DRAGON CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER 8
Essence of rebellion
The wind blew furiously around Rose as she stared off into the horizons. After packing her belongings, Charle had shown her to a teleportation block. From there, Charle had sent her to the closet ground area around, the land of Fuldor. Legends foretold that this land was the very heart of the dragon rebellion, centuries ago. During the time before the reign of the Wingly, this land was known to be the most beautiful area on the face of the world. Now, however, it was nothing more then a graveyard for the lost souls of all those dragons that perished under the mighty force of their Wingly predecessors.
Rose wrapped her arms protectively about herself, half from the dread of seeing this horrid place and half from the cold gusts of wind that continued to assault her despite the heavy cloak she was wearing. Her attire was simply. Aside from the cloak, she wore a simply dress underneath with protective traveling boots and thick gloves. In her hands, she carried a simply bag that would be used for retrieving the flowers she was set out to find.
Rose took a tentative step forwards. From every angle, there was nothing but bare dry land. To make matters worse, the land was uneven as there were many pits and sharp craggy hills. Before her, she saw a huge trail leading up what appeared to be a mountain path.
Rose shuddered internally as her mind began to wonder once more on the reasons why she was making this journey. As she walked further and further up the steep slopes, her mind began to filter through the past few years of her life.
'Why am I even doing this? I should hate the Wingly. They're the one's who killed my parents. They're the one's who ruined my life. So why am I helping Charle now? I'm free, I can escape all of them and never have to see them again.'
However, even as Rose thought of this, she knew the truth. Despite how much she hated the Wingly, she couldn't overlook the fact that despite it all, Charle 'did' look out for her when everyone else abandoned her. Charle 'saved' her from complete madness. At the very least, she owed the woman this debt. And even though she may always try to deny it, she knew deep in her heart that she cared for the elderly lady in a daughter-like sense. She would never replace her mother but at the very least, she was still a surrogate guardian figure for her. And for that, Rose was grateful.
Rose sighed once more. She had been turning the issues over in her mind since she first arrived to this barren wasteland and always she came to the same conclusions. She shook her head, deciding that when she finally did find this flower she was searching for, hopefully by then she would have her answer.
Rose took another step forward. However, she never noticed that the foothold ahead was loose. The small pathway ahead crumbled weakly under her weight. Rose eyes widened suddenly as she immediately tried to turn back. It was too late. She barely let out a scream as she fell straight down into the pit of stones and boulders. A sharp pain assaulted her and then there was darkness.
****
The prisoner transport gave a sharp jerk causing everyone inside to fall to the left. Many slaves screamed in alarm as they fell to the floor, injuring themselves while other unlucky one's completely sprawled around, slamming against sharp jagged edges. Zieg who was trying to hold onto one of the side railings, lost his balance and rammed straight into one of the Wingly guards. After a few seconds, the transport finally straightened out, and resumed its smooth trailing.
"Get off me you filthy shit!" The guard hissed, slamming the butt end of his sword against Zieg's head.
Zieg stumbled forwards, biting back his anger at the man striking him. Belzack, seemingly the only passenger unaffected by the commotion, gave Zieg a warning look signaling for him not to react.
Zieg nodded slightly but gave his partner a look telling him he wanted otherwise. Meanwhile the Wingly guard who had struck him was currently too busy trying to reign in the crowd of slaves who were getting restless from the recent commotion.
"Quiet down you shits! Get back in line or else there will be fifty lashes for the lot of you!"
"What was that just now?" Zieg asked, still rubbing his head.
"Don't worry about it filth. You don't need to know."
"Hey, I don't want to die in here. Don't we at least have the right to know what's going on?"
"No. Slaves have no rights."
Once more Zieg had to bite back his anger, clenching his fists tightly. Belzack placed his hand on Zieg's good shoulder, drawing the man over to him. Zieg reluctantly walked towards his friend, getting back in line. He flashed his partner a look.
"Man, I wish I could just gut this guy right now!" He whispered. Belzack smirked slightly then trailed his eyes outwardly towards the outer rims of the cage. A few rows in front of them was the opening of the cage. Unfortunately, there was a huge mass of people standing in front, effectively preventing them from getting a good look outside.
"You may get your wish sooner then you think." Belzack replied. "The jerk we felt just now? That was a changing in shift. They just switched up, so that means the Dragon that picked us up is no longer carrying us. We're now flying on one of the Wergons."
"Wergon? What's that?"
"Wergon's are flying creatures. The Dragons would stir up too much commotion in the lands below. Thus the Wingly's switched us off from the Dragon's transportation to one of the Wergon's. They're much smaller but more agile and have a higher range of maneuverability."
Zieg's face darkened at this. "Shit! Those Wingly bastards must really thing every living creature aside from them is cattle!"
Belzack nodded absent-mindedly. "That's been a proven fact for ages my friend. What I'm more concerned about right now is deciding on when to make our move."
Zieg's face suddenly became serious. The brown haired man huddled closer to his companion in a conspiratorial way. "Don't you think now would be a bad time? I mean they just changed shifts, so they might be a little more on the defensive side right now."
"Now's the only time." Belzack pointed towards the front side of the transport. Even though the many slaves in front of them made the view obscure, they could still roughly see the lone Wingly guard who was flying the Wergon through the clouds.
"They're a little too preoccupied at the moment. With the four Wingly guards in here and the lone Wingly piloting the Wergon, it's just them against us."
"But we still gotta take into consideration the fact that some of these civilians might get hurt."
Belzack closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "Zieg, it is time you realized the world we live in. Not everything is without risk. If you really want to get outta here, then now's our only chance."
Zieg cast a glance towards Orlin, the man he had been talking to before. A pained expression laced his face as he slowly closed his eyes. "Yeah…" He said finally. "Yeah I guess we've got no choice. Look, don't worry about the guards behind us. I still owe that one bastard for the hit he gave me. I'll watch your back, you just focus on getting that pilot off his perch."
Belzack nodded. He lowered his stance slightly. "Any time you're ready…"
Zieg nodded. He looked down tentatively at his injured shoulder hoping it would hold up through the fight. Deciding that there was no other choice and he would simply just have to endure the pain, he cast a slight glance over towards the guard once more. "I'll give the signal."
Once more, the transport gave a slight jerk as the Wingly pilot steered the Wergon off to the left a bit. The movement was exceedingly less powerful then the first but still it was enough to unnerve some of the occupants. One of the Wingly guards seemed to shift uncomfortably. Zieg smiled viciously as he crept his good hand towards the hilt of his blade.
A second more and suddenly Zieg sprang from the ranks of the crowded slaves around. Sharp intakes of breath and mild curses alerted him of the many displeased comments of the slaves he ran past. Fortunately, he wasn't thinking of their comfort at this moment. The Wingly guard saw his approach and quickly reached for his own blade. Zieg knew in these confined areas, the Wingly's superior movement was limited and so they were put on the same level as mortals. In a caged fight, the victor would truly be the man with the highest amount of skill and skill was something that ran high in Zieg's blood.
The guard's face was forming into a frown as Zeig swiftly unsheathed his blade and swung it towards him. A light smile graced Zieg's lips as he saw the man's alarmed expression. The guard barely managed to block in time. He immediately called out to his other comrades at other sides of the transport for aid.
"Shit!" Zieg hissed. He knew he would not be able to take on all four if he continued playing with this guard. He stole a quick glance behind and Saw that Belzack was true to his word. The big man easily plowed through the unfortunate slaves and was tearing his way through the transport cage gate, creating a way to get to the pilot. The transport gave a sharp jerk alerting Zieg that the pilot was indeed aware of the current actions taking place.
The Wingly guard used this to his advantage as he quickly swung his sword horizontally towards Zieg. The dark haired man barely evaded the attack in time. He leapt back slightly then lost his footing as the transport gave another jerk. Zieg could see that the three other Wingly guards were quickly advancing on his position. He noted that the many slaves in the area had quickly moved off to the side with horrified looks. Orlin, whom he had been talking to before, merely regarded him with utter sadness in his eyes.
This only made Zieg more determined then ever. No matter what, he was not going to end up like that. He was not going to simply give in to the Wingly. He would gain his freedom, even if it meant death. Ignoring the sharp pains in his arm, Zieg quickly pushed himself to his feet, even as the transport jerked once more. The Winglys approaching him lost their balance, yet still managed to stay on their feet. Zieg grinned wickedly then charged towards them. The first guard met the challenge and he clashed swords with him.
Zieg grunted under the man's strength. This Wingly guard was almost as big as Belzack however, luckily, he was nowhere near as physically powerful. Zieg's knee's buckled under the man's weight. "You Pathetic slave! How dare you!" The guard hissed, pressing his sword even farther towards Zieg. Zieg narrowed his eyes to sharp slits then dropped to his back. The guard followed through on his momentum, a shocked expression written across his face. Zieg quickly propped his sword up so that the man's rib cage slide in between his blade. The man gave a sharp intake of breath then slumped down draining his life's blood all over Zieg's hands and chest.
"You bastard!" Yelled one of the other Wingly guards. The man furiously swung his blade around in an overhead arch as he made his way towards Zieg. Zieg quickly used all the force in his legs to kick them previous guard's dead weight off from over his body but he would not budge. To make matters worse, the dead weight of the guard only intensified the excruciating pain in his shoulder. The other guard was closing in fast. Zieg closed his eyes then gave out a sharp yell as he pushed once more. Fortunately, the transport gave another jerk, adding to Zieg's momentum. The dead body promptly rolled away from him and barreled towards the Rushing guard. Zieg grinned as the guard was toppled by the dead weight. He used the distraction to his advantage as he jumped over the body, barreling full force into the surprised guard. Both men fell against the edge of the transport wall. The Wingly guard glared hatefully at him as he tried to pry himself free of Zieg's grip. "You'll never get away with this blasphemy, you bastard! You will be slain for your atrocities here today! SLAIN!"
Zieg flashed him a wicked grin as he held the man's sword arm against the wall, fighting back the pain of his bad arm. "By the time I'm done with you and your Wingly regime, there will no longer be a Wingly council for me to stand before. The Wingly's eyes widened in appalled shock. However before the guard could reply, Zeig quickly yanked him free of the wall and directed him so that his back was facing another fast approaching Wingly who held his sword outstretched, ready to impale him. The guard shuddered violently as the blade pierced through the front end of his chest. The Wingly guard behind him looked on in horror at what he had just done. Zieg quickly pushed the man to the side then swung his own blade in a vertical arch, lobbing off the third Wingly's head before the man had a chance to react.
The fourth and final Wingly was much different then his previous comrades as he simply held his sword ahead of him, shaking violently. Zieg glared at the man then outstretched his sword pointing the tip towards him. "Do you have so little value for your life as your friends did?"
The guard continued to shake as sweat began to perspire down his face. His breathing came in rough gasps. "Y- you! How could you! You're not human. It should not have been possible for a single man to kill any Wingly, much less three of us! You can't be mortal!"
A light grin touched Zieg's lips once more. "That's the best compliment I've heard all day. Drop your sword and I'll consider letting you live."
The lone Wingly began to shake even more. "B-b by order… of the C-council of Wingly… I cannot allow you to continue your actions of discord. I shall stop you… here and n- now."
Zieg sighed absently, assuming his fighting stance. "Then come! I've no time to toy with you any longer!"
The guard shook even more. He tightened his grip around the pommel of his sword then charged in towards his adversary, letting out a shrill war cry. Zieg easily side-stepped the man then drove his sword forwards smashing the blade against the man's armor. So powerful was the attack however, that Zieg's sword bit deep through the Wingly's armor and into his flesh, cleaving right through his left wing and all they way down until it stopped at his chest. The guard let out a blood soaked gurgle of pain before sinking down to the ground. His right shoulder now felt like burning fire yet he was just thankful that he was able to hold out through the pain. Zieg yanked his blade out then pulled up his discarded cloak and began wiping the blade with it.
Zieg looked up from his task and noticed that all the slave's eyes were on him. Zieg said nothing as he calmly looked back at each and every one of them. Finally an old man stepped forwards. He appeared to be of the Menentos race, as his pink skin and odd shaped features protruded from within the dirty cloak he was wearing. An appalled expression was written across his face.
"… What have you done… What have you done young man!?!" He hissed in a silent voice. "You have doomed us all! Did you not consider the consequences of your actions as they would affect us? You have doomed us all to the consequences of your own rebellious tendencies!"
As if spurred on by the old man's words, many of the other slaves began to add to the insults where as others simply glared hatefully at him. Zieg was momentarily speechless as he watched the onslaught of hate directed at him. The many utterings began to intensify. However, just as the yelling heated us, so did the raging cauldron that was Zieg's temper. Finally the brown haired man couldn't take it anymore.
"ENOUGH!!!" He screamed as he slammed the pommel of his sword hard against the wall. All the talking immediately stopped as they now looked on with shocked eyes at the angry ex-slave. Zieg used this opportunity to speak.
"I… I can't believe what him hearing!… I can't believe what I'm seeing. I've been a slave in Vellweb for seven years. SEVEN FUCKING YEARS! And I hated every single second of it! I hated the constant stream of scented blood that evaded my nostrils. I hated the dust and grime that got caught in my eyes and ears. I hated the constant beatings, the constant orders, the constant slavery of it all! I HATED ALL OF IT! And you mean to tell me that you appreciated that? You mean to tell me that if nothing had happened here, you would all gladly go to whatever hell hole the Wingly were sending you to and slave away over that, even if it meant your lives? Are you all so shallow? So weak? Do you all mean to tell me you would prefer slavery over salvation? Many of you have condemned my actions today but what I have done was something no one has ever tried to do since 80 years ago. I've freed you! Even if temporarily, I have cut your binds so that you all may find some measure of freedom. I have done this because I, like so few others in the distant past, have a desire for freedom for all. I have a desire to break away the chains of slavery and free every single last one of us slaves so that for once in our horrible lives, we can have a positive future to look forward to. Now I don't know about the rest of you. If it's really what you want, then you can go back to slavery for the Wingly. You can go back to working the mines in agony, but me? I've got higher aspirations. I will continue my struggle! I will continue my fight for freedom, even if it means giving up my very life in the process! You all may do whatever you wish when this transport finally lands. The choice is ultimately yours. Go slave over the Wingly warlords! Go sacrifice your lives for nothing! Go do whatever the hell you want! However, I will continue my struggle, I will continue my fight. Even if I must fight alone! Even if no one else will support me! I will still do all that I can to make this dream of mine a reality so that all may profit from it!"
Zieg looked on at the many surprised faces that stared back at him. However, not a single word was muttered. Zieg waited for a few minutes but still, he got no response. Finally he sighed, then sheathed his sword. "Excuse me, I must attend to my partner. I'm sure he's taken over the Wergon by now."
"Wait!" A voice called out suddenly. Zieg looked up and saw that it was none other then Orlin, the bony man he had talked to before entering the transport. The man walked forwards to face him. "I will follow you." He said finally. Some mutterings ensued throughout the crowd causing the man to turn and face them. "This man has risked his life for us. What better proof that he is a man of strength and honor? I will follow him and fight with him in his fight against the Wingly. If we do nothing to band together now, we will forever live in anguish. I'm tired of it. I will fight with him!"
He turned around to face Zieg. "Could you… let me fight with you?"
A smile formed on Zieg's lips as he held his outstretched hand towards the man. "It would be an honor to fight with you at my side."
The man clasped it graciously. Suddenly another man walked forth. "I am Xoldren. I too was impressed by your skill. Please, let me help you fight."
Then another man walked up, asking for allegiance. Soon before he realized it, one by one, all the slaves banned together and pledged their allegiance towards Zieg, vowing that they too would fight in their struggles against the Wingly. By now Zieg was grinning anxiously. Finally the old man bowed his head towards him as he walked forwards.
"Who would have thought such a thing was possible…" he replied. "Such bravery. Such determination. I had thought such ideas had died out in our youth long ago. It relieves me to know that the embers of a dying flame still burn hot within you young man. Like everyone else, I too will aid you as much as I can."
Zieg smiled and nodded his head towards the old man. He cupped the palm of his hand on the old man's shoulder in acceptance. From the far end, he could see Belzack glancing at him proudly. Zieg nodded his head in agreement. Finally, things were beginning to fall into place.
****
Rose opened her eyes slowly. She could tell already that she had taken a bad fall. Her ribs felt as if they were broken and her head didn't feel any better. She could faintly detect the light scent of eggs roasting on a skillet. That made no sense to her however. She couldn't possibly be back at Ulara after all she had traveled before then. Instead Rose simply chalked it up to disillusion and softly closed her eyes once more. However, the silent almost rhythmic sound of dripping water continued to keep her awake.
After a few moments of this, Rose raised her tired hand to her head, messaging it carefully. She waited a moment more before once again opening her eyes. Again the pain returned and again she still could detect the scent of bacon. However, she quickly discovered that the pain in her ribs was slowly subsiding as if it were an after effect of some previous pain. This completely confused her. Having had enough with all of this, she opened her eyes the rest of the way. To here surprise, she found she was no lying at the bottom of a mountain ditch like she had thought. Instead she found herself in a somewhat odd looking room. The walls appeared to be made of some sort of stonework with a soft orange color to it. There were sparse amounts of furniture about. She could detect a door on the far right corner of the room. Around that, she saw a somewhat old looking couch along side a small table. A few feet away from that she saw the cooking area. That explained the faint scent of eggs she had detected earlier. Finally her eyes rested on the patient form of a woman she had never seen before.
Immediately Rose eyes widened in shock as she quickly sat up. She soon came to regret that however, as the pain in her head intensified.
"It's about time you woke up." Replied to woman, walking towards her. "I was beginning to think you would never regain consciousness. What a bother that would be eh?"
Rose returned her gaze on the woman now, while still clutching her head with her right hand. At a closer inspection, Rose saw that the woman was slim with elegant features. Her attire was simply, as she wore a light brown cloak over a pair of slightly baggy pants and a long trailing shirt with a belt around her waist. Her fiery red hair set her apart from any human she had ever seen before if in fact she was even human at all. Her crimson red irises matched the tone of her hair as they shone brightly in the brilliant troche light.
"Who are you?" Rose asked finally.
"My my, the sleeping princess finally wakes up and it turns out she's got a bit of an attitude problem. Very nice decorum sweetheart."
Rose caught the dripping sarcasm in her remark and glared angrily towards her. The woman noticed that Rose wasn't going to say anything, so she decided to continued.
"Truth be told, I was going to ask you the same thing. After all, you did land on my territory. Not to mention I had to waste a lot of energy healing your injuries. I think I have the right to know who has the audacity to come barging in through my door don't you think?"
Rose continued to glare at her. Unfortunately, the other woman was just as firmly resolved in a glaring contest as her as she simply returned the look with a slight smirk on her face. The two of them continued this until finally rose ended the contest, sighing heavily.
"This is stupid." She said at last.
The red-headed woman smiled knowingly, as she nodded her head. "Yup. It is. So are you finally going to answer my questions?"
Rose did not meet her gaze as she slowly nodded her head. "My… My name is Rose. Thank you for helping me and I apologize for entering you territory unannounced but I didn't know it was your land I was walking into. I… I was just traveling because I… had escaped my Wingly captors and had no place to go." Rose decided against telling this woman the true purpose of her journey. She owed Charle at least that much.
Unfortunately, the fiery haired woman saw through her lie. "Well then 'Rose' you must really be special if you 'escaped' from the Wingly territory 'alone' with absolutely 'no' combat experience 'whatsoever'! I must say I'm impressed." The woman smiled and leaned down so that Rose could look at her eye to eye. "Now how about you tell me the real reason why you're down here hon? Because I'll tell you right now, I'm not partial to liars and it doesn't really help your position any as it is."
Rose nervously swallowed the lump in her throat then met the woman's fiery eyes. "I… It's true. I have told you a lie. But please understand I mean you no harm. I am on a mission by my predecessor but it does not involve warfare or anything of the sort."
"And I take it your predecessor is a Wingly, am I right?"
Rose found her voice constricting now. "Yes…" She replied silently.
"So then you're a spy. Don't try to deny it. You wear the mark of one who serves a Wingly, faithfully."
Rose now looked at her with a confused expression written over her face. "I don't… understand what you mean."
"The locket you wear around you neck? That's a sign of ownership. The Wingly's often give trinkets to any other creature they trust enough to spy on the lands below. The only reason why you're still alive right now is because I found that you do not have the same look as all the others who bear that mark."
Rose only caught half of what the red haired woman was saying. She was still trying to process the first portion of information. 'A symbol of ownership…' Rose could not get that thought out of her head. Had Charle been using her all along? Had Charle's true intention been for her to spy on the humans and unknowingly tell her of any human rebels she just happened to come across? The very thought of her guardian figure doing such a treacherous thing to her was appalling to say the least. Had their entire bond of friendship and caring only been a farce so that Charle could manipulate her into further betraying her own kind? She was Melbu Frahma's sister after all. It made perfect sense.
The more Rose thought about it, the more her expression began to change from one of shock to disgust. The red haired woman saw this change in Rose personality and grinned slightly. It seemed like the poor girl was less aware of the reality of the world then she first had assumed. The woman shook her head sadly and placed a gentle hand on Rose shoulder.
"Look, it appears to me like you've got a lot of soul searching to do…"
Rose simply stared at her, as if it was the first time she had seen the woman.
"Rose… I won't lie when I say I detect an innocent spirit from within you. Even though you wear the brand of a Wingly servant, your heart and soul are not bound to them. You seem to be oblivious to the true ways of the world and of the Wingly… My name's Shirley. I am a high-ranking member of the Thorn Dragon clan. One of the few dragon clans that still exist. I shouldn't be telling you this I suppose, but I'm willing to trust you for now because you honestly seem lost. We of the Thorn Dragon clan oppose all Wingly and one day our freedom will be assured and their horrible Empire will fall… If you wish to know more about our struggle… If you wish to learn the truth about where you really belong as a person and what needs to be done to gain your freedom, then you are free to stay with me."
Rose eyes lit up. She was still confused about Charle's true motives. Still debatable about the mission for the flower but now the more she thought about it, the more fake that whole journey was sounding to her. Slowly, more and more, Rose was beginning to like the idea of staying with Shirley. She silently grasped the medallion Charle had given to her.
Shirley saw this then stood up full height. "Know this… if you remain with me, I will train you in the way of the Dragon clan. Your training will be harsh and your skills will become unparalleled by even Wingly. You will go through rigorous exercise and I will harden you into a blade that shall be used to strike at the Wingly just as I was trained for the same purpose. Think well on the choice you make because it will change the course of you life forever."
Rose sat there silently. After a few moments she closed her eyes, finally deciding upon the choice she would make. She stood up from the small bed she was sitting on to stand before the red haired woman.
Shirley turned around to regard her now. "Have you decided upon the choice you wish to make?"
"I have." Rose slowly lifted the medallion Charle had given her free from her shoulders. She silently held it in her hands, glancing at it vaguely. Again she pondered about how everything Charle had told her had been a lie. Once more she closed her eyes. A lone tear slid down her cheek washing away the seven years of companionship she used to think was genuine. Finally she wiped the tear away and once more looked up towards Shirley. "I have made my decision." She relaxed the grip she held on the medallion, allowing it to fall crashing to the floor below, discarded and forgotten. "I want to train with you. I want to help you put an end to all Wingly…everywhere…"
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 8.