Disclaimer: Star Ocean and all characters involved belong to Tri-Ace.

Author's Notes: It's a bit disheartening, a bit discouraging, seeing how my fanfic is faring in terms of health. Considering the size of the first chapter though, along with many other variables that will remain unmentioned or that I've mentioned long ago, I'm not too surprised.

In any case, by where I am now, whatever it may be doesn't matter. I'll keep writing for the same reason I started to. To create a story, and hopefully a good one.

So let us continue, with this chapter, or for better choice of words, this arc that is entitled a chapter, split into three parts. Also, I'm gonna have to do some work with Cliff and Maria, to properly convey a few things... Ah, this'll only lengthen things, but I'm glad, it'll give more depth too. On the bright side, I have a lot of time and a lot of chapters for me to freely build up on character relations. And I want to build up the proper relations with all the other characters too. This may prove long, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it.

Have fun reading, and be happy I had enough common sense and whatnot to split what was first planned as a single, one-post chapter, into an arc of three parts to a chapter, posted individually.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Hope you like flashbacks.

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Chronicles of the Wicked

By: Knight of Paradox

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Chapter Five: To the Alliance...

And as the dawn rose high, Dirna and her companion traveled forth to encounter their greatest battle.

-----

Part Two of Chapter Five, Commence.

"Man, that sure was a bumpy ride. For a moment there, I thought I wouldn't make it!" Cliff expressed himself quite loudly, breathing harshly as if he had survived through a heart attack. Drenched in sweat, mostly caused through panic, the man looked towards Albel and the others, all of whom were in much better condition then he was.
"Hey! How come I'm the only one in this situation?" And again the blonde man expressed himself, with a small sign of irritation sprouting upon him, as the first person he grasped was the rider whom carried him through the sky.
"I-I really don't know sir!" Cowering in fear was the knight whom had carried the man through a rough ride.
"Heh, the dragon probably just didn't want to carry around a burden like you." Slithering out of the boy's lips were the same vicious tone he always held. A light smirk upon that wicked face of his, seemed to draw away the attention from the blonde man away from his airsickness, and towards a new target.

"What was that?" With these words, it seemed as if a brawl would ensue, as all scrambled to stop the two from their senseless bickering.

---------------

Aerial Troubles

"WOAH! Hey, watch it you!" With these words, our dear brute Cliff sent a fist in a light jab to the side of the dragon's back.

It appeared as if their relationship had gone off on a bad start, and from there had only degraded further more and more. And without much surprise to anyone, the dragon fought desperately to make the flight as unpleasant as the reactions he was receiving. No matter how much coaxing his rider could provide, the dragon's temper seemed sent aflame by the man who's temperament compared to that of the dragon at the time.

It all didn't really matter, their flight was coming to an end. Mt. Barr was in sight, and so was their landing area, near the mines from which the group had acquired their much-needed materials long ago. The floor slowly came closer, as the dragons began their descent. Though one person made a descent somewhat faster then anyone else. Through all his complaining, through the fighting with his ride, the man lost his grip, fell from his seat, and landed on the ground with the same grace as an anvil dropped from the third floor of a building.

"What is that fool doing..." The judgmental eye of the wicked looked upon the man, whom had survived the fall with minimal harm. It seemed that those large muscles of his weren't for display, but it also seemed his stomach was weaker then it appeared.

"Uh... Hey, is he alright?" Fayt exclaimed himself, one hand gripping firmly to his ride, the other extending a finger to point to the first one to land.

"He looks pretty solid, so I'm quite certain he's alright. From the looks of it, I'm guessing he had a form of motion sickness." The rider, now alone without his passenger, explained his own thoughts. "I wouldn't be surprised, considering how rough the ride was." Finishing with a small comment upon the attitude that his steed had taken.

---------------

"You look troubled, is something wrong?" The blue haired boy grasped the man's shoulder, answered only by one boy's claw swatting away the blue haired boy's approach.
"It's nothing important." With these words, the man continued along the path. Having left his earlier engagement with an irritated muscle man, the boy now looked onwards towards the mountain they were approaching. Not many took notice of this, but those whom had all halted themselves for a short moment, before making their way forth soon thereafter.
"Come on! Get a move on!" The blonde man hurried the wicked, a low hand movement, as if sweeping something away, mixed with that irresponsible appearance seemed to prod upon the temper of the man. Most likely their previous argument had still left them in warm water. A light click of the tongue, and their guide continued along his way. The Captain of the Black Brigade had taken the lead, being one of the only ones whom knew the area.

"But hey... When I think about it, why aren't we taking these overgrown lizards on a ride all the way to where we need to go?" With the same attitude as a brute, the tall golden haired man thrust his thumb backwards, aiming towards one of the soldiers of the Dragon Brigade, stationed not too far away.

A moment of silence emerged between them all, as soon enough, the little Menodix joined in the argument, soon followed by Fayt in curiosity. On the other hand, Albel, Nel and Maria were the only ones to retain their silences, each for their own reasons. The red haired woman knew better then to question as to why, as she had decided to entrust enough faith in Airyglyph's forces to acknowledge the gravity of the problem. The blue haired woman would only draw out her scanner, aiming it towards the mountain once more as to confirm what she thought she had seen in the air. The black haired boy turned about, with a light mocking grin to his lips.

"It never ceases to amaze me. Three heads, thinking together, and they still can't even process a decent thought." As always, he was jeering them on. Teasing them lightly before his answer would be given. Knowing far well what sort of reaction awaited him, all he did was mimic the same motion the blonde haired man had applied, though he aimed further up, towards the mountain's cliffsides.

"What? What is it?" The blonde haired man spoke first, looking up towards the mountaintop, before soon thereafter lowering his head lightly in defeat.

"Hey, isn't that?" The blue haired boy exclaimed himself soon thereafter, edging towards Cliff for confirmation to his sight.

"What? I can't see anything!" As for the young Menodix, all he could do was jump about, trying to look up over the cliffsides and boulders obstructing his view.

"Dragons." The red haired woman soon answered. Herself, looking up at the sight. "I knew they inhabited this area, but I wasn't expecting them to be awake so early in the morning."

"And there seems to be quite a significant amount of them too..." The scanner aimed to the mountain showed various numbers and wordings of a language unknown to those of Elicoor II. "Considering the risks and how close we are to their nest, it's astonishing we actually made it here in one piece."

These words struck upon the blonde haired man, as he knew what was coming too. The jeering and teasing of the wicked being that he now had to work with were more then likely to arrive. Though instead, all he saw was a sign of disappointment in the black haired boy. The Captain of the Black Brigade turned about, a light sigh to his lips as he continued his way forward, a lone question to his lips.

"Are you quite certain you're of the same breed as that blonde haired woman?" The look on his eyes, it was easy to tell, he was doubting the intelligence of the man wrapped in muscles, if not flaunting this idea. Almost in hopes to aggravate him, which seemed to work quite well.

---------------

Re-Encounter

"I insist!" The blue haired woman seemed as if she was slowly losing her cool against the foul-mouthed devil that stood side by side with one of the riders of the Dragon Brigade.

"She's right y'know. it doesn't matter how tough you are, in your state, you'd just slow us down." With these words, the blonde man spoke with a light tone of command, all of which did not truly please this black haired devil.

"Are you telling me to waste away for another day in that castle again? I'd rather die then sit idly by while you guys take all the credits." A light tone of frustration came through his words.

"That's not what we mean, Albel." Once more, the blue haired boy tried his best to ease down the situation. "Where we're going to go to is a very dangerous place isn't it? Then shouldn't it be best that we go there when you'd fully recover?"

"This would increase our chances of success considerably." The blue haired woman, the one named Maria, would nod her head in agreement.

"Yeah, it'd be better with you walking, then with me carrying your dead weight around." As for Cliff, the same muscle man we all know and love, he would give off the most taunting of grins.

"Ugh... Bah, fine." Restraining himself from the need his claw was slowly developing for the fresh blood of the Klausian before him, he turned about, walking towards the dragon of the rider with whom he had conversed with earlier. "But I refuse to rest here without even the slightest sense of making some progress in this quest of ours..."

A light sigh of despair came to the Klausian's lips, his shoulders rising in a shrug as he turned to look to the blue haired boy to his side. "Damn man. Your head might be harder then this guy." With a risen hand, his finger came thumping lightly against Fayt's forehead.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" All that he could reply with was with a cry, and a somewhat violent swat, all the while being laughed at by the jolly blonde muscle man.

"Fine, then how about we go to Peterny." With an exasperated sigh, the blue haired woman moved forth. But a light smile came by. In a sense, she had won this argument.

"Peterny? Why go there?" Fayt asked aloud, confusion settling in.

"Just wait, I'll answer that in a moment." Raising a finger, she motioned for a minute of patience, as her eyes turned over towards the wicked. "So? Is Peterny alright with you?"

"Hmph. I don't care, let's just go already..." In a sense, there was multiple reasons for his pressing need to depart. One that no one had thought of though, was that the man was currently freezing to death.

"Alright." Searching through her pockets, rapidly she pulled yet another one of her technological marvels. A communicator, still fully charged and roaring to go. Automatically a frequency had imposed itself to the screen that formed slightly above the machine itself. "Mirage, can you read me?" Her lips lay close to the contraption.

"Loud and clear. What do you need?" And a voice echoed through the contraption back at her.

"What in the?" A light sign of shock seemed to spray itself over Albel, as he turned about, only to step back at what he saw.

"W-What is that?" Though she had remained mostly motionless, it was still nonetheless difficult to hide a light sign of surprise from the red haired woman. After all, it was the first time she had seen this particular device in usage.

"It's a communicator. We use it to contact people over long distances. It's kind of like sending someone a letter, except instead of paper we send sounds and words. It's a bit long and hard to explain in detail, so we'll keep it at that, alright?" And for once, the brute had his moment to shine.

"Well, it sounds rather eventful over at your side. So, what is it? You'd best make it quick." The voice came again through the metallic box, held in the blue haired woman's slim fingers.

"I understand. Listen, when you're done with your analysis, meet us at Peterny, understood?"

"Roger." And with this final word, the contraption became silent once more.

"Heh. Best not try that again huh?" The Klausian spoke once more, a hand to his leader's shoulder.

"Yes, it would be best. We wouldn't want to have our locations traced after all." The machinery slid away, into one of the woman's pockets.

---

A small moment of confusion laid down upon them, but eventually, they were ready to depart. Well, nearly ready.

"Hey, woman. You have business to tend to with that old coot don't you?" The one named Albel, the one whom was in such a hurry to leave this frozen hell, had realized a detail that had nearly escaped him before they departed.

"Yes, but it isn't pressing. I can take care of it after our mission is over." The Crimson Blade replied, embarking upon a different steed as she followed the instruction given to her by the rider.

"Bah. What difference will it make, we're going to have to wait one way or another. So why don't you get this over with first, after all it'd be best not to risk having you worry about something as trivial as this in the middle of a battle."

"Do you really have such a low esteem of us Aquarian soldiers as to believe that we'd lose our focus in battle because of something like this?"

"Hey, stop bickering you two." Once more, the blonde man came to the rescue. Or perhaps to add his own bit to the slowly brewing trouble, none could know for sure. "But he's got a point. We probably won't be making our way towards that mountain until tomorrow, so why not get the boring stuff over with as soon as possible?"

A small moment of silence broke out, as Nel was sent to reflect lightly upon the situation. With a light sigh to her lips, she nodded in agreement.

"I suppose it would give me something to do while we wait for him to recover..."

"Heh, so now you realize it. Not very quick are you." A light sneer came towards the woman, whilst all she replied with was a glare. Before they departed to their opposite way, the captain ensured the rider to carry her over to the destinations she would need to head towards next.

As the dragons slowly made flight, the wicked one muttered lightly, nearly incomprehensibly, though clearly enough as the Crimson Blade's ears had caught wind of it.

"You'll probably have better luck then I did."

Without answering, she could do nothing more then look towards the man's general direction, pondering over his words as they soon shot high to the sky, following different trajectories.

---

"Why the hell are we in Arias?" The blonde man, whom did not appear to be at his healthiest of moments, seemed to shake one of the riders by the collar of his armor.

"Let go of him already, he's going to faint at this point." Fayt could only stare from afar, feeling sorry as well as a sense of kinship to the soldier, knowing far well the pain he was living through.

"Due to the fragile nature of this sudden alliance, we're unable to land anywhere closer to Peterny then the outskirts of Arias. Further in, and we'll only cause a panic. Surely even someone with half a brain like you should've been able to realize that." The same sneer came by once more, from the one they called Albel the Wicked.

"Who're you calling dumb, you weakling!" Dropping the soldier, the Klausian's attention instead came towards Albel's chest, grasping a handful of the fabric that covered his upper body and lifting him threateningly.

"Weakling?" In reaction, the wicked one moved in a nearly mirror perfect manner, grasping the Klausian's clothes from the chest and lifting him right back as well. As anyone could've guessed, this was going nowhere fast.

"Let's stop bickering already and go. If it continues on like this, it'll last all day long." A light sign of impatience seemed to show upon the gun-wielding woman.

---

The trip was far from uneventful. Light bickering between the previous leader of Quark, now under the leadership of Maria, the one named Cliff, and the leader of the Black Brigade, one revered and feared for his swordplay, the one named Albel the Wicked, seemed to be sprayed across their path.

Once they had arrived in Peterny though, their paths went to opposite sides, leaving the other three with a sense of confidence in a moment of peace and tranquility. The Klausian was making his way towards the eastern part of town, seeking out the nearest pub, whilst the others made their way towards the inn, to book and reserve their places as they'd wait for the arrival of their companion, located further northward from Peterny.

Time passed, and the day was uneventful. The swordsman whom had been liberated only the day before, kept on pushing for a moment to train, but none of the three would accept it.

The blue haired boy and the blue haired woman, both out of worry perhaps, but the reason behind the young Menodix's action, in support to the other two, was obvious enough.

"A true man never says no to a lady! So go rest now!" With that, the little brat came forth, spouting a few taunts of his own before trying to force the wicked one to his bed. A man, pushed around by a kid, it was a rather bizarre sight, though it wasn't as if he was letting himself be pushed around without offering a fight.

It had appeared that the moment of peace the other two were hoping for wasn't here at all.

"Gah, I'm getting tired of this charade... I'm going to go get some fresh air." Violently, the door swung open, as the man made his way down the hall in frustration.

"I agree... The room is starting to get a bit stuffy, and a bit of fresh air should clear this headache away..." With that, the lone woman in the room leaned over the table, one hand pressing to thrust her up, and the other with her fingers stretched over to her temples.

"Ah! Miss Maria, are you in pain? How about you come over here and lay down, it should make you feel better, right? I've got some medicinal herbs too, so if we could ask the manager for a teapot, I could whip you up something good real quick!"

"Um, no I think I'll be fine with just some fresh air." Thinking rapidly for a moment, she smiled lightly at the boy. His intentions and motivation might have been a bit off for a kid his age, but nonetheless it was somewhat sweet in a sense. "Why don't you stay here and guard the room while we're out?"

"What? You're going to go out with that impolite brute? Why don't you just stay here and relax with me then, that sounds better if you ask me!" The small boy's fingers came touching against one another, as if pouting lightly at the thought.

"Well. We still need to keep an eye on him, right Fayt?" There wasn't a sign of awkwardness to her voice. Quite honestly, she expressed one of her thoughts, not as an excuse, but as a statement.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want him to exhaust himself after all." Fayt though, on the other hand, has had his energy drained straight out of him. Having to deal with the bickering that had occurred all day long, and at times being dragged in their conversation out of his own carelessness.

"It's getting late already, so you'd better just stay inside and rest, alright?"

"Well, a real man just can't refuse a lady's request... All right, I'll rest. But if he tries anything funny, just scream out my name and I'll come flying to the rescue! Alright?"

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." A light and polite smile came to her lips, bowing lightly before she made way. A light thought passing her mind, as she couldn't help but imagine what the little Menodix would be like in a few years. All that came to her was a light shudder at the thought of if all things went wrong, but a light smile soon thereafter, as he still held certain qualities that could make him quite popular with the women... In a few years, after all, she was definitely out of his league.

Heading out, she looked onward forth, seeing Albel already down at the lobby, making his way towards the front door of the inn. Already she could feel a light and gentle cool breeze of fresh air, fluttering through from the open windows that adorned the hall. Indeed, it seemed to melt away what stress she had accumulated that day with but a single blow.

Her eyes made way outside, as she noticed the setting sun. It took them quite a while to make their way from Arias to Peterny, but even more so as to convince this hard headed being before her from actually resting, instead of straining his tired body in an intense training session.

As she then turned to make her way towards the exit as well, she noticed a few fluttering strands of gold flowing in through the door. At its entrance, the wicked one had froze himself as well.

There were no more movements. Fluttering hair caught in the breeze, which streamed through the open front door of the inn, almost intertwined in her sight, though they were clearly spaced apart.

But what of all would freeze that man down cold? With a light sense of curiosity, she made her way over, as she saw before her the two of them, eyeing each other with wide eyes of surprise.

The Captain of the Black Brigade was staring at her again. The same blonde haired woman that exchanged with him but a few blows, but through such gave him the rush of a worthy opponent that he had not felt in such a long time. As for the blonde haired woman, she was surprised simply at finding this familiar face that had attacked her so long ago standing before her at this very moment.

"Ah, Mirage. You're finally here." A few words broke the silence, which had formed, and the blonde woman's composure rapidly returned to her. "This is peculiar... Do you two know each other?" The gun wielding one was pondering quite honestly out of curiosity.

---------------

"The dragons are flocking like birds. Can we really make it through here?" The Klausian spoke aloud, looking up to the sky before eyeing the others, as to await the answers or insight that anyone else would care to provide.

"An old legend says people used to live in these mountains." As if to inspire a light tinge of hope, the red haired Aquarian pulled through what knowledge she had of this place, exposing it as quickly as she had gotten a firm grasp of it.

"With the dragons?" There was some surprise from the blue haired beauty, but she herself realized how foolish her reaction had just been. After all, this morning and the day before, they had been riding across the back of these great creatures that worked in unison with some of the people of Airyglyph.

"They probably had some way of communicating with them." The blue haired boy exclaimed, part of him in wonder as well to the sight.
"If even the lowest of scum in the Dragon Brigade can communicate with their dragon, then it's obvious that they did." Unshaken by the sight, as he was already well aware of what kind of place they would enter, the man continued on forth as their guide.

"Say, if we're in a hurry, why don't we borrow this road instead?" With a slender finger, the blue haired beauty once more aimed towards a path that seemed relatively straightforward.

"If you want to go off on that path by yourself, that's fine by me. I'd rather stick to the road I know is best." With these words, the wicked one continued along his way, almost as if leaving behind the rest of the group.

"But where you're heading off to is dangerous itself as well. I've scanned the area, and your path is by no means safer or faster then mine!"

"Maybe so, but I absolutely refuse to take that path of yours."

"Uncooperative, aren't we? Fine then. It's better to just follow your directions then to stay here and bicker around all day. And anyhow, of us all, you probably know the terrain best." Who knows how many times one in this group has had to sigh in exasperation from the attitude of the other, but one more was added to the count.

"As long as you understand, woman." With these words, the group made their way forth upon the mountain of Barr.

---------------

Breaking the Ice

There was an odd silence within a nearby outdoor cafe. The radiance of the light was parting slowly as well as the night was beginning to settle in from afar. A devil seated upon one side of the table, a cold beauty on another, and a golden being on one diagonally placed between the two. Her reports and words came through, and her leader was now in deep thought.

"So, in other words, the best we can hope for is to make a good decoy, is that right?" Leaning back upon her seat, the blue haired one rose her fingers to her chin, as her other hand remained wrapped to the side of her waist in thought.
"Correct." There was nothing more then a nod of acknowledgement from the golden haired one. "Their runological weapon would be completely ineffective against the enemies shields. And the only methods to effectively cause any form of significant damage would be near suicidal."

"But you're still saying we can deal them some damage. So why hesitate?" A claw rose as the black haired one pondered.

"We aren't trying to destroy them at the moment, only to retreat and make our way out of this planet's atmosphere. They're here because of us. So if we leave, this should remove their threat this planet and it's inhabitants." A sharp glance from the ice queen came by, but it held no effect whatsoever.

"So, you plan to just run away instead of fighting?" In return, he himself stared at her. A light glint in his eyes challenging her.

"Unlike you, we're not ready to throw our lives away needlessly. " Once more, another sharp reply, as her glance retreated away.

"Then why don't you just give up and hand yourselves over instead? It sounds to me, the result should be the same." A sneer nearly came as the man spoke. By now, it was also clear that the blonde one would only remain out of this discussion. Opting to observe rather then involve herself in a matter which did not concern her.

"You just don't get it do you? We can't give up now, that's why we're fighting for a way out of here." Her hand came down upon the table, shaking it lightly from the impact as her cold glance returned once again. "We need to survive now if we want to have any hopes for our future."

"And then what do you plan to do? From what I understand, even if you get out of here, you're just going to get hunted down like a dog by some other group up there." Without the slightest sign of being phased, the man returned the stare, yet again challenging her.

"It's impossible to make any sense with you." Her hand retreated, rising to her temples as she was apparently troubled. Rising from her seat, she began to walk away from the cafe. "I'm going to go rest, it's getting late."

"Giving up already?" Vicious words came from a vicious man. "It's a surprise they chose a leader like you. Maybe they were just tempted with those powers that you had. Doesn't that just make you a tool then?"

"And just what do you know about the people that chose me?" Her head turned to the side, eyeing the man with the corner of her eyes as a light tinge of frustration came upon her.

"That they're fools to entrust their lives in a cowardly leader like you."

These words echoed slowly into the air, resonating within the blue haired one's eardrums. Soon afterwards, she continued on her way, departing forth to their reserved room so to rest. But before she was too far away, so to be unheard by the man, she uttered a few words herself. Aimed to the clawed one with a vicious tone of her own, filled with the anger that was slowly seeping into her. "Better then being under the orders of a suicidal idiot."

---

There was a moment of peace, nothing happened, save for the man ordering a cup of tea. She herself joined him as well, clasping her own cup, which held the same beverage, and bringing it to her lips every now and then.

There remained only the blonde haired woman, and the black haired devil to the table. Silence fluttered in the air for a while, as the night fully settled it's way in.

"Why are you so insistent that we fight?" Breaking through the silent night was the blonde woman's voice.

"Heh, because we can." Pride seemed merged in his voice, but the man spoke with certitude.

"Hmm... You sound rather confident. Why so?"

"Because this is a fight we can win, isn't it?" His claw rose, awaiting to see what answer would arise.

"I'm afraid to say, the odds are against us." Slowly, her cup was placed back upon the table. Speaking without sign of distress or with any show of personal emotion from the event that had just unfolded not too long ago.
"But there is still the possibility that we can destroy them." Again the man spoke with confidence.

"How so?"
"It's quite simple really..." Before the actual answer came by, a light taunting escaped the man's lips, almost instinctively. "You people keep overestimate the powers of your little toys."
"And you underestimate them." She nearly smiled as she replied herself.
"Heh, do I?" With this, the man leaned over towards the table. His claw scratching lightly against the wooden surface as he began to draw a rough sketch. "These cannons those Vendeeni possesses, they're located to the side of their ship, right?"
"That's correct." Leaning upon the drawing, she began to ponder lightly. "Did you have an idea in mind?"
"Heh, maybe I do, maybe I don't."
"If you did, then why didn't you inform us of it?" Unfazed by his indirect answer, she only continued on towards the goal.
"You never asked." These words came by, as he raised his claw lightly, as if inviting trouble towards him.

"...Then I shall ask you now. What is your plan?" And again, passing by the unimportant, she continued her way to the subject at hand.
"These cannons of yours, they can only shoot at a certain angle from where they're facing." Seeing how his teasing only came to fail, he himself spoke with a more serious tone. "Like a large arbalest. Then why not land on top of their ship and crush them from above?"
"You mean fly into a blind spot?" Her finger came down upon the drawing. In between the ship, upon an area that was remote of any artillery from what she could remember from memory. "That's nearly impossible. Even though the cannons can only aim at a certain angle, they can cover a wide area with their smaller weapons." Her finger slid away from the middle, and instead came to form circles. Showing the range of the cannons one after the other. "We'd be shot down before we could reach the blind spot."
"Who said we'd be shot down." A wicked smile came to the man's lips
"You certainly speak with a lot of confidence."
"There are many different tactics she could use in this situation." Leaning back, the man spoke without the slightest worry of failure. "I can already foresee many scenarios with us victorious."
"And many others where we would fail." She had to reply, so to remind the man of the possibilities.
"Not if we use our brains." Almost taunting again, the man tapped the side of his head with one of his fingers. Soon thereafter, he leaned forth again, his claw to the drawing as he looked to her. "Do you have any more information on our enemy?"

---

Time passed, and the table that was once clean was now filled with scribbles and wordings incomprehensible to anyone but the Elicoorians, or those with a scanner and a universal translator. From one plan to the next, from one detail to the other, these two spent their time discussing quite calmly as they came up with different solutions to each rising problems. But the blonde one was still not convinced, though she began to understand more the ideas of aerial battle the man possessed.

"You're brighter then you appear." Finally the female Klausian announced.

"It would be dangerous to underestimate your enemy. But it would be equally fatal to overestimate them." The man was serious. If there was one thing he was blessed at in knowledge, it was war.

Time passed again, and with each moment, the blonde woman grew more and more silent, looking at the man with a few thoughts in mind. As the final plan came unto the table, the woman finally announced the few things that had settled upon the back of her mind.

"You're quite experienced at war, aren't you?" Her elbows rested upon the table, as her hands templed before her lips.
"I'm not the type to boast, but I am rather strong." Another confident smile came to him.
"Yet, you're completely inexperienced when it comes to social matters."

"Wha... What the?" Surprised by the sudden statement, the man fell back lightly.

"Am I correct?" She pressed forth, looking towards him with calm eyes.
"...Tch, what's it matter to you?" Immediately, he replied as he always would on these matters.

"If you were to be more sociable, like you were during our conversation. I'm sure you could avoid some problems in your life."
"Heh. Why should I?" A shrug came by, as the man motioned his claw aside, as if to direct one's attention towards a make believe crowd. "I'm just being myself. Unlike some cowards, I have the guts to speak what I think."
"Maybe, but you're also being insensitive." There was no sign of aggravation. It was not so far unlike a patient speaking with his psychiatrist.
"And for what purpose shouldn't I be?" The man spoke with the same carelessness that enshrouded any subject to which he gave little attention.
"Because socially, it's only weak to run away from these kind of situation by being hard headed, rather then to try and understand one another." Though she did not know him long, she could already sense what words would best be suited to shake him up.

"You call me weak?" A vicious grin came to his lips, as again, the same movement came by to direct one's attention towards a make believe crowd. "What about those worms on the streets that don't even have the guts to say what they really think?"
"Maybe in that sense you are strong. But you're still completely inexperienced." She pondered quite a bit, looking upon the matter with lucidity. "It is a fact that I don't know you and I've only had a small moment to see how you interact with another being. But from what I can see, you're the type to be rather distant."

"I'll do what I want. And how distant I am is of no matter to you."

"True enough. But again, you're trying to put some distance between yourself and another person." Leaning upon the table, her eyes came upon him, as if analyzing him with great attention. "I don't know why you act like this, but you need to learn to let people get closer to you. Otherwise, you'll only be living half your life."

"Bah... People just get in my way." There was stress slowly forming upon him. It felt as if he was being interrogated, but it wasn't as bad as being under the eye of a certain old man.
"That's because you aren't trying to move along with them." Pushing herself away from the table, she seated herself properly. With one of her hand, she imitated the same motion that he would utilize to direct one towards a make believe crowd. "If you were to let yourself get close to someone, you'd realize that they can become a great pillar of strength and stability in your life."

Again, silence came by. The wicked one had not replied for a moment, as all that could come by was his thoughts on the words that his companion since years long past had said to him. That woman talking to him possessed certain qualities which resembled that of Lias, qualities that had a calming effect, yet nevertheless bothered him, for reasons he could not perceive.

"And why are you telling me all of this?" The black haired one leaned forth, for the first time during this conversation. Curious upon the answer, though not expecting much of a response.
"We're going to be working together, isn't that right?" With this, she directed her motion towards the man seated before her instead, as if to receive an answer. "I would prefer we co-operate rather then trouble each other. It would be in our mutual best interest. Am I correct?"

The silence that came by had answered her question. The man was pondering upon it, but it seemed as if he had agreed with her statement, he needed not speak his answer as it was clear he knew the advantages it brought in war to have an army at his hand rather then a mutiny. With that aside, she pushed forth for another subject, slightly risking herself on a fragile matter without realizing it.

"Also, it would be best if you went and apologized to her." She spoke, with the same calm demeanor, as if constantly serene.

"Apologize?" He knew of whom she spoke of. Anybody with half a brain could realize that. "Why should I?"
"Because you should. You might have harmed her emotionally."
"Doubtful, she looks tougher then your average wench." A light sneer came by. Though he passed off as cold, part of his words denoted that he had some expectations out of the blue haired woman that had departed earlier on.
"She is, but what you were picking her upon might have been a slightly more delicate subject." A moment of contemplation, to relax her nerves a bit at the thought of a painful event of a friend, before she continued onward. "She's somewhat prideful herself, and she's the type who'll never give up. That never ending fighting spirit, it was the last gift her mother gave to her."

"'The last gift'?" There wasn't any emotion in his words, as the wicked one looked forth for a moment.
"Yes. Her mother died in the middle of a battle."

---

"Mirage..." From the window, a young woman looked on to the two whom discussed still. Violent reactions came from the black haired Elicoorian, and calm responses from the blonde Klausian. Though at times, it seemed as if violence would break out, or that the man would run off, he remained still and continued in his discussion.

The subject was herself, and the words that she would catch would bring a smile to her lips. A friend was trying to protect her in her own manner, and that itself made her happy.

---

Soon enough, the wicked had calmed down. His head low in contemplation, his eyes closed as if in deep thoughts. Peace had returned to the dark streets, as they parted ways. Though before they came away from one another's sights, the wicked one proposed to the blonde woman a deal.

"When we come back, let's settle our fight. I'm not the type who's content to leave it at a draw."
"Understood. But I warn you, I will not lose." A content smile came to the Klausian, as it appeared that this hard headed fellow had begun to understand part of what she was trying to push through that thick skull of his.

With that, they parted ways. The wicked to his room, the Klausian back to Aquaria in preparation for their success, and the leader of Quark to her own room, so to finally rest after a long day.

But to the wicked, slumber would not arrive. And with that, he came to ponder. His eyes wandering about to the blue haired boy, slumbering away.

---------------

"Man, why do we have to take this route? I'm starting to get tired." Clutching to his axe, as he used it as a tool to pull himself up the path, the little Menodix boy inhaled sharply to regain his breath.
"You'll just waste your energy if you keep complaining." The red haired one, Nel, spoke with the same cold professionalism she held at these hard times. "And anyway, shouldn't a real man be able to at least endure this?" Still, she couldn't help but to do what she could to encourage the little fellow.

"O-of course, milady! You're completely right! Ah forgive your dear servant from this little lapse of his." With his pride, life returned to the little boy and he continued onward, traveling forth with great, long strides.
"I'm surprised. That little brat actually knows how to do something... Even if it is to simply beg like a dog." The clawed man spoke again, his tone as vicious as always.
"What'd you say? Come here, I'll beat you up and teach you to respect the great Roger S. Huxley!" Almost as if fumes were coming out of the boy's nostril, the Menodix rushed forth, to catch up with the one whom had insulted him.

"I don't have my time to waste with you, twerp." As if to swat him away like a bug, the man waved his blade's sheath over towards the kid.

And directly behind him, within the group, the red haired Aquarian looked onward towards the man, a few stray thoughts in her head.

---------------

The Blades of Ryusen

"Well now, Nevelle's daughter, is it?" The old count remained calm and composed as he had always been. Seated behind his desk, he eyed the woman whom entered his mansion and sought an audience with him. "I should have guessed as much. You look much like your father." There was but a split second of reminiscence before the old war hero returned to the present business at hand. We've released all political prisoners, just as promised. Are you satisfied now?"

"You've kept your promise. I've confirmed it myself." With the same professionalism as she always held, she herself held great composure as she remained standing before the old man. "With this, the alliance between our two kingdoms is official at last."

"I would never lie in matters concerning faith between kingdoms." The old count announced. "Of course, there are matters for which the entire truth cannot be told."

Wrapping her arms together before her, the woman looked onward with curiosity to these words, that which were of a curious nature.

"Is that so?" A light smirk appeared upon her visage. "In all the kingdom of Airyglyph, you may appear to be the most noble of people, but you really are the most treacherous."

Motioning her hand aside, as if to present another person, she continued on. "Compared to you, that snake Vox was somewhat easier to read."

"You overestimate me. it's nothing more then the wisdom of age." At the old man's words, the Aquarian official before him would only shake her head from side to side in response to that. Her hands unwrapping themselves after she would wave her hand to toss away the response.

"Well, it doesn't matter really. What matters is our conditions: Guaranteed freedom to spread the word of the Church of Apris, the release of all those wrongly imprisoned, and formal punishment for the war crimes committed by Vox and his men." Again, her professionalism was obvious to all who could witness this. "We'll be satisfied as long as those conditions are met."

Turning about, the woman in question readied herself to leave. "Well, thanks for your time. I'm short on time myself, so I must be off."

"W-wait a moment." The old count spoke in a hurried manner, curious himself of a matter at hand. "No matter how hurried you may be, there is always time to talk. You have no question to ask about your father?"

At those words, the woman turned about, wrapping her arms together once more as her intonation seemed slightly defensive in nature. "No--nothing in particular." With that, she shook her head lightly at a thought.

"When your Storm Brigade attacked my father, he tried to divert the attention of your forces himself so that as many of his men as possible could escape. He's not been seen since." Her voice held no trace of sadness or regret, as expected of her.

"I've heard at least that much from those who served under my father." Though still, certain emotions had made their way through to her. At the thought of her next few words, her eyes diverted themselves away from the count. "Ultimately, I suppose he was killed, but such is the way of the battlefield. No matter how I feel personally, I have no right to criticize what you people did, do I?"

A small moment of peace came, as the old man contemplated carefully before finally announcing aloud. "It was I who personally defeated your father." Blurting out what has been troubling him, the old hero continued on. "Still of a mind to keep your criticism to yourself?"

Though unlike what some would come to do, as to act upon those words, the woman shook her head as if to push away that light criticism, as her arms unwrapped themselves once more. "I stand before you as Nel Zelpher, Crimson Blade, and humble servant of her Majesty the queen. I do not intend to let personal feelings influence the fate of our kingdom." Once more, her arms wrapped up, as if to pull herself together.

"Yes, I understand." Again, the old count looked on to her, a light smile almost born to his visage. "Your restraint is most impressive. now that I know how you feel, I suppose you would not mind if I gave you something."

A moment of confusion came, her mind went blank to the idea of what the old count could provide her. This confusion melted away though, as the old count reached in towards the drawer closest to his upper right. In his hand appeared a pair of blades that the old man laid down upon the desk before him.

Without a word exchanged, the woman moved forth, her arms unwrapping as her hand reached over. Clasping the grip of the blade, she pulled it before her eyes as she began to unsheathe it slowly. The sight caught her breath short.

"This is..." Rapidly, she returned the sheath over the object before her, one that she would consider as sacred as her own life.

"I believe they are known as the Blades of Ryusen." The Captain of the Storm brigade before her explained. "They were the swords your father wielded. I was asked to give them to you once you became worthy of the honor."

Tilting her head lightly, the woman looked to the old man in confusion. "My father... But why?" A faint light appeared within the corner of her eyes, as if holding back a dangerous emotion within her. Suspicious grew, that enough was obvious, as her voice seemed harsher. "Speak the truth, Lord Woltar. You wanted the swords for yourself, didn't you? There's no reason for you to abide by a promise no one else knew about, especially one made with your foe."

Though almost in reaction, the old count rose his own tone, with a light aggravation to his pride. "It was a promise made between two men of valor who crossed swords in a deadly duel to the death. How could I break my oath and still call myself a warrior?" His eyes shone brightly with strength.

She caught sight of it, and understood the man spoke the truth. Still, she held some restraint to the idea. "You do realize that there's no guarantee that these swords won't once again be taken up and wielded against you and your kingdom." With these words, she pulled back lightly from her previous tone. "Will you still give them to me, knowing that?"

"If it once again comes to that, I shall simply lay claim to them once more." The old hero's voice resonated loudly, with absolute resolution to his words. "Until the next time their keeper enters these halls in anger, it belongs to your kingdom."

At the event that presented before her, the woman closed her eyes, to calm herself down from the mixture of emotions that invaded her. Thought came by, and she began to wonder upon the words of the wicked before she had departed away.

"Alright then, I'll take back my father's swords." A small moment of pause came. "And I pray that we'll never have to wield them against your kingdom again."

With all of this, the woman prepared herself to take her leave. Muttering to herself lightly, she wondered if that's what the wicked had meant. "I would have better luck then he did, huh?"

Though low in nature, the words still resonated in the air. The old captain was caught smiling before she left, his lips muttering a few words. "That boy sent you here did he? Give him my regards then, and tell him to stop interfering in other people's business."

With that, he wished the woman a good trip to Peterny, and left in the wake of his word a confused Aquarian woman who would depart upon the back of one of the Dragons of Airyglyph.

---------------

"It appears we can't pass through here." The blue haired woman tapped lightly at a large door, upon which the figure of a dragon was upon.
"No... This is the right path." Their guide, the wicked Albel, spoke with frustration to his lips.
"Then how are we supposed to go through that door? Do we gotta break through or what?" The blonde Klausian knocked his fist into the palm of his hand, readying himself to make usage of those muscles of his.
"No, it's impossible. The door is too thick, and the material is too strong." The blue haired woman announced once again with certitude, as her scanner made a triumphant return in her hand.

"Then how the hell are we going to get to that Marquis fellow?" The same frustration that invaded Albel was now working it's way within the blonde man.

"Hmm... This may be a long shot, but there's another path by there. It's going to be considerably longer, but compared to trying to force our way through that door, it should save us some time." With her mechanical contraption pointed towards another path, the woman awaited to see the reaction of their guide before anything else.

"...What're you looking at, woman?" Almost backing away at the stare, the man returned the glance.
"I'm just wondering if that path is alright with you?" Her cold voice announced once more.
"Isn't it obvious? If we can't make it through here, then we don't have much choice now, do we?" He snarled at her lightly, making his way forth as he continued along.

---

The path was short, but led them through a few caverns before finding their way to a waterfall. Though some would come to admire its beauty, a few others came to worry about the dragons flying overhead.
"Man, those things are tough." Whipping his sweat away from his forehead, Cliff leaned forth, catching his breath as behind him remained the corpse of one of the dragons that blocked their path.
"We wasted a good half hour having to take care of some that were too hard headed as to let us go." The Crimson Blade, Nel, expressed herself. As her glance turned over to their guide, almost accusingly. "They remind me of someone for some reason."

Ignoring the woman, their guide continued forth, looking about as he eyed a road at the base of the waterfall. Silently, he made his way forward as a few eyed him curiously.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" The little Menodix shouted first as he looked to the man.

"Looks like he's off on his own again. Come on, let's hurry up before we lose sight of him." The blue haired boy showed some leadership in a long while, as he pushed the group onward. In the center of his sight was their guide, the wicked one, one who confused him as much as he had that last night.

---------------

Midnight Visit

A strange sensation ran through the young blue haired boy. He knew not why, but a part of his instinct bothered him. Soon enough, he opened his eyes, but lightly.

First there was a sound, that of metal sliding. Then, there was a sight before him. One that was quite a peculiar in nature. The sight of a man standing near his bed, sword risen high, aimed at his head... His head?
"Arggghhh!" Rapidly, as if jumping away from the blade, the man slid off of his bed, falling to it's side and quickly springing himself up to his feet as the blade landed just besides where his ear once rested.

"Who the?" His eyes came to land upon the man whom had assaulted him, just as he began to sheath his blade. "It's you. Albel?"

With a vicious smile, the man rested his claw again upon the handle of his faithful blade.

"What do you think you're trying to pull? That's dangerous!" Rising himself tall, before his assailant in question, the man he spoke to could only shake his head at the remark.

"Heh, it's not like I was trying to hit you. I was just testing my aim." The boy spoke as if there was nothing to worry about.

"Just testing your aim?" His response was seeded with some feeling of insult, at the thought of being nothing but a training dummy.

"Shut up and come over here, fool." Pushing his hand away, one boy eyed the other with an order before soon departing.

"What's going on? First he comes talking to me about the war and now this?" Looking at the wisest option, the boy followed him, though before he made his way out, clasped in his hand his own blade.

---

Leading him silently, the wicked one was filled with various passing thoughts in his mind. The preaching that the blonde woman had given to him seemed to have struck a few cords more then he had suspected, even himself. And his thought came to the boy that followed him, and again, he felt that frustration and anger inside of him, for reasons he knew not why.

"What is it? It's the middle of the night!" The blue haired one finally exclaimed, as they were now a few steps away from the entrance of the hotel.

"So, you hate me?" Words escaped his lips, long before he would realize he had uttered them.

"...What kinda question is that?" Confusion laid upon the blue haired being.

"Just answer the question, fool." His head tilted to the side, looking back towards the blue haired being as he awaited the answer.

With all that had happened, he began to wonder more and more upon the companions he were with. He was certain that the blonde man detested his being, certain that the red haired Aquarian disliked him, due to the nature of his past, certain the little twerp hated his guts due to their incompatible personalities, certain that he had now earned the ire of the blue haired woman. But what of the boy he dragged at night. Though he first thought for sure that he also hated him, the boy acted in ways that made him ponder upon it. More curiously, he did not know himself why he would even care.

"All right... Not really." The boy shook his head, looking towards the wicked one whom seemed unconvinced with the answer given to him.

"Why not? I've hurt lots of your friends. Shouldn't you hate me by now?" With little trust in the boy's words, he sought forth to see what was true and what was false.

"Yeah, but that wasn't your intention, was it? It was war, after all." Silence came by for a moment, as the black haired one eyed the boy with a light sign of stupor. "It's true, it is kinda scary how obsessed you are. I guess you're one of those guys who has to prove himself by fighting."

The wicked one looked on still, a few thoughts sprouting within his head at the words of the boy before him.

"But, the idea of only trying to be strong... It's something I can't do, and it's something that I can't even relate to, but..."
The boy paused for a moment, looking onward towards the man that dragged him in the middle of the night as he spoke honestly. "But I don't think there's anything wrong with someone else living that way."

The words struck true within the wicked's heart. A light shone for a moment as if for a moment something had lightened up for some inexplicable reason. But he himself did not pay attention to it, as he did with many of his lighter feelings. All he could pull was a light chuckle at what he heard.

"And I have a feeling you won't just hurt people for no reason anymore." The blue haired boy's words struck again, but for some reason, a light sign of frustration began to work it's way within the wicked one's heart.

"But I could attack you right now, just like before." With that, the wicked one's glare landed upon the boy.

"It's all right. I trust you." Again, the same sign of honesty that first irritated him appeared once more.

"What a happy world you live in." With that, a light smirk came to the wicked one's lips nevertheless, for reasons he did not know. "Dream on, fool. Dream on." With these final words, the wicked one departed, to finally rest for the remainder of the night. The weight, which had kept him awake, he knew not why, had faded away.

---------------

Something was calling to him, beckoning him and he could feel it. Slowly, he made his way up a path, one that he felt was familiar but one he could not grasp. Before long, he found himself at the front of a large opening upon the mountainside. All whom followed him stared with astonishment at the sight as well.

Once they had stepped inside, the sight had shocked them all. But perhaps the most stunned of the group was their current guide.

The cavern they entered was now nothing more then a graveyard. Filled to the rim with the carcasses of dragons that laid left and right.

"You..." A voice filled the room, one that thundered as if from a non-existent sky above.

"What the--?" Fayt stepped back in shock, looking on to the carcasses before them that slowly seemed to regroup itself.

Before them, a dragon was slowly pulling itself up. Half of it's body consumed by time, the remainder rotting away upon it's bones, as it's putrid eyes focused themselves upon a lone being. "Why have you returned, unworthy child."

"T-That big pile of bones, it spoke!" The Menodix was first to react, and first to panic, if not the only one.
"Calm down! It's probably just a trick, yeah." The Klausian was next to show some sign of surprise.

The group began to discuss rapidly, frantically with one another. Some calmer, others more hysterical, but from them all, a few had grown silent. One most noticeably was their current guide, whom had made his way within. "Why do you dare disturb these sacred grounds with your presence again, cowardly child?"

The dragon screeched loudly, it's jaw stretching forth as it began to crawl towards the man that stood before him.
"Albel!" The blue haired boy looked onward and saw that the wicked one had gone ahead within the cave before them all.
"Stop! This one is Mine!" The Captain of the Black Brigade spoke with anger, a fury slowly flaring within his eyes.

"You're crazy, get back here you dimwit!" With these words, the Klausian hurried himself, rushing forth.

"You shall not interfere!" Combined with the thunderous voice were the echoing screams of a thousand dragons. Resonating through the cavern with deafening strength, as pillars of bones made their way before the group, blocking their path from entering within. Not to mention pushing back the brute man that had previously eliminated half the distance between him and the black haired boy that made his way within.

"Foolish boy. You should have never returned." The corpse kept moving forth, towards the man in question. "One whom had failed his accession wishes to challenge the spirit of the great dragons? This is a laughable event."

"The spirit... of the great dragon?" A moment of silence grew once more, contemplation came to the boy. Images of his childhood, his melting arm, the pain which began to crawl up his shoulder again, the sight before him... Yes, the sight before him. Of three great dragons, who stood tall before him, who passed judgement before him. His eyes widened at what he saw before him.

"So, you finally realize who you deal with. Foolish boy." The dragon continued it's slow pace towards the wicked one. At such a proximity that it's putrid breath began to fill the nostrils of the boy.

"You... You were one of them, weren't you..." Silence still, as no answer was given to the boy. His anger began to seethe slowly into him, as his hand slowly began to slide towards the handle of his blade. "YOU WERE ONE OF THEM! ONE OF THOSE WHO KILLED MY FATHER! AREN'T YOU?" As if a raging animal, a guttural scream rushed through the throat of the one imprisoned inside, with the rotting and strangely living corpse of one of the three great dragons.

Those remaining behind were all shocked in their own manners. Some for seeing a part of the man they had not previously seen before, others from the simple screaming, and some from the words that escaped his lips.

Before they could realize it, the boy had launched himself forth with his blade unsheathed. And all that followed were the deafening cries of the dragon, as well as the wailing screams of the boy.

Though it was nothing but half a corpse, the dragon was still capable of fending for itself. It's jaw awaiting the boy at each time that he would rush forth, and a putrid liquid which was secreted from it's rotting skin seemed as dangerous as acid. Each time that he would charge to the beast shoulder first, a scream of pain would fill through him as the acid in question would spray itself in tiny droplets against his bare skin. The cries of the dragon would rush through, each time that the boy would pierce it's remaining flesh with the sharp edge of his blade.

A mad beast, fighting against a dying beast. It was no pretty sight, as both fought desperately in their own manner. But in the middle of it all, the dragon kept it's eyes on the boy, patiently. He was there, in his entirety. Enveloped in an emotion of rage, filled with the need for vengeance, for revenge. The boy was the incarnation of his deepest emotion, and it was a sad sight indeed.

These were the last image the dragon would have. A raging boy, tears of anger and regret overflowing his face, his jaw wide with screams of pain and hatred, as the Steeled Earth of the wicked would thrust it's way down through the dragon's skull.

As if time had frozen, Albel remained, standing upon the dragon's visage whilst his blade was planted within it's skull, twisted with a sickening noise which was that of bones shattering into pieces. Frozen like a statue, the dragon remained there, it's head elevated above the ground, it's claw grasping into the floor, breaking through the rocks, before moments later, it would shatter down to the ground. It's flesh slowly melting away, fading into ashes as the bones which had blocked away the entrance fell to the ground, one after the other.

In the center of the fully formed carcass was that of a man, as if a mad beast, breathing heavily as a hand rose to his face, wiping away the tears before anyone could see.

Slowly, the group made their way within. Each silent upon the event that had unfolded before their eyes. But none could hold their silence, as they had entered the cavern in itself.

"...These are!" The blue haired boy spoke first.

"...Dragon skeletons!" The blue haired woman spoke next.

"It must be a dragon graveyard." Cliff was last to speak, before their own ideas were cut short.

"No... This is where we come, to perform our accession, to become fully fledged soldiers of the Dragon Brigade." A silent voice echoed lightly, almost with a tinge of regret, imperceptible to any and all. "This is no graveyard..."

Ashes were upon the ground, flying across the air. The bones were all that remained, but part of the ground had turned a sickly gray that resembled that of the colors of old bones. He could see it, the event that had happened here. He knew not why, but it had almost seemed, as if the dragons that had once occupied this cavern had destroyed themselves, one another, many years ago.

His eyes went towards the dragon's carcass. The final blow was no show of luck or skill, the dragon had frozen itself in place, as if awaiting death. The boy would never know the story that had occurred within these sacred grounds. He would never know of the reason for their death, or why one of the elder, greater dragons, had allowed himself to be sent to it's death at the hand of a single human.

Before anything else though, another cry came through the cavern. The cry of a dragon, as if enraged, pierced the air and held the same deafening quality that all the cries before had possessed.
"Sounds like another dragon! Where the heck is it?" The muscle man tensed up, rising his fist in preparation as the Crimson Blade rose her slender arm before the man.

"There's no need to panic." She looked onward, towards the corpses further ahead. "It's only the wind blowing through this bone here." With her fingers, she aimed forth towards the jaw of a dragon, one that was still gapping open, and to the bone that was located where it's throat should be.

"It's a dragon's windpipe." An intuitive guess made from the blue haired boy was only met by a nod.

"A dragon's windpipe is quite a valuable item. I've heard that flutes made from these can produce special sounds." Drawing once more from the large encyclopedia of knowledge within her mind, she spoke aloud all that she felt was needed upon the subject at hand.

"Hmm..." With those words, the wicked one made his way forth. The dragon before him, it's jaw wide open, was like all the others. Ashes and melted bones remained laying here and there. But no one had ever heard of a dragon burning itself to death by it's own flames.

It struck him though, the memories. There were flames, rushing in every directions... Every directions, not just to him, but to all the dragons. At the time his father had died, the dragons had begun to kill one another as well. But for what reason, that he did not know. It mattered not at the moment, his eyes were upon the dragon's windpipe, and his mind to a moment in the past.

---------------

The Dragon Flute

"Albel!" A crisp scream came through, in a punitive manner as the boy tensed up, holding an object in his hand. "What is that in your hands?"
"Um... N-nothing, nothing at all. Hah..." Rapidly, the boy brought the item behind him, standing as naturally as he could at such an age that he had little knowledge on lying and acting.
"Don't lie to me!" Another loud scream came crashing through, shocking the boy away. "That's my flute isn't it? How many times have I told you not to play with it, it's a very precious item."

"But why can't I? I mean, it's a flute right? What's the point of an instrument if you can't play it? Uh..." Before realizing it, the boy had spoken aloud before his father of the thoughts in his head. With that, he braced himself, as he had just admitted that he indeed was in possession of his father's instrument.

The man in question, Glou Nox, made his way forth with a grave look upon his face. Raising his head slowly, he stopped before his child as his hand descended down towards him.

"Albel..." His father's hand was upon his head, as if to reassure him that he was in no trouble, whatsoever. "It's not a simple regular flute, you know that."
"Yes... I know."

"This flute is a special one, a very important one. Not everyone can get their hands on it." The man knelt down, so to level himself to his child's height. "This flute is one of the most sought after tools that any soldiers and officers of the Dragon Brigade would die for."

"I know... But I really wanted to play with it."

"You will, one day. When you become a proud warrior of the Dragon Brigade, I'm sure you'll be able to get your own."
"Really?" Hope began to shine within the young boy's eyes.

"Really... Now, why don't you give it back to me before anything happens. We wouldn't want to break it now, would we?" With a boyish smile, the father opened his hand before his son, awaiting the return of his instrument.

"Right! Here..." With that, the boy handed down the flute to his father, still, something was bothering him. "But dad... How exactly do you get one?"

"Well... It's quite a difficult process. First, you need to be given something precious from a dragon. It's not something that you can simply take from a dragon, not even from a dead one."
"Wow, really? That hard, huh... Never would've imagined... But what is it exactly?" The boy looked up to his father, with curiosity invading him as any healthy child his age.
"It's their windpipe." The father answered the boy, clearly and honestly.
"Windpipe?" Tilting his head, the expression on his face twisted lightly as he tried to figure out what the word meant.

"It's a sort of bone inside the dragon's throat." There was a light smile upon his lips. The man himself always enjoyed being able to answer his little boy's every curious question.

"What, really? But then, shouldn't a hunter be able to just get one from a dead dragon?" Bringing a finger to his forehead, his eyes centered down as he was in deep thought, confused at what his dad had told him. Surely his dad was no liar, he knew that, but even his father should realize that a dead animal couldn't prevent itself from being poached for what bones it had.
"No, even a dead dragon can defend itself. The spirit of a dragon is a strong one, and anyone unworthy who'll try to get his hands on would not be able to approach it." The man spoke with utmost confidence.
"Wow... Dragons are that strong?" His eyes began to shine, as dreams began to form inside his little mind.
"Yes, they are... That's why we consider ourselves lucky, to be blessed with such allies." His father spoke proudly once more, but soon he continued on with his answer, a serious tone to his lips. "But listen, after getting the windpipe, there is another important task to do."
"What's that?" Again, curiosity had overwhelmed the little child.
"To build yourself a flute with it." Unlike the gravity he seemed to show, the answer was rather quite simple. And as he had answered, the man's serious stare turned into a bright smile. "And since you're so eager to get one, why don't we go make one ourselves?"

"Really?"
"Really." The father had paused again, thinking for a moment as he looked to his child and answered rapidly, so to clear away any confused thoughts that he might have had. "But it's not going to be made out of a dragon's windpipe though, so try and bear with that until you prove yourself, one day. Understood, Albel?"
"Yeah! Understood!" With that, the young boy jumped forth with excitement, stopping halfway through his mad dash to turn back. Running to his father's side, he grasped his arm, tugging upon it with impatience. "Come on dad, let's go already!"

With a smile to his visage, the father placed the flute back upon it's original position, a place that he thought would have been safe from the small hands of his child. Though now he trusted the idea that his boy had learned his lesson. With that, he rose himself high, and followed his son, out of his house and to the nearest workshop.

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A tentative hand slowly made it's way towards the windpipe. But there were no forces pushing him away. In fact, it seemed as if his hand was being guided towards the bone itself. Without much restraint, the man snapped the bone away and nothing happened. There was no grave feeling upon him, no dark sensation of a curse being put upon his shoulders. He was healthy, he was fine, if nothing more, the bone felt right in the palm of his hand.

"What're you doing?" The Aquarian was first to speak, looking on towards the back of the wicked who was previously leaning into the dragon's skull. "Wait... is that?" Her eyes wandered slowly, down the man's arm to his hand, and the item in his grasp.

"Let's go already." Their guide had announced loudly and cleanly, as he began to make his way out of the cavern.
"Where to? This place is a dead end, and the other road leads us to a damned thick door." There it was, the reply he was expecting, coming from the blonde man whom was still inspecting the bones of the dragons around him.

"That door isn't going to be a problem." More memories of the past began to fill the man's head. The purpose of the flute's existence. What it could do, and more importantly, what use it would be to them in their current situation.
"Huh?" Nearly both Cliff and Roger spoke in unison upon that single noise, as all looked to him curiously. The only one whom had remotely guessed what he had meant was a red haired woman who was already smiling.
"Because, I have the key to that door right here in my hand." Rising his fist, in his grasp was the dragon's windpipe, and their key to the Urssa lava caves. Where the Marquis rests, and where the only hopes for these strangers, from many other worlds in the sky, reside.

Part Two of Chapter Five, Ended: To the Alliance, An Unfinished Trial...

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Chapter Five: To the Alliance...

Incomplete

Following:

Part Three

of

Chapter Five: To the Alliance...

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Author's Notes: Hey guys! How'd you like Part 2 of "To the Alliance"? This one contained loads of dialogues, which surprised even myself. I wasn't really expecting much dialogue in this chapter, but now that I look back on it, it makes up nearly the entirety of the whole fanfic. Because of the length and size of all the events, my previous plan had to be changed a bit, and my chapter setup will too. But that doesn't really matter, as it's only the presentation. The content itself did nothing more then expand and upgrade on itself.

For those who likes short chapters, I'm sorry. But for those who enjoys longer chapters or those with more detail, I'm guessing it's quite a blessing.

I'll try as well, to make Cliff appear as a rash guy, but one who's got his heart in the right place. Maria is going to be a bit cold, but she's nonetheless a charismatic leader, and one who cares for people. Mirage is going to be one of the first to have a calm relation with Albel, but that is mainly because of her own professionalism as well as her ability to handle herself a bit better then other professionals such as Nel, who has some difficulty hiding her emotions at times or handling them.

As always, I'm also trying to keep people guessing as to who I'm gonna make Albel land with in the end, or if I'm even going to pair him up at all. Who knows, who knows... In any case, I'm gonna go off to write more when I can.

Oh and, the part that Fayt says about talking of war is another Private Event, where you can talk to Albel and you'll discuss the outcome of the war. Another thing is, with Nel's receiving the Blades of Ryusen. I figure I should try and get Albel involved. If you check the stats, the events of Albel or Nel getting their ultimate weapons increases their positive emotions towards one another a bit better then it would any regular event. Oh and, some might argue that I forgot the event of the king of Airyglyph sending a letter to the queen of Aquaria. I'm planning on showing it, much later in the story, that this event has indeed occurred or will occur. I know, probably nobody expects me to look at details like this, but hey, I will.

Also, the decoy idea for when there's a discussion between Albel, Maria and Mirage, it comes from going to Aquaria and talking to Mirage and Maria after getting Albel. Mirage will be done with her analysis and Maria will guess that it'll make a good decoy. There are ways to cause damage, at either being 30 meters near the ship, aka inside their shields, and shooting. Or shooting when they attack. Either way it's very dangerous, but I figure, a dragon's maneuverability, as well as the fact that it's a living being and a more flexible one then metal, and one that can fly that fast as the Marquis (as to catch up with a spaceship in mid-air if that spaceship was in motion), then I figure it'd probably be able to maneuver in a specified preplanned path to blind spots as well as avoiding the smaller turrets, bullets or anything else, as well as having the protection of an ancient dragon's scale on his side, would probably be enough to provide a chance to win in the eyes of Albel.

Also, there might be problems with spacing, mainly due to the fact that I need to use a different PC with a slightly outdated wordperfect to correct my text. Guess what happens then though? Sometimes, not always, just sometimes, the spacing is doubled or removed altogether. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes it does. So if you spot any, just tell me and I'll gladly correct it.

There's more I could comment on. But I just don't feel like it for now. Oh, I nearly forgot. I'm also challenging myself a bit. To write at least one chapter (or in certain cases, a part of a chapter, like for this Chapter 5) every 5 days. I'm gonna try. For anyone who keeps up to date, I guess this could be a good thing. Maybe yes, maybe not, who knows. I just hope I don't run dry after a while.

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Shortcuts: (Why am I placing this here? Cuz it's more for if you want to re-read. If you're in the middle of reading, I'd imagine it's your duty to remember where you left off last, or to remember the quick-link to where you last left off. Kinda like for Chapter 1, except for flashbacks only..)

Aerial Troubles: The rough landing and flight of dear old Cliff.

Re-Encounter: Re-encountering the golden haired woman, Mirage.

Breaking the Ice: Breaking the ice with the wicked, and preaching him on how to be sociably healthy... Good luck on that.

The Blades of Ryusen: Nel's heirloom.

Midnight Visit: A personal midnight visit, from Albel to Fayt.

The Dragon Flute: A precious memory of childhood that Albel possesses.

See you next time!