DRAGON CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER 10
Unrequited
Belzack cracked his eyes open slightly, allowing the fresh new waves of light to assault his vision. He felt the first signs of a headache and suddenly remembered what had happened to him. He closed his eyes once more knowing that pain would assault his whole body. He still remembered the duel he had with Kurthrar. The pain and spilt blood were still fresh in his mind. He could still taste the light traces of fear that engulfed his heart when he had known that it would be a death match between him and the Giganto leader. For the time being, he at least wanted to rest a bit more before returning to the pain.
"Hey! I saw that!" Came a familiar voice that didn't seem so far away. Belzack sighed. Apparently, he would not be graced with those few last moments of blissful silence before being brought back to the pain of living. Once more, his eyes fluttered, this time narrowing slightly as they fought against the rays of sunlight.
"That's the spirit Bel! Get your lazy ass up already!"
Belzack grimaced as the slight headache returned, yet to his immense surprise, that was all he felt. The other pain he had suffered was miraculously gone from his body. Belzack sat up from the bed he was lying on, tentatively messaging him temples. The big man turned his head to regard the voice that had so rudely ripped him from sleep. Unsurprisingly, it was Zieg, standing by his bedside with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Belzack noticed something different about the brown haired man yet he paid it no heed as he continued to shake the drowsiness from his mind.
"What happened?" He asked in a tired voice.
"Heh, you don't remember? You won the fight. I gotta hand it to you Bel, I never knew you were such a rough fighter!"
"I did what was necessary… And yes I remember that. What I was asking is how did I get here?"
"You don't know?" Zieg took a seat on the small chair that was adjacent to the big man's bed. "After you beat the living crap outta that Giganto leader, they got really nice all of a sudden. They immediately took you both to their village healers and fixed you up. I've gotta hand it to those old coots. They sure did a good job."
Belzack nodded absently. "So it seems. I feel nothing of my previous pain with the exception of this light headache."
"Yeah, guess that mean's I've gotta deal with you a bit longer until you can find a more permanent death."
Belzack rolled his eyes at the light joke. "So where exactly are we now?"
"In one of the village huts. It seems the whole town loves you as a hero or something Bel. Truly amazing how fast people can change after one good fight. Makes me want to change my whole perspective on combat entirely."
Belzack shook his head then noticed to his surprise and embarrassment that he was wearing little more then the sheet that was covering him. "Where are my clothes?" He asked in alarm.
Zieg couldn't help the hearty chuckle that issued from his mouth at his friend's apparent discomfort. "Heh, They had to strip you down if they were going to heal you completely. Don't worry, they've got a full set up of new attire for you. They don't have bad taste either I might add. Just look what they did for me."
For the first time, Belzack finally noticed the slight difference in his friend's attire. Zieg now wore a new leather bound belt with steel plated buckles. The new sheath at his waist was equally decorated with bright red armored plates and the sword inside was also new and seemingly highly polished.
Belzack nodded his head acceptingly. "Not bad. I'm impressed."
Zieg chuckled slightly. "Yeah, these Giganto's really are something else. Apparently they've been planning rebellion for a while. While you were out, I've been talking with the village chieftain and telling him about our mission to bring down the Wingly. After explaining it to him, he gave me the full consent of this village that they would support us. As a token of that trust he gave me this nice sword. He would have given me armor too but all the armor they made in this village is a bit too big for me."
"I'm surprised such weapons and armor even exist in a land that is supposed to be occupied by Wingly control."
"Apparently these Giganto people have been very private about them. All the time they've been mining for precious metal and stonework for the Wingly, they made the right decision by using some of that metal to their own advantages."
"Heh, sounds about right…"
Zieg eyed his friend curiously at that response. He slowly turned away from the big man and walked towards the back cabinet of the shack they were in. "That reminds me…" he replied, opening the cabinet. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"What's that?" Belzack inquired, sitting up more. Zieg apparently found what he was looking for in the cabinet and tossed a moderately heavy sack towards his big companion. Belzack caught it easily, then glanced inside.
"It's that new clothing and armor I was telling you about." Zieg explained after catching his companion's curious look. Zieg turned his back to his friend so that he could get dressed in private. "So like I was saying before, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about."
Belzack was silent for a bit as he put on the new clothing. He finally managed to pull on his shirt and pants which were a dark black color and were of a special material that was supposedly reinforced so as to act as a temporary armor coating. They were slightly form fitting yet Belzack didn't really care as the dark bronze armor he soon put on over it was more fitting to his taste. "So what is the question you wanted to ask me?"
Assured that his friend was dressed and decent, Zieg turned around to face his companion. "It's about this whole business with the Gigantos. You seem to know an awful lot about their customs and traditions. For a race that is prided upon their secrecy, you know a hell of a lot more then you should. What exactly is your connection?"
Belzack sighed despondently. He knew the question would come up sooner or later. Better to deal with it now then later. "I supposed you would have realized it sooner or later. As you know, I am not like normal men. I am much more…"
"Fat?" Zieg supplied, grinning wickedly.
"… I was going to say built. I am unnaturally tall and muscular. I suppose because of my looks the gene pool favored me more along the side of my mothers race but I still inherited a great deal from my father as well."
"So then you're saying you're of two different races?"
Belzack sighed once more. "I am the end result of the union between a Giganto man and a human woman. My father was a rebel fighter who was forced away from his tribe. Soon after that, he met my mother. The two of them escaped slavery together and later became lovers and got married. Yet even still, my father taught me much about my Giganto roots before my parents were stripped from me by the Wingly."
"And why were you going to keep this from me?" Zieg asked curiously.
"I was unsure of your reaction, to be honest. You know how the world is. Most cultures shunned the Gigantos because of the hate Gigantos have for everyone outside of their race. It's always been an ongoing struggle between my race and others. As a child, many people in other villages rejected me after learning of my heritage."
"Well Bel, you're in luck. Either way, I could care less who your parents were or what race you are. You're still the same friend I trusted my life with back on Vellweb. Nothing's changed unless you want it to."
A light smile graced Belzack's lips as he clapped his palm down on Zieg's shoulder. "Clearly my friend, you are of a rare breed indeed. The world needs more people like you."
Zieg shrugged nonchalantly then pointed towards the bandana still on the big man's head. "That still doesn't explain that though."
"As I've told you before, because of where I grew up and the ancient traditions we've followed, I wear it as a form of traditional culture values and sentiment."
Zieg crossed his shoulders. "Whatever floats your boat. In any case, I've gotta hand it to you, you're looking pretty spiffy in that bronze armor."
Belzack shook his head in dismissal yet even still, the Gigantos truly outdid themselves with this new armor. The smooth coiled armor plates fit securely around his form. The shoulders were slightly high cuffed but gave him more then enough room to do his fighting and provided an added protection if he ever intended to shoulder ram his opponents. Despite the nonchalant response he gave his smaller companion, Belzack too was greatly impressed by the craftsmanship and design of this new armor.
He lightly dismissed this as he walked out the door of the small shack they were occupying. "In any case, I'm more inclined to speak with this Chieftain you were telling me about. He might have some useful information on the city of Gurnatrast."
"Yeah." Zieg agreed, walking along side his companion. "It also wouldn't hurt to have an escort of Gigantos going with us to provide us with some travel support."
Belzack gave a sharp shake of the head. "Even though the Gigantos have helped us this much, I really don't think they would go so far as to provide us with aid. They didn't get this far in defenses by being stupid. They would never go for sending some of their citizens away and risk Wingly detection."
"Still, it doesn't hurt to ask does it?"
Belzack rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We'll see…"
****
Melbu Frahma stormed down the royal halls of Vellweb with an angry scowl across his narrow face. He was currently dressed in the typical attire. A flowing cape with slots for the wings he proudly kept extended. He also wore long robes to accommodate his lengthy stature. His belt was richly polished with a jeweled sword hilt hanging at his waist. The sun beat brightly through the hall windows filtering beautiful sunlight through the square partitions. However, Melbu hated sunlight. He hated all things he had no control over and thus his mood became even more foul.
With the ferocity of a beast, He roughly threw open the doors leading into the council hall. All of the 11 Wingly councilmen shivered at his presence as he walked directly up to the center of the room. So angry was he that he couldn't take his trembling hand off of the hilt of his polished sword.
One of the Elder Wingly councilmen spoke up in a trembling voice upon seeing his Emperor. "Youre Majesty, welco-"
"SILENCE!" Melbu Frahma cut him off in mid-sentence, shooting him a glare so venomous the man quickly sat back down and tried to hide his face as much as he could from the podium.
"I have been merciful…" Melbu began, directing his speech throughout the entire council hall. "MERCIFUL! I have waited patiently, Given you the slaves from my very own empire! I have provided you with the best our Empire has to offer! For two whole months have I waited and given you time! Is that not merciful enough? Is that not GENOROUS ENOUGH? Have I not been 'lenient' enough with you all?"
Finally one of the council members worked up the nerve to respond. "Of course you have, your majesty! You have been more the patient with us in these past trying days."
"Then 'tell' me what I want to hear!" Melbu roared in barely suppressed fury. "Have you found the Signet Spheres?"
The same man cleared his throat cautiously. "Ahem,… as you are aware my liege, we have used all the resources and manpower at our disposal to find that which you desire. Many of us have gone many days without sleep. We have even tallied the highest slave death ratio of all time. As you are aware, we've been searching our very best!"
"Well?" Anxiety was clearly evident in the power-hungry Emperor's voice. "What have you to say for your efforts?"
The councilman sighed heavily. "We have indeed found and retrieved one Signet Sphere. However it was a hard task indeed to find it. Unfortunately we were only so successful as to track down the second. We are still in the process of procuring it as we speak. The first Sphere that we were able to retrieve was found deep below the sea in the very heart of the ocean. Many of our sea slaves died from the pressure of the sea but we were able to finally force them into a massive genocide that enabled us to get the sphere high enough for us to retrieve it ourselves."
"I am unconcerned about the amount of slaves it took to get the orb. Nor am I concerned with how they retrieved it. With regards to the second Sphere, why is it that you cannot retrieve it."
"My liege, you see, we cannot retrieve it because reports say that it is located within the very heart of the active volcano deep within the Gurnatrast mountains. None of our slaves would even scarcely make it two inches towards the spheres much less two feet!"
"Then have our men do it!" Frahma raved. "They are far superior then our pathetic slaves. We are of a superior race that is above the ground, why not use our powers now and put them to some use!"
"B-but sire! That would be murder! To order our men into the volcano is suicide!"
Frahma's face immediately contorted into an expression of rage. "Do you test me Rafdu? Do you 'DARE' defy my orders?"
The councilman shivered horribly now. So terrified was he by the evil glint in Frahma's eyes that he could only shake his head slowly, completely unable to utter another word.
Frahma nodded at the scared man's response. "It would be wise that you remember your place! Lest you end up like your last companion who dared to question my decisions! Very well! Yet another example of my mercy upon you! I will allow you to live so that you convey this order to your men on Gurnatrast. I want that Sphere no matter what it takes! If it means sacrificing their very lives then so be it! Death to any that dare reject! As for the Sphere we have in our possession, I want our top scientists working on it! The legends foretold that there was a special alignment that each must be set at for the Spheres to work accordingly. I want our men to find that alignment immediately and have in running within the week! Frahma suddenly spun back around towards Duvok, the secret Wingly spy for the Dragons. "You! I want you to collect all the data you can and find me that last Damn Sphere! I want it within my grasps! If it is not located within three days, you will be slain and I will place another in your position! Is that understood!?!"
Duvok slowly bowed his head. "It shall be as you wish, your majesty. I shall not fail you." His voice was shaky but amazingly steady when he answered. Frahma noticed this and silently admired the man for his bravery. At least one of these spineless cowards knew how to act.
"Excellent!" Frahma replied. "You all have your orders! Go forth and bid my commands! Remember! Failure means death. Do not disappoint me!"
Slowly all the councilmen filed out of the rooms, much more terrified then anything else. Frahma smiled wickedly as the last man left. Already one Sphere was in his grasps. It wouldn't be long now before he had control of all three of them. His dream was not far off now. Soon, nothing would be able to stop him from rising to the highest power imaginable.
****
The city of Gurnatrast, Once the capital of the Dragons. After their defeat by the Wingly, the Dragons were forced from this great city and were helplessly plunged either into extinction or hiding. However now, as Wingly occupation of the area grew to its greatest extent, There still remained one Dragon that arrogantly defied the Wishes of the Wingly and remained, hidden deep within the molten liquids amidst volcanic lava. Deep in the caves, Zanatos waited patiently for the visitor he knew would be arriving soon.
He licked his lips and shot out a short burst of fire as he became more and more anxious by the minute. He was not at all pleased at the recent mining activities of the dwellers above. He was even more suspicious as the Wingly occupation grew more and more extreme by the day.
Finally, the sounds of claws heavily digging into the dark hard earth alerted his attention. He looked to the deep partition towards the right of the cavern as the lone figure of a dragon made its way towards him from the distance.
"… So… You finally arrive Warvajiea…"
The female white Dragon simply nodded her head silently. "Have the other Dragon's approached you recently since my absence?"
Zanatos shook his head. "Not since you left. They wouldn't dare risk it with all the recent activity that have be transpiring above my domain."
"As I have seen. I had to use most of my energy to transform my essence into something smaller and more unnoticeable."
"I apologize for that." Zanatos sighed heavily. "I have been trapped within my own domain. Is that not ironic? It is the very place I wish to be most of all now that the Wingly are so close to the Sphere."
Warvajiea lowered her head sadly towards the ground at Zanatos light humor. "I don't find it funny at all. I… I think it is dangerous of you to continue to take this action Zanatos."
"What?" The One-eyed beast flashed her an astonished expression, a few bursts of flames flickering from his nostrils unchecked.
Warvajiea shuddered from his response. She knew he would get angry with what she had to say but she simply couldn't hold it in anymore. "It's true! You already heard it yourself from the council that the Wingly were after the Signet Spheres! It's not just a coincidence that they are now mining around this area. They must know of its whereabouts by now! If you stay here you will be in danger!"
"And yet…" Zanatos smiled sadly towards the great white. "…That is what I have been waiting for since they began. That is the very reason why I cannot go with the others to war with the Winglys. As a Dragon of the Thorn, it is my duty by ancient traditions to protect the Signet Spheres with my life. It is my reason of existence. Unfortunately, the others have lost sight of that particular fact."
Warvajiea became overly silent now. Zanatos noticed this as he walked up silently closer towards her. "My dear companion, what troubles you now? We have known each other for centuries at a time, you can tell me."
Warvajiea shifted away slightly, turning her face further from that of the red.
"Warvajiea…?"
"…I… I fear… you will not be pleased with the answer I give you…"
Zanatos narrowed his eyes slightly. "Warvajiea, tell me! What is it that troubles you."
"… Thulrax has visited me… recently."
Zanatos face became rigid and stern. "Has he now?"
"He has… He has presented me with the option of joining him in the campaign."
"Ha, preposterous! That fool dares to ask the sister of Mulvik The Great? The Daughter of Javentaz, the most powerful Dragon of all time? What could he be thinking?"
"… I had no choice…"
"What?" Zanatos one eye widened in shock at her words. "What do you mean. Surly you didn't-"
"That's what I've come to tell you about!" The white said, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. "Thulrax came to me. He told me of the cowardly conduct in which he and everyone else regard you… he… he told me the council overruled you and deemed you unfit to remain in your position in the council."
Zanatos narrowed his eye even further, more flames flicking from his nostrils as he awaited the inevitable.
"With you out of the way, that left Thulrax in charge of everything… Our assumptions where right we you suspected he was veering for your position from the very beginning. With you no longer at the helm of the council, there was no one left to protect my honor…"
Zanatos shook his head in barely suppressed fury. "He didn't!"
"Thulrax has ordered me, as the head of the Dragon council to fight in this final campaign of the Dragon's. He pledge by the honor of Javentaz, my dead father, that I must agree to these orders… Zanatos you must understand… By those words I am honor bound to follow his orders. The very honor of my bloodline would be tarnished if I said otherwise!"
"Just as Mulvik's was tarnished when he saved me from certain death?" Zanatos nearly screamed. "Just as his honor was torn asunder when with his final acts of life, he took the blade that was meant for my own black heart and with the last of his strength told me what I was too proud to admit to myself? Told me that the Dragons would never win that day? Warvajiea it is not our orders and commands that define the honor of our spirit! Some things go further then the rules! Some times you must act based on the wishes of your heart more then the wishes of those who outrank you!"
Tears were now sliding down the eyes of the great white as she continued to look painfully at Zanatos. "I am sorry… It is too late… my friend…"
"It is not too late!" Zanatos seethed! "You have not gone yet! You can flee still! Stay with me! Hide from them!"
"You know I cannot do that… although your offer is very tempting, honor demands I follow my claims!"
"HONOR BE DAMNED!" Zanatos roared. "It's what you feel inside that matters! Not what the other members of the council think!"
Warvajiea looked on towards the Red in agony. "I came to tell you goodbye Zanatos…"
"No! NO! I will not accept this!"
"There is not much you can do… You know more then I that your first responsibility is to the Signet Sphere. You are trapped… Just as I am…"
Zanatos shoulders shrugged. For the first time since the death of her brother, Zanatos face became haggard and seemingly appeared much older then his years. He raised weary eyes towards her now. "Have you told Shirley yet? Have you told her of what you must do?"
Warvajiea sighed once more, averting her gaze from him. "…Not yet. She will learn of it in time. For now, I want her to at least spend these last few days she has with her friend Rose, in happiness, unaware of the deep sorrow I alone hold."
Zanatos looked at her with compassion in his one eye. "No… no Warvajiea. Never alone. For I too share in your sadness…"
Warvajiea kept her head averted from his as she took a shuddering breath. "There is still something else I have yet to tell you…"
"And what is that?"
More tears began to drain down from Warvajiea's face as she took in a deep breath. "Zanatos… I… I love you…"
"Warvajiea!" Zanatos reared back slightly in shock.
"…I have loved you for as long as I can remember. You have always been so important to me and have always remained a firm support in my life." She now turned her head to face the one-eyed Dragon, tears now fully apparent in her eyes. "I… I know that I am not worthy of loving you. I know that you would never consider taking me as your bride. I am nothing of the consort you desire. I am weak, and frail. In the end, I could not even choose my own destiny…" She chuckled sadly as more tears began to glisten from her scaly cheeks.
Zanatos lightly caught the last tear with the tip of his index claw before it slipped away from her face. He then cupped her face in his scaled hands bringing it close. "Warvajiea… you could not be further from the truth…"
"Zanatos…"
"Warvajiea… just as you have loved me, so too have I loved you as well. I… I never told you because of my own shame that I carried deep in my heart. I am not worthy of your love because of my rash actions. Your brother died because of my arrogance. Could… could you ever love one so disgraceful as I…?"
Warvajiea looked on sadly into the face of the Dragon she loved. Without muttering a word she gave him her answer as her lips lightly graced his. Zanatos one eye lifted lightly before he deepened the embrace. The two remained that way for a few moments more before Warvajiea slowly parted, ending the lone moment of eternal happiness. "If only…" more tears began to slide down her cheeks. "If only we had told each other earlier…"
Zanatos lowered his head. "I still have no regrets. I have cherished each moment I have ever spent with you. Cherished it like gold Warvajiea… like gold."
"As have I…" Slowly the Great White backed away from the Dragon she loved. Her sobbing became more intense the further she parted. Before turning to leave, she could see clear as day the lone tear that fell down the one eye of the great red. Never before had he cried. Always, had he believed it a sign of weakness. And yet, in this moment of sadness, he cried for her, for her and for the love they each shared even if it had not been expressed until now.
Slowly Warvajiea turned towards the exit of the cave, flapping her great wings as she glided down the exit. Before her great wings took her to the skies a lone sentence uttered from her lips echoing through the cavernous regions below. "I love you Zanatos… now and forever…"
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 11.