Miranda's Adventure Ch. 16

-Chapter 16-
The Weapons of Power

The balloon arrives at Old Man Potter's Mill. The girls got out of the balloon, and hurried to Potter's house. Miranda tried to carry Kandy out, but she was heavy.
"I never knew she'd put on weight all of a sudden!" Miranda cried.
Erika ran to the door and knocked frantically, calling out her uncle's name. Potter arrives at the door, and she shouted that it was an emergency.
"Daddy…" Kandy weakly said, as Potter grabbed Kandy out of the balloon.
They hurried over to inside the house, as they carried Kandy to the room.

*-*-*

Later, Kandy was being repaired by Potter in his room, when Miranda entered and asked him a question.
"Tell me," Miranda asked, "What was she talking about? She mentioned about Sophie and suddenly collapsed"
"Don't beat yourself up, Miranda," Erika said, "She broke down because she kept saying she has no soul."
Potter then asked, "Why on Earth did she say that?"
Miranda replied, "The Weapons of Power. They were the reason she break down; it is also because she is not human."
Potter then stood silent, and said, "Listen, I have got a lot of work to do on Kandy. You girls spend the night here. And tomorrow, we'll talk about what transpired here."
"Thank you, Uncle," Erika said.
Miranda & Erika went to the bedroom, and changed into their sleeping clothes.
Erika then asked, "What's wrong with Kandy?"
"I think she's starting to act human," Miranda said, "She may be a machine, but Old Man Potter made her look and act human."
Erika then added, while holding both the Royal Key and Kandy's key, "If she pulls through, we'll go. If not, then I don't know."
"What? Leave without her? Unacceptable!" Miranda cried.
"What's unacceptable? She's our friend!" Erika stated, "In any case, if she doesn't pull through, then, well..."
Miranda got up and yelled, "I don't want to leave without Kandy! I will complete my quest, but as a team! Sara Maynard was killed by an unknown assailant, and it could be Queen Isabella, the same person who killed your father."
Erika then said, "This isn't like you. Normally, you'd cry about every single thing, but now, you've become serious."
"I am serious!" Miranda said, "We have to work as a team, for everyone! And in case you're wondering, the Kingdom was under attack. We still got the key and we still got our weapons. Do you think I'll lose an ally just because she malfunctioned?"
"Uh... no?" Erika asked.
"NO! Absolutely not!" Miranda cried, "My family, as the King stated, is rich with both spirit and tradition! If I lose an ally again, I'd be devastated!"
Erika sat by and watched in astonishment.
"I promise you, Erika," Miranda continued, "We have to protect Argos from further destruction and chaos! And we have to… as a team!"
Erika smiled and said, "Spoken like a true Maynard."
Miranda & Erika went to bed.

Later that night, Erika got up from bed, and went out of the bedroom. When she left, Miranda was talking in her sleep, about Sara. She suddenly began to tear up a bit, remembering her death again. She was sound asleep afterwards.
Erika was outside Potter's room and was worried about Kandy. She started to think about her Cousin, Sophie.
"Sophie…" Erika quietly said to herself, "You didn't have to die. You should've become a hero, too, like your grandfather."
Erika sat down by the doorway, and started to sleep. Potter looked at the doorway, and put Erika's blanket over her. He then shut the door and continued to work on Kandy.

*---*

Old Man Potter sat down with Miranda & Erika, the next morning. He asked the girls why the King gave permission to get the Weapons of Power. Miranda then asked if her father ever held it. And Potter answered to her that he has. He then told the story of The Weapons of Power:
"The Weapons of Power are the most powerful weapons in all of Argos. Legend has it; these powerful items can extinguish darkness in one swift move. However, there are those who wanted these weapons for evil, but they are only for the good of heart. Should anyone, who's vile & despicable, cannot hold these powerful entities. Once a warrior grabs their corrective weapon, the power of each item will flow through their blood. These weapons have been used for over Millennia, and can only be used by warriors with a noble, brave heart. Each fighter has its own trait. When a fighter wields his own weapon of Power, with a family's bloodline, they became legendary, including Jacob Avery & Hanemore Maynard."
Miranda asked, "Did he use the Sword of Power?"
Potter answered, "Yes. In fact, he was the last person to hold that weapon."
He then told the story about how Hanemore met his end:
"Many years ago, Hanemore began to go after Argos' main villain, Foyersdale. Hanemore followed him to an abandoned cavern, where they meet in battle. Foyersdale pulled out his sword, while Hanemore pulled out The Sword of Power. They battled out, but in the end, Foyersdale met his end. He kept the Sword as his main weapon, however there were side effects; the control of the power inside the weapon consumed him, and he became the most powerful warrior in Argos. And he never let go of the sword. The King was outraged by it; he had a plan to take the sword off of him. He then ordered Hanemore to partake a dangerous quest against an evil Hell minion. He battled the monster, which was easily destroyed, but died afterwards. Hanemore Maynard died a hero. In the end, the King recovered the sword, and along with the rest of the Weapons of Power, and locked them up in a chest, where they were never used again, unless the King grants permission to use their favorite weapon. But many tried and failed, until a new batch of heroes from different bloodlines, including the Maynard & Avery family, who can wield the weapon at ease."
Potter then added, "It doesn't matter what happens. Whether you are human, beast, animal, demon, machine, or any other type you are, it is in you!"
"That's all well and done," Miranda said, "What's that got to do with Sophie?"
Potter then answered, "Sophie's grandfather, Fairbanks Potter, was a hero in Argos, too. He used the Great Sword of Power, but died in battle, before Sophie was born."
Miranda then asked, "Then why would she become a hero, too?"
Erika added, "She told me. Sophie said she wanted to help out, in the name of her father and grandfather. She was to be a 3rd Generation Warrior. It may not be a surprise that Uncle Potter once fought in battle as well, along with father."
Potter continued, "Sophie knew of the dangers of Argos, and decided it was in her blood. She wanted to become a hero, but it was sidetracked."
Miranda then asked, "So, Sophie passed away because of an illness?"
"The disease was incurable," Potter said, "And we were hoping we'd find a cure for it. But we were too late. So, in order to make Sophie's dreams come true, I built Kandy. She had all the memories of Sophie, Fairbanks, Jacob, & myself. She also had very limber skills and can fight at 110%."
"But why didn't you tell this to Kandy?" Erika asked.
"I feared she might collapse if she found out the truth," Potter said, "I did and told her about herself, but she didn't mind. In fact, when I first built her, she was a malfunctioning mess. She tried to battle me, but she shook in fear and shutdown. It took me months to fix the bugs, but she was a perfect fighter since then."
Miranda then added, "But she told me at the balloon, the Weapon could kill her. Knowing what power it has, Kandy may not live to see happiness."
Erika then said to Miranda, "We still have the key. If what we hear is true, Kandy could live. And I won't stand by and see her die, like Father, Sara, and even Sophie!"
Kandy then entered the room and said, "Thank you, Miss Erika."
She then hugged Erika, and Miranda looked on and smiled.
"Daddy, you never told them about Fairbanks Potter?" Kandy asked to Old Man Potter, "He was a great guy."
"I'm sorry, Kandy, but that moment was so heart-clenching," He said, "Besides, Sophie never heard the story behind Fairbanks."
"That's true, but..."
Erika then said, "Please, Kandy... don't stress yourself again like before."
"I'm sorry, Miss Erika," Kandy replied.
"But how come you become such a nice girl?" Miranda asked.
"It's Sophie's mannerisms; she never had an evil backbone in her," Kandy answered, "But she was so energetic."
"Sophie was energetic, but then how come she died before she even had the chance to follow his footsteps?" Miranda asked.
Kandy looked away and replied, "Daddy did mention it, but he was all emotional sometimes."
Erika hugged her and said, "Kandy, don't ever be like this again. You know damn well we cannot lose you at a time like this."
"Miss Erika..."
"Uh, what do you mean, Miranda?"  Old Man Potter asked.
Miranda then turned him and said, "I know this is not a right moment, but the kingdom was under attack, the minute we stepped out of that maze."
Potter shouted, "Is this true?"
Erika added, "We saw smoke coming out of the castle, and we were worried about it, until Kandy was weakening."
Kandy said, "We better get back to the kingdom immediately!"
Miranda got up and said, "Thanks for the advice on the Weapons of Power, but we need these weapons to finally defeat the evil Queen."
Erika then added, "Whatever the reason, we'll do it as a team."
Potter then showed the girls the exit, and gave them the directions to get to the Kingdom in a short distance. They say goodbye to each other, and were on their way.