Another chapter done, no da. Cliffhanger, sort of, but I'm working on the next chapter and should have it done tomorrow ^_^.
Call to Duty: Houjun
Chapter 2
The young prince wasn't sure what possessed him to leap after the human, but he soon found himself within the more familiar world of the water. He saw that the tentacle belonged to a giant squid that had somehow been coaxed into attacking the peir, as it was obviously cramped and not typically found this far from the depths of the sea. One of his several arms was wrapped securely around the human's waist and it was beginning to depart, more than likely finding more interest in his captive. The Atlantian moved quickly to the human's side, knowing full and well from his schooling that humans couldn't breath underwater. He quickly took the orange-haired man's chin, pressing his lips to his and pushing air into him, casting a spell that would temporarily enable him to breathe.
"Relax and breathe normally. You won't drown, I promise, no da," he soothed, brushing the man's cheek lightly before gliding to the squid's head and resting his hands against it. "Why are you here, friend?"
'Another of your people requested a favor.'
"Who, though? Only members of the royal family can make such requests, no da."
'He was.'
Houjun shook his head, knowing the creature wouldn't tell him much more than that. "I, Prince Houjun, request you release this human. When I return to Atlantis, I will reward you, you have my word, no da." That seemed to satisfy the squid and it released his prisoner and continued on its journey back to its home. He looked to the human, expecting to see him near the surface as his spell was wearing off, but saw him, instead, flailing helplessly. He hurried back to him, pulling him to the water's surface, holding him still as he gasped, still panicking. "You're safe now, no da! Calm down, na no da!"
Slowly, very slowly, the human realized that he wasn't in danger any longer and tried to relax, jumping as something slid between his legs. Houjun smiled a bit as realization dawned on the human that he was on a dolphin's back.
"We're a few miles from the shore, but safe, I assure you, no da. My name is Houjun, captain of the King of Atlantis' guard.
"Genrou," the man panted, slowly opening his eyes two look down at Houjun, the Atlantian looking into his amber pools and feeling a bit at a loss for words for a moment. He smiled and rested a hand on Genrou's back. "Hakurou sent...me an' Kouji...to get ya..."
The prince frowned. "But...he said that he would be coming in person...and that he would meet us at 11 this evening. Strange...he's always been prompt according to my mother..."
Now it was Genrou's turn to frown, his brow furrowing. "That ain't what he told us. He said he told ya'll that we'd be comin' in his place an' that you said you'd be here when da moon was at its peak. You sure you heard right?"
"My uncle was the one who delivered the message...He's a bit unreasonable at times, but..." he looked up at the amber-eyed teen, mahogany eye's burning. "I need to get to Hakurou immediately, no da."
"What about that other guy? He guy with the trident was the king, right?"
"My brother can handle himself, no da. I mean, there were only three left when you got there and the one that hit me was a mage. Your friend took care of him, no da. I need to tell my mother about this as well. Assassins..." He looked around suddenly, a chill running through him.
"What is it?" Genrou asked. Over heard, a peel of thunder rumbled, but everything else seemed deathly quiet. Suddenly, the dolphin squeaked, bucking sharply, Genroun wrapping his arms around it. "What' the hell!"
"This is bad...another mage is coming..." He grabbed Genrou around the waist. "Let go of her. She's scared, and rightly so." Genrou reluctantly obeyed, the dolphin streaking away, and Houjun closed his eyes, two fingers held up before his face. "Hold onto me and don't let go. Levante." Suddenly, he began to rise out of the water, one arm holding Genrou tightly around the waist, carrying him upward as well. Once they were hovering just about the water, He wrapped his other arm around the human as well and soared further upward. "Where is Hakurou-san from here?"
Shaking a bit, obviously unused to such an odd turn of event, Genrou pointed toward the city. Houjun nodded and began flying in the direction he was pointed in, fear driving him faster. He wasn't sure who it was who was trying to kill his brother and himself, though they were undoubtedly tied to Atlantis somehow. He had a sinking feeling, however, that the mage that was after him was a powerful one. Not as powerful as Himitsuno, but at least a level 20 mage. The teacher had told him time and again that, once he had surpassed level 17, he would learn spells that could be used to attack opponents viciously, which was something he wasn't looking forward to. He hated fighting of any kind, which was why he hated carrying a sword as well. His heart was racing as he felt that the mage was following him, but decided it was safer not to look back, but press on. Soon, they were soaring over pavement and up higher to avoid the buildings. Genrou squirmed against him nervously, trembling a bit as they nearly hit a building, but the young prince didn't stop.
"Over there!" Genrou shouted over the rush of air that came from flying at high speeds. Houjun aimed for the roof of the building Genrou had indicated, but suddenly had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't flying anymore, but falling.
"Shit...a cancellation spell..." he saw a skylight in the roof and realized that there was no way he could avoid it, unable to summon his powers immediately after the cancellation spell had been cast. Instead, he went for his second option and spun around in the air so the Genrou was atop him.
"What are you doing?" the human asked, but Houjun didn't reply, merely hunched his shoulders, preparing for impact, which came painfully as the back of his head hit first the glass, which shattered upon impact, and then by the floor, his body suddenly going limp as everything dissolved into darkness.
TBC