Summoning
Kang sighed heavily as he entered his tent, the noise of the camp around his command tent only slightly dulled by the thick tarps. He had been back on Krynn for almost a week, though to him it felt like years instead of mere days. He had come with the hopes of spending some good times with Slith and his old comerades, instead, he had entered into a war that threatened the very survival of his species.
Slith, who had taken command of the Regiment after he had left, had discovered twenty five female draconian eggs, and while it was a huge deviation from what Kang had read in the books Lashana had given him, he was glad for it. It meant a chance to survive. But that survival was being jepordised by some sort of sorcerer who could conjure up demonic minons at will. He had thus rejoined and retaken command, Slith happily returning to his place as his second in command. They had trekked through fifty leagues in under three days, the buys were exhasuted, their food supplys low, and their pursuers were hot on their tails. It seemed hopeless, but Kang had one final trump card that he had been holding back.
Kneeling by a roughly constructed alter, he lit some musky inscense, then closed his eyes, falling into a light trance that he had once perfected in order to commune with Takhisis, the former Dark Queen. Now though, he was searching for another Goddess, one that he was more familiar with, one that he trusted more than his former Queen. L-Sama.... please, hear me...
~*~
"Lashana-dono!"
"Hmm?" Dark blue eyes rose from their inspection of the wiring that connected the TV to the dvd player to look at the samurai that ran past the room, a single white eyebrow arching quizically when she saw him glimpse her at the last moment and try to skid to a stop, his socks giving little purchase as he slid past the doorway. Shaking her head, she plugged the stereo system's speakers into the DVD player, cross wired it into the TV, then attached the SVGA plug to the TV.
By that time, Kenshin had managed to regain his balance and rushed into the room. "Lashana-dono!"
"Hmm? What's up, Ken-chan?" she asked curiously as she wiped her hands clean on her jeans then carefully eased herself out from behind the entertainment centre, pushing the huge shelf back into place and admiring her handy work.
"Ne, it's Duncan-san! He was working on his car and the jack broke!"
She blinked, then slowly turned to look at him. "He's trapped under his car again, isn't he?"
"Hai."
There were a duet of soft telepathic snickers from nearby, and Lashana sweatdropped as she listened to Akhor and Kalamadea laughed. "Oh for the love of the Gods...." Throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation, she stomped past him, paused to pull on her favorite sneakers, then headed outside, shaking her head sadly when she saw the twitching legs sticking out from under the black convertable. "Trust you to have removed the tires before going under there to change the oil."
His legs flailed as a muffled yell came from the vague direction of the radiator. "Gebmeowtuber!"
Blinking, she turned to look at Kenshin, who was standing by her side. "Any idea what he just said?"
"Um... 'get me out of here', perhaps?"
Duncan's legs flailed even harder as another mumbled scream came from under the car.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Lashana decided, raising a hand to tap a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "How the hell are we gonna get him out from under there? Blackie's gone off to the lake with Wolvie, Tvashtar, Kadrith, Mewtwo, Malcho and Zel, Beast is out on a Twinkie Run, Telca's out with Remy, Kang's out-dimension to visit his army...."
::He looks like a fish,:: Akhor commented as he flew over and perched on the roof of the car, his elder brother settling beside him. ::One of the sick ones that flop around before they die.::
Oh there's a happy thought, thanks a lot, Akhor.
There was the sound of air being displaced. "Konichiwa, Inferno-sama!"
"Crap." Sighing, she turned and eyed Xellos warily. "Stay out of this."
"Hai, hai." Smiling in that annoying trickster facade he was good at, he floated into the air and reclinded there, watching them from behind seemingly closed eyes.
Grumbling, Lashana moved to the front bumper of the car, then looked at Kenshin. "I'm gonna try to lift this thing, but there's no way I'm gonna be able to hold it for longer than a few seconds, so when I yell, you drag idiot boy out from under the car, okay?"
"Hai."
"Okay, on three..." Bracing herself, she grabbed the fender and exhaled. "One.... two.... thr-- AUGH!!"
::MOMMY!::
"Lashana-sama!" As she clutched at her head and screamed, Xellos quickly phased to her side, catching her as she collapsed, unconscious. Curious and perhaps a little worried, he lightly pressed two fingers to her neck, feeling an erratic weak pulse there. "Yare, yare. Seems L-Sama needed to speak with her."
~*~
"Nuuuurgh....." Groaning, Lashana put both hands to her head, feeling as if she was in danger of it rolling off of her shoulders. "What the crispy hell happened?! Ooo, my head...." She dared to open her eyes, only to clench them shut again, not liking what she had seen. "L-sama?"
Forgive me for bringing you here so abruptly, My Knight.
"Oh, no problem, I always enjoy the sensation of my brain trying to leak out my ears." Slowly regaining her equilibrium, she shakingly got to her feet, still clutching her head. "Why am I here? Aw geez, I'm not dead again, am I?"
Low laughter trinkled across the Sea of Chaos. No. Though your body is in a sort of coma at the moment. As for why you are here, listen.
"L-Sama, I don't know if you can hear me..."
Lashana gasped, snapping her head up, eyes wide. "Kang!"
"I'm not sure if you even keep an eye on Krynn, but this is our last hope. I need help. My Regiment, no, all draconians are in danger. Some sorcerer that has spells I've never seen has... oh hell, I don't know how he did it. Conjured up a demonic army. We're on the run, time here has changed, I don't know how. Maybe because I read the books on what was going to happen to my Company, maybe because I chose to stay with Lashana instead stay with the Regiment, I don't know. But Slith found twenty five female draconian babies three weeks ago, and they've been on the run ever since. We're the last of our kind, and we're dropping like flies. Please, My Lady, I need help. I need Lashana. Please...."
"My God, he sounds horrible," the half-elf whispered, clutching a hand to her chest, over her heart.
You must go. This is an official matter now. The sorcerer he mentioned has been using my Chaos to conjure up his monstrosities. He must be stopped, the timeline restored and the draconians saved.
Lashana nodded and bowed her head, raising a fist to thump her left shoulder in the traditional respectful manner. "Hai, L-Sama."
Good luck, My Knight.
~*~
"What do you mean, 'L-sama wanted to talk to her'?!" Kenshin demanded as he looked at the elf that Xellos had lain on the ground, her skin a pale grey. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing.
"Exactly that. Her body may be here, but her spirit is in the Sea of Chaos.... ah! There she is!"
Kenshin's eyes widened as Lashana suddenly gasped for air, her back arching as her eyes flew open, flashing from blue to gold and back again. "Lashana-dono?"
There was a pause before a weak whisper answered him. "There has got to be an easier way for L-Sama to get my attention.... Oooh, I hurt everywhere...." She struggled to sit up, not complaining when Xellos helped her, supporting her with a strong arm when the two small dragons flew into her arms. "I have to go.... Kang's in trouble. L-Sama wants me to go stop a sorcerer that's using her Chaos." Shh, you two. I'm back, I'm okay.
::You were gone, just like that. It was like you were dead all over again!:: Kalamadea cried in her thoughts, burrowing into her arms with Korin while Akhor buried himself in her hair.
I'm okay now, though. It's okay... Hands pushed down on her shoulders when she tried to rise, and she blinked as she looked up into concerned blue eyes.
"Lashana, you are in no condition to go anywhere!" Kenshin protested worriedly as he knelt and moved to check her vitals, frowning when he felt that her pulse was still erratic. "Lashana, please."
"Ken-chan," she smiled tiredly and rose a hand to his scarred cheek. "I'm alright."
"Mraaaffffff!"
"Yes, Duncan, I'll get to you in a minute," she sighed as she struggled to her feet, surprised when Xellos helped her. "You're unusually helpful."
A smirk played over his lips, the usual trickster facade. "I was ordered to protect you, Knight-sama."
"Right, right...." Rubbing a crick out of the back of her neck while Kalamadea alighted on her right shoulder, and Akhor on her left. She walked over to the car and the twitching legs that stuck out from under it, eyeing the problem curiously. "Well crud, I'm not recovered enough to try to lift it yet, and I have to get to Kang...." A tap on her shoulder make her look over at a now grinning Xellos, and she grimaced at the sight. "No meddling!"
"Ah, but Knight-sama! You need to get to Krynn, and I can merely teleport Duncan-kun out from under that car...." he trailed off and cracked an eye open to look at her in amusement. "For a price."
Her shoulders slouched. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
Kenshin grimaced. "Probably."
~*~
"Second squadron will take shifts with Third. We need to double our defenses here, here, and here," Kang announced, pointing out the weak spots in their encampment on a rough map of the area. "We have to take a day to rest, the men are nigh dying on their feet."
Slith nodded. "The five baaz assigned to the females report that the babies are doing fine. Their appetites are still high, they've just finished off some broth."
"Well, at least that's one less worry," Fulkuth, leader of Support Squadron, sighed, raising a clawed hand to rub at a hastily bandaged cut on his right upper arm. "The medical tent is full, I've sent some of my officers to help the two medics. They're overwhelmed."
Kang rumbled, but nodded in agreement with Fulkuth's judgement. "With luck, we may be getting some help soon."
"Your elf friend?" Yethik, commander of Second Squadron frowned. "Are you sure she can be trusted, sir?"
A low growl left the large bozak draconain at that, and Yethik immediately lowered his gaze. "I trust Lashana with my life and more! I don't want to hear any of you question her again."
Before anyone could respond, their attentions were drawn to the glimmer of gold light that appeared in the air. It flickered once before floating past those gathered, stationing itself in front of the entranceway before it blossomed into a portal that glowed gold and black, pulsing almost hypnotically before a form stepped through it. White hair glistened from the light of the portal, bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement as lips pulled back into a grin, exposing sharp canines. The female wore black boots, blue jeans frayed at the knees and thighs, and a light grey tank top with the words 'don't piss me off, I'm running out of places to hid the bodies' emblazoned across it.
"Hey boys," Lashana drawled,
silhouetted by the bright portal behind her as she planted her hands on
her hips and let her grin turn into a full smirk. "Someone call for an
Avatar of Chaos?"
TBC