Chapter 12: The Duel

The sight of Peel’s apartment was never so welcome as when Julian and his friends returned from Spookane. Like most travelers, they were hard- pressed for money and had to spend most of their journey forsaking luxuries such as food and sleep. The journey had been incredibly taxing.

As per Julian’s suggestion, the prism was left inside the confines of the Rosemary mansion. Despite some minor protests from both Peel and Joshua, Julian decided to keep its actual location a secret, though he insisted that he knew exactly where it was. Such, he said, was one of the many gifts left to him by the late alien-ghost Gleyd.

“But we still don’t know what we should do next.” Joshua complained, sitting uneasily on one end of Peel’s couch while Julian prepared some food in the kitchen and Peel herself changed her clothes. “What do we do when we reach our next destination? We can’t just blunder into Ellay and expect to find Ninten there, right? I don’t like it.”

“And besides,” Peel’s voice chimed in from her room. “now we have both Punker and that other guy to worry about…what was it? Rapper Firestarter?”

“Rapper Flamestart.” Julian corrected her kindly and turned to a small frying pan where he was cooking some eggs. “I’d guess that he probably uses fire some way. Of course, anyone could guess that from the name, right?” Julian laughed silently at himself and emptied the pan onto a small plate, then wiped his hands on a nearby rag and turned to another pan with some sausages on it. Peel came out of her room, donning new clothes, and straitened her hair. “You seem awfully calm, you know? Like you’re not even worried or something.” She went over to him and deftly snatched the plate of eggs, grabbing two forks and tossing one to Joshua. Julian soon joined her and the three of them sat down to eat their rather poor excuse for a meal.

“There’s no reason to worry.” Julian reassured his friends as he began to pick at the food. He momentarily glanced at the nearly-invisible glyph on the back of his hand and his thoughts diverted to the time he spent unconscious in Spookane. Was there really no reason to worry? Was he so sure of himself that he was blinding himself to the truth? What about the others? Was he putting them needlessly in danger?

No…no time to think about that. All there was now was to reach Ellay, and find some answers. About the prism, the Cosmos Festival…and what happened after Ninten disappeared five years ago. The answers were all there, staring him in the face; he just needed to stare back.

***

“Perfect. This is just perfect.”

Peel scanned over the barren desert area with her hands on her hips. Out of all the places to have to walk across to get to Ellay, they had to end up here. In the desert. She glanced over at Joshua, who was toying with an old pack Peel had given her, while Julian was tying his shoes and generally looking like he always did. His face showed no particular emotion—he was, for all purposes, sealed like an oyster.

“This is very…different from the forest.” Joshua mused as he kicked up some dust and followed the trail of a small desert scorpion. “Are there any plants here?” Julian shook his head, even though he wasn’t facing Joshua directly. “No. Not unless you count cacti and weeds.” He straitened up and began walking. “Come on.” He beckoned to the others. “The sooner we get through, the better.”

A short chat with most experienced travelers often reveals some interesting information. How to find water, which berries to pick from which bushes, and whether or not to travel in the desert in broad daylight. The answer to this last question would be a resounding ‘no’, followed by several warnings about sunstroke and fatigue. The desert is cool at night, and travelling in a cold desert is better than travelling in a scorching one.

Julian, however, never had the opportunity to talk to an experienced traveler, and he was finding the consequences of his misinformed actions the hard way. After a few hours he had trouble walking straight, and he began wishing he had kept his hat—the sun was murder for an unprotected face. To add even further injury, the sunburn apparently broke his concentration and disabled any and all PSI powers he knew. He was hurt, and he could do nothing to heal himself.

Peel seemed none the worse for wear. She had taken some precautions and took the environmental assault in stride, although her hair seemed somewhat tangled and she looked like she could use some rest. She hovered around Julian, trying to shield him from the sun somewhat, and having little success.

But Joshua was the worst off. He had never spent any time outside the dark, humid groves of his forest, and it showed. His shoulders drooped and he looked like someone extremely sick. He didn’t look like he could take much more of this. He soon began to complain softly. “I hate this place.” He whined. “I want to go back to the forest.”

“Don’t worry.” Julian tried to sound comforting, but his voice was hoarse and weak. “Once we get across…we’ll be fine.” He stumbled a little, prompting Peel to catch his arm and lug him up again. She looked at her two friends with concern. “Man, this is bad.” She mused to herself.

The blanket of night brought some relief, though hardly enough to soothe the sufferings of the three youths. They pitched a small tent and crawled into it, lying on blankets. The cold desert atmosphere gave them chills, and even a native of Snowman like Julian was having trouble staving off the cold. Joshua, who was used to sleeping on the floor anyway, went out like a light, curling up instinctively into a ball. This left Julian and Peel awake, cuddling up to each other to share bodily warmth.

Peel wrapped an arm around Julian and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing hard and letting her teeth chatter lightly. “I’m s-scared…” she pleaded to Julian. “I c-can’t f-feel my hands…” she added upon noticing the numbness in her hands. Julian shifted his position so that he was looking at her and forced a smile. “I told you n-not t-to worry.” He said. Even then his voice contained an air of self- confidence that made Peel feel better. Peel closed her eyes and snuggled up to Julian, feeling the warmth of his body soothe the near-painful numbness she was feeling. For one moment, she felt peace…

Then Julian did something she never expected him to do: he backed away. He sat up and brought his knees up to his chest, as if in deep thought, and shot Peel a look. “I want you to go home.” He stated dryly. “I want you and Joshua to go home until this whole thing blows over.”

Peel sat up and looked at Julian through tired eyes. “What…are you t- talking about?” she was starting to notice the cold again, and her teeth chattered lightly. Julian closed his eyes and sighed, sending out a tiny cloud of vapor. “You heard me. I want you to go home.”

“…why?” Peel’s eyebrows furrowed as she shuffled up to him, her hand resting on his knee. “You don’t have to worry about us…we can take care of ourselves just as well as you.” She started to close in on him, but he backed off again. “…I don’t want to do this…not to you.” He muttered. Instantly he lay back down and closed his eyes. “Good night, Peel.” It sounded more like an order than it was supposed to. Peel shook her head. “You…think that our being here…Joshua and I…you think this is your fault.” She mused, turning to Julian. There was no answer. She sighed, then lay down and fell asleep almost instantly.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure observed them from outside. A smile caressed his lips as he saw the scene being played out before him, then took a few steps forward. As he neared the tent he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“We all have weaknesses, brotha…even you…”

***

Julian groaned as he felt a tumbleweed smack itself against his face, scratching it lightly and poking his eyes. As he rubbed his face and sat up he thought about the previous night with Peel. What was happening? Why wouldn’t they just go home and leave him? It was almost as if they wanted to fight alongside him…

“Peel…” he called out. There was no answer. He turned and began to feel along the ground, trying to grope for her, but there was nothing. As his eyes came into focus, he felt the sun blazing on his face and a slight breeze coming from the side. Then he realized that the tent was gone. His eyes popped open instantly and he looked around him. Nothing.

He sprang up instantly, his hands balled into fists. “Peel! Joshua!” he cried. There was no response. He was alone in the desert. At first, his thoughts ran over the hypothesis that they had left him there…that maybe they had gone home, left him there to deal with his problems by himself. But that was quickly discredited as he spotted something on the floor. A scorch mark in the dirt…in the shape of an arrow. Julian looked to the horizon in the direction the arrow pointed. Shrugging off all exhaustion, hunger or sunburn, he set off running in that direction. His hand was glowing green.

Rapper Flamestart turned to his two captives and grinned evilly. It had been child’s play; he whisked them off during the night, when they couldn’t fight back. It was almost too easy. As he surveyed the ruins that were acting as his temporary headquarters, he smiled too himself. “This is too much fun.” He called out. His words elicited an instant response from the boy in captivity behind him. “You seem very sure of yourself.” He said, struggling to break the ropes that held him. Rapper chuckled again. “I am. Punker was dumb attackin’ like he did. I planned everything perfectly, dig?” He walked up to Joshua and bent down over him, peering through his sunglasses. “Even took care o’ dat nasty little power of yours.” He straitened up and turned his back to Joshua. “Gotta love those PSI inhibitors, huh?” Joshua groaned and turned over on his back, trying to shake off the small device attached to the back of his neck.

“Don’t even try.” Rapper’s face went serious and he grabbed Joshua by the collar, planking him up against a nearby rock, the remains of what used to be a wall. “Try anything stupid an’ I cap the chick.” He motioned over to Peel, who was lying on the ground, a large bruise on her head. She was still. Joshua gritted his teeth. “I really hope Julian kills you.” Rapper scoffed. “Doubt it.” He turned to the horizon and grinned. “But I guess I’ll let you see that for yourself, kid.”

“Flamestart!!”

Julian skidded to a halt a few meters from Rapper, his face contorted into a scowl of rage and his chest heaving. His hand glowed fiercely. Rapper, on the other hand, remained calm. “’Bout time.” He mused. “I was afraid you’d chicken out, G.”

“Let them go.” Julian’s voice was a low growl. “Let them go now.”

Rapper laughed. “It’s not that simple, cuz.” He turned to Joshua and called out to him. “Tell him, kid.” Joshua muttered something under his breath, then raised his voice to Julian. “He wants to challenge you to a duel.” He began calmly. “If you win, we can go free. If not…” his voice broke off and he lunged forward, yelling. “Kick his butt, Julian, do it now! Don’t-” he was cut off as Rapper kicked him in the gut, knocking the air out of his lungs and effectively silencing him. “That’s enough.” Rapper rolled Joshua onto his back, then turned to Julian. “It’s like this, G. You duel or they die. Got it?” Julian nodded promptly and got into a fighting stance. “Let’s go.” He threatened. Rapper grinned.

Julian charged forward and tried to punch Rapper, but the latter jumped nimbly out of the way and tried to bring his hand down onto Julian’s back. Julian used the momentum from his punch and rolled forward, skidding to a halt then jumping up and trying to kick Rapper. He, in turn, parried the blow with his forearm and, still grinning, thrust out with his fist, hitting Julian in the face and knocking him away.

Julian stumbled back onto his feet and charged forward again, this time catapulting himself over Rapper mere centimeters from him using a blast of psycho-kinetic energy. Before Rapper could react, Julian was behind him, grabbing his torso. Julian spun around so that he was right-side up and heaved, throwing Rapper into the air. He then leapt up after him and delivered a PSI-powered punch, slamming him down into the ground and kicking up some dust. Julian then landed softly on the ground.

Rapper rubbed his chest where Julian had struck and grinned. “Thas’ wack, cuz…” he said. “I’ll show you what a real air fight is like!” Both he and Julian jumped into the air. Julian flipped over and attempted a cartwheel kick, but Rapper spun to the side and used the momentum to kick Julian in the side, then grabbed his arm and threw him downwards. Julian lashed out with his mind and slowed his fall down using PSI, then projected himself to the side, gliding just out of the reach of Rapper as he came down with a step kick. Julian flipped over again and dug his feet into the ground, then dashed forward. Rapper saw him coming and ran forward as well, and together the two combatants locked hands.

Julian let out a groan of strain as he felt Rapper’s grip tighten and his strength overcome him. Rapper, who has bigger than Julian, was also much stronger and was able to break Julian’s balance, throwing him off to the side, but not before Julian sent a wave of PSI through his hands, freezing them and enclosing them in blocks of ice. Rapper yelped in pain and disregarded the fight, giving Julian a chance to go up to him and assault him with a series of punches followed by a PK Beam shot at close range. Rapper tumbled backwards and flopped onto the ground.

Without thinking, Julian ran over to Peel and laid his hand on her forehead. “LifeUp.” He whispered, sending a healing pulse through her body. Peel’s eyes fluttered open and she looked at Julian as he undid her ropes. “Julian…you came…” she said weakly. Julian nodded. “Yeah.” He got up and headed for Joshua. “Let’s get out of here.” He commanded. He couldn’t get to Joshua, though, before a huge wall of flames beat down from the sky and imposed itself in Julian’s way, blocking him off. Julian whirled and spotted Rapper, who was holding out a charred-looking hand. “I ain’t playing no more!” he yelled. “I’m killin’ all y’all right here and now!” his hand glowed red and a stream of fire shot from his hand. Julian put up his hands and formed a shield, stopping the flames dead in their tracks. Together the two stood for a moment, but Julian gave first and his shield shattered, letting a few flames through to lick at his arm. Julian jumped back and extended his hands. “PK Aswer!” he cried, and the Aswer formed itself. Within a few seconds it was fully charged and a stream of energy sped towards Rapper. “You bringin’ out yo’ trump card this early?” Rapper taunted. “Don’t bet on it!!”

Rapper extended his hands and a wall of flames shot up from the ground. “Wall Option!” he yelled. The Aswer’s energy beam crashed into the wall of flames, creating a huge flash and completely covering Rapper. Julian discontinued the attack but left the Aswer on, shrinking it slightly and letting it circle him. He watched in silent admiration as the flames and the ethereal energy formed an antipode and exploded brilliantly. As the explosion racked his ears, Julian relaxed himself and let his guard down.

“Big mistake!” Rapper said as he jumped out of the center of the explosion and grabbed Julian by the neck, holding him up. “I’m gonna end this right here, dig? RIGHT HERE!!” as Rapper held Julian he could feel the immense heat escaping from his hand, burning his skin. Rapper’s sunglasses were cracked, and Julian could see his red eyes dilate through the broken lenses. Rapper held Julian tighter and he began to glow slightly. “Burn.” He croaked, then the energy in his body was released. “Mad Storm!!”

A huge explosion of energy twice as big as the first enveloped both of them. As the flames swirled out the very ground became molten and the air pulsated. Peel and Joshua, who had been watching from far away, gasped in horror. “Julian!” Peel cried out, but the flames drowned out her voice. Joshua had managed to wriggle free of his bindings and ripped the PSI inhibitor from his neck, then lashed out with his PK Swarm power. The bees ran into the flames, but were dissolved by them as if they weren’t even there. “We’re powerless!” Joshua cried. “We can’t do anything from outside!”

Peel looked at Joshua and drew her wrench. “Cover me with a shield.” She ordered. “I’m going to help him.” Joshua frowned. “Are you crazy?! The fire’s gonna broil you alive!” Peel shook her head. “I don’t care! Do it!” To prove she meant business, she began charging towards the storm. Joshua was able to coat her with a shield milliseconds before she vanished into the flames.

Rapper laughed evilly as he held Julian, who was staving off the flames with a shield but was clearly about to give in. “Give up! I’ve won!” he menaced. “There’s nothing you or your friends can do now!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure!” came a voice from behind. Rapper whirled to see a huge wrench smash itself into his jaw, knocking out two teeth. He reeled and relinquished his hold on Julian, allowing him to drop to the floor. Peel ran up to him and hoisted him up. “Julian!” she cried. “Are you okay?” Julian nodded and put an arm around Peel for stability. “Yeah.” Immediately his eyes widened and he yelped in pain. “I can’t hold on much longer!” he yelled. Telepathically he sent out a message to Joshua. <Joshua…can you hear me?> a tickle in the back of his mind came as Joshua’s message came through. <Not too well…are you alright?>

<Yeah. Can you hold us?>

<…I’ll…try…Hold on!>

Julian felt his legs relieved of strain as both he and Peel were lifted off the ground. At the same time, the storm began to die down until all that was left was the molten floor. Julian and Peel glowed slightly blue as they clung to each other. Rapper was standing opposite them, badly beaten and rubbing his bleeding jaw.

“You’ve lost.” Rapper said weakly as he contemplated the teens. “Even if I die, you’ll fall to the ground…you’ll burn…your friend can’t hold on forever…” Peel craned her head and looked at Joshua, who was holding them up but showed clear signs of fatigue. He wouldn’t hold on much longer.

To her great surprise, Peel was brought back to the fight by a hoarse, coughing laugh that came from Julian. “That’s true…” he said. “But you’re forgetting one thing…” the Aswer shot forward, hovering in front of Julian. Soon enough it morphed and became the green shield from before. “…that attack back there wasn’t my strongest…this one is.” He turned to Joshua. “Get ready to let us go!” he shouted. “On three!” Joshua gasped and strained. “Are you kidding? You’ll fall!”

“Just do it!” Julian wrapped his arm around Peel’s torso and gulped. “One!”

Rapper stared in horror. “I’ve lost…”

“Two!”

Peel’s voice began to crescendo into a scream. “…Julian…”

“Three!” Julian’s eyes widened. “PK Aswer…Gleyd Form!” he and Peel suddenly felt gravity pull down on them, but were launched back by the kinetic energy released as the Gleyd Aswer shot forth. The small explosion left behind as the shield slammed forward gave the pair enough momentum to fly off and tumble safely to the ground a few meters from the molten ground. Meanwhile, Rapper was knocked back and towards the horizon as the unstoppable Aswer carried him away. In an almost cartoon-ish manner, Rapper screamed as he flew off.

Joshua ran up to Julian and helped him up. “Are you alright?” he called. Julian nodded. “Yeah…there’s no need to--”

“Don’t you dare start with that again.” Peel called out from behind. “Don’t even think about it. You could have died back there!” Julian, taken slightly aback, raised up his hands. “I…”

“You nothing!” Peel put her hands on her hips. “It’s time we straitened out a few things! It’s time you stopped locking yourself out from us! We need each other!”

“I…”

“It’s true.” Joshua calmly intervened. “You worry about us, you think you can get along…but if it weren’t for us, you’d be dead now.” Julian shook his head. “If it weren’t for you…I wouldn’t have been here in the first place.” He tried to force a smile, but Peel grabbed him and spun him around. “You don’t get it, do you?” she shouted. “We’re here because we want to help you. You’re not forcing us to do anything!”

“This goes a lot farther than just you and your prism.” Joshua walked up to Julian and stared at him. “This is our battle. We’re a team. It’s only when we work as one that we have no need to worry.”

Julian looked down at the ground. “I…don’t know what to say…” Peel let go of him and smiled weakly. “How about, ‘you’re right’?” Julian’s mouth dropped open. “Yeah…you are right.”

“Good. It’s a start.” Peel let him go and backed away. “Now how’s about we leave this place? The heat’s killing me.” Julian nodded. “Yeah. Come on.” Then, together, the three young warriors lumbered into the ruins and out of the desert.