~~~===~~~
Chapter Seven: Dragon's Dawn
~~~===~~~
When Dragonheart started firing his spells to Cecil's sides, I was as confused as everybody else was - including the mages I could see watching from the central keep, through the windows. Suddenly it dawned on me - for all the magic he was using, and all the fighting he had done before, he was a dark knight. Which meant that his dark wave technique hadn't been brought into play yet. And Cecil didn't have anywhere to go with a wall of destructive magic on either side of him.
Then it happened - Dragonheart said something, and a bolt of force carried Cecil back into the wall. I don't remember whether or not my jaw dropped - I know everyone else's did - but I do remember that my heart fell somewhere around my stomach. What sort of power did this knight wield?
And could my new techniques help me to defeat him?
No matter, I had to get down there to see if Cecil was still alive. I jumped off the battlements as soon as the bolt disappeared, and Cecil's limp body hit the ground. One more leap, and I was between Dragonheart and my fallen friend.
"Hold your hand, dark knight," I said, projecting my voice so that all could hear me. "The duel is over, any can see that."
"I know," he said, striding closer with full confidence, speaking just as loudly. "I'm simply going to claim my prize." Damn it - he was right. The wording he had used - it gave him a loophole he could use to kill Cecil, or kill Rosa if I interfered. But he seemed to have forgotten something - I'd seen Callista leading Rosa into the castle before.
"Like Hell you are. You might be able to do so without staining what little honor you have left, but I'm not going to let you. The Code was meant to be used by knights, not honorless curs like you."
"You have me wrong, Kain. I only seek to do what must be done to protect my home. He is a danger to it as surely as the white mage is."
"You never meant to release her, did you," I asked, though it was as much a statement of fact as a question.
"Frankly, I'm surprised she's alive right now. But I'll deal with that later." I settled into a defensive position, and lowered the visor of my helm.
"Over my dead body."
"Think for a moment, Kain. You have seen my power - is this paladin worth dying for? You, greatest of the dragon knights yet living? You can live through this without loss of honor, all you have to do is accept that I have the right to take his life as my prize, as stated in the Sacred Code."
"Perhaps my honor would remain, but there's something more important than my honor at stake here."
"What," Dragonheart snorted, "the life of a paladin? I've killed hundreds of his kind, little dragoon - and thousands of yours. If you fight me, you throw away your life to delay his death. Assuming he's not dead already." I heard a soft moan behind me, proving that Cecil was still alive. But if his ribs weren't shattered by what had happened, or worse, I'd be surprised.
"No," I said, resolving myself to the possibility that not even Reis' techniques would be enough to stop Dragonheart. "I spend my life to preserve the honor of the Dragon Knights." My subordinates on the battlements cheered at that, and I smiled grimly. Perhaps my death would leave a noble legacy behind after all.
"The honor of the Dragon Knights? More like the honor of a handful of squires to the knights I've slain, at best." I heard the dark words passing between the other knights present, and prayed that they wouldn't interfere.
"If I die facing you, dark knight, then I die facing a foe of my kingdom and my comrades - there is no dishonor in that. Quite the contrary." Dragonheart removed his helm, revealing a face much like mine, different in subtle ways only - fewer scars, a darker attitude, the arrogant sneer that I had only used when my dark side was in control. His skin was fairer, though, and his hair a slightly darker shade than mine.
"We are much alike Kain," he said more quietly, so that only I could hear him easily, "in more than our given names. You have seen my power - I'll give you the chance to wield it. Bring your comrades with you, if you wish. Don't be a fool - your friend there has forsaken this power, you yourself passed it by to wield the 'power' of the Dragon Knights. Join me, and I will teach you powers the likes of which you can't imagine. You have no power to use magic? As a Dark Knight you could wield powers that make the gods themselves tremble in fear." I laughed scornfully, and smirked at the arrogant warrior facing me.
"You insult me, Dragonheart," I said as loudly as ever. "As does your precious 'Lord of Darkness.' If you think that I'm willing to grovel at the feet of a mewling idiot that barely managed to climb out of the muck at creation's onset, then you must think me as weak a fool as you are." The other knights laughed as the dark warrior's cheeks flushed, and I smiled in satisfaction. It was his turn to be insulted for once.
"You will die for your insults, dragon knight," he spat, pulling his helmet back on and settling into an attack stance.
"Then bring it, cur," I said, smiling as I gripped the Holy Lance tightly in anticipation of battle..
~~~===~~~
An hour before, on board the airship, I had been searching for some sign of the power source that Dragonheart was using. Rosa's energy had restored my powers enough that, after reducing a few guards to ashes, I had the power I needed to finish this - hopefully for good. All I had to do was avoid Valvalis and Caignazzo, and Dragonheart should be crippled almost irrevocably.
The theft of Rosa's spells had been the final clue. I suspected that he held a piece of Dark Matter before, given his power to resurrect and strengthen my siblings and I. But it was possible to do that without a direct link to Darkness. To rip the knowledge out of a living soul, though, required power that no mortal could channel without aid. That aid was the Dark Matter, a fragment of oblivion that only a select few beings of phenomenal power could rip free. Zemus had been one of those beings - no doubt whatever force Dragonheart served was another. According to legend, even a small fragment had the power to level a small continent - Zemus had used his to sustain a reaction that caused his powers to grow exponentially while he slept. In the hands of somebody conscious, without the Lunarians ready to force him into slumber if he acted overtly..
There was no way that I was going to let the dark knight wield that much power.
That was why I was still on board the ship - I had rescued Rosa some time before, with Lady Callista's help. Now, unbeknownst to anybody, I was looking for the chamber on the ship that held the lethal fragment, praying that Dragonheart wasn't one of the very few mortals who could withstand the massive power it held. Most of the time, Dark Matter was used as a remote power source for the beings that channeled its force. Which meant that it should be on the ship, no doubt well protected, but accessible. And that meant it could be reached, and destroyed, by somebody who knew how.
I made my way to the engine core, deciding that the most logical place to store something like that would be where anyone observing the ship would expect a massive power source. Reaching the massive room, walking in thanks to the wooden floor, I let my normal sight fall away, looking for the black chill that the dark matter would generate. Unfortunately, the entire room was dimmed by the engine - could the entire thing be powered by dark matter? No, that would involve enough of the substance to destroy the planet if it was used improperly. No creature with a survival instinct would risk the devastation that could be caused by that much raw oblivion being released. Still, there was no point in being less than thorough. I walked up to the engine, and touched the casing carefully.
"It's not here, you know," I heard a sibilant voice say from the doorway. I spun around to face Scarmiglione, the Fiend of Earth. I smiled grimly - even if I couldn't beat Valvalis, my weakest brother would be no threat to my powers, no matter what his new master had done to him.
"Then where is it," I asked, igniting my cloak and drawing two large balls of flame to my hands. "Tell me, and I'll let you live." Scarmiglione chuckled, a sickening sound like a dying man's last breaths.
"But Master Dragonheart wouldn't - he had already proven that he has the power to hurt me badly, no doubt that he would kill me for such treason. Besides, I don't know where it is."
"Then why are you here?"
"When the woman who followed you took the doll with her, Valvalis and Caignazzo thought you'd left as well, and went to the viewing chamber." I shuddered mentally at Scarmiglione's term for Rosa, a term he had coined for her during her first imprisonment. I was beginning to remember why I'd been glad to hear he'd been killed on Mount Ordeals. "I, on the other hand, realized that you would want to see that the Master's dark matter was destroyed. You and I," he said, gesturing with his tentacles, "are the only ones who know what it can do, you know that? The others are blind to it - no air moves near its surface, nor does it carry liquid. Only you and I know more than that it exists."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I know what he is capable of. I'll let you go - I have no desire to fight you, brother."
"That's only because you know I could turn you to ashes before you did more than scratch me."
"You have me all wrong, brother," he said, a hurt tone in his voice as he emphasized the last word. "I have no desire to kill family, even family that wishes me harm. Leave here, find Dragonheart, and take the dark matter from him, by all means."
"He has it?"
"I suspect he does," Scarmiglione said, the tone in his voice one that made me wonder just how much he really knew. Death keeps all secrets, as the saying goes - perhaps its avatar had learned a few from it.
"If you think I'm going to bring it back to you -"
"Hardly," he interrupted, trying to sound insulted again. "If you take it from him, I suspect you'll have to destroy it in the process. But it's enough for me that he loses his power." My eyes narrowed and flashed in anger as I looked at my hulking brother.
"If you're trying to set me up so that Dragonheart can kill me when I try to destroy it, I will kill you. Slowly and painfully."
"You have my word, brother," he said, his obscene mass bending forward in a mockery of a bow, one of his withered arms making a sweeping gesture as he brought the other up to his chest.
"Very well. I'll be on my way then," I said, turning to walk out, the flames in my hands going out.
I heard a ripping, sucking sound, and turned to see Scarmiglione pulling a dagger out of his chest cavity. I was stunned for a moment by the grotesquery of the scene, but raised my hands and let loose a burst of flames as he lunged as well as he could, the dripping blade making a deep gash in my arm before the flames sent him reeling back, whimpering. I cauterized my wound, burning out any toxins his corpse had been carrying and approached him, flaring up again in anger.
"You're lucky I swore not to kill you unless you were setting me up for death at Dragonheart's hand, brother," I said quickly. "But I warn you - you will pay for this betrayal eventually." With that, I turned and ran from the room, passing into the metal floor of the corridor and flowing to the shell of the ship. It was time for me to see what had happened in the castle..
~~~===~~~
Lord Dragonheart tried to control his anger as he faced off against Kain. Of course, the fact that his own tactics were being used against him was obvious - but it was still hard to fight against his urge to destroy the upstart. Might as well start this battle out on the right foot.
"Flare," the dark knight shouted, and the air around Kain erupted into flames again. But the dragoon wasn't there - as Dragonheart had formed the first sounds of the word, Kain had jumped above the blast. Not his full jump, more like something a normal human could do, but enough to get him out of harm's way.
"My turn now," Kain said, grinning, extending his lance towards the dark knight. "Holy!" White death formed along the lance, and cut through the air towards Dragonheart.
"Wall," he yelled, throwing his hands up in front of him. Kain leaped to the side as the bolt was reflected towards him, fast enough to prevent its full force from catching him, but not fast enough to completely avoid the blast. He winced in pain as the bolt struck his arm, the dragon-scale armor he wore not quite enough to keep even his weak blasts from getting through. Hopefully he could keep this up long enough for Dragonheart to decide that he wasn't as skilled as he really was.
Even as he landed, though he was forced onto the defensive, swinging the holy lance in a wide arc to deflect a thrust from Dragonheart's spear. He scrambled back, trying to get some space, as the dark knight moved forward just as quickly.
"Take to the skies, dragon knight," he taunted. "It's all you're good for, isn't it, taking flight?" So be it - no time to wait before teaching him a lesson.
"Hardly," Kain replied, making another small leap behind Dragonheart, even as the dark knight whirled to face him. Kain pointed his lance at the dark knight, and smiled.
"Lancer," he shouted, as the ghostly image of a dragon flew out of the lance and struck the shocked Dragonheart squarely in the chest, sending him reeling back from the impact. As Dragonheart caught his feet, Kain focused his energy and called on another of his new techniques. "Reis' Wind!" Kain felt his minor injuries heal, and knew that he had an edge the dark knight hadn't anticipated. With a vicious grin, the tables turned, he charged into fray again.
Now it was the dark knight on the defensive - with Kain's incredible leaps, he couldn't be sure that his dark sword techniques would connect, and couldn't afford to weaken himself as much as he would trying to hit him. He'd been hoping that the dragoon was as unskilled as the paladin had been, but it seemed he wasn't going to be that lucky. He still had his spells to use, but he'd have to be sure that he'd hit before he could risk Kain getting a free shot at him while he prepared for the casting.
Unless.. It was worth the chance, but it would take time to set up.
Dragonheart started falling back, moving away from Cecil and towards the center of the courtyard. The warriors on the battlements cheered as they watched their captain drive the dark warrior back, hoping for the final blow to strike soon. Kain pressed the advantage, moving forward and harrying the dark knight, filling the air around him with his lance, never quite striking the dark knight, but coming close enough to make his opponent worry.
Still, a nagging voice in the back of his head said this was too easy - that it didn't make sense to fall back like this - unless you were looking for space. But he had to know that he couldn't get away from Kain, couldn't back up fast enough to avoid him. So what was he trying to do?
"Firaga," the dark knight shouted suddenly, and Kain leaped back as a hellish inferno erupted at his feet. Then Dragonheart turned towards Cecil.
Kain realized what the dark knight was planning even as the spell was being cast. The next spell that was cast would kill Cecil if it wasn't stopped by something - and Kain didn't have any choice but to try to be that 'something." Kain lunged between the dark knight and his friend, knowing that he had to be there before the spell was cast if he was going to do any good.
"Wind," the dark knight said, smiling as a small tornado caught Kain and lifted him off the ground, slamming him into the ground, against the walls of the keep, throwing small rocks into the his helpless body. The guards were silent now, as the tornado disappeared and let the badly wounded dragoon fall to the ground, hard. Dragonheart smiled grimly as he approached Kain, who barely had enough strength to move under his armor after the magical battering.
"You were good, Kain," he said as he kicked the dragon knight, knocking him down. "For that, I'll kill you quickly." He drew his lance up, ready to kill his opponent, when a blast of flames engulfed him from behind. It was the dark knight's turn to cry out as he staggered, trying to douse the flames. When he could see again, he turned to see Rubicant standing in the courtyard, covered in flames, his face contorted in rage. Dragonheart snarled at the Fiend of Fire.
"You have no part in this, Rubicant!"
"On the contrary," the flaming apparition replied, his voice booming throughout the courtyard. "You have violated the Code in the use of powers not of your own, or of your equipment. You bear a fragment of Dark Matter, and have used it extensively - I don't know how, but I can see its taint on you as plainly as the light of day."
"And what do you plan on doing about it, Fiend? Do you wish to face me, like these two fools did," Dragonheart asked, indicating Kain and Cecil.
"Under duress. But no, I do not intend to face you in such a manner. I simply intend to remove the offending material." Suddenly, the image disappeared, and a smaller figure stepped out of the wall behind Dragonheart, grabbing him and holding tight. The dark knight tried to throw the Rubicant off of him, but it was useless.
As the guards started to come down the battlements, planning on dealing with Dragonheart as best they could once this was finished, Rubicant started glowing. Not much at first, but like any fire starts with a single spark, soon he was glowing like a raging bonfire.
Then, with barely enough warning for the guards to close their eyes and turn, a brighter flash went off, like a glimpse into the heart of the sun itself. From the heart of the light, Dragonheart screamed as though his heart was being ripped out.
When the light was gone, Rubicant was kneeling, breathing heavily, his flames gone. Dragonheart still stood, but his armor had changed its shade - now, rather than the pure black it had been before, it was the midnight blue that Cecil had worn during his years as a dark knight. The guards approached, but stopped as Dragonheart drew himself up to his full height and extended a hand.
"Thundaga," he shouted, expecting a bolt of lightning from the heavens to destroy them all.
Instead, he got nothing. The guards were almost as stunned as he was, honestly - almost. They charged forward as he grabbed his spear and took up his attack stance.
"Dark Wave," he cried, as his life force was sucked out of him to power the swatch of dark power that cut down all the guards in its path. Seeing that the rest were still coming, he tapped into what little was left of his own magical strength.
"Exit!" In a flash and a blur, he was gone. Seconds later, the airship flew away, leaving behind the carnage its master had wrought. Rubicant stood as the guards tried to figure out what to do, and the castle's white mages came out to do what they could for the wounded. He walked over to Cecil and Kain quickly, making sure they were both alive.
"Get the king into the castle's infirmary, now," he said quietly as one of the white mages followed him over. "And send a messenger for the queen's mother - we'll need her help to take care of him, I'm sure. I'll take care of the Captain." The mage ran off to do as he was told, glad that somebody was taking charge, even if all he knew was that the person doing so had helped against the dark knight.
Rubicant watched as Cecil was taken away, making sure they didn't cause any more trouble as they moved him. Then he turned to Kain, who was just getting to his feet.
"We need to talk," he said simply. Kain nodded, and limped up to the infirmary after his rescuer..
~~~===~~~
End of Legacy of Kain Chapter 7: Dragon's Dawn
~~~===~~~
Chapter Seven: Dragon's Dawn
~~~===~~~
When Dragonheart started firing his spells to Cecil's sides, I was as confused as everybody else was - including the mages I could see watching from the central keep, through the windows. Suddenly it dawned on me - for all the magic he was using, and all the fighting he had done before, he was a dark knight. Which meant that his dark wave technique hadn't been brought into play yet. And Cecil didn't have anywhere to go with a wall of destructive magic on either side of him.
Then it happened - Dragonheart said something, and a bolt of force carried Cecil back into the wall. I don't remember whether or not my jaw dropped - I know everyone else's did - but I do remember that my heart fell somewhere around my stomach. What sort of power did this knight wield?
And could my new techniques help me to defeat him?
No matter, I had to get down there to see if Cecil was still alive. I jumped off the battlements as soon as the bolt disappeared, and Cecil's limp body hit the ground. One more leap, and I was between Dragonheart and my fallen friend.
"Hold your hand, dark knight," I said, projecting my voice so that all could hear me. "The duel is over, any can see that."
"I know," he said, striding closer with full confidence, speaking just as loudly. "I'm simply going to claim my prize." Damn it - he was right. The wording he had used - it gave him a loophole he could use to kill Cecil, or kill Rosa if I interfered. But he seemed to have forgotten something - I'd seen Callista leading Rosa into the castle before.
"Like Hell you are. You might be able to do so without staining what little honor you have left, but I'm not going to let you. The Code was meant to be used by knights, not honorless curs like you."
"You have me wrong, Kain. I only seek to do what must be done to protect my home. He is a danger to it as surely as the white mage is."
"You never meant to release her, did you," I asked, though it was as much a statement of fact as a question.
"Frankly, I'm surprised she's alive right now. But I'll deal with that later." I settled into a defensive position, and lowered the visor of my helm.
"Over my dead body."
"Think for a moment, Kain. You have seen my power - is this paladin worth dying for? You, greatest of the dragon knights yet living? You can live through this without loss of honor, all you have to do is accept that I have the right to take his life as my prize, as stated in the Sacred Code."
"Perhaps my honor would remain, but there's something more important than my honor at stake here."
"What," Dragonheart snorted, "the life of a paladin? I've killed hundreds of his kind, little dragoon - and thousands of yours. If you fight me, you throw away your life to delay his death. Assuming he's not dead already." I heard a soft moan behind me, proving that Cecil was still alive. But if his ribs weren't shattered by what had happened, or worse, I'd be surprised.
"No," I said, resolving myself to the possibility that not even Reis' techniques would be enough to stop Dragonheart. "I spend my life to preserve the honor of the Dragon Knights." My subordinates on the battlements cheered at that, and I smiled grimly. Perhaps my death would leave a noble legacy behind after all.
"The honor of the Dragon Knights? More like the honor of a handful of squires to the knights I've slain, at best." I heard the dark words passing between the other knights present, and prayed that they wouldn't interfere.
"If I die facing you, dark knight, then I die facing a foe of my kingdom and my comrades - there is no dishonor in that. Quite the contrary." Dragonheart removed his helm, revealing a face much like mine, different in subtle ways only - fewer scars, a darker attitude, the arrogant sneer that I had only used when my dark side was in control. His skin was fairer, though, and his hair a slightly darker shade than mine.
"We are much alike Kain," he said more quietly, so that only I could hear him easily, "in more than our given names. You have seen my power - I'll give you the chance to wield it. Bring your comrades with you, if you wish. Don't be a fool - your friend there has forsaken this power, you yourself passed it by to wield the 'power' of the Dragon Knights. Join me, and I will teach you powers the likes of which you can't imagine. You have no power to use magic? As a Dark Knight you could wield powers that make the gods themselves tremble in fear." I laughed scornfully, and smirked at the arrogant warrior facing me.
"You insult me, Dragonheart," I said as loudly as ever. "As does your precious 'Lord of Darkness.' If you think that I'm willing to grovel at the feet of a mewling idiot that barely managed to climb out of the muck at creation's onset, then you must think me as weak a fool as you are." The other knights laughed as the dark warrior's cheeks flushed, and I smiled in satisfaction. It was his turn to be insulted for once.
"You will die for your insults, dragon knight," he spat, pulling his helmet back on and settling into an attack stance.
"Then bring it, cur," I said, smiling as I gripped the Holy Lance tightly in anticipation of battle..
~~~===~~~
An hour before, on board the airship, I had been searching for some sign of the power source that Dragonheart was using. Rosa's energy had restored my powers enough that, after reducing a few guards to ashes, I had the power I needed to finish this - hopefully for good. All I had to do was avoid Valvalis and Caignazzo, and Dragonheart should be crippled almost irrevocably.
The theft of Rosa's spells had been the final clue. I suspected that he held a piece of Dark Matter before, given his power to resurrect and strengthen my siblings and I. But it was possible to do that without a direct link to Darkness. To rip the knowledge out of a living soul, though, required power that no mortal could channel without aid. That aid was the Dark Matter, a fragment of oblivion that only a select few beings of phenomenal power could rip free. Zemus had been one of those beings - no doubt whatever force Dragonheart served was another. According to legend, even a small fragment had the power to level a small continent - Zemus had used his to sustain a reaction that caused his powers to grow exponentially while he slept. In the hands of somebody conscious, without the Lunarians ready to force him into slumber if he acted overtly..
There was no way that I was going to let the dark knight wield that much power.
That was why I was still on board the ship - I had rescued Rosa some time before, with Lady Callista's help. Now, unbeknownst to anybody, I was looking for the chamber on the ship that held the lethal fragment, praying that Dragonheart wasn't one of the very few mortals who could withstand the massive power it held. Most of the time, Dark Matter was used as a remote power source for the beings that channeled its force. Which meant that it should be on the ship, no doubt well protected, but accessible. And that meant it could be reached, and destroyed, by somebody who knew how.
I made my way to the engine core, deciding that the most logical place to store something like that would be where anyone observing the ship would expect a massive power source. Reaching the massive room, walking in thanks to the wooden floor, I let my normal sight fall away, looking for the black chill that the dark matter would generate. Unfortunately, the entire room was dimmed by the engine - could the entire thing be powered by dark matter? No, that would involve enough of the substance to destroy the planet if it was used improperly. No creature with a survival instinct would risk the devastation that could be caused by that much raw oblivion being released. Still, there was no point in being less than thorough. I walked up to the engine, and touched the casing carefully.
"It's not here, you know," I heard a sibilant voice say from the doorway. I spun around to face Scarmiglione, the Fiend of Earth. I smiled grimly - even if I couldn't beat Valvalis, my weakest brother would be no threat to my powers, no matter what his new master had done to him.
"Then where is it," I asked, igniting my cloak and drawing two large balls of flame to my hands. "Tell me, and I'll let you live." Scarmiglione chuckled, a sickening sound like a dying man's last breaths.
"But Master Dragonheart wouldn't - he had already proven that he has the power to hurt me badly, no doubt that he would kill me for such treason. Besides, I don't know where it is."
"Then why are you here?"
"When the woman who followed you took the doll with her, Valvalis and Caignazzo thought you'd left as well, and went to the viewing chamber." I shuddered mentally at Scarmiglione's term for Rosa, a term he had coined for her during her first imprisonment. I was beginning to remember why I'd been glad to hear he'd been killed on Mount Ordeals. "I, on the other hand, realized that you would want to see that the Master's dark matter was destroyed. You and I," he said, gesturing with his tentacles, "are the only ones who know what it can do, you know that? The others are blind to it - no air moves near its surface, nor does it carry liquid. Only you and I know more than that it exists."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I know what he is capable of. I'll let you go - I have no desire to fight you, brother."
"That's only because you know I could turn you to ashes before you did more than scratch me."
"You have me all wrong, brother," he said, a hurt tone in his voice as he emphasized the last word. "I have no desire to kill family, even family that wishes me harm. Leave here, find Dragonheart, and take the dark matter from him, by all means."
"He has it?"
"I suspect he does," Scarmiglione said, the tone in his voice one that made me wonder just how much he really knew. Death keeps all secrets, as the saying goes - perhaps its avatar had learned a few from it.
"If you think I'm going to bring it back to you -"
"Hardly," he interrupted, trying to sound insulted again. "If you take it from him, I suspect you'll have to destroy it in the process. But it's enough for me that he loses his power." My eyes narrowed and flashed in anger as I looked at my hulking brother.
"If you're trying to set me up so that Dragonheart can kill me when I try to destroy it, I will kill you. Slowly and painfully."
"You have my word, brother," he said, his obscene mass bending forward in a mockery of a bow, one of his withered arms making a sweeping gesture as he brought the other up to his chest.
"Very well. I'll be on my way then," I said, turning to walk out, the flames in my hands going out.
I heard a ripping, sucking sound, and turned to see Scarmiglione pulling a dagger out of his chest cavity. I was stunned for a moment by the grotesquery of the scene, but raised my hands and let loose a burst of flames as he lunged as well as he could, the dripping blade making a deep gash in my arm before the flames sent him reeling back, whimpering. I cauterized my wound, burning out any toxins his corpse had been carrying and approached him, flaring up again in anger.
"You're lucky I swore not to kill you unless you were setting me up for death at Dragonheart's hand, brother," I said quickly. "But I warn you - you will pay for this betrayal eventually." With that, I turned and ran from the room, passing into the metal floor of the corridor and flowing to the shell of the ship. It was time for me to see what had happened in the castle..
~~~===~~~
Lord Dragonheart tried to control his anger as he faced off against Kain. Of course, the fact that his own tactics were being used against him was obvious - but it was still hard to fight against his urge to destroy the upstart. Might as well start this battle out on the right foot.
"Flare," the dark knight shouted, and the air around Kain erupted into flames again. But the dragoon wasn't there - as Dragonheart had formed the first sounds of the word, Kain had jumped above the blast. Not his full jump, more like something a normal human could do, but enough to get him out of harm's way.
"My turn now," Kain said, grinning, extending his lance towards the dark knight. "Holy!" White death formed along the lance, and cut through the air towards Dragonheart.
"Wall," he yelled, throwing his hands up in front of him. Kain leaped to the side as the bolt was reflected towards him, fast enough to prevent its full force from catching him, but not fast enough to completely avoid the blast. He winced in pain as the bolt struck his arm, the dragon-scale armor he wore not quite enough to keep even his weak blasts from getting through. Hopefully he could keep this up long enough for Dragonheart to decide that he wasn't as skilled as he really was.
Even as he landed, though he was forced onto the defensive, swinging the holy lance in a wide arc to deflect a thrust from Dragonheart's spear. He scrambled back, trying to get some space, as the dark knight moved forward just as quickly.
"Take to the skies, dragon knight," he taunted. "It's all you're good for, isn't it, taking flight?" So be it - no time to wait before teaching him a lesson.
"Hardly," Kain replied, making another small leap behind Dragonheart, even as the dark knight whirled to face him. Kain pointed his lance at the dark knight, and smiled.
"Lancer," he shouted, as the ghostly image of a dragon flew out of the lance and struck the shocked Dragonheart squarely in the chest, sending him reeling back from the impact. As Dragonheart caught his feet, Kain focused his energy and called on another of his new techniques. "Reis' Wind!" Kain felt his minor injuries heal, and knew that he had an edge the dark knight hadn't anticipated. With a vicious grin, the tables turned, he charged into fray again.
Now it was the dark knight on the defensive - with Kain's incredible leaps, he couldn't be sure that his dark sword techniques would connect, and couldn't afford to weaken himself as much as he would trying to hit him. He'd been hoping that the dragoon was as unskilled as the paladin had been, but it seemed he wasn't going to be that lucky. He still had his spells to use, but he'd have to be sure that he'd hit before he could risk Kain getting a free shot at him while he prepared for the casting.
Unless.. It was worth the chance, but it would take time to set up.
Dragonheart started falling back, moving away from Cecil and towards the center of the courtyard. The warriors on the battlements cheered as they watched their captain drive the dark warrior back, hoping for the final blow to strike soon. Kain pressed the advantage, moving forward and harrying the dark knight, filling the air around him with his lance, never quite striking the dark knight, but coming close enough to make his opponent worry.
Still, a nagging voice in the back of his head said this was too easy - that it didn't make sense to fall back like this - unless you were looking for space. But he had to know that he couldn't get away from Kain, couldn't back up fast enough to avoid him. So what was he trying to do?
"Firaga," the dark knight shouted suddenly, and Kain leaped back as a hellish inferno erupted at his feet. Then Dragonheart turned towards Cecil.
Kain realized what the dark knight was planning even as the spell was being cast. The next spell that was cast would kill Cecil if it wasn't stopped by something - and Kain didn't have any choice but to try to be that 'something." Kain lunged between the dark knight and his friend, knowing that he had to be there before the spell was cast if he was going to do any good.
"Wind," the dark knight said, smiling as a small tornado caught Kain and lifted him off the ground, slamming him into the ground, against the walls of the keep, throwing small rocks into the his helpless body. The guards were silent now, as the tornado disappeared and let the badly wounded dragoon fall to the ground, hard. Dragonheart smiled grimly as he approached Kain, who barely had enough strength to move under his armor after the magical battering.
"You were good, Kain," he said as he kicked the dragon knight, knocking him down. "For that, I'll kill you quickly." He drew his lance up, ready to kill his opponent, when a blast of flames engulfed him from behind. It was the dark knight's turn to cry out as he staggered, trying to douse the flames. When he could see again, he turned to see Rubicant standing in the courtyard, covered in flames, his face contorted in rage. Dragonheart snarled at the Fiend of Fire.
"You have no part in this, Rubicant!"
"On the contrary," the flaming apparition replied, his voice booming throughout the courtyard. "You have violated the Code in the use of powers not of your own, or of your equipment. You bear a fragment of Dark Matter, and have used it extensively - I don't know how, but I can see its taint on you as plainly as the light of day."
"And what do you plan on doing about it, Fiend? Do you wish to face me, like these two fools did," Dragonheart asked, indicating Kain and Cecil.
"Under duress. But no, I do not intend to face you in such a manner. I simply intend to remove the offending material." Suddenly, the image disappeared, and a smaller figure stepped out of the wall behind Dragonheart, grabbing him and holding tight. The dark knight tried to throw the Rubicant off of him, but it was useless.
As the guards started to come down the battlements, planning on dealing with Dragonheart as best they could once this was finished, Rubicant started glowing. Not much at first, but like any fire starts with a single spark, soon he was glowing like a raging bonfire.
Then, with barely enough warning for the guards to close their eyes and turn, a brighter flash went off, like a glimpse into the heart of the sun itself. From the heart of the light, Dragonheart screamed as though his heart was being ripped out.
When the light was gone, Rubicant was kneeling, breathing heavily, his flames gone. Dragonheart still stood, but his armor had changed its shade - now, rather than the pure black it had been before, it was the midnight blue that Cecil had worn during his years as a dark knight. The guards approached, but stopped as Dragonheart drew himself up to his full height and extended a hand.
"Thundaga," he shouted, expecting a bolt of lightning from the heavens to destroy them all.
Instead, he got nothing. The guards were almost as stunned as he was, honestly - almost. They charged forward as he grabbed his spear and took up his attack stance.
"Dark Wave," he cried, as his life force was sucked out of him to power the swatch of dark power that cut down all the guards in its path. Seeing that the rest were still coming, he tapped into what little was left of his own magical strength.
"Exit!" In a flash and a blur, he was gone. Seconds later, the airship flew away, leaving behind the carnage its master had wrought. Rubicant stood as the guards tried to figure out what to do, and the castle's white mages came out to do what they could for the wounded. He walked over to Cecil and Kain quickly, making sure they were both alive.
"Get the king into the castle's infirmary, now," he said quietly as one of the white mages followed him over. "And send a messenger for the queen's mother - we'll need her help to take care of him, I'm sure. I'll take care of the Captain." The mage ran off to do as he was told, glad that somebody was taking charge, even if all he knew was that the person doing so had helped against the dark knight.
Rubicant watched as Cecil was taken away, making sure they didn't cause any more trouble as they moved him. Then he turned to Kain, who was just getting to his feet.
"We need to talk," he said simply. Kain nodded, and limped up to the infirmary after his rescuer..
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End of Legacy of Kain Chapter 7: Dragon's Dawn
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