Destined: 2 Be Continued

39. The Malicious Mosquito, Part 1

Jeremiah looked out the window. For miles, all that one could see was forest--pine trees, underbrush, a clearing here and there. They really were nearing the true domain of Penny's archnemesis, Muskrel the mosquito. It would just be a moment or two before they would be face to needle-shaped face with the awful creature. Only a few more moments.

Until then, there was a Grasshopper.

It hit the roof, making Jeremiah and Heather jump. Heather pulled her bow back up, and Jeremiah wished for Belle. He ran into the next room, which Belle just so happened to be in--she must have made the rustling sound. Jeremiah was admittedly suspicious, but the creature on the roof, which was carving its way through the Machinist's Bronze plating, didn't really allow time for other thoughts. Belle turned into Silverhorn, and the Archangel's Armory walked in, infused inside La Armadura. Jeremiah called for it to arm him, and it obeyed.

Jeremiah put his hand on Heather, and she transformed into a tree creature, her other form aside from the super gargoyle. Tree Heather shot her hand into the roof, bursting through the roof and grabbing the creature. As she pulled it back into the room, Jeremiah saw it was a Grasshopper, one of Locust's minions. He hadn't seen one in a while, or even that much. They weren't as popular as Castle's metal monkeys, it seemed.

The Grasshopper was unlike the one or two that Jeremiah had seen. It was armored, and it seemed a little taller than a normal one. It also must have been stronger, because it broke Tree Heather's Tree Hand. It spat at the other Destined, furiously twitching, just like its evil creator. It must have survived Locust's destruction, Silverhorn hummed. Muskrel could have taken it in and given it that armor and such.

The Grasshopper jabbed at Jeremiah, but its claws couldn't pierce his armor. He punched the Grasshopper, leaving a blue burn in its armor. He punched again and again, trying to pierce it. The Grasshopper was resilient, however, for it jabbed again, this time going for one of Jeremiah's joints. Silverhorn swung herself up and impaled the Grasshopper in the same target. Though the Grasshopper had hit its mark and stung Jeremiah in one of La Amadura's few weak spots, It was also hit and almost disabled. 

Silverhorn struck twice more, hitting her mark like the master blade she was. She penetrated the Grasshopper's hide, forcing it to reel back and hiss at the Destined. Alex and Penny ran in, Penny with her crossbow and Alex with his staff. Penny fired a quarrel at the beast, and it hit it directly in the neck. Jeremiah was thinking it was a poison dart, and he must have been right, for the beast hissed more and fell, writhing furiously on the ground. 

Silverhorn impaled it a few more times, and Alex jumped over and crushed its head. Tree Heather, her Tree Hand healed again, threw it up, back through the roof. August came in with a few sheets of Machinist's Bronze and made quick work of repairing the roof. 

"Let's get this party started, mis amigos," August proclaimed, and he and Jeremiah went to August's room. There, Jeremiah put his hand to August, transforming him into an automaton. Robo-August proceeded to connect the gadgets with himself, arming himself up for the battle against Muskrel. Jeremiah followed suit, making sure that Armadura was fully charged and ready for battle. Today would be an easy fight; the rockets and guns would make sure of it. The two guys came back and checked with everyone on their readiness for death, glory, and overall battle. Penny was especially excited.

"Let's do this," Robo-August said, opening the door of the training room. The Destined jumped out and landed in the fashion they had when fighting Locust. Wind automatically came and helped them fall more slowly, making them not die. They landed safely, and Jeremiah heard Alex mutter "Thanks, Wind," a little more reluctantly than one should be when speaking to a disembodied, omnipresent, and such and such voice. They were the sort of thing that one was always polite to, no matter how much they amused themselves at one's expense. 

The Destined, of course, were in the middle of a forest. That was where they were aiming for, was it not? The Destined all looked at Penny, assuming that she would know where to look. She shrugged and pointed in front of her, indicating that that should be the first place they look. The Destined obeyed and walked that way, their weapons ready.

There was nothing in the clearing ahead. The Destined continued, and Jeremiah was feeling a certain bit of suspense. He could tell Penny was feeling it, too, for she whimpered slightly when a chill breeze came by. The Destined continued on to another clearing, which was also empty.

"This one doesn't even look like the one in my dream," Penny added nervously as the Destined continued on. Jeremiah was glad he was in full-body armor, which protected against the cold of the Canadian forest. Penny wasn't as lucky, as she didn't have any jackets and was forced to wear unfitting clothes. Jeremiah could tell that emotional nerves weren't the only reason she was shivering so intensely. Alex hugged her close to him, and that seemed to help both types of nerves. Jeremiah smiled at the adorable and caring little gesture.

Muskrel jumped in front of the Destined, making Jeremiah's vitals shoot up. He saw them on the little screen inside his helmet. "HEEE HEE HEEEEE!" the mosquito laughed, and flew back. The Destined chased him as Jeremiah took his gauntlets off and gave boosts to all of the Destined, just in case the armor plan didn't work so well, then put his gauntlets back on. He and Super Robot August stepped forward and pointed furiously at Musrkel, who landed in a clearing.

"WE KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS!" The two guys shouted. Muskrel feigned confusion. "Weakness? Boys, this is nothing but a trick!" He shot his hands forward, and La Amradura fell off of Jeremiah. Super Robot August in entirety flew towards Muskrel and turned into weapons and armor for the mosquito. Now Jeremiah saw, as he was armed with nothing but Silverhorn, that he had made a grave mistake.

Muskrel had taken the machine parts and weapons. 

"Now, let's have a little fun, heh heh heh," Muskrel giggled, pointing a laser-blade-and-rocket-launcher-covered arm at the Destined. 

Oh, no.