THE VIPER EXPEDISION

By Glenn393

CHAPTER 1

Note: I do not own any of these characters, and they are copyrighted so do not get mad at anything or me. I just hope you enjoy my story, this is only the first chapter, and I should have the second chapter up very soon.

General Viper slammed his fist on the hard wooden table.

"God damnit!" Viper yelled. "What's wrong with this map! The Frozen Flame is out here somewhere, but where!"

Viper looked at the two candles that were in his quarters. They danced like the way his daughter, Riddel, danced with her friends, crazy and wild and unpredictable. The candles were prized possessions of his. They were his deceased wife's and he cherished them. They were his good luck.

"Calm down Dad." Dario said.

Dario walked into the General's quarters. He pulled up a seat next to his companions, Karsh, Zoah, and Marcy.

"Sir," Karsh started. "I still think it's hopeless to wondering out in this sea, it's dangerous and not worth the Frozen Flame. It is a mere legend, and we do not know how to use it or what to do with is when we actually find it."

Karsh was strong, most likely because he was taught to swing and wield a large axe. He was on the verge of turning 28 years old, and his purple hair went slightly beneath his shoulders.

"It does not matter, we could become rich and expand Viper Manor to the shadow forest that lay to the south," Viper replied.

"Then we should have taken more boats. We are wasting out time out here and it is just plain dangerous," Karsh said sternly.

"Sir with all due respect, I agree with Karsh. This mission is a very dangerous one, and we could die out here for a mere legend," Zoah said sitting comfortably in the corner.

Zoah was a monster. He was as humanly strong as anybody could be. He rarely wore a shirt, and it was just his shirt, sandals, steel shoulder pads, and his steel helmet. He never took his helmet off.

Viper sat back a little more relaxed. "We need to find Lynx. We need to take a vote."

Lynx stood at the bow of the ship. He looked outward to the dark ocean. He was very awake for such a late time at night. The sun had set four, maybe five hours before. The ocean tide was going against the boat, and the sail was pocketed full with wind.

The clouds floated silently underneath the moon. Lynx looked up to see the full moon lighted up sitting in the middle of the sky.

Dario walked up behind Lynx and stared up at the sky with him.

"Lynx, we need you in the General's quarters, we're voting if we should continue on or not," Dario said to Lynx.

Lynx's eyes had not moved from the moon, he looked at Dario and said, "When do you think we will succeed in anything?"

"Don't say that, we will talk later, but we really need to make a choice now because the General needs us," Dario replied.

Lynx turned and started to walk. Dario caught up with him and the two of them walked down below.

"Okay Lynx, what shall we do about this mission?" Viper asked.

"I think we should continue with it. If we do succeed we shall be granted with an immense amount of money that we could use for the Manor," Lynx said.

"I completely disagree," Karsh said confidentially. "We are just wasting our time here."

"Okay, one vote to stay, one to go," Viper said. "I say we stay."

"I think we should leave," Zoah said.

"I think we should leave," Marcy said.

Marcy had not spoken at all the whole time. She was very young. Nine years old to be exact. She was very strong though, and she was raised to fight.

"I still have a long life to live, and I do not wish to wasted it looking for some legend," she continued.

"I think I would like to stay," Dario said.

"Well it's a tie," Vipers said crossly.

One of the crewmembers burst into the room. "General! There is a storm raging!"

Viper stood up quickly. "Is it a strong storm?"

Lynx looked out of the window that was in back of the General's bed. It was raining like never before.

"General, I have never seen a storm like it in all of my boating life!" the crewmember exclaimed.

The Dragoon Divas, who were Karsh, Marcy, Zoah, and Dario, and General Viper and Lynx left the room rather quickly and ran up the stairs to the deck.

Karsh was the first to smell the strong ocean breeze. The rain soaked him in a matter of seconds. He quickly re-entered the cabin and said loudly, "We cannot go out there, and it is like a hurricane!"

"What do we do?" Marcy said without even a hint of fear in her voice.

"Try to steer the boat to the exit, we need to get out of the Dead Sea!" Viper commanded. "Karsh! Zoah! Go outside and open the last two sails. Marcy! Have the rowers get into the rowing cabin! Lynx! Come with me to the steering wheel! Dario! Get the rudder into place!"

The soldiers went where they were commanded.

Karsh and Zoah climbed the ladder up to the top of the sails. Karsh was above Zoah and he untied the rope and had Zoah, with Zoah's colossal strength, catch the sail.

"Let it drop slowly!" Karsh yelled over the pouring rain.

Zoah, with one hand on the ladder and one on the sail, slowly dropped the sail. The wind pocketed the sail halfway down and the sail blew open.

Zoah went flying with the sail. He was still holding onto the sail, but the sail snapped back from the wind and Zoah fell onto the deck, from the top of the mast.

He landed hard on his back, his helmet smacking the deck like a brick hitting concrete. Zoah's head tilted to the side, even the steel helmet could not prevent the impact.

Karsh went down the ladder and jumped off at the last five rungs. He grabbed the rope that was on the bottom of the sail and tied it to the metal loop on the deck. The sail was set, but that was only one of the two sails.

Karsh started running to Zoah, but as he did the ship hit a pocket in the ocean. The boat dipped to starboard (Or for land lovers the "right"), and water flooded the deck, sweeping Zoah's body off of the ship.

Karsh slipped as it did and as the water pulled him away, he grabbed onto the rail that was on the edge of the boat.

Dario was setting the rudder in place when suddenly the boat came hard to a right. He fell and hit his head on the thick wood of the rudder. He slumped to the ground. Not dead, but he blacked out.

Glenn woke up with a start. He pulled his sheets off and walked to the balcony of his room in Viper Manor. He knew something was wrong where his brother was. Dario was in trouble…