now...The eyes of the Dark Dragon began to glow with an Erie light, allowing him to see through the thick blackness while illuminating the corridor slightly...Moo darted into the shadows, not bothering to wait anylonger and Justice took off after him, barely keeping the dragon in sight...They passed auto-guns and other nasty defenses and hurried by, knowing that they could reactivate at anymoment. Justice could feel they were getting closer...to the Master and most of all to the vile monsters who murdered his trainer. It was that senseless and brutal act that had driven the old durahan onward, even as a battlescared body protested and rebelled. He could only hope the others faired well...and would be able to stop the weapon.

~Meanwhile~

Celine and Beatdown stood inside a small elevator which was taking them higher into the tower, near the summit where the weapon was. They had failed to gain access to the powersource itself. The Master had taken no chances, making that chamber utterly impossible to break into. One slim hope remained, to get to the primary weapon itself positioned high atop the dark tower and destroy the doomsday device before it fired a single shot. As they got closer one could hear the sounds of energy surging, preparing to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting world...It had to be stopped at all costs.

"Almost there!"Beatdown squealed, boxing with imaginary enemies."Just wait till I get to it. I'm gonna bust it up!"

Celine frowned and shook her head, "Your certainly in a jovial mood considering what where about to do. We're fighting for the fate of the world here, try to be serious for once."

"I am!! An if anyone gets in our way I'll smackem good!"Beatdown proceeded to punch thin air..."See? Just like that."

The dryad smiled slightly at the fairyhare but quickly regained her focus. She was here for the same reason as justice, revenge. They destroyed her beautiful golden city, slaughtered her people, assassinated their leader and stole a priceless artifact. As the last surviving Dryad it was celine's duty to seek vengeance anyway she could and ruining the masters plan would help. She couldn't let them destroy anything else....Suddenly the elevator came to a stop...

The black doors opened and the two monsters were greeted by the cold night wind. They stood now at the summit, standing outside the towers walls. Darkness covered the land and in the distance one could see the battle between the monster army and the Masters minions continuing. Higher above them the massive gun protruded out of the tower, already aimed. Energy surged within it, preparing to rain death upon the land and scorch all that came in contact with it. Celine looked upon it in terror as the wind pulled at her fragile wings. Beatdown balled up her fuzzy fists and prepared for battle, taking a second to shadowbox. It was up to them now...to stop this titan of metal and energy...

The layout of the area made it difficult to climb to the weapon itself, but Celine could reach it easily by flying. Telling beatdown to stay put the dryad ascended, fluttering around the device while searching for some way to shut it off safely. She didn't want to blast it and trigger a safeguard of some sort. Near the base of the weapon she found a seat with a control console in front. It was just the right size for a pixie type...which seemed all too convient. As the dryad prepared to lower herself into the seat she heard beatdown cry out.

"Beatdown!"She cried instinctively turning around to see what was wrong. Suddenly a powerful wave of energy hit her from behind. Jolted by the sheer force of the blast the dryad fell from the sky, slamming into the floor. The last thing Celine saw was the fairyhare being chased by a huge Salamander before she finally lost consciousness....

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Beatdown barely dodged the Salamanders fireballs, the explosion knocking her down. Scrambling to her feet she ran deeper into the tunnel she was being herded into...The evil monster had surprised her, coming out of nowhere with it's razor teeth and fire. Terrified the hare retreated into the darkness, she couldn't help it, it was all to familiar...just like that day. It took a few minutes for beatdown to recover from the fright and by that time the enemy had chased her right back into the tower. Looking around she realized they were inside the very base of the weapon. In the center of the chamber energy was being drawn into the gun from below. Beatdown edged closer to it, almost entranced by the glowing stream of energy...

"Pathetic fool, there is no escape!"The Salamander Zarzaas hissed as he entered the chamber, instantly grabing her attention."Nice isn't it? Soon we shall finally purge this world!"

"But you'll hurt monsters too!"Beatdown protested..."And not all humans are bad. This is....this is wrong! I won't let you do it!"She glared at the other monster, getting into fighting stance.

"Hahaha...I'll tear you apart with my bare talons!"Zarzaas charged and beatdown leaped straight over his head. Sliding to a stop he turned and charged again. But she was a nimble hare and leaped aside...the salamanders momentum forcing him into a wall. Furious he roared, launching triple fireballs at her. Beatdown dodged, getting nailed by one in the side. She cringed as the flame cinged her fur and rushed him, punching the beast in his scaly head. The power of her fist was a surprise to Zarzaas, accutally breaking three of his fangs. He responded by violently comping down on her small arm, nearly taking it off with that one bite. Beatdown screamed, forcing back tears of pain as she battered him with her free hand. Finally he released his grip and the poor fairyhare pulled away, her arm bleeding heavily and nearly severed. She backed away from the enemy, her back to the energy stream. Zarzaas licked the blood from his mouth and leaped into the air, coming down upon the hare with talons poised to shred...

It would have meant her death if she didn't act quickly, leaping into the air and performing a powerful spin kick. The perfectly timed attack knocked the salamander out of the air and to the floor in pain. Beatdown launched herself at him, seeing a moment to attack and finish this battle once and for all. But Zarzaas was lightening fast and lashed out with his tail as he got to his feet. Beatdown jumped over the tail strike only to be tackled to the ground by the monsters weight. Zarzaas stood over her, talons sinking painfully into her flesh, drool seeping from his mouth...

"I'm going to enjoy devouring you..."He hissed,"I haven't had fairyhare in ages. Then I'm going to go watch the purging...we shall wipe humans from this world like dirt off my claws, and all traitorous monsters who serve them!"

"N-Never!"Beatdown screamed as she slipped her small but powerful legs beneath the salamander and kicked upward, knocking him off. Zarzaas landed on his back and one could hear the snap of his wings breaking under his own body weight. As he flipped over he snarled in anger, prepared to continue the battle...but beatdown looked spent. Her right arm was hanging limp at her side, pink fur turned almost crimson red. Breathing heavily the little hare seemed utterly exhausted and Zarzaas realized she was no longer a threat.

"You fought better then I expected..."He said as he approached for the kill."But in the end you lost, it's over hare."

"Like...I said....before,"She said, balling up her left paw into a tight fist."Never!" With that she absolutely exploded, taking the salamander by surprise with one merciless blow after the other. She was fighting with one hand, but thats all she needed and the barrage of punches came to fast for Zarzaas to counter. He retaliated with slashes and claw strikes, still beatdown came, absorbing the attacks, hitting him again and again...until finally he fell. Collapsing into a battered heap Zarzaas hissed quietly, knowing death was near. However just as Beatdown was about to bash his brains in, literally, a scream echoed through the chamber. It came from above, it was Celine...instantly Beatdown forgot about her enemy and ran out the way she came, determined to save her friend...

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Consciousness returns slowly...and with it the dull aching sensation in Celine's head began to worsen. Even then she could feel a dark presence hovering over. Finally the dryads vision returned and as the darkness lifted she found herself starring into the face of her worst enemy. The Lilim known as Jakira stared back at her, a cruel smile spread across her lips. The lilim waited patiently for Celine to gather her thoughts, making no attempt to attack....at least not yet.

"W-why didn't you just kill me?"Celine asked, confused to why her life had been sparred. For a split second she wondered if the lilim had denounced her loyalty to the master as Shielka did...but then why attack her? Whatever the reason she wasn't quite prepared for the answer.

"You were out cold...where's the fun in that?"Jakira said in an almost jovial tone..."Besides, I like to torture my prey before I slaughter them and steal their souls! I want to see your blood spill...I want to see you writhe in agony...I want to hear you scream in torment. When I'm finished with you dryad you'll be BEGGING me for death, just to release you from the pain!"

"I swear Jakira...you'll regret not killing me when you had the chance!"Celine screamed back with utter hatred in her voice."For what you did to my peopl-" Jakira suddenly slapped Celine across the face and leapt into the air laughing maniacally.

"Will you shut up!"The lilim screamed down as her from the skys."If you want a piece of me...Bring it!" Her terrible laughter filled the air as Jakira launched her devastating lightening strikes. The dryad took to the air herself, narrowly avoiding a deadly electrocution and countering with a blast of flame. Jakira dodged the attack effortlessly as the two prepared to face off...high above the weapon which was still powering up. The battle began with an exchange energy as the two pixie types lit up the night sky once again. They were both equal when it came to speed and agility but Jakira was more powerful overall. Even worse...she had learned many abilities of her joker side. Growing impatient Jakira unleashed a powerful death energy attack, the same move that defeated Celine during their first encounter. Celine desperately tried to stay alive as the energy washed over her, weaving through the deadly maelstrom while speeding toward her target. Somehow she made it through without any major injuries and delivered a punch to Jakira's face, following it up with a knee to the stomach and then finally a mega-ray. The Lilim fell from the sky, she hit the side of the massive weapon with a thud and fell to the metal floor unmoving. Normally Celine would leave it at that...but she wanted revenge. Not giving her adversary a chance to recover the dryad used a big bang attack, the powerful sphere of energy hitting it's target with deadly accuracy. An explosion followed and although it did only minimal harm to the weapon above Celine was sure Jakira was finished...or so she thought.

"Is that ALL you've got?"The lilim screamed and the dust stirred up by the explosion cleared. There Jakira stood, unfazed by the attack...and holding a huge scythe. The lilim spread her dark wings and took to the air again, laughing madly as she sped toward the dryad. Celine tried to stop her advance with flame and lightening, all of which were almost shrugged off. Jakira swung her scythe as soon as she was in range and Celine nearly got her head taken off. Her enemy swung again, and once again Celine only barely escaped death, dodging just in time.

"Stop moving around and die with dignity you coward!"Jakira said, clearly alittle frustrated. Suddenly the scythe disappeared."To hell with this! I'll kill you with my bare hands!" She charged and so did Celine, the two pixies colliding in an all out brawl. Again their battle had turned into something of an airal catfight as the two hated enemies desperately tried to rip each other apart. Then, Jakira teleported behind Celine and grabbed her in a chokehold. She struggled but couldn't break out of Jakira's death grip as the lilim laughed...

"This is just too easy dryad."Jakira smiled as she strangled Celine..."Now how should I kill you? I could use my Dark illusion, I doubt you have the same willpower as Moo....no, I've got a better Idea!" Celine wondered what jakira was talking about...but she found out soon enough as the lilim flew towards the Weapons mouth...energy and heat radiating off it...

"You like the weapon? Here, have a closer look!!"Jakira began to inch celine closer and the dryad could literally feel her skin burning, mere seconds away from igniting and she cried out once in pain, but knew she had to escape. Celine elbowed Jakira repeatedly, each blow sending a jolt through the lilim. It took several hits but Celine finally escaped her enemies grasp and certain death. She had to get away, put some distance between them and come up with a plan...unfortunately that didn't happen. A blast of energy struck Celine from the sky once again. She hit the floor and nearly rolled right off the edge of the tower. With a flash Jakira was upon her, not giving her a chance to get back up. Celine's adrenaline was running out and with it came the realization of her injuries. She had suffered serious burns to her arms and the side of her face. Exhausted it seemed she could fight no longer...

"Aww look...your arm is burnt."Jakira laughed wickedly as she grabbed Celine's arm and started raking it with her claws. "Come on, Give me some skin! Hahahahahaha!"

"Aaarrggghhh!"Celine cried, struggling against her."Get the hell off me! I'll kill you, I swear it...Aaarrrgh!" Jakira only laughed at this, sinking her nails painfully into her burnt left cheek.

"I-Don't-Think-So..."Jakira said, stomping her in the stomach with each word. Suddenly the huge Scythe materialized in her hands once again."Prepare to die!"

"Noooo!!"Beatdown leapt out of nowhere, jump kicking Jakira...The lilim staggered backward before taking a swing at the little fairyhare. Beatdown dodged that attack, slipping behind Jakira and jumping up, wrapping her furry arms around twisted lilim tightly, using all her strength to hold on despite her injuries."Celine....do something....I can't hold her long."

Celine staggered to her feet, looking into the eyes of one who had exterminated her people. Thats when she felt it, a power growing inside her. She felt the presence of the others, her people, her family...as if they'd chosen this moment to descend and lend her their power. A golden light surrounded Celine as she took flight, her eyes glowing as well...She then summoned an ancient attack known only to the dryads...Thrusting both her palms forward.

"Burning...Redemption!"At those words a beam of light shot forth, tendrils of golden energy encircling it. Beatdown released her grip and jumped aside as Jakira took the full force of the blast. The golden light surrounded her, engulfed her, devoured her...The lilim's flesh began to burn and peel, her body withering under the holy power of the attack. The tendrils of light swirled upward and then finally faded...leaving only a charred form in it's wake. Jakira stood for a moment before collapsing limply to the ground...she wasn't laughing now...

The light around Celine faded as she landed besides Jakira's battered body. But the defeat of her enemy suddenly became the last thing on her mind as she laid eyes on beatdown. The little fairyhare's fur was matted with blood, her breathing slight. She had suffered from several horrible slash wounds, her energy totally spent, having used the last of her energy to hold Jakira. Cradling the hare in her arms Celine was overjoyed when she opened her eyes weakly...

"Are...you...ok?"Beatdown said, speaking in almost a whisper.

"Yes, I'm fine."Celine replied...

"Good..."With that the fairyhare closed her eyes and failed to open them again, her body going limp as her breathing ceased.

"Beatdown...."Celine said in dispair, her eyes filling with tears as she realized it was too late. Yet the dryad was not even allowed to grieve as the unthinkable occurred...the weapon fired. The massive stream of energy launched forth, heading off into the distance to bring doom. How many would die when that blast hit the main continent? How much land would be destroyed with that blast alone? Celine watched in utter horror, knowing that in a matter of minutes a 30% of the continent would be obliterated. She wept...realizing that she'd failed...in more ways then one. Fluttering up into the control seat she managed to set the gun on overload...in a few minutes the towers summit would explode into a ball of flame. The dryad deeply considered staying...afraid to face the others. But then...beatdown wouldn't want that, as her only concern was always of others...

"I'll make it up to you..."Celine said, tears running down her face as she scooped the fairyhare up. She wasn't about to leave her here...this wouldn't be her grave. Perhaps if they survived Celine would be able to lay the hare to rest properly...far away from this accursed tower....


((Next Chapter...The battle thats been a whole story comin! Justice vs. Vor Stoneclaw vs. Liqua. Will Justice prevail? Find out next time....))

amazing! the story started off slow, and i never thought i'd be saying i enjoyed a beatdown/celine segment best, but - i really did! very well done!

*snif* That was.....*snif*just beautiful...*snif* *snort* *snif*


On a serious note, great addition. Burning Redemption just sounds cool. Wonder if Cid will do something for Justice?

Wow. I mean it. That was just...um...how do I
put this in words? Wow? I dunno, but I have
to think of something...ever think of persuing a
writing career?

I have to agree with Jello on this one. Not even the minor typos and grammatical errors could stop this one! There's no other words for it, S+ Black Razor ^_^