Leyland Adventures Chapter Twelve: Part Two

Aquiline shot gushing bullets of water at the adored hero; Tysashi curved his body around the bullets as he steadily grew closer to her. He continued avoiding her attacks before striking. His fist passed directly through her liquid body, his eyebrows launched up. He sent more punches towards her to no avail. Aquiline stood like a statue as his desperate attempts caused her body to ripple.

"My turn," she inhaled speedily to release a lasting burst of water with power similar to a rocket taking off.

Tysashi slid like a sled on ice across the platform; he raised himself just in time to catch the enlarged arm she sent. Warming his hand, tiny bubbles danced inside the liquid arm as clouds of steam spaced out. Aquiline vanished as the steam cleared up; Tysashi orbited the area in search of her.

"Hmm... maybe you'll last the longest out of all my opponents."

A gigantic pair of cutlasses formed facing him. The straight, curved blades clashed together like fists. The tips of his hair grazed the stubby weapons as he arched backward. He was performing a dangerous dance with animate swords. Two more partners joined the violent scrimmage; compelling his body to form unique positions. His phenomenal reactions maintained a steady pattern while the tempo rose. Even the advancing aggression of the weapons was unavailing. In a wink, Tysashi received a quick vision of the quartet of cutlasses gathering before him. With a single spark in his eyes, flames flew from his mouth and evaporated the weapons.

"Hmm... perhaps you aren't a waste of my underutilized time," her insipid voice bounced on the walls of his mind as he rotated sharply.

She controlled her liquid figure like jelly, twisting and turning around his punches. Her swift movements granted a split second opening to attack; Tysashi was abruptly propelled upward by the powerful spurt of water she summoned beneath him. At peak height, she shot the teen towards the edge of the platform. He panickily flapped his arms like a bird, eventually finding balance.

Once Aquiline came into his range, she spat water in his eyes.

"Argh!" He shouted, drying his eyes with his arms.

The goddess commanded a powerful sideways stream of water to ram him off the oversized platform. The sound waves of his echoing, fading screams produced ripples in her uncondensed body. She poked her head down the abyss; Tysashi belonged to the darkness now.

"Down goes another one," she stated with a severe lack of remorse.

With silence dominating the air, she took her head from the edge. Her bare feet tapped the easing, flowing water. Just as she was preparing to relay the nerve-racking news, boiling bubbles frolicked within her. Her body jumped and jerked automatically. As quick as lightning, nothing remained of her but corkscrews of invisible water vapor. No screams, no pleads, just noiseless acceptance.

"Aquiline!" Tysashi sprung off the erupting fountain like a hare. His knees bent upon touching the platform, cushioning the landing.

"No, no, no. Please tell me I didn't kill you!" His head darted as countless thoughts ran berserk. He continued screaming her name, only receiving feeble reflections of his shouts.

His heart accelerated with each passing second. Intaking the unsullied air, those rampant thoughts were tamed. Blobs of water came together in the center, piling onto each other. In less than a minute, Aquiline reformed herself. Endless waves of euphoria and relief flooded his mind, advancing forward with a smile.

"Oh thank goodness, Aquiline, I thought I killed you!"

"You did. Water-Type fairies can repair themselves to a certain degree while I can completely reconstruct my body as long as I have a sufficient supply of water. Where did you come from, I thought you perished."

"One of the water sprouts lifted me back up. Anyhow, I had a great time battling with you! Maybe we could train together someday." The uplifting tone of his voice further proved the nonchalant attitude he often carries.

"Anyhow, the second shard is located in the holy waters of Shanghai Lake outside Orchtune. You'll be defeating a figure named Umibosa. She reveals herself at night when the light shining off the shard hits the water. State her name three times."

He nodded, asking her about the holders of the shards.

She sighed heavily before responding. "Holders of the gemstones are chosen by Peoria herself. She decides on power, durability, uniqueness, and fighting abilities. If there are numerous beings with similar power, Peoria splits selective gemstones. Those beings who are close to our power instead become holders of the shards. To summarize, main guardians of certain gemstones must share with weaker guardians."

"I see. Oh yeah, why did you throw my necklace out?"

"You're becoming overly dependent on your resources; that necklace was holding you back. Besides, you seem proficient enough without it. Speaking of dependency, I want you to face the holders alone. No assistance from Aradressa. You've been much too dependent on her."

His blood nearly froze up as his eyes popped. "What?!"

"Must I remind you of her accomplishments? She defeated Prohenis, My Dragoneel, and saved you from Flora. She wouldn't shut up about that."

"I- I suppose you're right. Now that I think about it, she's done a lot for me. Thankfully, I've never become too lax. If you don't mind, I have-"

Aquiline encircled the boy within a massive orb of water.

"I'll answer your questions when you defeat Umibosa. Once you do, report back so I can assign the next location. Farewell."

She sent him back to the central hub area, popping the bubble once he touched the ground. She stood before the two, restating Tysashi's assignment.

"Princess Aradressa, your '"hero'" will be alone for his battles. I suggest you attend to your own business while he collects the shards."

Aradressa stood motionless, staring at the Water Goddess. "But Tysashi may require an extra pair of hands in battle!"

"Not my problem."

"Aradressa, I'll be fine. This way, we can collect gemstones at a much faster pace. You can get started on one gemstone and I'll come from the rear...hopefully."

Just as he finished his statement, she noticed the Rose Guard Necklace was absent from his neck.

"Tysashi, what happened to your necklace?"

Aquiline gave an answer much quicker than he could. "I threw it out to reduce dependency. He'll be more alert in battle knowing he's practically defenseless. Now then, you two have overstayed your welcome. Please exit."

With silence, the two left the area, waving. Returning to the outside, the Hydro Stream was activated.

"So which gemstone will you go after?" He asked.

"Collecting the Ice Gemstone shouldn't be too problematic, I'll begin there. Who are you battling?"

"A woman named Umibosa. I have to fight her at night in front of a lake, Shanghai Lake."

"I possess limited knowledge about that area and Umibosa, sadly. I wish you uncounted amounts of luck."

"Heh, thanks." He chuckled.

The two gripped each other's hands as they entered the Hydro Stream, blasting back to Palm Tree Beach.