LUNAR 3
Twisted Realites
Chapter Two: Lament
So Ravin, Diana, and Fional first headed to Meribia, where Fional said that Izmere can give them easier transportation, when Ravin couldn't transform into a Dragon. He said that Izmere had an extremely old ship called the Hispaniola. Izmere was in control of the ship when it was his job as the captain, but he hasn't sailed it since he became the Blue Hero of Meribia.
"Where IS Izmere, by the way?" Ravin asked.
" 'E's probably in 'is office." Fional paused. "I mean, where 'e 'elps people, not in da restroom."
"I was just gonna say..." laughed Ravin. When they came to the doors where Izmere would be, the trio over heard an argument through the doors. "Huh?"
"Shh! Listen." Fional leaned closer to the door to eavesdrop on his father and whoever he was arguing with.
"That machine is out of control, Izmere!" yelled a voice of a young man. "The Neo-Grindery has already destroyed several large cities!"
"Whadoya expect from a old man?!" growled the voice of Izmere. "I can't stop it wit me own 'ands!"
"The least you could do was lend me some of your Shields." said the younger man.
"If yer da leader o' Althena's Gaurd, ya come up wit yer own weapons!" Izmere objected. "Me city's gotta 'ave defense too ya know."
"Well, since your being so stubborn about it, you can forget that I ever came here, old man!" the man shouted, slamming the door, the party was listening against, open. No one could see his face, but the only thing visable about him was his white armor and his shiny black hair.
"Hm," Fional walked into the room and to his father. "Who was dat?"
"Jus a unit-free freak o' nature." Izmere replied. "What brings ya 'ere to Meribia, m'boy?" He clapped Fional on the shoulder.
"Me mates, 'ere, need some transportation, Pops." Fional explained. "We're gonna travel to...uh...Caldor Isle and we don't 'ave a ship." He scratched his head.
" 'Ow 'bout..." Izmere looked at Fional's friends and bit his lip. "da Hispaniola?"
"Dat thing?" Fional exclaimed. "But it's for da museum, ain't it?"
"Not THAT Hispaniola! The new an' imporved Hispaniola."
"What? But dat's yers."
"Me sailin' days are over, m'boy. I'm retired an' I gotta city to look afta since that...that...Neo-something is on da loose."
"Well...thanks, Pops." Fional smiled. "Don't worry, I won't crash it. You've taught me well!" * * *
The next day Fional was controling the Hispaniola. Izmere apointed several crew members to help with the stearing and cleaning and preparing food and such.
Ravin, Diana, and Fional were low on accessories. They were ahead of schedule since one sailor took control of the wheel over night. They were near Takkar, so they stopped the ship near the shore, and the trio took a small rowboat to the beach. It was all plains, practially, in the northern part of the Katarina Zone. In the distance there were snow-capped mountains, where the town of Zulan was. Behind the hills, just west of the beach, was where Takkar would be.
"Dat'd be Takkar Mt. Pass," said Fional. "We should be in Takkar before dark."
"At least we are making progress." said Diana.
"I hope Joon is making out okay," Ravin wondered, concerned. "I don't know what trouble she can get herself into without my supervision."
They ran into a few monsters along the Pass. As Fional had predicted, they made it through Takkar Mt. Pass by dark.
"What did I tell ya?" Fional laughed, triumphantly. "Dis is beautiful!"
Fional's laughing was interrupted by a loud, echoing bellow.
"W...what was that?" Ravin whispered. The howling was becoming louder and louder. A huge dark green bull, with bright green flames around it's mane stampeded around the corner. The monster attacked first, flaming the battlefield entirly.
"ICE LANCE!!!" Ravin impaled the Bull with a criss-cross of giant icicles.
"GLACIAL TOTAL ASSULT!!!" Diana summoned the Ice Element and the battlefield was snowing and hailing at the same time. The Bull attacked again, using a more powerful flame attack, setting everybody on the battlefield ablaze. Fional used a Healing Nut on himself, for he was the one with more damage. Ravin and Diana used the same magic attacks on the Bull over and over, while Fional healed them with items. But the Bull kept on attacking twice during each round, making it nearly impossible to stay alive.
"I don't think we can beat this thing!" Ravin yelled, kneeling and holding his wounded arm.
"We HAVE to, Ravin!" Diana called. "If we do not, Lunar and the Blue Star--"
"MONSOON!!!" summoned a young feminine voice. After the voice, it started to rain heavily on the battlefield. Then a wild river of water came pouring into the Pass. Ravin, Diana, and Fional scrambled to the top of the Pass before they were swept away by the river, which the bison monster was.
"You alright?" asked a red-headed young woman.
"We're fine," said Ravin, standing up. "Thank you for your help."
"You seem awfully familar," exclaimed Diana. "Are you not the waitress we met at the restraunt in Vane?"
"Yeah," Ravin smiled. "What was your name? It started with an L didn't it?"
"Yes, it's Liah." she said. "I noticed you guys were battling that bull with magic. You three were pretty good at it. You want to join the Magic Guild??" Liah asked excitedly, pulling a piece of paper from her cloak. "My mother, Miaka Ausa, will be verrrry pleased. She's been TELLING me to go gain members for the Guild and--"
"Uh, no tank you, miss," refused Fional, giving the paper back to Liah.
"Oh..." Liah whined. "Oh, well! It doesn't matter. What are your names, by the way?"
"I'm Fional," he smiled. "Dese are me mates, Ravin and Diana. We were just heading to Takkar, until we ran into dat monster." Fional pointed behind himself with his thumb.
"Takkar, huh?" Liah smiled. "I'm staying the night there in a small hotel! You want to come? We can talk over a nice cup of juice!"
"I prefer ale." Fional guffawed.
"Let us hurry." said Diana. "I would like to get up bright and early tomorrow, so that we can get to Zulan."
"Did you say Zulan?" Liah asked.
"Why, yes, I did," Diana smiled. "Why?"
"That's where I was going tomorrow!" Liah squealed with joy. "My best friend Aimee is the Healer there! I was going to visit her!"
"That is very nice of you, Miss Liah!" Diana smiled and clapped her hands. "Going out of your way to visit a working friend. Maybe we can travel there together. Is that alright, Ravin? I'd like to get to know Liah."
"Sure it's okay, Diana." Ravin put his hand on her shoulder. "Liah, you said you were staying the night in Takkar. I hope we're not ruining anything for you."
"No, you're not. It's a pleasure making friends with fellow Mages!" Liah smiled.
"Mages?" exclaimed Fional "No, we really aren't Mages. We're just--"
"Let's get going then." Liah started to follow over the trail that leaded into Takkar, with Ravin, Diana, and Fional following.
* * *
"Ravi!" exclaimed Joon, popping out of a barrel. She flew over to him. "I thought that you'd NEVER get here! But you should've came tomorrow: that barrel's full of yummy fish!"
"Oh, Joon," said Ravin.
"Who's this?" the cat asked, looking at a confused Liah.
"This is Liah." said Diana. "She is a Mage."
"Really?!" Joon flew over to Liah. "Are you really a Mage??"
"Are you really a talking cat??" Liah asked.
"Is a Mage short for MAGICIAN?! Ooh! Lemme see some magic tricks! Puh- LEEZE?!" Joon made a sad puppy face.
"No, I'm not a Magician. And Mage isn't short for it."
"Awe..." Joon dropped to the ground.
"I'm sorry, kitty."
"I'm NOT a cat! Why does EVERYONE take me for a cat?!" Joon yelled. "I am a Drag--!!" Ravin put his hand over her mouth.
"Shh! Do you want poachers after us?!" Ravin whispered. He looked around the people in Takkar. He noticed one extremly pale man, wearing a long black cloak, silently looking at them. He squinted his eyes at Ravin, who was scowling, and walked away. Diana saw the man and she whispered:
"I think we should go inside."
"Come on." said Liah. She took the party inside a small hotel and inside her room, without the guy behind the desk saw them. "Now, tell me what you're doing in Takkar."
"We're just supposed to be pickin' up Joon, 'ere." Fional roughly rubbed Joon's little head.
"Ugh!" Joon looked up at the Beastman and gave him an evil look.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Fional laughed.
"Are you visiting a sick relative in Zulan?" Liah asked.
"Sick?" Ravin asked.
"Yeah, there's a disease spreading in Zulan and people are dying almost every day." Liah shrugged. "That's what's Aimee's there for and I bet she's getting payed a fortune with the lives she's saving. Since she's working like a horse, I'm going over to visit her and her mega-lame fiance, who's name I forgot, to try and cheer her up."
" 'Ey," whispered Fional. His ears twitched. "Do ya 'ear that?"
"Hear what?" said Joon.
"This'll be da second time I've eavesdropped." Fional put his head closer to the wall and listened to a couple of men talking in the room nextdoor.
"Do you think that dragon we saw the other day could be one of Althena's Dragons?" asked one man.
"It wasn't deformed like all the other dragons we've seen; it must be." said the other.
"What do we do once we find it and capture it?" asked the first man.
"We raise the price that we agreed on for 1,000,000 silver instead of 3,000." the second man snorted. "Since it might be one of the Four Dragons and we capture it, we'd be the strongest beings around next to the Goddess herself. We'll be rich once we sell the monster."
"Oh, no!" Ravin whispered, backing away from the wall. "They know there's a Dragon out there!"
"What?" asked Liah. "What's wrong? What Dragon?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, we're in deep trouble if they catch up to us."
Ravin tried to explain that he was a Dragon and that he, Joon, and Fional were aiding Diana on a quest. Afterwards, Liah seemed a little freaked out.
"Can we trust ya to keep dis lil' secret?" Fional asked.
"Yeah, I won't tell ANYONE." Liah whispered. "I pinky-swear." Liah stuck out her small finger for Diana to link with. Diana seemed a little confused.
"I do not understand." she said, blushing.
"Give me your little finger." explained Liah. Diana did as she was told and linked fingers with Liah and shook them. "Cool." the red-head smiled.
"Okay, we stay here one night and get out of here before they find us." said Ravin.
* * *
Early in the morning, the party left the hotel. Liah paid for the room and they started out the door. Before Ravin stepped outside, he looked around for the cloaked man he had seen yesterday.
"The coast is clear!" Ravin whispered to his friends.
It was almost noon when the party reached the mountains. It was snowing lightly at first, but as it got later in the day, it started to snow harder and get more windy. They ran into a few Albino Baboons and Razor Wolfs through the trail to the top of the mountain and everyone was running low on supplies.
Their cheeks, ears, and noses were growing numb as the wind cut their faces, they were getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute.
"It's...so...cold!" Joon shivered, curling up into a tiny ball on Ravin's shoulder.
"We'll make it to Zulan, Joon." Ravin reassured her.
"Joon, since yer a Dragon, can't ya breathe fire or anythin'?" Fional asked.
"No, I'm afraid I can't. I'm a water Dragon, not a fire Dragon, like Ruby."
"Blast!" Fional cursed.
"Ravin, we should make camp," Diana asked, wrapping her father's cloak tighter around her face. "I cannot go on without resting..."
"We can't stop, Diana," Ravin shrugged. "Not while the mountain is crawling with monsters." He took off the blanket he had wrapped around himself and wrapped it around Diana's shoulders. "Here."
"What about you?" she asked.
"You need it more than I do." Ravin put his arm around her and brought her closer to his body. He looked ahead, where Fional and Liah were. "You guys okay up there?!"
Liah stuck her head out of the hood of the cloak she was wearing. "What?!"
"I said, you guys okay up there!!"
"We're okay!" Fional turned to Liah. "Is it much farther?"
"It shouldn't be." she replied.
"Aah!!" Joon screamed. "Look! Up there!! What IS it?!" Everyone looked up the trail and saw a giant blue penquin with a small horn on its head and claws on its flippers.
"It's ugly!!" Fional growled.
"SQUAAAWWWWWKKK!!!" the monster screached. It plopped down on its belly and pushed itself down the trail and hit everyone in the party. When it was done attacking them, it used its beak to push itself up on its feet. Joon blew bubbles in its face, which didn't do alot of damage. Ravin figured that since it lived in the mountains, it probably wasn't used to fire, so he would use fire magic against it.
"FLAME BOMB!!!" Ravin yelled, as a ball of fire was launched at the Ave. He was right: fire magic weakened it more. "Hey!" he called to the rest of the party. "Use fire! It's the only way to damage it!"
"Okey dokey!" Fional grinned. "FLASH ARROW!!!" The arrow exploded on the monster's neck. "Wow. That did aLOT." he groaned sarcastically.
"Let me show you how it's done, Fifi!" Liah laughed at Fional. "CATASTROPHE!!!" Liah summoned an omni-elemental attack spell. The spell was made up of Ice, Water, Lightning, Earth, and mostly Fire, weakening the Ave most. "Ha, ha!"
Then Diana used a fire spell. "ATOMIC BURN!!!" A globe of fire surrounded the monster and, from the inside, fired beams of lightning and fire.
"Whoa! Diana! That was awesome!" Ravin smiled.
"Thank you!" she blushed, forgeting about the cold.
"All of this fire magic is warming me up!" Joon grinned and started to scratch at the penguin's eyes. Then it disappeared in a puff of red smoke, like all of the previous monsters they had battled. "Woooooooooo, hooooooo!!" she laughed. "Now to Zulan!"
Zulan wasn't what they expected at all. The ground was covered in fluffy white snow and small patches of slippery ice. Icicles hung from the edges of the deserted-looking houses and the large pond in the middle of the city, but there were no kids skating on it. In fact, there weren't many people around at all. Maybe it was because of the disease Liah had mentioned. There was a small cottage with a red cross as the sign.
"That's where Aimee will be." Liah said, shivering. "Let's hurry; I'm still cold."
The party walked into the cottage. The first thing they saw was a small family thanking a beautiful young woman for healing their three-year- old child.
"We can never thank you enough, Nurse Aimee!" cried the mother, cradling her child in her arms. The nurse, who the woman addressed as Aimee, blushed and simpered.
"I...I'm speechless, ma'am," Aimee looked at the child. "I'm just glad I was able to help."
"What do we owe you, then?" asked the father.
"Twenty silver." Aimee whispered, seeming almost ashamed of taking families' money. The man handed her a bagful of silver, the woman said 'good-bye' and 'thank you', and the child gave Aimee a big hug. And the family was on their way. Aimee looked towards the door and saw a familiar face.
"Liah!!" she cried, running to her best friend to embrace her.
"Hey, Aimee!" Liah greeted, hugging Aimee.
"Oh, it's great to see you," Aimee started to cry. "I haven't seen you in ages."
"Good thing we kept in touch sending each other letters." Liah faced her friend. "So, where's the hero?"
"Oh..." Aimee looked down. "He's going to be a little late. To pass the time, why don't you introduce me to your comrads?" she grinned.
"I almost forgot!" Liah smacked herself in the forehead. "These are my newest friends: Ravin, Diana, Fional, and Joon. Joon's the cat..."
"I'm NOT a cat!!" Joon squawked.
"Couldn't tell by lookin' at ya!" Fional laughed.
"You are SO gonna get it!" Joon got herself in a jumping position on Ravin's shoulder.
"Not in here, Joon." moaned Ravin.
"Don't just stand there!" cried Aimee. "Come in. Kick off your shoes and sit by the fire. You must be freezing. Do you want some hot chocolate?"
"Yes!" the party exclaimed at once. Aimee giggled and went to her tiny kitchen to get the beverages for her quests.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what brings you all to Zulan?" asked Aimee.
"We're 'ere to get more supplies for a quest we're on." said Fional. "We'll be on our way by tomorrow."
"How are you guys going to travel through the mountains?"
"We're not." said Ravin. "We're going to the White Dragon Cave by ship. Since it's on an island and all."
"Oh..." Aimee replied, giving everyone a mug of hot cocoa. "Why, praytell, do you want to go there? That's the lair of one of Althena's Four Dragons."
"Well, that is why we are--" Diana was inturrupted when someone from outside knocked on the door.
"Come in!" called Aimee. A familiar young man came in through the door. He was wearing white armor and a red cape and napsack and was wearing a large scarf around his neck. The man had black hair with a sharp widow's- peak on his forehead.
"Hello, Aimee, my love." said the man, removing his scarf. Already Ravin didn't like him. He looked so familiar to Ravin, Diana, and Fional.
"Hello, Trot." smiled Aimee.
"Trot?" Joon made a weird face. "Trot?? What kind of a beef-witted, dense, dumb, goosey, numskulled, doltish, pinheaded, thick, simple, dead- between-the-ears name is THAT?!" Fional howled with laughter at Joon's retort at the man's name. Trot gave the two of them a warningful look.
"How have you been, my dear?" Trot asked Aimee, as he walked over to her and kissed her forehead.
" 'How have you been, my dear?' " mocked Liah.
"Please, Trot..." she smiled. "You're embarrassing me." He kissed her again on the forehead. Aimee sighed. "I've been just fine, teddy bear."
"Teddy bear?" Joon gaffawed. "Sheesh! How many stupid names does this guy HAVE?" Fional snickered loudly.
"Why, hello, Liah!" Trot tried to act surprized. "I didn't know you were coming!"
"I wish you weren't..." Liah scowled.
"Anyway, Aimee. You will NEVER guess what I got!" Trot exclaimed.
"V.D.?" Joon asked. Fional stuffed his face in his hands and muffled his laugh.
"No, and I wasn't talking to you...cat." Trot turned back to his fiance.
"I'm NOT a cat, you wiggy, spoiled, panty-wad pretty-boy!"
The man turned back at Joon and gave her the look of a murderer. Then he ignored her and said: "Guess what I've found in the White Dragon's Cave," Trot reached inside of his backpack. "I went inside while the Dragon was gone and I got you this." He pulled out a huge diamond the size of a baseball and held it in front of Aimee. "It's--"
"A Dragon Diamond?!" Joon shrieked. "Why did you waste your time getting that?! Don't you know it's actually Dragon--" Before she could finish, Ravin put his hand over her mouth and grinned.
"I-It's quite beautiful," Aimee looked up at Trot. "But what do you plan to do with it?"
"Why, I'm going to sell it." Trot beamed a smile. "We'll become rich, live in a mansion, get away from all of these sick peasants! We'll travel the world, you and me."
"So soon?" Aimee frowned. "But what about children?"
"I'll let you think about it, Aimee." Trot kissed her on the cheek and left without saying good-bye.
"Who the bloody 'ell was 'e?" Fional asked Aimee.
"He's my fiance." she answered.
"What a freak show!" Joon laughed.
"Joon," whispered Diana.
"Don't be rude." said Ravin.
"I agree with Joon," said Liah. "I never liked the guy, anyway. If he's making you do something you don't want to do, why not ditch him, Aimee?"
"I love him dearly, Liah." Aimee faced her friend. "But he'll be back tomorrow and ask for my answer, which I won't be ready to give to him." She looked at Ravin. "May I join your group for a while? I'm going to need a long time to think about this. I promise I won't be a bother. I can help you."
"Sure, you can join." smiled Ravin. "But what about the sick people here?"
"I'm not the only Healer here. There are others and they can help here while I'm gone." * * *
The party left at dawn, after collecting as many Herbs, Purity Herbs, Healing Nuts, Star Lights, Angel's Tears, Vials, and Cleansing Waters as their back packs could hold. Joon didn't help alot for the items were too heavy for her to carry in the air. They all hurried down an easier pass down the mountains and ran as fast as they could to the Hispaniola. By noon, they made it to the White Dragon Cave.
"Don't worry about monsters in the cave, everyone." said Ravin. "There are only Mongrels in here, anyway. Besides those things, it'll be smooth sailing to my Dad's Lair."
And Ravin was right: it didn't take very long finding their way through the labrinth of ice in the cave. They only had one more floor to go through before they were in the actual Lair.
"See, Diana," Ravin told her with triumph in his voice. "We'll collect the Dragon Crests in no time."
"What did Nall have in mind for the Trial?" Diana asked.
"He just said to find him. He said that the maze was enough for a Trial."
"What about that?" Joon asked, a bit scared of what was behind the corner. Everyone stood quiet and heard a soft breathing and hissing noise. "Is that Nall?"
"No," whispered Ravin. "It's something else. Fional, why don't you see what it is?"
"Yer da one who wants to know what it is." he objected.
"Do not argue, you two." Diana pleaded. "I will look."
"No, Diana." Ravin grabbed her shoulder, but she had already seen what it was.
"It is a huge, hairy snake!" she whispered. Ravin looked around the corner and saw a white serpant with a silver mane around its head. Spread acrossed its forehead and sides were visciously long horns.
"It's blocking our only way into the Lair!" Ravin exclaimed. "We're gonna have to fight it."
"Fight?" Aimee bolted out. "I can't fight. I'm a Healer."
"Don't worry, lil' miss," said Fional. "Da monster won't lay a finger on ya."
"It hasn't any, Fional." Diana pointed out. "It is a serpant."
"Well," Fional blushed. "...I..."
"Hey, are gonna fight the damn thing? Or are we gonna chatter?" Liah growled.
"Right." Fional cracked his knuckles. "Let's rock."
The snake hissed a reply, stopping almost errect in front of the Lair, except for its constant swaying and hissing.
"COMBUSTIBLE PROJECTILES!!!" Fional cried, sending an exploding bomb of arrows at the snake, hitting it in the chest area. Fional grinned as the snake swayed.
The snake launched a large icicle back at Fional. hitting him in the shoulder.
"Ugh!" Fional kneeled down, wincing in pain.
Aimee threw her arm into the air and when green sparkles amerged from her palm, she had used Heal Litany on Fional.
Meanwhile, Ravin had used Pyro Spheres on every turn, Diana used Atomic Burn, Liah used Catastrophe, and Aimee healed anyone who got injured by the Snake.
"Dad?" Ravin called, as he looked inside the Dragon Lair. "Huh. He's not here, yet."
"I'm here, now." Before everyone's eyes, a gigantic white furry Dragon appeared in the circular bed of ice. He had orange horns that led outward from the forehead, behind the ears. His front paws were black. His wings were feathered and ruffled with age. On the tip of his tail was an arrowhead-like spike that had a bony pattern on the sides. Sticking out of his bottom jaw were two large teeth.
"You almost look just like him in your Dragon form, Ravin." Diana smiled at Nall.
"I don't think I'm THAT hideous!" Ravin laughed. Fional, Liah, and Aimee weren't as comfortable looking as Ravin, Diana, and Joon were in front of a huge Dragon. They just stood quiet, not moving a muscle.
"So, you found me." Nall shrugged. "Was it really that easy?"
"I've been in here like a million times, Dad." Ravin grinned. "I practically know the place by heart."
"Well, that's cheating. Should I give you the Crest?"
"Come on, Nall!" Joon exclaimed. "Quit being such a dork!"
"Alright, alright. Here you go." Nall closed his golden eyes and concentrated on the White Dragon Crest. Then the Crest appeared in mid-air and floated to Ravin. "You were meant to have THIS Crest, Ravin. It'll give you the power of the White Dragon Protect."
"Wow," Ravin breathed, gawking at the Crest with the Dragon on it. "Thanks."
Nall's mouth curved into a smile. "I've got two more things to give you, Ravin. Remember the White Dragon Wings?"
"Yeah!" Ravin laughed.
"They still got their old magic as they did a hundred years ago." Nall closed his eyes, consentrating on something, then the cave started to rumble. Everyone looked behind themselves and saw the ledge they were on leading another way. "Go that way, Ravin. There's something in there that I have never mentioned to you before. Equip it and it will Heal you, whenever you are injured in battle. It'll make you immune to all affects. Well, I've gotta get going. I'll see you soon! Go see Ruby, she'll tell you where to go." And Nall disappeared. Ravin, Diana, and Joon turned to the rest of the party. They were wide-eyed with their jaws dropping to the floor.
"Was he THAT hideous?" Ravin asked them.
Ravin and the others walked down the path that was now opened. At the end of it, there was a large crevasse. They all squeezed through it and was inside of a tiny, ice cave. On the far wall, there was a small dark blue crystal treasure chest, smaller than the others they have found. Ravin opened it and found a platinum ring with a White Dragon on it, with gems in it's feather-textured wings.
"Whoa," Ravin breathed. "Quark's White Dragon Ring."
"Quark?" Joon questioned.
"The first White Dragon ever born." explained Ravin. "He was killed by Magic Emperor Ghaleon."
"It was indeed a horrible day for Lunar that day, was it not?" Diana asked.
"That's what my old man said."
* * *
"Where do we go, now?" asked Fional, turning the wheel on the Hispaniola to dodge some boulders.
"Well, the Red Dragon Cave is where we go next." Ravin shrugged. "And her cave is on land inside a big volcano."
"Where, on land, is it closest to?" Fional asked.
"It's closest to Silvia." Ravin groaned.
"Dat place is a dump!" Fional howled "Dere's robbers and murderers in dat town. Althena couldn't make me spend a night in dat place!"
"Don't worry, we won't stay there! We'll just walk through."
It was evening when the party reached the beach to Silvia. Definately not the best time to wander through a town of thievery. Silvia was extremly hot during the evening. The streets were covered in a redish-brown dust and absolutly no vegitation grew anywhere. Doors were hanging from the hinges of the many bars that made up most of the tan adobe buildings. Mixed music seeped from the doors and mixed in the air which smelled like booze.
Ravin, Diana, and Joon went to the item shop to grab some Star Lights, while the others went inside the bar to get something Fional wanted.
"Why the heck do you want to go inside a bar in SILVIA, Fional?" Aimee asked.
"To pick up some ale!" the Beastman laughed, walking over to the woman wearing a tight bunny outfit.
"Oh, sweet Mother-of-Pearl!" Liah moaned, rubbing her temples. "I think I'll wait outside. Come on, Aimee."
"Hey, beautiful!" clucked a big hairy man, wrapping a finger in Liah's fiery locks. "Wanna come up ta my room tanight?" he asked.
"Uh, NO!" Liah pushed her way past him. As she walked away, the man slapped her butt. "Why you jackass!!" Liah clenched her wand and raised it to hit the man in the head, but he had already grabbed her arm and tried to kiss her lips. He kissed her cheek once with his big moist lips.
"Keep your hands off her!" yelled a male voice. Before he knew it, the man trying to kiss Liah was punched in the jaw and was tumbling over a bunch of tables and chairs. Liah looked up to see a handsome blonde young man about her age standing next to the pile of tables, who was facing the fallen man. "You okay, red?" he asked Liah.
"Ex-CUSE me?!" Liah yelled. "My name is not 'red', it's Liah! And I had everything under control!"
"Not from where I'm standing." he argued.
"Then move!" Liah grabbed Aimee's wrist with one hand and put the other on her hip as she stormed out of the bar, without Fional. The man looked at the floor and saw the wand Liah was holding before. He picked it up and ran after her.
"Red--I mean, Liah! Wait!"
"Liah?" Fional gasped, turning away from the bunny lady. He started to run to the front door, but turned back to the lady. " 'Ey, I'll call ya later." Fional clicked his tongue at her and ran out the door.
"Liah!!!" the man called.
"What?!" she let go of Aimee's wrist and turned to the guy and gave him the evilest of looks.
"Y...You...d-d-dropped--"
"SPIT IT OUT!"
"Youdroppedyourwand!!" he said quickly as he handed her the staff.
"Oh..." Liah took the wand gingerly and looked at him. "Thanks. Why didn't you steal it?"
"That was my plan, but then I'm like, 'What the hell do I need a wand for? There are no Mages around here! I'd have to go to Vane to sell this crummy old piece of junk!' " He whined and bit his lip, thinking about what she'd do to him after he'd said that.
"This 'crummy old piece of junk' will fit right up your a--!" Liah shoved it in his face.
"Well, so much for being nice." he grumbled.
"You did it yourself."
"Then you're welcome." he snapped the bandanna around is forehead. "Please let me introduce myself: I'm Ryan." He tried to grab her hand to kiss it, but she flinged it away from him.
"Aha, ha ha," Liah laughed nervously. "You already know my name."
"Liah, right?"
"Nope, it's Rumplestiltskin." she said sarcastically.
"Well, nice to know your real name, Rumplestiltssaggyskin."
"I think I prefered being called 'red'." Liah whispered. Aimee smiled at them.
"Liah!! Aimee!!" called Ravin from the item shop. "Let's get moving!! We want to get to Raculi tonight!" "Raculi?" Ryan asked Liah and Aimee before they left.
"Yeah," said Liah.
"We're on a quest."
"Hey, can I join you guys?" he asked. "I don't mean to barge in, but..."
"Sure, ya can!" laughed Fional from behind Ryan. He slapped the young man on the back. "It's nice to 'ave another man wit us! Liah's single, anyway. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Yeah, yeah," blushed Liah. "Now let's go." The four of them walked over to Ravin, Diana, & Joon. Ravin looked at Ryan & pointed his finger at him.
"Hey," he said. "I know you."
"Uh," Ryan was confused. "From where?"
"Didn't I see you at Meribia?" asked Ravin. "In a bar?"
Ryan started to panic. "Aah...Ba...Uh, I don't know what the hell your talking about!" * * *
Once the party got to Raculi, they decided to sleep inside of the small hotel because Ryan didn't want anything to do with his old house. Ryan walked over to the lady behind the desk. She was shaking half to death at the sight of him.
"Hey," Ryan whispered to the lady. "If you see Vincent, tell him I'm not here." Then he started back up the stairs where his and the others' room would be.
"So, tell me about yourself, Ryan." said Liah.
"Well, I'm the most wanted thief in Silvia." he said with a snort. "I've been rumored to have killed some people during robbing a place or someone, but don't believe in that stuff." he whispered. "A thief does not kill to get what he wants. And my brother Vincent, aka Red Hero of Raculi, has been after my butt ever since I can remember."
"Your BROTHER??" exclaimed Joon. "After your BUTT? What, is his to big or something? Because you've got a nice one. At least Liah thinks so, she told me." Joon grinned at Liah, who was turning as red as her hair.
"I'm going to sleep." Liah said quickly, laying down on the bed she was sitting on.
* * *
It was a peaceful night for Schorr. Everyone was in their homes asleep, awaiting for morning to come. The only noise in this town was coming from the fountain. Then, there was sonorous, harsh explosion. Schorr was bombed. Fire spreaded as quickly as the explosion came, not giving the people inside of the houses enough time to exit. There was screaming and crying as families burned to death. Soon, they were silent. The only sound now was the crackling of the fiery tongues on dry wood.
But about a few miles away from Schorr, there were tracks of a large machine of some kind. These were the tracks of the Neo-Grindery. Two large cannons sticking out of the tower were smoking with exhaust from a blast of energy, probably built to destroy. From inside, there was a loud roar of pain from a monster.
* * *
A man wearing thick red armor kicked the door to the party's room down and barged in with a large sword in his hands. A few other men followed him in and grabbed everyone in the room, including Joon, who was trying to fly away and was now trying to scratch the man who held her wings in his grip. Diana used her shield to push away the warriors from her, but when she dropped her shield, the men grabbed her and held a knife to her throat, making Ravin feel helpless after he struggled to stop them. Fional swung his fists at the soldiers who attempted who capture him, but failed when five other men tackled him to the floor and held on to him tightly. Liah and Aimee couldn't do much since they were weaklings compared to the men who tied them in rope. Ryan recognized the man in red armor who came in first. The man sneered at the familiar face of Ryan.
"Why, big brother, you seem to be prehended." the man laughed. "Now I can execute you for robbery, murder, and other crimes you've committed."
"Vincent!" Ryan yelled.
"Save your breath, Ryan," Vincent growled. "I'm sick of hearing your voice." The sandy blonde man turned to his soldiers. "Take them to the prison outside of here. I will deal with my bro., here, later."
"What's happening?" Joon asked her friends, while trying to get out of the shackle around her body. She was hanging upside-down in the shackle that was connected into the wall. Her wings and arms were closed inside of it. "Why'd they throw us in the slammer?"
"I don't know." said Ravin trying to pull the shackles on his wrists off of the wall.
"Dis is Ryan's fault, dis is!" yowled Fional, standing on one leg, his wrists also in shackles connected to the wall. "If 'e didn't join our lil' group, we'd be in da you-know-where right now."
"It's not Ryan's fault, Fional." whispered Liah. "He got locked up too, you know."
After that everyone was quiet (with the exception of Joon's grunts to jerk her way from the shackle) because they knew Liah was right.
"I wonder how Ryan's doing?" Aimee whispered.
"He got put in another cell." said Liah. "Vincent said that he was going to talk to him."
Vincent unlocked the cell to where Ryan was. Ryan, like the other members of the party, was pinned up against the wall. He sneered at his younger brother, when he pulled up a wooden chair to sit on.
"So, I finally caught you," said Vincent. "And some other criminals in the process."
"They are not criminals, Vincent!" Ryan objected. "They didn't commit anything! I was the one who joined them. There must be some way to get THEM out of here."
"Will you fight?"
Ryan thought about Liah and the others. "To the death." he said, emotion-less.
"Good. Then we'll fight at dawn. And when I win, your friends get to stay here for life. And I will get what I want from you: your life." Vincent stood up, nodded at his brother and walked away, locking the cell first.
* * *
Ryan and Vincent met at dawn in the prison yard. Ravin and the others were still asleep, not knowing about the battle.
Ryan grabbed his Broadsword; Vincent his Master Sword, and when the Blue Star shown light upon Lunar, the battle started. They charged at each other with a battle cry, swords in hand. Their swords clanged. Ryan circled warily, knowing better to commit himself too hastily with a warrior of Vincent's ability. Suddenly, Vincent lunged, finding an opening Ryan could've sworn was never there. He lept back, feeling his sword's very tip skim the tough leather of his vest just over his ribs. Good thing he was fast on his feet. He faked a stumble, then drove in to one side. A trickle of blood appeared on Vincent's left arm. First blood to Ryan and so soon! Vincent should never have fallen for an old trick like that. He drove again, straight this time. Vincent blocked his blow with his upraised sword and they strained against each other, nose to nose, blades locked.
"Slowing up, little brother?" Ryan taunted. "Today's the day I beat you, Vincent."
Ryan saw shock and anger flick across his brother's face, but there was no time for more. In a whirling flurry of steel he disengaged, almost wrenching Ryan's blade from his hand. The fight was on in earnest. To Ryan, time had seemed to slow as he and Vincent wove their difficult dance of death across the sands. All other concerns were forgotten as the world narrowed to himself, his opponent, and the gleaming steel they weilded.
Vincent was getting more and more tired with each passing minute. Even dodging Ryan's blows were exhausting him. Now was the time for the final blow.
"SONIC BREAKTHROUGH!!!" Ryan fired an enery bolt across the battlefield, striking anything, including Vincent, in its path. Vincent screamed in pain and he dropped to the floor. Ryan put his sword in it's sheathe and walked away, not wanting to actually kill his brother. And even though Vincent was hanging on by a string to life.
"Ryan!" Vincent whispered. "Why did...you...spare my life?" Ryan didn't answer and kept on walking. The gaurds to the prison gave Ryan the keys to his friends' prison chamber. He unlocked the door and something he didn't expect happened. Liah cried with joy at the sight of him.
"Oh, thank Althena!" she cried. "I'm so glad your okay! Where have you been? What happened to you and why?!" Ryan answered all of her questions, as he unlocked all of the shackles that were around the wrists of his friends. Liah cried out again and gave Ryan a big hug. That Ryan didn't expect either. He nervously embraced her back.
* * *
Ryan explained on the way to the Red Dragon Cave what he and Vincent had dealed on. Everyone was shocked, especially Liah. She thought that he'd rather spend his life in jail then help a group of strangers.
After battling a gaggle of conflagrant monsters, Ravin sighed when he noticed that no Fiends were blocking the entrance to his mother's lair.
"We're half way through all of this, Diana; we're almost through." Ravin said, smiling.
"I am extremly excited about all of this, Ravin." Diana smiled back at him. "Soon this'll all be over with and Lunar and the Blue Star will once again live in peace."
"Hm. You children haven't the slightest clue of what you are up against." cackled a low witch-like voice. Wind started to blow throughout the cave and as fiery winds knotted together and disappeared in a purple puff of smoke, a young woman holding a staff on one hand and a crystal ball in the other. She was wearing a dark green cloak and had a blue lightning tattoo under her right eye. Her eyes were slanted and the eye was red with a bright blue pupil, which matched well with her short sandy blond hair.
"Who da bloody 'ell are ya, blondy?!" Fional growled.
"I am Royce. A descendant of the forgotten Vile Tribe; a Sorceress." After Royce said her name, Diana frowned and clenched her fists, knowing she was under the command of the Death Wraith.
"You! Now I remember who you are!" Diana exclaimed. "You were one of the many up against the last Dragonmaster! Dragonmaster Alex."
"You are correct, miss." Royce grinned. "And you are Diana. The daughter of the, now dead, Goddess Lucia, restorer of the Blue Star, destroyer of the Dark God Zophar. Yes, the Death Wraith has explained the details to me, already."
"What do you want with us?" Joon asked.
"I simply want to slow down your journey." Royce explained.
"You mean, all of those monsters we've battled, and the explosions of villages, YOU sent those?!" yelled Ravin.
"Not just me," the Sorcoress grimaced. "I've had help."
"From who?!" Ravin demanded.
"You will find out soon enough." Royce held up her crystal ball and looked into it as a flame crackled inside. "For now, you will deal with my pets." Then the flame inside of the sphere shot out of it and landed in fromt of the party. It formed into the shape of a dog with three heads. When the flame cleared, the dogs' mane and pads on its feet were on fire, leaving the rest of it to look like an ordinary doberman (with the exception of it's two extra heads). "My Hellhound is going to teach you how to play dead," And Royce disappeared in a puff of red smoke. She spoke, her voice off. "While I deal with the Red Dragon."
"No!!" Ravin shouted.
"HHHOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!!!" the Hellhound bellowed, making it's defense higher.
"ICE WALL!!!" Ravin yelled, as ice surrounded and towered over the Hellhound, afterwards melting and pouring water over the monster. Ravin used Ice Wall and Ice Lance on every turn. Diana used her Glacial Total Assult. Joon blew bubbles on the Hellhound. Fional just attacked the Hellhound, for using it's own element against the monster (which is fire right now) heals it.
"BLIZZARD!!!" Liah casted a raging snowstorm that blew across the battlefield, chilling out the Hellhound. She used Monsoon once in a while, when she was running out of Magic Points.
"SWORD DANCE!!!" Ryan striked the unfortunate monster with a rapid series of devestating slashes.
"SAINT LITANY!!!" Aimee used that spell on everyone in the party, once on each turn. That way, everyone recieved a small amount of Hit Points after each turn.
The Hellhound had a ring of fire beneath itself and shot it's coat of flame into the air, filling the battlefield with the Fire Element and scorching every charactor. On the next turn, it's fiery mane grew into fiery wings, and it started flapping them like mad. Then the beast charged across the battefield and striked everyone three times, causing big damage. Aimee used Calm Litany after that attack.
After a few more rounds, the Hellhound disappeared in a puff of red smoke, just like the rest of the monsters.
"Mom!" Ravin yelled running into Ruby's ablazed lair. "No!" He dropped to the red sand. "We're too late..."
"Royce may have gotten my body, but my spirit lives on." said the voice of Ruby. Before everyone's eyes, a transparent Dragon form appeared on the nest of obsidian. Her fur was a crimson color, along with her feathered wings. She had large black eyes and the head of a fox. Running from her forehead all the way to her tail was a trail of spikes.
"Ruby?" Joon whispered.
"Yes," said the Red Dragon. "But only in spirit, not in body." She paused. "You have passed your trial; you have defeated Royce's Hellhound." Ruby did the exact same thing Nall had done and a red crest with the Red Dragon appeared and floated to Ravin.
"Are you alright, Mom?" Ravin asked.
"Yes, I am. But my spirit can't linger here much longer. I must find my body before it perishes. You must go to the Azura next, Ravin."
"Alright," As the Red Dragon's spirit disappeared, Ravin turned to his friends. "Let's go, before it's too late."
So Ravin, Diana, and Fional first headed to Meribia, where Fional said that Izmere can give them easier transportation, when Ravin couldn't transform into a Dragon. He said that Izmere had an extremely old ship called the Hispaniola. Izmere was in control of the ship when it was his job as the captain, but he hasn't sailed it since he became the Blue Hero of Meribia.
"Where IS Izmere, by the way?" Ravin asked.
" 'E's probably in 'is office." Fional paused. "I mean, where 'e 'elps people, not in da restroom."
"I was just gonna say..." laughed Ravin. When they came to the doors where Izmere would be, the trio over heard an argument through the doors. "Huh?"
"Shh! Listen." Fional leaned closer to the door to eavesdrop on his father and whoever he was arguing with.
"That machine is out of control, Izmere!" yelled a voice of a young man. "The Neo-Grindery has already destroyed several large cities!"
"Whadoya expect from a old man?!" growled the voice of Izmere. "I can't stop it wit me own 'ands!"
"The least you could do was lend me some of your Shields." said the younger man.
"If yer da leader o' Althena's Gaurd, ya come up wit yer own weapons!" Izmere objected. "Me city's gotta 'ave defense too ya know."
"Well, since your being so stubborn about it, you can forget that I ever came here, old man!" the man shouted, slamming the door, the party was listening against, open. No one could see his face, but the only thing visable about him was his white armor and his shiny black hair.
"Hm," Fional walked into the room and to his father. "Who was dat?"
"Jus a unit-free freak o' nature." Izmere replied. "What brings ya 'ere to Meribia, m'boy?" He clapped Fional on the shoulder.
"Me mates, 'ere, need some transportation, Pops." Fional explained. "We're gonna travel to...uh...Caldor Isle and we don't 'ave a ship." He scratched his head.
" 'Ow 'bout..." Izmere looked at Fional's friends and bit his lip. "da Hispaniola?"
"Dat thing?" Fional exclaimed. "But it's for da museum, ain't it?"
"Not THAT Hispaniola! The new an' imporved Hispaniola."
"What? But dat's yers."
"Me sailin' days are over, m'boy. I'm retired an' I gotta city to look afta since that...that...Neo-something is on da loose."
"Well...thanks, Pops." Fional smiled. "Don't worry, I won't crash it. You've taught me well!" * * *
The next day Fional was controling the Hispaniola. Izmere apointed several crew members to help with the stearing and cleaning and preparing food and such.
Ravin, Diana, and Fional were low on accessories. They were ahead of schedule since one sailor took control of the wheel over night. They were near Takkar, so they stopped the ship near the shore, and the trio took a small rowboat to the beach. It was all plains, practially, in the northern part of the Katarina Zone. In the distance there were snow-capped mountains, where the town of Zulan was. Behind the hills, just west of the beach, was where Takkar would be.
"Dat'd be Takkar Mt. Pass," said Fional. "We should be in Takkar before dark."
"At least we are making progress." said Diana.
"I hope Joon is making out okay," Ravin wondered, concerned. "I don't know what trouble she can get herself into without my supervision."
They ran into a few monsters along the Pass. As Fional had predicted, they made it through Takkar Mt. Pass by dark.
"What did I tell ya?" Fional laughed, triumphantly. "Dis is beautiful!"
Fional's laughing was interrupted by a loud, echoing bellow.
"W...what was that?" Ravin whispered. The howling was becoming louder and louder. A huge dark green bull, with bright green flames around it's mane stampeded around the corner. The monster attacked first, flaming the battlefield entirly.
"ICE LANCE!!!" Ravin impaled the Bull with a criss-cross of giant icicles.
"GLACIAL TOTAL ASSULT!!!" Diana summoned the Ice Element and the battlefield was snowing and hailing at the same time. The Bull attacked again, using a more powerful flame attack, setting everybody on the battlefield ablaze. Fional used a Healing Nut on himself, for he was the one with more damage. Ravin and Diana used the same magic attacks on the Bull over and over, while Fional healed them with items. But the Bull kept on attacking twice during each round, making it nearly impossible to stay alive.
"I don't think we can beat this thing!" Ravin yelled, kneeling and holding his wounded arm.
"We HAVE to, Ravin!" Diana called. "If we do not, Lunar and the Blue Star--"
"MONSOON!!!" summoned a young feminine voice. After the voice, it started to rain heavily on the battlefield. Then a wild river of water came pouring into the Pass. Ravin, Diana, and Fional scrambled to the top of the Pass before they were swept away by the river, which the bison monster was.
"You alright?" asked a red-headed young woman.
"We're fine," said Ravin, standing up. "Thank you for your help."
"You seem awfully familar," exclaimed Diana. "Are you not the waitress we met at the restraunt in Vane?"
"Yeah," Ravin smiled. "What was your name? It started with an L didn't it?"
"Yes, it's Liah." she said. "I noticed you guys were battling that bull with magic. You three were pretty good at it. You want to join the Magic Guild??" Liah asked excitedly, pulling a piece of paper from her cloak. "My mother, Miaka Ausa, will be verrrry pleased. She's been TELLING me to go gain members for the Guild and--"
"Uh, no tank you, miss," refused Fional, giving the paper back to Liah.
"Oh..." Liah whined. "Oh, well! It doesn't matter. What are your names, by the way?"
"I'm Fional," he smiled. "Dese are me mates, Ravin and Diana. We were just heading to Takkar, until we ran into dat monster." Fional pointed behind himself with his thumb.
"Takkar, huh?" Liah smiled. "I'm staying the night there in a small hotel! You want to come? We can talk over a nice cup of juice!"
"I prefer ale." Fional guffawed.
"Let us hurry." said Diana. "I would like to get up bright and early tomorrow, so that we can get to Zulan."
"Did you say Zulan?" Liah asked.
"Why, yes, I did," Diana smiled. "Why?"
"That's where I was going tomorrow!" Liah squealed with joy. "My best friend Aimee is the Healer there! I was going to visit her!"
"That is very nice of you, Miss Liah!" Diana smiled and clapped her hands. "Going out of your way to visit a working friend. Maybe we can travel there together. Is that alright, Ravin? I'd like to get to know Liah."
"Sure it's okay, Diana." Ravin put his hand on her shoulder. "Liah, you said you were staying the night in Takkar. I hope we're not ruining anything for you."
"No, you're not. It's a pleasure making friends with fellow Mages!" Liah smiled.
"Mages?" exclaimed Fional "No, we really aren't Mages. We're just--"
"Let's get going then." Liah started to follow over the trail that leaded into Takkar, with Ravin, Diana, and Fional following.
* * *
"Ravi!" exclaimed Joon, popping out of a barrel. She flew over to him. "I thought that you'd NEVER get here! But you should've came tomorrow: that barrel's full of yummy fish!"
"Oh, Joon," said Ravin.
"Who's this?" the cat asked, looking at a confused Liah.
"This is Liah." said Diana. "She is a Mage."
"Really?!" Joon flew over to Liah. "Are you really a Mage??"
"Are you really a talking cat??" Liah asked.
"Is a Mage short for MAGICIAN?! Ooh! Lemme see some magic tricks! Puh- LEEZE?!" Joon made a sad puppy face.
"No, I'm not a Magician. And Mage isn't short for it."
"Awe..." Joon dropped to the ground.
"I'm sorry, kitty."
"I'm NOT a cat! Why does EVERYONE take me for a cat?!" Joon yelled. "I am a Drag--!!" Ravin put his hand over her mouth.
"Shh! Do you want poachers after us?!" Ravin whispered. He looked around the people in Takkar. He noticed one extremly pale man, wearing a long black cloak, silently looking at them. He squinted his eyes at Ravin, who was scowling, and walked away. Diana saw the man and she whispered:
"I think we should go inside."
"Come on." said Liah. She took the party inside a small hotel and inside her room, without the guy behind the desk saw them. "Now, tell me what you're doing in Takkar."
"We're just supposed to be pickin' up Joon, 'ere." Fional roughly rubbed Joon's little head.
"Ugh!" Joon looked up at the Beastman and gave him an evil look.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Fional laughed.
"Are you visiting a sick relative in Zulan?" Liah asked.
"Sick?" Ravin asked.
"Yeah, there's a disease spreading in Zulan and people are dying almost every day." Liah shrugged. "That's what's Aimee's there for and I bet she's getting payed a fortune with the lives she's saving. Since she's working like a horse, I'm going over to visit her and her mega-lame fiance, who's name I forgot, to try and cheer her up."
" 'Ey," whispered Fional. His ears twitched. "Do ya 'ear that?"
"Hear what?" said Joon.
"This'll be da second time I've eavesdropped." Fional put his head closer to the wall and listened to a couple of men talking in the room nextdoor.
"Do you think that dragon we saw the other day could be one of Althena's Dragons?" asked one man.
"It wasn't deformed like all the other dragons we've seen; it must be." said the other.
"What do we do once we find it and capture it?" asked the first man.
"We raise the price that we agreed on for 1,000,000 silver instead of 3,000." the second man snorted. "Since it might be one of the Four Dragons and we capture it, we'd be the strongest beings around next to the Goddess herself. We'll be rich once we sell the monster."
"Oh, no!" Ravin whispered, backing away from the wall. "They know there's a Dragon out there!"
"What?" asked Liah. "What's wrong? What Dragon?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, we're in deep trouble if they catch up to us."
Ravin tried to explain that he was a Dragon and that he, Joon, and Fional were aiding Diana on a quest. Afterwards, Liah seemed a little freaked out.
"Can we trust ya to keep dis lil' secret?" Fional asked.
"Yeah, I won't tell ANYONE." Liah whispered. "I pinky-swear." Liah stuck out her small finger for Diana to link with. Diana seemed a little confused.
"I do not understand." she said, blushing.
"Give me your little finger." explained Liah. Diana did as she was told and linked fingers with Liah and shook them. "Cool." the red-head smiled.
"Okay, we stay here one night and get out of here before they find us." said Ravin.
* * *
Early in the morning, the party left the hotel. Liah paid for the room and they started out the door. Before Ravin stepped outside, he looked around for the cloaked man he had seen yesterday.
"The coast is clear!" Ravin whispered to his friends.
It was almost noon when the party reached the mountains. It was snowing lightly at first, but as it got later in the day, it started to snow harder and get more windy. They ran into a few Albino Baboons and Razor Wolfs through the trail to the top of the mountain and everyone was running low on supplies.
Their cheeks, ears, and noses were growing numb as the wind cut their faces, they were getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute.
"It's...so...cold!" Joon shivered, curling up into a tiny ball on Ravin's shoulder.
"We'll make it to Zulan, Joon." Ravin reassured her.
"Joon, since yer a Dragon, can't ya breathe fire or anythin'?" Fional asked.
"No, I'm afraid I can't. I'm a water Dragon, not a fire Dragon, like Ruby."
"Blast!" Fional cursed.
"Ravin, we should make camp," Diana asked, wrapping her father's cloak tighter around her face. "I cannot go on without resting..."
"We can't stop, Diana," Ravin shrugged. "Not while the mountain is crawling with monsters." He took off the blanket he had wrapped around himself and wrapped it around Diana's shoulders. "Here."
"What about you?" she asked.
"You need it more than I do." Ravin put his arm around her and brought her closer to his body. He looked ahead, where Fional and Liah were. "You guys okay up there?!"
Liah stuck her head out of the hood of the cloak she was wearing. "What?!"
"I said, you guys okay up there!!"
"We're okay!" Fional turned to Liah. "Is it much farther?"
"It shouldn't be." she replied.
"Aah!!" Joon screamed. "Look! Up there!! What IS it?!" Everyone looked up the trail and saw a giant blue penquin with a small horn on its head and claws on its flippers.
"It's ugly!!" Fional growled.
"SQUAAAWWWWWKKK!!!" the monster screached. It plopped down on its belly and pushed itself down the trail and hit everyone in the party. When it was done attacking them, it used its beak to push itself up on its feet. Joon blew bubbles in its face, which didn't do alot of damage. Ravin figured that since it lived in the mountains, it probably wasn't used to fire, so he would use fire magic against it.
"FLAME BOMB!!!" Ravin yelled, as a ball of fire was launched at the Ave. He was right: fire magic weakened it more. "Hey!" he called to the rest of the party. "Use fire! It's the only way to damage it!"
"Okey dokey!" Fional grinned. "FLASH ARROW!!!" The arrow exploded on the monster's neck. "Wow. That did aLOT." he groaned sarcastically.
"Let me show you how it's done, Fifi!" Liah laughed at Fional. "CATASTROPHE!!!" Liah summoned an omni-elemental attack spell. The spell was made up of Ice, Water, Lightning, Earth, and mostly Fire, weakening the Ave most. "Ha, ha!"
Then Diana used a fire spell. "ATOMIC BURN!!!" A globe of fire surrounded the monster and, from the inside, fired beams of lightning and fire.
"Whoa! Diana! That was awesome!" Ravin smiled.
"Thank you!" she blushed, forgeting about the cold.
"All of this fire magic is warming me up!" Joon grinned and started to scratch at the penguin's eyes. Then it disappeared in a puff of red smoke, like all of the previous monsters they had battled. "Woooooooooo, hooooooo!!" she laughed. "Now to Zulan!"
Zulan wasn't what they expected at all. The ground was covered in fluffy white snow and small patches of slippery ice. Icicles hung from the edges of the deserted-looking houses and the large pond in the middle of the city, but there were no kids skating on it. In fact, there weren't many people around at all. Maybe it was because of the disease Liah had mentioned. There was a small cottage with a red cross as the sign.
"That's where Aimee will be." Liah said, shivering. "Let's hurry; I'm still cold."
The party walked into the cottage. The first thing they saw was a small family thanking a beautiful young woman for healing their three-year- old child.
"We can never thank you enough, Nurse Aimee!" cried the mother, cradling her child in her arms. The nurse, who the woman addressed as Aimee, blushed and simpered.
"I...I'm speechless, ma'am," Aimee looked at the child. "I'm just glad I was able to help."
"What do we owe you, then?" asked the father.
"Twenty silver." Aimee whispered, seeming almost ashamed of taking families' money. The man handed her a bagful of silver, the woman said 'good-bye' and 'thank you', and the child gave Aimee a big hug. And the family was on their way. Aimee looked towards the door and saw a familiar face.
"Liah!!" she cried, running to her best friend to embrace her.
"Hey, Aimee!" Liah greeted, hugging Aimee.
"Oh, it's great to see you," Aimee started to cry. "I haven't seen you in ages."
"Good thing we kept in touch sending each other letters." Liah faced her friend. "So, where's the hero?"
"Oh..." Aimee looked down. "He's going to be a little late. To pass the time, why don't you introduce me to your comrads?" she grinned.
"I almost forgot!" Liah smacked herself in the forehead. "These are my newest friends: Ravin, Diana, Fional, and Joon. Joon's the cat..."
"I'm NOT a cat!!" Joon squawked.
"Couldn't tell by lookin' at ya!" Fional laughed.
"You are SO gonna get it!" Joon got herself in a jumping position on Ravin's shoulder.
"Not in here, Joon." moaned Ravin.
"Don't just stand there!" cried Aimee. "Come in. Kick off your shoes and sit by the fire. You must be freezing. Do you want some hot chocolate?"
"Yes!" the party exclaimed at once. Aimee giggled and went to her tiny kitchen to get the beverages for her quests.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what brings you all to Zulan?" asked Aimee.
"We're 'ere to get more supplies for a quest we're on." said Fional. "We'll be on our way by tomorrow."
"How are you guys going to travel through the mountains?"
"We're not." said Ravin. "We're going to the White Dragon Cave by ship. Since it's on an island and all."
"Oh..." Aimee replied, giving everyone a mug of hot cocoa. "Why, praytell, do you want to go there? That's the lair of one of Althena's Four Dragons."
"Well, that is why we are--" Diana was inturrupted when someone from outside knocked on the door.
"Come in!" called Aimee. A familiar young man came in through the door. He was wearing white armor and a red cape and napsack and was wearing a large scarf around his neck. The man had black hair with a sharp widow's- peak on his forehead.
"Hello, Aimee, my love." said the man, removing his scarf. Already Ravin didn't like him. He looked so familiar to Ravin, Diana, and Fional.
"Hello, Trot." smiled Aimee.
"Trot?" Joon made a weird face. "Trot?? What kind of a beef-witted, dense, dumb, goosey, numskulled, doltish, pinheaded, thick, simple, dead- between-the-ears name is THAT?!" Fional howled with laughter at Joon's retort at the man's name. Trot gave the two of them a warningful look.
"How have you been, my dear?" Trot asked Aimee, as he walked over to her and kissed her forehead.
" 'How have you been, my dear?' " mocked Liah.
"Please, Trot..." she smiled. "You're embarrassing me." He kissed her again on the forehead. Aimee sighed. "I've been just fine, teddy bear."
"Teddy bear?" Joon gaffawed. "Sheesh! How many stupid names does this guy HAVE?" Fional snickered loudly.
"Why, hello, Liah!" Trot tried to act surprized. "I didn't know you were coming!"
"I wish you weren't..." Liah scowled.
"Anyway, Aimee. You will NEVER guess what I got!" Trot exclaimed.
"V.D.?" Joon asked. Fional stuffed his face in his hands and muffled his laugh.
"No, and I wasn't talking to you...cat." Trot turned back to his fiance.
"I'm NOT a cat, you wiggy, spoiled, panty-wad pretty-boy!"
The man turned back at Joon and gave her the look of a murderer. Then he ignored her and said: "Guess what I've found in the White Dragon's Cave," Trot reached inside of his backpack. "I went inside while the Dragon was gone and I got you this." He pulled out a huge diamond the size of a baseball and held it in front of Aimee. "It's--"
"A Dragon Diamond?!" Joon shrieked. "Why did you waste your time getting that?! Don't you know it's actually Dragon--" Before she could finish, Ravin put his hand over her mouth and grinned.
"I-It's quite beautiful," Aimee looked up at Trot. "But what do you plan to do with it?"
"Why, I'm going to sell it." Trot beamed a smile. "We'll become rich, live in a mansion, get away from all of these sick peasants! We'll travel the world, you and me."
"So soon?" Aimee frowned. "But what about children?"
"I'll let you think about it, Aimee." Trot kissed her on the cheek and left without saying good-bye.
"Who the bloody 'ell was 'e?" Fional asked Aimee.
"He's my fiance." she answered.
"What a freak show!" Joon laughed.
"Joon," whispered Diana.
"Don't be rude." said Ravin.
"I agree with Joon," said Liah. "I never liked the guy, anyway. If he's making you do something you don't want to do, why not ditch him, Aimee?"
"I love him dearly, Liah." Aimee faced her friend. "But he'll be back tomorrow and ask for my answer, which I won't be ready to give to him." She looked at Ravin. "May I join your group for a while? I'm going to need a long time to think about this. I promise I won't be a bother. I can help you."
"Sure, you can join." smiled Ravin. "But what about the sick people here?"
"I'm not the only Healer here. There are others and they can help here while I'm gone." * * *
The party left at dawn, after collecting as many Herbs, Purity Herbs, Healing Nuts, Star Lights, Angel's Tears, Vials, and Cleansing Waters as their back packs could hold. Joon didn't help alot for the items were too heavy for her to carry in the air. They all hurried down an easier pass down the mountains and ran as fast as they could to the Hispaniola. By noon, they made it to the White Dragon Cave.
"Don't worry about monsters in the cave, everyone." said Ravin. "There are only Mongrels in here, anyway. Besides those things, it'll be smooth sailing to my Dad's Lair."
And Ravin was right: it didn't take very long finding their way through the labrinth of ice in the cave. They only had one more floor to go through before they were in the actual Lair.
"See, Diana," Ravin told her with triumph in his voice. "We'll collect the Dragon Crests in no time."
"What did Nall have in mind for the Trial?" Diana asked.
"He just said to find him. He said that the maze was enough for a Trial."
"What about that?" Joon asked, a bit scared of what was behind the corner. Everyone stood quiet and heard a soft breathing and hissing noise. "Is that Nall?"
"No," whispered Ravin. "It's something else. Fional, why don't you see what it is?"
"Yer da one who wants to know what it is." he objected.
"Do not argue, you two." Diana pleaded. "I will look."
"No, Diana." Ravin grabbed her shoulder, but she had already seen what it was.
"It is a huge, hairy snake!" she whispered. Ravin looked around the corner and saw a white serpant with a silver mane around its head. Spread acrossed its forehead and sides were visciously long horns.
"It's blocking our only way into the Lair!" Ravin exclaimed. "We're gonna have to fight it."
"Fight?" Aimee bolted out. "I can't fight. I'm a Healer."
"Don't worry, lil' miss," said Fional. "Da monster won't lay a finger on ya."
"It hasn't any, Fional." Diana pointed out. "It is a serpant."
"Well," Fional blushed. "...I..."
"Hey, are gonna fight the damn thing? Or are we gonna chatter?" Liah growled.
"Right." Fional cracked his knuckles. "Let's rock."
The snake hissed a reply, stopping almost errect in front of the Lair, except for its constant swaying and hissing.
"COMBUSTIBLE PROJECTILES!!!" Fional cried, sending an exploding bomb of arrows at the snake, hitting it in the chest area. Fional grinned as the snake swayed.
The snake launched a large icicle back at Fional. hitting him in the shoulder.
"Ugh!" Fional kneeled down, wincing in pain.
Aimee threw her arm into the air and when green sparkles amerged from her palm, she had used Heal Litany on Fional.
Meanwhile, Ravin had used Pyro Spheres on every turn, Diana used Atomic Burn, Liah used Catastrophe, and Aimee healed anyone who got injured by the Snake.
"Dad?" Ravin called, as he looked inside the Dragon Lair. "Huh. He's not here, yet."
"I'm here, now." Before everyone's eyes, a gigantic white furry Dragon appeared in the circular bed of ice. He had orange horns that led outward from the forehead, behind the ears. His front paws were black. His wings were feathered and ruffled with age. On the tip of his tail was an arrowhead-like spike that had a bony pattern on the sides. Sticking out of his bottom jaw were two large teeth.
"You almost look just like him in your Dragon form, Ravin." Diana smiled at Nall.
"I don't think I'm THAT hideous!" Ravin laughed. Fional, Liah, and Aimee weren't as comfortable looking as Ravin, Diana, and Joon were in front of a huge Dragon. They just stood quiet, not moving a muscle.
"So, you found me." Nall shrugged. "Was it really that easy?"
"I've been in here like a million times, Dad." Ravin grinned. "I practically know the place by heart."
"Well, that's cheating. Should I give you the Crest?"
"Come on, Nall!" Joon exclaimed. "Quit being such a dork!"
"Alright, alright. Here you go." Nall closed his golden eyes and concentrated on the White Dragon Crest. Then the Crest appeared in mid-air and floated to Ravin. "You were meant to have THIS Crest, Ravin. It'll give you the power of the White Dragon Protect."
"Wow," Ravin breathed, gawking at the Crest with the Dragon on it. "Thanks."
Nall's mouth curved into a smile. "I've got two more things to give you, Ravin. Remember the White Dragon Wings?"
"Yeah!" Ravin laughed.
"They still got their old magic as they did a hundred years ago." Nall closed his eyes, consentrating on something, then the cave started to rumble. Everyone looked behind themselves and saw the ledge they were on leading another way. "Go that way, Ravin. There's something in there that I have never mentioned to you before. Equip it and it will Heal you, whenever you are injured in battle. It'll make you immune to all affects. Well, I've gotta get going. I'll see you soon! Go see Ruby, she'll tell you where to go." And Nall disappeared. Ravin, Diana, and Joon turned to the rest of the party. They were wide-eyed with their jaws dropping to the floor.
"Was he THAT hideous?" Ravin asked them.
Ravin and the others walked down the path that was now opened. At the end of it, there was a large crevasse. They all squeezed through it and was inside of a tiny, ice cave. On the far wall, there was a small dark blue crystal treasure chest, smaller than the others they have found. Ravin opened it and found a platinum ring with a White Dragon on it, with gems in it's feather-textured wings.
"Whoa," Ravin breathed. "Quark's White Dragon Ring."
"Quark?" Joon questioned.
"The first White Dragon ever born." explained Ravin. "He was killed by Magic Emperor Ghaleon."
"It was indeed a horrible day for Lunar that day, was it not?" Diana asked.
"That's what my old man said."
* * *
"Where do we go, now?" asked Fional, turning the wheel on the Hispaniola to dodge some boulders.
"Well, the Red Dragon Cave is where we go next." Ravin shrugged. "And her cave is on land inside a big volcano."
"Where, on land, is it closest to?" Fional asked.
"It's closest to Silvia." Ravin groaned.
"Dat place is a dump!" Fional howled "Dere's robbers and murderers in dat town. Althena couldn't make me spend a night in dat place!"
"Don't worry, we won't stay there! We'll just walk through."
It was evening when the party reached the beach to Silvia. Definately not the best time to wander through a town of thievery. Silvia was extremly hot during the evening. The streets were covered in a redish-brown dust and absolutly no vegitation grew anywhere. Doors were hanging from the hinges of the many bars that made up most of the tan adobe buildings. Mixed music seeped from the doors and mixed in the air which smelled like booze.
Ravin, Diana, and Joon went to the item shop to grab some Star Lights, while the others went inside the bar to get something Fional wanted.
"Why the heck do you want to go inside a bar in SILVIA, Fional?" Aimee asked.
"To pick up some ale!" the Beastman laughed, walking over to the woman wearing a tight bunny outfit.
"Oh, sweet Mother-of-Pearl!" Liah moaned, rubbing her temples. "I think I'll wait outside. Come on, Aimee."
"Hey, beautiful!" clucked a big hairy man, wrapping a finger in Liah's fiery locks. "Wanna come up ta my room tanight?" he asked.
"Uh, NO!" Liah pushed her way past him. As she walked away, the man slapped her butt. "Why you jackass!!" Liah clenched her wand and raised it to hit the man in the head, but he had already grabbed her arm and tried to kiss her lips. He kissed her cheek once with his big moist lips.
"Keep your hands off her!" yelled a male voice. Before he knew it, the man trying to kiss Liah was punched in the jaw and was tumbling over a bunch of tables and chairs. Liah looked up to see a handsome blonde young man about her age standing next to the pile of tables, who was facing the fallen man. "You okay, red?" he asked Liah.
"Ex-CUSE me?!" Liah yelled. "My name is not 'red', it's Liah! And I had everything under control!"
"Not from where I'm standing." he argued.
"Then move!" Liah grabbed Aimee's wrist with one hand and put the other on her hip as she stormed out of the bar, without Fional. The man looked at the floor and saw the wand Liah was holding before. He picked it up and ran after her.
"Red--I mean, Liah! Wait!"
"Liah?" Fional gasped, turning away from the bunny lady. He started to run to the front door, but turned back to the lady. " 'Ey, I'll call ya later." Fional clicked his tongue at her and ran out the door.
"Liah!!!" the man called.
"What?!" she let go of Aimee's wrist and turned to the guy and gave him the evilest of looks.
"Y...You...d-d-dropped--"
"SPIT IT OUT!"
"Youdroppedyourwand!!" he said quickly as he handed her the staff.
"Oh..." Liah took the wand gingerly and looked at him. "Thanks. Why didn't you steal it?"
"That was my plan, but then I'm like, 'What the hell do I need a wand for? There are no Mages around here! I'd have to go to Vane to sell this crummy old piece of junk!' " He whined and bit his lip, thinking about what she'd do to him after he'd said that.
"This 'crummy old piece of junk' will fit right up your a--!" Liah shoved it in his face.
"Well, so much for being nice." he grumbled.
"You did it yourself."
"Then you're welcome." he snapped the bandanna around is forehead. "Please let me introduce myself: I'm Ryan." He tried to grab her hand to kiss it, but she flinged it away from him.
"Aha, ha ha," Liah laughed nervously. "You already know my name."
"Liah, right?"
"Nope, it's Rumplestiltskin." she said sarcastically.
"Well, nice to know your real name, Rumplestiltssaggyskin."
"I think I prefered being called 'red'." Liah whispered. Aimee smiled at them.
"Liah!! Aimee!!" called Ravin from the item shop. "Let's get moving!! We want to get to Raculi tonight!" "Raculi?" Ryan asked Liah and Aimee before they left.
"Yeah," said Liah.
"We're on a quest."
"Hey, can I join you guys?" he asked. "I don't mean to barge in, but..."
"Sure, ya can!" laughed Fional from behind Ryan. He slapped the young man on the back. "It's nice to 'ave another man wit us! Liah's single, anyway. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Yeah, yeah," blushed Liah. "Now let's go." The four of them walked over to Ravin, Diana, & Joon. Ravin looked at Ryan & pointed his finger at him.
"Hey," he said. "I know you."
"Uh," Ryan was confused. "From where?"
"Didn't I see you at Meribia?" asked Ravin. "In a bar?"
Ryan started to panic. "Aah...Ba...Uh, I don't know what the hell your talking about!" * * *
Once the party got to Raculi, they decided to sleep inside of the small hotel because Ryan didn't want anything to do with his old house. Ryan walked over to the lady behind the desk. She was shaking half to death at the sight of him.
"Hey," Ryan whispered to the lady. "If you see Vincent, tell him I'm not here." Then he started back up the stairs where his and the others' room would be.
"So, tell me about yourself, Ryan." said Liah.
"Well, I'm the most wanted thief in Silvia." he said with a snort. "I've been rumored to have killed some people during robbing a place or someone, but don't believe in that stuff." he whispered. "A thief does not kill to get what he wants. And my brother Vincent, aka Red Hero of Raculi, has been after my butt ever since I can remember."
"Your BROTHER??" exclaimed Joon. "After your BUTT? What, is his to big or something? Because you've got a nice one. At least Liah thinks so, she told me." Joon grinned at Liah, who was turning as red as her hair.
"I'm going to sleep." Liah said quickly, laying down on the bed she was sitting on.
* * *
It was a peaceful night for Schorr. Everyone was in their homes asleep, awaiting for morning to come. The only noise in this town was coming from the fountain. Then, there was sonorous, harsh explosion. Schorr was bombed. Fire spreaded as quickly as the explosion came, not giving the people inside of the houses enough time to exit. There was screaming and crying as families burned to death. Soon, they were silent. The only sound now was the crackling of the fiery tongues on dry wood.
But about a few miles away from Schorr, there were tracks of a large machine of some kind. These were the tracks of the Neo-Grindery. Two large cannons sticking out of the tower were smoking with exhaust from a blast of energy, probably built to destroy. From inside, there was a loud roar of pain from a monster.
* * *
A man wearing thick red armor kicked the door to the party's room down and barged in with a large sword in his hands. A few other men followed him in and grabbed everyone in the room, including Joon, who was trying to fly away and was now trying to scratch the man who held her wings in his grip. Diana used her shield to push away the warriors from her, but when she dropped her shield, the men grabbed her and held a knife to her throat, making Ravin feel helpless after he struggled to stop them. Fional swung his fists at the soldiers who attempted who capture him, but failed when five other men tackled him to the floor and held on to him tightly. Liah and Aimee couldn't do much since they were weaklings compared to the men who tied them in rope. Ryan recognized the man in red armor who came in first. The man sneered at the familiar face of Ryan.
"Why, big brother, you seem to be prehended." the man laughed. "Now I can execute you for robbery, murder, and other crimes you've committed."
"Vincent!" Ryan yelled.
"Save your breath, Ryan," Vincent growled. "I'm sick of hearing your voice." The sandy blonde man turned to his soldiers. "Take them to the prison outside of here. I will deal with my bro., here, later."
"What's happening?" Joon asked her friends, while trying to get out of the shackle around her body. She was hanging upside-down in the shackle that was connected into the wall. Her wings and arms were closed inside of it. "Why'd they throw us in the slammer?"
"I don't know." said Ravin trying to pull the shackles on his wrists off of the wall.
"Dis is Ryan's fault, dis is!" yowled Fional, standing on one leg, his wrists also in shackles connected to the wall. "If 'e didn't join our lil' group, we'd be in da you-know-where right now."
"It's not Ryan's fault, Fional." whispered Liah. "He got locked up too, you know."
After that everyone was quiet (with the exception of Joon's grunts to jerk her way from the shackle) because they knew Liah was right.
"I wonder how Ryan's doing?" Aimee whispered.
"He got put in another cell." said Liah. "Vincent said that he was going to talk to him."
Vincent unlocked the cell to where Ryan was. Ryan, like the other members of the party, was pinned up against the wall. He sneered at his younger brother, when he pulled up a wooden chair to sit on.
"So, I finally caught you," said Vincent. "And some other criminals in the process."
"They are not criminals, Vincent!" Ryan objected. "They didn't commit anything! I was the one who joined them. There must be some way to get THEM out of here."
"Will you fight?"
Ryan thought about Liah and the others. "To the death." he said, emotion-less.
"Good. Then we'll fight at dawn. And when I win, your friends get to stay here for life. And I will get what I want from you: your life." Vincent stood up, nodded at his brother and walked away, locking the cell first.
* * *
Ryan and Vincent met at dawn in the prison yard. Ravin and the others were still asleep, not knowing about the battle.
Ryan grabbed his Broadsword; Vincent his Master Sword, and when the Blue Star shown light upon Lunar, the battle started. They charged at each other with a battle cry, swords in hand. Their swords clanged. Ryan circled warily, knowing better to commit himself too hastily with a warrior of Vincent's ability. Suddenly, Vincent lunged, finding an opening Ryan could've sworn was never there. He lept back, feeling his sword's very tip skim the tough leather of his vest just over his ribs. Good thing he was fast on his feet. He faked a stumble, then drove in to one side. A trickle of blood appeared on Vincent's left arm. First blood to Ryan and so soon! Vincent should never have fallen for an old trick like that. He drove again, straight this time. Vincent blocked his blow with his upraised sword and they strained against each other, nose to nose, blades locked.
"Slowing up, little brother?" Ryan taunted. "Today's the day I beat you, Vincent."
Ryan saw shock and anger flick across his brother's face, but there was no time for more. In a whirling flurry of steel he disengaged, almost wrenching Ryan's blade from his hand. The fight was on in earnest. To Ryan, time had seemed to slow as he and Vincent wove their difficult dance of death across the sands. All other concerns were forgotten as the world narrowed to himself, his opponent, and the gleaming steel they weilded.
Vincent was getting more and more tired with each passing minute. Even dodging Ryan's blows were exhausting him. Now was the time for the final blow.
"SONIC BREAKTHROUGH!!!" Ryan fired an enery bolt across the battlefield, striking anything, including Vincent, in its path. Vincent screamed in pain and he dropped to the floor. Ryan put his sword in it's sheathe and walked away, not wanting to actually kill his brother. And even though Vincent was hanging on by a string to life.
"Ryan!" Vincent whispered. "Why did...you...spare my life?" Ryan didn't answer and kept on walking. The gaurds to the prison gave Ryan the keys to his friends' prison chamber. He unlocked the door and something he didn't expect happened. Liah cried with joy at the sight of him.
"Oh, thank Althena!" she cried. "I'm so glad your okay! Where have you been? What happened to you and why?!" Ryan answered all of her questions, as he unlocked all of the shackles that were around the wrists of his friends. Liah cried out again and gave Ryan a big hug. That Ryan didn't expect either. He nervously embraced her back.
* * *
Ryan explained on the way to the Red Dragon Cave what he and Vincent had dealed on. Everyone was shocked, especially Liah. She thought that he'd rather spend his life in jail then help a group of strangers.
After battling a gaggle of conflagrant monsters, Ravin sighed when he noticed that no Fiends were blocking the entrance to his mother's lair.
"We're half way through all of this, Diana; we're almost through." Ravin said, smiling.
"I am extremly excited about all of this, Ravin." Diana smiled back at him. "Soon this'll all be over with and Lunar and the Blue Star will once again live in peace."
"Hm. You children haven't the slightest clue of what you are up against." cackled a low witch-like voice. Wind started to blow throughout the cave and as fiery winds knotted together and disappeared in a purple puff of smoke, a young woman holding a staff on one hand and a crystal ball in the other. She was wearing a dark green cloak and had a blue lightning tattoo under her right eye. Her eyes were slanted and the eye was red with a bright blue pupil, which matched well with her short sandy blond hair.
"Who da bloody 'ell are ya, blondy?!" Fional growled.
"I am Royce. A descendant of the forgotten Vile Tribe; a Sorceress." After Royce said her name, Diana frowned and clenched her fists, knowing she was under the command of the Death Wraith.
"You! Now I remember who you are!" Diana exclaimed. "You were one of the many up against the last Dragonmaster! Dragonmaster Alex."
"You are correct, miss." Royce grinned. "And you are Diana. The daughter of the, now dead, Goddess Lucia, restorer of the Blue Star, destroyer of the Dark God Zophar. Yes, the Death Wraith has explained the details to me, already."
"What do you want with us?" Joon asked.
"I simply want to slow down your journey." Royce explained.
"You mean, all of those monsters we've battled, and the explosions of villages, YOU sent those?!" yelled Ravin.
"Not just me," the Sorcoress grimaced. "I've had help."
"From who?!" Ravin demanded.
"You will find out soon enough." Royce held up her crystal ball and looked into it as a flame crackled inside. "For now, you will deal with my pets." Then the flame inside of the sphere shot out of it and landed in fromt of the party. It formed into the shape of a dog with three heads. When the flame cleared, the dogs' mane and pads on its feet were on fire, leaving the rest of it to look like an ordinary doberman (with the exception of it's two extra heads). "My Hellhound is going to teach you how to play dead," And Royce disappeared in a puff of red smoke. She spoke, her voice off. "While I deal with the Red Dragon."
"No!!" Ravin shouted.
"HHHOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!!!" the Hellhound bellowed, making it's defense higher.
"ICE WALL!!!" Ravin yelled, as ice surrounded and towered over the Hellhound, afterwards melting and pouring water over the monster. Ravin used Ice Wall and Ice Lance on every turn. Diana used her Glacial Total Assult. Joon blew bubbles on the Hellhound. Fional just attacked the Hellhound, for using it's own element against the monster (which is fire right now) heals it.
"BLIZZARD!!!" Liah casted a raging snowstorm that blew across the battlefield, chilling out the Hellhound. She used Monsoon once in a while, when she was running out of Magic Points.
"SWORD DANCE!!!" Ryan striked the unfortunate monster with a rapid series of devestating slashes.
"SAINT LITANY!!!" Aimee used that spell on everyone in the party, once on each turn. That way, everyone recieved a small amount of Hit Points after each turn.
The Hellhound had a ring of fire beneath itself and shot it's coat of flame into the air, filling the battlefield with the Fire Element and scorching every charactor. On the next turn, it's fiery mane grew into fiery wings, and it started flapping them like mad. Then the beast charged across the battefield and striked everyone three times, causing big damage. Aimee used Calm Litany after that attack.
After a few more rounds, the Hellhound disappeared in a puff of red smoke, just like the rest of the monsters.
"Mom!" Ravin yelled running into Ruby's ablazed lair. "No!" He dropped to the red sand. "We're too late..."
"Royce may have gotten my body, but my spirit lives on." said the voice of Ruby. Before everyone's eyes, a transparent Dragon form appeared on the nest of obsidian. Her fur was a crimson color, along with her feathered wings. She had large black eyes and the head of a fox. Running from her forehead all the way to her tail was a trail of spikes.
"Ruby?" Joon whispered.
"Yes," said the Red Dragon. "But only in spirit, not in body." She paused. "You have passed your trial; you have defeated Royce's Hellhound." Ruby did the exact same thing Nall had done and a red crest with the Red Dragon appeared and floated to Ravin.
"Are you alright, Mom?" Ravin asked.
"Yes, I am. But my spirit can't linger here much longer. I must find my body before it perishes. You must go to the Azura next, Ravin."
"Alright," As the Red Dragon's spirit disappeared, Ravin turned to his friends. "Let's go, before it's too late."