Author's Note: Hehe, the title of this chapter is an homage to Rocky and Bulwinkle, which I briefly watched as a kid.
Chapter 3: Light Tag or Hide-n-Seek (Or What Game Are we Playing Anyways?)
Inside Dregan set up the game. First he created the spheres. The boys wore their corresponding armband color (Calan - red, Sola - black,Ollan - purple, Nicara - gray, Turo - blue, and Valian - green) Eiko got pink, and Savander choose white. Then the adults: Dregan- blue/purple swirled, Orko - red/black, Zentarou - purple/gray, Vivi - yellow/blue, Zidane - yellow/green, Garnet - orange/white, Steiner - gray/blue, Beatrix - gray/red, Freya - red/white, and Cid - orange/blue. Then the Dunedi set the home point, the throne room doors.
"When you get hit, come here and touch the doors. Then you have thirty seconds to move before you become hittable again." He casted one final spell, and a small sphere with a number '30' on it appeared mid-air. "Thirty seconds to get ready. Everyone set?" They nodded, and he tapped the sphere. "Go!" Everyone scattered, the timer rang, and the game began.
The castle was huge, so there were ample places to hide and stalk around. First point took several minutes in arriving, but it finally did in the form of Zidane bouncing a shot off of Steiner's broad chest.
"Didn't even have to aim from behind," laughed the Genome. Steiner had company in his walk to the doors, however, as at that moment Garnet, on a balcony above, dropped her sphere square on top of Zidane's head. Both men looked up at her, and she laughed and scampered off.
Everyone took turns scoring hits and being targeted, as cover and fortune dictated. It even seemed Cal's mood had improved, for by all appearances he was winning. More often that not the others would feel a hit, then hear his cry of "Hah! Got you!" Certainly the more athletic Black Mage was in fine form this night!
Valian rounded a corner, dodging Zidane who was unknowingly half a hallway behind, planning on setting up an ambush. But he abruptly skidded to a stop instead, seeing the form of another Black Mage sprawled out on the floor: Nicara.
"Nic!" He hurried to his brother's side. Nicara seemed fine, his eyes open and alert to Valian's presence, but he didn't seem to be able to reply, and was panting very hard, almost gasping for air.
"C - Cal - " he gasped, but then Val fellt a hard stinging blow to his shoulder.
"Got you!"
"Ow!" He rubbed it as the light surrounded him and his sphere vanished, looking over his shoulder for his brother. "That hurt, Cal."
No one there.
Val humphed, then helped Nic sit up and looped an arm around his shoulders to help him walk. Fortunately the throne room doors weren't far, and by the time they reached it Nic had caught his breath and could explain what happened.
"Cal tagged me in the gut so hard it knocked the air right out of me - and he didn't even check to see if I was alright when I fell!"
"What happened?" asked Vivi as he came around a corner, glowing red and white and having caught the tail end of that conversation. The other two explained, and when their father checked Val's shoulder he was surprised to see a bruise forming already. He frowned. "I think it's game over." He used his telepathic pendant to contact the Bretheren, and Dregan in turn triggered the sphere to signal the end of the game. Everyone gathered together... but Calan.
"That seemed very short," Garnet commented.
"I asked Dregan to end it early," explained Vivi, looking around. "Where's Calan?" Everyone looked around too.
"I haven't seen him in a while," Freya commented.
"He probably feels bad and is sulking," Valian offered, not wanting to believe his brother had hurt him on purpose.
"Feels bad about what?" Orko asked. Vivi informed everyone as to Cal's unsportsmanlike behavior, and they agreed he needed to be found.
For about half an hour they searched, looking in every room and down every hall. Nothing... until...
"Daddy!" Savander's cry brought all to the front doors, which were open. He was looking down at something on the floor.
Cal's light sphere.