The Lost Gene.
-Ziggurat (int.)
Teepo slowly regained consciousness. He tried to walk, but he felt something tighten on his neck, a blade. The odd shackles were on his arms and legs too. He took a look at his surroundings, a gothic-like dungeon with cobblestone walls and floor that were blood stained. An odd, unlit lantern made of what seemed to be black chrysm was hanging above his head, he also saw Deis and Garr unconscious with lanterns above their heads. Looking around still, he saw Nina's lifeless form in the shackles like his but a strange robot with an almost human face were the owners of them. An odd glowing sphere was also in her lantern, however. He was on the border of a strange circle. Karnak materialized and eyed Teepo.
"I see you've seen my Racklings." Karnak said, obviously pointing out his robots. "If you struggle you'll be in pieces."
"Shut up." Teepo said.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that to someone whose can easily choose whether you live or die." Karnak said to Teepo.
"You don't got the balls, Karnak." Teepo retorted, wondering if his pride would be the death of him.
"I would kill you, but I'd really hate to kill one of my own in cold blood." Karnak said, walking
toward the center of the circle.
"YOUR OWN?!" Teepo said in shock.
"That's right. Your own. I'm half Brood, half Indigo. I have Indigo Magic, and I can perform accession." Karnak said smugly. "However, enough talk. It's time for some Manacrafting." Karnak then got out the book and flipped through the pages. "Ah, how to create black mana creatures."
"What the hell are you doing?" Teepo asked.
"Oh nothing, just taking the hatred in everyone's soul to create a creature Myria used. Pity. Ryu would be screwed if he ran into him." Karnak then raised his hand into the air as a black aura emanated from it.
Teepo gulped at the comment and the following event. Then screamed as he felt a part of his soul rip off. A black light flew off into the lantern, as did Garr's and Deis's. Karnak then tried the procedure on Nina, but to no avail. Teepo figured that her soul must be too pure to have black mana. He could tell by Nina's cheerful personality that he saw before her passing. A foul smelling fog arose from out of nowhere. When it cleared. He saw a creature that seemed to be crafted out of a black colored energy of some sort. The creature had a strange shimmering core in the middle of it.
"Greetings, Ircos." Karnak said to the odd being.
The creature kneeled before him. "Master....."
Karnak eyed the creature, "Go out and capture Ryu, Rei, and Momo."
"What if I find others?" Ircos said.
"You may kill any others." Karnak said.
"It is so, m' lord." Ircos then went off at breakneck speed towards Momo's Tower.
Teepo could only pray for their safety.
-Tower
Rei's eyes slowly opened, his vision blurry and all he could see is a bright light. Momo heard him moan. He was lying on a cold, metal table, Rei could hear the low humming of a ventalation system. He only had one thought on his mind, and that was to give Karnak an Eye For An Eye.
The room itself was made with thick steel walls, and anatomy charts were laid out on the walls. Momo walked through the steel door and looked him over.
Momo went to a table and picked up a clipboard, "How are you feeling?" Momo simply said.
Rei moaned, "I'm dizzy and I can't see straight."
Momo sighed, "That's to be expected. You lost a lot of blood. You almost didn't survive the operation."
"Operation?" Rei asked. He didn't know what kind of operation Momo gave him. Whatever it was though, he was grateful.
"It's very complicated, I'll explain it to you later." Momo said.
"Hm. Where are we?" Rei asked. This part of the Tower didn't seem familiar to him.
"You're about a good fifty feet underground. Karnak can't sense us down this far." Momo said.
"Where's Ryu?" Rei asked.
"He went to the Yggdrasil tree to look for Peco. You just rest here, you aren't fully recovered." Momo said smiling at him, "Come on. I'll take you to your bed."
"Uh....ok." Rei said getting up, he soon realized, after they were walking down the hall, that Momo gave him a new leg. It was steel but it didn't feel artificial like a steel leg would. He thought how he should thank her.
After a few minutes, they approached a steel door in which Momo opened cleanly by hitting a red button by the door. The bedroom had a oak dresser, a nightstand, a bookshelf with complex books, and a plain white bed.
"You rest here. Nothing can get us down here." Momo said.
"This is screwed up." Rei said angrily.
"What?" Momo said.
"Living way down here just to escape some asshole who thinks he can become the ultimate being by taking our souls." Rei said. He slammed his fist into his open hand. "I'm gonna do something about this!" Rei's vision got blurry again. "Just as soon as I get some shut eye." Rei then fell asleep on the bed. Momo smiled at the woren, then left the room.
"Why do I feel so protected when I'm around him?" Momo said to nobody in particular. "Maybe I....no; what was I thinking?" Momo then went to her room, which looked similar to Rei's, then fell asleep.
Meanwhile.....
-Yggdrasil Tree
Ryu was trudging through the now muddy path in a deep green cloak. The sky had become pitch occasionally being lit by lightning, and the rainstorm was still going on. Ryu approached the Yggdrasil and looked at it's branches. He smiled when he saw a rather large fruit on the branch. He tapped on the tree a couple of times with the hilt of his sword. A calm sounding voice filled the forest.
"Greetings Ryu. You are here about Peco yes?" The tree said.
"Yes actually. How did you know?" Ryu asked the tree.
"I can't tell you Ryu. What I can tell you is that fruit is Peco. It's strange, but he seems to look like a demi-human now. I need just ten minutes to finish his transport."
"The fruit?" Ryu asked, looking at the large fruit on the Yggdrasil's higher branches.
"Yes. Go back to Momo's tower. I told him the location of her secret shelter."
"Very well then." Ryu then walked off towards the tower.
Time passed as Ryu saw the Tower on the horizon. Then the ground started to shake as it gave way. Ryu fell in the fissure, screaming all the way.
-Odd Cave
Ryu fell with a loud thud onto the cold floor, in which he passed out immediately. He head fell right into a small lake of water. After awhile, he came to again, remarkably with no scratches, bruises, or anything of the like. He got up and looked at what he fell in. A lake with clear, mirror-like water spanned for what seemed like miles was before him. He then saw a stone dragon head grafted onto the cave wall, poring in the strange water. He also saw more of these heads lining the wall. The walls seemed to be made out of a polished crystal that shined in different colors as the light hit them. The floor was made out cut white marble.
Am I dead? He thought to himself. Of course not. Now where have I seen that lake before. Is that a healing spring? And where am I? And what is this place? A million questions ran through his mind. Little did he notice a jet black daemon with blood red eyes and red horns behind him.
"You think too much." it said to Ryu.
The startled dragon turned around to see the Daemon. "What are you?"
The Daemon sighed. "I'm a daemon, you pathetic little Brood. I am Ircos, servant to Master Karnak. You will come with me to the ziggurat, or you will die."
Ryu only got his Dragon Sword, the white blade filling the chamber with its light.
"Very well." Ircos then got into a fighting stance as he started to turn into his black energy form.
"What the fu-" Ryu could even finish the sentence as he got punched in the face by Ircos several times, then kneed in the stomach. Ryu staggered back, then regained control of himself. He then slashed at the oddity with his blade. The blade passed right through him! He then saw his core. Ircos performed a spin kick right to Ryu's head. Ryu flew back as he began gathering energy. He sceamed as he performed Accession, the energy corsing through his veins. His hair turned to a bright gold color, and his eyes turned a bright blue. His sword shined even greater as its blade became spiked. This was Ryu's Kaiser transformation. And Ryu stood there, his eyes filled with determination to smash Ircos to nothing.
Ircos sighed, "The attack isn't going to work on me. Oh well, I'll just have to kill you in a different fashion." His arms started taking the shape of axes. "YOU'LL DIE NOW DRAGON!!!!!"
Ryu stood there, eyes locked on Ircos.
Ircos started running at breakneck speed and leapt up, his ax arms prepared to cut him in two. Ryu, in one swift move, flung his sword at his core. Ryu's smug smile quickly left his face as his sword shattered opon Ircos's core, fortunately the impact made Ircos lose his ax arms and fall to the ground.
"Bastard! You found my core! Time to join your whore of a girlfriend!" Ircos's left arm then turned into a lance of some sort.
That sent Ryu into a rush of temporary insanity. He screamed as he grabbed the hilt of his sword and prepared to run Ircos through with it then the most unexpected thing happened.....
....he dissapered.
Ryu's eyes darted back and forth looking for Ircos. Then, a sharp pain came through his chest. He couldn't breathe as he was choking on his own blood. He looked down to find a black lance rammed through his chest. he turned his head around to find Ircos with a smug grin.
"Game over Ryu." Ircos said laughing.
Ryu's vision went black.
-Dream
Ryu could only hear a voice. Calm, yet firm.
"Wake up Ryu, this is Ladon."
"What is it? I failed."
"You didn't. You just didn't access your hidden gene."
"I don't have one."
"Yes you do. The Anfini gene. You are still alive still. Barely though. Access it."
"Will I become a dragon?"
"Something greater than I...."
Ryu started to reach down in his soul and access the gene.
-Odd Cave
Ircos was about to teleport Ryu to the ziggurat when Ryu's body started glowing.
"The hell?" Ircos said.
Ryu slowly started to float in the air as his hair turned white, his eyes became a deep blue, and the hilt of his sword floated to his hand, his wound healed instantly. A huge bright light filled the chamber. Then, as it died, he was in white armor with odd etchings. And his sword became a huge energy blade that would be the equivalent of a broadsword. Blue energy wings shot from his back. He then flung the great blade at Ircos.
As the blade shot in Ircos direction, he felt an odd emotion.....
.....fear.
The blade sliced Ircos's core in two. He then started to melt into a puddle.
Ryu looked at himself. "This is incredible." He then flew out of the cave towards Momo's shelter.
Little did he see Karnak rising from the the water.
"Your good Ryu. Very good. I think I'll pay a visit to Momo." Karnak then dissapered in a gold flame.
.....to be continued......