Draconian Chronicles 2:
Chapter Five-Gallant Heroes
Merle clung to Hitomi's shirt and cried for her loss. Reeko was gone. He had left them. She knew she wasn't the blame, but it just seemed some powerful being was trying to ruin her life.
"I can't believe he's gone!" She wailed.
Hitomi held her close, feeling the young cat girl's body shake with sobs. "I'm sorry, I probably should've said anything, it's just that…" She stopped and sighed.
Merle looked up. "What?"
Hitomi looked over at Van. He nodded solemnly. Hitomi looked back at Merle. "Merle, his grandma had a vision, one where you meet Reeko, and Van and I save Petite Beau from the Ziaboch Empire." She explained.
Merle looked at her strangely. "Does Reeko know it's you?"
Hitomi shook her head. "No, and I wasn't supposed to say anything. I didn't want him to look to us as some kind of saviors. I mean, we'll try our best, but there's no guarantee."
Merle nodded and looked down the tunnel where Reeko had run off. She smiled to herself. "He'll be alright."
Van walked up to the two girls. "Are you okay now?"
Merle smiled and nodded. "Yeah, let's get going." She got up and started towards Folken's fortress.
Van helped Hitomi up and they followed Merle. Whatever was ahead was going to need all of them.
Van looked around from the hole in the floor. They had found the route to the fortress with little problem, now all they had to do…was find Folken. Van checked for any guards, seeing none he swiftly jumped up, followed by Merle, and helped Hitomi up.
Hitomi closed her eyes and tried to sense for the stone, while Van and Merle kept watched. She was searching for it's familiar light pink glow, but couldn't find anything. She then remembered it wasn't the same, and started searching for the new dark magic purple stone, it now was.
She found
it. It was at the top of the main
tower, right in the middle of the fortress. She tried to find its exact location when a voice boomed in her head. Trying to find me, huh?
She gritted her teeth and covered her ears against the noise. Van rushed over and caught her before she fell to her knees. "What's the matter?"
You two had better hurry, for my guards are already homed in to your location. Van narrowed his eyes at the sound of his brother's voice in his head. Hitomi opened her eyes and sighed with relief when no more sound was heard.
Van helped her to her feet. "Come on. We don't have much time." They started towards the tower.
When they got to the door that opened to the top of the tower, they paused. Hitomi stretched out her senses and could only sense Folken. She leaned forward, "He's alone." She whispered to Van.
Van nodded and unsheathed his sword. Merle kept watch behind them, as Van opened the door. Once the three were inside the room, the door abruptly shut behind them. "So good to see you again, dear brother." Folken's voice greeted.
The trio looked up and saw Folken standing in the center of the room, on a sort of pedestal. Van narrowed his eyes. "We've come back to take back the rhinestone."
Folken laughed. "I'd like to see you try! With its powers I can do anything!" He formed a ball of fire in his hands and threw it at the rebels. They all jumped in different directions. Merle went one way, while Van and Hitomi ran at Folken straight on. He laughed amusingly. "You're going to try and get it back? You really wish to die don't you?" He put both hands above his hands and began forming a giant dark swirling mass. "So be it! You will meet your fate!!!"
He was just about to release it when Merle came up from behind and bit his leg. This ruined his concentration and made the attack hit the ceiling. This blew out the room and all the remaining windows of the tower. Glass flew everywhere and Van protected Hitomi from the flying debris.
Folken viscously picked up Merle and threw her down before him. "You little imbecile!!!"
Merle looked up defiantly at Folken. "I will do whatever I can to save the people of Petite Beau from the Ziaboch Empire!" She shouted.
"You can't save anyone…if you're dead!" He formed another fireball in his hand and threw it at Merle. Her eyes grew wide as she watched it come at her.
"Merle! No!" Merle looked and watched in horror as Reeko ran in and took the hit for her. The attack hit him square in the chest. He cried at in pain and collapsed to the floor.
"Reeko!" Merle ran to his side and dragged him behind a pillar. He was bleeding from the chest, so she immediately ripped off the bottom part of her dress and placed it firmly on his wound to stop the bleeding. "Why?" She asked through her tears.
Reeko moaned and opened his eyes. "I didn't want you to get hurt." He replied weakly.
Back over to the side, Van and Hitomi had seen what had happened and made a plan. "He can't attack while he's in pain." Van said.
"So we need one good shot at him for him to release the rhinestone."
Van nodded. "Just like he did to us."
"Let's do it!" Hitomi cried and they both jumped out of hiding.
Folken spotted them immediately and started shooting at them.
"You want us?" Van taunted.
"Come and get us!" Hitomi said, dodging another attack.
Merle watched all this from besides
Reeko. I have to help them. She thought. But I don't want to leave Reeko.
"Go to them" Reeko said.
Merle gasped and looked down at the blue haired cat boy. "What?"
"You have to help…for the good of Petite Beau. Don't worry about me." He wheezed in pain and gritted his teeth. "Please." He begged.
Merle fought back her tears, and nodded. She stood up and looked to where Folken was. He was still on the pedestal, aiming his attacks on Van and Hitomi. He wasn't paying attention to the she-cat.
I have to get close enough to cause some damage. He can't think if he's in pain. When he turned his back to where Merle was hiding she ran up behind him and jumped on his back. She started biting and clawing his back, causing him to scream out in pain.
The pain was so intense, that he accidentally released the Rhinestone of Life and it floated to its two owners, and began to once again bond with them.
Folken grabbed Merle and once again threw her off him, but this time, because of the black hole mishap, she was thrown off the side of the tower.
"Merle!" Reeko watched it happened and immediately jumped off the side after her. He saw her body just below his, and speeding to meet Petite Beau's streets up close. He narrowed his body and sped after her, catching up to her and grabbing her hand.
"Reeko! Why?" She asked. "Now we're both going to die!"
"Life without you isn't worth living!" They both smiled and closed their eyes, to meet their fate, but it never came.
Instead, two pairs of strong arms came down and caught both felines, slowing the descent and they started going back up. Reeko slowly opened his eyes and found Hitomi carrying him. Behind her, white angel wings grew out of her back. He stared in awe. "It's you."
She looked down and smiled. "I guess so." She flew up besides Van who was carrying Merle and they went back up to the tower. "We have some unfinished business." She took one hand and placed it on Reeko's wound. It glowed with a white light and healed itself.
Reeko smiled up at her. "Thanks."
She winked and they landed back up on the top of the platform, which used to be the tower and gently put the two cat people back on their feet. Folken was down on one knee breathing heavily from behind detached from the Rhinestone. "We're going to finish this now, Folken." Hitomi challenged.
Reeko made a fist and narrowed his eyes. "Leave Petite Beau now before you get hurt."
Folken slowly got to his feet and smirked. "I still have one last card to play." Suddenly, all the doors to the area opened and Ziaboch soldiers rushed in, coming at the rebels full speed.
"This is it." Merle said. "You up for a challenge?" She asked Reeko.
Reeko winked at her, making her blush. "Always."
The final battle is at hand, who will win? Find out in Draconian Chronicles 2: Part Six-Final Confrontation