We travel to the dock and await the order to launch.
Then, as though a firecracker has gone off, General Adelphos' voice booms through our communicators:
"The grace of the Gods is with us! All forces launch now!"
The voices of the other Generals follow- "Army of Silver-" "Army of Bronze-" "Army of Iron launch now!"
Our turn. "Dragon Slayers, launch now!" Dilandau's voice says.
As if to punctuate the order, we all push down on our foot stirrups. Activate flight mode.
My guymelef shoots off the edge of the dock, and the duchee of Fried appears below. It's a great city, in the center of which is a Palace.
That is our destination.
We land on the outskirts of the city, and activate out stealth cloaks. Below us, at the bottom of a small cliff, lies a group of pools- a rice field.
We wait for just a few moments. I think Lord Folken is giving Dilandau some final orders.
"Let's go," Dilandau finally says.
Fifteen invisible guymelefs leap off the cliff into the water. Our stealth cloaks are them removed- no use using them in water, and we can get there a lot faster flying.
That is, we could get there a lot faster is soldiers from Fried weren't coming at us.
Flight mode. We speed towards what looks like about ten guymelefs. When we land, the feet of our Alseides cascade the water in the pools.
One of the Freid guymelefs comes at me. I firer a single crima claw, which grazes the guymelef's arm, and I jump sideways out of its way.
That was a mistake- the slippery ground makes me stumble backwards just a bit, and in a panic I activate my flight mode. I fly directly backwards, mere feet above the pools. After a few seconds, I right myself and de-activate the flight mode. I fire three claws this time, crushing the control chamber of the melef- and the pilot inside. As the claws retract, the metal is torn and the soldier falls out. His blood begins to seep into the water. His melef falls and makes the water in the pools spill over into each other.
I move on.
The first wave of guymelefs has been defeated, but another is coming out of the castle. I prepare one of my claws into a blade. With the other arm, I blast a stream of fire into the water around me- this plan was formulated previously in order to disorient the Fried soldiers.
I fly up into the air, out of the cloud of steam. Below I see the other Dragon Slayers do the same. As soon as I locate a Friend guymelef, swiveling around in search of something to strike its blade with, I swoop down, letting loose another blast of fire. I strike downwards with my blade, and am blocked. The Fried solder thrusts forward. I dodge sideways and hit the back of the guymelef with my arm. It falls into the water and slides through the pools. I retract my blade and fire another liquid metal claw.
It is not long until the landscape in front of the city of Fried has been completely altered. Nearly all the water in the pools has evaporated- steam rises from the ground in billows, and fire laces the dirt, licking the bodies of dead soldiers and their fallen guymelefs. The stench of blood soaks the air.
The Dragon Slayers are slowly advancing towards the castle, one victory at a time. Hardly any of us have been damaged in the fight. Which seems very odd- even if they hadn't known we were going to attack, they should've had a heavier response. Even in Fanelia it was harder than this-
Or maybe I was just inexperienced in Fanelia.
"Chesta, have you found the Dragon yet?" That's Lord Dilandau.
"No, sir, there's still no sign of it. Most of the enemy's melef units have been wiped out. We have now occupied the castle grounds. The Dragon Slayers are about to enter the castle."
A pause.
"Chesta, we'll hold out position right here."
"But sir-"
"That's enough, Chesta! We'll wait for the Dragon to make his move."
All conversation ceases as we stare up at the castle, waiting for- what? I don't know what to expect. If another wave of guymelefs was coming out, they would have attacked by now.
Suddenly, there is a great rumbling, and the tower of the castle splits in two, falling and crumbling to pieces.
The castle has fallen... But how?
There is silence for a moment.
"Our work here is done," says Dilandau, sounding very smug, "Dragon Slayers- move out."
*
And after all that, the treasure wasn't even in the city of Fried.
Lord Folken received a message from Emperor Dornkirk- the treasure is actually hidden in one of Fried's temples, Fortuna.
It won't be easy to break in- with the Duke and his son escaped, they'll be there for sure setting up a defense- probably a better one than they first had to offer. I smile.
We are hidden, currently, in the mountains surrounding Fortuna. It's raining outside my guymelef. inside it's humid and sweltering. But I have to wait. I can't just get out of the Alseides.
Finally, the rain wavers and stops. The mountains are surrounded by a heavy fog, hiding us still. Through the fog I can see the other guymelefs, like ghosts, standing in readiness.
We get the order to advance.
As I walk, I ready a claw, fashioning it into a blade. They know we're coming. They'll be ready when we get there, which means we have to be ready, too.
The temple comes into view, as well as the front line of Fortuna's defense. My eyes quickly pick out two unique guymelefs among them- one is Escaflowne. The other is Commander Schezar's.
As if in a great collision, the two armies meet- their men and our men, their melefs and our melefs. The bloodshed begins before anybody can blink.
I raise my blade as I enter the fray, and a Fried guymelef swings its sword down at me. push away, the two blades making sparks fly in the misty air. He lunges at me again, and I block it. Our melefs are so close I can just barely make out his face through the control chamber. His eyes are glaring at me, raw, searing hatred. My blood turns to fire.
I push him away again, and he stumbles. In that moment of insecurity I lunge and take off his melef's arm. The machine falls to its knees and the man falls out into the ground. A Zaibach footsoldier approaches, ready to finish what I started.
I turn to the left, and my blade again meets that of the enemy's. He takes the initiative, pushing me away. I stumble but regain my balance. The sound of giant metal feet scraping on the stone ground echos in my ears as does the grinding of gears, the shouts of men, and the sounds of death.
I attack. But my attack is too rushed. The opposing guymelef dodges and I fall to the ground, my bones rattled by the collision. I can feel him behind me. He thinks he's won.
As quick as I can, I turn and fire the claw I had been using as a blade. It goes through the right side of his control chamber.
I don't think I hit him, it if I didn't, at least I came pretty damn close. Or close enough to startle him and keep him distracted for a moment while I got to my feet again. Whatever. All I know is a second later I'm standing firing three claws towards his control chamber, which they tear through. As the retract, I can see his blood start to leak out.
There is a small lull as I look around, waiting for my next chance. I prepare another blade.
There comes running towards me a third enemy melef. Our swords get locked. A cry of anger escapes me as I push his sword away from mine. This soldier is strong- it took nearly all my strength to gain the initiative.
But his sword comes striking down on mine, knocking it away. I swing my arm up to block a downwards strike, and the force of our blades meeting again makes my arm shake. My heart is pounding and my muscles burn. I don't know if I can hold him off for long...
My knees feel like collapsing under the pressure. I feebly swing my left arm towards him as if to knock him away. I feel as if I've lost...
When all at once, the pressure stops. I look up and see three claws protruding from the front of the Fried soldier's melef, slithering around like shining snakes. They retract, and the melef falls. As it does, a Zaibach guymelef is revealed.
A thought crosses my mind as I watch this. This man- or woman- just saved my life, and I may never know who they are.
That is the principle of battle. You trust those you can, ever if you do not know them.
I give my savior a nod and move on.
Another melef comes running at me. I dodge the blade by turning sideways, the the melef slams into me. I push it away, using my blade to slice to melef's control chamber in half. the agonized scream of the man within blends with all those around me.
Just above the mountains, the clouds have cleared, and the sun hovers over the horizon, beginning its journey towards sleep.
*
The training room is cold.
I'm standing in the middle of it with my uniform, but the coldness chills me to my bones. the room seems desolate, and lonely. Like no one's been here for so long.
Someone is standing in the doorway. I strain my eyes to see. He lifts his face to look at me.
Dilandau.
He's smiling at me. A sweet smile. the kind I've only seen for split seconds in the dark, when the thirst was quenched and the passion was fading, when we would hold each other in out arms and feel each other's breath on our skin. Our perfect moments. The look touches my heart, and I return the smile.
The cold grows colder. A cruel wind blows through the room from behind me.
Something sharp slices the side of my neck.
"Uuh--" I hear myself gasp, and I fall forward, the warm blood soaking my throat. The warmth spreads through me, and my vision blacks out.
Light... A light from above.
I sit at a large, round table. The first thing I notice is a gray stone stature of Lord Dilandau in the center. The second thing I notice is my fellow Dragon Slayers. They're all sitting, staring up at the statue.
I look around. To my left sits Viole. To my right, Migel. None of them seen to notice the green bird perches on top of the statue's head.
"We're all lost in it," Gatti is saying.
"The fire went out," says Corran, sadly.
The bird looks at me. Its green eyes twinkle.
"It's never been like this..." Palem ventured quietly.
The bird begins to fade...
"Maybe there's nothing we can do about it," Viole says.
...and vanishes.
"We all go down in the end," says Migel.
There is a long silence.
I see something above, and look up.
The green bird soars above us, blocks out the light for a small moment, and flies on.
And yet it lives on...
The voice comes from nowhere. A whisper on the still air.
I don't have any time to contemplate its meaning.
"Hey, everybody, get up," Gatti, still staring up at the statue, is whispering fiercely, "C'mon, we gotta go. Everybody get up...
"...Everybody, get up, c'mon. We've got orders."
I open my eyes. the dream is still hovering on the edge of my mind- I grasp onto it and try of keep hold, at the same time propping myself up on my elbows.
"What's up, Gatti?" I ask, rubbing my eyes. What was that he said in the dream? That it was all lost...?
"Lord Dilandau's given orders," says Gatti as he pulls off the top of his pajamas, "We're to report to the launching dock."
I sit up and slip out from under the covers. The other Dragon Slayers are doing this as well... The green bird vanished, and then Migel said- or did Migel speak before then? "What's this all about?"
"I'm not sure," says Gatti, "But it might have something to do with the fact that we're in the Power Spot."
I smile as I start to undress. the Duke of Fried was killed at Fortuna- Fried's sacred treasure now belongs to us.
"Lord Folken's meeting within Fried's new ruler right now," sand Kestrel, pulling on his jacket.
"Hey, is it true he's just a kid?" Viole asks as she shoves her foot into a boot.
"I don't know," says Julie, braiding Malenla's hair.
"I think so," Palem's voice chimes from the back of the room.
"You know what I think?" Malenla says, "I think this is just another Van-hunt."
"Wouldn't doubt it," says Corran.
"Yes," Xori says thoughtfully, strapping on his sword, "That does seem most likely."
"That guy's starting to be a nuisance," says Guimel grumpily as he puts on his boots.
"Well," says Dalet, stepping into the middle of the room, "If this is just another search for Fanelia's king, I say we finish the job this time."
"Attack him with all we've got," Alix says excitedly.
"Finish him off!" Chesta says, grinning at Malenla.
"Yeah!" we all shout.
"Let's hope so," I say, flipping my hair over one shoulder before beginning to tie it back, "It'd be nice to finally have old Mr. Fanel out of our hair, huh?"
*
"Woah. That is one huge-ass ship."
I have to roll my eyes at Malenla's comment about the Ispano plant we're approaching. Apparently it's where Van is hiding.
"Quite the accurate description," Corran's voice says, sarcastically of course.
"Hey, when I want your opinion I'll ask for it, babydoll," Malenla retaliates.
"Quiet, the both of you," Dilandau says. The communicator falls silent.
The Ispano plant begins to disappear back up into a hole in the sky. But an Asturian ship remains- and a guymelef is flying form it. The shape of a dragon.
The Escaflowne.
A stick of lightning cracks on the horizon. The Fanelian guymelef sets down in the center of a small crater. We land around the edge- Dilandau's is the last to set down on the rocky surface.
"OK, people," he says, "The dragon hunting is going to stop today."
Then, as though a firecracker has gone off, General Adelphos' voice booms through our communicators:
"The grace of the Gods is with us! All forces launch now!"
The voices of the other Generals follow- "Army of Silver-" "Army of Bronze-" "Army of Iron launch now!"
Our turn. "Dragon Slayers, launch now!" Dilandau's voice says.
As if to punctuate the order, we all push down on our foot stirrups. Activate flight mode.
My guymelef shoots off the edge of the dock, and the duchee of Fried appears below. It's a great city, in the center of which is a Palace.
That is our destination.
We land on the outskirts of the city, and activate out stealth cloaks. Below us, at the bottom of a small cliff, lies a group of pools- a rice field.
We wait for just a few moments. I think Lord Folken is giving Dilandau some final orders.
"Let's go," Dilandau finally says.
Fifteen invisible guymelefs leap off the cliff into the water. Our stealth cloaks are them removed- no use using them in water, and we can get there a lot faster flying.
That is, we could get there a lot faster is soldiers from Fried weren't coming at us.
Flight mode. We speed towards what looks like about ten guymelefs. When we land, the feet of our Alseides cascade the water in the pools.
One of the Freid guymelefs comes at me. I firer a single crima claw, which grazes the guymelef's arm, and I jump sideways out of its way.
That was a mistake- the slippery ground makes me stumble backwards just a bit, and in a panic I activate my flight mode. I fly directly backwards, mere feet above the pools. After a few seconds, I right myself and de-activate the flight mode. I fire three claws this time, crushing the control chamber of the melef- and the pilot inside. As the claws retract, the metal is torn and the soldier falls out. His blood begins to seep into the water. His melef falls and makes the water in the pools spill over into each other.
I move on.
The first wave of guymelefs has been defeated, but another is coming out of the castle. I prepare one of my claws into a blade. With the other arm, I blast a stream of fire into the water around me- this plan was formulated previously in order to disorient the Fried soldiers.
I fly up into the air, out of the cloud of steam. Below I see the other Dragon Slayers do the same. As soon as I locate a Friend guymelef, swiveling around in search of something to strike its blade with, I swoop down, letting loose another blast of fire. I strike downwards with my blade, and am blocked. The Fried solder thrusts forward. I dodge sideways and hit the back of the guymelef with my arm. It falls into the water and slides through the pools. I retract my blade and fire another liquid metal claw.
It is not long until the landscape in front of the city of Fried has been completely altered. Nearly all the water in the pools has evaporated- steam rises from the ground in billows, and fire laces the dirt, licking the bodies of dead soldiers and their fallen guymelefs. The stench of blood soaks the air.
The Dragon Slayers are slowly advancing towards the castle, one victory at a time. Hardly any of us have been damaged in the fight. Which seems very odd- even if they hadn't known we were going to attack, they should've had a heavier response. Even in Fanelia it was harder than this-
Or maybe I was just inexperienced in Fanelia.
"Chesta, have you found the Dragon yet?" That's Lord Dilandau.
"No, sir, there's still no sign of it. Most of the enemy's melef units have been wiped out. We have now occupied the castle grounds. The Dragon Slayers are about to enter the castle."
A pause.
"Chesta, we'll hold out position right here."
"But sir-"
"That's enough, Chesta! We'll wait for the Dragon to make his move."
All conversation ceases as we stare up at the castle, waiting for- what? I don't know what to expect. If another wave of guymelefs was coming out, they would have attacked by now.
Suddenly, there is a great rumbling, and the tower of the castle splits in two, falling and crumbling to pieces.
The castle has fallen... But how?
There is silence for a moment.
"Our work here is done," says Dilandau, sounding very smug, "Dragon Slayers- move out."
*
And after all that, the treasure wasn't even in the city of Fried.
Lord Folken received a message from Emperor Dornkirk- the treasure is actually hidden in one of Fried's temples, Fortuna.
It won't be easy to break in- with the Duke and his son escaped, they'll be there for sure setting up a defense- probably a better one than they first had to offer. I smile.
We are hidden, currently, in the mountains surrounding Fortuna. It's raining outside my guymelef. inside it's humid and sweltering. But I have to wait. I can't just get out of the Alseides.
Finally, the rain wavers and stops. The mountains are surrounded by a heavy fog, hiding us still. Through the fog I can see the other guymelefs, like ghosts, standing in readiness.
We get the order to advance.
As I walk, I ready a claw, fashioning it into a blade. They know we're coming. They'll be ready when we get there, which means we have to be ready, too.
The temple comes into view, as well as the front line of Fortuna's defense. My eyes quickly pick out two unique guymelefs among them- one is Escaflowne. The other is Commander Schezar's.
As if in a great collision, the two armies meet- their men and our men, their melefs and our melefs. The bloodshed begins before anybody can blink.
I raise my blade as I enter the fray, and a Fried guymelef swings its sword down at me. push away, the two blades making sparks fly in the misty air. He lunges at me again, and I block it. Our melefs are so close I can just barely make out his face through the control chamber. His eyes are glaring at me, raw, searing hatred. My blood turns to fire.
I push him away again, and he stumbles. In that moment of insecurity I lunge and take off his melef's arm. The machine falls to its knees and the man falls out into the ground. A Zaibach footsoldier approaches, ready to finish what I started.
I turn to the left, and my blade again meets that of the enemy's. He takes the initiative, pushing me away. I stumble but regain my balance. The sound of giant metal feet scraping on the stone ground echos in my ears as does the grinding of gears, the shouts of men, and the sounds of death.
I attack. But my attack is too rushed. The opposing guymelef dodges and I fall to the ground, my bones rattled by the collision. I can feel him behind me. He thinks he's won.
As quick as I can, I turn and fire the claw I had been using as a blade. It goes through the right side of his control chamber.
I don't think I hit him, it if I didn't, at least I came pretty damn close. Or close enough to startle him and keep him distracted for a moment while I got to my feet again. Whatever. All I know is a second later I'm standing firing three claws towards his control chamber, which they tear through. As the retract, I can see his blood start to leak out.
There is a small lull as I look around, waiting for my next chance. I prepare another blade.
There comes running towards me a third enemy melef. Our swords get locked. A cry of anger escapes me as I push his sword away from mine. This soldier is strong- it took nearly all my strength to gain the initiative.
But his sword comes striking down on mine, knocking it away. I swing my arm up to block a downwards strike, and the force of our blades meeting again makes my arm shake. My heart is pounding and my muscles burn. I don't know if I can hold him off for long...
My knees feel like collapsing under the pressure. I feebly swing my left arm towards him as if to knock him away. I feel as if I've lost...
When all at once, the pressure stops. I look up and see three claws protruding from the front of the Fried soldier's melef, slithering around like shining snakes. They retract, and the melef falls. As it does, a Zaibach guymelef is revealed.
A thought crosses my mind as I watch this. This man- or woman- just saved my life, and I may never know who they are.
That is the principle of battle. You trust those you can, ever if you do not know them.
I give my savior a nod and move on.
Another melef comes running at me. I dodge the blade by turning sideways, the the melef slams into me. I push it away, using my blade to slice to melef's control chamber in half. the agonized scream of the man within blends with all those around me.
Just above the mountains, the clouds have cleared, and the sun hovers over the horizon, beginning its journey towards sleep.
*
The training room is cold.
I'm standing in the middle of it with my uniform, but the coldness chills me to my bones. the room seems desolate, and lonely. Like no one's been here for so long.
Someone is standing in the doorway. I strain my eyes to see. He lifts his face to look at me.
Dilandau.
He's smiling at me. A sweet smile. the kind I've only seen for split seconds in the dark, when the thirst was quenched and the passion was fading, when we would hold each other in out arms and feel each other's breath on our skin. Our perfect moments. The look touches my heart, and I return the smile.
The cold grows colder. A cruel wind blows through the room from behind me.
Something sharp slices the side of my neck.
"Uuh--" I hear myself gasp, and I fall forward, the warm blood soaking my throat. The warmth spreads through me, and my vision blacks out.
Light... A light from above.
I sit at a large, round table. The first thing I notice is a gray stone stature of Lord Dilandau in the center. The second thing I notice is my fellow Dragon Slayers. They're all sitting, staring up at the statue.
I look around. To my left sits Viole. To my right, Migel. None of them seen to notice the green bird perches on top of the statue's head.
"We're all lost in it," Gatti is saying.
"The fire went out," says Corran, sadly.
The bird looks at me. Its green eyes twinkle.
"It's never been like this..." Palem ventured quietly.
The bird begins to fade...
"Maybe there's nothing we can do about it," Viole says.
...and vanishes.
"We all go down in the end," says Migel.
There is a long silence.
I see something above, and look up.
The green bird soars above us, blocks out the light for a small moment, and flies on.
And yet it lives on...
The voice comes from nowhere. A whisper on the still air.
I don't have any time to contemplate its meaning.
"Hey, everybody, get up," Gatti, still staring up at the statue, is whispering fiercely, "C'mon, we gotta go. Everybody get up...
"...Everybody, get up, c'mon. We've got orders."
I open my eyes. the dream is still hovering on the edge of my mind- I grasp onto it and try of keep hold, at the same time propping myself up on my elbows.
"What's up, Gatti?" I ask, rubbing my eyes. What was that he said in the dream? That it was all lost...?
"Lord Dilandau's given orders," says Gatti as he pulls off the top of his pajamas, "We're to report to the launching dock."
I sit up and slip out from under the covers. The other Dragon Slayers are doing this as well... The green bird vanished, and then Migel said- or did Migel speak before then? "What's this all about?"
"I'm not sure," says Gatti, "But it might have something to do with the fact that we're in the Power Spot."
I smile as I start to undress. the Duke of Fried was killed at Fortuna- Fried's sacred treasure now belongs to us.
"Lord Folken's meeting within Fried's new ruler right now," sand Kestrel, pulling on his jacket.
"Hey, is it true he's just a kid?" Viole asks as she shoves her foot into a boot.
"I don't know," says Julie, braiding Malenla's hair.
"I think so," Palem's voice chimes from the back of the room.
"You know what I think?" Malenla says, "I think this is just another Van-hunt."
"Wouldn't doubt it," says Corran.
"Yes," Xori says thoughtfully, strapping on his sword, "That does seem most likely."
"That guy's starting to be a nuisance," says Guimel grumpily as he puts on his boots.
"Well," says Dalet, stepping into the middle of the room, "If this is just another search for Fanelia's king, I say we finish the job this time."
"Attack him with all we've got," Alix says excitedly.
"Finish him off!" Chesta says, grinning at Malenla.
"Yeah!" we all shout.
"Let's hope so," I say, flipping my hair over one shoulder before beginning to tie it back, "It'd be nice to finally have old Mr. Fanel out of our hair, huh?"
*
"Woah. That is one huge-ass ship."
I have to roll my eyes at Malenla's comment about the Ispano plant we're approaching. Apparently it's where Van is hiding.
"Quite the accurate description," Corran's voice says, sarcastically of course.
"Hey, when I want your opinion I'll ask for it, babydoll," Malenla retaliates.
"Quiet, the both of you," Dilandau says. The communicator falls silent.
The Ispano plant begins to disappear back up into a hole in the sky. But an Asturian ship remains- and a guymelef is flying form it. The shape of a dragon.
The Escaflowne.
A stick of lightning cracks on the horizon. The Fanelian guymelef sets down in the center of a small crater. We land around the edge- Dilandau's is the last to set down on the rocky surface.
"OK, people," he says, "The dragon hunting is going to stop today."
