--------------------------------------------------Chapter 16----------------------------------------------------
The Black Slayer
That Feeling...
Jessica
dilly_freak7_7@hotmail.com
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The next morning, I as woken up by Dilandau shaking my shoulder roughly. I rolled over and pulled the blanket up around my head.
Leave me alone' I grumbled.
You need to wake up' he said.
Make me' I replied.
Sure' And he proceeded to rip the blanket off of me.
Alright, alright!! I'll get up!' As soon as he had let go of the blanket, however, I pulled it back up over my head. It was ripped back yet again and I was picked up by my throat which, as you may guess, isn't too comfortable.
Move' Dilandau hissed.
/gag/ I replied. He let me go and practically threw me back on the ground. I glared as I rubbed my quickly bruising neck. We ate a short meal of rations and packed up the horses for another day of travel. We were gone and left no traces in twenty minutes. When I was up in the saddle again, I found how sore my tuchis was. My muscles had been squashed flat and I felt every move of the horse. Ouch. I had named the fierce stallion Ryuu. Fitting enough considering he almost trampled Dil when he (dil) tried to get him (Ryuu) for me. Ryuu was very alert and answered only to me. For an evil person, Dil had a limited imagination. He had named his blood red stallion Aka. Japanese for red. Mark, who didn't know any extra languages well enough, had named his mare Tsornin, which, as I understand, he had gotten from a book and meant sun's fire'. At about noon, when Dil wasn't looking, I set a healing spell on the large gashes in his sides. I set another one on me so I'd feel better. We spent the day in the saddle and didn't encounter any trouble.
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On the fourth day of travel, we did encounter certain, circumstances'. It was about late afternoon and we were walking the horses through some dense forest to rest them when a girl about my age jumped out onto our path. For an instant, no one moved. Then the girl leaped into the saddle of Dil's horse and spurred Aka into a gallop in the direction we were headed. Just before I moved to jump on Ryuu, a group of hunters wearing Freid's colors showed up. When the leader opened his mouth to speak, I just pointed back where we had come from, knowing their quarry and thinking how useful she might be alive. The man nodded and chased off after their invisible prey. After they had disappeared, I leapt in Ryuu's saddle.
Stay, find water, she'll be thirsty' I ordered and raced off after the horse thief. I passed Aka on the side of the trail, sweaty and panting, obviously useless to the criminal. I continued on and found myself in a clearing. I pulled Ryuu back into a walk and listened intently. I heard the twang of an bowstring and instantly slid to Ryuu's side, so he shielded me from attack. An arrow thudded into the tree behind me just where my head had been.
Surrender!! I can kill you where you are!' I heard a voice demand.
That may be true, but if I were you I wouldn't want to lose an ally' I answered.
Ally? How so?'
I sent your hunters in the wrong direction. They will follow our old trail until they reach our last camp'
How do I know you won't kill me?'
Because I would have done it already. What are you running from?' I asked as she jumped down from a tree.
I killed some person of high status in Freid. I'm an assassin' she replied.
Might I have a name?'
Ryan. Though most call me Jade'
Rei. Though all know me as Jessica'
Was that Dilandau Albatou's horse I stole? The Diabolical Adonis?'
Yup. The other was Mark. He's from the Mystic Moon. As am I'
The accursed place? You must be special'
I am, unfortunately. Descended from some great Draconian warrior'
Then...'
Yes. They're red and silver'
Then I'm not the only one'
Oh...?'
Green and silver. Master of the powers of earth at your service' she said with a mock bow.
Cool. Let's get back. You'll have to walk. Ryuu's fiercely loyal' I warned her.
That's ok. Humans were made for walking and I've been doing it most of my life. I don't mind' She started walking ahead of me. As we went back, Aka followed along. We went in silence until we reached the last place I had seen Dilandau and Mark. It didn't take long to find them. They were fighting yet again and Dil was in near rage. Just when he took a swing at Mark with has now drawn sword, I blocked with my own and glared.
What now?' I asked.
Nothing really, I just wanted to kill him. Who's she?' he asked, directing his question to Ryan.
Jade to you. She's good with a bow'
Fair enough' he answered. I let my sword drop. Dil studied Ryan suspiciously. She was 5' 7, she had dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail, she had deep chocolate eyes that, at the moment were snapping with anger. She wore tattered all black clothes along with a cloak to match a starless night and a deep hood which rested on her shoulders for the time being. She was wearing supple leather boots that reached her knees. Her bow was on her back and the sword at her side was pure silver, even the blade. Her stance was a ready one.
She any good?' Dil asked.
That isn't for you to question' I answered.
Why is that? I need another Dragon Slayer' he countered.
I will not' Ryan growled.
It's her choice, your group, or mine' I said.
Yours? Ha!! What group??' he laughed.
Mine. Called Hell's Fire' I said after a moment's thought.
Sure' he managed to choke out, still laughing his balls off.
You will not insult me' I ordered.
You will not command me!' he hissed, no longer amused. In the blink of an eye, the beat of a heart, a wall of black flames burst up in front of him from nowhere, a wall of electricity on his right, a wall of poison ivy on his left, and all three combined in the rear. He was trapped, but not completely by my hand.
Yes, we will' we said in unison. After another minute or so we all dropped our spells leaving Dil just plain dumbfounded. Before beckoning to the others to join me, I set a paralyzing spell on Dil so he wouldn't bother us, but he would hear every word. That strange feeling of power, now known to me as magic, was almost appeased and was pushing me do to and say what next I did.
Offering a hand to each of them, I said as my magic willed me.
Welcome to Hell's Fire. Let's see your wings' Mine appeared a split second after Ryan's, who was obviously used to it. As Mark's didn't, I helped him out a bit with a spell.
Show what is known,
of power grown,
reveal his wings!
He let out a sharp gasp as his wings ripped out of his back and tore his shirt to shreds. They were pure gold with streaks of silver.
We are friends, and we work that way. The only rules; do your best, never give up, keep quiet, and help when need be. We are the elite. None are better. Dragonslayers included. Use your powers sparingly, your physical strengths should be enough to get you out of sticky situations. I'll teach you, and we'll teach each other. Welcome, and well met. The flame of life and death'' I said, raising my fist in the air. The others followed suit.
Now for the mark. This will be painful, but we will share the feeling' They nodded.
Roll up your right sleeves' We all did so. I conjured three fireballs, each two inches in diameter in my hand. One flew to each of our arms, and hovered there, right in the middle of our upper arms. Mine hovered at my wrist since my upper arm was occupied by my tattoo proving me as the owner of Iansha.
The flame of life and death' we said together. The flames burned into our flesh and pain laced with fire ran rampant through my body. For just an instant, it felt like electricity, and then like liquid hot lava, then it subsided and finally disappeared altogether, leaving the mark of my group on my arm. It was a dragon's skull surrounded my blood red flames. Mark's proof of loyalty was sun gold of flame, and Ryan's emerald green. Then I noticed that certain changes had taken place amongst us. Ryan's hair, once dark brown hair was now streaked with a deep emerald green to match her tattoo, and her eyes had turned a somewhat lighter green. Mark's used-to-be-black hair was now streaked with a glittery kind of gold in straight lines going back, and his eyes were the same, as bright as newly smelted gold. I could only guess as to what I looked like. *Cool!* I thought.
What d'ya say?' Mark asked.
Nothing, unless.....' *Nice hair*
Uh.....thanks?' He looked confused. *I wonder if she's thinking what I'm thinking?*
*Yup*(-me) *What the hell??!? Is this telepathy or something????* (-Mark) *It's only ESP* *I wonder if Ryan can too...* (-me-) *Let's see. RYAN!!!* (ryan-) *WHAT?!?!? Not so fucking loud!! You have a powerful mind! Yes! I heard you. Now leave me alone and let me get Dilandau* Ryan told us as she walked over to him. I let the spell drop and Dil almost whacked her a good one in the face.
What the fuck is Hell's Fire??? Wasn't your hair brown? And your eyes the same?!? What's with the tattoos??!? And what the hell do you mean you're better than my Slayers?!?!?' he demanded in about three seconds.
You will see in time. For now, we need to get home. I'll use my dragon form and hopefully Ryan has one too?' She nodded. I have to see about Mark. Just a sec' I thought for a moment before my magic provided me with the proper question.
Darkness beyond twilight,
I ask you of this now,
tell me truth in fire and light,
does his magic know how?
When I had completed the question, Mark was enclosed in flames, not of my conjuring, for about a minute. The answer showed itself as the flames turning gold and the fire shooting upwards and taking the form of a dragon. As you could guess, that meant he could do it, but I would have to help since his lack of knowledge for the art.
Very nice. This will go much quicker. Ryan, you take Aka and Dil, Mark take Tsornin, I'll take Ryuu, and Dil?' I asked him. He looked down from watching the flames that were still dissipating high in the sky.
Huh?'
BEHAVE!!!' I yelled. He did the anime fall and everyone sweatdropped. Ryan, you know what to do if he doesn't. I'm gonna set a spell on the horses so they will sleep and not be difficult. Here we go. Ryan' I set my spell on the horses. She changed at my command into her dragon form. Her's was much like mine, only with streaks of emerald green that seemed to shine with their own light. She neatly picked up Dil in a two man sized foreclaw and placed him on her back, then picked up Aka in one claw and sat to wait for me and Mark. I had to say a spell for him the first time because to wait would take too long otherwise. I told him to sit in a certain style that looked like he was ready to jump up and attack, though he also looked much like a frog. I held my hand, fingers spread, right in front of his face, but did not touch him. I began the spell.
Darkness beyond twilight,
crimson beyond blood that flows,
buried deep within the mind
is where your power grows.
Give to him his blessed form,
modeled after beasts of old,
may the sacred gods of Gaea
protect you from death's icy hold.
When I finished the spell, I placed my hand on his forehead. Mark was surrounded by energy, though this time it was golden, crackling electricity. It was netted into a huge ball, tiny cracks showing glimpses of Mark within, fighting pain and for his sanity a second time. His body was slowly, excruciatingly, transformed into a very large, and very deadly looking, black dragon with golden streaks where mine would be red and Ryan's green. The massive amount of energy exploded from around him and ran free around the world, giving other magical persons pains that were more extreme the closer they were to the source. I had a headache for a week. Mark picked up his assigned baggage and as I saw he was taking it rather well, I morphed' into my more powerful form and took hold of my charge. One thing I noticed, I was a bit larger than Ryan, and Mark was biggest. We then proceeded to find our way home.
After flying on a high air current for about an hour we came within sight of a Zibach town. We set down about fifteen minute's riding time from the place so we wouldn't cause a commotion. I noticed many things as soon as I was back in my human form; the absolutely silent forest, the smell of smoke, the much and recently trampled road. Something was amiss.
Swords' I said once I woke up the horses and everyone was back to normal. We all drew our swords and listened intently. Nothing.
On the horses. Ryan, take Ryuu. Ryuu, minfirthe detha nar' I told the powerful stallion in the ancient language. He snorted in response and only reared once when Ryan mounted. (a/n; minfirthe detha nar' means fire commands you) *This is wrong. Be on you guard* *Right* We started forward cautiously. /Faster! We need to go FASTER!!!/ Something in my head was urging me on, pushing me away from whatever was behind us. I sheathed my sword.
Speed' I said when they had stopped. I turned into my wolf form and tested the air. The smell of death was on the breeze. Mingled with smoke, blood, and burning flesh. Something was very wrong. I let out one long, chilling howl. Not a territorial claim, not a summons. A hunting call. I took off down the road, quickly leaving the horses in the dust. In about five minutes, I reached the gates of the village. Columns of smoke billowed out from behind the cracked and broken gates. Cries of pain, anger, fear, victory, and discovery rose into the smoke filled air like ghosts on a breath of air. The town was absolutely crawling with soldiers of at least ten nationalities including Fanelia, Austoria, Freid, Ghan, and Kolar from whose symbol I could recognize. The men were killing, no, slaughtering the townspeople, ravaging women, igniting houses, brandishing decapitated heads, picking through piles of food and supplies, boasting about how many they had killed, getting drunk, pillaging houses, torturing the men, and putting the children on display'. The carnage was horrible. It was a massacre. A simple farming community against some of the best soldiers Gaea had to offer. Why?
I lost control of my wolf form and my body melted back into my normal self. Iansha was pulsing at my side, aware of the proximity of battle and anxious to join in. A soldier near the gates took notice of me and pointed me out to his companions. *Stay at the edge of the forest. I'll call if I need you*(-me: ryanandmark-)*Alright* About five soldiers had now turned their attention to me.
He's wearing Zibach's colors!!! That armor's from the DragonSlayers!' I heard one particularly loud man yell. Let's get him!' another suggested and soon enough, fifteen soldiers were running at me as fast as they could in their heavy armor. I took off into the trees to lead them on a wild goose chase. I was much faster than they were even if I were in their armor and they were in their most comfortable clothes. A clearing before where I would meet up with the others, I stopped and turned on the path I had purposely made for them to follow. I prepared myself for what was to come. I could have fought them with Iansha, but I felt like flexing my magical muscles to test their limits in combat. I pulled up my hood and waited for the charge.
The fastest man appeared just when I thought he would. He was followed closely by the rest and all drew their swords. My guess was wrong and there were twenty men. *This will be a bit harder then I thought* I said to myself. One, obviously higher ranking if not as fit, pushed to the front to speak with me.
What is your purpose here, Dragonslayer?' he asked in a commanding tone.
Is it wrong for me to be in my own country?' I retorted.
Yes. Especially when that country is Zibach and in the possession of a certain knight Caeli. Lay down your weapons, and perhaps your life will be spared' he ordered. I only smiled.
And just why should I? I see no reason since I will not be using them' I said.
Then you will be coming quietly?'
I never said that. I just said I won't be using weapons. Oh, unless you count these' I said, conjuring a small fireball on each of my fingers. Most of the men gasped in surprise. The braver ones only took attack positions.
What??? Magic?!? If that is all you can do, you will find it hard to resist' he mocked.
Oh. You wish to see a demonstration? I would be happy to oblige' With these words, the fireballs vanished. I clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers. My brow furrowed with intense concentration. A light began to flicker between my hands. I pulled them open a tiny bit to let the soldiers see the huge amount of flames I had brought into being in such a small fireball. Then, with a small, knowing smile, I did the rest of the trick. I quickly opened my hands and held them over my head. The fireball quivered there for a second, then violently exploded upwards, forming a dragon as realistic as the men in front of me. I took control and brought the image back down, roaring and flaming, ready to sear anything in its path. I brought it down on top of the men to the point where they all dropped to the ground and covered their heads in fear. As soon as they had done this, I let the dragon fly out of my control and explode like the fourth of July. All this took about two seconds. While they were still down, I formed a box of invisible magic around them that spread twenty feet in every direction. I waited patiently for them to recover. The first one to do so was the commander. He carefully lifted his head and eyed me suspiciously. In another minute or so, they were all standing and warily backing away from me. The last one hit the back of my box and was killed instantly, consumed in less than two seconds by fire. Now all the men stood in the middle.
W-w-who are you?' asked the leader. I pulled back my hood.
You, may call me the Black Slayer'
(no comment)
-Lil Pyro
