(().0 REVISED Bahaha!)
101 cows in the road
101 cows
Mow one down
Goosh it into the ground
101 cows in the road
-The Cow Song ^_^
Okay, that was little bit of off the subject ^_^
Ahem. I was working out a plotline (again) and something grabbed my attention. Why WOULD Lloyd come back to help them, aside form the whole 'atonement' issue? Wouldn't Lavitz or Rosie have more to do with it than anyone? Rose being one of the original dragoons and Lavitz being like, THE man in Basil that Al was buds with. Bah, just a musing. Nothing against Lloyd lovers or anything, I personally just like tormenting Bunny-Boy, I mean, from his POV, What would YOU do if some dude with funky armor, wings and a SPEAR was diving at you?
Lavitz: I'd MOVE like a NORMAL person
Lloyd: Hey, you were stupid for charging me anyway
Rose: Let's just blame Freefall and end it
Lavitz and Lloyd: ^_^ 'kay!
Fifi: Hey! Not fair!
Chapter 6 ~ Door to Darkness
Blurrily the crumbles of a worn chamber came into hesitant focus, the remains of a time long past and fallen to ruin. Wind howled in through chinks in blasted stone, screaming at the continued defiance of the tower that stood in its path.
Albert groaned, rolled to his side and set a fresh wash of painful ripples down his shoulder. Centuries of debris littered his vision of the floor. Came to his knees slowly, clutching at his shoulder and wincing as a trickle of crimson warmth stained his fingers. Head swimming in a vast ocean of dizzy disorientation, he rocked back on his heels and stood with the careful consideration of one four times his age.
Hauntingly familiar was this chamber, its levels and rotted remains of bookshelves and the wrecked remainder of a study desk. Albert gingerly prodded the desk with the toe of his boot, feeling the hard stone crumble slightly at his touch. No, for all his hoping, this was not a dream.
"Vellweb?" The floor seemed to spin under him, prompting a crashing trip to the floor. His injured shoulder screamed a protest at the jouncing.
"Vellweb." Another ascertained. A voice like the breath of Death. Albert jerked around; flinching back when the cloaked figure appeared in the arched doorway with no more than a blink in time. "The Tower of the Jade Dragoon." It stepped forward; making no sound over the crumbling stones that littered the floor.
With a teeth-baring effort, the young king pulled himself to his feet, feeling this time the icy tingle of something racing through his very being. "What am I d-doing (snarled at the stutter) here?"
Eyes like dying embers appraised him from under the black cowl. "Unlocking Darkness."
"That is very vague…" Wind screamed outside, almost a warning of incoherent air howling.
Faster than liquid brown eyes could blink, an impossibly gnarled hand was wrapped around his throat and lifting him clear off the floor. Albert flailed, kicking but never finding purchase, gripping the choking hand but unable to pry it away. Skin under his fingers felt as ancient parchment.
"I've already been there, boy."
A booted foot kicked right through ebon robes and hit nothing, as if it was a ghost. Lungs screamed for air denied.
"Open the Door to Darkness," If a corpse could have spoken, this was what it would sound like. "Swing it wide and let the Child come through!" Mad cackling sent a wash of foul, nauseating breath over him. Albert delved deep into a pool of still rational thought and clung to it, and then with a final, heaving effort, planted both feet directly into the cloaked phantom and threw himself backwards, ripping free of that hellishly powerful grasp and falling with a agonizing thud back to the floor.
"Ti'shadizar!" A howl went up, black cloak flapping like that of raven wings in a mad rage. "You have not the dragoons in this time! They are MINE! MINE!"
A ghostly hand of invisible air brushed around the young king, the tangible equivalent of a reassuring smile. Then it was gone, leaving him once more to face this crude parody of a man.
The assault did not resume, but the youth remained cautious all the same. The cowl lifted slightly, but revealed nothing of the features concealed within, and Albert was suddenly glad of that. The mere notion of what those shadows hid was chilling.
"Bring me the others," was the order spat with the dryness of grave dust, spoken to whom, Albert could not tell, but the sudden subtle shift in shadows around him was the answer did NOT wish to know. "Light and Darkness. Bring them to me!" There was another floating step in Albert's direction, the young king drawing himself up defensively to retaliate if he must, but one step was all that was taken. "You're safe—for now, until the Keys are gathered."
King and phantom stared, till Albert gave a shudder and gripped the still bleeding gashes on his shoulder and leaned heavily against the remains of the desk. He would not give this…THING reason more to speak, he refused to rise to the words. (but goddess…the others? Dart, Miranda…would they too feel the bitter cold touch of these monsters?)
Shadows merged, till only hellish red hung in the doorway, even until they faded with an urgent gust of wind that was the beginning of a powerful storm.
"Unlocking Darkness." echoed Albert, rocking with the dull throb in his back, closed his eyes, and began to put this nightmare into order…if possible.
Rarg! Short, I know, but I haven't updated FOREVER and I wanted to keep this chapter marginally compacted. Albert's not dead. Do you REALLY think I'd kill a Jade? I want the Red-Eye Stone! BURN THINGS! {laughs EVILLY}
