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Defender Scarlet Shadow in the Deathly Mission: Part Three


by orisasda

--------

      Sopherie began to breathe heavily. Running from an assassin while carrying an injured Aisha was proving to be very taxing. She began to regret sneaking out of her house on this mission. But she couldn't quite regret coming to help Deme. Deme, although she couldn't walk was doing all she could to protect them both with her magic forcefields and she also held the torch for Sopherie and Zoey was flying by their side, occasionally flying over to the assassin to pester her to slow her down. After a while, they stopped hearing the assassin's footsteps and both Sopherie and Demé concluded that they had lost her. They rested in a chamber with columns lining the walls and covered in the same strange hieroglyphs.

      "What is this place?" Sopherie asked Demé.

      "This tomb is one of the places that prove that the 'Lightning Warriors' exist." Demé replied.

      "The 'Lightning Warriors?' Who are the 'Lightning Warriors?'"

      "The Lightning Warriors were a race of Neopets who were very gifted in the art of electrical magic. They could do things with electricity that no mage could hope to match. But they seem to be extinct now since no one has seen a living Lightning Warrior in over fifty years. They had a lot of enemies so most believe that those enemies drove them to extinction."

      Sopherie nodded. That's why the odd hieroglyphs weren't like normal hieroglyphs, they belonged to an entirely different race.

      "Different topic, but you have magic right? Couldn't you, I don't know, teleport out of here?" Sopherie said. Demé fixed Sopherie with a stern glare which made Sopherie sorry that she asked, but then Demé's face softened.

      "I don't know how much you know about magic, but some of us aren't powerful enough to teleport to places. Magical power is integral to magical talent. I have a similar magic that I use to get to places, but this tomb seems to have some sort of spell to prevent intruders with magic to use it to get out. I honestly wouldn't have asked for help if I could get out of here through my magic alone." Demé replied.

      "Right. So I guess the way you contacted me was magic too?"

      "Yes, it was a simple astral projection. Even mages with not much magical power could create an astral projection and have it appear to anyone they want. I just wanted someone who could help me so I sent my astral projection all over. But I was spread so thin, no one could hear me. They had too much noise around them. Except for you."

      "Yeah, well. I better tell you the truth. I am a real Defender, but I'm supposed to be suspended from active duty and under house arrest because of that assassin. I was so miserable and then I heard you."

      "You mean, you came out here, despite the danger and trouble you're in solely to help me?" Demé said in disbelief. Sopherie nodded with a smile. "Wow. I'm really grateful. I mean, I was before but now I am even more grateful."

      "It's what a Defender does." Sopherie said. Then they both heard footsteps. Then the assassin appeared in the entrance of the chamber.

      "Found you." She said. Sopherie stood up and unclipped her whip from her belt.

      "Scarlet Shadow, what are you doing?" Demé asked her.

      "I'm not going to run like a coward this time. I'm going to bring this assassin down!" Sopherie declared. The assassin began to laugh hysterically, which was scarier than when she was being entirely emotionless. "What's so funny?!" Sopherie growled.

      "You're going to take me down? I have a reputation of never failing! I've taken down marks that were much bigger and stronger than you are. But hey, I invite you to try. So come at me, Defender." The assassin said. A creepy smile was easily visible under her hood. It was clear that she was a lunatic, a dangerous lunatic. Sopherie spun her whip and tried to strike the assassin's left shoulder with it, hoping to cripple her as she seemed to primarily use her arms. The assassin's hand came up and she simply grabbed the whip without so much as a flinch as the leather gloves she was wearing on her hands protected them from the force of the strike. Sopherie stood there in shock and fear, she had underestimated this assassin. It was becoming apparent that she should of just continued running for it. The assassin used this opportunity to pull the whip of Sopherie's hands with a tug and Sopherie was now virtually defenceless before her. The assassin was much stronger than her, meaning in a physical contest, Sopherie wasn't likely to win and the assassin could easily end her life in the struggle and her bow was no good in close quarters. Sopherie began to back away from her, trying to think of ways to fight her or give her the slip, but couldn't even think of one. The assassin rushed forward and pushed Sopherie against the wall, drawing a wicked looking sabre out from under her cloak. "Well, this was fun but I think this is the end of the road for you. What do you think, Defender?"

      Sopherie turned her head slightly to look at Demé. Demé had her hands over her mouth and was frozen in fear. Zoey was tugging at the assassin's cloak with her mouth but in truth there was nothing the little petpet could really do. I'm sorry, Demé. She thought. I failed you.

      "SCARLET!"

      Aspen came barreling into the chamber and knocked the assassin sideways away from Sopherie, who fell into a heap on the floor. Even though Aspen was a ghost, he could make himself (rather painfully in the assassin's case) as corporeal as a living Neopet. The assassin was sprawled on the ground, spluttering in anger.

      "Y-you! How dare you! I'm so close to finishing my commission and you are ruining it!" She yelled at Aspen. Out of the corner of his eye, Aspen could see that Sopherie was picking herself up and heading to somewhere inside the chamber. The look in her eyes suggested she had a plan. So he trusted her plan and stalled the assassin by responding.

      "That's what I'm here to do. I'm not letting anyone end the life of my former apprentice and I don't fear you. After all, I'm already dead." Aspen replied, folding his arms.

      "Oh, I'll make it so you'd die again, I promise you!" The assassin growled. Then she was lassoed by a red dance ribbon whip and Sopherie ran circles around the assassin until she was completely bound around the torso and arms with it. Sopherie tied it tight and smiled.

      "As interesting as it would of been to see how you would make a ghost die again. I don't think you'll be trying for a long time." Sopherie said with a smile. The assassin's shoulders slumped. Zoey landed on Sopherie's shoulder and did a victory howl.

      "My reputation..." The assassin moaned. Aspen walked over to the assassin and removed her hood. Both he and Sopherie were startled to see that she was only a teenager, but Aspen recognised her from the Defenders of Neopia crime database.

      "Well, I'll be darned. You're Huialulu Mortar." He said.

      "Huialulu Mortar?" Sopherie said, looking confused.

      "I'll tell you the specifics about her later." Aspen said with a pondering look. Then he turned to Sopherie. "In the meantime, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU ARE IN?!" Aspen yelled at her. Sopherie flinched away from him, looking very guilty.

      "Um, excuse me?" A small voice said. Aspen turned and saw a brown Aisha sitting on the floor.

      "Who are you?" He asked her.

      "That's Demé, she's the one I came to save." Sopherie said.

      "Yes and I am very grateful to her. I'd like to be escorted the rest of the way out of the tomb by her if you don't mind, sir."

      They soon found their way out of the tomb where several other Defenders were waiting. Sopherie was carrying Demé with Zoey on her shoulder while Aspen was keeping a tight grip on Huialulu who eyed with both Defenders resentfully the entire way out.

      "I can take it from here Scarlet Shadow. I'll just transport myself to the Sakhmet Medical tent." Demé told her.

      "Are you sure, Demé? We could escort you there." Sopherie said.

      "No, no. I'll be fine. But I want you to have this." Demé said, handing Sopherie a copper whistle when Sopherie put her down. "That is a special whistle. I am indebted to you, Scarlet Shadow. So if you ever need me to help you, blow the whistle. I will hear it and come to your aid."

      "Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." Sopherie said.

      "May Fyora bless you, Scarlet Shadow." Demé said. Then she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Sopherie held the whistle tightly, then looked at Zoey.

      "Time to go home, girl."

~~~

      "So she's a famous teenage assassin. I'd say that I've seen everything, but I know I haven't." Sopherie said. She was sitting in an office at Defender Headquarters with Aspen, wearing her civilian clothes.

      "Yeah. As law enforcement all over the world has been after her. Needless to say, Huialulu Mortar is going to be locked up for a long time. But we first plan to interrogate her on who commissioned her to end your life. I don't think we've have any answers any time soon. But the world is safe from her now." Aspen said.

      "Which means I can go back to active duty. As soon as my suspension for putting myself recklessly in mortal danger ends." Sopherie said with a rueful smile.

      "You should consider yourself lucky you only got a month's suspension, Scarlet. If you hadn't gone to save that Aisha lady, you would have gotten much longer." Aspen stated.

      "I know, I know!" Sopherie said. Her hand crept to her pocket where she was keeping Demé's whistle. She didn't know if she would ever use it, but it would always be a very meaningful memento.

      The End.

 
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Other Episodes


» Defender Scarlet Shadow in the Deathly Mission: Part One
» Defender Scarlet Shadow in the Deathly Mission: Part Two



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