It Talks?

"This is what, the ninth side quest we've been on?" Skittles asked the wyrm on his shoulders.

*Tenth,* she corrected. 

"Tenth then," Skittles shook his head. This little bondmate of his seemed to have some form of attention deficit disorder or was just easily bored. They had gone on various mini-quests to help random people, Sprite had officially been ignored by assassins since she changed her appearance, and the heroes decided to take a break. They still hadn't managed to get to the City of Lights.

Taeda sat on the back of Sprite's horse, and Fulmen sat on Skittle's. Both of them had been practically forced to participate in these silly little quest against their will. Needless to say they were getting tired of it.

Sprite leaned a bit into her saddle. Something just didn't seem right around this place. She, of course, wasn't the only one to notice the problem, but she was the only one who bothered to care.

Like always the heroes attacked when the horses were slowed down. The only difference this time was that the heroes were a challenge.

Skittles, drenched in sweet, smacked the man in front of him with the flat side of his Veecharoval. This gave him time to quickly regroup with the others who weren't having any better luck.

Martia, by some force of a miracle, had managed to dismount a full grown horse and come over to her exhausted bondmate. She stood near his feet tugging on his coat. *I have an idea! I have an idea!* She projected as her bondmate bent down.

"Martia..." Skittles paused for a moment. He was nearly defeated by to unknowns and becoming desperate for a solution.  "What is it?"

*First put away your Jakujwhatever and bring out your scythe. It should be glowing with a pale white energy.*

He wasn't about to bother asking how the little dragon knew. He pulled the scythe out of his coat and enlarged it. To his great surprise it was, in fact, glowing. 

*Now, let the scythe do all the work for you Skittles. It will find its mark.*

"All right..." Skittles said as he watched the hero rise to his feet. The man swung his mighty sword, but Alas! The scythe of Skittles was far faster then that small sword of a no one. Skittles looked down at the man who's arms had been cleanly sliced off. He simply said, "Well, it was your fault in the first place."

The other heroes seemed to get the general understanding that it was time to run as fast as their legs could carry them. This left Skittles, Martia, Taeda, Fulmen and Sprite alone with one horse. 

Sprite sighed at the dead horse which had been hers. "I was fond of that horse."

"And I was fond of riding alone," Skittles looked at his slightly injured horse. "I guess we'll have to walk to the City of Lights and drop the--Martia!"

*What?! I'm right here!*

It had suddenly hit Skittles that he had never asked Martia how she knew about the scythe. So he plainly asked her.

She responded, *Your weapons can talk to me.*

"I'm sorry what?"

*Your weapons can talk to me, so can Sprite's.*

Skittles raised an eyebrow. That was just nuts.

Martia lowered both her "eyebrows" in anger. Why didn't he believe her?

The scythe once again glowed, drawing attention to it.

*It said that you should believe me!*

"Why won't it talk to me?"

*Gai-chan says that you aren't sensitive enough to hear him. He would love to talk to you directly.*

Skittles nodded slowly. "Does "Gai-chan" have anything important to say to me?"

Martia seemed to hesitate, *You...won't like it.*

"Please?"

*Gai-chan says... that outside the City of Lights there's a small church for travelers, and that you need to visit in order to find a very powerful weapon...* She trailed off looking down.

"And?"

*Never to call it Gai-chan or it'll figure out a way to kill us all.*

"Oh, that's nice of it." Skittles rolled his eyes as he put the scythe back into his coat. He could not decide if this was really happening or not. Either way they got to drop the mini-quest so they would get to there destination sooner, if all went well.

Of course nothing ever goes well.

***

They came upon a small church that was quite... interesting to say the least. The white paint was pealing form the stone walls, the grass around the building was beginning to wilt and it was a general mess.

Skittles hesitated at the doorway. "I don't think this is a very good idea," he said to his bondmate, who sat on his shoulders.

*Just open the door, what could be behind it?*

With and annoyed sigh Skittles thrust the door open, and suddenly he was horrorstruck.

"This is a day care center...."