Kieran barely ducked to avoid decapitation for what felt like the hundredth time. The monstrosity that had been awoken by TinSouRe was obviously dangerous, but thankfully slow.
He flicked his swallow at the arm as it passed him by, only to be repelled by the plate metal.
Annoyed, he growled slightly and took a few quick steps back.
"My weapon can't cut it!" he shouted over the din of creaking metal joints as the robot made a wide turn.
Cuore was somewhere on the other side of it. Every so often he would catch movement from her as she darted around, but it seemed like she wasn't making progress either.
Dodging the bladed arms and rolling bottom portion were tricky enough, but when it repositioned itself and section of arm raised to reveal a series of bolt like missiles, the monster went straight to the top of his dislike list.
"You have got to be kidding me," Kieran muttered. His only consolation was that it was facing the opposite way from him.
"Cuore! Projectiles!" he called.
He wasn't sure where she was, but hopefully that was enough of a warning for her.
Four bolts launched themselves with deadly accuracy and a sound akin to a whistling, dying Zuu.
The bolts struck the wall, it seemed from his vantage point, but it was enough to shake the room and caused a rain of small debris.
He winced, hoping the whole place didn't come down around them. Another reason to defeat it quickly.
Cuore suddenly appeared, ducking close by the legs to avoid being seen right away, and skidded to a halt near Kieran.
The robot began to turn towards them.
"My magic is useless, even if I had time to aim it." she informed him. "I did slice it with my tungsten carbide blade, but it's too thick to chop with one strike. I'd need to saw at it."
"So, we're dead, is what you are telling me," Kieran remarked. He nodded towards it. "Look out, incoming."
They both spilt in separate directions and ran along the wall. All four bolts hit the wall again, avoiding them. Kieran still winced again as the room rumbled and he looked at the size of the projectile. If it hit them, it would impale them instantly.
"I think there's an opening up there!" Cuore called, pointing to a gap between the head like top and the rest. "If we could jam something in there, then maybe I could channel magic through it to the insides, like we did before!"
Kieran recalled what she meant, making a lightning rod what seemed like years ago.
"Great, how do you purpose we do that?" he called back. He knew full well he sounded irritated, but it wasn't the time to worry about hurt feelings.
He couldn't jump, and there was no way even Cuore could throw that far, high and fast.
The robot turned, slowly, but with such frightening consistency that Kieran sighed, already tired. He wasn't sure if it was because this ship had drained them all a little bit over time or if it was merely the difference of not having his dragon scale anymore.
Whatever the reason, he wanted nothing more than to sleep for a year.
He rolled aside to avoid another attack and almost careened into Cuore, who caught his arm. "I have an idea, but I need time. Can you distract it?"
He spared a precious second to stare at her flatly.
Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should feel angry, puzzled or amused at the question, He heaved and sigh and got to his feet begrudgingly.
Mustering what energy he had left, he dashed the opposite way, making sure to get just close enough to the creature for it to see him.
As expected, it turned slowly but surely, and followed his movements. One of it's arms raised, joints clicked and cracking, preparing to strike.
He rolled out of the way, wincing as the metallic arm connected with the floor. The ground vibrated from the hit, rattling his bones.
Kieran didn't bother to stand and instead pitched to the opposite side to avoid the inventible second strike.
The room shook again.
Whatever Cuore was doing, he really hoped she did it quickly.
Staggered to his feet, he ignored the aches in his muscles and made another lap around the construct's legs. The movement drew its' attention once more and he ran to the nearest wall, pausing once he reached out to touch it.
Despite every fiber of his being screaming to move, he waited until it took two steps over and raised it's arm again before he race out of the way. Kieran grimaced at the screech of metal on metal as the spot he'd just been became a marred mess.
Kieran glanced to where Cuore was and saw that she had finished her spell; the magical residue was just dissipating from the air.
Midgosrtomr was coiled at her feet and looked at her, then to the giant, then back to her.
"Are you insane?!" the snake snapped. "You want me to fight that?! I'm a snake! A tiny, tiny, squishy snake!"
Kieran had to admit he was thinking the same thing.
Cuore looked irritated and gestured to the metal monster. "I don't need you to fight! I need you to crawl inside that junction and tear it apart from the inside out!"
Migdsotromr looked up at it again, forked tongue letting out a hissing sigh. "Alright Cuore, I trust you. But if we all get flattened into pancakes, it is not my fault!"
Kieran ran again from the robot to avoid getting hit and then watched as the snake Eidolon coiled around the machine's leg, slowly slithering up.
He wove around the torso, bit by bit, and then disappeared from sight, inside the small opening Cuore had pointed out before.
The monster did not stop moving.
Kieran made a face and took a few steps back. "Uh…maybe we should run,"
Cuore frowned, "Give him a moment, Migdstomr won't let me down."
The robot lumbered forward and Kieran shoved Cuore to one side before dodging to the other side at the last moment. A series of high powered bolts jammed one after the other into the floor and wall where they had been a moment before.
Kieran ducked as one came far too close to his shoulder anyway.
The sound it made as it pierced the wall was enough to make him wonder if it had hit him before he realized it hadn't.
But then the creature stopped and started to shake.
In a heartbeat, the entire construct simply….fell apart.
The clung of metal was ringing in Kieran's ears long after the last piece fell harmlessly into a pile on the floor.
Cuore wandered over, looking cautious and curious as the rubble began to move.
Midgstormr's head popped up out of the metal and he grinned a toothy smile. "I have succeeded!" he bragged. "Never underestimate a snake in the grass! Er…or…inside the robot, I guess…"
Cuore breathed an audible sigh of relief and offered a small smile. "Well done, Migdstormr. Thank you,"
He preened at the attention while trying to work his slippery body out of the rest of the debris.
Kieran got to his feet slowly, stiff and sore from the battle and slightly worried about what TinSouRe was going to send at them next.
"Do you think TinSouRe will send something else at us?" he asked.
Cuore frowned, "Most likely, yes. I have no idea how much her influence controls. However, since we are still alive, it means she hasn't completed her plan yet."
Kieran snorted, "Thankful for small favors, I suppose…"
"Are you alright?" Cuore asked, casting a quick glance at him.
Kieran waved off her concern and shrugged. He didn't bother to say anything.
There was nothing too say, and words were overrated.
Migdstromr had coiled himself up near Cuore's left foot and peered up at her. "As fun as that was, you should probably un-summon me. If you need help, one of the others might be a better option."
Cuore nodded and gave him another smile. "Thanks for the help,"
"Anything Cuore!"
He was gone was a wave and a word and Cuore spared one last look at the pile of rubble before walking towards their original destination.
"Come on," she urged. "we have a Lunarian to catch."
"I hate these stupid things!" Ursula exclaimed. She drop-kicked a decapitated head of one of the drones across the room.
Ceodore winced at the terrible noise it made and finished yanking his sword from the metal body of another.
"If I ever see another robot again, it will be too soon." Ursula said, crossing her arms.
Ceodore gave her a funny look, "Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem."
They had run into a small army of the drones, but with a good portion of Uo-Ru following them, they had madde short work of the foes.
The magic the twisted Lunarians could produce put most mages to shame, and despite their help and good intentions, he couldn't help but be wary.
There was always the thought in the back of his head that they weren't any less dangerous then TinSouRe.
But, they were helping, and regardless of what they thought, they had a common enemy.
Everyone on board the destroyed ship agreed that TinSouRe needed to be stopped.
BarZenDao looked around, "We must be getting close,"
"There have been more and more things trying to hinder us," Ursula added. "It would make since that TinSouRe would throw more and more at us the closer we get."
The boy shook his head, "No, the others say they can feel her. The amount of vesper she is giving off…it's in the air."
Ceodore blinked. "Really?"
"For them, anyway." BarZenDao added.
Ursula gave him a once over. "And you?"
"Possibly if I concentrated hard enough, but there is no need to do so." he replied.
They started moving again, and Ceodore had the worst feeling they were walking straight into another fight.
"Are you as weirded out as I am?" Ursula asked at a whisper.
He nodded and matched her tone. "Yes. I think…it's traveling with Uo'Ru. I know they are our allies, but they are strong, and I'm…"
He hesitated with the right way to describe how he felt.
"Fool me once," Ursula commented. "I feel the same. We've been lied to enough down here that I think we have every right to be suspicious."
Ceodore nodded. "Not only that, but we're sure to meet with more trouble before we find TinSouRe."
She frowned, "Of course."
"What are you whispering about?" BarZenDao asked suddenly, appearing at their sides. His face was all curiosity.
"Damn kid," Ursula complained. "Don't sneak around. Especially right now."
He blinked twice. "Apologies."
"We were just…discussing the situation," Ceodore explained.
BarZenDao frowned. "You are not very good at deception."
Ursula snickered.
The price made a face, annoyed that everyone kept telling him that.
The boy shrugged. "Regardless, we should continue onward."
Moving through the dented metal hallways once more, Ceodore couldn't help but wonder if Kieran and Cuore were alright. They were both prone to do drastic and foolish things if they thought it was the right thing to do. He hoped they hadn't beaten them and made it to TinSouRe yet.
The Uo'Ru, for all their twisted and malformed figures, didn't walk as slowly as he had worried. But the pace they kept was still much slower then he would have liked.
They came to a sealed door, but it was easily opened by one of the Uo'Ru and they continued along.
Inside, the room was compressed quite obviously, and piles of debris were everywhere. The top floors above them, at least four, were visible via a tiered hole above them. The tunnels around them looked to be a mix of real corridors and created cavities from the crash.
There was an odd sound echoing from one of the tunnels, something severely out of place.
It sounded like water.
Ursula must have heard it as well because she slowed down and began moving cautiously.
"What is that?" Ceodore asked, drawing his blade partway.
BarZenDao seemed to take a minute before answering. "The noise?" he asked for clarity.
The prince nodded and BarZenDao listened for a moment before frowning. "I'm not sure. There shouldn't be any liquids down here."
"But that is what it sounds like, right?" Ursula confirmed. "Sloshing water?"
"Hmmm…"
Ceodore crept closer to the noise, curious but also wary.
He half expected to find just a pool of something, but inside, when he came across what the sound was, it was unlike anything he'd ever seen.
The liquid sound came from a mass of moving, shifting, goo. And yet, the way it climbed up and over debris, the way it turned and rolled back, was unlike anything he had ever seen.
"Uh…"
Ursula had followed him once she figured out where he went and she too paused. "What in the world?"
"Is it some type of flan?" Ceodore wondered.
But even flans didn't move like water. Or, more accurately, living water.
"It appears to be ShiMil'Lae Un'Phar*." BarZenDao stated. "It's…difficult to translate, but I suppose best to describe it as repairing gel."
"Repairing gel?" Ceodore questioned, glancing over his shoulder at the boy.
BarZenDao nodded. "Yes. It was created as a self-aware, self-repairing gel substance. It was used to clean up messes, including contaminated areas and damage to technology."
"Wow," Ceodore said, impressed.
Ursula, however, merely made a face. "Is it dangerous? Wait, stupid question, it is, isn't it?"
BarZenDao paused, as if to consider the question.
"Normally I would say no, however with everything that has happened, I cannot say that with certainty."
"Great…" the blonde muttered.
The boy gestured to the gel. "It would be best to avoid it. I believe another route is a better option regardless."
They met back up with the Uo'Ru, and BarZenDao filled them in using both words and long stares that probably denoted telepathy.
As they travelled the darkened path, the sound of gurgling liquid didn't leave them alone.
"You still hear that, right?" Ursula finally said, looking around so fast her pigtails whipped around her face.
Ceodore frowned, but nodded. "Yeah. I was hoping I was imagining it."
"No, the gel stuff must still be around here." she commented.
Just as she said that, Ceodore felt his foot slide on something and he winced, looking down. Even in the dark, he could make out the slight bluish tint to the blackened ground. It shivered.
"Umm…yeah…no kidding…" he said, carefully backing off the substance.
It merely slid along the flooring like nothing had happened, and BarZenDao shrugged.
But then, in a split second, it stopped, shook, and dramatically changed direction to head for Ursula.
"Whoa," she said, backing up a few steps. "What in the world?!"
It was fast for a mass of liquid, and caught up to her in the small space, coiling around her feet. Ursula was startled, but didn't cry out as if in pain even as it coiled around her ankles.
"Are you okay?" Ceodore asked, hurrying to her side. The substance had stopped moving, but he was still concerned.
"I…think so," the princess said, looking down. "It's not hurting, but I can't move. It's rooted me to the floor."
"It must have thought you were a contamination," BarZenDao commented, coming over. "Your DNA isn't Lunarian, so it might have thought of you as an anomaly."
"Great," she snapped. "How do we get it loose?"
The boy frowned and looked back at the few Uo'Ru who had stopped to see what the commotion was.
After a moment, one of the creatures stumbled forward. It was short, and missing an arm. BarZenDao nodded to it and then returned his attention to Ursula.
"LaYun was a member of the repair crew aboard the ship. She believes she knows a spell to destabilize the gel. After that, we should be able to remove it."
Ursula made an unhappy face at the notion, and Ceodore offered her a reassuring smile. As much as the limping creatures were unsettling, they had been nothing but helpful since the truth about everything had been revealed.
LaYun stopped in front of them and did a gesture of some sort that Ceodore wasn't familiar with before holding out her only remaining hand. Without words, her fingertips became a glow and Ceodore watched intently, wondering what she was casting.
"Silence." BarZenDao answered.
Ceodore looked at him sharply and he shook his head. "I didn't need to read your mind to read your face."
The gel stopped moving and LaYun made a waving motion with her hand, signaling them.
Ursula cautiously stepped out of the gel and blinked. "Wow, I can't believe that worked." She swallowed and gave the Uo'Ru a slight smile. "Thanks."
LaYun inclined her head and then shambled off, back towards the rest of the group.
"I can still hear that sound, though. How will we get past this stuff?" Ursula said.
Ceodore perked up before BarZenDao could answer. "I'll just cast float on you! It shouldn't go after you if it can't…um…see you?" he faltered on the last part, not sure how the gel actually worked.
BarZenDao shrugged. "That should work. But cast quickly. We need to catch up to the others."
Ceodore nodded and charged the spell, casting it on both he and Ursula. She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't want to touch that stuff," he admitted.
The princess chuckled. "Fair enough."
After a few minutes they caught up with the group and passed underneath a tangle of metal pipes that formed a lattice overhead. Ceodore spared a moment to look up, noticing how further up, the pipes had collapsed in such a way that they actually caught and held in place some rocks and sheet metal.
For all the horror and ruin of this ship, there was still something stunning about it.
Deciding he didn't want to get a look from Ursula, he kept the observation to himself.
They walked for a moment more before the entire area shook.
BarZenDao frowned. "I was about to comment on how close we were to the shaft we needed to descend down to the reactor area, but…"
"What now?" Ceodore sighed, drawing his weapon fully this time.
The tunnel quaked again.
And again.
Whatever it was, it was coming closer and it was definitely large.
There was a roar that made some loose metal plates rattle on the walls.
"What the hell?!" Ursula asked to no one in particular.
BarZenDao glanced at Uo'Ru, but whatever they told him was set aside as Cuore and Kieran, running full spirt, passed in front of them from one passageway and through again. They both skidded and waved the others through.
"This way, quickly!" Cuore all but ordered, taking off at full speed again.
"But…what is that?!" Ceodore called.
Kieran gave him an irritated look. "A fucking dragon, so move it!"
"A dragon?!" Ursula repeated. That word kicked her into movement and she rushed off to where their friends had disappeared, complaining the whole way.
The current corridor they were in twisted and turned, the shaking and roaring continued. Their flight finally came to an abrupt end when a massive spiked tail smashed through the wall, swept through the hallway, and then smashed through the opposite wall. Two Uo'ru were caught in the sweep and impaled or crushed, Ceodore wasn't sure which.
The damage was intense to the area, and everything started coming apart. Another roar and two support beams of rusted metal snapped, dropping the ceiling on them. Ceodore heard Cuore let out a startled yelp, but lost sight of her in the rain of pebbles and dust.
Another sound echoed, and it took him a moment to realize it was the sound of spells being fired, probably at the dragon, but all it did was make more of the area unstable. He gave up trying to keep track of anything and just dropped to the floor, pulling Ursula with him to avoid another torrent of dust.
He felt more then saw the flooring beneath them buckle and split, but they didn't fall. The whole space just dropped for a moment, and then came to a halt as a spite of rock burst through an area to his right.
The dust had settled somewhat, and he saw the mangled body of another Uo'Ru nearby, completely still.
If this dragon was TinSouRe's doing, it was by far the most deadly thing they'd fought.
She wouldn't care if the whole area came down around them, so long as the core still worked. And judging by how fast the place seemed to be coming apart, he was going to say that her plan was working.
There was a rumble and then a clang and one of the pipes from the way cracked and began spilling glowing, vaporous…something from it.
"We need to move," Ceodore shouted over the din of destruction.
He had no idea what that stuff did, but he was going to guess it wasn't good.
Yanking Ursula up with him, he ran in the only direction that seemed safe at the moment, only to trip over a tangle of wires and nearly fall.
Ursula tugged his arm and pointed to an opening in the wall. "There!"
They sprinted for it and as they got closer, he felt someone grab his arm and pull at him. He stumbled into the small cavity and BarZenDao greeted him breathlessly. "I-I haven o idea where anyone else is, only a few of us made it this far."
And, indeed, there were only a handful of Uo'Ru inside, when before there had been a small army.
"Why do you have a dragon on this ship!" Ursula demanded.
BarZenDao glared at her, "Are you really asking that now? You already know what this ship is!"
He gestured to the Uo'Ru; "We don't have time to talk about it. We need to find a way to get out of here."
"Ideas?" Ceodore asked, trying to catch his breath.
They didn't any time to discuss, because the dragon was apparently still rampaging and even the hiding spot they had began to crumble.
"How many people can you cat float on?" BarZenDao asked suddenly.
Ceodore blinked at the random question. "Huh? Um…I don't know, at least four."
"Then cast it, and I will use my magic on the rest."
Ursula gave him a look. "What are you planning?"
"It's not my plan, it's JiWu's idea." BarZenDao replied, as if that helped in the slightest. Ceodore didn't bother questioning the order and merely cast the spell.
The moment they were all airborne, one of the Uo'Ru cast a different spell and the floor was blown out from underneath them.
Ceodore and Ursula both winced, and watched as it fell away.
Below, there was another tunnel, but it was collapsed. The one beneath it was revealed with another spell, and it gave way to more solid footing, it seemed.
A larger room where one side had been sheered cleaned off and was now rock, not metal.
The Uo'Ru were able to manipulate the float spell to guide them down safely, something Ceodore had never seen done before. It would have been impressive, if not for the fact that a dragon was on the loose.
They landed in the room, and it was pitch black. Lights sprung up from the Uo'Ru and Ceodore could still hear the creature above them, destroying everything in it's path.
"We're going to have to fight that beast," BarZenDao commented. "It will only continue to rampage through the area and we'll never make it to TinSouRe at this rate."
"Any ideas on how to take down a dragon?" Ursula asked.
BarZenDao gave her a weird look. "You are acting like this is a strange creature,"
"It is!" she snapped.
Ceodore sighed, "We don't have dragons on our planet, BarZenDao."
"Oh." the boy said.
There was a shuffle from the other side of the room, and Cuore peeked around one of the pillars of stone that pierced the floor and ceiling. She blinked and then exhaled sharply. "I was hoping everyone had made it out safely,"
"Well, not all." Ceodore commented, nodding to the dwindling number of Uo'Ru.
Cuore glanced at them, eyes darting to take count before she returned her attention to her friends. "Kieran's not with you?"
Ceodore had to admit, he had been worrying about Cuore and Kieran the whole time. He hated being separated down in this place, and even more so now.
"I'm sure he's fine," Ursula quickly commented.
She didn't sound wholly convinced.
Cuore obviously didn't believe her, and bit her lip, looking upwards as the sounds of crashing continued.
"Is anyone hurt?" Ceodore asked, trying to take his mind off of impending doom and fear over his friend's whereabouts.
Cuore had made it to stand at their side and was cradling her hand to her chest. "I fell, and I think I broke my hand."
He winced and held his hands out to her, taking a look. He carefully turned her hand over and over, knowing that she was correct.
Ceodore chanted the incantation to mend her broken bones, noticing that as he worked, her attention was diverted to the rest of the cavern.
He had no doubt she was worry about the situation, but more then likely her biggest fear was where Kieran was. He, too, was concerned that they had gotten separated from their friend, not to mention the literal dragon roaming around while said friend was missing.
Still, he had to believe that Kieran was fine.
After all, there was nothing he could do anyway, and the young man had a way of finding trouble but somehow managing to make it out of said trouble without dying.
"There," Ceodore said, drawing Cuore's gaze back. "Good as new. But it might feel stiff for a little bit. You know the drill, newly mended and all that…"
Cuore nodded and offered a obvious forced grin. "Yes, thank you."
Her eyes drifted to the Uo'Ru who had survived, standing somewhat behind them. BarZenDao was nodding and shaking his head occasionally, looking like perhaps they were conversing.
"Did you figure out a plan to stop TinSouRe?" Cuore asked.
Ursula frowned. "An idea, not a plan. It might work, actually, but right now…how do we even get to her?"
"Yes," BarZenDao cut in, glancing over. "That was what we were just discussing."
"Any ideas?" Ceodore asked. "I'm not sure how to fight…that."
BarZenDao frowned. "A Dov'Ah-Mut?*"
"We don't have those, remember?" Cuore replied. "We call them dragons, and some were around a long, long time ago, but now there aren't any."
"Oh, right." BarZenDao muttered. "They are formable foes, and among some of the most powerful creatures ever present on Lun'Na. They are resistant to magic, as well as physical attacks since their skin is dense. There are soft spots, though."
The room shook and dust rained down from the roof, as if reminding them the dragon was hanging around.
"Well, those soft spots better be easy to hit," Ursula complained, looking up. "Because we are going to have to fight that thing sooner or later."
"I was just discussing that with the Uo'Ru," BarZenDao said, sounding hesitant. "That creature has been genetically altered."
"Oh, fantastic…" Ursula grumbled.
Ceodore winced and Cuore crossed her arms. "Altered how?" she demanded.
"It is integrated with mechanical components, crossed with several species of Dov'Ah-Mut and also this one seems to be equipped with armor."
Ceodore bit his lip, "Alright, so how do we fight it?"
He wasn't even going to bother asking why they had made such a thing. He wouldn't get a straight answer, and if he did, he wouldn't like.
"I'm not sure. It seems that the Lunarians in charge of the project has since died."
Ursula rolled her eyes. "Great."
"Are you talking about killing that horrible thing?" a voice called from somewhere to the right, up, and in the darkness.
"Kieran?!" Ursula exclaimed, squinting in the general direction of the voice.
There was some rustling, a scoff, and a thud; "No, it's that other person you came down here with,"
Ceodore rolled his eyes but hurried over to where his friend was currently climbing down. There was some sort of small, rounded tube in the wall that seemed undamaged.
Kieran dropped to the ground and grimaced before nodding back to the tube. "I found some sort of duct system. At least the dragon couldn't bite me in there…"
"Are you alright?" Ceodore asked, only to get cut off as Cuore asked the same question with much more urgency.
Kieran nodded, "Yeah, for the most part. I got lucky by falling into that duct system, but the fall banged me up a bit."
Ceodore blinked, "Uh huh, and the huge gash that missed your eye by like an inch?"
"I said banged up a bit," Kieran retorted.
Ursula rolled her eyes, but seemed relieved to see him in one piece. "Well, we're glad you are okay. We were starting to get worried."
"There were a few Uo'Ru that escaped from the dragon, but we got separated by a wall collapsing. I have no idea where they ended up." Kieran added, brushing dust off his clothes. "I think it's just us, now."
"Great, smaller numbers is just what we needed." Ursula complained.
"Numbers don't win battles," Cuore reminded smartly.
Ceodore refrained from making a comment about that particular statement.
Kieran frowned, "I heard you talking about this dragon. What's the plan to kill it? We need to get rid of it to stop TinSouRe."
"Um….yeah, we didn't get that far," Ceodore admitted. "Seems like this is going to be easier said then done."
"It's been modified to survive," BarZenDao said, wandering up. "We should move. The Uo'Ru are restless in this space. If the dragon were to collapse it, there is no where to go."
"So you want us into tunnels it can also collapse?" Cuore asked. "This entire ship is no where to face a creature that size. I, for one, would rather fight it here. There's space to move."
"Agreed." Kieran seconded. "We can't fight it if we're too busy avoiding walls and floors and ceilings."
Ceodore and Ursula exchanged a glance.
"I agree too," she said.
Ceodore nodded.
BarZenDao frowned. "That might be a fine plan, but how do you propose we get it down here to fight it? And also there is the matter of how to fight it…"
"Dragons have weak points," Kieran said. "But I heard that bit about it being special or whatever. Still, the joints, the eyes, the base of the skull. We just have to hit it somewhere to topple it over."
They all stared at him.
He scowled, "I read books,"
"And you assume they are true?" BarZenDao countered.
"Well they are native to your planet, how do you think we should stop it?" Kieran fired back.
BarZenDao frowned. "I do not know. I've never actually seen one before today."
The room shook again.
"Either way, we need a plan. And why haven't we blown up yet?" Ursula asked.
Cuore shook her head. "I have no idea. I'm not sure what is taking TinSouRe so long, but I am grateful for it. She might be carefully calculating the required Vesper. After all, she only has one chance."
Before they could continue their discussion, a wall burst apart and the dreaded dragon made it's appearance.
For the first time, Ceodore got a good look at the beast.
All things considered, it was small, for a dragon anyway. He'd seen Bahamut, and this one was smaller, but it's scales glinted red to black, like embers. There were spots along its' body where there was odd seams, as if it had been put together.
The eyes were wild and glowing hot orange. There was intensity in the gaze, but nothing else, as if the creature had no mind. It's talons curling against the metal flooring, raking deep trenches in them.
"Uh…" he said, backing up and drawing his blade slowly. "The plan?"
"I'm open to suggestions," Ursula whispered back. "It's not like I can hit it really hard and win the day,"
Cuore's katanas were already in her hands. "We have the advantage of being small, fast targets."
The Uo'Ru wasted no time in launching a collection of spells at the beast, but all of them harmlessly fizzled against it's plated hide.
It growled, deep and rumbling, and the area shook.
"As I said, it is resistant to magic," BarZenDao repeated, backing up. Despite this, his fingertips were alight with magical sparks.
The dragon lunged into the room and began tearing it apart. The creature was frenzied.
Ceodore dropped to the ground as its' spiked tail slammed into a nearby wall, shattered the outer layer of metal to bits. It continued to claw the ground and rammed the side of its' head into another wall, denting it.
Everyone scattered.
One Uo'Ru wasn't quite fast enough and was snapped up in razor sharp jaws.
Ursula scrambled along the ground to avoid getting stepped on as the monster spun, looking for more prey.
Cuore was hurrying through a set of words he wasn't familiar with; "High seraph, with holy light bring nigh defeat to my enemies! Ultima, I summon thee!"
Ultima appeared in her regal and deadly guise, hovering in serenity amid the utter chaos of the room. There was something eerie about her lack of a reaction to anything going on.
Her golden eyes merely took the scene in before she tilted her head ever so slightly to look at Cuore.
The summoner wasted no time in shouting a command. "Ultima! I need physical and magical protection on us, now!"
The high seraph's wings opened to their full length and she lifted her arms. There was no flashy visuals to accompany the feeling, but Ceodore did feel a light brush against his skin, signaling that her protections were cast.
Honestly, he wasn't sure what such a flimsy spell would do against the creature they were fighting, but he had no better plan any way.
It turned out to be a good thing, because this dragon could, and did, breathe fire.
Ursula yelped and rolled once more, avoiding the worst of the flames. The magical protection kept her from getting burned too badly, but she still sword under her breath. Ceodore agreed, and noticed Kieran rip off a part of his jacket that was on fire and toss it away. He spared a quick glare at the dragon.
BarZenDao had opted to use magic rather then run, and as the flames died down, he exhaled and dropped his hands, unharmed.
The dragon stomped, and the whole room undulated, sending all off them to the ground. Even the Uo'Ru slammed into what was left of the floor.
Ceodore groaned an pushed himself to his hands and knees, noticing that a few spots of the ground had cracked, opening up to the darkness below.
The Uo'Ru launched another failed magical assault at the dragon, and Cuore ordered Ultima to protect them again, probably knowing the effects of the first spell were worn thin from the fight already.
The ground shook, and Ceodore peered through the opening splits to see that below this room was another space. Not as large, but open more then a tunnel. The ground was jagged and uneven, metal fused with rock. It looked like the very bottom of the ship possibly.
"There's another room below this one!" he called to BarZenDao. "Is there a way down there?"
"Without destroying the floor?" the boy snapped back.
Cuore glanced over, "That might not be a bad idea,"
"Wait, what?" Ursula said, looking up in a panic.
But no one had any time between dodging the dragon and the words to even ask Cuore what her plan was.
She shouted something to Ultima, but the command was lost amid another fiery strike from the monster, and a tail spin right after. Ceodore hit the ground hard on his shoulder and winced, but managed to lash out and up with his sword to catch the very end of the dragon's tail. If the beast noticed, it didn't react.
He did see blood on his sword, so he must have done some damage, at least.
There was a loud crash and a piece of the ceiling fell directly on the dragon's head, smashing into it with a loud 'crack'.
The dragon, in response, fell with its' full body weight into the ground. The floor caved into ward and Ceodore braced himself for a freefall and painful death.
That never came.
He opened his eyes and saw that they were floating, likely from a spell, and being gently lowered to the ground.
The dragon was laying still, slumped over some of the uneven rocks. His feet touched the ground gently, and the spell instantly released. Ceodore staggered from the sudden difference of weight, and noticed the human members of the group did as well.
Cuore didn't right herself at once and was panting, but grinned up at Ultima, who was likewise floating down.
"Reckless." The Eidolon chided in a monotone voice.
Cuore nodded to the dragon, "It worked, right?"
BarZenDao frowned, "It would appear so. The Uo'Ru are impressed."
Cuore smiled, but looked tired and waved a hand at Ultima. "Recover, and thank you."
The Eidolon dipped her head before vanishing.
As soon as Ultima was gone from view, Cuore fell to her hands and knees and coughed. Ceodore made a step in her direction, about to ask her if she was alright, but Kieran was closer and knelt down, eyeing the blue haired summoner.
"Whoa, are you alright?" he asked quietly.
He moved to touch her shoulder but stopped himself at the last second with an awkward, jerky motion. Ceodore wondered if there was something he was missing there, but didn't want to interrupt, even to check on her health.
Cuore nodded. "Yes. Ultima took a blow to the head. I didn't expect it to…disrupt the link so much. I'll be fine. That just took a lot of energy."
One of the Uo'Ru gestured to something and BarZenDao looked over, staring for a moment before nodding. He looked back to the group. "We believe we can use magic to get through these walls without bringing the whole area down on us. We need to move to get to the core. Are you alright?"
Cuore nodded, swallowing.
Ceodore wasn't so sure and eyed her warily. But he also knew that if her condition was magic based, there was nothing he could do to help. She needed rest, nothing else would do.
She got to her feet and swayed a bit, reaching out to Kieran's shoulder to steady herself.
The Uo'Ru used controlled, precise spells to begin forming a new pathway through the wall, bending and melting metal in parts between inner support beams.
It was amazing to see the masters of magic at work, and Ceodore sighed, wishing things could have, and would have, gone differently. There was so much the Lunarians could have taught them, and yet, there was so little time. Not to mention the darkness that the Lunarians always seemed to drag behind them would hamper any progress.
Still, he spared a moment for wishful thinking.
Ursula was watching them as well, but she seemed unfocused and he nudged her, cocking an eyebrow in questioning.
She adopted a lopsided smile. "I was just…thinking about what we're doing to do when we face TinSouRe."
"Hopefully this plan will work," he whispered, hoping none of the Uo'Ru could hear them.
The blonde sighed and crossed her arms. "I just wish we could warn the surface somehow."
He nodded. "Me too. But…we are here. Imagine if we hadn't of been."
"But how do we know this isn't out fault?" Ursula said, dropping her voice a moment later. "How do we know Guy's stupid bomb didn't set this all in motion? Without that, without us…maybe they never would have woken up, and without Cuore,"
She stopped herself and shook her head. "Never mind. Sorry…"
Ceodore frowned, glancing back at Cuore and Kieran, who were still a few paces away.
"I know. And…I guess we'll never know if this is our fault or not. But…but we're still here, and we still have a chance to stop this."
Ursula nodded, reaching out to take his hand and give it a squeeze. "There's no one I'd rather be fighting alongside of though then the four of us."
Ceodore grinned. "Agreed."
"Hey…guys…"
They look over to see Kieran pointing at the dragon. "This thing is twitching. Are we sure it's dead?"
Cuore had her blades back out. "I'd rather not find out. How much longer to get through those walls?"
BarZenDao shook his head. "Not long, they've almost broken through into a chamber very near the core."
Cuore's gaze snapped back to the dragon and she flipped her right-handed katana to an underhand grip, preparing to walk on it, likely to strike it in a weaker spot.
But the moment she touched the beast, it's eyes snapped open and everyone froze.
The monster roared to life, springing to his feet, wings open and tail lashing. Cuore was hit by a flail and gave a yelp as she struck the nearest wall.
She began to stagger to her feet as Kieran narrowly deflected a talon with his swallow. The force of the blow made him stumbled forward a few paces.
Ceodore and Ursula both made steps towards the dragon, but Kieran waved them back, shaking his head.
"No! Go! Get you TinSouRe. I'll hold off this thing."
"What?!" Ceodore exclaimed. It was the only thing he could think to say.
Looking irritated, Kieran shouted back as Cuore took a swipe at the dragon's leg before darting away.
"You know the Uo'Ru's plan, you two are the best option to go!"
"We're not just going to leave you here!" Ursula insisted.
"Just go!" Kieran snapped, making a pushing motion with his hands. "You need to stop TinSouRe!"
BarZenDao hesitated but spoke up; "He is right. The Uo'Ru have already departed. We need to join them. I'm not sure how much control TinSouRe will have over them once we get closer to her."
"But-" Ceodore said.
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Your world is in peril." He reminded bluntly. "I know how much this friendship means to you, but that must be put aside for the good of all."
He hesitated, but the words cut deep and were true.
Sparing one final glance at Kieran and Cuore, he hoped he was making the right decision.
"Alright, but then we need to hurry and stop her."
BarZenDao nodded and sped into the newly created darkness, towards the core.
Ceodore and Ursula joined him, heading towards either their death, or victory.
Author's Note:
Ha ha HA! Look what's back?! That's right, finally...I'm so sorry for the delay. I. Hate. This. Chapter. It took me forever to figure out how I wanted this to go, not to mention I had to get back into THIS world (You probably noticed other uploads, so switching back and forth is hard).
But yes, I'm so sorry for the delay. I also didn't edit this, I was just so excited to have it ready to post! So, I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. There's a few chapters left, yet, and I'm hoping that I can get those knocked out soon. I'd like to wrap this story up, and finally post the ending :)
I've enjoyed this story so much, but it's time to move on to other projects, and so I want to make sure this one gets done.
(Thanks everyone for sticking with this!)
Now, as for this chapter...it took forever. I was so annoyed at the start because I couldn't think how I wanted it to flow. But overall I think it's an "okay" chapter. I actually re-read ALL of SoH before picking this back up again...I'm super critical of my own works, but it was fun to re-read everything.
I realize there is a *gasp* swear word in this...but...I just felt like it was well placed enough to use it. Hope no one minded, but I mean...your being chased by a dragon, you probably would like that drop.
Please review if you are still reading this, I'd love to hear what you all think and chatting with people about the story gets me thinking up more cool things to write, so that's always good!
Until next time! ~
Your Lunarian lesson:
Un'Phar – "Gel" or, a semi-solid, semi-liquid form
ShiMil'Lae – "Repair" or, "To fix"
Dov'Ah-Mut – "Dragon" or, a certain creature of dragon-like appearance. Similar to Bahamut (Rendered Ba'Ha-Mut)
Ba'Ha – "Black" or "Darkness" – not the color, but more the absence of light (Wasn't in this story, but I thought that since Bahamut is "from" the moon, maybe his name inspired the Lunarians, or vice-versa.)
