Chapter 2: What Lies Beneath

[gone]

Gone was in shock. Like total utter shock. That bleedin' moron had hit Stardust. And she hadn't killed him. Which totally surprised him, but it also kind of made him smile, cause he figured it meant she would get even worse revenge later on.

Then that weirdo chick started shouting and stuff, and he just totally groaned at her. Blah blah blah. She sure thought she was great. He didn't agree. He thought she was blah.

And yeah there was commotions going about. Blaze was being Blaze... the sight of her hitting helpless people... kind of warmed his heart. It was like... being home. And he totally wasn't going to pay any attention to the commotion.

Instead he was going to wrap his arm about Stardie's shoulders and coo at her. Which he did. Yeah, personal safety wasn't a big thing with him.

"You okay?" He asked seriously. "Want me to get you a steak so you don't bruise and get ickily swollen?"

"Move out."

Gone snorted and gave the woman a cocky salute. "Yes Sir!"

[ST]

(Alrigggghty then time to get a move on guysss XD)



Arland graced the media and looking tourists with a smile that never quite reached his cold eyes. With a short statement that he was not taking any interviews now, he walked away from the village with his entourage of body guards and assorted assistants, with the media trailing after him still hoping for some word from him, only to be rewarded with the dust his helicopter sent off as it ascended off the ground.

"What now?" His young-looking bodyguard asked.

"Now we wait." He replied without even looking at her, evidently still fuming over the Shumi Elder's rejection.

--------------------------------

After all the fuss around The Shumi Elder's hut had died down, you eventually found yourselves trooping into it and explaining your purpose of visiting him. He led you out towards the pond where the fake frog was.

The Elder murmured an incantation while reading the ancient scroll which sounded like nothing you have every heard before. Just as he finishes reading it, a sudden movement in the pond catches your eye. Seven slabs shoot up from the edge of the pond, and the water starts draining away into the gaps which had once been covered by the slabs. Within seconds all the water has been drained, leaving the bottom of the pond exposed.

You can make out a trapdoor in the very middle of the still-damp bottom.

The Shumi Elder turns to all of you.

"Well you're free to go. Good luck." He says, bowing solemnly at you.

[ST]

*rings bells* XD And omg, the silence spell XD HAHAHAH I'm sorry Bun!!!
_____________________________________


SeeDs

The Shumi elder bowed at you and motioned to the dried up pond where the entrance to the garden was.

Hadrian rolled up his headphones and placed them in his pocket. "Well," he looked at the group. "Let's go?"

Before anyone could react, gun clicks and scuffles were heard. "Everyone freeze!" said a raspy voice coming from the trees, revealing a troup of armed men stepping out of the bushes , gun pointing at the SeeDs. There were three people in front, a woman and two men, a confident smirk playing on their faces.

"Who would've thought that the famous SeeDs were going to be this generous as to open this gate for us," one of the prominent men drawled. The armed soldiers circled the SeeDs. The Shumi elder cowered.


Opps

Hiding in the bushes, this was supposed to be your chance to run inside the gate when a group of DotNAs appeared in the scene.

"What do we do now?!" Van firmly whispered, looking at Jaime and Deo. "I think we should wait. I don't think we can take them all on." She bit her lip. "What do you think??" She looked longingly at the middle of the dried pond a few steps away in front of them. "Man, this sucks..."


Trav's team!! XD

The view of the pond from the Inn's roof was spectacular. It seemed like a long time since you got here to spy on the DotNAs, and when this opportunity came it wasn't something that was supposed to be passed up--although Andre was still nowhere to be seen. You knew exactly of the SeeDs presence and your situation with them. You knew that the DotNA's plan was to acquire the ruby and you can't let them. And right now, Travis is placed with a big decision: should they wait for the big chaos to erupt to sneak inside the gate, or should they face the DotNAs head on thus meeting the SeeDs once again? The rope ladder is waiting.


_______________________________________
BRAZE!! If you have any question! PM or post in the comments!! XD I'm here for ya

[Bun]

*screws around just to help move things along*

---

"Who would've thought that the famous SeeDs were going to be this generous as to open this gate for us."

"Yeahh, we're just golden-hearted that way," Sho spoke up cheerily, a feral grin gracing his features. "In fact, we're so generous, we'll even kick your Adel-worshipping asses for free! Since we're in such a giving mood and all.." And saying so, he began to move forward, chuckling easily, pulling back his sleeves.

Polaris reached out as he passed her, grabbing the back of his jacket and pulling him back. He complied calmly enough, still chuckling, but dropping his offensive stance.

"Thanks for giving Blaze ideas," she growled.

[waterlily43]

Jun took a deep breath at the sight of the Dotna surrounding them. This was far from the first time they had been cornered by them when nobody was supposed to know where the SeeDs were heading. Jun had initially thought that the mole in their group had been sifted out after their group had been streamlined to only a select few, as they had gotten the Emerald successfully but evidently she was wrong. Keeping a tight rein on her anger, Jun's eyes roved around at the scene, her brain working to devise some plan out of their mess.

Three Dotna to a SeeD... maybe I should do some distracting first and hopefully someone picks up from there!

"Don't mind telling us something?" Jun's voice rang out clearly, as she strained to keep her voice even. "How did you know that we were here at all?"

[waterlily43]

Jaime stared wide-eyed at the Dotna that came surrounding the scene and training their weapons on the SeeDs. This was becoming even more complicated and Jaime's brain didn't deal kindly with complicated matters.

"What do we do now?!" Van firmly whispered, looking at Jaime and Deo. "I think we should wait. I don't think we can take them all on." She bit her lip. "What do you think?? Man, this sucks..."

"I agree with Van." Jaime frowned. "It completely sucks. And yeah we better wait. Can we sneak after they've fought finish? Cos maybe their numbers will be lessened or injured and we can handle them easier."

[ST]

SeeDs

The tall man laughed. "Mitch, you heard the woman, why don't you tell them?" the haughty woman beside him said. "I'm sure we don't 'mind' telling them...." She smirked at Jun. She was of the Asian descent, had feathery black hair that reached up to her neck, and wore the most crimson lipstick.

"Stop teasing, Waverly." Finally, a lean young man stepped towards her. His hair shone brown under the sun though there were hints of black on the roots. He was dressed in a suit, same as Mitch's. He stopped to gaze at the SeeDs in front of them, eyes surprisingly stopping at a one particular person. His annoyed face turned blank. "I think we're being rude for the lack of introductions," he mumbled. Pausing for a moment, he drew his gun and motioned it to the tall man near him. "This one's Mitch, and this sk..." He faced her. "...this woman is Waverly...And as for me, I think Tomoe can answer that for you." He smiled.

Waverly spoke up. "A mole gave away your coordinates. How sad is it that you can't even trust one of your own." She glanced behind him, catching sight of the man that stepped away from the throng of soldiers. He was indeed familiar to all of you. You couldn't mistake him. He was the new secretary in Xu's office. You had passed him several times everytime you went to meet Xu. It was the least thing you had expected.

"Howdy," he said, his voice almost cracking in laughter. He looked a lot younger than he was back in Garden, probably because of what he was wearing. "Your headmistress and I had a blast together. She was indeed very useful." He nodded. "You see, this was supposed to be Reese Amaerick's job, but I had to do it for the wimp." He looked at Waverly.

"Unethical misconduct if you may call." She shrugged, looking down and pursing her lips. "But I must admit, he and Laice did a good job being guinea pigs for our foreboding research. Both had diverse reactions, and of course, both are doomed, so as the fate of those who mess with Sorceress Adel." Waverly laughed.

"Tsk tsk...Laice, she was a fine one," the brown-haired man said once again, smirking. "Tell me, did Garden like the presents we threw at them?"

[stardust]

Stardust grit her teeth, her fist clenched at the sight of these impudent DotNAs in front of her. There were guns all around them, and all it would take for her was just another snap and she could explode. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew what Laice was ever since the beginning. But Reese and the secretary as well?! She didn't know what to think now. All she knew was that she was burning with hatred than ever before.

"So it was you..." she hissed, her face coated with fury.

This new guy too...did he just say Tomoe? Stardust looked at Polaris.

"Why the hell does that guy know you!? What's going on here?"

[Polaris Lyn]

"Why the hell does that guy know you!? What's going on here?" Stardust, Polaris wearily noted, was once again abandoning tact and not focusing on the subject at hand. And once again, since no one--with the exception of Jun Kuroki, for whom Polaris had already developed a deep respect for--was doing anything that could get her out of the spotlight, Polaris once again, had to brave the scrutiny of her teammates.

"Shut up, Stardust, it's not my fault that Reese turned out to be some traitor, so don't blame it on me, alright?" she said quietly, although her voice was steely.

"That's very true." The brown-haired man in the black suit nodded. "Of course, Tomoe, you'd know all about being a traitor in your own cute little way, now wouldn't you?" His smile was razor-sharp and predatory.

Polaris sighed. "It's not Tomoe," she said, her tone bored. She leisurely examined her fingernails. "I changed my name." She glanced up, met the man's eyes. "Must we do this in front of my teammates?"

Her verbal opponent's smile never wavered, and he sighed dramatically. "I'm afraid that's how it is, sweets. Sorry for the melodrama," he added, nodding to the team. "I just feel you should understand Tomoe's--"

"Polaris."

"--forgive me, Polaris's reasons for being SeeD. She's just being a very bad little girl."

Polaris frowned. "That's really unfair. I'm nineteen, Reaver."

'Reaver' shrugged. "Can't help it, Polly. Big brothers never change, do they? But apparently, little sisters do." His expression became serious. "This little I'm-joining-SeeD-because-I-don't-agree-with-Esthar is seriously giving Dad heart troubles. Do you want that?"

"Look, it is so not my fault you've all been blinded by Adel's ugly face, alright? I'm just doing what I've got to do, and you're really embarrassing me in front of my teammates." Polaris crossed her arms.

"Oh please! Look at them!" Reaver gestured behind Polaris. "They're embarrasing just by themselves!"

"Shut UP, I'm not the one dressed like the main character from that cheesy spy movie 'The Galbadian Candidate'." Polaris's eyes blazed. "And at least my female team members don't dress like two-bit prostitutes on the corner of the Deling City streets!" She pointed to Waverly.

Reaver opened his mouth to retort. "Well--hmm." He glanced at Waverly. "You got me on that one."

[ST]

SeeDs

Waverly glared at Reaver and smacked his shoulder. "Fool!" she said, hearing a snort from Mitch from behind her. She slapped him. "What's so funny!?" she barked, drawing her gun as well. "Do keep in mind that I'm in a higher position than you all are. My own brother is the founder of this organization! Don't you forget that!" she shouted defensively, giving away more information than she should've.

Turning to the SeeDs, she was huffing red. "As for you, chit chat's over. Everyone! Kill them all!" she demanded.

[waterlily43]

The moment Rayden heard the Dotna chick shout "Everyone! Kill them all!" he knew he had to act.

In a split-second move he had raised his spider necklace to his lips and kissed it.


Before the Dotna troops could have the chance to open fire, strings of sticky substance had entangled their limbs, right down to their toe and fingers. A hazy figure materialized out of thin air, and the huge shadow of a spider hovered over the entire space, before morphing to a lady with a curvaceous figure and long sleek hair that hung curtain-like from the side of her face.

"Do your stuff Ariadnialla." Rayden said to his GF, his face taking on a bit of pallor as he felt his energy being siphoned off.

She opened her wide mouth, exposing spiky teeth and hurled her spittle at the Dotna troops, advancing on some of them and sinking her teeth into their flesh with relish. Half of them start to drop like dominoes as each is inflicted with Pain, although some of them tried valiantly to shoot at the GF, but failed to find target with their bullets. The other half was trying to decide whether to fire at the GF, the SeeDs or cure their comrades.


"That's enough Ariad." Rayden gasped. He would have liked to keep her out longer to deal with the Dotna leaders but prior experience told him that his energy levels were reaching the danger zone, and Ariad would be defenseless if he was unconscious himself.

At his command, Ariadnialla vanishes, leaving behind her a veil of haze and the symphony of agonised growns from the Pain-ed Dotna soldiers.

"So... not so cocky now with half of your trusty back-up gone, are you?" Rayden addressed the four leaders, smirking. "Let's see how you're gonna embarrass yourselves although I have to say, you already have a headstart, Miss Sister of Dotna founder."

[Diego Stanton]

Deo, Jamie and Van watched as a huge spider GF took down the dotNA.

/pfft. I could take her on/ Drake rumbled inside Deo's mind. Unlike Deo, he was itching to fight.

"What the hell's goin' on anyway?" Deo asked, "Now we have to beat the seeDs in addition to the dotNA? There's only three of us!"

He glanced over at the pond and noticed that it was slowly beginning to fill up again. Neither the seeDs nor the dotNA seemed to notice.

"Uh, I think the entrance is closing." Deo pointed out.

[Bun]

"Let's see how you're gonna embarrass yourselves although I have to say, you already have a headstart, Miss Sister of DoTNA founder." Behind her, Rayden's voice sounded weak, breathless, and Polaris chanced a look over her shoulder. The blonde looked pale and shaky, and it worried Polaris. Summoning forth her Support Magic, Polaris cast a Regen spell on Rayden. He looked like he needed it.

And then she heard Reaver's voice, sounding unbelievably close to laughing. "Well, damn. He's right about you, too, Waverly."

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze felt a sudden surge of pride, dispite the predicament they were in. She was right, she was right all along about Reese!

"I KNEW IT!!!!" Blaze yelled in typical Blaze fashion. "You! I saw you at Balamb with Reese. You were his girlfriend, I remember now." she said to Waverly, "Yeah, I remember. You left Balamb because you couldn't pass the seeD test."

Waverly's cheeks flushed even redder and she and changed the direction of her gun to point at Blaze.

"Like I really cared about Reese?!?" Waverly clicked the gun's safety off, "I was the one who cheated on him! I was the one who ordered the experiment to be tested on him because of his betrayal. His betrayal to us for her!"

She suddenly pointed her gun at Stardust.

"He actually wanted to join the enemy, can you believe that?" Waverly let out a false laugh, "He wanted to be a seeD. Disgusting."

Waverly's hand twiched on the gun's trigger. It looked like she was going to pull it any minute.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris stepped between Waverly and Stardust, and Reaver's voice cracked through the silence like a whip, sharp and deadly.

"Shoot my sister and I'm putting one between your eyes, Waverly. I don't care if Mitch shoots me after, but pull that trigger and your lipstick won't be the only thing smeared all over your face." Reaver's face was calm enough, but he sounded harsh, and his gun was automatically turned to Waverly.

Polaris never tore her eyes away from Waverly. "You can't blame Amaerick for betraying you for SeeD, you know," she said sardonically. "I suppose he just finally realized that he had standards, and wondered what the hell he was doing being with you."