Hello readers! I hope you've been enjoying the story, I know that my reviewer Anon is! Just for them, I shall write some more fluff.
This is entirely that stupid butterfly's fault.
Odin ran across the sand, heart pounding in his ears. Behind him a great roar sounded as the Lord of the Dead charged after him.
No armor, no weapons, no one to help me!
The path ahead of him veered down into a narrow hill to the Subterranean Lake, and Odin sprinted down it, not daring to look back at the enraged monster.
I can't fight a pissed-off dinosaur with my bare hands, what should I do?
The armor-less Knight leapt from the path the second he was close enough to the bottom of the hill, dodging a burly gorilla that spotted him.
Perhaps if I hide from it, it will get bored and leave!
Ahead of him was the dark entrance to the dangerous underground lake that even locals knew to stay out off. He didn't have a choice, as the Lord of the Dead was sliding down the hill behind him right then.
Option one; get killed by a giant dinosaur… Option two; get mauled by the monsters in the lake.
Odin ducked inside the cave entrance and let out a breath he hadn't known that he was holding. The infuriated beast chasing him bellowed its outrage and rammed its head against the stone cliff side above the cave opening.
You have to be kidding me.
Huge piles of sand poured through the door as the dune above the cave collapsed down the cliff face. The light from the desert was cut off and Odin groaned.
I should have just tried my luck with the damned lizard.
He looked around in the gloom and shuddered at the clammy chill. Glowing slime covered parts of the walls, illuminating the stone passage in a sickly light.
Well, that's creepy. This place is worse than the Ancient Ruins.
Odin steeled himself and took a step forward. That turned out to be a mistake, as the floor was slippery from the iridescent slime and he slid down the passage with a cry of alarm.
This just gets better and better.
The Knight tumbled out of the narrow tunnel and into a large chamber. Looking around, he saw several stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave, and some bats had taken up residence there.
Bats, just like the Ruins. Hopefully they're not vampire bats like those ones.
He cautiously got to his feet and rubbed his sore knee. He missed his armor, the constant protection it gave him was missing and he hated it. He felt vulnerable.
You can't do anything about it now. Find a way out.
Odin walked through the chamber, testing the strength of a rickety looking bridge that crossed a gap between to chunks of stone. It felt safe enough so he crossed it.
This isn't so bad; nothing has attacked me yet anyway.
Before him was a set of stairs that vanished into the gloom of the dimly lit cavern. Making for them, he was nearly pushed off the ledge nearby by a purple slime monster.
Gels, the constant annoyance. Crux says that they are pretty much anywhere you go.
"Oh come on! Gels. Why are you everywhere?" Odin growled, kicking the oozing beast off the side into a chasm. Another popped out from the wall and spewed a noxious liquid at him.
Poison, many gels have this property, and it will affect you even after the cause is dead. You can wait for it to wear off, or you can use an antidote.
Flinching at the sudden pain, he sent this one off the cliff to join its friend and hurried down the stairs. At the middle point of the slope, another stairway branched off, going upwards.
A way out maybe? That would be very lucky.
Climbing them he found a chest sitting on a small ledge, unlocked, and containing a poison antidote.
That's convenient, or inconvenient, if you think about it.
Since the poison wasn't really bothering him anymore, he kept the potion and moved on. He came to the bottom of the stairs and sighed. Two frogs hopped around happily, red skin marking them as poisonous.
Irony doesn't even begin to cover this.
He charged at the frogs, kicking one into the murky lake beside the path. The other sprang at him, knocking him against the stone wall of the stairs.
Why is it so powerful? It's just a frog! I've gotten rid of tons of these buggers when I'm with Crux…
The frog spit more poison at him and he clenched his teeth at the slight pain it gave him. He pushed it away and stomped on it, kicking the slightly flattened frog into the lake like the last one.
Poison antidote, right.
Odin pulled out the antidote and drank it. The pain faded away and he sighed. Another chest sat at his feet and he opened it.
I wonder why all of these chests are unlocked? Surely I am not the first person to brave the Lake.
Inside the chest was a golden dagger. With a grin of triumph, he took the dagger and stood from his crouch. Across a small bridge were more frogs, and another chest.
Perhaps there will be armor in one of those chests. Now that I have a sure way to get rid of the frogs, I can go and find out.
Odin crossed the bridge and slashed an approaching frog. It crumpled and deflated like a balloon and he made the mistake to stop and watch it.
Don't they have bones? Innards? They can't just deflate like that… can the- Oomph!
The other two frogs leapt onto him and pushed him into the lake. Cold water closed over his head and he clamped his mouth closed, kicking for the surface. He gasped for breath as he came up, coughing slightly.
I've never been good at swimming, a problem that must stem from growing up in a bone dry desert.
He made to swim to the shore when he felt the brush of scales against his bare arm. Odin shuddered, looking down into the greenish water, coming face to face with a gigantic blue fish with a spiky maw.
Damien, please forgive me for leaving your service in such a manner as this. I… wish I was by your side right now…
*~*The day before*~*
Crux had come by asking Odin to go with her to Tortuga Archipelago. Apparently, she had to defeat a blizzard bird as a hunter, having finally decided to pursue the eleventh license.
Damien had glared at her slightly, still remembering the spat between his Knight and himself about the girl and Angela. She had noticed, and laid a gentle hand on his arm, gazing into his jealous eyes.
"Damien, I won't keep your Knight long, I am simply not strong enough to face the foe I have to fight, alone." Crux said, her soft voice surprising him. The Dark Sultan realized that he had never heard her speak before then.
He had nodded, and watched them leave for Port Puerto. How could he be so jealous? He sighed and went back to his studies. Cerberus looked up from his spot napping beside the Dark Throne and huffed lightly.
"I know Cerby, I know. I should go with them someday." Damien said, not looking up from the text he held in his hand.
Meanwhile, Crux and Odin where traipsing along the path through the Desert Ravine, talking about the quest.
"So you say this bird is weak to fire, immune to ice, resistant to lighting, and only mildly affected by arrows?" The Shadow Knight asked her incredulously. How they were supposed to kill such a formidable opponent was beyond him.
Crux grinned. "Ah yes, my secret weapon has yet to be revealed to you. Do you remember Apollo? My tabby cat?" she said, adjusting her beastly armor, the black leather contrasting with her pale skin.
Odin looked at her curiously. "Yes, of course. By the way, don't you usually where better armor? Gold or the like?" he asked, distracted.
Damien was on his mind, the interaction between the teen and his companion swirling through his mind.
"Hmm, yeah I do, but it's too heavy to wear when I'm hunting." Crux answered, smoothing a hand down the gleaming leather.
Odin made a noise of agreement and an image of Damien in dark, shining leather flashed in his head. A hot blush covered his cheeks, and he took a moment to be very thankful of his helmet.
"So, Apollo is your secret weapon?" he said, changing the subject again.
Crux nodded and laughed. "It turns out that he can weaken birds of prey with a certain attack another cat showed him."
The thought of cats sitting in a training room with a big dummy of a bird sitting in the middle crossed his mind, and Odin burst out laughing, startling some beetle ballers nearby.
After picking up the tabby from her home, Crux led Odin to the famed Tortuga Archipelago.
"This is it." The hunter said, pulling the curious cat away from a stray turtle.
Shimmering blue waters lay under the gleaming sun, sand bars dotted with palm trees waving in a warm breeze, and lazy turtles were wandering about.
"This place seems like a good vacation spot…" Odin said, breathing in the salty sea air.
"Yeah, and allot of ill-prepared tourists come here, unheeding the warnings of the port town guards. Piranhas, sharks, zombie pirates, and giant crocodiles roam the water. Not to mention that the walking palm trees scare the hell out of people." Crux grinned, shooting a fish with large teeth nearby to prove her point.
Odin stared at the other sharks and said, "Oh." Feeling rather like a tourist himself, he clammed up and simply let Crux lead him and Apollo to a rock formation that rose out of the beach, casting shadows over the water.
She was right, the first time he saw a palm tree that ambled around on its roots, Odin had felt a little creeped out.
Apollo had hissed at it, and slashed its bark with razor sharp claws, making it angry. Crux simply shot it a few times and it fell over, dropping some palm nuts.
The eventually came to the top of the tall cliff, a round plateau with a pool of clear water in the center.
Odin couldn't stop and enjoy the view, as a shrill cry filled the air and he got a sharp chill. The Blizzard Bird was here.
"I need to get its egg, hold on." Crux yelled, ducking under the massive blue bird and snatching a giant blue egg off the ground.
The bird went ballistic and Odin watched as ice shot out of its open beak, spiking the ground with shards of ice sharp enough to cut steel.
"Odin, don't just stand there, take cover!" the hunter shouted, stowing the egg into her pouch, hiding behind on of the large spikes of ice.
He nodded and ducked behind a palm tree as the bird dived at him, striking the ground where he had stood not seconds ago.
Apollo screeched, launching himself at the bird and slashing its wing, angering the bird further. The cat didn't relent; instead he raked his claws down the birds exposed chest and yowled a battle cry.
The kitty dojo briefly flashed through his mind and Odin grinned, coming out from behind the tree and slicing the bird with his sword.
Crux was firing arrow after arrow at the bird, some of them poisonous or laced with sleeping potion to weaken the bird.
He could tell that it was getting weaker and slashed the ground with his blade, creating a shockwave of purple energy that slammed into the Blizzard Bird, forcing it back to where Apollo clawed its wings ferociously.
Crux rolled out from behind the ice, her bow pulled back, and a gleaming arrow knocked ready to fire. She waited, though Odin couldn't understand why, as the bird advanced on her and he saw it.
The arrow lit up, and flashed a brilliant golden color. She let it fly and it struck the flying menace in the chest, bringing the bird crashing to the ground, defeated.
Crux wasted no time in boxing it up, leaving it to sit by the pool. She went over to Apollo and fed him a large fish. Looking up at Odin, she handed him a glowing potion.
"What is this?" he asked, inspecting the dark green liquid. It shimmered slightly and smelled great.
"It's a high quality health potion. I saw the bird hit you a few times, no doubt you need a good pick me up." She said smiling.
Apollo mewed happily and leapt atop the bird's crate.
"Yeah, yeah I know, time to get this turned in." Crux said with a look of satisfaction on her face. They went back down to the water and onto a different stone crag.
A hot-air balloon sat parked at the top of the cliff, and someone Odin recognized as a bounty clerk waved to Crux.
"Wow! A real Blizzard Bird! What a fierce battle it must have been! I can pay you 2, 500 dosh for it. Oh! And this frost feather is yours to keep." She said, exchanging the bird.
Odin was about to congratulate her on a job well done when the annoyance of the year popped out to speak its mind.
"Wow Crux! You guys make an awesome team!" Butterfly said, appearing in a flash of light.
Odin resisted the urge to smack it out of the air and sighed.
"You know, since it's so nice out, I think we should take some vacation time to ourselves today!" Apollo swiped at the butterfly and it laughed.
They headed back to Crux's villa and the stupid insect somehow convinced Odin to take off his armor.
Crux was trying to stifle her laughter at the tortured expression on Odin's face as the butterfly insisted that the beach was not a place to wear armor.
He had already taken off his helmet and was glancing pleadingly at her, trying to get some help.
She merely grinned and gestured to the clothes she had gotten for him. Black dueling trousers, a white linen shirt, and black leather vest laid on the table, complete with black leather boots.
"Fine, fine! Just leave me alone to change." He grumbled, batting at the butterfly that sparkled happily.
Crux simply turned around with a smile and went back to organizing her closet. Several bows were stacked in the wardrobe, waiting to be used.
"Alright, I'm done. And I feel ridiculous." Odin sighed, pulling at the vest.
"Oh don't you look handsome!" the butterfly spouted, flying around him.
Crux grinned and walked over. "You clean up nicely Odin, very handsome indeed." She teased, setting the armor he had taken off on the coffee table. "We can pick these up later."
They went to the beach and were fishing and talking when a port town guard ran up.
"M-message from t-the Dark Sultan of A-Al Maajik for Odin!" he said, breathing harshly. He handed Odin the scroll and ran off again.
The Knight wasted no time ripping it open, paling at the contents.
Odin,
Mother and Father had a fight, and she stormed off into the desert. I am going after her, but it will be dark soon, and the desert will be swarming with outlaws. Please come as soon as possible, I need you!
-Damien
"I must get to Al Maajik, now!" Odin cried, running towards the grassy plains.
"Odin! There's a faster way! Follow me!" Crux called, leading him into the city and towards the hanger.
"Robin! I need a favor from you kid!" she yelled at a young man wiping down an airship.
"Crux, what did you need?" he asked, adjusting his goggles and dropping the cloth.
"I need to get to Al Maajik, right now. It's very important, the Dark Sultan is in trouble." She said quickly pushing Odin into the ship.
"Oh man, alright, but, my ship only flies two. What about you?" he asked, worry plain on his face.
"I'll ride there! Just get Odin to Damien!" she snapped, running back to the beach.
Robin jumped in and started the engine, flying off towards the desert. He soared over the ravine and dipped towards the sands of the Aridian Desert.
"I'm going too fast to stop, but I can get close to the ground so you can jump. Ready?" the pilot said, glancing back at the Knight.
He nodded, grim determination on his face. Robin gave the get go and he leapt for the sand, rolling across a dune and sliding down it. He got to his feet as he slid and ran father into the desert.
"Good luck my friend!" Robin called from his ship, circling around back to the ocean.
Odin scoured the burning sands for any sign of Damien or Demona. Everything was quiet, much too quiet actually.
He cursed the fact that he had taken off his armor, and ventured towards the center of the desert.
"It's come to finish me off!" the loud scream split the air and Odin ran ahead to see the desert temple ruins, and Demona.
The Lord of the Dead was staring hungrily at her and she cowered against a pillar.
"Lady Demona, do not move." He called. He went to grab his sword and swore quietly as he realized that is was lying on Crux's couch at the Port Puerto villa.
Hearing his shout, the dinosaur turned to look at him. It growled and opened its mouth to roar; but it never got the chance, as a ball of dark energy collided with its face.
"Get away from them!" Damien commanded firmly. His powerful voice echoed across the desert sands as the sun started to dip behind the horizon.
"Damien!" Odin said, staring at the teen, majestically posed against the blood red sky.
The Dark Sultan turned to look at Odin and gaped a little. His Knight was usually covered in armor, but now, his dark hair blew free in the wind, and he wore dark trousers, vest, and a white shirt.
The enraged dinosaur took advantage of Damien's distraction, and lashed him with its tail.
The purple haired Sultan gasped as the air was knocked out of him and he was thrown to the ground by his mother.
Red filled Odin's vision, pure, protective, instinctive, rage. He let out a loud snarl and grabbed ahold of the beast's tail, tugging with every ounce of his strength.
The Lord of the Dead roared in pain, and whirled to see its attacker.
"Come and get me." He taunted, waving his arms at the monster.
It snorted and roared, suddenly springing forward and starting to chase the armor-less Knight.
"Odin! Run, Odin!" Damien screamed from his mother's hold.
He did not hesitate in doing just that, which landed him, by extension, in the Subterranean Lake, about to be eaten by a blue scale lord fish.
"Damien, forgive me my Lord." He murmured, watching as the jaw of the gigantic fish opened and the rows and rows of jagged teeth were revealed to him.
A sudden whipping sound came and a fishing hook snagged the lord fishes head was yanked away from Odin.
"Come here you oversized can of tuna!" Crux growled, reeling the lord fish closed to the shore.
It struggled, thrashing in the water, but Crux had not earned her expert stamp of her fishing license for nothing. She wrangled with the fish until it was lying on the bank, its scaly flank flopping slightly.
"Odin!" the Knight looked up and saw Damien running across a bridge towards him. The teen dived into the water and came up next to him.
"My Lord… I…" Odin faltered.
Damien pulled his through the water and up onto the sandy path where Crux was busy stuffing the beached blue scale into a sack.
"Are you alright? You look bruised, and a little scraped up!" the Sultan fussed, running his hands lightly over Odin's arms.
"Damien."
"Yes?" purple eyes met red-gold ones, and the teens breath caught in his throat.
I love you, my Lord.
"I-… is your mother alright?" he mentally kicked himself, for not being brave enough, for not taking moment for them, for not telling him.
"Oh. Yes, yes she is fine. I sent her back on Crux's horse…" Damien looked disappointed, and helped Odin to his feet.
Crux had left with the fish and come back with what Odin could see was some timber stowed in one sack, and a glowing green stone almost spilling out of another.
"I will have to come back here." She said enthusiastically. She was sporting some major bruises, a few cuts, and her left leg had the slightest limp to it. "I tried to go farther, but this mean golem got in my way… Guess I'm not match for him as a hunter."
Odin shook his head and looked at Damien.
The teen was staring incredulously at the girl and he sighed.
"We should get back."
At the opening to the desert, Odin saw that the sand had been blasted away from the door and that the Lord of the Dead was whimpering while Damien's father shouted obscenities at it.
They traveled back the fortress and Crux left for a bounty clerk. Demona was stuck like honey on a hot day to the Elder Dark Sultan now and they left to spend some down time together.
Soon it was just Odin and Damien in the throne room.
Damien sat in his throne, absentmindedly stroking Cerberus.
Tell him! Didn't you promise to show him how you feel? Make your move!
Odin curled his hands into fists and walked right up to Damien, leaning down so he was barely a foot away.
"Odin?"
"I shouldn't have been away from your side, I wasn't there when you needed me, and you were hurt because of it." Odin said, his eyes staring into Damien's.
"You came to me. That is what mattered. And do not pretend that you weren't hurt too." Damien narrowed his eyes at his Knight. "I still need to take care of your wou- mmph!"
Odin pressed his lips to Damien's and wrapped his arms around him. He kissed him with all of the passion he had, unspoken words speaking the loudest.
Damien, though shocked, kissed him right back, holding Odin close.
When they broke apart, the Shadow Knight looked at his Lord with smoldering eyes.
"I love you, Damien Hellbourne. And I will always be by your side, until the day I die." He said softly, hugging him gently.
Damien gasped as happy tears filled his eyes. He threw his arms around Odin's neck and squeezed him.
"I love you too, Odin Shade! Always have, always will."
The two of them sat in the throne, Cerberus looking on faithfully.
This was perfection.
I do believe that this is my longest chapter ever! Yay! And Anon, that last bit was just for you! 3 Please review!
Reverian-