61.) Charge Forward!!!

A concrete moment had finally passed, and Shiishii and the rest of the visitors made their way back to once they came. This meant that Slith and Jabreeze no longer had to wait a long while before making a move. Avoiding an encounter with Flametress seemed well within their grasp. And to make things literally, ten times better. Clariece had decided to help them get there the fastest way she knew how. She already had business within the capital as she had to drop off the still injured Mathis. 

"Rest within my slipstream guys. You won't be able to keep up, so allow me to carry you."she insisted that they do it this way and they could not find a reason not to. They all zapped off the planet and were in what seemed to be a stream of light, traveling light years per millisecond as Clariece blitzed through the cosmos. She smiled freely, and they… were tense and stiff due to traveling at speeds far beyond their usual capacity. 

Slith: "Thisss… issss…. INTENSEEE!!!" *his face cringed up while he yelled through the pressure* 

Jabreeze: "Youuu juuust… gottaaaa. STEEL YOURSELF! And… WITHSTAANNND!" *his face does the same* 

A mere second had flown by, and she was already 6 universes in. 10 more, and the capital would be reached. Realizing this, both Slith and Jabreeze relax themselves and properly rest within her stream. They were now unaffected by her ferocious velocity and chilling as she flashed past universe after universe. 

"Hey Jabreeze, do you notice something off about Mathis?" Slith asked Jabreeze while closely studying the body of Mathis. Jabreeze couldn't help but study it as well out of curiosity. 

"Oh! I see what you mean now." Jabreeze said with a surprised face. He, too, could see that something was off and just couldn't put his finger on it. So they remained staring, trying their best to figure out what it was. Meanwhile, Clareice lowered her speed a bit as they got closer to the capital. She wished not to be detected too quickly, as that would put them at risk. 

Clariece: "I'm going to come to a near halt soon! We're one universe away, and I don't need them sensing my presence. I'm a retired Royal Guard, after all." 

Slith: "Something told me you had to be more than what you were letting off."

Jabreeze: "Well, if that's the case, then I can understand completely. You're doing us a huge favor here anyway. Do your thing." 

Clareice: "Hmph!" *she smiles at the two of them before turning around*

As they proceed forward, Slith begins to contemplate something. His face had a look of hard thought on it. He was trying hard to figure something out, but alas… he could not figure it out. So he asked her a question that even raised Jabreeze's attention. 

"If you're a retired guard, how come Mathis did not recognize you?"he asked while proceeding to scratch his head. Clareice laughed a bit and turned to them, then said, "He never once saw me, you guys. Not even… once." They were both perplexed upon hearing this. Slith himself felt a bit silly for asking the question in the first place. He put his head down in slight embarrassment. 

Clareice: "Ah, it's ok. I guess this would take your mind off what just happened. We're crossing the final bridge to the capital." 

Both of them lift their heads high and stare at the marvel before them. It was a great dome that held the entire central universe within itself. It was set to grow every time a new galaxy was born and the universe expanded. You could see many galactic sized palaces that housed galaxies. Many communities sat within these great palaces that were filled with countless nobles and their factions. 

Clariece flew through the gates and was accepted along with her "guests." She flashed past the guards who waved at her with great, big smiles on their faces. She flew past more than fifty great palaces before reaching a gigantic, super-sized, asian castle. Both Jabreeze and Slith couldn't believe the wonder before them. "How could someone possibly build such a great fortress such as this?" It was just written all over their faces. 

Jabreeze: "This is actually quite incredible." 

Slith: "Indeed it isss." 

Clareice flies straight through the front gates of the castle and sees a great community of palaces. A great castle sat at the center of it all, a small castle compared to the palaces that surround it. Clareice approaches the castle while slowing her speeds to basic light travel. They enter the castle, and Clariece comes to a complete stop. No one having noticed she left Slith and Jabreeze on a nearby asteroid.  They were to wait for her feedback on where they should go to fastest locate the key. 

Clareice kept Mathis within the bubble she created for him and marched toward the royal medical keep. Mathis could be seen nearly gaining consciousness, but the pain of two cuts found where his liver and heart are kept him from doing so. In the moments of their time, they used to travel further in. Her presence is noticed and recognized by Yelhana, who immediately flashes to her location. 

Yelhana: *Bow* "How long has it been Clareice?" 

Clareice: *Bow* "Yelhana, it's been more than five centuries. How have you been?" 

Yelhana: "I've been great, but uh… what's the deal with ol' Mathis over here. What happened to him?" 

Clareice: "Seems some of the offline gods in this empire had gotten to him. I found him after he crashed down on my planet, within my universe, and was out cold. I patched him up as best I could, then brought him here." 

Yelhana: "Offline Gods, huh? You must mean those despicable Knights of The Blackened Phoenix. We've been investigating them for quite some time now." 

Clareice: "Oh yeah? Seems that they've been quite active lately. (Seems my memory rewrite on Mathis can now be complete.)" 

Yelhana: "Yeah, and some of the guards who have faced them say the leader has a level of 60 as well." 

Clareice: "What!? That's insane! (Another piece of info to help the rewrite. Excellent!)" 

Yelhana: "Yes indeed. But please do follow me to the medical facilities, so we can get that silly man some proper care." 

Clareice: "Right." 

The two women head over to the medical facilities in order to get Mathis proper care. Clareice takes in a bunch of old memories from her times here as a Royal Guard. It was truly bliss for her, seeing as it's her first time back in many years. They walk through the food court and make contact with Demetri and Yolmi. The both of them were busy having lunch together after a great session of training. 

"Yooooo Yelhana, who's that with you?" yelled Demetri as he waved at them from the table. Both Yelhana and Clareice walk over to them and introduce themselves. "This here is Clareice, a retired Royal Guard." Yelhana says while pointing over towards Clareice. Demetri and Yolmi both gasp and then rise up from out of their seats to give their respects. They bow and surround her to check out her being. They were like children looking at their hero. 

Demetri: "Daaaamn… she's stacked." 

Yolmi: "Hrrmn!? *SMACK* You've got some nerve." 

Demetri: "Ow." *he rubs the left side of his face after being slapped harshly*

Both Clareice and Yelhana laugh at the sight of Demetri being hit for complementing Clareice's body. As he rubs his face in embarrassment, he notices Mathis floating behind her. Wondering what he may be doing there, Demetri goes ahead and asks them what had happened. 

The story is explained yet again, and all is clear to the two of them. "So, Mathis here got his butt kicked and had to be rescued? That's kind of funny, considering how he always talks." says Demetri while staring at the unconscious Mathis. 

Yolmi: "So you guys plan on taking him over to the medical facilities?" 

Clareice: "Indeed we do. Have to make sure one of the paladin hopefuls doesn't bite the dust." 

Yelhana: "Indeed, no doubt about that. We should go ahead and get going, though. Better you drop him off now so we can catch up."

Clareice: "Alright, sounds like a plan. Are you two coming as well, or are you staying here?" 

Demetri: "Let's go?" *he looks over at Yolmi* 

Yolmi: "Yeeah, that's cool, we can go." 

Everyone heads over to the medical office to check Mathis into the facilities. The doctors on sight take a look at him and instantly inject him with a dose of essence restorer. This will help him naturally heal his more minor wounds while they patch up the major ones. He's taken out of the bubble made by Clareice and taken to the back rooms and operating tables. 

"He'll be in great hands. Seems Dr. Yahlla is here today. He's our top doctor and has come up with more than a thousand healing techniques." Yelhana says as they watch Mathis be taken. Everyone nods their heads in agreement and walks out to the fiery meadows located at the back of the castle. A grand field that stretched out for miles on end, with benches and a few small park setups, set out many kilometers apart from one another. On the paths paved through the fields so Gods, Celestials, Beasts, Non-Mortals, and Mortals alike could walk through this peaceful place. The four of them walk up to the nearest bench to talk and catch up. 

Clareice: "Ah, this brings back memories. We used to come here all the time to enjoy it all and even spar sometimes. It was all too easy back then."  

Yelhana: "Ah, I know what you mean, baby girl. It used to be so fun being a guard back then. I mean, it still is, but there's never been a guard or knight that made this as fun and exciting as you did. Clareice." 

Clareice: "Awwe, you're just saying that. You don't mean it." *she says while cockily grinning at Yelhana* 

Yelhana: "You're being far too modest and humble. You know you were the best Paladin-Captain we've ever had. I still can't accomplish the wild things you could do." 

Demetri: "Woaaah, so this is THAT Clareice!? That's incredible." 

Yolmi: "I knew that name sounded familiar. You used to take down whole armies with Empress Amiyahss and Emperor Aiyahss. This is amazing!" 

Clareice: "Haha! You guys flatter me, honestly."

Yolmi reaches into her purple handbag and pulls out a small bottle of liqour. It was a kind of vodka made within the Phoenix Empire. Everyone got a glass poured for them, and they took a toast. "For the Empire."they all say while gulping down their glasses. Clareice could be seen turning her attention towards the north of the Empire, looking for or at something.

(This should be well within the open for you guys. Make your moves as soon as possible.) ,  she thought to herself. She seemed to be looking directly at the location in which she left Slith and Jabreeze. Who were both lying in, wait for the perfect opportunity to take the key. 

Slith: "I wonder what might be taking her so long." 

Jabreeze: "Don't worry. It should be any minute now and she'll make contact with us. Trust." 

Slith: "Mhrrm! Yeah, sure." 

Jabreeze: "Mhm." *he looks over at Slith, who seemed to be getting impatient.* 

(Clareice: "Do it now, you heathens!") 

Jabreeze: "Hrmn!!?" 

Slith: "That was the signal!! And I can sense where she is. Ah, time for a bit of manipulation!! *BWIMP* Manipulate!!!" 

Demetri: "Hmm!? (What the hell was that? Seems it came from the front gates.)" 

Yolmi: "You ok, babe?" 

Clareice: (There's no way…) 

Yelhana: "Everything alright there, Lord Demetri?" 

Demetri: "Yeah, but I need to head to the front of the castle real fast. Something just caught my attention. *smooch* I'll be back, babe." 

He stands up and faces towards the entrance to the castle. He bends down for a quick second and flashes away at light speed. The girls all have worried looks on their faces while watching him fly off. An uneasy feeling couldn't help but creep its way down Yolmi's spine. With that, she told Clareice and Yelhana the same as Demetri and flew off after him. A slight sigh of relief could be seen on Clareice's face, same for Yelhana.

Slith: "This is going to be interesting… my manipulation wasss burned on sight. What a fascinating creature." 

Jabreeze: "Hmm. That's pretty peculiar. It seems you underestimated the strength of the whelp. That's all fine and dandy, though. We got this." 

Slith: "Huh? Seemsss two more signals are coming towards the entrance as well." 

Jabreeze: "Huh… two more?" 

Just as Demetri makes his way to the front gates, Yolmi catches up to him just in time. And to their surprise, Aiyama had shown up as well. He proclaimed to have felt a familiar yet putrid essence signature that caught his full attention. It would seem he had a clear idea of who it may be. 

"You think this could lead to a fight?"asked Demetri as he stared off into the distance. Aiyama claimed to know it was a fight walking to their doorstep. They all decided it may be best not to stay near the kingdom and fled off into the cosmos. 

Demetri: "Why didn't you stay with Yelhana and Clareice?" 

Yolmi: "Oh shut up, Demetri. I wish I could idly sit by while having this uneasy feeling in my gut. I must protect what's mine, and that's all there is to it. I'm not going anywhere, so don't even try it." 

Demetri: "Uh…" *he was speechless in the face of her resolve* 

Aiyama: "Hahaha!! Very hilarious indeed. But this fight could be one of life or death, so please stay on your guard. I'm pretty sure our guests will be coming after us any second now." 

Demetri: "Mhm." 

Yolmi: "Hm!" 

And just as Aiyama predicted, Slith and Jabreeze had begun giving chase to them as they flew away from the kingdom and into the vast cosmos of palaces. "We're finally beginning the operation!"said Jabreeze as he spoke into his essence-communicator. 

Jollister: "Good. Goood. That means our last few steps can be executed. Keep me updated while I send a subordinate to the Embodiment Clan, Embodi-Mozan." 

(Jabreeze: "Will do. We'll be in contact soon, Jollister. Over and out!")

Jollister: *Click* "Mhm… I'll have to keep all the troublesome STRIFERS out of this one. So I'll start with Hideaki and the others. Since him, Ebon and Vashjai, are headed to Curti as we speak. And the lord knows they'll end up killing my lackey that's there." 

Jollister rises to his feet and cancels the platform he'd been sitting on. He summons forth a large amount of essence and lets out a menacing smile when the correct amount is accumulated. And familiar words were said as he stared off into the distance. Exactly where Embodi-Mozan is located. 

"Self Split!"he yelled as a great red light flashed from his body, and a figure with a similar build to himself came forth. The person looks like a black knight version of a jester. He wore a cape and a full body armor that was similar to Jollister's jester-type, death armor. He was completely draped in black and had no helmet, just a four-pointed jester's hat. His full outfit was lined with a blood red, glowing essence stitched into the lining. For the armor, it was found on the corners and in the eyes of every skull on the armor. 

Jollister: "Go pay my cousin a visit. Make sure Hideaki and the others can't get in the way, mayne! Whenever one STRIFER's in trouble, they all come rushing as there is an auto distress signal sent to all with the insignia. Stop them, Joelli!!!" 

Joelli: "As you wish, Jollister, my master. I shall stop them in their tracks, but I must ask. Dead or Alive?" 

Jollister: *GLARE* *An intense bloodlust suddenly burst forth*

Joelli: "Hmph! Right, right. I'll report back soon enough." *FWIP* 

Jollister: "Heh! It's time!" *Grin* 

Slith and the others finally begin their operation to take the key. With this, Joelli was sent out to stop ANY and all interference. The shadow looms heavy on the Phoenix Empire!

 Next Chapter: A meeting with Curti.