Return of the past
The night moved smoothly across the forest outside the small village of Seles. Dart looked out into the dark night. There were many stars shining in the sky like diamonds enchanted with a light of their own. They twinkled back into Dart's eyes.
The dragon buster held loosely in Dart's hand, he swung it through the air and it cleaved the wind. He missed having to use the power of the dragoon. But it was nice to settle down now finally and be with Shana for good. Over the year there had been no children, but everyone had been busy restoring Seles. Dart didn't mind.
The dragon buster was the only remains and link to his past. His father Zieg, who most of the time had been possesed by a wingly dictator, and Rose who had used the dragon buster. It glowed yellow, the blade seemingly made of fire or magic. The journy was over, the monster was defeated now, it was all over now, time to settle down.
Though somehow he always had to come out here at night, enjoy the air, where the adventure had started, afresh. He looked to the moon which was in the night sky. It was pretty and white unlike the everlasting moon which had been destroyed. A red glow use to cover it's face like blood, the Virage embryo. It seemed so long ago now, yet is seemed so fresh in his memory. The spirit stone of the divine dragon felt light in his palm, it itched his soul pleadingly.
"Just, tonight" thought Dart. He had told Shana he wouldn't use the power again unless it was against a foe but it just seemed so nessecery. "Let's see how long I can last before I drop like a stone"
Quickly he held the stone up to the moons light and it shone stretching rays of power out lighting the forrest. Dart was lost under the power of the dragon, his madness filling the gap in the stone which once contained the dragon's body. Multiple wings shot out glowing yellow and an intense armour entangled him which was indestructible but under the dragoon's power as light as a feather.
With the acsessorys he was almost three times his previous sise, a black shoulder cannon of magic sat waiting for the aching command, to fire.
Dart stould in the darkness of the forrest at night, and closed his eyes. He began to consentrate. Dart had recently discovered a new spell from the stone, Divine blessing. A powerfull healing magic equal to the silver dragon, it closed wounds cured disease and even raised those who had fallen in battle to new strength. It was a side of the Divine dragon he had not expected, but he also knew that with this third spell like all dragoons there must also be the summoning spell. Dart knew this and wanted it, he could not die without the complete set although he would never need to use the power again.
"I shall go out to the location of the divine tree one day and marster my skills" said Dart to himself. He concentrated, his eyes closed, concentrating on keeping the power around him flowing. Minutes past but they seemed like hours, Dart knew he could go on a whole lot longer but he didn't know how to. The power seemed to begin to drain from him and he felt his body would snap in two. Just as he was about to give in, the power draining his life away he heard a voice.
"Dart!" it was Shanna's voice "Help me! They are going to destroy Seles again, please! No!"
"Shana!" exclaimed Dart opening his eyes suddenly. He tried to fly but he fumbled and almost fell through the exhaustion, quickly he readied himself and let out a roar, jumping up into the air his wings flapped tearing the air apart. Dart flew quicker than he ever had done, he had never had to fly this far and at the same time he new he couldn't or could he? Looking down he saw the trees illuminated by the moon's light looking up at him.
Somehow the dragon buster had made it's way into Dart's hand, he never even remembered taking it out. He saw it hanging down cutting the air, he almost seemed afraid that it would cut the world in two if he did not hold it back. He raised his head and the reflextion of fire gleamed in Dart's eyes.
What met Dart's eyes was truly terrifying. It seemed almost hundreds of feet up in the air a super Virage stould over Seles, as old as time. It gave a cry. Theses creatures were the oldest living things left on the planet known to man. They were giant vessils created by magic by the anchient winglies. Dart had only ever thought two before and had barely scraped through the battles.
"No!" shouted Dart but it was to late. Multiple beams of light shot down onto the screaming people and lives were shattered. It's dark body was illuminated by flames. Over the hill far away another Super Virage approached, Dart looked behind him and from far away he could see another walking slowly like a steamroller shaking the land slightly as each one took a step. Fire lighted the village like a glow from a forge. Unlike the forge however this fire had no love in it, all it had was death and darkness.
The Virage's body was made up of deep purples, it had two gigantic arms which streched forth with no fingers and a very small head. The head, or if you could call it a head was more like a bump in the Virage's neck. It had no face, but to the equal it's arms it also had two gigantic legs.
Over Seles was what looked like a black cloud. But it wasn't, it was a army of hundreds of winglie's flying over the village and dropping fire bolts down below. As Dart watched he saw several fleeing people go up in smoke. Also weaker Virage approached by air in great numbers, across to the west behind the approaching super Virage lights went up near other towns. The super Virage readied to fire again.
"No way!" shouted Dart and a beam of blue light stretched out from his fingertips and smacked the Super Virage in the chest. It stould firm and looked back towards Dart with angry eyes flairing red. Quickly it's great hands stretched forward and multiple rocks were sent flying towards Dart. He dodged each except the last which hit him and shattered into pieces. The weaker Virage started to fly towards Dart but before they could reach him he turned on them the dragon buster shining in the night sky. He was exhausted but this new aggression came to him in battle. The blade flew easily along with the great broard sword Dart used. A head spun of one and fell down towards the ground with a humoungous crash, another lost and arm and swiped madly with the other in an attempt to hit Dart.
It staggered about wildly swiping and Dart dodged each time. He wanted to use his battle tactics but the village was in the way. Usually he would fly up to a high point and rain fire bolts down onto all of his enemies but he would utterly destroy the village using that spell. The super Virage appeared unharmed but Dart knew he had heart it quite badly. He could hit it with his spells a few more times and it would go down. He had thought such creatures before but never in numbers. Now he had the Divine dragoon spirit and he was finding himself to overestimate things.
Dart charged towards the super Virage menacingly and sliced a great mark across it's chest, it reeled back in pain but with a lucky swipe smacked Dart with it's great arm. Dart just a little dazed from the effort shot a beam of light again casting Divine Ball. The move his exactly where Dart had aimed for and separated the super Virage's neck away from it's body. The creature fell slowly to the ground and luckily missed the village.
"Stop!" shouted a voice over the racket "you have no chance Dart. Give up now or Shana dies!"
"Let go of me!" shouted Shana writhing in the wingly's grasp. A wingly which like all of the others had platinium hair hovered in the air holding Shana tight in his grasp. The male wingly had dark eye brows, and blue eyes. A scar ran across his left eye and a blue sword was held in his hand. "You are a fool Dart. I hoped I could kill you in the blast before you realised but now we will have to do it the painfull way " he continued
"How dare you attack Seles!" shouted Dart back "And how dare you touch Shana! What buisness do you have h..."
Suddenly bolts hit Dart in the back and he fell down in height. He staggered and started to drop.
"Dart!" screamed Shana
Light eminated around him and he fell to the ground the last way. It was anougth to brake any mans legs easily but Dart was different, he fell with no strength but found it in himself to land safely. He couldn't hold it anymore, the strain was to much. Quickly he held the stone up but it only spluttered a tinkle of white light. Dart fell to his knees in agony holding tightly to the dragon buster. He had detransformed.
"Finish that perfetic wretch" shouted the wingly pointing down at Dart.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Dart stalling for time
"I don't answer to humans" replied the wingly looking away "even the most powerful humans… have I given you a clue?"
The super Virage stomped over and pointed it's arm down at Dart slowly in satisfaction.
"Kill him now fool!" shouted the wingly "don't wait!"
The light shot out and hit in a great cloud of white light. Grass burned and a crator appeared marking the ground but when the smoke cleared Dart was not there.
"What the?" muttered the wingly looking around. He had forgoten that Dart though powerful as a dragoon still had the dragon buster. The Super Virage was quicker to realize this as it lost all fealings in it's legs. It fell to the ground with a crash and landed on most of Seles braking down what was left of the burned out houses.
"Get him!" shouted the wingly and the whole army of winglys and Virage stormed after Dart. Naturaly Dart turned away and started to run dam quick.
"Please say I wake up now, please say I wake up now" muttered Dart under panting breaths. He heard the shout "fire!" and he heard the beams coming but he also heard a familiar voice "over here!"
Dart looked up quickly to his left and felt a thump in the chest lifting him up off his feet. All he could see was darkness. For a moment he heard nothing, just the sound of the wind.
"Am I dead?" asked Dart to the skys.
"No" replied Loyd looking down on him "not yet"
The platinum wingly once a enemy presumed dead now stould before Dart in…
"In dragoon form?" muttered Dart
"I see you are badly heart" muttered Loyd. All of a suddern the bolts hit there target and there was an almighty flash of light. A mushroom cloud eminated upwards from behind Dart and he had to close his eyes. "Astral drain!" called Loyd over the noise. His sword flew away across the battlefield. Like Dart had done with Rose he waited patiently for the sword to return and with it, it's healing powers. It found a lonesome small Virage. The impliment raged forward and stuck into the chest of the creature, seconds later with a red glow it came back and Dart felt the blue glow of it's healing powers.
"Death dimension!" shouted Loyd. Darkness surrounded the approaching enemies and they filled with fear. When the darkness cleared Loyd was gone and with him Dart.
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"Sir," wispered the butler
"Not now!" replied Albert harshly "I have a meeting to attend to
"It's important" ignored the Butler bowing graciously before the king. Albert's expression became pale. He looked arround for a second and then put his arm over the butler's shoulder. It was a different atmosphere now. The nice warm wind blew through the air comforting all. The sun was shining and everywhere in the palace there was the sighns of comfort.
"What is it then?"
The butler paused looking to the king for a second or two.
"It's Emile. She wishes to be near you more. She complains to me every day and I thought I better talk to you of it. I know it's not my place, and I know you are a most gracious king and that's why I feal I can help you!"
"Oh dear… Emile" muttered Albert "I'm sorry"
"Perhaps you could talk to her?"
"Not now, I really don't have time" replied Albert quickly coming to his sences
"Is that the king speaking or you?"
"Please Arther! I know she wants me to be with her. Trust me once this buisness is over I'll, I'll try and spend more time with her. It's just these petty occourences keep turning up"
"Albert" muttered Arthur
"Look, I really don't have the time right now. I'll talk to you later" and with that Albert walked off down towards the throne room. A lucky escape for him, it was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He was worried, there were big troubles going on, Albert felt it but nobody had bothered to tell him a thing!
Albert like dart had a blond hair only there was something more refind about his. Dart's stuck out like spikes while Albert had a better hair style. Wherever he went he always trailed a green cape behind him. He also had a secret, a burning secret like Dart's waiting to get out. The Jade dragoon spirit.
Albert walked into a room full of people. He opened the door quietly and closed it behind him. Many faces of worry met his and he felt a gulp in his throat. What could it be? A funeral? War? Disarster?
Quickly Albert sat on his throne and drummed his fingers on the side. Councelers of war and important guests flocked into the room and sat on chairs placed acordingly. Most of the lesser councelers stould up, but what a site it was. The clothing was so very varied from dusty desert cloths to full suits. Even some representatives of Tiberoa were ministers a country to the north west of Serdio.
Soon the meeting began. Albert stould up standing next to his prime and most trusted advisors. Albert didn't really like advisors anymore he had a bad fealing about them. But still he had some for prestigue, and they were useful sometimes. They had good idears.
"So what's all this commotion about then? I have heard no news of problems throughout Serdio and yet you all show such grim faces!"
An important advisor with a grey beard stould up slowly. A purple cloak rapped tightly arround him.
"Your highness, the anchient monsters of legond have come back to haunt us. Yesterday winglies in vast ammounts invaded the south of Serdio, with them their primery old weapons, Virage"
"In… large numbers?" wispered Albert
"There were more Virage than there are people in this room, your highness. If they had traveled north over the mountains then are beloverd capital could have been flatened even by now"
Albert paused and looked around the room. Slowly he sat down and the advisor followed suit out of politeness.
"Humans cannot fight Virage" muttered Albert
"Then what should we do?" replied a voice from amongst the crowd of advisors. Out of that a argument broke out and people began to bicker shouting amongsth themselves. The word War suddenly was thrown out of the noise and Albert stould up.
"Shut up!" he screamed. Silence imidiately filled the room and everyone sat down. Many glared at each other.
"Humans cannot fight against these creatures but dragoons can"
"So what are you sudgesting? You go alone and defeat the army all by yourself?" sneered a official.
"I did… not! ,Ask for your comment Ranzeti. If you think you can get away with saying things like that in front of me then why don't we see what you can do by yourself against a Virage? I was not implying anything at all that I try and save are nation by my self. All I am saying is that armies cannot do a dam thing against them. If all the sword strikes of the Serdian army hit then every wingly and Virage would fall ten times dead. But if all the armie of Serdio was pushed into one room, they would all be killed in one shot by one Virage. We outnumber them but there is no way any of you would ever get near them. We need to recall the dragoons together"
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Dart stirred. Slowly he looked arround him, a sound met his ears. It was a slow drip, drop and the sound faintly or flowing water. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up. He had had a horrible dream. Seles was being attacked and everyone in it had been killed, and what was worse, a wingly had taken Shana captive with a whole host of Virage and winglys.
But wait, this wasn't a dream. The sound, the water. Dart looked around him quickly. It was a dark gigantic cave where fresh water burst from the rocks to make streams. The whole place glowed shades of blue purple and green. Stalakytes hung from the cave roof, some quite worringly had the bottom part missing from them. Rocks lay randomly about the hard floor.
"Where am I?" asked Dart to the thin air.
"Your in the lime stone caves, north of Seles" replied Loyd's voice "I don't recommend we leave here for a while yet"
Dart leapt to his feet and looked arround quickly. He saw Loyd, he stould kneeling by a water channel washing his face. Slowly he refilled a leather water bottle and hung it at his side.
"You passed streight into sleep after your ordeal, I'm not surprised after the blows you were taking"
"How did you get that spirit!" demmanded Dart raising his voice and reaching for his sword. He found it and searched for the dragon buster. It must have been there somewhere. Suddenly it clattered to the ground by Dart's feet.
"Yours, I belive" muttered Loyd turning back to the water. Dart picked it up slowly his eyes focusing on Loyd all the time, he still did not trust him. Loyd turned arround slowly after Dart had looked at him for long anougth. After ahwile he realised the question was still hanging in the air.
"Oh alright, if I must"
"Explain your self!" demmanded Dart "of how you grave robbed Rose!"
Loyd's eyes glinted. He stould up quickly and gave a look of fowel hatred and anger at Dart so strong that Dart almost fell over as if a blow had hit him in the stomach.
"How dare you assume I just stole from that women! Have you learned nothing of me? Through all the wise words you were giving me on the way to Kaddessa? You Fool! Out of all the crimes I commit I certainly don't sink as low as that. How dare you accuse me of disturbing the eternal rest of a skilled fighter the likes not seen from human kind since at least 10000 years! If this were then, I would kill you for that remark"
There was a long silence and Loyd turned away. Quickly he flung his sword forward and cleaved a rock into two pieces which would have given a Gigantos a hard time braking with three strokes.
"Loyd... I'm sorry if I angered you. I had no right, you have just saved my life. I'm sorry"
"Save your pitty! All I need is a sword to answer my problems" replied Loyd quickly "If you want the dark dragoon spirit back then have it. Loyd turned and flung the stone to the ground. Dart had a fleeting moment of extreme worry that the stone would fall in a gushing stream and be cast away but it landed safely on rock.
"The spirit" began Loyd "came to me and me only. It is mine now and will work for no other. After the explosion in which that power mad fool Melbu was destroyed along with Zieg and Rose I lay, life fleeting before my eyes. Somthing kept me tied to the earth, through the pain of the stroke which had pierced my body, I writhed inside my own head through the agony. I was still alive but seemed stunned, or paralised, the pain eating me away. I heard the battle raging on but could not move to stop it, then my eye sight failed. As the battle finished the platform colapsed and I fell to my death, but my angel boots kept me alive. Clinging to life a lay at the bottom of the crator. The explosion raged and I felt the boots restoring me once again"
Dart looked down at Loyd's boots. He saw that they were black and scortched and had patches on them.
"The turmoil finished and I lay broken under piles of rubble. I felt for my bag carefully and managed to take one of my carefully tresured healing potions I had bought in Donau. I forced myself to drink it but found my self stuck under the rubble. Hours passed and I began to be crushed slowly alive. I could see that I was not going to make it and I did not expect to make it. But then, it came to me. Somthing shining above me through a crack in the stones. A blue shining stone, I reached for it in vain through my blurred eyes but I could not grab it. My leg was trapped and crushed under the rubble. I could not grab it, but then... it moved, for me. It rolled down and entered the palm of my hand. I clutched it, it was to be mine. The stone chose to heal me, it transformed me into the dark dragoon, the second user. I felt the new power of the dragoon, it was different from the divine dragoon, it suited me more. And, it chose me. I had forced the divine dragon spirit to work for me through strong magics, but this was different. I felt the bounds tied to me and realised why my power as the divine dragon was not anougth"
"What do you mean?" questioned Dart sitting down.
"I mean" replied Loyd "that you took the divine dragoon's true form, the marster form, I could only take the smaller form that all other dragoons take. The divine dragoon has somthing more to it, somthing unique that I could not grasp, it would not let me if I carried it for a thousand years. To simplify, it likes you better. And so, with the new found power, I broke away the rubble encasement and escaped in dragoon form. I traveled to Demingrad alone and earned some money gambling. I cheated... I then travled to the woods in the centre of the land and met with the winglys there. I had always known about them from books long ago but that's another story. Unknown to that wingly freind of yours who was away at the time, somewhere in these lands I think, her people nursed me back to full health. I spent my time after that searching for you"
"And you found me" replied Dart remembering being chased by Virage "but not before Seles was destroyed........ destroyed forever..... Shana!"
"I decided to head to my home town. Satavesti"
"What?" gasped Dart "you have a home town?"
"You will learn of it soon anougth. It is a anchient wingly city that has remained secret since the dragon campaign. It was in fact the militery core of all the wingly citys. It was like Aglis, a city of study. It's main purpose was to protect the god of Destruction from ever being released. Every 100 years the Winglies capturing anougth power would create a secret Super Virage and send it to Saravesti. They only ever made about fithteen of those powerfull creatures. Five of them were kept in Saravesti so that they could be used to stop any who tried to bring down the everlasting moon or if it came down the winglies were hopful that with anougth super Virage stored in the city they could even take down the god of destruction him self. The other super Virage were mainly destroyed during the dragon campaign. Dragons flocked the sky with dragoons leading them, in their haste the wingly wizard Faust tracked down the divine dragoon and sealed him away so that the humans would never gain his power. It looks like they failed. The super Virage were used as guards against the main cities, one was placed beneath the death city mayfill but it was never summoned the one in Zenabatos was completely destroyed. All the Virage in Kaddessa were wiped out but they never found Saravesti, even the winglys didn't know much about it. I suspect Melbu thought it must have been destroyed by time more than anything else"
"You seem to know everything I never have known" stated Dart somewhat annoyed
"How could you know? Saravesti is completely invisible and moves across the sky using one of the flight orbs made with the crystal sphere. I left that place to seek my fortune amongst the world a long time ago"
"But surely, if you had lived in Saravesti in your child hood, surely you would have known all about the fate of the world and what the Everlasting moon would do if ever it landed back down upon the earth" asked Dart with an intense curiosity.
"I did" replied Loyd solemly "Emporah Diaz as I used to call him had a strange way of convinceing people to do things. He convinced me the winglies lied to me, though I never told him though he questioned, where I came from. That would be traitorous against my people, dam them! Are leader, the one you saw in Seles, called Hatu Frahma, he is a ancestor of that fool. It seems ignorance runs in their blood... He told me that he had learned of my misleading and told me that it was all you and humankinds thought. He first accused Diaz but I explained to him Diaz's true Identity, he did not belive me. He told me that day he had sent an army to Serdio to recapture the moon child. To re-imprison the soul remaining of the god of destruction. To do that he has to take Shana to a secet level below in Mayfil. The chamber of the dead, where souls could be imprisoned. All he needs is a sphere and Shana and...."
"What happens to Shana!?" asked Dart quickly "does she die when he takes her there?"
"We are not ready to go" muttered Loyd
"Answer me streight!" shouted Dart
There was a long pause. Loyd looked away to the silence of the rushing water. It seemed not as calm anymore, not so peacefull. It felt dangerous again.
"Shana will be killed if she is taken to Mayfill. Using the new crystal sphere Hatu Frahma will almost certainly reinslave humanity and return the citys to the skys. Who knows what he will do in revenge against the dragoons? Against your societies. We must find the other dragoons and unite them to defeat him!"
"I don't care!" screamed Dart over Loyd and cutting him short "I'm going to Mayfill now! I cannot allow Shana to die. I or you as well shall end this as soon as possible. Will you come with me?"
Loyd picked up his sword and walked over passed Dart who had stould up in the conversation. Loyd picked up the dark dragoon spirit and walked back over to Dart.
"I'll come with you" muttered Loyd
Long ago the shell of the god of destruction was born. The imortal soul was sperated and the body banished to the sky. Though the second era of dragoons had destroyed the body, the soul can never be destroyed. It will live forever, as a power seeking in saddness it's destroyed body. Forever it shall roam the world, forever it's saddness shall be imense, that it was the one being which failed Soa. It failed it's quest, the marster movement to create the new world. Or was this also Soa's plan? That the world should not be destroyed?
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The city of Lohan was always in a hustle and bustle as people walked arround trying to get what they wanted. Shouts rose out of the city
"Fresh fish!"
"Lovely jewelry!"
"Get your apples here!"
People bustled to and throw looking amongst the many shops. It was easy to get lost in Lohan, the streets and back allies were a mess of houses and routes. Even those who knew the place well could get lost in a knew part of town they had never known existed. Meru was almost tempted to fly but she knew her husband would kill her if she did.
Meru was like all wingly's, platinium haired. The great human leader of the dragon campaign emporah Diaz once said joking to Zieg and a number of other men who were consuming vasts amounts of alkahol
"I am surprised the wingly's still exist! With their lack of variety, they should all have caught a common disease by now and plumeted from the world!"
Looking through the many shops, Meru always saw somthing she wanted to buy. Her resently married husband Guhara who had a red band arround his forehead seemed utterly bored. He hadn't seemed interested in anything Meru had shown him so far. Meru kept calling him a wet minintos and pushing him on. However he did show an interesting glance when Meru acidently stumbled upon the heroes tournament centre. It was coming up to that time of year again, the audiences were hoping for a reapear of the old heroes who had come in long ago and given the most exciting duals ever witnessed in Lohan.
Meru seeing the glint in her husbands eye quickly dragged him forward and lead him to the building.
"Let's go in there!" she hurried
"But Meru!" replied Guhara exasperated "that's a gambling fighters tournament, that's not the place for us!"
"What were you expecting?" replied Meru "A four poster bed?"
There was a long pause as Meru dragged him through the crowed.
"That's not what I meant!" he muttered after they got to a clearing. Meru turned abruptly and kissed him on the cheak "silly billy!" she laugthed and lead him in blushing bright red.
The inside of the fighter's arena smelled of strange spices and foods. A strange sound could be heard and looking up a small race track could be seen running arround the whole room. Meru walked up to the ticket office.
"Excuse me" asked Meru after she got passed a cue of people "but on what day is the tournament?"
The lady looked up slowly.
"Haven't you heard? It was moved back to today!"
"Meru!" stuttered Guhara your not seriously gonna?
"Nah, hah. I was just kidding" replied Meru leaning back. Quickly she lead him on passed the amusements until she came to another desk.
"So, are you entering the heroes tournament then?" muttered a man with small spectacles.
"Me?" answered Guhara "no, no. Meru here is just having a look around"
"Yeah, that's it" replied Meru "you can sighn my name down though"
The man looked up suddenly with a gawping expression. "how do you spell that, er... miss"
"Meru! M E R and U!" she exclaimed with a happy grin pushing back her husband who was trying to complain.
"Meru! You could get killed in there!" he complained"please! don't do it!"
"So that's a yes? Right! I'll meet you in there then. The balconys are that way!" gestured Meru waving her hand franticly in a direction to her right which could have meant anything from streight up, to right behind her.
Meru's pretty blue stuck up clothing shone glittery in the darkness of the hero arena. Her pretty face made her look like some kind of fairy or somthing. It was no surprise that several people laugthed at her. Ignoring them she ran into the waiting area withdrawing her hammer to her hands. It was a pretty white thing which glimmered silver.
"Drat!" muttered Meru "I've left all my potions behind. Oh well. Anyway I've got to win! That will brighten up old dull face over there"
The room was filled with the usual clamour of people that turned up every tournament, warriors big and small ready to kill each other in an instant. They all laugthed at Meru and Meru told them all back to shut up, but they ignored ignorantly. Meru eventualy just sank down in a corner and sulked. What kept her from going beserk was the fact that she could give them a really hard time in the tournament as revenge.
Time passed and Meru began to get bored. The heroes were all buisey perepairing now and had gotten bored of her. They were sharpening swords and readying arrows. Meru began to think of Dart and the other dragoons. It seemed so long ago now, that the adventure had started when she met them in Tiberoa.
Eventually the horn sounded and Meru looked up. Her face looked up to a man looking down on her.
"Oh... hallo. Who's up first?" queeried Meru
"You are! The other guys already out there waiting for you!"
Meru swaired.
Out in the arena Guhara looked down from his row biting his fingernails. A kind soldier from Serdio next to him offered him a green limb of somthing dipped in somthing yellow and slimey to eat. Guhara turned down the offer with a smile and looked down into the ring.
"What's getting to you?" asked the soldier
"My wife has entered the tournament. And if she doesent win........."
"Oh, I see. Pretty bad huh. Try one of these! They're really nice! Trust me!"
Guhara looked at the green limb once more and picked it up. He would eat it out of politeness he told himself in his head. Slowly he put it to his lips, and took a bite.
The limb landed in the arena.
"That bad huh?" asked the soldier "well hell I like em. So where's the other contestant?"
"There she is" muttered Guhara "that's my wife"
"Her?" replied the soldier "you are one lucky guy! She sure is pretty"
"If a little uncontrollable" replied Guhara with a sigh
Meru seemingly kicked onto the arena fumbled about in the sand. Quickly she stould up and looked back to the waiting room. From above Guhara saw her hammer being thrown to her from off stage. It landed in the sand and she picked it up quite grumpy and flustered. The crowed laugthed and Meru looked angrily back at them. She shook her fist and turned toward her opponent.
It was a strong man with bulging muscles. He had a big sword which he was hitting against the floor flinging the sand from side to side.
"Finnaly you got here!" he said hushed under the crowds cheering "after I bat you once with the sword hilt, just give in okay and pretend it never happened!"
"Are you kidding!" exclaimed Meru pointing her hammer foward "I'm gonna take you down!"
The warrior smiled and readied himself.
"Let's go!" he murmered
The warrior quickly leapt forward and swung a wide arc. But Meru was not there. He felt a tap on the soldier and turned to be met with a light but strong punch in the face. Meru almost split her knuckle doing it. The man fell to the ground with a bleeding nose. Meru celebrated and started to dance arround the arena.
"Hey!" shouted her opponent over the laugthter from the audience "I'm not done yet! I'm not going to fall to some pretty freak like you"
Guhara cothered his eyes with his hand. If the winglys ever, found out about this he would be the laugthing stock of his people for years to come.
The warrior charged forward and used several strokes this time, hoping to shred his enemy into several pieces. Each swing missed and hit thin air. Each time Meru seemed to just get passed him and he felt a hard blow to the back and fell to the ground. Quickly Meru picked up the great sword which was too heavy for her to use and dragged it away by the hilt from the fallen warrior.
"There!" exclaimed Meru "now do I win? Or shall I force you to kiss my boots!"
The hero backed off to the amusement of the audience and Meru pointed of stage gripping her hammer. The hero sulked off and the audience laugthed scorfully at the defeated warrior.
"I'll get you!" muttered the warrior skuttling of the arena.
"So, who's next?" asked Meru
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Albert walked along the short corridoor to his bedroom. He found Emile looking out of the window to the lands of Serdio. Slowly she turned and Albert felt his heart jump in his mouth. She was so beutifull, the sunlight glistened through her hair.
"Albert! You've come back! What was all that long meating about?" quickly she ran over to the prince and hugged him and swung arround until Albert put her down.
"Hush! Everythings going to be ok. There's just a few problems at the moment that need to be sorted out, that's all"
"But Albert, you've been away in Tiberoa so long diplomating with the traders gild! Surely everythings going to be ok now?"
Her red dress moved silkily from side to side. Albert felt a pain in his heart that he would have to tell her... that he needed to go again.
"I'm afraid" muttered Albert walking over to a cabinit by the wall "it's going to be more serious than that. Albert carefully moved the glass shutter aside and withdrew a long spear, the finest through out the lands he had ever found.
"Albert?" muttered Emile
Slowly he walked over to the double bed which sat in the centre of the room and moved a pillow aside. He carefully took out a green gem and looked at in the sunlight.
"It has been ahwile" wispered Albert looking at the stone which reflected light from the sun. He seemed to lose himself for a second and be trapped inside the stone, his mind a prisoner.
"But Albert! You haven't touched that since..."
"Yes" replied Albert "I am going to have to go away again. Can you forgive me?"
Emile turned away her dress moving with her and still when she stopped. She rested her hands on the window sill and looked out across the land. Emile looked out to seek comfort from the news and she did, but even so she felt a tear she didn't want come to her face.
"I... shall wait for you always, my love" she said looking far away. Albert didn't hear the sob in her voice but Emile did. She felt obtrusive and silly for crying over somthing so small.
"When I am done" sighed Albert "I shall return so fast! That the Jade dragon cannot keep up! Untill then, think of me, and I shall think of you! I love you"
"I love you to" replied Emile softly "you must go"
"I think it would be better if no one knows I have left. You must take over while I am away as the queen. In your strong wisdom I'm sure you can rule much better than I ever can"
"I hope that is true" replied Emile
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The night moved smoothly across the forest outside the small village of Seles. Dart looked out into the dark night. There were many stars shining in the sky like diamonds enchanted with a light of their own. They twinkled back into Dart's eyes.
The dragon buster held loosely in Dart's hand, he swung it through the air and it cleaved the wind. He missed having to use the power of the dragoon. But it was nice to settle down now finally and be with Shana for good. Over the year there had been no children, but everyone had been busy restoring Seles. Dart didn't mind.
The dragon buster was the only remains and link to his past. His father Zieg, who most of the time had been possesed by a wingly dictator, and Rose who had used the dragon buster. It glowed yellow, the blade seemingly made of fire or magic. The journy was over, the monster was defeated now, it was all over now, time to settle down.
Though somehow he always had to come out here at night, enjoy the air, where the adventure had started, afresh. He looked to the moon which was in the night sky. It was pretty and white unlike the everlasting moon which had been destroyed. A red glow use to cover it's face like blood, the Virage embryo. It seemed so long ago now, yet is seemed so fresh in his memory. The spirit stone of the divine dragon felt light in his palm, it itched his soul pleadingly.
"Just, tonight" thought Dart. He had told Shana he wouldn't use the power again unless it was against a foe but it just seemed so nessecery. "Let's see how long I can last before I drop like a stone"
Quickly he held the stone up to the moons light and it shone stretching rays of power out lighting the forrest. Dart was lost under the power of the dragon, his madness filling the gap in the stone which once contained the dragon's body. Multiple wings shot out glowing yellow and an intense armour entangled him which was indestructible but under the dragoon's power as light as a feather.
With the acsessorys he was almost three times his previous sise, a black shoulder cannon of magic sat waiting for the aching command, to fire.
Dart stould in the darkness of the forrest at night, and closed his eyes. He began to consentrate. Dart had recently discovered a new spell from the stone, Divine blessing. A powerfull healing magic equal to the silver dragon, it closed wounds cured disease and even raised those who had fallen in battle to new strength. It was a side of the Divine dragon he had not expected, but he also knew that with this third spell like all dragoons there must also be the summoning spell. Dart knew this and wanted it, he could not die without the complete set although he would never need to use the power again.
"I shall go out to the location of the divine tree one day and marster my skills" said Dart to himself. He concentrated, his eyes closed, concentrating on keeping the power around him flowing. Minutes past but they seemed like hours, Dart knew he could go on a whole lot longer but he didn't know how to. The power seemed to begin to drain from him and he felt his body would snap in two. Just as he was about to give in, the power draining his life away he heard a voice.
"Dart!" it was Shanna's voice "Help me! They are going to destroy Seles again, please! No!"
"Shana!" exclaimed Dart opening his eyes suddenly. He tried to fly but he fumbled and almost fell through the exhaustion, quickly he readied himself and let out a roar, jumping up into the air his wings flapped tearing the air apart. Dart flew quicker than he ever had done, he had never had to fly this far and at the same time he new he couldn't or could he? Looking down he saw the trees illuminated by the moon's light looking up at him.
Somehow the dragon buster had made it's way into Dart's hand, he never even remembered taking it out. He saw it hanging down cutting the air, he almost seemed afraid that it would cut the world in two if he did not hold it back. He raised his head and the reflextion of fire gleamed in Dart's eyes.
What met Dart's eyes was truly terrifying. It seemed almost hundreds of feet up in the air a super Virage stould over Seles, as old as time. It gave a cry. Theses creatures were the oldest living things left on the planet known to man. They were giant vessils created by magic by the anchient winglies. Dart had only ever thought two before and had barely scraped through the battles.
"No!" shouted Dart but it was to late. Multiple beams of light shot down onto the screaming people and lives were shattered. It's dark body was illuminated by flames. Over the hill far away another Super Virage approached, Dart looked behind him and from far away he could see another walking slowly like a steamroller shaking the land slightly as each one took a step. Fire lighted the village like a glow from a forge. Unlike the forge however this fire had no love in it, all it had was death and darkness.
The Virage's body was made up of deep purples, it had two gigantic arms which streched forth with no fingers and a very small head. The head, or if you could call it a head was more like a bump in the Virage's neck. It had no face, but to the equal it's arms it also had two gigantic legs.
Over Seles was what looked like a black cloud. But it wasn't, it was a army of hundreds of winglie's flying over the village and dropping fire bolts down below. As Dart watched he saw several fleeing people go up in smoke. Also weaker Virage approached by air in great numbers, across to the west behind the approaching super Virage lights went up near other towns. The super Virage readied to fire again.
"No way!" shouted Dart and a beam of blue light stretched out from his fingertips and smacked the Super Virage in the chest. It stould firm and looked back towards Dart with angry eyes flairing red. Quickly it's great hands stretched forward and multiple rocks were sent flying towards Dart. He dodged each except the last which hit him and shattered into pieces. The weaker Virage started to fly towards Dart but before they could reach him he turned on them the dragon buster shining in the night sky. He was exhausted but this new aggression came to him in battle. The blade flew easily along with the great broard sword Dart used. A head spun of one and fell down towards the ground with a humoungous crash, another lost and arm and swiped madly with the other in an attempt to hit Dart.
It staggered about wildly swiping and Dart dodged each time. He wanted to use his battle tactics but the village was in the way. Usually he would fly up to a high point and rain fire bolts down onto all of his enemies but he would utterly destroy the village using that spell. The super Virage appeared unharmed but Dart knew he had heart it quite badly. He could hit it with his spells a few more times and it would go down. He had thought such creatures before but never in numbers. Now he had the Divine dragoon spirit and he was finding himself to overestimate things.
Dart charged towards the super Virage menacingly and sliced a great mark across it's chest, it reeled back in pain but with a lucky swipe smacked Dart with it's great arm. Dart just a little dazed from the effort shot a beam of light again casting Divine Ball. The move his exactly where Dart had aimed for and separated the super Virage's neck away from it's body. The creature fell slowly to the ground and luckily missed the village.
"Stop!" shouted a voice over the racket "you have no chance Dart. Give up now or Shana dies!"
"Let go of me!" shouted Shana writhing in the wingly's grasp. A wingly which like all of the others had platinium hair hovered in the air holding Shana tight in his grasp. The male wingly had dark eye brows, and blue eyes. A scar ran across his left eye and a blue sword was held in his hand. "You are a fool Dart. I hoped I could kill you in the blast before you realised but now we will have to do it the painfull way " he continued
"How dare you attack Seles!" shouted Dart back "And how dare you touch Shana! What buisness do you have h..."
Suddenly bolts hit Dart in the back and he fell down in height. He staggered and started to drop.
"Dart!" screamed Shana
Light eminated around him and he fell to the ground the last way. It was anougth to brake any mans legs easily but Dart was different, he fell with no strength but found it in himself to land safely. He couldn't hold it anymore, the strain was to much. Quickly he held the stone up but it only spluttered a tinkle of white light. Dart fell to his knees in agony holding tightly to the dragon buster. He had detransformed.
"Finish that perfetic wretch" shouted the wingly pointing down at Dart.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Dart stalling for time
"I don't answer to humans" replied the wingly looking away "even the most powerful humans… have I given you a clue?"
The super Virage stomped over and pointed it's arm down at Dart slowly in satisfaction.
"Kill him now fool!" shouted the wingly "don't wait!"
The light shot out and hit in a great cloud of white light. Grass burned and a crator appeared marking the ground but when the smoke cleared Dart was not there.
"What the?" muttered the wingly looking around. He had forgoten that Dart though powerful as a dragoon still had the dragon buster. The Super Virage was quicker to realize this as it lost all fealings in it's legs. It fell to the ground with a crash and landed on most of Seles braking down what was left of the burned out houses.
"Get him!" shouted the wingly and the whole army of winglys and Virage stormed after Dart. Naturaly Dart turned away and started to run dam quick.
"Please say I wake up now, please say I wake up now" muttered Dart under panting breaths. He heard the shout "fire!" and he heard the beams coming but he also heard a familiar voice "over here!"
Dart looked up quickly to his left and felt a thump in the chest lifting him up off his feet. All he could see was darkness. For a moment he heard nothing, just the sound of the wind.
"Am I dead?" asked Dart to the skys.
"No" replied Loyd looking down on him "not yet"
The platinum wingly once a enemy presumed dead now stould before Dart in…
"In dragoon form?" muttered Dart
"I see you are badly heart" muttered Loyd. All of a suddern the bolts hit there target and there was an almighty flash of light. A mushroom cloud eminated upwards from behind Dart and he had to close his eyes. "Astral drain!" called Loyd over the noise. His sword flew away across the battlefield. Like Dart had done with Rose he waited patiently for the sword to return and with it, it's healing powers. It found a lonesome small Virage. The impliment raged forward and stuck into the chest of the creature, seconds later with a red glow it came back and Dart felt the blue glow of it's healing powers.
"Death dimension!" shouted Loyd. Darkness surrounded the approaching enemies and they filled with fear. When the darkness cleared Loyd was gone and with him Dart.
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"Sir," wispered the butler
"Not now!" replied Albert harshly "I have a meeting to attend to
"It's important" ignored the Butler bowing graciously before the king. Albert's expression became pale. He looked arround for a second and then put his arm over the butler's shoulder. It was a different atmosphere now. The nice warm wind blew through the air comforting all. The sun was shining and everywhere in the palace there was the sighns of comfort.
"What is it then?"
The butler paused looking to the king for a second or two.
"It's Emile. She wishes to be near you more. She complains to me every day and I thought I better talk to you of it. I know it's not my place, and I know you are a most gracious king and that's why I feal I can help you!"
"Oh dear… Emile" muttered Albert "I'm sorry"
"Perhaps you could talk to her?"
"Not now, I really don't have time" replied Albert quickly coming to his sences
"Is that the king speaking or you?"
"Please Arther! I know she wants me to be with her. Trust me once this buisness is over I'll, I'll try and spend more time with her. It's just these petty occourences keep turning up"
"Albert" muttered Arthur
"Look, I really don't have the time right now. I'll talk to you later" and with that Albert walked off down towards the throne room. A lucky escape for him, it was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He was worried, there were big troubles going on, Albert felt it but nobody had bothered to tell him a thing!
Albert like dart had a blond hair only there was something more refind about his. Dart's stuck out like spikes while Albert had a better hair style. Wherever he went he always trailed a green cape behind him. He also had a secret, a burning secret like Dart's waiting to get out. The Jade dragoon spirit.
Albert walked into a room full of people. He opened the door quietly and closed it behind him. Many faces of worry met his and he felt a gulp in his throat. What could it be? A funeral? War? Disarster?
Quickly Albert sat on his throne and drummed his fingers on the side. Councelers of war and important guests flocked into the room and sat on chairs placed acordingly. Most of the lesser councelers stould up, but what a site it was. The clothing was so very varied from dusty desert cloths to full suits. Even some representatives of Tiberoa were ministers a country to the north west of Serdio.
Soon the meeting began. Albert stould up standing next to his prime and most trusted advisors. Albert didn't really like advisors anymore he had a bad fealing about them. But still he had some for prestigue, and they were useful sometimes. They had good idears.
"So what's all this commotion about then? I have heard no news of problems throughout Serdio and yet you all show such grim faces!"
An important advisor with a grey beard stould up slowly. A purple cloak rapped tightly arround him.
"Your highness, the anchient monsters of legond have come back to haunt us. Yesterday winglies in vast ammounts invaded the south of Serdio, with them their primery old weapons, Virage"
"In… large numbers?" wispered Albert
"There were more Virage than there are people in this room, your highness. If they had traveled north over the mountains then are beloverd capital could have been flatened even by now"
Albert paused and looked around the room. Slowly he sat down and the advisor followed suit out of politeness.
"Humans cannot fight Virage" muttered Albert
"Then what should we do?" replied a voice from amongst the crowd of advisors. Out of that a argument broke out and people began to bicker shouting amongsth themselves. The word War suddenly was thrown out of the noise and Albert stould up.
"Shut up!" he screamed. Silence imidiately filled the room and everyone sat down. Many glared at each other.
"Humans cannot fight against these creatures but dragoons can"
"So what are you sudgesting? You go alone and defeat the army all by yourself?" sneered a official.
"I did… not! ,Ask for your comment Ranzeti. If you think you can get away with saying things like that in front of me then why don't we see what you can do by yourself against a Virage? I was not implying anything at all that I try and save are nation by my self. All I am saying is that armies cannot do a dam thing against them. If all the sword strikes of the Serdian army hit then every wingly and Virage would fall ten times dead. But if all the armie of Serdio was pushed into one room, they would all be killed in one shot by one Virage. We outnumber them but there is no way any of you would ever get near them. We need to recall the dragoons together"
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Dart stirred. Slowly he looked arround him, a sound met his ears. It was a slow drip, drop and the sound faintly or flowing water. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up. He had had a horrible dream. Seles was being attacked and everyone in it had been killed, and what was worse, a wingly had taken Shana captive with a whole host of Virage and winglys.
But wait, this wasn't a dream. The sound, the water. Dart looked around him quickly. It was a dark gigantic cave where fresh water burst from the rocks to make streams. The whole place glowed shades of blue purple and green. Stalakytes hung from the cave roof, some quite worringly had the bottom part missing from them. Rocks lay randomly about the hard floor.
"Where am I?" asked Dart to the thin air.
"Your in the lime stone caves, north of Seles" replied Loyd's voice "I don't recommend we leave here for a while yet"
Dart leapt to his feet and looked arround quickly. He saw Loyd, he stould kneeling by a water channel washing his face. Slowly he refilled a leather water bottle and hung it at his side.
"You passed streight into sleep after your ordeal, I'm not surprised after the blows you were taking"
"How did you get that spirit!" demmanded Dart raising his voice and reaching for his sword. He found it and searched for the dragon buster. It must have been there somewhere. Suddenly it clattered to the ground by Dart's feet.
"Yours, I belive" muttered Loyd turning back to the water. Dart picked it up slowly his eyes focusing on Loyd all the time, he still did not trust him. Loyd turned arround slowly after Dart had looked at him for long anougth. After ahwile he realised the question was still hanging in the air.
"Oh alright, if I must"
"Explain your self!" demmanded Dart "of how you grave robbed Rose!"
Loyd's eyes glinted. He stould up quickly and gave a look of fowel hatred and anger at Dart so strong that Dart almost fell over as if a blow had hit him in the stomach.
"How dare you assume I just stole from that women! Have you learned nothing of me? Through all the wise words you were giving me on the way to Kaddessa? You Fool! Out of all the crimes I commit I certainly don't sink as low as that. How dare you accuse me of disturbing the eternal rest of a skilled fighter the likes not seen from human kind since at least 10000 years! If this were then, I would kill you for that remark"
There was a long silence and Loyd turned away. Quickly he flung his sword forward and cleaved a rock into two pieces which would have given a Gigantos a hard time braking with three strokes.
"Loyd... I'm sorry if I angered you. I had no right, you have just saved my life. I'm sorry"
"Save your pitty! All I need is a sword to answer my problems" replied Loyd quickly "If you want the dark dragoon spirit back then have it. Loyd turned and flung the stone to the ground. Dart had a fleeting moment of extreme worry that the stone would fall in a gushing stream and be cast away but it landed safely on rock.
"The spirit" began Loyd "came to me and me only. It is mine now and will work for no other. After the explosion in which that power mad fool Melbu was destroyed along with Zieg and Rose I lay, life fleeting before my eyes. Somthing kept me tied to the earth, through the pain of the stroke which had pierced my body, I writhed inside my own head through the agony. I was still alive but seemed stunned, or paralised, the pain eating me away. I heard the battle raging on but could not move to stop it, then my eye sight failed. As the battle finished the platform colapsed and I fell to my death, but my angel boots kept me alive. Clinging to life a lay at the bottom of the crator. The explosion raged and I felt the boots restoring me once again"
Dart looked down at Loyd's boots. He saw that they were black and scortched and had patches on them.
"The turmoil finished and I lay broken under piles of rubble. I felt for my bag carefully and managed to take one of my carefully tresured healing potions I had bought in Donau. I forced myself to drink it but found my self stuck under the rubble. Hours passed and I began to be crushed slowly alive. I could see that I was not going to make it and I did not expect to make it. But then, it came to me. Somthing shining above me through a crack in the stones. A blue shining stone, I reached for it in vain through my blurred eyes but I could not grab it. My leg was trapped and crushed under the rubble. I could not grab it, but then... it moved, for me. It rolled down and entered the palm of my hand. I clutched it, it was to be mine. The stone chose to heal me, it transformed me into the dark dragoon, the second user. I felt the new power of the dragoon, it was different from the divine dragoon, it suited me more. And, it chose me. I had forced the divine dragon spirit to work for me through strong magics, but this was different. I felt the bounds tied to me and realised why my power as the divine dragon was not anougth"
"What do you mean?" questioned Dart sitting down.
"I mean" replied Loyd "that you took the divine dragoon's true form, the marster form, I could only take the smaller form that all other dragoons take. The divine dragoon has somthing more to it, somthing unique that I could not grasp, it would not let me if I carried it for a thousand years. To simplify, it likes you better. And so, with the new found power, I broke away the rubble encasement and escaped in dragoon form. I traveled to Demingrad alone and earned some money gambling. I cheated... I then travled to the woods in the centre of the land and met with the winglys there. I had always known about them from books long ago but that's another story. Unknown to that wingly freind of yours who was away at the time, somewhere in these lands I think, her people nursed me back to full health. I spent my time after that searching for you"
"And you found me" replied Dart remembering being chased by Virage "but not before Seles was destroyed........ destroyed forever..... Shana!"
"I decided to head to my home town. Satavesti"
"What?" gasped Dart "you have a home town?"
"You will learn of it soon anougth. It is a anchient wingly city that has remained secret since the dragon campaign. It was in fact the militery core of all the wingly citys. It was like Aglis, a city of study. It's main purpose was to protect the god of Destruction from ever being released. Every 100 years the Winglies capturing anougth power would create a secret Super Virage and send it to Saravesti. They only ever made about fithteen of those powerfull creatures. Five of them were kept in Saravesti so that they could be used to stop any who tried to bring down the everlasting moon or if it came down the winglies were hopful that with anougth super Virage stored in the city they could even take down the god of destruction him self. The other super Virage were mainly destroyed during the dragon campaign. Dragons flocked the sky with dragoons leading them, in their haste the wingly wizard Faust tracked down the divine dragoon and sealed him away so that the humans would never gain his power. It looks like they failed. The super Virage were used as guards against the main cities, one was placed beneath the death city mayfill but it was never summoned the one in Zenabatos was completely destroyed. All the Virage in Kaddessa were wiped out but they never found Saravesti, even the winglys didn't know much about it. I suspect Melbu thought it must have been destroyed by time more than anything else"
"You seem to know everything I never have known" stated Dart somewhat annoyed
"How could you know? Saravesti is completely invisible and moves across the sky using one of the flight orbs made with the crystal sphere. I left that place to seek my fortune amongst the world a long time ago"
"But surely, if you had lived in Saravesti in your child hood, surely you would have known all about the fate of the world and what the Everlasting moon would do if ever it landed back down upon the earth" asked Dart with an intense curiosity.
"I did" replied Loyd solemly "Emporah Diaz as I used to call him had a strange way of convinceing people to do things. He convinced me the winglies lied to me, though I never told him though he questioned, where I came from. That would be traitorous against my people, dam them! Are leader, the one you saw in Seles, called Hatu Frahma, he is a ancestor of that fool. It seems ignorance runs in their blood... He told me that he had learned of my misleading and told me that it was all you and humankinds thought. He first accused Diaz but I explained to him Diaz's true Identity, he did not belive me. He told me that day he had sent an army to Serdio to recapture the moon child. To re-imprison the soul remaining of the god of destruction. To do that he has to take Shana to a secet level below in Mayfil. The chamber of the dead, where souls could be imprisoned. All he needs is a sphere and Shana and...."
"What happens to Shana!?" asked Dart quickly "does she die when he takes her there?"
"We are not ready to go" muttered Loyd
"Answer me streight!" shouted Dart
There was a long pause. Loyd looked away to the silence of the rushing water. It seemed not as calm anymore, not so peacefull. It felt dangerous again.
"Shana will be killed if she is taken to Mayfill. Using the new crystal sphere Hatu Frahma will almost certainly reinslave humanity and return the citys to the skys. Who knows what he will do in revenge against the dragoons? Against your societies. We must find the other dragoons and unite them to defeat him!"
"I don't care!" screamed Dart over Loyd and cutting him short "I'm going to Mayfill now! I cannot allow Shana to die. I or you as well shall end this as soon as possible. Will you come with me?"
Loyd picked up his sword and walked over passed Dart who had stould up in the conversation. Loyd picked up the dark dragoon spirit and walked back over to Dart.
"I'll come with you" muttered Loyd
Long ago the shell of the god of destruction was born. The imortal soul was sperated and the body banished to the sky. Though the second era of dragoons had destroyed the body, the soul can never be destroyed. It will live forever, as a power seeking in saddness it's destroyed body. Forever it shall roam the world, forever it's saddness shall be imense, that it was the one being which failed Soa. It failed it's quest, the marster movement to create the new world. Or was this also Soa's plan? That the world should not be destroyed?
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The city of Lohan was always in a hustle and bustle as people walked arround trying to get what they wanted. Shouts rose out of the city
"Fresh fish!"
"Lovely jewelry!"
"Get your apples here!"
People bustled to and throw looking amongst the many shops. It was easy to get lost in Lohan, the streets and back allies were a mess of houses and routes. Even those who knew the place well could get lost in a knew part of town they had never known existed. Meru was almost tempted to fly but she knew her husband would kill her if she did.
Meru was like all wingly's, platinium haired. The great human leader of the dragon campaign emporah Diaz once said joking to Zieg and a number of other men who were consuming vasts amounts of alkahol
"I am surprised the wingly's still exist! With their lack of variety, they should all have caught a common disease by now and plumeted from the world!"
Looking through the many shops, Meru always saw somthing she wanted to buy. Her resently married husband Guhara who had a red band arround his forehead seemed utterly bored. He hadn't seemed interested in anything Meru had shown him so far. Meru kept calling him a wet minintos and pushing him on. However he did show an interesting glance when Meru acidently stumbled upon the heroes tournament centre. It was coming up to that time of year again, the audiences were hoping for a reapear of the old heroes who had come in long ago and given the most exciting duals ever witnessed in Lohan.
Meru seeing the glint in her husbands eye quickly dragged him forward and lead him to the building.
"Let's go in there!" she hurried
"But Meru!" replied Guhara exasperated "that's a gambling fighters tournament, that's not the place for us!"
"What were you expecting?" replied Meru "A four poster bed?"
There was a long pause as Meru dragged him through the crowed.
"That's not what I meant!" he muttered after they got to a clearing. Meru turned abruptly and kissed him on the cheak "silly billy!" she laugthed and lead him in blushing bright red.
The inside of the fighter's arena smelled of strange spices and foods. A strange sound could be heard and looking up a small race track could be seen running arround the whole room. Meru walked up to the ticket office.
"Excuse me" asked Meru after she got passed a cue of people "but on what day is the tournament?"
The lady looked up slowly.
"Haven't you heard? It was moved back to today!"
"Meru!" stuttered Guhara your not seriously gonna?
"Nah, hah. I was just kidding" replied Meru leaning back. Quickly she lead him on passed the amusements until she came to another desk.
"So, are you entering the heroes tournament then?" muttered a man with small spectacles.
"Me?" answered Guhara "no, no. Meru here is just having a look around"
"Yeah, that's it" replied Meru "you can sighn my name down though"
The man looked up suddenly with a gawping expression. "how do you spell that, er... miss"
"Meru! M E R and U!" she exclaimed with a happy grin pushing back her husband who was trying to complain.
"Meru! You could get killed in there!" he complained"please! don't do it!"
"So that's a yes? Right! I'll meet you in there then. The balconys are that way!" gestured Meru waving her hand franticly in a direction to her right which could have meant anything from streight up, to right behind her.
Meru's pretty blue stuck up clothing shone glittery in the darkness of the hero arena. Her pretty face made her look like some kind of fairy or somthing. It was no surprise that several people laugthed at her. Ignoring them she ran into the waiting area withdrawing her hammer to her hands. It was a pretty white thing which glimmered silver.
"Drat!" muttered Meru "I've left all my potions behind. Oh well. Anyway I've got to win! That will brighten up old dull face over there"
The room was filled with the usual clamour of people that turned up every tournament, warriors big and small ready to kill each other in an instant. They all laugthed at Meru and Meru told them all back to shut up, but they ignored ignorantly. Meru eventualy just sank down in a corner and sulked. What kept her from going beserk was the fact that she could give them a really hard time in the tournament as revenge.
Time passed and Meru began to get bored. The heroes were all buisey perepairing now and had gotten bored of her. They were sharpening swords and readying arrows. Meru began to think of Dart and the other dragoons. It seemed so long ago now, that the adventure had started when she met them in Tiberoa.
Eventually the horn sounded and Meru looked up. Her face looked up to a man looking down on her.
"Oh... hallo. Who's up first?" queeried Meru
"You are! The other guys already out there waiting for you!"
Meru swaired.
Out in the arena Guhara looked down from his row biting his fingernails. A kind soldier from Serdio next to him offered him a green limb of somthing dipped in somthing yellow and slimey to eat. Guhara turned down the offer with a smile and looked down into the ring.
"What's getting to you?" asked the soldier
"My wife has entered the tournament. And if she doesent win........."
"Oh, I see. Pretty bad huh. Try one of these! They're really nice! Trust me!"
Guhara looked at the green limb once more and picked it up. He would eat it out of politeness he told himself in his head. Slowly he put it to his lips, and took a bite.
The limb landed in the arena.
"That bad huh?" asked the soldier "well hell I like em. So where's the other contestant?"
"There she is" muttered Guhara "that's my wife"
"Her?" replied the soldier "you are one lucky guy! She sure is pretty"
"If a little uncontrollable" replied Guhara with a sigh
Meru seemingly kicked onto the arena fumbled about in the sand. Quickly she stould up and looked back to the waiting room. From above Guhara saw her hammer being thrown to her from off stage. It landed in the sand and she picked it up quite grumpy and flustered. The crowed laugthed and Meru looked angrily back at them. She shook her fist and turned toward her opponent.
It was a strong man with bulging muscles. He had a big sword which he was hitting against the floor flinging the sand from side to side.
"Finnaly you got here!" he said hushed under the crowds cheering "after I bat you once with the sword hilt, just give in okay and pretend it never happened!"
"Are you kidding!" exclaimed Meru pointing her hammer foward "I'm gonna take you down!"
The warrior smiled and readied himself.
"Let's go!" he murmered
The warrior quickly leapt forward and swung a wide arc. But Meru was not there. He felt a tap on the soldier and turned to be met with a light but strong punch in the face. Meru almost split her knuckle doing it. The man fell to the ground with a bleeding nose. Meru celebrated and started to dance arround the arena.
"Hey!" shouted her opponent over the laugthter from the audience "I'm not done yet! I'm not going to fall to some pretty freak like you"
Guhara cothered his eyes with his hand. If the winglys ever, found out about this he would be the laugthing stock of his people for years to come.
The warrior charged forward and used several strokes this time, hoping to shred his enemy into several pieces. Each swing missed and hit thin air. Each time Meru seemed to just get passed him and he felt a hard blow to the back and fell to the ground. Quickly Meru picked up the great sword which was too heavy for her to use and dragged it away by the hilt from the fallen warrior.
"There!" exclaimed Meru "now do I win? Or shall I force you to kiss my boots!"
The hero backed off to the amusement of the audience and Meru pointed of stage gripping her hammer. The hero sulked off and the audience laugthed scorfully at the defeated warrior.
"I'll get you!" muttered the warrior skuttling of the arena.
"So, who's next?" asked Meru
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Albert walked along the short corridoor to his bedroom. He found Emile looking out of the window to the lands of Serdio. Slowly she turned and Albert felt his heart jump in his mouth. She was so beutifull, the sunlight glistened through her hair.
"Albert! You've come back! What was all that long meating about?" quickly she ran over to the prince and hugged him and swung arround until Albert put her down.
"Hush! Everythings going to be ok. There's just a few problems at the moment that need to be sorted out, that's all"
"But Albert, you've been away in Tiberoa so long diplomating with the traders gild! Surely everythings going to be ok now?"
Her red dress moved silkily from side to side. Albert felt a pain in his heart that he would have to tell her... that he needed to go again.
"I'm afraid" muttered Albert walking over to a cabinit by the wall "it's going to be more serious than that. Albert carefully moved the glass shutter aside and withdrew a long spear, the finest through out the lands he had ever found.
"Albert?" muttered Emile
Slowly he walked over to the double bed which sat in the centre of the room and moved a pillow aside. He carefully took out a green gem and looked at in the sunlight.
"It has been ahwile" wispered Albert looking at the stone which reflected light from the sun. He seemed to lose himself for a second and be trapped inside the stone, his mind a prisoner.
"But Albert! You haven't touched that since..."
"Yes" replied Albert "I am going to have to go away again. Can you forgive me?"
Emile turned away her dress moving with her and still when she stopped. She rested her hands on the window sill and looked out across the land. Emile looked out to seek comfort from the news and she did, but even so she felt a tear she didn't want come to her face.
"I... shall wait for you always, my love" she said looking far away. Albert didn't hear the sob in her voice but Emile did. She felt obtrusive and silly for crying over somthing so small.
"When I am done" sighed Albert "I shall return so fast! That the Jade dragon cannot keep up! Untill then, think of me, and I shall think of you! I love you"
"I love you to" replied Emile softly "you must go"
"I think it would be better if no one knows I have left. You must take over while I am away as the queen. In your strong wisdom I'm sure you can rule much better than I ever can"
"I hope that is true" replied Emile
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