*rubs eyes* This part is revised, a couple of descriptions changed, grammar fixed, spelling errors fixed . . . *plods onward to the next part*
/. . . denotes thoughts or a certain word emphasized. . . /
*. . . denotes mindspeech. . . *
. . . denotes a flashback or vision. . .
The Fate of Destiny
Part Two:
Welcome to the Marshland. . .
The rancid smell of rotten and dead things wafted upon the air. It invaded all the senses and made eyes water with the fumes that came off the swamp. Terran continuously tried to breath out his mouth, but he quickly found that it only worsened the situation. It was now as if he could taste the air itself. He quickly closed his mouth and resumed breathing through his nose. /This is disgusting! I don't understand how she isn't the least bit nauseated./
Meirra strode ahead of him into the dark gloom of the Marshland, unaffected in the least. Terran was baffled at that. She walked through the swamp like she owned the place. Monsters roamed around in the marsh like bees in a hive and when they attacked them she never blinked. Together -- she and Terran -- held them back with ease. It might have been because they were now dressed in armor, armed with weapons, and equipped with necessary healing items. All had been acquired in Lohan at a merchant's shop.
Distracting himself from the ever present and ever unpleasant smell of the swamp, Terran unconsciously found himself studying the way Meirra's long black hair swung across the back of her black and silver armor. The armor fit her better than any of the leather pants and cotton shirts she had been wearing. Almost like it had been made for her. And it had been. . . just like his was. Terran shifted the pair of thin, slightly curved swords that lay on his back as he uncomfortably thought about what had happened three days ago in Lohan.
The store's bell rang as Meirra opened the door and she and Terran stepped through. The shopkeeper looked up from what looked to be paperwork and smiled slightly. "May I help you with something?"
Meirra wasted no time. She stalked up to the desk he sat at and rested her hands alongside his, staring slightly down into his eyes. "I've come to claim the Black Burst Armor. Where is it?"
The shopkeeper was a large and powerful looking man, his hands callused and stained slightly black, quite likely he was the blacksmith of the numerous weapons that hung upon the store's walls. He had the look of a man that had never backed away from anything or had been confronted with anything he could not handle. Even now. His voice was undeniably calm. "Black Burst Armor? I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you are thinking of someplace else?"
She didn't budge, "By Soa's will, I do believe it is here."
The shopkeeper looked up and met Meirra's gaze straight on as if she had said something important. And she obviously had, Terran mused. The shopkeeper stood up and walked towards a large picture of a woman that hung on the wall behind his desk. "Well, if you're going to be that way about it."
It was with wonder that Terran watched the shopkeeper place his hand on the picture and mutter unheard words. The picture shimmered and evaporated, leaving a hole in the wall where a shelf was located. Terran whistled to himself in amazement. The shopkeeper pulled out several items from within. He lay several pieces of armor and cloth on his desk. On top of the pile was a silver chain with a purple-black jewel hanging from it. Meirra placed it around her neck immediately. Then came a sword sheathed in a black and silver scabbard. The shopkeeper nodded to himself as Meirra picked it up. "That there is Dark Wraith. Made just as requested."
With intense concentration she drew the sword from the scabbard. Dark Wraith's silver blade flickered in the light, it changed from shining white to the deepest black. Straight and true, it's long blade ran to the hilt, which was wrapped in black leather for a good grip. Terran studied the beautiful weapon with an expert eye. From his uncle he had learned that appearance was not to be taking seriously. However appraising the sword for several moments he came to the conclusion that the sword had to be one of the finest weapon he had ever seen. And he had seen quite a few since his uncle was one of Endiness' greatest Weapon Masters. A fact that his uncle liked to keep under wraps.
Meirra must have liked what she saw as well, because she slipped Dark Wraith back into its scabbard with a slight smile. The shopkeeper ran his hand through his hair expectantly. "Does it meet your satisfaction?"
The black haired woman cocked her head to the side. Thinking for the moment. "The color and design of the armor was not what I was expecting." She ran her hand across the black and silver armor, "But it is satisfactory." She raised her head and looked straight into the shopkeeper's eyes. "More than satisfactory in fact. The armor and sword are great pieces of work. The best I have seen in a long time. You are truly a great blacksmith."
The shopkeeper remained silent and waiting. Meirra turned her face away from his and gave the armor all of her attention. "It there someplace I can change around here?"
The shopkeeper pointed towards a door. "In there." As Meirra gathered up her armor and sword, the shopkeeper turned back towards the shelf. And to Terran's surprise, he did not close it like Terran expected him too, but instead returned with another set of armor and what looked to be two sheathed swords. The shopkeeper looked towards him. "These are yours young man. Made as requested as well."
Terran found himself backing up several paces in surprise. "What? How can those be mine? I never- I mean I didn't ask you to make those for me. I've never even met you before. So they can't be for me."
Meirra halfway across the room carrying her equipment, turned around in time for the shopkeeper's reply. "You are traveling with the young lady, are you not?" He gestured towards the now suspicious Meirra.
"Yes. . ?" Terran suddenly wasn't so sure of himself. Not that he had been in the beginning.
The shopkeeper put the armor and swords in front of Terran. "Then these are yours. The woman paid me to make these for the young man who accompanied the lady who was to wear the Black Burst Armor."
"What woman?" Meirra had not moved an inch, wariness etched on her face.
"The same woman that ordered your own armor made three months ago. Pretty red-headed girl who seems older than she looks. Never really interacted with anybody either. Just lays a letter on the table with what she wants and the money inside to make it. About a month ago she came back with another request. That request was to make this young man's armor and weapons." Terran was bewildered. How could have someone known that he would be traveling with Meirra. Especially since neither he nor Meirra had known they would be together until a couple of days ago. The thought gave him chills. "She told me that he would be accompanying you, Miss." He paused and looked down at his hands. "I wasn't going to do it but she had such a presence around her that I found I couldn't refuse."
Terran was studying the armor and swords while listening to the conversation. The armor was a murky looking brown color with more than a hint of red in it, a dinky colored gold decorating it's surface with swirls and designs. Altogether it didn't look like much, but Terran knew better. It was just as well designed and strong as Meirra's armor and from the look he had gotten of the Black Burst Armor, they were in a rare league of well-made, nearly indestructible armor. Before he had a chance to study the swords his attention was drawn back to the conversation.
"And you are going to take it!" The shopkeeper had pointed a finger at Terran and now all his attention was directed him.. "What I have made for the young lady and yourself is the best work that has ever come out of my shop. I worked on it as if possessed, so I don't want you refusing it just because your lady-friend says so." He directed a glare in Meirra's direction. "I don't want to see my work go to waste."
Meirra gnawed on the bottom of her lip and muttered something under her breath. Terran thought he caught the name 'Shirley' in her words, but he couldn't be sure. She abruptly shook her head, "Fine. If it's meant to be his then let him take it." With that said she turned on her heel and stalked into the dressing room.
Silence invaded the room as the shopkeeper stared at the dressing room's door and Terran returned to his inspection of the swords. They were thin blades, curving just slightly and were more slender than Meirra's Dark Wraith. But there was only one way to find out. He drew on of the swords out with trepidation and then almost dropped it in shock. As he stared at the silver blade, shimmering golden red in some places, Terran felt an odd sort of recognition. /These are mine. These swords are mine, no one else's./
Unable to control himself, he pulled out the other sword as well. He tried out several moves while being careful not to destroy anything. The shopkeeper looked away from the door and smiled in approval. "You know how to use them."
"Yes." Terran stopped his exercises and put the swords back in their scabbards. "They are similar to my weapon of choice. The saber, but not quite."
The shopkeeper placed a hand on the scabbards and gave them a fond look, one that a parent would give a child. "That is good." He took his hand away from them. "They are called Ember Souls." The shopkeeper gestured towards the armor on the desk. "And that is called the Red Flare Armor.
"It's not red."
"It's not supposed to be." Terran unexpectedly found the shopkeeper's hand on his chin, forcing him into look into his eyes. "The armor and the blades are not the only things I am to give to you."
The shopkeeper moved away and from a pocket within his shirt removed a crystal disk hanging from a golden chain. "The woman gave this to me to give to you. She said you were to keep it until your lady friend needed it." The shopkeeper placed the crystal disk into Terran's hands. "You are not to tell your friend that you have it. That is very important. You are only to give it to her when times are dire and you feel it is right. No one is too know you have it." The man withdrew his hands. "She told me that the fate of Endiness depends on you to keep it unknown to others."
Terran considered the other man's face trying to gather some secret from him. /Why is this crystal so important? Why can't I tell anyone about it? How did this woman know that I would be traveling with Meirra? And above all who is the DAMN red-headed woman the shopkeeper was talking about?/ He didn't find anything to help him from the shopkeeper's face.
Terran rubbed a spot under his armor where the crystal disk hung. Even against his warm skin it remained cool. He was uncomfortable carrying it but keeping the shopkeeper's words in mind he always kept it near him. However the crystal disk possessed a strange energy that always left him aware of its presence. And ever since he had acquired it he had strange dreams at night. Dreams filled with huge beasts flying in the skies and the scent of blood and the sound of magic being used.
A muck covered branch slapped his face and left his head covered in swamp mud and various other disgusting substances. That was it. He didn't care that Meirra held his life in his hands. For the past five days he had gained questions but he hadn't gotten any answers in return. Usually patient to a fault, Terran found himself about to snap. Every person had their limits and he had just reached his. Stopping in his tracks before he could be assaulted with another branch, he glared at the figure in front of him. He wanted some answers and he wasn't going to move until he got at least one. "Where the HELL are we going?!!"
His shouted words brought Meirra to a halt and she looked back with something akin to shock.
*****
Two beings sat high above Endiness in Purgatory. One had once been a mortal and the other was anything but mortal. One was a human and the other a Goddess. One had a shape and form and the other was just pure, shining light.
"Soa? I have a question."
*What is it child?*
"Why did you have me have that blacksmith make armor for the boy as well? And what is the crystal disk for? You didn't tell me." Shirley turned her head towards the bright light that was by her side. The Goddess had been accompanying her for the last several days in that form.
*Perli, the Tiberoan Goddess suggested that I have some armor made for the boy. She told me it would be needed and I trust her. She also suggested that I give the boy the crystal disk, the Eternity Key.*
The red-headed ex-dragoon crinkled her brow in puzzlement. "The Eternity Key?"
*It is. . . a map to a very dangerous weapon. A weapon that will only be used in the direst of situations. Hopefully such a situation won't come up.*
"It though. That's why you gave it to the boy isn't it." Shirley looked at her hands, immersed in thought. "How did Perli know that Rose would not kill him? How did She know that he would need armor and weapons two months before anything happened?"
Soa's light faded for a second in contemplation, *I have told you before Shirley, that Gods and Goddess' are not perfect. We like to think that We are, but We aren't. We all make mistakes. We do not truly know what is going to happen. Fate is a tangled web as some say. Still the Tiberoan God and Goddess have some talent that allows them to see what /might/ happen. And this situation was one of the more likely possibilities.*
"Why give the boy the Eternity Key if it leads to a weapon so dangerous? Why not give it to Rose immediately?" These were some things the Shirley had been wanting to know the explanations on for a while.
Soa's light flickered in laughter. *You are curious child. Not that I blame you. If we gave the Eternity Key to Rose she would go find the weapon and use it, just because it would be sure to get the job finished. I have told her what it leads too and she knows what would happen if she used it. I will not let it happen unless neccessary.* The Goddess had long since stopped laughing and now Her voice was calm and cool. *Terran will be able to protect the Eternity Key. There is something special about that boy. I would say that he is a Dragoon if I didn't know that all the Dragoon Spirits already have carriers.*
Shirley's green eyes widened in surprise, "You mean that the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit has found someone?"
*Yes. He is on his way to meet the other Dragoons, just as Rose and Terran are.*
Shirley drummed her fingers along her legs as she considered certain aspects of what she had done. "I don't see why we had to send Rose back down to be reborn. You have allowed me to obtain a physical form so that I could order those things for the boy and Rose. I could have easily told Dart and his friends that there is danger once more. I could've given them the Eternity Key as well."
*They could not have used the Eternity Key however. Rose is the only one that could use it and the weapon that it leads too. She is one of the original Dragoons.*
Shirley kept her mouth shut, something in the Goddess' voice told her not to push the Her anymore. So she changed to another subject that had been bothering her. "Rose will die again if she uses this weapon you've mentioned, won't she? That's why you would rather not have her use it."
*You are very observant. No matter what it seems I do not want her to die. She deserves what she wants, at least for a little bit.*
"She has been through so much." Shirley drew her knees up to her chest and cradled her head on them. "She was my best friend in the Dragon Campaign. I miss her and what she once was." Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered what had happened so long ago. She raised her head and looked at the Goddess' light. "I don't want her to die either."
*I know child. I know.*
*****
"WOW!! What is that?" Miranda looked at what Meru had pointed out and then quickly averted her eyes away from it.
"You know what Meru? I really don't want to know."
"Humph! Fine be that way." The Wingly hovered above the ground using her translucent wings. She wasn't about to walk in the squishy ground in her sandals! She knew better. It was too bad the others couldn't fly, they were already looking more disheveled by the minute. All were covered in mud to some extent. Meru preened herself on being the only clean one in the group.
Kongol and Haschel walked a little ways behind Meru and Miranda. In all, the Giganto was having the worst time in the swamp. He was too big to avoid muck covered branches and his weight sunk him deeper into the ground than anyone else. Kongol was not very happy about this fact. Haschel couldn't get him out of the bad mood the usual amiable Giganto had fallen into. Still he hung near him to make sure he was doing all right.
The Rouge Master eyed a stretch of ground that seemed to be a bit murkier than other places they had crossed. He looked back at Kongol. "Do you think you can make it across?"
Kongol lumbered past Haschel, ignoring him, and stepped right ahead. As he walked across the mud greedily sucked his feet into its depths. Kongol plowed through seemingly without a care, but Miranda could hear him muttering, "Kongol hate this place. Kongol hate this place very much."
Miranda agreed with the Giganto. What in the world had possessed Albert to wander off the trail? She was going to have a very long talk with him after they got out of the Marshland about that. If they got out of the Marshland that was. She was pretty sure they were lost at this point.
"Hmm. That looks interesting. I wonder what it was?" Miranda could hear Haschel wondering off to the side in the direction of the thing Meru had pointed out earlier.
Meru fell back from Miranda's side most likely to help Haschel investigate what lay nearby. Sure enough Miranda was right.
"That's what I was wondering just a minute ago!! I asked Miranda but she didn't seem to care."
"That looks like part of a hoof. Think it could be a deer?"
"Maybe on overgrown deer. It's HUGE!"
"You're right. It's a bit larger than it would be for a deer. . . Hey, look at that! I think it's the head."
"Yuck! Half of it's skull is missing. You can see it's brain!"
Miranda gritted her teeth and stalked up ahead. Forget about talking with Albert later, she was going to talk with him now! What could he have been thinking? Wandering off the trail where the ground tried to suck you down into it and where dead animals lay everywhere, all in different states of decomposition.
It was a matter of seconds until she was even with Albert, Dart, and Shana. All of them seemed to be in a deep conversation that Miranda did not hesitate to disrupt.
"Albert?"
"Yes, Miranda?" Albert moved his head towards her so he could get a better look at the Sacred Sister's face. He winced at what he saw. While his own chestnut hair was a mess and his face was dabbed with mud it couldn't even compare to Miranda's state. Her free floating dark blonde hair was so matted and muck filled that its color could not be determined and her face was nearly completely covered in mud and scratches. She did not look like she was enjoying the trip.
"Might I ask why we got off the trail. And I want a real explanation. Not the 'because it's the right way' one that you gave earlier. How do you know this is the right way?"
Albert swallowed nervously, "Because it /felt/ like the right way?"
Silence filled the air and behind them they could hear Meru, Haschel, and Kongol catching up. Miranda spoke in a dangerously calm voice. "Because it felt like the right way, you say."
Dart shook his head in disbelief. "Albert do you even know where we are? Have you gotten us lost?"
"No, I don't where we are, but," the King raised his hand before anyone could speak, "I do know that we are not lost."
Shana blinked, "Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?"
"That might be but what I said is true." Albert shrugged uncomfortably. "Our destination isn't that far away. In fact it should be nearly in front of us." He pointed in front of him and paused when he realized that he was pointing at vines so thick that they could have been a wall.
"How do you know where we're going? Wait a minute, you just felt like it was the /right/ way again?" Miranda's sarcasm was not lost on Albert.
"The Dragoon Spirit has been guiding me." He self-consciously rubbed at the jade-green stone hanging at his neck.
Haschel frowned, processing the information. He had only heard half of the conversation, but it was evident to him what they were talking about. "You mean like the voices that told us to come Serdio? You're talking to your voice again?"
"No. It's not like the voice. . . yet it does seem to have the same presence about it." The King thought too himself for a moment. "It is as if the voice can't quite reach me to give me directions, so it's giving something that could be considered gut instincts to go on."
"And let me guess. Your gut instincts say that we have to go through that." Dart gestured towards the vines.
"Yes?"
"Fine then. Let's get this done with." As he said that, Dart drew his sword and approached the obstacle.
Shana reached a questioning hand out to him. "What are you doing?"
Her fiancee drew back his sword and began to hack at the vines with it. "Getting rid of," THWACK! "the vines," THUMP! "so we can," THWACK! "continue!"
Meru flew up slightly. "I think I can fly up over it."
Miranda snorted, "And how do you propose that we get on the other side?"
"I could fly you guys over one at a time." Meru was buoyed by her confidence.
"What about Kongol? I don't are if you can lift the monstrous hammer of yours. Can you lift him?"
". . ."
"I thought as much."
After about a minute of watching Dart's vain attempts to cut through the vines, Kongol decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. "Dart move. Kongol take care of problem."
Dart was a little too involved in his work for his mind to register the Giganto's words. Sighing, Kongol grabbed Dart's shoulder and pulled him back so the Giganto could take his place. Kongol hefted Indora's Ax above his head, his tired and sore muscles protesting the action, and brought it down. Six swings was all it took. RRIIIPPPP! Part of the wall of vines was vanquished and the other side could be seen.
"Kongol make path. Now we can move on." The Giganto stepped aside and let the others pass.
As Meru went by, she gave him an impish smile. "Good job, big guy. You saved the day."
Everyone had stopped as soon as they all managed to walk through the hole Kongol had made. In front of them was a enormous pit filled entirely with mire and it stood right in their way of travel. Rocks dotted across it making it passable but that was not the real problem. The real problem lay in that across the quicksand pit was a huge cliff. The cliff looked near impossible to climb.
"Well, I guess we could transform to Dragoons. We all have enough power built up for at least one transformation." Dart looked over the surrounding area. The curtain of vines started at a spot near the cliff and wound around in a half-circle to end near the cliff again.
Albert stepped forward. "No. We stay here."
"What?" Meru looked at him like he had lost his mind.
"We have to stay here. We're supposed to meet someone here, I think. Or something."
"Great!" Miranda walked a couple of steps away from the others to sulk.
"Are you certain about this, Albert?"
"Quite certain, Dart."
Kongol sat down on the spongy ground eager to rest his overworked body. Haschel sat next to him, deciding that he needed a break as well. Albert and Dart were starting have a conversation. Miranda stood by herself, privately wondering how long they were going to wait. And Shana had edged near the pool of quicksand with Meru floating slightly above her.
"Poor Kongol." Shana murmured to herself as she watched the Giganto wearily lower his head to his knees.
Meru was thinking of other things then the state of her friends. She tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to ignore the voices of her companions. She could have sworn she had heard voices. Human voices at that. "Shana, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Shana looked up from where she had been studying the tiny air bubbles that popped up from the quicksand.
"I thought I. . . What are you looking at anyways?" Meru asked of Shana, who's attention had once more drifted to the quicksand.
"The air bubbles look like they're getting bigger."
Meru peered over Shana's shoulder and frowned. "There shouldn't be any air bubbles in a quagmire. Not like this at least. They shouldn't be getting bigger. They don't do that." The Wingly was now muttering to herself," I know. I've been thrown out into enough of them when people didn't like my dancing. Those people wouldn't have known art if it had bit them in the butt."
Meru did not notice Shana's interested gaze directed her way. Something was wrong. Her crimson eyes widened in shock as she caught a glimpse something stirring underneath the quicksand. "Shana get bac-"
The little Wingly had noticed too late. A gigantic monster burst through the surface of the quagmire. A sickly gray color, it had too many tentacles to count covering it's body. Meru was already in the process in shoving Shana back, but one of the tentacles swung her way before she could even note it's presence. The tentacle hit her full on the chest and sent the still flying Wingly backwards with an unbelievable force.
Meru tried to stop her course in the air, but she couldn't. She was thrown back through more than a few branches. They tore at her skin, ripping it to shreds. One branch caught at her arm and she heard a cracking sound. Another branch hit her on the back of her head and she felt her vision start to dim. Then she ran into something warm, soft, and solid. Someone had caught her!
Whoever had caught her was gently lowering her to the ground. Meru fought her fading eyesight as she tried to catch sight of Shana. She tried to sit up when she did spot her, despite the pain. One of the monster's tentacles had wrapped around the ex-Moon Child, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't use her bow and arrows. Meru struggled against the hand that pushed her to the ground again.
/I've got to help her! I can't just. . . lay. . . here./ Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight and Meru found she didn't have the strength to fight against it. Her body was wracked with pain. She slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness unaware of what was going on and what was about to happen.
*****
