And here is Chapter 18!
Admittedly, I'm not too proud of this chapter. It's really short and I feel like it could have been done better. I'll explain more at the bottom.
Also, it's a two POV chapter. I originally planned it to just be Harvey only, but his segment was so short that I felt the need to include a Cyclone segment as well.
I still hope you enjoy!
POV: Harvey
Everything was falling apart.
Even after beating the two strange Rainwings, he still got captured. By Aster, no less. And with Darkstalker right there, there was no hope of escape for Harvey.
It's over for me. Even with the Moon Rock protecting me from spells, they can still decide to not use spells.
The only good thing is that Cyclone managed to get away. Hope wasn't lost yet for him. If he can find the right dragons, maybe Darkstalker could be defeated.
Shortly after he got caught, Glory's and some of her troops arrived at the scene. The fact that troops were needed showed how much of a threat Harvey was. Just running away for my life makes me dangerous.
Right now, Harvey was being carried off in a cage by Glory's troops. The bars were so close together that Harvey couldn't fit through them.
"Make sure to keep an eye on that scavenger", sternly said Darkstalker.
"I've given you the best Rainwing soldiers in the Rainforest", replied Glory. "That scavenger is not going to get away".
"Just be careful", Darkstalker said with a serious tone. "That scavenger is not in any of my visions and my magic won't work on it".
In the corner of his eye, Harvey saw Aster staring at him. Her scales remained pale magenta, with even some gold mixed into it. What the hell do those colors mean?
Harvey thought back to what Aster said back at the pond. So, she's apparently in love with me. Had Darkstalker not interfered, what would I have done?
Little was said between any of the dragons as they marched through the Rainforest. Harvey sat in silence, staring glumly in front of him. He tried breaking open the cage bars, but they were way too strong. All he could do was sit and wait.
Finally, they entered the Rainwing village. Unlike last time, there were only a few dragons flying about. Through the thickness of the trees, Harvey could see one of the moons. It appeared to be in a crescent.
"I got it from here", said Darkstalker, smiling to the queen.
"Of course, the big scary king can handle things on his own", said Glory sarcastically.
"Watch your tone, Glory. Remember who owns the coolest kingdom on Pyrrhia", said Darkstalker, in a tone that invited a response.
"That would be me, yes", replied Glory, her scales a dark purple. "The Rainforest is the greatest place on this planet".
Darkstalker chuckled at that. "Keep telling yourself that, Mrs. Magical Death Spit", he said, taking the cage with Harvey inside from the troops.
"NEVER call me 'Mrs. Magical Death Spit' ever again", Glory angrily said, her scales suddenly filled with Red.
"Understood, Queen of the Sarcastic Society", replied Darkstalker with a laugh. He took off, with Aster close behind.
Darkstalker flew above the Rainforest canopy, probably due to his massive size forbidding him from flying in the Rainforest itself. Above the trees, Harvey could see the moons glowing in the sky. It feels strange thinking of it in plural form. Only one moon on Earth, after all.
After flying for a few minutes, Darkstalker dove beneath the canopy once again, startling a couple of birds. Below the canopy was a strange dome shaped house, except there were no rooms or windows. There were a few nearby huts, but they looked abandoned somehow.
"Open up", Darkstalker rumbled.
And suddenly, a door appeared on the dome. Wow Darkstalker, using magic to make a room that can only be entered by saying those words. I bet it makes you seem so cool.
"Whoa. What's this?", asked Aster from behind, startling Harvey. He forgot that Aster had been following along.
"The room that will change Pyrrhia forever", said Darkstalker ominously. "It's enchanted to take down any magical shields this scavenger may have".
That's not how it works Darkstalker. I think.
Suddenly, the roof of the cage disappeared above him. "It's time to take this guy in", said Darkstalker. He reached his talons in and grabbed Harvey roughly by the waist. Darkstalker's claws were dangerously close to scratching Harvey.
Harvey made a grunting noise as Darkstalker held tight on to Harvey. Something felt missing, but there was nothing he could think of as they all entered the dome.
Then Darkstalker loosened his grip a bit, causing something to hit the ground and roll to the side of the room. What was that?
Darkstalker growled something. The dome door disappeared and that's when Harvey realized what it was. THAT BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN-
Suddenly, Harvey was dropped to the ground roughly. More growling from above. Harvey panickedly felt into his pockets, but he only felt air. In his right pocket, there was a hole on the other side, where his Moon Rock once was.
And then, he began to float. IT'S GONE.
Darkstalker appeared to make a pleased growl. He suddenly held out his talon and a rock appeared. The same rock from the palace! He's about to talk isn't he.
"Well well, at last, your shield is broken", Darkstalker said, smirking. "Animus Magic can't be outmatched".
"DARKSTALKER! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!", yelled Harvey from mid-air.
"It's simple. I can see you would be a benefit to my plans", Darkstalker answered. "And of course, I did promise Aster something".
Aster stood next to Darkstalker, looking right at Harvey. Without the moon rock, Harvey couldn't understand what she was saying.
"You're doing this against my will!", shouted Harvey.
"Oh ho, but not doing it would be against MY will, wouldn't it?", Darkstalker shot back.
"What kind of response is that?! I'm just a scavenger trying to go h-home!", shouted Harvey again. His throat was getting scratchy from the yelling he was doing.
"Oh by the way, this rock is enchanted so Aster can understand us both", said Darkstalker, completely ignoring Harvey's comment. "If you got any words to say to her, I'd do it".
"You just completely ignored my comment!", Harvey shouted again. It was getting harder to shout now.
"Where is your home?', Darkstalker asked, with a strange force behind it. Harvey had no plans to answer, but he suddenly felt an urge to do it. NO! THIS MUST BE THE MAGIC.
"Not this p-la-net", struggled out Harvey, trying to fight back against the magic. It wasn't enough to stop it.
"Interesting. Any final words Harvey?", Darkstalker asked.
This is it isn't it? I need to vent.
"Aster, this is for you. You've betrayed my trust", said Harvey, emotions piling up. "I had a mission. I had promises to keep. And it's all over, because of you".
That was much harsher than Harvey had intended, but he had to say it. He and Cyclone could have escaped, if not for Aster tackling Harvey. I'm never going to return home, am I?
Darkstalker dropped the rock, looking a little shocked from what Harvey said. He fixed his expression quickly however. Aster, on the other hand, looked extremely hurt, with blue scales chasing away the magenta scales.
Darkstalker began to growl and roar in what seemed like a sequence. He finished, and suddenly, Harvey felt really heavy. He collapsed to the ground, the sound fading out from around him. His body felt like it was changing.
It is over.
NO! IT'S NOT OVER.
All Hail Darkstalker.
STOP TRYING TO TAKE OVER MY MIND.
This is for the best. Accept your new form.
No…..
Yes.
N-N-No…..
YES.
N-Y-Yes.
Accept it!
Harvey did not respond, for he had been knocked out. Some mysterious force knocked him out before his mind had completely fallen.
POV: Cyclone
Cyclone woke up in the Rainforest, blinking his eyes. The dream was starting to fade away, but he missed it already.
Who was that in my dream? It looked like Harvey, but bigger somehow.
He tried to get up, but flares of pain were sent through his ribs. It was still night, which meant Cyclone did not sleep long.
On his second attempt, Cyclone did get up successfully, despite the pain. Now, Cyclone needed to get to the Mud Kingdom, somehow. Alone, with no one to help or talk to.
Do I really have to do this alone?
Cyclone could have tried going to the Rainwing Village for help, but he knew that could end badly for him. No one could be trusted, if the theory that Darkstalker had a spell on everyone was true.
Which made him wonder, for a second, why he was even going to the Mud Kingdom in the first place. Cyclone had to remind himself that Moorhen did not accept Darkstalker's rule completely, which could mean he wouldn't be handed over right away.
Still, it was risky. And even if the Mudwings didn't hand him over, there was still the issue of actually getting there. Just do what you were doing before you fell asleep. Pick a random direction and go!
Cyclone saw a red parrot and decided to go in the direction it was sitting in. There was no particular reasoning for why, it just felt like the right direction. Or really, I'm just making up things to make it feel like the right choice.
He walked by himself in silence, trying his best to ignore the rainforest sounds around him. The amount of different buzzing noises was getting annoying, but there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was move forward.
Occasionally, Cyclone would take breaks. Either he would get hungry, his ribs would hurt too much or he got worried a Rainwing was nearby.
I miss Harvey. The little scavenger was a little too blunt about things, but Cyclone quite enjoyed his company. And despite not being from this planet, Harvey had seemed to already know more about what to do than he did.
What is Darkstalker planning to do with him?
Somehow, Cyclone had a feeling that Darkstalker wasn't going to kill Harvey. At least, not in the traditional sense of killing. Whatever it was, though, he was 99% sure it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.
As Cyclone was resting by a tree full of different colored birds, he suddenly heard rustling from behind him. Some voices were nearby as well.
"Where are you Mangrove?!", a female voice shouted. "Orchid has been looking for you!".
Mangrove? Isn't that one of the dragons who helped Glory win the throne?
Suddenly, a Nightwing appeared behind the trees, not having noticed Cyclone yet. In response, he moved to let the tree cover him a little more.
"Mangrove!", the Nightwing shouted. "It's Secretkeeper!". She moved away from the tree, looking through the bushes.
Before she completely disappeared, Cyclone suddenly felt a strange sinking feeling in his gut.
As if a friend of his had disappeared.
Well, that was short. Again, I'm not too proud of this chapter and I might revisit it in the future to change it up.
This chapter was mainly to set up the next chapter, which, unlike this one, I am VERY proud of. I can't wait to show it to you guys!
So, see you tomorrow!