Yumi sighed, looking down at Kyouji and Twix. It had been a few 
hourse since Tsugiko had left with the male Twix, to get the Cystal 
Ice. 

	Tsugiko often thought of Yumi as little Miss Perfect, always 
smiling, always cheerful, no matter what happened. But, since Tsugiko 
was gone and Kyouji was unconscious, that mask had slipped. Tsugiko 
might not even have recognized the worried, haggard face of Yumi at 
that moment.

	No matter how hard she tried to bury it, Yumi was worried. 
Worried about Kyouji and Twix's curse, worried about Tusgiko's crystal, 
worried about everything. But she couldn't show that. For her friends' 
sake, she couldn't show that.

	She looked out at the horizon, in the direction Tsugiko and 
Twix had gone. "Come back quickly, Tsugiko-chan..."	

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< 

	Tsugiko and Twix walked along the trail in silence, having 
little to say to one another. Both knew that only fate had brought them 
together in this manner, and that when they returned with the Crystal 
Ice, their uneasy alliance would be broken. It was ironic, Tsugiko 
thought, that she'd have to join forces with someone who'd been trying 
to kill her and the others almost since they'd arrived on Mars.

	They were within the snowcap mountains now, moving across a 
valley floor. The air had grown progressively colder, and Tsukigo found 
herself wishing, not for the first time, that whoever had designed her 
priestess uniform had given more thought to protection from the 
elements. The cold seemed to cast a pall on the already bleak 
situation, and even Kitkat seemed uncharacteristically somber.

	"Just how much further do we need to go?" Tsugiko asked.

	"Not far, only an hour or so more." came the laconic reply.

	"Which mountain is this Crystal Ice on, anyway?"

	Twix stopped and pointed at the peak looming directly ahead of 
them. It was taller than the others, and sharply sloped. It reminded 
Tsugiko of pictures she'd seen of the Matterhorn.

	"There," Twix said, "Mount Lindor."

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< 

Starburst Crystal
Started by Ardweden

Legend 14 - Icy Cool Quest
By Kurt Markuson


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< 

	Tsugiko looked up at the towering mountain. "This is the only 
place where the Crystal Ice grows?"

	Twix nodded. "Yes. Only the soil of Mount Lindor is mineral 
rich enough for it to prosper, and it will not grow at normal 
temperatures, meaning it is only found near the summit."

	Tsugiko thought about this for a moment, before frowning. "Hey, 
wait a minute, how do you know all that?"

	Twix looked embarassed, then turned away, continuing his trek 
towards Mount Lindor. "My, er... sister studies botany as a hobby..." 
Tsugiko got the distinct feeling that the summoner was blushing. It 
struck her as very odd that either Twix might practice a hobby.

	'I suppose even villains do things in their spare time,' she 
thought to herself, as she continued down the trail.

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< 

	As Twix had predicted, it was another hour before they reached 
the foot of the mountain. As they turned the final bend in the trail, 
they saw a small village nestled at Mount Lindor's base. "Lindt," Twix 
explained, "A mining town, I believe. We'll have to stop here for 
supplies, and to secure a guide."

	The two humans and carret approached the town, but found no one 
to greet them as they entered. They wandered through the quiet town, 
straight into the village square, but still there was no one. Tsugiko 
almost thought the village had been deserted, until she caught someone 
looking out of a window at them. The face in the window looked shocked 
at being discovered, and a curtain was quickly drawn across the window.

	"Um, hello?" Tsugiko called. "I'm one of the Warrior 
Priestesses, and my... companion and I need a guide to take us up Mount 
Lindor. We need to find a Crystal Ice..."

	All was quiet, until a voice from behind the pair said, "I can 
take you."

	Twix and Tsugiko turned around to see a young man with light 
brown skin and orange hair. He bowed to Tsugiko. "My name is Reese. I'd 
be glad to help you in any way I ca-" he was cut off by the arrival of 
an older man, who grabbed him by the arm.

	"No!" the older man exclaimed. "It's too dangerous, Reese! I 
forbid you to go up there!"

	"But father," Reese protested, "She needs our help! She's a 
Warrior Priestess! If our helping her will aid her in defeating 
Wintergreen, shouldn't we do it?"

	The older man's face contorted with conflicting emotions, 
before he shook his head, regretfully. "And what if Wintergreen found 
out that we'd helped her? She would destroy us all! We're only a mining 
village, we have no weapons, no way of fending off any attack she might 
make. We can't afford to risk it. Moreover, the climb up Mount Lindor 
is far too dangerous for a boy like you, and I will not see my only son 
die before me. Do I make myself clear?"

	"But father-"

	"No!" Reese's father turned to Twix and Tsugiko. "I'm sorry," 
he said, "But we can't help you. Please, just go..."

	Unable to help herself, Tsugiko cried, "You don't understand! 
Kyouji - the Knight Protector - has been cursed! If we don't get the 
Crystal Ice, he'll die!" She choked back tears, "You must help us! 
Please!"

	A small crowd had gathered at this time, and at Tsugiko's 
outburst, they murmured worriedly amongst themselves. Tsugiko could 
make out the words, "peanut brittle curse" and "only cure." Reese's 
father just looked at her, stunned, until Reese pulled at his father's 
sleeve.

	"If the Knight Protector dies, the Warrior Priestesses won't be 
able to defeat Wintergreen." he said. "We may suffer if we help her, 
father, but we and all the rest of Mars *will* suffer if we do 
nothing!"

	The older man looked at his son, not saying anything for a long 
time, before he nodded once. "You're right, Reese. If the Priestesses 
fail, all is lost." He turned to face Tsugiko again. "We still can't 
provide you with a guide, but we can offer supplies and a map of the 
safest route to Lindor's summit, where the Crystal Ice grows. I hope t
hat will help."

	Tsugiko felt relief wash over her, and only then realized she'd 
been holding her breath, waiting for the man's reply. "Thank you," she 
said, smiling for the first time since the encounter with the 
Britecrawler. "You don't know how much this means, Mr..."

	"O'Henry," Reese's father replied, shaking his head, "And 
there's no need for you to thank me. My son is right; you are our only 
hope against Wintergreen, and I want to do what's best for his future."

	"This is very touching," Twix, who hadn't spoken since entering 
the village, interrupted, "But time is of the essence. We must return 
with the Crystal Ice, and quickly."

	O'Henry nodded. "Of course. We will gather everything you need 
as quickly as we can, but it may still take some time. You two should 
rest until then; scaling Mount Lindor won't be easy."

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	From her prone position on the cot, Tsugiko stared up at the 
ceiling of the cabin she and Twix had been lent. It was true that 
resting while the supplies were gathered was a very good idea, but she 
was just too impatient. Kyouji - and Twix, she added reluctantly, 
needed the Crystal Ice soon, and time didn't seem to be on their side. 
She looked over at the male Twix, who seemed every bit as agitated as 
she was. Again she felt that it was odd that this person, who'd allied 
himself with an evil sorceress bent on world domination, would be so 
concerned about someone else's well-being, even if that person *was* 
his sister. It aroused a strange feeling of curiosity in her, and she 
decided that now might be her best opportunity to satisfy that 
curiosity.

	"Uh, Twix?" she asked, hesitantly.

	"What?"

	"Why do you follow Wintergreen?"

	Twix blinked, apparently taken aback by the direct question. He 
hesitated before replying, "I don't see how that's any business of 
yours."

	Tsugiko frowned. "Maybe not, but I don't understand it. Why 
would you follow such an evil person? Why would anyone?"

	Twix opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly changed his mind 
and turned away. "You couldn't possibly understand."

	Tsugiko narrowed her eyes. "Try me."

	Twix kept his back turned to the Warrior Priestess, but he 
began to speak. "Twix and I are twin siblings," he said, "That much you 
know already. We were also orphans. All we had to rely on was each 
other. All anyone else ever did was ignore us. We lived on the streets, 
barely surviving, and we were ignored. Even when we began to display 
signs of magical aptitude, no school would have us, because we were too 
poor to pay for tuition. But Wintergreen didn't ignore us.

	"She found us, and saw our potential. We honed our skills under 
her tutelage, and she taught us to combine our power, to invoke even 
more powerful creatures. She made us generals in her army." Twix turned 
back to face Tsugiko, with a cold look in his violet eyes. "Now nobody 
ignores us."

	For a long time, Tsugiko said nothing. Twix and his sister had 
joined Wintergreen because they were tired of being trodden on, 
ignored, and passed over. She shivered as she compared their position 
to her own. In different circumstances, she mused worriedly, it could 
have been *her* pledging allegiance to the wicked sorceress...

	They sat a while in silence before another thought occurred to 
Tsugiko. "What if Wintergreen discovers that you're cooperating with 
us?" She asked. Wintergreen didn't strike her as the type of person who 
would understand the bonds of family.

	Twix just shook his head. "I don't care," he replied, "I owe 
her Majesty much, but I owe more to Twix. She is my sister. I'd face 
any fate that awaited me if I could save her now..."

	To say that Tsugiko was taken aback by this would be an 
understatement. Until their fight with the Britecrawler, she'd thought 
of the Twixes more or less as abstractions, like the cackling villains 
on kids' shows. To see the more human side of their nature was 
unsettling. She felt that she should say more, but before she could, 
the door opened, and O'Henry walked in.

	"Everything's ready," he said, "You should get ready to go."

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	Wintergreen was not pleased. Though Riesen's plan to isolate 
the Warrior Priestesses was working well(Almost well enough to pardon 
his failure at the Gumdrop Palace. Almost), she was quite upset with 
the Twixes, who she'd decided to keep an eye on. This latest failure of 
theirs was quite possibly their worst one yet, with the sister now 
wounded and under the Peanut Brittle Curse, and the brother joining 
forces with the enemy. No, she'd had quite enough from those two. They 
had failed her for the last time. Concentrating, she sought out one of 
her other minions, who was in the same general area as the Priestess 
and the Summoner, as luck would have it.

	*Krackel,* she sent her mental summons to her reluctant lackey.

	*What?* came his brusque reply. Wintergreen smirked at his 
stubborn belligerence.

	*I want you to postpone your search for the shards of the 
Starburst Crystal temporarily. The Twixes have failed again. The 
brother is currently climbing Mount Lindor in the company of one of the 
Warrior Priestesses. Follow them there. When you find them, kill the 
girl and bring Twix to me.*

	There was silence along the telepathic link for a moment, 
before Krackel replied, *Very well.*
 
	Wintergreen nodded and broke off the connection. She was 
confident that Krackel would do what he was told. Neither Twix, who was 
currently unable to combine his power with his sister's, nor the 
Priestess, who's crystal was damaged, would be able to defeat Krackel, 
who the sorceress knew full well was one of the strongest fighters on 
Mars. The Knight Protector would die easily enough under the Peanut 
Brittle Curse, and the remaining Priestess could do nothing on her own 
to stop Wintergreen. The wicked queen allowed herself a small, 
predatory smile.

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	The townspeople of Lindt were gathered around the trail leading 
up Mount Lindor to wish Tsugiko and Twix well on their journey. O'Henry 
and Reese were there, and they each shook Tsugiko and Twix's hand. Odd 
that the villagers had never enquired who Twix was. Tsugiko guessed 
that they just assumed the white-haired man was someone who wanted to 
help the Priestesses as they did. 

	"Good luck, Priestess Tsugiko," said Reese, "Please return 
quickly with the Crystal Ice."

	Tsugiko smiled, and nodded. "We will." she shouldered her pack 
and turned to Twix. "Ready?"

	The summoner nodded a silent affirmative, and the two made 
their way up the mountain.

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	Even with the map that O'Henry had given them, the climb proved 
to be slow going. They hadn't gone very far up before they started to 
encounter snow, and soon it was up to their knees. Tsugiko was grateful 
to the villagers for the fur cloaks they'd supplied her and Twix with, 
and Kitkat seemed grateful for it as well, huddled as he was in the 
cloak's depths. Twix didn't seem to be paying much attention to the 
weather, looking ahead with that single-minded determination he'd shown 
ever since his sister was cursed.

	They marched on through the cold and snow, until Tsugiko got 
the eerie feeling that they were no longer alone. This feeling was 
confirmed a few seconds later when Kitkat gave an abrupt, "Gika!" and 
ran out from under Tsugiko's cloak, burrowing himself into a nearby 
snowdrift.

	Tsugiko looked around, but still didn't see anything. "Twix, 
what-" she was cut off as the summoner stopped, holding a hand up to 
silence her.

	"Frisks," he breathed softly.

	Tsugiko was about to ask what a Frisk was, when the Frisks 
answered the question for her. The snow around them exploded, revealing 
the huge, shaggy, white-furred creatures that had been lying in wait 
for them. They were humanoid, about eight feet tall, and had large sets 
of ivory-white fangs. Tsugiko hauled out her hammer and braced herself, 
swinging out at the first one to come close.

	The hammer connected solidly with the Frisk's diaphragm, and 
the monster doubled over and fell back. There were still several more 
Frisks, however, and they were closing fast. Tsugiko quickly looked 
around for Twix, and saw him taking a few nervous steps backwards. She 
couldn't keep her eyes on him any longer though, as the Frisks closed 
with her.

	"Hey!" she called out to the summoner, ducking a blow from one 
Frisk and then barely managing to sidestep another, "Why don't you do 
something? I can't beat all these things by myself, you know!"

	Twix gave her an incredulous look. "What would you have me do? 
I'm not exactly an expert at hand-to-hand combat."

	The Warrior Priestess growled in exasperation as she hit one 
Frisk, then rolled to avoid the bite of another. She was tiring fast, 
and the Frisks weren't slowing their attacks. "You're a summoner, 
right? Summon something!"

	Twix heaved an exaggerated sigh. "If you insist..." He 
stretched out his arm, palm towards the ground. "I summon thee... 
Fuzion!"

	The usual beam of yellow light shot from Twix's palm into the 
ground, and a humanoid creature erupted from the earth. Like the 
Frisks, it was around eight feet tall, but the similarities ended 
there. It resembled a bear, but it had orange and black stripes like a 
tiger, and a lion's mane. The Fuzion gave a low growl, and leapt to the 
attack, raking its claws into the nearest group of Frisks. 

	Initially, it seemed that Tsugiko and the Fuzion had the battle 
well in hand, the Priestess smashing Frisks with her hammer, and the 
Fuzion leaving bloody gashes in the bodies of the white-furred 
monsters. Unfortunately, the Frisks seemed to ignore pain almost 
entirely, accepting almost everything Priestess and summoned monster 
could throw at them. Both Tsugiko and the Fuzion began to tire, 
attacking and defending more slowly and weakly. 

	Finally, as the Fuzion came in to attack another Frisk, the 
shaggy beast caught it in its arms, and sank its teeth into the 
summoned beast's striped hide. Tsugiko swung her hammer at the Frisk 
holding the Fuzion, but it shrugged off the blow, and another of the 
white-furred creatures slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

	She thought it was over, then. The Frisks would finish her and 
Twix off, and that would be it. She thought of Wintergreen, laughing in 
triumph. She thought of her parents back on Earth, wondering where she 
had disappeared to. She thought of Kyouji...

	Kyouji! He was still lying where she'd left him with Yumi, 
still under the Peanut Brittle Curse. She'd come all this way to get 
the only thing that could cure him, but now...

	No! She wouldn't just lie here! Not while Kyouji still needed 
her! She opened her eyes, and green light began spilling through the 
fractures in her crystal. "I won't give up now!" she screamed at the 
startled Frisks, and green fire outlined her hammer, "I *WON'T!*" The 
green light from her crystal blinded her, she heard the bestial screams 
of the Frisks, and then darkness took her.

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	Kyouji opened his eyes, and found himself alone, looking up at 
the stars that twinkled in the midnight-blue sky. He sat up, and 
noticed that he was alone, sitting on top of a hill in the middle of a 
field of poppies.

	This, he decided, was weird. There hadn't been any poppy fields 
when he and Yumi and Tsugiko were fighting the Britecrawler...

	The Britecrawler! He looked around again, quickly, and saw no 
one. He looked down at his side, relieved and confused to see his wound 
wasn't there. Yumi must've healed him...

	But where was she? He stood up, and scanned the field. No sign 
of them. No sign of anyone or anything, for that matter. "What the heck 
is this place?" he asked out loud.

	"It's your mind." a voice behind him said.

	Startled, Kyouji spun around, hand reaching for his sword. He 
stopped abruptly when he saw who it was. A girl about his age stood 
before him, with dark hair and a blue crystal embedded in her forehead. 
She wore a blue dress that reached to her knees, and carried a sword at 
her side.

	Kyouji's eyes widened. "You..."

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

	Tsugiko groaned, trying her best to ignore the fact that 
someone in her skull was playing the Anvil Chorus. She cracked her eyes 
open, and saw Kitkat, who was perched on her chest and looking into her 
eyes concernedly. When the carret saw that she was awake, he gika'd! 
happily and nuzzled her cheek. Smiling slightly, she scratched behind 
Kitkat's ears, and sat up, seeing Twix.

	"I see you're awake," the summoner said, "It's been a few hours 
since you passed out."

	Tsugiko looked around. "The Frisks?" she asked.

	Twix shook his head. "They're dead," he replied, "All of them. 
You killed my Fuzion too, but since I'm still breathing, I won't 
complain."

	"What happened back there?" Tsugiko asked, shakily getting to 
her feet and massaging her temples.

	Twix shrugged. "You screamed something about not giving up, 
your hammer lit on fire, there was a big explosion, the monsters died, 
and you passed out. Quite impressive, I must admit. Even if I did have 
to carry you up here..."

	Tsugiko eyed her unwilling companion suspiciously. "I'm 
surprised you didn't just leave me."

	The white-haired man turned his head to one side. "I might 
still need you."

	Tsugiko frowned, but decided she wasn't in the mood to argue 
with the summoner. "How much farther?" she asked.

	"Not far," Twix replied, "But we have to get up there." he 
pointed at the cliff face that was in front of them.

	Tsugiko looked up at the cliff. It must have been about twenty 
or thirty feet up, and conspicuously lacking in handholds. "How are we 
going to get up that? Did the villagers give us any rope?"

	Twix waved a hand dismissively. "That won't be necessary," he 
said. "Grab onto me."

	Tsugiko blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

	"Just do it." Twix snapped. Tsugiko, now guessing the 
summoner's intentions, walked behind Twix's back and linked her arms 
around his neck.

	"Hold on." Twix said. He concentrated for a few moments, and 
then started levitating off the ground. Tsugiko tightened her grip 
slightly as they floated higher and higher up the cliff face. She 
didn't much relish the thought of falling back down. Finally, after a 
few minutes, the two floated up over the top of the cliff, touching 
solid ground once more.

	Sighing with relief, Tsugiko looked around. They were on a 
small expanse of gravelly soil, and the sharp spire of the mountain 
loomed not more than twelve feet above them. Most importantly though, 
Tsugiko saw the small patch of long-stemmed, snow-white flowers that 
were growing a few feet away. "Twix, is that..."

	Twix nodded once. "Yes, the Crystal Ice." The summoner was 
actually smiling. 

	Tsugiko made her way towards the patch of healing flowers. 
"We'll have to get some quickly and-"

	"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A voice interrupted her. 
Priestess and Summoner turned to see Krackel finish climbing up onto 
the small plateau, from the opposite direction she and Twix had 
arrived. "Wintergreen would rather not see the Knight Protector cured," 
he looked at Twix, "And she's not too pleased with your last failure."

	Twix took a step towards Krackel. "You don't understand! My 
sister's been cursed too! I need the Crystal Ice!"

	The big warrior hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head 
sadly. "I'm sorry," he said, unsheathing his massive sword, "But I have 
my own sister to think about."

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

Author's notes and General Ranting:
I just love a good cliffhanger, don't you? *ducks* Well, this was 
actually pretty fun to do. Maybe I'll sign up for something else. 
Anyway, any and all C&C is welcome and may be sent to 
okami@jusenkyo.com or to the Impro message board. Thanks go out to 
Yonjunni for prereading and encouragement, Ardweden for writing the 
start and most recent chapter, giving me some good stuff to work with. 
And of course, thanks to 2F for starting this whole crazy gig up in the 
first place, and of course to you, who actually read this far. Well, 
I'm done. You're up, Mr. Stricklin!

Kurt Markuson
The Man With No Nickname