Chapter Three
He WHAT?!
Trent wasn't always a depressed person; for the most part he was easy- going, cool and collected. Certainly he got depressed once in a while, but he was no Ryouga Hibiki. Still, occasionally Life seemed to throw curves at him just for the fun of it (he and Zelgadis have a LOT in common).
Ancient Dragons with power levels reaching Insanely-High popping out of the woodwork to try and pound him into a meat by-product struck him as Fate getting bored enough to take an active interest in certain people. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Valgaav's grin never wavered. "I've been looking for you for quite some time now. You're a bit of a...fascination on my part."
Trent shrugged, trying to derail the scenes of gratuitous violence sure to come. "Sorry, I don't swing that way. Though I'm certainly flattered."
THWAM.
If nothing else, it might deflect Naga, Trent reflected idly at the apparent neo-princess with her face in the ground.
Valgaav just laughed. "Oh, trying to keep from fighting? I'm afraid that it's a bit harder to get me out of your hair, dark elf." An orb of crimson light began glowing in his hand. "Come, it's sure to be quite the fight."
"NOW JUST ONE MINUTE!"
Valgaav paused as his erstwhile 'guardian' stormed towards him, her multi- ton mace in hands. "Is something the matter Filia?" he asked mildly.
Filia glared at the overly non-chalant dragon, cross-shaped veins popping in her forehead. "Just where, precisely, have you been young man?"
Valgaav shrugged. "I've been looking for someone. Or perhaps I should say something. I would have told you, but it demanded my immediate attention; I couldn't delay for even a second."
"And you think that's going to make everything perfectly alright?!" Filia screeched, winding up her mace.
"Stop. NOW."
Filia paused at the iron edge in Trent's voice; reluctantly, but it WAS a pause. "What do you..." she froze at the sight of the Assassin.
Trent's eyes had gone cold. Long ago in Lodoss, he'd allowed the Assassin in him to fully come out; the cold rage that opposed Hyuri. Then, he'd been a simple assassin yet even that was sufficient to generate a powerful aura of inky darkness. Now, he was a powerful mage; not as strong as Lina, but perhaps Zelgadis's equal.
In other words, the palpable aura of darkness whispering over his body was a great deal more impressive.
Valgaav's eye twitched at the sight. Powerful, that's for certain. Certainly too powerful for a simple elf... Outwardly, he smiled. "So, do you accept my challenge?"
Trent's gaze didn't waver, but inside he was a tad bit confused. He didn't understand completely what was going on, but he didn't really feel that he needed to. All that he needed to understand was that the warrior standing across from him was serious, and wielding a power that seemed...off, somehow. Whatever it was, it was giving him deja vu. For the most part he assumed that the sensation was a side-effect of having faced dragons before. "Why are you challenging me, Dragon?"
Valgaav's smile faded, though not from anger. He merely felt that he needed to be more serious now. "I felt your emergence from the Kaatart mountains several months ago. All that you need know is that I want to see what you're capable of." His smile returned to smaller degree. "Oh, and I have to ask that you not use those swords of yours; the ones you said could kill gods. After all, they're not really YOUR power, and it makes the odds a tad bit too lopsided."
Trent laughed openly at that. "Oh, and an ancient dragon a thousand times stronger than any other facing off against a magically in-experienced dark elf is all that fair?"
Valgaav shrugged. "Perhaps, though hardly as lopsided as one under- developed human sorceress facing off a dark lord or two."
Lina's face burned red at the back-handed slight. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Trent shook his head. "That was probably not the best choice of words, you know."
"Perhaps. Now then, are you going to fight me, or do I have to just arbitrarily incinerate you?"
"HOLD IT!"
Trent turned to regard Amelia. "You needed something?"
Amelia began her various leaps and pirouettes that would eventually lead into a sentai pose. "Mr. Valgaav, we may have once been enemies, but now you have repented for your sins! You MUSTN'T return to your ways of evil! For if you do, you will have left me no choice but to smite you with the hammer of JUSTICE!"
Trent's jaw dropped. Where did THAT come from? There can't be another person on this whole continent who'd actually talk like tha...
"NOW JUST ONE MINUTE!"
Trent groaned again. I thought too soon.
Naga glared pretentiously (for all that she was smiling) at Valgaav. "Now see here, Mr. Dragon. If you think that you can just breeze in here to do horrific, perverted things with my love, then you had better come up with some new ideas. For truly, who could possibly stand up to Naga the Serpent!"
Trent sighed. At least she didn't laught his time. From what he understood, the dragon wasn't all that bad a guy (now that he wasn't essentially possessed by a demon half). Still, he was kind of pushing it. "Does this place really strike you as the best battleground?" he asked, stalling for time. "Wouldn't it be better to fight somewhere slightly less populated?" Not that he'd really object to a fight; it would get him somewhere OTHER than within a hundred miles of Naga.
Amelia gaped in shock. After all, it was probably the first time in her life she'd been exposed to a person who thought about the consequences before they acted (Lina and Philionel aren't exactly the best role models for self-control.)
Valgaav grinned. "If THAT'S your only concern, you needn't worry." He teleported next to Trent, grabbing his arm. "Teleportation. The only way to travel." Before Trent could counter, he and Valgaav had vanished.
--------
Trent groaned quietly as they reappeared in the middle of a desert. Shadow- walking he was used to; this apparently used an entirely different system, one that was giving him a bit of a headache. "Ow."
Valgaav smiled. "Now that your little concern over casual by-standers is out of the way, shall we begin?"
Trent shook his head to clear it. "Oh don't get your pants in a bunch, just give me a minute." Glaring through his aching head at the ancient dragon, he felt compelled to ask, "why are you really fighting me? If you want powerful opponents, Lina's a stronger mage, Gourry's a better swordsman, and Zelgadis is probably the most dangerous."
"Zelgadis?" Valgaav asked. "What gives you the idea that he's more dangerous than Lina?"
Trent shrugged as he unlimbered his swords. "Simple enough; Zelgadis isn't quite as powerful as Lina, but he's damn close. I'll also concede that as he's not anywhere near as tempermental, he's not that dangerous just by being alive. In a fight though, he has one thing that Lina lacks which gives him a HUGE advantage."
"And what's that?"
Trent sighed, the head-ache finally clearing. Thank the gods for fast recovery times. "Let's get this over with." Trent entered a ready stance he'd found convenient for both spell-casting and swords work; weight balanced, right hand near his shoulder, left hand forward for either a quick digger volt (as yet his favorite spell) or defense shield. "And the reason Zelgadis is more dangerous than Lina is because unlike her, he has good aim."
--------
Lina sneezed violently. "Where did that come from?" Shaking her head, she turned back to Filia. "So what's the story? How come Valgaav's so teed off at Trent? I wouldn't have even thought they knew each other."
Filia shook her head. "I can't recall him ever mentioning elves before; I haven't the faintest idea." Though there IS something strange about him, and I don't think it's those swords. I just wish I could put my finger on it...
"Oh my. What a mess this is."
Filia jumped at the familiar if irritating voice. She glared at the speaker; he was REALLY the last thing she needed right now. And I mean that literally; she probably would have preferred another one of Shabranigdo's shards conveniently ressurecting. "Xellos?! What are YOU doing here?!"
Xellos just smiled cheerfully, regarding Sirius. "Oh, you really didn't think that lord Beastmaster wouldn't send me to investigate a group of Monsters coming from an entirely new area? As I told you all last time; the monster race has no intention of letting anyone destroy or harm this world unless we're the ones doing it."
Lina groaned at the trickster priest, though she was privately amazed that they'd gotten a straight answer out of him. "Xellos, why did you have to show up?"
The trickster priest's grin never wavered. "Oh, I was actually here on business. As I said, lord Beastmaster would never allow more monsters to show up that weren't under Lord Shabranigdo's control. Now what's this about Valgaav?"
Zelgadis glared at the priest, and was abruptly struck with what could only be termed an inspiration. "THAT...is a secret."
Xellos just laughed in delight as the rest of the castle (at least the ones in earshot) face-faulted. "Oh my, I seem to be having a bad influence on you Mr. Zelgadis. How wonderful. Now then, what really happened?"
Zelgadis shrugged; it had been funny (and yes, even he could use a laugh once in awhile), but eventually Xellos would pester him until he gave up something useful. Better to speak on his own terms; THAT could give him some slight dignity in the face of the trickster priest, and he'd take any he could get. "Honestly? I haven't the faintest idea. First Sirius shows up saying something about a replacement for Darkstar, then Valgaav arrives and teleports Trent off somewhere about a challenge."
Xellos's eyes opened as his smile faded slightly. "Trent? I wonder why Valgaav would challenge that elf..."
Filia glared at him. "Yes, well we have to find him again if you don't mind..."
Xellos's grin returned full force, giving those few unfortunate enough to know him a BAD feeling. "Oh that's no trouble at all; I happen to know exactly where those two are. I'd be happy to take you all there; hang on..."
Before anyone could protest, Xellos had managed to grab Fila, Lina, Zelgadis, and Amelia. Dont ask me how; he only has two arms but he managed it anyway. Naga and Jilis barely managed to grab ahold of Lina's ankles before he teleported off.
Maybe they should have stayed behind.
--------
Filia tore herself out of Xellos's grasp as they touched down. "WHAT do you think you're doing, grabbing me like that?"
Xellos just smiled. "Oh silly me, I thought that you wanted to track down Valgaav; how foolish of me to think otherwise."
Lina groaned from her position on the ground. "Ow...what hit me?"
Filia sighed, sinking down to apply a minor healing spell. "Teleporting like that takes a little getting used to; that's why I normally fly places instead."
Xellos assumed an approximation of a sheepish grin as his arm went behind his head. "Oh dear, I forgot that you aren't used to that sort of thing. I'm so sorry."
Zelgadis glared tiredly. I'll have to remember to torch him at some point, he mentally added.
"GGRRAAAAAUGH!"
Said roar proving enough to distract them from REALLY bad headaches.
"FEHLZAREID!" came Trent's returning call.
Lina gaped at the two; it was quite a bit different than any mage battle she could recall. When she had fought against monsters and such, it had been pretty simple; try and keep them distracted long enough to hit them with a big spell. When she'd watched more than one monster fight (mainly Xellos against Gaav's henchmen), there wasn't much to see; most of it took place in either the astral plane or in mid-teleport.
This was somewhere in between.
Valgaav had switched to his half-dragon form for combat; it gave him a boost of power for his spell-like abilities. Not too much difference; his arms were scaled and clawed, as were the new wings. (Author's Note: Very few monsters or dragons use spells for their attacks; Filia's just about the only one who does regularly, as she's a shrine maiden. Most non-humans just channel their powers as rough approximations of spells like fireball or as defense shields. This works a LOT better; the powers are usually just as strong if not stronger than an actual spell, they don't have to worry about their relations with the power source, and most importantly such abilities have almost zero start-up time).
For his part Trent was using every trick and skill he knew just to survive; Valgaav was pretty serious about winning. If he was serious about trying to kill the dark elf was another thing that Trent could work out later. He'd been forced to reveal his shadow-walking almost from the get go; Valgaav was too fast and aggressive for him to dodge successfully the whole time.
Even worse, Trent's arsenal was pretty limited to either spells or various bladed weapons. While blades can hurt dragons, the problem is hitting them in a vulnerable spot. Spells took too long; Trent was so busy dodging that the most he could pull out was MAYBE an Elmekia Flame. Nothing that could get the job done.
Valgaav swooped overhead, readying more energy blasts. Trent smiled grimly as he began dancing around the hail of blasts. On Lodoss, the last time a spell had been INVENTED had been in the age of Kastuul. Here? Heck, some mages came up with little spells every few years. Trent had managed to develop maybe four spells all his own in as many years. One in particular that might be useful. "Incantum," he whispered under his breath, invoking it.
As Valgaav dive-bombed him, he closed his hands to chant a new spell. "FIREBALL!"
Valgaav grinned tightly as the spell whizzed towards him. Strong, but not strong enough. Rather than dodge, he batted the blast aside with a scaled arm. Or rather tried; the blast was actually enough to knock him off course, startling him.
It wasn't a long pause, but it was enough. Trent's hands snapped around his shuriken as he tried a spell modification on the fly. "Lord of darkness whose gaze burns crimson let your power flow through my hands! RUBY-EYE BLADE!" (1)
Valgaav gaped as one of the strongest spells of Black Magic hurled at him; one that had never been intended for anything other than close, hand-to- hand combat. Struggling to dodge, he pulled together every shred of energy he could manage, forming a spear of energy to deflect the handful of blades he couldn't dodge. "GGRRRRAAAUGH!" Thankfully for Valgaav, this new version was perhaps a fourth as strong as the real one; not quite as much a danger as he'd feared. The spell had raised the danger of the throwing knives such that they would have been able to effect Valgaav as though his resistances were merely human.
"BRAM GUSH!"
Valgaav stared in shock as Trent managed to blast him with a high-energy lance of wind. From midair.
--------
Lina gaped as Valgaav's energy lance cut the wind spell in half. "Hold on! How the heck did he cast a spell that powerful?!"
Gourry turned in confusion to Lina. "That spell's really powerful? It didn't look like it had much more power than a fireball."
Zelgadis shook his head. "Normally, that's true. But he cast it in midair; that's supposedly not possible."
"Why not?"
Lina sighed. "Hey Amelia. Why don't YOU explain this magic stuff to Gourry for once."
Amelia blink-blinked, but what the heck? "The spell's not really that powerful Mr. Gourry; I mean it's a good attack, but not as dangerous as some of the other magic. The problem with him casting it in midair is that he'd have to have been using levitation to get in the air first. And you CAN cast spells when you're using levitation, but the most that people can manage is flare arrow; there's no way that he could be skilled enough to cast that spell under normal circumstances. Understand?"
"Hmmm," Gourry said, stroking his chin. "Nope. Not at all."
This occurence was common enough that no face-fault proved necessary.
Xellos shrugged. "I hardly see what your point is. He probably just cast levitation to get in midair, then switched to a new spell while he was first starting to fall."
"Ohhh," Gourry responded, understanding hitting him. Not that anyone was really paying any attention; the fight had become more interesting.
--------
Valgaav finally gained a decisive advantage as he sent a hail of energy bolts at Trent, forcing him back to the ground. Before the elf could recover, Valgaav had dive-bombed him, impaling him with his energy lance through the shoulder.
Trent had sufficient self-control that he didn't yell in pain, limiting himself to a grunt of agony at the neat two inch hole in his scapula. Assassins need silence at all times; learning how to die quietly is something that they all become versed in. That's not to say it didn't hurt; getting stabbed is far from pleasant.
Valgaav sighed in disgust at his opponent. "Oh don't tell me THAT was enough to stop you. Surely you're capable of a bit more than that."
Trent screwed his eyes shut, but didn't bothering answering. As he'd learned in mage training, pain was power, in the most literal sense possible. That was why some mages and such hurt others to try and absorb the energy released; likewise, it was how monsters fed. As such, his own pain had released an influx of power sufficient to let him use a spell that normally would have made him pass out.
Valgaav leaned forward at the unfamiliar incantation. "What's that?"
"Lord of destruction's flames, fallen god of crimson. Lend me your strength, release your power to me, and unleash the inferno...BLAST BOMB!"
Fist-sized orbs of crimson light formed around him, abruptly swarming forward to strike the now-slightly-panicked dragon. With good cause; the strongest known spell of fire shamanism was hitting him with enough power to block a dragon slave.
Trent gasped in pain as the spear disappeared from in his shoulder. At least it's not bleeding. Invoking shadow-walking, he sank into his own shadow to buy some time.
Valgaav gasped in shock and pain; the spell had caused a LOT of damage; more than enough to kill an ordinary dragon. As his own power level was sufficient to weather even Lina's rage for a time, this didn't finish him off but HURT.
More to the point, Trent shouldn't have been able to cast that spell. Blast Bomb was an incredibly rare spell of fire; few even knew of it. Even then, the spell required insane amounts of power or skill to pull off; according to legend only Rei Magnus himself had ever been strong enough to cast the spell. Lina could do it, but only with her Talismans to boost her sufficiently.
Valgaav's eyes narrowed as he tried to hunt down the elf. No way that a self-proclaimed 'inexperienced dark elf' could have cast THAT. I was right.
Now to convince the 'elf' of that.
--------
Jaws dropping were no longer sufficient.
Amelia found her voice first. "Um...that wasn't what I think it was, was it?"
Filia slowly shook her head. "It was. Blast Bomb."
Lina chuckled nervously. "He...he probably had some talismans. I mean, there's no way he was actually able to pull THAT spell off unaided."
Those surrounding her clung quite tenaciously to the most intelligent and likely reason.
Xellos shook his head, deadly serious for once. "Regardless, it takes quite a mage to pull that spell off. For that matter, doesn't it seem a bit odd that this mage pops out of nowhere? One who can manage spells like Ruby-Eye Blade? How did he get this strong?"
No one had an answer to that.
--------
Trent had been busy in his limited respite. Recovery spells were slightly limited and needed time, but they were dealing with the pain at the very least. Between the spells and shadow-walking to keep Valgaav guessing, nothing had really happened on either side in the way of attacks.
More to the point, none of Trent's spells seemed strong enough to do the job. He had some tricks left, but his mind was too pain-frazzled to actually concentrate on anything big. That left him with his swords and other blades. Throwing knives would be useless; Trent's only hope left was getting close enough to strike hard and fast with his swords.
Not the best plan of attack, but he was out of options.
Valgaav's eyes darted across the landscape as he tried to spot his opponent, a new energy spear in his hands. Energy blasts would be useless against an opponent he couldn't even see, and his lance served equally well as shield and attack.
Trent silently materialized from the shadows behind a closer boulder. Taking a deep breath, he tried to center himself for what would need to be a colossal blow; Valgaav's dragon blood made his human-looking body far to tough for anything less. Slipping back into the shadows, he attacked.
Valgaav's only warning was a near-inaudible whisper of metal against wood as Trent drew his sword. Acting on instinct, he leapt forcefully out of the way, spinning in midair to attack, sending a new flurry of energy blasts.
Trent winced as the blasts hurtled towards him. The problem with shadow walking was that Valgaav's dodge had moved his shadow out of the way. The angel of the sun was also such that the only way Trent could get out of the way through them would be to make a break towards them. He might have been able to dodge, but he was exhausted. His adrenaline was starting to die down, and the strain of casting so many spells this quickly was starting to tell. Unlike Lina, he'd never had to go on spell-casting marathons; in this regard he lacked endurance.
The blasts hit hard.
Valgaav frowned as he landed. Trent's coat had been lined with orihalcon wire mail, rendering the pseudo-magical blast weakened enough that it didn't kill him. Still, he wouldn't be moving for awhile. The ancient dragon stalked forward, spear in hand. "So, you're weaker than I thought. Perhaps I WAS wrong."
Trent winced at the sight of eminent death. Being a pseudo-hero really sucks sometimes...
"Don't you dare die here."
Trent winced. Great. The pain's reached the point where I'm hearing voices in my head.
"Don't be an imbecile," snapped the mind voice. "Have you forgotten everything you are? Or are you just that moronic, and don't actually know?"
Trent groaned internally. Just go away already. I'm in some rather serious pain at the moment, and would prefer to die with a little dignity... His voice broke off as the mind-voice chose a shape for itself. Odd. I can't seem to recall ever hearing of silver dragons.
"Good-bye." Valgaav raised his spear for a death-blow; he didn't feel any hatred towards the elf, but he'd learned the hard way that you NEVER leave an enemy alive.
"Don't you dare give up! Have you forgotten why you used to fight? Why you opposed GODS? Has that pale-haired girl slipped your mind that readily?"
THAT got a bit more of a reaction. Trent didn't remember her face, or her voice, or even WHY she was important to him (he had his suspicions). What he DID remember was that he hadn't hesitated to oppose ANYTHING for her sake. And this dragon was just one more obstacle that needed to get sliced past.
And for the first time in over a century of fighting, Trent articulated that rage. "GRRRAAAAUUUUGHH!!!"
Valgaav didn't actually see it hit him, but he recognized the concentrated surge of white energy that ripped into him, carving an almost identical hole in his shoulder as the one in Trent's. Even as he fell to the sands, he grinned.
Atop the cliff's, Filia's knees gave out. She'd known since first meeting Trent that there was something...off, about him. She'd chalked it up to his being an elf; something she'd never come into contact with. Except now she understood. She recognized that energy all too well.
Lina whistled appreciatively. "Wow, what was that? Looked kind of like an Elmekia Lance with a super-charge."
"That's no spell," Xellos remarked, his impish grin widening. Oh good. Things HAD been getting boring.
"What are you talking about? What else could that have been?"
"He's right," Filia remarked faintly. "That's not a spell. I recognize that attack."
Jilis turned to her worriedly. "'Wot's going on? How's he holding his own against the boss?"
"He's holding his own because they're equals, or nearly so," Filia said quietly. "That attack was laser breath."
Lina stared at Filia for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Laser Breath?! You gotta be kidding me; are you saying that he's a DRAGON?!"
Filia nodded, still deep in shock. "Somehow, he has the blood of an Ancient Dragon."
Lina snorted openly. "Yeah right, we all know that Valgaav's the last..."
"GRRRRRRRAAUUGH!"
Xellos quirked an eyebrow at Lina. "You were saying?"
Considering that her jaw had dropped to the level of the ground, Lina wasn't in a particularly good state to answer.
Trent had begun a transformation sequence shortly after his breath attack; for some odd reason his aura had shifted to an incandescent silvery gray rather than Valgaav's normal red aura.
The problem was that he didn't really LOOK like the ancient dragons that anyone had seen. Rather than lizard-like, his build resembled a large, predatory cat similar to a cheetah more than anything else. Granted, his neck and tail were a lot longer than any cat's, but the analogy holds here. Additionally, whereas Valgaav's scales were glossy black Trent's had taken on a strange silver color, making it look as though he'd been carved out of liquid metal. Liquid metal forming a dragon over a hundred feet in length.
Valgaav's smile turned from simple pleasure to outright exultance. "I WAS RIGHT! I'M NOT THE LAAAAASSSTT!"
Trent's reaction was a bit off; then again, he was feeling a bit less than congratulatory for his opponent. After all, Valgaav HAD been trying to kill him or at least seriously maim him for quite some time.
Valgaav teleported out of the way as repeated shots of laser breath streaked towards him. Grinning, he started unleashing his own aura, prepping for full transformation. The results were...impressive to say the least.
Valgaav's form was that of a True Ancient Dragon; as such, it would have to be assumed that Trent's was some kind of a knock-off. They looked entirely too different otherwise. Valgaav's scales were glossy black, as were his wings and talons. Unlike Trent's more bat-like wings, Valgaav's vaguely resembled those of a bird, though a decidedly unkempt one.
That and he was approximately fifty percent longer than Trent, perhaps a bit more.
Valgaav had been around since around the war of the monster's fall; dragon at first and later mazoku, he'd had over a millenia to hone his skills and powers. Trent was roughly one tenth his age, and hadn't known he'd had ANY dragon blood whatsoever until around five minutes ago.
The fight ended predictably enough in Trent's defeat. Thankfully without Valgaav trying to kill him this time.
After getting whacked around for awhile by his hundred and sixty foot opponent, Trent had passed out; conveniently returning to his original elvish form.
Grinning diabolically (it's just something that draconic skulls are suited for), Valgaav echoed him, returning to his normal, humanoid state. Grabbing the elf by the back of his jacket, he teleported them both onto the 'spectator's' ridge, tossing him to the ground. As Amelia ran forward to fuss over him, he waved her aside. "You needn't bother too much over him; dragons heal fast, and I didn't really hurt him all THAT badly."
Filia stared at Valgaav in wonder. "How did he survive?"
"I haven't the faintest idea, nor could I care less. He's alive, and he's one of my race. That's all that really matters." Valgaav turned to regard Sirius curiously. "Now that MY fight's out of the way, what's he doing here?"
Sirius stared at him uncomfortably; what do you say to a guy that you helped kill the first time around you met? Valgaav chose the slightly magnanimous route and told him straight out, "I don't particularly care about what you did to me during that Darkstar mess. Now, what's going on? Why did you return to OUR world? Planning to kill a few more of his fragments or such?"
Sirius sighed, returning his attention to his own injuries. "I don't know how, but one of the humans of your world managed to follow me back. Apparently, he's been using the time to consolidate a hold and a claim on many of the monster sub-races of my world; again, I don't know why, but I assume that he wants to take over the world or destroy it."
Xellos snorted in disdain. "Can't these evil geniuses and megalomaniacs think up something with a bit more class? 'Take over the world...'"
Sirius incongruously sweat-dropped at Xellos's muttering. "As I was saying, he recently attacked our citadel, trying to steal the weapons that Darkstar created. He almost succeeded."
Lina frowned. Hey! Nobody's supposed to be able to get stuff like that except for me! "Where are the weapons now?"
"I have two of them with me this instant. As for the other three, they were successfully stolen."
Valgaav appeared to ruminate on that for a time. After a time, he spoke up again. "Well, I happened to like that spear of light quite a bit. If it's all the same to you, I'll be joining you to try and retrieve them." At the overworlder's obvious suspicion, he added, "I don't care what happens to the rest of them, and I WILL try to help. I'm not part monster anymore, remember?"
Trent groaned as he regained consciousness. If nothing else, Valgaav had been right about one thing; dragons recover fast. "But mommy, I only took a few cookies..."
Mass stares at his mumbling.
Trent shook his head to clear out a few cobwebs before looking around in confusion. "Um...I don't suppose that I whole turning into a dragon part was a dream?" Slowly, they shook their heads. Nodding slowly, he turned to look around. "I don't suppose anyone can explain where that came from?"
To be continued...
Trent wasn't always a depressed person; for the most part he was easy- going, cool and collected. Certainly he got depressed once in a while, but he was no Ryouga Hibiki. Still, occasionally Life seemed to throw curves at him just for the fun of it (he and Zelgadis have a LOT in common).
Ancient Dragons with power levels reaching Insanely-High popping out of the woodwork to try and pound him into a meat by-product struck him as Fate getting bored enough to take an active interest in certain people. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Valgaav's grin never wavered. "I've been looking for you for quite some time now. You're a bit of a...fascination on my part."
Trent shrugged, trying to derail the scenes of gratuitous violence sure to come. "Sorry, I don't swing that way. Though I'm certainly flattered."
THWAM.
If nothing else, it might deflect Naga, Trent reflected idly at the apparent neo-princess with her face in the ground.
Valgaav just laughed. "Oh, trying to keep from fighting? I'm afraid that it's a bit harder to get me out of your hair, dark elf." An orb of crimson light began glowing in his hand. "Come, it's sure to be quite the fight."
"NOW JUST ONE MINUTE!"
Valgaav paused as his erstwhile 'guardian' stormed towards him, her multi- ton mace in hands. "Is something the matter Filia?" he asked mildly.
Filia glared at the overly non-chalant dragon, cross-shaped veins popping in her forehead. "Just where, precisely, have you been young man?"
Valgaav shrugged. "I've been looking for someone. Or perhaps I should say something. I would have told you, but it demanded my immediate attention; I couldn't delay for even a second."
"And you think that's going to make everything perfectly alright?!" Filia screeched, winding up her mace.
"Stop. NOW."
Filia paused at the iron edge in Trent's voice; reluctantly, but it WAS a pause. "What do you..." she froze at the sight of the Assassin.
Trent's eyes had gone cold. Long ago in Lodoss, he'd allowed the Assassin in him to fully come out; the cold rage that opposed Hyuri. Then, he'd been a simple assassin yet even that was sufficient to generate a powerful aura of inky darkness. Now, he was a powerful mage; not as strong as Lina, but perhaps Zelgadis's equal.
In other words, the palpable aura of darkness whispering over his body was a great deal more impressive.
Valgaav's eye twitched at the sight. Powerful, that's for certain. Certainly too powerful for a simple elf... Outwardly, he smiled. "So, do you accept my challenge?"
Trent's gaze didn't waver, but inside he was a tad bit confused. He didn't understand completely what was going on, but he didn't really feel that he needed to. All that he needed to understand was that the warrior standing across from him was serious, and wielding a power that seemed...off, somehow. Whatever it was, it was giving him deja vu. For the most part he assumed that the sensation was a side-effect of having faced dragons before. "Why are you challenging me, Dragon?"
Valgaav's smile faded, though not from anger. He merely felt that he needed to be more serious now. "I felt your emergence from the Kaatart mountains several months ago. All that you need know is that I want to see what you're capable of." His smile returned to smaller degree. "Oh, and I have to ask that you not use those swords of yours; the ones you said could kill gods. After all, they're not really YOUR power, and it makes the odds a tad bit too lopsided."
Trent laughed openly at that. "Oh, and an ancient dragon a thousand times stronger than any other facing off against a magically in-experienced dark elf is all that fair?"
Valgaav shrugged. "Perhaps, though hardly as lopsided as one under- developed human sorceress facing off a dark lord or two."
Lina's face burned red at the back-handed slight. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Trent shook his head. "That was probably not the best choice of words, you know."
"Perhaps. Now then, are you going to fight me, or do I have to just arbitrarily incinerate you?"
"HOLD IT!"
Trent turned to regard Amelia. "You needed something?"
Amelia began her various leaps and pirouettes that would eventually lead into a sentai pose. "Mr. Valgaav, we may have once been enemies, but now you have repented for your sins! You MUSTN'T return to your ways of evil! For if you do, you will have left me no choice but to smite you with the hammer of JUSTICE!"
Trent's jaw dropped. Where did THAT come from? There can't be another person on this whole continent who'd actually talk like tha...
"NOW JUST ONE MINUTE!"
Trent groaned again. I thought too soon.
Naga glared pretentiously (for all that she was smiling) at Valgaav. "Now see here, Mr. Dragon. If you think that you can just breeze in here to do horrific, perverted things with my love, then you had better come up with some new ideas. For truly, who could possibly stand up to Naga the Serpent!"
Trent sighed. At least she didn't laught his time. From what he understood, the dragon wasn't all that bad a guy (now that he wasn't essentially possessed by a demon half). Still, he was kind of pushing it. "Does this place really strike you as the best battleground?" he asked, stalling for time. "Wouldn't it be better to fight somewhere slightly less populated?" Not that he'd really object to a fight; it would get him somewhere OTHER than within a hundred miles of Naga.
Amelia gaped in shock. After all, it was probably the first time in her life she'd been exposed to a person who thought about the consequences before they acted (Lina and Philionel aren't exactly the best role models for self-control.)
Valgaav grinned. "If THAT'S your only concern, you needn't worry." He teleported next to Trent, grabbing his arm. "Teleportation. The only way to travel." Before Trent could counter, he and Valgaav had vanished.
--------
Trent groaned quietly as they reappeared in the middle of a desert. Shadow- walking he was used to; this apparently used an entirely different system, one that was giving him a bit of a headache. "Ow."
Valgaav smiled. "Now that your little concern over casual by-standers is out of the way, shall we begin?"
Trent shook his head to clear it. "Oh don't get your pants in a bunch, just give me a minute." Glaring through his aching head at the ancient dragon, he felt compelled to ask, "why are you really fighting me? If you want powerful opponents, Lina's a stronger mage, Gourry's a better swordsman, and Zelgadis is probably the most dangerous."
"Zelgadis?" Valgaav asked. "What gives you the idea that he's more dangerous than Lina?"
Trent shrugged as he unlimbered his swords. "Simple enough; Zelgadis isn't quite as powerful as Lina, but he's damn close. I'll also concede that as he's not anywhere near as tempermental, he's not that dangerous just by being alive. In a fight though, he has one thing that Lina lacks which gives him a HUGE advantage."
"And what's that?"
Trent sighed, the head-ache finally clearing. Thank the gods for fast recovery times. "Let's get this over with." Trent entered a ready stance he'd found convenient for both spell-casting and swords work; weight balanced, right hand near his shoulder, left hand forward for either a quick digger volt (as yet his favorite spell) or defense shield. "And the reason Zelgadis is more dangerous than Lina is because unlike her, he has good aim."
--------
Lina sneezed violently. "Where did that come from?" Shaking her head, she turned back to Filia. "So what's the story? How come Valgaav's so teed off at Trent? I wouldn't have even thought they knew each other."
Filia shook her head. "I can't recall him ever mentioning elves before; I haven't the faintest idea." Though there IS something strange about him, and I don't think it's those swords. I just wish I could put my finger on it...
"Oh my. What a mess this is."
Filia jumped at the familiar if irritating voice. She glared at the speaker; he was REALLY the last thing she needed right now. And I mean that literally; she probably would have preferred another one of Shabranigdo's shards conveniently ressurecting. "Xellos?! What are YOU doing here?!"
Xellos just smiled cheerfully, regarding Sirius. "Oh, you really didn't think that lord Beastmaster wouldn't send me to investigate a group of Monsters coming from an entirely new area? As I told you all last time; the monster race has no intention of letting anyone destroy or harm this world unless we're the ones doing it."
Lina groaned at the trickster priest, though she was privately amazed that they'd gotten a straight answer out of him. "Xellos, why did you have to show up?"
The trickster priest's grin never wavered. "Oh, I was actually here on business. As I said, lord Beastmaster would never allow more monsters to show up that weren't under Lord Shabranigdo's control. Now what's this about Valgaav?"
Zelgadis glared at the priest, and was abruptly struck with what could only be termed an inspiration. "THAT...is a secret."
Xellos just laughed in delight as the rest of the castle (at least the ones in earshot) face-faulted. "Oh my, I seem to be having a bad influence on you Mr. Zelgadis. How wonderful. Now then, what really happened?"
Zelgadis shrugged; it had been funny (and yes, even he could use a laugh once in awhile), but eventually Xellos would pester him until he gave up something useful. Better to speak on his own terms; THAT could give him some slight dignity in the face of the trickster priest, and he'd take any he could get. "Honestly? I haven't the faintest idea. First Sirius shows up saying something about a replacement for Darkstar, then Valgaav arrives and teleports Trent off somewhere about a challenge."
Xellos's eyes opened as his smile faded slightly. "Trent? I wonder why Valgaav would challenge that elf..."
Filia glared at him. "Yes, well we have to find him again if you don't mind..."
Xellos's grin returned full force, giving those few unfortunate enough to know him a BAD feeling. "Oh that's no trouble at all; I happen to know exactly where those two are. I'd be happy to take you all there; hang on..."
Before anyone could protest, Xellos had managed to grab Fila, Lina, Zelgadis, and Amelia. Dont ask me how; he only has two arms but he managed it anyway. Naga and Jilis barely managed to grab ahold of Lina's ankles before he teleported off.
Maybe they should have stayed behind.
--------
Filia tore herself out of Xellos's grasp as they touched down. "WHAT do you think you're doing, grabbing me like that?"
Xellos just smiled. "Oh silly me, I thought that you wanted to track down Valgaav; how foolish of me to think otherwise."
Lina groaned from her position on the ground. "Ow...what hit me?"
Filia sighed, sinking down to apply a minor healing spell. "Teleporting like that takes a little getting used to; that's why I normally fly places instead."
Xellos assumed an approximation of a sheepish grin as his arm went behind his head. "Oh dear, I forgot that you aren't used to that sort of thing. I'm so sorry."
Zelgadis glared tiredly. I'll have to remember to torch him at some point, he mentally added.
"GGRRAAAAAUGH!"
Said roar proving enough to distract them from REALLY bad headaches.
"FEHLZAREID!" came Trent's returning call.
Lina gaped at the two; it was quite a bit different than any mage battle she could recall. When she had fought against monsters and such, it had been pretty simple; try and keep them distracted long enough to hit them with a big spell. When she'd watched more than one monster fight (mainly Xellos against Gaav's henchmen), there wasn't much to see; most of it took place in either the astral plane or in mid-teleport.
This was somewhere in between.
Valgaav had switched to his half-dragon form for combat; it gave him a boost of power for his spell-like abilities. Not too much difference; his arms were scaled and clawed, as were the new wings. (Author's Note: Very few monsters or dragons use spells for their attacks; Filia's just about the only one who does regularly, as she's a shrine maiden. Most non-humans just channel their powers as rough approximations of spells like fireball or as defense shields. This works a LOT better; the powers are usually just as strong if not stronger than an actual spell, they don't have to worry about their relations with the power source, and most importantly such abilities have almost zero start-up time).
For his part Trent was using every trick and skill he knew just to survive; Valgaav was pretty serious about winning. If he was serious about trying to kill the dark elf was another thing that Trent could work out later. He'd been forced to reveal his shadow-walking almost from the get go; Valgaav was too fast and aggressive for him to dodge successfully the whole time.
Even worse, Trent's arsenal was pretty limited to either spells or various bladed weapons. While blades can hurt dragons, the problem is hitting them in a vulnerable spot. Spells took too long; Trent was so busy dodging that the most he could pull out was MAYBE an Elmekia Flame. Nothing that could get the job done.
Valgaav swooped overhead, readying more energy blasts. Trent smiled grimly as he began dancing around the hail of blasts. On Lodoss, the last time a spell had been INVENTED had been in the age of Kastuul. Here? Heck, some mages came up with little spells every few years. Trent had managed to develop maybe four spells all his own in as many years. One in particular that might be useful. "Incantum," he whispered under his breath, invoking it.
As Valgaav dive-bombed him, he closed his hands to chant a new spell. "FIREBALL!"
Valgaav grinned tightly as the spell whizzed towards him. Strong, but not strong enough. Rather than dodge, he batted the blast aside with a scaled arm. Or rather tried; the blast was actually enough to knock him off course, startling him.
It wasn't a long pause, but it was enough. Trent's hands snapped around his shuriken as he tried a spell modification on the fly. "Lord of darkness whose gaze burns crimson let your power flow through my hands! RUBY-EYE BLADE!" (1)
Valgaav gaped as one of the strongest spells of Black Magic hurled at him; one that had never been intended for anything other than close, hand-to- hand combat. Struggling to dodge, he pulled together every shred of energy he could manage, forming a spear of energy to deflect the handful of blades he couldn't dodge. "GGRRRRAAAUGH!" Thankfully for Valgaav, this new version was perhaps a fourth as strong as the real one; not quite as much a danger as he'd feared. The spell had raised the danger of the throwing knives such that they would have been able to effect Valgaav as though his resistances were merely human.
"BRAM GUSH!"
Valgaav stared in shock as Trent managed to blast him with a high-energy lance of wind. From midair.
--------
Lina gaped as Valgaav's energy lance cut the wind spell in half. "Hold on! How the heck did he cast a spell that powerful?!"
Gourry turned in confusion to Lina. "That spell's really powerful? It didn't look like it had much more power than a fireball."
Zelgadis shook his head. "Normally, that's true. But he cast it in midair; that's supposedly not possible."
"Why not?"
Lina sighed. "Hey Amelia. Why don't YOU explain this magic stuff to Gourry for once."
Amelia blink-blinked, but what the heck? "The spell's not really that powerful Mr. Gourry; I mean it's a good attack, but not as dangerous as some of the other magic. The problem with him casting it in midair is that he'd have to have been using levitation to get in the air first. And you CAN cast spells when you're using levitation, but the most that people can manage is flare arrow; there's no way that he could be skilled enough to cast that spell under normal circumstances. Understand?"
"Hmmm," Gourry said, stroking his chin. "Nope. Not at all."
This occurence was common enough that no face-fault proved necessary.
Xellos shrugged. "I hardly see what your point is. He probably just cast levitation to get in midair, then switched to a new spell while he was first starting to fall."
"Ohhh," Gourry responded, understanding hitting him. Not that anyone was really paying any attention; the fight had become more interesting.
--------
Valgaav finally gained a decisive advantage as he sent a hail of energy bolts at Trent, forcing him back to the ground. Before the elf could recover, Valgaav had dive-bombed him, impaling him with his energy lance through the shoulder.
Trent had sufficient self-control that he didn't yell in pain, limiting himself to a grunt of agony at the neat two inch hole in his scapula. Assassins need silence at all times; learning how to die quietly is something that they all become versed in. That's not to say it didn't hurt; getting stabbed is far from pleasant.
Valgaav sighed in disgust at his opponent. "Oh don't tell me THAT was enough to stop you. Surely you're capable of a bit more than that."
Trent screwed his eyes shut, but didn't bothering answering. As he'd learned in mage training, pain was power, in the most literal sense possible. That was why some mages and such hurt others to try and absorb the energy released; likewise, it was how monsters fed. As such, his own pain had released an influx of power sufficient to let him use a spell that normally would have made him pass out.
Valgaav leaned forward at the unfamiliar incantation. "What's that?"
"Lord of destruction's flames, fallen god of crimson. Lend me your strength, release your power to me, and unleash the inferno...BLAST BOMB!"
Fist-sized orbs of crimson light formed around him, abruptly swarming forward to strike the now-slightly-panicked dragon. With good cause; the strongest known spell of fire shamanism was hitting him with enough power to block a dragon slave.
Trent gasped in pain as the spear disappeared from in his shoulder. At least it's not bleeding. Invoking shadow-walking, he sank into his own shadow to buy some time.
Valgaav gasped in shock and pain; the spell had caused a LOT of damage; more than enough to kill an ordinary dragon. As his own power level was sufficient to weather even Lina's rage for a time, this didn't finish him off but HURT.
More to the point, Trent shouldn't have been able to cast that spell. Blast Bomb was an incredibly rare spell of fire; few even knew of it. Even then, the spell required insane amounts of power or skill to pull off; according to legend only Rei Magnus himself had ever been strong enough to cast the spell. Lina could do it, but only with her Talismans to boost her sufficiently.
Valgaav's eyes narrowed as he tried to hunt down the elf. No way that a self-proclaimed 'inexperienced dark elf' could have cast THAT. I was right.
Now to convince the 'elf' of that.
--------
Jaws dropping were no longer sufficient.
Amelia found her voice first. "Um...that wasn't what I think it was, was it?"
Filia slowly shook her head. "It was. Blast Bomb."
Lina chuckled nervously. "He...he probably had some talismans. I mean, there's no way he was actually able to pull THAT spell off unaided."
Those surrounding her clung quite tenaciously to the most intelligent and likely reason.
Xellos shook his head, deadly serious for once. "Regardless, it takes quite a mage to pull that spell off. For that matter, doesn't it seem a bit odd that this mage pops out of nowhere? One who can manage spells like Ruby-Eye Blade? How did he get this strong?"
No one had an answer to that.
--------
Trent had been busy in his limited respite. Recovery spells were slightly limited and needed time, but they were dealing with the pain at the very least. Between the spells and shadow-walking to keep Valgaav guessing, nothing had really happened on either side in the way of attacks.
More to the point, none of Trent's spells seemed strong enough to do the job. He had some tricks left, but his mind was too pain-frazzled to actually concentrate on anything big. That left him with his swords and other blades. Throwing knives would be useless; Trent's only hope left was getting close enough to strike hard and fast with his swords.
Not the best plan of attack, but he was out of options.
Valgaav's eyes darted across the landscape as he tried to spot his opponent, a new energy spear in his hands. Energy blasts would be useless against an opponent he couldn't even see, and his lance served equally well as shield and attack.
Trent silently materialized from the shadows behind a closer boulder. Taking a deep breath, he tried to center himself for what would need to be a colossal blow; Valgaav's dragon blood made his human-looking body far to tough for anything less. Slipping back into the shadows, he attacked.
Valgaav's only warning was a near-inaudible whisper of metal against wood as Trent drew his sword. Acting on instinct, he leapt forcefully out of the way, spinning in midair to attack, sending a new flurry of energy blasts.
Trent winced as the blasts hurtled towards him. The problem with shadow walking was that Valgaav's dodge had moved his shadow out of the way. The angel of the sun was also such that the only way Trent could get out of the way through them would be to make a break towards them. He might have been able to dodge, but he was exhausted. His adrenaline was starting to die down, and the strain of casting so many spells this quickly was starting to tell. Unlike Lina, he'd never had to go on spell-casting marathons; in this regard he lacked endurance.
The blasts hit hard.
Valgaav frowned as he landed. Trent's coat had been lined with orihalcon wire mail, rendering the pseudo-magical blast weakened enough that it didn't kill him. Still, he wouldn't be moving for awhile. The ancient dragon stalked forward, spear in hand. "So, you're weaker than I thought. Perhaps I WAS wrong."
Trent winced at the sight of eminent death. Being a pseudo-hero really sucks sometimes...
"Don't you dare die here."
Trent winced. Great. The pain's reached the point where I'm hearing voices in my head.
"Don't be an imbecile," snapped the mind voice. "Have you forgotten everything you are? Or are you just that moronic, and don't actually know?"
Trent groaned internally. Just go away already. I'm in some rather serious pain at the moment, and would prefer to die with a little dignity... His voice broke off as the mind-voice chose a shape for itself. Odd. I can't seem to recall ever hearing of silver dragons.
"Good-bye." Valgaav raised his spear for a death-blow; he didn't feel any hatred towards the elf, but he'd learned the hard way that you NEVER leave an enemy alive.
"Don't you dare give up! Have you forgotten why you used to fight? Why you opposed GODS? Has that pale-haired girl slipped your mind that readily?"
THAT got a bit more of a reaction. Trent didn't remember her face, or her voice, or even WHY she was important to him (he had his suspicions). What he DID remember was that he hadn't hesitated to oppose ANYTHING for her sake. And this dragon was just one more obstacle that needed to get sliced past.
And for the first time in over a century of fighting, Trent articulated that rage. "GRRRAAAAUUUUGHH!!!"
Valgaav didn't actually see it hit him, but he recognized the concentrated surge of white energy that ripped into him, carving an almost identical hole in his shoulder as the one in Trent's. Even as he fell to the sands, he grinned.
Atop the cliff's, Filia's knees gave out. She'd known since first meeting Trent that there was something...off, about him. She'd chalked it up to his being an elf; something she'd never come into contact with. Except now she understood. She recognized that energy all too well.
Lina whistled appreciatively. "Wow, what was that? Looked kind of like an Elmekia Lance with a super-charge."
"That's no spell," Xellos remarked, his impish grin widening. Oh good. Things HAD been getting boring.
"What are you talking about? What else could that have been?"
"He's right," Filia remarked faintly. "That's not a spell. I recognize that attack."
Jilis turned to her worriedly. "'Wot's going on? How's he holding his own against the boss?"
"He's holding his own because they're equals, or nearly so," Filia said quietly. "That attack was laser breath."
Lina stared at Filia for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Laser Breath?! You gotta be kidding me; are you saying that he's a DRAGON?!"
Filia nodded, still deep in shock. "Somehow, he has the blood of an Ancient Dragon."
Lina snorted openly. "Yeah right, we all know that Valgaav's the last..."
"GRRRRRRRAAUUGH!"
Xellos quirked an eyebrow at Lina. "You were saying?"
Considering that her jaw had dropped to the level of the ground, Lina wasn't in a particularly good state to answer.
Trent had begun a transformation sequence shortly after his breath attack; for some odd reason his aura had shifted to an incandescent silvery gray rather than Valgaav's normal red aura.
The problem was that he didn't really LOOK like the ancient dragons that anyone had seen. Rather than lizard-like, his build resembled a large, predatory cat similar to a cheetah more than anything else. Granted, his neck and tail were a lot longer than any cat's, but the analogy holds here. Additionally, whereas Valgaav's scales were glossy black Trent's had taken on a strange silver color, making it look as though he'd been carved out of liquid metal. Liquid metal forming a dragon over a hundred feet in length.
Valgaav's smile turned from simple pleasure to outright exultance. "I WAS RIGHT! I'M NOT THE LAAAAASSSTT!"
Trent's reaction was a bit off; then again, he was feeling a bit less than congratulatory for his opponent. After all, Valgaav HAD been trying to kill him or at least seriously maim him for quite some time.
Valgaav teleported out of the way as repeated shots of laser breath streaked towards him. Grinning, he started unleashing his own aura, prepping for full transformation. The results were...impressive to say the least.
Valgaav's form was that of a True Ancient Dragon; as such, it would have to be assumed that Trent's was some kind of a knock-off. They looked entirely too different otherwise. Valgaav's scales were glossy black, as were his wings and talons. Unlike Trent's more bat-like wings, Valgaav's vaguely resembled those of a bird, though a decidedly unkempt one.
That and he was approximately fifty percent longer than Trent, perhaps a bit more.
Valgaav had been around since around the war of the monster's fall; dragon at first and later mazoku, he'd had over a millenia to hone his skills and powers. Trent was roughly one tenth his age, and hadn't known he'd had ANY dragon blood whatsoever until around five minutes ago.
The fight ended predictably enough in Trent's defeat. Thankfully without Valgaav trying to kill him this time.
After getting whacked around for awhile by his hundred and sixty foot opponent, Trent had passed out; conveniently returning to his original elvish form.
Grinning diabolically (it's just something that draconic skulls are suited for), Valgaav echoed him, returning to his normal, humanoid state. Grabbing the elf by the back of his jacket, he teleported them both onto the 'spectator's' ridge, tossing him to the ground. As Amelia ran forward to fuss over him, he waved her aside. "You needn't bother too much over him; dragons heal fast, and I didn't really hurt him all THAT badly."
Filia stared at Valgaav in wonder. "How did he survive?"
"I haven't the faintest idea, nor could I care less. He's alive, and he's one of my race. That's all that really matters." Valgaav turned to regard Sirius curiously. "Now that MY fight's out of the way, what's he doing here?"
Sirius stared at him uncomfortably; what do you say to a guy that you helped kill the first time around you met? Valgaav chose the slightly magnanimous route and told him straight out, "I don't particularly care about what you did to me during that Darkstar mess. Now, what's going on? Why did you return to OUR world? Planning to kill a few more of his fragments or such?"
Sirius sighed, returning his attention to his own injuries. "I don't know how, but one of the humans of your world managed to follow me back. Apparently, he's been using the time to consolidate a hold and a claim on many of the monster sub-races of my world; again, I don't know why, but I assume that he wants to take over the world or destroy it."
Xellos snorted in disdain. "Can't these evil geniuses and megalomaniacs think up something with a bit more class? 'Take over the world...'"
Sirius incongruously sweat-dropped at Xellos's muttering. "As I was saying, he recently attacked our citadel, trying to steal the weapons that Darkstar created. He almost succeeded."
Lina frowned. Hey! Nobody's supposed to be able to get stuff like that except for me! "Where are the weapons now?"
"I have two of them with me this instant. As for the other three, they were successfully stolen."
Valgaav appeared to ruminate on that for a time. After a time, he spoke up again. "Well, I happened to like that spear of light quite a bit. If it's all the same to you, I'll be joining you to try and retrieve them." At the overworlder's obvious suspicion, he added, "I don't care what happens to the rest of them, and I WILL try to help. I'm not part monster anymore, remember?"
Trent groaned as he regained consciousness. If nothing else, Valgaav had been right about one thing; dragons recover fast. "But mommy, I only took a few cookies..."
Mass stares at his mumbling.
Trent shook his head to clear out a few cobwebs before looking around in confusion. "Um...I don't suppose that I whole turning into a dragon part was a dream?" Slowly, they shook their heads. Nodding slowly, he turned to look around. "I don't suppose anyone can explain where that came from?"
To be continued...
