The Legend of Dragoon: The Next Generation, The Cataclysmic Reunion
Authors: Spike and Archangel
Chapter One: The Lost Soul Found
How could everyone scoff at this place? How could no one ever desire to accompany Frank Darteth to this spectacular place? It was so wonderfully dreary, so incredibly spooky. This old, dead city ruin had to have had a significance in the world of old.
Frank spent all his time here, wandering around the dismal landscape, taking in its gloom and depression. He loved it, and in that way he had been different from his friends in the neighboring town all his life. He'd been shunned for years, old acquaintances even from his toddler years, now calling him a freak and a psycho. But he didn't care, it was stupid of them to judge him when they'd never been here themselves.
He was addicted! He couldn't stay away from this place, but what was it called? The dim voices he always heard didn't seem to hear him when he inquired, for they never replied. Yet, as time had progressed, one voice, always gradually became clearer. Soon enough Frank could comprehend the words.
"Almost ready, Almost ready, Almost ready…" on and on this voice persisted with the same two words, changing only in clarity. Did it not sleep? Where did it come from?
"Almost ready for what?" Frank asked, yet another time, and once again, no audible reply followed; only those two words, repeating over and over and over again.
"I said, what is almost ready?" Frank shouted, weary of the voices continuous droning. "Answer me!" He demanded.
"Almost ready, Almost ready, Almost ready, ALMOST READY!"
"FOR WHAT?"
"What?"
Frank stopped cold. Suddenly every sound about the ruins silenced, as if waiting for Frank to decide what had just happened.
"Who's there?" Frank asked.
"Who's asking?" Came the bodiless voice. It was so sinister, low, demonic, maybe somewhat reptilian.
"Frank, uh, Frank Darteth. I'm an admirer of the scenery," Frank answered.
"Really?"
"Yeah! It's great," Frank said.
"…Well…You're…different," the voice said.
"I guess you could say that," Frank said.
"This place doesn't awaken some sort of primal fear in you? There's nothing that makes you just shiver?"
"Of course, that's why I like it," Frank said, happy to explain.
"And the fact that you're being talked to by something you cant see? Why aren't you looking for a friend, someone making some sort of trap to frighten you?"
"No one ever comes here, and I've heard you for ages, slowly getting clearer, who could be so motivated to keep a prank up that long?" Frank asked.
"Hmm, I see, say Frank?"
"Yeah?"
"Care to help a weary soul out?"
"Depends, what will benefit me from helping you?"
"Wow, the greedy type, are we? That's nothing less than I'd hope for, good, good. Yes, what do you want? Power? That I can grant you, if you'll trust me enough to help me first. Do this and I guarantee you that you will gain powers you could never dream of."
Frank was stunned by this, never had the old, 'I'll give you power should you help me" line been used on him. But then again, it was only in the movies, what could really go wrong? "I'm listening."
"I need you to follow the sound of my voice," it said as it wandered down a narrow pathway. Frank followed, what would he be like? Spiderman, Superman, Spawn? Any of those old comic book characters would be so awesome to become.
"So, are you like a ghost or something?" Frank asked.
"You could say that, but not for long," said the voice.
"Cool, what was your name?"
"Um,…Zack," came the answer.
"Cool!"
"Yes, cool," Zack said. "Before we arrive, I'll tell you that there is a simple method for ghosts like me to regain their bodies and live again, all you have to do is want it, have a desire for me to come through and I'll handle the rest."
"Sounds easy enough," Frank said.
"We're here."
"We are?" Frank looked around, the scenery hadn't changed, but for a little, now he was in the center of the ruined city, with the rubble of what had to be a tower only a few dozens of steps away. There were two curved spikes protruding from the ground.
"Do you see those spires?" Zack asked.
"Yeah."
"Stand in between them, and grasp them firmly, then, desire the power you want to have. Desire me giving you that power, put a picture of me in your mind, imagine what you want, just want me here, in the flesh, understand?"
Frank nodded and smiled, he jogged excitedly to the spires and grasped them and squeezed. Then he thought of flying, of being able to crush his enemies with ease. Then he thought of Zack giving him these abilities. How he would do this, he didn't know, but he was a ghost, not a human, he had to have some sort of strange ability.
The spires vibrated, and shook off the dust that had collected over them for so many years. "Whoa!"
"Yes! It's working!" Zach yelled.
The ground itself began to quake and crack, and Frank fought to keep his balance, and would have failed, had he not have been hanging on to the spires, which did not move. He willed it all stronger, and closed his eyes. He felt something just before his chest.
He opened his eyes and looked down, there was a white sphere before him about the size of his head. There was a single black dot in the center of the ball of light, but as Frank kept wanting what was coming, it kept growing.
Within seconds the ball had consumed half of the light. And within another moment it had engulfed all the light. Discharge spiked off the spires, and traveled about Frank, all over his body, and onto the black ball of energy.
Zack screamed out, not in pain, not in anger, but in effort, and just before a concussion threw Frank several yards away, he noticed that it had begun taking a shape.
He heard one final BOOM, and lifted up his heavy head. He beheld something that couldn't possibly be Zack. It was a tall creature, with chiseled muscles, still heaving as he gasped for breath. A black aura visibly radiated from him. Frank had unleashed some sort of demon, because that was DEFINITELY not a human.
There were two thick, slightly curved horns protruding from his ugly, dead blue forehead. His vile face was covered in blood red makeup outlining the jaw-line and eyebrows, giving the image of a wicked smile. He had guards over his obviously enormous shoulders, that had an eye sculpted into the center. His bulging biceps obviously had once been covered, but now those torn bandages hung from the forearm gauntlet that covered to his hands, and down his thumb, giving every joint a spike. A red jewel was imbedded in the middle of his chest, and muscles rippled up and down his entire torso, with the sides covered by a strong looking armor. His long upper legs were covered in a sort of sleeve that had a red infinity sign running down the front, leading into the armored knees and clawed feet.
Frank stood up, and backed away slowly, just as this demon revealed a few more inhuman traits. A thin tail ending in a knife sized blade cracked like a whip behind him. He was observing himself as well, as if he'd not expected to be as he was. He gripped his hands tightly, and the aura swelled. He bellowed out in a horrifying cry, and long, bat like wings stuck out and reached high above his head, he leapt into the air, and they began beating steadily, keeping him aloft. He looked about him, seeming unimpressed, until something caught his eye, he glared intensely in one direction, and Frank followed his gaze. There, pinned to a wall by a gigantic spike, was a human's skeleton, held together by the spike and the evil looking armor surrounding what used to be his flesh and blood body. Now the white, decayed head hung limply. The helmet that had worn itself on his head was on the ground. Frank would have observed it more closely, had he not been interrupted by an inhuman snarl.
The demon spat at the skeleton, and in the blink of an eye, born from black smoke that poured from its own hands, a sickle appeared. It was the length of the creature's body, and the hilt of the blade was made to resemble a wicked, frowning skull, its bottom jaw inches below the sharp end of the blade, down the shaft.
Not a second after the sickle appeared, the monster threw it at the skeleton with all its might, it cut through the air at an incredible speed, creating a screaming song as it flew. It struck the skeleton's torso armor right where the heart would be. The blow caused the entire wall to blow out in an incredible explosion. The monster flicked its wrist and the weapon returned to its wicked hand.
Frank had seen enough, he began walking away, very slowly, but his foot hit a pebble, and that small sound alone made him jump and cry out. He looked to the ground, then straight back up, staring eye to eye with that creature. It had such evil, soulless eyes. A gross yellow, with no irises, merely a red, cat-like slit. A smile opened on its hideous face, revealing sharp fangs where every human tooth would find itself. "Well, thank you very much. I was afraid I'd have to spend all this new energy freeing myself, it's a good thing you came around."
"Zack?" Frank yelped.
"Well, kind of, but my real, full name is Zachwell, Lord of Death," he said, holding that wicked smile a moment more, he looked at himself again, then back at Frank, and let out an evil cackle. His breath was rank and acrid, Frank stopped breathing until Zachwell looked away.
"Now, for my end of the bargain," Zachwell said to the unsuspecting human. He turned around and back fisted Frank hard. Frank was thrown from the ground, and saw his world spinning before he hit the ground and all went black.
He opened his eyes, not that it would do any good, all was black. Where was he? He wondered, for a brief moment, yet another question arose that was infinitely more important. Who was he? What was going on?
A door swung open, and in strode a creature that seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where. He waved a blue hand and several blue torches lit themselves.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Darteth, my name is Zachwell, your Lord and commander," said the creature.
"Darteth?" He asked. That name also struck some near-memory, but he couldn't place it, nor draw it out completely.
"Yes, Darteth, I have just discovered you, you are the solitary remnant of an ancient race that scourged the planet for centuries. However, Winglies and Humans, always trouble solvers, formed an alliance and managed to demolish your entire species. Somehow you survived, and had been laying here, comatose, unseen even by me here in Mayfil, the Death City, for so many years," Zachwell began.
"What? Scourged the planet? How?"
"You are the last of a race of…how to word it, soul reapers. Concentrate hard, do you not remember anything?" Zachwell asked.
"…No," Darteth answered sadly.
"Then allow me to help," Zachwell said, but he was smiling. He walked over, and placed his hand on Darteth's forehead. After a short moment, Darteth knew everything. He had seen himself, he carried a blade with a skull with bat wings- shaped hilt. He'd slaughtered so many, and he enjoyed it so, always taking their souls, and keeping them in his pouch until he could find a quiet, safe place to perform the day-long ritual to devour them. He remembered others like him, all standing together in lines, as the Humans advanced on them from the ground and the Winglies from the skies. They hadn't a chance against their forces! He'd fled, to his favorite spot, Mayfil, here! There he decided to petrify himself, until it was safe for him to emerge again. Oh, how he enjoyed cutting through his victims, the very memory of seeing their useless blood run from their wounds filled him with so much glee. As Zachwell let go, he smiled.
"Remember now?" He asked.
"Yes, I do," Darteth smiled, he let out a low laugh. "Where are my belongings?"
"Before I return them to you, I would have you serve me for returning you to life, and if you refuse, I will return you to the heap you were," Zachwell said.
"Why would I refuse?" Darteth said happily.
"Good," Zachwell said, he smiled and handed Darteth his sword, and a pouch that clipped onto the belt. It was encrusted with various jewels, and diamonds, that produced an eerie glow. Darteth recalled being a child, learning that the combination of these stones made a barrier that not even an intangible soul could escape. He stood, and Zachwell smiled. "And for your services, I'll aid you with your wardrobe." He put forth his hand and black smoke billowed out and engulfed Darteth. It stayed for a moment, but when it dissipated, his chest was covered in golden armor, shaped as a fanged skull that wrapped around his body, and the upper jaw covered his abdomen. He had no shoulder guards, but it gave him free movement of the arms to wield his sword. He had a black hood over his head that fell down over his eyes, yet he saw everything he needed to through it. His shin guards were of thick steel, leading to metallic boots. Lastly, there were gauntlets on his arms that spiked at every joint of every finger, and came to points on the end. He smiled.
"Now for your first order," Zachwell said.
"Give it, I'm ready," Darteth said.
"Indeed you are. I have been trapped in that horrid world of light for eighteen years, and there is only one being alive that can assume the responsibility, it is time to give it to him. He is one of the Dragon Knights, and the strongest Dragon aids him, the Divine Dragon. That energy alone should lead you to him. Find him. Kill his friends, kill his family. Devour their souls, and bring him to me, and if it aids you at all, his name is Sean Mcmann, go!" Zachwell ordered.
Darteth spread his own bat-like wings and shot out the door and into the night sky, cackling all the way. "And now, Sean, the final terrible events of your miserable life begin to unfold. Come to me, enraged, and try to defeat me. You cannot possibly know my rage for your accursed mother in law shunning me to the light world. However, that which does not kill you makes you stronger. I will torture you for eternity for what has been done to me, it's only a matter of time," Zachwell said, watching Darteth fly away. When he was gone from even Zachwell's keen night eyes, he turned and reentered the dark. "Mayfil, it is time to awaken, one final time."
The city hummed to life, and a protective barrier was placed around it, making it impossible to detect that the Death City had resumed its disgusting duties.
Author's Note: Hey there! Spike speaking, thanks so much for all the reviews everyone, we're truly grateful. Archangel's on vacation, and now it's my turn to haul a story to the net. Did you like the first chapter? Please review!
Now, for an announcement concerning Prince of Darkness: The reason I disagreed with Archangel about placing it on the internet is because the main villain throughout the lengthy story is none other than Zackwell….again.
I disagreed with this because I feel if he's gonna show up AGAIN you guys might get sick of him, I mean here he is, and you might be sick of him now. This story's finished, however. Changes have been made that will portend to a serious amount of tweeking on Archangel's behalf. The offer I made him was that if I could tell you that the main villain would yet again be Zackwell, and you all still wanted the story on the net, then I was all for it. We don't want to make anyone angry or disappointed. There's the announcement, oh, and we're not spoiling anything either, Zackwell will be introduced in the first chapter of that story as well, so we aren't giving anything extraordinary away.
As you read the story, please keep your opinion known whether you want Prince of Darkness up. Thanks again, and I'll see y'all next chapter!