Another month, another chapter. I hope you enjoy the patheticness that is Shana. Nah...she's not so bad when she's unconscious. :P Actually, I like her more and more the longer I write her. I hope you feel the same when reading. Enjoy!
As Dart ran far ahead of the others with Shana in his arms nothing seemed to matter. He didn't care what the sky or the ground looked like, all that mattered was one thing – his baby sister's fragile health. It wasn't just a want or an ever intensifying desire to get her help, it was a need. He physically and mentally needed this. If he didn't get her the help she needed in the time she had left he would kill himself.
Even as they entered the city he barely paid any mind to it, only stopping to let a caravan pulled by an elephant by. "What a crowd. And we are in the middle of a war!" He said in amazement, rocking Shana gently back and forth as he waited impatiently.
Shana's soft, shaky voice reached him as she had one of her moments of lucid consciousness. "It's true..." She breathed. "...If I were fine, it would be...fun..." She whined in pain instantly after, holding her head.
Dart started, sucking in a sharp breath. "You'll get well soon!" He swore up and down, shooting back into a run to find what he desperately needed, a healer.
As he ran like the wind he didn't take in a lick of the city. He realized he ran up a set of stairs, but that was it. Ultimately everything he passed on the way here was a blur. In all honestly he would bet Shana's mind was functioning better than his in this moment. That's how sad he was.
But he was hopelessly lost up on the raised platforms, spinning around franticly in dizzying circles as he cried, "Help! Somebody! Anybody!" He begged, reaching out for a passing person. "Miss! Please! You have to help me!" He pleaded.
The woman was taken aback by Dart's actions, but she figured she'd ask in a snooty manner. "What do you want?" She put emphasis on each word, yanking her hand back from him.
Dart's eyes were filled with tears. "You have to help! I need to find the doctor! Now!"
The woman slowly looked him and the girl laying limp in his arms over, finding she liked the girl much more than the man. So with an irritated sigh she agreed. "Fine. It's the room on the lower level at the very end." She pointed, hating how pathetic this man was.
"Oh, thank you!" He cried in sweet relief. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He darted off after being grateful to the right extent, still not aware of the fact Rose and Lavitz were farther behind.
Dart slammed the door open back against the wall, looking fervently about to locate the damned doctor. "Hey!" He yelled. "I need a doctor!"
The doctor walked slowly out from a back room, wiping his hands together as he slowly looked up to meet Dart's crazed blue eyes. "Oh…and what is it you need…?" He asked, grinning in pleasure.
Dart growled fiercely at the man. "Stop lollygagging!" He said, slamming his fist hard against the wall nearest him. "And stop smiling!" He added harshly. "She's dying for God's sake!"
The doctor lost his happiness slightly, mouth a flat line and eyes dulled. "Right then. Why don't you put her down here and explain to me what is wrong." He patted the single bed.
Dart set her gently down on the bed, sitting down on the edge with her and rubbing her hair softly. "She's poisoned!" He burst out suddenly. "Dragon poison!" His eyes were beyond crazed as he stared the doctor down with intensity. "So fix it!" He ordered.
The doctor frowned in disbelief. "Dragon's poison, eh?" He muttered, going over to her to examine her himself.
Dart stared in confusion for a moment before biting at him again. "What are you doing!" He snarled. "Fix her!"
The doctor glanced lazily over at the impatient man, sighing softly. "I have to make sure this is really what you say it is."
Dart's eyes shot open wide. "Excuse me! Are you saying I'm lying! Because I'm not!"
The doctor rolled his eyes as he continued to check. "It's an obligation. If I don't make sure then I'm not doing my job."
Dart shook with unbridled fury. "If she dies…" he hissed, fists clenched so tight his own nails were digging deep into his skin to draw blood.
The doctor sighed again, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the man. "Would you just hush!" He snapped. "You came to me, so you will adhere to my procedures."
Dart grumbled profanities under his breath at this, wishing it was legal to chop this man's head off with his sword.
Far from the doctor's office Rose and Lavitz searched for the direction in which Dart and Shana had gone. "Where are they?" Lavitz moaned, looking about the town frantically.
Rose wasn't all that concerned over losing them. She knew Dart would be fine on his own and Shana would probably be dead either way. Dragon's poison was something she had never known there to be a cure for. When someone got sick this way they usually suffered a slow, painful death. "Probably a doctor."
Lavitz rolled his eyes. "No, he went for a stroll." He quipped sarcastically. "No, duh a doctor! I meant where is the doctor?"
Rose scowled darkly at him. "Don't talk back to me." She hissed, hands clenching in a rare instance of slipping control. "No one talks like that to me."
Lavitz frowned deeply at her and her odd set offs. "Whatever." He growled. "Just get me to the doctor!"
Rose nodded faintly. "Fine." She walked promptly over to a passerby. "Hey, you." She chirped, waving a hand in front of their face.
"What?" The man growled in a deep voice.
"I am new in town and I was just wondering…" She said so sweetly she almost made herself gag. "…where might the doctor be?" She even bat her eyes.
The man smiled in infatuation. "U-Up the stairs and to the far end on the bottom level. Oh…and a red door!" He pointed in the general direction.
Rose nodded in appreciation, turning about to head back towards Lavitz before she made a disgusted face and stuck her finger up toward her mouth. "Well," she said with her expressionless look, beckoning to Lavitz. "Let's go."
Lavitz stared blankly at her as she moved past him to where the stranger had indicated. What the hell had that been? Had she just flirted to get her way…? Was she so sly? "Damn…" he muttered with a smirk.
Rose noticed from the corner of her eye that Lavitz was glued to the spot. She growled under her breath, rounding on him. "Move it!" She snapped.
Lavitz snapped out of it, running to catch up to her. "Of course!" He chirped, walking in stride with her.
Rose didn't say a word as they climbed the stairs and headed for the doctor. She was much more intent on taking in the scenery like Dart might have been had his sister's life not been on the line.
What she saw was no real surprise to her. The walkways were built of wood, although it was much sturdier than a lot of lifted areas she'd seen in the past. At the top of the first set of stairs the path of wood curved backward to the left up a set of stairs to one home made of weak stone. And around the edges of the raised platform as well as the stairs there was a railing for safety.
A bit back from their way up set off of the backwards curve was a bridge leading to the opposite side of the wooden walkway. It was without a set of stairs, remaining flat as it lead to two doors to two separate homes. The one common characteristic was that both the wooden paths led forward to the same destination. "It's this way." Rose said, going forward on the planks and passed up the next set of stairs heading upward. "On the bottom floor."
"I was listening you know." Lavitz growled, rolling his eyes.
Rose rolled her eyes right back at him, passing beneath a bridge like the one at the front that connected the stairs to the entrance of a single building, no platform at the end. And just past this Rose saw stairs on the opposite side curving around and flattening out to connect to the long flight of stairs on the side they were on. Rose almost went over to the stairs, seeing the red door the man had spoken of just before she did. "That's it." She stated the obvious. "He said…" she trailed off, catching the look Lavitz was giving her and not wanting to get griped at any more.
Lavitz would have done as she thought had she not stopped herself. However, since she had had the decency to spare him of hearing the 'he said this' speech he decided against it. "Then what are we waiting for?" He shrugged slightly.
Rose shrugged back.
Lavitz frowned. "Let's just go in." He grumbled, taking a hold of the doorknob and turned it slowly before pushing it open.
They walked in just as the doctor moved back from Shana, a stunned look on his face. "I…I couldn't believe it was dragon's poison until I saw it with my own eyes." He muttered as he shook his head. "I have never seen such symptoms."
Lavitz moved over to Dart's side as the doctor continued to stare at Shana during his pause.
Rose settled back against the wall, looking anywhere but at Shana and the rest of them. She didn't want to see her when she knew how she looked already. She looked dead. Just the thought made her cringe. It didn't matter that Shana was a pathetic, fragile flower…Rose still didn't want to have her die.
The doctor breathed out heavily, turning to face the angry man waiting and the two new entries to explain. "There is nothing wrong with the body…at least that's how it seems. But her consciousness has closed inward after she arrived here." He grimaced at the notion. "It seems the mind is poisoned, not the body."
Dart braced himself for the news he knew was coming, mouth curved into a sharp snarl.
"I don't think the clinic can help her." He sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry…but in this condition, it could be a week." He averted his eyes as he added, "If she is lucky…"
Dart shook from a combination of terror and frustration, fighting to hold the tears back. "NO!" He shrieked. "Can't you do something!" He pleaded.
The doctor frowned deeply, turning back toward the motionless girl lying in the bed. "I'll do everything I can." He assured, a puzzled expression finding its way onto his face as he thought out loud, "What was such a cute girl doing with a legendary monster anyway?"
Lavitz clenched his fists in anger, stomping forward to grab a hold of the doctors shoulder and force him to face him as he berated him. "She fought against it to save the country! She is not some weak pretty face! She is a hero!"
The doctor's eyes widened at this man's insurmountable fury.
"Now think hard!" Lavitz demanded, shaking him by the shoulder which he still gripped. "Is there anything you can do!" The way Lavitz eyed him basically dared the doctor to say there was nothing.
"Hmm…hold on." The doctor breathed, pacing over to the far corner and back again before he spoke with confidence. "If we can get some Dragoni Plant, she may survive."
Dart jumped on this, eyes shining with life and renewed hope. "Really!"
The doctor nodded. "I read it in a secret heirloom book." Despite this hope the doctor still made a habit of pointing out the negative. "The problem is, as with dragons, Dragoni Plant exists only in legend." He simpered. "I can not say for sure if it really exists."
Dart didn't care one bit, this fact he voiced. "Even so…we can not wait like this, doing nothing!" He shook his head fervently in the negative before looking to Lavitz with determination. "Let's go look for Dragoni Plant on our own!"
Lavitz nodded with equal determination. "Yes! We at least might be able to find something in this town!" They had to, for Shana. She needed them now more than ever. If they were to fail…she would surely die.
Dart pumped his fist, trying not to think as he knew Lavitz was by the way he was unconsciously cringing. "Definitely!"
"Mmhm." Lavitz said through tightly pressed lips. "Lohan is a commercial town where everybody is welcome. There should be some information here." He elaborated on his previous statement.
The doctor was getting rather into this case, saying energetically. "Although it is temporary, I will try to stanch the poisoning." He coughed, standing straighter as he mentioned, "I am not called the best doctor in Serdio for nothing!" A pause. "I will rise to the occasion!"
Dart nodded halfheartedly, not really caring what he had to say, only about what he could actually do. "Come on guys!" He ordered his comrades, rounding about and running out.
Rose pushed off of her brace slowly, stretching, as the boys flew out the door. "They're worse than children…" she grumbled, referring to how they always ran off without her and how they never seemed to run out of steam.
"Oh!" The doctor chirped, waving his hand to get Rose's attention.
On her way to the door she did an unhurried turnabout. "What?" She growled, crossing her arms over her chest to further show she wanted to end this quick.
The doctor smiled falsely, scared of this woman. "I meant to tell them, but they ran out so quick." He shook his head, a true smile forming. "Oh to be young…"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're old and going to die, I get it. However this girl is going to die much sooner if you don't. So, spit. It. Out!" She lashed out verbally.
The doctor jumped in his skin, scrambling to find the words that he'd needed to say, "Um, well…there's an antic store around here that might help you find out where to go to find this Dragoni Plant." He was twiddling his thumbs nervously as he talked at high speed. "It's the blue door on the other side of the bridge." He added with a sigh.
Rose nodded. "Thanks." She muttered, heading back towards the door. "I'll tell the idiots."
The doctor sighed heavily in relief the instant the door fell shut. "Thank God she's gone." He fell back on the side of the bed to further display his thankfulness. "But how strange she is…fighting for her friend's life while seemingly hating them." He chuckled. "I knew only a few like that. They truly are the best people you'll ever meet."
Rose was in no hurry even after receiving the news that the clue to saving Shana's life could lie in the antic shop at the opposite end of this raised platform. She wasn't one to act all frantic and such even under such circumstances. It took a lot for her to go against this nature of hers. Instead, she figured she'd make them work a bit. "Dart!" She called, looking about herself lazily.
There was no reply, but she didn't walk any faster. She simply yelled a little louder. "Dart!" She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Lavitz!"
A door slammed open halfway down the walk, the two men bursting forth from it with stressed and 'wow are we stupid' looks on their faces. "We're idiots!" Lavitz cried, proving Rose's point perfectly.
Dart did a face palm. "No. He's an idiot! That damn doctor could've given us some help! But no! God forbid he actually try and help save a person's life!"
Rose crossed her arms and set back to watch this for a minute. Seeing him this steamed would be quite a treat.
Lavitz shook his head, laying a hand on Dart's shoulder. "Dude, don't talk bad about the guy. We barely know him. Besides-" He tried to reason, being cut off in the process.
"I don't care!" Dart yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "This's what the guy gets when he stands back and makes us do all the work!"
Rose snorted in amusement.
"Dude!" Lavitz tried again. "Maybe he tried to tell us. Maybe we ran out too fast."
Dart thought a whole second on this before tossing the idea to the side and stepping all over it. "So! He should have been faster!" He crossed his arms, thrusting his head toward the sky.
Rose shook her head at them, choosing now to go to them. "He's right." She said coolly, watching the two as they jumped from the sound of her voice.
"And where have you been?" Dart growled superciliously, dropping his eyes down to meet hers.
Rose acted as if his words meant nothing, voice still holding an edge despite her efforts to hide her contempt. "Doing what you idiots didn't have the brains to do – learn." She paused momentarily to twirl a strand of her hair. "The doctor did tell you where to go, you were merely too quick to leave to hear it."
Dart glared at her with as much intensity as she did him, trying to silently order her to give up this valuable information. When she kept her lips tightly pressed together he finally snapped, "Well! What is it!"
Rose looked away from him as if she had heard nothing, irritated look ever present.
"Oh, come on!" Dart cried, throwing his hands forward. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Rose glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What? I'm merely hurrying my mind along to another topic instead of waiting to listen to what you have to say."
Dart screamed in angry annoyance. "Fine!" He barked. "I'm sorry for snapping! Now will you tell me?" His angry tone had faded by the end of his sentence into one of total despair and desperation. "Please…?"
Rose frowned, thinking about it a minute as she tapped her foot rhythmically before sighing softly, a victorious grin on her lips. "Alright. If you really want to know, he said the antic shop would be beneficial." She waved her hand over in the general direction. "Somewhere over there, a blue door."
Dart stopped listening after she pointed, zooming like a bullet over to that section of the walkway. He didn't have time to wait for the other two no matter how much they wanted to help Shana or, in Rose's case, didn't want to. All he knew was here lied the key to his baby sister's life.
Rose shook her head. "He didn't learn the second time."
Lavitz shrugged. "What did you expect? It is his sister we're talking about." He went to follow him, pausing to look back and add, "Wouldn't you act the same?" And he was off.
This caught Rose a bit off guard, her sucking in a soft breath in reaction. Yes…it was so. Although she had no siblings there was still one person who could have created such a fire in her. Zieg was her everything. Even now as she thought back she cringed in pain at the memory of losing him due to her weakness.
Her gaze intensified then as she stood there, teeth grit and fists clenched. No! She wouldn't be so weak again. She would save Shana no matter what!
Dart and Lavitz begrudgingly waited for Rose to catch up, knowing that deep down she'd want to hear what the owner had to say about the key to Shana's life. After all, she had to care some since she bothered following them around and fought to protect them despite her words. Actions were the most powerful indicator of one's true feelings anyway.
Rose gave her best attempt at a smile as she reached them, appreciating the fact that they thought to wait for her despite their immense desire to get going and save Shana.
Then they all walked I together, not expecting what they saw when they entered.
The place was extremely high reaching, dusty from head to toe. There were file cabinets and shelves reaching high to the ceiling which were filled to the point that some objects looked to be barely hanging onto their footing. It was amazing they were able to keep up on the wooden surface. There was a desk put together poorly directly to their left. On their right was a short ladder leading to a higher point to aid in reaching some things out of reach, but only slightly. Lastly there was a single lantern hanging by the ladder.
But the appearance of the room wasn't what surprised them. It was the person within the room.
Dabas perked, walking forward to greet them with a smile. "Welcome!" He started afterward. "Hey!" He went to slap Dart playfully on the shoulder. "You guys!"
Dart's face lit up. "Dabas!" This was great! Just knowing the owner would help their chances of finding out clues exponentially.
Lavitz rubbed his head, chuckling. "It's the goofy merchant from the other day!" What were the odds? King Albert would find this anomaly very interesting. He loved calculating likelihoods of just about anything and loved it even more when the odds were beaten by pure luck.
Dabas threw his hands into the air, grin spreading farther across his aged face. "I'm glad you folks are here!" He shook Dart's hand forcefully. "Thanks again for Villude, really! Now I can run my business!"
Dart smiled in embarrassment, shrugging, "Ah…it was nothing. I was just there at the right time I suppose."
Dabas shrugged back, "So, what do you want! You can find anything in Dabas' Antiques." He insisted, excited at the possibility of selling something after a long drought of business.
Dart looked to Rose and then to Lavitz to see if they were thinking the same as he was.
Rose didn't respond, as expected, while Lavitz nodded in agreement.
Dart turned back to Dabas. "Do you carry herbs too?" He said hopefully, fingers digging into his skin as he clenched his fists in anticipation as well as held his breath.
Dabas nodded enthusiastically. "You got it! I have everything!" He threw his hands into the air from shear excitement. "From extremely rare medicine to secret magical medicine, I have it all!"
A bright smile lit Lavitz face at this. He too was letting his hope get the better of him.
Now even Rose was showing signs of having that false hope which she so detested as a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.
Dart burst out with enough happiness for them all, "Have you heard of the Dragoni Plant? I heard it is a very rare herb!" His eyes were wide in anticipation.
"Oh!" Dabas chirped. "The Dragoni Plant!"
Dart jumped forward a step. "You have it!" He cried tearfully, so happy that this could be the answer.
Dabas sighed sadly, averting his eyes from Dart. "No…" He muttered in shame. He was such a bad person for getting his hopes up like that.
"Dabas!" Dart snapped, glowering down at the man.
Dabas cowered pitifully at Dart's harsh tone. "Oh no don't get mad!" He pleaded, waving his hands before him in defense. "But-" he stopped short, frowning as he moved his head left and right to see if maybe she was hiding. "..Um…where's that one girl?" he muttered in confusion, scratching his head.
Dart's fiery gaze intensified. "Sick and dying!" He snarled, about ready to punch Dabas. "That's why we need the Dragoni Plant! Without it she…" he trailed off, jerking his head away from him as he bit his lip and shut his eyes tight to hide the obvious pain. Her possible fate was killing him.
"Oh…" Dabas breathed, dropping his eyes to the floor. "Well…let me think harder!" He decided, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I remember hearing about it somewhere.
Dart looked on with a smaller degree of hope. He wasn't sure he could trust this man anymore.
"Hold on a sec." Dabas held up a hand, it falling back to his side as he hurried to the back of the shop and grabbed a book out. "Well, in this secret notebook…" he walked back to them, smiling brightly once more. "Yes! It's in here! It says - North of the poisoned forest and past the troublesome plant, observed Dragoni Plant in back of the shrine!" He pointed to the words. "See!"
Dart was quick to do as he said, spinning about to look over his shoulder.
Hmm…" Lavitz stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It reminds me... I saw a strange plant in the back of the forest when Shana took a rest."
Rose perked, coming out of her trance for the first time the whole conversation. "Oh, the one that became a monster because of the dragon's poison…" she crossed her arms, looking up at him. "But you can not get past it unless you purify it with something."
Lavitz knew immediately what the cure could be. "What about the spring water underground!" He cried in enthusiasm. "That might help the plant!"
Rose shrugged. She supposed.
Dart returned to Lavitz, just as excited at this revelation as he was. "That's it!" He swirled around to nod at Dabas. "Thanks Dabas!" He waved, rushing out the door without another word.
This time Rose followed at a similar pace as them, actually wanting to get there and back as soon as possible. What really made this strange for her was that she wanted to do so for Shana, not herself.
Dabas stared blankly after them, snapping out of it to say, "H-Hey! What about shopping!" He slumped. "That's all?"
The trio raced down the stairs, failing to think ahead. Their thoughts were only with Shana as she lied in pain on that bed.
Luckily they didn't have to think, a merchant did it for them. "Hey you! Hey classy brother!" A strange man in a yellow robe yelled.
Dart raised a brow at him. "What?" He was antsy to get going.
The merchant grinned. "I have something you'll like!" He insisted, waving his hands ecstatically before the three.
Dart perked some. "That reminds me, we need something to carry the spring water. Let's have a look."
He looked to both Rose and Lavitz, each nodding.
Dart stepped to the front of them toward the merchant, indicating he would partake in this game.
The merchant's smile grew tenfold. "That's my man! You have a sharp eye! I guarantee they are good buys!" He rubbed his hands together unconsciously in premature victory.
Dart ignored the gesture, focused on the task at hand. "I want a bottle to put water in." He said simply. "Do you have one?"
"Sure, sure!" He dug through his bag of goods, bringing out an ordinary container. "This one's durable and the best quality you can get!" He waved it back in forth in front of Dart's face.
Dart shrugged. "Sure, how much is it?"
The merchant's grin turned wicked. "…Surprise! It's a super bargain! How about ten billion dollars!"
Dart looked at him as if he were stupid, glancing over at Lavitz to see if he thought the same of this trickster.
Lavitz sighed dejectedly. "Let's look somewhere else."
Dart nodded in the same sad manner, moving to leave.
The merchant's eyes shot open, mouth slipping into a deep frown. "Wait!" He yelped, running from his stand to block them from leaving. "Hey, wait a minute!" He stretched his arms out wide. "I was just kidding!" He chuckled lightly. "Don't take me so seriously."
Dart crossed his arms over his chest in doubt. "How much is the real price then?"
The merchant was quick to take this second chance. "Yeah! It's about three thousand! So, why don't ya buy it?" He nodded his head faintly up and down in anticipation.
Dart made a face. "Too expensive!"
The merchant sucked in a soft breath, getting nervous. "Hm…well, I'll give you a discount." He agreed slyly. "How about two thousand two hundred?"
Dart waved his hands back and forth in an x. "It's still too much." This was actually kind of fun seeing how low this idiot would go.
The merchant swallowed hard. "I'll go down to a thousand!"
Dart looked at him sharply with a faint frown. "Can't you do better than that?"
The merchant sighed heavily. "Five hundred?" He asked weakly, getting tired of this game.
Lavitz chuckled under his breath as they watched the merchant squirm. He had to remember to do this more often.
Rose was rather amused by this as well, only for different reasons. She didn't care how much the merchant was uncomfortable. She was amused by the way Dart was thinking.
Dart shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. "Drop it once more!" He lifted his hand and dropped it some to indicate what he meant.
"Darn!" The merchant stamped his foot in irritation. "I'm giving it away now." He said in an attempt to fool this man into buying it at this price. "How about one hundred then?"
Dart raised a skeptical brow at the merchant. "Nu-uh…"
The merchant grinned again, this time falsely, before he began to laugh in defeat. "I can't win!" He groaned. "Take it." He shoved the bottle roughly in Dart's face. "It's free!"
Dart smiled in victory. "Well…" He tried his best to sound modest. "…if you insist." He shared his pleased look with Lavitz before saying more. "I'll take it. Thanks!"
The merchant sighed heavily, slumping back over to his stand in bitter defeat.
"Come on guys!" Dart waved them on, heading the group this time around.
Rose pushed off her brace that was the stairs in an instant. She even ran on with them; desire to help Shana ever growing. What was wrong with her…?
They took the few hour trek back to the spooky forest, it actually being night when they finally made it. And boy was it creepy. It was much worse than it had been earlier. Dart could barely even see his hands in front of his face the darkness was so consuming.
Dart sighed at this. If Shana were here now she would have voiced all this and more in her fear. She was so cute with her childlike nature. Yet she still insisted on being treated as an adult. It was all so complicated for Dart.
"Let's jump." Rose broke through his thoughts, bringing him to attention.
As Dart looked up all he saw was Rose's figure going over the edge of the pit where the dragon had once resided. He almost reached out as if to save her, forgetting she was much more independent than Shana and jumping from such a height would be next to nothing for her.
"Jumpy much?" Lavitz chuckled. "Remember, she's not Shana." He jumped after her.
Dart nodded at himself. "I know…" He then followed them down, taking the safer route for once and climbed down the sticky net on the wall.
Dart was, however, the first to reach the tiny spring. He knelt down at the edge, popped the top off, and lowered the fragile glass into the pool. "Let's hope for the best with this water." He sighed, crossing his fingers.
Lavitz crossed his arms. "Hmmm…according to Dabas we have to get rid of that plant in order to get to the shrine with Dragoni Plants." He thought out loud.
Dart rose back to his feet, not paying much attention to Lavitz's words. "Come on, let's go." He snapped the top back on the bottle before looking to Rose as she finally reached them.
Rose stared back at him, getting irritated by the game far faster. "What?" She grumbled.
"Do you think you can fly us back up? It would be way quicker, and-" he was stopped abruptly.
"No." She said sharply. "Look, I don't have the energy. That battle drained me, and I haven't had a chance to really rest." She tried to give him the hint, glaring a hole straight through him.
Dart got it, but he really hoped he was wrong. "Do you want to take a break then?" He sighed begrudgingly.
Rose perked, losing her intensity. "Oh? Would that be all right?"
Lavitz snickered at her sweet sounding voice. She sure knew when to use it.
"Right after we purify the plant, which will come quicker if you can fly us up there." He said slyly, grinning.
Rose's expression turned into a glare again. "Fine." She said through grit teeth. She gripped the stone around her neck tightly, squeezing her eyes just as tightly shut and focused on the fact that she was supposedly in danger.
It took a minute, but she finally forced herself to transform into the Dark Dragoon. "Alright. Move your asses over here." She barked.
Dart and Lavitz happily complied, drawing in close to her on opposite sides.
Rose wrapped an arm around each of their waists, shooting high into the air with the both of them near effortlessly. The only sign that she struggled was her slight cringe as she lifted more than three times her weight. Her wounds from the battle weren't exactly helping either.
The boys were jolted as she landed roughly, a pain running from their feet all the way up to their heads. And they both knew that she had intended for this to happen, since they basically used her as a pack-mule. It was her way of getting them back without really hurting them.
Rose smirked as she watched them grunt on impact, easily changing back once she had released them. "There. Are you happy now?" She growled.
Dart nodded. "Yeah, thanks. You're a real help." He ran on without knowing if they were following close behind, wanting to get to the plant so they could rest and get up that much faster. They had no time to waste. Shana's life depended on him.
Rose and Lavitz were right behind Dart even though he wasn't registering the fact. But they didn't blame him for not noticing or bothering to check. They knew well what was at stake just as much as they knew how he felt about her.
Dart was breathing slightly above normal as he came to a stop directly in front of the strange plant, bottle of purified water held tight in his hand. "Well…here goes nothing." He said to himself, uncorking the bottle and tossing it out with preciseness on the roots of the plant.
All three held their breaths as the watched intently, hoping for the best.
As they watched the plant gradually shrunk in both height and width. It was no more than a minute later and it was completely gone, any trace of their having been anything gone forever.
"The plant wilted!" Dart cheered. "We can go now!" He did a fist pump.
The other two let out their breaths as well, pleased. "Thank God." Lavitz muttered.
Rose, however, did not voice her relief. She was too strong for that anymore. "But right now we're taking a break." She reminded, raising a brow at him to silently ask if he was really going to go against his word to her.
Dart debated with his inner self. He wondered if it was worth it to keep his promise to this woman who he barely knew if it meant Shana's chances of living went down. "No…"
Rose stared him down with an evil darkness in her eyes. "What?" She hissed.
Lavitz stood behind Rose, waving his hands frantically back and forth to indicate him to not do this with her. She would not hesitate to tear him to pieces.
Dart swallowed hard, shaking his head faintly. "I won't do it. I…I changed my mind."
A fire flared in Rose's eyes and in the blink of an eye she had Dart jerked up off the ground by the collar of his shirt. "I don't think so." She growled inches from his face.
"Rose!" Lavitz screamed, running to try and break them apart.
Rose almost went for her blade to stop Lavitz when she remembered she was one of them now. They weren't this disposable group of people anymore. She didn't exactly love them or feel a real attachment like with her old friends, but there was definitely an attractive force between every single one of them. It was this thought that had her dropping Dart back down to his feet before she snorted angrily at him and turned away.
"Are you ok?" Lavitz cried in deep worry, not sure if Rose had had him by the throat or not. As he checked him he sent a dirty glare Rose's way.
Dart pulled at his shirt so it wasn't taut at the back of his neck, glaring darkly at Rose along with Lavitz. "What. The. Hell?" He snarled. "You think you can just attack me because I won't do what you say!"
Lavitz sensed a scuffle coming on and scrambled to remedy the situation. "Easy." He cooed, patting Dart on the shoulder like he might have if it were Shana. This in itself was the first mistake.
Dart roughly shrugged Lavitz off of him, jumping to the front of Rose with a menacing snarl and fiery eyes set on his face. "Huh!"
Rose averted her gaze. She hoped to ignore him in order to try and end this before it started.
Lavitz tried again. "Dart, it's not that big a deal. We should just settle down and-" He jumped, being cut off.
"No!" Dart barked, immediately going back to Rose. "So! Stop ignoring me!"
Rose looked lazily at him with his raised fists and crazed appearance. She raised a brow in response. He was really taking this personally. So much like Zieg… "I don't want to fight about this." She muttered.
"It's too late for that! This started when you touched me!" He leapt at her, aiming to knock her lights out with a punch.
Rose growled lightly under her breath as he went for her, moving back just enough so that he'd miss but he would still be in her range for what she knew was going to happen.
Dart hadn't expected it, but as he put all his force into the punch a wound from the previous battle acted up. A pang of pain hit hard in his abdomen. He yelped sharply, clutching at the wound as he stumbled and fell.
Rose thoughtlessly jumped to catch him mid-fall, lowering him down to the ground gently. "You idiot." She growled close to his ear. "You're hurt."
Dart's hands trembled on his injury, the full extent of his exhaustion finally setting in. It was plain that all that had kept his mind off of it and able to continue going was his fear of Shana's fate. "But…Shana…" He moaned in a mixture of sadness and agony.
"Trust me." Rose said in her best attempt at gentleness. "Shana would want you to rest." She couldn't believe she was saying this. This was the definition of a lie. She didn't like doing it even if it was a tiny thing or might make someone feel better. That's why the ease in which the words slipped off her tongue surprised her.
Dart miserably laid his forehead on her shoulder, eyes shut tight to force back the tears. He may have lost to his wound, but he refused to lose to his tears.
Rose jumped faintly in her place, eyes wider than usual as she watched him lean on her. She really wasn't comfortable with him touching her just like she didn't really want to have her arms set on the sides of his stomach. But she didn't move because she knew it would jolt him and probably hurt him more.
Lavitz stood back, staring strangely at the pair. He, once more, didn't have a place to take in this scenario. Nothing he said would fit much like nothing he did would either. So he waited.
"Come on." Rose whispered, slowly hosting him to his feet. "Let's get out of these woods. Then we can rest and treat our wounds."
Dart was mentally numb as he thought of Shana. However, he was still able to be surprised when Rose didn't leave him to walk on his own, but stayed with her arm around his upper back as a brace for him. He smiled a little. She really did care.
"Move it Lavitz!" Her sharp voice sliced through the air.
Dart snorted at this. Well…in her own way.
I don't know how I make such little things so long. I don't know if it's a good thing or bad either. What do you think? Are my chapters too long? Also I've started to notice that my paragraphs are usually kind of short, especially during fight scenes. I don't know. Is that normal? Plus, if there are any major mistakes I'd appreciate you telling me. Please review! :D