Review Responses:
aRandomSunwing - I've actually got something even funnier in mind!
spyrostar3 - I'm glad it wasn't cringy in a cringy way!
Chapter 42: Trapped
The Domed City
Early Afternoon
"I'd hoped we'd meet again, our last encounter did end rather...abruptly, didn't it?" Darkstalker mused, his lithe form towering above the city streets. "I must say that I'm quite pleased with the way things have turned out, seeing you here in my city."
"You know this Darkstalker too?" Luna whispered to Hidden, eyeing the titanic NightWing standing before them.
Hidden nervously chuckled. "We passed through his timeline a little while back, and we might have bumped him into one of those no-go timelines you told us about…." he whispered back. Luna shuddered, the thought of being sent to one of those horrible places chilling her to the bone.
"Let's see, there's the SandWing, the 'EarthWing', and I believe one of those pesky scavengers is in that metal dragon there." Darkstalker said, pointing to each of them in turn. Luna noticed Hidden tense up when he called Maple a "scavenger".
"You're a new one though, aren't you?" Darkstalker asked, pointing to Luna. The SilkWing froze, seeing a frown spread across the NightWing's face. "Ah, so you're the one who told them about that horrid place." he continued.
Luna quickly focused on a wall of burning flames, a basic technique for blocking out mind readers. Darkstalker grinned, clearly having sensed her mental block.
He's the real deal, that's for sure. Luna thought, remembering the unusual, non-magical Darkstalker from back on the Salvation. If only I had some skyfire like Hidden….
"Something seems different about you…." Hidden began. Darkstalker grinned, turning his attention to the SandWing.
"Well, I suppose you could say that the strength of six Darkstalkers rests within me now." he replied, his numerous teardrop scales glistening in the sunlight.
The NightWing glanced around at the gathering crowd of onlookers, now having grown to a couple dozen dragons. "Perhaps we should take this somewhere more...private." he suggested, reaching for a silver bracelet on his left foreleg. He tapped a smooth blue stone inlaid into the shiny metal, and in an instant, the city disappeared, replaced by a large stone chamber.
Ornate columns ran along the sides of a wide red carpet, leading up to a massive obsidian throne. Sunlight gleamed in through bright stained glass windows, depicting various scenes of dragons battling Othermind infected zombies. A solid gold chandelier hung above the group, its candles flickering as it floated in midair.
"You like it?" Darkstalker asked, slithering up to his throne and plopping himself down upon it, staring down at the group with his head resting on one of his talons. "I'll admit that for a throne room, it's rather...basic. Though I think the windows were a nice touch."
The NightWing shifted around on his throne, a victorious grin on his face. "I must thank you for walking right into my city, though I guess it wouldn't have been much trouble just to teleport you here the moment you arrived in this world." he stated, "Speaking of which, there appears to be one more of you who hasn't come in yet."
Luna noticed a wave of terror instantly sweep across Hidden's face, as the NightWing pulled a small pebble out of a pouch tied around his right foreleg, muttering something to it. He tossed it to the floor in front of the group, the pebble disappearing the instant it touched the ground, in its place standing a familiar, red scaled SkyWing.
"Wh-What the...w-where am I?! What's happening?!" Ricky yelped, whipping his head around in terror and confusion. He quickly spotted his brother, nearly the same amount of fear on the SandWing's face, and darted over to him, standing beneath his outstretched wing as he fearfully looked up at the towering NightWing before them.
"I-Is th-that…." Ricky sputtered.
"Yep." Hidden replied, turning to his brother, "You alright bro?"
"I-I think so." Ricky replied.
"Now then, it seems you all are here." Darkstalker began, clapping his foretalons together. "That is, all of you who came to this world. It seems there's a few still hiding away on that ship of yours, including that pathetic imposter."
"What do you want with us?" Lin growled, standing tall despite Darkstalker's imposing presence.
"Oh, nothing at all, really." Darkstalker replied, "You're already here, and there's no way for you to escape now and cause me any further troubles." He chuckled, staring at one of the stained glass windows, depicting dragons flocking into the domed city, Darkstalker standing above them all with his arms outstretched across the city's barrier in a protective gesture. "I'll admit that I was a little skeptical about the futures I saw of you all walking in here of your own accord, considering what happened last time." he continued, "But, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"
"Can't we just portal out of here?" Hidden asked, briefly glancing at Luna's slipdrive.
Darkstalker let out a loud, bombastic laugh, causing the whole chamber to shake. "You think I hadn't thought of that?!" he said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Nobody can open any sort of inter-timeline gateways in here. Even if your friends came with their big golden ship, they'd only get trapped beneath my protective shield, just as you are now."
He paused, taking a moment to regain his composure. "You should be relieved, though, because now you can live out the rest of your lives in the safety of this wonderful city of mine. I'm sure you know that I could do much worse to you if I wanted." he continued, "But, your cooperation has me in a good mood, and besides, everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?"
Yeah, a second chance to wipe out the IceWings. Luna thought, anxiously glancing at the rigid IceWing guards standing at attention near the entrances to the chamber. Darkstalker briefly turned toward her, frowning, before turning back to the group as a whole.
"So, are you gonna enchant us? Brainwash us like you did all those townsfolk?" Hidden asked, taking a warry step back.
"Oh no! I never enchanted any of the townsfolk, I assure you!" Darkstalker replied, the group staring at him skeptically.
"Look." Darkstalker continued, "All I had to do was provide a safe haven from the Othermind, and dragons would flock to me! And it was entirely their choice to come in here, knowing they could never leave."
"Well it doesn't seem like everyone fell for your little scheme." Luna commented, remembering the other Ricky, who was likely still sitting with the shuttle outside the barrier.
"That was their decision, and they have to live with it." Darkstalker replied coldly.
Suddenly, a small device around Darkstalker's ear let out a soft beep, Luna recognizing it as a holographic PDA similar to her's. The NightWing let out an annoyed groan, rubbing a golden ring on his right talon, a black, semi-transparent bubble expanding around him, blocking out any sound from inside. He pressed a button on his PDA, entering a voice only call between himself and some unknown individual.
Luna stared curiously at the holographic display hovering before Darkstalker, attempting to make out the name of the caller, but unable to clearly distinguish anything through the tinted bubble. After a brief conversation, Darkstalker switched off his PDA, rubbing his ring once again to diminish the bubble, and staring down at the group with an annoyed expression on his face.
"While I'd like to continue this little conversation, it appears that I'm needed elsewhere." he grumbled irritably. "Please do make yourselves at home, you won't be going anywhere any time soon."
"Wait, hold on!" Hidden shouted, but before he could continue, the NightWing had already tapped the blue stone, him and the throne room vanishing as the group was teleported back onto wide circular street running around the central fortress. Most of the dragons from before had gone on their way, though those that remained turned to stare at the strange dragons once again.
The group paused, regaining their bearings, and looked up to see the massive NightWing flying up from the fortress, straight towards the top of the dome. He seamlessly passed through the barrier, quickly disappearing through a slipstream the moment he was through.
"Welp." Hidden said, turning to the group, "Now what?"
Nobody spoke up, the hushed murmurings of the watching dragons drifting through the air around them. Luna was at a complete loss, partly debating whether she'd rather have turned into a zombie than be trapped in this prison.
Suddenly, a SeaWing from the surrounding crowd came running up to the group, stopping right in front of Ricky. The SkyWing took a step back, staring down at the SeaWing in confusion.
"R-Ricky…? Is that you?" the SeaWing asked. They seemed to be about as old as Ricky, though oddly small for a dragon their age. Their scales were a pale blue, their turquoise green eyes practically glowing with hopefulness.
"Yes…?" Ricky replied, casting a sideways glance toward his brother.
Hidden thought for a moment, before stepping in between the two. "Your name wouldn't be Krill, would it?" he asked. The SeaWing nodded, Hidden donning an amused grin. "Ah, well, this is Ricky, but not the Ricky you're thinking of. It's a...long story."
"Oh...uh, sorry…." Krill replied disappointedly, taking a timid step back as he looked between Ricky and the rest of the group. "But, you know him, don't you?"
Ricky nodded, and a glimmer of hope reappeared on Krill's face. The SeaWing turned towards a side street branching off of the central loop, and then back toward the group.
"You can tell me the whole story back at my place, it's not far." Krill offered, motioning for them to follow, "Besides, you're new here, right? You'll need a place to stay for the time being."
The pale blue SeaWing turned around, making his way toward the side street. He briefly turned back to see if the group was following, Hidden taking a step forward.
"Well, it'd be rude not to take him up on his offer, and it's not like we have any better ideas." he stated, following along behind Krill, the rest of the group trailing after him.
The Domed City
Krill's Apartment
Afternoon
Krill lived on the second floor of a narrow stone building, wedged between a smithy and a butchery near the edge of the city, the semi-transparent barrier touching down right at the end of the street. On the first floor of the building was a glassware shop owned by the SeaWing, selling a wide variety of beautiful talon-crafted pieces that reflected the sunlight in a dazzling display of colors.
Luna was laying on a raised slab of stone, a few colorful cushions tossed about, staring out of the only window of the small apartment at the twisting tower at the center of the city. She sighed, wondering how they were going to escape Darkstalker's prison. Even with the powerful NightWing gone, his enchantments still stood, and who knew when he'd be back?
Suddenly, a tiny, dark shadow caught her eye, flying out of the top of the tower towards the continent. It quickly disappeared from view, but it was soon followed by a dozen more, surging out of the tower's apex like volcanic rocks spewing out during an eruption.
"Hey, uh, Krill?" she asked, turning back towards the apartment, "What are those things flying out of the top of the tower?"
Krill shrugged. "Not sure, it just does that sometimes." he explained, "The King said it's part of the enchantment creating the force field." Luna frowned, turning back to the tower. Knowing Darkstalkers, that was only half of the truth, if not less so.
The SeaWing grunted, lifting up a large pot filled with stew he'd been simmering for the past hour out from a small indoor cookfire built into the wall of the apartment. He set it down on a low table near the center of the chamber, Hidden and Ricky looking up from their PDAs as drops of the steaming broth sloshed out of the pot. The SeaWing quickly moved to a row of cabinets hung above the cookfire, pulling out a couple stacks of bowls as Lin and Luna stepped over to the table. Maple came over as well, opening the Reggie-tron's chest cavity and hopping down onto the table.
"Oh, uh...I didn't think there was a scavenger in there!" Krill said in surprise as he set a bowl out for each of the dragons, an unsettled look briefly crossing Hidden and Ricky's faces. "I'll see if I have something smaller."
"Don't think I'll ever get used to that…." Hidden muttered, scooping some of the stew into his bowl with a large metal ladle, it's fragrant aroma filling the room.
"It's alright, I'm not that hungry right now anyway." Maple said, Krill turning to her with a surprised look. He stared at the human for a moment, before sitting down at the crowded table with everyone else.
"Wow, you guys really are from another world, aren't you?" he asked, scooping some stew into his bowl. "Sorry I mistook you earlier for the Ricky I know, I should have known better, since you don't have any of his battle scars."
"It's fine, really!" Ricky replied with a friendly grin, "I mean, in a way, I'm just a different version of your Ricky."
Krill sighed, a look of solemn longing in his eyes. "Yeah...I guess I just really hoped that it was him...you know?"
"How'd you come to know this other Ricky anyway?" Hidden asked, taking a sip of his stew, his eyes bulging as the boiling hot liquid touched his mouth. He quickly set his bowl down, forcing himself to swallow before he could spew the hot stew on everyone, his black tongue hanging out as he gasped for air.
"Ahhh...ow...that's...that's really hot…." he wheezed. The group chuckled, and even Lin had a slight smile on her face.
"We first met back around the beginning of the Othermind's spread." Krill explained, as the laughter began to die down. "I was born pretty weak, and I never would have survived out there had Ricky not been there for me."
The pale SeaWing took a sip of his stew, longingly staring at the burning cookfire nearby. Hidden grinned, reaching into the pouch on his foreleg and pulling out a small makeshift device. He pushed a button on its side, a red LED light illuminating as he held it up to his mouth.
"Hey, Ricky! You still there?" he asked into the device, attracting the attention of both his brother and the reminiscing SeaWing.
"Hidden? Doesn't that thing only send morse code?" Ricky asked.
"Not anymore." the SandWing replied.
There was a brief moment of silence, everyone at the table patiently waiting for a response, when a light static buzzed through the device's speakers.
"Hidden?! Wha-Where are you?!" the voice of the other Ricky asked.
"R-Ricky?! Is that you?!" Krill shouted, leaping from his seat and rushing over next to Hidden, a look of pure elation on his face.
"Krill?!" the other Ricky replied.
"Yes! It's me!" Krill exclaimed excitedly, tears welling up in his eyes, "I...I can't believe it's actually you! It's been…*sniff*...so long! Are you alright?"
"Yeah...I think so…." the other Ricky replied, "You doin' good in there pal?"
Krill nodded, despite the other Ricky being unable to see him. "Yeah, things are great here! I'm with these dragons from another world right now! Though, I'm sure you already know that…."
"Oh, yeah...uh...Hidden?" the other Ricky began, "I uh...I think your Ricky got turned into a pebble…."
A brief silence fell over the group, Hidden and Ricky turning to each other in confusion. "Uh, no...I'm here with them." Ricky explained, "Darkstalker must have swapped me and the pebble's places."
"Oh, yeah, and thanks for telling us that Darkstalker runs this place!" Luna butted in, talons clenched.
"I...didn't think that was important…." the other Ricky replied, Luna letting out a frustrated snort. She felt half ready to strangle the eyepatched SkyWing with her flamesilk, were they not separated by an impenetrable barrier.
"So uh, you want me to bring the shuttle in there…somehow?" the other Ricky continued.
"No! No...just, wait there." Hidden quickly replied, "The shuttle's much more useful out there than it is in here."
"But how're you gonna get out of there?" the other Ricky asked.
Hidden paused, turning to the window, the tower looming off in the distance. "We'll think of something…." he said, an excited twinkle in his eye.
AN:
[Please Read]
I was hoping on using this thanksgiving break to get through all the rest of the chapters of this episode, but currently I've only gotten a page into the next chapter, with the rest of it roughly laid out. Got stuck on dialogue again, as usual. Despite my writing having likely improved over the course of this story, I still often loose confidence in it, and worry that my chapters don't have consistent characterization or decent, non-repetitive dialogue, or have various plot holes because I forgot to establish something in a previous chapter. Again, thinking about this as a rough draft that I'll rewrite in the future can help with this, but it still bugs me to continue writing knowing that this version of the story isn't the best that it can be, and that it is likely rushed. Part of me wants to start over here and now, but I'm so close to the finale, which in itself has many things I'm uncertain about and want to get feedback on, that getting back here could easily take a year. I just don't know what I should do, should I tone down the release schedule, or just keep going to the end and then get a bunch of feedback and start fresh from there. I still want this story to be a bit of an experience, and for people to be able to go in blind, too. I'm just so conflicted.
Anyway, this chapter was proofread yesterday, and there might be some minor things wrong with it. I'd love to hear any helpful criticism that could help me in the coming chapters. I'm already worried that the way they escape the city will be too convenient and easy, but I want this episode to be wrapped up in the next two chapters so I can start working towards the finale. Any constructive criticism at all will be helpful, as well as suggestions for how I could fix these issues. I really want this story to be the best it can, despite the somewhat rushed release schedule.
How will Luna and the others escape Darkstalker's domed city? Will they escape before the animus NightWing returns? Stay tuned!
