FAN FICTION: Nightmares and Dreams
SERIES: Bubblegum Crisis
STORY 1: Sylia's Choice
part 2
by
David Lindquist
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Disclaimer: Bubble Gum Crisis and all characters are
the copyright of AIC. All Oriental adventures are the
copyright of TSR. They are used without permission.
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FORWARD: This is part 2 of my fan fiction. Unfortunately
I won't be able to begin writing part 3 until after April.
But to make up for it, I might make a timeline based
on this fanfiction. It will involve more than just BGC. See
the afterwords for a possible list of who will be involved.
C&C and MST welcome. Enjoy!
This story takes place one week after BGC video
no. 6 (Red Eyes).
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Sylia stared at her half-eaten meal while she regained
some of her composure. *I must keep my mind on our
job, * she thought, as Sylia mentally subdued the
doubts within her. * If Mason is alive, I will need all my
abilities to defeat him and I can't afford any distractions. *
With the emotions again under control, Sylia quickly
finished her meal. Sylia then slowly bowed her
head and closed her eyes.
"I AM DONE WITH ALL YOU
PROVIDED," she spoke, then clapped her
hands together twice and commanded,
"BE GONE!! "
At her command both the tray and futon
disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving nothing
behind to indicate their existence.
"Again you have my thanks," she
whispered. Sylia then stood up and walked towards
the far end of her bed chamber. Against the far wall
the shrine of Walakomu sat, almost as if it anticipated
a request. On the shrine laid her weapons and the
various parts that made up the O-yorio battle armor
she used. Sylia stopped a few steps from the front
of the shrine, untied the belt that secured her night
clothes and let them slide down into a pile at her feet.
Her nude body shivered slightly despite the warmth
of the chamber. She knelt on one knee and bowed
her head.
"WALAKOMU, AGAIN I MUST ASK FOR
THE USE OF YOUR ARMOR SO I MAY DEFEAT MY
ENEMIES?" she spoke. Sylia lifted her head to look at
the small statue of an o-yorio armored warrior set in
the middle of the shrine. In her mind, the weariness
she battled earlier resurfaced and a part of her hoped
that Walakomu would not grant the request. That hope
vanished as the statue began to glow with a golden light.
The glow expanded until it covered her katanas and every
piece of armor on the shrine. * The decision has been
made, * she thought as she again mentally forced the
emotions from her mind. *Walakomu granted my
request and I must succeed in my goal. *
"My thanks," she sighed. Sylia leaned
forward, and picked up the clothing she wore
under the armor. As she put on the various
garments, Sylia's thoughts turned to the question
that haunted her for the past week. * How
could he survive? * Sylia mentally asked herself,
*I know my blade pierced his heart and if that didn't
do it, dropping the castle on him should of
completely crushed his body. * She just slipped on
the kobakama when Sylia remembered a little known
legend. It stated that there existed a spell so evil, the
gods decreed that any who used it would face their
wraith. The spell supposedly allowed a powerful mage
or priest to become a form of undead called a lich.
Sylia froze as the possible answer formed in her
mind. *Mason possessed an almost fanatical
obsession for ancient history, * she thought as the
color drained from her face. * and a copy of the spell
could have survived through the purges, especially
with the confusion of the Gods War. If he rediscovered
it....* Her body shuddered slightly at the thought.
Walakomu's nemesis, the Dragon Lord, transformed
himself into a lich and his power rivaled the gods.
Sylia quickly finished dressing, deciding not to tell the
others about her revelation without more proof. She
gave her clothes a final check. Satisfied, Sylia began to
don the O-yorio armor. As Sylia put on the armor, she
carefully adjusted each piece until it fit comfortably.
She made a final adjustment to her hachi-maki, then
reached for and retrieved the two scabbards that held
her katanas, Kotetu and Muramasa. *I have gone
through a lot of battles with these blades, * she
reminisced, * but if I'm correct, this is going to be the
truest test of my skill. * Sylia then proceeded to strap the
katanas on her back.
"Tap.....tap....tap."
"Come in Nene-chan," Sylia said, fastening
the final strap of the scabbards. She watched the chamber
door slide open and her student enter. Nene wore her normal
journey attire; blue pants, a pair of high boots, and a pink
blouse with the opening tied all the way up to the nape of
her neck. Attached to her belt hung the two tai-fa. The blue
hooded, magical cloak she wore perfectly accented her
clothing. With the hood folded back, it showed Nene's pinned
back pink-red hair. * She looks so mature in those clothes,
* Sylia thought with a bit of pride. * Like a true sorceress of
power. I taught her well. * Nene bowed then spoke.
"We are ready to leave, sensei," she stated
in a level voice.
"Excellent," Sylia replied, "I want
you to get three necklaces of adaptation from the
armory then meet me at the entrance." Nene turned
to comply with her order. As Sylia watched her
leave, she came to a decision . Sylia turned to the
shrine and picked up a small pouch. Opening it,
she reached in and pulled out a small golden pin.
* I'll give the teleport brooch to her before we leave, *
she thought. * At least she will have a means of escape
if we fall in battle and it will give Mackie some piece of
mind. * She returned the brooch to the pouch then tied
it to her belt. * Time to leave, * Sylia thought as she
retrieved the kabuto and put it on. Sylia then concentrated
her thoughts on the O-yorio armor. A second later, she
felt the mempo appear in place over her face.
"Perfect," she said to herself. With a
thought, she dispelled the face mask. * I'm ready. *
Sylia left her chamber and walked through the
hallways towards the main entrance. As she strolled
around the last corner, Sylia couldn't help but smile
slightly. Nene patiently stood by the entrance with the
three necklaces clutched in her hand. * She's definitely
come a long way from the serving girl we met at that inn, *
Sylia thought, as the memory of that timid girl rose to the
forefront.
"Sensei!" Nene said, an eager look adorned
her young face. "I have the necklaces you wanted."
"Thank you, Nene," Sylia replied.
"Take one for yourself and give the other two to
Priss and Linna. We may need them on the job."
"Hai, Sensei," Nene confirmed as she took
one of the necklaces and placed it around her neck.
"I'll do it as soon as I see them."
"Nene," Sylia said, her smile replaced
with a slight frown. "I want you to wear this." She
reached into her pouch, pulled out a small emerald
brooch and handed it to her. "It's enchanted with
a one charge teleport spell. It will take you to
a place near Raven's knoll." Nene looked at the
brooch with a confused expression.
"Thank you, Sensei," Nene responded
then asked, "But why give this to me?"
"If we fall into a trap and there is
no way to overcome it," Sylia said, her face
expressionless, "I want you to use it to save yourself."
"I can't do that, Sensei!!!" Nene wailed,
her eyes wide with shock. "I have a responsibility to
you....."
"And _I_ have an responsibility as your
sensei to protect you," Sylia replied, cutting Nene off
in mid sentence then she sighed. "Nene, "she
said," It would put my mind at ease to know that you
have a means of escape so please don't argue with
me on this point." Sylia watch as her student's face took
on a defeated expression .
"O.. o-kay," Nene said. She brushed back
the cloak she wore and pinned the brooch on her
blouse. She then returned the cloak back to its original
position.
"Besides," Sylia said with a sly smile. "If
anything happened to you, Mackie would never
forgive me." Sylia watched Nene as she lowered
her head and blushed furiously at her remark.
"Are you ready to go?" Sylia asked
after it appeared Nene regained some of her
composure.
"Hai, sensei," Nene said still showing
some redness in her cheeks.
"Let's go then," Sylia replied as she
opened the door. Nene followed right behind. They
walked through the opened entranceway and exited
the cottage. She noticed the red hue of the dawn
casting it's rays over all of the countryside. * Another
bad omen, * Sylia thought glancing at the red sky.
"It's about time you two showed up!" Linna
said with a note of frustration in her voice. "It's not easy
holding three horses by yourself you know!"
Sylia turned and looked at her fellow kensai. Linna
wore her usual forest green chainmail. The razor chain,
Linna's weapon of choice, hung coiled on her belt.
She held the reigns of Sylia's and Nene's horses in one
hand, the other clutched the reigns of her own steed. Next
to Linna, Priss already sat upon her horse, her blue
leather armor creaking softly as she shifted in the saddle.
Sylia could tell from the amused expression on the bushi
warrior's face that Priss took some pleasure from Linna's
problem.
"Nene," Sylia said, "would you go and
relieve Linna of our mounts?"
"Hai, sensei," Nene replied. She walked
over to their horses and took the reigns from Linna.
"Here," Nene said, as she held out the
necklaces in her other hand towards her teammates.
" Sensei wants you and Priss to wear one of these."
Linna took the necklace and placed it around her
neck. She then marched to the side of her horse
and lifted herself into it's saddle. With an angry
expression, she turned and glared at Priss.
"You could have at least went to see
what took them so long! " Linna hissed.
"They're here now aren't they?" Priss
responded with a smirk on her face as she slipped
on her own necklace .
Sylia ignored the bickering that developed between
them and turned back to the cottage. She smiled as
she raised her right arm to the sky.
"ORIGAMI COTTAGE!!" She commanded.
"REVERT!"
As Sylia finished the command words a blue light
surrounded the cottage. The cottage shimmered
slightly changing into a colorless version of itself. It
then folded itself in half. It continued folding itself
until it was the size of a teacup. The storage process
done, Sylia walked over and picked up the small
paper replica of the cottage. As she walked to her
horse Sylia pushed the paper replica together,
flattening it out entirely and placed it in a small bag
that hung on her horse's saddle.
"I wish I could create things like that,"
Nene sighed.
"Keep studying and someday you will,"
Sylia said, settling herself in the saddle. She
watched as Nene climbed onto the horse,
petting its neck gently after she settled into the
saddle. Sylia then looked at the others.
"Everyone ready?" She asked.
"Hai!!" the other three Knight Sabers
replied almost in unison.
"Knight Sabers! Sanjo!!" she shouted,
digging her heels into the horse's ribs and galloping
down the road. The other three followed right
behind her. They traveled for most of the morning
noticing the gradual change in the countryside from
flat green fields to rocky brown hills. As they rode,
the moods of the Knight Sabers changed with the
terrain, becoming grim and determined. The sun
approached midday when they neared the
rendezvous point.
"How much further? "Linna asked,
wiping the sweat from her eyes.
"It should be just over this hill, "Nene
replied, pointing at the hill in front of them.
Sylia looked around the area as they rode towards
the hill. * Something's not right, * she thought.
"Knight Sabers! Stop!!" she ordered.
The others halted their horses, slight confusion
shown on their faces.
"What's wrong?" Priss asked.
Sylia didn't look at Priss when she answered. Her
eyes fixed on the top of the hill in front of them.
Trying to get some clue as to what lay beyond it.
"There are no sentries posted," she
said.
"So?" Priss replied testily. "They
probably think everyone's too scared to bother
them. Arrogant bastards. "
"No, Priss," Nene interrupted. "It
is standard procedure to post them."
"Nene is correct," Sylia said. Taking
her eyes off the hilltop, she turned to the others.
"Ready your weapons but don't draw
them unless I tell you to, "Sylia ordered as she
reached back and undone the loops that held her two
katanas in their scabbards. Her preparations
complete, she watched Priss adjust her battle ax
for easier access. The predatory smile on her face
told Sylia that she hoped for the chance to use it.
* Always eager for a fight Priss? * she thought.
* Well, I think you will have more than enough
opportunity to satisfy your bloodlust before
this ends. *
"Ready, sensei," Nene said,
her hands nervously fidgeting with the ends of the
her horses' reigns.
"Excellent," She replied. "This is what
we will do. I will take point. Linna, you're the
rearguard. Nene, prepare a fog cloud spell to cover
us in case we have to retreat and Priss," Sylia said
looking at the blue leather armored bushi warrior,
"your with me."
The others quickly agreed to the plan then moved
into their positions. After they signaled their
readiness, the Knight Sabers began the trek up the
hill. As they rode up, Sylia tried to mentally prepared
herself for the worst. When they reached the hills
summit, nothing could have prepared her for what
she saw on the other side.
The torn and mutilated corpses of numerous
soldiers and their mounts littered the hill slope. Their
blood created small streams that flowed to the
bottom of the hill. Among the remains laid their
weapons, most of them shattered and broken. The
trail of death and destruction continued through
the remnants of a large military encampment. Blood
from the hill pooled near the various shredded tents
deposited around the destroyed carts and shelters.
Beyond the camp, they spotted about forty stone
statues, all facing the same point in the road that led
to the abandoned temple. The statues appeared as
if they were attacking the same area, and some
even rode horseback. At that point in the road set a
small chest with an unidentifiable, severed head
place on top.
"Who...what could have done this?"
Nene asked, eyes brimming with tears.
"Mason," Sylia replied, her face
emotionless except for a fiery rage building in her
eyes. "Let's move."
They carefully trotted down the hill and through the
camp, trying to avoid corpses and scanning the
scene in an effort to spot a possible ambush. The
stench of the bodies would have overwhelmed them
if not for the necklaces Sylia given them. Sylia
glanced at the statues as they rode past. *I should
change them back, * she thought. * They might
provide some useful information if nothing else. *
Her stomach felt ill with the very thought of her
giving aid to any Genom troops. * On second
thought, * she mused, *I think I will wait until after
we deal with Mason. At least we won't have to worry
about an ambush when we leave the temple! *
Satisfied with her decision, Sylia shifted her
thoughts when she noticed they neared the
gruesome marker to the temple road. She suddenly
felt the aura of several powerful mystical spells
emanating from the head.
"Halt," Sylia commanded, stopping her
own horse about 15 feet from the chest. The others
also stopped their mounts, still on watch for a
possible ambush.
"Nene," Sylia said turning to the young
mage. "Take a magic reading on the severed head.
I felt some enchantments emanating from it."
"Huh...Oh! Hai, sensei," Nene replied,
her eyes red and puffy from the tears she cried at
the Genom Guard's fate. * Nene, * Sylia thought, as
she watched her pupil draw her staff from it's place,
* I sometimes forget that you still possess the
innocence of youth. * She continued to observe
Nene as her pupil prepared to attempt the reading.
Nene turned her horse length wise and aimed the tip
of the staff at the head.
"STAFF OF DETECTION," she said,
"REVEAL THE NATURE OF THE MAGIC SET
AGAINST US."
At the finished of her words, a blue beam of light
streaked out of the staff tip and enveloped the
severed head. It pulsed around the head but the
color never changed then it shut off. Sylia knew
what that meant.
"I'm sorry, sensei," Nene said, her eyes
downcast, "There's an obscure spell among the
magic. I can't get a reading."
"Damn," Sylia said, a slightly
disappointed tone in her voice." I should have
expected the spells would be shielded somehow."
Sylia returned to her thoughts as Nene placed the
staff back in it's storage area. * What are you up to
Mason? * she mentally asked herself then sighed.
* Unfortunately there is only one way to find out. *
Sylia looked at the other Knight Sabers as they
continued on their watch.
"Okay," she said, instantly getting the
other's attention. "The only way we will find out what
spells enchant that head is to activate them. I need
you three to get off your horses in case the spell
spooks them."
"What's the plan, Sylia?"
Priss asked as the four warriors began to dismount
from their steeds.
"Try to activate the spells, "she replied
swinging her right leg over her saddle and setting
it on the ground. "by becoming their target."
Sylia removed her left foot from the stirrup and
turned towards the others. The other three held their
horses, concern etched in their faces.
"My armor will offer me some protection
besides," she said in an attempt to reassure her
team, "it's our only viable option."
The other reluctantly agreed with her assessment
of the situation. She walked her horse over to Nene
and handed her the reigns.
"Nene, I want you to watch the
horses, If they spook, just let them go. We will
recover them later." Sylia said. "Priss? You and
Linna prepare to assist me just in case I need
it."
"Right," Priss said, as she confirmed
Sylia's orders. While the two moved into position,
Sylia watched Nene take Linna and Priss's horses.
She still wore a concerned expression. Sylia barely
heard the whispered words a few seconds before
she started on her walk to the chest.
"Be careful, sensei," she whispered.
Sylia slowly walked towards the chest. Her eyes
transfixed on the severed head in an attempt to
detect any spell activation. About three feet from the
chest, Sylia stopped. Her mind felt the various
spell's activation. At the same moment, she heard
the horse's neighs of protest and Nene's attempts to
calm them. * Here we go, * she thought as she
took a tentative step forward. Suddenly, the head's
closed eyes flew open, the sockets filled with an eerie
black light. Sylia unconsciously took a small step
back from the gruesome visage. She watched the head
stir from it's resting place then slowly rose until it
equaled Sylia's height. It stared at her for
a few seconds then spoke.
"Greetings Sylia. I've been expecting
you," it said in a light tone. "Sorry for the mess but
my 'pets' and I got a little bored and we decided
to go play outside."
* That's Mason's voice!! * Sylia thought, a sick feeling
rose within her at the recognition. It took a supreme
effort to keep her expression neutral.
"So you did survive," she said coldly.
"You don't sound surprised Sylia," the
head stated, his face in a mock pout. "After all the
time and effort you put into trying to kill me, I
thought you would be more upset at your failure."
"I've come to the realization that
sometimes I don't mind being wrong," she loftily
replied then her voice became deadly serious as a
predatory grin spread across her face,
"Just as long as I get a chance to correct my
mistake."
"Oh you'll get your chance soon
enough," it said venomously, "but first I need to get
rid of some excess baggage." The head rose up
at an angle away from Sylia. It stopped about ten
feet away from her.
* Excess baggage? * She thought as she watched the
head's assent. * What could he mean...by... oh no, *
Her eyes widened the moment Sylia realized his
intentions.
"Nooooo!!!" She shouted. Sylia leaped
towards the head, her katanas drawn. She
desperately prayed she could stop it before the head
carried out it's goal. The pulsing eyes told her she
would arrive too late.
"TRANSMUTE ROCK TO MUD!" it said
as it's eyes emitted two cones of black light. The
cones swept over the statues placed around the
battlefield. A flash of steel abruptly stopped the
dark energy emissions as Sylia swung Kotetu down.
The ancient blade cleaved the head in half, its two
parts plummeted to the ground a good distance from
where Sylia landed. She came down in a crouch, not
wanting to turn around. The slurping sound bitterly
confirmed her guess. Sylia reluctantly stood up,
turned around and walked towards the split head.
She stopped when she saw the now melting statues.
* Damn you Mason," she thought, the anger rising
within her. * This ends now. * She noticed the horses
gone as the others walked up to her.
"There went our reinforcements," Priss
said with a slightly irritated expression on her
face. "What do we do now?"
"We finish this," Sylia coldly
replied. "Once and for all."
end of part 2
NEXT: The final battle begins but for Sylia it soon
comes down to a choice. A choice that may not only
affect her dream world but the future of the Knight
Sabers in the real world as well!
AFTERWORDS= O-kay! If your reading this then you
must want to see the list of whom I might use in the
timeline. There it is:
1. SAILOR MOON
2. GUNSMITH CATS
3. LOVELY ANGELS(D**** PAIR)
4. GOGOL 13, THE PROFESSIONAL
5. BEAN BANDIT
6 VAMPIRE HUNTER D
7. VENUS WARS(maybe)
8. PROJECT A-KO
9. BUBBLEGUM CRISIS
There will be others but I can't remember who right now.
Sorry. :(
note: I would use OH! MY GODDESS!! but I'm not familiar
with the series.
APPENDIX
CELESTIAL BUREACRACY= After the GODS WAR,
a form of government was formed by the various mythos
as a means to prevent conflicts of worship. Each area of
worship(war, fertility, weather, and others) is separated
into a different department with a greater god as department
head. Under him/her is the various gods and goddesses
worshipped by that area. The head of this massive bureaucracy
is called Kama-sama, and holds the post for 500 years then
a new head is elected from the leaders of each mythos but
they are voted on by all the gods, goddesses and heroes. The
Kama-sama can only appoint one god from his own mythos
as head of a department. The other heads must be from other
mythos. Unfortunetly the system isn't perfect in that minor
deities who are used to wielding far more power than they
have now can be 'enticed' to looking the other way by
powerful mortals.
DRAGON LORD = Warrior/mage who turned himself
into a lich. Mortal enemy of Walakomu. He was
destroyed by his enemy after he stole the power of
MA YUAN(killer of the gods) in an attempt to take
over heaven. Walakomu mortal form died soon after
his victory over Dragon Lord.
GODS' WAR = A holy war that threatened to destroy
all of Kara-tur. It started with a small farming town
that offended a god of weather in one myth then
started to worship a god of weather in another
myth. It snowballed to a point where almost all the
different myths became involved. Walakomu(along
with a few other gods) was able to stop the total
annihilation of their worshippers. Afterwards the gods
developed the Celestial Bureaucracy as a means to
prevent it from happening again.
GOGOL 13= An assassin hired by the head of the
Stingray clan to protect his daughter in case he
was killed. After Sylia's father was murdered, Gogol 13
protected Sylia from numerous kidnap attempts backed
by Mason. He mysteriously disappeared soon after she
began her war against Genom.
HACHI-MAKI = headband
KABUTO = O-yorio armor helmet
KOBAKAMA = trousers
MACKIE STINGRAY(8th level wu jen)= Mackie is
the younger brother of Sylia Stingray. He didn't take
an interest with swordsmanship like Sylia but
became fascinated with magic. So he is the student
of Raven's but Sylia also tutors him. Mackie and
Nene are on the verge of a romantic relationship.
He will help the Knight-Sabers on jobs when
needed.
NECKLACE OF ADAPTATION = Necklace that
protects the wearer from various environments.
Including needing to breathe.
OBSCURE(spell)= Spell designed to confuse a detect
magic spell. A detect magic spell, when cast upon a
obscure spell, will only show there is magic there but
not what kind.
RAVEN(23 level wu jen)= Raven was an ally of
Sylia's father. When Sylia's father died, Raven took
both Sylia and Mackie under his wing. Sylia
didn't need full training, so he eventually took Mackie
as his pupil. He is a kindly old man though he does
not mince words and can be rather brutal in his
assessments of people. Priss annoys him to no end,
insisting on calling him 'Pops.' She has come close
to being turned into another lifeform by him on more
than one occasion though she seems to sense just how
far she can push him. He has connection to an
assassin known only as GOGOL 13.
RAVEN'S KNOLL = Home of Raven and sometimes
base for the Knight Sabers.
TELEPORT BROOCH = a brooch that when
activated instantly teleport a person to a
specified location. It can teleport more than
one person at a cost of one additional charge
per person. It can NOT be recharged.
STAFF OF DETECTION = a collapsible staff that can
detect and analyze magic, treasure, monsters, traps,
and secret doors. It has a limited number of charges
plus a number of times it can be recharged after that
it is useless.
TABOOS = Taboos are things Wu Jen either have to do
or avoid in order to keep all of their power. Due to the
merging of wu jen and magic user into one major group,
a wu jen must take a taboo at double the normal rates.
Sylia has 3,
1. She must pay respects to any magical
item she uses.
2. She can't make love with a member of
the opposite sex for pleasure.
3. She must make weekly major offerings to
the spirit powers.
Nene has 1,
1. Obedience to her sensei
WALAKOMU = Walakomu is a lesser god
worshipped by those who seek justice against
enemies that are 'above the law.' He is also the
head of Internal Affairs for the Celestial
Bureaucracy. (see: GODS' WAR) (note: Walakomu
monitors Sylia from time to time. He is strongly
considering giving her the job of coordinator of his
investigative staff when she dies.)
WALAKOMU'S ARMOR = Armor he used to
defeat the Dragon Lord. It enhances the wearer's
strength and speed, allow the wearer to fly for a
short period of time and can detect magic. It's
most important feature is the ability for a multi-class
sorcerer to cast spells with the armor on but the
caster takes some damage from any spell they cast.
It is possible for a caster to die casting a spell
against another opponent. The armor must be stored
upon a special shrine dedicated to Walakomu and the
user must ask permission for the armor in order to
use it. If their request is granted, the shrine will
emit a golden glow that will cover the armor. The glow
will also enchant the users weapons to allow even non-
magical weapons to damage monsters only affected by
magical weapons. If the request is not granted the armor
cannot be used. The user must also perform a duty for
Walakomu once per year or they can't use the armor.
Note: The detect magic spell is powered by a god not
a mortal mage. It is somewhat more powerful than the
normal spell.
