- 7 -
"Welcooome to Lytooon! The town ooof sooong aaand muuuusic!" a little girl was singing. Ash frowned.
"Why don't they just talk normally?" he asked.
"Talk? What does that mean?" May asked. She laughed. "People in Lyton don't 'talk'! They were taught to sing!"
"And what is that hideous noise?" he questioned.
"The song of the Blue Dragon," Cirrus replied.
"Speaking of that."
"Woah, there! We have to wait for that," May said. Ash looked at her in confusion.
"Why?"
"Um, well." Nimbus started. "You have to learn how to ::cough:: sing ::cough:: ."
"WHAT? No, No, NO!" Ash yelled, "I am NOT singing!"
They laughed. "Silly! Not now! Anyhow, you need a partner," Cirrus said.
"We all know who it's going to be, too." Heather said. Ash gloomily sighed.
"You better get practicing, Ash," Nimbus said. He shook his head.
"Forget it!" he said, "No!"
"Why not?" May asked.
"I can't sing, that's why," he frowned.
"That's what 'practice' is for, duh!" Heather said.
- The next day -
"Are you starting THAT again?" May asked. Ash shook his head slowly.
"No!" he said, "I wanna get this finished."
"Ok, I'm fine with that," she replied. Heather, Cirrus, and Nimbus were off tracking down info on the Dragon. They looked at the lake.
"I can't believe the shrine is here, though," Ash voiced, "Oh well, you never told me what you were trying to tell me yesterday."
"Oh, yeah! You ain't the only one that has to sing."
"Wha?"
"I have to, too."
"Why?"
"How should I know?"
"Oh."
"Ready?" she asked. He nodded. They started at one time. Almost immediately, the water started vibrating. (I can't think of a song, so sue me!)
The shrine rose up out of the crystal clear water. The entrance door connected with the pathway that led out to it.
"Cool!" Heather and Nimbus had returned. Water was still dripping from the shrine when they walked over. Cirrus ran to join them.
"Well, we found out that you get the helmet from the Blue Dragon, but that's it," Cirrus informed them.
"Let's go see the Dragon, before the Shrine sinks back down," Heather said. They all agreed, and walked in.
One way to describe the cave: Wet. Wet and cold. 50% of the cave had to be water. On the way to the Dragon, the ground under the group had disintegrated under them, and landed them in a giant pool of water.
Muttering for half the time, the Blue Dragon's Lair finally was found. Ash, still drenched, looked up at the Dragon.
"What is up with your cave? We almost drowned!" he said. The Dragon frowned.
"Old rock and ground plus water, equals erosion," it said, "You passed my Trial earlier, so you get the Dragon Helmet. If you meet the Black Dragon, you will be Dragonmaster. Good thing too, because shortly before hand, the 'Dark Times' will start."
"Oh my." Heather gasped. BD (Blue Dragon) seemed quite upset.
"Please, see my Brother, as soon as possible!" BD pleaded.
"That isn't good, is it?" Nimbus asked, as they left the Shrine.
"No, it is not," May replied, "We need to rest, then tomorrow we can head East to Tamur."
- Three days later -
"Illusion Forest? You go East, then South a few miles from here," a man said, looking at a map.
"Thank you," Heather thanked him, and ran to catch up with the others.
"How long will it take to get there?" Ash asked. Cirrus thought about it.
"Maybe three or four hours," she said.
"Why is it called Illusion Forest?"
"Dunno, but rumor has it that fairies live in the forest, quite mischievous ones, too. "
After an uneventful three and a half-hours, the trees of the forest started coming into view
"I'd be careful if I were you." Jagar walked over, followed by a Sphinx. Ash, May, Cirrus, Nimbus, and Heather all looked at them.
"What do you want?" Nimbus asked.
"You must know that me and my freak sisters can't let you continue," she uttered gruffly.
"Freak sisters?" May asked.
"Yes, freak sisters, one is a demon, and one is an elf. I'm the only human in this family!" Jagar shrieked, "We have to do anything to put an end to your pointless venture."
Jagar disappeared, leaving the Sphinx behind. The Sphinx had the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and head of a human. "I am Sphinx. I give a riddle, and whoever fails to answer correctly parishes. Shall I give it now?" it asked.
"Um, this isn't good," Cirrus said.
"Come on, we'll figure out the riddle!" May said, "Tell us the riddle."
"Ok. What creature is two-footed, four-footed, and three-footed?" the Sphinx replied.
"Hm, tough." Heather muttered. They sat down on the ground to think about the answer.
"Two, Four, and three-footed." Ash said, shaking his head. He looked at his shoes. "Huh!"
"What?" May asked.
"Two, Three, and four! As an infant, you crawl on your hands and knees, which is four, then you learn to walk on your feet, which is two, and in old age, some people use a cane! That's three!" he said.
"You are correct," the Sphinx bellowed. They all stood up. "This forest is dangerous, so I shall stay with you until you get to the other side, since you have answered correctly."
"Um, thanks," they said nervously. With the Sphinx not far behind, they entered the forest.
"Something feels strange about this place.creepy." Heather insisted. As they trudged through Illusion Forest.
"We see that the Sphinx is doing it's job."
"The three witches are back again," Ash said dryly, looking around.
"The time has come for our highness to be resurrected!" Figra screeched.
"What are you talking about?" Nimbus said. Jagar looked at them.
"Her name is Marjoly. She has the most powerful black magic on the planet, or did, anyway. After so many years of searching, we have found the perfect way to bring her back to her original self!" she said.
"All we do is find a normal human and that's it," Violet added.
"But what do we have to do with this?" May asked. Figra looked at her.
"Not 'we' darling, 'I'," she snickered. She muttered a spell under her breath. May collapsed, trembling in pain. Figra used another spell to keep everyone else pushed back.
"We will encounter each other another day," Jagar said. They disappeared.
"Welcooome to Lytooon! The town ooof sooong aaand muuuusic!" a little girl was singing. Ash frowned.
"Why don't they just talk normally?" he asked.
"Talk? What does that mean?" May asked. She laughed. "People in Lyton don't 'talk'! They were taught to sing!"
"And what is that hideous noise?" he questioned.
"The song of the Blue Dragon," Cirrus replied.
"Speaking of that."
"Woah, there! We have to wait for that," May said. Ash looked at her in confusion.
"Why?"
"Um, well." Nimbus started. "You have to learn how to ::cough:: sing ::cough:: ."
"WHAT? No, No, NO!" Ash yelled, "I am NOT singing!"
They laughed. "Silly! Not now! Anyhow, you need a partner," Cirrus said.
"We all know who it's going to be, too." Heather said. Ash gloomily sighed.
"You better get practicing, Ash," Nimbus said. He shook his head.
"Forget it!" he said, "No!"
"Why not?" May asked.
"I can't sing, that's why," he frowned.
"That's what 'practice' is for, duh!" Heather said.
- The next day -
"Are you starting THAT again?" May asked. Ash shook his head slowly.
"No!" he said, "I wanna get this finished."
"Ok, I'm fine with that," she replied. Heather, Cirrus, and Nimbus were off tracking down info on the Dragon. They looked at the lake.
"I can't believe the shrine is here, though," Ash voiced, "Oh well, you never told me what you were trying to tell me yesterday."
"Oh, yeah! You ain't the only one that has to sing."
"Wha?"
"I have to, too."
"Why?"
"How should I know?"
"Oh."
"Ready?" she asked. He nodded. They started at one time. Almost immediately, the water started vibrating. (I can't think of a song, so sue me!)
The shrine rose up out of the crystal clear water. The entrance door connected with the pathway that led out to it.
"Cool!" Heather and Nimbus had returned. Water was still dripping from the shrine when they walked over. Cirrus ran to join them.
"Well, we found out that you get the helmet from the Blue Dragon, but that's it," Cirrus informed them.
"Let's go see the Dragon, before the Shrine sinks back down," Heather said. They all agreed, and walked in.
One way to describe the cave: Wet. Wet and cold. 50% of the cave had to be water. On the way to the Dragon, the ground under the group had disintegrated under them, and landed them in a giant pool of water.
Muttering for half the time, the Blue Dragon's Lair finally was found. Ash, still drenched, looked up at the Dragon.
"What is up with your cave? We almost drowned!" he said. The Dragon frowned.
"Old rock and ground plus water, equals erosion," it said, "You passed my Trial earlier, so you get the Dragon Helmet. If you meet the Black Dragon, you will be Dragonmaster. Good thing too, because shortly before hand, the 'Dark Times' will start."
"Oh my." Heather gasped. BD (Blue Dragon) seemed quite upset.
"Please, see my Brother, as soon as possible!" BD pleaded.
"That isn't good, is it?" Nimbus asked, as they left the Shrine.
"No, it is not," May replied, "We need to rest, then tomorrow we can head East to Tamur."
- Three days later -
"Illusion Forest? You go East, then South a few miles from here," a man said, looking at a map.
"Thank you," Heather thanked him, and ran to catch up with the others.
"How long will it take to get there?" Ash asked. Cirrus thought about it.
"Maybe three or four hours," she said.
"Why is it called Illusion Forest?"
"Dunno, but rumor has it that fairies live in the forest, quite mischievous ones, too. "
After an uneventful three and a half-hours, the trees of the forest started coming into view
"I'd be careful if I were you." Jagar walked over, followed by a Sphinx. Ash, May, Cirrus, Nimbus, and Heather all looked at them.
"What do you want?" Nimbus asked.
"You must know that me and my freak sisters can't let you continue," she uttered gruffly.
"Freak sisters?" May asked.
"Yes, freak sisters, one is a demon, and one is an elf. I'm the only human in this family!" Jagar shrieked, "We have to do anything to put an end to your pointless venture."
Jagar disappeared, leaving the Sphinx behind. The Sphinx had the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and head of a human. "I am Sphinx. I give a riddle, and whoever fails to answer correctly parishes. Shall I give it now?" it asked.
"Um, this isn't good," Cirrus said.
"Come on, we'll figure out the riddle!" May said, "Tell us the riddle."
"Ok. What creature is two-footed, four-footed, and three-footed?" the Sphinx replied.
"Hm, tough." Heather muttered. They sat down on the ground to think about the answer.
"Two, Four, and three-footed." Ash said, shaking his head. He looked at his shoes. "Huh!"
"What?" May asked.
"Two, Three, and four! As an infant, you crawl on your hands and knees, which is four, then you learn to walk on your feet, which is two, and in old age, some people use a cane! That's three!" he said.
"You are correct," the Sphinx bellowed. They all stood up. "This forest is dangerous, so I shall stay with you until you get to the other side, since you have answered correctly."
"Um, thanks," they said nervously. With the Sphinx not far behind, they entered the forest.
"Something feels strange about this place.creepy." Heather insisted. As they trudged through Illusion Forest.
"We see that the Sphinx is doing it's job."
"The three witches are back again," Ash said dryly, looking around.
"The time has come for our highness to be resurrected!" Figra screeched.
"What are you talking about?" Nimbus said. Jagar looked at them.
"Her name is Marjoly. She has the most powerful black magic on the planet, or did, anyway. After so many years of searching, we have found the perfect way to bring her back to her original self!" she said.
"All we do is find a normal human and that's it," Violet added.
"But what do we have to do with this?" May asked. Figra looked at her.
"Not 'we' darling, 'I'," she snickered. She muttered a spell under her breath. May collapsed, trembling in pain. Figra used another spell to keep everyone else pushed back.
"We will encounter each other another day," Jagar said. They disappeared.