The Greater Good

(Grey)

Rune Walsh sat bolt-erect in his seat and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and meditate to prepare himself for the ordeal ahead. It had only been a few minutes since the Landale had lifted off and departed from Dezolis; it would be several hours until the ship reached the asteroid belt that had once been the planet Palma. Nevertheless, Rune felt it was necessary to mentally prepare himself as much as possible for what was coming.

According to Wren's scans, somewhere within that asteroid field was the Air Castle, and hopefully, within it Rune and his party could get back the stolen Eclipse Torch. But to do that, they would apparently have to get past Lassic, a tyrannical warlord who was supposed to have died over two millenia ago.

Rune would know. Although he himself had never seen or fought Lassic, he now possessed the memories of one who did. He was the only one among them who had any idea of what they'd be facing. And try as he might to clear his mind and meditate, doubts kept creeping up in the back of his mind. Could Lassic be beaten again? Could this group triumph over him, the way his earliest predecessor and his friends did?

Eventually, these doubts served to plague him so much, the Esper found it almost impossible to focus and meditate. That, and the trip was getting a little bumpy; obviously the ship wasn't in as good a condition as Wren said it was. Letting out a grunt of annoyance, Rune opened his eyes and slowly looked around the cockpit of the Landale.

Seated at the very front, piloting the Landale, was the android named Wren. An absurbly tall android in the shape of a man...his dour, angular face and neat black hair made him almost seem human, despite the headgear components and other mechanical parts that adorned his body. And though his mannerisms made him seem like he was a slave to programming, it was obvious Wren possessed a strong sense of commitment. It made Rune think back to the memories that he'd been charged with keeping....

But before he could dwell too much on that, he turned to the co-pilot's seat, where Rika, the pink-haired numan, sat. A deadly fighter, but soft-spoken, kind, and always curious about the world around her...did she really comprehend the danger they'd be facing? And behind her sat Kyra, a fellow Esper. She was young, reckless and inexperienced, but she was dependable, and Rune had a feeling her help would be crucial once they got to the Air Castle. If only she wasn't so annoyingly perky.

And last of all, seated directly in front of him, was Chaz Ashley, busily sharpening his new blade, forged of laconia. Absurbly short for his age and always acting like the immature adolescent he was...things Rune never hesitated to point out, much to Chaz's annoyance. And yet, there was something about him that made him certain that he'd be the one to eventually lead them to ultimate victory. It made him think back to those memories he now carried; Rune knew Chaz would harbor a certain reluctance to do what must be done, a part of him would eventually react with restive defiance, he was sure. However, Rune was also sure that Chaz's strength of character and natural goodness would let him overcome that. Rune's predecessor had seen that happen before, with Chaz's earliest predecessor....

He'll come around, Rune thought to himself, trying to avoid worrying about the future too much, like any disciplined Esper would. If I came to terms with my duty to carry the memories of Lutz, so too will he come to terms with his ultimate destiny, just as she did....

"Sorry, there was a slight disruption in the power matrix of the propulsion systems and inertial dampeners. It's been corrected," announced Wren in his dry, matter-of-fact voice. His flat tone briefly reminded Rune why his predecessor and his friends distrusted machines, but then, the Landale's jerky motions ceased, making it easier for him to meditate if he wished. And so, Rune closed his eyes and once again tried to order his thoughts.

Unfortunately, things conspired against Rune once again, for at that moment, Rika spoke up. "Rune, I've been meaning to ask you...what exactly is Lassic like? What are we up against?"

Rune's eyes snapped open, fixing them upon Rika with an annoyed stare. "I've told you already," he said at length. "He's the tyrant who lorded over the Algo system over 2000 years ago. An extremely powerful warlock, thanks to how Dark Force corrupted him with his power."

"I still don't get how he can still be alive, though," spoke up Kyra, sounding confused.

In truth, Rune was just as confused as Kyra and the others were, but pride prevented him from showing it. His reply was one of sternness and abrasiveness, meant to cover up his uncertainty. "I don't know how he can be alive either, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, once we reach the Air Castle," he snapped. "There's no use worrying about it. He's got the Eclipse Torch, and we need to get it back. We'll just have to deal with whatever gets thrown at us. We've come too far to lose."

"Well, I-I suppose there's no need to worry," said Kyra hesitantly. "I mean, you're Lutz. You've beaten him before. You can do it again, right?"

Rune sighed. "I only have Lutz's memories, Kyra. And Lutz wasn't the one who beat Lassic in the end. Alis did."

"Alis? You mean...Alis Landale?" asked Kyra.

"The legendary heroine from 2000 years ago, right?" asked Rika curiously.

Rune nodded. "She was the one who delivered the final blow. Alis and her friends were all gravely wounded and weakened by Lassic's dark power, barely able to move. But Alis somehow found the strength to use her rope spell to ensnare Lassic and her fire magic to knock him down, and in the blink of an eye she was upon him. With one final battle cry, she plunged her sword down into his heart, and that was the end of him. Or at least, it was supposed to be...."

Rika and Kyra seemed to be silently taking it all in. To stave off any further questions, Rune said, "Lassic's not invincible. He's been beaten once before, and he can be beaten again." He sounded more confident than he felt, but right now, he just wanted these girls to shut the hell up so he could meditate.

Rika and Kyra seemed satisfied for the moment. Rika turned back to look out the cockpit window and monitored the ship's readouts and sensor data, while Kyra started fidgiting with one of her laconian slashers. Confident that they would now leave him alone, Rune closed his eyes again.

But soon, his meditation was interrupted again. But this time, it was Chaz. He had remained silent so far, but now for some reason he felt the need to pester him even more.

"Rune, now that you mention it...just who was this Alis Landale? What was she like?" asked Chaz. "I've been wondering about that for a long time now."

Now thoroughly agitated, Rune stared at Chaz intently. "What else do you need to know? You've heard the legends and the stories. You've heard about what happened 2000 years ago. What do you want to know from me?"

Chaz seemed to wither under Rune's gaze, but only slightly. "Well, it's just...that..." He fumbled with his words, obviously unsure of what to say. "When we visited Termi, she was revered almost like a goddess...there was that statue and everything. And those statues in the Esper Mansion, they were all of her, right? What I'm trying to say is...I know how things get distorted over time. I know she was a hero, but I want to know what the actual person was like, not what people want to make her out to be."

Rune regarded Chaz for a moment. Once again, he had proven he was wiser than he looked. But before he could think of an answer - or at least a snotty retort - Kyra spoke up again.

"Yeah, I'd like to know, too," she said. "I've studied all the historical texts; she's described as an absolute animal in battle, but a kind and caring person as well. But if you've got Lutz's memories, then you'd know what she was really like. And I'd like to know too."

Rune turned to Kyra. "Any special reason?"

Kyra stared back at Rune. "Because, I grew up idolizing Alis as much as Lutz. I've always pictured her as the ulitmate heroine. But...now, after seeing how crass and unfeeling the real Lutz is, I'm wondering if the real Alis would be a disappointment as well!" she finished in a derisive tone.

Rika stifled a giggle, and Chaz was smirking as well. Kyra did have a point. Sometimes, people put their heroes on a pedestal, creating a vision of what their ideal hero should be. It's only when you're faced with the truth, when you see your idols for who they really are, do you realize that the ones you revere are just like everyone else...they have flaws and imperfections. Kyra had recently learned that the hard way.

Rune remained silent as he poured over the memories that had been bestowed upon him. Chaz and Kyra were right: Alis wasn't perfect by any means. Yes, she defeated Lassic and Dark Force. Yes, she liberated the Algo system and peace was restored for a time. But despite all that, before all that....

"Both of you are right," Rune said eventually. "Alis wasn't perfect. She made mistakes, and her journey was a difficult one. Not just because of the enemies she faced; her quest was trying for her soul as well. She had a good deal to learn, and in fact, her most difficult lesson...."

"Yes, what?" Chaz asked impatiently, annoyed at how Rune's voice just trailed off.

Rune sighed again, then continued. "Actually, it started much like this: departing from Dezolis and heading out to find and kill Lassic. Something happened before she got to the Air Castle. That was the start of a very soul-searching adventure for herself, and all her friends for that matter."

"Really? There's no mention in the texts of anything besides her fight with Lassic and Dark Force," said Kyra.

"I find that surprising, considering the ruckus Alis caused," said Rune, smirking.

"This sounds interesting," said Rika as she turned around, her pointy, cat-like ears perked up. "I want to hear this."

Rune shook his head. "It's kind of a long story."

"We have approximately seven hours and fifteen minutes until we reach the asteroid belt," chimed in Wren. "Besides, any information about how Alis Landale fought Lassic may prove beneficial once we track him down."

Oh, you're a real help, Wren, Rune thought dryly. Rune looked from one teammate to another, each eagerly anticipating hearing his story. It was now painfully obvious that none of them would leave him alone and let him meditate, so, after letting out one last sigh of annoyance, he acquiesced. "Alright, if it'll make you happy, I'll tell you all about what Alis faced back then...."

Alis Landale was lost in thought, seated at the cockpit of the Luveno as their ship sped away from Dezolis and back to her home planet of Palma. She stared blankly into the blackness of space, eager to get back to Palma and finish the job she started. She didn't need to focus her attention on piloting their ship, since their on-board robot, Hapsby, took care of all ship functions for them. Alis turned to her right. There sat the robot, situated in between the pilot and co-pilot's seatts, its systems linked into the Luveno's. Alis couldn't help but remember the trouble it took to get hold of Hapsby; having to go all the way across Palma to Abion for polymeteral, then backtracking to Bortevo to use it to dissolve the pile of junk Hapsby was buried under.

Why in the name of the Algo system did Dr. Luveno have to build us a ship that relies on a robot!? she thought irritably as she stared at the little machine. It continued to blip and twitter, its head occassionally swerving slightly from left to right as it managed the ship's systems. I could've probably piloted. a starship on my own! Nero worked in the spaceport and taught me all about ship operations!

Nero...just the thought of his name made the memories flood back, as if a dam had burst open in her mind. The sight of her older brother lying in the streets of Camineet, his body riddled with blaster wounds, the Robotcops mocking him as he lay dying. Killed because he was part of the underground resistance, trying to topple Lassic's regime. Nero had insisted she stay out of the fighting, but after seeing her brother murdered, Alis took up his sword and swore to the Creator that she would kill Lassic for this atrocity, or die trying.

Alis shut her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to flow. No, she had to remain cold. She couldn't afford to lose her composure, not when, within hours, her party would be back on Palma, ready to storm Baya Malay Tower and bring the fight to Lassic.

But despite herself, anger took hold of her yet again. All throughout her journey, she had seen how the Algo system had been slowly crumbling: oppressive taxation leaving the economy in ruins, monsters freely roaming the planets, Robotcops imposing martial law everywhere.... But still, it was the murder of her brother that drove her on, making her determined to get her revenge.

Alis unsheathed her laconian sword, which she had won from fighting that red dragon during their last pit stop on Palma. She examined it closely. Everything about this sword was perfect: the fine edge, the weight distribution, the shape and length making it ideal for slashing or thrusting. And she could feel energy pulsing within it, could feel its holy power. With it, she was confident she could turn back Lassic's power and strike him down. She gripped the handle tightly, relishing the thought.

It was now finally time to seek Lassic out. Her party had travelled all across the Algo system, collecting all the powerful weapons and gear they could find, anything that might give them an edge against Lassic. The last few days on Dezolis had also yielded some strange items that, somehow, Alis was certain would be needed. At her feet, beside Hapsby, was the laconian pot she had won from Dr. Mad, and inside was the Nut of Laerma they had procured from that tree on Dezolis. According to what they had heard, it was supposed to trigger some sort of growth in Myau. Alis had a hard time believing it. This nut is supposed to make that musk cat grow bigger, just like that? she thought dubiously. Is there a type of magic that can trigger growth like that? I'll have to see it to believe it.

She turned to the co-pilot's seat, where Myau the musk cat lay curled up in Odin's lap, his long-time partner and friend. A tall, muscular man with short blonde hair, Odin simply let Myau lay there as he tinkered with his laser gun. Not that he needs it anymore, now that he finally won his laconian axe from Medusa, thought Alis, remembering their fight against Lassic's underling. Alis examined Odin more closely. His demeanor was that of stoic resolve, of quiet, determined strength. Alis envied him. How could he seem so composed, so reserved! His entire resistance group had been slaughtered and he had been petrified by Medusa. How could he be so calm after all that!?

Alis then looked back at the seat behind her. There sat Noah, their resident Esper. Clad in white robes, with lavender hair and slightly feminine features. He was sitting silently in his seat, deep in meditation. Again, Alis felt a surge of envy and confusion. Why is he so calm all the time, too!? she thought bitterly. So many of his fellow Espers were hunted down and slaughtered by Lassic's goons. Except for Tarzimal, we haven't come across any!

It all came back to Lassic, she realized. Every calamity that had befallen the people of Algo could be traced back to him. And it's time someone put an end to it, Alis silently vowed, gripping her sword again and shutting her eyes tightly. I'm going to find him. I'm going to find him and make him pay for....

A sudden bleeping sound from the ship's main console interrupted Alis's anguished thoughts. Alis opened her eyes, and her mouth to ask what was going on, but before she could say anything, Hapsby spoke up. "We are receiving a subspace transmission; message is textual only," the robot reported. It made a few more clicking sounds, then spoke up again. "Tracing subspace signal: origin is a southern region of the planet Motavia."

Before Alis could ask any questions, a monitor sprang to life on the console in front of her. "Displaying textual message now," Hapsby informed calmly. Curious, Alis leaned over and started to read the message that was slowly scrolling across the screen.

Alis! Noah! Please return to Motavia! I need your help! I have discovered important information that will help you defeat Lassic! -Tarzimal

"What does it say?" said a curious voice. Alis turned to her right to see that Myau had awakened, and was now perched on Hapsby's swerving head.

"It-It's a message from Tarzimal," Alis said hesitantly. "He-he says he needs our help, and that he knows of some way of beating Lassic."

The mention of his former master's name snapped Noah to attention. "Then let's change course!" he exclaimed with a directness that annoyed Alis. He made it sound as if he was the boss.

"I second that," said Odin. "If Noah's old teacher needs our help, we should go to him. Besides, if he really has some information that'll give us an edge against Lassic, we can't pass that up."

Alis looked from Noah to Odin, and then down at Myau. One look at the musk cat's face told Alis that he agreed with the others.

But for some reason, Alis had a bad feeling about all this. They had just scoured the entire Algo system and gotten almost everything they felt they needed for tracking down and killing Lassic, judging from all the information they had gleamed in their travels. What other information could there possibly be that they'd need? And why hadn't Tarzimal said anything when they visited him at his hideout, when he gave Noah his final test? There was something about all this that didn't sit right with Alis.

And she didn't hesitate to voice her doubts. "Listen, guys. This sounds fishy to me. Something about this just doesn't feel right," she said tersely. "Besides, I'm sure we have everything we need to take care of Lassic for good."

"I disagree. Against Lassic, we'll need every advantage we can get," said Myau. "I'm willing to take a detour and see what Tarzimal has to offer."

"But why didn't he at least mention what he found in his message? Why make us go to him?" Alis protested.

"I'm sure he has his reasons, Alis," Noah said pleadingly, obviously sensing her doubts. "Please Alis, let's go to him. Lassic isn't going anywhere, and Tarzimal may have found something that'll allow us to easily beat him."

As she looked from Noah to Myau to Odin, Alis realized the real reason she was being so reluctant was that she didn't want to put off the raid on Baya Malay Tower any longer. But it was all too obvious that her companions all felt differently. "Fine, you all win," she grumbled. "We'll head for Motavia."

"Adjusting course headings," Hapsby said calmly. Alis could feel the ship's direction change slightly as the robot altered its course.

Whatever information he has, it'd better be worth it, thought Alis irritably, sitting with her arms folded. Her instincts were telling her something was wrong, and she was eager to begin the hunt for Lassic, but she saw there was no convincing her friends to change their minds. This better not take long. I swore I'd kill Lassic for Nero, and the sooner I do it, the better.

This was of no consequence to Alis's group. With Dr. Luveno's ship, they could go anywhere in the Algo system, anytime they wished. But everyone else on Palma - anyone else who dared to lend a hand in the fight to overthrow Lassic - weren't so lucky.

That was the case with Leli, a young, petite, red-haired girl with compassionate, glistening, hazel eyes. She sat in the cargo area of the departing spaceship, sitting with her knees held tightly to her chest. It had taken all the meseta she had to bribe one of the spaceport workers to smuggle her onto this flight to Motavia, and she prayed that it would be worth it.

Leli had heard the rumors that had been circulating for weeks: a lone, teenage girl was plotting to single-handedly kill Lassic, and had even rounded up some brave souls to take up her cause. From what she heard, they were scouring the Algo system for anything they could use against the mad tyrant....

She found herself envying this girl, whoever she was. Leli had always been small and weak, unable to fend for herself. She only had one useful talent, only one way to lend a hand to anyone courageous enough to stand up to Lassic and his Robotcops.

But will it be enough? thought Leli morbidly. I-I tried to help the resistance movement with my skills, but they-they still.... The memories came flooding back, arriving at the secret meeting place underneath Camineet, seeing the entire resistance cell she wanted to help wiped out by Robotcops hours before, their lifeless bodies littering the corridors.

Blinking back tears, Leli looked to her side, at the various storage containers she had brought with her. They all housed her creations, something she had put her heart and soul into building after her resistance cell was wiped out, using all the money and resources she had.

The last I heard, this girl's group was heading for Motavia, for whatever reason, thought Leli. I've got to deliver this to her. This may be the one thing that'll help her turn back Lassic's armies.

The ship shook slightly, causing Leli to topple over and nearly making her cargo containers slam into her. Grunting, she picked herself up off the floor and got back into her sitting position. As she resituated herself, her thoughts drifted back to this brave girl she never met. What could have possessed her to try something like this? Does she think she can succeed where all the resistance groups failed? Leli silently wondered. I just hope my work can help her do it. It's the only thing I can do. I can't pick up a sword and fight like this girl can....

As Leli's anguished thoughts raged in her head, the spacecraft continued its trek toward Paseo on Motavia, taking her, and her creation, toward an adventure and a destiny that awaited the brave girl she never met - Alis Landale - which would help that brave soul accept a fate and a responsibility far greater than she could possibly imagine.

Chapter 2: Familiar Faces

"Hmm, looks like a sandstorm's brewing," Myau observed, looking all around him and sniffing the air.

"We'd better hurry. Some of Motavia's sandstorms can turn deadly fast, and can last for days," said Noah.

"Ugh, I don't get how you and Tarzimal can't stand living here, Noah," Alis said, raising an arm to shield her eyes from the sun. She hated to admit it to herself, but living on Palma all her life spoiled her. The unbelievably harsh, alien environments of Motavia and Dezolis had pushed her endurance to the limit.

"Things'll be much worse if we're caught up in one of those sandstorms," said Odin. "Noah and I will prep the landrover so we can head out. You should head into town and but some more provisions and medicine. We're running low."

"All right. Fine," Alis said irritably. It was bad enough for her that their quest to liberate Algo had been put on hold, and having Odin order her about only worsened her mood, stinging her pride. Wasn't it her who had brought them all together with a common cause? Wasn't it her who lead the charge in practically every battle they had fought so far? At this point, she was starting to feel as if she was the only one serious about their mission, as if she had to pick up the slack for everyone....

"I'll go with you," said Myau cheerily, falling in line behind Alis as she walked toward Uzo. Alis paid the musk cat no notice as she entered the town and navigated the streets. Looking about her, she noticed once again that this town had not been hit as hard by economic depression as other towns on Palma and Motavia, but there was still a feeling of foreboding gloom that permeated the entire town, which weighed on Alis heavily. She also remembered the many native Motavians they had encountered while scouring the planet, how desperate and destitute they seemed.

I bet it wasn't like this before Lassic took over, she thought to herself as she and Myau headed for the southwest part of the town, where the shops were located. After stocking up on all the items they needed, they left as quickly as they came. But upon passing the hospital, Alis and Myau passed by a kiosk that they hadn't noticed before. Curious, Alis stopped to look at what was being sold. The kiosk's owner, a short, old woman, was fast asleep in her chair, and strewn about on display were several hand-crafted things: wooden tools, ceramic pottery, and even hand-made plush toys.

But one of the plush toys was without any doubt one of the freakiest things she had ever seen. From the looks of it, it was supposed to be some sort of blue-furred animal, with the fur clumped in long, spiky quills. Its chest and arms were the color of pale flesh though, and was wearing white gloves and some sort of red shoes. And its face...it had big, bulbous eyeballs that actually seemed to be fused together.

Myau noticed that something had caught Alis's attention and called up to her. "What's up, Alis? What are you looking at?"

"This thing," replied Alis as she grabbed the plush toy by the neck and held it out for Myau to see. "Just tell me this isn't the ugliest thing you've ever seen."

Myau tilted his head slightly. "Hmmm, I dunno. I think it's kinda cute."

"Oh please. What would make you say that?" asked Alis.

Myau was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe because it sort of reminds me of my last date...."

Alis shot a quizzical look down at the musk cat, but before she could think of a comeback, she heard someone behind her softly call out her name. "Alis? Is that you? Here on Motavia?"

That voice.... Here? Alis thought confusedly. She dropped the plush toy and slowly turned around.

A few feet away stood a girl who was roughly Alis's age and height. She wore the typical garb of a Palman woman, with a dark red blouse and a long navy-blue skirt, though they looked worn and tattered, as if they had been forced to endure the harsh conditions of Motavia longer than they were meant to. Her hair was a dazzling, crystalline white, pulled back tightly into a ponytail, and her eyes were blue. But unlike Alis's blue eyes, hers were much lighter, almost like the sky, with an unnatural opaqueness.

Myau looked at the strange girl, then back up at Alis. "Alis, you two know each other?"

For a moment, Alis seemed to be at a loss for words. "Y-Yes, Myau, we do," she said at length, and with uncertainty. "We've known each other for a long, long time, actually."

"The name's Dioa," said the white-haired girl, smiling down at the musk cat. "I used to live in Parolit. Alis and I are really old friends."

Alis could only nod, feeling a mingling of surprise and joy. Growing up, there were very few people she could say she was very close to. Her dear brother Nero and her good neighbor Suelo were foremost among them.... But there was someone else in her life she had known ever since she was a little girl. A good friend she could always confide in, was always there for her, someone she could rely on even as the Algo system slowly began to fall into disarray and ruin. But Alis hadn't thought of asking Dioa to join her in her quest for vengeance. She knew Dioa wasn't much of a fighter, and couldn't bear the risk of losing someone else she cared deeply for. That, and because a few weeks prior to Nero's murder, Alis had suddenly lost touch with Dioa, as if she had slipped off the face of Palma....

"Yeah, we are," Alis said eventually. "So this is where you ended up. Some time ago, it seemed you just...disappeared."

"I know. I'm sorry I never got the chance to tell you where I was going," Dioa said apologetically. "But I was offered an internship at one of the laboratories situated in the governor's mansion. As you know, I've always been into microbiology, so I couldn't pass the opportunity up. I'm here in Uzo on some official business."

"Well, I'm glad to see things are going well for you, Dioa," said Alis, smiling. "Oh, but what about your parents? Last I heard, they had gotten sick from that new, weird strain of shelfish flu...."

Dioa closed her eyes and hung her head, as if in shame. "Yeah, they almost died from it. But they miraculously recovered when it seemed all hope was lost. I'm just ashamed that I couldn't really do anything, even with all my knowledge and restorative techniques." Dioa lifted her head and looked deeply into Alis's eyes. "And what about Nero? How is he?"

It was Alis's turn to hang her head. "Dead," she said in a flat tone. "Murdered by Robotcops."

"Oh," was all Dioa seemed to be able to say at first. Then she warmly embraced Alis with a hug. "Alis, I'm so sorry...."

"Alis, are you ready to go?" called out a familiar voice. Alis looked behind Dioa to see Odin and Noah walking up, both with anxious looks on their faces. Another stiff breeze reminded Alis that a sandstorm could be on the way.

Dioa released Alis and looked behind her. "New friends of yours?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're travelling companions. We've been all over the Algo system these last few days," replied Alis.

"Oh really? What for?" Dioa inquired, sounding even more curious.

"Oh nothing much. Just plotting the complete overthrow of Lassic's regime, that's all," Alis said coyly.

Dioa stared at Alis, mouth agape. She was clearly shocked by what they planned to do. "WHAT!? The three of you actually intend to try and...."

"The FOUR of us," spoke up Myau in an indignant voice, making Dioa look down. "And yes, you better believe that's what we're aiming for. No power in the Algo system is going to keep Alis from getting her hands on Lassic, I promise you that."

"Yeah, Myau is 100 percent correct," Alis said proudly, with a renewed sense of vigor. "Dioa, I'm sorry to cut our reunion short, but we four really need to get moving. It was good to see you again, though. Good luck with your research."

And with that, Dioa bid Alis farewell and walked back out to the open field with Myau, Odin, and Noah, their landrover ready to go with the hovercraft perched on top for when they reached water. As they exited Uzo, Odin harshly said, "You know, Alis, it might not have been a good idea to tell that girl about our plans. Lassic has spies everywhere."

"Don't worry about it. I'd trust Dioa with my life," said Alis, a bit more bitterly than she intended to. "Let's just head on out. And by the way, I'm driving."

"OH no, not this time," Noah suddenly said, raising up a hand as if to stop Alis in her tracks. Odin and Myau likewise stared at Alis, looks of refusal etched on their features.

Alis shot him a withering glance, then pulled out a single meseta piece. "All right, flip you for it."

Noah sighed. "Fine. Heads."

Alis flipped the coin into the air, and it landed into the soft sand shortly thereafter. The side that was facing up had the design of a small, dog-like creature in a sitting position, with an eerie, toothy grin and two large, bushy tails. "Sorry. Tails," Alis said smugly.

"Ah, crap," muttered all three of her companions.

But Leli forced herself to remain calm as she grabbed one of the smaller cargo containers, which she had stored her tools in. Time to get to work, she thought wearily as she then opened one of the larger cargo containers. Leli guessed that right about now, the pilot was just beginning to plot the ship's descent vector. I should be able to have this assembled by the time the ship lands at Paseo's spaceport, Leli thought hopefully as she began her task.

"I'm with Odin," said Noah, who was seated in the back. "Facing Lassic now would be infinitely less dangerous than being your passenger!"

But Alis ignored them both as she recklessly drove the landrover ahead full-speed through Motavia's desert landscape, occassionally only narrowly missing a collision with a large cactus or a rock jutting out of the sand. The landrover was a large, tank-like vehicle used for long-range transportation, and on Motavia it offered nearly complete protection from the antlions that dotted the landscape. And despite the cumbersome, heavy appearance, the landrover was capable of reaching very fast speeds, something which Alis clearly delighted in and her companions thoroughly lamented.

"I swear, I cannot fathom the Palmans' compulsion to operate such vehicles at such unsafe velocities!" Myau shouted from his vantage point atop Odin's head. He then let out a loud cat-like screech as Alis missed colliding with a cactus by a hair.

"Hey, I'm Palman and I don't understand it either!" Noah chimed in as he continued to warily watch the landscape in front of him, seeing the rocks and cacti zoom past at uncomfortably fast speeds.

"Oh, lighten up and don't be such a coward, Noah! No wonder everyone thinks you're a woman," chided Alis as she kept on driving. A twinge of indignation penetrated Noah's panic and he scowled, even though he knew Alis couldn't see. Did she really have to always comment about his looks like that?

As for Alis, she continued to ignore her freinds' protests and bolted forward through the desert at full-speed. But it wasn't her desire to reach Tarzimal and quickly leave Motavia that spurred her on. Rather, it was the sheer joy of having an actual landrover and having such a wide-open area to drive it in. She remembered, long ago, that she and Dioa often talked about how fun it would be if they could actually afford to buy a landrover and drive it to their hearts' content, with no one to spoil their fun. It was a childhood fantasy that Alis had hung onto. And besides, since the experience of piloting a starship was denied her, thanks to Dr. Luveno's insipid design, she might as well enjoy driving the landrover. Even revenge-obsessed girls needed to have a little fun once in a while.

Too bad I couldn't take Dioa along with me, but I can't get her involved in this, Alis thought as she swerved to avoid hitting yet another cactus. I hope she'll be OK at the governor's mansion. It's said that the governor's at odds with Lassic. Could that put her at risk?

There was no answer to Alis's silent query, only the screams and curses of her new friends as she kept driving recklessly eastward toward Motavia's largest body of water.

However, this Palman made no attempt to hide herself. Soon after the Robotcops entered, she boldly walked out from behind the wooden crate she had been standing behind. She then stood firm before the two mechanical soldiers. "Looking for someone?" she asked boldly and in a firm voice.

The Robotcops switched back to their normal mode of vision to get a better look at the stowaway. It was indeed a short Palman female, with red hair, hazel eyes and probably in her late teens. Her face was one of stern resolve, as if she had nothing to fear, despite being completely unarmed and facing two machines incapable of remorse if their programming instructed them to kill.

If they had been human, curiosity might have made them hesitate, made them wonder what would make this Palman seem so carefree. But they were not human, only heartless machines. The Robotcops aimed their laser rifles at the Palman girl. "You are under arrest for trespassing. Come quietly, or we will resort to force," both of them said in flat, unfeeling tones.

The girl just smiled back at them, obviously trying to seem fearless. However, the many sensors at the Robotcops disposal let them know that she was merely covering up her nervousness. They could detect changes in her autonomic nervous system and her cardiovascular excitation, and other signs such as her pupil dilation and skin temperature clued them in. In that way they knew she was still fearful.

However, their sensors could not let them detect the reason that she was able to put aside her fears and face them. Something was hidden from them, something which was even now moving in against them.

"Oh, is that so?" said the Palman girl at length, then she turned her gaze to something directly behind the two Robotcops....

And they didn't even have time to turn around before the two of them effectively ceased to exist.

That was just fine with Noah, since at the moment he was lost in his own brooding thoughts. He had mixed feelings about visiting his former master again so soon after he had passed his 'final test'. That meant he was a full-fledged Esper now. However, he didn't feel confident about that. He was only twenty years old, and Noah knew there was must still be much more for him to learn, for him to do. And the last time he saw Tarzimal, his mind had been flooded with self-doubt. Despite all his rigorous training, he still felt unsure that he could live up to his mentor's expectations. However, he welcomed the chance to see him again and get his sage advice, despite how eccentric and absent-minded he could be at times.

But mostly, his mind was preoccupied with the young woman who was walking in front of him. He fondly remembered the first time he met her, when her party barged into his private hideout with a letter from the governor. He was irritated by the intrusion, but in truth he was also covering up how taken aback he was by Alis's beauty and boldness. And when he read the letter and learned what Alis planned to do, she immediately earned his respect.

In the days that followed, he found it a pleasure to travel with Alis and fight by her side. Noah had always been very shy and never had many friends, even amongst the other Esper trainees. But for some reason, he felt completely at ease with his new allies, and especially desired to get to know Alis better. She was simply a stunning mixture of elegant beauty and deadly ferocity, unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

The four continued on their way through the many twists and turns of the tunnels, all the walls composed of the same flat, brown stone. However, Alis seemed to have a knack for navigating these dungeons and had an uncanny memory; she was retracing the way to Tarzimal's study easily.

However, they soon met up with resistance. After heading down into the first lower level and turning the corner, they were confronted by two giant, green tarantulas. And judging by the way they were snapping their jaws and leering at them, Noah doubted his telepathy techniques would convince them to let them pass.

Fortunately, Alis already had things in hand. "Stay back, everyone. Leave 'em to me," she commanded. She hadn't taken out her sword and shield, but her clenched fists were glowing with a dazzling, orange light. Noah knew was she was about to do. Her hands reached out, and fireballs shot out from both, striking both tarantulas in the face, stunning them and eliciting howls of pain. And while they were dazed, Alis rushed in with her sword drawn. Quickly and effortlessly, she beheaded the giant spiders. Odin and Noah just looked on in awe, feeling useless after not even having to draw their weapons.

Alis sheathed her sword as she turned to face the others. "Come on, let's move before more show up," she said sternly. Myau sighed, then scampered forward, Noah and Odin following close behind.

She's simply incredible, thought Noah as they trudged on. So beautiful, and yet so deadly. He recalled how he had taught her some of what he knew of using magic, and how Odin helped further her training, making her even more lethal. And he couldn't get over how dazzlingly, radiantly, beautiful she was - the flowing auburn hair, the sparkling blue eyes, the shapely legs.... As he followed Alis, he found himself absent-mindedly staring at her butt, how it swayed with each graceful step she took....

A stifled meow from Myau snapped Noah back to attention. Looking down, he saw the musk cat staring up at him, grinning. "What are you looking at?" Noah asked irritably.

"Not the same thing you are, that's for sure," Odin jibed, grinning at him.

Noah felt his face turn hot and hoped the hood of his robes would hide the fact that he was blushing. It was embarrassing to be caught staring at Alis like that....

Like I'd really have a chance, he thought glumly, recalling the changes in Alis as of late. Though he felt he was growing closer with Alis and the others, bonding with them and getting to know them better, it seemed Alis was becoming more distant, more obsessed with killing Lassic. More cold and seemingly filled with animosity. At first she seemd so kind and friendly, but it was as if seeing the desolation all across the Algo system was making her more and more furious, and her desire for revenge seemed to be slowly eating away at her, bit by bit. As a trained Esper, he could sense the anguish in her soul, the bright, righteous light within her slowly fading away. He feared for her as much as he had come to care for her....

"Relax, Alis. He's probably in the back room, meditating," Odin said matter-of-factly. "We'll just have to wait a while, since from what I gather it's hard to rouse an Esper master from a deep meditative state."

Sighing, Alis looked all around the long, narrow passage deep in the Motavian tunnels, in which Tarzimal had carved out his little niche. By any standards, his hidden home was very spartan. A small table with a magic lamp for light here, a desk with some electronics equipment there, a shelf unit housing innumerable magical artifacts and books, and a simple sleeping bag made up of furs on the floor. A few large ceramic jars and a couple wall-mounted murals were the only things that seemed to liven up the place.

Then something caught Alis's eye. On the desk with the communications equipment, there was a metallic instrument, roughly the size of her laconian pot. And from way the metal dully glistened, Alis guessed it was made up of laconia as well. Its shape vaguely resembled a magic lamp, only where the handle was, there seemed to be a trigger. And on either side of it, there was a glistening, red gem, which looked exactly liked the amber eye that her party swapped with that Dezolian to get the Eclipse Torch. Wires were attached to both gems, travelling down to the bottom of the lamp. Curious, Alis picked it up and looked underneath, surprised to see that electronics and circuitry were worked into what looked like a magical artifact.

I wonder what this thing's supposed to do? Alis wondered as she closely examined the laconian lamp, looking at it from every angle. Eventually, she lifted the lid to see what was inside. She was shocked to find that, attached to more wired circuitry and some strange, small tubes, there was....

"A Nut of Laerma!?" exclaimed Alis, catching the attention of everyone else. "There's a Nut of Laerma in here, and it's already in the same state as the one we used the Eclipse Torch on!"

Odin and Noah looked over Alis's shoulder, looking into the lamp. "Hmm, that's a Laerma Nut all right," said Odin.

Noah shook his head. "I had no idea Tarzimal had managed to get hold of one," he said, his voice betraying he fact that he was impressed.

"You mean to tell me we went through all that trouble in the Corona Tower when Tarzimal had a nut all along!?" Alis cried in disbelief. "Why didn't he let us know he had one!?"

Noah shrugged his shoulders. "Well, he's always been a bit scatterbrained. Must've never occured to him."

Alis shot him a piercing glare, but Myau quickly changed the subject. "Any idea what all that circuitry attached to it is for, or what that lamp is supposed to do?" the musk cat asked.

"Never mind that. What are all of you doing back here?" rang a sharp, commanding voice. The four of them quickly turned around to see that Tarzimal had finally emerged from his meditation chamber in the back. He was just as Alis had remembered him: short and squat, with a bushy, white beard and a face partially shrouded by the hood of the blue robes he wore. He limped forward on his staff, slowly approaching the party, his body language betraying a deep sense of agitation.

"What do you mean...'what are all of you doing back here?'" Alis repeated.

"Surely you could not have bested Lassic already," squeaked Tarzimal. "What purpose do you have for coming back here? I have given Noah his final test. He is as prepared as he will ever be to help you face Lassic."

"What are you talking about!?" snapped Alis acidly. "You're the one who summoned us back here! You sent us a transmission, saying you had some information for us, that you needed our help!"

Tarzimal carefully regarded Alis for a moment. "Alis, my dear lady, I sent no such message!" he said forcefully.

"You...it wasn't you who sent us that transmission? It really wasn't you?" asked Odin in a wary voice. "But-but you're one of the few who knows how to reach the Luveno via subspace transmissions...."

"And I assure you, I didn't send any message," said Tarzimal. "I've already done all I can for all of you."

"Then-then who sent us that message? And why?" asked Myau uneasily.

A profound sense of panic began to well up within Alis's heart, momemtarily paralyzing her, rooting her to the spot. "Isn't-isn't it obvious?" she said at length, her voice trembling. "Someone's tricked us! It was a ruse to lead our enemies to Tarzimal, and then trap us!!"

An eerie silence descended upon the private study, with everyone uncertain of what to do next, unsure of what to make of Alis's assessment. But it only lasted for a few seconds, for an explosive, deafening blast blew the double doors of Tarzimal's study clean off of its hinges. Alis, for some reason, deigned to hold on to Tarzimal's lamp in one hand while drawing her sword with the other, and the others quickly turned around, ready to face whatever new, unexpected threat was being hurled their way.

At first, there was a thick plume of dust and debris kicked up by the blast, and none of them could clearly see what was beyond the doorway. But then, something slowly approached through the doorway, coming into view. Something that vaguely resembled a humanoid shape. As the dust and debris settled, Alis could see their attacker more clearly, and almost dropped her sword out of shock....

Lassic, she thought fearfully after seeing what seemed to be their enemy's head. Whoever it was was wearing a helmet that only left the eyes exposed, one with dark, purple metal with large horns protruding out of the sides and a thin spike on the top, and Alis knew from seeing photographs that Lassic had a helmet similar to that.

But as more of the debris cloud settled, Alis saw that it couldn't be Lassic. Lassic was supposed to be large and imposing, but she realized whoever this was was rather short. Alis could make out a tight-fitting body suit made up of some thick, purple fiber. She then realized that the shape of the body...it was clearly that of a girl's. Thick armored boots, spiked shoulder pads and mailed fists clutching a long, double-edged glaive completed the look of the new enemy that had apparently tailed them all the way to Tarzimal's hideout.

"Who are you!?" demanded Alis, pointing her laconian sword at their attacker, refusing to let her surprise and anxiety show in either her voice of her features.

"I am merely...an Assassin, in the service of Lassic," said the mysterious woman in a cold, calculating voice as she stepped closer and closer. There was only about thirty feet between her and the group now, and the narrowness of Tarzimal's study would make for a difficult close-quarters fight, Alis belatedly realized. The dust and debris had cleared completely now, and Alis could see that Robotcops had taken position just outside the doorway. Alis gripped her sword even more tightly as their pursuer spoke again. "An Assassin who's been sent to bring in Tarzimal, and then slay you all."

The woman who had simply called herself the Assassin stopped advancing on them, standing in one place and brandishing her glaive. They could see the faint whites of her eyes through her helmet's eyeholes, and she seemed to be simply glaring at them, as if daring any of them to make the first move. If that was the case, it was a challenge that Tarzimal willingly accepted.

"My dear lady," Tarzimal exclaimed in a tone that betrayed anything but courtesy, "it is quite rude to barge into one's home and then brazenly declare he is to be carted away. I'm afraid you'll have to be taught some manners!" With that, he brandished his staff, and its tip glowed with a fierce ferocity. A second later, a blinding bolt of lightning shot out at the Assassin, one powerful enough to knock out just about any being in the Algo system.

However, the Assassin was obviously prepared for such an attack. She twirled her glaive around in front of her with one hand, and the electrical energy seemed to be harmlessly absorbed into the metal of the blades, not harming the Assassin in the least.

"What in the...." Tarzimal started to cry out in disbelief, but before anyone could do anything else, the Assassin slammed her glaive, which was glowing brightly with incandescence, into the tunnel floor, sending out a shockwave at the group, which practically ripped the floor of the study apart. Tarzimal, having been closest to the Assassin, seemed to take the brunt of it. He collapsed into a heap, not even having time to scream in pain. The shockwave swept past Odin, Noah and Alis, causing them great, debilitating pain as well, enough to hammer them to their knees. But Myau had leapt up over the shockwave and hurled himself at the Assassin like a missile, claws brandished.

As for Alis, she had still been holding onto Tarzimal's mysterious lamp, and when the energy shockwave swept past her, it caused her to accidently press the trigger-like switch on its handle. Not only that, with the way she had held it at the time, the spout had been pointed at her leg. And the instant she inadvertantly hit the trigger, Alis noticed some sort of bright yellow beam of light was issuing out of the spout, striking her leg and making it feel as if a heat laser was boring into her. She was also dimly aware that it was making her entire body give off a sort of faint, white glow. But she was only dimly aware of it because whatever that lamp was doing, it was making her feel faint. Losing her strength rapidly, she sagged against the wall, somehow still holding onto the lamp and her sword.

Alis faintly heard a soft crackling sound over Myau's screeches, something akin to machinery short-circuiting. Through half-opened eyes, Alis could see Myau jumping around the Assassin, furiously moving in to attack whenever he saw an opening. And at this point, Odin must've recovered enough to rush in and lend a hand, brandishing his laconian aze. "Noah, stay with Alis until the effects of whatever that lamp did wears off!" he ordered as he charged the Assassin. But the Assassin saw him coming and parried his blow, holding her glaive in both hands. Then she counterattacked and took a swipe at his midsection, but Odin dashed aside, leaving an opening for Myau, who jumped up and clawed at her with the ferocity of a wild animal.

Meanwhile, Noah did as Odin asked as knelt by Alis, cradling her limp body. "Alis, what happened? Are you alright!?" he cried out, fearing for her.

"I feel...so w-weak all of a sudden," Alis managed to get out. Why was that? What effect had that lamp had on her? What was it supposed to do? But those questions took a backseat in her mind as she watched Odin and Myau fight. If she didn't feel so sick and debilitated all of a sudden, she'd certainly feel flashes of frustration because of not being able to join in on the battle.

Eventually, the Assassin seemed to get the upper hand, swinging through the air with her glaive, somehow sending out a blast of air that knocked Odin and Myau back several feet, to where Tarzimal still lay.

"I grow weary of this. You're not as formidable as I was led to believe," she said coldly. "It's time I collected my prize. The Robotcops can handle the rest of you." With that, she reached out with one hand, and to Noah's horror and Alis's bewilderment, thin metal wires shot out of her fingers as if by magic. They wrapped themselves around Tarzimal's limp body, binding him tightly. Then the wires lifted him up, as if they had a mind of their own, bringing him over to the Assassin.

Th-that was like my rope spell! Alis thought, trying to get up. But it was no use. Her body was still feeling the effects of whatever that lamp did to her. Noah realized this, and sheathed her sword for her, then he slung her right arm over his shoulders, hoisting her up. He brandished his wand with his free hand, ready to use magic.

And it looked like he'd need to soon. Robotcops began to storm through the doorway. However, at that moment, Tarzimal suddenly spoke up, his voice strained and barely audible.

"Noah, take Alis and go. Hurry through the hidden exit." Tarzimal wiggled his fingers from underneath his metal bindings, and suddenly, a large stone slab on the side wall, one covered with an ornate tapestry draped over it, swung open like a door. "And take the lamp. You'll need it to...."

"Silence, old man!" sneered the Assassin, striking the ground with her glaive, causing it to be embedded there. "I'll finish them all in one fell swoop!" She lashed out with an outstretched hand, and a turbid, opaque mist seemed to form around it. A second later, chunks of ice shot down through the study. Odin and Myau had recovered and gotten up, but the rock-hard chunks of ice struck them with overpowering force, knocking them out. But a split-second before they would've struck Noah and Alis, Noah dashed through the escape route Tarzimal revealed with speed born out of desperation and fear. Noah and Alis could hear the chunks of ice shatter against the back wall of the study, and then they heard the stone slab slide back into its previous position, cutting them off from the others.

"NO!!" Alis and Noah cried in unision. Noah turned to look at the stone slab, beat on it uselessly with his wand, kicked it, but it wouldn't move again. He had no idea how Tarzimal made it move in the first place, and there was no hope of reopening it now.

"DAMNIT!!" screamed Alis, having found the strength to stop leaning on Noah and slam a fist against the stone slab. Frustrated, couldn't even begin to describe how she felt at the moment. For hours they had travelled across Motavia into what turned out to be a trap, and now, in a matter of moments, their ranks had been split up after being handily bested by some new enemy. Fury welled up inside her, making her forget how exhausted her body now felt. "I don't believe this. We were all set to liberate the Algo system, and then we let ourselves fall into a trap!" she cried out, blinking back tears of rage and gritting her teeth.

Noah silently stood by her side for a moment, at a loss of what to say to calm her, or even what to do next. "Alis, it doesn't look like we're going back through this way, and somehow I doubt that Assassin can smash her way through. We should just take Tarzimal's advice and follow this tunnel to wherever it leads. There's probably an army of Robotcops at the cave's entrance, so using my magic to teleport out probably wouldn't be a good idea. But once we're out, we can start tracking down the others."

"If they're not already dead," Alis said grimly. "Alright, you win. Let's go." With that, she turned around, but almost sagged to her knees again.

"Alis, you're still weak. Let me help...." Noah started to say, reaching over to help her. But Alis shoved him away.

"I'm FINE," Alis said sternly, making it clear that she didn't want help. Noah could see she was too angry and too traumatized to be reasoned with, so she let her walk on her own, leading the way down Tarzimal's hidden escape route.

It was unlike the tunnels that led to Tarzimal's hidden study. Instead of expertly crafted stone walls, it looked as if they were in a rocky tunnel, seemingly dug into the earth by some gigantic tunneling worm. For a few moments they walked in silence, navigating the twists and turns of the tunnel, which, for the time being, had no branching paths. Eventually, though, Noah felt the need to break the silence. " I hope we can find our way out soon," he said. "Tarzimal, Myau and Odin are as good as dead if we don't rescue them from...whoever that was."

"Any idea who that was supposed to be, anyway?" Alis asked wearily. "We already took care of Dr. Mad and Medusa. I never heard of Lassic having any other stooges besides them."

Noah shook his head. "I never heard about anyone like that, either. She's no ordinary foe, that's for sure. We'll need to be ready with a plan next time we face her."

"I'll say," agreed Alis. "The way she conjured up those metal bindings, using ice magic...strange as it sounds, she's like some sort of opposite version of...me," she added uneasily. "Well, I'll find her and take her down. It looks like I'll have to go through her to get to Lassic, anyway."

Noah looked up and glared at Alis from behind. Again, it sounded as if all she cared about was her revenge. As if having their two closest allies and friends, and his old mentor captured, didn't matter the slightest bit. Now that the adrenaline rush and tension of the fight had worn off, frustration with Alis was able to settle in. "Killing Lassic...that's really all you care about, isn't it!?"

Alis spun around, looking Noah straight in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It just sounds like the only reason you care about the others getting captured is because it means you'll have to put off your fight with Lassic a bit longer," barked Noah. "I mean, don't you even care about what'll happen to them? Are you THAT obsessed with revenge that'll you don't care about anything - or anyone - else!?"

Alis just stared back at Noah, mouth agape, completely nonplussed. Hearing these accusations from him - that she'd become as cold as the ones they opposed - was like a knife in the gut.

"I've noticed this change in you, Alis," Noah continued. "I know you were a kind, gentle girl once. I can tell there's great light within you. Espers can sense that sort of thing, and it's why I was able to teach you how to use your magic even more effectively. But I can tell that light's been fading, as if your lust for revenge is eating you up inside!"

"No, what's been eating me up inside is knowing that that monster is still out there tyrannizing innocent people!" Alis retorted, finally finding words with which to fire back. "Listen, I do care about the others! We're all in this together! I want to find them!"

"You don't sound like it," Noah said flatly. "And sometimes you act like you're the only one who's suffered."

Alis had to supress the urge to slap Noah across the face. "How-how dare you," she seethed. "I know how much everyone else has suffered! I've seen all the devastation! But don't you DARE act like you understand what I've gone through! I know many of the Esper trainees you grew up with are dead, but Nero was different. He was practically the only family I had, all I...."

A sudden rush of vertigo cut Alis off, making her drop Tarzimal's lamp as both her hands went to grasp her head. She stumbled sideways, her shoulder colliding with the tunnel wall, then she slowly sagged to her knees. Their argument forgotten, Noah was at Alis's side in an instant, helping her get back on her feet. "Alis, are you OK?" he asked, the bitterness having completely faded from his voice.

Alis still felt a little dizzy, so she kept her eyes closed. But she also felt a strange sensation of top of that, something that was hard to put into words. It sort of felt, like the very marrow of her bones were heating up, and as if the muscle and fat right underneath her skin would bulge out and explode at any second. "I...I'm not sure," she said, slowly opening her eyes. "I feel so strange, and I don't know how...."

Alis's voice trailed off when she opened her eyes completely and noticed something very odd.

She was supposed to be about a head shorter than Noah. But now, her eyes were level with his, and they were both standing straight up. "N-Noah," she stammered, not sure what to make of it.

"What? What's wrong?" Noah asked. But then his eyes widened, obviously noticing something was wrong as well.

Alis closed her eyes and shook her head, not believing what she had seen. She opened her eyes again, hoping that somehow, things would look as they should. But she let out a gasp of surprise when she saw that she was now looking DOWN at Noah! From the looks of it, she was now a head taller than him!

"What the...what's going on!?" she cried out, now beyond confused. She stared blankly down at Noah, who looked dumbfounded as well. As she continued to stare stupidly down at Noah, she vaguely noticed that he seemed to be receding from view, as if he was slowly getting smaller. "Noah, you're...shrinking!!" she exlaimed, her voice full of fear and confusion.

Noah shook his head. "No, Alis, it's you! It's hard to believe but, you're growing!!"

Alis blinked in surprise, still too bewildered to fully take in what was going on. A few seconds later, though, she looked above her to see if Noah was right. Sure enough, the tunnel's ceiling, which had been roughly fifteen feet above her head moments before, now looked as if it were only ten feet above her head, and it seemed to be steadily getting lower!

"I don't believe it, but...you're right!!" Alis cried out, watching helplessly as the tunnel's ceiling loomed closer. "But how...why is this happening?" Looking down, she saw Noah looking up at her in awe, his head now level with her breasts. Then her gaze shifted to Tarzimal's lamp, which was giving off a metallic glint from the magic lamp Noah was holding. Wait a minute, could that be what....

Noah looked down to where Alis's gaze has shifted. "It's got to be this lamp!" he yelled. "When that energy beam from it struck you during the fight...that must be what it does!"

Alis shook her head again. "How-how's that possible!?"

"It's got a Nut of Laerma in it, remember?" said Noah, watching wearily as Alis steadily grew taller right before his eyes. He guessed that she was about eight feet tall now, and her body kept on gradually enlarging. "Those nuts are supposed to have magical properties that can trigger growth! That lamp must have some special way of harnessing those properties!"

"But-but the nuts were only supposed to affect musk cats, like Myau! And only trigger some sort of evolutionary change!" cried Alis, looking down at Noah. He was now the size of a little kid to her. "And look, I'm no scientist, but I know that things, and people, just can't get bigger like this! Cells can't be too large, otherwise the membranes can't service all the extra cytoplasm and they'd die. And-and how could molecules and atoms with protons and electrons of different sizes interact, and-and...."

"Alis, I know it seems impossible! But look, it's happening!!" Noah hollered, trying to snap Alis out of her panicky state. "No wonder Tarzimal told us to hang on to the lamp. He must've seen you trigger it and knew this would happen! Maybe it can reverse the effects."

Alis looked down at Noah, watching hopelessly as he seemed to slowly dwindle right before her eyes. "This is all too crazy," she muttered softly. "This is impossible, it can't be...."

"Alis, snap out of it!" Noah screamed as he reached down to scoop up Tarzimal's lamp. "I don't really get it either, but one thing's for sure: we better get out of here before you get too big! It's solid earth all around these tunnels, and we have no idea when the effects will stop. You could end up getting trapped in here and crushed!" That last sentence clearly registered with Alis, for her eyes widened in shock even more. "Come on, let's move!" Noah barked, reaching out for her hand.

By now, the effects of the lamp's nut had nearly doubled Alis's size, and Noah's head was only level with her belly. And when he reached for her, he could only get his hand around two of her fingers. For a fleeting instant, he allowed himself to marvel at how soft the skin of her hand felt, and how graceful and delicate her fingers looked, even though they were much bigger now. But after looking up and seeing that Alis's head was only a few feet from the top of the tunnel, he was snapped back to attention. He tugged at her huge hand, but Alis seemed rooted to the spot, glaring up at the approaching ceiling and still in too much shock to accept what was happening.

"Hurry, let's go, or you're as good as dead!!" Noah screamed vehemently, pulling forcefully at her arm yet again, but she barely felt it. He was dimly aware that her fingers were still slowly expanding in his grip, pushing his own fingers outward. But Noah was still too afraid that Alis was still too traumatized to realize she had to move, and fast, to dwell on that.

Fortunately, Alis finally got the message after a few more tugs. She suddenly sprinted forward, and Noah did the same, still clinging to her fingers as he ran, aiming to keep ahead of her as he led her through the escape tunnel. However, it soon became apparent that, with her increasing size, Alis was able to cover more distance as well. Soon, she sprinted ahead of Noah, dragging him along for a few seconds until he finally lost his grip on her huge fingers and fell face-first onto the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Alis cried apologetically. Her voice had gotten louder, and it echoed painfully off the tunnel walls.

"Keep your voice down," Noah grunted as he struggled to get back up. But then, he felt himself being lifted off the ground. "What the..." he began, then he belatedly became aware of a huge pair of hands tightly grasping his sides. And before he knew it, Alis was holding him tightly up against her diamond breast plate as she ran full speed through the twists and turns of the tunnel. Gee, it's true I hoped Alis would embrace me warmly one day, but I never imagined it'd be like this, Noah thought bemusedly as Alis kept on running like a woman possessed. Her very life depended on her getting out of that tunnel and fast, which was why Noah forgave her for absentmindedly holding him way too tightly, almost crushing him against her breast plate. It was as if her strength had increased tenfold....

Unfortunately, the tunnel seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight, and the same was holding true for her preposterous growth spurt. Alis heart kept hammering in her chest, full of fear, as she ran, and she felt as if she'd pass out from exhaustion. Only through sheer force of will was she able to keep running. Oh no, is my size making it harder for my body to function, forcing my heart to work harder!? If I get too big, will my own mass crush me to death!? Alis wondered fearfully.

Her fears worsened when she felt the top of her head brush against rock as she turned a corner. Oh no, I'm as tall as the tunnel now! Over twenty feet at least! I'm still growing! she realized, bending over to duck. Glancing downward, she saw Noah looked smaller than ever, like a baby cradled in her arms. I don't believe this. This is all too bizarre, too....

Alis's brain froze up as another rush of vertigo overwhelmed her, making her lose her footing and fall forward. Luckily for Noah, Alis was able to twist her body a second before she slammed onto the ground. She landed on her side, thus avoiding crushing Noah to death underneath her massive body.

"Unnh," Alis muttered as she tried to get back up, but another wave of vertigo, coupled by another strange feeling of being about to explode, made her slump back down. She was dimly aware of Noah wriggling his way out of her arms as she struggled to get a hold of herself. Her eyes tightly shut, she tried to get up again, but as she got on her knees to prop and started to rise, she felt her back touch the tunnel's ceiling! Her growth was accelerating, and still showed no signs of stopping!

Cold fear clawed at Alis's heart. She finally opened her eyes, seeing Noah standing in front her, staring dumbly at her still-expanding body. He now looked no bigger than a doll to her, and from her vantage point it looked like he, and everything else, was still getting smaller! She tried to crawl forward, determined to not give up, but exhaustion was getting the better of her, and it was difficult.

Noah backed up nervously as Alis slowly advanced, completely at a loss for what to do next. He watched helplessly as Alis's face, frozen with fear, seemed to expand even more with each passing second. And eventually, she grew so big that she couldn't even crawl through the tunnel. "Noah, I'm stuck!! I can't move!!" she cried out fearfully, her voice so loud Noah reflexively dropped the magic lamp to cover his ears.

"Ahh, not so blasted loud!" Noah screamed as he reached down to pick up the lamp. When he stood up, the lamp's light illuminated Alis's face again, now bigger than ever, making the tears streaming down her cheeks glisten. The look in her sparkling, blue eyes...gone was the obsession with revenge, her frustration from momemts before. All there was was a look of pure terror, her her gigantic eyes pleading for help. He stared blankly back at that huge face, clueless about what to do.

Alis, however, had an answer. "N-Noah, you've got to teleport me out of here. Doesn't matter if there're Robotcops waiting for us, we've gotta get out," Alis pleaded, trying to soften her voice as much as possible, but it was still very loud to Noah.

"I-I c-can't!" Noah stammered. "You're way too massive now! I-I don't think I can possibly...."

Noah's voice trailed off as Alis's face shifted from one of terror to one of unendurable pain. It was all too obvious the walls of the tunnel were slowly crushing her as she kept on growing. "T-There's no other way, Noah. Odin had the flute, so your magic's our only way out!" Noah just stared back at her huge face, overwhelmed by his fear and uncertainty as well as by his sympathy for her. She was right, his magic was the only way to save her. But could his power possible teleport THAT much matter!? By now, Alis's weight must've clocked in at well over ten tons!!

Noah shook his head. She's right, it's all up to me, he realized. He slowly stepped forward and reached out, his hand gingerly touching against the tip of Alis's nose. A tear running down her nose drenched his hand. Here we go, he thought grimly as he summoned up his power, chanted the incantation, and concentrated....

It felt as if his body, his very soul, his very essence was being torn apart as his power and will were tested to the absolute limit. But he knew the life of his new friend - the one whose light could possibly cast out all darkness in the Algo system if she could only put aside her rage - hung in the balance, and he refused to let her down. It took the utmost concentration, but Noah refused to yield as both their bodies magically dematerialized, to ultimately be reformed elsewhere.

However, just as Noah feared, company was waiting for them. Several vehicles reminiscent of their landrover, but equipped with cannons like tanks, were positioned a few hundred feet from the cave's entrance. Several scores of Robotcops stood in front of the landrover-tanks as well, armed with pulse cannons, capable of punching holes through steel plate.

Noah turned around to see the armada ready to greet him, but he felt far too drained to feel any fear, far too weak to even move. However, Alis miraculously was still able to act. The landrover-tanks opened fire, but with a speed that belied her now-titanic size, Alis scooped up Noah with her right hand and whipped out her laconian shield with her left. She crouched behind it, and the shells impacted harmlessly against it.

We're safe, for now, Alis thought hopefully as she took a few deep breaths, now being relieved of the crushing pressure of the tunnel walls. She looked down at Noah; he seeemed only six inches tall to her now, and still seemed to be getting smaller! I'm still growing! she realized fearfully. But wait, now I can use it to my advantage! she thought as she peeked out from behind her shield. All those tanks were nothing but toys comapred to her. Could she possibly move in and smash them all before they dished out too much damage to her? A soft whooshing sound, which was steadily growing more distinct, made Alis look up. Off in the distance, she saw several ships off in the distance, making their way toward her. They vaguely resembled the Luveno, but their hulls were darker, glistening like obsidian, giving them a sinister, dangerous look. Alis realized they probably were armed with weapons that could easily kill her, even at her new size.

This is no time to pick a fight. Noah's knocked himself out, everyone else has been captured, I'm too beat up. I've got to escape! But...where can I possibly hide, being as big as I am!? And how can I get out of here!? she thought, realizing that at her new size, her technique for flying back to the safety of a town would most likely be useless. She looked beyond the tanks, to Motavia's largest body of water. Somehow, she had a feeling her buoyancy was now next to nil, and didn't dare try and escape that way. She looked to either side, noticing that even now, the mountainous walls to the east and west of this strip of land were outragously tall and impassible. Then she looked behind her....

And noticed that the rocky, mountainous walls there weren't as tall or as steep. There's my ticket out, Alis thought as she slowly stood and backed up, keeping her shield raised. A few pulse blasts from the Robotcops hit her in the shins, but they amounted to no more than painful stings, ones she could easily ignore. Eventually, she backed up enough to start climbing over the rocky walls. I'll need another free hand, thought Alis as she looked down at Noah, who was still clutched in her hand. He now looked to be only two inches tall, but to Alis's relief, he didn't seem to be getting any smaller.

Alis kneeled again, setting Noah gently down on her leg. Then, while her shield was still raised, still collected power in her fist. In the blink of an eye, she lashed out with an outstretched hand and unleashed a double fireball blast at the landrover-tank armada. The effects were as immediate as they were deadly: nearly every single one of them was wiped out, their incinerated remains flying in all directions. Having bought the opening she needed, she scooped up Noah again and began climbing over the rocks.

Unfortunately, those ships were now within range, and as she was climbing over the mountain, Alis heard the sound of some sort of torpedo being fired. She turned around to bring up her shield, but it was too late. The missile detonated against her breast plate, but though her armor was undamaged, she felt the impact through it, as if she'd been punched hard in the chest. If that's the way you wanna play, she thought angrily as she put away her shield....

Alis unleashed two more fireballs, and two of the three ships pursuing her went up in flames, having been blown to pieces just as easily as the landrover-tanks. Whoever was piloting the remaining ship apparently got the message, and turned tail and flew away.

That'll teach them, Alis thought as she watched the ship fly away. It was amazing...how easily she had wrecked all those war machines. Her mastery of magic couldn't equal Noah's, but her fire spell had incinerated all those tanks and ships! She looked down at Noah, still held securely in her hand. It looked as if he was finally coming to.

"Urgh," Noah grunted as he held his head in his hands, every movement making his body ache. Hee slowly opened his eyes, only to see a pair of gigantic blue eyes looking over him, closely watching him. "GYAAHH!!" he screamed, scared out of his mind, but then it all came back to him. "A-Alis, it worked? We're out?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, but we've still got to find where the others were taken, and...." Alis started to say, but the hum of the engines of the spaceship that had previously fled cut her off. Looking up, she saw it hovering nearby, as if waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Alis tried to muster enough energy for another fireball blast, but found that her reserves of strength were almost gone. Oh great, I'm wide open now, she thought angrily, the engine's noise shrilling in her ears, but another plangent sound punctuated that rushing hum, another shrilling, unsettling sound....

Looking around, Alis found the source. From the east, a vicious sandstorn was moving in, undoubtedly the one Noah predicted would descend on the southern part of Motavia hours ago. At first, it unnerved her, but then, she got an idea. "Noah, I hate to do this, but you need to be someplace safe," Alis said as she plucked Noah off her hand.

"Alis, what are you....!?" Noah started to ask, but he then noticed Alis was lowering him to her belt and opening a pouch on it. It was now so big it easily accomodated him. Alis dropped him inside and shut it tight. Then she slowly walked across the rocky mountain, right into the raging sandstorm.

The ship finally fired a torpedo, but Alis brought her shield out again. She turned around in time to block the torpedo, then turned back to face the approaching sandstorm. Within moments, she had delved in the heart of the ferocious tempest, where the ship was powerless to follow. For the moment, the giantess was safely hidden. That is, if even she could survive Motavia's deadliest natural phenomenon....

Things had not gone as planned, and had now taken a most bizarre turn of events. She had only taken prisoner three of the five she was charged with capturing. And now, by some unknown means, Alis Landale had grown to an unimaginably massive size, becoming an even more dangerous enemy, assuming she could actually survive that sandstorm and if she ever reached full strength again.

The Assassin looked behind her, where Tarzimal, Odin and Myau lay unconscious on the deck, ensnared in her metal bindings. At least the Esper was hers, to be delivered to Lassic personally. That had been her highest priority.

But her greatest desire had been to seek out Alis and fight her one-on-one, for personal reasons. But now, the situation had changed drastically.

For now, there was no option but to retreat and anxiously await the next turn of events. "Return to base," she ordered to the Androcops piloting the ship as she stepped closer to her unconscious captives. "I'll find a way, Alis. If you make it out of that storm, I'll find some way to even the score. Just you wait," she muttered as she clenched a mailed fist.

Alis slowly trudged forward, walking and climbing over the rocky mountains, pushing herself to keep going against the gale-force winds of the sandstorm that had swallowed her up. The winds caused her skirt and hair to whip about wildly, and the biting sands constantly dug into her legs and bare arms, making it feel as if needles were constantly jabbing at her. I should count my blessings, though, Alis realized. If I was still normal sized, these sandy winds would've stripped me down to the bone. Thankfully, at her new titanic size, her skin was several inches thick and could withstand the winds. And it was a good thing she had a safe place for Noah, otherwise he'd have no hope of survival.

She pressed on, holding her shield closely in front of her face to block the winds. Her skin could stand up to the sandstorm's fury, but she knew her eyes were a different story. She took short, shallow breaths, not wanting to accidently breath in a bunch of tiny sand particles. Alis squinted as she blindly made her way over Motavia's mountains, having no real idea where she was going. Odin had the compass, too, so I can't even be sure which direction I'm headed in! She figured she was still heading east, but she couldn't really be certain.

Alis shook her head again, still trying to come to terms with all that had happened. It was bad enough that they'd blindly walked into an ambush and had half their party captured, possibly killed. And on top of that, that weird lamp had caused this growth spurt, making her - as far as Alis could tell - about 150 feet tall! How would things go from here? What could possibly be done?

She looked down at the pouch on her belt again, where Noah was still safely tucked away. Alis still couldn't get over how, just a half-hour ago, he was a head taller than her, and now she could hold the Esper in the palm of her hand! And all those landrover-tanks and the two spaceships...at her normal size, she wouldn't have had a prayer against any of those war machines, but now a few fireballs from her easily wiped them all out! Alis wasn't sure how that made her feel. Afraid? Empowered? Overjoyed? She was still way too confused to even be sure of her own feelings. And she still had no idea where to go from here.

Then again, these last few weeks, we've all pretty much been crawling in the dark, Alis mused as she pressed on. But the first thing to do is find some way out of this sandstorm, then find out where the others were taken. At least at this size, there's no way anything can stop me. I'll tear the whole planet inside-out, if I have to, until I find them...and that bitch who ambushed us. Alis suddenly had a fleeting vision of that Assassin, now bug-sized to her, being squashed into a pulp underneath the soles of her boot. That thought made her grin widely as she pressed on, and it distracted her so much that, for a while, she walked on over the mountains without realizing they were sloping downward.

Eventually, though, this fact came to light, and Alis cautiously peeked out from behind her shield to see that, indeed, the path before her was slowly sloping downward. It was hard to make out in the sandstorm, especially since she was still squinting, but Alis thought it looked like she was heading down into another strip of land nestled between two mountain ridges. Maybe down there, I'll be protected from the winds somewhat. At least I could catch a breather, Alis thought, realizing just how exhausted she felt. She headed forward again, forcing her way against the sandstorm's winds. Within moments, she reached the edge of the mountainous ridge and jumped down.

After crashing down onto the sandy ground, and probably causing an earthquake that could be felt as far away as Casba, Alis found out that her hunch was right: down here, she was somewhat protected from the sandstorm's unrelenting winds. She sat down and leaned against the mountain ridge, taking a moment to flex her sore limbs and look around. It wasn't long before she spotted the mouth of a large cave. If she were still normal-sized, the entrance would've seemed like a gaping hole in the side of the mountain, but now, she would have to duck and crawl inside.

Alis took a long look around her, trying to decide what to do next. She wanted to head out and find the others as soon as possible. But she was fighting severe exhaustion, and the sandstorm showed no signs of letting up. It probably engulfed the entire mountain range by now. Though she hated to admit it, she was no good to anyone at the moment...too tired to fight and trapped in the heart of a raging Motavian sandstorm.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Alis got up and walked over to the cave's mouth. With any luck, the inside would be spacious enough to accomodate her mammoth body. If I can just get a few hours of rest, I should be back in fighting shape again, she thought as she got on her hands and knees. By then, this storm will hopefully be over, and I can track Odin and Myau down.

As she crawled deeper and deeper into the cave, it steadily got darker and darker. Eventually, it got to the point where it was almost pitch-black. Sighing again, she felt around in the darkness. Alis felt a solid wall of rock on one side, and a rocky ceiling laden with stalactites was about an arm's length above her. As she felt the wall to her side, she felt a large piece of rock start to come loose. This gave her an idea. Alis took the huge rock in both hands and forcefully yanked it out of the cave wall. Then, she focused what little magical energy she had left and directed it into the boulder. At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds, her magic kicked in and began heating up the boulder. Almost immediately, it glowed red-hot, and a few seconds later, it was white-hot with incandescence, casting a steady glow throughout the cave's interior.

Looking around, Alis saw that the inside of the cave was quite roomy, even for her. The other side of the cave was, to her, about ten feet away, and though she couldn't stand up to her full height, she could still move about easily. Also, the cave's path continued on for quite a while, possibly lleading out to the eastern side of the mountain range. Well, it's a fixer-upper, but it's a good a place as any to rest, considering how massive I am now, Alis thought to herself.

Her massive size...now that she was safe, the changes she had gone through could finally sink in. In a matter of minutes, she had gone from being a normal teenage girl of average height to a Palman colossus, watching the whole world around her practically dwindle away in the process. At first, she'd been scared out of her mind, mostly because she'd almost been crushed to death in that escape tunnel. But then Alis remembered how easily she'd decimated all those vehicles, despite being exhausted and weak, and how small and puny they had seemed to her before she blew them away. Alis looked down at the glowing boulder...it probably weighed several tons, but she'd yanked it off the wall and held it as easily as it had been a ball.

It's amazing, what I can do now, Alis thought as she looked around the giant cave. I guess I really am a one-woman engine of destruction now. I can't believe Tarzimal had something like this and he never bothered to let us in on it! With this power, I bet I could stomp Lassic flat! She smiled at the thought, once again thinking about how tiny and insignificant normal-sized people would be to her now....

Then she finally remembered there was a normal-sized person with her, still trapped in the pouch on her belt. Whoops, Alis thought sheepishly as she reached down to open it.

So there he sat, helplessly being jostled around whenever Alis made a sudden movement. Even a single step forward threatened to slam him against the inside of the pouch. Thankfully, it was made up of rather soft leather, but still, the sudden, forceful impacts were not pleasant. However, not knowing where Alis was going, or what she planned to do, was far more vexing for Noah. All he knew was that Alis must've rushed head-on into that sandstorm he had caught a quick glimpse of. The plangent, never-ending howl of the winds outside had confirmed his hunch.

I hope she'll be OK. Can even she survive? he wondered, deeply worried about his friend. It's still so unbelievable, what just happened to her. I hope it can be reversed somehow.

Noah had no idea how long he was trapped in there, alone with his own thoughts. He became dimly aware that the noise of the winds died down dramatically at one point, and that Alis seemed to have stopped moving, but he was too deeply lost in thought to notice. Only when the pouch was opened, and faint light poured down onto him, was Noah snapped out of his thoughts.

"What the...." Noah began as he looked up. All he saw in the faint light was two massive fingertips reaching down for him. "Ack! Hey!" he cried as he found himself pinned between Alis's thumb and index finger. The next thing he knew, he was soaring upward at an insane speed, causing a rush of dizziness to overwhelm him. When it finally subsided, Noah could see the outline of Alis's huge face, faintly illuminated, her gigantic blue eyes fixed upon him.

"Sorry about that. Forgot you were still in there for a minute," Alis said flatly. Noah could tell she was trying to speak softly, but her voice still made his ears hurt.

"It's OK. No harm done," Noah said quickly. "So, what happened? Where are we?"

Alis let out a sigh, then launched into an explanation of how she fended off those landrover-tanks and ships after Noah teleported them out, and how she went into the approaching sandstorm to elude pursuit. "And now, I've found this cave I can rest in. But I hate being stuck here when I should be out tracking down the others."

"Alis, you made the right choice," Noah said empathetically. "Unless you get some rest, you won't be much help to anyone, Palman colossus or not. We have no idea where they could be, and you'd just be wasting time and energy if you rushed out right now."

Alis shut her eyes. "I know, you're right," she said defeatedly. "You could probably use some rest too, after using all that magic to teleport me out." With that, she gently set Noah down onto the sandy cave floor, not far away from the glowing, white-hot boulder.

Noah stared at it for a minute as he aimlessly wandered around, feeling its heat envelop him. Her magic's strong enough to do that!? he thought, unsure if he could do the same himself. Sure, Alis was quite skilled with magic techniques, but she was no Esper. And yet, the sheer power of her spells were probably off the charts now!

An eardrum-piercing scream of pain jarred Noah out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Alis looming over him, hunched over with both hands on her rear. "Alis, what happened!?" he yelled up to her.

For a few seconds, she just incoherently uttered just about every unprintable word in the Palman language, so Noah guessed she couldn't hear him. However, she stopped swearing after a few seconds and said, "I went to sit down, but I sat on something sharp!" Squinting to get a better look, Noah saw what seemed to be gigantic bones lodged in her butt.

Ouch, that must've been the rib cage of a dragon she sat on, Noah mused. Just another example of how unfathomable huge Alis was now. Alis was eventually able to pull all of the bones out of her butt, then use the last of her remaining magic power to heal the wounds before they could get infected. She dropped some of them carelessly close to Noah, sending up huge plumes of sand. Sighing in relief, Alis cleared away the rest of the bones and sat back down. After a few seconds, though, she said, "Ugh, it feels like my boots are filled to the brim with sand. Better take them off." She then proceeded to remove her white boots, turning them upside-down to empty the sand out of them. However, while she was doing so, she stretched her legs out along the cave floor. She had also taken off her socks, leaving her barefoot. And unfortunately for Noah, she had set her bare feet down quite close to him, and one thing became evident very quickly....

Oh yuck, her feet STINK! Noah thought acidly. The smell was so bad, it made him dizzy all over again. He quickly pinched his nose shut to block out the awful smell. No longer in danger of passing out, he took another look at her foot, and once again it sunk in how tiny he was compared to her. If Alis was standing, he wouldn't even reach her ankle. And right now, with the way she was resting her feet, her toes rising straight up into the air...they rose higher than the governor's mansion. She could easily crush just about any building underfoot. It suddenly made him feel so inferior, so puny....

Noah walked away from her bare feet, closer to Alis herself, hoping to get within earshot of her again. But it was Alis who spoke up next. "I got all the sand out of my boots, but my clothes, my hair...can't remember the last time I felt this dirty. It's gotten everywhere. Too bad we're not on Palma. As I am now, standing under a waterfall's probably the only way I could get a decent shower."

Noah had stopped at her knees when Alis said that. He stared up at her, once again overwhelmed by how her presence loomed over him. She has a point, Noah admitted. The incandescent glow from the boulder only let Noah see part of her face, but it was enough to remind him of how stunningly beautiful she was. Despite himself, he let his thoughts wander, dwelling on what Alis had said, trying to picture what that would look like...Alis bathing underneath a waterfall, looming over all the other creatures like some titanic goddess of legend....

"Noah, what are you thinking about?"

Alis's sudden inquiry jarred Noah out of his daydream and made him look up. She was leaning down and her huge face hovered over him, a look of annoyance etched in her features, her eyes dangerously narrowed.

Uh-oh, thought Noah, on the verge of panic. It looked like she already knew the answer to her own question, and that made him even more nervous. You DO NOT admit to Alis Landale that you just tried to picture her naked, whether she's giant-sized or not. Noah struggled to keep himself from panicking and tried to think of a lie. Unfortunately, nothing came to him. "Uh, er, I-I was...eh..."

"Never mind, I bet I can guess," Alis said dryly, her eyes still narrowed. Noah just looked back up at her, somewhat in shock. "What, d'you really think I haven't noticed? I've caught you staring plenty of times when you obviously thought I wouldn't notice." Noah's mouth fell open as a wave of numbness swept over him. So, she'd figured out he was attracted to her, and either she was completely nonchalant about it...or quite annoyed. Either way, Noah had a feeling he was in trouble. Alis must've seen the fear in his eyes, because she then said, "Well, I guess I should be flattered, really. And it's alright if you look...as long as you don't touch. Got it?"

"Uhh...got it," was all Noah could say.

"Good," said Alis, a faint smile forming on her lips. For a while longer, Alis continued to lean over and stare down at Noah, her expression unreadable. But at one point, she shut her eyes, and appeared to be lost in thought.

"Uh, Alis, is anything wrong?" Noah asked tentatively, wondering what Alis was thinking.

Eventually, Alis opened her eyes again, and asked, "Noah, were you serious before?"

Noah stared up blankly at Alis, not sure what she was talking about. "Uh, you mean, when I admitted that I...um, like you, and...."

Now Alis's face screwed up in frustration. "Not THAT, you moron! I meant what you said to me in that tunnel, before I started growing."

Noah blushed a deep shade of red, and it took a moment for him to find his words. "You-you mean, when I lost my temper and said you were too obsessed with revenge?" Alis nodded, and Noah noticed some of her auburn hair tumble down over her shoulders and dangle around him. But he was more focused on trying to find a way to answer Alis without upsetting her. He wasn't really sure now where he got the courage to lash out at Alis before, but now that she could wipe him out with a mere flick of her finger, it wasn't coming back. Noah wanted to choose his words carefully, lest he push his luck and upset her again. "Well, I, uh, didn't mean to yell at you like that, but, uhm, I-I...."

"Just give me a 'yes or no' answer," said Alis firmly.

Noah let out a resigned sigh. "I didn't mean to be harsh, but yes, I was serious," he finally said.

Alis's features were stony again as she continued to look down at Noah. "And when you said you could tell I've changed since I set out to kill Lassic, were you serious about that, too?"

"Uhh, y-yes, I-I was," stammered Noah.

Alis shut her eyes again. "You're right about that," she admitted. "A kind, gentle girl...I guess that can describe the way I was before. Even though Nero trained me in swordmanship, back in Camineet, I couldn't shake this image of being this little girly goody-goody...." She then opened her eyes. "But like it or not, that's not who I am anymore. My brother - the only one who was always there for me - is dead. Murdered. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure Lassic pays more what he's done. Is that so wrong? To want vengeance for my brother?"

"If you let the obsession rule over you, permanently change who you are inside, it can be," said Noah. "Tell me, your brother...how much did he care for you? How important was it to him that you were always happy?"

Alis stared at him again for a moment. "Very important. He was religiously devoted to bringing me up. He was my entire family, like I've told you, and he did whatever it took to protect me. It's part of the reason he never let me get involved with the resistance cells...he feared I'd get myself killed."

"OK then. So tell me, is it possible that, maybe, he wouldn't want you to be vengeful that it makes you bitter towards the whole world? That he wouldn't want you to lose sight of the person you once were?"

Alis frowned. "I'll never know, will I? He's dead. I'll never be able to ask him."

"That's not the point, Alis," said Noah. "You know that...."

"And what's with the sudden doubtfulness about our goal, huh?" snapped Alis, cutting Noah off. "You KNOW that Lassic deserves death, and worse. You said when we first met that our duty was clear. Why so uncertain now?"

"Oh, our duty is still certain, believe me," Noah replied. "But I believe it's certain because it's necessary to bring light back to the Algo system. Lassic is a tyrant, no question, and has brought suffering to the system. If we're to rebuild, he must be stopped. But as an Esper, I fight this battle because I feel it's necessary to create something that lasts, not to lash out and destroy. I'm sure your brother felt the same way, too."

Alis didn't say anything, but merely regarded Noah carefully for a moment. At first, he thought he had pushed his luck too far, lecturing Alis like this, but her features still seemed neutral. Encouraged, Noah continued. "And you seem to think our troubles will be over once Lassic is defeated, but I can tell you right now that that won't be the case. Killing Lassic won't bring your brother back, anarchy could engulf the Algo system in the aftermath, and...."

All of a sudden, Alis let out a loud yawn, accidently sending a torrent of her hot, sticky breath down at Noah. "Sorry about that," said Alis, sounding a little embarrassed. "I guess I really do need some rest." With that, she rose to a sitting position and looked behind her. "Guess I'm sleeping on the ground, or maybe sitting up against the wall."

"Please, let my words reach her heart," Noah silently muttered. For a while, it looked as if he'd managed to finally reach her, penetrating that brick wall she'd put around her heart. Now, he wasn't so sure. He desperately wanted to see her as the Alis Landale she was before this all started, beautiful within as well as without.

"And it looks like you're sleeping on the ground, too. We left all our camping gear in the landrover," came Alis's voice suddenly, echoing all around Noah.

Oh great, she's right, Noah thought to himself, looking at the ground. The sandy ground looked soft, but hardly comfortable or inviting.

"Well, maybe I can fix that," said Alis. "Brace yourself, little man."

Noah looked up to see Alis's fingers, as thick as the trunks of Palman trees, coming for him again. "ACK! What're you...." he began, but then he found himself being plucked off the ground, carried upward at a dizzying speed. I really wish she'd be more careful when she does this, he thought as he tried to fight off the sense of vertigo.

A few seconds later, Alis set Noah gently down onto her lap. He quickly found himself caught in the folds of her pink skirt. The softness of the fabric was most inviting, and Noah figured that she meant for him to sleep there.

"There you go. As comfy a bed as you're gonna get on such short notice," said Alis.

Noah looked up to face her, her entire upper body looming over him like Corona Tower. "Uh, thanks," he said sheepishly.

"Just don't get any funny ideas," Alis added wryly, glaring at him.

"Uh, right," Noah said uneasily. Was that last remark meant to be a tease of some sort? Could it be possibly she was developing some feelings for him, returning his own? Yeah right. That's just wishful thinking on your part, Noah, he thought, mentally chiding himself. She's still too angry and hurt to really open up to anyone, in any way. And besides, somehow I get the feeling that effeminate guys aren't her type.

Deciding not to dwell on the matter, Noah laid down, allowing himself to enjoy the comfort provided by the soft cloth and the body heat rising up through it. Within no time at all, Noah had fallen fast asleep in Alis's lap. For a moment, Alis stared down at him, thinking of how cute he looked there. Then she leaned back against the cave wall and drifted off to sleep as well.

The musk cat looked through the bars again, trying to figure out just where he was. Right in front of his small cell, across whatever room he was in, there was a cell clearly meant for Algo's humanoid races, but it was currently empty.

Wouldn't they have put Odin and Tarzimal in there? Unless.... He shook his head, refusing to give in to hopelessness so easily. They had to be alive, and he had to find a way out to rescue them. Myau carefully got close to the bars and looked out. On the far left there was an electronic door, Robotcops positioned at either side. Where have you murderers taken them!? he thought furiously. Where are they!?

And then, as if fate was purposely trying to mock him, the electronic door slid open. Being dragged in by two Androcop - deadlier, burlier versions of the Robotcops - was Odin, barely conscious from the looks of it. Myau had to surpress the urge to rashly lash out at the bars again. The mechanoids dragged Odin to the front of the cell, and after typing in a code into a terminal next to it, it slid open. They threw Odin inside with a neglectfulness that almost made Myau explode with fury.

The cell was shut again, and the Androcops quickly left. Once they were gone, Myau called out of Odin, praying he was alright. "Odin! Odin, can you hear me?" A low groan from the cell was the musk cat's only reply. Myau waited a minute or so, then tried again. "Odin! Odin! Get up! It's me, Myau!"

Another grunt came from Odin, but this time, Myau saw a hand rise up to grab the bars, which thankfully weren't electrified. Odin slowly pulled himself up, and eventually his eyes focused on Myau. Myau noticed that he was shivering. Cold, here on Motavia? Wait a minute, that Assassin.... I bet she tortured him!

"Myau, that's y-you, right?" Odin asked in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, it's me," replied Myau. "What happened to you? Did Lassic's Assassin torture you?"

Odin nodded. "Yeah. Kept asking me questions about Alis, wanting to know everything about her. How she fights, thinks...."

His voice trailed off, and then he let out a loud cough. Myau felt his temper rise again. That witch must've beaten him within an inch of his life, and there's nothing I can do about it. He's right there in front of me, but I can't get close enough to use my healing techniques! Once again, he was powerless to help his partner, just like when Odin had been petrified by Medusa.

"She really seems obsessed with Alis, for whatever reason," Odin continued. "At least we can assume that, because she kept asking me about her, that she escaped with Noah."

"That's some good news, at least," said Myau. "What about Tarzimal? Any idea where he is?"

Odin shook his head. "Haven't seen him. And when I demanded to know what had become of him, that bitch almost broke my jaw." He spat a mouthful of blood onto the cell floor.

"She said she was out to capture Tarzimal. She probably had special plans for him," Myau suggested. "At any rate, we've got to get out of here. We can't just sit around waiting to be rescued."

Odin smiled. "Same old Myau. Some things never change," he said, obviously reminiscing about some of the other tough situations they'd gotten into.

I wish I could be as calm and composed as you are, old friend, Myau thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Come on, Odin, we need to put our heads together and...."

But Myau was cut off by the shrill of blaster fire coming from beyond the doorway to the left. Myau's sensitive instantly recognized the sound of the Robotcops' standard issue laser rifles. However, over the din of their weapons, Myau could hear something else...the booming roar of a weapon he'd never heard before.

Moments later, as quickly as it had began, the blaster fire ceased. And an instant later, the door slid open. The Robotcops had gotten into position, evidently receiving orders transmitted to them. But as soon as the door opened, they were both cut down by a blinding blast that forced Myau to cover his eyes.

When Myau opened his eyes again, he saw something stepping over the smoldering remains of the Robotcops, something...big. As it stepped out of the smoke, Myau saw what appeared to be an extremely tall male Palman. He wore metallic gauntlets, boots, shoulder pads and chest plate over a silky, black body suit, and a long black cape fluttered behind him. With both hands, he held a large, dangerous-looking energy weapon, undoubtedly the one that felled those Robotcops. Myau took a good look at his face...short black hair, piercing brown eyes so dark they were almost black, and what seemed to be mechanical implants of some sort on both sides of his head.

The strange man stepped in between Myau's cell and Odin's, slowly looking from one to the other, as if unsure what to do next. Who IS this guy? What's he doing here? Myau wondered nervously. Is he here to rescue us?

Suddenly, the strange man spoke up. "The Palman has been severely injured, obviously tortured, but he can recover if given time. The musk cat is unharmed," he said in a flat tone, one that sounded almost...mechanical.

"Good. Get the cat out of that box, Wren. I'll free the big guy," came another voice, this one unmistakably a female, probably a Palman female. Myau looked to the left to see a shhort, red-haired Palman girl apprehensively walked across the room, holding a Robotcop rifle in one hand and hefting a large knapsack in the other. She walked up to Odin's cell, but then Myau's view was blocked by the man she called 'Wren'. He slowly approached, and Myau was certain he heard mechanical joints moving as he stepped closer. Then, he lashed out with his left hand and ripped the bars clean off, only shaking slightly as an electric shock surged through him.p> Myau quickly leaped out of his cell and deftly landed on the floor. He glanced up at Wren warily. He's some sort of robot, I'm sure of it! But what's he here for? Who created him? Possibly, this girl....

Myau turned around to see that the girl had ripped the terminal off and was busy trying to hotwire the door's system. A second later, her efforts bore fruit, and Odin's cell slid open. Myau immediately ran to him and used his healing techniques, praying there was still time left for the techniques to effectively work and for Odin to recover.

Once he was done, he looked up to the girl and the robot she called Wren. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked warily, never taking his eyes off the gun-toting robot.

"The name is Leli, and this is Wren, a battle android I built to help you fight Lassic," she quickly explained. "We're here to get you out, so come with us if you want to live."

Odin could feel Myau's magic start to take effect, the feeling slowly returning to his arms and legs. Lassic's new warrior had nearly given him frostbite during that interrogation, but once again, Myau's healing techniques were saving him, as they had so often in the past. It was one of the reasons he'd survived all these years since Myau became his partner.

Slowly, gingerly, Odin tried to get up, his strength returning to him. He felt a pair of hands grab him underneath his shoulders, trying to get him to rise faster. "We haven't much time," he heard a girl's voice say. "More Robotcops are sure to be on the way. We need to move now if we want to escape." Odin looked behind him, seeing the panicky face of a young, red-haired Palman girl. Her eyes were filled with cold fear, but there was also a determination to master it.

The door slid open again, and a few more Robotcops stormed inside. But the man called Wren turned and fired his weapon. His blaster shots easily pierced their armor, and they quickly fell. "Soon there'll be too many to fight. We have to go. Here, I think this stuff is yours." Leli thrust the knapsack into his arms and opened it for him. Inside was his laser blaster, laconian axe and mirror shield.

Odin didn't know who this girl was, or exactly what she wanted with them, and was a bit weary of trusting her so readily. But following her was better than staying in that cell. He gathered up his gear and followed the girl, her big companion taking point.

The door led to a long hallway, and as soon as they stepped out, more Robotcops approached from the right. Wren fired his rifle again, and disposed of the Robotcops as easily as the last squad he blasted away. Wish I had a weapon like that, Odin thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Just who are you, and who's this guy?"

"He's not a 'guy'. This Wren is some sort of machine," stated Myau.

"The musk cat is right. He's something I've spent weeks building, but the end result was obviously worth it," said Leli as Wren cut down a few more Robotcops heading their way. "This way," she ordered. "Your landrover and hovercraft were taken and left in the hangar where the fighters and landrover-tanks are kept. If we can reach them, we should be able to get out of here."

"Uh, where is 'here', exactly?" asked Myau.

Leli was about to answer, but then they heard more Robotcops closing in from behind. Wren slowly turned to face them, but Odin beat him to the draw. He aimed his own laser blaster and began firing away, bringing up his mirror shield for cover when the Robotcops returned fire. Leli used the rifle she took and tried to help, but her aim was terrible, leaving Odin and Wren to take care of most of their attackers. She's obviously not cut out for battle. What was she thinking, getting into a situation like this? He couldn't help but wonder what had possessed this girl to try and break them out of this place, when they were complete strangers to her. What did she want?

Soon enough, they had disposed of all opposition, and continued their trek through whatever place the Assassin had imprisoned them in. Odin noticed the hallways were brightly lit, but there were no windows whatsoever. Could they be underground?

Then, Odin remembered something else. "Wait a minute, there was an old man who was captured along with us, an Esper. He must be locked up somewhere in here, too."

Leli turned to face Odin and shook her head. "Sorry, according to the information I intercepted, you and the musk cat were the only prisoners taken here. There was talk about an Esper being captured, but I couldn't find out about where he was taken. Sorry, but I'm sure he's not here."

Myau spoke up again. "I ask again, where exactly are we?"

"This is part of a secret munitions factory, mainly for building more Robotcops for use here on Motavia. It's about a mile east of Paseo, past that huge field of antlions," Leli replied. Odin couldn't help but notice how her voice trembled slightly. "Most of it is underground, including that brig you were holed up in," she finished, confirming Odin's suspicions.

Myau had more questions for Leli. "And why did you free us? What is it you want?"

"To help you kill Lassic," Leli said simply. "I've heard all the rumors that've been floating around Palma for weeks, about how a small band has been travelling all around the Algo system looking for a way to beat him, and last I heard, they were supposed to be on Motavia. So I stowed away on a commercial flight, and soon after I arrive, I intercept some transmissions about some captured rebels. Eventually, I found this place, and decided to have Wren bust you out."

Odin looked ahead of them, to where Wren had taken point as they advanced further through the underground facility. Myau had said this man was some sort of machine, and now that he had time to think about it, he could indeed hear the faint sound of mechanical parts moving coming from him. Odin didn't like to think that his escape and his freedom relied on some machine, not after he had seen too much pain and suffering caused by the legions of heartless, murderous Robotcops running amok throughout the Algo system. It made him more than a bit weary of Wren.

However, for some reason, the face of this robot was hauntingly familiar. He felt he had seen that face before, but couldn't recall where....

Eventually, they came across a door on the side of the hallway, and Wren suddenly stopped in his tracks. "These stairs are the quickest way back to the ground level," he said in that flat, mechanical voice as he thrust the double doors open. "Once there, it won't be much longer until we reach the hangar. We should then be able to escape easily."

Odin said nothing, still not trusting this machine. But following him and Leli was still better than him and Myau going off on their own. The four of them began ascending the stairs. As they were, Leli spoke up again. "Forgive me, but, you're Odin, right?"

He turned his head back to face her. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

"My fiance was in one of the resistance cells, based in Abion, and saw you on occassion," explained Leli. "But his cell was wiped out soon after yours was. He looked up to you, you know...."

Odin looked up the stairs at Wren, who was still taking point. Now I know why he looks so familiar! He must've been from one of the cells! As he thought about it further, he realized that one of the rebels in Abion did look a lot like this robot did, with a brutish physique and short, black hair....

"So when I started designing Wren, I decided to make him resemble my fiance," said Leli. "He-he meant everything to me, and filled me with hope. I-I'd never have found the courage to help the cells if it wasn't for him. I just hoped that-that the last thing Lassic would ever see was his face, right before a blaster shot cleaves him to two."

Odin looked at Wren again. Sure, he may look like him, but you can't copy the soul. It's just another heartless machine underneath that exterior.

"It really is...a remarkable piece of work," Myau said suddenly.

"Thanks," said Leli. "It's my one real talent. I was never good at fighting, so I tried to help the resistance with my talent for robotics and engineering. I've been at it since I was two; science sort of a heritage in my family."

"Is that so?" asked Odin.

"Yes. My father was a respected scientist too, until Lassic got a hold of him. Let those priests following that alien religion corrupt him...."

Odin suddenly felt numb. He had a feeling he knew who Leli was talking about. "Leli, your father...you mean...?"

"You knew him as Dr. Mad," Leli said dryly.

Odin stopped dead in his tracks, guilt clawing at his heart. They had killed the father of the girl who had risked everything to rescue them. Myau found his voice before Odin did. "Leli, p-please, forgive us. I-I...."

"No need to apologize," said Leli in a flat tone. "You did the right thing. He wasn't really my father anymore, anyway. He ceased to exist when those priests corrupted him with their dark religion...."

Myau let out a heavy sigh and shook his head before the four of them continued up the spiral staircase. "So much pain and suffering has plagued our system all these last few decades, for too long...." muttered the musk cat.

They finally reached the top of the staircase. Wren exited first, throwing open the double doors and mowing down a half-dozen Robotcops waiting for them. "My internal scanners indicate that several squads of Robotcops are converging, from all directions. We must flee quickly before we are overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers," he said, the nonchalance of his tone belying the urgency of their situation.

"You heard him, let's move," said Leli forcefully. "Wren, take point again."

"I'll cover our rear," said Odin, arming his laser blaster again.

And so, they continued following Wren as they ran to the hangar, where their landrover was hopefully still parked. Odin's heart hammered in his chest as they ran, but that sound was dulled by new, deafening noises that echoed all around them: large, pumping pistons, the hiss of several welding units being used at once, the hum of conveyor belts. It was obvious that Leli was right about this being a secret Robotcop factory.

As if sensing his thoughts, Leli spoke up again. "The hangars are further down, near the end of the complex. We're right next to the main assembly areas," she explained. "They mostly use slave labor in the construction of more Robotcops, mainly the native Motavians," she added bitterly.

The thought of the Motavians being used for slave labor, when most of them were already struggling just to survive on this harsh world, made Odin's insides boil, threatening to undo the disciplined calm he tried to maintain. It was a sentiment Myau obviously shared. "Then we've got to find a way to put it out of commission!" cried the musk cat. "There must be a way to...."

"We can't. Not right now, much as I'd like to," said Leli quickly as they turned a corner, where more Robotcops were waiting. More were approaching from behind as well. But Wren easily dealt with the ones around the corner, while Odin picked off the ones from behind. "We can come back later, once we find your friend Alis Landale. I'm sure SHE'LL be able to put it out of commission PERMANENTLY, after what's happened to her."

"Uh, what do you mean by that?" asked Myau, confused.

"Oh, guess you didn't hear, being locked up and all. Well, I learned something interesting after I starting intercepting transmissions. You wouldn't believe me if I told you right now...you'll have to wait until we catch up with her," replied Leli.

Odin wanted to know what she was getting at right then and there, but more Robotcops emerged from a door they had just passed, and he was forced to focus on them. Leli tried to pitch in, and this time some of her shots found their mark. "So, just who is this Alis Landale, anyway? What kind of a person is she?" asked Leli as they kept up their barrage.

Odin turned to look at Leli. "W-Why do you ask?"

"Because of all the rumors I heard. About how this one girl was planning to kill Lassic all by herself, and wouldn't stop until one of them was dead," Leli answered as she kept up the barrage. "Hearing those rumors made me realize I couldn't keep wallow in self-pity, doing nothing. Made me realize that if this girl found the guts to stand up and fight, I should too."

This kid sure has guts, at the very least. I'll give her that, thought Odin as he cut down the last Robotcop coming their way. And I guess we could use an engineer, too. They turned around, following Wren again. But this battle robot of hers, I just don't know....

"The hangar is just ahead," announced Wren coolly. Odin glanced ahead, and sure enough, he could see a large, open doorway, and a few landrover-tanks beyond it. But at that moment, a new threat emerged from a small door up ahead. Masked sorcerors poured out, and immediately negan casting their magic and hurling fireballs at them.

But Wren was ready. He held up his forearm, and instantly, some sort of transparent barrier extended from it, creating a sort of bubble shield that stood between them and the sorcerors. When the fireballs touched it, they either dissipated completely or lost most of their energy as they passed through.

Also, the barrier didn't seem to keep them from firing back. Wren was on the offensive immediately, picking off the sorcerors one by one. "A sort of anti-magic barrier. It's taken me weeks to perfect it," explained Leli. "But it requires a lot of power to maintain, and I don't know how effective it'd be against Lassic."

Myau nodded. "But all your effort is paying off now, that's for sure. We owe you one, Leli."

"Thanks," Leli said uneasily as Wren's rifle punched a hole through the last masked sorceror. "Looks like the coast is clear. Let's get out of here, and fast."

They all ran into the vast hangar. Odin quickly spotted their landrover, which had their hovercraft on top once again. It was parked in a long line of landrover-tanks, and nearby, several fighters were grounded as well. "Don't worry. Wren and I sabotaged every single vehicle here to guarantee we'd make a clean getaway," said Leli. "Thankfully, your friend Alis wiped out almost half of the tanks and fighters that were kept here."

"How!? Just WHAT happened to Alis anyway!?" demanded Myau.

"I told you, I'll explain later," said Leli. She then ran to the left, toward a wall-mounted terminal. "We'd better shut this blast door, just to make sure no one comes after us while we start up the landrover."

Odin watched Leli closely. But as Leli made her way to the terminal, Odin noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A lone figure was making its way toward the hangar, approaching slowly....

And he felt his insides freeze up again when he saw who it was: the Assassin.

But while Odin was temporarily stunned, Wren moved with a swiftness that he didn't think was possible of a machine....

The next few seconds seemed to pass by in slow-motion. The Assassin raised an outstretched hand, no doubt planning to unleash a volley of ice blades. At the same instant, Wren raised his forearm again to erect his special energy barrier. But the barrier spread out too slowly, and Leli wasn't with Wren and the others. She didn't even see the Assassin was coming after them....

"Leli! LOOK OUT!" shouted Myau. But his warning was too late. Most of the icy spikes shattered harmlessly against Wren's barrier, but it hadn't extended far enough to protect Leli...and as she turned, one of the ice spikes lodged itself into her chest. She didn't even scream as her body collapsed limply to the floor.

Wren began firing at the Assassin as he edged closer to Leli, to ensure his barrier would keep her from getting hit again. Myau was at her side almost instantly, clawing at the ice shard, trying to pull it out. Odin ran over to the terminal while firing back at the Assassin, and when he reached it, he hit the button to close the door. Odin and Wren kept firing as the door was closing, but all their shots bounced off her strange suit, but luckily, her ice shards kept shattering whenever they hit Wren's barrier.

At last, the door shut completely, and Odin blasted the terminal as soon as it did, hoping it would somehow keep the Assassin from following them. He turned back to where Leli had fallen, seeing Myau perched on top of her and Wren stabding over her, an ice shard covered with blood in his hand.

"My healing techniques aren't working!" Myau cried frantically. "There's some energy, some power from that ice spike that's blocking my magic! I can't save her!"

"Her vitals are fading fast. She's going into shock," said Wren. "We haven't the necessary resources to treat her injuries."

Odin surpressed the urge to yell at Wren for being so calm and knelt beside Leli. "Leli, c-can you hear me? We're...."

"It's alright," Leli said quickly. "I'm g-glad that I was at least able...to-to do s-something. Listen, don't worry about m-me, just take your landrover a-and go. Find your friend A-Alis, help her beat Lassic...."

She then looked up to Wren. "W-Wren, I'm a-as good as dead, I know. You are now to f-follow the orders of Odin and his friends, a-as you would have mine. Do whatever you c-can to help them win. That's your p-primary directive...."

"Acknowledged," said Wren coolly.

"Leli, stay with me!!" cried Odin, but Leli didn't speak up again. "Leli! LELI!!"

"It's no use," muttered Myau softly and sorrowfully. "She's gone."

"There's nothing more we can do for her. We must flee and regroup with the rest of your force," said Wren, walking past the dead body of his creator and heading for their landrover.

That blasted machine! How can it be so unfeeling, after its creator just got murdered! Odin thought acidly as he reluctantly followed Wren.

In no time, the landrover was started up, just as the Assassin managed to open the blast doors again. I just hope Leli was right about those landrover-tanks being sabotaged, Odin thought as the landrover sped up the ramp leading out to the surface. Soon enough, they were barreling full-speed across Motavia's sandy surface, away from the Robotcop factory. There were no windows in the back of the landrover, so Odin couldn't see what the factory actually looked like. But out the side-window, he saw a whole bunch of antlion pits, arranged in such a way that from above, they looked like an arrow pointing northwest. I know where we are now! A good distance east of Paseo, like Leli said....

"There's a good probability that your comrades are still hiding within the mountain range where you were ambushed," Wren suddenly stated. "The most logical course of action would be to begin our search there."

"Fine. Whatever," spat Myau, obviously feeling the same frustration that Odin did: yet another brave soul had died at the hands of Lassic's followers, one they'd been powerless to save.

Wondering whether or not Alis was awake, Noah pulled out the magic lamp, lit the flame, and looked around. He was still sitting in the vastness that was Alis's lap. He then looked up, seeing that Alis was leaning back against the cave wall, almost at a 45 degree angle. Though it was hard to make out her face from his vantage point, it looked like her eyes were still closed. She was still fast asleep.

Great, what am I supposed to do? Just sit here in her lap, waiting for her to wake up? he thought. He was wide awake now and couldn't possibly go back to sleep. And now that he was up, he wanted to start tracking down the others. But without the landrover, that would be a problem...unless he could wake Alis, who could easily cover plenty of ground. "Alis!! Hey Alis, wake up!!" Noah yelled from her lap, but she didn't so much as stir. He kept on yelling, but nothing came of it. Great, she can't possibly hear me, Noah realized. I guess I'll have to climb up to her ear and yell into it.

Noah wasn't too fond of that idea. Any sudden movement on Alis's part could throw him off her body. But the alternative was to sit around and do nothing, waiting for her to wake up, and that wouldn't do. Now that they had both had enough rest, it was time to find their friends. And so, after letting out a heavy sigh, Noah stood up and looked up.

Noah watched as Alis's chest slowly rose and fell with each breath she took. The light from his lamp made her diamond armor sparkle, and Noah noticed how slippery it looked. He doubted he could climb up that way. But the only other way to climb up to her head was via her arms, and for that he'd have to drop over ten feet to the ground to start at her hand. Noah shook his head as he let out another sigh, then wearily walked across Alis's lap.

He carefully climbed up past Alis's belt buckle, and soon enough, he was ready to start climbing up her chest plate. Noah timidly reached up to feel the hard, diamond surface, certain that it would be too slippery. But to his surprise, he found that there was enough friction went he slid his fingers across it. And when he began to climb, he found there was enough friction between the diamond and his boots as well.

Part of Noah had hoped it'd be impossible to climb up Alis's chest, so he could give up the venture altogether. But now, there was no choice to go forward...and up. He took a deep breath, and started to cautiously make his way up Alis's upper body.

Doing so made Noah once again feel like an insignificant bug compared to her. Each time Alis's chest rose and fell when she breathed in and out, it became obvious again to Noah how her most minute movements could have dire consequences for him. More than once, the sudden movement threatened to make him lose his balance and slide down. Plus, the fact that he had to hold his lamp in one hand complicated matters. But Noah forced himself to press on, trying to keep from looking down, focusing on his goal: Alis's face.

Although he had his reasons for doing this, and although the whole situation was beyond weird, he found the whole venture a bit...exicitng. He wanted him and Alis to get closer, and though this is hardly what he had in mind, he was certainly getting an up close and personal view of her now....

Eventually, Noah was more than halfway up her upper body, stopping when he reached her breasts. Not only was the path upward a lot more steeper at that point, but he was more than a little bit hesitant to go across THAT area. What's wrong with you? It's not like you're being a pervert. There's almost two feet of diamond separating you from those...parts, Noah thought, chiding himself. Then again, Alis won't care. If she wakes up and sees me crawling around THERE, I'm a dead man.

But regardless of that risk, it was simply too steep to climb any further. Noah thought he'd have to go back down, but then, in the light the lamp provided, he saw some of Alis's long, brown hair spilling down, over to his right. He took another deep breath, then inched his way over to her hair. Noah realized he'd have to put away his lamp and climb upward in the darksince he would need two hands, that and he'd set Alis's hair on fire. After grabbing onto several strands of her hair, Noah extinguished the lamp's flame, and darkness enveloped him again.

For over a minute, Noah cautiously climbed up in the dark, using Alis's hair like rope. It feels so soft.... he mused, but quickly shook his head, refusing to let himself be distracted. Thankfully, it was a quick trip, and the 'ground' beneath him soon levelled off, allowing him to stand.

Noah carefully let go of Alis's hair and took out the lamp again. He was standing on her shoulder pad, and was now right in front of Alis's face; her head was tilted to the side, and her chin rested over her collarbone. He was definitely close enough for her to hear him, so he took another big breath, ready to call out again.

But fear of being thrown off Alis's shoulder as she was roused made him hesitate. That, and the fact that, despite himself, he was taken in by the close-up view of Alis's gorgeous face. Her beauty was maddening to him, at any size, and she looked so peaceful, so serene, while she was sleeping. And to top it all off, with the way her head rested, Noah could easily reach up to her lips...possibly even to steal a kiss. What am I thinking!? That's not what I'm here for!! he thought vehemently, frustrated by how these thoughts kept creeping up. And yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away, couldn't bring himself to wake Alis up and ruin this picturesque scene....

Noah had no idea how long he stood there, staring dumbly at her face. But eventually, he was shocked out of his dreamy stance when Alis's eyes suddenly snapped open, and in a booming voice, asked, "Well, are you gonna try and steal a kiss or what?"

"Aaahh!!" Noah screamed in surprise, stumbling backward and almost falling off her shoulder. But before that could happen, Alis reached over and snagged Noah between her thumb and index finger. She hoisted him off of her shoulder and dangled him in front of her face, which, from what Noah could tell in the pale lamplight, had her usual stony, neutral expression.

"Were you enjoying the view?" asked Alis, her tone once again neutral as well.

"I, err, uhh," spluttered Noah. "Ummm, eh, h-how did you k-know I...."

"I was just starting to wake up when I felt something tug on my hair," said Alis flatly. "You're lucky. My first impulse was to brush away whatever was on me, but then I realized it had to be you. I decided to see how far you thought you could go," she finished with a wry smirk.

"Oh. Uh, OK," Noah said sheepishly.

Alis's eyes narrowed, and that wry smirk grew into a menacing, twisted smile. "You must have a really bad memory, Noah. Didn't I tell you before that it was OK to look, as long as you didn't touch?"

"Uh, um, y-yeah," Noah replied, more than a little bit nervous about where the conversation was going.

"And didn't I tell you not to get any funny ideas?" Alis continued.

"Errr...." was all Noah could say. He was getting more and more nervous by the second.

"And yet, you go climbing all around my body," said Alis, her smile turning into a frown. "I hope you enjoyed it, little guy. 'Cause you're gonna be spending plenty of time thinking about what you did wrong...in my stomach!"

"I'll be...WHAAA!?" screamed Noah unbelievingly. But sure enough, Alis tilted her head back just as she lifted Noah right over it. Then she opened her mouth wide. With the lamplight that was still flickering, he could clearly side the inside of her gigantic mouth, her massive, writhing tongue, the pearly-white teeth that could easily grind him into powder.... Alis slowly lowered him closer to her open mouth, driving Noah out of his mind with fear. "ALIS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! THIS IS INSANE!! HOW CAN YOU...." But Alis apparently ignored his pleas for mercy as her mouth came closer and closer. And then, just as Noah was sure she was about to drop him into her mouth....

"Phhhhhhhht!"

Alis then closed and stuck out her tongue out at Noah, blowing a raspberry at him and causing huge globs of her spittle to get all over him. Noah had no idea what she was planning, his mind still numb with fear, but then he heard the raucous sound of Alis's deafening, thunderous laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha! You totally fell for it!" beamed Alis, now smiling broadly at him. "You REALLY thought I was about to eat you, didn't you!?" Then she laughed again.

Noah grumbled as he wiped the spittle off of his face. Looking down again, he saw Alis smiling wickedly up at him again, reflecting a mood that was completely opposite of his. She then lowered her hand, bringing it up to her face, letting Noah sit down in the palm of her hand. "In the name of all that's holy...what was THAT for!"

"Oh please Noah. You're the one who pretty much said I need to lighten up and stop being so downtrodden. So I figured this was the perfect opportunity to play a little prank," said Alis, still smiling.

Why does her idea of fun always involve scaring me half to death? Noah thought dejectedly, his heart still hammering in his chest.

"But don't think you're off the hook completely," said Alis, her tone suddenly a bit more serious. "Just WHAT were you doing climbing up my body like a little bug, anyway?" Noah let out a nervous sigh, then quickly explained that he just wanted to wake her up so that they could begin their search. "Oh, so that was all?" asked Alis coyly.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Noah.

"Oh, just that I know you're hopelessly infatuated with me, and somehow I get the feeling you enjoyed all of that," replied Alis.

Oh sure, I really enjoyed running the risk of falling to my doom, and then having you pretend you were about to eat me alive, Noah thought acidly. Out loud, he said, "Please, Alis. You know I have more self-control than that."

"I dunno. You looked ready to steal a kiss there for a moment."

Noah scowled at Alis, even though he doubted she could make out his facial expression. She's taking the knowledge that I care for her, and is using it to tease and torment me mercilessly, he thought. Somehow, I think I liked the revenge-obsessed Alis better.

"Well, I'll forget about all that for now. I guess you're right, we should get moving," said Alis, snapping Noah out of his thoughts. "I'm all rested up, but now I've got another problem."

"What's that?" asked Noah in a concerned voice.

As if to answer his question, a booming grumbling sound echoed throughout the cave. "I'm...hungry," said Alis simply.

Noah's face fell. That was another problem he hadn't even considered: how could Alis possibly get enough food at her size, especially on Motavia? "Maybe it's time we try using Tarzimal's lamp, to see if the effects can be reversed."

"Aww, I was kind of hoping to raise some more hell at this size," Alis said, sounding a bit disappointed. But she carefully lowered Noah to the ground, next to some of the crumbling dragon bones. "These bones are probably best to test the lamp on, being organic matter and all," Alis suggested.

Noah nodded as he raised his magic lamp up, letting the light be cast over a large rib bone. She's probably right. And she made some interesting points before. Just HOW can cells possibly work normally if they're supersized? he wondered. But now wasn't the time for scientific curiosity. He held Tarzimal's lamp in his other hands, aimed it at the large bone, and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened. No bright beam of light, nothing.

"Wha!?" exclaimed Noah and Alis in unison. Noah pulled the trigger again and again, but each time, nothing happened.

"Oh that's just GREAT!" cried Noah. "Now there's no hope of getting you back to normal!"

"Maybe it's just broken," suggested Alis. "If only I weren't so big...I bet I could fix it. I know a thing or two about electronics."

Noah looked up at Alis. "Or maybe Tarzimal knows how to get it working again. Most of the circuitry inside it looks pretty new, so he must've built it himself."

A slight scowl formed on Alis's face. Noah figured it was because he suggested Tarzimal could do something better than she could. But Alis spoke up before he could dwell on it, saying, "Then I guess it's all the more reason to go and find him. We should head out right now. But...there's still the fact that I'm REALLY hungry right now...."

Noah frowned. "Well, there's only one thing I can think of that can feed you at your size. But I have a feeling you won't like it...."

Alis moved at what was, for her, a leisurely pace, but for Noah, it seemed she was going almost as fast as the landrover. But at least she wasn't purposely trying to scare her passenger to death this time. Noah looked up at the cloudless Motavian sky, admiring the serene beauty of the stars and the three moons, from his vantage point atop Alis's head. He sat there, his hands firmly gripping several strands of her hair.

This is a lot less claustrophobic than Alis's pouch, that's for sure, he mused. Still, I wish she'd have let me sit on her shoulder. I wonder why she wouldn't let me. Alis had said it'd be safer for him on top of her head, since he could hold onto her hair, but Noah got the feeling Alis didn't want him anywhere near her face at the moment. Did she really think he was THAT tempted to steal a kiss?

As Noah thought about this, Alis trudged onward, heading in what she figured was northeast, possibly toward Paseo. Noah was right, I don't like this idea. At all, she thought, sickened by what circumstances would force her to do. But after this is over with, I can finally get on with tracking everyone down. Then Tarzimal can fix that thing, and I'll finally be able to make it back to Palman. Then Lassic will be mine. It still infuriated her that she had been so close to her goal, but then they had fallen prey to such an obvious trap. But with some luck, she might be in a position to finally finish what she started.

Then she remembered Noah's lecture from earlier. Could he have been right? she silently wondered. But she instantly dismissed the notion, almost shaking her head, but thankfully remembering Noah was perched up there. No, I have every reason for wanting Lassic dead, for not letting ANYTHING get in my way....

Alis stopped dwelling on her plans for revenge when she finally came to what they were looking for: the edge of a whole expanse filled with antlions. The large, nauseatingly hideous creatures were spread out all across Motavia. Oftentimes, their territory strecthed for almost a square mile, impeding the progress of anyone travelling on foot. Until her party had gotten their landrover, much of Motavia was impassible because of the antlions.

But now, they seemed so tiny and harmless to Alis as she looked down at them. The antlions propped their heads up from their pits, snapping their jaws wildly as if to threaten her, but all Alis did was chuckle. At her normal size, the antlions seemed almost as big as her old house, but now they looked no bigger than Myau's head to her. Just like everything else, they're practically nothing to me now, Alis mused. She was beginning to like her newfound size and power more and more. She hoped she'd have the opportunity to put it to good use soon.

She stared down at the antlion again, disgusted that she was even considering doing this. But her stomach grumbled yet again, reminding her of just how hungry she was. Alis sighed, telling herself it was either this or starve. She carefully knelt down, hoping she didn't jostle Noah too much, and reached into the sand pit. The antlion tried to retreat into its pit, but Alis's gigantic, powerful fingers effortlessly dug into the sand. She pulled the antlion out of its home, then stared at the writhing bug.

It flailed its legs uselessly as Alis held it in her firm, unbreakable grip. Might as well get this over with, Alis thought dejectedly as she watched the antlion squirm in her hand. She reached for the bug with her other hand and started to rip apart the hard exoskeleton covering its back like a shell, exposing its vulnerable fleshy insides. Once again, Alis marvelled at how strong she was. Before, it took all her strength to get her sword to penetrate that exoskeleton of theirs, but now one finger was enough to rip it off completely.

The antlion writhed even more, making Alis decide it was best just to rip off its head. It still squirmed for a few moments longer, but then its decapitated body lay still in her hand. Alis looked at the bug's fleshy, exposed body, its fluids oozing onto her hand, and disgust welled up all over again. But it was this or nothing. So she pinched her nose with her other hand, closed her eyes as she brought the antlion's body up to her mouth, and bit down into it.

The instant it hit her tastebuds, Alis had to fight the urge to throw up. She succeeded, and forced herself to eat as much of the antlion that was edible. Its legs were snapped effortlessly between her massive, rock-hard teeth, its underbelly mercilessly ripped to shreds. Before she knew it, she had devoured practically the whole antlion.

Even though she still felt like she was ready to hurl, Alis decided she had to eat as much as possible, and keep it down, if she was to have the strength to find the others. After wiping some body fluids off her face, she reached down for the next conical pit, ready to pull up another antlion....

Wren was busily driving the landrover, having volunteered since he required no sleep. Myau wondered if this unfeeling machine could really be of any more use. Both he and Odin wished they could just ditch the android. They were now essentially his masters, but they wanted nothing to do with him. Only out of respect for Leli's dying wish did they decide to have Wren accompany them.

"How long have we been driving around?" Myau asked the android in a grumpy voice.

"Approxomately 1.2 hours," Wren replied matter-of-factly. "We've been driving across the field of antlions encircling most of Paseo, and are currently several miles northwest of Uzo. We should reach the mountain range within another hour at our current velocity."

"Yeah. Whatever," said Myau testily. You better hope Alis is a lot more accepting than I am. She has every reason to hate battle anrdoids, he silently added.

"Hold it," Wren suddenly said. "I believe it will no longer he necessary to track down Alis Landale."

Odin turned his head to glare at Wren. "Why is that?" he asked.

"Because she's directly in front of us. Now you can see for yourself what Leli was referring to," Wren said.

Odin and Myau turned back to the windshield, wanting to see what Wren was talking about. Even with all three of Motavia's moons providing light, it was still a bit difficult to see clearly. But there was something a few hundred feet ahead of them, something incredibly big....

As they got nearer and nearer, Myau and Odin were able to make out just what it was...or rather who. Myau's jaw dropped from shock as Wren brought the landrover to a halt about fifty feet away from the massive figure. There, squatting in the middle of the huge field populated by antlions, was their friend Alis, who had somehow grown to monstrous proportions.

"Uh...words fail me," Odin said at length, staring up dumbly at Alis while she bit into another antlion.

Myau stared out the landrover's front window with his jaw wide open, unable to accept what his eyes were telling him. What he was seeing made absolutely no sense...was absolutely impossible! How could such a thing have happened to Alis while they were imprisoned!? How could she have grown so monstrously huge!?

"Myau, tell me I'm seeing things," Odin said softly, who was also staring blankly up at the giantess as well. His normally calm face was now one of mingled fear and confusion.

The musk cat slowly shook his head. "No can do, Odin. I-I see it, too," Myau said uneasily. He continued to watch in disbelief as his gigantic friend reached down to grab another antlion, having finished eating her previous one. Myau gasped as she easily held the powerful creature in one hand, and proceeded to rip off most of its exoskeleton with little effort. "Unbelievable. Those things caused us no end of trouble, and-and now she's strong enough to eat them for breakfast - literally."

"Ack. I don't get HOW she can stand to eat those disgusting things," said Odin, sounding sickened.

"In all likelihood, those antlions are the only plentiful source of nourishment available to her, now that she's grown to this size," said Wren matter-of-factly. Myau envied how the android was able to take all this weirdness so well.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? Leli said you two knew about it!" snapped Odin.

"You never bothered to ask again after we escaped," said Wren calmly.

Myau glared over at Wren, but bit back the retort he longed to fire off. "Well, anyway, we can worry about how this happened to her later. For now, we better let her know we're here, and...."

But Myau's words trailed off as he noticed Alis's head slowly turn in their direction. "Uh, I think she sees us," Odin said uneasily.

The musk cat said nothing in response, noticing something that made him even more apprehensive. He couldn't be sure because of the faint light from Motavia's moons, but Alis's facial expression seemed to be one of anger. "Yeah, and she doesn't look too happy," Myau pointed out. "Maybe we should...."

Myau's voice trailed off again as Alis suddenly stood up, dropping her half-eaten antlion. Then she unsheathed her sword, edging closer to the landrover. A small tremor accompanied each step Alis took. Myau cried out in fear, thinking the giant blade would cleave their vehicle in half any second, but thankfully, Wren was ready. The landrover went into reverse, speeding away from the advancing giantess. "What in the name of the Algo system has gotten into her!?" cried Odin, his voice filled with panic.

"She must think this is an enemy craft," Wren pointed out as he deftly piloted the landrover, turning it around and speeding out of harm's way. "In the darkness, she can't see that this is her own landrover."

"We've got to clue her in, let her know it's us!" Odin cried out. "Maybe if we get out, she'll see that...."

"Weren't you listening!? It's too dark, she can't make us out!" Myau spat. "She's liable to just grind us into the sand underneath her feet!" Myau's own words made him conjure up the nasty mental image of Alis's gigantic white boot rapidly descending toward him, the last thing he'd see being its sole, before being turned into a greasy stain in the sand. Myau shivered at the thought. "Wren, just keep the landrover away from her. We'll have to think of some way to...."

Myau was cut off went a loud booming noise went off in front of them. A shockwave of tremendous force accompanied it, almost causing the landrover to topple over. After getting over the shock, Myau peered up out of the front window again, seeing Alis standing directly in front of them. Evidently, she had jumped over the landrover and landed in front of it. Myau could only let out a whimper as Alis lifted her sword, ready to bring the tip of the blade crashing down onto them.

But just before she would have, something stopped her. Myau strained his eyes, trying to make out Alis's face in the darkness, and it looked as if, for a brief instant, her eyes darted upwards. There seemed to be a surprised look in them as well.

When Alis returned her gaze to the landrover, there was no longer a look of rage in her eyes, only bufuddlement. Then she knelt down, as if to get a better look at the landrover. "What's this...that's the...." she muttered, but even though it looked like she was speaking softly, Myau clearly heard it from inside the landrover.

Alis squinted for a better look. "Alright, whoever's in there, come on out NOW!" She shouted that last word loud enough to make Myau's ears ring.

"Well, at least she'll she it's us," said Odin dryly.

The three of them quickly got out of the landrover. Myau gazed up at Alis nervously, still afraid that she'd squash them flat at any second. He almost yelped out of fear when Alis brough her head lower, squinting again. But after a moment, her expression softened, though she still looked confused. "Myau, Odin...is it really you!?" she asked, her booming voice making the musk cat wince again.

"Uh, yeah Alis, it's us," said Odin, still sounding a bit nervous, which was very unlike him.

Alis squinted again. "And who's this other guy?" she asked, glaring at Wren.

"Uh, long story. But he's on our side," said Myau quickly before Wren could reply.

Alis carefully regarded Wren a while longer, then asked, "And how did you manage to escape? Where were you?"

"That's also a long story," said Odin. "But at least we've managed to regroup now."

"And Alis, if you don't mind my asking...just WHAT in the Algo system HAPPENED TO YOU!?" demanded Myau, wanting to know how this incredible, impossible transformation of hers occured.

Alis smirked. "That's also a long story."

"And where's Noah?" asked Odin.

As if on cue, they suddenly heard a wail of terror coming from the direction of Alis's head. Myau and Odin looked up, and saw what looked like a man falling off from the top of Alis's head. He saved himself by grabbing onto some strands of Alis's long, brown hair. He almost slid down to the very ends of those strands, but his descent stopped just in time. Myau could see him more clearly now: a man with blueish hair and long, white robes.

"Right here," said Alis, still smirking. "Noah, I told you to be careful." She carefully plucked Noah off her hair, then set him down next to the others. "Listen, since we've obviously got a lot to tell each other, I suggest we head back to the hiding place Noah and I found. Then we can decide what to do next."

"Well, sounds good I suppose," said Myau as he looked up at Noah, who looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

"Then get back in the landrover, all of you," said Alis in a tone that let them know she wouldn't tolerate any dilly-dallying. Myau got the hint and quickly got back in the landrover. Wren, Odin and an extremely wary-looking Noah followed suit.

"What were you doing on Alis's head, anyway?" asked Odin.

"Shut up," snapped Noah.

"Wren, get ready to follow Alis back to wherever she's been hiding," ordered Myau. "And you'd better go full-speed, and...."

But Myau was cut off when the landrover suddenly rocked back and forth, making Odin and Noah almost lose their footing. Myau let out a loud meow in surprise, then saw what was happening out the window. The sandy ground was quickly vanishing, receding from view, as the landrover continued to rock about. Then it felt as if the landrover was moving forward.

"I don't believe that will be necessary," stated Wren. "It appears that Alis is carrying the landrover back to our destination."

"You must have a gift for stating the obvious," said Myau irritably as he intently looked out the window.

After carefully setting the landrover down and reheated that boulder to white-hot incandescence, she laid down on the sandy cave floor, her head supported by one arm as she stared down at the others, eagerly awaiting to hear how Myau and Odin had escaped from Lassic's forces, as well as an explanation about who this 'Wren' was.

And so, Myau quickly told Alis about how, when he came to, he found himself and Odin, locked up, and how the Palman girl named Leli had come to the rescue with her robot, Wren. Even though Myau was incredibly small to her now, no bigger than her little toe, Alis could clearly see the anguished look on the musk cat's face when he recalled how Leli had been murdered by that mysterious Assassin, just when it seemed their escape was assured.

Once Myau was done, he immediately asked what made Alis grow so insanely huge. Alis smiled as she began her story, even though it didn't have a happy start. She explained how her growth spurt started as she and Noah were trying to find their way out, then being forced to teleport outside, where Lassic's little armada awaited. Alis giggled as she recalled how easily she wiped out his war machines, then dived into the sandstorm to escape.

"And so, Noah and I rested up in here, and then we planned to go and find you," Alis said once she had finished her story. "But I needed to find something to eat first, so Noah suggested I go for those antlions, and that's when you showed up."

"And nearly killed us," added Myau.

Alis let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's a good thing Noah noticed that there was a hovercraft on top of it, and that it looked like ours. I honestly thought it was one of Lassic's...."

"Well, luckily, there was no harm done," said Odin.

"And it's even luckier that you just happened to drive up while I was eating," said Alis. "Saved me the trouble of having to track you down. I wouldn't have had any idea where to begin."

"I only wish our escape hadn't come at such a heavy price," said Myau sorrowfully.

The smile vanished from Alis's huge face. "Yeah, sorry to hear about that. She sounded like a real gutsy girl. Wish I had gotten to meet her." Her eyes then darted over to Wren. "And so, this is what she wanted to bring me?" she asked as she glared down at the android. "So, just what's the story with you? You've been awfully quiet so far."

"There's been no need for me to talk. I merely wished to listen to your description of events, so I can better understand our current situation," said Wren blandly. "And right now, it isclear that with your transformation, we now have a major tactical advantage. With any luck, we can put it to good use soon."

Alis glared down at him again. He was right about putting her size to good use, no doubt about that, but she was still apprehensive about allowing this machine to stay, even though she could easily squash him with one finger. "So what Myau's told me is true? You really are here to help me?"

"I was created to help you destroy Lassic," said Wren matter-of-factly. "I have also been programmed to explicitly follow your orders and the orders of any of your allies, in the event that my creator was killed."

Alis leaned closer, bringing her head down even nearer to ther group. If she hadn't known any better, she would've sworn she saw Odin back up nervously. Alis dismissed the notion, and said to Wren, "How can I trust you? Myau told me that Leli was actually Dr. Mad's daughter. How can I be sure this isn't some kind of trick?"

"Beyond the fact that I helped your companions, I suppose there is nothing I can do to prove myself," said Wren without any hint of apprehension, which annoyed Alis. She had hoped she could intimidate Wren, but it seemed as if he truly was a fearless, emotionless machine. And perhaps, since he didn't show any hint of a sense of self-preservation in front of her, maybe he really was meant to follow her orders. "I can only express hope that you will allow me to help you from this point on."

Odin chimed in just then. "And Alis, take it from me, I can tell Leli was dead serious about helping you. She herad stories about you, what you were doing...she idolized you and looked to you for hope, even though she never met you. You have to trust me."

Alis stared down at Odin, then shifted her gaze back to Wren. The android still stood there, looking up at her impassively, as if awaiting new orders. I don't like of idea of using this thing, she thought, the memories her brother being murdered by Robotcops still fresh in her mind. But if Odin vouches for his creator, I guess I might as well put up with him. He might even come in handy, who knows? Out loud, she said, "Fine, I guess the android can stay, but if he so much as looks at me funny, he's spare parts," said Alis dangerously. "OK, we're done bringing each other up to speed. So all that's left to do now is figure out what to do next."

For a moment, none of them spoke, apparently wrestling with their own thoughts. So much had happened in the last day, so many weird things...Alis didn't blame them for being confused, unsure of what had to be done next.

Eventually, Noah spoke up, his voice so low that Alis could barely hear it, even though her head was looming right over him. "Well, umm, w-we still need to find Tarzimal. Now that we're all together again, we should try and track him down."

"Assuming he's not already dead," said Alis warily.

Noah made what looked like a sour face, from what Alis could tell. "Please, don't say things like that," he said dryly. "Besides, we need him to fix this lamp. It's the only hope we have of restoring you to normal," he finished, holding up the useless magical tool.

Alis smirked at him. "Funny, you sound anxious to get be back to normal."

Now Noah looked confused. "W-What are you getting at?" he asked.

"I dunno. It's just that ever since this happened to me, you've hardly taken your eyes off me. It's almost as if you like me being this way," said Alis, smiling wryly again.

"Uh, w-why would he, uh, like that?" asked Odin confusedly.

"Yeah, it's true that he's hopelessly in love with you, but I doubt even an oddball like him would have a thing for an 150-foot tall version of you," added Myau coyly.

"SHUT UP!" barked Noah, turning red.

"Uh guys, as fun as it is to joke about Noah's hopeless infatuation," interrupted Alis, "I must say, abut finding Tarzimal so he can repair the lamp...why bother?"

"WHAT!? Are you saying we shouldn't try to find Tarzimal at all!?" cried Noah, his embarassment giving way to anger in a heartbeat.

"Well no, I didn't mean that. What I meant was, why bother turning me back to normal?" asked Alis in a tone that made it clear she was serious.

"Alis, are you mad!?" cried Odin.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you're OK with eating nothing but antlions for the rest of your life," said Myau, making a disgusted face.

The memory of her last meal made Alis gag as well. "Well, no, that's a bit of a downside, I'll admit," she said as she propped herself off the ground, situating herself in a sitting position. She looked down at her companions again, who seemed even tinier now, and wondered just how monstrously huge and imposing she must seem to them, even while only sitting. "But think about it, this could be the best thing that's ever happened to me. Think about how much good I can accomplish at this size! Nothing that Lassic can throw at me could possibly hurt me now! With power like this, I can liberate the Algo system in no time!" she finished, closing her eyes and stretching out her arms, smiling and looking pleased with herself.

Alis heard some faint murmuring from down below, as if her friends were talking amongst themselves, but she didn't even bother to strain her ears to listen in. However, a moment later, she heard Noah's faint, distant voice say, "Well, that may be true, but you're overlooking one thing."

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Alis, unconvinced that anything could be wrong.

"At that size, you won't fit into the Luveno, or any of the commercial ships," Noah replied. "How do you plan to get back to Palma to finish our job?"

Alis's eyes suddenly snapped open, realization sweeping over her like a tidal wave....

"D'OH!!!"

The booming, deafening noise made both of them yelp and jump in surprise, looking about wildly for the source. "Wha-wha...what on Motavia was that!?" asked Nryz shakily.

"Uh, it sounded like someone yelled 'D'oh' really, really loud," said Tyrz matter-of-factly. Nryz just stared at Tyrz and balked.

"Will you PLEASE try to keep it down from now on!?" Odin spat exasperatedly.

"Uh, sorry," was all Alis could say.

Noah looked up at her again, and for once his face didn't betray his embarassing infatuation for her. "Well, now you see our point, at least. We need to find Tarzimal so he can repair the lamp, otherwise you'll be stuck on Motavia forever. He's the only one who knows how to fix it."

"Perhaps not," spoke up Wren, and everyone turned to look at him, surprised. "I might be able to repair the device."

"You?" asked Myau shortly, disbelief oversaturating that one word. "How?"

"I have been programmed to act as an engineer, as well as a battle android," Wren replied simply. "All of Leli's technical and scientific knowledge has also been incorporated into my memory banks, with which I can easily call upon to repair just about any mechanical device or weapon." He stepped up to Noah. "May I see the device?" he asked, his tone neutral, yet strangely polite.

Noah looked over to Odin and Myau, obviously uncertain about what to do next. Their glances darted from Alis to Wren to the lamp, but then, they finally nodded. Sighing, Noah handed the lamp over to the battle android, who immediately took it and inspected the inside.

For several minutes, Wren remained completely silent, his only movements being that of his eyes slightly moving to inspect the electronic components of the lamp. Alis and her friends stayed silent as well, but she began to get impatient after a while. But just as she was about to speak up, Wren suddenly said, "I believe I have discovered the problem, and with any luck, it can be easily remedied."

"OK then, what is it?" asked Noah impatiently.

"It is a very simple problem. The circuits simply cannot adequately handle the necessary current that is needed for this device to have its desired effect," explained Wren. "Large amounts of power are necessary, which are supplied by these gems on the side. They provide adequate power, but it is too much for the components of this lamp to handle. Ideally, such a device would have to be many times bigger to handle the required current and power output."

Alis listened carefully as the battle android continued. "Tarzimal evidently understood this. He is obviously knowledgeable about electronics. The circuits are arranged and designed in such a way to offer the most desirable level of resistance and allow the highest rate of power dissipation possible. It even looks as if many components are designed to be protected from such things as electromagnetic pulses, and so that there is very little mutual inductance, which could very well have unwanted consequences. However, despite all the effort that was undoubtedly put into its construction, it was not enough: many parts burned out after only one use."

"That's all very fascinating, but can you fix it?" asked Alis irritably. She knew plenty about electronics already and didn't need another lesson from this machine.

"I believe so. If there are enough spare parts and if the necessary tools are in your landrover, I can begin work right away," answered Wren. "I could possibly improve upon the original design...make it less likely for the repaired and replaced parts to burn out so quickly. Theoretically, the device can be used again multiple times before needing more repairs."

"That's all well and good, but can Alis's growth be reversed?" asked Myau nervously.

"My scans of the interior lead me to believe that there is indeed a means to negate the growth effect, from what I can gather," said Wren. "I have little information concerning the workings of magic in my database, but still, I believe Alis can be restored."

"That's good. I can get back to Palma then," said Alis. "So, once it's fixed, I can switch from being normal and giant-sized, anytime I want?" she asked hopefully. The thought of getting to the Air Castle and then squashing Lassic underfoot still thrilled her.

"Possibly. However, there is a limited amount of times this device can be used," said Wren. "My scans indicate that some of the fluids within the Nut of Laerma have been drained; it is obviously what makes the growth possible, and the reversal of it. Once the fluid is depleted, the lamp will become useless."

At least we have another one handy, but then again, we all got the feeling we'd need it for something else down the line, thought Alis. Out loud, she said, "Fine then. When can you get started?"

"Immediately. I estimate the repairs will only take a few hours at most, provided we have the necessary parts," replied Wren.

"Then get to work," said Alis shortly. Wren nodded obediently and turned toward the landrover, seemingly uncaring of her curtness. She then looked down at the rest of her companions, who still seemed to be staring up at her in awe. Especially Noah, but he also gazed up at her with the look of a lovesick puppy. The way Noah was staring at her...it couldn't be clearer that he was still hopelessly enamored with her.

Funny. I still can't decide whether I feel flattered or annoyed by that, Alis thought to herself. Alis could never recall any other boys being so drawn to her; somehow, it seemed as if the boys back in Camineet were actually scared of her. Oftentimes, she wondered if any man would ever want her. And yet, now one did, yet strangely, she didn't seem to feel...anything. Could Noah be right? Am I so focused on avenging Nero that I can't feel anything else?

She looked down at Noah again, still marvelling how he looked like a little toy to her. She tried to figure out what her real feelings for Noah truly were. It's true he's a very nice guy. Always patient, doesn't have an oversized ego like most men. He's no dummy, either...I get the feeling he's one of the top Esper trainees. And that slightly girlish look about him...it's actually a bit charming, oddly enough, she thought. He's not a bad guy, but...I just don't know. I just don't have that special feeling for him, I think. And for so long, I've been so confused, so lost...I don't know....

"Alis? ALIS!" cried out a tiny voice. Alis leaned down again to hear better. It was Noah who had spoken up. "Alis, what about Tarzimal? We should still try to find him."

Before Alis could say anything, Wren spoke up from beside the landrover. "We still have no leads as to where Tarzimal is being held. He could be anywhere on Motavia, or perhaps even taken to Dezolis or Palma. It would take too long to try and find him on our own. I suggest that you allow me to continue to periodically tap into enemy communications while I repair Tarzimal's device. Perhaps we can still learn something that way."

Noah turned on Wren. "You-you heartless machine! Are you saying we abandon him!?"

"I am suggesting no such thing," replied Wren calmly as he began to probe the inside of the lamp. "I am merely suggesting that for the time being, we wait and see if we can get the information we need before expending time and energy, perhaps fruitlessly. If we are unable to, then we should then go ahead and seek him out ourselves."

Noah looked ready to summon a torrent to blow Wren away, but Alis had to admit that the android had a point. They really had no idea where Tarzimal could be. "Noah, maybe he's right. Maybe we shouldn't knock ourselves out until we know where to look."

Noah looked back up at Alis, gaping at her. "But you were ready to go looking for Myau and Odin a short while ago! Why aren't you willing to help Tarzimal!?" Noah paused, and Alis was about to explain herself, but then he fired off again. "Is it because you feel you need us and not him? It is because this machine can fix the lamp for you!?"

Alis was shocked by Noah's sudden mood swing. Usually it was her who had a wild temper and Noah was the voice of reason. But her composure quickly vanished, and she glared down at the Esper. "Listen Noah, don't push me, OK? If I say we wait a while, we wait," she said authoritatively.

Noah continued to look daggers at her, apparently unintimidated, but he remained silent. She glanced back over to where Wren had been, but she saw he was about to get in the landrover, presumably to use the communications equipment and computers to somehow tap into enemy transmissions. I'll give him a while, then we move out, she thought resolutely.

Alis looked back over to her friends. Myau was busy giving himself a tongue bath, while Odin sat on a rock, absentmindedly fiddling with something. He looked so small, Alis had to strain her eyes to see that it was his laconian axe. She then noticed Noah out of the corner of her eye, having moved several feet away from the others, which was only a foot or two to her. He was pacing impatiently. I know the feeling, believe me, thought Alis, wondering again if they'd ever get back on track.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain in her stomach made Alis gasp. I guess those antlions aren't sitting well, she thought frustratedly as she leaned back against the cave wall. Urgh, I hate sitting around waiting. Can't believe I'm listening to that stupid robot. She looked at the landrover again, where Wren sat inside. This Leli has supposedly risked everything to deliver this android to her, inspired by all the stories floating around about her. Was she really that much of an inspiration? Did people really think of her as a hero? Sorry to disappoint you, Leli, but you had the wrong idea about me. I'm no hero. I'm not a savior, nor do I want to be. I'm just in this for revenge, plain and simple.

As she thought about this, she stared at the landrover some more. It was the type of machine she'd always dreamed of having, but now, like every other vehicle, it just looked like a child's toy. Somehow, looking at it brought back memories of her own childhood.... About all the time she spent with Dioa, playing with toy landrovers, and how more than once, they had actually talked about what it would be like if they actually grew to be giantesses, and everyone else would really seem like playthings to them. And here, it's actually happened to me, she thought, smiling. I wonder what Dioa would say now, if she saw me. She'd probably be jealous. I always got the feeling, when we talked about it, that she'd want to be a giantess so she could wisk away Nero from me and literally make him her boy toy....

Alis sat there, leaning against the cave wall, reminiscing about her childhood. She had no idea how much time passed by as she did so, but eventually, in the peripheries of her vision, she noticed Wren stepping out of the landrover. Curious, she bent over to get a better look at him and hear him better. "Well?" she asked shortly, not caring if she sounded impatient.

"Thankfully, much of the equipment I needed was stored in your landrover," reported the android. "I've succeeded in replacing many burned-out parts, and managed to rewire even more of the interior in series-parallel to allow better power dissipation. I believe the device will be fully functional again within three or four hours."

"That's good to hear," said Alis, thankful for having good news for once. "But what about finding Tarzimal?"

"I have not learned anything from monitoring communications thus far, but I will continue to do so," said Wren.

"Alright then. Get back to work," ordered Alis. She then turned her attention back to her friends as Wren walked back to the landrover. The three of them were gazing up at her again, and Noah looked like he was about to say something. But before he did, another sharp pain in her stomach made Alis gasp again, and this time, it was accompanying by a low gurgling noise, which Alis was sure sounded like an earthquake to the others. Then she felt something else....

"Uh guys," she began tentatively. "Is the, er, gas shield still installed in the landrover?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?" asked Noah.

At first, Alis's only response was an apologetic look of embarassment about what was coming. But then she said, "Uh, those antlions, didn't exactly agree with my stomach I guess, and...."

Noah looked absolutely horrified. "Ohhhh no!" he cried. "Don't tell me...you're not gonna...."

"Now what? What was that?" asked Nryz exasperatedly.

"Uhhh, I'm just guessing here, but it sounded like a really, really big fart," said Tryz.

Nryz just stared at his brother again, then shook his head in disbelief.

"AHHH!!! My nose is on fire!!" screamed the musk cat.

"Er," was all Alis could manage, too embarassed to even come up with an apology. She was certain her face was now blushing a deep shade of red.

"My sensors indicate there are copious amounts of methane, butyric acid and various sulfur compounds now lingering in the air," said Wren calmly.

"Gee, no shit!?" Myau yelled, obviously envious of the fact that Wren had no sense of smell.

"Bad choice of words, Myau. Really bad," muttered Odin.

"Come one, guys. Alis was right. We NEED that gas shield! GYAAH!!" cried Noah.

"Every man and musk cat for himself!" yelled Odin as he ran to the landrover, Myau and Noah following suit.

Alis watched her friends run away from as if they were possessed. Noah keeps telling me my attitude keeps driving friends away. Now it's just bodily functions, she thought, still feeling mortified.

She then noticed that Wren was staring up at her, his face one of childlike curiosity. "Oh, what are you looking at?" she breathed testily.

Noah sighed in relief as he heard the hum of the gas shield. "Well, that should do it," he said softly. "It should block out all the, erhm, extra gases in the air, except the excess nitrogen."

"Well, most breathable atmospheres are mostly nitrogen, anyway," Myau pointed out.

"When do you think it'll be safe to get out?" asked Odin timidly.

As if on cue, the three heard another explosive burst of rushing air. The noise rattled the inside of the landrover. Myau sighed. "Not for a while," he said tonelessly.

A moment later, Wren re-entered the landrover, still holding the lamp. "Ahhh, shut the door!! Shut the door!!" Odin quickly exclaimed.

"My apologies, but I must continue to attempt to tap into communications," said the android as he sat in the driver's seat again.

Myau sighed again. "These are gonna be a few loooong hours," he breathed.

Minutes passed this way, then hours. Maybe Noah was right. We shouldn't be just sitting here, she reasoned with herself. That robot's maker...she expected me to be the type who'd be out doing something. Well, if I'm supposed to honor her sacrifice....

She then started to think about what she could do, how to take advantage of her gangantuan size. Wren was right. They'd be fools to not take advantage of her new power. The hours ticked by as she carefully weighed her options....

Eventualy, the answer hit her. Alis almost smacked herself, frustrated for not seeing the obvious answer earlier. But just then, her companions slowly got out of the landrover....

But when Noah looked at her again, he realized she had that stony face of thinly-veiled anger yet again. Sitting there for hours, being allowed to brood dark thoughts uninterrupted, must have taken a toll. While in the landrover, Noah had taken the opportunity to explain to Myau and Odin about his concern for Alis, his worries about her darkening mood. To his relief, he found that they saw the same changes in her as well, and were just as concerned as he was. He hoped they would back him up if he and Alis butted heads again.

The three of them slowly stepped closer to the giantess. Alis seemed unaware, but after a few moments, her head slowly turned to look down at them. "Well, what is it?" she said impatiently. "You better have some good news. Find out where they're holidng Tarzimal?"

"Uhh, no," said Noah, wincing at Alis's booming voice. Will she ever learn to keep her voice down? he silently asked.

"Well, what about the lamp?" Alis went on. "Has the robot fixed it yet?"

"He told us the final touches will be done in a few minutes," said Odin.

"Good. That means we can get back to Palma anytime we want," said Alis.

"And we can restore you to normal now," interjected Myau. "A good thing, too. This has just been too weird."

"Suppose I don't WANT to be restored just yet, though?" said Alis in a challenging tone. "What if I want to stay this way a little longer?"

The three of them just stared dumbly up at their supersized friend. Noah's heart sank. Somehow, she seemed more distant and bitter than ever, filled with even more malice. I hope it's just me, thought Noah as he fumbled for something to say. But before he could, Alis spoke up again.

"That robot was right. Why shouldn't we take advantage of my size? We can't leave Motavia until we've found Tarzimal anyway, right? So while we're still here, why shouldn't I cause as much damage as I can?" She said all this without any trace of doubt in her voice. And once again, Noah picked up the malicious bite in her tone, which made his soul quiver.

It's like we're really starting to lose her to the darkness in her own soul, Noah thought hopelessly. He realized he had to say something now, try to reach her.... "Alis, you're...you're scaring us, here," he said timidly, still struggling to find the right words. "I-I can see where Wren has a point, but-but seem a little too bent on...."

"On what?" snapped Alis. "You yourself said I should focus on other things besides revenge, and now I agree. I realized there's a perfect target out there: that Robotcop factory! If I can take that out, that'll really throw a monkey wrench in Lassic's plans! His plans for spreading his influence over Motavia'll be messed up but good! Think of how much pain and suffering I can spare everyone if I do that! It's a golden opportunity!"

Noah and the others just continued to stare at her and listen, nonplussed. Alis went on. "And besides, there's still a chance that Tarzimal's back there after all! I don't get why he wouldn't be. And you said Leli wanted to do something about freeing the Motavians enslaved there! I can do that easily!" Alis looked down at them, as if hoping that they would all agree with her. To her disappointment, however, they all stared back with blank expressions, which covered up their fear. Their fear that she was getting too vindictive, regardless of her justifications. "Oh COME ON!! You can't argue with all of that!"

"A-Alis," Myau began. "It's true you've made a lot of good points. B-But...we're still worried about you. Noah told us about how he's worried that you've become biiter and distant, and I-I agree. I think you're getting just a little too eager to lash out at anything and everything, a-and...."

"Myau's right," said Odin. "We've all seen this change in you."

Noah's spirits lifted slightly. Myau and Odin were taking his side. Maybe together, the three of them could reach Alis, break through that brick wall she seemed to be building around her heart....

But Alis's angry outburst squashed those hopes in an instant. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!" she shouted furiously, screaming so loud that her booming voice hammered them to their knees. "This isn't something I came up with on the spur of the moment! I've been thinking about it over and over, and I see nothing wrong with it!"

She glared down at them again as they cowered as their eardrums were assaulted by her explosive voice. "It seems all of you are trying to find fault with me, for whatever reason. I can't believe you! When I brought you all together, I thought we all had a common purpose, that we'd all be in this until the end! But if you're not willing to listen to me and hear me out, fine! I'll do this without you! I don't need you!!"

And with that, Alis sat up and crawled her way out of the cave, while Noah could do nothing but helplessly watch her go, a sickening feeling of dread growing in his heart as he did so.

Chapter 7: One-Woman Engine of Destruction

She looked down, all around her. The sun was just starting to rise, and the light of the early morning was more than enough to let her clearly see her surroundings. Though it was mostly an endless expanse of sand, occassionally there were some cacti or a few rocks. Alis remembered how those cacti and rocks were deadly obstacles when she sped by them in her landrover. Now, even the tallest cacti just reached barely above her ankle. Just another indictor of how monstrously enormous she really was. She smiled at that reminder, once again feeling as if nothing could stop her, that she had nothing to worry about....

For a moment, it was enough to improve her sour mood. But soon, her frustration toward her comrades came rushing back. I thought they trusted me, she thought, bitterness welling up inside her. I thought they'd follow me, help me do whatever it took to get revenge. Well, if they're not willing to take my side at a time like this, then I don't need them!

Alis let her bitter thoughts fester within her as she kept stomping across the sand dunes of Motavia, carving a path through dune formations that had stood for centuries. But eventually, she realized she didn't really know exactly where the factory was. She only had a vague idea from what Myau told her, and after wandering aimlessly in one direction, she wasn't even sure where she was anymore. Oh great. It's not like I can go back and ask Myau for exact directions, seeing as how they're all against me, she realized glumly.

However, just as she was about to give up hope, she noticed a small bit of smoke rising in the distance. It was about a hundred feet away from her perspective, but in reality, it was well over a mile. Curious, Alis slowly approached, and she breached the distance in no time. She looked down again, seeing a campfire, and the camp's two occupants were Motavians. One was fast asleep, curled up in a sleeping bag, but the other was taking watch, holding a pistol.

The Motavian looked up at the giantess, his beady red eyes filled with confusion and fear. He couldn't even bring himself to aim his pistol up at Alis. For a moment, Alis smiled down at him. Motavians rather looked like antropomorphic rats with beak-like mouths, typically just a little shorter than Alis was. But now, they looked like pet mice, and downright cute. Alis felt a little awkward, seeing as how she didn't mean to frighten this Motavian, despite her bad mood. However, she soon got over it and waved down at him awkwardly. "Uh, hi...." she managed to get out.

The Motavian said nothing. He simply kept staring up at Alis, no doubt still expecting to be squashed any second. Alis decided to break the awkward silence again, figuring this Motavian may be able to help her. "Uh, this may sound crazy, but...do you know which way Uzo is? I'm a little lost," she asked delicately, trying to sound unthreatening. This Motavian wouldn't be much use if he was too scared to answer.

For a few moments, he kept on staring up nervously at Alis. But eventually, he pointed behind him with his free hand, indicating a dirction slightly to the left of the path she'd been taking.

"Uh, OK. Thanks," she said to him, trying to sound grateful. Then she was on her way, taking one broad step over their campsite. Alis only belatedly realized she had probably just given that Motavian a clear view up her skirt. DAMNIT! she thought angrily, now embarrassed. Well, it's no big deal, I guess. And who'd believe him if he bragged out seeing up a giant Palman girl's skirt anyway?

And so, Alis trudged on in the direction the Motavian had pointed out. Myau said the factory was pretty much directly north of Uzo. Hapsby always tends to land to Luveno in a northward direction, so finding my way won't be hard after that....

Eventually, Alis made her way to the outskirts of Uzo. As she neared the town, however, she noticed some children playing, climbing over a large rock. Miraculously, they didn't seem to notice her. Alis hoped she could get by without scaring those kids silly and causing further embarrassment. But as she started to move off to get around the rock they were playing on, she noticed a sandworm suddenly emerging near the kids, poised to strike.

There was no thought on Alis's part. Acting on instinct, she bolted toward the rock. One of the kids - a little girl, who was climbing the side of the rock - suddenly turned and spotted the monster. She let out a scream of terror as the sandworm arched back. But before it could lash out, Alis had reached the rock and effortlessly snatched up the sandworm. To her, it was like grasping a small piece of rope. Alis threw it down against the sand, then before it could do anything else, she unsheathed her sword and cut it in two.

Alis stared at the downed monster for a moment, breathing heavily. Then she turned and looked at the children on the rock. Just like the Motavian was moments ago, they all stared blankly at the giantess in stunned silence. Alis stared back at them for a few moments, until she finally said, "Uh, you kids shouldn't be, um, playing so far away from the town. Monsters and all that."

The children merely stared back, no doubt regarding her as a monster herself. Oh, this is useless, she thought, embarrassed yet again. Hopefully those kids'll get the message and go home. With that, she strode off toward Uzo again. Eventually, she came up to the town from its eastern side, hoping that no one else saw her. Her hopes were quickly dashed, however, when she heard faint screams coming from the inside of the town. No doubt whoever saw her figured she was the newest scourge sent out by Lassic.

Oh lovely, Alis thought dejectedly, sickened by the notion that anyone could ever consider HER one of Lassic's minions. Better cut out before they really start panicking. She glanced down at the Luveno, which, miraculously, was still in the same spot where Haspby landed it yesterday. Without another second's delay, she took off in the direction the Luveno's nose was pointing in, leaving a town which was no doubt full of panicked people behind her. It's no big deal, she assured herself. Besides, once I'm done with this little chore, they'll have less to really worry about.

Alis's tedious trek across Motavia continued. For what seemed like an eternity, she trudged on, with what looked like an endless field of ravenous antlions to her left. The nauseating memory the sight of them evoked made Alis reflexively cover her mouth. Ack, hopefully I'll have this wrapped up before I get too hungry again. If I have to eat another one of those...THINGS.... That was the undeniable downside to being a towering giantess: it was way too hard to get a decent meal.

Eventually, though, Alis spotted what signalled the end of her journey, far off in the distance. From her unique vantage point, she could clearly see an arrangement of antlion pits that made the shape of an arrow, pointing northwest. "There it is! If Myau was right, the factory's just ahead!" she exclaimed excitedly. She realized that every Robotcop in the factory must've heard her outburst, but she didn't care. So what if they had advance warning? It'd be like being warned a tornado or a tsunami was coming. Sure, you KNEW it was coming, but what could you actually DO about it?

Smiling wickedly, Alis unsheathed her trusty laconian sword, all the while gathering up her stored power, letting it rush to the surface. She was thrilled to feel that, after having had time to rest, her magic power was once again at its peak. Strangely, though, the laconian sword didn't pulsate with as much power as it usually did. Alis didn't give it much thought, chalking it up to being some problem caused by its increase in mass. She made one broad swipe with her sword, which kicked up a wind that would've flattened anyone standing nearby, then she charged ahead.

Sure enough, within seconds, she spotted a large structure up ahead. It had a three-story base like that of the bottom of a pyramid, just like the temple that served as a hideaway for Lassic's wretched monster, Medusa. And jutting out from the top were two rows of large smokestacks, four in each row, that were spewing out countless tons of acrid fumes into the atmosphere. And Alis could clearly hear the clangorous sound of heavy machinery, even though she was still several hundred feet away.

Couldn't be more obvious that I've just found what I'm looking for, Alis thought vindictively as she continued her charge. Can't believe we missed this before, when....

Suddenly, another thunderous noise mixed in with that of the factory's machinery: the start-up of engines from fighter ships. A second later, Alis saw them emerge from some hangar behind the factory. They quickly turned about and flew directly at Alis, immediately opening fire upon her. Alis almost laughed as she brought her shield out; the blaster fire ricocheted harmlessly off the metal. One or two blasts struck her in the leg, but did no more than slightly burn her. Please, you think a little burn'll stop me? I've suffered far worse, she thought mockingly as she bolted forward again. Before the Robotcops piloting the ships had a chance to react, Alis was all over them. Her laconian sword tore through one of them like a knife through butter; it exploded in a dazzling flash of pyrotechnics, but Alis turned her face away before she could be blinded. As she did so, she swung her sword around again, slicing through another one.

As she turned away from the second explosion, she felt blaster fire strike the small of her back, which wasn't covered by her diamond armor. She also heard the sound of torpedoes being fired. Acting with the speed of thought, Alis ducked down and rolled forward. She both heard and felt the torpedoes go off some distance behind her after smacking into the sandy ground. I'll have to be more careful. I'm sure those torpedoes can home in on me, she realized.

Alis quickly stood up, facing the oncoming ships. They opened fire again with their blasters, but Alis was ready. She dashed to the side to avoid the barrage, putting away her shield as she did so. Then, she started gathering power within her free hand. Before any of the ships could open fire again, Alis cut loose with her patented double fireball blast. Both of her shots were right on the money, and the two ships erupted in a blinding flash of flames. A third ship was then trying to make another head-on assault, but Alis bolted forward again and swatted it out of the sky with her sword.

Alis, five. Useless toy ships, zero. So far, another shutout for yours truly, Alis thought triumphantly, joy and pride swelling up within her. Just like Wren said, her gangantuan size was a major tactical advantage that just begged to be exploited. And so far, taking down even the toughest machines had proven to be SO RIDICULOUSLY EASY! No sense in stopping now! Alis reasoned just as more ships moved in for another pass, firing torpedoes. She brought out her shield again, which easily blocked them; she barely even felt the explosions! It served to increase her already heady sense of power even more.

Just as she was ready to charge at the ships with her sword, before they could fly off, Alis heard something else: the faint but distinct noise of landrover treads. She looked to her right, and sure enough, several landrover-tanks were quickly approaching. Several dozen Robotcops, approaching on foot and armed with what looked like surface-to-air missile launchers, accompanied them. The cannons mounted on the landrover-tanks looked ready to fire upon her. And fire they did, sending missiles out right for her. Alis easily blocked them with her shield, but more ships moved in behind her and bombarded her with blaster fire. This time, they inflicted a lot more pain, making Alis wince and her eyes water. Urgh. Coming at me from all sides, she realized angrily. Better do something to shake things up a bit.

And Alis had a good idea about how to do just that. She darted toward the armada of landrover-tanks, and before they could fire again, Alis lashed out with a kick at the nearest one. Her foot smashed into the landrover-tank with titanic force, sending it flying into the rest of the formation with a mind-boggling velocity. It steamrolled through any other landrover-tank in its path with ridiculous ease, laying waste to at least a dozen of them, along with several scores of Robotcops, before finally coming to a halt, several hundred feet away.

However, the landrover-tanks that were still intact, and the remaining Robotcops, simultaneously opened fire, sending out a deadly rain of missiles at Alis...for all the good it did them. Alis simply ducked down slightly and held out her shield. All of the missiles either harmlessly struck her diamond armor or her laconian shield. The explosions rattled her for a moment, but soon she was react to act again. While safely behind her shield, she sheathed her sword and collected power into her right hand. Then, while there was a slight lull in the enemy's fire, she cut loose with another double fireball blast. The raging inferno that roared across the sands incinerated any Robotcops that were on foot in the blink of an eye, and reduced whatever landrover-tanks that remained to twisted, charred scrap metal. And when the fires had died down, Alis was astonished to see that the intense heat had actually turned a good stretch of the sandy ground into a sheet of glass!

The sound of the ships' engines snapped Alis back to attention. She turned around just in time to see three more ships coming right at her, firing more torpedoes. She easily blocked the volley of torpedoes with her shield, then she took a few steps forward and swung her sword again. However, this time the ships broke formation and veered off in all directions. Then they came at her from all sides, wildly cutting loose with blaster fire.

"OwWww!!" Alis cried angrily as the blaster fire scorched her skin. They're adapting. Finally using what they have for brains and not letting me get a clean hit in, she reasoned. Sighing, Alis took a good look all around her. They were all circling her while keeping a distance of several hundred feet. Suddenly, one of them turned toward her, no doubt to quickly fire at her again before veering off. A sudden idea popped into Alis's head. When it got near enough to fire upon her, Alis let it. She easily blocked the torpedoes with her shield yet again.

But when it veered off, Alis lashed out with an outstretched hand and called upon her magic. This time, however, she used her rope spell. Before the ship's pilot could do anything, cords of ropes several feet in diameter wrapped themselves around the fighter. Alis clenched the ends of the ropes securely in her hand, and gave them a forecful tug. The ship snapped back, and Alis began to swing the ship around like a giant mace. Once another ship tried to move in, Alis timed her move carefully...and hurled the bound ship right at it! They collided in midair and the shattering impact decimated them instantly.

"Only one left!" Alis cried triumphantly as she rushed at the last ship, which was just beginning to move in as well. It opened fire with blasters, but Alis laughed disdainfully as the weapon fire bounced harmlessly off her shield and breast plate. She unsheathed her sword again, and managed to slice the final ship apart before it could fly away. Alis watched its mutilated remains clatter noisily to the ground, embedding themselves into the sand and kicking up a thick cloud as they did so.

For several minutes, Alis stared down approvingly at her handiwork, breathing heavily, full of vindictive delight. *Not a bad way to spend a morning,* she thought wickedly. Eventually, she decided it was time to get back to business, so she turned and walked back over to the factory. She walked over the long stretch of land she'd turned into a sheet of glass; the sheet cracked and shattered noisily under her oppressive weight, and she lazily kicked aside the scorched remains of the landrover-tanks she fried moments ago.

She stood beside the factory for a moment and looked up; the smokestacks were quite a bit taller than she was, and the rest of the factory looked sturdily built. Alis guessed it was probably built to withstand just about any imaginable disaster. Of course, no one could've imagined a giant, rampaging girl hellbent on wreaking havoc would ever come along. Hmmm, how should I go about this? Alis pondered, scratching her chin. She looked at the smokestacks again, which were still spewing out pollutants. Then she looked down at the factory's ground level, and finally noticed some Motavians had managed to escape in the confusion. A few were pouring out of an exit right next to her feet. Alis reflexively took a step back as the panicked Motavians made a mad dash for freedom, occassionally glancing up fearfully at her.

Oh that's right! How could I have forgotten!? she thought, mentally chiding herself. Part of the reason I came here was to free the enslaved Motavians! So....

Alis knelt down and dug her fingers into the factory walls. Even the special, reinforced steel alloy instantly caved against her unfathomable strength. She easily began pulling the metal walls off the factory, exposing the main assembly area inside. Soon enough, Alis could get a good look at the inside, seeing all the complex machinery and manufacturing equipment...not to mention scores of panicked and confused Motavians.

"Uh, hi," Alis said sheepishly, afraid that anything she said would cause more of a panic instead of getting the Motavians to calm down. She was proven right. They screamed even louder than ever, tripping and trampling over each other as they fled in all directions. Alis sighed as she watched the chaos unfold. Once again, she was swiftly losing her patience. "ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!" she thundered, and it finally seemed like she got their attention. "I came here to help all of you escape, and to level this place! I'm going to get you all out of here, but I need you all to do one thing first!"

All the Motavians had finally stopped buzzing around like crazed owl bears and were staring right at her. Encouraged, Alis went on. "I'm also here looking for a prisoner: an old Esper by the name of Tarzimal. If he's here, I need you to find him. Once I know whether or not he's here, I'm gonna bring the whole place down."

Alis heard the Motavians start to mutter among themselves. It was taking them quite a while to decide whether they'd help her. But just when Alis was about to speak up again and demand that they answer, one of the Motavians finally spoke up. "Uh, OK, we-we'll all look," he squeaked. It took a few moments longer, but the rest of the Motavians dispersed, off to search the rest of the factory.

*Well, they probably won't run into much resistance. Most of the Robotcops here were probably sent outside to fight me...and get squashed,* she thought as she watched them go. Sighing again, Alis sat one the ground and waited for any word from the Motavians. Here was another downside to being a giantess: there were so many places you couldn't fit in, and you had to rely on others. Alis fidgeted impatiently as she was kept waiting. Occassionally, she thought she heard more ship engines getting closer, but it was merely a hot, sandy wind blowing across the land. Still, it served to make her much more antsy than before.

After an absurdly long wait, Alis heard someone yelling from down below. Looking down, she saw a group of Motavians, armed with weapons obviously dropped by Robotcops. The same Motavian that had talked to her earlier spoke up again. "We, uh, we search the whole factory and all the levels below, but, um, there were no prisoners."

*Aw damnit, I was sure he'd be here,* she thought angrily. Then she looked at the rifle the Motavian was holding. "You, uh, didn't run into much resistance, did you?" she asked delicately.

He shook his head. "We didn't have much trouble overrunning the rest of the Robotcops. A few of use got wounded, but nothing serious."

Alis raised an eyebrow. Funny. Wonder why there weren't more still around. Surely not ALL of them were sent out fight me, now that I think about it, she pondered. Out loud, she said, "Alright, have your people clear out of this dump. Time to do what I came here to do."

The Motavians didn't need to be told twice. Fortunately, there were several working landrovers in the hangars, and the rest of the Motavians were able to pour into them and drive off. Once they were all clear, Alis didn't waste any time getting to work. She walked around to the other side of the factory, then pulled her foot back and slammed it into the factory as hard as she could. The metal instantly caved from the sheer force, and her boot smashed right into the facility, wrecking anything and everything it touched. Alis proceeded to land a few more kicks in the side of the factory, sending large chunks of metal and machinery flying everywhere. Then she unsheathed her sword and repeatedly thrust it deep into the factory, determined to plow into the lower levels and wreck them completely. She wanted to make sure no one could ever use this facotry again for a long, long time.

After a few more thrusts and swipes, Alis decided it was really time to get her hands dirty. She reached deep into the gaping holes she had created and grasped at whatever machines her fingers brushed up against. She would then tear out handfuls of wreck machinery and toss it aside, then reached in to repeat the process again and again. But eventually, Alis got the feeling she was wasting too much time and energy using her bare hands. Forget this, she thought as she gathered up power, then flung fireballs into the gutted factory. Flames roared within the factory, which soon spewed outward after whatever fossil fuels and combustible materials that were inside had ignited. Satisfied with that, she unsheathed her sword a final time and sliced apart all eight billowing smokestacks, leaving the factory completely demolished.

For a while, Alis stared at the smoldering remains of the factory, smiling broadly. Noah and the others can't possibly find any fault with this, she thought to herself. A factory that churned out nothing but killing machines has been razed to the ground, and all the native people Lassic enslaved are free! There really is no limit to what I can do now! And to think, Noah kep insisting that no good would come from me venting all my anger....

But the thought of Noah immediately put a damper on her spirits. That's right, I better head back before they try doing something without me, Alis thought. She turned from the burning factory and began her long trek back to her cave, stomping across Motavia's sandy expanse yet again. And I'll have to tell Noah I couldn't find Tarzimal after all, she realized, feeling surprised by how deeply she felt disappointed with herself, despite everything else she had just done. It was as if...she couldn't bear letting him down.

Oh, why would that be!? she thought frustratedly. He's the one who let ME down! All of them! I thought they had accepted me as their leader, and they had the nerve to question me! Well, this'll show them who's the boss....

And with that, she kept on stomping southward back to Uzo, relishing the thought of telling her companions off and proving to them she was really worthy of leading them....

At long last, she had reached the mountain range again. Though she hated to admit it, she knew she could use some more sleep after slogging around in Motavia's hot, dry weather all day. Her healing magic was more than enough to patch up the minor injuries she had gotten, but she still felt tired. Not to mention she had to let her stomach settle after hunger got the better of her and she ate a few more antlions. After that, she found herself once again longing for being able to eat normally again. Still, she found it hard to decide whether or not she wanted to be restored to her normal size just yet.

Well, at least that robot'll have it in working order by now, Alis thought as she stepped up to the cave's entrance. And hopefully, he'll have figured out where Tarzimal is, too. Once I know where he is, I'll be able to spring him, easily. Then it's off to Palma again. Things are finally looking up again. With that encouraging thought, she knelt down, ready to crawl back into her cave.

However, just as she was about to, she heard an unexpected - and most unwelcome - noise coming from the cave's interior: the distinctive hum of one of Lassic's fighter ships.

Before Alis could even gasp in surprise, the forward light of the fighter ship blinded her. And a split-second later, blaster fire lashed out, striking her in the forehead.

"YEOW!" Alis screeched as she fell back and hit the ground, her hands flying to her forehead. The ships had been so close when it opened fire, the pain from the burns was far, far worse than anything the ships guarding the factory had inflicted. For a while, the pain dulled her ability to think, though eventually, the obvious questions popped in her head: What was that ship doing there? And where were the others?

Alis uttered just about every unprintable word in the Palman language under her breath as she struggled to get back on her feet. Once she was finally standing again and opened her eyes, she saw another one of those ships, idly hovering nearby. Alis gritted her teeth in anger as she drew her sword, determined to slice it apart.

But as Alis stepped forward and reared back her right arm, a crackling voice rang in her ears, no doubt coming from an audio system from the ship. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Alis. You'd only live to regret it." The voice was horribly distorted, yet somehow, it sounded vaguely familiar to Alis.

However, Alis was too enraged to be curious. "Oh, is that so!?" she spat defiantly. "To me, it looks like you'll be the one regretting things...if you don't give me answers! What're you doing here? And what have you done with my friends!?"

A cold, malicious laugh echoed from the ship's speaker. "Funny you should ask," said the voice in a mocking tone. Alis was about to yell something else, but then she heard a faint clicking sound from the ship, followed by a whirring sound. Whatever those sounds meant, Alis instinctively knew it wasn't good news for her. She started to swing her sword, but stopped herself when she saw something rise from the top of the ship....

It was the Assassin, rising up on some lift system. And on the lift with her were Noah, Odin and Myau, all unconscious and bound with metal wire. Alis's heart froze at the sight of them at the Assassin's mercy. Despite their earlier quarrel, they were still her friends, and she couldn't bear the sight of them captured by the enemy.

"Actually, I must thank you for delivering them into my hands, Alis," said the Assassin. "It's because of you that I was able to get hold of them."

Alis's mind was blank. "Wh-What do you...."

"You left them unprotected, vulnerable. By going on your stomping spree and going after my factory, your friends were left without their boss to watch over them," said the Assassin haughtily. "I'll spill a little secret, Alis: I allowed the ones you call Odin and Myau to escape from the factory. When I noticed that meddlesome girl break into the lower levels, I instinctively knew she had come to free them. Luckily, I had the foresight to plant a transmitter in the musk cat's fur in case he escaped. I figured he would have some means of locating you after you vanished in that sandstorm, so I decided to let your friends do my work for me. That girl and her robot came along at the perfect time; they would escape, without suspecting that I wanted them to. Of course, I made sure that girl was taken out. It wouldn't do to have an engineer of that caliber running around with your crowd, making a mess of things...."

Alis's blood went from being frozen to boiling after hearing that. Myau and Odin had been used to get to her, and that girl, Leli...she thought she was doing something to help them, but she ended up being used by this heartless creature and then was slaughtered by her! All reason left Alis as she reared her arm back again, her face contorted with livid fury. She thoughtlessly readied herself to slice apart the Assassin's ship.

But she stopped when the Assassin brought one end of her glaive right up to Noah's neck, as if to behead him. "Uh uh uh, Alis. Don't you realize that if you strike out at me, you run the risk of killing your friends, too? Or do you not even care for them anymore?"

Those words were like a knife in Alis's heart. "Oh yes, Alis. I know all about your little argument with your friends. The transmitter I planted in Myau's fur also served as a hidden microphone. That's how I knew you were coming to the factory, and how I was able to get plenty of our assault craft and Robotcops evacuated with time to spare. Losing a factory was inconsequential if it meant I could capture the rest of your group and use them as the ultimate trump card.

"And I heard everything you said to your friends, including how you said you felt you didn't need them anymore." Alis stared back dumbly at the Assassin, her heart frozen again and feeling utterly helpless. How could this be happening? Today, it seemed like nothing could touch her, that she could do anything by herself! And now, with the Assassin holding her friends hostage, she was powerless to do anything!

"Well, you won't have to worry about the girl's android anymore, at least," the Assassin went on. "I left him back there, buried under tons of stone. So much for that girl's hopes of using that machine to help you."

Once again, Alis went from being frozen with shock to being about to explode with anger. Her contempt for artificial intelligence notwithstanding, she wouldn't tolerate hearing anyone mock the memory of someone who'd sacrificed so much for the cause of overthrowing Lassic. "THAT'S ENOUGH!!" she bellowed with her deafening voice, and was pleased to see the Assassin wince a little. "Just get to the point. Exactly what is it you want!?"

"Finally, you ask," said the Assassin simply. "My answer is simple: you. My primary reason for luring you back to Motavia was so you'd lead me to Tarzimal, but what I wanted the most was to take you out."

Alis stared back at the Assassin, nonplussed. "Me? Why!?"

"Because somehow, you've done more to frustrate Lassic's plans than anyone else. Where hundreds of others have failed, you just might succeed. And I can't let that happen," replied the Assassin hatefully. "For me, this is now personal. And I want this to be between you and me. So here's what I'm proposing: at dawn tomorrow, return to the factory you totaled. You'll find me waiting there. That's where and when we'll settle this. If you refuse, your friends' lives are forfeit!" With that, the lift slowly lowered the Assassin and her unconscious friends back into the ship, which then flew off, as Alis watched it go, powerless to do anything for fear of hurting her friends.

For several minutes, Alis just stood there, heedless of the harsh, sandy winds and the setting sun...heedless of everything except the fact that, in one fell swoop, this Assassin had taken all her friends hostage and left her completely on her own. And from what the Assassin had said, she was partly responsible, because of how she stormed out on her friends and left them wide open and unprotected. The last time she saw them, she yelled at them and said she didn't need them. And now, she'd give anything to undo what had happened, to have them safely with her again....

I-I don't believe this, she thought over and over. The giantess slumped to her knees, consumed by her anguish. H-How can this be? Before, it looked like I could do anything! Everything was going so well. And t-then, that Assassin comes along and takes everyone away!!

Alis wasn't sure how long she knelt there in the sand, too grief-stricken to even think straight. But fortunately, after several long minutes of soul-searching, she eventually was able to think clearly again. The faces and voices of her friends kept popping up in her mind's eye; Myau's cutesy expressions, Odin's calmness and fatherly musings, and most of all, Noah's nervous rantings and longing stares....

I'll get them back, Alis thought resolutely. This flunky of Lassic's is making this personal, giving me a chance to have it out with her...I swear she'll regret that come tomorrow morning. But...she's probably got everything planned, has all sorts of traps set.... What if I can't do it alone? What if I need help?

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the cave's entrance again. Wait a minute...could there be a chance? she thought hopefully. She began crawling through the cave, stopping only when it became so dark she couldn't see at all. She groped around, feeling the wall for any loose boulders. Once she found one, she immediately pulled it off the cave wall and superheated it to incandescence. Once light flooded the cave system once more, Alis could see her landrover some distance ahead. At least she left that behind, she thought as she crawled up to it. Alis took a good look around, and soon spotted a large pile of rocks near the cave wall, one that she was certain wasn't there when she left....

Slowly and timidly, she began removing the rocks from the pile, not knowing what she expected to find. He's got to be here, he's got to be working, she kept thinking. She still didn't completely trust this android, but at the moment, he was probably the only ally she had left, the only one she could now rely on....

Finally, just when Alis was about to abandon all hope, she removed a rock and revealed a tiny arm poking out through the pile. And if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, the hand was moving slightly!

Hope swelling up within her, she carefully plucked the rest of the rocks off of Wren. There he was, laying almost motionless, his armor looking burned and battered. Alis got the feeling Wren gave the Assassin the fight of her life before she caused that rock pile to fall on him. "Wren! Can you hear me!?" she called out as she gently picked him up and set him in the palm of her hand. She examined him closely for a moment. Myau and Odin had commented about how big and imposing Wren looked, but to her, he seemed just as small and fragile as everyone else.

Just when Alis was about to call his name again, she saw Wren's eyelids flutter open. His head slowly turned, his eyes slowly fixing on her huge face. "A-Alis," he managed to get out as he looked up at her, his voice sounding staticy and stuttery. "The Assassin. S-She came, tried to c-capture your fr-friends. I-I t-tried to fight...."

"I know, I know, she told me everything," Alis said quickly. "She's taken them all hostage, and has challenged me to a personal contest of some sort. If I don't show up, she'll murder them all."

Wren silently stared up at Alis, as if he was awaiting new orders. She then remembered that he was programmed to obey every command she gave him. "Wren, I have a nasty feeling she'll have dozens of traps ready. Fleets and fleets of landrover-tanks and fighter ships and things like that. I-I don't know if I'll be able to handle it alone."

"I-In add-addition, the Assassin stole Tarzimal's lamp," Wren interjected. "S-She seemed to k-know all-all about how it f-functions and h-how she can use i-it. A-And now that it has be-been repaired...."

"Once I show up, she can just zap me back to normal size, and then I'll REALLY be in for it," Alis finished, her heart sinking even more. "Any ideas?"

Wren looked up at her, and Alis had the feeling he was running all sorts of scenarios through his CPU while he remained silent. If that was the case, then he decided on a course of action fairly quickly. "I believe t-there may b-be a possibly wa-way to simultaneously pre-prevent the Assassin from utilizing t-the de-device, and di-disabling wh-whatever armada she has amassed. But in order to do that, w-we must appropriate a co-commercial sapceship f-from Paseo, one with a class Y7 fusion engine a-at least."

"Umm, why is that?" Alis asked the android, wondering how a single ship could possibly turn the tables on the Assassin when she was holding all the cards.

"I-I will ex-explain later," stammered Wren. "F-for now, pl-please set me by the la-landrover. There a-are repair k-kits inside, with which I can re-restore my-myself to a functional sta-state." Alis quickly obliged, carefully lowering her outstretched hand so that it was beside the landrover. Wren slowly sat up and swung his legs around, carefully dropping down from the palm of her hand. He hobbled over to the landrover and stumbled inside.

For several minutes, Wren remained in the landrover, no doubt using the repair kits he mentioned to fix his damaged systems and CPU. Once again, Alis felt so helpless, hampered by her size yet again. She was confident she could help repair Wren if she were normal sized, but as she was, she'd undoubtedly do more harm than good if she tried.

At last, Wren exited the landrover and immediately looked back up at Alis. Alis slowly lowered her head to the ground to better hear the android, and when he spoke up, his voice was his usual dull, flat tone. "My repairs are complete. I am now at 87% fighting capacity, which I believe is sufficient. So I suggest we leave for Paseo immediately. When does the Assassin expect you to arrive for her challenge?"

"Around sunrise tomorrow. And the sun's just set now," Alis replied.

"If we can find a spaceship with a suitable fusion engine, I should be able to complete the necessary work before sunrise," Wren said to the giantess. "There's also another reason it is urgent that we leave for Paseo as soon as possible."

Alis raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Right before the Assassin attacked, I intercepted some transmissions talking about a secret flight that had to be postponed due to solar wind activity, and conditions will be suitable again within hours. All it said, though, was that the flight concerned a prisoner transfer."

Alis gasped. "You...you think that...."

"Yes. There's a high probability that Tarzimal is the prisoner in question. Most likely, Lassic wishes to interrogate him personally."

Alis smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?" she asked impatiently, lowering an outstretched hand yet again. Wren obligingly climbed up onto her huge hand, without any hint of worry. Alis then raised her hand carefully, bringing it up to her shoulder. "Get on," she ordered, and then she heard Wren clamber onto her shoulder pad. After that, she carefully crawled her way to the cave's eastern exit, then rose to her full height. Fighting the fatigue that claimed to overtake her, she began making her way northward again, this time heading for Paseo....

Chapter 8: The Best Laid Plans

Night had finally fallen on the spaceport directly south of Paseo, the first Palman city set up on Motavia. When Palmans had first began travelling to Motavia in spaceships and started setting up colonies, Paseo was set up as an experimental city, to see whether such colonization was possible. Thus, the spaceport was always busily managing incoming and outgoing travel ever since Paseo was established over 150 Palman years ago.

However, beacuse of Lassic's recent reign of tyranny, the spaceport's activity had been slowed drastically. Since only those with passports and people on official business could use the spaceport, business just wasn't what it used to be. Nevertheless, providing Paseo with supplies from Palma was still necessary, and the people fortunate enough to find jobs at the spaceport still had days and nights with plenty of work to look forward to. This had proven to be one of those days, and now that it was nightfall, those workers who weren't scheduled to clock out prepared themselves for another long, dreary, busy night. They believed that tonight would be no different from any other.

They were about to be proven dead wrong.

As the security personnel began their nightly patrols and the overnight workers were busily coordinating arrivals and departures, some of them were vaguely aware of a low rumbling noise. Those that did quickly dismissed it, but then it continued, and steadily grew louder and louder. Soon the noise became so pronounced it could no longer be ignored, and the spaceport's workers began to look about nervously, anxiously trying to figure out what the noise was and where it was coming from.

They got their answer soon enough.

Wasting no time, Alis Landale climbed up onto the main platform of Paseo's spaceport, then rose to her full height of over 150 feet, her head almost level with even the spaceport's tallest buildings and towers. All the people on the platform nearby, and all the people in the buildings close to her, screamed and ran like mad when they finally saw Alis. Alis once again felt mortified about causing fear and panic like that, not to mention a little guilty for what she had to do here, but she knew she couldn't let that hold her up. She had to finish her business here and get moving as quickly as possible, so Wren would have everything ready by sunrise tomorrow.

Shaking her head, Alis slowly walked forward, into the heart of the spaceport, all the while looking down to make sure she didn't accidently step on anyone. She had to strain her eyes, though, despite the lighting provided by the towers. However, she saw that she had come across some people soon enough. Several people were standing nearby, looking up at her nervously, their faces showing nothing but awe. Judging from the pistols they had drawn and their outfits, Alis guessed they must have been security guards. They didn't pose any serious threat, but it wouldn't do to have them taking potshots at her if they ever got over their fear. However, she had no desire to hurt these people. They were just normal people, not flunkies of Lassic, and were just trying to make it by in these inconceivably harsh times.

And so, Alis lifted one foot and brought it crashing down near the security guards. Her foot easily smashed through the concrete, and the shockwave she created knocked all the guards off their feet. "All of you out of here, NOW!" she bellowed, so loudly that the windows of the nearby buildings rattled. "I won't hurt anyone as long as you stay OUT OF MY FACE!"

All the guards got the hint. They screamed and scattered, bolting away from the giantess as fast as they could. Alis sighed and shook her head again. She didn't enjoy doing that. Being a towering giantess had long since lost its appeal, now that she'd realized it didn't mean she was all-powerful...and that her heady sense of power was part of the reason her friends were all in danger again.

But she didn't allow herself to dwell too much on that and kept moving, looking around anxiously for what Wren said she needed to steal. She looked down at all the ships that had landed, but then realized it would be too hard for her to determine which ships had what she needed; to her, they all looked like model kits she built as a child.

Luckily for her, she soon found someone who could tell her what she needed. Near the landing gear of one of the larger spaceships, Alis spotted a young woman, who, judging from her work clothes, was some sort of engineer or mechanic. Alis quickly knelt down and reached for her before she had a chance to run away. Of course, she tried, but in her mad haste to flee she tripped and fell flat on her face, and the next thing she knew, Alis's fingertips were clamped around her middle and she was quickly being lifted into the air.

Alis looked the terrified engineer straight in the eyes, hoping that she wasn't too traumatized to answer her. "Alright, what's the smallest ship you've got in this spaceport with a class Y7 fusion engine!?" Alis demanded. The woman writhed and squirmed in her grip, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Alis shook her head impatiently, then said, "Listen, I'll let you go once you've answered me! Now WHICH SHIP HAS WHAT I NEED!?"

For a brief moment, the engineer stared up wide-eyed at Alis's huge face, still scared out of her mind. But luckily for both of them, reason finally took over. She looked back down at the runways and pointed to a ship that was quite a bit smaller than the commercial spaceships usually serviced by the spaceport; like the commercial ships, it had an orange-red tint, but it was shaped similarly to the Luveno, and it was just a little bit bigger than her ship. Alis looked back down at the engineer and smiled. "Thank you so much. Now I suggest you get going," Alis said, then carefully lowered her back down to the ground. The instant her feet touched the runway and Alis let go, she took off faster than a crazed were-bat.

Ugh, the sooner this is over with, the better, Alis thought with a sigh as she watched the engineer run like crazy. She walked through the fleet of grounded spaceships, careful not to accidently knock them over with her huge feet and damage them; she wasn't here to wreck the place, just get what she needed and leave. That, and one other thing....

Alis bent over, reached down and carefully picked up the ship the engineer had pointed out with both hands, not wanting to drop it and damage the engine. She carefully tucked it underneath her arm and started to stand back up, but before she could, she felt sharp burning sensations sting her butt.

"Oww!" she exclaimed as she looked behind her. Robotcops and Androcops from the governor's mansion in Paseo had finally arrived, vainly trying to bring her down. Excellent! They've finally come! she thought jubilantly. If they were here, everything was going according to plan. But she didn't let her excitement show. Alis promptly stood up and turned around as she rubbed her butt, glaring down at the killing machines. "Try and make me take it up the ass, will you!? Eat this, miserable little insects!"

Alis didn't bother unsheathing her sword or using her magic, not with something so important as the purloined ship to hang onto. Instead, she lashed out in a far more satisfying manner. She took one step forward, raised her foot, and slammed it down onto the runway, flattening at least half a dozen Robotcops. She kept doing that again and again, until finally none of the pesky machines remained, and she had left several boot-shaped craters in the runway. And out the corner of her eye, she saw that she had left a trail of boot-shaped indentations in the concrete, just by walking across it. Ugh, am I really THAT heavy? she wondered. Like all girls, she was a little self-conscious about her weight, and now that she weighed at least hundreds, if not thousands, of tons....

A sound like that of a rocket quickly made Alis forget about her weight problems. She turned in the direction of the noise, and saw just what she had hoped: Wren, flying thanks to the rocket-powered flight pack Leli had built directly into his systems. And being held securely in his arms was Tarzimal; he looked exhausted, dreary and weak, scarcely aware of what was going on. But he was alive, and free.

It worked! Alis thought happily. Everything had gone as planned. While she caused pandemonium at the spaceport, creating a diversion and goading the Robotcops stationed in Paseo to come and investigate, Wren was able to slip into the governor's mansion where Tarzimal was held prisoner and free him. Out loud, Alis said, "OK, Wren, let's beat it! We've got work to do!" Wren merely nodded in approval, and flew after Alis as she walked back the way she came, jumping off the spaceport's platform. She landed on the sand with a deafening boom, the pilfered ship still securely held under her arm.

Once she was on the ground, Wren flew over to her and landed on her shoulder. "We had best get moving, before any reinforcements arrive," he suggested.

Alis said nothing, but merely did what Wren suggested and briskly ran southward, careful not to drop the spaceship or throw Wren and Tarzimal off her shoulder. Wren may be horribly dull, but so far he's come through for me, Alis thought, finally deciding she could rely on Leli's fighting machine. And right now, he was the ONLY one she could count on, save for maybe Tarzimal. She was anxious to get far enough away from Paseo, so that she could talk to him and explain the situation.

Finally, Alis made it to the edge of the field of antlions. Deciding that they had gone far enough, Alis sat down and gently plucked Wren, who was still holding onto Tarzimal, off of her shoulder. Wren carefully had Tarzimal sit down in the palm of Alis's outstretched hand. "Tarzimal?" she whispered, not wanting to blow out his eardrums. But the aged Esper hardly stirred. Something was definitely wrong wih him. Had he almost been tortured to death? "Tarzimal, talk to me," she spoke up again, a little more loudly this time.

Tarzimal finally looked up at her, staring at her with glazed eyes. "So, it looks like my little invention worked," he croaked weakly. It looked like he managed a weak smile as well.

Alis smiled back. "Yeah, it did. Ingenious little thing. But why did you build something like that?"

"I'm always dabbling and tinkering with something, having so much spare time on my hands nowadays," said Tarzimal. "And as for that lamp, I had always wondered if the properties of the Laerma Nut could be harnessed in such a way. And there was...." His voice trailed off, as if uncertain of what to say next.

"And what?" Alis prodded.

"I just had a feeling, a premonition of sorts, that it would help you in some way should you come back. Perhaps as a means of...letting you learn something," he replied.

Yeah, I've certainly learned something. To stop being such an arrogant, overconfident bitch, Alis thought guiltily. Out loud, she said. "Well, let's forget about all that for now. We've got more serious problems." And so, Alis proceeded to explain to Tarzimal about how the Assassin had captured her friends and taken his lamp. Tarzimal was silent to whole time Alis was talking, and she hoped that was because he was thinking of something else they could do to thwart the Assassin.

But unfortunately, Tarzimal remained silent for a moment after Alis was done talking, still having that defeated, glassy look in his eyes. Eventually, though, he shook his head, his body language betraying a profound sense of sorrow. "I am sorry, my dear, but there will be no way I can help you," he finally said, sounding defeated.

Alis stared down at him, mouth agape. "How can you say that!?" she demanded, forgetting to speak softly. "Your old student is in danger! And we have to get your lamp back! How can you say there's nothing you can do!?"

Tarzimal gaed into Alis's huge eyes with a sad look. "If I could, child, I would. However, I simply have no time left. Within moments, I will have passed on."

Alis's jaw dropped again. "P-Passed o-on?" she stammered, unwilling to accept what she just heard. "Why are...how is...wh-what d'you...?"

"It is because I knew that I was going to be taken to Lassic to be interrogated, and I couldn't take the risk of him wresting the knowledge of the whereabouts of other Espers from me," said Tarzimal weakly. "Espers know of a special meditative discipline in which one can cause one's own nervous system to go haywire and shut down, and that is what I've done, beliveing I had no hope. I suspect within monents, all my autonomic functions will stop."

No, it can't be! I was too late! Alis thought disbelievingly, her mind nearly paralyzed with grief. She was so determined to save Tarzimal, to reunite him with Noah, and he had doomed himself well before she and Wren had gotten to him, all because they hadn't found him sooner!

Alis stared down at the dying old man in the palm of her hand, unable to think of a word to say. Tarzimal, however, spoke up again. "But...it is fortunate that you freed me at the last possible moment, Alis. There is one thing you must know, before I die: this was your destiny, to undertake this quest. I have known it since you were but a baby."

Alis stared at him blankly, nonplussed. What was he babbling about now? Tarzimal continued. "The first time you came, when I tested N-Noah...I did not believe you were ready to see this. B-Believed you c-couldn't handle the knowledge. But s-since I have no time left, I have n-no choice. Please, my child, bring me closer...up to your face."

Alis nodded obediently and lowered her head toward him, still not sure what all this was about. From the look on Wren's face, he didn't understand either. "Close e-enough, so I can touch your forehead," squeaked Tarzimal. Alis lowered her head even more, and then she felt a tiny hand gently brush against her forehead....

A cold chill went up and down Alis's spine as her vision became nothing but a blur of swirling colors. The icy numbness took her by surprise and overwhelmed her so much, she had no idea how long she stayed like that, unable to see, unaware of whatever was around her. But luckily, the blurry vision faded away and some feeling slowly returned to her, but what came into view was drastically different from Motavia's desert landscape.

Where she stood now, what she saw...it looked exactly like the decor of the governor's mansion. Alis's mind flipped when the fullness of it sunk in. Wait a minute! I'm normal-sized again!? she thought, now beyond confused. From the looks of things, she was back to her original height...actually, it seemed she was a little shorter than before. Then she realized that she was walking, but somehow, it was against her will. As if her body was moving on its own!

What's going on!? What did Tarzimal do!? she thought panickingly as her body continued to move on its own. Eventually, she came to the end of a long hallway, approaching an ornate double door with polished, silvery mirrors worked into it. After a quick look into the mirrors, Alis felt like she'd have a heart attack.

The reflection staring back at her was not her own, but that of Tarzimal's. As if she now inhabited his body.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALGO IS GOING ON!? she thought furiously, wanting to scream. But the body she was in did not respond to her wishes, but merely opened the double door and entered the room beyond. Several people were standing inside, a young, blue-haired haired boy who looked about two or three (whom she though looked remarkably like Nero would have at that age), and a middle-aged couple whom she guessed were the boy's parents. And there was a man she recognized instantly: the governor of Paseo. Though, after giving it a second's thought, he looked much younger than the man she met weeks ago. His hair had not yet started to grey, and profound wrinkles had not yet become etched in his features. Alis also noticed the governor was holding a tiny baby with short, brown hair, a girl from the looks of it....

"Greetings, governor," Alis heard herself say, and Tarzimal's voice came out of her mouth. "From the looks of things, I suppose you've decided to take my advice."

"Yes, well, you've never steered me wrong before, Tarzimal, even when I thought your advice was absolutely insane. I've come to trust your counsel," said the governor, sounding a little anxious. "I confess, though, I am reluctant to give her up. I've become quite attached to Aures's little girl. I hate to see her go."

"I know you do," said Tarzimal, "but I fear you must. For weeks I've had disturbing premonitions, odd feelings, dreams...I have come to realize that the princess is not safe here anymore. This is a child of destiny, and I am sure she will be important to the future of our world. She must be hidden away, until the time is right to tell her of her birthright."

Birthright? That baby is a princess? thought Alis. She listened attentively as the two men kept talking, still not sure what was going on.

"I wonder though, does this have anthing to do with your concern of the minister becoming the king after Aures's passing?" asked the governor.

"Hmmm, partly. I'm afraid I still don't trust him completely," said Tarzimal.

"Why not? I've known Reipard Lassic for many years, and he's a kind, honorable man. Why do you distrust him so?"

Kind and honorable!? LASSIC!? If she could have, Alis would've snorted in disgust.

Tarzimal went on. "It's just that...I sense strong feelings of fear and doubt within him. We all know he fears growing old, and the uncertainty of taking on his best friend's duties as king could lead him to make hasty, unwise decisions. His program to create police forces comprised of androids, for instance...."

"Well, urm, I'm sure he'll adapt to his role as provisional king soon enough," said the governor evasively. "Now then, here's the family I've selected as her caretakers...very dear and trusted friends of mine. They share the same surname as Aures, so no one will suspect that the Alis that will grow up with them is actually the beloved baby daughter of our late king. May I introduce the Landales, Tarzimal?"

Those last two sentences completely blew away Alis's mind. What was this, some actual memory of Tarzimal's she was reliving through his eyes!? If so, when was this...almost eighteen years ago!? Was that baby in the governor's arms actually...HER!?

Tarzimal shook hands with the blue-haired boy's father as the governor reluctantly handed the baby girl over into the woman's waiting arms. She then slowly lowered the baby so that her son good get a good look at her. "Say hi, Nero. She's going to be your new baby sister," she said.

Once again, Alis felt her whole world, everything she thought she knew for sure, go topsy-turvy. So that baby WAS her! Nero wasn't actually her brother after all...she was really a princess, the rightful heir to the ENTIRE ALGO SYSTEM!?

Suddenly, out the corner of her eye (or rather, Tarzimal's eye), Alis saw another young boy slowly approach her younger self, someone she didn't even realize was there. Another boy with blue-hair, only he looked much older than Nero, and his hair was long and almost feminine-looking. He wore fluttering white robes and strange, golden gauntlets. He shyly walked up to Alis's younger self, looking at her curiously.

"You'll see her again too, Lutz, I'll wager. I'm sure that you'll get the chance to serve our future queen as a full-fledged Esper, my pupil," Tarzimal said to the boy.

Wait a minute, that kid looks familiar. That hair.... Alis wondered. Then it clicked. Hold on, is this NOAH when he was a boy!? Why did Tarzimal call him 'Lutz'?

Before Alis could dwell on that, Tarzimal's view suddenly shifted to the ones who became her foster family. "Take good care of little Alis, please," he said to them. "Love her as if she were your own flesh and blood. For one day, I hope and I fear, she will come to the aid of all of Algo...."

And then, just as the whole weird experience had begun, a soul-withering chill flowed through every fiber of her being, and her vision became a distorted blur once again. Just as before, though, the fuzzy, blurry vision soon cleared and the chills subsides. When Alis was aware of her surroundings again, she found herself just as she was before, sitting down on the cold sands of Motavia, with Wren and Tarzimal securely held in the palm of her hand.

However, there was now an important difference. Tarzimal's eyes were closed and he was no longer moving at all.

"I am sorry, Alis. Tarzimal is dead. It appears his claim about shutting down his autonomic functions at will was truthful. There is no chance of reviving him," said Wren apologetically, confirming the chilling thought that made Alis feel as if her heart had been hollowed out. It was true. Tarzimal may have done this by choice, but still, as far as Alis was concerned, this was her failure.

"I assume you will want to give him a proper burial before tomorrow morning's battle," Wren said suddenly. Alis looked down at him, surprised that a machine would mention such a thing. Alis merely nodded. "I understand," said Wren as he lifted Tarzimal's dead body, as if to make sure nothing happened to it before Alis could bury him. "By the way, I noticed that for a few moments, your frontal lobes, hippocampus and amygdala all showed signs of hyperstimulation. Exactly what was it that Tarzimal did?" Wren asked curiously.

Alis carefully regarded Wren for a moment, wondering if she should bother answering him. At length, she merely said, "He just showed me something. Something I need to think about."

"Very well. Anyway, though I understand Tarzimal's death must have been difficult to watch, we must get moving." Once again, Alis just nodded. She slowly stood up, and Wren used his rocket pack to return to Alis's shoulder. She started walking back to the cave, carefully walking across the conical pits of antlions, her heart heavy and her mind reeling with questions she had no answers for.

And then, anger mingled with her sorrow as she thought of who was responsible for all her recent troubles. You'll pay, I swear it, Alis silently vowed. Kidnapping everyone for use as hostages, making it so Tarzimal had no choice but to do this...come tomorrow, you'll sorely regret giving me this one chance.

This wasn't the first time her heart was filled with such hate. It was all too familiar to her. It was the same with Nero's death. Just like when Nero was murdered, she felt so felt completely lost and alone, left to fend for herself against an enemy that seemed to exist only to spread suffering and strife, leaving her with an insatiable desire for revenge.

Revenge, huh? Alis thought, doubting that need for the first time. Noah's earlier lectures came back to her all of a sudden. At the time, she had brushed him off, believing he was being too naive and soft. But now, after everything that had happened, everything she had learned, she wondered if maybe he had a point. Perhaps letting oneself be overwhelmed by such hatred wasn't the way to go. It led to rash decisions, left you blind to other things that needed to be done....

Then Alis's thoughts drifted back to the memory Tarzimal had planted in her head. It was still fresh in her mind, the sight of herself as a baby, Noah and Nero barely two years old, and all that talk about her having some sort of destiny.

And is this it? Alis wondered. Was it really my destiny to liberate the Algo system? And do I really have to...become the queen? The thought of carrying such responsibility scared her. I never wanted to be a queen. I never wanted to rule Algo, just overthrow Lassic. But...do I really have a responsbility to take his place? As she thought about it, she realized Noah was right before. Killing Lassic wouldn't solve everything, and someone would have to try to maintain order afterwards. And did that have to be her? I guess Noah was right all along. It's not just about avenging myself against Lassic, it's also about undoing the damage he's caused. But can I really do that? Even if I can kill him, can I really take his place and fix everything?

Alis looked down at Tarzimal's grave again. "Is that why you didn't show me that memory before? Did you think the weight of that responsibility would scare me, or maybe that I was too obsessed with revenge to think about anything else?" she asked, as if the Esper could hear her wherever he was now.

"Alis?" asked a voice suddenly, making her jump. But it wasn't Tarzimal's. Alis slowly turned to the side and looked down to see Wren at her feet, looking up. Alis couldn't make out his facial expression in the dark, but she knew it'd probably be unreadable anyway.

"What?" Alis asked tersely, not wanting to be bothered.

"I understand how difficult Tarzimal's death must be, but is it imperative that you get as much rest as you can before dawn," said the android.

"Alright. Fine," Alis said shortly. And how can YOU understand how I feel? From what I heard, you weren't even broken up when your creator died, she silently added. But she stared down at the android for a moment. Despite his cold demeanor, he was all she had right now, the only one to confide in....

"Is there something the matter?" asked Wren, correctly guessing that something was on Alis's mind.

Since Alis could barely hear Wren, she bent down closer so that her head practically hovered over the android. "I'm wondering...is it true that Leli built you just so I'd have an extra ally? She really had faith in me, after hearing only rumors?"

"She did. Leli was inspired by the stories that one person was willing to stand against Lassic, and wished to do whatever she could to help. She also felt partially guilty because her father aided in the designing and manufacturing of the most recent line of Robotcops, and wished to create a different kind of fighting machine."

This revelation about Dr. Mad surprised Alis, but all Alis could do was ask, "A 'different kind'?"

"Yes. Robotcops were made for purely killing and terrorizing. It was Leli's wish that I fight to defend lives instead, rather than take them," Wren explained. "And regrettable though it may be, sometimes it is necessary to fight in order to defend life, and this is one of those times. That is why, even if I was not programmed to obey your orders, I would fight of my own free will."

Yet again, Alis was genuinely surprised by Wren's revelations. So he was truly different from other battle robots, possessing a will of his own, and a genuine desire to fight to defend lives? "S-So, you sort of feel it's your purpose in life?" she asked tentatively, frowning.

"Indeed I do," said Wren simply. He looked up at her again, with a look that could actually be described as heartfelt concern. "Is there anything else?"

Alis shook her head. "No, it's just that...I've learned I was kinda born for a purpose too, kinda like you," she replied. Wanting to stave off any more awkward questions, she then said, "Alright Wren, I'll get some sleep. Just make sure you have those modifications to that ship done by dawn." And with that, Alis got on her hands and knees, and squeezed her oversized frame into the mouth of the cave, both anxiously awaiting and dreading whatever would happen at sunrise.

When Wren had woken Alis, he informed her, in his usual dull, matter-of-fact manner, that she had approximately one hour and 47.63 minutes until the sun rose. His meaning was clear: it was high time they were on their way. And so, Alis headed straight west for Uzo, where, after inadvertently causing a panic yet again, Wren and Alis parted ways for the time being, leaving Alis to make the long trek to the totaled factory alone. She found herself immediately missing Wren's company. Once again, she felt completely alone and helpless, stomping across the sandy expanse with only her brooding thoughts to accompany her.

Alis tried to judge how far she had already walked, based on how she had made the same trip yesterday. She looked over the horizon, hoping to spot the factory she had taken out. She smiled, remembering how easily she had utterly decimated it, and looked forward to wiping out the Assassin just as easily. And at least I won't have to put up with any pesky machines this time. That is, if Wren's idea works. And it'd better, Alis thought. She looked up into the Motavian sky; two of the planet's three moons could still be seen, and the whole sky was tainted with a creepy, orange-red color...the same color as the ship she had acquired at Paseo's spaceport. She strained her eyes, hoping to see something, anything. But she knew it would be too high in the atmosphere by now to make out. At least, it'd better be. I haven't felt or noticed anything, yet. Come on, Wren, it's almost time....

But Wren managed to push such interfering, unnecessary feelings aside and focus on the data being displayed on the console before him. He had to pull this off at just the right time, when the conditions were just right, and give Hapsby just enouh time to get them out of harm's way. But he knew that time had to come soon. Wren had no doubt that Alis was nearing the ruined factory right about then.

Wren closely examined the data again. The atmospheric conditions looked just about right, their altitude was sufficient enough for his plan to have the desired effect, and the immediate area surrounding the totaled factory would be within range. Wren felt the time was right, and punched in a series of commands into the console.

And then, the cables trailing behind the Luveno detached...cables that had been attached to the ship Alis had stolen for him. But not before Wren had sent one final command into that ship's computer banks...one that instructed it to initiate an overload in its fusion engine.

"The overload is now in progress. Ascend as quickly as possible," Wren said flatly. Hapsby merely made clicking and whirring sounds, but Wren could tell the robot was complying and taking the ship into the uppermost reaches of Motavia's atmosphere as quickly as possible. Wren was certain the robot knew that what would happen next would mean certain annihilation for both of them if they were too close when the overload occured....

Wren turned back to the console's monitors, once again watching them closely while Haspby deftly handled the piloting of the ship. He watched with satisfaction when the ship's fusion core finally overloaded and detonated, which would then produce an enormous burst of electromagnetic radiation spreading outward. And once that radiation reached low enough into Motavia's atmosphere, the gamma rays produced interacted with air molecules to give rise to Compton electrons. When they began slowing down, the flux of Compton electrons were deflected by Motavia's magnetic field, spiraling about the magnetic lines of force and radiating their energy across a large area, producing a phenomenon observed on the ground widely known as an electromagnetic pulse.

And she'll come, I know it, thought Noah, simultaneously hoping for and dreading Alis's arrival. She won't stand for being manipulated like this. She'll want to see blood, he realized, remembering how Alis's emotions had been in turmoil as of late, and his attempts to reach her had all failed. He also felt sorrow over the fact that the reason she'd want to rescue HIM in particular wasn't the reason he wished it'd be. Alis saw him as a comrade in arms, a friend at best, not....

Noah's head perked up, suddenly sensing something that felt completely...wrong. As if the very air around him was charged with something that...wasn't supposed to be there. Whatever it was, it made his skin tingle and his fingers and toes suddenly feel prickly, and then numb. What was it that he was sensing? Some form of magic? Or was it something else? Noah looked about again, hoping to spot anything odd.

He immediate knew SOMETHING had happened when he noticed the Robotcop standing next to him suddenly begin to convulse, its head twitching about wildly. A second later, sparks of electricity arced all across its armored body. Noah looked around at the other Robotcops watching over them, and saw that the same thing was happening to them.

What the...what could be doing this? Noah wondered, utterly perplexed. The strange tingling sensation he had felt earlier had passed, but whatever had affected the Robotcops wasn't stopping. Then a loud, crashing thud made Noah look out across the land surrounding the factory. One of the fighter ships had plummeted to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of sand. And one by one, the rest of the ships followed suit, crashing to the ground as if all their systems had failed. And though Noah had no way of knowing for sure, he was willing to bet all the landrover-tanks had been rendered inert as well.

Alis...this must of been her doing. Somehow, she's found a way to wipe out every mechanical object in the area. But how? Noah thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out what could possibly disable so many machines at once. Soon enough, the answer came to him. An electromagnetic pulse. Somehow, she's set off some sort of explosion high in the atmosphere, wiping out every unshielded electronic component down below with voltage surges! That's what I sensed earlier, since I'm an Esper and more sensitive to that sort of thing!

Noah smiled to himself, finally feeling hopeful. Obviously, Alis's rage hasn't dulled her intelligence! She'll have no trouble now! And as if on cue, Noah suddenly heard a distant thudding sound. Another one immediately followed, and then there was another. The thudding noises continued, and they were progressively getting louder. Noah looked far into the horizon, and saw the faint outline of Alis's massive frame, walking toward them at a brisk pace. Noah's heart leapt once again. Soon, they'd all be safely in her hands yet again....

But there was nothing she could do but go on ahead and face whatever was coming. She took a deep breath as she half-ran, half-walked, steeling herself for whatever lay ahead.

Soon enough, she came across a row of three landrover-tanks, all their cannons pointed upward at her. Alis instinctively took out her shield and sword, ready for action, but the landrover-tanks did not fire upon her. Alis kept her shield raised, still expecting an attack, but several seconds passed and nothing happened. She then cautiously reached out with her foot and tapped one of the landrover-tanks on the side. It didn't fire, or so much as move. Alis looked ahead, and saw that several fighter ships were laying uselessly in the sand. It was then thhat Alis realized that Wren had set off the electromagnetic pulse as planned, and the electronic components and integrated circuits of every single landrover-tank, fighter ship and Robotcop in the vicinity was toast.

Well, so far so good, Alis thought happily as she looked down at the tanks at her feet again. Just for good measure, she slammed her foot down onto the nearest one, completely flattening it. Then she moved on ahead toward the factory, idly kicking another tank as if were just a ball, sending the seventy-ton war machine flying off into the horizon. She continued heading to the factory, shield and sword still in hand, leisurely kicking aside any other tanks that were in her path. Faint crunching sounds from underfoot let Alis know she was trampling over the inert bodies of Robotcops as well.

At last, Alis had reached the factory, which was still giving off smoke from yesterday's trashing; no doubt some fires were still roaring out of control within. She closely walked around it, looking for any sign of her captive friends. It wasn't long before she spotted them on the roof, bound and gagged. Only Noah seemed to be conscious, and he was looking up at her with an expression she couldn't quite make out. "Don't worry, Noah," she said, softly and reassuringly. "I'll have all of you out of here in no time."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Alis," rang out a loud, cold voice. "You and I have unfinished business, after all."

Alis recognized that distorted, disturbing voice instantly. It was the Assassin. Alis whirled around to face the direction of the voice, and once again felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest.

The Assassin had used Tarzimal's lamp on herself, and was now just as gargantuan as she was. Alis had no idea how she had been able to stay hidden all this time at her size, and she didn't waste any time trying to figure it out. Alis slowly approached her, sword and shield at the ready. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I kept thinking that you were going to use the lamp on me to reverse the effects once I arrived. Can't believe it never occured to me that you'd use it on yourself," Alis snarled, shaking her head in disbelief.

The eyes staring at Alis from inside that helmet had a mischievious, malicious glimmer. "It's like I vowed when I first saw you emerge at that size. I vowed I'd find a way to fight you on your own terms, to match your new power. And it looks like I have." Alis stared blankly back at this woman who seemed hellbent on making her life miserable, for whatever reason. Just who was she?

Eventually, Alis found her voice again. "Well, yeah, looks like it's just between you and me now. Especially since I took the liberty of wiping out the entire armada you brought along with you," she spat. "Lucky for me that Lassic was so intent on producing as many killing machines as possible, he never bothered to spend some extra money on proper shielding against EMP. Must've never thought someone would be able to steal a fusion-powered ship and set it off that way."

The Assassin's eyes narrowed. "Yes. I must admit that you took ME by surprise as well. When I heard the report that you and the android raided Paseo last night, I couldn't fathom why you stole that ship. It never occured to me that you'd devise such a clever plan. Physics was never your strong suit."

Alis gasped, wondering how the Assassin would know something like that. But she decided not to dwell on hat and keep talking, and hopefully pump some more information out of her before she sliced her apart. "Yeah, well, I actually have Wren to thank for that. He has all of Leli's scientific knowledge, you know. Here's a little tip, Assassin: next time you want an android destroyed, make sure it really IS destroyed before moving on."

"Once again, you're right about that," said the Assassin calmly. "And without that android, it is doubtful you would've found where Tarzimal was held. Small matter, though. Once I'm finished here, I'll find him again and deliver him to Lassic personally.

Alis smiled wickedly. "Not likely. He's dead. He chose a slow, painful suicide over being captured by Lassic. Go back and tell your boss that!"

Alis felt a rush of satisfaction when she heard a low snarl. "Very well. My master will be satisfied when I bring him news of your defeat, should you go through with this. However, I will give you one chance to settle this peacefully, and allow you and your friends to leave here alive."

"What's with the sudden change of heart?" demanded Alis. "I thought you wanted this to be a duel to the death."

"Part of me wishes for that. Another part of me would rather watch you walk away, realizing you had no choice but to give something up," replied the Assassin. "You have something on your person that you must be relieved of. Give it to me, and I will allow you to take your friends and leave."

This sudden change in the Assassin's attitude was getting more and more confusing, but Alis went along. "What, exactly? What is it I have?"

"You have the Aeroprism. I know this because none of your companions had it on them, and that it's been taken from it's hiding place on Dezolis. Take it out and smash it now, and you are free to go."

Alis thought back to when she had found that strange, sallow crystal in that ice dungeon. She still didn't know what exactly it was for, but when she held it, she somehow knew it was endowed with some mysterious power, and had some significant purpose, even though she had no clue what it was. I don't think so. If you want it destroyed that bad, then it must be dangerous for Lassic, she thought resolutely. Out loud, she said, "You really think I'm just gonna hand over something like that to you and walk away, after everything you've done? You kidnapped my friends, killed Wren's creator, forced Tarzimal into committing suicide...forget it, bitch. Besides, as long as you've still got Tarzimal's lamp, I'd be stuck here on Motavia. I won't be happy until I get back to Palma and take out Lassic, with my friends at my side. So YOU'VE got the choice of handing them over peacefully, or me running you through!"

The Assassin let out a soft chuckle. "I should have expected this. You were always a willful, stubborn one, Alis."

"SHUT UP!" snapped Alis hatefully. "Stop acting like you know so much about me! Just who ARE you!? Why are you so obsessed with me!?"

The Assassin stared back at her for several moments, as if she was deciding on something. At last, she said, "Alirght then. You might as well die knowing the truth." The Assassin had one hand firmly grasping her double-ended glaive, but with her other hand, she pulled off her helmet and casually threw it aside.

Over the last two days, during this unfortunate detour to Motavia, Alis had been subjected to what seemed to be an endless series of nasty and sometimes deadly surprises. While walking to the ruined factory, she honestly believed that it would be impossible for her to be so surprised again, paralyzed with shock.

She had just been proved utterly, tragically wrong.

Unnaturally opaque, blue eyes stared back at Alis coldly. Flowing, silvery-white hair blew lazily in the hot, desert wind.

"Dioa," Alis breathed softly, finally managing to say something. She could not believe this. She WOULD not believe this. The Assassin, the new enemy so determined to wreck her life and stop her from overthrowing Lassic, was none other than her old friend Dioa.

Chapter 9: Crawling in the Dark

"Funny, isn't it?" Dioa asked suddenly, smirking cruelly at Alis. "I remember one day when we were still kids, playing by the beach. We were building sandcastles that day, talking about this and that.... About seeing the sandy world of Motavia for ourselves one day, and also about how cool it would be if we really were giantesses, and if even the biggest buildings were as small to us as our sandcastles. And look as us now...it's actually happened."

Alis's sword and shield still hung uselessly at her sides as she kept staring blankly at Dioa. She did indeed remember how she and Dioa used to play by the shores of Palma's oceans, before monsters began to roam out of control. And Alis distinctly remembered the day Dioa mentioned. "It...it really is you...." she managed to utter softly, realizing that no one else but the real Dioa could recall such a thing.

"You better believe it's me," snapped Dioa. "That's why all this has me so pissed off. That one of my oldest friends is the one hellbent on bringing down my master, and that I have to face you head-on to make sure you don't. Believe it or not, I hate being forced to turn on an old friend. But now, you've left me no choice."

Alis stared at her for another moment. "H-How? Why?" Alis finally managed to get out, still utterly confused. "Why are you doing this, helping Lassic and turning on me? WHY!?" she added vehemently.

Dioa's eyes narrowed, gazing back at Alis coldly. "The simplest answer to that would be...I owe him. And I must honor that debt."

"You OWE him?" asked Alis, horrified. "For what? What did he do for you?"

"He did what no one else was willing to try and do. He saved my family," Dioa answered simply.

"WHAT!? What do you mean!?" demanded Alis.

"Remember the outbreak of shelfish flu you heard about? The outbreak that nearly killed my parents?" Dioa asked coldly. Alis could only nod. "I'm sure you knew about how it was running rampant through certain towns at the time, especially Parolit. You can't imagine how agonizing it was, watching them die slowly and painfully from that disease, and not being able to do a thing to save them. All my knowledge about microbiology...I couldn't do a damned thing! And you know we were always poor, looked down upon by everyone else...we were facing destitution, and no one offered a helping hand. No one!!

"But then, Lassic personally came to visit Parolit, wanting to pensonally weed out some rebels rumored to be hiding there. That's when I approached him and offered myself to him - if he'd somehow save my parents, I swore to serve him forever. And that's what he did. The dark priests that showed him the way to immortality...they healed my parents, and now they'll enjoy the same longevity Lassic will!

"So you see, Alis, Lassic helped my family when no one else would or could, not even you and Nero! Everyone else looked down upon us, refused to help us in our time of greatest need, but Lassic was different! That's why I have to loyally serve him now. I gladly let myself be specially trained as one of his warriors, and gladly accepted the magic techniques he bestowed upon me. He saved my parents and gave me unimaginable power, and I'll use it to defend him as he brings order to the Algo system!"

"ORDER!?" Alis spat disbelievingly. "You call what Lassic is doing bringing order!? All these outrageous taxes, all these Robotcops putting towns under martial law...this isn't establishing order, it's establishing a dictatorship! Can't you see that!?"

"Don't try and sway me Alis, it won't work. I know now that what Lassic is doing is right," replied Dioa coolly. "And I'll do whatever it takes to serve him, no matter how much I may regret it. I've already done things I'm not proud of, well before this. Like working undercover to locate certain rebels, including one I thought I'd fallen in love with...."

Alis stared dumbly at Dioa, not comprehending what she was saying. Then, all of a sudden, it hit her like a million tons of bricks. "You mean NERO!? YOU'RE the one who ratted him out!?"

"I was, though it gave me no pleasure to do so. Just like it pains me to face you like this now," said Dioa. "But I have no choice. I've no choice but to serve Lassic after how he saved my parents."

Alis felt numb and sick all over again, her mind once again blank. How could this be happening? She swore she'd do whatever it took to avenge Nero and bring Lassic down. She knew there'd be countless hardships to face...but NEVER did she imagine she'd be facing her old friend, neither one willing to back down. And the revelation that it was DIOA who had betrayed Nero, that SHE was as responsible for his death as Lassic and his Robotcops...it was all too much for Alis to take in at once.

"So Alis, I'll ask you one last time. The Aeroprism. Take it out and shatter it now, and I'll spare your friends and you're free to go," said Dioa in a patient tone, one Alis was sure belied a truly cynical, impatient mood.

Absentmindedly, Alis fished the Aeroprism out of her pouch and looked down at it. It had grown along with her, and still had that sallow color. Though when she held it, it seemed to sparkle, giving off some mysterious energy. Yes, this is something Lassic fears, I'm sure of it. I can't destroy it. I just know I'll need it. But if I don't smash it....

Alis slowly looked down at the factory roof. Noah, Odin and Myau were all still bound, lying helplessly on the roof, gazing up at her expectantly. She knew they were counting on her to get them out of this mess alive...and she also knew they'd never forgive her if she gave in to Dioa's demands. They all looked up to her now, both figuratively and literally. They were counting on her to emerge victorious and get them all back to Palma. But as she looked at them, she couldn't help but to think about how tiny and vulnerable her friends looked. It would be so easy for Dioa to move in and crush them if she made the slightest mistake in a fight....

She made her final decision. Alis turned back to Dioa, who, from her stance, looked ready to bolt forward and grab thee Aeroprism for herself. She quickly stuffed the mysterious crystal back in her pouch. "No can do, Dioa. I also made a vow...to do whatever it took to bring down Lassic. It's a vow all four of us made. And we're going back to Palma, together."

"I see," said Dioa dismissively. "But don't try to delude yourself. You're not doing this for them, it's simply for yourself. Don't forget, I heard everything you said to them before you stormed out to destroy my factory."

Alis looked down at her captive friends again, with what she hoped looked like an expression of remorse and empathy. "For what it's worth, guys, I didn't really mean what I said. I've...learned a few things since then." Alis turned to face Dioa again. "I'm sorry, Dioa, but if I have to fight you to protect them, then I'll do it." Alis hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Despite everything Dioa had done so far, Alis still couldn't bear the thought of facing her in a fight...a death-duel between two rampaging giantesses. But now, there was no other way.

Dioa smiled wickedly again. "I respect your courage, Alis. You were always a gutsy one, never backed down to anyone. But do you expect to win? You've seen a sample of my power. And don't forget, you couldn't beat Dr. Mad and Medusa without the help of your companions. Do you really think you stand a chance against me, alone?"

"I'll die trying," said Alis, firmly and resolutely. Once again, her tone didn't quite match the way she felt, but Alis went on. "Just like you, there's something I've set out to do, and I won't stop for anything."

"For Nero?" Dioa inquired disdainfully.

Alis stared back at Dioa for a moment, then shook her head. "No. This isn't just for Nero anymore. It's not just simple revenge. I finally realize that now." Alis then finally readied her shield and sword, assuming a battle stance. "This is for everyone who's suffered and died because of Lassic, and more importantly, to make sure no more lives are ruined. I'm sorry, Dioa, but I guess that means I have to go through you to do it."

"And I guess I have to do the same," spat Dioa acidly, grabbing her double-ended glaive and twirling it around. "I must fulfill my master's wishes, no matter what."

"Your master's wishes..." Alis repeated sadly. "Don't you see, Dioa? You've practically sold your soul to a demon. The Dioa I knew was nothing like this. He's turned you into something you're not!" she exclaimed, trying to reason with her one last time.

"He's saved the only two people who were always there for me!" Dioa shot back. "And I'll make sure they stay alive and happy, even if it means I have to kill you!"

And with that, Dioa let out a cry and charged right at Alis, creating a thunderous tremor with each step she took. Once she was within range, Dioa took a swipe at Alis with her glaive. Alis effortlessly parried the blow with her sword, but then Dioa swung the glaive around to attack with the other end. Alis brought her shield up just in time to deflect it. She's really good. Moves like lightning. This won't be easy, Alis realized. And she didn't know which made things harder...Dioa's obvious skill or their old friendship.

Dioa kept swinging her glaive, savagely atttacking and keeping Alis on the defensive. "Come on, Alis! You're not even trying! If you're serious about saving your friends, fight back!" Dioa shouted as she brought her glaive downward again.

"If you insist," Alis retorted as she sidestepped Dioa's attack. For a split-second, Dioa was wide-open, and Alis charged forward and slammed into Dioa with her shoulder. She tackled her so hard she knocked Dioa to the ground. Dioa hit the ground hard, creating a booming earthquake and kicking up a huge plume of sand.

Alis realized she could probably end it right then and there. She could have impaled Dioa with her sword while she was down. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She hesitated, the thought of killing her old friend stopping her in her tracks.

Dioa sprang back up on her feet as Alis wrestled with her conscience. "You should've just killed me while you had the chance," she said silkily. "Were our positions reversed, I wouldn't have hesitated." And then she was upon Alis once more, driving her back with each blow from her glaive. Alis was able to parry each and every strike, but she saw no opportunities to strike back.

Alis was driven back toward the factory. For a split-second, she risked another glance down at the roof. Myau, Odin and Noah were all watching helplessly, and even though they all looked so tiny to her, Alis could clearly see the fear and apprehension in their eyes. No, I've got to get over it. It really is a case of her or us.

Feeling a little more certain of herself, Alis raised her shield to block another incoming swipe, then swung her sword horizontally as deftly as she could. Dioa blocked her attack just in time, but Alis didn't let up. She kept coming after Dioa relentlessly, and now it was Dioa who was on the defensive. The air around them resounded with the deafening sound of metal striking against metal, mingling with the noise of inert Robotcops and landrover-tanks being crushed underfoot as the two titanesses fought.

But just as it looked like Alis was winning, Dioa shoved her backward when she blocked her sword with the middle of her glaive. Then she made a twirling motion with her glaive and slashed at Alis with an upward arc. Alis hopped backward, but she was a little too late. The blade sliced across her upper leg. The cut wasn't deep enough to cause any serious injury, but Dioa had inflicted a great enough of a wound to cause gallons of blood to spurt out, staining the sand below her and nearby cacti a deep crimson red.

"Your heart's still not into it. I expected better from you," barked Dioa as she backed away and paused for a moment, which gave Alis enough time to use her healing magic to seal the cut. "But, it's obvious you're at least taking this seriously now. Maybe it's time for me to take a more...aggressive approach." With that, Dioa reached out with one hand, and heard a noise not unlike that of the howling blizzards that raged on Dezolis.

Realizing what was coming, Alis dashed aside just as deadly ice spikes sped past her. She turned to face Dioa again, only to see more ice spikes coming at her. She jumped to the side again, but this time, she sheathed her sword as she did so, and followed up with a double fireball blast.

However, Dioa simply batted the fireballs away with the end of her glaive. Then Dioa reached out again, and before Alis could react, a blast of turbid, freezing mist shot out at her. Alis was blasted off her feet, dropping her shield and sword as she was thrown back a couple hundred feet. She fell limply into the sand, feeling as if she were frozen solid.

She heard Dioa was fast approaching, and though her vision was blurry, she could still see the factory out of the corner of her eye. A reminder that if she failed, they'd die because of her failure as well. With that knowledge, she found the willpower to get back on her feet before Dioa reached her, dashing aside just in time to avoid getting skewered.

There's my sword! Alis thought, spotting where she had dropped her weapon. She also spotted a nearby fighter ship, still rendered useless from the electromagnetic pulse. An inspiration came to her as she recalled yesterday's trip to the factory. She sidestepped another charging attack from Dioa, then summoned her magic and lashed out at the ship with her rope spell as Dioa ran pat her.

As Dioa turned around to face her again, all she saw was the bottom of the fighter ship flying right at her face. Dioa was knocked flat on her back, seeing stars thanks to Alis's improvised mace. This gave Alis enough time to recover her shield and sword. But by the time she did, Dioa was already back on her feet.

Go ahead. I'm ready for more too, Alis thought. But she was lying to herself. As Dioa parried her sword swipe, she looked into her old friend's eyes, her sorrow and disbelief bubbling to the surface again. She still couldn't believe things had turned out this way, being forced to fight her old friend to save her new ones....

Noah strained his eyes to watch their fight, but Alis and Dioa were kicking up clouds of sand so high and so thick, it was becoming difficult to see what was going on. However, the sounds of their battle echoed all around them, the clanging of metal so impossibly loud it made his ears hurt.

If only there was something we could do! he kept thinking over and over. We shouldn't be forced to just sit by and watch like this! He glanced around, spotting a fallen Robotcop nearby. It had been holding Tarzimal's lamp, along with a sack that contained all their gear. The lamp and Odin's rifle had surely been rendered useless, but his staff-like wand was another matter. The metal bindings seemed to insulate his magic power, but if he could only get hold of his wand....

The roar of a ship's engine snapped him out of his thoughts. Noah looked around for the source of the noise, which was steadily getting louder. When he finally glanced upward, he saw the Luveno moving in to land, probably on the side of the factory opposite where Alis and Dioa were fighting. But all of a sudden, another roaring sound, one that sounded much closer, could be heard along with the Luveno's engines.

Noah looked up again, hoping to spot the source of the other noise, but looked back down when he heard something violently hit the roof nearby, making the metal floorboards reverberate.

It was Wren, who had somehow sprouted glider wings and a rocket pack on his back. Whoa, Leli certainly spared no expense with him, Noah thought as Wren turned and walked over to them. With his incredible strength, he ripped apart their bindings with his bare hands. He freed Noah last, and reached out to help Noah up.

Noah grudgingly grabbed Wren's hand, and the android hoisted him up onto his feet. He felt wobbly and weak, but refused to let it show. "So, it was you who set off that electromagentic pulse, using the Luveno somehow," said Noah. "Took you long enough to show up here," he added irritably.

"I apologize for being late," Wren said dully. "The Luveno has landed nearby. I suggest you three board it and fly to safety. So far, the Assassin is unaware that I've freed you, so it would be prudent to flee now while you have the chance."

"What!? You expect us to abandon Alis!?" Myau asked indignantly.

"There is little any of you can do," Wren replied calmly. "I might be able to engage her and distract her, but you three would be killed instantly if you attempted to...."

"Forget it. We're not just running away," Odin cut in.

"And maybe Myau and Odin can't do anything, but I might be able to. If I focus my energies hard enough, my magic might make a difference, if I wait for an opportunity," said Noah. It was around then that Noah noticed the clanging of metal sounded nearer. He looked up again, seeing that Alis and Dioa were standing right beside the factory. The roof barely came up to their knees, letting him clearly see them over the thick clouds of sand they had kicked up. Noah once again felt so weak and powerless when compared to these gargantuan girls. However, he now truly believed he might make a difference if given a chance. He turned back to Wren. "Listen, Wren. If you think you can help her out, go ahead and do it while I wait here for an opportunity," said Noah sternly. When Wren didn't immediately respond, Noah vehemently added, "That's an order!"

Wren nodded, his face unreadable. Then he turned from Noah, took a few steps away from him, and fired up his rocket pack. In an instant, he was flying away from the factory's roof, and was then cautiously circling the battling giantesses while Noah looked on wearily.

This is getting hopeless, Alis thought despairingly as the fight raged on. It was uncanny, how in a few short weeks, Lassic had transformed her into a fighting machine like this. Dioa was fast, deadly and relentless, while Alis was starting to feel worn out. Only through intense concentration was she able to focus enough to keep up with Dioa.

However, a sudden noise almost distracted Alis. Some sort of faint whooshing noise, and out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw some small, black shape fly by her. Then, all of a sudden, a laser blast came out of nowhere and grazed Dioa's forehead, leaving a bloody gash across it. For a split-second, Dioa seemed to be wide open, and Alis got over her surprise and lashed out. But once again, Dioa parried her sword swipe.

As Alis readied herself to attack again, but before she could, another sudden laser blast struck Dioa in the neck. One hand flew to her neck to nurse the ugly, smelly burn, and she backed away slightly. What the...who's doing that.... she began to wonder, but soon the answer came to her when she noticed something hovering beside her head. "Wren!!" she exclaimed hopefully, elated that backup had finally arrived. She hadn't counted on him showing up like this.

"Alis, use your magic! Strike now!" yelled the android, though his voice was barely audible. Alis nodded, then turned back to Dioa and cut loose with two fireballs. This time, Dioa couldn't bat them away, and they burned right through her body suit.

NOW we're getting somewhere! Alis thought as she charged again, sword at the ready. Dioa recovered in time to parry the blow, and the fight resumed.

Wren couldn't help but take in how enormous the two girls were as he flew around them. At one point, he flew between them to fire up at Dioa's face, getting a view of both girls from the midsection up. At another point, he flew underneath Alis hoping to catch Dioa unawares from further below, nearly getting accidently stomped on by his new master as a result. And at yet another point, he tried a bolder move to catch Dioa by surprise and flew right at her head to fire on her at point-blank range, hoping to take out one or both eyes. Unfortunately, she had seen him coming and moved just enough to avoid that, and he succeeded only in scorching the tip of her nose before she waved her gigantic glaive at him, forcing him to veer off again.

Wren's goal was to keep providing distractions, to let Alis gain the upper hand while Dioa was confused. He knew full well that he couldn't possibly hope to accomplish any more than that; his attacks were little more than annoyances to someone as gigantic as Dioa. However, Wren was confident he could keep up this strategy safely, reasoning that Dioa would focus her full attention on Alis instead.

But as he rocketed toward them again, hoping to get another clean shot at Dioa's head, he found out he was mistaken. Dioa must have seen him coming, and shoved Alis away while reaching out with her hand as Wren drew near, gathering up power. Wren realized what was coming and tried to veer off, but it was too late. A sudden burst off icy mist enveloped his body, freezing almost all of his internal systems solid in the blink of an eye. Main power failed instantly, and auxilary power failed about a second after that. His CPU was the last thing to give out completely as his frozen body shot toward the ground like a meteor, skipping along the sand a few times before finally coming to rest a few miles away.

"Wren, no," Alis whispered under her breath, not believing what she had just saw. So many deaths were on Dioa's hands...Nero, Leli, Tarzimal, and now Wren! And ever since meeting Wren, she had acted so distrustful of him. And yet, he had bravely helped her take on Dioa, only to possibly be destroyed! The reason he helped her was as much a matter of his own free will as it was a matter of his programming, and now, he was gone!

Alis turned back to Dioa, and suddenly a profound, all-consuming fury overtook her. "You...y-you...." she stammered at Dioa, who was still smirking. "That's IT, Dioa! THAT IS IT!!!" cried Alis, shaking with rage. She raised her laconian sword, ready to strike her down for good, and shouted, "I've had it with you! Now I'm gonna make sure you don't kill anyone else!"

And then, she felt a sudden surge of power course through her, rejuvenating her. It took some time for Alis to recognize the feeling; it was the same way she felt when she first picked up her laconian sword for the first time, filling her with holy power. But lately, that feeling of power had dimmed, especially when she was ready to wipe out the factory.

And now she knew why. Noah was right all along. Her obsession with revenge was slowly poisoning her soul, and likewise kept her from getting the most out of the laconian sword. But though rage had overcome her again, this time it was different. It wasn't an obsession with settling a score that drove her on now. This was righteous anger that spurred her on. Now, her anger fueled her drive to protect everyone else she cared about, to make sure no one else died at Dioa's hands....

Alis came at Dioa again and again, lashing out with all the power she could muster, forcing her old friend back. For the first time since it all began, Dioa looked surprised and actually a bit scared. Alis gave Dioa no opportunities to strike back, never letting up her assault for a second. However, Dioa was still standing her ground despite being pushed on the defensive, blocking every attack Alis threw at her.

Go ahead and try...I'LL GET YOU SOONER OR LATER! Alis thought angrily as she kept up the pressure, forcing Dioa back. She was absentmindedly aware that she was forcing Dioa back toward the factory. And as they neared it, Alis was also aware that her hair felt like it was standing on end for some reason, but she didn't let it distract her. She merely focused on the battle, looking for any opening.

Unfortunately, it was Dioa who found an opening. When Alis lunged at her, Dioa lashed out with her armored foot, kicking her leg hard. Despite herself, Alis sagged, reeling from the pain. Dioa brought up her glaive to strike at Alis while she was down, but then, without warning, bolts of lightning descended from the sky, flooding the entire area with blinding light. And all of the lightning bolts struck Dioa, stopping her in her tracks.

Huh? thought Alis confusedly. What caused that lightning to.... But her thoughts trailed off when she noticed a faint glow from the factory's roof. There was Noah, raising his wand to the sky, obviously focusing all of his power. Alis realized Noah must have used his magic to warp the magnetic field around the area and bring down lightning directly from the sky.

"Alis, NOW! Do it now!" Noah cried out from the roof. Alis's gaze shifted from Noah to Dioa, who was already starting to recover. Alis did as she was bid, acting without hesitation and without thought. She swung her sword in a wide, horizontal arc....

And a few seconds later, the gigantic head of Dioa landed next to the factory with a sickening thud, countless gallons of blood spilling out of her severed neck and drenching the sands, staining it red.

At last, the fight was over. For a few moments, she just stared at Dioa's decapitated body. Now that the rush of adrenaline was subsiding, the totality of what she had done was slowly sinking in. It made Alis digusted with herself. She knew there had been no other way to end it, but she desperately wished there had been.

Then Alis remembered what had happened to Wren. "Wren! On no," she gasped as she broke into a run, heading for the spot where Wren had crash-landed. She spotted him instantly, seeing where he had plowed through several dozen yards of sand. Kneeling down, she saw that his left arm, right leg and glider wings had broken off, and he wasn't moving the least bit.

"Wren!? Wren, can you hear me!?" she pleaded. But the android still did not move. Alis carefully picked up his shattered body and deposited him in the palm of her hand; he was like a battered, broken toy to her. Wren, I'm so, so sorry. I let her take you too, she thought sorrowfully, tears welling up her eyes. Some of the tears fell onto her hand, soaking Wren. Fearful that might damage him even more, Alis wiped her eyes as she stood up. She then began walking back over to the factory.

Alis walked directly up to the factory, then got down on her knees so she could get a good look at everyone. Her huge face loomed over the three of them, and her head cast a shadow over them. Noah slowly raised his head to look into her huge, sapphire-blue eyes, and immediately saw that they were drenched with tears. Her mouth slowly opened, but she said nothing, as if her words were caught in her throat.

It was Myau who broke the uneasy silence. "Alis, what about...is he...." said the musk cat tentatively, probably too afraid to ask what was on all their minds.

Alis shut her eyes, freshly-shed tears running down her cheeks. Then she lifted her hand so that she held it over the factory's roof, then tilted it slighty, letting the three of them see the downed android in the palm of her hand. Noah gasped, aghast at the sight of the damage inflicted. "There's probably...no way to repair him," Alis said, her booming voice coming out in choked sobs. "I'll never forgive myself...I let Dioa get him too...."

"Alis, you can't blame yourself for this. You did the best you could," said Odin reassuringly.

"Odin's right. You're not responsible for this. This is all on Dioa's head," Myau said, then coyly added, "the one that's lying in the sand." This earned him a kick in the butt from Noah.

Noah looked into Alis's gigantic eyes again, once again saddened by the pain he saw in them. "Alis, thank you. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you," Noah said quickly, trying to sound reassuring and ignoring Myau's muttered cries of protest.

However, this only seemed to make Alis feel worse. She sniffled again, shaking her head. "Everyone...I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am. The things I said to you before I stormed off...how can you forgive me?"

"Alis, don't give it another thought," said Noah as he gazed up her, moving away from Odin and stepping closer. However, he still felt wobbly and weak. "You came through for us in the end. That's all that matters."

For a few moments, Alis simply gazed down at Noah, tears still trickling down her cheeks. Her expression was one of sincere regret. Eventually, Alis broke the silence. "Noah...you were right about me. I let my my anger get the better of me. It made me push you all away, and-and...."

"Alis, like I said, don't give it another thought. I'm just happy you realize it now," said Noah, smiling at Alis. He hope the smile would make her feel at ease, but her sad expression did not change. He desperately wanted to do something to comfort her, but at her size, something like a comforting hug was impossible. He had to settle for walking to the edge of the roof, reaching out to gently stroke her chin. Alis remained motionless and silent as he did so. "Thank you again, Alis. You...have no idea how much it means to me, that you came for us, that I've gotten through to you."

"Noah...." Alis breathed. A rush of air swept past Noah as she said that one word.

"Come on, Alis. Let's go. Let's grab the lamp and...." Noah started to say, but a sudden sloshing sound from the ground below interrupted him. A second after he heard it, a sudden wave of nausea, accompanied by an inexplicable feeling of dread that gnawed at his soul, threatened to overwhelm him. He looked down at the ground below....

Blood wasn't the only thing coming out of Dioa's severed head. Now, some noxious, black ooze was spewing out, as well as from her neck. Just the sight of it filled Noah with some unexplainable sense of dread. Whatever was coming out, it radiated an overpowering sense of darkness, something so...PROFOUND...it almost made him black out.

Alis looked down at the source of the noise, and her eyes widened. In a panic, she scooped up her three friends and deposited them in the palm of her hand with Wren's mulitated body. Then she stood up and quickly walked backwards, trying to distance herself from...whatever was happening.

But it was too late. There was no escape now.

After the dizziness subsided and the pain lessened, Alis's first thought was that she had accidently crushed her friends by falling down onto them. Fear welled up in her as she sat up, looking around. However, she saw no trace of them whatsoever. It was then that she noticed that the ground beneath her had changed completely. Instead of sand, it was now a transparent, glassy surface. Upon closer inspection, she saw the ground was made up of square tiles no bigger than her thumbnail. And underneath it was a black abyss that seemed to go on forever.

Alis stood up and looked around. The sky had vanished, as had the factory and the sand dunes that encircled the area. Everywhere she looked, off in the distance, there seemed to be nothing but a black emptiness punctuated by constantly shifting patterns of colors, going from pink to blue to violent shades of purple, casting pale light everywhere. The very air around her, the very space...everything about the place she found herself in seemed wrong, alien.... It was almost as if she had been transported somewhere else entirely....

And then, a voice called out, as if reading her thoughts. A bone-chilling, raspy voice that echoed all around her. "You are not on Motavia anymore, Alis Landale. You are in the domain in which I was born. I've dragged you here to settle this once and for all."

Alis looked about wildly, trying to spot whoever had said that. It wasn't long before she did, and she immediately wished she hadn't.

Dioa's decapitated body was standing nearby, and was lowering her severed head back onto her neck. The moment her head touched her body, it seemed to reconnect, and her hands slowly let go. Alis then noticed some frightening changes take place. Dioa's gauntlets snapped loose and fell off, and Alis saw her hands turn an ugly purple shade. Not only that, her fingers were growing outward, into razor-sharp talons. Also, Dioa's eyes became one solid color: blood red.

"Dioa...what's going on?" Alis asked pleadingly, certain that she was going crazy. What had happened to her? Where were they now? And just HOW could Dioa still be alive!?

"Dioa is no more," said the being before her. "You saw to that, but her very soul was forfeit already. The little fool was willing to pay any price to see that her family survived, and all her pent-up rage made her a perfect pawn. It's lucky that I deigned to put a little piece of myself into her; now it's given me a golden opportunity."

"What the...what's going...what are you!?" cried Alis, backing up nervously. "Are you some demon, another one of Lassic's flunkies!?"

Whatever this thing was, it then threw its head back and laughed. "Stupid girl. Lassic is nothing but a pawn too, another pathetic fool willing to barter his soul for what he desired: immortality. And he's a pawn that's outlived its usefulness."

Alis stared into those blood-red eyes, completely confused. "What are...what's...." she began.

"You truly have no comprehension of what has been happening," it said coldly. "These are events that were set into motion many, many millenia ago, before your kind existed, before your planet was ever created. You cannot hope to thwart what I represent."

"Where I come from, those're fighting words," spat Alis, finally having had enough, her will to fight returning. She reached for her sword.

"I don't think so," said the voice using Dioa's mouth. Alis then expected something to happen, a blast of magic out of nowhere, metal tendrils ensnaring her...something. But all that happened was the sudden appearance of four small glassy spheres around her body, each one no bigger than her fist. And it looked like something was inside them. "Look closely, Alis. Don't they look familiar to you?"

Alis squinted to make out what was inside them. Inside one was something very small and yellow, like a tiny animal. Alis's heart sank as she realized who it was. She looked to the others, and recognized the forms of Odin, Noah and Wren.

The spheres floated toward Dioa and embedded themselves into her body. "If you attack me, you run the risk of injuring your companions, or even killing them. Is that what you want?" she asked with a sneer that sent a shiver down Alis's spine.

Then Alis noticed a pulsating white light from within Dioa's mouth. Dioa threw her head forward and spat out some sort of white-hot fireball at her. Alis ducked aside, barely avoiding being scorched. Another came at her, and she barely evaded that one as well. Oh great, and I have no way of fighting back, not without running the risk of killing the others! she realized, cold fear gripping at her heart.

"Oh by the way, there's probably only five more minutes of breathable air for Odin and Noah. Myau's air should last a little longer. Wren doesn't need any, but he has other problems, doesn't he?" said Dioa mockingly. Then she spat out another ball of energy, forcing Alis to dodge. But she lost her footing and fell to the ground. It was then that she realized the terrain was finite; she had reached the edge, and all that lay below was that bottomless abyss.

Alis got right back up and took a few steps forward, but then, whatever was possessing Dioa tried something else. The glass spheres suddenly shot out of her body, then began revolving around her at increasing speeds. Soon, they spread out to a distance dangerously near Alis. "Those glass spheres aren't that strong. If any one of them touches you, it'll shatter, and its occupant will get splattered all over your body, like an owl bear colliding with a landrover," she said coldly, smiling evilly at Alis, clearly enjoying tormenting her.

Alis backed up nervously, completely at a loss for what to do next as the glass spheres spun ever closer. "It's a pity things will have to end this way. I was hoping to manipulate you so that you would dispose of Lassic for me, and further usher in an era of anarchy and chaos that would tear the system apart. I enjoyed watching you scamper all over the system, agonizing over what to do next. But soon I learned that I was too successful. You had grown too powerful. You're more of a threat than I would have ever expected, though I guess that's not unsurprising, considering you're Palma's rightful queen." Alis gasped. How could this...thing have known that, when she had only learned about that herself? But she had no time to dwell on that. She felt the heel of her foot slip over the edge of the platform just as a sphere whizzed by her face.

There was no more room to back up, and Alis was sure that, at any second, a sphere would smash into her and kill whoever was inside. Alis decided on a desperate gambit. She called upon her magic power, flexed her fingers, and used her rope spell. Ropes flew from her fingertips and spread about all around her, forming a sort of improvised web. Alis held her breath. She had no idea if this would work.

However, her heart swelled with relief as one sphere, which imprisoned Noah, flew into the ropes and was stopped in its tracks. Then, in a matter of seconds, all four spheres were entangled in her web of ropes. Alis willed the ropes to condense into a bundle, and held them close to her chest with her arms. The sphere containing Noah was at the top of the bundle. Alis looked into the sphere, the terrified look on his tiny face making her wince. "Hold on, I'll get you all out of there!" she promised, hoping her friends could hear her.

"Somehow, I don't think so," sneered Dioa. She then spit out another energy burst. Alis swerved around to avoid it, but lost her footing, and fell over the edge. She barely reached out with one hand to grasp the edge in time.

Alis's blood ran cold as she heard footsteps slowly get closer. Then she winced as she felt Dioa stomp on her fingers. That demon possessing her dead body had her now. Alis knew it was only a matter of time before she was forced to let go. All of them would be lost in that abyss forever.

No, I've got to try something! Alis thought resolutely, refusing to fail anyone else. She looked up, seeing Dioa getting ready to stomp on her knuckles again. She took another desperate chance with her magic. She quickly chanted the incantation for her flight spell. Here, stuck in this void, there was no hope of retreat. But it still might make her body lighter, making her thousands of tons seem like nothing....

And it worked. Alis felt her body become lighter. Before Dioa brought her foot down again, Alis pulled herself upward. She gently floated upward, soaring up an over Dioa. Upon landing, Alis wasted no time. As Dioa turned around to face her, Alis took her sword and plunged it into her chest. She let out an inhuman, ear-splitting howl that made Alis wince. Alis withdrew her sword and gave Dioa a swift kick to shove her backward. Dioa teetered over the platform's edge for a moment, then fell into the abyss below.

Alis let out a sigh of relief as she watched Dioa fall. Then she looked down at the rope bundle and began fishing out the glass spheres. She carefully cracked open each one and gently set their occupants down on the platform. She freed Wren last, gasping again at the sight of his mutilated body.

Alis knelt and looked down at him for a moment, hating the confused and frightened looks on their faces. "It's OK, guys. She's gone," she said reassuringly. "Now all we have to do is figure out how to get out of this place, and...."

Alis's words got caught in her throat when it suddenly felt as if something slimy was slithering across every square inch of her skin. Not only that, a wave of nausea and vertigo made her slump to the floor, sprawled out. Through half-closed eyes, Alis watched with horror as the same black mist that had come out of Dioa's dead body was now descending upon her.

Suddenly, she heard a mellifluous voice softly whisper to her. No, she didn't hear it...it was as if some voice in her own head was talking to her! Come now, Alis Landale. That girl has served her use. Why not let me inhabit you instead? You have no idea how beneficial it can be for both of us, the power you can wield, whispered the voice seductively.

Alis wanted to scream, to lash out at this scourge invading her body in some way, but as it was, she found she was barely able to flex her fingers. You want your revenge against Lassic, right? the voice continued. Since we both want him out of the way, why don't we eliminate him together? We'll have to power to make him suffer, to kill him slowly and painfully. Don't deny it, Alis. That's still what you want. And you wish to fulfill your destiny as the system's queen, right? I can help you achieve that goal in ways you can't possibly imagine.

Alis felt like she was drowning, tumbling slowly toward oblivion. She felt her sense of self fading away. As the entity continued to wreak its havoc inside her, she racked her brains, trying to figure out some way - ANY way - to get rid of this thing possessing her.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the laconian sword she had set down. Alis realized that that was her ticket out. Mustering all her strength and willpower, she slowly raised her arm and reached out for it. However, it was a few feet (mere inches to her) out of reach. Her fingertips fruitlessly scraped against the glassy tiles of the platform.

I think not, Alis. You won't be rid of me that easily, said the voice, and Alis felt it redouble its efforts to paralyze her, and ultimately possess her. The thought of that, of being the puppet of this thing, gave her the strength for one last try. With one last effort, she reached out again, scooting to the side, and this time her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her laconian sword. As soon as she did, she felt its holy power surge through her again. NO!!!! screamed the voice, clearly in agony.

And then, it was over. That sickening feeling of being possessed and used was gone. ALis soon became aware of even more changes. That feeling of wrongness that permeated whatever dimension she was in began to subside. A few seconds later, she felt sunlight suddenly sting her eyes, and felt heat rise from sand underneath her. It's over. We're out, Alis thought happily, realizing that the ordeal was finally over. And she had come out on top.

He looked up, seeing Alis's huge body spread out. She was laying on her side, and her titanic body stretched out seemingly forever, like a mountainous divide. It cast a shadow over him, which he was grateful for. He had started at her midsection, and slowly but surely made his way toward her head.

At long last, Noah reached his goal. Noah gazed up at Alis, seeing that she was beyond exhaustion, pushed well beyond her limits. Her eyes were barely open at all, and Noah wasn't even sure if she could see him. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed through her mouth, sending out a blast of sand past Noah each time she exhaled. But despite how worn out she looked, she still looked incredibly beautiful to Noah.

After he caught himself staring at her again, Noah decided to call out to her. "ALIS!?" he cried. He had to cry out several times before Alis's eyes opened more and focused on him.

"N-Noah? I-Is that you? Y-You're OK?" she stammered wanly, sounding every bit as exhausted as she looked.

Noah nodded. "Yeah, we're all alive, thanks to you. I have no idea what just happened. Do you?"

"Not e-exactly," replied Alis weakly. "All I care a-about right now is that we got o-out."

"Yeah, me too," said Noah.

For a few moments, Noah just gazed up into Alis's eyes, and she stared right back down at him. Then, suddenly, Noah felt something large and soft tap him atop his head. Looking directly up, he saw the tip of Alis's index finger hovering a few feet above his head. It slowly lowered again, as if to gently stroke his hair. Noah let her, even though her fingertip was quivering and she was being far rougher than she meant to.

"N-Noah, thank you," she breathed before her eyes shut again, giving in to her exhaustion.

Chapter 10: And The Rest Is History...

"How can this be taking so long when we've got the instructions for fixing this thing?" inquired Myau, who was sitting on Odin's shoulder.

Noah didn't answer them. He merely let out a sigh of annoyance, then continued with his task, carefully rewiring several components of Tarzimal's lamp. The three of them were right outside the entrance to the cave they had used to hide in. The Luveno was nearby, and Noah stood right beside the open doorway of the landrover, using the light from the inside. Night had fallen over an hour ago, and the light from Motavia's three moons was woefully inadequate for the task at hand.

And all the while, Alis looked down upon them, watching them anxiously and trying to listen in. It had been several hours since she had rescued them from Dioa, but she still felt exhausted and weak. She had lay there beside the factory for several hours, before her friends could finally rouse her, and the trip back to the cave - while carrying the Luveno as well - pushed her beyond her limits yet again. But Alis forced herself to remain awake this whole time. She was determined to keep an eye on everyone until they were safely on their way back to Palma. It didn't matter how tired she felt. She wouldn't leave her friends defenseless and run the risk of them being taken away again.

And so, for the last few hours, Alis lay on her belly in the soft sand, her huge head looming over the landrover as she looked down at her friends. Before she and Wren had set out for the factory, Leli's android had written down instructions, telling them how to repair the lamp. Many components were shielded against an EMP attack, but Tarzimal obviously didn't have the resources to protect all the vital parts. So it was lucky that Wren had written down exactly what needed to be replaced. Of course, from the looks of things, following said instructions was easier said than done.

The thought of Wren, and how he was still helping her even now, almost made Alis cry again. No matter how much she tried to rationalize things and balance the scales in her mind, the memory of Wren would always be as painful as watching Nero die. Alis vividly remembered how utterly decimated his body looked when she held him in the palm of her hand. Alis couldn't help but think that if she'd acted differently, she could have saved him from Dioa. He was so tiny and frail compared to them. She never should have let Wren tackle Dioa head-on like that....

"Hey, I think you're trying to put that transistor in backwards!" Myau suddenly yelled, loudly enough to distract Alis. She looked down again. With only the pale light from the moons, she could barely see her friends, let alone make out their faces. But she could catch the impatience and irritation in their faint voices.

"Oh shut up," barked Noah, sounding embarrassed.

"And be careful how you connect all that!" Myau went on. "You know if it's not biased the right way, the transistor won't work and...."

"Here's an idea: if you're so damn smart, why not do it yourself?" interjected Noah. Alis had to stifle a giggle. The shyness and apprehension Alis normally associated with Noah couldn't be heard in his faint voice. She figured that he must be getting REALLY frustrated.

"I would if I could, you moron!" snapped Myau, bristling with indignation. He held up a paw. "No opposable thumbs, hello?" Alis swore she heard Odin laugh a little, and she was certain that that was a groan she heard from Noah.

A few more minutes passed by in silence, during which Alis attentively watched all her little friends, as if she subconsciously feared they would be snatched away again the second she took her eyes off of them. To her, they still looked incredibly fragile and vulnerable. And after all that had happened, part of her wished she could stay as huge as she was and ensure no harm ever came to them again. But that wasn't possible...not if she wanted to get off of Motavia anyway.

As she kept staring down at her friends, Alis suddenly felt pangs of guilt again, this time because of how she treated them. Even before this unfortunate detour to Motavia, she had been cold and standoffish, consumed by her anger and taking it out on everyone else. She also lamented how she had started to think they were getting in her way. It was sad how it took this crisis to make her realize how wrong it was to treat them like that...especially Noah, considering that he had been right all along.

Alis squinted, focusing on Noah. Even in the faint light from Motavia's three moons, she could clearly make out his tiny form, his long blue hair and white robes making him stand out. She had been aware of his attraction to her almost as soon as he had joined her party, but had remained silent about it. Alis found his awkwardness around her a bit flattering, and was curious to see if he'd ever get over his shyness. And she had to admit that toying with him after growing to be a giantess had proven to be a lot of fun (though Noah might think otherwise) . But she never felt she could ever return those feelings.

Until now. As she watched Noah continue to busily tinker with the lamp, Alis realized she should consider herself lucky that he genuinely cared for her. No other man had ever shown such interest in her, and she had no doubt he was sincere. And as she stared down at Noah, she found herself thinking that he wasn't exactly bad-looking either. He was handsome in his own, strange way, and sort of cute, too. Especially now, since he looked no taller than two inches to her. As she squinted even more to carefully watch Noah work, Alis found herself absentmindedly thinking of other fun ways she could play with him while she was still at her current size.

Hmmm, just what else could I do to have fun with him? she pondered, smiling as she thought back to when pretended she was about to eat him alive. I suppose I could pick him up again, then toss him into the air, catch him as he comes down, and just keep doing that again and again. Or I could take my socks and boots off and pick him up with my toes, dangling him fifty feet above the ground. Or even pin him down with my bare feet; if I pin him down against the sand, it shouldn't hurt him too much. Or make him take a sword and cut my nails for me. Or maybe....

"Hey Alis!" cried out a voice no longer than a whisper to her. Her gaze shifted downward again, and she noticed that Noah seemed to be looking up at her. "Alis, are you OK?"

Truthfully, Alis still felt fatigued, but she wasn't about to admit that. "Yeah, I'm fine," she fibbed. "Why?"

"Oh nothing," said Noah. "It just looked like you were daydreaming or something."

Alis hoped that Noah couldn't see her blush. Before it was her who caught Noah thinking rather nasty thoughts about her, and now that embarrassing position was reversed. That realization had her mind racing. Oh geez, am I really starting to think of him in THAT way? she thought to herself, now more unsure than ever of her own feelings.

"Alis, you OK?" Noah asked again, jarring Alis.

"Forget it," Alis said quickly. "So, what's up?"

"Well, err, I think I've finally got this thing fixed. I mean, I followed all the instructions Wren left for us, so it should work...I think," Noah said nervously as he gazed up into Alis's eyes. "So, I figure we might as well test it out and see if we can reverse its effects. I mean, you want to get back to Palma as soon as possible, right?"

Alis stared down at him for a moment, unsure of how to reply. Before coming back to Motavia, Alis could think of practically nothing but avenging Nero. But now, so much had happened, forcing her to change the way she looked at everything...Dioa turning on her, Tarzimal's revelation about her heritage, Wren and Leli's sacrifices, and most of all, the realization that she had pushing away those who looked to her for hope. She now had so much to think about, too much to try and sort out....

"Alis, you sure nothing's wrong?" said Myau. The musk cat's voice was so soft, Alis could barely hear him. Or see him, for that matter. It took Alis a few seconds to even find where Myau was, standing in the sand next to Odin.

"Don't worry about me," said Alis sternly. "I'll be fine. And yeah, we might as well see if the blasted thing still works. Being over 150 feet tall was fun for a while, but now...." Alis's voice trailed off, not wanting to get into another discussion about how she felt all that power had gone to her head. She looked down at her friends again, once again noticing how Noah stood out. A sudden impulse came to her, and she couldn't surpress a grin. "But first, there's one last thing I want to do," she said as she rose to her knees.

"What's that, Alis? What's...." Noah began, but his voice trailed off when he saw Alis's gigantic fingers, as wide as Motavia's cacti, come at him through the darkness. Noah let out out a yelp as he stumbled backwards and fell. Before he knew it, Alis had her fingertips firmly planted against his sides. "Oh NOW WHAT!? Alis? A-Alis!?" he yelled as Alis effortlessly picked him up, while Odin and Myau could only watch.

Within seconds, Noah was once again in front of Alis's face. He was close enough to reach out and touch her nose if he hadn't been struggling in her vice-like grip. It was still very dark, but Noah could clearly see that Alis was smiling. And it was that same twisted, teasing smile she had flashed right before she threatened to eat him alive. Noah felt a profound sense of dread as he noticed her gigantic blue eyes peer down on him, feeling the weight of her stare. It took a while before he found the courage to speak again. "A-Alis, what's g-going on?" he stammered.

Alis's smile grew even broader. "Just my way of saying 'thank you'," was all she said.

"Errr...'thank you'?" Noah repeated. "For what?"

"For just being there, being willing to help me with a problem I didn't even know I had, and not giving up on me," explained Alis. "And you deserve a reward for that."

"I...do?" Noah asked nervously. He wanted to inquire further, but Noah found himself being moved again, down towards her mouth. He was about to panic, but suddenly, her lips crashed against his body. Once Noah got over his surprise, he found himself reveling the softness of her lips, and how they radiated a warmth of both body and spirit. It was also then that he could sense that, though her spirit remained in turmoil, the darkness spawned by her rage was almost completely gone. His hopes had been realized at last.

Noah wasn't sure how long it was before Alis broke the kiss and brought him back up in front of her eyes. Huge, glistening, blue eyes that radiated a serene warmth and a deep sense of thankfulness. "The least you could do is say, 'You're welcome,'" she chided teasingly. Noah just stared back into her huge eyes, unable to say a word. Alis carefully set Noah back down beside the landrover, then stood up, her body rising high into the night sky and letting her friends see for one last time how incredibly intimidating she was at that titanic size.

Alis nodded, signalling that she was ready. Noah ignored the thunderstruck looks on Myau and Odin's faces and aimed the lamp upward at Alis. Right now, his mind was racing, trying to get over the shock of being kissed by Alis like that. Whta didd it really mean? Did he dare hope that she was now returning his feelings for her? But Noah pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He pulled the lamp's trigger. He was both relieved and just a bit disappointed when a beam of light, this time a sky-blue color, shot out of the spout and struck Alis.

Alis took a deep breath as she felt that strange tingling again, and then her fatigue slowly grew even worse. She looked all around her, noticing that nothing was happening. Then she remembered that it had taken a few minutes for her growth spurt to kick in in the first place. Come on, come on, she thought impatiently. Just get this over with.

And then, finally, she noticing something start to happen. As she looked down, she realized the cactus right beside her foot looked like it was getting larger. Alis looked around, and realized that everything seemed to be getting bigger: the mountain range seemed to explode with growth, and the clouds overhead slowly receded from view, seemingly rising higher and higher into the night sky. The rate of her shrinking seemed to be greater than the rate at which she had grown, something Alis was thankful for. Before she knew it, the shrinking stopped, and as she looked around again, she realized everything seemed the way it was before the whole mess began.

"Alis!?" Noah's nervous voice rang out through the night. Alis turned in the direction of the voice, seeing Noah and the others run up to her.

"I'm fine," she assured them, but no sooner had she said those words did a wave of vertige sweep over her. She tottered forced, but Noah reached out and grabbed her before she could fall. For a moment, she let Noah hold her like that, too dizzy and tired to offer any resistance.

Noah then pried Alis off of him and slung one arm over her shoulders, helping her walk. Not another word was spoken as the landrover was boarded onto the Luveno as the ship's engines were powered up. After that, it didn't take Hapsby too long to make the preparations for takeoff, and soon enough, the Luveno was in the air. Several minutes later, the ship was completely free of Motavia's atmosphere, heading through space back to Palma...and the four passengers' rendezvous with destiny.

Noah sighed in annoyance as he looked out into the blackness of space through the window. Several times, he had tried to take advantage of all the time on his hands and meditate, hoping to clear his mind. But each attempt had proven fruitless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get past the preliminary steps for deep meditation. Some stray thought always popped into his head and he just couldn't push it away.

Noah sighed again, and readied himself for another try. But the instant he closed his eyes, a soft snore from the seat next to him distracted him yet again. Noah turned to see Alis was still fast asleep in her seat, her head lazily lolled to the side. She had been asleep almost all this time. Noah wasn't surprised by that at all. Over the last two days, she had suffered so much, both physically and emotionally. As usual, she looked deceptively peaceful while she slept, but Noah knew it would be a long time before she got over all that had just happened. But at the very least, the experience had changed her, hopefully for the better.

As he kept watching her, Noah's thoughts drifted back to the time they spent together on Motavia. Specifically, that moment right before he restored her to normal size, when she plucked him off the ground and kissed him. Noah had never been close with any other girl, let alone been kissed by one. He often wondered what his first kiss would be like, but NEVER in his wildest dreams would he have ever imagined a massive, towering beauty like Alis would take him like that and steal a kiss, smothering him with her soft lips. Did that really mean what I hope it means, Noah wondered, or was that just her way of teasing me again?

Noah looked over her again, noticing for the first time how worn out she really looked. Her diamond armor was dusty and dirty, and her hair looked frizzled and unkempt. Plus, she sort of stank after stomping around Motavia for two days without a bath, but he'd never mention it, lest he get punched in the face. Still, she looked as beautiful as ever to Noah. He longed to comfort her and tell her that he'd help her through the final part of her quest, no matter what, but he didn't dare disturb her, knowing that she needed to rest.

However, he soon got the chance anyway. It was then that Alis's eyes slowly fluttered open. For several seconds, she stayed perfectly still, staring straight ahead. Noah was certain that, any second, the memories of recent events would come crashing back.

Noah finally dared to speak up. "Alis? Hey, you alright?"

Alis slowly turned to him. "I...guess so," she said tentatively. She let out a yawn, then asked, "How much longer till we get to Palma?"

"Should be about another hour," said Noah. Silence lingered for a moment, in which Alis just stared off into space, a melancholy expression on her face. Noah could help but voice his curiosity. "Alis, what is it?"

Alis turned to look at him. "I...it's," she began, obviously having trouble finding her words. "It's just that...I just wish there was something we could do for Wren...."

Noah placed a comforting hand on Alis's shoulder. "You did your best. We all did. But...Leli was obviously a genius centuries ahead of her time. Wren is such a complex android, none of us had any idea where to begin," he said, trying to reassure her. But truthfully, he felt as frustrated as she did. After taking off, Alis and Noah had spent almost an hour trying to figure out a way to restore Wren. But neither of them were professional engineers, and Leli had obviously developed robotics way ahead of her time. "We'll keep him though. Maybe one day, someone will be able to find a way to...."

Noah stopped when he noticed his words only seemed to make Alis feel worse. "A-Alis, I'm s-sorry," he stammered. "Forget it, forget I said anything. I'll shut up and...."

"No it's alright," Alis insisted. "I-I need to talk anyway. A-About some things that I've learned...."

Noah shot back a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"There's, well...." she began, sounding as if she was carefully thinking about how to say what she wanted to say. "I...I learned some things from Tarzimal, before he died."

The mention of his mentor almost unnerved him again. It was hard enough to accept that the man who'd practically been a father figure for him all his life was now gone. He didn't blame Alis, as she blamed herself, but the loss was a painful one. "Wha...what did he tell you?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's more like what he SHOWED me. By putting me in his memories," said Alis. She paused, looking away from Noah. "Would you believe that I'm supposed to be the rightful queen of the Algo system?" she finished softly.

"WHAT!?" cried Noah. He was surprised his outburst didn't wake Myau and Odin. "The...QUEEN!?"

"Yeah, I saw it," she replied, turning to face him again. "I saw Tarzimal tell the governor to hand me over to a family that was moving to Palma, while I was still a baby. He said I had to remain hidden until the time was right. And said that I had a destiny to fulfill. Well, I guess we all know what that is now...."

Noah listened in stunned silence. It was a while before he could ask, "How...how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know, Noah, I just don't know," said Alis sadly. "I never wanted anything like that. Before Lassic suddenly started his reigh of terror and Nero's death, I was perfectly happy where I was. But now, it's like you said. Someone has to stop Algo from falling into anarchy if we kill Lassic...so I guess, it'll have to be me."

Noah couldn't imagined how much that sort of responsibility was now weighing down on Alis. But before he could ask about it again, Alis spoke up again. "By the way, why did Tarzimal call you 'Lutz'?"

"Wha!?" exclaimed Noah fearfully. "Wha...how did you...."

"It was in the memory. You were in it, just a little boy when I was handed off...and Tarzimal called you 'Lutz'. Why was that?"

Noah sighed, hating how that secret had been stumbled upon. "It was the name Tarzimal gave me. Whenever people are recruited at a young age into the Espers, their mentors give them a new name. For some stupid reason, Tarzimal thought I had a lot of potential, so he called me 'Lutz', which means 'reverent one'."

Alis lifted an eyebrow. "I'd say the name fits. You're wiser than you give yourself credit for, and we'd never have gotten this far without you."

"But I always hated the name," Noah went on. "It made me feel as if I was supposed to be better at my training than everyone else. It made me feel set apart. So I told Tarzimal to call me by my birth name or I'd pack up and leave."

For a few moments, Alis didn't reply. But then, she suddenly chuckled. "Well, if you insist. But to be honest, I think 'Lutz' has a nice ring to it." Noah felt his cheeks grow hot. For some reason, when Alis said his Esper name, it didn't make him feel embarrassed. "And Noah, there's one other thing I need to tell you, something I haven't had the opportunity to explain yet."

"Go on," Noah urged, sensing her uncertainty.

"It's about...well, what happened when we were all dragged into that...whatever it was," said Alis. "It was like...something was possessing Dioa, something incredibly evil. And from the sound of it, whatever it was was also using Lassic too, in some way."

Alis paused, looking at Noah with eyes that betrayed fear and confusion. "I can't pretend to understand just what went on back there, but somehow, I got the feeling that...this won't be over even if we kill Lassic. As if there's something else out there, something profoundly evil that's determined to wreck everything, bring the Algo system to ruin. Like you said all along, Lassic's death won't be the end of it, I just know it...."

"Alis, I...." Noah began, trying to find the right words to say. "Alis, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely positive," Alis said simply. "It made me more certain of what you tried to tell me. This fight isn't about revenge, about the people we've lost. It's about the ones who are still alive, protecting everything there is. But...." She paused, sounding like she was choking back a sob. "I'm not sure if I can do it. Before I had no doubts whatsoever, but now...I have no idea what to expect!"

"Alis, you won't have to go through it alone," Noah reassured her. "Whatever awaits us, whatever this new enemy is that we're facing, I vow to you, here and now, I'll never stop until I've seen it defeated."

Alis stared at Noah, blinking back tears. "T-Thank you, Noah. T-That means a lot." And then, Alis did something that took Noah completely by surprise yet again. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder. Noah was certain his brain would soon shut down from the way his blood's temperature just shot up. He stayed completely motionless while Alis stayed like that. Noah had no idea how long they stayed like that, neither moving the slightest bit, but eventually, Alis lifted her head, and Noah heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

He looked over to Alis, and saw that she had drawn her laconian sword, which once again seemed to give off a terrifyingly beautiful glow. "Alis, what now?" Noah asked, wondering why she took out her sword.

"Oh, nothing really," said Alis. "I was just thinking about this sword. This is what saved me, when it lent me holy power. I'm sure that this isn't just any ordinary laconian weapon. Who knows what else it can do?"

Noah didn't say anything. Alis sheathed her sword, then took out the lamp that had help start the mess they had gotten into. "And I wonder...can we use this again? It really came in handy, and lemme tell you...I had quite a bit of fun with you when I could toy with you like that."

Noah let out a nervous laught. "Well, as fun as it is to entertain the thought of seeing Lassic get flattened undrneath your boots, we have to remember that once the fluid in the nut is depleted, and I'm not confident about how good my repair job was...."

Alis pouted, but didn't pursue the subject as she put the lamp away. "We'll keep it though. Tarzimal worked so hard to make it, and we may need it again sometime down the line...." She rested her head on Noah's shoulder again, and once again he struggled with himself, trying not to let his hopes and imagination go too far as the Luveno continued its trek back to Palma.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Chaz and Rika stood before what was undoubtedly the hallmark of the town of Termi, the huge statue depicting Alis Landale and her musk cat Myau. When he first came to Termi weeks ago and saw the statue, Chaz hadn't given it much thought. He had been completely indifferent to the town's reference for what they called the 'legendary heroine'. At the time, he was too busy worrying about other things to bother trying to idealize some so-called hero from the past. But now, after all that he'd gone through, things were much different.

The cycle of terror is over now, Chaz thought to himself. The Profound Darkness is gone forever, and so is the fear of our system, our home, being annilihated. I can't take the credit, though, even if I was the one that Elsydeon chose as its wielder. Rune, Wren, Raja...Rika.... He looked over to Rika, the beautiful pink-haired numan girl who had chosen to leave the service of her master, Wren, just to stay with him. Even after all these months, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a girl like her. Always sprightly and smiling, and beautiful beyond words....

Chaz turned back to look up at the statue. I guess, from what Rune told us, she wasn't the perfect hero either. She needed lots of help, and had trouble accepting what she was really meant to do. Just like I did, when Le Roof revealed the truth about the Algo system. And she was a lot like me in other ways too. I had a hard time trying to make sense of everything after Zio killed Alys. Rika and Rune helped me through that, just like Noah...Lutz did with Alis.

As Chaz continued to stare up at the state, a smile crossed his face as he thought about how the statue loomed over the two of them. I still can't totally believe Rune's story...this girl growing to over 150 feet tall, stomping around all over Motavia....

As if the numan girl had read his thoughts, Rika said, "Quite a big statue, isn't it? Kind of reminds you of that story Rune told us, doesn't it?"

Chaz turned to Rika and smiled. Rika simply smiled back. "Yeah, I guess it does. I'm still having trouble believing it, though."

Rika smiled again, hen looked back at the statue. Chaz, however, just kept staring at her. Rika had long ago stopped wearing her battle gear. Now she was wearing a simple, yellow dress that came down to her knees. She also was carrying a simple knapsack while they were travelling for the weekend. Chaz couldn't help but marvel at her beauty; at times he almost forgot she was as capable as fighter as he was. "Even if you don't believe Rune's story, you can't deny what she ultimately accomplished," Rika said suddenly. "She was the first one to truly defeat the Profound Darkness's plans. We all owe her."

In more ways than one, Chaz agreed silently, remembering it was the power and memories Alis had left within Elsydeon that led them to victory, and escape the Profound Darkness's lair alive.

"You speak truer than you know, Rika," came a stiff voice from behind them, one that simultaneously evoked feelings of respect and irritation for Chaz. Chaz slowly turned around and, sure enough, there was Rune standing behind them.

"Hey Rune!" said Rika cheerfully, oblivious to the love-hate thing that still lingered between both men.

"Greetings, Rika. Funny that we should meet each other again, even if I'm only stopping into Termi for some supplies," said Rune.

"Yeah, I remember you saying we probably wouldn't see each other again," said Cha dryly. "What've you been up to the last few months?"

"Oh, just the usual," said Rune airily. "Still travelling, meditating, training....my job, as the fifth Reverent One, will never be truly complete, I suppose. Even with the Profound Darkness gone, there'll still be plenty for me to do." Rune looked over to Rika, then up at the statue of Alis. "It's been so long since I've seen this statue. They got it right for the most part...like the long, flowing hair and her incredible legs. But I swear, the statue's face needs to be more cheerful, as if to give the impression she'd be smiling as she sliced you apart for looking at her the wrong way."

Rika giggled at Rune's comment, but Chaz simply stared at him with a blank face. "I guess you've got more of Lutz's memories than you care to admit. It almost sounds as if you're still in love with her."

Rune smirked. "I guess I can't help it. Lutz feeling's for Alis were so strong, they obviously were handed down along with his memories."

"Ah, I see," Chaz said offhandedly. He looked back up at the statue for a moment. "It really happened, didn't it? Alis growing monstrously huge and all?"

"Would I lie to you?" Rune asked slyly, smirking again.

"No, I guess not," said Rika.

"And Wren was really created during her time?" Chaz asked in disbelief. "Is the Wren we know really the one that Alis met, or just one built in his likeness centuries later?"

Rune shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure about that. I suspect though, that if he really is the same Wren, some of his memory banks were damaged by that ice attack. That would explain why he had no recollection of the first time the Profound Darkness sent Dark Force into Algo."

"And there's something else I can't help but wonder about," Chaz added. "When you finished telling us that story, you made it sound like Alis and Lutz had grown very close. But...how close did they get after that?"

Rune smiled again. Chaz found it out of character for him to be smiling so much. "Well, it's pretty clear how deep his commitment to Alis was, right?" he asked. "It's obvious that he fulfilled his vow to her, isn't it? After she defeated Dark Force, she became the queen, and peace was restored to Algo for a time. Lutz loyally served her as her adviser during her entire reign. She and Lutz took her laconian sword and transformed it into Elsydeon. And as you know, Lutz kept himself alive for centuries using cryogenic sleep to ensure that he'd be able to help combat the ultimate darkness, and when that could no longer sustain him, he preserved his memories in the Telepathy Ball to pass onto others."

"Yeah yeah, I know about all that," said Chaz shortly. "But what I want to know is...well, did it ever really get farther than just friendship? Did they ever...really...you know?"

Rune sighed and shook his head. But before he could spout off with a comeback, Rika suddenly said. "Geez, it's hotter than usual today. I need some water." She took off her knapsack and opened it, but it slipped out of her hands and its contents spilled out onto the ground. Along with several bottles of water and the sandwiches Rika had prepared earlier, both Rune and Chaz were shocked to see....

"Rika, is that a...lamp?" Rune asked nervously.

Rika picked up the lamp, and Chaz saw that it looked like it was made of lackluster, low-grade laconia, and had a glistening, red gem attached to both sides. Wait a minute, Chaz thought, isn't that what....

"Uhhh, Rika, where did you get that?" Rune asked nervously, staring at the lamp as if it were a live bomb.

"Oh, this? It's just something Kyra gave me while we were staying at the Esper Mansion. She said she found it hidden away in the Esper Mansion a long time ago, but had no idea what it did or how to get it working. So she gave it to me, thinking I might be able to fix it. I still tinker with it from time to time, though Wren would've been the better choice, probably."

Especially if that's what I think it is, Chaz thought dryly. Out loud, he said, "OK, Rika, please, you better hand that thing over or just put it away."

"Huh, why?" Rika asked, shocked by Chaz's sudden brusqueness.

"Rika, please, you can be surprisingly airheaded sometimes," Rune said acerbically. "Just...put it away."

"What's with you two all of a sudden?" Rika said, holding the lamp closer. "Kyra let me have this, so...."

Chaz then decided it would probably be best to just take it from Rika. "C'mon Rika, just give it here," he said, making a grab for the lamp. But Rika stubbornly held onto the artifact, and the two struggled, neither willing to let go.

"Oh COME ON, Chaz!" cried Rika angrily as they continued the tug-of-war match over the lamp, while Rune looked on nervously. "Cut it out! This is mine!"

"Rika, you have no idea what that is! I have a bad feeling it's...." Chaz's voice trailed off when he heard something click. Chaz only belatedly realized he had grabbed onto the lamp's handle, and his finger had been over a trigger. A trigger he had just accidently pulled.

"OUCH! What just stung me!?" Rika exclaimed as she let go of the lamp, a look of irritation still on her face. But that expression changed to one of confusion when she saw her body was giving off a white glow, which was noticable even though the sun was high in the sky.

"Oh...crap," was all Rune could say.

"I, uh, just activated it, didn't I?" Chaz asked in a flat, expressionless tone.

Rune snorted. "Yes, you just did. Nice going, stumpy."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Rika, evidently still blissfully ignorant of what had just happened. She suddenly looked exhausted. "What's this all about? Why do both of you look so worried?"

"Oh, give it a few more seconds. You'll find out," said Rune quietly.

Rika just gave Rune a blank, stupified stare. Then she looked back over to Chaz, and realized at about the same he did that, instead of being about a head shorter than him, she was now eye level with the hunter. Her eyes went wide along with Chaz's as he watched his girlfriend slowly grow taller and taller. Rune watched in awe as well, but still managed to think up something acidulous to say. "See Rika, wouldn't it have been better to have just handed it over?"

Rika just only stare back at Rune, mouth agape, as she rose higer and higher into the sky. By now, the townspeople of Termi were beginning to notice what was happening. Their reaction was predictable enough: screaming and running in all directions as Rika continued to grow and grow, watching the whole world dwindle away.

When it was finally over, Chaz and Rune were standing beside her gigantic feet, looking up...and up. Chaz guessed Rika had grown to roughly the same height that Alis had over two millenia ago. He watched anxiously as Rika looked down with a bemused, flabbergasted expression on her face. As Rika's dress fluttered in the wind, the only coherent thought that went through Chaz's head was, Please, don't let her think I'm standing here trying to get a sneak peek at her panties....

"Alright, now THIS is bringing back memories, that's for sure," said Rune uneasily.

"Um, whoops," said Rika with an embarrassed look. She tried to speak softly, but her voice was loud enough to be heard over the cries of the panicky townspeople.

"Uh, Chaz, flip the switch on the bottom and blast her again. That should reverse the effects," said Rune.

Chaz just nodded and turned the lamp over, seeing a small switch there. He flipped it and aimed up at Rika. Chaz prayed silently and pulled the trigger again.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, no," said Rune and Chaz in unison.

Rika evidently saw what Chaz had tried to do, and realized that the lamp wasn't working yet again, for her expression grew even more dour. She slowly got down onto one knee, eliciting more terrified cries from everyone else and forcing Rune and Chaz to fight the instinct to run away backwards from her. Soon enough, Rika's huge face was looming over the two of them, and long locks of her pink hair cascaded down all around them like dangling vines. "Er, it's...broken again, isn't it?" she asked hesitantly.

Rika's voice was overwhelmingly loud, resounding all around them, and it was all Chaz could do to keep himself from clasping his hands over his ears. "Err, yeah, looks like it," Chaz said meekly as he stared into her huge eyes. Her face was so close, he saw his reflection in her pupils.

"Uh, well, since I'm causing a panic, I guess I'd better, um, leave town," said Rika. She lowered an outstretched hand. "Come on, you two. Let's get out of here."

Chaz and Rune looked at each other nervously, then obediently climbed onto the palm of Rika's hand. She then carefully lifted them up to her head, letting them jump off onto her shoulder. The two of them grabbed hold of some of Rika's hair as she started moving, stepping out of the town's borders with only a few leisurely strides.

"Is this bringing back even more memories?" Chaz asked Rune, trying to keep his footing as he desperately clung to Rika's hair.

"Oh yeah," was all Rune said as Rika kept stomping aimlessly across Motavia.

END