I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.
Law Factory
Cade walked out of the teleporter room and looked around at Zenebatos. There were small machines shaped like birds flying around the ruins of the city in the distance, and he could see a few monsters here and there. The others stepped out behind him, also looking around.
"Zenebatos really is still active," Rose said.
"We need to find the Signet Sphere quickly," Dart said.
Just then, one of the machines flew down to hover over them, shrieking at them. "WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! ZENEBATOS IS UNDER MARTIAL LAW! LEAVE THE CITY AT ONCE!"
Cade rolled his eyes as it flew away, screaming about the city being invaded by humand and ordering the long-dead Winglies to take shelter in Kadessa. Cade looked up at the area above the teleporter room, seeing a glowing blue object that looked like it might be a teleporter. He flew up to it and landed in front of it, finding one of the small machines hovering beside it. As he approached the machine, a massive blue creature that looked like a massive Skud Shark but with blue wings and a brown stone-like section down its middle and along its tail flew down to the ground by the others. Cade ignored it. If they had to fight it, the others would let him know. He walked over to the blue thing, seeing it was a control device. As he pressed the button, Meru stepped up beside him. As soon as the device was active, the machine began to shriek at them.
"THE LAW PROHIBITS HUMANS FROM GOING TO THE SIGNET SPHERE! THUS THE FLYING DISK CANNOT BE USED! WINGLY CODE ARTICLE SEVEN-ZERO-THREE! THE LAW PROHIBITS NON-WINGLIES FROM GOING TO THE SIGNET SPHERE!"
"I'm a Wingly," Cade said.
"So am I!" Meru said.
"MAGIC POWER AS A WINGLY ONLY RECOGNIZED IN ONE SUBJECT!" the machine shrieked. "TRASPORTATION ALLOWED IN ABSENCE OF HUMAN PRESENCE!"
Cade rolled his eyes and squatted down at the edge of the platform, looking down at the others. "I could go and try to stall Melbu Frahma. But you all would need to get the law changed quickly in order to follow. And I can't beat him alone."
"How do we do that?" Dart asked.
"There are three areas that you have to go to in order to change a law," Rose said. "First to the Legislation Center to propose changing a law, for which we need the law number, in this case Seven-Zero-Three, then to the Law Factory, then the Law Launcher."
"How did you learn how to change laws here?" Albert asked. "That seems an odd thing to learn during a war."
"I wasn't the one who learned it," Rose said. "One of the soldiers was held prisoner here for a few months. The machines here have no problem telling prisoners anything they ask, as long as the information isn't illegal."
"Useful," Meru said. "So, are we sending Cade ahead?"
"For now, let's all go to the Legislation Center together," Dart said.
Cade nodded and he and Meru dropped down to the others. They all turned and took the one path away from the teleporter, reaching an intersection with a flying disk to get from one path to the other. Beside it was a machine that screamed at them instantly, asking them where they wanted to go, listing the three places Rose had named before. They chose the Legislation Center and Dart, Rose, Albert, and Miranda all stepped onto the platform, which was too small for everyone. It left the walkway they were on and wove around for a moment before heading to the walkway on the right. Cade looked to the opposite path, seeing a small yellow machine shaped like the others with a floating sign hovering beside it, the sign like the one stuck in the ground outside Fort Magrad. He flew over to the machine and it began to shriek instantly.
"WINGLY AMENDED CODE THREE-THREE-NINE USAGE BY NON-WINGLIES OF SHOPS IS NOT PROHIBITED!"
The sign flashed and began to display options for various items to buy in modern human characters. Cade scanned through the options before stopping on an option for armor that would allow the wearer to be totally immune to magic of a specific element, and there was an option for every kind of magic except non-elemental. The only problem was that each required a piece of armor or clothing and an object of sufficient magical power of that element, which would be attached to the armor or clothing in order to power the spell.
"Hey guys!" Cade called over to them. "I found something worth checking out! Come over here!"
The others, who had all just finished gathering on their walkway, groaned but began to make their way over, Meru flying across herself.
"What's up?" Meru asked.
"Check this out," Cade said, selecting the water elememtal armor.
Meru read it. "Ooo, that sounds useful! Except, all I have for spare armor or clothing is this," she held up a small silver chain for a necklace, "and this is all I have for water magic." She held up her Dragoon Spirit."
"ACCEPTED!" the machine shrieked, a laser hitting both, both items flashing and disappearing, as did the exact cost of the armor, this time from Cade's coin pouch.
"Oh shit!" Meru gasped, then blinked as a laser hit her between her collarbones, leaving a silver chain around her neck with a silver ring around her Dragoon Spirit, suspending it about level with the "Y" in her top's chest straps. She glanced at Cade before transforming into a Dragoon, then back again, the necklace still around her neck.
"Want to test it?" Cade asked.
"Carefully, if you can," Meru said as the others arrived.
Cade swiped a hand through the air, and a single ice spike formed and shot toward Meru. She braced for the pain, but the icicle shattered against her skin harmlessly. She let out an excited cheer as the others arrived, staring at the necklace. Cade explained it to them, and they all bought armor of their element, using their Dragoon Spirits, except for Kongol, who had nothing to use in place of a Dragoon Spirit. For armor, Dart, Rose, Miranda, and Albert all used their cuirasses, and Haschel used a length of rope he had with him to make a necklace like Meru's.
"We should try to find an Earth type magic crystal for Kongol," Dart said.
"Hold on," Cade frowned, staring at the description for the Earth elemental armor. "It says it has the magic item in stock. It just need armor."
"Shoulder," Kongol grunted.
The machine fired a laser at his left pauldron as the sign did the same, and a moment later, the pauldron looked to be made out of stone the same color as his pauldron had been before. Rose frowned, standing on her toes to reach it, feeling it.
"That's the hide of an Earth Dragon," Rose said. "This is basically Dragoon Armor."
"Awesome!" Meru grinned. "Now Let's go change that law!"
They all headed to the other side again, Meru and Cade flying Kongol to save time and space, then headed along the path once they had everyone.
"I have to say, that was a good find, Cade," Miranda said.
"Thanks," Cade said as they walked onto a massive maze-like section of walkways filled with teleporters. Cade groaned. "Not this shit again."
They headed for the first teleporter, but just as they stepped off of its twin, a spike-like machine flew over, stopping in front of them.
"WINGLY CODE ARTICLE SIX-FIVE-NINE, APPREHENSION OF INTRUDERS, IN EFFECT!" the machine shrieked.
Everyone but Cade was suddenly enveloped in the usual green spheres, and all but one left. The other tried to go but fell back to the ground, depositing Kongol where he had been. The machine turned and raced away again.
"Well that's going to be changed," Cade said. "Kongol, head back to the flying disk and take it to the prison. I'll go to the Legislation Center and change the apprehension law. Tell Dart to change the Signet Sphere law."
Kongol nodded and turned, stomping away. However, just as Cade flew into the air to skip the teleporters, a massive pair of taloned feet crashed into his back, slamming him to the ground in the center of the maze. He reached back, pressing his palm to the gigantic bird's body before blasting it with a sphere of explosive magic, killing it. He stood, glancing at it, seeing it had been a little bigger than him and had had grey feathers. Just as he glanced at it, several piercing bird cries cut through the air from above, as did a cry that sounded like a cross between a woman's scream and a bird's, the cry belonging to a Harpy.
Cade looked up at thw half-dozen winged monsters flying toward him and drew his sword. They all swooped down at him together, and he extended his wings, flying up to meet them. The first two to meet him were birds, and he slashed a wing off of both, allowing them to fall to their deaths. The Harpy reached him next, slashing at him with its talons, but he flipped over it and slashed it up the back, killing it. as soon as he had, he spun, slashing the next bird and knocking it aside before flipping over the last monster and slicing its head off. Then, he turned, flying back down to the Legislation Center. He landed on a large open area, then walked to where several machines were forming a line behind two beams of blue light positioned with one above the other. He joined the line, waiting while each bill was passed easily, then walked to the center of the round area the other robots had been floating while the six machines floating around him voted on their bills.
"IS THIS A SUBMISSION OF A BILL?" one machine shrieked.
"No," Cade said. "Amendment."
"STATE THE NUMBER OF THE BILL TO BE REVISED!" the machine shrieked.
"Six-Five-Nine," Cade said.
"WINGLY CODE ARTICLE SIX-FIVE-NINE, DELIBERATION ON REVISION OF THE LAW, APPREHENSION OF INTRUDERS!" the machine shrieked.
"WINGLY AMENDED CODE SIX-FIVE-NINE, INTRUDERS WILL NOT BE APREHENDED!" another shrieked.
"LAW PRODUCTION LICENCE IS ISSUED!" a third shrieked as a small, flat metal square appeared in front of Cade, who caught it before it could hit the ground. "TAKE THIS TO THE LAW FACTORY!"
Cade turned and flew out of the Legislation Center, then past the intersection where he could see the others just flying back up from the prison. He remembered that the store machine was on the Law Factory side, so he flew over it and past the teleporters to where he could see flying disks going in and out above. Once he'd landed, he walked over to the only machine not moving around and held out the licence.
The machine took it and stuck it into a slot in a large green screen behind it. Then, it took it back out and held it out to him. "LAUNCHING OF THE LAW IS REQUIRED FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW! LAW LAUNCHING LICENCE IS ISSUED! TAKE THIS TO THE LAW LAUNCHER!"
Cade accepted it and flew out of the room again, turning to the third elevated area. Here, he could see he was supposed to take a Flying Disk, so he landed in front of the machine operating it.
"YOU ARE AT THE FLYING DISK STATION IN FRONT OF THE LAUNCHER!" the machine shrieked as he stepped onto the disk.
The disk flew away from the machine, heading up to a large blue screen on the side of the building, and as soon as the disk was in place, a slot opened. He stuck the disk in and it was sucked into the machine, the slot closing again.
"UNDERSTOOD!" the screen shrieked at him. "THE LAW WILL BE ENFORCED! WHEN THE PROCESS IS COMPLETED, STEP BACK! YOU ARE HINDERING FULFILLMENT OF THE QUOTA! COMPLAINTS SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE LAW FACTORY!"
Something shot out of the tower below Cade and streaked away before his Flying Disk returned to its spot. He flew back to the intersection, arriving just as the others returned from the prison a second time.
"I changed the law to stop you all from being arrested," Cade said. "I'm going to go on ahead in order to stall Melbu Frahma. Work quickly."
The others all nodded.
"Be careful," Rose said.
"I will," Cade said. He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped, shaking his head. "Work quickly."
Then, he turned, flying back to the machine responsible for sending people to the Signet Sphere, having it send him. The platform flew to a long walkway that turned left toward what looked like a coliseum a quarter the size of the one in the ruins of Kadessa. As he walked into it, he found that the path widened into an enormous rounded area with a clear circle of some kind of glass in the center, then with lines reaching out from it to the edges of the floor. He walked to the center, then stopped as dozens of machines flew down to hover in the air around the arena floor, all beginning to shriek at him, the resulting volume nearly deafening.
"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"
Cade narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword again as a massive machine with a pair of tan spikes for legs, a red jewel in the center of its chest and its stomach, a dark grey upper body like a robe with a hood up, a pair of pauldron-like spikes on its shoulders, no arms, and a pair of glass wings floated down before him.
"MY NAME IS NOMOS!" it shrieked as the other machines finally fell silent. "I AM THE JUSTICE! MY WORD IS THE ONLY TRUTH!"
"Get out of my way!" Cade growled. "I don't have time to deal with you!"
"ACCUSED CADE, DART, ROSE, ALBERT, HASCHEL, MIRANDA, MERU, AND KONGOL!"
"I see Melbu Frahma has already gotten to you," Cade said. "Let's get this over with."
"ACCUSATION, THE WILL OOOOOOOOF THE CREATOR SOAAAAAAAA!" Nomos shrieked. "THUS, THE DEATH PENALTY IS SENTENCED! COME OUT! WINGED EXECUTIONERS VECTOR, SELEBUS, KUBILA! START THE EXECUTION!"
Cade tensed, narrowing his eyes as he sensed something powerful approaching. He looked up just as the machines parted, allowing three figures to descend into the arena. He recognized their names. His mother had told him about them once. Kubila landed to Cade's left, wearing a black armored vest with green around the collar and brown shoulders, a tall green armored belt, green pants, steel boots, silver gauntlets, a brown collar around his neck with a silver mask reaching up over his nose and mouth, and had a pair of black-feathered wings and a scythe. Vector landed in the middle in a low squat, not unlike Mappi's stance, wore a green loincloth skirt, a silver band on each bicep, a gold vambrace on his left arm, had silver hair standing forward in a spike, small, white-feathered wings attached to his spine like butterfly wings, and a pair of massive scissors longer than he was tall. Selebus landed on Cade's right wearing black shoes and leggings, a pair of black shorts that left the tops of her legs exposed, a tight black top with three-quarter sleeves, and a black hood that covered here eyes. Selebus had pinkish-white wings, four from her back, her arms transformed into one halfway down her forearms, and a pair stuck up from a pair of holes in the top of her hood.
Cade shot forward, slashing at Selebus, as she was the only one without a weapon, but four strips of black fabric suddenly shot out from her back and bound his arms before she flipped backward, kicking him under the jaw and hurling him away. He bounced once before flipping and landing on his feet as Vector leapt forward. Cade flipped over his scissors, then slashed, only for Vector to block it, then leap backward before Cade could kick him. Cade moved to charge again, but something snagged his foot, sending him crashing to the ground. He looked back, seeing a beam of light hitting the ground and a rotted hand growing from the ground, clutching his shin. More and more began to grow, grabbing him all over his body as blood suddenly began to seep up from between the stones of the floor. And then, he was sinking into it, the hands dragging him down.
Selebus' rich, smooth voice laughed cruelly as he began to get dragged down into the blood, but before he could disappear, he fired a blast of explosive magic into the blood, blasting all of the hands and launching himself into the air. The blood was all blown away instantly, leaving the ground as it had been again for him to crash back down on. As he did, Kubila lifted a book he was suddenly holding and quickly read a spell, several massive bolts of lightning flashing down into the ground, the electricity racing across it and coursing over Cade's body for a moment before fading. Cade shoved himself to his feet, grabbing his sword, then extended his wings, streaking forward. As he did, he twirled two fingers of his free hand in a circle, then flicked them upward, sending a magic blast into the sky, where it burst and began to rain down on the three of them. They all began to avoid it as Cade raced toward Kubila.
Just as the blasts ended, Kubila shot forward, slashing at Cade. Cade blocked the scythe, allowing it to scrape along his sword and pass over him before leaping away as Selebus exhaled a white cloud of magic at him. He landed a distance away from them and spun, leaping into the air over Vector's scissors again, only for Selebus' fabric strips to catch him again and slam him to the ground. Suddenly, the sky above him was filled with clouds and a massive stone plummeted out of them, crashing down on Cade's chest and crushing his ribs. He screamed in pain as a blue laser shot down from the clouds, etching three ancient Wingly characters into a flat spot on one side of the stone. Then, just as the clouds directly above Cade began to glow blue, Meru and Kongol stepped up on either side of him, grabbing the stone and hurling it skyward before grabbing Cade and leaping away from the executioners.
A split second after they got clear, a bolt of lightning exploded down through the stone, then through the ground where Cade had been. As soon as they had set Cade down, all of the others arrived, all of the Dragoons transforming, and Miranda healed Cade's ribs. He stood, extending his wings again and held his hand out, his sword spinning back to him, the handle meeting his hand perfectly.
"You overestimated yourself," Rose said.
"I underestimated them," Cade said. "Thank you for saving me, you three."
The three that had helped him nodded as Selebus leaned down and kissed Vector on the cheek. His eyes shone pink and he shouted in effort and pain as his body rapidly expanding, growing to at least double Kongol's size. Cade narrowed his eyes, scanning the three of them.
"I'll handle Kubila, the one with the scythe," Cade said. "Dart, I'll need you with me. Kongol, Haschel, Meru, Vector, the giant, is yours. The rest of you, deal with Selebus. She can summon undead hands to drag you into an alternate dimension, controls strips of fabric like tentacles, and can exhale a magic fog that I have no idea what it does."
"Understood," Albert nodded, all of them readying themselves.
Just as they did, Vector leapt forward, everyone else all breaking into movement instantly. Vector crashed to the ground where they'd been, having meant to crush them, but before he could they'd scattered. Cade shot toward Kubila as fast as he could, shoving the other two from his mind as he focused his attention. He slashed at Kubila, but he deflected the blade with his scythe, knocking it down to his left, then flipped his scythe blade around and slashed back up the other way. Cade flipped over him, avoiding the scythe, and Dart reached Kubila, slashing at him. Kubila spun in a circle, his scythe flashing under Cade before catching Dart under the blade, against the shaft. As Kubila spun a second time, he hurled Dart into Cade, his scythe blade screeching against Dart's armor, though it failed to get through. Cade hurled Dart into the air before launching himself to the side as Kubila finished his spell, a sphere of lightning magic the size of Cade's fist crashing into the ground and exploding into a ball of focused lightning. Cade shot toward Kubila from the front as Dart shot down at him from above. Kubila blocked Cade's sword with the shaft of his scythe and Cade shot to his left, out of Dart's way, allowing Dart's blade to tear down Kubila's front, ripping through his armor and knocking the scythe out of its way. Kubila flapped his wings, launching himself backward, then stopped, slashing a vertical rift into the air, the rift glowing red, then slashed another to the side of the first before connecting them at the top.
Instantly, Cade's mind did a hard reset as reality broke, the section of space inside of the three red lines falling forward like a door, leaving a void of darkness inside the space. Slowly a pair of green, scaled, clawed hands emerged fro the darkness, the fingers, each as long as Cade's forearm, curling around the edges of the dimensional rift like the edges of a door before a massive, green, scaled head, looking like some kind of lizard, emerged. There was a loud, dry whoosh as the thing took a deep breath, then its exhale began to spew a massive flood of bubbles. Each was the size of a fist and travelled with the speed of an arrow. Dart and Cade both shot into the air, watching the bubbles spread outward a hundred feet before popping. Any that met the ground popped and splattered a thick fluid over it before it began to hiss and steam, dissolving the ground for a few seconds.
Cade looked back to the creature, but it had already retreated into its own dimension and the rift rapidly shrank out of existence. He shook his head before streaking toward Kubila again. Kubila flew to meet him, but just as he pulled his scythe back, Dart flashed past behind him, his sword ripping Kubila's back wide open. Kubila roared in pain before Cade split him down the front, removing his left arm. He spun in a circle instantly, splitting him across the front before splitting him back up the front again, his sword freeing itself from his torso halfway through Kubila's right shoulder before Cade shot high into the air. Kubila's wings spread in preparation to follow him, only for Dart's sword to suddenly sprout from his chest. Dart shouted in effort as he exploded upward, ripping his sword up and out through the top of Kubila's head less than a second before fire magic erupted into an explosion from inside of Kubila, completely incinerating him instantly. Cade looked over tot he other two battles just as Meru's hammer slammed into one of Vector's knees at the same time as Haschel punched the other, both of Vector's knees shattered. He shrieked in agony, crashing to the ground before Kongol roared in effort, bringing his axe down on Vector's neck and sending his head bouncing and skidding away from his body. Past that fight, Miranda had placed several arrows through Selebus' wings, stopping her from flying, and just as Cade's eyes swept to that fight, Albert used Selebus pulling him toward her to drive his spear through her chest. She staggered backward, but before she could react, Rose stepped up behind her, removing her head with a single, smooth stroke of her sword. Cade sighed, seeing the fight was over. Then, he turned, streaking through the air toward the large machine that had passed their sentence.
"MASTER, HURRY TO THE GOD!" the machine shrieked. "REBELS AGAINST SOA'S WILL OVERCOME ME!"
Then, Cade turned blue, splitting into three, each of which slashed the machine, splitting it into several pieces, which crashed to the ground below before exploding. Cade didn't even slow, streaking through the air toward the Signet Sphere, the others sprinting after him. However, after a few seconds, he landed on the platform below where the Signet Sphere should be. It was gone already, and the Moon Dagger was lying on the floor at Cade's feet. He clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes rising from the dagger to where Melbu Frahma was hovering above.
"We're too late!" Rose announced to the others as she and Dart sprinted along the pathway behind Cade.
"Not if we can stop him here," Cade said. "If Melbu Frahma is cast out of Zieg here and now, it's finished."
Melbu Frahma snorted in amusement. Cade exploded off of the ground, pulling his sword back, but as he neared him, Frahma held out his right hand, forming a red barrier. Cade roared in effort, focusing his magic into his sword to break through, and when his sword met the barrier, Frahma grunted in surprise.
"You've gotten stronger," Frahma said. "Did Savan gift you his magical power? I'm impressed."
Then, the barrier flashed and Cade exploded into one of the arms previously holding the Signet Sphere, crumpling its metal.
"Frahma!" Dart roared, transforming and streaking up at him, only for Frahma to simply backhand him, sending him crashing back into the ground.
Rose focused, her Dragoon Spirit shining for a moment before the light faded, leaving her in her human form. "What?"
"After all these years, to think you, of all people, wouldn't have the will to fight," Frahma scoffed. "If you wish to face me, abomination, then meet me in Mayfil. But you should hurry. I won't wait for you." He turned, beginning to fly away, only for Cade to rocket after him.
"Frahma!" Cade roared, his magic sword extending in his left hand.
Frahma narrowed his eyes before swiping his right hand toward him. A massive wall of pure white light flashed out of his hand, crashing into Cade and sending him exploding through the arm he'd damaged before and into the wall of Zenebatos. After a moment, he crashed to the ground beside the others, his bones shattered, and Frahma turned, flying away rapidly, shrinking into the distance as Miranda used her Dragoon Spirit to heal Cade.
"We need to hurry to Mayfil," Dart said.
"Not yet," Cade said. "As much as I know we need to, I want to drop off the last of the Stardust in Rogue. That girl won't last until we've dealt with Zieg."
"Do we have time?" Albert asked.
"We'll be teleporting to Mayfil," Rose said. "I already updated the law required for it."
"So that's what law you were doing while we were stopping ourselves from being arrested," Haschel said. "Rose thinks ahead."
"Yes, I do," Rose said. "Since we're teleporting to Mayfil, we can beat him there, since he has to fly. Rogue is far, but that creature Savan sent is faster than Melbu Frahma, so we should be able to get there and back before Melbu Frahma reaches Mayfil."
"Then we go," Meru said. "Then, once we're done, we go to Mayfil and stop Melbu Frahma."
The others all nodded and they all turned, running back through the city and to their newest ally, telling him where to go. A moment later, they were speeding through the air at almost triple the speed Cade could fly, the creature's magic stopping them from being blown off its back.
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