[Freezair]

From the looks of it, the lemon-faced mook with jowly face was on my side. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset. Now that I'd pulled my knife and dropped my cheesy one-liner, I was beginning to like the idea of slicing up a few soapy creeps.

But Whatisface was being adamant, so I sheathed my knife and began to back up. One eye on the Bog Spirits at all times, of course. I wouldn't turn my back on those gloopy little fellas if the most gorgeous dame in the world was--

Well, OK. Let's just say they'd have a really hard time getting me to turn around.

"Zombies an' swamps!" [color]my sister said, creeping back with us.[/color] "Why they gotta go hand-in-hand?"

"Zombie bubbles at that!" I added. "From the depths of the scum at the bottom o' the tub..."

[11, 24]

[Queeny]

(( XD Freezair, your awesome))

Luz was much stronger then Sopheria as she heaved Twilight up and had begun to advance into the cave.
"is she sick..? did she pass out??" Luz asked Sopheria who was trailing close behind.
" I donno... i haven't checked breathing.." Sophie said gravely.
Batou was able to shoot a few shells, before a shield was put up.
"Fantastic.." he turned towards the cave.
"lets hurry!" Slightly holding his  leg, he limped to what seemed to be safety.

[endermage]

Sophia was rooted in place, her face reflected her terror. "Sophie!", Jareth called to her,"You've got to snap out of this! I can't hold the field protecting us forever. You've got to get to safety!" It was at that moment that the barrier snapped and the spheres began to move once more towards the group. The tendrils began to extend outwards attempted to grasp anyone who was close enough, Jareth ran over to Sophia and bit her on the leg,"WAKE UP! We have to move!"

Sophia finally got the message and they all began to move farther into the cave,"Let's hope we figure out a solution to this problem before it gets out of hand." said Jareth as he ran with Sophia away from the Bog Spirits.

"I think we passed 'out of hand' a few miles back." said Sophia finally waking from her panic attack to speak.

[11]

[Queeny]

"Ah!! .." Batou had to grab hold of Sophie, and haul her forward, despite his own injury.
As they moved, Batou spoke: " ...If we move further into this cave.." he took a breath.
"Wouldn't it get darker!? .. wouldn't that make us sitting ducks if we can't see!?"

[Freezair]

"Hold on!" I said. I fumbled in my coat pocket and pulled out a flashlight. A light--more watery than cheap beer, but a light nonetheless--appeared, quaking in the darkness like it was just as scared as we were. It showed three passages up ahead--one tall one, up on a shelf, another one so low we'd have to crawl through it, and a vanilla passage somewhere off to the right.

"Any ideas?" I asked Dame #2 and Sourpuss.

"Gaaaah!" One of 'em got my sister! I woulda gone back to help her, but that gal can take care of herself. She kicked one of the slimy, gooey hands into next week and caught up with us, all the while screaming: "Heeeeeeelllpp!"

[12, 25]

[endermage]

Jareth was also quickly losing his ability to see and the flashlight was not very helpful. He could however, see that the lucain called Pitaya was in danger. He quickly extended his shield to protect her from the Bog Spirits.
"I can't keep this up Sophia. We need a way to stop these things more permenantly", said Jareth, wincing at the effort required to maintain the field.
From the other side of the cave there were several floating light moving towards the group. "I don't know if we are going to get a break today, Jareth..." said Sophia,"Cause something is coming from the other side...were cornered!"



[12]

[Queeny]

"you gotta be kidding me!" Batou sounded.
Luz looked to see the other thing cornering them.
"....I say we take the pathway high up! if we crawl through the hole there, it might slow us down.. What do you think?!"
Sopheria looked to Luz worrying.
".. I don't think we have time to think!"

[Freezair]

"Up it is!" Pitaya said hastily. She leapt like a sausage out of a frying pan into that tall, high crevice, sucked in her belly, laid her wingblades flat, and started scooting along the tiny crawlway. "Hurry up, y'all!" she shouted back.

I clenched my flashlight between my teeth, and scurried up in human form. I wormed my way around the thin crack, feeling the icy-cold mineral-filled water seeping through the knees of my pants.

"Looks like it opens up ahaid!" my sister called back.

"Good to know!" I shouted up. But I was still chomping down on that flashlight, recall, so it came out more as "Gmmmpph thhp nrrrg!"

My sister then stood up. Looked like we'd found a more open spot.

[13, 26]

[endermage]

The Bog Spirits, with their empty eyes, floated with intent and purpose. Jareth, try as he might could not seem to kill the things with his force ribbons. Every time attempted to cut through one of them it would just pull itself back together.

"Jareth!", cried Sophia,"What are we going to do! This isn't working and the thing behind us is coming closer!"

"I'm not sure Sophia, but I will protect you." said Jareth very matter of fact. A black, oozing tendril shot from one of the spheres and grasped Jareth on the left shoulder. "Jareth!" Sophia cried again. "Run!", said Jareth as several more tendrils attached themselves to him.

"I won't leave you!", said Sophia,"I don't know how to do this on my own!"

"You don't have a choice!" said Jareth as he was pulled slowly towards the spirits.

There was a burst of light, like a rising dawn, and several of the floating balls of light behind the group shot forward obliterating the tendrils attached to Jareth.

"What the...?" said Jareth in astonishment.

There was a golden wisp as something huge, and quite beautiful, pulled itself into view. It filled the cave with a soft yellow light, like a kind fire, and it's eyes were filled with hope and adoration and compassion.

"A Xíng Yún! I've never seen one this close before, and I certainly didn't expect to find one in a cave." said Jareth, running back to Sophia's side.



"Hi!," said the beautiful creature,"My name is Justice and I'd like to assist you with your current predicament? Do you think that would be okay ?"

"Umm...yes?" said  Sophia, in awe of the majestic being she had only heard about in books.

"Okey dokey!" said Justice as she spiraled her body in the air, when she should have hit the cave walls her body passed through them instead,"But can you do me a favor," she said to Jareth and Sophia,"Could you close your mouths? It's a little embarrassing..."

Justice spiraled a bit and her spheres began to glow,"Now...this is gonna be fun...." she said with a grin,"Listen to me...I'm talking like Glory..."

[13],[198]

[Queeny]

"...hmm.." Batou lowered his gun as he looked at the Xíng Yún.
"check'eh out.." He said positively for once.
"..oh my goodness.." Luz said looking up at the new arrival.
"...." Sopheria only looked to the Xíng Yún for a moment before focusing on Twilight.

[Freezair]

Color me speechless! (And given my coloration, I'd say speechless is a lovely shade of rouge.) Peeping back through the crack, I saw a burst of gold splash into the cave. Coils upon coils of a Xíng Yún, like something out of a fairy tale, spun in the air before us. A pirate woulda shot himself in the peg leg for a chance at some of that gold.

"...Ah think she's keepin' 'em at bay!" my sister said, crawling forward out of the hole.

"So she is," I said.

I grinned. Forget the Bowie--this one called for Rosalind.

I reached to my belt and pulled out the laserevolver.

"Let's do this thing, girl," I said.

"Shore thang!" my sister replied.

I could practically hear the record needle scratch. "I'm talking to my gun, dipstick," I replied.

[14, 27]

[endermage]

"That's the spirit!", said Justice, smiling sweetly,"I really can't do this on my own...there are far to many of them...but I look pretty tasty to them, being ethereal and all.  I can distract them while you folks make sure they die and stay dead." Several spheres floated away from Justice and one circled around each of her allies,"These," she said with her grin getting wider,"will keep you a little safer. Not to mention it will give your attacks the little oomph necessary to kill ethereal enemies. You always need an ethereal to kill an ethereal!"

Jareth spun around and launched one of his ribbons at a Bog Spirit attempting to get at Sophia. It pierced the bubble and popped it, there was a tiny wail as it disappeared.

Sophia went to Jareth and pulled out a dagger she had hidden in her pack, it was glowing in response to the sphere circling her,"Jareth, I want to fight too! I shouldn't be a screaming girl forever, I should defend myself."

Jareth barked loudly and then followed,"Fine. But call for me if you need me. It is lucky you found us Miss Justice."

"Oh...it wasn't luck. I hate that word, it suggests meaningless events in random secession. I like to think I found you because you needed me. Not destiny as much as I exist to fulfill the needs of others, you needed me, I am here."

"Not to be rude," said Sophia as she stabbed a Bog Spirit sneaking up on Jareth and Justice,"But that so doesn't matter right now...can we focus on the task at hand please?"

[14],[199]

[Queeny]

((Ack! sorry for the wait guys!   )

"Nice.." Batou grinned maliciously as he pulled a handful of revolver bullets from his pocket, and loaded his gun.
Flicking it closed, he aimed.
"Do ya feel luckeh...?" Batou mocked, clearly he was having fun. As he pulled on the hammer and squeezed the trigger, his gun had started to glow and quickly shot a bullet of light to pulverize an ethereal.
"Do ya?! punk?!"

[Freezair]

"Dangblast it, you two!" My sister looked guiltily at me and Batou while we pulled out our pea shooters, loaded up the chambers, and fired. "Do none o' y'all think about ear protection? Y'all're gonna make me go deaf!" She hunkered down to the ground, shoving her paws over her ears.

"Quit yer bellyachin'," I snipped at her. I set my sights on a greasy little bubble, firing away. I stayed away from Dame #2--didn't want to pop her, after all. A bubble splattered over the wall, like a stain on a plate at Tony's Pizzeria. Only a lot less appetizing.

"Nice piece of hardware!" I complimented Batou. I picked off a bubble with a smoking crack. "Rosalind sends her compliments to that little lady. She's a pretty little thing, she is."

I could feel the world spinning as it rolled around Pitaya's eyes. "My kingdom fer ear plugs!"

[15, 28]

[Queeny]

"Augh!" Sopheria gave a cry of anguish.
Twilights body fell to the ground as she pushed away from Sopheria.
However instead of a sickening thud, Twilight landed on her feet.
This was intentional.
"Twilight...? .. "
The Albie looked dazed, weary and disoriented. It was Surprising really, that she could even stand.
"Twilight are you okay?!" Sopheria suddenly had to duck to evade a bubble.
"Look-out!" Batou popped the bubble that had whizzed by Sopheria.
"Thanks, buddy. Nice little hell bringer yourself!!" Batou returned the favor to the Lucain male.
Amidst all the chaos, Sopheria suddenly could no longer see Twilight. She was gone..
"..?! Where'd she.. -? Twilight?! Twilight?!" her calls were truly in vain. Twilight was gone.

((Pulling out Twilight..   ))