"Rest up from your defeat. You will have another chance to prove yourself soon. While you heal, however, I will send out Krackel. And I shall leave Twizzler to her duties. Good day." Wintergreen's parting words hung in the air long after she was gone. Riesen sat on his bed, deep in thought. The circumstances he found himself in were simply unacceptable. Wintergreen's lieu- tenants had always vied for her favour, and until recently Riesen had been most likely to receive it. His recent defeats by the Warrior Priestesses and Knight Protector had changed that; he now appeared almost as incompetent as the traitorous Twix twins had proven themselves to be. "Rest up from your defeat," Wintergreen had said. Kindness, particularly kindness to one who had failed her, was hardly characteristic of his queen. Riesen suspected that she was waiting to see if her other minions fared better before deciding whether to dispose of his services, permanently. If Riesen was to survive the coming days, he would need to prove his worth to Wintergreen, even if it meant defying her orders. She would overlook disobedience if he succeeded in de- feating the Crystal Warriors. But how could he accomplish that? It was obvious. It was simple. It was perfect. "How foolish I've been," he said aloud, shaking his head. "Attacking them outright? What was I thinking? I'm not some brute like Krackel. And carting along a couple of monsters to do the job is exactly the sort of idiocy the Twixes specialized in. No wonder I failed. I'm Riesen, the greatest political manipulator on Mars... and it's time I started to act like it again." >o< >o< >o< The Starburst Crystal Created by Ardweden Chapter 24: Sugar High Noon by Nicolas Juzda >o< >o< >o< When Tsugiko staggered into the dining room of Wonka's mansion for breakfast, she was surprised to note that she was not the last to arrive. Since no one had woken her, she assumed that she had overslept, as was her tendency. A single massive table dominated the room. Most of its length was occupied by Oompa Loompas, stuffing their faces full of some sort of porridge. At its head sat Wonka, to his right were Kyouji and Twizzler, and to his left were two empty chairs. Tsugiko made her way over and had a seat next to Wonka. "Guh muhnin," she muttered, reaching for the cup of hot liquid that sat by the plate. "I beg your pardon?" Wonka replied. "She said 'good morning'," Kyouji said. "Tsugiko's not much of a morning person." "Green has to concentrate to talk," Twizzler added. Tsugiko felt more alert after downing whatever the beverage was (not tea, nor hot chocolate, but something halfway in be- tween), enough to shoot the redheaded girl a nasty look. "Yumi still not awake?" Tsugiko asked. Her old roommate was most definitely a morning person, and Yumi's absence surprised Tsugiko. "I don't believe so. She hasn't come down for breakfast yet, anyway," Wonka replied. "Your friend had quite an ordeal yesterday, so it's best to let her rest." Tsugiko was about to protest that it hadn't been particularly fun for her either, but before she could Twizzler spoke. "Well, I was buried under all that rock, too. And she hit me! You be careful around her, Kyouji. She might be becoming as violent as Green here. I'm the only person who's safe to be around, these days." Twizzler snuggled against Kyouji's side. "Death by smothering isn't exactly what I call safe," Tsugiko shot back. Wonka coughed loudly, and the three of them turned to face him. "Ladies, we all had quite an unpleasant time yesterday, I think it can be agreed. But today is a fresh day, so let us put aside the past and move on. Does that sound reasonable?" Tsugiko thought that was almost as unbelievably Pollyanaish as Yumi at her worst, but nodded anyway. Wonka was their host, after all. Across the table from her, Twizzler also signalled assent. "So," Kyouji said, rejoining the conversation at last. "What's our next move? Wonka, do you have any idea what we still need to restore Tsugiko's crystal?" "Actually, I do!" Wonka stood up. "If you will follow me?" And with that, he marched out of the room. "But I never got to eat," Tsugiko said plaintively as Kyouji and Twizzler followed him. Then, with one last longing glance at her plate, she headed after them. The three teenagers followed Wonka through the halls of his mansion, to a study on the upper floor. Like his library had been, it was filled with a variety of tomes, but these appeared much more beaten-up and weathered. Several manuscripts in vari- ous stages of completion lay about the room, apparently Wonka's own work. "One of the Oompa Loompas brought this to my attention." Wonka said, holding out a scrap of paper he picked up off the desk. "He found it in the ruins of my library." "What does it say?" Tsugiko asked. "Illiterate too, Green?" "Shut up!" "A-hem," Wonka said. "This is a page from The Milky Way, the writings of the legendary Jersey Milk. According to it, the ring Pop alone IS sufficient to repair the young lady's crystal." "But I tried to use it yesterday," Tsugiko said. "And it hurt." "According to The Milky Way, while the ring can do the job, its energies are so great that they will overwhelm anyone who tries to wield them. To utilize Pop, one must drain the excess energy, which can only be accomplished by using a wooden rod made from a branch of the Pixie tree." "Let me guess," Tsugiko said. "A Pixie Stick can only be found in an underground cave, or an ancient temple, or on a mountaintop, or-" "Actually, they sell them the next town over." "Is it a long-abandoned town, full of untold danger?" Kyouji asked. "Not really, no. You just go into Smarties' Supplies and buy one." "So," Tsugiko said, "you're telling us that we can just go over to the next town, walk into a store, and buy the thing we need." "Yes." "You're sure it's not an evil store?" "Positive. Well, maybe their prices are a bit high, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them evil." Kyouji and Tsugiko exchanged a long look. Finally, Kyouji shrugged. "Okay. Let's do it." "We have no money," Tsugiko said. Wonka reached into his pocket and pulled out some golden coins. Each one had a thin metal pole sticking out of it. "Here's twelve lollipop gild. The Pixie Stick should only cost ten, but you can keep the rest." "Uh... I'm not sure if we'll be able to repay you. And you've already done so much for us," Kyouji said. "Nonsense. It's been my pleasure." "I'll go wake Yumi," Tsugiko said, a bit more gleefully than she had intended. "Wait, Tsugiko! We should let her rest," the Knight Protector said. "That cave-in obviously took a lot out of her, and not just physically. We have to give her as much time to recover as she needs." Tsugiko's cheerfulness abruptly vanished. "I've been waiting for weeks to get my crystal fixed." "Why don't the three of you go to the next town over, buy the Pixie Stick, and then come back here tomorrow? You can pick up Yumi when you return," Wonka suggested. "That sounds good!" Kyouji said, glad that there had been a diplomatic solution that would keep everyone happy. "The... three... of us," Tsugiko said, glaring at Twizzler. The redhead glared right back. Kyouji realized it was going to be a long trip. >o< >o< >o< Mr. Big had not been having a good day. Until a few months ago, his job as mayor had been easy. Sure, there had been the odd problem to deal with, especially once Wonka and his Oompa Loompas moved nearby, but nothing terribly taxing. Things had changed. With the wars that were breaking out all over the map disrupting trade routes and minimizing the demand for exports, the local economy had been thrown into depression. The causes were completely beyond his control, but everyone in the village still looked to him to bring prosperity back to them. And they weren't very tolerant of his failure to provide results. He had heard rumours that he would be asked to resign before long. "It's lonely at the top, isn't it?" "Who's there?" Mr. Big looked up to see the door to his may- oral office open. Framed in the doorway was a man he didn't recognize. "You've given so much of your life to this town, haven't you? And now, at the first hint of trouble, they turn on you. They're ungrateful, that's what they are." Mr. Big found himself nodding. The man's words were oddly compelling, in no small part because the mayor had been thinking along those very lines. "I know how you feel, Mr. Mayor. But you must remember that you cannot be angry at them. They are like children, and it is your responsibility to lead them. If they need to find someone to blame, it is up to you to show them who to choose, or they will be forced to pick someone themselves. You cannot reproach them for that." "Who are you?" Mr. Big asked again. "The answer to all your problems. Let's talk." >o< >o< >o< It had been a long trip. The past several hours had seemed like an eternity to Kyouji. Twizzler had spent half the trip being her usual amourous self- which, he had to admit, wasn't all bad, although he wasn't sui- cidal enough to voice that thought while Tsugiko was within ear- shot. The rest of the walk, she and Tsugiko had spent trading cutting remarks, and a couple of times things had been on the verge of escalating further until Kyouji had begged them both to take a moment to cool down. "I think I see the town up ahead," the Knight Protector said, breaking an uncomfortable silence that had lasted the past several minutes. "Hmmm?" Tsugiko said. She turned her attention from giving Twizzler a dirty look to follow Kyouji's gaze. Sure enough, there was a town ahead of the trio. Within min- utes the path had turned into the main street, and all three craned their necks as they searched for Smarties' Supplies. It wasn't hard to spot. It was one of the largest buildings in town, two stories tall, and the sign out front proudly an- nounced its identity. The front door stood open, and the three teenagers entered into a dimly lit room full of shelf after shelf of bizarre items. "Can I help you?" asked an elderly gentlemen sitting on a stool in the corner. "We're looking for a Pixie Stick," Kyouji said. "Alright. I think I've got a couple of those back here some- where." The man got up slowly, reaching for a gnarled cane to help him stand. He limped along one row of shelves, until he came to a pile of wooden rods. He picked one up, held it close to his eyes, and then turned to his customers. "Here's what you're looking for." "Thank you," Kyouji said, pulling out the lollipop gild. "That'll be fifteen lolls," the old man said. "We were told it would be ten," Kyouji said. "Price went up. It's gettin' harder to find pixie trees these days." "Please, sir, we need that stick to help us fight a great evil." "A great evil you say?" The old man hobbled over towards Kyouji, then leaned forward until his head was less than a foot from the boy. He squinted as he looked the Knight Protector up and down. "You don't mean... Wintergreen?" Kyouji nodded. "Yes." "Well why didn't you say so?" The old man's face broke into a grin. "If this is to help defeat Wintergreen, I'll give you a five percent discount. That'll be just fourteen lolls." Kyouji could hear a low growling noise coming from behind him, and realized that Tsugiko's temper was being strained to nearly its breaking point. "Can't you make it twelve lolls?" he said. "Come on, kid. I have to make a living here." "But that's all we have." "Look, you're breaking my heart, but business is business. Now, are you going to buy something or not?" Tsugiko's eyes narrowed. "He'd sacrifice the entire world just for his own profits," she muttered under her breath. She reached up with her right hand, grasping the handle of her warhammer. "How dare he?" It was only then that she realized Twizzler had also been say- ing something sotto voice. It sounded like, "He can't talk to my Kyouji like that. How dare he? Fl-" Twizzler saw the flames forming around the redheaded girl's torso, ready to shoot forward and probably kill the old geezer, and did the only thing she could think of. She pulled her hammer off of her back and swung it around to hit Twizzler in the face, all in one smooth motion. "-am-" Twizzler continued. Tsugiko's action had taken a slit second. The mage never finished her spell, and the flames flickered and died as she hit the ground. "Hey! No fighting in my store!" the old man said. "She hit me! Did you see that, Kyouji? Green just hit me." Everyone stared at Tsugiko accusingly. "But- she was- I had to-" the Warrior Priestess stammered. "Oh, never mind." "I'll have to ask you to leave," the elderly gentleman said. "Tsugiko, could you wait outside? Please?" Kyouji asked. The girl's eyes narrowed again, and her green aura flickered into being briefly, but she turned and walked from the store without a word. A few minutes later, Kyouji emerged, Twizzler hanging off one arm. "No luck. He won't budge on the price." "We should have offered to trade Twizzler for it," Tsugiko replied. "Hey!" "Don't worry," Tsugiko said. "I just meant for the night." "Well, at least I'd have known how to show him a good time if you had, unlike some people." Kyouji closed his eyes, certain of a violent outburst, but nothing happened. After a second, he opened them to see Tsugiko walking off down the street. "Hey, wait up!" He ran after her, pulling away from Twizzler. As he approached Tsugiko, the Warrior Priestess increased her speed, until they were both sprinting. Eventually, Tsugiko slowed to a stop, and Kyouji was able to reach her. He was out of breath, and he noticed that Tsugiko was breathing heavily as well. With a conscious effort, he moved his gaze upwards to look into her eyes. It occurred to Kyouji that neither of them should be tired from just that brief jog, but it had been a long couple of days, and neither was fully recovered. "Leave me alone," she said. "Look, it's not a big deal, okay? We'll go back to Wonka's and borrow a couple of extra lolls." "It won't work. It's the same here as on Earth. I never win. Something always makes sure I'm inferior." "Inferior to whom?" Kyouji asked. The Warrior Priestess opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment Twizzler ran up to the two of them. Instantly, she posi- tioned herself with one arm around Kyouji. "Oh, never mind," Tsugiko said at last. "I'm never going to get my crystal fixed." "We'll think of something." "It's not like we even need the stupid stick for much," Tsugiko said. "All I want is to use it once." "Uh... yeah..." Kyouji said, distracted by Twizzler resting her head on his shoulder, her body melding into his side. He realized he should probably shake the redheaded girl off of him before Tsugiko noticed, but could think of no way to do so that wouldn't draw the Warrior Priestess' attention to exactly where he didn't want it. "Look at you," said a disembodied voice Kyouji knew all too well. "Your friend just gave you the crucial piece of informa- tion you need to think of a solution, but you're so busy dealing with your love life, you don't even hear her." "Teru?" he said. He spoke so softly that not even Twizzler heard. "Think," the voice continued. "What did Tsugiko just say?" Kyouji furrowed his brow in concentration. "She only needs to use it once," he muttered. "Right. So, you don't really need to buy it, do you?" "We can offer to just rent the Pixie Stick!" Kyouji finished the thought aloud. Tsugiko looked up at him, her face brightening. "Hey, you're right." "Oh, Kyouji," Twizzler said, somehow snuggling even closer to him. "You're so smart." "Uh... thanks?" he said. "Oh great. I can't believe the brains of this outfit is the dead girl," came one last message from Teru. >o< >o< >o< When Yumi finally awoke, it was to the sound of shouting. Instantly forgetting the dream she'd been having as she became fully alert, the girl jumped out of bed and ran to the door. Coincidentally, Wonka was just walking past her room as he hurried down the hallway. "Hello, Yumi," he said. "Awake at last, I see." "What's going on?" she asked. "I'm not sure. Some people at the door. I sent Goody to have a look." No sooner had he said that then Goody ran up to them. His face was bloody, one eye was swelling, and when he opened his mouth he revealed that two of his teeth had been knocked askew. "Oh, it'th terrible," he said, his recent amateur orthodontic work giving him a lisp. "They thay that you're a blight on the community. They want uth to leave." "But this is my home," Wonka protested. "I've lived here for years. Sure, there have been a few problems, but I can't imagine anyone would be that upset." "They thay your exthperimentth are dethtroying the local econ- omy. I tried to tell them. 'The mathter'th exthperimentth are jutht mithunderthtood,' I thaid." Yumi had darted into her room during this exchange, though she left her door open to hear the conversation. When she reemerged, it was with her wand. Holding it towards Goody, she used her powers to heal his wounds. "Thank you," he said when she finished. "I feel much better now." "Did the people say anything else?" Wonka asked. "No, master. Just that you were somehow to blame for the re- cession the village has been going through." "That's absurd," Wonka replied. "Complex economic factors are at work here." "It's just like at home," Yumi said sadly. "When things go wrong for reasons no one can understand, it's always easiest to blame the person who's different." "Well, I'll go speak to them about this. I'm sure we can have the matter cleared up quickly." Yumi glanced at Goody, then at Wonka. "I'm afraid that may not be a very good idea, Mr. Wonka. After what they did to Goody, I don't think you'd be safe." "We can't just wait until they break down the door!" Wonka exclaimed. Yumi held out the wand that had been given to her when she first assumed the role of Warrior Priestess. "I'll speak with them," she said. Then she looked down at herself. "But first, I'm going to change out of this nightgown." >o< >o< >o< The proprietor of Smarties' Supplies had agreed to let them use the Pixie Stick in his store for just ten lolls. Tsugiko held the wooden pole in front of her, furrowing her brow as she focussed her energy. "I'm concentrating on the ring-" she said, and then she collapsed. A faint green glow surrounded her, like her battle aura but somehow gentler, and the look on her face was that of someone in a deep, peaceful sleep. As Kyouji, Twizzler, and the old man watched, the cracks on her crystal gradually began to fade. Since the three of them were looking at the unconscious War- rior Priestess, no one saw the large figure that entered the doorway. It was a man that two of them would have recognized. As the newcomer pulled out an immense sword and prepared to carry out his assigned task, the sixth sense of the Knight Pro- tector alerted Kyouji to danger, and he hit the ground. The blade swept over his head. Kyouji rolled to his feet on the other side of the room. "Krackel!" The swordsman nodded. "We meet again." The old man began to rapidly limp towards the door, and Krackel paid him no notice as he passed. The swordsman's entire attention was focussed on Kyouji. Twizzler frowned. She and Krackel knew each other, of course, from their mutual service to Wintergreen. He obviously didn't consider her a threat, but he was putting her Kyouji in danger. Krackel would massacre the Knight Protector in a duel, and Twizzler couldn't have that. The redhead didn't dare attack Krackel directly. She had foiled Riesen's ambush in the cave to save Kyouji, but two such incidents in a row would surely earn Wintergreen's ire. Earning Wintergreen's ire was a good way to end up very dead, very quickly. "No, servant of Wintergreen," Twizzler said suddenly. "You shall not steal the ring of Pop for your evil mistress." "What?" the swordsman said, turning to face her. "The ring of Pop," Twizzler repeated, gesturing with her head towards the unconscious Tsugiko's hand. "You must not take it back to Wintergreen, for the evil she could cause with it must never come to pass." "Uh, Twizzler," Kyouji said. "What are you doing?" "Quiet," Krackel said. "Now, what are you going on about, Tw... girl?" "Don't tell him anything, Twizzler!" "Do not fear, my Kyouji," Twizzler said, "for this miscreant's first instinct will surely be something as shortsighted as delaying himself here long enough to battle you, and hence he will not be able to bring the ring to Wintergreen immediately, as she would doubtless want." The redhead and Krackel exchanged a long look. "You're lucky, boy," Krackel said at last. His voice was sur- prisingly thoughtful. "She has just saved your life." Then, with blinding speed, he reached down and pulled the ring from Tsugiko's finger. A split-second later, he was out the door. Tsugiko's aura had changed. It was darker now, and instead of a gentle glow, it took the form of green lightning encircling her body, entering and exiting her flesh in a thousand tiny flashes. She was shaking as if in a seizure, her eyes blinking rapidly and her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. "What's happening?" Kyouji asked. "I thought the ring was powering the spell." "It was," Twizzler said. "I think that Green's own energies are trying to finish the job now. I'm not sure if she has enough power to do it. The strain might kill her." Kyouji was torn. On the one hand, his job was to protect the Warrior Priestesses, and he couldn't just leave Tsugiko like this. On the other, he had to prevent Krackel from getting the ring Pop back to Wintergreen. He wanted to stay- more than that, on some level that was the Knight Protector and not really Kyouji at all, he needed to stay. But he remembered something he had heard in a dream: a question. Was his job only to protect the two Warrior Priestesses, or was that just the most obvious aspect? Perhaps he was meant to protect something else, something more... Kyouji reached out and put a hand on Twizzler's upper arm. "I need to go after him. I'm counting on you to watch over Tsugiko while I'm gone. I know you won't let me down." Then the Knight Protector followed Wintergreen's swordsman out the door. Twizzler counted to exactly one hundred in her head, then said "Custard," and a thin yellow gas began to form over the trembling figure of the other girl. >o< >o< >o< Yumi opened the door of Wonka's house to see a large crowd waiting outside. They carried torches to illuminate the twilit path, and at least a few were waving makeshift weapons: an axe, a blacksmith's hammer, and several pitchforks. "Hello," she said. "The door's open," one of the crowd yelled. The people began to surge forward, closing in on Yumi. She felt her heartbeat increase, and her breath came in rapid, shallow gulps. This was just like the cave, too close, too close, no room to move, no room to breathe, trapped, trapped, trapped, trapped, TRAPPED! She realized she was starting to glow pink. She further real- ized that if she let loose her power here, it wouldn't be rocks she'd pulverize. It would be flesh and bone. "She's glowing!" someone shouted. "Evil!" someone else added. "'Tis black magic!" came a third cry. Fortunately, the crowd had backed off at her display of power. Yumi took a step forward and closed the door behind her. It shut with a loud clicking sound, and she realized she had just locked herself outside. "Hello," she repeated. "Can I please talk with you?" "Burn the witch!" was the reply. "I'm not a witch," she said. "I'm a Warrior Priestess." "Burn the Warrior Priestess!" Yumi sighed. >o< >o< >o< Kyouji had been delayed less than a minute before he followed Krackel out of Smarties' Supplies, but the big man was already most of the way down the street. The Knight Protector poured on the speed, heading after the swordsman, but he realized he was too far away to possibly catch up, and he was still winded from his earlier pursuit of Tsugiko. Then Kyouji saw that the swordsman was going to run under an awning if he didn't change direction, and one very well placed poppy might just bring it down on top of his quarry. Pulling out one of his flowers, Kyouji aimed and threw. The poppy flew faster than either man could run, its aerodynamics secondary to the magic of the Knight Protector, and it hit the thin rope holding the cloth awning up. The timing was perfect; it landed upon Krackel as he passed. Setting off again, Kyouji reached the big man just as he pulled himself free. Both hero and villain drew their swords; Krackel's made Kyouji's look like a dagger. "Have at you," Krackel said, and swung. >o< >o< >o< "We know Wonka's in there," Mr. Big said. "Why don't you send him out to talk to us?" "After the way you treated poor Goody-" Yumi began. "Darn Oompa Loompa deserved it. They come here; they take our jobs!" someone shouted. "Now, now," Mr. Big said. "We don't want any more violence. Some of us... overreacted when we saw Goody. But we just want to ask Mr. Wonka to leave. Peacefully." "But this is his home," Yumi said. "You can't ask him to leave." "Look, girl, I'm trying to be reasonable here. We don't want any trouble. But if Mr. Wonka refuses to be reasonable, I can't see how we could be held responsible for the consequences." "That's not fair. You're the one causing trouble." Mr. Big laughed heartily, and after a second there was laugh- ter from the crowd. "I'm the one causing trouble? Did I turn the town purple? Did I burn down the houses? Did I make all the town's housepets fly away?" "My baby Ruth cried for days after our Truffle flew off!" a woman screamed. "I hadn't heard about that one," Yumi admitted. "But I've been told that Mr. Wonka always makes amends." "He thinks he can buy us!" Mr. Big shouted. "With his money, his servants, his fancy house... he thinks he's above the law! He thinks that all the problems he causes will go away if he just throws enough lolls at them. But they don't go away, do they?" "No!" the crowd chorused. "Can any money erase the pain he's caused? The misery poor baby Ruth endured?" "No!!!" The crowd was louder. "Will we let him get away with it?" "NO!!!!!" The crowd surged forward again, towards Yumi, and she did not see the figure standing behind Mr. Big, his lips twisted into a dry smile. The mayor had repeated Riesen's words beautifully. >o< >o< >o< Kyouji was outmatched. The Knight Protector parried Krackel's first thrust, then his second, then his third. For several moments, Kyouji blocked every one of the swordsman's attacks. But the boy was being kept on the defensive, and before long he'd let a blow through. Dodge right, parry, duck, parry, step back, parry, parry, right again, parry. Krackel was amazingly good. The big man's blade was practi- cally a blur as he lunged at Kyouji. The Knight Protector's abilities were being taxed to their utmost as he tried to deflect and avoid the blows. His muscles were already protesting the effort, and his chest was starting to ache. Left, back, parry, duck, parry, parry, back, left, right. The routines Kyouji had been practicing were all that was keeping him alive. Hours of training were now coming back to him, allowing him the skill he desperately needed to survive. Back, back, parry, back, left, parry, parry, duck. The blades clashed, sparks flying, the sound seeming deafen- ing. Kyouji couldn't think anymore; his mind couldn't move as fast as his sword needed to. His body was working on its own. Parry, parry, back, right, parry. The Knight Protector was quickly tiring. He had spent most of the day walking, with little rest and no food since the sumptuous breakfast that now felt like lead deep in his stomach. The previous day had been even less restful. The rides to and from the cave, the trips up and down the stairs, the sprints after Tsugiko and Krackel, all had taken their toll. His body had been pushed to its limit. Parry, duck, parry, left, parry, back. He was losing ground constantly. Always back, never forward. Always parrying, never attacking. Parry, parry, parry, parry, back. How much longer could this go on? Parry, left, left some more, parry, rig- PAIN. Kyouji felt Krackel's blade slice through his left arm. It was a glancing blow, no more than a flesh wound. He didn't even need to shut his mind to the pain; he was already detached from his body to such a degree that he barely felt any. But the blood loss would make him tire even more rapidly, and there was the danger he'd slip into shock. Parry, left, back, parry. >o< >o< >o< Twizzler stared down at Tsugiko. She had let the custard gas spell dissipate harmlessly, although the Warrior Priestess did not look like she'd survive anyway. The seizures were getting worse- although, Twizzler noted, the cracks on the crystal were still fading. Twizzler wondered why she hadn't killed Green. Considering Kyouji's last view of his comrade, he'd hardly be able to place any blame on Twizzler if she did not survive until he returned. The custard gas would be untraceable, and no one would doubt that the strain had simply been too much for the Warrior Priestess. "... Mars needs women..." Tsugiko muttered. She had taken to uttering random phrases every few minutes, but Twizzler could not make sense of them. The redhead once more prepared to cast some spell to seal her companion's fate, when she again remembered Kyouji. He had placed his hand on her, and told her he knew she would- n't let him down. Twizzler knew that Kyouji wasn't really ready to return her affections, not yet, but in that moment she had felt something from him she hadn't before. Not lust; she had aroused that several times, she knew. It had been tenderness. It had been trust. She would kill Tsugiko in an instant, but she couldn't destroy Kyouji's faith in her. "Damn you, Green," she said. "And damn him, too." She didn't cast the spell. >o< >o< >o< Kyouji would have liked to have said that it was sheer will- power that was keeping him going, but it was not. If that had been all, he would have fallen long ago. In truth, it was almost the opposite; he fought without any conscious thought, reacting to Krackel's constant barrage of attacks before his mind could even register them. Parry, back, parry, duck. Kyouji's left arm hung at his side, having taken several hits. He couldn't move it at all. Nothing in the boy's training had covered such an eventuality, but he handled it nonetheless, com- pensating for the dead weight automatically. It might have been a remnant from his previous life, it might have been some aspect of his status as Knight Protector, it might even have been natu- ral talent. It was simplest to think of it as instinct. Left, left, right, parry. Kyouji tried to summon the powerful blast of magic that would allow him to gain the upper hand, but that required strong emo- tion. He had no emotions to draw upon now. He felt nothing but exhaustion. No fear, no anger, only weariness. He was dead inside. Right, left, parry, back, right, parry. >o< >o< >o< "Stop!" Yumi's aura was flickering again. The crowd didn't back off, but they did stop advancing. "Out of our way, girl," Mr. Big said. "I can't guarantee your safety if you don't move." "You keep saying that!" Yumi said. "You can't guarantee my safety, and you can't be held responsible for any harm that comes to Wonka if he stays." "What's your point?" "Why can't you?" "Because... uh..." Mr. Big looked around, as if searching for someone, but didn't find whoever he was looking for. "Because... I can't." "Look at yourselves," Yumi said, addressing the crowd. "You look like good people. Why are you doing this?" "We are doing this because Mr. Wonka is a menace to the commu- nity. His experiments are dangerous, and his Oompa Loompas are a drain on our resources," Mr. Big said. "I don't believe that. Mr. Wonka has always tried to help you people. Sure, he's a little eccentric, but he means well. I'm sure if we could all just talk about what's bothering us, we could work something out that would make everyone happy." There was something in Yumi's voice that made everyone pause then. It was an absolute conviction in what she was saying. The belief was so strong that it seemed contagious. People in the crowd looked at one another, then at Mr. Big. "I- that is- we can't-" he stuttered. "You can," Yumi said. "Anger doesn't solve anything. We need to understand one another, and work together. Now, someone tell me what they, personally, have against Mr. Wonka." "I lost my job," someone said. "Okay." Yumi turned to him. "How is that Mr. Wonka's fault?" "Well, you know, with the Oompa Loompas..." the man waved his hand vaguely. Yumi looked at him sternly. "Anyone else?" she asked. "He made my pet Truffle float away! That pet food he sold made all the animals fly off." Yumi turned to the woman. "Okay. That sounds like a valid complaint. Did he repay you for it?" "Well, yes. But I miss my Truffle. And so does Ruth." "But your Truffle was still alive, right?" "Last I saw of it, yes." "Well, maybe it's happier now. If it wasn't, it could always fly back. Me, I know I'd love to be able to fly. I'm sure it misses you, but I'm also sure it's having a great time wherever it is now, swooping and soaring through the sky." "I never thought of it that way." "Okay, who's next?" Yumi asked. "He blew up my store with those blasted fireworks!" someone shouted. "Did he help rebuild it?" "Yeah, but now the roof leaks." "Did you tell him that?" "Well, no. I didn't want to be a bother." The man shuffled his feet. "Next!" >o< >o< >o< Parry, left, le- PAIN, back, back, par- PAIN. Kyouji was letting more and more of Krackel's attacks through. The Knight Protector was amazed he was still moving. Each step was an effort; both legs were covered in cuts, and it felt like a muscle in his right one had been torn. He was beyond exhaustion. Lef- PAIN. And with that, Kyouji fell. He landed on his back, in the dirt, and the dust clung to the sweat and blood that soaked his skin and clothes. "Any last words, boy?" Krackel asked. The giant sword hovered above Kyouji's throat. Kyouji's mouth felt too dry to form words, but he managed. "I'll... get you... in my next... life." "I look forward to the rematch. It really is a pity that I have to kill you. You're a good man, and you've been a better adversary than most." Krackel lifted his blade slightly, shift- ing his grip to plunge it into Kyouji. And that was when the hammer swung, over Kyouji's prone form, right into Krackel's face. "Tsu... giko?" Kyouji asked. The two males had been so focussed on one another that neither had heard her approach, but it was indeed the Warrior Priestess, her hammer held at the ready as she faced her adversary. Krackel turned to look at his new opponent. "A hammer is no match for my sword," he sneered through a newly split lip. "Did. He. Do. This. To. You?" Tsugiko asked Kyouji. Even by her standards, the Warrior Priestess was obviously furious, and she spat each word individually as she glared at Krackel. She looked down at the boy to receive his reply, and there was something different about her that Kyouji couldn't quite collect his thoughts enough to place. The Knight Protector could only manage to nod. "I thought so." And from Tsugiko shot a wave of green energy that was blind- ing. Her rage must have been nearly unimaginable, to summon such power. Kyouji had to shut his eyes... And he did not open them again that day. >o< >o< >o< Twizzler watched from down the street as Tsugiko blasted Krackel. She wondered whether she should intervene, but decided to keep her distance for the moment. The swordsman survived the attack, though his armour appeared to have partially melted. Twizzler couldn't hear the conversa- tion that followed, but after a moment she saw Krackel throw something small upon the ground and run off. Whatever it was, Tsugiko crushed it with a blow from her hammer. Twizzler approached the Warrior Priestess cautiously. "Green?" she asked. Tsugiko turned, her aura briefly flaring that very colour, but it vanished once she saw the redhead clearly. "Oh. It's you." "Is Kyouji okay?" Twizzler asked, leaning over the boy. His appearance answered her question. It was not a pretty sight. "I think we'd better get him back to Yumi as quickly as we can," Tsugiko replied. >o< >o< >o< When Twizzler and Tsugiko, carrying Kyouji, arrived back at Wonka's home in the early hours of the morning, they expected to find the mansion quiet. Instead, there appeared to be a party going on outside. Half the village seemed to be there, having a good time with the Oompa Loompas. Wonka sat to one side, near a couple of vil- lagers who were playing music on instruments Tsugiko could not identify. It was Goody who saw their approach first. "Master!" he called. "They've returned!" Wonka turned to face them, and Yumi emerged from the crowd. When she saw Kyouji's state, she ran over and knelt beside him, her wand casting pink energy over his battered form. "I see your crystal is fixed," Wonka said to Tsugiko. "Yes," she said simply. Then she turned her attention to Yumi. "Will he be okay?" "I think so," Yumi said at last. "We should let him sleep, though." They carried him inside, and gently laid him on a bed. His breathing was shallow, but regular. "The ring?" Wonka asked. "Destroyed," Tsugiko said. "Well, that's probably for the best." Wonka waited a moment to see whether any of the three girls would be rejoining the party. When it became apparent that none of them would, he quietly slipped out. >o< >o< >o< Riesen had left in disgust as soon as the mob began to trans- form into a revelry. His beautiful propaganda had fallen apart in the face of the girl's painfully naive approach to life. It was disgusting. Still, he realized, this wasn't a total loss. That idiot may- or who had failed him would certainly lose his position very shortly. More importantly, no one knew of Riesen's actions to- day, so his failure would go unnoticed. And the appearance of the other two Crystal Warriors suggested Krackel had failed as well. If he was lucky, Riesen would live to have his revenge on this girl who had single-handedly thwarted him twice. >o< >o< >o< It was two days later when the Crystal Warriors, accompanied by Twizzler, prepared to leave Wonka's house. Kyouji's wounds, like Yumi's and Tsugiko's, had healed, and the party were preparing to search for more Crystal shards. "I don't know how to thank you," Yumi said to him. "No, thank you," Wonka said. "I had no idea the villagers had built up such resentment towards me. Goody and the Oompa Loompas thought it best to spare my feelings, but keeping things hidden like that can only lead to trouble. It's best to be honest." Yumi shot a quick guilty glance at Kyouji. "Yes, I suppose you're right." "Goodbye, Mr. Wonka," said Kyouji. "Thanks for everything," Tsugiko added. "Come back anytime. And good luck," Wonka called after them. And the four teenagers headed off into the early afternoon, bound for destinations unknown. >o< >o< >o< Author's Notes: I had so much more I wanted to put in this part, but I just didn't have the time: the unexpected and horribly gory death of Yumi, the explicit Tsugiko/Krackel love scene, all of Wintergreen's musical numbers... Seriously, I got in everything I wanted. It's a good thing, too; this is the longest part since the first one. I just thought there was some sort of tradition that all Author's Notes had to start off that way. But I managed to fix Tsugiko's crys- tal, moved them on from Wonka's, put Riesen into more of a shad- owy manipulator role, had Yumi save the day by being all sweet and nice, had Tsugiko save the day by being very very pissed off, had Kyouji not save the day because after all these chapters of "Everybody Loves Kyouji" I just wanted to beat the crap out of him instead, and pulled off my Goody-is-an-Igor gag. Really, everything I set out to do was done. Done badly, maybe, but done. I'd like to thank Capfox, Jesse Elman, and Nathan for pre- reading, and Ardweden for offering, although as of this writing I haven't heard back from her. I'd also like to thank Ardweden for starting Starburst Crystal and Capfox for getting me to read it. Finally, I'd like to thank Capfox, Ardweden, Kenji, and Dave Larmour for feedback on my earlier Omake, which helped encourage me to write this and shaped how I did so. No anime eyes here, and I tried to counterbalance the dark dramatic stuff with some more whimsical bits. My pre-readers raised a couple of points that did not end up being addressed in the final draft. Yes, the Pixie Stick was pretty common and easy to find; that was the point. Our heroes are already on a gigantic quest for legendary artifacts, and they just went on a sidequest to pick up a legendary artifact. I wanted this to be different. Also, yes, Krackel was under- characterized, but I had a lot of other stuff going on here to worry about, okay? At least I kept him a real threat, and that's got to count for something. Finally, I have no idea how much a loll is worth; I just wanted something more in keeping with SC than the generic "one gold piece". A point of concern I had was my use of Teru (who, incidental- ly, is my favorite character). Please note that all she did was point Kyouji on the right track; he should have been able to figure it out all along, but he was distracted. The only way to keep her from being a deus ex machina is to remember that she's not supposed to be smarter than Kyouji, just a bit wiser and more focussed. It's a slight distinction, but important. I burned up a lot of candies this time. Sorry. Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Jersey Milk, and Mr. Big are all chocolate bars. Pixie Sticks are pretty much just plain sugar, as I understand it. Truffles are round chocolate things. I'll assume everyone knows what a lollipop is, but lollipop gild is a pun on The Lol- lipop Guild, one of the groups that welcome Dorothy to Munchkinland in The Wizard Of Oz. I always wondered about those organizations, actually. "You don' sing no lullabies unless youze is part o' da Lullaby League, un'erstan'? An' if you do it again, we'll be breakin' more than just your kneecaps." Custard is a dessert, sort of like pudding. Custard gas is a pun on mustard gas, a fairly horrific weapon used mainly during the First World War, although the effects might well be quite different if some future author decides to use that spell. Sugar High Noon is a combination of "sugar high" and "high noon". My sources for this part were mainly chapters 19 through 23, the previous installments in the Wonka and Pop sidequest. Feedback is welcome. I check the MB, but feel free to e-mail me at nicolas.juzda@utoronto.ca or talk to me in chat if you'd rather. Nicolas One part, no skips, and counting