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Chapter 28

Force of Fire

Eric stood at the top of a hill, Flare' reins held tightly in his hands, down below was a huge city protected by high walls of molten rock surrounding it almost like a volcano.

The princess visited them early that morning to discuss what they were to do next. She emphasized that now that Groudon was aware of the existence of new knights, he was sure to launch an attack with hopes to destroy them before they reached full strength and with the fairies now gone there would be no one to guide them. She told them there was only one way they would be able to unleash their true strength and that was to obtain the weapons on the knights of old. As for their location all she knew was they were entrusted to the leaders of the twelve cities along with a scroll with instructions.

They had learned from the Terralians that after the war the cities lived in constant fear and were no longer on good terms with others and were weary of strangers. The princess explained that the people had all come from different realms and found it difficult to adjust to this new world. It was probably only their support for the knights who were one of their own that kept united against a single cause but when the knights were no more they drew into shells so to speak. She insisted on caution when approaching the cities as there was no other way of locating the weapons.

That was how Eric found himself here, the City of Fire just up ahead.

"Let's go boy" he said patting Flare lightly, who took off down the hill straight towards the gate, stopping only when they right in front of the towering black gates with the symbol of Pyron apparently burnt into them.

He looked up at the watch towers at either side of the gate, he could tell that they were built extremely well but the dark tinted crystals prevented him from seeing if there was anyone in there.

He studied the gate carefully trying to find a way in. a fleeting memory of the prison entrance came to him and he launched a small fire ball at the gate, right in the centre. The flame illuminated the etched symbol and the gates parted allowing him to pass through.

Once he had entered the gates immediately shut behind him and he was surrounded by at least seven guards each wearing red body suits with heavy black boots with gold markings, a gold belt with the symbol of Pyron etched in red, a black chest plate along with guards on their shoulders and forearms these too had gold markings and a black and gold helm that hid their faces completely. They each carried a reddish-orange flat sword with a gold hilt and three small, curved blades that protruded from the main sword, that made the sword look like a flame itself.

The guards held their swords pointed towards him in their right hands and held their left in a defensive position as if they were ready to release a hidden shield from their arm guards.

"Getting in, was easy enough I suppose staying in, is going to be tricky part huh boy"

Eric looked around he was completely surrounded, even the guards in the watchtowers whom he could now see had their swords pointed at him. To add to it a little ahead of where they were was a moat of molten hot lava and beyond it was another was behind which he supposed was the city.

He dismounted and kept his hands raised to show that he meant no harm. When they got a better glimpse of him some of the guards began to whisper amongst themselves exclaiming at the symbol he wore on his armor. He was about to try and communicate with them when a part of the second wall slid open and a man stepped forward on a magnificent black stallion. He too wore the same armor as the guards along with a long black cape and golden epaulettes.

The newcomer crossed the narrow bridge over the moat and dismounted. The other guards stepped aside as he approached. He took off his helm and handed it to one of the guards before facing Eric. He was almost the same height and had a similar build, he had spiky black hair and reddish-brown eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked getting straight to the point "Why have you come here? And how is it that you posses the power of the flame?"

Eric didn't know how to answer, he couldn't just tell them why he was here, keeping in mind what the princess had said it was most likely that these guys didn't even know about the weapons. Instead he fished out from his pocket a gold coin the size of a small saucer with an image of a shield with wings protruding from the back and a sword and staff crossed in the centre, the Azelian royal crest printed on one side and the twelve symbols on the other and handed it to him.

The man examined the coin and was obviously surprised and a little stunned.

"I need to speak with your leader, it is a matter or great importance"

The man regarded him for a moment, his eyes resting on the symbol on Eric's armor for a moment.

"Follow me"

He turned swiftly his cape swirling behind him as he mounted his steed and accepted his helm from one of the guards. Eric quickly mounted Flare and followed him across the moat. The other guards continued to watch him, their swords still drawn though they were no longer pointed at him.

As he made his was across the moat he could quite literally see the heat being radiated from the lava, he deduced that were it not for the fact that he now possessed the power of fire he would have been burned to death merely from the heat being generated but instead even though he didn't quite understand it he felt stronger.

Once the crossed the second wall, it slid back into place. The first thing he noticed was that inorder to get to the city you had to descend a not so steep slope, on a whole the city was built well from a strategic point of view. As he got his first glimpse of the city he was completely taken by surprise, from what he had seen in the City of Earth he had accordingly developed an idea of what he might find but instead from what he could see it wasn't all that different from cities on Earth except there were very few high rise structures except for the one in the very centre that rose high into the clouds and largely resembled a volcano.

They entered a busy market place and again he was surprised to see that the people were dressed a lot like the people from his own world, it this whole experience a lot more comfortable. As the passed through people turned to look at them, little children waved to the man in front of him and pointed and exclaimed at Flare.

Once out of the market he got a better look at the city around him. Everything was built according to a well though out plan, on closer inspection one would notice that everything was built with a flame motif and there were numerous shades of reds and blacks.

They walked straight through the city, towards the tall, black, volcano-like structure in the very centre. As they approached he noticed that it was surrounded by a low wall and had a wrought iron gate. Once through he saw another moat of lava surrounding the volcano with provisions for a draw bridge which made him think of medieval castles.

As the approached the man drew his sword, illuminating it at the same time he then thrust it into column at the edge of the moat. Consequently the column lit up and drawbridge lowered itself. The man dismounted and proceeded to cross, Eric did the same.

Once inside he was left to way in a spacious room that resembled someone's living room. On the ceiling was a chandelier of orange-red crystal shaped like an inverted flame, everything else in the room bore a flame motif. The room was filled with a number of treasures including a gold suit of armor, and an array of swords displayed in glass cases. On the walls hung numerous pictures of regally dressed men and women but the one that caught his attention was the one that hung over a mantel. It was the largest one in the room, it was a portrait of a young man, he appeared to be tall and well built with dark black hair and light brown eyes. He wore a black suit with red down the front, black boots that reached just below his knees and a cape that was fastened to a red crystal on his chest. In his hand he carried a magnificently crafted sword.

"Yes, that is indeed Aaron the Knight of Fire"

Eric turned sharply to see man standing behind him, he was tall and has broad shoulders with graying brown hair and light eyes. He was dressed in black pants with a long red robe which had a gold oriental pattern. On his belt he wore a sheeted sword which appeared to be long and narrow.

"Greetings young man" he said as he sat down on one of the sofas "and welcome to the City of Fire, My name is Carlisle you could say that I am the leader of this humble city"

Eric studied the man in front of him for a moment then decided that being polite was the best way to get what he wanted.

"Thank you for seeing me, my name is Eric…"

This seemed to please Carlisle and he began to get excited

"Take a seat my boy, and tell me what message do you bring for us? Commander Tork tells me you come from the palace"

He gestured to the man who he has followed in and was now standing at the door.

"I'm sorry sir but I haven't come from the palace, truthfully I've only seen it from afar…"

"What?" exclaimed Tork his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"Wait Tork let us listen to what he has to say"

To Eric "You say that you have never been to the palace then how is it that you possess this" he twirled the coin in his hands.

"If I may sir, what I said about the palace is true but it is also true that have come here on the request of the princess"

"I see, and why may I ask has the princess made this request of you, inspite of the fact that you wear armor with our symbol, you do not appear to be one of our own and the princess would know better"

"Yes sir it's true that I am not one of you, infact in all truth I come from another world" at this the commander's hand tightened around his sword but Carlisle remained calm.

"Another world you say, what brings you to Azeila then?'

Eric was starting to loose his patience, he didn't have time to waste but he needed to keep his cool they were finally getting somewhere with this conversation and he had to prepare himself for the reaction he was about to receive.

"My friends and I were brought here from our world because we were chosen" 'Here goes'

"We were chosen to be the new knights of Azeila"

He looked at them expectantly, both their expressions darkened slightly but neither showed any sign of disbelief which surprised him. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"New knights you say" said Carlisle in what he hoped was a septic tone "and why should I believe you, it is quire clear that we are under no threat"

"But you do believe"

"Sharp one aren't you, yes I the idea of new knights doesn't surprise me, I have always hoped they would return for Azeila needs them now more than ever even without the threat of Groudon"

"But sire, he says he is from another world so that would mean…" the commander couldn't finish his sentence.

"That Groudon has returned" said Eric and they both looked up at him

"But how?" asked the commander

"We don't know"

"This quite a predicament" Carlisle "But tell me Eric you did not come here merely to introduce yourself nor to warn us about Groudon, so why did you come here"

"I think you already know the answer to that"

"And do you believe that I will just hand it over to you"

"Honestly I didn't think you'd believe me in the first place, so far it's been a whole lot easier that I expected but no I don't think you will"

"That is correct, what proof do you offer me that you have indeed been chosen to inherit Aaron's title"

Eric though about showing him the crystal on his wrist but dismissed it almost at once if there's one thing he had learned from his time in Azeila it was that crystals were easier to come across than people in Azeila. In the end he settled for summoning his flame sword which definitely impressed Tork. Carlisle looked at him appraisingly before nodding his approval and with a smirk Eric let his sword dissolve into nothing.

"Tork see to it that we are not disturbed by anyone"

"Yes sire" with a swish of his cape he was gone closing the door behind him.

"That was quite impressive" said Carlisle "but I'm afraid the real test is yet to come"

Eric followed him through a secret door into a dimly lit passageway till they reached a door hidden behind a thick red velvet curtain; Carlisle opened it with the hilt of his sword. The room they had now entered was twice as large as the other one and was filled with numerous treasures; they went straight across the room and through the wall at the far end, through another secret passageway and down a winding staircase.

They were now in the very centre of the volcano which shone in a dim yellow light; the staircase went all the way up to the top of the volcano and continued to lead far below the ground. They continued to descend further and further down till they reached another passage way, this one dark and cold. They stood at the entrance and Carlisle snapped his fingers, immediately several torches lit up casting an orange glow on the path ahead.

"From here on you are on your own, only you can decide which path you take. However choose wrong and you will most certainly meet your end, choose right and only stand in the way of what you seek."

"Thank you"

"Don't thank me just yet boy. I still can't be sure if you are who you say you are, but if what you say has indeed come to pass then you will need all the help you can get"

He turned to leave "Oh and if you fail, I'll be keeping your steed, he is a handsome fellow"

"I won't fail"

"We'll see"

Eric ran down what seemed like an endless corridor guided by the light of the torches till he came to a fork. As he thought back to what Carlisle had said he smirked and took off down the right path. A few minutes later he entered a large cavernous hall, he took another step and torches all around lit up, casting light on a modest oriental house of sorts in the centre.

As he approached torches on either side of the door lit up, illuminating the door, it was shut but didn't have a handle or door knob only the symbol etched into it. He shot a small flame at it but nothing happened the fire just faded away. He stared at it for a moment then concentrating; with his hand now ignited he traced the symbol. It worked, the symbol burnt through and the door melted away.

He stepped inside and torches all over the room lit up. The hard wooden floor was almost entirely covered with a red carpet with the symbol in the centre and gold trimmings, several banners of similar design hung on the walls but caught his attention was the banner that covered the wall straight ahead, it was the largest in the room, it was red like all the others but embossed on it was the seal depicting all twelve symbols, however in the centre was a symbol he had never seen before it looked almost like a character of some kind.

In front of the banner was a platform on which was a glass case resting on an intricately carved marble table. Inside was the very same sword he had seen in the painting but it looked even more magnificent. Its steel body glistened in the torchlight, it was long but not too broad, just the right size for him. The gold handle was fashioned after a dragon; every detail was so accurate that it almost looked alive.

He gently placed his hand over a circular depression on the case and it melted away. He reached for the sword but just before he could touch it, it began to glow with a brilliant red light and some unknown force sent him flying into the back wall. When he gathered himself together he stood up and looked up at the sword but it was gone.

"I have been waiting for you" said a voice; it was warm and friendly but had a certain edge to it.

Eric looked around but he couldn't see anyone when he turned back to the centre there was now a man standing there wearing black pants, a red shirt, hunting boots, gloves, a cape and a red and black pointed hat which had the same symbol on it as the one on the back wall. The sword hovered in the air in front of him at just the right height surrounded by a red aura.

"Aaron" he said slowly recognizing him from the portrait.

"Yes, I have been waiting for a long time, some of my friends didn't believe the time would come and I hoped that they were right but alas here we stand."

Eric was startled he hadn't anticipated anything like this, was this really Aaron it couldn't be, then what was it, or rather who?

Whatever it was he knew he needed to get that sword and quickly, he couldn't waste any time.

As if sensing his thoughts Aaron smiled and continued "This sword was forged by my father. In the fires on the most dreaded volcano in Pyron from the fang of a dragon. It is very dear to me and had served me well but the time has come for me to pass it on. However this sword that was a gift to me must be earned by you. On this day I wield it once more, if you defeat me I shall wield it no more, loose and it is not only you who will pay the price for coming here."

He clasped his hand around the hilt and was surrounded by the sword's aura. Eric stepped forward summoning his flame sword. They faced each other swords raised; they began to circle each other neither daring to make the first move.

Then Aaron attacked, Eric managed to block it just in time but the force of the attack was so strong it pushed him back and even caused his sword to waver. Aaron attacked again barley giving him time to get it together, he dodged but the blade scratched his cheek.

Eric realized that being on the defensive wasn't going to work, he powered up his sword and attacked but Aaron blocked him easily and the continued to engage in an intense battle, attacking, blocking and dodging when necessary. Neither used any additional attacks, they had reached an unspoken agreement; it was a battle of strength and of skill, a battle they would settle with only their blades.

Finally Aaron unleashed the true strength of his blade and administered a crushing blow, Eric took the hit square and fell on one knee, his sword was barley more than a sliver.

"Is that it, shall we end this here then"

Eric weighed his odds, he was hurt bad, he barely had enough strength to stand whereas Aaron wasn't fazed in the slightest. But he couldn't loose there was a lot riding on him getting that sword, on him getting stronger, there were a lot of people who were counting on him to succeed, his friends, the princess not to mention that the fate of two worlds was at stake here, he had to win.

With renewed strength, he powered up his sword and attacked Aaron, who barely managed to block. They continued as before till both launched a fierce strike at the same time. A moment later only the clinking noise of a sword hitting the floor could be heard. Eric straightened himself, his sword now completely gone, he turned around but there was no sign of Aaron, the sword lay still on the floor.

"I have been defeated" he heard Aaron's voice say but couldn't figure out where it came from. "The sword now belongs to you"

As soon as he said this the sword lifted itself off the ground and glided towards Eric.

"Do not let your heart waver and it will guide you to victory. Use it well"

Eric reached out and clasped his hand around the golden hilt immediately he felt his strength return. The sword felt just right in his hands as if it were made especially for him. He lifted it and examined it, on the underside was an inscription, in a language he had never seen before but some how he knew what it said almost as it the sword was talking to him.

'I call forth the dragon from within.'

The sword's sheath rose from the table and encased the sword before it turned into a beam of light and entered his crystal. At that moment all the lights went out.


I hope this turned out okay, I must have edited it at least four times and it still feels like I left something out. Hopefully the others will turn out a lot better.

Please review and let me know what you think.