CHAPTER 8
The Drakyrs' Prized Treasure
"You should be safe here, little Firble." Darc says to the Firble who is sniffing at the ground of its new home. Then without knowing why, he says, "This is where my father died. I guess you could call it my secret place." Darc stops talking and sighs sadly, shaking his head. "What am I doing…? You could never understand what I'm talking about."
"You definitely are a weird one."
Darc whips around and finds Delma standing behind him.
"Delma! How - -"
Delma walks over to him.
"I thought you might be here."
Darc is worried about the Firble.
"Did you follow me?" he growls.
Delma ignores the question and looks past him to the nest.
"That's… a Firble, isn't it?" she says. Then looks at him suspiciously. "What are you doing hiding monsters?"
"Gorma said that we could raise it into a monster that could fly." Explains Darc. "And I didn't want Densimo to eat the poor thing, anyway." He looked away, feeling ashamed by what he said.
Delma smirks. "If my brother heard that, he'd have your head for sure." She walks closer to Darc and says, "You really are strange, aren't you?" She smirks again. "You don't seem like a deimos."
This angers Darc.
"You're wrong! I'm - -"
Delma shakes her head and says, "Look, Deimos don't rescue monsters."
But, then, you aren't like the rest of us…who are no better than the monsters, thought Delma smiling sadly. She quickly shook her head as though to shake the thoughts from her mind. Why the hell did I suddenly think that, she thought, confused. I must be going soft.
She glances sadly at the horizon to her right and says, "In Orcoth, Densimo's got everyone running around like crazy… …trying to find his precious Firbles."
Darc clenches his fist and glares at Delma.
"Are you… looking for them, too?" he growls.
"I told you, didn't I?" says Delma, looking back at him. "I don't care about Firbles. Zoram and Zugalo insisted I come with them, so I did. That's all." Her expression softens. "I was just killing time."
Darc takes two steps towards Delma and narrows his eyes.
"Then go away. And don't tell anyone about this."
"Excuse me?!"
Bad move, Darc, thought Delma.
"You don't get to tell me what to do!" she growls.
"…Are you gonna tell anyone?" says Darc, sternly.
Delma smirks. "We'll see!" she says. "It all depends on you."
Darc does not find this amusing. He clenches his fists.
"You just try telling someone!" he growls. "If you do…"
Delma stomps her foot in a playful way. "Yeah?" She smirks. "If I do, then what?"
Darc looks up and glares at her.
"Then I'll cut your heart out!" he replies.
Delma Smiles, her expression softening. "Ha! So all of a sudden you're trying to act like a true Deimos?" She pauses and smirks again. "You couldn't kill me, could you? I'd like to see you try! Ha ha ha!"
Darc clenches his fists, again, in anger.
"What did you say?!" he growls.
Delma dashes away and runs up the stairs to the platform that overlooks the ocean.
"Wait!" growls Darc and runs after her.
"Promise you won't tell anyone!" growls Darc, walking up behind Delma on the platform. "Not about the Firble and not about this place, either!"
Delma brings her hand to her chin in thought.
"You want it to be a secret that badly?" she asked. Her expression softens. "Then I'll keep quiet."
Darc is shocked by her reply.
"…Really?"
Delma looks down and smiles shyly.
"You know…" she says softly. "I've always thought I'd like to fly…" She brings her hand back to her chin and looks down. "If… if you could make that dream come true… Then I'd keep your Firble a secret."
Darc is surprised by her meager request.
"So that it, huh?" he says.
Delma looks at him with hopeful eyes.
"Well?"
Darc nods and smiles.
"Sure…"
He gently takes Delma into his arms, spreads his wings and lifts off into the air.
"Whoee! This is great!" says Delma. She smirks. "So you really can fly!"
"Well, yeah." He says as he takes her higher. "Here we go, hold on tight!" he says as he quickly turns and dives down towards the ocean.
"Whoa! Not so fast!" growls Delma, playfully.
"Well, had enough?" says Darc, slowing down.
Delma looks at him and smiles a genuine smile.
"It's truly amazing…thanks Darc." She says.
"Sure."
A Drakyr is watching them from a distance.
"Is that…? Darc…I've finally found you."
He swiftly flies towards them.
"That was great!" says Delma as they touch ground. "Totally amazing!"
"Sure." Replies Darc, nodding.
Suddenly a Drakyr flies in and touches ground before them. They don't act surprised.
"So there you are." Says the Drakyr. "The son of the traitorous Windalf!"
Darc becomes angered.
"What?!" he exclaims.
"Since when have there been Drakyr on Aldrow?" growls Delma, angrily. "Your territory is on Ragnoth, isn't it?"
There's a cloth covering the lower half of the Drakyr's face. The Drakyr is a male. He walks up to them without a care in the world.
"Listen up, She-Orc!" he snaps. "If you value your life, you'll shut up!"
Delma clenches her fists in anger.
"What?!" she growls.
The Drakyr turns back to Darc and narrows his eyes.
"The search for you has been long and difficult, Darc." Says the Drakyr.
"What do the Drakyr want with me?" asks Darc. He clenches his fist and narrows his eyes dangerously. "Because of the wounds he suffered at your hands…" he growled irately, "my father died!"
Delma turned to him and frowned. Not knowing why she frowned or what it meant. She then turned back to the Drakyr who had stated talking again.
Those bastards, she thought. Again, not knowing why the thought came.
"It was only fitting," said the Drakyr. "He betrayed the Drakyr, fell in love with a despicable human, and broke Deimos law." He pauses. "Furthermore, he even managed to steal our greatest treasure, the Wind Stone!" He pauses, again. "After Windalf died, we Drakyr searched every place we thought he could have hidden the Wind Stone… Alas, we never found it." He pauses once more. "Now there's nowhere left to look… except to his son, that is! Just hand over the Wind Stone and no one gets hurt… Well?"
Darc clenches his fists and narrows his eyes, if possible, even further.
"As if I would listen to one of the tribe who killed my father!" he growled
The Drakyr narrows his eyes further.
"That means…I'll take it by force." He growls. "From your dead body, if necessary."
Darc falls into a fighting stance without a second thought.
Delma glances at him and also falls into stance.
"I'm with you, Darc!" she says. Realizing how human she sounds she quickly adds, "I'd be a disgrace to the Orcon race if I let this Drakyr outsider escape!"
They jump into battle.
Three more Drakyr fly in to fight.
Darc walks up to the one on his right and brings him down with his claw. The Drakyr dies dropping gold and spirit stones. Darc can feel himself growing stronger.
Delma is confused as to why Darc didn't use magic to defeat the now dead Drakyr. She turns to him and says, "Hey, Darc! If you're a kinda Deimos, too, then you should at least be able to use magic, right?" She smirks. "If we get in trouble, go ahead and use it, OK?"
Darc nods.
"Yeah, I will."
Delma glances at the Drakyr then says, "I just wanna make sure, but you do have some Spirit Stones, right?" She smirks. "That's where the magic comes from. No stones, no magic!"
"As if I didn't know that!" growls Darc in irritation. "Now's not the time, Delma."
Delma stops talking and attacks the Drakyr before her with flaming Arrow.
"Here I come…" she smirks at the Drakyr. "Feel my rage!" She shoots out her hand. "Flaming Arrow!" The Drakyr is briefly engulfed in flames…but does not die. He shakes off the attack as though it were nothing. Delma hides her worry behind the flare in her eyes.
Darc takes notice and attacks him again, with Wind Slasher.
Blades of wind rip at the Drakyr's skin. He drops to his knees in tremendous pain.
Another Drakyr sneaks up on Darc and as he turns he is slashed across the chest with a scimitar. He glances quickly at the cut. He looks back up and smirks. He notices Delma looking at him and says, "It's shallow. I'm fine!"
Delma nods and attacks the Drakyr before her one last time; this time using her claw… but…she misses.
A Drakyr attacks Darc from behind knocking him to the ground. Darc, startled, hits the ground hard. Duly pissed, Darc quickly rises to his hands and knees and kicks the Drakyr's legs out from under him.
The Drakyr drops his scimitar as he hits the ground. But he quickly recovers and grabs the blade and brigs it down on Darc.
Darc looks up in time to stop the blade with his hands. He struggles to rise to his feet against the pressure of having the blade pushed down on him. He quickly lets go of the blade as he spins and kicks the Drakyr back off his feet. This time he doesn't have the chance to get back up. Darc quickly attacks him with Wind Slasher.
"Rid my enemies oh blades of the wind…" he shoots out his hand. "Wind Slasher!"
The Drakyr is severely cut up by the wind and instantly dies.
Delma quickly attacks the Drakyr behind Darc with her claw. It dies and drops gold and spirit stones.
Darc attacks the last Drakyr with his clawed hand and it dies, ending the battle.
Two more Drakyr show up but quickly turn around upon seeing the dead bodies of their comrades.
"And don't ever come back!" yells Delma at the retreating Drakyr.
Darc walked over to Delma with a thankful look in his eyes.
"Delma," he says, "you risked your own life to save me. Thanks."
Delma looks at him shocked, pretending to not realize that that was in fact what she had just done.
"Y… you idiot!" she growled. "What are you talking about?!" She looks down and frowns. "I… I just… I just couldn't stand that stupid Drakyr. So I fought him. That's all." She walks past him, not turning around to look him in the eyes, from fear that he might see what she really feels. "I-it's not like I was… …helping you or anything." She calms her composure and turns to face him. "But what's all this about the Wind Stone?" She pauses. "Are you actually carrying the Drakyr's greatest treasure around with you as we speak?"
Darc nods and says, "Well… I don't know if it's the Wind Stone or not… but I do have a memento from my father." He looks down feeling ashamed. "I didn't want Geedo to take it, so I hid it in his grave - -"
Suddenly, Darc grips at the choker around his neck, gasping for air.
"Urk!... Mmf! Can't… breathe…!"
Delma looks on at Darc, feeling oddly concerned.
"Whoa, Darc! What is it? Are you all right?"
Darc stops struggling for air and calms down.
"I… I'm fine. She does it… all the time."
"That Geedo, huh?" says Delma.
Darc nods, walks forward past her, and says, "It was… a warning."
"A warning?"
"Yeah," says Darc, nodding. "Geedo uses witchcraft to tighten this collar." He points to the choker around his neck. "She forced me to wear it when she took me in as a child." He pauses and clenches his fists. "I kept trying to remove it, but as long as Geedo's spell is still going strong, I don't think I ever can…" He glances back at her and says, "This last squeeze was probably telling me to come back home." He glances at his Firble. "She sent me out here to catch Firbles."
"Then you were gonna give that Firble to Geedo…" says Delma, smirking.
Darc clenches his fists.
"I would never do such a thing!" he growls. He whips around to look Delma in the eye. "Not to Geedo, not to Densimo. I wouldn't give it to anyone!"
Delma appears confused.
"But… if you don't…" says Delma, sounding oddly worried.
Darc nods and says, "…I'm gonna be punished. I know that."
Delma stomps her foot in frustration and says, "Then look at it as an opportunity. Get rid of Geedo!" Her expression softens. "Then you won't have to be her slave anymore."
For a moment it appears as though Darc is considering this. But then he says, "I… I can't do it. Geedo's too cautious. I'd never be able to trick her. Besides…" He pauses.
Delma stomps her foot again and says, "What? Geez!"
Darc turns away again and says softly, "I was lying half-dead in the streets of Orcoth when Geedo found me… and raised me." He clenches his fists. "She whipped me, chained me with this collar, and worked me 'til I thought I'd die… …but still…" He paused. "She raised me."
Delma stomps her foot, clenches her fists and says, "Oh, come on! Are you nuts? Is that really why you can't kill her? Even though she put you through all that hell?"
Darc looks at her with shame in his eyes.
"I just can't believe you!" growls Delma. "No way could you be a Deimos!" Her expression softens and she smirks. "I would have cut up that old bag a long time ago." She walks forward past Darc and looks back at him. "You really are strange. Weirdo!" She then runs out of the ruins and back to Orcoth.
Darc looks down and smiles sadly.
"Strange, eh? …I guess so." He says, softly.
He too leaves the ruins.
