Hitomi's vision reveals a new threat to Gaea, one close by Robin Mary Buskirk Normal Robin Mary Buskirk 1 24 2001-10-24T08:20:00Z 2001-10-24T08:53:00Z 6 2366 13491 112 26 16567 9.2720

Hitomi's vision reveals a new threat to Gaea, one close by.  The ultimate weapon must be destroyed.  But unknowingly Van, Allen and Amano are heading into a trap.  The arrival of the Green Dragon is a shock to Van.  Will she even the odds or will she destroy everything including Van and Escaflowne?

Chapter 22    Battle of Bosram

When Hitomi and Van arrive at the study Dryden is there working while Mr. Mole sleeps in the corner. The tension in the room makes Hitomi take a step back, and that is just coming from Dryden.  Hitomi takes a deep breath and enters.

Hitomi: "Van, we can't do this here, its too enclosed, I can't control the dragon and battle emotions at the same time, if Dryden is any indication."

Dryden: "Sorry Hitomi, It's just that I have been getting nowhere."

He snaps shut the book he was examining and tosses it into a pile with several other volumes. 

Dryden: "I pride myself on my intellect, and it seems to be letting me down."

Mr. Mole stirs in the corner, he looks up and smiles at Hitomi. It is a strange thing, he's never smiled before, she muses.  Suddenly a vision flashes thru her mind, in an instant it is gone.  She sees a creature, large black wings, sharp white teeth, and red eyes.  She shakes her head, where is it she has seen this before, then she remembers. It was at the fort in Astoria, when she first was in Gaea, she saw that very same creature in a vision when Mr. Mole broke thru the floor of the room where Allen was holding her and Van.  Hitomi is about to ask Mr. Mole about it when he speaks.

Mr. Mole: "How about the guymelf bay?"

Van: "What?"

Mr. Mole: "There's more room in the bay."

He settles himself back into the corner and closes his eyes, apparently going back to sleep.

Van walks over to the communications tube calling Gaddis.  He instructs him to gather everyone in the guymelf bay and then returns to Hitomi.  The three leave the room and head for the bay.  Mr. Mole is alone in the study, as the door shuts he opens his eyes and again smiles.

Mr. Mole: "Even in your true form little lady, you look so much like her."

The bay is a better choice; Hitomi's' closeness to Van and to Escaflowne is dampening the emotions around her to a much safer level.  Goldie is sleeping on the giant's shoulder, close to the energist, whenever he isn't with her, that's where he is.  Everyone is arriving, including Nathen and Gaddis.  It is time.

Hitomi walks over to Merle and Nathen; she hugs Merle and reaches for Nathen's hand squeezing it.

Hitomi: "I'm so sorry for scaring you."

Then she turns to the rest to speak, but looks directly at Allen.

Hitomi: "Dilandau is returning, he grows stronger as the balance shifts.  You will find him in Freid, but is already too late to stop him.  Beware he has Celena's thoughts, Allen he knows who loves you."

Allen is shocked, and for the first time in his life he falls to his knees, grief and anger overwhelming him.

Allen: "No, I can't lose her again."

Hitomi: "Dilandau knows that too.  I know you wish to leave for there immediately, but there are also darker fates emerging that wish to take this world.  We need you here just a little longer.  I saw something else.  Another controls the General of Bosram. 

He is equipping his fleet for attack as we speak.  We are close to the dragons' grave yare he is mining.  He is building more weapons like the one he used to slaughter thousands.  It is a horrible weapon of energists and light.  He will use them if not stopped."

Van: "The Ultimate weapon, we can't let him use it again.  We have to destroy that graveyard."

Hitomi: "I want to come with you, I know I can help."

The men all speak at once.  Each objects to Hitomi's suggestion.

Nathen: "No goddess it would be to dangerous."

Van: "No."

Allen: "You could be hurt."

Dryden: "The dragon could be killed."

Hitomi is touched by all the concern, but wonders at Dryden's concern for the dragon.

Van: "Hitomi, you remember what happened last time we attached an energist mine.  I can't fight and worry about you at the same time.  We will go in with guymelfs, but there is a way you can help, do a reading and find the location.  I will pilot Escaflowne, and Allen can back me up in Sherazad.  Amano will go too, he is ready isn't he Allen."

Allen nods yes; though he is still very quite, deep in thought.

Amano: "Yes I am.  Don't look at me like that Yukari; Allen wouldn't let me if I weren't really ready.  I will be just fine."

Amano hugs Yukari, and plants a small kiss on her head.  He understands her feelings, but wishes she could understand his. She has a large and happy family to return to.  Amano's father was all the family he had.  The first heart attack came just as he and his father were to leave for England.  They stayed in Tokyo his father cutting back his workload and taking care of himself for the first Amano could ever remember.  But the damage was already done and the second attack had killed him a little over a year ago. He has no one to return to and the longer he is here the more he wants to stay.

Hitomi does the reading and with the exact location Van and the others prepare to leave.  Allen and Amano will attack first, by land drawing the melf units away from the mine, and then Van will destroy it by air on Escaflowne. 

Yukari goes out to the observation deck of the Crusade to join Hitomi. Hitomi is sitting quietly her wings folded against her back.  The only indication of her inner turmoil is the steady twitching of her long green tail.  She can feel Yukari before she even looks up.  Her friend is very afraid, not just for Amano, she is afraid of Hitomi, but mixed in with that fear is determination, friendship and love.  She wants to go home, but even if given a way to go, her friend would refuse to leave, best friends don't give up on each other.  Hitomi smiles as Yukari sits down by her.

Yukari: "I'm really scared.  They will be alright won't they?"

Hitomi: "Van and Allen are the best Guymelf pilots in all of Gaea.  Amano must be good or they wouldn't have wanted him to join them."

They are both silent, the wind shifting thru the surrounding trees the only sound.  Goldie lands on Hitomi then to both her and Yukari's surprise, hops over to Yukari's shoulder coiling his tail around her neck.  He nuzzles her cheek chirping in a calming manner.  He is a very wise little dragon.

Yukari needs to talk about something else to keep her mind off the upcoming battle.  She ask Hitomi the first question to enter her mind.

Yukari: "Do you feel any different on the inside?"

Hitomi: "Uh, no and yes.  I'm still me, but I'm not me.  That power I felt in the dreams I had back at home.  I feel it in me now.  It wants to be released.  I have to work hard to control it, to control the dragon.  It gets stronger every day, I know it wants to take me over completely, and if it does I will be lost inside the dragon forever."

Hitomi has tears brimming in her eyes; she hasn't been able to tell Van this fear and is glad that she does have Yukari now to tell it to.  Hitomi quickly wipes her eyes as she feels someone coming.  Merle and Nathen come out onto the deck.  It seems they are all there for the same reason, to wait.

Merle: "We are very close now, the guymelfs are ready to launch."

Hitomi: "I know I can feel Van's impatience all the way up here."

On the lower side of the Crusade the guymelf ramp opens and three melfs launch.  Two land on the ground and the third transforms into a dragon and climbs in to the air.  Escaflowne circles high in the sky to locate the mine.  Van spots it communicating the direction and distance to Allen and Amano.  As they close in on the guarded camp Allen and Amano attack.  The alarm sounds and men jump into action, the main force heading in the direction of the attack.  Van is unable to locate the storehouse so he swoops down out of the sky landing in the center of the mine camp.  Escaflowne changes to fighting mode as shouts echo thru the area.  More guards and guymelfs emerge to fight this new invader as sounds of battle can be heard from the forest at the far side of the mine.  Workers scatter to get out of the way of the fighting.  Guards with melf claws are converging on Van and Escaflowne.  The mine is well prepared against attack. 

Allen and Amano have met heavy resistance at the outskirts of the camp.  They are fighting hard, but this enemy has them outnumbered. 

Van: "Allen, Amano get out of here, there are too many of them."

Allen: "It's like they expected us, wanted us to come."

Unable to link up Van and Escaflowne are trapped.  The guards with the melf claws have him pinned. 

The Crusade is still at a safe distance, but not for long.

Pye: "Allen and Amano still have a chance to make it out, but the King is trapped."

Gaddis: "There's too many of them, way anchor were moving in fast. Lets pull them out of there men."

The ship jolts as it starts to move, surprising those on the observation deck. 

Merle: "Something's not right, they must be in trouble."

Hitomi's hand goes to her head a white flashing brilliance before her eyes.  The mine and the surrounding area disintegrate.  She blinks, and all is back to normal.

Hitomi: "Oh no it's a trap, they are going to use a small one of those weapons.  The mine was a decoy."

The power Hitomi is trying so hard to control breaks free and surges thru her.  Goldie takes flight from Yukari's shoulder sensing the dragon coming.  Hitomi screams, jumping from the side of the ship, she spreads her wings as she falls toward the ground below, then swoops gracefully and starts in the direction of the mine.  Her whole body is glowing, growing as the Green Dragon becomes.  It trumpets and the sound of dragons calling fills the air.

The fighting breaks off at the sound of the dragons, they are so close that the sound is almost deafening.  Van sees his opportunity and pulls free of the melf claws.  With a wide sweep of his sword, he takes the remaining claws holding him.  Three guymelfs are charging him as the outer edges of the mine burst into flame.  The Green Dragon circles and then lands directly in between Escaflowne and the approaching guymelfs, facing Van, it trumpets.  Van is now facing both the guards from Bosram and the Green Dragon.  To his surprise, the dragon turns taking a defensive position in front of Escaflowne.  He can hear the rumbling as it prepares to flame, blue/green fire shooting out from its clawed hand. The advancing guymelfs are engulfed; the men in the path of the flames are blessed with a swift death.  All touched by the flames are destroyed.

Escaflowne is almost completely free when the main force of guymelfs converges, having abandoned the fight with Allen and Amano with the approach of the Levi ship.  They are now trying to use sheer numbers to defeat Van.

The Green Dragon turns sweeping its tail, taking out four more machines.  Fire from its claw takes out two; its slashing claws rip apart another pilot and all.  Escaflowne is delivering its share of destruction as the fight rages on. Of all the outcomes of this day Van was ill prepared for what he is seeing. 'The dragon fights with me.'

The chaos doesn't last much longer as men and machines break and retreat.  Some are heading toward a wagon at the side of once must have been sleeping quarters.  Escaflowne and the Green Dragon are left there in the middle of the wreckage and death.  The Green Dragon turns on Escaflowne, Van tenses wondering if the dragon will now turn on him.  He opens the cockpit and stands looking at the dragon before him.  It stares at him a moment then raising its head it trumpets.  It leaps at not Van, but the wagon, which splinters on impact.  Inside is one of those weapons, a small version of the ultimate weapon, this was a trap met to destroy any attackers along with the men of the camp.  The General is clearly crazed, willing to kill his own men.  The dragon clamps onto it lifting it into the air as it flies in the opposite direction from the Crusade.  The sounds of the dragons calling are becoming a thunderous roar.  A few miles away the land bursts into flame and then there is a glowing, Van recognizes the sight as the glow of many energists, the storage area for the mine must be there.  Then there is a white blinding light as the weapon detonates in the distance.  Van shields his face with his arm as a blast of hot wind courses thru the wreckage of the mine.

Van renters Escaflowne and switching into dragon mode heads in the direction of the explosion.  He reaches it in minutes, but there is nothing left, the land is scorched clean of all living things.  He scans the sky above, around and below him, but there is no sign of the Green Dragon. 

Van: "Please Hitomi, Please be safe."

The Crusade is stationary at the edge of the forest by the now destroyed mine.  Allen and Amano are locking down their guymelfs as crewmen check for damages to be repaired.  Escaflowne is the last to return.  He quickly exits to ask the question he already knows the answer to.

Van: "Is Hitomi here?"

He doesn't wait for the answer he knows is coming, he turns screaming to the gods themselves his anger and despair.  In this unguarded moment he looses his control and wings burst from his back, but before he can leave to continue the search for Hitomi a furry hand clamps onto his shoulder restraining him.  He turns to deal with the one keeping him from his task.  Nathen stands firm looking him directly in the eyes.

Nathen: "No my friend do not try to find her.  The dragon is growing stronger; with the fighting over she may turn on you.  She won't return till she is ready to face you."

The Ziabach Levi ship is on the outskirts of the Bosram capital.  In the palace the General is livid with rage having received news of the destruction of not only the energist mine, but of the hidden storage house as well.

General: "Lord Lawrence!  This is unacceptable, now how am I to equip my ships?"

Lord Lawrence: "I care not how or when you equip your pitiful ships, my task here is done."

General: "Your Task?  But I am to rule Gaea, that is your task."

Lord Lawrence: "You horrid little man, that I allowed you to even think you could rule Gaea makes me sick."

The General turns red.  He stalks forward meaning to attack his advisor with his bare hands.

Lord Lawrence: "That is your last mistake."

The Dark Lord Lawrence holds his hand out making a fist as if grasping and squeezing the air.  At the same time the General feels steely fingers tighten around his throat, cutting off all air.  He grabs at his throat, but there is nothing there to pull away.  Slowly his life leaves his body.  When his is no longer struggling, Lawrence opens his hand.  The general drops to the floor dead.

The Blue/Green energist wasn't found at the graveyard.  It could have been there though.  If so it is destroyed, if not.  The Dark Lord leaves to board his ship; he will meet up with the other two Dark Lords in Freid.

The sun is raising and the forest is coming alive with sound.  Van is still outside the ship waiting for Hitomi to return.  Since sound of the dragons calling has ended he hopes it is a good sign, that Hitomi is safe.  He is standing there staring at the surrounding forest when Allen comes to stand beside him.  He clears his throat to get Van's attention.

Allen: "We will be leaving for Freid within the hour.  I had one of the crew pack some supplies, there is also some garbroth for Hitomi when she returns.  Nathen said she was pretty drained last time."

Allen stress the word when letting his friend know that he, Allen, has faith that she will indeed return.

Van: "We'll catch up to you.  Get to Celena, I know Hitomi said it would be to late, but if you can hold Dilandau, I'm sure that Celena will return once the balance is restored.  I know you have already waited longer than you wanted to, so go."

~~~~

Lord Lawrence has left Bosram but what is this energist he seeks and why?  The Battle of Bosram was fierce and has taken the lives of many men.  But the biggest question remaining is weather the Green Dragon has completely taken over Hitomi or if she will return again to Van.  Allen leaves to try to reach Freid and Celena or is it Dilandau before it is too late.  What will happen next?  Big surprises and a new twist in upcoming chapters, this I promise.  Please read and review.

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