WAR FOR VALORIA

WAR FOR VALORIA

CHAPTER 3

New Dangers

Dart's breath came out in heavy gasps. He could barley breath. He could feel tiny beads of sweat sliding down his pale face. The beast inched closer. He could see its glistening white fangs dripping with saliva. He could hear the soft hiss of its breath while its nostrils continued to inflate and release. The beast was checking him out, regarding him for any forms of a last ditch effort. Apparently it found him not to be a threat as it suddenly lifted its massive head up and roared hungrily.

Dart narrowed his eyes furiously. If he was going to die this day, he would die fighting, as he had lived. Dart dug his hand down the hem of his armored chest plate searching for the dragoon stone he knew was there. His search became more frantic as the beast's mouth grew even closer. He could feel his fingers wrapping around the orb. A soft grin stretched across his face. He could feel the power surging through him.

The beast loomed even closer. Dart braced himself. The beast lunged its face towards him, its mouth opening wide to bare sharp teeth. At the last second Dart activated his dragoon spirit. In a sudden flash of light the huge beast immediately flew back from the impact. A huge orb of power surrounded Dart, engulfing him then pouring over his entire body. When the bright light finally faded, Dart stood before the creature now as the Divine Dragoon.

Dart shifted painfully then fell to one knee in pain. His left arm was hurting terribly. Dart felt dizzy. He could smell the cloying scent of gushing blood even through his armor. Could smell the fetid stench of the beast as it collected itself off the ground and now walked cautiously towards him. Dart could even still smell the faint scent of lilacs, now crushed under the massive feet of the beast.

The Divine Dragoon's vision quickly began to blur. He tried to shake his head but found he could barely stay on one knee. He slumped back weakly, trying his best to focus. The beast loomed even closer now. Dart could smell the horrid breath emanating from the creatures maw. Dart tried once more to rise to his feet yet this only resulted in his knee buckling even further. He roamed his head around in a confused daze, trying to focus on something, anything that would keep him from finally submitting to the desires of this hungry beast.

Dart eyed his sword. He needed it for something. For what he could not remember for the life of him. Already his mind was taking him in circles. Not knowing what else to do, the Divine Dragoon hefted his great sword then drove it into the ground so that he had a prop to lean upon.

The beast came closer. Dart could only shake his head, still trying to reclaim some shred of his now devastated focus. Finally his eyes rested on the comatose figure of Shana. The woman who was his wife now lay completely unconscious. A small trail of blood began to ooze from her face.

The beast seemed to also notice this. Its great head turned in the direction of where he was looking and suddenly it veered away from him. With painful determination, Dart raised his head to trail where the thing was walking.

'No.' Right before his eyes he could see the beast bearing down on Shana, preparing to have a much easier meal then he could have provided, himself. The sheer sight of his wife about to get eaten by some monster surged Dart into action. "NO!" He seethed. With a flash of light emanating from his Divine Dragoon sword, Dart rushed forward using his lightning fast momentum to hammer into the side of the beast.

The creature squealed in alarm upon impact then both fighters fell back in opposite directions. Dart slammed heavily into the earth yet the attack was enough to straighten his mind into some semblance of order. Dart gave it another vigorous shake. He could see the creature from across the other side beginning to gain its balance. Burning pain seared the Divine Dragoon's shoulder. He knew that he couldn't last much longer. Yet adrenaline was a powerful thing.

Dart narrowed his eyes then, with a silent grunt of protest, he rose his sword level with the beast. "Step away from my wife."

He was unsure if the creature could understand him. He wasn't even sure if the creature even spoke any language at all. However the challenge had been made, the threat enacted. The beast roared angrily towards him, more saliva flowing free from its gaping maw.

Dart braced himself, clenching his teeth together in an angry scowl. The beast was the first to charge forth, spreading its human like arms out wide, stretching its clawed fingers in growing anticipation for the warm wash of blood.

Dart felt his heart pulsating, pouring even more blood from his wound. He shut his eyes against the horrible thought of his strength failing him now. Biting his lower lip, he summoned the courage deep within his soul, pulling it out as one would uproot hidden weeds buried deep within the soil of the solid earth.

Dart charged in, letting out a battle cry fierce enough to match that of the beast. With the agility granted to him by the powers of his Dragoon armor, He hoisted himself skyward, using the momentum of his wings to thrust him even faster, Dart readied his sword. The sharp blade began to pulsate with energy. Dart summoned everything he had and was rewarded as the weapon at his side responded with an almost blinding hue of neon color.

The beast, seeming to realize this new wave of energy, let an even louder roar escape it's enormous maw, vacant strands of sinewy saliva lacing the lower tree branches like holiday decorations. It propelled its great arms even wider, planning to smash its enemy in a swooping motion.

Dart noticed this plan at the last second. Narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, the Dragoon spun in a hard swift spiral. So fast did he move and so sudden was the attack, the beast momentarily lost its balance, growing dizzy by the dazzling trail effects left by his opponent's wings. That failed moment was all Dart needed however. Before it could react, Dart drove straight into the beast, increasing his momentum. So great was the final thrust that huge sparks of energy rained out along the collision, mingling in with the blood so that a collage of rainbow like effects seemed to paint the skies.

The beast roared in protest and pain as Dart's spiraling form tore through its chest and blazed right out of the backside. Dart pulled himself to a fast halt, ending his spiral blaze and directing himself to that his feet crashed against the trunk of a powerful tree for leverage.

The beast was now tumbling back, its reserves of strength and vitality leaving it. Dart was not finished. Using the tree trunk as leverage, he immediately propelled himself back towards the beast. This time he held his sword at a different angle. Dart could feel his muscles straining, could tell his strength was leaving him. His sword shadowed his strength as the once bright light of the blade now dimmed to a dull tint.

Dart clenched his teeth together. Finding the strength deep within his core, he held his blade back. The beast was coming up fast now. It was still making its downward decent. The huge figure never made it to the ground complete. A sickening sound of metal ripping through flesh polluted the air, killing all that was left of the beauty of that particular area of the forest. The body of a beast slammed against the torn, blood soaked earth, crushing what was left of the sweet summer lilacs. The head of the beast came second, falling not too far away from its base. That was the last thing Dart saw before he lost himself in the sinking sands of oblivion.

****

A loud heart wrenching crash rang through the air, causing a pack of wild birds the scatter across the skies, out of their homes in the trees. Not too far, on the grounds below, two of the four Dark Dragoons present turned their heads in startled shock.

"What was that?" One of the Dragoons asked anxiously.

His partner looked at him and shrugged. He too seemed shaken up, though his face could not be seen through the dark metal mask, his body language spoke louder then words. "Haven't a clue. Do you think the Hybrids could be attacking us from two fronts?"

"Enough Chatter." Lavitz, the commanding officer admonished authoritatively. "Stay focused. We've got hybrids converging on our position at the front. If you don't want to die this day, I suggest you all pay attention to what's at hand rather then what's behind us."

The two dragoons nodded wearily. Loud thunderous flapping could be heard in the distance, growing louder and louder as if it were coming closer. Lavitz reached towards his waist. Flipping one of the many concealed switches on his Dark armor. Within a matter of seconds, a small capsule like device flipped into his hand. Lavitz absently pressed down on one end of it. Immediately the device compounded on itself, growing thick and elongated. Sheer metal ran along both sides curving into a well designed shaft of strong unbreakable metal. On both ends, the staff ended in long, curved blades.

Lavitz shifted slightly, standing in a battle pose. His long metallic wings arched up for flight. He gripped his Staff slightly, his silky wings blowing adrift with the slight gust of wind that so beautifully caressed the long stands of grass around them. The other three Dragoons quickly followed the actions of their leader.

"Get ready…" Lavitz hissed. "Here they come."

On cue to his words, huge Winged beasts tore through the trees, bellowing loud, ear splitting screeches. They were gruesome looking. They had wings like bats, strong boned with a dark purplish, crimson color. This shade also adorned their bodies which looked strangely human until it ended at the torso. From there, their lower end took on a flappy, carpet like fin look. Their arms, which were attached under their wings at the middle, were also very similar to human like design. Their sharp claws were tipped with venom. Their faces which were pointed and narrow, glistened more crimson then any other part of their body. A beady red eye, was positioned on either side of their awkward triangular face. Their maw was also narrow and was lined with sharp fangs. Those too were poisonous to the touch. Their long ears drooped about the two adjacent sides of their face where a small hole met the center of their visage to form a rather awkward nose.

There was no doubt in Lavitz mind, these creatures were genetically manipulated by Frahma. "Those bastards are looking uglier then usual." He mused to himself silently.

Without warning, the lead Hybrid suddenly sped up, its entire body glowing in a flaming red color. Lavitz knew immediately what it was about to do. "Quick! To the skies!" He roared to his companions, forcing himself aloft with his powerful dark wings. Just then, the spot they had been standing on was incinerated with a bright red ball of fiery explosions, tearing through the grass and ripping deep into once soft moist soil, making that patch of land now a barren plot of burning sand.

Lavitz looked from this area then back towards the Hybrid that had fired the attack. Lavitz knew about these things, had fought them before. He knew exactly what attack that was. The small hole at the nose of the beast was not just something that takes air in and out of its system. It also expunges huge violent balls of energy when charging the battery that is their body. They were also extremely fast, much faster then even Lavitz and his company of Dark Dragoons. Lavitz had fought them in the past. It was a miracle to even be able to defeat one of them with a full squad of Dark Dragoons. To fight against four was suicide. Yet he knew the risks as well as he knew the importance of Shirley making it to base camp as fast as possible.

Only a true Dragoon, one who could fly 10 times faster then they, one that could fight 20 times as harder, was able to kill a Hybrid. Their commanders, the two Generals of the Dragoon resistance had show them that.

Lavitz shook his head harshly. That may have been so but they weren't here to protect him and his company now. It was up to him to dispatch these creatures and ensure the safety of his friends.

Lavitz immediately banked a hard left as he noticed yet another wave of energy converging on his position at the last second. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief then fastened his eyes on his comrades who were already dodging back and forth through the skies, trying desperately to outmaneuver the flying creatures that were easily twice their speed.

"Don't try to fight them one by one!" Lavitz screamed, speeding towards one of the Hybrids that was currently pursuing his second in command. "We must surround them one at a time!"

His second in command, having noticed his commander flying towards him, quickly banked hard, closing their distance. Only then did the creature notice how close Lavitz was behind it. The creature let out a sickening, anger filled screech then shot a gout of energy towards him. Lavitz spiraled left, eluding the blast. "Now!" He screamed. His second in command, who had stealthily swerved behind the beast as it was trying to attack Lavitz, quickly fired a pulse beam from one of the energy outputs on the generators built into his armored fists. The blast hammered straight into the beast, causing it to jerk forwards towards Lavitz. Lavitz saw the beast caught off balance, plunging towards him. Not wasting a second, he increased his own speed, driving his double-edged lance deep into the creature's chest where the heart should be. Unfortunately, this creature didn't have the same anatomy as a human. It shrieked loudly in pain at the metal that was buried into its chest yet it was far from dead.

With a speed Lavitz couldn't even keep up with, the creature reached its hand back and railed it straight into Lavitz faceplate, shattering the protective cover and jarring his senses. Lavitz barely had time to scream as momentum forced him in the opposite direction. Slightly panicked, he reached an arm out, firing his own pulse blast.

The thick burst of energy smashed dead center into the creature's face. The searing heat of the attack melting the thing's eyes so that it was now permanently blind. Unfortunately, the face was constructed with an armored material so that his blast could not incinerate its entire visage. The beast roared in blind rage. It suddenly fell into a frantic frenzy of destruction. It charged brightly then began to fire in all directions.

The three other dragoons as well as hybrids soon scattered in all directions to try to avoid the creature's wrath. A wave of energy glanced right by Lavitz, searing straight into his shoulder, cleaving right to the bone. Lavitz grimaced in pain but would not give the beast the satisfaction of screaming.

One of the hybrids took advantage of this chaos. A nearby Dragoon had just finished spiraling to the left, narrowly avoiding what could have been a fatal attack from the crazed Hybrid below. The Hybrid above quickly swarmed in on him unexpectedly. The Dragoon couldn't even scream as, right in the blink of an eye, the beast lopped his head from his shoulders with one of its talons.

Giving out a cry of success, the Hybrid quickly sped off away from the battle, burying its head into the insides of the helmet, devouring the flesh and organic substance inside.

Lavitz had to suppress the anger he was feeling in his heart as he watched the decapitated body of the Dark Dragoon plummet lifelessly to the ground. The other two Hybrids, having seen the now easy target, quickly darted towards the dead body and attacked it with a savage ferocity that made Lavitz stomach turn. Each one ripped eagerly through dark armor, tearing away the protective shell then ravaging the flesh beneath, hungrily devouring each section of it.

The other two Dark Dragoons, now having a moments reprieve, looked on with a mixture of rage and saddness. Their comrade was now dead but his body was being further disgraced by the actions of those beasts. One of them, the second in command moved to attack the preoccupied beast when Lavitz suddenly stopped the man by the shoulder.

"No." Lavitz said forcefully. The man could detect a note of sorrow in Lavitz voice yet it was overly drowned out by his authoritative tone. "There's nothing more we can do for him." Lavitz reasoned. "We will focus on that blind hybrid there."

Lavitz pointed below. The blind hybrid, having similarly smelled the fresh blood of the killed dragoon, quickly fell into a panicked flight, tearing at the grass trying futily to find the remains and join in on the quick snack.

"We will kill that one. " Lavitz commanded. "At least then, those creatures will devour it's remains as well buying us enough time to escape safely to base camp."

"What about Muller?" One of the Dragoons asked anxiously. "We can't just leave him like that! He doesn't deserve it."

Lavitz shook his head sadly. "There's nothing more we can do. You know that just as well as I. Just stick to the mission soldier. That's the only way we can honor his memory now."

Without waiting for a response, Lavitz sped off towards the blind frantic Hybrid. His arm burned from his wound. He could feel the fresh blood running down his face from the previous slash that destroyed his helmet. Lavitz pushed this all to the back of his mind. They killed Muller. Lavitz let that realization fuel his anger giving him the energy to move on.

With lightning speed, Lavitz closed the distance between himself and the Hybrid. Lavitz quickly summoned the wind energy within him, the energy once mastered by him but now, without the power of the jade dragoon, rare and taxing on his body to summon. Nonetheless, the former Knight of Serdio urged this inner strength from within and used it to power his lance. With a loud roar, Lavitz drove his lance through the creature's throat, burying the blade deep. Immediately the thing let out a gurgling screech of pain an agony while blood splashed all about the grassy lands below. The creature beat its wings even more frantically now. So abrupt was this action, Lavitz was caught off guard and thus, he was flung mercilessly into the air. He crashed helplessly into the grassy earth, not able to regain his balance in time. The feeding hybrids noticed this as they turned their heads in his direction then quickly fell into pursuit.

Lavitz strained upwards, staring at these creatures as they closed in the distance.

"Commander look out!"

Before Lavitz knew it, one of his comrades rammed into him, knocking him out of the way. Right then, a huge beam engulfed the man, searing into his back. The Dark Dragoon screamed out in pain, falling forward, sinking into the long blades of grass, down to the soft moist dirt underneath. The attack had come from the blind Hybrid that was now frantically firing its energy blasts again while heavily choking on its own blood.

The realization struck Lavitz harder then any attack ever could. That man had openly took the attack meant for him. He roughly shook his head, felt his blood boiling with rage. Lavitz flapped his wings, speeding towards his fallen companion.

He swiftly scooped the fallen man up, right before the speeding Hybrids could feast on what was left of him. Lavitz forced his wings to take him even faster, higher, further away from the clutches of these flying beasts.

The Hybrid, Lavitz had recently attacked, continued to beat its wings futily while slowly making its own downward decent as death enraptured it. One of the Hybrids chasing after Lavitz and his wounded companion noticed this and so it quickly sped off. The dying beast didn't have a chance as its companion tackled it, sinking sharp talons around its shoulders while burying venomous teeth into the already pierced throat.

Lavitz shook inwardly at such savagery, silently cursing the second beast for not following its comrade and joining in. A slight stir brought Lavitz back to the attention of his friend. Surprisingly the injured man was still alive. "Rest easy Gilan." The man moaned in low protest. "We'll have you at base camp all fixed up sooner then you think."

The remaining Dark Dragoon was meanwhile firing energy blasts futily at the pursuing hybrid. The creature easily dodged most of his attacks while absently tearing through the less harmful ones. Lavitz took a glance back at this then looked back at the wounded man in his arms. He knew they weren't going to make it. Not like this.

"Take him!" Lavitz yelled out to the sole remaining Dragoon.

"What?"

"Take him. I'll try to buy the two of you as much time as I can so you can get back to base."

"Sir! I'm not just going to leave you to the mercy of two Hybrids!"

"No choice!" Lavitz nearly shouted. "I've still got residual power from my true dragoon energy to aid me! Besides, the injured come first before anything else."

The man looked back at his commander. Had his mask not been hiding his face, Lavitz would have seen the agonized expression written all over it.

The pursuing Hybrid began to speed up even faster. Lavitz sensed the increase of movement from his rear then trained his eyes back towards his subordinate. "No more time to decide." He roared. In lightning fast speed, he quickly slammed into the other dragoon, startling the man beyond belief. Lavitz used this time to put the weight of the injured soldier into the man's hands. "Take good care of him." Lavitz said, then turned around and charged in the opposite direction, all before the dragoon could orient himself.

Within the next moment, Lavitz slammed into the pursuing Hybrid, tackling it while falling in a vicious spiral towards the grassy plains beneath them. The remaining Dark Dragoon, with the weight of his friend in his arms could hear the loud shout of his commander telling him to go before the sound as well as the image of the two fighters disappeared into the thick of grass.

The Dragoon soldier shook his head angrily. There was no other choice. He clutched his friend tightly and sped off into the distance.

::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::

Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 4.