Walking through a forest in pain was not an experience Celtic wanted to
repeat, ever. It hurt him to have to ignore, for the moment, the crying
voices of the trees as they sensed him there, among them and yet not doing
anything.
'Just a little longer and then I'll help you, I promise.' But words didn't ease their suffering and neither did the worry in his heart, knowing another elf was somewhere within the depths of those flames.
He sighed and continued to follow Silver, who had said he had found the scent of the Champion. The woods seemed to close in on them from all sides, chocking the air out of his lungs, but still he followed the wolf, Feral and Kuriboh staying close by his side.
A low moan broke through the silence of the pained trees and all four stopped moving, concentrating on the sound. It came again, to their right.
Silver broke off in a quick run to the sound and he followed close behind. They all stopped just in front of a cave. The sound was coming from within there, but it didn't sound threatening. It sounded more like someone was in pain. Feral came up beside the elf; his eyes seeing through the darkness easily as did those of all fiends.
"It looks like your warrior, wolf." Silver sniffed and nodded.
"His scent agrees." He paused. "But I also smell a lot of blood as well." Celtic wrinkled his nose. Silver was right, there was a lot of blood in there.
He stepped forward and entered the cave waving at the others to stay where they were, best not to alarm the warrior. He felt the darkness surround him and his own eyes started to adjust to his surroundings, but the sound of steel being drawn would have been enough.
He turned quickly and raised his own blade, defending himself only, telling the other warrior that he wasn't a threat. It seemed to work, for when he made no move to strike or disarm the other lessened the pressure and lowered his own weapon, leaving it in ready position.
A flare of light momentarily blinded the elf, but he soon regained his bearings and saw, to his own surprise, the source of light was the other's shield, which seemed to be covered in flames. He blinked and cocked his head to the side, smiling a bit at the Champion. "Well that is definitely different I'll give you that."
"It is, isn't it?" Celtic looked up at the warrior, taking in the youthful looks, long blue hair and dark eyes. He was lovely, the elf admitted. "May I ask why you are here, Master Elf?"
"Huh? Oh, well first just call me Celtic."
"As you wish, Celtic."
"Well, we need your help, to deal with those Pyro creatures." The Flame Champion looked at him long and hard before turning away.
"I'm afraid I can't help you. I've already been beaten by them once and that proved to me that they are too strong for me. I knew I was weak and inefficient but to have it shoved in my face like this, well that hurts." He raised his sword arm and Celtic could see the teeth marks that had gouged the flesh, leaving bloody wounds where they had made contact. He winced at how painful they looked and how familiar the Champion's words sounded to his own not so long ago, and then reached into one of his pockets searching for some potions he had gotten from Dian so long ago.
Finally finding one he turned and handed it to the wounded warrior.
"This should take care of the wounds." The other nodded his thanks and drank the medicine down, waiting for it to take affect and then sighed in relief.
"Thank-you, Celtic." The elf shrugged and stared off toward the mouth of the cave where his friends waited for him and beyond that to where the flames continued to wreak havoc on the forest. How could he convince this warrior to help them.
A whisper in the wind played with his hair and entered his ears.
'His wife..his lost love, his shield,..'
He blinked and shook his head. As use to hearing the voice of nature as he was, it was still weird when it just came from nowhere like that. He looked again at the strange shield. The flames covered most of the pattern engraved in it, but he was sure he caught the glimpse of a woman on there.
"Where did you get that shield?" The warrior blinked at the question and looked down at said shield, a pained look on his face. Celtic was afraid he had asked the wrong question but he got his answer anyways.
"It is the only thing I have of my late wife. She passed away in the flames long ago, but I wasn't willing to give her up and stole those flames, bringing them into my body and holding them there. How could I have done anything else." He was silent for a few minutes before he continued. "The flames would have killed me, destroyed me from the inside out and another came along who saw that, who wanted to save me and therefore created this shield and put her flames into it. She protects me now and we are never apart." He looked at Celtic and smiled. Celtic smiled back.
"It's beautiful if love can go on like that. I guess I really don't have the right to ask you to use that shield and help us in our battle." He turned and headed back for the mouth of the cave.
"Wait." He turned and waited. "Why are you fighting them?" Celtic smiled again, only this time it looked sad and tired.
"To save a friend and to get back to the one I love." They stayed there for a little while longer, just staring at each other and then finally the Flame Champion came to stand beside him.
"If you think I can help you, then I'll try, for my memories of her. I think she would have wanted me to help." Together they walked back towards his friends and from there onto the fight.
Dark looked through the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of anything living besides the Pyro creatures, but so far there was nothing, but Celtic's pain.
'I'm almost there, love.'
Gaia got Curse to circle closer to the tree tops, looking for a place to land when he caught a flash of yellow and a very familiar face.
"Celtic!"
"I see him Dark, hold on, we're diving!" Dark held on and they braced as the dragon broke through the trees after the elf. The landing was rough, but Dark didn't care, he was up on his feet and running to his stunned elf, embracing him and causing both of them to topple to the ground.
Arms came around him and everything was right in the world again. He was here with his heart, where he belonged.
"Gah, you two are enough to make a Fiend gag!" Dark felt Celtic laugh at this as a voice behind them spoke up.
"I already did thank you."
"Feral!" Celtic shouted although he was still laughing slightly.
"Well it's true, that scene was too sappy, even for an elf."
"Hey!" He felt the elf try and turn and held tighter.
"You can hunt them down later, right now you aren't moving till I say so." They stayed like that awhile longer until another voice spoke.
"So, does this mean you dragged me out of that cave for nothing?" Dark finally let him go and smiled as they both got to their feet. Gaia came up beside them and ruffled the elf's hair as said elf did the introductions. Two Fiends and a Pyro monster? Dark and Gaia looked at each other and shrugged, they weren't sure they wanted to know.
Celtic turned back to the two and got this little smirk on his face.
"So.Gaia, has Dark been eating and sleeping enough." Gaia grinned and laughed.
"What do you expect? This is Dark after all, and you know as well as I do that for being an almighty powerful and wise magician, he sucks at taking care of himself without you there." Celtics friends looked on amused as Dark's face turned red and Celtic sighed dramatically.
"I've bound my life over to a person who will only treat me as a maid, who will always need me to take care of them., whatever have I done." Gaia turned to console him and Dark had a lovely mental image of Celtic in a maid's outfit.
"At least the skirt would look cute on you." He said with a straight face. Celtic chocked and it was his turn to turn red as everyone laughed. He tackled Dark down, messing up his violet hair before standing again and glaring at anyone still laughing. They did their best to stop their laughter and after awhile everyone was calm again, although Dark still had an arm firmly around Celtic's waist.
"So, elf, what are you doing out here anyways?" Celtic turned to Gaia and with the other's help Dark and Gaia got a brief run down of everything that had happened. Dark felt himself growling at the part about the Beast of Talwar but settled down when he learned how Celtic had dealt with it. He felt Gaia beaming with pride beside him. They learned about why they were in the forest now.
"Well, it looks like we can help out at least." Gaia said, looking thoughtful. "You know have a Magician and a Dragon on your side," He turned to look back at Curse. "If you wish to help of course." The Dragon growled a yes and Gaia smile and bowed at him.
"Thank you."
Celtic looked around at all of them and smiled.
"Well, it looks like we have a good chance to win now." But just as he spoke the ground came up and latched onto him pulling him into the darkness of the earth, leaving him facing a face he had never wanted to see again.
A/N: Question, does anyone want to read a story based on the Flame Champion and the little I wrote about him in this chapter? I have an idea for the story, but will only write it if there is an intrest.
'Just a little longer and then I'll help you, I promise.' But words didn't ease their suffering and neither did the worry in his heart, knowing another elf was somewhere within the depths of those flames.
He sighed and continued to follow Silver, who had said he had found the scent of the Champion. The woods seemed to close in on them from all sides, chocking the air out of his lungs, but still he followed the wolf, Feral and Kuriboh staying close by his side.
A low moan broke through the silence of the pained trees and all four stopped moving, concentrating on the sound. It came again, to their right.
Silver broke off in a quick run to the sound and he followed close behind. They all stopped just in front of a cave. The sound was coming from within there, but it didn't sound threatening. It sounded more like someone was in pain. Feral came up beside the elf; his eyes seeing through the darkness easily as did those of all fiends.
"It looks like your warrior, wolf." Silver sniffed and nodded.
"His scent agrees." He paused. "But I also smell a lot of blood as well." Celtic wrinkled his nose. Silver was right, there was a lot of blood in there.
He stepped forward and entered the cave waving at the others to stay where they were, best not to alarm the warrior. He felt the darkness surround him and his own eyes started to adjust to his surroundings, but the sound of steel being drawn would have been enough.
He turned quickly and raised his own blade, defending himself only, telling the other warrior that he wasn't a threat. It seemed to work, for when he made no move to strike or disarm the other lessened the pressure and lowered his own weapon, leaving it in ready position.
A flare of light momentarily blinded the elf, but he soon regained his bearings and saw, to his own surprise, the source of light was the other's shield, which seemed to be covered in flames. He blinked and cocked his head to the side, smiling a bit at the Champion. "Well that is definitely different I'll give you that."
"It is, isn't it?" Celtic looked up at the warrior, taking in the youthful looks, long blue hair and dark eyes. He was lovely, the elf admitted. "May I ask why you are here, Master Elf?"
"Huh? Oh, well first just call me Celtic."
"As you wish, Celtic."
"Well, we need your help, to deal with those Pyro creatures." The Flame Champion looked at him long and hard before turning away.
"I'm afraid I can't help you. I've already been beaten by them once and that proved to me that they are too strong for me. I knew I was weak and inefficient but to have it shoved in my face like this, well that hurts." He raised his sword arm and Celtic could see the teeth marks that had gouged the flesh, leaving bloody wounds where they had made contact. He winced at how painful they looked and how familiar the Champion's words sounded to his own not so long ago, and then reached into one of his pockets searching for some potions he had gotten from Dian so long ago.
Finally finding one he turned and handed it to the wounded warrior.
"This should take care of the wounds." The other nodded his thanks and drank the medicine down, waiting for it to take affect and then sighed in relief.
"Thank-you, Celtic." The elf shrugged and stared off toward the mouth of the cave where his friends waited for him and beyond that to where the flames continued to wreak havoc on the forest. How could he convince this warrior to help them.
A whisper in the wind played with his hair and entered his ears.
'His wife..his lost love, his shield,..'
He blinked and shook his head. As use to hearing the voice of nature as he was, it was still weird when it just came from nowhere like that. He looked again at the strange shield. The flames covered most of the pattern engraved in it, but he was sure he caught the glimpse of a woman on there.
"Where did you get that shield?" The warrior blinked at the question and looked down at said shield, a pained look on his face. Celtic was afraid he had asked the wrong question but he got his answer anyways.
"It is the only thing I have of my late wife. She passed away in the flames long ago, but I wasn't willing to give her up and stole those flames, bringing them into my body and holding them there. How could I have done anything else." He was silent for a few minutes before he continued. "The flames would have killed me, destroyed me from the inside out and another came along who saw that, who wanted to save me and therefore created this shield and put her flames into it. She protects me now and we are never apart." He looked at Celtic and smiled. Celtic smiled back.
"It's beautiful if love can go on like that. I guess I really don't have the right to ask you to use that shield and help us in our battle." He turned and headed back for the mouth of the cave.
"Wait." He turned and waited. "Why are you fighting them?" Celtic smiled again, only this time it looked sad and tired.
"To save a friend and to get back to the one I love." They stayed there for a little while longer, just staring at each other and then finally the Flame Champion came to stand beside him.
"If you think I can help you, then I'll try, for my memories of her. I think she would have wanted me to help." Together they walked back towards his friends and from there onto the fight.
Dark looked through the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of anything living besides the Pyro creatures, but so far there was nothing, but Celtic's pain.
'I'm almost there, love.'
Gaia got Curse to circle closer to the tree tops, looking for a place to land when he caught a flash of yellow and a very familiar face.
"Celtic!"
"I see him Dark, hold on, we're diving!" Dark held on and they braced as the dragon broke through the trees after the elf. The landing was rough, but Dark didn't care, he was up on his feet and running to his stunned elf, embracing him and causing both of them to topple to the ground.
Arms came around him and everything was right in the world again. He was here with his heart, where he belonged.
"Gah, you two are enough to make a Fiend gag!" Dark felt Celtic laugh at this as a voice behind them spoke up.
"I already did thank you."
"Feral!" Celtic shouted although he was still laughing slightly.
"Well it's true, that scene was too sappy, even for an elf."
"Hey!" He felt the elf try and turn and held tighter.
"You can hunt them down later, right now you aren't moving till I say so." They stayed like that awhile longer until another voice spoke.
"So, does this mean you dragged me out of that cave for nothing?" Dark finally let him go and smiled as they both got to their feet. Gaia came up beside them and ruffled the elf's hair as said elf did the introductions. Two Fiends and a Pyro monster? Dark and Gaia looked at each other and shrugged, they weren't sure they wanted to know.
Celtic turned back to the two and got this little smirk on his face.
"So.Gaia, has Dark been eating and sleeping enough." Gaia grinned and laughed.
"What do you expect? This is Dark after all, and you know as well as I do that for being an almighty powerful and wise magician, he sucks at taking care of himself without you there." Celtics friends looked on amused as Dark's face turned red and Celtic sighed dramatically.
"I've bound my life over to a person who will only treat me as a maid, who will always need me to take care of them., whatever have I done." Gaia turned to console him and Dark had a lovely mental image of Celtic in a maid's outfit.
"At least the skirt would look cute on you." He said with a straight face. Celtic chocked and it was his turn to turn red as everyone laughed. He tackled Dark down, messing up his violet hair before standing again and glaring at anyone still laughing. They did their best to stop their laughter and after awhile everyone was calm again, although Dark still had an arm firmly around Celtic's waist.
"So, elf, what are you doing out here anyways?" Celtic turned to Gaia and with the other's help Dark and Gaia got a brief run down of everything that had happened. Dark felt himself growling at the part about the Beast of Talwar but settled down when he learned how Celtic had dealt with it. He felt Gaia beaming with pride beside him. They learned about why they were in the forest now.
"Well, it looks like we can help out at least." Gaia said, looking thoughtful. "You know have a Magician and a Dragon on your side," He turned to look back at Curse. "If you wish to help of course." The Dragon growled a yes and Gaia smile and bowed at him.
"Thank you."
Celtic looked around at all of them and smiled.
"Well, it looks like we have a good chance to win now." But just as he spoke the ground came up and latched onto him pulling him into the darkness of the earth, leaving him facing a face he had never wanted to see again.
A/N: Question, does anyone want to read a story based on the Flame Champion and the little I wrote about him in this chapter? I have an idea for the story, but will only write it if there is an intrest.