Legend of Dragoon: The Scarlet Edge of The Sword
By DiamondClaw, 3/29/02
(Legal Note: I do not own Legend of Dragoon, Sony, or any of these characters. Please don't sue!)
Prologue:
By Soa's will,
Thy shall stain thine hands with
The blood of thy blood.
So it shall be written,
So it shall be done.
-Book of Soa, verse 68
CHAPTER ONE: The Predominant
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" After serving his duty as Protector of The World, Dart was reduced to becoming a prize fighter. Everybody he fought feared him; he was undefeated, and his punches were like taking a crowbar to the head. After two long years of this noise, Dart decided to throw in the towel. He had made more than enough to support himself for the rest of his natural life, and he bought a new home in Bale with his winnings. He missed Shana; everybody thought they would be wed, but a tragic incident a year and a half ago separated them. She was capture when soldiers from a continent called Zaheria came to 'visit' her. But on THIS day, seemingly no different from any other day, Dart's life will radically change….
Dart was sitting in his living room when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it. It was a messenger of King Albert.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Sire, the great King requests your presence at Indels Castle immediately! Please come with me!" Dart followed the messenger to the castle and into the throne room. King Albert was waiting with a stern look on his face. Dart knelt before him.
"You may stand." Dart rose to his feet. "I need your services for a rather risky job. Three weeks ago, Zaherian troops once again stormed the Serdian border. These attacks are becoming more frequent and forceful."
"Why are you just now telling me this?"
"Because this morning, I got a letter from someone named 'The Ankh of Darkness'. This person says that a full-scale war with the Zaherians is coming, and that they will personally be leading the first wave. This person, whomever they may be, is a great threat to the security of all Endiness, and must be assassinated immediately. I'll pay any price you name if you take the job."
"I'll do it for free if you answer me a question."
"What is it?"
"Anything on the Dragoon Stones?"
"None. Ever since they disappeared after Shana's kidnapping, nobody has seen them again. Now, if you'll follow me, I can give you suitable equipment for your quest." Albert pressed a button on his throne. A passageway opened up behind it. Albert disappeared into it, and Dart followed.
"What's this place?" Dart asked.
"It's a weapons research facility we built about a year ago. We've been experimenting with metals found in some ruins southwest of here. We've made some great strides in our research." When they reached the facility, Albert pressed another button. A platform with various tools sprung forth from the ground. "Let's begin. This sword is made of a metal called Biotican iron. Effectively, it 'learns' through combat. Whatever goes through this sword, goes through you. With a sword, you'll naturally be needing a shield. We excavated one from the ruins. It's not invincible, but we find that it increases the wearer's natural reflexes somewhat. Next, we have standard assassin's throwing daggers, effective up to 200 feet. And, we have a SAB – Spaceless Accessory Bag. By using principles of compressed space, we've created a bag that can hold a seemingly infinite amount of items."
"Wow. Seems like quite a lineup. So, where does this mission begin?"
"At tomorrow's first light, you'll leave on a boat in a hidden dock to the Zaherian port city Hargosa. Go to the capital city Sebastian from there, go to the bar, and ask for Leon. He'll give you more information on your target. It may also be a good idea to find allies. The only one of our old group I know the whereabouts of is Rose. She moved to Hargosa about sixteen months ago. I would help you, but I must stay and attend to matters of the state. Good luck, Dart, and godspeed."
"I won't let you down, Albert. I'll take this person down, no matter what the cost."
----------------------------------
Dart arrived at the hidden dock early the next morning. A familiar face was there to greet him.
"It's been awhile, Dart."
"You too, Commodore."
"I'd like to be the first to introduce you to the Queen Fury's sister ship, the Berserk Valkyrie. How do you like her? She's just as fast as the Fury, and she can hold her own in a sea battle."
"She's quite nice. When are we going to set sail?"
"We were waiting for you. We can go whenever you're ready."
"Well, let's go, then." Dart and Puler boarded the ship. Minutes later, they were off towards Zaheria. Dart slept until noon, when a loud cry awoke him.
"Attack!!! Enemies on board!!!"
Dart quickly rose up, grabbed his sword and shield, and rushed to the top deck. Two of the Valkyrie's sailors were in combat with some zombies. What disturbed Dart even more was the fact that there was a human figure, cloaked in black armor, leading them. Dart ran up to the zombies, and with one mighty cleave, split them all in half. He then engaged the armored figure.
"Who are you, and how did you get on board?"
The figure's voice was feminine. "Dart….do not go to Zaheria….something horrible will happen…" The figure disappeared in a flash of light.
"I've heard of her." A sailor spoke out. "That was Eliphea, the Dark Prophet."
"Yeah." Another said. "She attacks you, and if you survive, she burdens your soul with some kind of bad news."
"I don't care. I'm still going to complete my goal." Dart said. "How much farther to Zaheria?"
"Hargosa is right over the horizon, sir."
"Good."
(Dart heads to Zaheria to assassinate the Ankh of Darkness. But what lies ahead? What 'horrible' thing has Eliphea prophesized? Someone works against the tide, but who? Find out in the next chapter of The Scarlet Edge of The Sword!)
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I never did complete LoD, so some of the facts in this story may or may not be accurate. I don't know, please don't complain, I do the best with what I have.)
By DiamondClaw, 3/29/02
(Legal Note: I do not own Legend of Dragoon, Sony, or any of these characters. Please don't sue!)
Prologue:
By Soa's will,
Thy shall stain thine hands with
The blood of thy blood.
So it shall be written,
So it shall be done.
-Book of Soa, verse 68
CHAPTER ONE: The Predominant
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" After serving his duty as Protector of The World, Dart was reduced to becoming a prize fighter. Everybody he fought feared him; he was undefeated, and his punches were like taking a crowbar to the head. After two long years of this noise, Dart decided to throw in the towel. He had made more than enough to support himself for the rest of his natural life, and he bought a new home in Bale with his winnings. He missed Shana; everybody thought they would be wed, but a tragic incident a year and a half ago separated them. She was capture when soldiers from a continent called Zaheria came to 'visit' her. But on THIS day, seemingly no different from any other day, Dart's life will radically change….
Dart was sitting in his living room when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it. It was a messenger of King Albert.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Sire, the great King requests your presence at Indels Castle immediately! Please come with me!" Dart followed the messenger to the castle and into the throne room. King Albert was waiting with a stern look on his face. Dart knelt before him.
"You may stand." Dart rose to his feet. "I need your services for a rather risky job. Three weeks ago, Zaherian troops once again stormed the Serdian border. These attacks are becoming more frequent and forceful."
"Why are you just now telling me this?"
"Because this morning, I got a letter from someone named 'The Ankh of Darkness'. This person says that a full-scale war with the Zaherians is coming, and that they will personally be leading the first wave. This person, whomever they may be, is a great threat to the security of all Endiness, and must be assassinated immediately. I'll pay any price you name if you take the job."
"I'll do it for free if you answer me a question."
"What is it?"
"Anything on the Dragoon Stones?"
"None. Ever since they disappeared after Shana's kidnapping, nobody has seen them again. Now, if you'll follow me, I can give you suitable equipment for your quest." Albert pressed a button on his throne. A passageway opened up behind it. Albert disappeared into it, and Dart followed.
"What's this place?" Dart asked.
"It's a weapons research facility we built about a year ago. We've been experimenting with metals found in some ruins southwest of here. We've made some great strides in our research." When they reached the facility, Albert pressed another button. A platform with various tools sprung forth from the ground. "Let's begin. This sword is made of a metal called Biotican iron. Effectively, it 'learns' through combat. Whatever goes through this sword, goes through you. With a sword, you'll naturally be needing a shield. We excavated one from the ruins. It's not invincible, but we find that it increases the wearer's natural reflexes somewhat. Next, we have standard assassin's throwing daggers, effective up to 200 feet. And, we have a SAB – Spaceless Accessory Bag. By using principles of compressed space, we've created a bag that can hold a seemingly infinite amount of items."
"Wow. Seems like quite a lineup. So, where does this mission begin?"
"At tomorrow's first light, you'll leave on a boat in a hidden dock to the Zaherian port city Hargosa. Go to the capital city Sebastian from there, go to the bar, and ask for Leon. He'll give you more information on your target. It may also be a good idea to find allies. The only one of our old group I know the whereabouts of is Rose. She moved to Hargosa about sixteen months ago. I would help you, but I must stay and attend to matters of the state. Good luck, Dart, and godspeed."
"I won't let you down, Albert. I'll take this person down, no matter what the cost."
----------------------------------
Dart arrived at the hidden dock early the next morning. A familiar face was there to greet him.
"It's been awhile, Dart."
"You too, Commodore."
"I'd like to be the first to introduce you to the Queen Fury's sister ship, the Berserk Valkyrie. How do you like her? She's just as fast as the Fury, and she can hold her own in a sea battle."
"She's quite nice. When are we going to set sail?"
"We were waiting for you. We can go whenever you're ready."
"Well, let's go, then." Dart and Puler boarded the ship. Minutes later, they were off towards Zaheria. Dart slept until noon, when a loud cry awoke him.
"Attack!!! Enemies on board!!!"
Dart quickly rose up, grabbed his sword and shield, and rushed to the top deck. Two of the Valkyrie's sailors were in combat with some zombies. What disturbed Dart even more was the fact that there was a human figure, cloaked in black armor, leading them. Dart ran up to the zombies, and with one mighty cleave, split them all in half. He then engaged the armored figure.
"Who are you, and how did you get on board?"
The figure's voice was feminine. "Dart….do not go to Zaheria….something horrible will happen…" The figure disappeared in a flash of light.
"I've heard of her." A sailor spoke out. "That was Eliphea, the Dark Prophet."
"Yeah." Another said. "She attacks you, and if you survive, she burdens your soul with some kind of bad news."
"I don't care. I'm still going to complete my goal." Dart said. "How much farther to Zaheria?"
"Hargosa is right over the horizon, sir."
"Good."
(Dart heads to Zaheria to assassinate the Ankh of Darkness. But what lies ahead? What 'horrible' thing has Eliphea prophesized? Someone works against the tide, but who? Find out in the next chapter of The Scarlet Edge of The Sword!)
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I never did complete LoD, so some of the facts in this story may or may not be accurate. I don't know, please don't complain, I do the best with what I have.)